Vivienne and friends, Wisconsin 1974

{Limited edition print here. Love it}

I went up to Madison, WI with some family friends last weekend. I really like Madison; Brad and I have been there a few times. We crammed a lot into our short overnight- walking along State Street and the Capital Square, arts festival, farmers market, thrift stores... My 80 year-old Grandmother kept up pretty well. My cousin is in graduate school at the massive UW campus. Her tiny college apartment is on the edge of Lake Mendota. You could hear the crew team in the morning. The one place we didn't have time to explore was the Arboretum {Holt, remember when I dragged everyone letterboxing around the arboretum??}
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I capped off the autumn weekend with a dinner party. The last time all three couples were together, we were relaxing in Door Co., WI. Alyssa, your recent home improvements are lovely. I can't get over that upcycled headboard- wow! Thank you for dinner...

A jaunt

...a short journey, esp. one taken for pleasure.
{typography image created via Wordle}

Back into the swing of things... Brad and I got back last night from our little beach getaway with some dear college friends. We rented a house- for 3 nights- up in Door Co., Wisconsin {the "finger" into Lake Michigan}. The house was right on the beach. The first night there, we homemade pizzas and built a campfire along the shore. We toasted our friendship with a little champagne... and had smores for dessert.


On Saturday morning, the girls relaxed and chatted at the beach. After lunch, everyone explored one of the lighthouses on the peninsula, went letterboxing and toured several of the little towns. We decided to experience a Door County tradition and attended a fish boil for dinner. After little Niko went to bed, we made a toasty fire in the fireplace {it was chilly and rainy}, opened up some wine and watched "The Great Outdoors" {hello 1988- ha!}. We wrapped up the evening playing some board games.


On Sunday morning, we relaxed at the house again. A few of us went hiking at a nearby State Park and then we all met for lunch at the county brewery. I found some treasures at this architectural salvage/antiques shop {more to come}. Everyone took a lazy Sunday nap, we made dinner together... and built another cozy fire.


Monday morning greeted us with a chilly rain. Vana and her family took off a little early. The rest of us lingered on the peninsula and had a late Swedish breakfast {Alyssa's suggestion}. We went to the restaurant with the goats on the roof {in the picture above} and then said farewell. Brad and I took the back roads out of the area and then headed back to Chicago. As we pulled down our street, we noticed a little neighborhood ice cream social gathering at the church across from our apartment. It was a small-town/ big-city moment.


It was a lovely getaway though a bit on the cool side. Not quite summer-beachy weather.. oh well. Thank you ladies for organizing this whole trip via email- ha! I'm very grateful for our friendship and I'm so glad our husbands get along so well, too. xoxo

***Vana posted some GREAT pictures on her blog. :)

Planned time spent not working

{fine art photograph via}

I LOVE to travel but I do not generally enjoy the lead up to travel. Can you relate? Oil change, laundry, running over to Target, remembering to bring necessary paperwork, wrapping up work projects, responding to necessary emails, packing, attending a 3-hour Sustainability Task Force Meeting tomorrow*, ETC. *We are a team focused on integrating sustainable practices into churches throughout the {Northern IL} diocese.

This morning, I picked out a book from the library, purchased two $1.00 plastic kites for the sandy beach {too chilly to swim}, researched some letterboxes in the area and called about a fish boil. And then did some non-vacation work.

Come Friday, I'll be on vacation mode with these lovely people...

Remembrance

We just returned from central Illinois to celebrate the life of Brad's Uncle Art. He died too soon. Soooo many people came to pay their respects to such a beloved teacher and friend.

Come springtime, Aunt Marilyn would like me to create a letterbox stamp to place in the little farm cemetery in his memory.

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"Come thou fount of every blessing"
-sufjan stevens
*one of our favorite musicians

YEYB II: Working on the list

*Repurposed book-turned-journal from Alyssa's shop.
*2009 calendar from Vana's shop.
Thank you ladies!
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Year End, Year Beginning
I think resolutions should be a work in process verses a strict "must-accomplish" list of goals. I'm a list maker. I enjoy crossing stuff off- especially with my yellow highlighter. Because I'm a nerd. Listed in no particular order...

1. Declutter our apartment. Take inventory. Live with less.
2. Revamp resume- again! New year, new beginnings. Network, network, network.
3. Find a happy place. Go back to attending more networking engagements. And appear more together/confident at such engagements. Suck in my pride. Worry less.
4. Call my grandparents more. They are 87. {Ponder} writing a letter to my estranged brother who lives 1 hour away. We went out for coffee in October of 2007. Perhaps it is time.
5. Plan meals for the week more consistently.
6. Exercise more but be creative. I'm not a gym person. at. all. Take vitamins everyday.
7. Volunteer at the free, neighborhood health clinic- like I mentally said I would.
8. Do at least 1 creative project a week!
9. Open up OUR ETSY SHOP... finally!!
10. Take another {fun} class at the Paper Source.
11. READ MORE. worry less. Try more fiction as opposed to non-fiction, journals and blogs.
12. Plant a couple letterboxes (Hmmm. Creative exercising?!)

{Click on the comic for a more enjoyable read}

Because I'm cold.

December 21st (one day late). It is the shortest day of the year. And The Darkest Night of the Year. Happy winter greetings from Chicago! It is SO COLD here in the Midwest. Yesterday the windchill was 30 below! ugh. And I thought, hmmm, last Sunday it was 78 degrees in Austin, Texas.
I hate you winter but I love Calvin and Hobbes.

One more post about Texas- because I'm cold...


Unlike Springfield, IL, the capital of Texas has a thriving downtown. I'm speaking mostly in regards to urban planning, local businesses and cultural institutions. However, our dreadful Governor gave our state's capital another gloomy tale. Basically the only thing Springfield has going for it right now are the Abraham Lincoln sites. That is unless G-Rod closed those due to budget cuts {like the Dana Thomas House}.

But I digress... hello Austin!! After we surprised! Holt! and after lunching on some Texas comfort food, we toured the state capitol building.

Baby Alice's first letterboxing experience happened to be at the Austin Nature and Science Center. She was lucky enough to find the stamp just moments after a feeding at the Birds of Prey exhibit. Awesome. Go Alice!

We filled the remainder of our weekend with the card game Dominion, local FOOD joints and more sightseeing. What was the name of the yummy tamale place?? Tony took us past Austin City Limits but alas there was no signage on the studio. I'm such a PBS nerd.







THANKS for the great visit Tony, Holt and Alice! When it warms up, please come see us in Chicago!

A Thanksgiving Mélange

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
~John F. Kennedy


"The First Thanksgiving"
Painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930).
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I spent the last few days with my in-laws and my husband's extended family. Games were played. Pie was eaten. Leftovers are gone. Letterboxing was accomplished. Sealy, the Newfoundland, hiked along with us (cousin's dog). ~What a beautiful dog~ I went antique jewelry shopping with family friends (more on this to come...). Brad came home with laryngitis. Today was a lazy Sunday. And the first major snow of the season is arriving.

Is it really December tomorrow???

Holiday daydreams...

Ever since I saw this lighthouse post on Oh Happy Day, I've been daydreaming about California. I know it is a big state so I've narrowed down my musings to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel. The rates start at $25/ night (for a shared dorm room). Sign me up!

"Fifty miles south of San Francisco, you can relax in a hot tub with panoramic views of the Pacific, and then fall asleep gazing up at one of the tallest lighthouses in America."

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But... California will have to wait as I will be spending Thanksgiving in the good 'ol Midwest. Have a delightful holiday and safe travels.

If you need a break from family togetherness (sometimes the people we love can drive us a tad crazy), consider taking a walk outdoors. A little exercise might blend well with all that home cooked food. I think I might search for a letterbox hike. Happy Thanksgiving!

Music City Tour, 2008

{Wow, two posts in one day. Someone is feeling productive- ha!}

Kite flying has now been substituted with feeding and playing with Rin it seems. Hmmm. That's okay, when he gets a little bigger he can play with the big kids. Rin did provide HOURS of entertainment!

We spent a lot of time enjoying the company of good friends at Steve and Jenn's new house. {Oh, that's the boys all ready for our hike at Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Nature Park}. We did find a lame letterbox. I was hoping for a letterboxing adventure- blah!

We also spent quite a bit of time around a campfire- Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings to be exact. Hmmm, I don't seem to have any pictures from the church gathering. It was chilly, that's my excuse. We met up with our friends' church group for a festival. Over the weekend, Jenn placed somewhere in the Top 3 of the chili contest! Steve and Brad came in SECOND place at the cornhole competition! {Did you know there is an American Cornhole Association?}. I stepped on a rusty nail (no worries) and went to the ER for a tetanus shot! Sweet!

We also chatted a bit about Intentional Communities. Thoughts??

The final piece of our Nashville chapter was visiting our friends, Joah and Candace's, RV. I think it was purchased off of Craigslist. Anyways, Joah recently installed a solar panel and purchased a wood stove. It is currently parked on land that another friend is caretaking. They are trying to live off the grid. I guess we crammed a lot into one weekend, eh?!

She + Him ~in two parts

Weekend Part I~ Happy Birthday feral!

Brad and I went to architecture school with Jon. His college nickname is/was feral. Perhaps it was that West Virgina air from his youth. Or maybe it is his wild Jenga skills. {Nope, still going with the Wolverine sideburns}. Fun times were had: gaming, pizza eating, beer drinking, YouTube video watching (thanks Brad) and friendly conversing.
{Jon, Lindsey and little Alivia}

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Weekend Part II
Brad asked me to play this new board game with him... twice.

I asked him to go letterboxing with me. Our adventure was sandwiched between gaming. Ah, true love!

MY adventure pick included lunch (that's for you, Holt), a free art exhibition, a walk along Lake Michigan and around the lighthouse grounds. We attempted to find the letterbox- no luck. blah! It was a beautiful fall day in Evanston so I won't complain too much. {An earlier She + Him post}

Who Owns Organic?

Brad and I went up to Wisconsin a few years back for what we have since referred to as "Nerd Fest." The actual festival was the Kickapoo Country Fair. It was held at the headquarters of Organic Valley- located in tiny La Farge, WI.


It was an extremely warm, summer weekend and we stayed in this old farm house out in the middle of nowhere... with no a/c. The area is known for the Kickapoo River Valley, its large Amish community and the Organic Valley headquarters. While we were in the general area, Brad and I also hiked part of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail {"The three tunnel trail"}. Oh, and by the way, there is a letterbox along the trail!

But I digress... oh, yes, the fair...

“Each year, our co-op hosts the Kickapoo Country Fair to honor our rural heritage and the spirit of organics,” said George Siemon, CEO for Organic Valley.

Back when Brad and I attended, we chatted for quite a while with a man from the Cornucopia Institute. Their mission:

"Seeking economic justice for the family-scale farming community. Through research, advocacy, and economic development our goal is to empower farmers - partnered with consumers - in support of ecologically produced local, organic and authentic food."

Who Owns Organic???

The latest update of major corporate ownership and involvement in the organic food sector is now out. Organic Industry Structure Chart

MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF ORGANIC MILK-
Dairy Report and Scorecard

I have these on my refrigerator. It is quite the nerdy conversation piece at parties I will admit!!

A summer adventure...

Letterbox hike with the kids.

Letterboxing

Stamp found in Nashville, TN (Summer 2007)

What is letterboxing? According to Atlas Quest:

"Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining artistic ability with "treasure-hunts" in parks, forests, and cities around the world. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by cracking codes and following clues. The prize: a miniature piece of art known as a rubber stamp—usually unique, hand-carved creations."

Angel Falls, Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia (Summer 2007)

Brad and I went on this letterbox hike with my sister-in-law, Teresa. She was actually the one that first explained letterboxing to us, thanks Teresa. The park ranger told us to keep a look out for black bears. Luckily, we didn't see any!

We have found boxes in Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia...so far!

Intrigued? Search for boxes!