Thankful

It's November! The month of Thanksgiving. One of my friends wasn't born in America (but she recently got her U.S. citizenship, yay!) so this year we're showing her how Thanksgiving works around here. :) Every Thursday I'll be talking about something for which I'm thankful; and I'll be asking the same of you. I want to know what makes you feel grateful. It doesn't have to be big; we're just showing some gratitude.

Since I missed the first Thursday . . .

I'm thankful for my apartment and my life in the Midwest. After seeing the devastation out East, I'm every bit more blessed to live in such a quiet part of the country. I am fortunate to live too far north to be in Tornado Valley, too inland to experience earthquakes or hurricanes, and too cold to experience deadly heat. Bonus, The Great Lakes! We've got wonderful water so incredibly close. Although it may seem pretty boring here sometimes, I'm very thankful for it right now. Let's keep praying for and helping those who need it most right now. Stay strong, East Coast!

{Weekend Update}...Bridesmaids

Coffee run before the chaos of tulle, gems, and taffeta. 

 Have I told you guys this yet? I'm a bridesmaid for my dear Becca! We are all so thrilled about the wedding, and I couldn't be more honored to stand up for her wedding. She's such a great little thing! The wedding is in spring, so we've got to get those dresses ASAP. So I went on home for the weekend and experienced a marathon of sorts. I barely slept! But it was great. We had a viewing party for The Office (what are your reactions to this season?), went dress shopping, checked out a bridal fair, and celebrated birthdays. Needless to say, I'm worn out, y'all! But it's so great being a part of something so special. Crazy hectic. And lovely. 

Welcome to the weekend. 

Last minute catch up!

Photos via instagram 

{Weekend Update}...Movers and Shakers

Real life Tetris.

After many boxes, suitcases and totes, most (okay-half) of my belongings have been moved to my new apartment! Before the first move in trip yesterday, we did some end of summer cleaning. Refreshing! The weather was gorgeous and cool, so welcome, Fall! Oh, I can't forget...girls' night! In my book, there's no better way to inaugurate the weekend than a good old fashioned sleep over with your best gal pals. The end of summer has been a whirlwind of emotions, to do lists, obligations and more. When things get pretty crazy in life, my best remedy is friendship.

Looking a lil' bare. But not too shabby.

Fantastic friends. 

Photos via Instagram // Abby Carlson - @classickitsch Instagram

{Weekend Update}...Farmer's Market Finds

The weather was so incredibly gorgeous this weekend it would have been a crime to not go out and enjoy it. My family went down to the local farmer's market held at Phoenix Park, which is breathtaking.  We had to take one or two strolls around the place before actually deciding on what we wanted. Fresh bread, crisp greens, hearty tubers and flowers make the entire market explode with color. Oh, and did I mention there are local artists and musicians, too? Yeah, it's pretty much ridiculously perfect. I definitely felt and acted like a tourist in my own town this weekend, which can be fun. 

We decided upon fresh peaches (yum!), finger potatoes, freshly baked focaccia bread and caramel apple bread, both from Bohemian Ovens. We know the family who owns it and they seriously make the best breads and pastries. In Bloomer, WI, they use a brick oven and old techniques. It's the bomb. 

So happy Monday! I hope you got out there to enjoy nature's beauty! When you really look around, there is some pretty amazing stuff. For example, some of my favorite things in life are looking at fresh produce. Weird, I know. But it's gorgeous. And did you see the meteor shower? Sadly, it was a bit too cloudy for me. I'd love to know what you saw!

{Weekend Update}...Chalk It Up to Summer

 A fantastic event illustrated our weekend in Eau Claire. A local downtown park hosted the fourth ChalkFest, an annual festival-meets-competition for local artists. Each participant is allotted a section of the twisty, woven sidewalks in gorgeous Wilson Park. The viewing starts in the late morning around eleven and last all day, into the summer evening. Although rainy in the morning, it cleared up and proved to be a beautiful evening for strolling down to the park to enjoy art, music, and summer lovin'. The winning piece for adults was the amazing lion (pictured below) and the youth competition winner (top photo) is a family member! Holla! I'm so proud to live in a community that celebrates creativity in so many ways!

These great creations made me think back to childhood when my masterpiece was dusty, and I, covered in chalk dust, was so sad when it was washed away by midnight rains. But there was nothing better than creating something just as new and special the very next day.

I hope your summer was a fantastically summery one, filled with color, sunshine, and maybe some chalk!

Good Rivers Make Good Neighbors

I'm headed over to Minnesota on this fine day for a productive and fun excursion. I've got a meeting right away once I get to The Cities and then we're off shopping! I've got Mom, Dad, and Abby in tow. It's so wonderful living in Western Wisconsin, because I sometimes get that small town feel, but we're really very close to some fantastic metropolitan areas, like the Cities and Chicago. I think this shirt is just adorable. It made me laugh out loud a bit. The only two states I've ever inhabited and they're both so wonderful. Friend rivals, which is fun!

Even though we get along like butter and toast, MN & WI love to get after each other. Do you have a friendly rivalry with a neighboring state, or is it a Midwestern thing? We love to tease each other, but we wouldn't know what to do without 'em!