2013 GRSF Chocolate, Shakespeare & Champagne

Another year with Great River Shakespeare Festival means another beautiful party to attend. One of the great perks of being in theater communities, are the "opening" parties. There is always an opening night party, or a kick off party or something along those same lines.

2013 GRSF Chocolate, Shakespeare and Champagne

Chocolate, Shakespeare and Champagne was held at the Alexander Mansion in downtown Winona. The evening couldn't have been more ideal. Clear skies and cooler temperatures made everything more pleasant at the lovely bed and breakfast venue.

It's always a treat to be at a historical venue we drive by every day. This beautiful mansion has all the richness you would expect: dark wood, tapestry, antique furniture and lavish stairways. This mansion is slightly hidden and after having the opportunity to step inside, I feel as if I've seen yet another gem of Winona.

Great River Shakespeare Festival has numerous donors who have been very generous with their funding and time. This is a great opportunity to for everyone to come together to anticipate another good Shakespeare season here in Winona. It's a chance for everyone to get to know each other and hob nob a bit... which is not my game, in the slightest... but the air is full of positive anticipation and eagerness, which can only result in a pleasant evening out with a few very happy people.

Until next year...

Sun's Out...For Now

The sun has come out a few times in the past couple days and that's been awesome! I don't have a lot to report... just crazy hormones (mine), schedule's ramp up (Matt's) and a child who has mellowed out... a little bit (Lucas).

But... here are a few pictures of our last week.

Our little boy is becoming more adventurous, which enthralls and scares me at the same time.

Every day we see squirrel, ducks, rabbits and geese... but this guy surprised us by making a "run" for the lake yesterday. 

On the fishing dock, we talk a lot about the fish in the lake. Next year, we'll bring our poles!

Lake Winona can be very picturesque. 

"Don't worry Mom, I got this."

Scenic Wisconsin

We had a few days of no rain, but today it's pouring... so here we are again. I think we'll read books, make cookies, take naps... maybe watch a movie. I'm going to approach this with as much enthusiasm as possible.

Yesterday, Lucas and I drove up to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to visit friends. I gotta tell ya... Wisconsin is beautiful! It's lush with green forested hills and has some of the prettiest countryside I've ever seen! I took the scenic drive, which meant avoiding the highway and it was worth it.

Lucas and I spent the day with Beth and her sweet little boys, Elliot and Parker. It was a treat to play with kiddos who had the coolest stuff! Lucas was lost in the sandbox all day and if we couldn't find him there, he was immersed in the worlds biggest train set. Elliot and Parker are both close to Lucas' age... Lucas is sandwiched between the two of them...so playtime was fairly ideal.

For myself, the opportunity to catch up with Beth was priceless. There is something amazing about Beth... her ability to share honest feeling is refreshing. To boot, Beth rarely does anything without purpose. Her intentional living is refreshing and it feels as if there is room for the stuff that really does matter. Yesterday was a great day for me to engage with another adult, but not just any adult... a woman I care for and greatly benefit from.

It's in these times I'm grateful for Matt and I's travels. I would not otherwise have had the same opportunity to visit Wisconsin and enjoy a fun, relaxing day with Beth and her sweet kiddos. The days we seize to reconnect with people who add goodness to our hearts are some of the best days of our lives.

Keep Us Out Of Trouble

Guys... it's raining again today and yes, I too am tired of hearing myself complain. That being said, we'll be indoors doing some play stuff and attempting creativity.

As I sit here with my coffee (yum!) Lucas is at the same table with his Play-Doh. Love that stuff! It seriously is the ONLY activity I can expect to keep his interest for like, an hour! I'm not kidding... laundry days equal Play-Doh days. It's a lifesaver.

Regarding creativity, I glanced at a Pin on Pinterest and came up with probably the best idea ever! Here's a picture:

Masking tape and Matchbox cars. Matchbox cars are $1.10 at Target and masking tape was $2.99. We brought our cars from home, but all in all, this can be a five or six dollar activity that you can be as creative with as you please. I think today we'll add another town somewhere else in the house... and mask a road to join the two. When we leave, the "roads" will peel up without a hitch and we can move on. Amazing!

It's a huge challenge to find things to do indoors without buying a ton of toys. To boot, we can't travel with big toys... so there is no point in buying things. Instead, we must choose creativity.

Today, Play-Doh and Matchbox cars will keep us out of trouble. With a fine mix of library books, and tickling, of course.

Day Out In In Winona

Thanks be to God, the rain let up. It was starting to get a little feral around here... with a preschooler and all. Even I was beginning to wonder how I was going to stay sane.

Thankfully, we had a full day of dry. We went to the Farmer's Market, which surprisingly is still a little bare. No fruits and veggies, other than rhubarb... but plenty of herbs and greenhouse flowers. The weather here has been significantly cooler (and wetter) than normal, so seasonable produce is a little bit behind schedule. But, we did find the same sweet pie lady as last year... and we went ahead and bought one! Win.

After that, Lucas and I wandered around downtown, which is quaint. It's a bit dilapidated, but has a ton of charm. My favorite part of Winona are all of the independently owned gift shops. My favorites so far are:  Hearts Desire, and Pieces of the Past. I'm not kidding you guys... the BEST gift shops...with upstairs and downstairs and basements and such. Cute candles, trinkets, books, cards, pictures, stuff you don't need but LOVE looking at. It's a girls day out wonderland. Needless to say, I stuffed Lucas' hands in his pockets and we enjoyed our morning in a few gift shops.

If you enjoy antique and consignment shops, Winona is full of adorable independently owned stores. These stores are just as cool as the gift shops, except they have everything that has been previously owned (duh). The charm is that it feels like a treasure hunt, at half the price (unless something is really an antique)! I could spend hours in one... sifting through old jewelry, trinkets and furniture. I found these darling baubles at Inside The Vault Consignment! 

  

Lastly, we hit up one of the many coffee shops in Winona. A hidden gem in this town; the coffee. You can get delicious coffee, smoothies, and sandwiches on nearly every corner. A couple places we're familiar with thus far are: Blooming Grounds, Mugby Junction and Blue Heron. To boot, you can find locally roasted coffee that's rich and full of flavor at almost all of the shops. Definite perk.

A day out is always fun here. The people in this small town are friendly, easy to talk with and always doting on Lucas. I swear if that child hears he's "so cute" one more time his head is going to explode. Folks really like kids here. It's nice, actually. And it was nice to get out and see that other people don't think my child is as much of a nuisance as I do when I've been locked in an apartment with him for nearly two weeks.

Perspective Is Everything

Okay... I'm not complaining and I'm not attempting to gain sympathy from anyone... but I have to write this down, because I don't want to forget the ups and downs. Perspective is everything, right?

Right now, Lucas is insane. It seems when he hit three and a half, things really smoothed out with behavior, temperament and predictability. I reached a place as a parent where I thought: "I got this." It was nice, because for the first time I really felt like my child and I had a "working relationship".

I'm throwing all of that out the window.

What we're dealing with here is blatant disrespect, angry outbursts, defiance, aggressive behavior...sassy talk, arguing and a serious attitude problem. Need I go on? Seriously you guys... I feel like the sweet child I wrote about here is hiding in the shadows, because the current child has bullied him into the corner.

For a little perspective, I am taking into consideration the fact that we're traveling. With that comes boredom, loneliness and a general upset in routine. Lucas is a routine kid and though he is flexible, he as always thrived on predictable routine (this is actually true for all children/human beings). We've upset the balance and changed housing twice in two weeks. We've stayed in hotels. We've been trapped indoors with rain and significantly less activity than normal. We've been stuck together for nearly three weeks... no distractions, no friends. Bleh.

Another factor is that I'm rearing a boy. As he ages, I can't help but notice a toughness building in him. I seriously struggle with the loss of his baby boyness. Oh my sweet baby boy... he's turning into a big boy who resists snuggling on the couch, holding my hand and willfully doing as he's told with a trusting heart. This boy is attempting independence and it's kills me.

It's a natural process, but for those of us who a little bit more self-aware it's evident what's going on here.

So here we are. If history proves itself, Lucas will wind down and have a time of softness again. He'll be compliant and obedient and I'll think "I got this" again. We go in two week cycles, and we're nearing the end of this naughty cycle. I know we'll get back to a place where things feel easy and we get along great. We can do activities side by side (like Legos!) without it being combative or argumentative.


Now if I can just keep it together in the meantime.

Good Things

Good things have happened this week... a lot of good, actually. 

I'll share in photos:

Baby ducklings! My heart felt a little sad for Mama duck, because there were only two ducklings left... most mama's have around 6 ducklings. That being said, they were adorable and ate ALL of the bread we brought along. 

Matt had to run to Twin Cities for a piece of equipment, so we decided to make it a family trip. Coincidentally, the Mall of American also happens to be in Twin Cities. So we stopped. I'm glad we didn't make a special trip, but we were able to hit up  the Lego Store! 

This is overlooking the Lego Store! It was actually pretty awesome.

A hamburger I ate... at Five Guys. Simply delicious. 

We experienced a number of dark storms last week. Prayers for Oklahoma were said, because even without the tornadoes  those storms were violent. Dark clouds coming... better get indoors! In spite of the dramatics, the storms are beautiful and create a real sense of adventure.

We moved into an apartment this past weekend and it's divine! No more Super 8! Ironically, now that we're in a spacious and lovely apartment, we get to endure large trains rolling by every hour and half. And they don't exactly roll... they fly through town doing about 35 mph, which rocks the building and rumbles everything. Needless to say, Lucas loves it!

Beginning A Good Work

Tomorrow is my 33rd birthday. I love birthdays! They signify growth, change and new beginnings. I absolutely love new beginnings!

Ironically, I don't have vast plans or aspirations for this upcoming year. I'm not looking forward yet... I'm still looking back with a deep sense of thankfulness.

This past year was full... full of pain, disappointment and revelation. It may have been the most pivotal year of my adult life, yet; creating depth, awareness and knowledge I wouldn't have acquired otherwise.

Our marriage was rocked to levels I never imagined and in that I realized just what kind of wife I was. Or better yet, what kind of wife I didn't want to be. This painful time in my most cherished relationship opened doors of honesty, vulnerability and beauty I never thought possible. What a gift to see a vibrant, exciting future with the only man I've ever loved.

My personal self was knocked deep at the heart when I recognized my own insecurities were preventing depth and honesty in my friendships. It seemed dumb and pointless to speak of internal maturity and confidence when I myself struggled with vanity, vulnerability and grace. I had to break myself of this trap and I'm still continuing to see what this looks like on a daily basis. It takes work to be authentic, real and honest with all of my friends.

My family had always been a facet of my life that I struggled to find balance with, but once I learned to let them be who they want to be, I no longer felt this impending need to "be different." It's like the shackles of swimming upstream had been released and I could finally join those I love without being defined by them. Seriously you guys, this is a beautiful thing. I may be unique and different than those I love, but that doesn't mean I have to stop sharing life with them. It's a freedom I haven't known till now. Freedom from judgement.

These are huge defining moments for me and they've all taken place in my 32nd year of life. I've yet any idea what lies ahead for me personally, but if it includes loving those I hold dear, learning more about this weird heart of mine and creating more space in my life for what really counts, I'm looking forward to my 33rd year.

Wish me a happy birthday and say a prayer for this heart of mine. It's been worked over and I'm reaping the benefits of it from this day forward.

He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. 
Taken from Philippians 1:6

Enjoying Every Minute Of It

I'm breathing a HUGE sigh of relaxation. Letting my hair down, if you will. Guys... I'm wearing sweats and it's five in the afternoon. All I need is a glass of wine, chocolate and a Brad Pitt movie and I'd be in seventh heaven.

Lucas took this pic as I was blogging this actual post.

We are currently in Winona, Minnesota for Matt's gig with the Great River Shakespeare Festival, and I'm just happy we made it through the past two weeks. As Matt finished up a freelance show I packed up our studio, spent quality time with friends and attempted to ready our family for our "epic summer trip." The last two days of the week included frenzied packing, loading of stuff into a storage facility and readying ourselves for a three month trip away from home.

To say I was tired would be a massive understatement. At the heaviest moment of our preparation I had an emotional breakdown... like my eyes were so puffy from crying, my friend Katie recommended Preparation H type of breakdown... but overall I was able to maintain civility throughout the trip. It had to have been God, because normally I would have no control of my emotions at a time such as this.

I'll be thanking God now. My husband will too.

So... here we are; Lucas and I. Matt's already devoting his time to his work...what a man! I'm in my sweats (as previously mentioned), watching the Incredibles on ABC Family in a very humble hotel room. I couldn't be more content as I relax, without overarching obligations and expectations. It's divine to realize my only purpose is to keep my family alive and happy. I can do that.

Tonight we will have burritos for dinner. I will not pack boxes, or organize one damn thing... and it feels GLORIOUS! Instead, I will read a book, have a Manhattan (made with High West Double Rye) and continue holding this bed down with my lazy, tired butt. Maybe I'll paint my nails. I am recuperating and I plan on enjoying every minute of it.

The True And The Questions: Guest Posting

I do not deserve this honor, but my good friend Katie asked me to "guest post" on her blog. She asked if I could provide some type of insight regarding being a stay at home mom. I don't feel like I have anything special to contribute, but willingly took the challenge to articulate my thoughts on the subject at hand.

So, today she posted it and here it is in all it's glory: The True And The Questions, You ARE the Boss

Katie has become one of my best friends here in Salt Lake City, and I gotta tell you folks... she's real, honest and unabashedly herself. I LOVE that about her. Her willingness to be a wife and parent who is true to herself is a beautifully unusual thing. Katie speaks her mind and it's glorious!

Thanks be to Katie for inviting me to speak my own mind on her blog. I encourage you to check it out and participate in this ongoing conversation about what it means to be a stay at home mom.

Katie can be found on Twitter and HERE.