fading fast.

The beautiful colors of fall are fading fast.
Get out and enjoy the season before it's gone.

calm.

concerts to crave

One of the best things about the twin cities is the great access to concerts. I've been averaging more than one concert per month. Fabulous. Here is a snapshot of what's heading to a place near you this fall...

Rachael Yamagata - October 2 at the Fine Line

Yonder Mountain String Band - October 19 at First Avenue

Hotel Cafe Tour - November 6 at the Varsity Theater

Ingrid Michaelson - November 17 at the Pantages Theater

Jason Mraz - November 19 at the Myth
...already have tickets to this one!

things I am loving today...

tupperware.

football on sundays.
and aaron rodgers.

super sweet emails.

fall sunshine.

cupcakes.

love

I took this picture on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus. I was there in July.
I like the simplicity and complexity of the word - both in placement and in practice.

things that make me smile today

sweet words that make me feel special.

new music.

orange peppers.

and pictures like this:


My sister and my Dad at the Packers vs. Vikes game last Monday night.
Go Pack Go.

photo booth fascination

I can imagine that the inner operations of a photo booth are quite complex. I'm sure that if I ever own one and it broke I wouldn't know the first thing about fixing it. But I still want one. Photo booths are magical. Once inside, with the curtain drawn, you are in your own little world. Free to pretend and play.

Books about photo booths.

Blog with photo booth pics.

You can rent a photo booth!

good to know

Here are a few things I have been soaking up...

Minneapolis is going to start a bike share program next spring.

Two great bike events are coming to a city near you!
St. Paul
Minneapolis

Go bike the Greenway!

yellow

My new favorite picture.

found this online recently...

Rainer Maria Rilke : Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.

birthday girls

My Grandma and I have the same birthday!
Here we are at our birthday party.
I love you Grandma!

sunday hiking

I really wanted to go biking today. However, with the looming storm clouds I decided to make a trek to Hyland Lake Park Reserve and go for a hike instead. I used my great book and found the trailhead quite easily.

Initially, I left my house without my camera. But before I even got to my car I knew that was a mistake so I went back and grabbed it. Best decision of the day. Right now Hyland Lake Park Reserve is full of wildflowers.

And here is my favorite shot of the day:

P.S. Yesterday was Tell Your Roomie She's Awesome Day.

Wish I Was Here

My Dad has been working hard to complete
the new cedar siding on the cabin.
It looks absolutely beautiful!

another world

Parts of Yellowstone National Park made me feel like I was in another world.

satisfaction

okay. alright. I'll admit it. I don't have any plans to see my favorite band (Gaelic Storm) anytime in the near future. Sad but true.

So to tide myself over I have been watching video clips from here.

enjoy!

true story

I'm in Wisconsin. It's hot and humid. The storm clouds have been building in the sky all morning so I make it back to the lovely dorms just before the big rain hits. The alarm system in the dorm announces we are under a severe thunderstorm warning. Then I'm on a conference call for work. The sky is progressively turning dark grey and the winds are picking up. Before I know it the alarms in the building are sounding. I assume - tornado warning - I excuse myself from the conference call and head to the basement.

I run in to a few others along the way. We find it odd that people are outside walking and it appears that the other buildings do not have a similar alarm sounding. So we go to the front desk and learn that it is in fact a fire drill. The fire department is on the way and "why didn't we evacuate sooner?"

Seriously? You are going to have a fire drill in the middle of severe weather? How does that make any sense? We all thought it meant tornado warning and proceeded to the basement. While waiting for the fire department to give the 'all clear' we got to stand out in the rain. Just lovely.

summer snapshots

barefoot runner

I've seen him a few times now. This guy. Running around northeast Minneapolis barefoot. Everytime I spot him I do a doubletake. It's hard to imagine what it would feel like running barefoot through city streets.

After a quick google search I found this article. I don't think this is the guy I have spotted in my neighborhood. But in any event, the barefoot running isn't just a one-man habit.

someday when I have an airstream camper...

I want these plates to go inside.

2 posts in one day! Woo Hoo!

and this is how i feel today...

reaching for the sun
getting pulled in many ways
the world is a blur