Aloha from the Midwest: about me

Showing posts with label about me. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Irish Blessings

"May your joys be as deep as the oceans,

Your troubles as light as its foam.
And may you find, sweet peace of mind,
Wherever you may roam."

~Irish Blessing

Count You Twice

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Looking forward to a little lamb stew tonight with my favorite boy tonight. (The kids are up at Grandpa & Grandma's farm this week for spring break.) And company of some good friends.

"When I count my blessings, I count you twice." - Irish Blessing

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Chocolate Thunder? Cappuccino Crunch? Yes, please.

I always rate the selections on these things by what they selected for Iowa. I trust this list - http://www.msn.com/…/50-top-cheap-restaurants-i…/ss-AA9DL83… La Mie! The picture above taken on a visit I made in mid 2014.

And I have a good friend and his wife moving to Delaware this spring. This was the recommendation for their new great state - http://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/50-top-cheap-restaurants-in-every-state/ss-AA9DL83#image=9. I can't wait to visit Woodside Farm Creamery and try Chocolate Thunder and Cappuccino Crunch whilst watching cows. My friend also happens to be the friend that I helped run 100 miles this past fall. He claims this is only 7 miles from his new house. We could run there!

I did not take this picture, but isn't it beautiful? It's borrowed.

Yum! Have I mentioned ice cream's my favorite?

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Ice Castles

So a few weeks ago, I saw some pictures of the Ice Castles in Eden Prairie. Apparently, they were at the Mall of America (MOA) last year. I do vaguely remember seeing posts about them, but it didn't really resonate with me until this year. Ever since doing my photo shoot with the waterfall, I've kind of wanted to do a seasonal photo shoot using the same element (water) just in a different form... and maybe winter instead of summer. This was my opportunity. Inspired I set plans in motion to make it happen. Two weeks to get ready is not ideal, but it sure did make me buckle down and get serious about my eating and exercise. Thankfully, my favorite photographer, Adam, of Flashfillfoto was on board with the idea and met me there for some fun pictures. Here's a sneak peek he sent me of how they turned out:

Can't wait to see the rest. Many more taken during the daylight hours. As always, it was fun. I will come out at a later date and maybe write a longer post about why I've started doing these.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

One Rule. No Hearts.

One day working from home with sick boy...

...turned into two. But productivity was not completely a lost cause. Kept busy on day two with this guy working on "the arcade". Just in case he was well enough to go to school for his Valentine's Day party. Only the best valentine's boxes for us. Only rule? No hearts.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

I Wanna Go Back

TBT: Throwback to Super Bowl Sunday in 2010. Getting carried onto the field by these fellas... the year we watched the Super Bowl in Mexico on a beach and watched the Saints beat the Colts. The year we met the lovely Youngs from California. I wanna go back!

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

First Mate

Hmmmm.... I couldn't wait until Throwback Thursday...

Growing up is overrated. Arrrrr....

Monday, January 26, 2015

The Trip That Saved Me

Got home last night. We'll call this "the trip that saved me". Sounds melodramatic. Trust me. It's true.

Easing Into Things

Home again. Look what was waiting patiently for me at home. Do I know some talented generous people, or what? I adore it! And wow... it's cold here! Makes coming home a little easier.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

They Are Awake Now

The closest I've come to finding a whole sand dollar. Interestingly enough seagulls aren't on the shoreline at 5 am. But they are awake now.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Add That to My Resume

After a beautiful sunset view on top deck...

... I drove a pirate ship all by myself tonight. First time. Totally adding that to my resume.

Thank you, Captain.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Not Sad

My gift from day three. A cool evening in a heated pool that changes colors... all to myself. The water felt like silk. A live band on the neighboring bar patio playing good music. And Orion's belt clear in the overhead sky. Spent a lot of time floating on my back. Too bad the pool closed at 11. A highly sensory, lovely evening pretending to be a mermaid. Not sad.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Dinner With Dena

This is my cousin, Dena. She is probably one of the most kind hearted and generous people I know. And she shares it with the world. I'm not kidding. Next up? Africa. Glad I was able to grab dinner with her at Hickory Park before she leaves on her next adventure.

Breakfast With Sarah

One last ride and...

Breakfast with Sarah. I like Crunchy French Toast. And I like The Cafe. But most of all, I love breakfast with good friends. My favorite.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Winter Solstice 2014

It's a reindeer bunny? Whatever it is, she has awesome running friends.

Lost my running group somewhere out there, but I saw lots of deerz. No swimming.

A dark day, but I choose to remember the beauty.

"Take as a gift whatever the day brings forth". One of my favorite gifts from yesterday... the shortest day of the year 2014. Sometimes being alone isn't all bad. It gives us time to get a true picture of ourselves... not always a pretty one, but that's how we grow and change, right? Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!

Gavyn's First Guitar Recital

A bit of awesomeness happened today... Gavyn's first guitar recital. I must say... I went into this experience with a bit of "dread". It ended up being one of the more calming parts of my day. And no joke... I found myself fighting back tears when not one, but two Dad's (one on piano and one on guitar) sat down to play their part in the recital. One of the bravest, most beautiful things I've seen an adult human do in a long time. Inspired me to be more daring and courageous.