Travel Series: Rhombus Guys Pizza

Well it sure has been a hot minute since I last posted. A lot has transpired since December, and I am hoping to get back on writing about my travels. I surely miss it. I am forever thankful and grateful for the partnership I had in the past with the Greater Grand Forks Convention & Visitors Bureau. I had a lot of fun sharing the adventures I went on. Thank you so much to Julie for making that happen.

The pandemic definitely put a hold on travel since it was only last year when we were permitted to travel without restrictions when returning home. Being able to head to Minnesota last August to visit family was absolutely wonderful. Believe me when I said I had to hold back tears as I entered my cousin’s house for the first time in three years since the last visit. So much changed in the Twin Cities since 2019, there wasn’t simply enough time to check it all out. I’m excited to be heading back this summer to try and catch up.

In June I headed to the Fargo-Moorehead area with friends for a day, just to get away on a day trip. We wanted to shop and dine, and we did just that. My Apple Fitness app tracked just over 8,000 steps. Saying I was exhausted afterward was an understatement.

Of course I had to take them to Rhombus Guys Pizza. In all my years dining at their establishment, I have never had a bad experience. When I went with a friend in March, it was so wonderful to eat their pizza again after a three year hiatus. I don’t know what it is about their pizza specifically, I just like it a lot. My go to is always the Deluxe, but I have to say the Busey (Marinara, Canadian Bacon, Pineapple and Mozzarella) is a sold second choice.

With locations in Grand Forks, Fargo, and Mentor (closed after Labour Day), you cannot go wrong with a local pizza joint. Bonus, they have frozen pizza for sale in select stores; and a Brewery just around the corner from their Grand Forks location.

NOTE: This is not a paid/sponsored post. It’s a good ole fashioned “I like this place, so Imma talk about it…” blog post.

it only hurts when i’m breathing…

Christmas has not been the same since 2019. Honestly, it hasn’t been the same since 2002, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2019.

Growing up I spent many Christmases surrounded by my family. When I was really little, it was between my mom and dad’s side- mostly my dad’s side. Imagine a family of near 100 people crammed into tiny spaces, and we’re all really loud. The kids had their own table, while the adults made adult conversation – whatever that was. The men eventually moved to a smaller room where they could watch horse racing, and the women played cards and drank copious amounts of tea or coffee. While the children played board games.

Eventually the older aunts and uncles, and grandparents, passed away. The gatherings became smaller and smaller, but we still kept Christmas traditions alive. Then it was just my maternal grandparents on Christmas Day. Then it was just my mom, dad, and my sister; my aunts, my uncle, and my cousins when they came in from North Dakota.

My grandpa died in 2002; followed by my grandma in 2008. An aunt in 2013, 2015, and then the glue of our family – my beloved aunt in 2018. But we didn’t know that the biggest blow would come in February 2019 after my dad passed away from a brief illness. Only to follow my dad, was our dog passing 6 days short of his 15th birthday in April.

The months went on that year what seems slow by fast at the same time. We somehow made it through that first Christmas, but barely. We filled our pain and grief with fun winter activities and firsts. We didn’t know that a pandemic would follow and we would have to spend two more Christmases just it being the three of us.

But it was ok. We needed it.

We tried to celebrate as best as we could, but the grief was still strong. We kept traditions, but not-so-secretly, we were still hurting.

This year we decided that there wouldn’t be a “Christmas”. No gifts, no decorations, no tree. Although, we do have my grandmother’s wreath on the front door, and the beautiful Christmas lights get turned on outdoors. I guess some specific traditions cannot really die. We decided to honour our Indigenous ways, and to host a winter solstice feast just for us. Since winter solstice happens while I am still working, we agreed to hold it on Christmas night. We’re feasting the change of the season; celebrating and honouring our family members that can no longer be with us, and thanking Creator for the blessings he has given us. On Christmas Eve we are keeping one tradition that my dad absolutely loved – finger foods for a meal. Meatballs, potstickers, egg rolls, spring rolls, crab spread and crackers. We’ll watch A Christmas Story, because some traditions will never die.

Since deciding to forgo Christmas, my mental health has improved. I’m not so sad/depressed, and there’s no stress of having to buy someone a gift. We decided that we will pool our money on what we were going to spend on gifts, to buy things we need for the house. It took us this long to realize that we can buy the things we want any time of the year, as opposed to only buying them to open them on Christmas Day.

This is our new tradition. You don’t have to keep old ones, “just because.” You don’t have to do any of because, “it’s what you do at Christmas.” You can control how it looks and how it feels. If you’re sad and hurting, you don’t have to celebrate to make others happy. If you just don’t want to, then you don’t have to.

Make it your own.

Year in Review

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this little blog of mine, but a lot has happen since the last post. 2019 was not a very kind year. In-mid January, my dad was admitted into the hospital. Unfortunately, he didn’t come home. Exactly one month after being admitted, he passed away in February. My whole entire life felt like it came crashing down – my dad, the only man I have ever loved in my 36 years, was gone. For the first time in my life, it felt like my heart stopped. But of course, because I am who I am, my survival mode kicked in.

A Grand Getaway: Celebrating Success in Grand Forks

Last month, just like the graduates of UND, I surpassed a huge milestone – successfully completing my time spent in university and graduating with a degree in Education. The two years of blood, sweat, and tears flew by so incredibly fast and I knew that I wanted to celebrate in grand style. Thanks to my friends at the Greater Grand Forks Convention and Visitors Bureau, I was able to celebrate that success with my classmate. We would like to extend our congratulations to the graduates of UND – may you revel in your accomplishments, and be proud of your successes. University can be a long and hard road, but in the end… it is completely worth it! You did it!

Grand Forks is the perfect place to celebrate grandly, but on a small intimate scale. With shopping, dining, and beautiful spaces such as downtown; I knew that I wanted to spend my time in one of my favourite cities. Grand Forks has all of my favourite shops and restaurants, and I was excited to have the opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments.

10 Essential Winnipeg Experiences

Can you spot the deer family?

Hello friends! I recently contributed to an article written by my friend Alicia at Prairie Style File, about the wonderful things that you can do/find while here in Winnipeg, featured on her blog and Room 5 by trivago. My contribution is a little hidden gem – Assiniboine Forest, located across from Assiniboine Park Zoo.

Click on the link and it will take you to the write up on her blog. If you’ll find yourself in Winnipeg, please take some time to walk the trails at this lovely natural urban forest. You’ll find different lengths of walking trails, a marsh that is home to many creatures, and you’ll even come across deer that will stop to say hello.