Minnesota Monday Trivia

One of my favorite Minnesota posts was a set of trivia questions I posted here. This state of mine is a wonderful place to live--but with all the cold and snow, I know a lot of people sometimes wonder why we do. To be honest, in the coldest times of the winter, I often ask myself the same question. :) But then Spring, Summer, and Fall come around and I have no question in my mind. Minnesota has some of the prettiest landscape, the most diverse seasons, and the nicest people.

On this (warmer) Minnesota Monday, I thought it would be fun to have another trivia contest! Share your answers below (no googling!) and I'll give the correct answers next Monday.

Minnesota is a large state, but how large is it compared to the other states?
a. Fifth largest state
b. Tenth largest state
c. Twelfth largest state
d. Twentieth largest state

The name "Minnesota" is a Dakota name, but what does it mean?
a. "Land of Sky Blue Waters"
b. "Big Water Country"
c. "Many Waters"
d. "Clear Water"

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area is called the Twin Cities and is densely populated. What percentage of the population of Minnesotans lives in the Twin Cities?
a. 30%
b. 40%
c. 50%
d. 60%

Minnesota is known for its extreme weather (the wind chill was -60 here last week and today it was 38 degrees!). What is the record high and low span of temperature across the state?
a. 106 °F
b. 133 °F
c. 156 °F
d. 174 °F

Minnesota ranks high in the nation for many things. Which one of these things does Minnesota NOT rank high?
a. We have some of the best roads nationwide
b. We have the highest percentage of citizens who participate in regular physical exercise
c. We're one of the highest voter turn out states
d. We have the second highest percentage of high school graduates nationwide

We're also ranked the lowest in all but one of these areas:
a. Lowest percentage of overweight and obese children in the nation
b. We're one of the lowest taxed states in the nation
c. One of the ten states with the lowest percentage of unemployment nationwide
d. Our teen pregnancy rate is the 8th lowest in the nation

So, what do you think? I'll share the correct answers next Monday.

Minnesota Monday: Baby It's Cold Outside!

Today is my first day back on the blog in quite a while! And the occasion is being marked by historically low temperatures across the state of Minnesota. The National Weather Service is predicting the wind chill to reach -60 degrees! The coldest it's been in Minnesota since 1996. It's so cold, Governor Dayton has cancelled all public schools for Monday. He's the second governor of Minnesota to cancel schools across the state. One of our previous governors, Arne Carlson, cancelled school three times during his terms in office (Jan. 18, 1994, Feb. 2, 1996, and Jan. 16, 1997).

As I write this on Sunday night, the temperature has already begun to fall and we have all our heating devises roaring. The furnace has been running almost non-stop, the gas fireplace is blazing next to me, our wood fireplace is burning in the basement, and our electric space heater is blowing in the living room. Thankfully our house holds heat very well--but it's still a bit chilly in here.

Our family won't be leaving the house tomorrow. We've already stocked up on groceries and planned a day of playing games, watching movies, and folding laundry. Our oldest daughter is homeschooled, so a cancelled school day doesn't mean much to her. Although, since we follow the school calendar, and our second daughter will be home from school, we've decided to cancel our schoolwork tomorrow, as well.

In other news, I've started plotting my next story!! This will be my third story and I'm amazed at how different it feels to be plotting this time around. I've learned a great deal about writing over the past two years and I'm starting to feel much more confident as I walk into book three. My characters are taking shape right before my eyes, and my plot elements are falling into place. I know it will change a great deal as I actually start to write, but that's what makes it so much fun.

For me, writing is such an intimate journey. It's just me and God as we tell a story. Someday I hope thousands of others will read it, but for now, it's just the two of us.

As my characters start "talking" to me, I realize there are bits and pieces of me in each one of them. I'm always awed when God prompts me to put a bit of my heart and soul into my hero and heroine. It's a beautiful time of communion and worship with my Lord. God meets me on the page and teaches me more about Him...and myself.

I'll be sharing more about my story on Way Back When-sday's Blog Post! It's set in 1927, an era I'm not as familiar with, but one I'm learning to appreciate for all it's drama and gaiety.

Your Turn: What is the weather like where you live (this is not a question for Lindsay Harrel to answer...)? If you're a writer, where are you at in your WIP? If you're a reader, what book are you enjoying on this cold Winter day?

Sisters and a 5K

Seven weeks ago my sister called and asked if I wanted to run the Turkey Trot with her on Thanksgiving morning. I had been running on and off for a couple of months, so I agreed to the 5K run. My sister lives in Aurora, Colorado and she was coming home for the holiday. What better way to spend some quality time with her?

Um, it turns out there are LOTS of better ways. :)

Before the race. A balmy 19 degrees and snowing!

She has run in one other 5K race (a little over 3 miles), and she said she'd set the pace and it would be simple. We did run almost the entire 3 miles, with a short walk at the half way point.

Me, my sister, Andrea, and her husband, Justin.

About 400 people signed up to run the Turkey Trot. And about 360 of them (including children) finished before my sister and I! My brother-in-law, Justin, came in third overall--he's currently in training for an Iron Man Competition in August 2014, so a three mile run is just a warm up!

Coming in on the finish!

After Justin finished, he caught up with Andrea and me back at the two mile mark. He ran the last mile with us and kept us laughing the whole way.

I pulled ahead at the *very* last second, just to beat her. :)

Right before the race, Andrea and Justin shared with me their exciting news! I'm going to be an auntie again in June. Andrea is about 10 weeks along, so she assured me we would be taking the race slow. It was a fun opportunity to visit with her. We had little energy to laugh--but we did anyway. A lot.

Third place overall and 1st in his age division!
Congrats, Justin.

 

We might not have been "First," but we completed a race,
and that means more than anything.

There's nothing like a sister's friendship. Though years and miles have separated us from our childhood together, I don't believe there will be another person on this planet who gets me so completely. Andrea and I can laugh at ourselves, or laugh at each other, without hesitation. We can recall memories that no one else can recall. We can share our dreams, our disappointments, and our frustrations with a few words--or we can go on and on for as long as we need to. I'm so very thankful for my sister.

Your Turn: Do you have a sister? What do you enjoy doing together? If you don't have a sister, who is one person you'd love to have as a sister?

~ ~ ~ ~

I have a winner from last week's blog post with Author Amy Matayo! The winner of a copy of The Wedding Game is: Gwendolyn Gage!! Gwen, I'll be contacting you to get information for Amy to send you a copy. Congrats!

Minnesota Monday: 10 Facts About Deer Hunting

This past week was the rifle season for deer hunting in central Minnesota. For nine days hundreds of thousands of men, women, and youth take to the fields and forests of Minnesota and harvest over 100,000 deer. It's quite an event!

I don't know of anyone in Minnesota whose life isn't impacted by deer hunting. It's a family tradition for many of us, with tales of deer hunting camp told for years. I still hear stories about my great-grandfather, who passed away when I was young. It's a great time for multi-generational gatherings--even if you don't hunt. Just this year my twelve year-old niece and nephew hunted with their dads.

In honor of deer hunting, I thought I'd share ten fun facts I discovered about deer and hunting on the Minnesota DNR website.

• Adult female white-tailed deer weigh about 145 lbs., males 170 lbs. – the average weight of female and male humans.
• The biggest white-tailed deer ever recorded was a 500-pound Minnesota buck.
• A whitetail’s home range is about one square mile.
• Minnesota’s deer population is about 1 million deer. Texas is No. 1 with 3.5 million deer.
• Last year’s total deer harvest was 186,000.
• Minnesota has averaged deer harvested 200,500 deer during the last five years. The Midwestern state with the largest deer harvest is Michigan at 425,000.
• More than 725,000 deer hunting licenses and permits (all types) were sold in 2012.
• Nearly 500,000 deer hunters in Minnesota.
• Salaries, wages, business owner income – $127 million.
• Number of directly supported jobs – 3,760.

Your Turn: Do you hunt? How popular is deer hunting where you live?

Minnesota Monday: My French Interview!

A couple months ago I had the honor of being interviewed by the Office du Tourisme des USA (the French Office of Tourism for the United States). I was asked to share my passion and knowledge of Minnesota for their website. If someone in France is interested in traveling to Minnesota, the hope is that my interview will be helpful in making their plans.

I was interviewed by my friend Delphine Legros. Delphine lives in Paris and works for the Office du Tourisme des USA. I met Delphine through the Sister City exchange program between my hometown in Minnesota and Delphine's in France. Originally she came to Minnesota years ago with the exchange program. When she was ready for an internship during college she returned to Minnesota where she worked with my mom, who was the Director of Tourism.

This picture was taken in France in 2009. I'm on the left,
my friend Beka (from Minnesota) is in blue, Delphine
is in purple and my friend Melissa (also from Minnesota)
is in green on the right.

I thought it would be fun to share the link to the interview on the Office du Tourisme des USA's website. Since it's been translated into French, I'm also sharing my English version. I hope you enjoy!

Office du Tourisme des USA ~ Minnesota Interview

Hello, Gabrielle. Can you introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Gabrielle Meyer. I live on the banks of the Mississippi River in Little Falls, Minnesota. Little Falls is located in the center of Minnesota about one hundred miles northwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. I’m married to David and we have four children, two girls who are nine and seven and twin boys who just turned three!

What are your professional activities?
Besides being a wife and mother, I am a writer, a historian and a community volunteer. I write historical novels set in Little Falls and I also have a blog I update three times a week.

The city of Little Falls is twinned with Le Bourget in Seine St Denis and you were the President of the Association in Little Falls. Can you tell us about this pairing?
Little Falls is home to amazing history. The most well-known member of our community was Charles A. Lindbergh. His father was a prominent lawyer and his mother a high school chemistry teacher in Little Falls in the 1890’s. Charles went on to become one of the most famous men in history when he flew his monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, across the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Paris, non-stop in 1927. His amazing accomplishment not only connected two nations and opened up air travel for millions of people, but it also brought together the citizens of Little Falls and the citizens of Le Bourget forever. In 1987 a Sister City relationship was formed, and since then delegates from our two cities have been exchanging visits and friendships every two years.

What have you learned from this experience as president?
As a past president of the Sister City Committee, it was my distinct honor to represent Little Falls when I traveled to France in 2009. I, along with twenty other citizens from Little Falls, spent ten days with our French hosts. Through this Sister City relationship, I have learned a great deal about France and the people of that great nation. As a guest, I was treated like royalty, and as a friend, I was treated like family. Through our exchanges, it is my greatest hope that people of both nations will come to a better understanding of our similarities and our differences, celebrating them together.

How is Little Falls a tourist destination?
Because of Charles Lindbergh’s accomplishments, his boyhood home was put on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned and operated as a tourist destination by the Minnesota Historical Society. I worked at the Lindbergh House for ten years before staying home to care for my family and pursue my career as a writer. The Lindbergh House was built in 1906 and is on display for the public to see. There is also a museum and many state-of-the-art exhibits. Little Falls is also home to many other wonderful parks, museums, historic sites and attractions.

You are invested in the tourism of this city for a long time. Where does this passion come from?
My mother was the director of the Little Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau for over twenty years and in that time I volunteered at many of these fine establishments. We have the Minnesota Fishing Museum, the Pine Grove Park Zoo (the second oldest zoo in Minnesota), the Weyerhaeuser & Musser Mansions (now called Linden Hill Conference and Retreat Center), the Morrison County Historical Society and the Charles A. Lindbergh State Park where you can go hiking, camping and fishing. For a more detailed list of attractions visit the Little Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau website.

What are your favorite activities in winter?
Little Falls is also a wonderful place to visit in the winter. When the snow falls and the lakes freeze over, some of my favorite winter activities are ice fishing, ice skating, snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, sledding and snowmobiling. We also love to spend time outside with our family building snowmen and snow forts.

And summer?
In the summer I love to spend time in the water. Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 lakes, but there are actually 11,842 lakes in the state. We have more shoreline in Minnesota than California, Florida and Hawaii combined. Within a thirty mile radius of our home there are over 300 lakes. We love to take our boat on the water and go water skiing, tubing and wake boarding. We also love to swim in the lake, go fishing, have picnics, go hiking, play in the parks, go on bike rides, play golf, go canoeing and spend time at the cabin.

Speaking of cabins, can you explain to the French what it is?
Minnesota is home to thousands of lake cabins. A cabin is a home built on the shores of a lake. Some people live in their lake homes all throughout the year, but most of them only visit their cabins in the summer. Many times we will have a cabin party and invite friends and family to spend time with us. We usually do this on the weekends, but occasionally we’ll take a week or two of vacation and go to the lake and relax. We often have camp fires in the evenings and roast marshmallows and hot dogs over the open flames. If we’re lucky, we’ll have a talented musician in the group who will lead a sing-along of our favorite songs. It is also common for people to light fireworks over the lake on the weekends. It’s a beautiful sight to see over the shimmering water. Many wonderful memories are made on the lakes in Minnesota.

Why would you say that Minnesota is ideal for families?
Because of the four seasons, winter, spring, summer and fall, we have a variety of activities that change throughout the year. In the fall we love to pick apples, go to pumpkin patches, have hay wagon rides and bonfires. In the spring we love to plant our gardens and watch the natural world around us blossom. In summer we spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying our lakes and warm weather, and in the winter we marvel at the beauty of snow and ice. It’s a diverse state and that’s why we love living here.

Why don't you want to live anywhere else?
On my blog one of my favorite topics to write about is Minnesota. I often share a Minnesota Monday blog post where I display pictures of the places we travel and the things we do in Minnesota. I’ve been to forty states in the United States of America, and Minnesota is my favorite. It’s a wonderful place to live and raise a family.

What do you want the French to know about Minnesota?
I hope you’ll come to Minnesota one day. I know you’ll love our state and you’ll want to return often.

And if you want more information about Gabrielle... Gabrielle has written for Minnesota Moments Magazine since 2004. She also blogs three times a week sharing her passion for history, Minnesota and her faith. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or her blog.

Your Turn! Have you ever been to France? Have you ever been to Minnesota? Do you have friends in other countries?

Minnesota Monday: Complaining

My husband came home from the store the other day shaking his head. His lips were smiling, but his eyebrows were furrowed in a frown.

"What?" I couldn't help but ask him.

"I just thought of something you could write about on your Minnesota Monday blog post."

By now I was really curious. "What?!"

"I was just at the store and I ran into someone I know. The man looked at me and said: 'Boy! It's way too hot out there!' And it dawned on me. Minnesotans are never happy with the weather! Three weeks ago it was too cold, now it's too hot."

I couldn't help but smile. He's right. Either it's too cold, too hot, too muggy, too dry, or too wet--and everyone likes to talk about it! My grandpa used to say he couldn't tell if Minnesotans were bragging, or complaining, when it came to the weather. Maybe it's a little of both. It seems we not only love to talk about it, but we like to brag that we survive it!

The biggest complaint in Minnesota right now are the mosquitos! It was such a cool, wet spring, and finally it's warm enough to really enjoy the outdoors, but because of the wet weather, we've been bombarded by mosquitos. Just last night we were out at the lake watching fireworks and it was muggy and hot, but everyone had long sleeves and long pants on to stay protected from the pesky bugs.



Photo courtesy of www.aaaai.org

Thankfully, Minnesota has beautiful weather, too--and some of the prettiest countryside in the United States (in my humble opinion). I sometimes think the early pioneers must have come in the summer, been fooled by the beauty and good weather, and then were stuck for the winter. :) If it wasn't for the winter and the mosquitos, I'm convinced Minnesota would be practically perfect...

What about you? What do people complain about where you live? What kept the early settlers in your state?

Minnesota Monday: A Writer's Retreat

This past week I was honored to host three writing friends at my house for a five day writing retreat.

 

I planned a rough agenda, hoping to offer a fun mix of work and play. Each day we had two blocks of "work" time and the rest of the day was free. During our work time we were each given a three hour block of time to brainstorm our stories with each other. Having this dedicated, focused time was priceless. We all walked away feeling great about our story ideas and energized to work on them. This is one talented group of writers!

 

During our free time we went on walks, visited historic sites, watched movies, went on Jeep rides and saw the countryside. It's fun to see my hometown through the eyes of people who've never been here. I was a tour guide at the Charles A. Lindbergh House for ten years and it's easy for me to slip back into that mode. Not only did I show them some fun places, I also gave them quite a bit of history. What can I say? I'm a historical writer, after all. :)

 

I can't wait to have them back next year. I have even more I want to show them.

 

Me, Alena Tauriainen, Melissa Tagg & Lindsay Harrel

At the Charles A. Lindbergh House with my children and
my writing friends! The tour guide is also a good friend
of mine. It was fun showing off one of my favorite historic sites.

My kiddos looking through stereoscopes.

 

I live on the banks of the Mississippi River, so
this is where we spent a lot of our work time.

We had a few visitors as we brainstormed.

Can you see the woodchuck?

We had an opportunity to go to Linden Hill Conference
and Retreat Center to celebrate all our writing achievements.
Linden Hill was having a fundraiser, so we had food, live
entertainment, tours of the two mansions on the property and
great company.

At Linden Hill.

Eating our celebratory Dairy Queen Cake while
watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in our jammies.

 

More brainstorming, this time inside because it was windy
near the river.

It was so much fun brainstorming story ideas!

This is the road my in-law's live on. We ate lunch nearby and
then stopped by their house to see the lake they live on.

I took the ladies to see the large Blanchard Dam near my house.
You can walk above the dam and the river.

Alena and I with the dam behind us.

We picked on Lindsay all weekend! She's a
city girl at heart and was having a hard
time with the mosquitoes...and the spiders
and the moths and the wood ticks... Here she
is applying mosquito spray to her body.

Lindsay and Melissa on a walk in Lindbergh State Park.

My favorite picture of the whole week! We were ambushed by
wood ticks! :) You can't see Melissa and I, but we were running, too.
We hit a nest of wood ticks on our walk and they were
crawling ALL over our legs. We had at least thirty or more
on each of us. By the way we were running, you would have
thought we were being chased by a wild bear!

Not only did I have fun showcasing my hometown, I also had fun laughing, learning and fellowshipping with these ladies. I'm so thankful God brought our paths together through writing, and that our friendships have grown through our shared faith and interests.

Despite the wood ticks, this was a successful retreat--one we hope to have every year.

What about you? If you had guests come from out of town, where would you bring them?

~ ~ ~ ~

Lindsay is sharing about our retreat on her blog today! You can see it here. Melissa will be hosting us on her blog on Wednesday.

Minnesota Monday: Ely

Two weeks ago my family went to Northeastern Minnesota and stayed in a lake cabin. While there, we spent one morning in a small town called Ely (pronounced Ee-lee). Originally Ely was home to many iron ore mines, but now it's a popular entry point for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

The town is small (at about 3,500 people), but it's a hopping little town! The summer brings a wealth of tourists. Main Street is lined with camping outfitters, fun little shops and restaurants.

 

Everywhere you look, you see canoes & kayaks!

 





The downtown is built on a hill.

We ate at the Chocolate Moose Restaurant--a popular favorite for visitors and locals. See the canoe on the van behind the girls? See, they're everywhere!

We stopped at a quaint little ice cream shop before we headed back to our lake cabin. Ely is also known for its lake resorts.

 

We stayed in Babbitt, Minnesota, just fifteen miles away from Ely. Embarrass, Minnesota is nearby and often makes the news for being the coldest place in Minnesota! The average annual temperature in Embarrass is only 34.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrr! That's cold! But, don't feel too bad for them. Today's forecast (for Monday, June 17th) is 72 degrees. It's not cold there all the time.

 

Your Turn: Have you ever been canoeing or kayaking? 



Minnesota Monday: Northeastern Minnesota

I love Northeastern Minnesota. It has to be one of the prettiest places I've ever visited. From the rock outcroppings to the scraggy pines, from the rust-colored lakes to the dense forests--it's a beautiful place to visit over and over.*

Northeastern Minnesota is known as the "Iron Range" because
of the large amount of iron ore. This is a monument dedicated
to all the iron ore miners.

Northeastern Minnesota is known for its pine forests.

The lake (which you can barely see) is actually an iron
ore mine that was dug up and naturally filled in. Lots of
beautiful hills in Northeastern Minnesota. 

The cabin all eleven of us stayed in. It could sleep up
to twenty-four people!

The bedrooms were to the left and right of the main room.

The back side of the cabin, facing the lake.

One of the reasons I love vacationing with extended family
is the time we get to spend with one another. Here are my
 boys showing Grandpa how to "play" dominoes. :)





I also love that vacationing with a lot of people
requires everyone to pitch in and help. My oldest daughter
(on the right) and my niece on the left.

The resort was very family-friendly. Here is Dave with our
boys at the playground.

The girls. It was chilly while we were there, so we all
spent the long weekend in our sweatshirts!

The resort is centered around the beautiful Birch Lake.

I could have sat here all day...

The biggest attraction is fishing. In the evenings the docks
were full of boats.

Another big attraction are the houseboats you can rent. We
stayed in a cabin--but it would be fun to stay on the
water one day.

Before we took the kids on the boat, we practiced fishing
off the dock with the boys. It was their first time fishing.
The girls have been fishing for years. :)

Me with one of our twins. The fishing was TERRIBLE
while we were there. Not many opportunities to
reel them in.

This lake, like so many in the Iron Range, is stained a dark
brown from all the iron ore.

There's nothing like racing across a lake.

Unlike our lakes in Central Minnesota, the lakes in Northeastern
Minnesota have a lot of rock outcroppings.

My brother-in-law, his fiancé and our oldest.

 

There were eleven of us fishing and we only caught six fish
the whole weekend! This was one. It's a tiny little Northern
Fish, but I had to snap a picture. One of my twins, my second
daughter and my hubby.

Next Monday I'll share pictures of Ely, Minnesota. It's one of the coolest little towns in Minnesota. We spent an afternoon browsing in stores, eating at a fun restaurant and ice cream parlor, and talking to the locals.

*Although I LOVE Northeastern Minnesota, I wouldn't care to live there in the winters! It's a wee bit chilly--and winter lasts a little longer than Central Minnesota.

Your Turn: Do you enjoying fishing? When was the last time you had a family vacation? Where did you go?