Month in Review: September, 2017

October 2, 2017

This past month has been one of excitement and pure terror. Picking up your life and moving to a new city is always a risk, but one which Ian and I had prayed about over the years. Things began to click into place in August, and before I knew it, we were renting a moving truck and packing up our belongings. September started with a bang as we settled into our apartment and ventured out into our new surroundings.

Moving to a bigger city, one of my fears was missing out the harvest season. To my surprise, I discovered a quaint apple orchard only half an hour away. Driving on the windy country roads surrounded by fall foliage on our way to the orchard made my heart overflow with relief and joy. I instantly fell in love with the orchard and felt a few of my worries melt away.

Quickly after settling into our new apartment, I embarked on a road trip to the twin cities to celebrate my friend’s bachelorette party! It was a weekend full of laughter, reminiscing and getting a thigh workout on a peddle pub. The highlight of the trip was belting out Backstreet Boy songs while peddling down the busy streets of Minneapolis.

Once I was back in town I stumbled across an event called Doors Open. It was a two-day event where over 100 buildings in Milwaukee opened their doors and let members of the public stop in and look around. Some even offered free tours! Ian and I jumped at the chance to be nosey and get a peek inside unique buildings downtown. The list was too long to see everything, but we managed to take a tour of Radio 88.9, soak in skyline views from Catholic Finacial Life’s rooftop pool, touch Joan of Arc’s stone on Marquette’s campus and walk the corridors of City Hall.

Our month ended cheering on the Badgers with my brother and sister. It felt surreal to enjoy an afternoon on campus knowing we would be driving home later that night. Day trips were rare when we lived in De Pere, therefore being able to casually hang out with my siblings was a real treat. To make the day even better – the Badgers won!

Click the video below to see one second of every day in our month!

Month in Review: August, 2017

September 7, 2017September 7, 2017

August, where did you go?! Between taking a road trip to view the total solar eclipse, saying farewell to our favorite local spots, and moving to Milwaukee, it feels like August slipped away from us. However, looking over the video clips and photos we captured I’m reminded of how much we accomplished last month.

Early in the month we knew we had to savor our time in De Pere. Ian accepted a job that required us to relocate to the Milwaukee area. Therefore, we quickly jotted down a “farewell bucket list” and we checked items off in-between goodbye parties and boxing up our apartment. One item high up on the list was to put our own love lock on the Sunset Point bridge. Now a small piece of us will always be in De Pere.

While visiting a sunflower field wasn’t on the farewell bucket list, it was one of my summer goals. It was nice to take a break from packing and drive down to Madison to celebrate the August birthdays and dance around the Pope Farm Concervency sunflower field.

From my parents’ house, Ian and I embarked on a 6.5 hour road trip to Hermann, MO. Why, you may ask? To see to total solar eclipse of course! It took a bit of convincing from Ian to get me on board, but it was a breathtaking experience and I’m glad he didn’t stop pestering me to take the trip with him.

Once home from our road trip, there was no denying our time in De Pere was limited. We only had a handful of days left to finish packing and get organized for the move. A few hiccups came along the way, but we are finally settled into our new apartment and I’m looking forward to sharing September’s Month in Review as we start to discover our new neighborhood.

Month in Review: July, 2017

August 6, 2017August 7, 2017

As we enter August, I can’t help by feel like the summer has flown by. Evenings have already started to feel cooler and I’m desperately trying to grasp onto summer’s carefree spirit before autumn arrives. With a never-ending to-do list, it can be hard to make time for child-like carelessness, but I made an effort in July to say yes more often. The result – a camera roll full of laughter and beautiful memories.

In the beginning of July, I was hesitant to make plans since I was recovering from surgery. Much to my delight, I was feeling better than expected and was able to travel to visit my family. Anyone who knows my parents will understand relaxation isn’t their strong suit. Therefore, it was no surprise that I quickly put to work pitting cherries. To be honest, I was starting to go a bit stir-crazy by this point and welcomed the small task. Plus, I was treated to a campfire and small firework show that night!

July also marked Parallel 44’s 10-year anniversary! The celebration included horse-drawn wagon rides, live music and wine sampling. It was a gorgeous sunny day so Ian and both donned our straw hats and walked around the property giggling at how silly we must look together. However, neither of us got sunburned – so mission accomplished!

Towards the middle of the month Ian’s family flew up to visit. We spent the weekend at the Osthoff resort kayaking around Lake Elkhart, listening to music on the beach and taking a trip to the Wade House. The weekend flew by, and before we knew it we were making our goodbyes and starting the count down until our next get together.

The following weekend Ian and I experienced a first together – figuring out how to haul a couch home! In the past, I would just call up my parents and they would bring their pick-up truck. However, now that I live 2.5 hours away we needed a new plan and turned towards Menards to help us out! We laughed the whole way to the furniture store as we rode down the highway in our heavily branded rental truck.

At the end of the month, my family got together to cheer on Madison’s baseball team, the Mallards. Highlights included wining a t-shirt, eating stadium food and watching my mom catch a ball thrown into the stands! It was quite a night!

Throughout the month of July Ian and I attended a handful of outdoor concerts. With a picnic basket packed and a blanket in hand, we enjoyed warm summer nights listening to music and enjoying our small town.