ALL BLOG POSTS

It’s time to dust off those sweaters. The Norsk Høstfest is nearly here. What's the Deal with the Høstfest? It happened while my family was at Logger Fest over the weekend. I was standing to the side of the bouncy-house obstacle course, waiting for my son to come down...

Just me taking in the Scandinavian Heritage Park Why not Minot? When my husband and I found out we would be moving to North Dakota, we got lots of unsolicited comments and advice. “Hope you like the cold.” “Have fun in the great white north — it’s just ice and wind up...

Snapping a photo in front of the Dala horse is pretty much a must when visiting the Scandinavian Heritage Park What to Do in Minot This month our house feels a bit like a bed and breakfast — and my heart couldn’t be happier. In a perfect storm of circumstances and...

Merry-Go-Round “I’m about to put a quarter in!” I called to a couple walking their daughter in a stroller at the zoo. “Does she want to ride?” They parked their stroller and helped their little girl climb onto one of the miniature horses on the merry-go-round at the...

Return to start You know how some board games can force your pawn to return to start? Or at least make you to move back several spaces? That’s spring snowstorms in Minot. You can play the game. You can execute strategy — but in classic board games like Life, Sorry or...

I’m rarely in town for the State Fair, and this year have thoroughly enjoyed soaking up this much-part of North Dakota’s summer IYKYK IYKYK. Have you seen this cluster of letters floating through the expanse of social media feeds and stories? Total transparency: The...

A Wonderful Hometown Last weekend we visited Rapid City. During the days we crammed in tourist activities. We hit Bear Country, Reptile Gardens, and Old McDonald’s Farm. We ate ice cream at Mount Rushmore and browsed Who’s Toy House downtown. In the evening we visited...

Bubbles and Books The van’s bright yellow exterior, accented by pastel, candy-colored sun rays immediately grabbed my attention. My children were more focused on the massive bubbles being blown in front of the Oak Park amphitheater. I followed, but kept side-eyeing...

Hauling items for Trash Christmas out of my creepy basement [Photo: Amy Allender] One Man's Trash... Something magical week is nearly upon us in the Magic City. It’s that special time of year that yields surprises, laughter, and neighborly cheer. It’s an emotional...

Hot Dish Prom On Saturday, Minot’s teenagers will dress to the nines and scoot off to prom. Which means, this the perfect time to chat about an outsiders take on Hot Dish prom. Before going further, let me be candid. I love prom. Though my prom years are long passed,...

Amy's son with Dizzy the Clown [Photo: Amy Allender] A Casseroler's Take on Relocating to Minot “Wow, look at all those shades of brown.” The comment was delivered with faux awe from my passenger seat. Her sarcasm was friendly, not fiery. We both laughed.  “Now, now —...

Amy Allender [Photo: Amy Allender] Light at the End of the Cold, Dark Tunnel I think the darkness is harder to bear than the cold. Everyone who comes to Minot thinks about the cold. Everyone dreads the cold. Everyone talks about the cold. But very few mention the...

I’ve always been an eager participator; I think that’s why I feel so at home in Minot. It’s a community of participators. Need someone to join in? Chances are I’ll raise my hand. Power of Participation On Monday, I went to the Soggy Doggy Pool Paw-ty at Roosevelt Park...

A sign that survival instincts have kicked in across Hot Dish Territory [Photo: Amy Allender] Hot Commodity in Times of Trouble We’ve got to talk about the blizzards one more time. Just once more. Then I’m done. Unless, of course we get another blizzard. If we get a...