25 May 2018

Moments 05 18 :: Week 04

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Last weekend was so cold, and so wet. C had two soccer games -- one in Glenview, IL and the other home. And when he wasn't playing, he hung out in the basement. This, my friends, is our future. H on the other hand, refereed 11 soccer games. Here he is taking a break from the cold on Sunday. Brutal, but he'll be happy when he sees that check I'm sure.

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Decided to try something new in the planter by our patio. Instead of being purely decorative, this year, I’m trying a tea garden! That planter box is loaded with orange mint, chamomile, anise hyssop, lemon balm and lemon grass. Another planter has peppermint. Can’t wait!

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Four years ago we brought Gretel home. On the anniversary of that date I found her rummaging through the garbage downstairs. Still such a little stinker, but I guess we’ll keep her.

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I had to meet someone at the gym and decided to take the ole road bike out for a spin top get there -- first time in four years, so the fact that it happened is a little crazy. Here’s the thing — I’m terrified of riding on the streets. And I’m not saying bike riding is my new favorite activity (because I still do not trust cars) but a couple things really stood out to me. First, even when I was riding regularly, never in a million years would I have had the courage to go out by myself. Second, while I definitely need to work on my bike legs, I felt so much stronger, more balanced, more agile and more confident than I ever had. I guess all this CrossFit and macro tracking is working for me.

18 May 2018

Moments 05 18 :: Week 03

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On Saturday, H and I met up with the family to celebrate Jacob's graduation from UW Madison.

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The Jacob heads my sister got were a huge hit.

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Found him! Or, I should say, he found us. David Muir was the speaker, and the energy at the entire place was awesome.

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While we were celebrating the graduation, this guy had a fancy dancy Bar Mitzvah to attend.

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H receiving his Silver (2nd year) Merit award at school. Way to go!

13 May 2018

Mother's Day

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Scenes from Mother's Day. I got to spend yesterday with my mom while we were at my nephew's graduation from UW Madison. Such a fun day. Today, I woke up to breakfast in bed. It's so funny, because each year my boys want me to enjoy it alone. And every year I argue that I want to eat with them. I never win that argument, but C always sneaks in and hangs out with me while I eat. Cute. Later in the morning, my mother-in-law joined us for brunch at Birch + Butcher. Of course I took photos of the food:

Joan & I : Lox Platter, Cream Cheese, Charred Tomato, Red Onion Jam + Capers
Brian : Brandy Old Fashioned Hot Ham + Fresh Rolls
H : Pulled Pork Shoulder, Roast Mushroom, Egg + Polenta
C : Rosemary Biscuits, Sausage + Charcuterie Gravy + Poached Egg

Then we went to Purple Door for ice-cream. I had Malted Chocolate Chocolate Chunk + Mint Quark. Needless to say, I didn't want to eat the rest of the day.  But it was worth it.

The rest of the day was spent just catching up and working in the yard a little bit. All I can say, is lucky me. So grateful for our moms, and for getting to experience motherhood myself. My boys rock my world. I adore them.

11 May 2018

Moments 05 18 :: Week 02

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Last weekend I was in Minneapolis for the annual Beautycounter Leadership Summit. It was amazing. But the best part was rooming with my friend Lora, who I don't get to see often, spending time with El, and meeting incredible new women who I'm so excited to get to work with. Here I am with Ali. Definitely one of the best parts about my job.

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Girl band. I'm kind of obsessed with this picture.

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Me and a couple other ladies from our team with Gregg Renfrew, the Founder & CEO of Beautycounter.

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Less than 10 hours after landing from my conference, I found myself in Rockford, Illinois for C's soccer game. Thank goodness for a gorgeous day.

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This happened over the weekend. Yay, Spring!

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Babies!

04 May 2018

Moments 05 18 :: Week 01

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C’s refereeing debut. AR along with H, who was nice enough to take C under his wings and show him how it’s done.

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The seasonal planting of the plants that will most likely end up dying under my watchful eye. Poor things don’t even stand a chance.

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Fun evening at the Travisty pop-up dinner with these peeps. (Pictured with Chef Travis. Missing from photo, Irma’s husband Greg.)

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This guy works so hard in everything he does and it’s incredible to see all of his efforts paying off. On Monday, he was inducted into the National Honor Society. So amazing.

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May 1st brought us a perfect spring day.