Skijoring!

Posted by Ross

I'm interrupting DoubleM's life rules with one of my own.

If you live in a state with cold winters, get outside or move.

I posted about skijoring 2 years ago when my friend John introduced me to it. It's like dogsledding with skis. I figured it was worth sharing because it's a great winter activity if you have dogs. In my opinion enjoying the winter is all about being able to get outside. Why would you live in Minnesota if you can't enjoy the cold? Here's John with my dog, Mario, and his dog, Tigger. They are getting ready to race.

They were racing in the City of Lakes Loppet. It's a weekend event with a bunch of skiing races over by Lake Calhoun. Here they are after the finish line.

I also wanted to get this out there because it was really difficult for me to find information on where to skijor in Saint Paul. If you happen upon this post and have other places, please leave a note in the comments. I've been going to Highland Park. Many of the golf courses in MN are used for cross country, most don't allow dogs. Here's a map of the course. Park on Edgecumbe and ski clockwise.

View 2011-01-30 15:30 in a larger map

Lastly, here's a video of us starting out.

If you're in the cities you should definitely check out the festivities on lake Calhoun Feb. 5th and 6th.

Update: Beermann shared this awesome related link in the comments.

Double M's Life Rules #11: Spend Money on a Bed

Posted by Double M




A comfortable bed may not be flashy like a car or clothes, but it is one of the best things money can buy.

I sleep somewhere between 5-7 hours on an average night - and those 5-7 hours are awesome. A lot of times it is less than that. So, when I do sleep, it is really important that it counts and that I wake up rested in the morning.

One of the best ways to do this is to buy a sweet bed. I bought a king size with a giant pillow top (which basically means it is ultra-comfy), and, even though I sleep in pretty much the exact same spot every night, it hasn't made an indention at all. Ending my night in my bed is an awesome way to end the day.

I'm not saying I have the best bed ever - just that I can't wait to get back to my bed after a long road trip/vacation because it is better than almost any other bed I've ever been in.

When you sleep, the worst thing that can happen is that you wake up sore in the morning (or even worse, in the middle of the night) and feeling generally unrested. While there can be other factors, your bed plays a significant factor in that. Looking back over a lot of the things I have purchased, my bed is easily one of the best purchases I have ever made because I never have these feelings.

Make no mistake, a nice bed can be spendy, but it is one of the better investments you can make and I guarantee you this rule doesn't end with me. Just ask anyone that has purchased a nice bed and you'll get the same sentiment.

Pro tip: Buy a king-size bed as long as your room can fit it. It is one decision you will never, ever regret.

Double M's Life Rules #10: Don't Include Your Parents in Your Wedding Party

Posted by Double M




You might have some awesome parents (like me - I'm awesome), but your wedding party should be your closest friends and not your mom or dad.

Planning a wedding can be a crazy whirlwind full of tons of decisions. Even if you are marrying someone that is planning the whole thing, there is at least one decision every person getting married has to decide: who will stand next to you as the groomsmen and bridesmaids.

This process can be stressful and I've seen all kinds of decisions made here (trust me I was invited to 18 weddings one summer!) - gigantic wedding parties, no wedding parties, good friends left out, and old, now irrelevant promises honored. I have no clue what the guidelines for picking out the wedding party is, but it seems like everyone follows their own made up rules. It doesn't really matter though - pretty much everything is on the table and no one should be mad about who you choose.

But there is one thing that always comes across really, really weird - people that have their parents in the wedding party. If you include your one of your parents in your wedding party, here are things that are will probably happen:

• The rest of the wedding party will be thrown off and not able to completely celebrate because of the "parent" stigma (no matter how cool that parent is)


• All of your wedding pictures will be a little weird because your parent will stick out


• You will end up fighting with the parent in the wedding party on your wedding day about something stupid


• Your dad will walk down the aisle with a younger girl (looking awkward and kinda like a creeper) or your mom will walk down the aisle with a younger guy that is either not excited about the fact that he has a non-his-age bridesmaid or very excited about the potential of putting a MILF on his scorecard.


• People will think you are a weird kid that can't let go of your parents

Yes, your parents (probably) helped shape your life and they may even be good friends with you, but including them in the wedding party guarantees that at least one of the things I listed above will happen.

For your parents, your wedding should be a time that they celebrate you growing up together. They can't do this if one of them is standing up at the alter with you. So let them celebrate and avoid all of these pitfalls and just don't include them in your wedding party (B - if you ask me, I'd say no anyway, so you're good there).

Double M's Life Rules #9: Live with Your Potential Spouse Before You Get Engaged

Posted by Double M




You don't truly get to know someone until you live with them for an extended period of time.

I know of at least five couples that got married after Shorty and I that are now divorced. This is crazy to me. Lord knows crazy things can happen, feelings can change, people can grow apart, and small battles can add up over time, but when you read statistics, it seems that a lot of people get divorced simply because they don't truly know the person they are marrying.

There is a really simply fix to this: live with the person you are planning to marry before you get engaged.

Living with someone lets you learn a lot of things about a person:

• How that person looks in the morning


• Sleep patterns someone follows


• Is that person a cleaner? How obsessively?


• Is that person lazy or do they pull their weight with housework


• How that person handles money (specifically bills)


• What gross or annoying habits does that person have


• What are this person's bathroom and kitchen habits

Look at that list (and I'm definitely missing a few things). Yes, you might be able to learn some of those things, but you won't really know the answer to most of them without living with them for six to twelve months. Ask yourself those questions about your best friends - you likely don't really know the answer to them either and they are your best friends!

Living with your potential fiancée allows you to peel away all of their layers. When you are dating someone they naturally want to impress you - they'll put on makeup and do something with their hair if you're coming over in the morning, they'll pick up the house and wipe down the bathroom if they are cooking you dinner, and they'll naturally hide their gross habits perhaps even unintentionally. This person can't do that if you live with them because they can't hide their personality - you will see them in the rawest form.

And here's the kicker: don't expect to change them. Be honest to yourself about the things you learn - if they bother you then ask yourself if they are a deal breaker. If so, then use it as your opportunity to end the relationship. It may sound harsh, but consider yourself fortunate you didn't have to go through all of the misery of a divorce (trust me, getting married and divorced is much less desirable than breaking up and moving out). You aren't going to change someone - they are who they are - and you either need to be cool with that or get out.

Once you know these things then you should be in a much better place to decide whether you want to spend the rest of your life with this person and their habits, quirks, craziness, and demeanor.

Disclaimer: No, this won't solve every divorce, but I know in a few cases it would have prevented the marriage from ever happening.