Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Memories at Beach Lane

As my parents pack up the last boxes at my childhood home, it's definitely a time of reflection of the wonderful memories we've all had at the lake home.  I can't believe the home is almost empty of furniture, pictures, and 'stuff' but it will forever be filled with my favorite memories!  

#10 Gretchen & Miguel's Wedding

In August 1998, my parents hosted our good friend's daughter's wedding with a grand white tent in the back yard overlooking Lake Minnetonka.  Our old neighbors, the Gerdings had moved but their daughter Gretchen wanted to be married on the lake so my parents generously offered their back yard as the venue.  It was GORGEOUS and GRAND!  A large white tent, a big dance floor, a 5 piece band on the deck, and fireworks around the lake a surprise for the party!  It was beautiful!  At the time I was 12 years old and thought that one day when I got married, I would have a big tent in the backyard too.  My own wedding in November would have been a little chilly in the backyard :)  It was a beautiful event that was full of our closest friends from the Beach!

#9 Bike Riding Around the Neighborhood

When I was a little girl, I loved biking around the neighborhood.  I would ride around and say hi to all the neighbors, I would smell the lake air, and likely stop by the park to play for a little bit.  My favorite biking memory was the day my niece Laura was born.  My sister's water broke early in the morning and she said she would let us know when the baby was born and when it would be okay for us to come to the hospital.  So I rode my bike all day- my parent's home is on a cirlce where I would ride one circle around and then stop at the house, ask if the baby was born yet.  Not until 9:38 was Laura born!  So I did hundreds of circles that day!  I also learned to ride no handed!  

#8 Thunderstorms

I think living on the lake made me LOVE thunderstorms.  I loved watching the rain come rolling across the lake, the wind blowing the trees, the lake getting whipped up, and the dumb boaters who stayed out too long and got caught in the storm!  We've had some really hard storms- the old cottonwood tree has been struck with lightening more than any of us can remember.  Huge branches have fallen on the dock, crushed the waverunner and my mom's row boat.  It was this same storm that I had to iron my work outfit and blow dry my hair on our sidewalk using our neighbor's generator for a power source.  The sky has been green- a little scary but still spectacular!  My favorite is when the power goes out, candles are used and we would sit and watch the storm come across the lake.

#7 Ice Skating

When I was little my winter break was full of ice skating from 8am-9pm.  My dad would shovel a rink and flood it for my mom and I and we would skate all day!  My mom was a beautiful ice skater!  And she would teach me skills.  I would bring my old-school boombox down to the lake and make us routines.  I imagined I was the next Michelle Kwan!  To take a potty break, I would run inside and enjoy hot cocoa a lot!  I started ice skating about as soon as I could walk.  The videos of me with my little figure skates are adorable.  My snowsuit padded my little body for the inevitable falls I would take.  

#6 Sharing the Lake with Friends

My whole family really shared the home and the lake with our friends.  My high school and college friends would sun tan, float in the lake, take out the waverunner, or boat over to my parent's house!  We would play boccie ball, ladder golf, or bat-mitten in the yard.  So many people enjoyed the view, the lake's refreshing feel, and cold air of the ice covered lake!  And I can't forget the eagles!  The eagles in the tree that flocked to the old cotton wood each November/December.  Kare11 news even did a story about the eagles and interviewed my mom!  When you drive across the Arcola Bridge you can see the 15-20 eagles soaring over the lake and landing in the old, lightening-stuck cottonwood!

#5 Fourth of July

My favorite holiday!  I LOVE the 4th of July.  Secretly, it is the start of my birthday month and my dear sweet great aunt who used to host a large 4th of July picnic would serve a birthday cake for me.  So I think subconsciously I love the 4th of July as it's the beginning of my birthday celebration!  But 4th of July at the lake is another day for my family to get together, swim in the lake, snack and lounge together and watch the many displays of fireworks around the lake from the comfort of my parent's dock or deck!  And the best part was watching the LONG string of boats lined up single-file to get back under the Arcola Bridge.  It would last until 1 or 2am!  Simply put I love it when our family is together at the lake!

#4 The Babies at the Lake

Well they really aren't babies anymore now are they?!  They are 12, 14, and 14 years old!  They are my nieces and nephew and I LOVED watching them grow up on the lake.  I loved watching them learn to swim-  Laura was such a fish early on!  I loved watching them jump on the trampoline- Jaxon's hair always stood on end from the static!  And I loved watching them play in the yard with the dogs- my dad almost lost Rose when she was really little while he was babysitting.  She snuck out the back door and headed for the lake!  And I LOVE watching Jaxon fish on the dock for HOURS- I mean like 6-10 hours!  I was lucky to spend so much time with them when they were babies!  My mom would put out a kidding pool in the morning, let the sun warm it up and they would play all afternoon until it got too cold!  Practically had to drag them out of the there!

#3 Fish Fry

I still wait for the phone call from my dad saying he had a great day of fishing and he has enough fish to feed the whole family!  So we better come over and get ready for a fish fry!  I love when my dad cooks fish- a little shorelunch, some lemon juice and that's all I need!  It's the best!  Absolute best!

#2 Thanksgiving and Christmas

It doesn't really feel like the holidays to me unless my dad is cooking a turkey or lutefisk and my mom has the house decorated like when I was a kid!  I LOVE the holidays at my parents.  We enjoy a table full of appetizers and then a HUGE meal- always left overs!  We play Pictionary or Apples to Apples.  And Grandma always makes some sort of delicious dessert.  The boys snooze on the couch, the girls clean up the kitchen, and the kids run around doing secret things and laughing!  It is wonderful!  I love the way the house smells during the holidays and I love having a fire in the fireplace!  My favorite spot is curled in front of the fireplace with the heat on my back!

#1 The BIG BIRTHDAY BASH
There are 8 birthdays in our family within 4 weeks so we throw one HUGE BIRTHDAY BASH and it's like Christmas!  The house is full with family and friends and the gift pile looks like Christmas!  We grill hot dogs and brats, swim, fish, play yard games, open gifts, do a water balloon toss game (which Ryan and Jaxon usually win), open presents, and the day usually ends with Laura and I getting into a cake fight!  And then by 6pm everyone crashes!  It's a wonderful celebration and I can't imagine my birthday any other way!

Cheers,

     

Simple thoughts on a Thursday

Life has been busy lately.  I know- we are all busy all the time.  I have no excuse for not blogging lately other than I'm exhausted at the end of the day and blogging takes a back seat to Biggest Loser and a few minutes with Husband and Dupree.  So just to give you a little update on what's shaking lately in our lives.

My parents are moving this weekend!

My childhood home.  Really sad to say goodbye.

We've been busy packing, moving, shopping, and getting ready to go!  I haven't done nearly as much as anyone else but when I've had a few free hours, I've tried to pitch in.  Anyways, its probably more emotionally hard than anything else.  I do love their new home!

Coaching and Private Lessons

I've been coaching 3 nights a week and doing private lessons too on the weekends.  I'm so glad I love this sport- I love coaching and it's a real passion of mine!  Check out my coaching post here!

Work!  Yikes!

Just yesterday we had two furnaces go out and a chimney crumble!  What a day huh?!  This cold weather is hard on houses and likely my attitude too!  Anyways, I do love my job but it can be ever so stressful at times.  I'm thankful to work with Husband!  He is so calm and such a saving grace!

Otherwise, it's just been generally busy!  Dinners with friends and family and trying to get to the gym when possible- for real, I need to do it more!

Cheers,

Weekend Shenanigans: Out and About

Just a quick note about the weekend...

Friday: We went to a diving meet at Minnetonka HS.  It was Minnetonka vs. Wayzata.  I coach a few of the Minnetonka guys at the club and the Wayzata head coach is my old high school diving coach.  It was a good meet- lots of good diving!  Then we headed to Bacio where we celebrated Joanie's birthday!

Dawn and Joanie... adorable pic ladies!

Then Saturday we went to Wayzata HS for a dance competition.  My niece was dancing in the halftime show.  She did awesome!  Oh my word how she has improved!  So fun to watch her do her thing!

We made a quick run out to my parents new house to see the newly installed carpet and then Ryan and I had dinner with my brother's family.  Just a quick pic of Calypso drinking out of the kitchen faucet.

Sunday while Ryan watched football with his friends and did a little work, I ran to the Albertville Outlet Mall with Tracy.  We found some good deals at Ann Taylor, LuluLemon, and Nike!  It was soooo cold out we couldn't handle walking around too long.  So we met up with Ally for lunch at Sunsets.  And finally Ryan and I topped off the night with a trip to Crave for dinner with my good friend, Shaun and his boyfriend Justin.  Shaun is in residency and he finally had a night off so we got to catch up and see the boys!  Loved that!

Cheers,

New Years Resolutions

Random post I know for January 18th but better late than never right?!

Every New Years I make resolutions to better myself.  And by end of March I don't remember what they are!  I never make a resolution to lose weight, eat more healthy, work out more.  Those sort of resolutions are a waste of time.  Of course they could all apply to me but really that is a lifestyle makeover and I've been working on it for the last half year- so far so good!

My 2012 resolution was simple.  To put the toilet paper on the toilet paper holder when needed.  Seriously! I'm the worst at this!  I know it's the most simple thing ever but I just can't seem to do it.  And I would give myself a C+ on this resolution.  Every time I had to do it, but didn't, I thought of my resolution and how I was letting it down.  But I certainly did it more in 2012 than I did in 2011.  Just ask Husband how many times he was stranded without toilet paper!  I'm still a work in progress right?!

So my 2013 resolution was going to be more practical, something that would really impact my life.  And I really like my resolution: To make more time for down time!  That's it.  Relax more, commit to less, and learn to enjoy being still and not over-scheduled.  So far so good!  When I coach 3 nights a week I used to use my free weeknight as a night to do dinner with girlfriends, run errands or help out whatever friend needed me for something.  And to be honest, I loved it but I was tired and overdone in 2012.  I need a night to be home with Husband.  I need to cook dinner, go to the gym and do laundry like normal people do who don't carry a second job.  And I am loving it!  I'm also making sure that Sundays are more low key- less hectic and trying to be better about making it a day of rest.  Man do I sound like my mom!  I wanted to have more quality time with family and friends and less back to back plans that make me anxious.  And with such a crazy schedule I wasn't really enjoying it.  

I'm hoping to stick to at-home Wednesday nights and low-key Sundays.  I want to look back on my life and say I lived a full life; that I packed it all in and filled my days with friends and family.  But I also want to say that I enjoyed it and took time for the simple things in life too.  I'm just trying to find that balance.

What's your resolution?!  

Cheers,

  

Our European Trip: Florence, day 1

After our crazy night in Rome- and by crazy, I really mean sleepless and annoyed- we got breakfast in the morning and headed to the train station to catch our departure.  So we got on our train and we quickly saw 4 people in our chairs.  We were all confused and when we checked our tickets, we bought tickets for the wrong day!  Oh my goodness!  So we headed back to the ticket office and bought new tickets, waiting around for about an hour and got on the next train to Florence!  

When the train arrived, we hopped in a cab, and headed for our stay!  Casa de Garbo!

Our bed and breakfast was the perfect place for us.  It was in the center of a town square, so easy to walk to everything and it had two large bedrooms, a kitchenette, and big bathroom!  It was a nice change from the night before!  

Liz's cousin was traveling around Europe during the same time we were there.  It happened to work out that we would all be in Florence at the same time so Kelsey joined us for our Florence stay!  It was really fun as we explored the city on our own.  First stop was a mandatory lunch and what better thing to get when in Italy than PIZZA (and the world's largest beer!)

After lunch we walked the streets, did a little shopping and found our way to an Irish pub!  

 Yes- you can have dogs in bars!  Adorable!  Liz was missing her Sadie girl!

Yes that is sidewalk chalk!  AMAZING!  How come my drawings never looked this good?!

 

We were exhausted from walking all over the town so we finished the day with dinner at the restaurant just outside of Casa de Garbo.  It was called Circus and it was soooo good!  Unfortunately, Dustin finished the night by ordering what he thought would be an Irish whiskey but it was really a shot of coffee with a little whiskey.  Not what he wanted :(

Up next, day 2 in Florence when we had a guided tour of the city!

Cheers,

Weekend Shenanigans: Relaxation and Family

One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2013 was to make more time for down time.  2 weeks into the new year and I am still doing well!  Friday after work, I met Annie to get out nails done and have a little coffee date!  It was wonderful to catch up with her and enjoy some relaxation!  I talked her into getting gel nails and I am certain she will love them!  After I got home, my sister came over for a little R&R too!  Just sisters hanging out, chatting on the couch, eating a few oreos :)

Saturday I spent most of the day helping my parents pack and do some moving.  We made a few trips out to the new house and I packed up most of the my mom's china cabinet!  They are hoping to be all moved by January 31st!  Saturday evening, Ryan and I did some working out with Mike and Danielle and then enjoyed a spaghetti dinner at their house.  It was again a nice relaxing evening without the stress!

And Sunday we celebrated my dad's birthday!  The whole crew came over for some Famous Dave's, football, birthday cake, and present opening!  It was another relaxing day and I LOVE hosting our family and friends!

So my major fail for this weekend was the lack of pictures taken :(  But my major success was relaxing!
Cheers,

New Years in Review

This year Ryan and I decided to hop town and head down south for the New Year!  With the holiday falling on Monday and Tuesday it made for an easy long weekend AND Ryan's cousin, Christy moved to Dallas a few years ago and we hadn't got down to visit yet.  So it just seemed like the perfect thing to do to close out 2012!  

On Saturday we hopped on a plane early and got into Dallas around noon.  We headed to the  Omni Hotel for our first night's stay... a little hubby and wife R&R!

We ate lunch at the Texas Spice Restaurant in the hotel.  Super yummy!

After a quick nap, we headed to the spa for the Cowboy & Cowgirl couples massage.  I enjoyed it, Ryan didn't have the best masseuse.  But still relaxing.

HAHA- a little funny ;)

After massages, we got ready and left for dinner at Bob's Steak & Chophouse.  DELICIOUS!  Ryan and I split steak and salmon served with potatoes.  So yummy!  

I passed out pretty quickly after getting back to our room.- a warm, snuggly bed and a full tummy- yep I was toast!

Christy picked us up on Sunday morning and we headed to brunch at the Corner Bakery.  Super good food and it was so fun to start catching up with Christy.  We stopped by Home Depot so that Ryan could pick up a few things to help Christy do a few things around her new townhouse and then we got home.

We vegged on the couch, sipped wine and watched the Packers vs. Vikings game!

And we were THRILLED that the VIKINGS won!  After the game, we headed to a Brazillian Steakhouse for dinner.  I had never gone to a restaurant like this- wow- that is a lot of meat!  It was so good but we were stuffed when we left!

Monday was a low key day with a little shopping and lunch out but we were preparing for the mayham of the evening!  We watched a few movies in the afternoon and then we popped the champagne to get the night started!  We headed off to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar!  Both Ryan and I ended up on stage, DANCING!  It was a fantastic night!

Tuesday was a rough morning for a few people- I was the sober cab so you do the math on that one ;)  Ryan and I got on a plane that afternoon and arrived back in FREEZING Minneapolis that night.  We picked up Dupree, ate some Chinese food, and crawled into bed pretty early.  

It was a wonderful trip to Dallas- thank you Christy for having us!

Hope ya'll had a wonderful New Years celebration as well!

Cheers,

Christmas in Review

We had a wonderful holiday season!  It started on Friday the 21st when we hosted Christmas with Ryan's dad, uncle and aunt, and Ben and Becca.  We had an Italian feast of spaghetti with meatballs, fettuccine alfredo, a vegetable pasta, pear salad, and bread.  It was delicious and very, very filling!  We exchanged gifts and topped the night off with Satin pie!

On Saturday the 22nd Ryan and I participated in serving dinner at Ronald McDonald house with Dawn and Ross and some of Dawn's friends.  I think we served about 80 people.  We served salad, meatballs, potatoes, and sweet treats.  Afterwards, Ryan and I headed to Sunsets for dinner with some of my high school friends as Jess was home from Colorado.  It was really fun to catch up and good to see everyone!

Sunday the 23rd we had dinner with my parents at Bacio to celebrate their home sale and new home purchase.  Ryan was their agent and did a really great job taking care of all the details.  As soon as my parents move into the new house I will certainly write a post about the new country home!

On Monday which was Christmas Eve Ryan and I picked up my Grandma for church and we enjoyed a beautiful service at Westwood.  After dropping off Grandma, we headed to Dawn and Ross's house!  The house was full of family and friends!  We enjoyed cornish game hens and wild rice soup for dinner.  We had a cheese cake competition- Becca won!  And we opened lots and lots of gifts!  It was a beautiful Christmas!

 

After the gift opening finished, Ryan and I took off for my parents house.  It was the last time I will ever sleep at my childhood home.  It was very bitter sweet.  We woke up Christmas morning and as family came over we enjoyed a lovely, filling brunch.  We opened gifts and watched football.  It was a really relaxing Christmas Day- so relaxing that I hardly took any pictures :(

 

 

Up next on the blog.... you guessed it... New Years in  Review!
I promise I will get back to regular blogging now :)
Cheers,