My night time run turned photo-shoot.

A few nights ago I decided that it was too beautiful outside to go to the gym, so I laced up my running shoes and headed out of our development. The weather was SOOOO gorgeous! 68 and sunny with a nice cool breeze. And to make it better, the sun was setting. Ahhh, I love nights like these. It felt so good to run outside with the breeze blowing in my face...I couldn't help but feel so grateful that I have two legs that work and a healthy body that allows me to go for a run. How blessed I am!

I probably did not get the most "efficient" exercise, but I could not help but stop to take pictures! I have been running every night since this "photo-shoot," and am thinking it is time to register for another half-marathon (this will be my 4th). Anyone want to join me!?

International Falls Sportsman's Expo,car accident, and fishing.

A few weekends ago Mickey and I drove to International Falls, MN for the International Falls Sportsman's Expo. Mickey was asked to be a special guest at the show and since a free fishing trip was included in the deal we decided to go :)

We left at 8 am on Friday in order to get to International Falls by 1 pm to go fishing. The trip was going smoothly UNTIL we pulled into International Falls. Thinking we had made it safe and sound, and EARLY, which rarely happens, we were excited. We stopped at the red light across the street from where we were meeting our guide and.....BOOOOOOOM!

A pickup truck slammed into the back of our truck going 30 MPH. Jagger was laying in the back seat but flew up and hit the dashboard pretty hard. Mick and I both had our seat belts on so we were fine, and Jagger ended up being fine as well (except for a little scrape on his nose).

We got out of the car and made sure the other driver was not hurt, which he wasn't. Our car was drivable but the poor guy who hit us totaled his car. We felt so bad for him because he had just WON the brand new pick up truck he was driving. But cars can be fixed, and luckily no one was hurt so we were very thankful!

After a two hour set back, we were FINALLY able to go fishing. Our guides, Wes and Dave, were so nice and waited for us the whole time we were dealing with the accident, but of course, as soon as we were able to go it got cold and started to rain. We went anyway :)

We drove 40 minutes away to a boat ramp and the boys put the boat in. We went down through rapids to a little fishing spot on the United States side of the river. The other shore was Canada so half of the river was Canadian territory and we did not have the license, or whatever its called, to fish on their "side." I found it to be so cool that half the river and the other shore was a different country! I took pictures of Canada since I have never been there before.

                                                                           Canada!

Mickey with one of his walleye!

We had such a great time fishing...we must have caught AT LEAST 50 walleye! I think every other time I put my rod in the water I hooked a fish, and same for Mickey, Wes, and Dave. We were able to keep 8 fish under a certain length. We got all 8 fish within 5 minutes, and the rest we released.

After fishing, we were cold and wet so we drove back to our hotel. We stayed at a cool lodge called the Thunderbird, and when we got to our room Friday night this cute little fruit basket was waiting for us. So nice!

On Saturday we went to the expo which was located in a church gymnasium. We had no clue that the Expo was a Christian event! They kicked off the day with prayer and had bible verses about the outdoors all around the gym. Pretty awesome! Mickey and I sat at a booth and he signed autographs. It was a pretty easy job. Jagger was even allowed inside so he sat with us and enjoyed the attention.

The older man sitting beside Mickey is Frank. He was the first Minnesota Viking ever signed! He was a neat guy and told Mickey stories about how the NFL used to be.

After the event there was a walleye fish fry. It was sooo good! We ate our fair share of fish, and then went back to our hotel just in time to take a few pictures!

View from our room!

Overall, we had a great weekend! If any of you want a beautiful vacation spot with AWESOME fishing, check out the Thunderbird Lodge in International Falls, MN. The scenery was gorgeous and the food at the lodge was AMAZING! Check it out here.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Monday Funday.

Why helllllo everyone! Hope your Monday has been good and a great start to the rest of the week! I started my day off at neighborhood Bible study, which was great. My friend Kristine hosts it and three other neighbors come with their little kids...there are little twins (precious), and three little boys probably all under the age of six. This neighborhood is FULL of twins! It must be something in the water out here! I think there are four sets in our little development....but anyway...


After Bible Study I drove to Target, parked my car, and turned it off. Then, as I was about to get out of the car, I realized that I had NO CLUE why I was even at Target! HA! Who does that? I think I am so Target obsessed that my body just drives the car there when my brain is not working...so I turned the car back on and drove out of the parking lot before I went in and spent another $200 on cute things that I really WANT but don't necessarily NEED at the moment. ;)


I turned out of the parking lot and headed into town to wait for Mickey to be done with work. He started his "Offseason Training Activites," also known as "OTAs" today. I dropped him off at 8am and knew he would be done around 1pm, so I just waited in the parking lot for a bit and browsed Pinterest on my phone, which I am addicted to and cannot help myself but to look at it at least 20 times a day.


Once we got home I decided to spray paint some objects that were given to me instead of being put in the trash. Recently I have been really interested in, and wanting to, find old pieces of furniture and rehabbing them. If anyone has any advice or knows of great places to look in the Minneapolis area, let me know! Once I am done with my newest project I will post pictures. Stay tuned! Happy Monday everyone!

Non Alcoholic Sangria

Yesterday I picked my neighbors up from school and we went to Michael's to get some fun arts and crafts supplies. We have a whole list of things we want to make, so we started with buying crayons and canvases to make these. I am pretty sure this is the hottest thing on Pinterest at the moment, so we figured we had to give it a try. On the way home hubby called me and asked me if I could make a "fruit punch" of sorts for our new jug from Pottery Barn. The girls and I stopped at the local grocery store and bought random ingredients, but it turned out yummy!


You need:
1 liter Lemonade
1 liter Sierra Mist
2 quarts Raspberry Cranberry Juice (or any red juice you like).
A bunch of different fruit (oranges, apples, strawberries, grapefruit) cut into wedges. You can add as much or as little as you would like :)
Ice


Mix all liquids together, adding fruit and ice on top. Stir and either leave out on counter or put in fridge. Makes a great alternative to regular Sangria for kids or those who prefer non alcoholic beverages :)

I apologize, but by the time I was able to take the picture it was half gone. Anyway, it is a pretty decoration on your counter along with a yummy refreshment :) Add sherbert on top for an extra delicious twist! 


Enjoy! 

Simple Joys.

I am having one of those days where I just feel extremely blessed. I woke up to my sweet dog snuggling with me and my hubby next to me. Even though I have a stuffy nose (with lovely green snot ;) I am alive and well. I had a phone interview for the accelerated nursing program I applied to this morning, and I think it went very well. I will update you all with "results" when I hear. 


Jagger and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, and when I say around, thats exactly what I mean. We walked through the farmers fields on the outskirts of our neighborhood so Jagger could "hunt." He is so funny. He leaps and bounds like a jack rabbit through the weeds. He is so happy when he's running free!

We then went to the park, where Jagger repeatedly tried to climb up the slide. So comical! He is a funny dude.

Then we continued our walk through the fields behind our house. They are so gorgeous, especially with the lush green grass and little dandelions growing through the field. 

When we got home, I dried Jagger off since he was covered in mud, and vacuumed my flood since it too was covered in mud! (The joys of having a new house with no grass!) We then climbed into bed to continue reading "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nelson Read the preview here.  Order the book here. She is the author of http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ and is such an inspiration. She is recovering from a nearly fatal plane crash with faith, grace, and humor. Check her out!

Have a great day everyone!

Moooooving to Minnesota

Mickey and I are patiently waiting for our moving truck to be delivered so we can start packing it for the move to Minnesota! We are getting a "you pack, we ship" company to drop off their trailer, we pack it, and they pick it up next week. We are closing on our NEW HOUSE (yayyy!!!!) the 30th so our stuff will be dropped off then. Yippeeee! I am so excited to finally have our own place to call home (many thanks to our families who have been very kind in letting us live with them over the past couple months)! I'll post pictures later!

Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show

A few days ago my in-laws, Mickey, and I took my little brother (Mikey) to the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show at the Harrisburg Farm Show Complex. We had so much fun walking around and looking at everything. Mikey fished in a little man made pond but had no luck with catching anything. He couldn't even pay attention for five minutes, he was watching everyone else fish instead of trying to catch his own!


Mickey brought Jagger to the show since hunting dogs were allowed. He found Mikey's fishing very intriguing and watched the fish like a hawk :)

Mikey had a lot of fun sitting on all types of tractors, dune buggies, four wheelers, etc. He also went into all kinds of hunting blinds and tree stands, but our favorite was this huge tree that hunters would use to hunt out of! It was huge!

Mikey and Jagger :)

We had a ton of fun at the show and are excited to go back next year!

The Minnesota Vikings Christmas Party

Last night, Mickey and I attended his team Christmas party at the Mall of America. It was an absolute BLAST! The team rented out the Nickelodeon Amusement Park in the center of the mall and let us ride the rides all night! Crave catered the event and the food was delicious. They had ice cream stands, candy stations, popcorn stations, bars, coffee, and more. Here are some pictures from our fun night!

Mickey and me with our friends Kerry and Amber!

My favorite roller coaster in the park :)

Awesome ropes course that Mickey, Kerry, and I did! Amber was our photographer.

Seville Quarter Wine Festival

A few days ago, Sue and I went to the Wine Festival in the historic Seville Quarter located in downtown Pensacola. Seville Quarter is similar to what you would find on Bourbon Street in New Orleans...it has a French flare with adorable brick walkways, courtyards, and fountains. Seville Quarter has seven rooms, each with their own theme. There is also a party plaza, an outdoor concert venue, and a banquet facility. The only way I can think to describe the ambiance in Seville Quarter is "quaint." 

(The Champagne Bar in the courtyard)

There were over 200 handpicked wines from around the world being poured by 10 local distributors. There was also a cigar sampling, oyster bar, handcrafted microbrew beers, live entertainment, and cooking demos and tastings from Harris Ranch Natural Beef, Italian Specialties by Enzo, Tribeca Bread, and Artisan Cheeses.

(Just one of the delicious food tables)

I tried many different types of white and red wines from all over the world and I learned a TON about different wines and the regions that they are from. I enjoy wine because I feel that it is much more than an alcoholic beverage. Wine and wine making is an art, a science, a culture, and an experience. 

Some of my favorite wines were:

Jam Jar Moscato 2011

Trimbach Reserve 2007 Pinot Gris

Dr. Fischer 2009 Riesling

I am not a very "sophisticated" drinker. My mom always teases me and says she can tell I just graduated from college. I love boxed white zinfandel and anything made by Arbor Mist... but I will say that I am starting to like better wines! I can drink Chardonnay without making a face like I used to, and I actually ENJOY the taste of it! I never thought that day would arrive, but it has. I am not a big drinker, but I have enjoyed learning about wine, trying it, and drinking a nice glass of it every once in a while!

Blue Angels

About a week ago my in-laws and I drove to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola to watch the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. It was such an amazing experience! I had never seen fighter jets up close, let alone watch them fly over my head for an hour. The pilots were amazingly gifted and obviously very, very, VERY trained, because the stunts they performed took extreme precision and left ZERO room for error. The jets flew within 18 inches of each other at certain points during the show. UNBELIEVABLE! Below are some videos I took at the practice.

Here the jets are flying 18 inches apart from one another!

I would highly recommend going to watch the Blue Angels perform (they travel all over the country to different air shows). If you are ever in Pensacola, going to practice is a MUST!! To read more about the Blue Angels, click here.

This little piggy went to market...aka the podiatrist

Good Morning! It is B-E-A-UTIFUL here! The temperature is a brisk 59 degrees and the sun is shining bright. I love days like these, it feels like FALL!

On gorgeous days such as this I love to exercise outside...maybe go for a run or a nice walk. But today, I am confined to the couch.

You see, when someone is blessed with a big toe like mine (ugly and huge with the smallest toenail EVER) he/she is prone to a painful little thing called an ingrown toenail. Now this may sound relatively minor, but let me tell you, they are PAINFUL little jerks! And I had one until this morning.

I knew when my toe blew up even bigger than its normal size, which is already weirdly and embarrassingly huge, I should probably visit a podiatrist. So this morning, Jagger and I headed over to see the doctor (Jagger stayed in the car, but was there for support none the less). He told me that I had an ingrown toenail and that he had to cut it out.

I told him to go ahead and perform the little surgery, so he started to numb my toe. That is when I had a quick spell of nausea followed by the feeling of either fainting or having to run to the bathroom. Luckily, he left the room for a minute to grab something and I was able to regain my composure (and not spew all over his office thank God).

Once he came back in the room he told me to close my eyes, did his thing, and bandaged me up. I didn’t feel a thing so that was good. I left the office and drove myself to Starbucks to get a treat for being so brave and such a good patient (like my mom did when I was little and had to get shots).

And now I’m home, sitting on the couch, writing this blog. Exciting, right!? I’m definitely going to milk this injury at least for a day…after all, the doctor told me take it easy after such a major toe operation ;) I am telling Mickey that the doctor told me to tell him that I need foot massages and probably can’t stand up long enough to cook dinner. We will see if he believes me J haha

Pensacola Seafood Festival

What a fabulous day we had on Sunday! After going to a wonderful church service, we decided to head to downtown Pensacola for the “34^th Annual Seafood Festival.”  Because we just arrived to Pensacola two weeks ago, everything here is new and exciting!

The festival was located in the historic district of downtown Pensacola in Seville Square, and it was AMAZING! I was expecting the festival to consist of mostly seafood vendors as the name suggested; however, the Festival is one of the largest Arts and Craft Shows in Northwest Florida and had over 130 vendors! (website: http://www.fiestaoffiveflags.org/seafoodfestival/)

                                       (Beautiful historic church in Seville Square)

The atmosphere here in Pensacola is amazing and unlike anything I have ever experienced. While at the fair I almost felt as though I was in the movie, "Sweet Home Alabama." Surrounding me were deep southern accents and people using the phrase, "yes sir," and "thank you, mam." (Very different from what I am used to in Pennsylvania!) 

The food offered at the fair was very different, too! Every food vendor had plenty of FRIED ALLIGATOR for sale along with seafood gumbo, Carribean crabcakes, coconut shrimp, oysters, grouper, and more.

The old trees in Seville Square provided lots of shade for us as we walked around and looked at the different displays. We spoke to vendors from Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. I ended up buying some homemade soaps and a microwave potato bag (who knew you could make baked potatoes in a bag!?)

After a few hours at the fair we were full of fried alligator, coconut shrimp, and crab cakes! We drove home and spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch watching football. It was the perfect Sunday  :)