This year seems to be flying by — how is it already June? I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I did: part of my holiday was spent at the River House celebrating Linley’s birthday, and the rest was dedicated to moving into a new apartment and spending time with family.
New Home + Mark Moves to Minneapolis!
I’m officially settled in my new place and I couldn’t be happier. A big part of that joy comes from simply being done with moving — I’ve never enjoyed packing and the chaos that comes with it. I’m the type who delays packing until the last minute because I get anxious when things are out of place, so my friends Linley and Cath helped me the day before the move. That’s what friends are for, right?
Three days before moving day I injured my neck — my chiropractor diagnosed me with a neck sprain after I’d been cracking my neck and back like I usually do. For three days I could barely move my neck or lift boxes, so I really relied on help to get everything done.
Another big reason I’m so glad to be in this apartment is that Mark and I will soon live together. I moved in a month ahead of him and I’m already excited about simple things like having breakfast together every morning. I’m slowly making room for him — I even took a big load to Goodwill recently. Over Memorial Day weekend I splurged a little and bought a few new pieces of furniture during the big sales: a dining table, a desk, and a buffet from West Elm. I still need a media console that can fit a 60-inch TV, new bedroom lamps, and dining chairs — welcome to adulting.
Things are still a little messy while I unpack and arrange everything. I’ve shared some sneak peeks on Instagram, and once I have a few great photos of the finished rooms I’ll post a full tour.
Upcoming Travel
Summer travel season is underway. I always promise myself I’ll stay close to home because I love Midwestern summers, and so far I’ve mostly succeeded in staying within a few hundred miles. Here’s what’s coming up:
Milwaukee, WI — Mark’s busy season at work wraps up soon, and I’m headed to Milwaukee to spend time at his place. This will be the last visit before he moves to Minneapolis, so we’re making the most of it.
Red Rocks, Colorado — One of the goals I wrote down when I was 16 was to see Dispatch live. I also love Guster, and both bands are playing together at Red Rocks, so Mark and I are going. Neither of us has been to Red Rocks before, and we rented an Airbnb in the mountains for a quiet getaway. We’re excited to experience the venue and the concert together.
Lutsen, MN — For the Fourth of July my family is heading north to Lutsen on Lake Superior. We plan to spend a day in the Boundary Waters and on the Superior Hiking Trail. Hopefully Mark and I will have our canoe by then so we can put it to the real test.
Hermosa Beach, CA — Lindsey convinced us to go watch Tim play in an AVP tournament, and we chose Hermosa Beach. I love California, and this trip will give us a few days of sun, sand, and volleyball. We’ll be there from Thursday to Sunday in late July and might extend the trip. If you have any recommendations for places to stay or things to do in Southern California, I’d love to hear them.
TBT to my Europe trip last year:
What Summer Means for Fit Foodie Finds
Summer is a great season for Fit Foodie Finds. Longer days give us more natural light to work with, so we can shoot more recipes in fewer days — sometimes four recipes in a single day instead of two. Lin and I prefer that pace because it lets us be more efficient and enjoy more downtime. We also have a mostly unwritten rule to keep Fridays free from work and to head to the River House when we need a break.
We intentionally scale back content during the summer because most people are outside enjoying the season. Our busiest times are New Year’s and back-to-school, so summer is our slower, restorative period. Taking time off is important — play fuels creativity — and by September we’ll be ramping back up to a full schedule.
Meanwhile, we’ll be brewery hopping and enjoying long Fridays. I tried two new breweries recently — Dangerous Man and Able — and loved both. Keep an eye out for a new Minnesota Series featuring our favorite local breweries; I’m getting into beer tasting more these days.
And yes — get excited about the recipes we have coming up. I’m bursting to share them.
That’s all for now. Ciao.