World's Toughest Rodeo - My Bucket List...& a Give Away!

It's a New Year & I'm seeing people's New Year's Resolutions everywhere I look these days ~

I myself, didn't make any...or rather, didn't put them out there for all the world to see...

Sure, I have them - I'm just not sharing them.

What I don't mind sharing however, is my own, personal - BUCKET LIST!

Who doesn't have a Bucket List, right?

Sure, I've got things on my Bucket List that will take some extensive planning (and money),

like an Alaskan Cruise or spending a couple of weeks driving to Banff...

But...I also have other, more attainable Bucket List items...

Like...Taking in a Real. Live. Rodeo!

That's right! I've always wanted to go to a REAL Rodeo...

Is it the North Dakotan in me? I doubt it - I didn't grow up in the cowboy part of the state...But I do love watching rodeos & bull riding on television.

So do my kiddos!

That's why I'm thrilled to be taking my family to The World's Toughest Rodeo in St. Paul on February 3rd!

Event Details as taken from the website:

World’s Toughest Rodeo stampedes into Saint Paul with two thrilling shows

Friday-Saturday, Feb. 3-4 at Xcel Energy Center starting at 7:30 p.m. each night.

The toughest cowboys in the world show off their skill in action-packed events that will entertain the whole family. Before the rodeo each night, children are invited to enjoy the "Cowboy Kids' Zone" where real life cowboys teach these future cowpokes how to properly lasso a steer, barrel race and even clown around.

The first 500 children (12 and under) Friday night will also receive a free cowboy hat.

Watch as nationally televised “Toughest Cowboy” competitor Charlie Barker from Ranger, TX tests his might and skill in the rodeo triathlon as he attempts to compete on up to six animals in a single night! See champion cowboys prove their grit in bull riding, bareback, saddle bronc and barrel racing exhibitions of power and agility. There is something for everyone – from barrel racing cowgirls to the wild antics of the rodeo clowns. The 2012 World's Toughest Rodeo will also feature Anthony Lucia, a nationally known trick and fancy roper that will be showcased at the 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this December in Las Vegas.

World’s Toughest Rodeo is an exciting spectacle families won’t soon forget.

Rising country star Justin Moore will perform Saturday night, Feb. 4, for the popular “Party On The Dirt” following World’s Toughest Rodeo. K102 contest winners get access to the “dirt dance,” but all rodeo fans are welcome to stay and enjoy the live entertainment. Since releasing his debut self-titled album in 2009, Moore has toured with some of country’s hottest stars including Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert. He is currently on the road promoting his second album, “Outlaws Like Me,” which features the No. 1 single “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.” Moore was recently nominated for an American Country Award (ACA) for Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Tell me this doesn't sound like an AWESOME family date night?

I for one, cannot wait!

And, even better than me checking this off my Bucket List?

Winning 4 tickets for yourself! That's what!

That's right!

Thanks to the fine folks at the beautiful Xcel Energy Center & WTR,

I've got a pack of FOUR tickets to give away for Friday, February 3rd!

YAY!

What do you have to do to win?

Easy - Simply pick one or more of the following Rafflecopter options and you are all set!

(I'd love to hear what's on your bucket list...)

Winner will be announced on Monday, January 16th ~

The Works!

Our family is always looking for something fun and exciting to do ~
The more affordable the better...

Enter in ~

The Works!

The Works is a new place that opened up in Bloomington, Minnesota - the kiddos and I were super excited to explore this place that isn't all that far from our home...
BONUS!

I didn't bring my camera on this particular morning - I just wanted to live in the moment...
Thank God for cell phone cameras - this is easily the best picture of the two of them together I've ever gotten! AND...I took a couple dozen others as well! HA HA! I should have known!

And now - The Works - in Pictures. (And Videos!)

The laser Harp (or Harper if you ask D - ) was a huge hit!

But the most fun of all, was surely the foam bricks...we built and we built and we built...

And then they got brave, and dug out a little hole on the bottom to crawl inside with...

And then, much to D's dismay - I told them to knock it all over so we could go home...

We loved loved loved our outing to The Works and can't wait to go back...

We paid our own admission to the works - Just $6 per person, and we were not compensated in any way, shape or form for this post. We had a great time there, and I'm confident you and your kiddos will too! In fact, I hesitated even writing this post because I'd love to keep this place all to ourselves! That wouldn't be very nice now would it! HA!

Disney on Ice - Treasure Trove (Discount Tickets!)

Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS TREASURE TROVE

IS COMING TO SAINT PAUL'S XCEL ENERGY CENTER, DEC. 8-11, 2011

Discover endless riches when Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove comes to town! 

Disney On Ice sets the gold standard with its newest skating spectacular.  Get tangled up in Disney’s 50^th animated feature with Rapunzel and Flynn and enter the worlds of your other favorite Disney princesses –Tiana, Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Mulan and of course, the one who started it all, Snow White.  Ahoy, Mateys!  Set sail with Peter Pan, the always sassy Tinker Bell and the cantankerous Captain Hook and his pirate pals on an adventure beyond Never Land!  Trek the wilds of Africa with Simba, Nala, Pumbaa and Timon as they discover the true meaning of the ‘Circle of Life.’  Tick-Tock!  Tick-Tock!  Don’t be late to a very important date with Alice and the Mad Hatter as they march with the Queen of Hearts’ Army Of Cards.  

Be sure to see this show full of memories guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Show Times: 

Thursday, Dec. 8 - 7 p.m.

 Friday, Dec. 9 - 10 a.m. & 7 p.m. 

Saturday, Dec. 10 - 11 a.m., 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. 

Sunday, Dec. 11 - 1 p.m. & 5 p.m.

AND...I'm pleased to share with you...

SHOW SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES

4 tickets for $44 on select show!  A total savings of $20!   

Discount valid on all weekend evening performances (Friday 7 p.m. / Saturday 7 p.m. / Sunday 5 p.m.)   Offer in effect Monday, November 28 @ 10 a.m. through Wednesday, November 7 at 10 p.m.  

Offer Valid toward regularly-priced $16 tickets only, excludes VIP and Front Row Seats. Offer subject to ticket availability.  For best seats redeem as soon as possible. Valid on up to 12 discounted tickets. Not to be used in conjunction with any other discounts, premiums or rebates.

To Redeem:

Call 1-800-745-3000 Use code: MOM or online by clicking HERE!

with code: MOM.  (Offer subject to service and handling charges)

My family has had the opportunity to attend a few of these shows over the past few years and it NEVER disappoints.  The skating spectacular has proven to be something for all ages...and this time around, with the additional of Rapunzel? We are so VERY VERY excited!

Surly Brewing Company - Date Night!

A recent date night (I KNOW! RIGHT?) had the Hubs & I trekking to the opposite ends of the earth metro to visit the infamous Surly Brewing Company ~

I was thrilled to get a spot in one of their elusive Brew Tours...as I see people constantly complaining around the interwebs that they can't get in for a tour! I suppose this isn't the place to say I was able to get in on my very first try!

YAY ME!

It was, however, birthday week that I was able to land the tour for, so...there's something to be said for that I suppose! Happy Birthday to ME!

Anyhoo - Rob and I toured the Coors Brewery out in Colorado one year - that was pretty awesome...

But Surly Brewing Company...That tour was it's own kind of awesome! (& HELLO! Local! Well, sort of, seeing as how it IS across town and all...)

First off...admission is FREE!
Yes, folks...FREE...Well, not totally free...You are REQUIRED to bring a non-perishable food item as your ticket for entrance...that's pretty awesome if you ask me. 


According to their website, almost 20,000 lbs of food had been donated by early 2010! I wonder what that number is now, almost 2 years later?

A handful of FREE BEER TOKENS! YES PLEASE!

 Omar (the beer drinker behind this whole operation) stood on pallets and gave the tour...pretty much all from one place...mug of Surly Brew in hand.
Tour attendees stood around, laughing at his animated stories, giving him their undivided attention - except when they needed refills ~ which we were encouraged to get at any time we wanted to (with our tokens.)

At one point, his dad, who had been standing next to us, got up & talked a bit...he reminded me so much of my own dad ~ it was like one of those signs...you know, those signs? What my dad and a sign regarding beer would have in common is beyond me...but sometimes, just sometimes...

Anyway - back to the tour...

Rob marking the 11/11/11 date night on the white board in the Surly Brewery.

 I was hoping to see some canning in action - but it was a Friday night...so what did I expect?

Empty cans and kegs abound...
an interesting fact...in 2006, Surly sold 1748 kegs...in 2011they will sell around 55,000 kegs. All started in one man's garage. Pretty amazing huh?

Date Night 11/11/2011

It was a super fun night, something out of the ordinary and so extraordinary!

I highly recommend the Surly Brew Tour...sign up with some friends!

I'd totally go again....
And a HUGE thanks to Dan & LeAnn for entertaining our kiddos so we could get away for some adult time!

*** This is an unsolicited post.  Words and opinions are my own...So are the pictures...taken on my camera phone - I sort of wish I had taken my good camera on this tour but it was more about the beer, not about the pictures...And judging from their FB page and twitter feed and how hard it is for folks to get into a tour, they certainly don't need anyone promoting their delish brews! ***

Emma Krumbie's - Our Annual Visit

I think it's safe to say,

That fall visits to Emma Krumbee's have now become a Gust Family Tradition.



We went in 2008.

And we went in 2009.

And we visited last year in 2010 ~

So 2011...
Officially a tradition!

A tradition that almost wasn't...
Because the 6 going on 16 year old wasn't quite feeling it on this particular morning...

Never mind that it was 86 degrees...
In October...in the morning...

She wanted to wear her flannel nightgown - and as you know, I don't really care if she wears pj's out in public - be it running a 5k/1 mile fun run, or a Sunday morning TweetUp at the local Corn Maze...

There really are bigger things to worry about in life than if your kid is wearing pj's in public.

And so...I bring you our Emma Krumbee 2011 visit!

I love love love looking back at the photos of the kids in the same places over the years!
When I look back, my heart just overflows with love...it seems like so long ago they were so small, yet...
just last week too - why is that?

D wanted to play photographer - and asked us to pose just like the scarecrow!

How could we not?

The barrel ride really was fun - though you'd never ever know it would you by the looks on their faces! HA HA!

Every year, Emma Krumbee's does a Scarecrow Festival - I love seeing what the contestants have come up with - as there are lots of pumpkins that reflect the 'times' -

Like Repunzel!

And this tribute to the Twin Towers for the 10 year anniversary of that fateful day known as 9-11

There was so much intricate detail in this one...

And this picture...taken because I love love love to compare! Lookit my baby girl!

You say tomato, I say tomato...

I say dress, she says nightgown...

eh...

Doesn't hinder the tractor driving...

We don't buy our punkins here...but we love to wander the patch all the same -

I'm not sure there's any better way to spend a glorious fall day than at one of the local orchards ~

And while not Christmas Card worthy necessarily - still, my babies - in the same picture -

growing up right before our eyes!

(And as their sign language would tell you - 7 & 5? um, no!

Try 5 & 4...or technically, 6 and 4 days...and almost 5...

oh how I love these kids ~

they make my life worth living ~

Another visit to Emma Krumbee's in the books...

And the icing on the cake - or, caramel on the apple in this case -

You can't hardly drive out here without making a stop at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store!

BONUS FUN!