A little awards gala in NYC

PrincessGraceFoundationUSA-19Our main purpose for being in New York last week was to attend an awards gala for the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Ta’u had been chosen as one of the award winners for a grant that will provide the funds for us to begin production of the documentary we have been developing called Eating Up Easter. You can find more info and the full trailer for our video on the Eating Up Easter Blog. The film will look at the rapid development of Easter Island in the last ten years as we follow four characters each concerned with the future of the island in different ways. We will also look at how the islanders adapted to their changing environment in the past and the ways in which this knowledge can inform present day plans for sustainability.

The gala was held for the foundation’s largest donors and was a bit out of our comfort zone, dining with New York high society and all….so we just called it our Halloween. These were our costumes…PrincessGraceFoundationUSA-1PrincessGraceFoundationUSA-3PrincessGraceFoundationUSA-2Ta’u had to arrive at the gala a few hours before me, to rehearse walking on stage, to take photos with Princess Charlene, and to get his award, a beautiful little pin symbolizing the three arts that Princess Grace supports – film, theater, and dance.  Continue Reading →

48 hours in NYC

48-hours-NYC-1We had a whirlwind of a trip to NYC this past week but we still managed to fit in a lot of fun – eating yummy food, hanging out with good friends, exploring new (to us) corners of the city, and building connections with many inspiring people.

We had a little award gala to attend (more on that in another post) and Ta’u was tight on time off from work, squeezing this trip in between his Octoberganza of work travel. Did we mention he’s been to New Mexico, California, Washington, and Hawaii (not to mention New York) over this four week period? And with a trip to Florida next week, he will have hit all four corners of the country + Hawaii within a month. Craziness. Someone’s racking up the miles. And boy are we getting excited dreaming about how to use them — you’ve got to look for the positives in a month (mostly) apart, right?48-hours-NYC-2So, NYC. Well, Manhattan really. We stayed in Midtown a block from Grand Central and my favorite, the Chrysler building.48-hours-NYC-748-hours-NYC-8 Continue Reading →

Moving on

MovingOn-2There’s been a mass exodus out of Minnesota going on lately. A disturbing number of our close family and friends have moved (or are about to move) out of state this year. Helping all of them pack up their trucks and move out makes me nostalgic for past moves of our own. I’m worried I’m catching a bit of a moving bug. We tend to get antsy after 2-3 years and decide we need to move, you know, just to keep life interesting, and we are quickly approaching that timeline here in Minnesota. But then I remember how fun it really is (i.e. not that much fun) and I can’t help but be happy we don’t have any immediate moving plans of our own.

Here’s a glimpse into our move back to Minnesota from New York. If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s making sure we’ve filled every teeny tiny space in a moving truck. I can’t stand unused space forcing you to leave behind something you love. And this, I realize now, is probably why we have way too much stuff.

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P.S. Most people seem to be smarter than this, but if you are the type to shrug off advice and forge ahead with thoughts of “I can do anything!”, I’m warning you, as a fellow stubborn overachiever: Don’t move in the winter. We had 3-foot snow banks to welcome us home to Minnesota and carrying boxes and furniture along a skinny little path in the freezing cold is not exactly a good time. Although we sure tried to pretend it was fun (ok it was a little….you gotta find the adventure and humor in crazy situations like these). But let me tell you, nobody wants to help you with that. You will, most definitely, be all on your own. But, then again, if you gotta move, you gotta move, and you can do anything! So just do it! You will survive, just like we did.

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This state sure won’t be the same without those who’ve left, but we wish you all the very best in your new adventures!