Summer of Vacations part 1....

This summer was very busy for Mike and I as we spent three and a half weeks traveling. The vacations were broken into three parts. The first week of our vacation Mike attended a conference in Wisconsin and I hung out with his parents in Waterloo, IA. That week Cindy and I shopped everyday and went to lunch with Grandma. While in Waterloo, Grandma taught me Hardanger cross stitch. This stitch is Norwegian, and really beautiful. Grandma has always wanted to teach someone in the family how to do this stitch to keep it going, and finally there was an extended period of time where she could teach me. It is tricky, but I am excited to know how to do it. 

Here's the project I have started

From Waterloo, I met Mike in Madison, Wisconsin. This was the first time I had driven across the Mississippi river. (A little nerve wracking by the way, if you are not fond of bridges!) The drive was beautiful though! I set the ipod to shuffle and rocked out to songs I hadn't listened to in a while and before I knew it, I was at the Madison airport! 

View from the car on my drive into Wisconsin...

We left from Madison to visit friends in Chicago (Downer's Grove to be exact) for a couple days. It was WONDERFUL to see our friends and spending our evenings in the hot tub enjoying an adult beverage to two :) 

This game of DDR got a little heated! Don't get two musicians together to a game that involves tempo, rhythm, etc. Amy and I stood quietly in the background and laughed and Erica and Mike! 

Here, Amy and Mike are "looking" at a crank organ, or something of the like at the Downer's Grove street festival. It was at least 1 million degrees that day, so we didn't last long at the festival. You'd be surprised how refreshing the hot tub was that afternoon!

We left Chicago to go back to Madison to see friends there. They have two ADORABLE boys that stole our hearts quickly! Our first day there we went to Devil's Lake and hiked around with everyone and the boys. The youngest, Simon and I used our super powers (his power was numbervision... counting all the caterpillars we saw on our hike). My super power was caterpillarvision... I spotted the caterpillars! It was too cute! Not to mention that the hike was gorgeous! It was a hike around a glacial lake... the weather was gorgeous too! 

This is Devil's Tower, a rock formation at the top of the trail we hiked that day.

This was taken from the beach around the glacial lake. The water was the clearest water I have ever seen! It was also very refreshing to wade into after our long hike. While on the beach we watched a wedding party (including the bride and groom!) run into the water and dive in for a swim in their wedding attire!! Crazy!

Of course, no hike is complete without an epic battle scene.  Nathaniel and Simon (aka Cactus Man) were partaking in battle of good versus evil.  Weapon's ran low, so the results of the battle have yet to be determined :)

The next day we went downtown Madison, walked around and did some touristy stuff. The kids went home for a nap, and Mike and I took another hike around one of the many lakes in Madison. We also went to this delicious Mexican restaurant and gorged ourselves! 

Downtown Madison.

Mike, Randy, Simon and Nathaniel hanging out in the big chair!

Simon, king of the Ingimakon (his imaginary land and people).

Mike on our walk next to the lake in downtown Madison. 

The aftermath from our food!

From Madison,  Mike and I drove up to Minneapolis to help his brother and finacee move into their new house and paint. These were jam packed days, and by the end we were exhausted! 

Birthday's and Celebrations...

Its not everyday you celebrate someone's 90th birthday. What a cause for celebration.... 90 years is a long time. Just think of the history they have lived through; multiple world wars, The Great Depression, and countless presidents come and go. I love hearing all the stories. 

Mike's grandma turned 90 in June. The weekend was full of celebrations. Family was in Waterloo, IA from across the country. The weekend was jam packed, but a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures from the weekend's festivities...

I would like to point out the magazine in the bottom right corner. The woman featured is Grandma Dixie. She was often featured in this magazine which sold products for raising chickens (which, obviously was Grandma's livelihood).

This is my favorite picture of Grandma from that weekend. It was taken at her apartment as she opened a few gifts from us before the big festivities. There are few pictures of Grandma smiling- she hates her picture being taken. 

Happy 90th Grandma! Here's to many more!

My husband's the bomb...

I tease my husband about his love (obsession) with races, but I am truly so proud of him. He has the mindset that whatever he puts his mind to, he will complete. He loves to push himself to the limit and exceed expectations. I can't say exactly where this started, but it has been fun to watch this evolve. It has also encouraged me to push myself further than I had previously. 

This past weekend, Mike completed the Papillion Days Duathlon. This race included a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, and another 2 mile run. Again, my husband rocked it. Seriously, he was awesome! During the first 2 mile run, he averaged a 6 min pace. Umm, compared to my 11:30-12 min pace per mile, that's incredible. (I should mention that there were a few men there who kept 5 min paces. To those guys, seriously that's not cool. Okay, so its cool, but stop show boating!)

Of 150 participants, Mike finished 9th!! I am really proud of him! 

Here are a few pic's from the day...

This is from the end of the bike portion.. I had my camera on "video" rather than picture during the first part of race :( 

Going out for the last 2 mile run (and rehydrating of course!)

And finishing strong!! I am very proud of him. Have I said that already?

Look at that smile!! 

Adventure Race

I have mentioned in previously posts that my husband is quite adventurous (i.e. crazy). This summer he is participating in something like 5 different races to prepare for an Xterra race this August.. something for him to cross off the world's longest bucket list. (Note to self: create a bucket list).

A couple weeks ago Mike did his first adventure race. The only thing he knew was what to bring (backpack, bike, firstaid kit, camera, phone, $5, and two friends with a "sense of humor"). He was pretty nervous just because he had no idea what to expect, but ended up LOVING the event. The Omaha Adventure Race was Omaha's first annual, and the participants exceeded the Denver Adventure race! Over 400 participants were registered!

Prior to the race, the teams were given a map of the downtown Omaha area. Clearly, these boys were ready (*ahem*) Dont worry, Mike's an Eagle Scout.

I snuggled up with Dave Sedaris' novel " Me Talk Pretty One Day" and a blanket on the FREEZING morning. 

One of the last "adventures" of the race was a tag team paddle in the lake... each teammate had paddles and an inter-tube (or is it inner tube?!).  Mike's running with the paddles...

and Mike in the water... he said it was very, very cold.

After all that,  TeamTMP (Tim, Mike and Pete!) took second place!!!

Way to go, boys!

Running...

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have a goal to run a half marathon this fall. It started as a New Years Resolution; you know, the thing we all make but fail to keep. Crazy thing is, I am half way there. I have a training schedule, I am following it faithfully and I completed a 10K just to prove to myself that I CAN do it.

The thing I never predicted would happen in all of this.... that I would LIKE running. (*gasp*)

But I do. A lot.

There is something to be said for that time to myself. Getting lost in music, or blowing off steam on a long run with a good friend. And the feeling after a good run is wonderful.

But running has come to a screeching hault the past week and a half. I tried to go for my first run after taking a week off, and couldn't finish it. Very frustrating. I can't afford to take many more days off to be ready for the half marathon; I guess Advil and I will be best friends for the next 12 weeks.

Wait, 12 weeks.?! Crap!

Circus

My aunt won free tickets to the Circus this year, and graciously shared them with my sisters, my nephew and I. I have never been a fan of the circus (clowns creep me out!) but I have to admit it was really fun to watch my nephew enjoy the circus so much!!

Look at how awestruck he is!!! I have never seen him sit so still in my life!

Junior and his momma :)

Jaimie, Jen, and Junior! He's so intrigued, he can hardly look at the camera!

mmmm.... popcorm!

Jess and I! And lastly, Junior's favorite... the "lelephants!"

Going to the chapel...

Wedding pictures are timeless, something to be cherished forever. There is nothing like the glow of a bride and groom on their big day. Nerves and excitement are high, and its difficult to enjoy the simple moments your photographer is so desperate to capture without your mind wandering to logistics of the day (" I hope the cake got there on time", " I hope we have enough food", etc.). 

The solution? Take pictures several months later! Mike and I recently had additional wedding pictures taken by our friend (and awesome photographer) Christine. They turned out beautifully, and it really was fun to get back into my dress and take pictures. We were relaxed, and could really enjoy all the little moments that marriage is all about. 

Here is a link to a few of the pictures! 

Need a photographer? She's awesome, and reasonably priced. I HIGHLY recommend her!!

Cakes...

I really want to take a cake decorating class. I have been researching when they are offered, but with the amount of time I will be spending out of town, it doesn't make sense for me to start classes until at least July. Until then, my friend Christine and I have started playing around with fondant. 

Here's cake #1.

 Not too bad, right?! Not sure if I would pay for it (sorry, Christine!) but we are improving. I gave the cake to my sister to share with her friends at work, and rumor has it, it was devoured. 

Our second trial was with cupcakes. 

I wanted to make something for my grandma's 90th birthday celebration. The cupcakes were gone very quickly... wish we would have made some more! Fondant on cupcakes is tricky. Especially when your cupcakes are not the same shape and size. Gonna need a lot more practice before I do more cupcakes!

Cake #3. 

A friend of mine asked me to make a cake for a friend's baby shower. She wasn't sure what she wanted for color or decoration, just that she wanted a "girly" cake. This was my first attempt. 

Cake #4. 

I wanted to make one more trial run for the baby shower cake. I also wanted to try for some brighter cake with a bit more "funky" style. This is the style I want to use for the baby shower cake, however, I want to put the baby's name across the top of the flowers and use some polka dots as well. 

I have been using this recipe for the chocolate cake and have  been using a ganache frosting in between the layers of cake to adhere them together. I have been using this buttercream frosting recipe, and it tastes delicious.

I am having so much fun baking cakes, and it has quickly become a hobby. Its a good thing I have lots of people to give cakes too when I am done making them! I definitely don't need them hanging around the house!

Green Thumb

This year I decided to test out my green thumb. I figured the house plant we have had for three years and can't kill (despite months of forgetting it existed!) I must have some skills.

In the garden include:

Tomatoes

Green Peppers

Strawberries

Cucumbers

Corn

Of the aforementioned veggies (and fruits!) Mike will only eat corn. Keep your fingers crossed it actually tastes delicious. 

Junior loves to help out and give the plants aqua. He also loves that I pour water on the deck for us to splash in. 

Who knew gardening could be so fun?! 

My strawberries have been doing wonderfully, despite the fact that it has produced a whole two strawberries. 

These were the best tasting strawberries I have ever had. 

I can't wait for my veggies to come in :)

The little things in life...

I love little moments where my heart melts. There are three people in the world who can melt my heart on a consistent basis; my husband, and both of my nephews. Sadly, one of my nephews lives so far away, I don't get to see him as much as I would like. Here are a couple recent pictures of Mike and my nephew Junior. 

Junior now says "Cheeeessseee" with every picture taken. He also demands to see it, and will exclaim "awwww" no matter what the picture. Too adorable!

Mike is going to make a great dad. I can hardly wait!

Redecorating...

Mike and I found a great deal on a new bed set, and Mike absolutely fell in love with it. I have such a terrible time imagining something- I need to see it in person, so I wasn't sold on the new set in the store. I LOVE the colors, and how much it brightens up our room.