A Year in Review

I suppose you could say 2009 was eventful. I saw a few movies, tried a new gym, took some tennis lessons, went to a play at the Guthrie, ate at some new restaurants, went to some fashion shows, completed three marketing internships, went climbing at Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul, and started a blog. I thought it would be fun, since I now have this blog, to write a few reviews on the new places I've gone, the new things I've tried, and the movies I've seen.

Favorite Movie of 2009: Avatar


I saw quite a few movies this year, but my favorite would probably have to be Avatar. I had the privilege of seeing it in 3D, which was very exciting, I even occasionally caught my hand coming up to swat virtual bugs that I thought were swarming my face. Avatar was beautiful to watch and has a little something for everyone.

Least Favorite Movie of 2009: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Although I like both Jennifer Gardner and Matthew McConaughey I felt this was a terrible plot, and just not very entertaining at all.

Favorite Restaurant of the Year: Saigon in St. Paul

A personal favorite of mine for the last 9 years, Saigon is a little hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant that has the best Pho (beef broth and rice noodle soup) that I've ever had. They have reasonable prices and fresh entrees. One of my favorites is the chicken spring rolls.

New Restaurant of the Year: Ngon in St. Paul

For my birthday dinner Nick took me to Ngon in St. Paul. It is primarily Vietnamese cuisine with a fusion of, I believe, French. Located on University Avenue I was quite surprised when I walked in to find a restaurant very typical of an uptown Minneapolis ambience. It was very trendy. Though the food was good, I much prefer Saigon, which has better food and cheaper prices. I am excited, however, to go back and try their brunch.

The Guthrie: A Christmas Carol

After dinner at Ngon Nick took me to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Guthrie, which was quite good. The Guthrie architecture and design elements reminded a lot of the Walker Museum in Minneapolis. Clean lines, minimalistic, and great design elements. My only negative is that once in the Guthrie Nick and I had the hardest time actually finding the auditorium. We went up the longest escalator ever (after asking how to get to the 5th floor) and once off had to ask several employees how to get to the auditorium (others were even asking us how to get to the auditorium). More signage would definitely be helpful.

Vertical Endeavors:

For my birthday spent with my girlfriends I really wanted to try out Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul, an indoor climbing facility. At $20 for the whole day you had access to multiple climbing walls and could come and go as you please. Unfortunately, unless you have past experience belaying you are very limited to the climbing space as a majority of the ropes are designated for belaying, leaving only 5-7 automatic ropes in the whole facility. Therefore, for part of the day we spent our time crowding around the limited available ropes waiting in line, until, fortunate for us, we met another group of climbers who offered to belay us. One other slight negative about the facility is that the walls are shorter than those found at Dicks Sporting Goods and REI (or at least they appear to be). Would I go again? Definitely, but I am excited to try other indoor climbing facilities.

Beware of major camel toe! No worries though...everyone has it.

Though I did a lot in 2009 I hope to accomplish even more in 2010. I love to try new things and would really like to tap more into my adventurous side. So I salute you 2009 and welcome 2010 with open arms.

Outfit of the Day: I actually wore this in Indiana over Thanksgiving break.

Matching hat and scarf: Target
Hooded tie-dyed shirt: Clothing Swap-Free
Jeans: Rerock-Thrifted at $9.99
Off-white Angel Sleeved Cardigan: Target-$6...
Brown Suede Boots: Jessica Simpson from Macys-birthday gift from mom and dad
iPhone: Christmas gift from mom and dad