Duluth Vacation

On the way up to Duluth, Caden kept asking, "I want to go to Da-woof?"

I made sure to let him know we'd be there soon.  And if he closed his eyes and we'd get to Duluth even faster.

After about the 1,000 time, it worked.  We had a quiet road and sleepy boys for the rest of the short ride.



Our days were filled at the beach throwing rocks.

And our nights were too.



It's not as dramatic as the picture I showed you last week, but this is by far the best light house I've ever seen.

I feel so lucky to have been able to get away with the family.  I was reminded how much I love spending time them.  Things haven't been so easy for me lately.  I feel a little like I'm stumbling in the dark after living a life with such strong direction and purpose in Lincoln.  I felt such a connection and tie with the community there.  I've been pushing myself to get out and meet people, hoping my direction here will unleash itself.  I know if takes time, but sometimes I feel a little lost.  Or trapped.  Or directionless.  I'm not quite sure what.  I know it will all work itself out with time.  I am thankful to have such a great little family and for all of my dear friends that look out for me.



Thank you for listening and I promise to be back tomorrow with a regular dose of happy.  xo

Camping in Style

Doesn't this look like the perfect camping set up?  An airstream with a comfy bed and a kitchen.  Sign me up!

{image by Dan Bucher via USA TODAY}

{image by Steve Marcus via Las Vegas Sun}

So who's coming with me?

Check out KOA's unique accommodations for more fun camping ideas.

Dreaming of Tropical Islands

Winter is pretty much in full swing and has left me dreaming of a warmer climate to chase away those winter blues.  (I'm also researching a little bit as my husband and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary in about 16 months and since it's a big one we'd like to do something especially nice.  That means we need to start budgeting and saving now for our trip.)  Look at this great tropical island resort in Fiji, Turtle Island.









Not only does the island look fabulous, but I love the mixture of the different natural materials and textures.  It's clean and modern, while maintaining a natural feel.  Sigh...looks relaxing, huh?

I'll admit, I'm scared to submit a request for a quote...I'm thinking it might be a little out of our budget.  Have you visited or heard of any fabulous tropical places to visit?

Melbourne Vacation

Take me to Melbourne.

Pretty please.

COMMA: Daylesford is located about an hour and fifteen minutes outside of Melbourne and offers daily rates starting at $550/night (residence) and $250/night (stable). Anyone up for going with me?



{seen in Adore Home}

Can't Beat the Mountains

Forgive me for being a little lax today.  I took a last minute vacation over the weekend to Estes Park, CO with my boys and loved every minute of it.

We just got back last night and even though the trip was short I'm still recovering from all the hiking, good food and relaxation.

As you can see, my prego belly is more than noticeable at this point.  And summer has not been good to my feet.... if I were green, I would look like Shrek.  My swelling feet loved the mountains and they are back to normal.  Now if I can only keep them that way.

For a little design inspiration, check out this before and after couch reveal by the ever-so-talented Susan from Freshly Picked.

The 9 year olds

This is Casey's little brother, Christian with Jonzy. While we were visiting we figured out that Jonzy is near 9 years old in dog years. It's no wonder they were a perfect match!

Trip recap

Oh, we had so much fun in Utah and it was a much needed vacation from work and everyday life. You are probably wondering what we did on our trip since we only went to Walmart once. It took a lot of control, but we did it! (Well, I did it anyways. Casey went on more than one occasion).

The first stop we made was Cafe Rio. Cafe Rio is the bomb. I swear that they put some sort of addictive additive in their food that makes you want to do anything for their famous salads. I prefer the shredded beef salad with black beans and the green dressing. Actually, I've never tried anything else... I have always been afraid that I would be let down. And another thing that is so great about this place is that the employees are always having fun. The down side: You usually have to wait in line for about 45 minutes. But I swear, the wait is totally worth it.
Here is Jonzy wishing he could come in and get a bite...

Don't you just feel bad for him?


Recommendation: If you've never been to Cafe Rio, you must go.



FYI: If you want to open up a store in Lincoln.... too bad, they are not franchising right now.... I looked into 4 years ago when we moved back.

More vacation recaps to come...

Back to the MW

In case you are wondering, MW stands for midwest. I'm saying it my newly found hipster talk. I guess that's what you get for hanging out with a 17 year old all week. I feel cool now, thanks.

Well, we are back and I have oh-so-much to tell you. But in time my friends, in time. I know curiousity has been killing you, so I will just say this...

I only went to Walmart 1 time while I was visiting!! 1 time! Crazy, I know. It was awesome. There will be more updates to come and with pictures. Many pictures!

See you later this week.

Getaway

We're off to Utah for a week and I've already made a list of things I MUST do while we are there. (In no particular order)

1. Cafe Rio- I got a recipe for the famous salad and I made a couple weeks ago. It was pretty good, but it just wasn't the same.
2. Robert's Craft Store- I gotta get me some good paper and deals while I'm in town.
3. Hiking- I need a good hike. I haven't decided where... it will probably be in Ephraim since that's where we are staying, but I need to see the Aspen trees and take a good hike. Jonzy will love it too!
4. 4-wheelin'- A good quad ride will be exhilarating and a much needed stress reliever.
5. Sleep In- We always get the darkest room in the house and that makes it so easy to sleep in.
6. See friends- many have left the happy valley, but those that we still keep in touch with, we are going to see.
7. Relax- Casey's mom is the best at letting us relax and putting little to no expectations on us to do anything. She is the best!
8. Run or walk every morning with Jonzy. We just never get to do this enough... we are always walking in the evening. I love to start his and my day out right with a good exercise.
9. Hang out with Casey's family. Casey has one of the most fun families around. We are always laughing and making fun of each other. It doesn't really matter what we do, it is always fun.
10. Go to Walmart, but only once a day. Ephraim has very little in town, but it does have a Walmart. Every time we are out there, we go to Walmart 2, 3, maybe even 4 times a day. Oops, we forgot to get chocolate chips... how are we suppose to make cookies? OOOhhh, we forgot to get popcorn for movie night. Ugh, we MUST go to Walmart. It is kind of a running joke and since it's 1.2 minutes away, it is just so hard NOT to go.

Should be a good trip and I will take lots of pictures to report when we get back.