July Photo Dumb

Marc and I out paddling White Sand Lake

Operation Sandwich supplies

38 foot scrap medal cross
Wanblee, SD

High Heeled Cupcakes

A few weeks ago a friend called and asked a few of us if we would be willing to help make "high heeled cupcakes" for her daughter's graduation party. I, along with several others, agreed, and the following is the photos from the project - I must admit they turned out WAY better than I anticipated.

The cupcakes before they were decorated

Taking a chunk out of part of the cupcake to fit in the bottom
portion of the shoe

Decorating the bottom portion of the shoe
first the graham cracker had to be cut to the right shape
then the bottom had to be colored
and then the outline color had to be added to the graham cracker

More decorating

Once the bottom of the shoe was added to the cupcake
the whole cupcake was frosted and the bow was added

heelless cupcakes 

finished product
the heel was added as a very last step

Camp Hiawatha

I got to relive a bit of my past of sorts - this month I got to spend a day serving as a camp counselor again. One of the camp staff died in a car accident (seriously, awful, and prayers ascending for the staff and this young woman's family) and the staff wanted to be able to gather at their other site (the camp is a two sited camp - located a couple hours apart) - sooooo their leadership called in, what we have dubbed ourselves as,  "The Replacements." We were a mis-mashed group of old camp staff, youth directors, and people who work with kids full time. Some of us knew each others, others entered as strangers, some were camp staff at another camp that volunteered to lend a hand. It was an interesting mix.
The current staff left us with a group of 2-5th graders. It was entertaining, we played games, roasted hot dogs, made s'mores, swam, and had campfire worship. By the end of worship we knew we had won - the kids were exhausted (as were we) and no one got hurt. PERFECT.
Here are some pictures from my day at camp - mostly they are pictures of my friends and I - I don't like to post pictures of other people's kids who I don't know.

Linnea and I

Swimming

Linnea and a woof

Lifeguardin

hot dogs and fire

Have you ever served as summer staff at a camp?

Did you attend camp as a kid?

Do you ever volunteer at a camp?

One: Lifelong Dream

This is the last Tuesday in a ten Tuesday series as I am linking up with Lauren at Life. Love. Lauren and Tiffany at The Austin Family Diary for their Tuesday Topics. This week's topic is "One: Lifelong Dream." This one is by far the hardest to write. I was stuck on what exactly to write and what to claim as my one life long dream. I have lots of dreams for life: to be married (check), to have children (some day), to travel the world (in progress), to live in a house I have paid off (in progress). My bucket list is long. I have lots and lots of things I want to do. So to come up with one life long dream was a challenge, then I realized that I am probably thinking a bit to specifically about it.

One: I want to always be happy with where I am in life and in the different seasons of life. I want to embrace challenges as they arise, I want to accept change as it happens, and I want to live each day fully with no regrets. I want to love unconditionally and give generously. I want to travel and experience the world and be changed by the variety of people who inhabit it. I want to always continue to dream and go on new adventures and constantly be learning.

Kingdom Keepers

The Kingdom Keeper book series is made up of seven books

1. The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark
2. The Kingdom Keepers: Disney at Dawn
3. The Kingdom Keepers: Disney in Shadow
4. The Kingdom Keepers: Power Play
5. The Kingdom Keepers: Shell Game
6. The Kingdom Keepers: Dark Passage
7. The Kingdom Keepers: Future Installments

So these are definitely books intended for middle schoolers or high schoolers however one of my youth pointed them out to me and so I thought I would give them a shot. They are a quick read and I have picked them up at the library to read. I think they are ridiculously fun. For all those of you out there who love Disney and love to read these would totally be worth borrowing from your library for a couple days. It won't take you long to read but are super fun.

They basic story is the evil characters of Disney are trying to overtake the good characters of Disney and so they go throughout all the parks and even the cruise ships and they have battles. It was fun to imagine such scenes playing out. Ridley Pearson is a wonderful author and has very clearly spent a lot of time at Disney and had many a good detail in the book.

These books had me thinking and I was hooked on them once I started reading them.
Check them out - let me know what you think.


Do you have any random book series that you love?
What are you reading these days?

ABC, This is Me!

Thanks to Karen from Just Me and My Running Shoes for tagging me in the ABC’s of Me, a popular blogging Q&A that’s going around right now. 

A. Attached or single? Attached for all of 1 month, 1 week, and 5 days (but whose counting.... hahahahahaha)

B. Best Friend? Blessed beyond measure with a couple

C. Cake or Pie? Depends on the flavors and my mood. Can I have both?! Pumpkin Pie wins in the pie department and Ice Cream Cake wins in the cake department (does that even count as cake?!)

D. Day of the Week? Friday - It's my day off of work (in theory) - the rest of the world is busy working away and the grocery stores are empty and the trails are empty for good long runs

E. Essential Item? Camera - I LOVE taking pictures

F. Favorite Color? green

G. Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms? Bears

H. Hometown? Centerville, South Dakota

I. Favorite Indulgence? Ice Cream - any and all

J. January or July? Both - January and July - I still love winter in January and love being outside in the cold and the snow. I also love July, kakaying, fireworks, time on the lake, camping, and running

K. Kids? No kids but the world's sweetest golden retriever, Daktoa

L. Life isn’t complete without? My family and friends

M. Marriage Date? June 8, 2013

N. Number of brothers/sisters. 1 brother, Christopher, he is 4 years younger than me, currently in the middle of Vet school at the University of Minnesota

O. Oranges or apples? Apples - Braeburn all the way!

P. Phobias? Lawn Gnomes creep me out for some reason - yes it is totally irrational

Q. Favorite quote? “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" - Hebrews 12:1

R. Reason to smile? warm summer days, a good run, the moment when they put the medal on you at the end of a half marathon, vacation, a perfect ice cream cone, iced coffee, a beautiful photograph, a snugly baby, snail mail,

S. Season of Choice? Christmas or Lent

T. Tag 3 People:

1. Molita @ What is going on here?
2. Tara @ Praying of the Prairie
3. Leslie  @ Violet Imperfections

U. Unknown fact about me? 

V. Favorite vegetable? Asparagus and sweet corn fresh off the cob

W. Worst habit?  Ummm... I don't know - I am sure my husband could list a few here for me......

X. X-Ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound - less painful - my memories of x-rays are when  I have broken a bone and the x-ray tech is having to move whatever is broken to get a clear x-ray and it always hurts a ton

Y. Your favorite food? Ice Cream

Z. Zodiac Sign? Aries - confession, I had to look up what my sign is - I am clueless about this stuff

Thanks for following along! I’d love to hear from you as well! Tell me one unknown fact about you in the comments below! :0)

Wine & Dine Training

I think I am going to attempt (key word here) to do weekly Wine & Dine Training updates - mostly to hold myself accountable. So here is my weekly fitness recap (hopefully you will get these nearly every week until the beginning of November). Note that until I get back from Pine Ridge at the end of next week fitness will be a bit strange - or not necessarily as strict and structured as I would like

Friday - July 12, 2013: Morning Run with Dakota
Saturday - July 13, 2013: 60 minute swim across whipple lake and back
Sunday - July 14, 2013: 18 mile bike ride
Monday - July 15, 2013: 45 minute run with Dakota
Tuesday - July 16, 2013: 40 minute swim at Lum park across the lake
Wednesday - July 17, 2013: 45 minute run with Dakota
Thursday - July 18, 2013: 4 mile run with Dakota

Two: Places You've Traveled

For the next few Tuesdays I am linking up with Lauren at Life. Love. Lauren and Tiffany at The Austin Family Diary for their Tuesday Topics. This week's topic is "Two: Places You've Traveled." This is seriously the hardest one for me to pick. I am sooooooo very thankful for all the places I have been and the ways in which the have helped me become the person I am, I also am ridiculously thankful to return back home (wherever that maybe) to those I love.

One: WALT DISNEY WORLD

   I began traveling to Walt Disney World as a small child and have continued to go back for years. I look forward to every trip I take down to Florida. I am thankful for the ways in which they make magic still happen. I am thankful for the ways in which it allows me to continue to dream and hope. I am thankful for the ways in which they have incredible hospitality to all their guests. I am thankful for the countless memories that have been made there. My favorite races are the runDisney races! They challenge me and keep me running for sure. [I must admit that the Fargo races are a close second as well]

Two: HAITI

    Unlike WDW I have only traveled to Haiti once and that trip marked my life forever. I keep saying that I will go back one day and I haven't yet been presented with the opportunity to return. I will return some day. The people are wonderful and a piece of my heart lies in Haiti. I learned about love, faith, and hope while in Haiti in ways in which I could never have fathomed when our trip began.

What places have shaped you into the person you are today?

Have you left pieces of your heart anywhere?

Do you have any favorite places to run?

Grandpa's Run for the Walleye Race Report

This past weekend I ran Grandpa's Run for the Walleye 5k in Crosslake, Minnesota. It wasn't my best race ever, I wasn't over the top impressed with my results, however, I am thrilled to say that I did it. I am happy because my time is better than it was last year at this same race.

It is a well organized race and they seem to have their stuff in a group - they also have a big kid's race for the different age brackets. One thing that always annoys me with races is when they allow same day registrations to bump back the time of the race, start when you say you are starting. I know you want to get everyone you can registered but start when you say you are going to start.

This race is the first race in a three part race series - The Crosslake Run Series.
The next race is the Crosslake Dam run in August and the last race is the Crosslake Moster Dash in October.


Do you like to run 5k races?
Do you have a favorite race?

Wine and Dine Training

This week has also officially begun my training towards the Wine and Dine Half Marathon - my focus in terms of running has shifted to there. I am excited about this race being at the beginning of November, I am hoping that Mother Nature will play nice and I won't have to put many, if any miles in on the treadmill before this race. Now this is probably wishful thinking, but a girl can always dream, right?!

For my training plan for this race I am using Jeff Galloway's Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon Training Program for improved time. I love that Jeff Galloway writes training programs for all the runDisney events and they are free! Whoop Whoop for free. I have used his programs in the past and have found them to work for me. I usually add in some cross training on the off days and try to take a least one day as my "easy day" each week. My schedule is ridiculous with church stuff, which complicates training a bit. I know for certain that I travel for a week with work and I am traveling with high schoolers, so it makes it quite the challenge to get in a run when I am surrounded by kids 24 hours a day for 7 days straight. Thankfully this week will fall early in my training.

The other week that I know I will be out of commission in terms of running is when a group of my friends and I head off to spend a week in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I will still get in plenty of a workout portaging canoes, hauling packs of stuff, setting up and tearing down camp, and paddling all over the place. Now this will also be balanced out with some swims in the lakes and naps in my hammock. A girl has to vacation from time to time too. Both this trip and the one with my kids should be okay as they aren't when  I should be putting in ridiculously long runs.

I am loving that my husband is slowly but surely beginning to run with me. While there are moments I am totally jealous because he picks up miles much faster than I do I am thankful for the long easy runs with Dakota and him. I still do go out on some runs with just Dakota, which is nice as well.


What programs do you like to use to train?

• I have also used Hal Higdon's training programs and really enjoy those as well
• I have attempted to mesh a bunch of plans and come up with something unique and creative and realize this isn't my best option

Do you write your own or follow any type of a system when training for a particular race?
How long do you like to have your training programs be?

4 Months Until Wine & Dine Half Marathon

Photo Credit: runDisney facebook page

We are four months out from the wine & dine half marathon! I seriously am OVER THE TOP excited about this race. I have begun to process the differences with this race verses other races that I have run. My first thing that I am beginning to ponder and think through is the 10:00 pm start. I am accustom to the early morning race starts where I get up, eat my oatmeal, and head off to a race. This is confusing to me being so late at night. Not to mention most nights by about 10:00 pm or so I am working on heading to bed. I prefer mornings over evenings as a general rule of thumb.

Hotel reservations have been made. While our original plan was to stay at Disney's All Star Movies Resort the entire time we were in Florida our plans changed when one of my friend's dad said that he had some points from something (I am not really sure how this worked out) that needed to get used up and that we were welcome to use them to stay at the Walt Disney World Swan or Walt Disney World Dolphin, I can't recall which one we are booked in but we are staying there for $17 a night. BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't be more excited about that.

Dinner reservations are also made as you probably saw a few weeks ago. We booked as soon as we were able to book in hopes of being able to get into all the restaurants that we wanted. It worked out okay.  I am still floored that over 190 days out Be Our Guest is booked, how are people getting reservations?! Seriously?! We were even looking for a table of two or three. Crazy town for sure!



Are you running the Wine and Dine?
What hotel are you staying at?
Do you have a favorite Disney World Resort?

Three: Favorite Quotes

For the next few Tuesdays I am linking up with Lauren at Life. Love. Lauren and Tiffany at The Austin Family Diary for their Tuesday Topics. This week's topic is "Three: Favorite Quotes."

One month as a Mrs.

The wonderful things:

• every night we both come home to the same house and every morning we wake up in the same house - I love this
• I see my husband every day (minus of course when I am traveling with youth for work) - although it does make coming home a little bit more exciting in terms of having both Marc and Dakota at home
• I also love that while I am gone someone is in the house taking care of it and watching it for flooding
• grace abounds
• we have decided to live by this - yeah there are things that we both need to get used to or talk to the other person about but we are fully admitting that this transition takes grace on both of our parts - so we live by grace 
• We actually have managed to figure out a good routine in the morning that doesn't add stress 
• it was strange at first to realize we only have one bathroom and two of us need to use it to get ready in the morning - it took us a few days to remember that we both no longer have our own bathrooms
• we no longer have two houses to clean, maintain, and pay to live in
• we only have one fridge with food no more running back and forth to get food to make a particular thing for dinner
• we only have stuff at one house, so no matter what we have everything in one place and we don't have to run down the street to pick stuff up before we go anywhere or do anything
• by combining both of our stuff I have been able to get rid of a ton of stuff
• I LOVE this - I love only having one set of everything and being able to donate the rest of my and his stuff to people who need/want it

The things no one tells you about:

• We have had to figure out how to live together and it isn't always easy - I haven't had a roommate for years, almost 5 of them to be exact
• example 1: I had become accustom to sleeping like a starfish smack dab in the middle of the bed, this doesn't work as well with two people in the bed - Marc has had to give me a good shove from time to time to get back on the other side of the bed - he also says he has gotten a hand to the face a couple times
• example 2: Marc doesn't go back to his apartment every night leaving me with some downtime all to myself and Dakota - although we have learned that the loft is my "sacred space" to do as I want - read, crochet, craft and the garage is Marc's "sacred space" to do as he wants - hammer stuff, pound stuff, drill stuff, paint stuff, build stuff, rip stuff apart
• 2 stall garages BARELY hold two cars
• Confession: I was spoiled before and know it - I had a two stall garage with one car in it 
• I didn't have to care where I put stuff I had more than enough room and plenty to spare - now our cars both fit in the garage with all of our stuff (not really all that much extra stuff but some) and it is a tight squeeze - we both must park in our designated spots and realize that if you don't pay attention and park a little too far over the other can't get in
• really this is mostly my problem - I forget that I have to pull what feels obnoxiously far over to the right or Marc's car won't fit in the garage - he has been very grace filled
• it also doesn't help that we have been storing some stuff in the garage while we debate what to do with it all
• Last summer I was able to go almost all summer without putting in the window air conditioner in my bedroom - I just had a fan that ran all night. Now with two 98 degree bodies in one bed I have already put in the air conditioner and the heat of summer hasn't even arrived.
• Some men eat a lot - leftovers don't last all week
• so there is perks to having two people work their way through a particular meal - I don't end up eating it for nearly every meal for a week or even five or six meals - it is gone within a couple meals - if I get two meals from something I make it is victory for sure

Miscellaneous things:

• I love summer weather and being able to run outside
• or bike or hang out at the lake or just sit outside
• Managing a camp is a ton of work when you already have a full time job and a couple of part time jobs - however I am learning a TON
• I love not running on a treadmill
• Owning a house is a catch 22
• there is always 12 million projects to do (this is not an exaggeration or anything)
• I have almost begun to forget about how much I hated snow by April and how much I hated the treadmill - I am beginning to think half way decent thoughts about mother nature again
• We still have more stuff than I would like us to and so we continue to work on downsizing our stuff - seriously I am next to embarrassed at how much stuff we have - it is excessive and gross - we are both working on this - our closets, drawers, every hiding place doesn't need to be packed with stuff
• I love good long runs with Dakota outside
• I am having trouble keeping myself to only three or four runs a week - my knees can't handle any more than that or else they start to freak out and hate me - so we have come to an agreement - I run three to four days a week and they don't hate me
• I LOVE writing & sending snail mail - this time around it is wedding thank yous.
• I am finding it harder to write them to Marc's family as I just don't know them very well and have a hard time differentiating them from one another as I met so many people
• Marc has written some as well - which was more than welcomed
• My goal is to have these all done by the end of July - wishful thinking? Maybe but it is at least worth the attempt
• I find it annoying when I get a wedding thank you seven or eight months after a wedding I attended - at that point I had nearly forgotten that one was never sent

This post got RIDICULOUSLY long. Snaps to you if you actually read it all.

Middle School Mission Trip

        After our day at LutherCrest we headed to Milwaukee on a CHARTER BUS (I was fairly certain we were taking a school bus). The trip was wonderful. While we played lots and lots of bus games, made many a good bracelet out of string, I welcomed the opportunity to put in a movie and allow the kids the chance to space out, be entertained, and sleep. While we were in Wisconsin we got to serve in six different locations, take in a Brewers game, play some putt putt, and enjoy some fellowship.
       
I love working with middle schoolers, they are at such a funny point in their lives, life is awkward and wonderful, life is what it is at that point. I also love that middle schoolers will always always always tell you exactly how they understand the world around them, they don't sugar coat it. When I first began working with middle schoolers this was a really really hard lesson for me to learn - they don't mean to be mean they rude or abrasive, they are just saying it how they see it.
     I was also impressed with how hard these youth were able to work. As projects were put out in front of them - they were determined to get a job done and do it well. This by no means that there weren't moments of complaining - but overall our youth were ridiculously hard workers. They got each and every job done that was set before them. One strange job that we had that fascinated all of us was that at a community garden in Milwaukee gets over 1,000 pounds (yes, 1,000 pounds) of crushed garlic and we got to help haul it and lay it down and incorporate it into the soil. Our hands smelled like garlic for days despite how much we washed them. Another project we had was to haul mulch for the foundations of an orchard that will be placed in the middle of the city. We had two huge mulch piles that we were got to spread around. It was a little nuts to see how much mulch these youth could haul. As we were getting to the bottom of some piles it was funny because the youth thought they had completed the job when another huge semi pulled up with more mulch and the youth rallied and got all the mulch laid.
      At a homeless shelter called "the Guest House" we got to make sandwiches for the residents and we got to prepare for a fourth of July party. The youth had an amazing time making cards and decorations for the house. I hadn't taken into consideration how much of a celebration I am accustom to, I gather with family and friends, enjoy a BBQ that is much more than we can eat, and enjoy watching the city fireworks. I can't' imagine not having those opportunities. I am excited that we were able to help these men be able to celebrate and enjoy the day like I will.
      All of our serving opportunities were great foundations for being able to have outstanding conversations with the youth. They were asking all sorts of great questions and have a great gifts and talents that they too get to offer to the world. I am thankful for the chance to help foster their growth, I am thankful for the parents who leave me with their most valuable (or one of) things in the world. I know that these youth mean the world to their parents and I am humbled to have the chance to walk alongside them in the midst of these important milestones in their lives. I am thankful for the chance to have these conversations with the youth as they discover the world around them. I am thankful for my call to serve.
     I will admit being married does make these types of trips harder. It was hard to be away from Marc for a week, knowing that he was back at the house with my sweet puppy. It was hard to not be able to go for a run with him as we normally would and to be able to share our days as we normally would. At the same time, he was over the top supportive and open to phone calls at crazy times and text messaging from time to time. He was sneaky and left notes in my bag, backpack, and sleeping bag.
   I also will admit that these trips are challenging because I don't get to control what I eat and have the opportunity to run, swim, bike, and workout like I would like it. It is hard to not have the chance to go for a long run during the week. Sometimes while I am away I do get in a run maybe two but they are never to the distance I would like and I can't fully relax knowing that I am ultimately responsible for these youth. But it is worth it.



 Do you get to travel anywhere fun soon?

Low Ropes & High Ropes

This past week, I and 26 of my favorite middle schoolers (seriously, I love all middle schoolers - life is so weird at that age) and a few other adults traveled together to Milwaukee with a stop at LutherCrest Outdoor Ministries in Alexandria Minnesota. As part of our trip our youth (and the adults and I) had the opportunity to spend some time on their low ropes and high ropes challenge courses. I love love love taking my youth on challenge courses. It is amazing to see the ways in which they are able to work together, to overcome adversity, to rise up with leadership skills that boggle my mind, to problems solve, to believe in each other, and most importantly believe in themselves.

   I could tell you countless stories of kids who upon seeing the high ropes course told me that they wouldn't go past the ladder, or would only climb the pole, and successfully completed the entire element. Were they scared, probably. Is it hard work, yes. Did some come down part way through, yes. Was I proud at how hard they worked and how they pushed themselves past where they thought they could, yes, I was over the top thrilled for them. We don't force the youth to do anything, they are free to choose their own challenge and name when their challenge is over, however, I do allow myself the freedom to push them a little, to have them take just one more step if they can or climb one more rung higher, or try to get onto the floating islands. These youth are AMAZING. 

   These skills that the youth gain while doing crazy challenge activities feed them for a life time, they realize they are capable of more, that they can do hard things, that they do have leadership skills, that they are rockstars. Middle school is tough. Life is hard. Life is messy. I love the opportunity to provide youth with the chance to succeed to do more, and to celebrate their victories. I was so impressed with my youth as they supported one another, as they worked together, and as they celebrated everyone's victories no matter how big or how small they were. I wish I could take more youth to these types of events. I want everyone to be able to experience them. I also am hoping to get something set up where we can take entire families (middle school kids on up and their families) to ropes courses, I think it would be amazing to see how the families could come together, rally, and work together to overcome big obstacles. 

    While we were at LutherCrest our youth got to experience three different elements, a floating board type element where people on the ground got to help hold the board in place. There was one youth on each end of the board and they could turn the board and spin the board and pull them closer and further away. The kids got to work on communicating and to help one another. They worked their way across the planks and got to hit the wall and then were lowered down. On the other element we walked across this small wire and held onto small ropes which helped to provide supports. At the end of the wire we then climbed up on a plank and got to zip line down to safety. It was ridiculously fun. It is hard to hold still while up on the wires and my legs, abs, and arms were all clenched in tight in order to help stabilize. It was wonderful.

   I highly recommend if you ever have the opportunity to experience a high ropes or low ropes course - DO IT. I know I am always looking for adult leaders to come alongside the youth and myself to help with our youth. I have gotten to see many an adult experience ropes courses for the first time several times. Much like the youth we all have fears that we get to overcome and expectations. I am thankful for these types of experiences. 

Have you ever gotten to do a high/low ropes course?
Have you ever been on a zip line tour? (My family did one in Cancun a few years ago, it was awesome too)
Do you like heights?

Apostle Islands - Honeymoon Part 1

Sunday after we got married Marc and I left town and headed to the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin. We wanted to stay close so we didn't have a ridiculous drive on Sunday but we also didn't want to run into people we knew. So we chose to take the 3 hour and fifteen minute drive to Bayfield, Wisconsin. It was PERFECT. We rented a part of a cabin (it was an old house, I think, that had been divided into two separate spaces) that had a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, and a small kitchen all overlooking the Apostle Islands. It. Was. Perfect. We had an absolutely marvelous time. We cooked most of our meals at the cabin (we went out twice and cooked the rest ourselves) - mostly over the open fire (because we love cooking over coals) and it was semi-luxurious camping - exactly what we wanted. While we were there we delighted in several things: mopeding on Madeline Island, lunch out [totally recommend the Beach Club], a massage (a gift from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) [recommend Superior Body Message and Spa], dinner out [definitely check out Ethel's], hammock napping, kayaking, state park wandering, beach chilling, ice cream (seriously, what would a trip be without ice cream), many a good walk, lots of conversation, and hiking at Houghton Falls. On the way home we stopped in Duluth, eat at Burrito Union, and walked around Canal Park a bit. IT WAS WONDERFUL.
            Not totally a downfall but it was a little bit annoying, I am certain it will look amazing when it is all done, but, main street in Bayfield was totally under construction when we went there, it workout fine in the end, but it was strange to have certain things not open and what not due to the construction or have the bathrooms not work because the water has been shut off. We did decide however that it totally makes us want to go back when they have all the construction done to see how it all turned out.
             Houghton Falls was totally an accidental find (thank you trip advisor app). We were debating what to do and so I pulled up the trip advisor app on my ipad and was searching for something semi-active that we could do because the weather had turned out to be GORGEOUS that day, I happened to stumble upon a recommendation from two people (seriously saddened that only a couple people have rated this place because it rocked). It was listed as a small park that people could wander through. WE LOVED IT, we hiked and climbed all over, there are even trails that will lead you down and by the water. It was such an adventure and we only saw one person the whole time were were there and it was someone with a big fancy camera that I was drooling over who was walking out of the park as we were walking in other than that it was empty other than us. I took a TON of photos (not that this should shock you) - it was gorgeous and breath taking. You could tell (unfortunately) that not a ton of people go through this sweet park. We spent HOURS wandering around in here and taking photos and soaking it all in.
                 Mopeding (I am not certain that is actually a verb, but I am going to use it as one, and don't really care what others think) on Madeline Island ROCKED! Seriously, AMAZING, and worth every penny. We debated and hemmed and hawed a little bit (mostly because we are trying to be really wise with our money and pay of some debt (college and car) and so we went back and forth as to what we were doing and what not and eventually decided to go for it and rent a couple of mopeds. I LOVED IT, Marc LOVED IT. I totally recommend it, we went through a company on Madeline Island called "Motion to Go" they were wonderful to work with. We explored the island, stopped at the state park, explored the city beach, and rode all over the island. We seriously would love to get mopeds some day, we had that much fun. Did you know that mopeds get 80 miles to the gallon, do you know how many trips to work, the grocery store, hospitals and nursing home visits I could do on one gallon of gas?!?! A LOT. It was a wonderful way to explore the island and get to see it all. We did say that when we come back we would love to bring our bikes as well because that also would have been a great way to experience the island. While we were out and about on our mopeds we happened to come across an Indian burial ground and we took the time to get out and walk around it (it isn't more than about a city block), it was crazy to see how old people were when they died and to see graves over a couple hundred years old. It was interesting to see how short the life expectancy was at that time, and the number of infant/children deaths saddened my heart and I gave thanks for modern medicine and vaccines. I imagine that a lot of people miss out on the Indian burial grounds because it isn't well marked and is sort of off the beaten path.

         We ate lunch at the Beach Club on Madeline Island and I seriously ate the world's best white fish tacos, I was a little skeptical because fish tacos are either really good or REALLY NASTY, and these were by far the best I have ever had, I even took a picture of them to remember their goodness. The trip advisor app on my phone and ipad became a great resource for us as we were trying to find places to eat and things to do. We used it a lot! I am thankful for the community of travelers who have given their stamp of approval to places and things so that we also got to experience them. It was marvelous, I didn't do much research before we left for the trip, I obviously was busy prepping for the wedding and prepping for this trip sort of fell to the wayside. It worked out for the best! Thankfully our cabin had wifi access which made searching for yummy places to eat and things to do much easier.
    After the chaos (wonderful chaos, but chaos none the less) of the wedding and having so much family and friends around I was happy to have a few days to just get some overdue rest and relaxation. While I know the wedding was all about Marc and I an the weekend was nearly perfect, I seriously felt like I hardly ever had any time with Marc, and we really didn't have much time to ourselves to talk and process everything that was going on. It was fun on the trip to hear things that he really enjoyed about our wedding weekend and the things that he thought were funny. I also got to hear a bit about stuff that his family said about the wedding. I am thankful that we went right away to at least get a couple of days away. Marc was suppose to have to go back to work on Thursday, but he didn't due to a job change which all fell into place right before we got married.

    He had his last day at his old job on the Friday before we got married and then had the next full week off (and I had to work the Thursday after our wedding) and then began his new job (HUGE BLESSING) the following Monday. It was funny how it all fell together. Hence our short quick vacation together. We did decide that we were going to go somewhere warm this coming winter when we both are suffering from serious vitamin d withdrawl. So this coming January we traded in a timeshare (thanks mom and dad) to Puerto Villarta, Mexico and will be spending a week down there together. We also realized that it is amazing to be in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin in June-August so we would be hard pressed to leave at this time. So we are calling it a two part honeymoon, part 1 in the apostle islands, and part 2 in Mexico this winter.

Sorry this post got so long, I never intended it to, however, thanks for reading. I am hoping to do long posts with lots of pictures about our wedding one of these days, we are hoping to get the photos from our other photographer soon. I will hopefully then be able to give you some of the details and highlights for me from the weekend we got married.

Have you been to Puerto Villarta any recommendations?
Any fun travels coming up for you?
Are you doing anything fun for the fourth of July?