Up North :: Day 01

Last Friday, we drove to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan -- lovingly referred to as the UP. It's a gorgeous area. We met up with Mel & Leif, and Penny & Chris at the house we rented for a few days. It was filled with taxidermy and loungers. It even had a Christmas tree -- and was extremely comfortable for the group of us. To get to the house, we traveled down a remote dirt road that was off the beaten path from any GPS mapping for a couple of miles (thank goodness for good written directions from the host) before we came upon the cabin. It was on a huge plot of land, and overlooked one of the lakes on the Fortune chain of lakes. We had kayaks, canoes and even a row boat available for use. Too bad it rained most of the weekend, but we were still able to enjoy most of it. The first night we stayed in and had brats and sipped Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream Liqueur from measuring cups while watching the World Cup and just enjoying each other's company. Mel had flown in from New York City that morning (talk about going from one world to the next), and Brian had gotten in late the night before from a work trip in Nashville. Needless to say, we were all exhausted. But also happy to be there. It really is a special place. 

Moments 06 26 :: Week 03

Jacob moved to San Francisco this year but is in town visiting. The family is getting together, but we are unable to make it so arranged to see him for lunch on Saturday. Maia and Mocha came too. And Hudson flew in for the weekend! We met up at Zocalo. It was just so great catching up. 

We had such a great time spending time with Hudson. Saturday night we met up with Leif, Mel and a couple of their friends at Sauced, a night market in a cool warehouse space. 

Then we went out for martinis. Brian and I called it a night, but Hudson met up with friends. 

The next day we had a graduation part for my friend Sarah's son, who will be going to UCLA. It's so fun getting to celebrate these kids accomplishments. Of course we had to get a gym pic. While we were there, Hudson visited Nina & Papa for a cousin dinner. I'm so glad he was able to fit so much fun stuff in this weekend. 

After I dropped Hudson off at the airport, I picked up this cute pocket pittie. People could definitely hear Granny coming. She sounded like a huge bulldog when she walked. While not much of an athlete, she is such a good dog. She has a scrape under her eye that is being treated before she's back up for adoption but I hope she gets snatched up soon. That little twig tail didn't stop wagging.

Speaking of athletes, it sure is difficult to be a GSP on a walk when there are so many bunnies!

Moments 06 26 :: Week 02

Farmer's Market season has begun! We decided visit South Shore's on their opening day. We decided to walk around a little bit. I absolutely love living near the lake. 

Later we got a bunch of stuff done around the house. I told Brian he looked like Vincent Van Gogh.

We scored some morels at Whole Foods, and cooked them up that night. So delicious. 

I'm so glad we caved and got ourselves a king size bed last year -- so Van can sprawl out. 

Sunday was Maia's bridal shower! It was fun getting to meet her bridal party, see family and people from far away, and meet some of Caleb's family. My sister did a great job hosting as well. 

The Toson girls. 

This week I took 9.5 year old Jules out on a field trip. Here I thought I'd need to take it easy with this one, but nope. This old lady was spunky! She found the biggest stick on the beach to play with, and loved attacking the water faucet. She was full of fun surprises. And her little waddle walk was adorable. 

A pretty flowering bush in our yard. 

We had two days of thunderstorms. Van felt it was important to take cover. I'm not sure when it happened, but he's even more ridiculous than Gretel!

There were tornadoes south of Milwaukee, but the sky was just glowing by us. 

Moments 06 26 :: Week 01

Brian took the van to Arkansas last weekend! He was parked next to the twin of our van. Lots of mountain biking and exploring. He had a great time. 

Snuggle bug.

Saturday we celebrated our nephew-in-law's (is that a thing?) 30th birthday. It was a surprise, and honestly, I'm not sure how our niece even pulled this off considering they have 5-month old twins.

It was fun getting to meet Patryck's friends and clients (he's a personal trainer). Honestly, such a great guy. 

This white moth was hanging out on my car so I had to move it. Not a fan of moths, but this sure is pretty. 

I took Boss out on a field trip Monday. She's shy, timid and very sweet. Unfortunately, I noticed some coughing on the way back and it turns out a triage note had already been submitted while I had her out for a URI. Poor girl is on some medicine and be available for adoption again soon. For now, she can only be fostered. Such a cutie.

Gretel appreciation photo. Honestly, she's doing well for her age, and we are just so lucky. Senior dogs are the sweetest, even if it is a little heartbreaking. She's so skinny and has lost so much muscle mass. But just yesterday, she ran like the wind chasing another dog along our fence line. It was fantastic 

Brian had to take a little trip in the van to dump the gray water, so Van and I decided to join him and take a little walk. This patch of baby ferns was amazing. 

We spotted a huge amount of white pelicans. I didn't even know it was a thing until I saw some on Monday with Boss. I guess they were found in Wisconsin in the 1800s-1900s but their population declined due to hunting and habitat loss. Over the past few years, their populations have been growing. We've noticed this with sandhill cranes too. It's been so cool to see. 

The quarry had the most amazing water. It operated for 1890s to 1924 for dolomite. 

I wish this photo was scratch and sniff. This lilac bush smells amazing.

Is this not the cutest book cover? I’ve been following the author’s IG account for a while. This is a sweet love story about her rescue dog, Simon, her fiancee and all the foster dogs who have been a part of life over the past decade. Of course I loved it.

Moments 05 26 :: Week 05

Last Sunday were the last games of the English Premiere League season. Per tradition, Mel had us over for a proper English breakfast. No one does it better. It was delicious. 

Our team Manchester United ended up in third place -- a big improvement from last year. I came in 7th place in our fantasy league -- my highest rank yet in a competitive league. Most importantly, I came ahead of the Pettit boys. Haha. Truthfully, they all did well. It was a fun season. 

Memorial Day was Murph. We had our biggest turnout yet with 25 members participating. It wasn't my finest year performance-wise, but it's a great way to honor what the day is all about. 

Later that day, Mel + Leif and Penny + Chris came over for a relaxed, low-key dinner. It was such a gorgeous day and honestly, perfect. 

When we first moved in to our house, my mom brought some of these flowers from my parents house for us to plant. Turns out they were originally from my Oma. How cool is that? 

Van Duke. Always watching.

Moments 05 26 :: Week 04

And then there were two. Cole left last Friday to spend the summer in Minneapolis. Hudson only spent the summer between his freshman and sophomore years in Wisconsin, which means it's been 5 years. This is the first without Cole though, and that first year is always the weirdest. I do expect it to be a little more peaceful though. :)

Our friend's daughter is a new farmer, along with her husband. They have been working really hard to redo the dilapidated green houses and property. They had an organic plant sale over the weekend, so we were able to check it out and pick up some beautiful plants and corn tortillas, which they hand-make and sell at farmer's markets. They are delicious. 

They also have goats, which of course I had to find and stare at forever. Finally the guys showed up. Brian with Van Duke. Brad with his dog Ginger, and Aaron with his grandson.

Later that day, we went to our final play of the season. It was so much fun having season tickets to the Milwaukee Chamber Theater. We'll definitely do it again. We also got spoiled with dinner. Mel sure knows how to cook, and these pani puri was absolutely delicious. And very fun to eat. 

The absolute showstopper, however, was these curried scallops. They were something special. We sure are spoiled. 

I just love the scent of Lily of the Valley. Picked this little bloom on a walk with Van. (The dish was my mother's day present from Hudson -- I love it.)

Walked this happy girl, Beliah, on Monday. Fortunately, she already got adopted this week. Love it when that happens. My girl Eowyn from last week and a few weeks ago was adopted over the weekend too. That makes me so happy. She was a special one. 

Hudson officially started his new job and thankfully got a first day of work photo. He's had a packed few days. 

Fun photo he sent over. Last night as I was going to sleep I tracked his plane since it was flying from O'Hare to Green Bay. He was just a few miles over and up from us. Love it. 

Did a lot of planting this week. Mostly outside, but a few of our indoor planters needed some love too. Hoping I can keep this succulent alive for awhile.