Above: friends Trent & Lexie at Justin & Kayla's wedding, picnic spot, sibs & s/o's after the escape room, friends/family at Sam's first gig, a morning reminder, Sam's first time playing at an open mic: so many fans! Favorite New Experiences
1. Teaching Special Education... complete with my own caseload & woes. 2. Watching Sam play gigs at local coffee shops & seeing him so supported 3. Marching in a peace march organized by some mover & shaker friends 4. Volunteering at an InterVarsity conference with Sam 5. Hosting my immediate family at our home for brunch and a kayaking trip down the Red Cedar 6. Morel hunting with the Kosters :) 7. Co-hosting a bridal shower for Holland with my partner-in-crime Alexi 8. Successfully escaping from a Mars-themed escape room with 57 seconds to spare! Favorite New Routines 1. Summertime picnics 2. Going to the farmers market and picking out seasonal produce to make recipes from my seasonal cookbook 3. Walking to work 4. Yoga & meditation each morning Travels 1. Visiting Matt & Laura in Chicago - myopic books, arcade bar, late-night concert & donuts 2. Garrett's Engagement party down in Winneconne, followed by a stay at Appletree Lane B&B in Waupaca 3. Driving to Duluth with Rachel to watch several family members run the Grandma's marathon 4. Taking a group of rambunctious and hilarious college students to China 5. Christmas at Matt & Laura's home with Rachel & Holly, later mom & Dan 6. The 8 weddings we went to this year! Recipes 1. Chicken taco soup 2. Gluten free cornbread 3. Salmon cakes 4. Easy gf biscuits (can be customized to be savory or sweet) 5. Black Bean Chocolate Cake with Sweet Potato Frosting Music Review 1. In concert: The Blind Boys of Alabama & Irma Thomas (October 27) 2. Album: "North EP" Reservoir (I'm late on the uptake) 3. Artist: Janelle Monae 4. Playlist: "An Autumn Stroll" (via Amazon Prime Music) 5. Song: Natural Blue - Julie Byrne Best Reads 1. Simple Matters - Erin Boyle 2. Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them (Screenplay) - J.K. Rowling 3. I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai 4. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry - Mildred D. Taylor 5. Crispin - Avi 6. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood 7. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green 8. Reading with Patrick - Michelle Kuo 9. Wellness Mama Cookbook - Katie Wells 10. Forest Feast Gatherings - Erin Gleeson Best Discoveries 1. The "law of attraction" planner. Not my "lifelong" planner yet, but my first goal-based planner 2. Thrive Market - best deals on organic/sustainable products! Making me cancel my Amazon prime subscription. *If you are interested in trying it, use this link to get 25% off your first order! http://thrv.me/simpleandsincere 3. Insight Timer - Meditation App with guided meditation & a timer I use to do sun salutations daily 4. Habit Bull App - My current habit tracker, I've been through 3 this year & settled here happily Looking forward to in 2018 1. Finding a house to make a home! 2. Learning how to cut tiles 3. Teaching summer school classes in writing & traveling 4. Running my third half marathon... really aiming for sub 2:00 this time! 5. Going on a spending "fast" as a way of saving money & reorienting my thinking/impulses
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Best Donuts 2016Union Square Donuts | Boston, MA Above, we have a maple bacon donut, a whisky donut, and a coconut donut (clearly a trend for me). These donuts were the perfect blend of melt in your mouth on the inside and crispy on the outside. Fried heaven. Highway 94 EssentialsDunkin' Donuts | Wisconsin Dells We take a lot of drives on highway 94, and sometimes, passing that Dunkin' Donuts sign is too hard to resist! This was Sam's first time at Dunkin' and I must say the coconut donut was sublime. Most PoshDorthy Ann Bakery | Woodbury, MN This bakery was like a dream! It had display wedding cakes and every fancy donut imaginable. I got a donut filled with strawberries and cream and Sam got a more traditional one. Most SprinklesGreenbush Bakery | Madison, WI These are touted as the best donuts in Wisconsin, so of course we had to try some! I wouldn't say these are the best in the state, but we only had 2 of their very large selection of donuts. The Badger colors are a nice touch. Excellent Non-Donut BakeryBatch Bakehouse | Madison, WI
This bakery is on the street corner in an eclectic neighborhood, and we could smell the place a block away! They did not have donuts, but they had tons of breads, pastries, and this amazing pretzel. They also had a huge selection of sweet & savory croissants that looked delicious. As I was making my new years resolutions, I began thinking about the importance of seeing where I've come in the last year and reflecting, with gratitutde, about all that has been.
I am grateful for... ...a yoga class with women over 50 that got me through the winter. ...getting my first teaching job working in special ed. ...moving into this beautiful, sunlight-filled apartment. ...setting & meeting a 5k goal of sub 30:00. ...learning to crochet. Also, learning that I hate crocheting. ...traveling to Boston, staying in an air bnb apartment, seeing the red sox, & dancing in the ocean. ...getting my second teaching job instructing yoga & writing, two of my greatest passions. ...celebrating ONE YEAR of marriage. ...harvesting produce from my very own garden. ...learning how to shop, cook, and bake organic & gluten free (on a budget). ...the chance to deliver a sermon about millenials to our church. ...making TWO new friends right here in Menomonie (shoutout to Olivia & Markia). ...a continuing tradition of getting donuts wherever we travel. ...getting my third teaching job with a group full of crazy and hilarioius 5th & 6th graders. ...spending Thankschristmas with my family down in Florida. ...seeing Peter Yarrow, Mavis Staples, the UWEC Concert Choir, and Reservoir in concert. ...dealing with very difficult parents with the support of my amazing headmaster & coworkers. ...a Christmas date at MIA complete with Pho & spyhouse coffee. This has been kind of a crazy year. My family jokes that I'll never have to look back and think "what year did such and such happen?" because the answer will always be 2015. I hope you enjoy reflecting with me! Experiences 1. Swing dancing at the caves 2. Learning how to snowboard (such a beginner) 3. Rock climbing at the UWEC climbing wall 4. Sapping & canoeing at LCO 5. Meeting Temple Grandin 6. Distillery Tour in Scotland 7. Hiking Ben Lommond 8. Planning a wedding (simultaneously fun and the worst!) 9. Baking my own wedding cake 10. Getting married! Twice... 11, Cooking bacon over an open fire 12. Trying to be adults who bring stuff when we're invited to dinner 13. Canning! 14. Making this apartment a home 15. Sending out Christmas cards like OLD PEOPLE Discoveries 1. Norwex 2. Yummly 3. Yoga with Adrienne 4. Tacos Juanitas 5. Lucette Brewery/Woodfire Eatery 6. Town & Country Antiques (Menomonie, WI) Celebrations Engagement Martin Luther King Jr. Day Golden Birthday: 22! My mom & Dan getting married Our wedding Finishing the edTPA Graduation Ringing in the New Year at Urbana Adventures Donuts Sault Ste. Marie Amsterdam Scotland London Dublin Chicago's Chinatown The North Shore Recipes 1. Sweet potato tacos with lime crema 2. Baked Falafal 3. Naan 4. Chickpea curry 5. Black bean & avocado enchilladas 6. Twice baked sweet potato egg bake 7. Chipotle sweet potato burgers 8. Black bean burgers 9. Quinoa zucchini fritters 10. Parmesan garlic pretzels Soups 1. Black bean, sweet potato, quinoa chili 2. Black bean chili (crockpot) 3. Chicken taco soup 4. Thai curry butternut squash soup Entertainment Bruno Mars 2014 Halftime Show A Year with Frog and Toad at the Mabel Tainter Les Miserables in London, England Memorial High School Band Concert Looking Forward To in 2016 1. Finally having my own classroom to teach in 2. Adventuring to Boston in the summer 3. Teaching an elementary-age yoga class 4. Learning to pray for the persecuted church I like the idea that I am always learning; here are 14 things I learned in 2014... how to sling clay and paint with watercolors how to survive a breakup; complete with meltdowns, lipstick, and roadtrips to minnesota how quickly friendships can form when you find someone who is always there to be a part of a band, musically, and a team, relationally how deeply I can fall in love with a green city in china that ferris wheels make the best first dates; they move slowly when life moves quickly how to rest intentionally in solitude with the LORD that 27-hour road trips, day-long hikes, and 7 days without showers create deep bonds to be okay with being broken, to love when it's hard, and to chose to say yes to my beloved that my heart is filled by open country, blue skies, and holding chickens the wonder and humility that comes with seeing a loved one begin to follow Jesus that my heart has a deep burden for children with disabilities and longs to teach & love them how to find a new apartment and begin to adjust to the idea of creating a new home how important family is; in every shape and form
Today is important. It is the 23rd birthday of my friend, teammate, and encourager, Samuel. He really doesn't like pictures of himself, so instead, I posted pictures of 12 of his favorite musicians. The sad (great?) thing is, I could think of almost all of these off the top of my head. I couldn't be more grateful to have Sam in my life.
He is patient with me, he reminds me of truth, he prays over me, and he listens so well. He also swing dances, buys me food when I'm broke, and puts up with nature and photographs for me. Because of Sam, I'm learning to ask better questions, I'm learning to not give up when it gets hard, and I'm learning how to let myself sit and just be. Thank you, Father, for creating this man and allowing me to know him. Too, too, too many blessings of friendship this year. Here are some of my favorite memories from these incredible friendships I have. [Hint: click on the picture to read about the great times I had with these people]
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December 2022
I'm guessing I'll have it all figured out by the time I turn 30.
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