Minnesota...here I come!

Minnesota collectibles abound at Sweet Butter. That is because my husband lives there. We’ve been enduring a long distance relationship (first a romance, then an engagement, and now a marriage) for 10 years. Many people say, “Now that’s the key to a happy a happy marriage! But for us, it is just plain difficult. There is so much we’ve missed these past 10 years, simple things like sharing a closet. But somehow we’ve managed. We really don’t have a choice. We’re in love.

Sweet Butter has been all consuming these past six months. So the last time I visited Minnesota was for my husbands 46th birthday in September. As a result I’ve missed two seasons, fall and winter. In Los Angeles missing seasons is like skipping breakfast, no big deal. But in the midwest each day brings change. In the fall, the leaves turn the colors of a Malibu sunset, and in the winter our house crackles when the temperature dips below zero. The lakes turn white and rigid, and snow blankets our small town like a Dickens’ novel. It is such an exquisite contrast to the frenzy of LA, and I am so lucky to be able to retreat to this beautiful part of America as often as I do.

Our house on 4th Avenue in Faribault, Minnesota. Spring is around the corner!

One advantage of a long-distance relationship is waiting at the airport for your love. I couldn’t wait to descend the escalator…it had been six months!

Can't wait to get to the bottom!

Wow….what a site for sore eyes.

Now this part of a long-distance marriage is good....looking forward to that first kiss.

Dining in MInnesota can be a challenge…..fried foods abound, they even fry cheese! But we know certain, special spots, like The Mediterranean Cruise. They buy their produce at the Farmer’s Market and have the best hummus I have ever tasted, hands down. I was starving after my flight so we stopped there for a quick bite.

My Fatoush Salad…..yum…..the champagne was the best they had…..the vintage or winery wasn’t anything special, but it didn’t matter!

Yummy!

This gave me a headache two hours later.....

I spent the rest of my time snuggling with my husband, drinking martinis, reading stories from the stack of New Yorker’s that had piled up on our kitchen table, and antiquing.

My husband makes great drinks.....

Antiquing at the Painted Porch in Medford. More goodies for Sweet Butter!

Restaurants are greedy. They want all of you. Reading a book, playing a game, taking a jog all become extravagances.

My favorite childhood game!

But…..all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, right?

This hangs above the sink in our kitchen in Minnesota

Sometimes I have to pinch myself. My husband and I own a restaurant! And it is called Sweet Butter!

I just love how life takes you to places you never thought you’d visit.