My "Amazing Race" Recap

Another part of the Saturday night festivities were games run by a group that E is a part of. As I mentioned earlier, E was put in charge of making an Amazing Race for people of all ages to participate in (which actually meant I was put in charge).

I was a little stressed out about the whole thing. I had no ideas. And with a crazy week of work and socializing before the trip to Duluth, planning for The Amazing Race got put off until the last minute (no surprises there for anyone who know me). So while E was at his conference, I was busy running around the hotel coming up with the game, and getting all of the materials ready for the race.

I doubt the activity I created was anything like the show, but it was a hit with crowd. Everyone started in the conference center with a little competition. The groups who did better got to start earlier. E gave groups their first clue, and at each stop they had to answer a question and then pick up their next clue. Each spot had a gift back with the envelopes containing the clues. The clues sent the teams all around the hotel and back to the conference center where they started. When they got back they had one more contest- throwing 10 Skittles into a cup. I didn't see this part, but E said it was incrediably funny to watch the adults who just got done running all around the hotel try to throw Skittles. The teams I did see while they were running around the hotel were really in to the game. One woman completed the race barefoot, including a run through the hotel parking lot!

I think it could be a really fun activity to do with a group of kids at a birthday party or even a family reunion.

Another Wonderful Weekend

E had a work conference in Duluth this weekend, so I tagged along for the fun. For the Saturday night social hour, the woman running the conference hired various "street entertainers" for the Mardi Gras themed party, including a fortune teller, a judge giving harmonica lessons, and my personal favorite, a caricature artist. He had a line that kept going and going (he actually stayed on more than two hours extra to draw all the people who wanted to get their pictures done).

Didn't our picture turn out great? I think I'm going to frame it and put it up in our house. Check out more of his work here.

On a side note, one of E's coworkers had a great idea, which I may or may not steal. Scan in the caricature and use the picture on our Christmas card this year. Wouldn't that be cute!

What a wonderful weekend!

Saturday night E and I went ice skating at The Depot, an old train station in downtown Minneapolis. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. E hasn't been ice skating since he was probably in elementary school, so he was pretty scared at first. Before we left the house, he estimated a 30 percent chance of a major injury. But, as he was happy to point out after he got a little more comfortable, he's faster than me.

Unfortunately, although I remembered my camera, it did not have working batteries, so all I have are blurry Blackberry pictures. Here's a taste of the fun...