Minnesota Folk

The Tuttle-Magee clan had a very social weekend this past weekend which I am excited to tell you about, but first I must relay a story that proves (1) Minnesotans are everywhere (2) We really do tend to be blond! and (3) Minnesotans are nice and welcoming.

Photo of LJ from this weekend. I mean, Belle.

A week and a half ago Amos and I decided to return to Del Ray Pizza to try the deep dish pizza (we lead a really exciting life here!). It was an evening that had cooled from a warm day which always brings disappointment, I think. By the time we parked, the wind was back to a brisk winter bite and we all ran toward the restaurant with Louisa bopping up and down in my arms and continuing to sing Frozen.

When we arrived we asked to not be put at a table with a draft from the door. FYI, it's different here than in Minnesota, where every office and restaurant has some sort of anteroom. So when it is cold outside, every door opening is felt by patrons. The hostess sat us at a table near the door convinced it was warm because of a nearby vent but it wasn't. Amos ran to the car to get the MPR sweatshirt I received as a gift when I was pregnant. It's too big but cozy and, at that point, I didn't care how I looked. While he ran to the car, Louisa befriended our neighboring table, a couple with a newborn and a three year old boy. When I brought out Louisa's Frozen coloring book the little boy jumped up and down and shouted, "Elsa!" His parents explained that Frozen has become his favorite movie. It made me really like these parents. I'm always suspicious of parents who force gender-skewed toys and entertainment at their kids, or, even worse, deride feminine toys. I thought, wow, you are good parents and your son will be well-adjusted and secure. Yes, Louisa can marry him.

So Louisa and little Jack played with her dolls and coloring book and we visited with the parents. The father looked at my sweatshirt and said, uh oh, she has an MPR shirt on. We figured out we were all from Minnesota, but when I asked the woman where she was from, she said, you probably haven't heard of it, it's around this little town called New Ulm. "WHAT?! You are from New Ulm?!" I exclaimed. I couldn't believe my luck! Well, no, she was from Morgan, a town near New Ulm that is so small that you need to use my little New Ulm as a reference. Close enough, I thought.

We ate pizza and talked about our lives. He works security for visiting diplomats so probably leads a "really, really" exciting life as Louisa would say. She works for the Peace Corps. Super cool people. We then found out they live in Fairlington and we walk by their house everyday. We got their number as they left and Amos and I patted ourselves on the back for being from Minnesota. Also, all three were blond.

As we were waiting for the bill, Louisa began to wander as she does. The restaurant has a platform with iron bars that she likes to hang onto. As soon as she had the chance, she shot up to the bars and started swinging but was distracted by another blond boy who was playing on his dad's phone. His dad was trying to nudge his son toward Louisa and was clearly embarrassed that his son was playing on his phone. I stopped him, oh no, this happens all the time with us, it's an addiction. This dad, too, noticed my MPR sweatshirt and said, hey, are you from Minnesota? I said, yes of course, are you? No, he said, I'm from Iowa... but I went to Gustavus (Gustavus is in St. Peter about 25 minutes from New Ulm). We discussed our love for southern Minnesota and New Ulm and he told us stories of growing up with Tom Vilsack. This man also finished his PhD (in security studies) and we commiserated over our regret in getting a PhD. But it heartened me that, when I told him what I did, he was not only impressed but grateful that I am researching topics related to poverty and expressed his disappointment that he wasn't doing the same. It was one of the first times someone said, wait, you know what you do is good work, right?

We also got their contact information and hopefully will see them soon. Again, Amos and I left overly impressed with ourselves as Minnesotans with an outgoing daughter to help us make friends.