someone's sleepy.

It happens every time that we come back from "Grandma and Grandpa" Hestekin's house. While there, Leo gets to run at full speed around their backyard, chase squirrels up their giant tree on the side yard by the bird feeders, and chase everything that moves. Not to mention, he gets to play with their dog Braunie until they are both wiped.

When we come home, we get the most exhausted dog on the planet. We can say his normal trigger phrases like "who's here?" "where's Karma?" or "wanna go outside?" and we get....nothin' outta him.  His eyelids struggle to stay open when we call his name and he lays completely motionless (except for the light wagging of his tail).

But it's true of humans too, that when we come home from a long weekend, we don't want to really do anything. Leo just doesn't get anything out of a beer and season one of Breaking Bad like we do.

There are many parts of pet owning that I like (and many others that I don't like), but watching Leo sleep is one of my favorites. We love our sleepy boy.

In the archives of Project Simple Life:
August 2012: what I like about Leo
October 2011: Leo. (The day we got him.)

MIL v. MIN

 Several Thursdays ago, we went out to the ball game. The Brewers were in town and since my parents and some of Chad's cousins only live about 90 minutes away, we decided to treat ourselves (and my parents) to a baseball game. I mean, look at that view of downtown Minneapolis! We had been to Target Field only once before, so it was definitely a treat to go and root for our actual team. (Just because we crossed state lines, doesn't mean that our baseball loyalty changed.) :)

This game was our gift to my parents for their wedding anniversary. They have learned the art of simplicity, so always tell us that we don't need to "get" them anything for special occasions. And that "being together is enough for them". I like that perspective quite a bit.

Chad's awesome cousins, Brian, Kellie, and Terry came with and helped us cheer on our Brewers!

 During the game, Chad was able to get some "action shots". Target Field was celebrating "Retro Night", so both teams wore their old school uniforms and all of us got Kirby Puckett jerseys (which my parents are wearing in the above picture).

It's always nice to see a win!

In the archives of Project Simple Life:
March 2009: When I finally admitted to the world that I like baseball. All thanks to watching it with Chad.
June 2009: We went to a Brewers game the day after we got engaged!

150 by 8.31

Chad and I are kicking up our fitness goals this summer.

In the past year, we have tried different monthly ones (ab challenges, squat challenges, plank challenges) but our problems with completing them revolved around the fact that we tried doing them all at once. When Chad got home from a 10 hour day of work. We basically set ourselves up for failure. I was still getting a daily workout in, but we weren't working at something together, something we both enjoyed.

This summer, though, we have set ourselves up for success. Inspired by the Tone It Up girls (read about their challenge here), we are going to do 150 by 8.31. We will walk/run/jog 150 miles by the end of summer. I averaged it out to 1.5 miles each day.

We know that there will be days that we won't be able to do this together (like tonight, when Chad goes to a Brewers/Twins game). But the days that we can do it are awesome. Even if it is just 1 mile. We are getting out there at night. We are not making excuses because we are holding each other accountable. 

Funny story about day 1 (June 1st): We went to the Grand Day Festival on Grand Avenue in St. Paul and started tracking our miles there. We went two miles in the wrong direction because I was holding the map. So on a day that we should have only gotten 2-3 miles in, we actually got 5 in. That's what happens when the directionally challenged wife is leading the husband and wife team around... Luckily, Chad put a positive spin on our day and reminded me that we're just that much closer to reaching our 150. 

We do need to come up with a "we finished!" reward. Sushi? Twins game? Funnel cake at the State Fair? We'll let you know. :)

I would love to hear if you and your love work out together. Are you setting up a "challenge" like ours? Feel free to adapt this one to suit you and your family. We're only the 4th day in. :)

what april brings us.

It's easy to get depressed when winter just doesn't seem to die. We all know in Wisconsin that we always get one last big April snow/ice storm and we all hate it. We are supposed to get 6" in the next day and frankly we all hate it.Especially when we have had those pleasant days of grilling outside and walking our dog  in just sweatshirts. Our Facebook and Twitter posts are clogged with complaining to God about this stinkin' weather and we get jealous of our friends in Washington and Florida who go on with their perfect weather days and apologize for posting pictures of themselves eating outside (lucky ducks). 

Sidenote: Two years ago, on April 24th, we were on our way to a Decemberists concert in Madison and considered turning around during the two hour drive down there because of the ice/slush/snow storm that hit. Seriously, at the end of April?! :)

But, these disastrous weather days bring us cozy nights inside. When we hear the thunder bringing us snow like it did last night, we snuggle under the blankets more. It seems fitting to light some candles and play the music stations on our television instead of the basketball game. Last night, I spied some boys in their cozy spots. I quietly grabbed the camera, turned the ISO sky-high and captured what our night inside looked like. 

Gone Girl. (determined husband wants to finish it tonight. especially since he got to the good part, he says.)

Blankets. 

Pillows. 

Sweatshirts pulled over his head. 

Gin + tonic by his side. 

One last cozy night. That's all we're good for. Next time, we better be reading outside with our grill fired up and our backyard busy. We are ready. (and have been for a while.) :)

tomorrow is my birthday.

And while I could wax poetic musings about how I'm happy to be celebrating in my town instead of where we were last year, I won't, because comparing Europe to Eau Claire would be like comparing Chef Boyardee to the Italian pasta dishes that Bethany is currently eating in Rome -- it's just not right.

So it's true that last year's birthday rocks this year's birthday outta the water...maybe.

But I don't know. I know that Chad has a baseball game with our family, a trip to my parent's house for cake, and a visit with friends who we haven't seen in over a year planned -- but that's all I know.

Last year I happily sat next to him on the airplane from London to Minneapolis for eight hours watching four movies and eating three meals. But this year I will probably sit next to him on our couch on Saturday morning. We'll probably be watching the Olympics with our breakfast plates on TV trays and our Leo snoozing in the corner.

And I'm good with that. Because I'm finally understanding God's lesson that He has been teaching me the past two years: that I don't need much to be happy. Being married and having the day-in and day-out with him that I do has shown me that.

So happy Saturday to you. My birthday wish (my one of many) is that you take a sec to find some part of the day that makes your heart happy.

I was hoping while I was writing this that I wouldn't end on a sappy, syrupy note, but oh well. :)

Looking back....

birthday post: 2009

birthday post: 2010

birthday post:  2011

because it's just not a project simple life birthday post if I don't include a cupcake // credit.

XXX Summer Olympics.

wake.

work out.

watch the olympics.

work.

watch the olympics with chad.

sleep.

I do sprinkle in some time for eating, showering, and general everyday-ness, but most of the last week has been the above schedule. I love it. I follow almost every event, my favorites so far being swimming, men's and women's gymnastics, rowing, and beach volleyball. And I can't wait for track to start in a couple days.

summer far surpasses winter in my humble opinion. 

in every way. 

some of my favorite moments are seeing U.S. Olympiads on the stand singing the national anthem, Ryan + Michael in the pool, and Gabby on the beam and uneven bars. And I completely believe that those P & G commercials were designed for criers like me (as well as those little vignettes about the athletes before their event starts). I soak up the events every night with Chad, not updating my twitter feed until after for fear that someone would spoil the outcome (especially since I follow Misty May and Michael Phelps now). (:

I think the last time I was this invested this much in the olympics was in 1996 during the magnificent seven's reign in gymnastics -- watching their events on the floor of my house in Mankato with my mom and older sister, clutching my Olympic Barbie (who had the uncanny resemblance to Shannon Miller).

image 1 // here
image 2 // here
collage // project simple life

happy weekend.

Whenever Chad goes away for a weekend trip, I always seem to write about it. I write about how sad I get when mine is the only toothbrush in the toothbrush holder and mine are the only pillows on the bed. Then I write about all my big plans to get everything done in three days before Chad gets back home. Cram as much shopping, writing, eating, errand-running, and chores as I can.

This time around, those lofty goals are still on my to-do list (I actually did write out a list) sprinkled with fun things like watching the opening ceremonies with a glass of wine and sushi (and pining for London again) tonight and the farmer's market and editing pictures tomorrow morning. Will you be watching the Olympics this weekend? It's my absolute favorite!

It might not seem like the most thrilling weekend to date, but it's just what I need before our whirlwind August rolls around...

addressing those deep seeded camping phobias.

Growing up, I didn't come from what you would call a 'camping family'. I don't have those fond memories of my family of six squeezed into our tent, roasting hot dogs around the campfire, and fishing in the early morning sunrise.

I grew up detesting camping.

And all things outdoors for that matter. But allow me to explain: this 23-year-hatred was through no fault of my parents. Don't get me wrong, I loved my version of outdoors, where I got to control it -- biking, swimming, and playing in my childhood town, but if they ever suggested that I go out of a 30-second radius of running water and indoor plumbing, I blocked out the bad parts of my childhood behavior, I probably threw a mini tantrum whining that there's no way I would be caught dead peeing outside.

To me, camping was all things that I disliked the most --  rolled up into one disgusting package.

I would complain all the time (it's too hot...it's too buggy). I hated sleeping on the ground. I hated getting bit by mosquitoes. HATED it. Oh, to little seven-year-old me that was the worst thing ever about summer.

Chad on the other hand, grew up loving it. And still does. Which is why when his parents suggested that we come out to the lake they were staying at this weekend, he said yes.

Now, I'm slowly warming up to the idea of camping and this experience was a nice way to dip my toes into the camping world since there was a camper on-site and a beach/park down the road with public bathrooms.

But, I toughed it out -- not as much as Chad's parents and sister...but I came a long way from when I was a kid. I slept on the floor of a tent, and minimally complained about the mosquito bites I was getting and the lack of shower I had.

Because I realized that the reason that Chad grew up loving it was because it is really enjoyable. I liked swimming in the lake, was eager to get on the boat and fish, and liked doing things I didn't think I would enjoy (like fileting a fish).

On the way there, I was driving through the deeply wooded Wisconsin back country roads and I actually requested that Chad find some Johnny Cash and play it right then. "Because" I told him, "I think that I'm only in the mood to listen to old school country when I'm camping or fishing". Then with mock horror I said "Am I turning into one of these country girls that I never liked?".

Well, so what if I am. :)

from this weekend -- me: the recent camping convert holding my second fish...ever. wearing a genuine smile.  
husband: photobombing. doing what he does best.

absent and present.

Let's play pretend for a post, shall we? 

Tonight, you came over to my house. It's been a good three months since we've truly seen and spoke to each other and during the Bachelorette commercials, I begin to tell you all about what I've been up to. While we share a bottle of sweet white wine, of course.

I'll tell you of my overwhelming past couple months. Like how I'm finally done with school and found out that I'll be teaching Kindergarten and 1st grade next fall, and how excited/terrified the idea of being in a classroom full-time makes me.  And I'll tell you how this semester was one of the busiest times of my entire life -- how I regret the lack of attention and time that I gave to Chad, our house + its upkeep, God, our marriage and other people (friends and family) in my life. I'll tell you how I regret being absolutely consumed with school since February and how, I didn't know how to handle everything any other way. How I had to be happy (or at least satisfied) with how I handled myself, because if I wasn't then I would feel like I had let myself down instead of praising my accomplishments, as simple as they might have been.

How I feel bad about how distant I'm been from my blog, a passion of mine, and photography (a blog's partner-in-crime) and how both have been sitting on a shelf so to speak, collecting dust. How at the end of a busy night after spending hours typing a paper, the last thing I had energy for was more computer time. How my therapy was the weekends spent lounging around my house with Chad and Leo, going to the gym and cooking up meals.  And that, even just the simple act of arranging flowers into 3 vases for our church altar on Saturday/bouquets for our mothers sparked the creative part of my personality that had been dormant for the past 4  months, buried under lesson plans and work samples.

And, that's the point of the evening when you'll interrupt my babbling, noting that it's been two hours, the Bachelorette is over and you need to get up early tomorrow. I'll tell you that I'll be in touch, promising to share photos of our wedding with you, our trip from last summer; both of which you haven't seen hardly any of, and other happenings in our (less busy) life here. 

That's where we leave each other, promising we'll make plans, if not daily, than several times during the week, telling each other that we can't let this much time pass between us getting together. Promising each other and ourselves that we will get together, even if it's just a short time during the day.

Now, back to reality...I'm really looking forward to putting myself into my passions once again! :)

P.S. Photo//pin no. 240731542551441628

my legs are jelly.

pin no. // 68257750571820505

Yesterday...I found my personal hell.

Spinning class. 

Chad and I go into the gym, not realizing that Zumba is at 6:30 instead of 5:30 (which is when we got there). We check in at the desk and the employee says "So what are you guys doing tonight?" "Oh probably just gonna do some cardio" we replied. "You guys should go to spinning -- it starts in fifteen minutes!" she says eagerly. And then this cute little blond energetic woman bounces up to the  desk "Yeah! Do it!" Little did we know that woman named Brittany would be kicking our butts for 45 minutes.

Now, I am not a very athletic woman. Yes, I do my walking and my elliptical machine, but spinning class? Never thought I would do that. This was my very first time spinning, and I just wanted to remember the thoughts that I had tonight:

Minute 2: Well this isn't so bad...

Minute 5: I hate Ke$ha. Why is she singing so loud?

Minute 7: I'm going to barf. 

Minute 8: I can't believe we have only been doing this for eight minutes. 

Minute 11: I hate looking at myself in the mirror while I'm doing this. 

Minute 17: Am I the slowest one? I feel like everyone else is doing so much better than me. 

Minute 26: I want to sit down. 

Minute 30: I HATE position two.

Minute 33: I want my mommy. 

Minute 38: Why was Chad excited to do this? 

Minute 40: I don't want to run up a steep hill anymore. Please let me sit down.

Minute 41: I. am. going. to. barf. and. kill. someone.

Minute 42: Why didn't we go to Zumba?

Minute 44: Yay! We're sitting down. And going slow.

Minute 45: Done! Let's never do this again!

And strangely enough, Chad and I walked out of there and he said to me "We should do that again. Even though our legs feel like jelly, we should do that again. We should go several times a week."

And...I agreed with him. Call me psychotic, but we are going again, no matter how much it intimidates me. I am going to endure position 2 -- if it kills me.

i am thankful for...

11.1.11 (That is a lot of 1's, don't you agree?) 

I don't know about you, but I am not ready for it to be November first. I am still hoping that I'll look at the calendar on our wall in the kitchen + it'll say September. But no, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner which means that so are those busy holiday weeks. Shopping, homework, planning -- you know.

In order to make sure that I attempt to focus on the positive in my life instead of all the stress and ba-humbug-ness, I will be stopping by my blog a few times a week and sharing the things I am thankful for. (Taking a page out of Jess's book always seems like a good idea -- loved those thankful posts of hers.) I remember doing this in elementary school with the hand prints and the turkey feathers, so let's think of this as a modern day bulletin board full of those toilet paper roll turkeys, shall we?

I am thankful for...
1. Leo's puppiness. Even though he eats the drywall like it's candy, when he curls up on his puppy bed with his little butt hanging off the side, I just can't help fallin' in love.
2. Apples and the yummy snacks they make. Tonight I made a salad of candied walnuts, diced apples, gorgonzola cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, and spinach leaves and it was delish. Perfect for fall.
3. Cozy socks and cozy blankets. No explanation needed.

Feel free to join up in this celebration of those simple things you are grateful for!

Photo Credit: Apples in a Vintage Basket by Lynda Naranjo

leo.

I have a list a mile and a half long of things I want to tell + show you about our new house, our new neighborhood, and all things in between. But for now, I'll show you the newest member of our family. The sunshine of our day(s).

Leo. 

This sweet little boy came to be ours yesterday afternoon and is never leaving (since we love him too much). The way we got him is one of the saddest stories (it still makes me tear up thinking about it): my mother-in-law heard from a former coworker that Leo (then Bentley) was in a foster home because his owners were going to put him under since their cat didn't get along with him! Can you imagine putting that sweet boy under?? Neither could we. So we got in contact with the right people, did a major shopping spree at Walmart + Petsmart, and took him home and introduced him to Karma (our cat).

Needless to say, he has completely turned our lives upside down. We now have to wake up early to take him out, come home for lunch, and give him treats after he listens to us say "Sit", and snuggle with him. :) It's been an adjustment...

but a good one. :)

wake. work. rinse. repeat.*

good morning, bloggers.

I had big plans to end this blogging break with a show + tell of all the marvelous pieces I got at Saver's several weeks ago. I'm super excited about them all -- particularly my new globe, but that post will have to wait. Because all those marvelous items are in banana boxes and pear boxes.

That's right. We're moving!

I should mention that we signed the year-long lease on Thursday night and are expecting to get the keys to our new house on Saturday morning.

That gives us only six full nights to pack up our entire apartment.

So, please excuse me while I fill my next week with school in the morning, work in the afternoon, and newspapers + boxes in the evening.  rinse. repeat.

*Just curious if you know, who once titled her beloved blog this exact phrase? :)

the state fair.

Not our state's state fair. The Minnesota State Fair. You know, the second-largest one in the country. Chad + I have never been to the state fair before, so two Sundays ago, we went with my sisters, brother-in-law, and baby Z. I have never had a state fair experience quite like this, and I don't think I ever will. We said farewell to summer the best way: eating + laughing with our families. It was pure, late summer magic.

now i want a puppy.

In my family, we aren't big pet people. The closest thing we got to was a beta fish named Obadiah, that we lived with when I was 13. We always asked my parents "Why can't we get a dog or cat?" to which they'd reply "Because Dad's allergic." (The real truth is because he didn't want to pick up after the dog...you know, poo-wise. Which we found out later when my parents felt like we were ready to handle it. :) ) I never ever considered myself to be a "pet person". Little Amanda was more than happy to have brief encounters with her best friend's big black dog, Shadow. And leave it at that.

Then I met + married into Chad's family -- these people are all about dogs. and cats. Since Chad was a baby, his family has always had at least one dog (sometimes two) in the house. Chad tells me that the fondest memories that he has of his childhood was playing around with Rocky or Bear. Dogs will always be a part of his life.

Imagine Chad's surprise when the love of his life, his wife, says "Well...honey...I'm not really big on dogs. I like 'em, I just don't know if I could ever own one". Would that just crush a dog-lover's heart? He has always said to me, "Honey, we can just get a medium-sized one...right?" (Chad: always the compromiser.) which keeps me right on the fence about the whole Amanda-being-a-dog-owner discussion.

Braunie. This little guy might have just pushed me onto the pro-dog side of that fence, though. On Saturday, Chad's parents brought this little cutie home. And on Sunday, when we went over for our weekly supper, I got to meet Braunie. The sweetest, warmest, rolliest, softest puppy I have ever seen. How can I resist his warm body snuggled against mine as we lay on the couch? How can I not get a puppy since now I know it comes with giggling at the way he runs or how utterly adorable he is when he lays down on his paws? Slowly, I a warming up to the idea of having a dog on a more permanent basis -- just as long as he stays in the puppy stage for a while.

How about you -- are you from a "pet family" or not?

P.S. Tonight + Monday are the last days to put your name into the very london giveaway!

sometimes.

sometimes... you take a step back from the computer, the iPhone, the tv, and the Netflix and take a friend's offer to 'go camping' on a Saturday.
sometimes... it feels good to get your feet dirty (filthy dirty) and sit around a campfire.
sometimes... you spend 23.5 hours with the exact same friends and you love every single second of it.
sometimes... for the first time (ever), you are in a tent, and snuggle in your sleeping bag while breathing in the intoxicating fresh air.
sometimes... a morning canoe ride with your husband is required. 
sometimes... all you eat for dinner, breakfast, and lunch is made on a campfire.
sometimes... you come away from a camping trip with new inside jokes, new games, and a renewed love for outdoors.

this picture is brought to you by...

last sunday morning.
my in-laws trusty little boat.
catching my first fish ever. (seriously, is it lame that at age 22 I finally caught a fish? my father-in-law believes it to be a sweet little bass.)
bologna + pickle sandwiches courtesy of my mother-in-law.
diet dr. pepper in can cozies.
discussing how Jesus fed the 5000. we were debating on how it was prepared -- sushi-style? fried? over a fire? roasted? how did he do it?
grinning from ear to ear as the boat sped through the wind + the waves.
oogling all the fancy lake side houses. and dreaming up our own. agreeing that it must have a second-floor deck.
sitting on the front of the boat with my feet dangling in the water.

perfect summer morning.

30th anniversary party // the people

When you are throwing a party, the most rewarding thing that you can do is look around mid-shindig and see the smiles + hear the swell conversation. You walk around cleaning the plates, refilling the drinks, making small talk, and snapping some pics of all their happy faces. For some reason, this was my favorite party. The attendees for my parents' party ranged from their brothers + sisters, nieces + nephews, mom + dad, kids, grandkids, and friends old and new.

Eli on the left and UJ on the right, both playing some croquet. (UJ loved playing with the 'hemmer'). 

My Grandma with my niece, Z (isn't this is sweetest?!).

We had a hammock out in the backyard for relaxing. Clearly, Chad is taking advantage of the break between fruit skewer and chicken salad duty.

One thing that I love about having a niece is that now I have someone in my life who wears headbands on a regular basis. 

My favorite ladies: Laura, Rachel (our adopted sister), my Mom (super pretty, right?!) and Z.

I spy a cute little grumper-pants in this family....

This is what I meant before -- seeing people have a fun time at the party you are hosting is the best. I loved seeing all their happy faces!

Not as much as I liked seeing their happy faces. I love this picture of my parents laughing that Chad took from right behind a tree.

It might have to compete for top billing of the night with this other picture that Chad took of my grandparents (who have been married 57 years) leaving their son's 30th wedding anniversary holding hands. I mean, does love get any better than this? In 57 years, I hope Chad and I are still holding hands and walking home from a family party, as blissfully in love as we are now.