doing a 5K fun run in a beautiful arboretum,
a chili lunch
and a football game.
Fun Family Weekend!!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Family Weekend
This past weekend was Family Weekend at Tyler's college. We had such a nice weekend visiting,
Monday, October 24, 2011
Pumpkins, Polka & Frisbee
Last weekend was one of those perfect kind of weekends with a mixture of fun, family time and relaxation. And on top of that, it was MEA weekend here in Minnesota, which meant for an extra long weekend for Jake and Drew.
Some highlights of our weekend included heading over to our local pumpkin patch.
Friday evening we went out to a German restaurant in Minneapolis called Gasthof’s. This is a fun restaurant that is very lively and can get pretty rowdy. We haven't been to this restaurant in over 10 years, so it was a fun way to spend an evening.
We enjoyed some German food, German beer, and accordion music.
After dinner we went downstairs where a band was playing and maybe we even a did a little Polka-ing. :)
By the end of the evening this basement area was packed- with mostly it being a much younger crowd but there was this sweet elderly couple that with no care in the world, came out for a night of Polka.
Saturday, we headed to Eau Claire, WI to see Tyler playing in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Honestly, I don't really understand this game too well, but it is fun to watch and it was a gorgeous day out! Plus we got to chat with Ty for a bit! His team name is 'BAM' (Bad A** Monks). Kind of funny. :)
I love this sequence of pictures:
We watched a couple of games, said good-bye to Ty and then headed over to Chippewa Falls, WI to the Leinenkugel's Brewery.
We sampled some beer.
And took a tour of the brewery. We took some pictures of the beautiful grounds and the buildings but were not allowed to take any photos inside the buildings.
Sunday was our perfectly relaxing day. We enjoyed a special treat of donuts and time to read the newspaper.
The boys spent the day watchinga little a lot of football while I spent my time in the kitchen doing some baking and making Sunday dinner. One of my favorite things to do on a quiet Sunday is to take my time in the kitchen making my family a meal and maybe doing some baking. I love quiet Sundays!!
On this Sunday, I made some homemade applesauce. This is so good warm and is great just as is-- but would also be amazing on vanilla ice cream or on oatmeal.
I also tried a couple of new recipes, both of which the family absolutely loved. The first recipe was a 'pork chop and stuffing' recipe from my Aunt Jeannie, that is in our family cookbook. I didn't get a good picture of this- but it is so good and something I will make again soon.
The other recipe I tried was one I found on Stone of Remembrance blog awhile ago, and knew I needed to try it. Apple Dumpling Surprise is a perfect Fall treat and my family loved it!
Some highlights of our weekend included heading over to our local pumpkin patch.
Friday evening we went out to a German restaurant in Minneapolis called Gasthof’s. This is a fun restaurant that is very lively and can get pretty rowdy. We haven't been to this restaurant in over 10 years, so it was a fun way to spend an evening.
We enjoyed some German food, German beer, and accordion music.
After dinner we went downstairs where a band was playing and maybe we even a did a little Polka-ing. :)
By the end of the evening this basement area was packed- with mostly it being a much younger crowd but there was this sweet elderly couple that with no care in the world, came out for a night of Polka.
Saturday, we headed to Eau Claire, WI to see Tyler playing in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Honestly, I don't really understand this game too well, but it is fun to watch and it was a gorgeous day out! Plus we got to chat with Ty for a bit! His team name is 'BAM' (Bad A** Monks). Kind of funny. :)
I love this sequence of pictures:
We watched a couple of games, said good-bye to Ty and then headed over to Chippewa Falls, WI to the Leinenkugel's Brewery.
We sampled some beer.
And took a tour of the brewery. We took some pictures of the beautiful grounds and the buildings but were not allowed to take any photos inside the buildings.
Sunday was our perfectly relaxing day. We enjoyed a special treat of donuts and time to read the newspaper.
The boys spent the day watching
On this Sunday, I made some homemade applesauce. This is so good warm and is great just as is-- but would also be amazing on vanilla ice cream or on oatmeal.
I also tried a couple of new recipes, both of which the family absolutely loved. The first recipe was a 'pork chop and stuffing' recipe from my Aunt Jeannie, that is in our family cookbook. I didn't get a good picture of this- but it is so good and something I will make again soon.
The other recipe I tried was one I found on Stone of Remembrance blog awhile ago, and knew I needed to try it. Apple Dumpling Surprise is a perfect Fall treat and my family loved it!
family + fun times + perfect weather + good food =
amazing weekend
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Apple Orchard Traditons
Last Sunday was our annual fall trip to the apple orchard. We have been going to the Pine Tree Apple Orchard yearly since the Fall of 1992 (when Tyler was weeks away from celebrating his first birthday). So… this makes it our 20th year of making memories, enjoying family time, and getting some great apples and apple treats! This is one of my favorite family traditions!
The scenery at this orchard is so beautiful, especially on a sunny fall afternoon.
Our first stop was the tractor ride with a tour of the orchard.
Next was the corn maze.
There are letters scattered throughout the maze and the goal is to find all of the letters and unscramble them to make a word. A word that usually has to do with the orchard somehow.
This always takes quite awhile but is a fun challenge. At this point, after only finding the letters R, R, and C--
we texted Jake who was at home if he knew what the word was. He is SOOO good at things like this--
and he immediately texted back with the word "TRACTOR" ...
And of course Jake was right! :)
After the corn maze we stopped at the pumpkin patch.
(When did Drew get taller than me??)
And then walked back to the apple barn
to buy some apples and some apple treats.
It was another great day of making memories at our favorite apple orchard.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Weekend Lens
bonfire :: hockey tryouts :: Tyler Ultimate Frisbee tournament in Milwaukee ::
Pioneer Woman cowboy steak sandwiches :: apple orchard :: BWW's :: trip to ER for Ty :: apple pie :: Halloween decorating :: Bella's birthday (the big 04 says Jake :)
Monday, October 10, 2011
Weekend Lens
quiet weekend :: more hockey tryouts for Drew :: banana chocolate chip bars :: football in the park for Jake :: big North vs. South football game :: Tyler home for the weekend :: pot roast in the crock pot ::
Bella to the doggie spa :: family time :: sampling some favorite wine :: 80 degree weather
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wise Words from Steve Jobs
The world has been a buzz since last evening because of a life taken way too soon; Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers; passed away from pancreatic cancer. Truly, so very sad!
But the testimony of his life and all that he has accomplished has been so inspirational. His
From Pete’s first Apple computer that he purchased in 1984, to the many versions of the iPod, and then the iPhone; our family like most families have been touched by this man’s creations. Steve Jobs has changed our world with innovative products but also with his wise words.
Some of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes come from his commencement speech that he gave at Stanford University in 2005.
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish."
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
"There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will." "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."
But the testimony of his life and all that he has accomplished has been so inspirational. His
From Pete’s first Apple computer that he purchased in 1984, to the many versions of the iPod, and then the iPhone; our family like most families have been touched by this man’s creations. Steve Jobs has changed our world with innovative products but also with his wise words.
Some of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes come from his commencement speech that he gave at Stanford University in 2005.
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish."
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
"There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will." "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."
I love how he urges others to pursue their dreams and to see the opportunities in life's setbacks.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
25 Years Ago
October 3rd 1986; was a cool, fall Friday and the beginning of ‘Little Sibs’ weekend at our college campus. I was a freshman, and had only been at school for a little over a month, so I was excited that my little sister and her friend would be visiting for the weekend.
That evening, we headed over to ‘Sneakers’, a dance bar/restaurant that was on campus. This was where most of the freshmen hung out on the weekends.
I remember dancing with a group of friends including my sister and her friend. We just sat down at a table to take a little break when this boy walks up and asks me to dance. We danced to one song and then I was going to go back to my sister, but the music changed to a song that I absolutely loved. So we started dancing to this song as well and I asked the boy if he knew who sang this song because I didn't know and no one else ever seemed to know. He did!
We don’t normally celebrate this date, but Pete surprised me last night with 25 roses and an impromptu date night! Such a sweetheart!
That evening, we headed over to ‘Sneakers’, a dance bar/restaurant that was on campus. This was where most of the freshmen hung out on the weekends.
I remember dancing with a group of friends including my sister and her friend. We just sat down at a table to take a little break when this boy walks up and asks me to dance. We danced to one song and then I was going to go back to my sister, but the music changed to a song that I absolutely loved. So we started dancing to this song as well and I asked the boy if he knew who sang this song because I didn't know and no one else ever seemed to know. He did!
I am so glad that Pete asked me to dance 25 years ago! And I am so glad that I said yes!
We don’t normally celebrate this date, but Pete surprised me last night with 25 roses and an impromptu date night! Such a sweetheart!
{Time has just flown by and I can't believe that it has been 25 years!}
Monday, October 3, 2011
Weekend Lens
MN Wild game :: farmer's market :: hockey tryouts :: Trader Joe's :: dinner at Dixie's on Grand ::
a new Pumpkin Spice Yankee Candle :: a big pot of homemade spaghetti and meatballs ::
pile of new magazines :: Fall decorating :: Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake :: mums
This past weekend was one of those perfect weekends, with just the right amounts of fun and relaxation!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
excited and humbled
I am so excited and humbled to be included in this article, on More Magazine’s website, titled ‘Amazing Body Transformations.’
http://www.more.com/amazing-weight-loss-transformations
There are 18 ‘pages’ to this article and my story is on pages 9 and 10.
All the stories are so amazing and inspirational.
My desire in sharing my story of weight loss, is that hopefully it might inspire and motivate others looking to make a change regarding weight and healthy living. I know how difficult this journey is and also how important it has been for me to seek out others for inspiration and for the motivation to keep going; especially on those tough days. :)
I wrote this blog post recently on my weight loss and what I know now. You can find it here.
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Hope everyone has an amazing Fall weekend!
http://www.more.com/amazing-weight-loss-transformations
There are 18 ‘pages’ to this article and my story is on pages 9 and 10.
All the stories are so amazing and inspirational.
My desire in sharing my story of weight loss, is that hopefully it might inspire and motivate others looking to make a change regarding weight and healthy living. I know how difficult this journey is and also how important it has been for me to seek out others for inspiration and for the motivation to keep going; especially on those tough days. :)
I wrote this blog post recently on my weight loss and what I know now. You can find it here.
-------
Hope everyone has an amazing Fall weekend!
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