Five Books to Read This Winter

January 30, 2017January 26, 20172 Comments

While I was born in Wisconsin, I swear I have Floridian blood. Therefore, winter and I have a rocky relationship. I try to make the most of the season and sprinkle in a few snow-related activities, but I’m always counting down the minutes until I can warm up under a cozy blanket at home. Oftentimes a warm cup of tea and a good book accompany my plight to stop shivering and defrost my toes. With a handful of bitter cold days behind us, I had time to read through a stack of books. Here are five of my favorite discoveries!

Love and Gelato (by Jenna Evans Welch)  Six months after Lina’s mother passes away from pancreatic cancer Lina flies to Italy and discovers her mother’s journal. As Lina flips through the journal, she is introduced to the many hidden treasures Florence holds. With a new found friend, Ren, by her side, Lina follows her mother’s footsteps around Italy and realizes her mother kept a lot of secrets.
The Sun is Also a Star (by Nicola Yoon) Twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica, Natasha makes an appointment at Immigration Services and hopes for a miracle. Maybe she won’t have to leave New York? Maybe, just maybe, her father’s mistake won’t ruin her life. On the way to her appointment, Natasha bumps into Daniel, a cute Korean-American boy who is her polar opposite. While he believes in fate, Natasha strictly relies on science. So Daniel offers up a wager – he bets he can scientifically get Natasha to fall in love with him.
The Magnolia Story (by Chip and Joanna Gaines) Are you a fan of Fixer Upper? If so, get ready to curl up with Chip and Joanna’s first book release, The Magnolia Story. Scrawled across the pages are stories of the Gaines’ childhoods, first fixer upper and falling in love. If you thought you were a fan before reading this book, just wait!
After You (by Jojo Moyes)  Whether you got cozy and read Me Before You with a box of tissues by your side, or you wiped away tears with a box of popcorn on your lap at the theater – reading the sequel, After You, is a must. You will check in with Louisa Clark and watch her struggle to put her life back together all the while wondering if a broken heart can ever love again.
One for the Money (by Janet Evanovich)  If you haven’t fallen in love with the suspense-filled comedy series starring Stephanie Plum yet, this is your introduction. Stephanie, an out-of-work lingerie buyer, is looking for ways to earn extra cash when she turns to her cousin Vinnie for help. Vinnie owns a bail bonds company and Stephanie twists his arm to employ her. Unfortunately, the only position open is as a bounty hunter. With bills piling up and her car being repossessed, Stephanie feels like she has no other choice but to take the job. This decision is a catalyst of a series of events that leaves the reader flipping each page in suspense and occasionally crying from laughter.

What books have you been loving? Leave recommendations in the comments!

Month in Review: December, 2016

January 9, 2017January 6, 2017Leave a comment

As I sit down to write these posts each month I think, “We didn’t get up to much this month. What will I write about?” Then I start scrolling through my photos and I’m reminded of all the smiles, adventures and laughter we shared. It’s crazy how moments can slip your mind – especially in the whirlwind of the holiday season!

Therefore, I was shocked by how busy we were in December! I knew we had a full calendar, but looking back over the photos I’m surprised we were able to fit everything in!

To start the month, Ian and I braved warnings of a snow storm and drove to Chicago. It’s been on my list to visit the Christkindlmarket and I was giddy to get my hand on a souvenir mug full of mulled cider! It was a bitter cold day, but experiencing the holiday spirit in the city was worth a few red noses.

We also partook in a glass ornament event at a local museum. The day was filled with hot chocolate, live music and of course – ornament making! Ian was a bit disappointed since his design shifted around in the kiln, but it was one on my favorite ornaments on our tree. I couldn’t help but smile every time I saw it.

In the blink of an eye, Christmas was upon us. A snow storm delayed our trip down to visit family, but eventually we made it. Christmas Eve was spent sledding with my family, then we drove to Ian’s grandma’s house for Christmas dinner and a competitive game of Monopoly.

Then we hopped on a plane and flew to Florida to thaw out for a few days with Ian’s family! It was nice to get outside, take a dip in the pool and work on our bag toss skills.

We ended the month with a road trip to Key West. It was our first time in the Keys and I couldn’t wait to explore! Ian tried the famous Key Lime Pie and we were able to put our feet in two bodies of water at the same time. Definitely, a wonderful way to end the month and start a new year!

Hope you all had a wonderful December!

https://youtu.be/czN1kJLLYfg

Top 10 Moments of 2016

January 2, 2017December 16, 20162 Comments

Happy 2017! I felt it was only fitting to begin the new year by reminiscing about 2016. It was a year full of great memories, so it was hard to narrow down our top ten! Here is our list:

Ringing in the New Year in Florida

We rang in 2016 under the warm sunlight of southern Florida. Visiting Ian’s family over the new years has become a recent tradition and one that we anxiously await each winter. Since we live approximately 1,557 miles away from Ian’s family we don’t get to celebrate many holidays together. Therefore, this is a trip is something we cherish each year.

Family Visits

To put it in perspective, my family only lives 148 miles away, but that’s still a 2 ½ hour drive. This has been the farthest I’ve ever lived from my family, so in the beginning, it was quite an adjustment. After three years, the distance is still hard, but it’s something we have grown accustomed to. On the plus side, it means I get to play tour guide when my family comes up to visit. This year one of the highlights was taking them to listen to live music at the local winery.

Summer events

One of the things that made me fall in love with our town is the long list of summer events they host. Every year our calendar fills up with summer concert series, farmer’s markets, and festivals. I live for these events, so I was constantly on cloud 9 during the summer.

New Orleans

One of our college friends moved to New Orleans after graduation and we had yet to visit him. We decided it was time to change that and planned a trip in March. As life would have it, he ended up moving back to Wisconsin a few weeks before we were planning to visit. Ian and I were still excited for the trip, so we decided to stick with our original plans and fly down anyway. Luckily, our friend gave us a lot of insider advice, and we had a wonderful time wandering around the beautiful city.

Graduations

Time seems to slip by unnoticed until a big life event happens – like your siblings’ graduation! Ian and I both had a moment this year where we sat back and thought, “Where has the time gone?!” Ian’s brother graduated from middle school and my sister from college! Crazy! We were fortunate enough to be present for each ceremony and enjoyed celebrating the accomplishments of our siblings.

Picking up Tennis

The last time I played tennis was in high school gym class and it wasn’t a pretty sight (many tennis balls ended up over the fence and on the street…) It didn’t bother me that my tennis game was non-existent until I married Ian. He played tennis is high school and would head to the court with friends in college. Once we moved away from his tennis partners he spent less and less time on the court and would often say how much he missed it. So I dusted off my old garage sale racket and foolishly thought I could play against him. Wrong! Therefore, our evenings turned into tennis lessons as Ian patiently instructed me on how to properly serve and rally. My game still needs a lot of work, but I’m looking forward to hitting the courts again once all the snow melts.

Pokémon Go

Laugh all you want, but Pokémon go made a lot of fun memories of us this year. Summer nights were spent wandering around local parks and walking out to the Love Lock Bridge to catch Pokémon. It was crazy to see how many other people in the community were out and about playing the game! After a while, our interest in the game died down, but it was fun while it lasted.

Family Olympics

One summer weekend, when the family was gathered together, we spontaneously held a “Family Olympics.” Medals were quickly cut out and strung together while events were set up. The afternoon was filled with friendly competition, medal ceremonies, and a lot of laughs. I have a feeling we stumbled upon a new family tradition!

Door County

It’s no secret that Ian and I love to take day trips up to Door County! Therefore, when Ian’s cousin came to visit we knew a road trip was in our future. After popping in and out of shops in Fish Creek, we laid out a blanket to enjoy a picnic lunch by the water. None of us wanted to pack up and leave, but as the sun started to set we knew it was time to make the journey home.

Being Featured in a Magazine

I joined the Rising Tide Society a little over a year ago, and have fallen in love with the community. It’s a heartwarming experience to find “your people” and geek out about all things creative. One additional highlight of joining the group was having the opportunity to be featured in a local magazine! All of the members of the group are serious #girlbosses and I loved seeing them get the recognition they deserve.