The north this weekend was filled with mild weather and sunshine to the delight of many who anticipate a storm right before they hit the roads for holiday travels. There’s numerous stories up here of families driving through ice and snow storms on the way to Grandma’s. Our white knuckle adventures on the way to and from our final destinations get retold around the table through the New Year.
Sometimes, even if it’s below freezing you can glimpse women wearing their holiday glitter and running down the streets of Minneapolis to their next event without a coat. We all turn and think it’s one of the bravest and silliest things we’ve seen up but this is what we call a fashion risk in Minnesota.
My plan for creating memorable days started on Saturday. I had a date day planned with my husband and not everything worked out as planned. The point of the day was to spend time together and going to some holiday pop-ups and boutiques that only happen once a year. Why a shopping trip together?
I wanted to take my husband to see other creators of handmade art, pottery, and all kinds of crafts to support local small businesses. Not only do you find unique gifts but you help make someone’s day. As someone who spends hours creating art pieces and pouring myself out on a page, I like supporting other people doing the same thing. I know what it’s like to sit at a table waiting for someone else to appreciate what you made.
If you ever want to feel inspired, surround yourself with other creatives. It’s amazing how everyone ends up with their own style on the same medium. Traveling the tables you begin to see all the possibilities of what’s possible. This weekend I learned that horseshoes can be turned into owls and worn reclaimed wood is trending as Christmas trees.
Our second stop at an city recreation and nature reserve way over in Oakdale, lead to a potential one day pop-up event for myself. This one had tables filled with water color and acrylic artists, candle makers, swag and wreath makers, ink artists, potters, and basket weavers. We had the most fun here and I refused to let a craft maker give me a deal. She was the sweetest woman who could be anyone’s grandmother, and I think we made her day by buying 2 hot glued center pieces for holiday tables. She even gave us both a hug before she called over one of the organizers of the event. I passed on my business card for next year.
As we walked back to the car, I finally explained why I wanted to stop at these placed today with him. I told him that it wasn’t really about the shopping, it was about being able to support other artists and see their smiles when you stopped and bought something at their table. Our day together ended with meal at one of his favorite restaurants, and our first memory day was complete.
I did want to end with a walk through the Lightscape show at the Minnesota Arboretum but everything didn’t go as planned. It turns out they stagger visitors and had limited tickets this weekend. By the time I looked, they were sold out. Well, there’s still time to try other events around the cities. I’ll keep you posted on what I find.
The winds were blowing on Sunday and made the windows whistle so I decided to have a pajama day. That’s right, I didn’t get dressed yesterday. You know how the TikTok goes, “I had lots of important things to do but I took a nap. I took a nap.” This wasn’t out of laziness for one day, it was out of sleep deprivation from the night before. I was up past 1:00 am going over book edits. Over 200 hundred pages.
Then, I laid awake until 6:00 in the morning. I guess my body did need some sleep after all. As I age gracefully, I learned to sleep when I can because I never know when the restlessness will strike again. Sundays are meant for rest and relaxation, and I finally enjoyed my weekend off to call my family for overdue birthday wishes.
Turkey week will focus on getting more writing in while I finish up my other projects. Head down to the keyboard. I wish you all a fun filled Holiday week!
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~Yoon Ju
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