Saturday Post No. 8

This has been quite the busy week, but we're ready for everything this summer is throwing at us. It's going to be a good one. 

Yesterday turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day and night, so we took advantage of it and went for a nice long walk to a part of the lake that's a bit north of us. That's one of the best things about living on a "Great Lake" - it's huge, and there are so many paths and trails to explore. It was perfect. 

We'll be home in a few days for Cheremosh's concert at the Cowles Center. This is going to be an incredible show, and even though I'm not with them week in and week out, I'm still so proud of how hard everyone's been working, from the instructors and dancers to the parents and volunteers behind the scenes. I can't wait to see this! And of course, we'll be spending as much time with family as we can, and throwing in some additional wedding planning in between concerts, parties, and grill outs. I'm predicting a whirlwind of a weekend. 

Much love to everyone at home and our friends who are elsewhere. It's actually quite amazing how many of our friends from Minnesota are now in all sorts of different places (as are we!), but I'm so excited for everyone to reunite together in August. Just a bit more than 2 months to go! 

Chicago, according to Instagram, iPhoto, and KitCam.

What a fantastic day. We couldn't have asked for better weather or a better day off in one of our favorite cities. I'll let our photos tell the story. 

There's something about Chicago that's so moving, loud, and alive. I really like Shorewood and am happy to be living where we are, but being surrounded by the activity and the pace of a busier city is something that we both found we were missing. That just means we'll have to be out and about a lot when we're home in Minneapolis in a few weeks...let the countdown begin!

Happy Easter.

{via}

Happy Easter to all those celebrating today! 

So far, we've had a lovely weekend. We've been able to go on several walks, now that it's FINALLY feeling like spring! Today we stopped to treat ourselves to a coffee at the next-door coffee shop, and we found they were giving away these, in the spirit of all things Easter (because everyone knows today is all about the candy, right?). I took one to try, just to see if I still didn't like them...and, as confirmed by my first (and only) bite, I really don't. Truly, I don't know how anyone likes these (sorry, D). 

We're missing everyone at home, and hope you're all having a beautiful Sunday, no matter what you're doing.

Much love to all!

Spring fever.

So we're nearing the end of March and it is technically spring, at least according to the calendar. I'm defying Old Man Winter every chance I get. This afternoon, for example, I refused to put on a real coat and went out in yoga pants (yes, cropped) and a light workout jacket that's more or less a thin hooded sweatshirt (yes, I looked lovely) for a nice long walk by the lake. I'm fully aware that I may be risking some cold or other weather-inflicted sickness I might happen to get, but I can't take the puffy down jacket and (very) worn-out boots any longer. And it's really not that cold, just too cold for my liking after a long winter.

But springtime is trying so hard to get here, I just know it! The snow is finally starting to melt, fresh flowers are being sold in stores, and the lake has this hint of brightness to it that's been missing for the last few months. You can tell that everyone wants to get outside: I saw so many people out on my walk...everyone is craving sunshine. 

Come on, vesna, you can do it!

PS: Did you see this? How it makes me miss MPLS! 

Saturday Post No. 6

It's finally just warm enough to walk outside and not freeze...so that's what we did this afternoon! I absolutely cannot wait for long walks by the lake. Hurry up, spring. We can't take the snow and cold anymore. 

Also, apparently today is National Puppy Day. Who knew. Since we can't have our own dog (apartment rules), we'll celebrate by spending far too much time looking at photos of our favorite puppy, this 10-year old love bug who is the best to snuggle with under blankets. See? 

Happy Puppy Day, Meds! 

Have a lovely Saturday, everyone. 

Fall colors.

When we first moved to Shorewood, I knew that the many trees lining the streets in our neighborhood would be just gorgeous in the fall. I looked forward to watching the colors change and the leaves scatter along the paths by the lake. Last week, my mom and I were able to go on many walks and see for ourselves just how lovely the autumn colors can be. Below, some shots of our neighborhood dressed up for the fall party...no wonder it's my favorite season! 

MN Mondays: Stone Arch and St. Anthony Main.

Walking down St. Anthony Main and across the Stone Arch Bridge was a daily ritual for us in Minneapolis. This area has been one of my favorite spots in the city for a long time, and it continues to be a place we like to come back to on our visits home. 

From fireworks on the 4th of July and birthday parties to happy hours and late night strolls, St. Anthony Main and the Stone Arch Bridge are the source of many happy memories for us. I feel like the area is growing, too; with the addition of Wilde Roast in the summer of 2011 and Aster Cafe's renovation soon after that, the riverfront is only improving. I love that the city holds festivals, races, and art fairs down the cobbled streets, really taking advantage of the gorgeous skyline views and wooded trails along the Mississippi River. This last summer, a favorite event of ours was Northern Spark, an all-night art collaboration throughout Minneapolis. St. Anthony Main was overflowing with visitors, and it was so energetic and inspiring to see that many people enjoying one of the best parts of the city all night long! 

I'm sure the views from the bridge are just lovely right now, especially as the trees along the river are changing colors. The bridge was our backyard for several years, and we really do feel like it'll always be home.

Chicago Day Trip.

Happy Labor Day weekend! It's hard to believe that the unofficial end of summer is already here. We decided to take a short trip to Chicago yesterday - it's so close to Milwaukee! In order to spend as much time in Chicago as possible, we drove to Kenosha to make the 6:50 a.m. train and took that right into downtown. Metra's weekend pass is really reasonable, only $7.00 (and it only costs $2.50 per day to park in Kenosha); this is something we're definitely going to be taking advantage of!

The weather forecast was originally pretty bleak (I had been checking all week), but it turned out to be quite lovely; it sprinkled a bit when we first arrived, but otherwise it was just cloudy and breezy, so we were able to walk around without any trouble.

We went to breakfast at Xoco, one of Rick Bayless' restaurants. We've been to Frontera before, and absolutely loved it, so we were excited (and hungry, as we had been up since 4:30!) for Xoco. It was really good, but we both think it would have been better for lunch. The coffee drinks, though, were amazing. Andrew had a chocolate espresso, and I had a wonderful chocolate cafe con leche: thick, just the right amount of chocolate, and so smooth.

We walked around the city all day, visiting our favorite spots and discovering new ones. We've been to Chicago four times now since we've started dating, and it's the city where we got engaged last October. It's really a special place to us, and we're so excited about how close by it is.  

One of the reasons we love Chicago so much is the fact that there are so many incredible restaurants. On our last trip, we visited Cafe Spiaggia, Q, The Publican, and The Purple Pig, and all were amazing. We knew we only had one day for this trip, so there were certainly fewer meals to plan, but we still made sure we ate well. For lunch, we decided to try Bar Toma, Tony Mantuano's new restaurant. We had guanciale-wrapped sweetbreads with sage and shared the Calabrese pizza, topped with sausage, Calabrian chilies, and mozzarella. The crust on the pizza was the best I've ever had. You could taste the smokiness of the wood from the oven, and it was perfectly soft and crispy at the same time. Amazing. 

We also walked around the Fulton Market District, west of downtown and set in between the highways and the Chicago River. It smells like chocolate, but I'm not sure why. From the outside, it doesn't look like the posh and luxurious neighborhood that's home to some of the country's best restaurants, but famous names like The Publican, Next, Aviary, Blackbird, Avec, and others have found their place and are thriving in the warehouses and brick alleyways of Fulton. During our afternoon walk, we stopped in to Publican Quality Meats, which sells all sorts of local products, from smoked beef heart to artisanal honey (from MN!). Andrew was definitely in his happy place. 

We returned to Fulton for dinner, to a restaurant called g.e.b. The menu had smaller plates to share, which we really like because then we are able to order several dishes and and try more than one. We had calamari with green hummus, oxtail lasagna, a saffron risotto with clams, blueberry cake, and gianduja-filled beignets. Realizing we had some time before our train was to depart, we decided to try RM Champagne Salon, a new champagne lounge we had read about (and which happened to be next door to g.e.b.!). I can't wait to go back! I had a champagne cocktail and Andrew ordered a whiskey with cherry notes; it was the perfect way to end the night. 

We took the train back to Kenosha, and made it back to Shorewood by midnight. We're quite tired today, but already planning the next visit to one of our favorite cities!