Sunrise 4/4/08

Sunrise 4/4/08, originally uploaded by onebigswede.

Beautiful sunrise this morning in Shakopee. Spring is here (I hope?)!

Easter dress

Should we redesign the blog?

Happy Easter!

Silent Movie Night 2008!

Friday night was the annual silent movie night at our local library. It's always a fun night and Norris does a great job playing the piano.

This year was a bit crazy - we added in some movies from a DVD (as well as the regular old 16mm movies) which made things a little complicated. When we got there we discovered that WCCO radio had advertised the show, leading to an even more packed house than usual. Finally, just before the show started, a cameraman from Channel 4 showed up, and wandered around poking his camera at Norris and members of the audience - all to add 30 seconds of a report to the evening news. Here it is: http://wcco.com/video/?id=38721@wcco.dayport.com

San Francisco in February

Maria and I just returned from our trip to San Francisco. I flew there for work a week ago thursday, and Maria joined me on Saturday. We had a great time checking out the sights, enjoying the beautiful weather, and eating all the wonderful food. I think we can now say that San Francisco is one of our favorite vacation locations. I'm sure we'll be back.

Here's a picture of us at Union Square in downtown San Francisco:

Garage update

As some people were asking about the status of our McGarage, I thought I'd post a picture. The garage was built in 5 days early in Janaury, but we had to wait until last week for my Mission-style lights to be installed. In the spring, it will be painted white and the fence will be reinstalled. As it is so big and has so many outlets, perhaps we can hold the next Anderson get-together there.

California Dreamin'...

... on such a winter day as this one when we're heading far below zero, here's a slideshow of pictures from our recent trip to California. I can't say it was warm while we were there, but it was far warmer than what we're enjoying this weekend!



This a set of pictures I took with my cellphone - Teresa took more (and better pictures) with the REAL camera.

Another accident!?

On my way home from work on Monday, I got into a bit of a fender bender. I was waiting at a stoplight when traffic started to move. I started moving as well. I looked down just long enough to change the radio station, and when I looked up, the Jeep in front of me had slammed on their brakes. I slammed on mine as well, but it was too late. I slid into them, their tail hitch going through my bumper, and the rest of the front of my car sliding underneath their bumper. It wasn't a very hard collision, but it was enough to cause a bunch of damage.

I brought my car into our local collision shop, "Body by Bob", and they fixed it in time for me to get it back tonight. Here is the result:



So, no more changing radio stations when starting off from a stoplight!

Trip report

We had a good time in Southern California, but it's nice to be home. We all got along surprisingly well (4 adults being together 24/7) but it was disappointingly cold. We visited Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, L.A. (Hollywood, Griffith Observatory, Norton Simon Art Museum, Farmer's Market, Dali exhibit at LACMA, and "Wicked" at the historic Pantages Theatre), and Balboa Park at San Diego. We also drove to Long Beach to have dinner with Matt, Janelle, and Maizie, Janelle's parents and grandmother. Here we are--not at Disneyland--but at the minigolf course on one of the warmer days.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Christmas has come and gone, and the new year will be here soon! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, both here in the Twin Cities and elsewhere!



Maria and I had a wonderful weekend - we attended the Nutcracker Suite at the State Theater here in Minneapolis on Saturday. I have fond memories of going to the Nutcracker with Grandpa Anderson when I was younger, and because of that I've always loved going to see it every few years. The performance wasn't as good as in past years, but nonetheless we had a very nice time enjoying the beautiful music and dancing.


Here's to a wonderful 2008!

Scroogical

Babysitting Maizie

Joel and I stayed with Maizie last night while Matt and Janelle went to "Scrooge: A Musical." Maizie was quite entertaining and walked around like a drunken sailor. Here she is enjoying her reflection.

Be careful out there!

Accident, originally uploaded by onebigswede.

Just thought I would update everyone on a little adventure that Maria had last night.

Maria was on her way home last night from work on Pioneer Trail in Eden Prairie when someone pulled out in front of her without looking, and she was forced to brake quickly, and steer into the ditch to avoid a collision. Maria hit the shoulder hard in a puff of snow. She was shaken up, but was otherwise ok. Her car, however, was buried deep in a ditch, resting at a bit of an angle. She wasn't even able to get out of the car until her parents arrived on scene to help her out.

Maria's father and I went back to the scene a few hours later to get the car towed out of the ditch, and to make sure the car would still run. Luckily there is only some minor damage to the vehicle - and it ran just fine.

Thank God Maria wasn't injured in the crash and nobody else was hurt either. It could have been a lot worse! It's starting to seem like the Andersons are a bit accident prone?! Click the picture above to see other photos of the scene.

Murray Rocks! (Unplugged)

Tonight (11/28) was Murray Night at the Har Mar Barnes and Nobles!! We went to do our part to support Murray - and catch the great acts.

Here's Matt accompanying one of the MJHS students during the Murray Rock band(s) segment of the evening.

elbow

So, I fractured both my elbows today riding my bike. If you want the whole story check out my blog...
-liv

Happy Birthday Maizie!!

maizie!

Baby Maizie---It's your birthday!!! Rock on!
Your Favorite Cousin,
Liv

Happy 1st Birthday, Maizie!

Click here for some pictures from Maizie's party!

We're Number 12!

Check out this article at the New York Times online:

In Name count, Garcias are catching up to the Joneses

There is a cool little program that lets you type in last names and see how common they are (and also an article beneath it). Anderson is the 12th most common surname. I bet you guys in Minnesota can believe it!