Minnesota Nice Part 2 (Blizzard edition)

So as many of you know, we had a good amount of snow this past weekend. And I was thinking what to write about this week and then it hit me. Minnesotans have been digging each other out of snow for a 100 years. See this picture, its from the 40's and we see a nice Minnesotan giving up some time to help a neighbor. Now its not always easy to throw your winter clothes on and go help someone get out of the snow drift, but it truly is a rewarding experience.

Would you rather sit in your warm house and watch that person struggle getting their car out? I think not, but while some of us have those great 4x4 trucks to get through the snow. Some people may not be as lucky. So instead of watching that poor woman try to dig her car out, go out there and help. Never know might lead to something special, wouldn't be a bad story either.

Now onto my next point. Driving in snow... I'm guessing you can see the parking lot on 94 into work on that snowy morning. Some people can literally give themselves a heart attack with the amount of foul language coming out during this slow commute. But I will ask you to just take a step back (figuratively not literally - that'd be dangerous in the car) and know that everyone else out there is going through the same thing, and honking and yelling is not going to speed anything up. So turn on some tunes and just take a deep breath. You'll get to work or wherever you're going at some point. It will always be there waiting for you.

There could be another big snow storm this year, there could not be. But now that you've taken this into consideration you might not be as frustrated with the weather. Just remember we live in the best state in the U.S. We can only appreciate summer to the fullest because of the winters we have.

So appreciate all the seasons, we get all 4 every single year. So act so surprised.

Arnie

Minnesota Nice Part 1

It is 36 degrees at this time in the Twin Cities. I know its early, but it seems we are making our final winter push and that can only mean Spring and Summer are on their way!

Enough of the weather talk...

This week I'd like to talk about the Minnesota Nice, if you want to get a little background Wikipedia has a 'nice' article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_nice.

I am very proud to be from Minnesota and to be considered nice, but I think the winter brings about Minnesota 'not so nice'. The winter just puts a damper on people's moods and I think this might limit the amount of nice people might put out there.

For me, I am mostly referring to the classic door hold (holding the door open for someone behind you, even if they are 10+ feet behind you). This is a sign of respect and when you are on the receiving end it can really start or end your day off right. But I am seeing this occur less and less. More often than not I am seeing people open the door for themselves as little they can, just so they can squeeze in and don't even has the courteously to take a glance behind them.

It might because it is -10 outside and they really want to get inside as soon as humanly possible, but I just do not understand this move.

So from here on out, please do yourself and the greater population a favor and hold the door for someone. It could be a stranger, a friend or even a loved one. The positivity that this spreads throughout is worth your 5 seconds standing at the door for someone. And it makes you feel pretty good about yourself, might even receive a 'thank you.'

*Note: If you'll notice this is Part 1 of a series. We don't really know how many parts will be in this series. It could be 2 or it could be 8. We just feel that this topic will want to be revisited.

Stay classy,

Arnie

Snow, Spring and Everything In Between

As you may have heard, seen, read or just known; Lake Life is making a relaunch as of April 1st. Now you may be asking what does this mean? I won't bore you with long sentences on whats going on so I'll sum it up in some bullet points:

- New website (new look, easier to use, more fun to be on!)
- New shirts (new designs will be dropped every month, once a shirt is sold out it will not longer be produced, *make a note of that)
- New fabrics (we'll be going back to 100% cotton, but this isn't your run of the mill cotton. This is high quality ring spun cotton, lasts longer so you can rock that shirt for longer)
- New team members (Kurtzy has always been part of the family, but we made it official this winter, he is now an official piece of the Lake Life family)
- New other things (we can't release all of our secrets quite yet but will soon, stay tuned for more news.

Now that I got that off my chest I can get to the lighter side of things.

It seems that if this winter has gone fooooorrreeeevvvver. And I mean forever. I couldn't tell you the last time I actually thought I lived in the beautiful state of Minnesota. Now I love winter but I just wish it was a tad bit shorter, and a lot less cold. But being a home bred Minnesotan, I know that the coldest of winters really makes us appreciate the beauty that is a Minnesota summer.

So next time you are trying to start you car and start cursing the state and the weather, remember only a few short months until you are spending time on the dock with your feet in the 70 degree water that is our fresh water lakes.

Spring is a time of rebirth, of a fresh start. That is exactly why we chose a April 1st as our relaunch date. I know historically its been a day of jokes and pranks, but we are not joking. We are back. April is a perfect time to finally start wearing those t shirts and put away those winter hats for the season. Nothing feels better than bringing out that old baseball cap to wear, or picking up a new one.

As a reminder, we will be doing a blog every week from here on out. It could be about anything. Not even we know what ever blog will be about, but that just gives you reason to read every last one of them. If you have any ideas or topics you want to hear about, let us know on our Facebook page. http://www.Facebook.com/LakeLifeApparel.

Last thing then I'm done, as you may know the Green Bay Packers recently were crowned Super Bowl Champions. Being a Viking fan, this does sting a bit. But seeing how a team can come together and play to their abilities is a special thing. And I can only hope for Minnesota's sake, that the Vikings figure it out and one day, we'll be the ones celebrating drunk in the streets of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Until next time - stay warm my friends.

Updated: 8:56 AM Feb 8

It is COLD outside!

-Arnie