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."

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.

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!

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.

Fun Stuff

Steamboat Days is happening in Winona right now and for us that means a lot of fun stuff to participate in.

Lucas and I headed to the park for a quiet romp this morning, only to find a bouncy house, train rides and a grip of folks hanging out. Low and behold, the parade route for Steamboat Days was right there! Fun stuff!

After a train ride, some bouncy house action...and a little playground fun, we sat and watched the parade with the entire town of Winona. It really was fun stuff!

Scenic Route

If there is only one thing I have inherited from my folks, it's my love for a good scenic route.

Today Lucas and I drove to La Crosse, Wisconsin and turned it into a scenic drive. The beauty, history and people out here make it easy and fun to spend the day on a car ride.

On our way into La Crosse, we stopped at a mill still standing since 1858. Pickwick Mill sits on a creek and is still fully functioning, should the need arise. Grinding happens for large groups and the such. My lack of cash prevented us from touring the mill (disappointment) but we were able to walk around outside and check out the lock and dam alongside the beautiful mill itself (my photo doesn't capture it well).

The older gent who manages the mill's tourism was a fairly eccentric, nearly deaf man...but very nice, nonetheless. He had the traditional Midwestern accent and warmth of personality that can only be found here. And, his son in law hails from Corvallis, Oregon. It really is a small world after all.

Aside from the bugs, it was a fun day. We came home on the Scenic Byway of Wisconsin...which rides alongside the Mississippi River. I find myself just tickled that we are getting to hang out near the Mississippi River! I mean, great stories and rich history have happened here! Right here!

We've done plenty of exploring, but I'm eager to do more...be more intentional about following those signs that lead you off the highway into a world of culture and story. I saw a sign directing toward historical bridges today...maybe we'll hit that up next!

Dangerous Fun

I believe I have grown spoiled with all the lovely playgrounds in Salt Lake City. They are in every corner and the grounds are always lavish. Each neighborhood always has at least two...two!! Spoiled, I say.

So that leads me to explain why I am feeling slightly deprived here in cute lil' ol' Winona. First, there are only a few playgrounds here...plenty of parks, but only a few play areas.

Secondly, the playgrounds are a bit sketchy. And by sketchy, I mean the structures are metal, steep and totally dangerous.

That being said, this IS a college town and most normal college towns aren't focused on increasing the size of their families. So...playgrounds are not a huge priority. This is an okay thing (in my personal opinion) (my opinion may or may not be shared in an another post).

Even still, we're having fun... And sometimes it's not real fun unless it's a little dangerous, right?

Garvin Lookout

This little town, Winona, has real charm. It rests between a lake and the Mississippi River...resulting in lush greenery, beautiful parks and plenty of sight-seeing to be had.

Today, Lucas and I went up to the historic Garvin Overlook. This cliff is a beauty! I took a picture (or three) and they just don't do the view justice. With the wind whipping around us, we could see the river from north to south and all that surrounds it for as far as the eye could see. We could see the cliffs of Wisconsin on the other side! It was truly a treat.

Hopefully, we can do a little sight-seeing over there soon. There is so much beauty out here!