Duly Noted

***(I wrote this but forgot to publish.  I must have been distracted by a little love nut.  Better late than never.) Yesterday, I turned 29 but for a minute, I thought I was 30 and I was totally okay with that. For the last three years and forevermore, my birthday shares the same day as our wedding anniversary.  As my brother in law put it, "Happy Biversary!" July 24th is certainly a date for the record books.  This year, Mike and I fondly reflected on my last three birthdays and anniversaries. First, our wedding day. Then, our epic 50 mile bike ride followed by a three course dinner at Muffuletta's. And then...our discovery in a bed and breakfast overlooking the Duomo in Florence Italy in 2012. This year, we kept things simple.  A picnic in the park.  Perusing vintage finds at neighborhood shop.  An evening bike ride to dinner at Muffuletta's. And lots of smiling with our little darling boy. And...apparently...we didn't ta...

The self-congratulatory holiday letter.  Did everyone write individual cards by hand until the era of copiers and printers?  I suppose the holiday letter is considered a time saver as composing thirty plus letters before Christmas is an undeniably daunting task.  Additionally, I've been told most people can't even read cursive anymore, so handwritten letters are an effort in vain. I am a sucker for handwritten letters.  Over the years, I have read and re-read published letter collections of authors and cultural icons.  I head down to the basement to read my Grandpa Len's letters and prolific journals every time I visit my parents.  I imagine these writers at their desks in pools of warm light as night colors rise in the sky and their loved ones fiddle with pots and pans in the kitchen.   Mike teased me about my holiday letter conundrum.   "Nothing to be stressed about."   "I'm not stressed- I just want to say something...

Slowly getting back into the groove after wireless and incredible ten day honeymoon. Over the next weeks, I will provide a smattering of glimpses into our magical and love-filled wedding week! Custom-made clutches courtesy of AtelierEdytaLoukia on Etsy . The silk flowers matched the bridesmaid dresses perfectly! (Sunglasses courtesy of Urban Outfitters!)

After an early morning 14 miler with some friends who are training for the Twin Cities Marathon, I gave myself a little pep talk and headed off to do ERRANDS! Woot. The best kind - paper shopping and grocery shopping ala trader joes. One of the best thing about Trader Joe's is the line up of enticing flowers at the entrance. I am typically pulled to the bright colored blooms, but today, I eyed a smart lady pick up a bushel of eucalyptus and a bundle of lavender. Brilliant! I grabbed a few packs and filled several vases around the apartment. I haven't left the apartment yet, but I am hoping that when I reenter, the wild branches will bring me back to running Owl Trail along the Pacific coastline. Later in the afternoon, Mike and I rearranged furniture and CLEANED! Our wedding entourage (ie. friends and family) begin arriving tomorrow! We actually had a pretty nice time of it. And, the apartment looks just lovely if you ask me. We spent our last night as an unmarried co...

Handmade clutch by a designer in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. So pretty!

Our very first CSA share. Lots of salad greens of all varieties. So far, we've all the spring greens, romaine, oakleaf lettuce, and arugula, but the bok choy and some other kind of spicy lettuce is awaiting the proper recipe. Suggestions? As a former CSA farm intern and a ranch intern, I have some wild notions about the need to wash vegetables immediately. The way I see it is that if you wash and dry right away, and then store in inviting fridge containers, you are more likely to grab that bucket of lettuce and run with it. Alas, without a salad spinner, the washing and drying process calls for some creativity. Later that night, wedding invitation assembly and addressing! Mike assembled, I addressed. What a team. Since I used pretty wet ink for little heart stamp on the envelope, the final invite package needed drying space as well. Again, with no tables left to cover due to the greens amounts, further inspiration was required. I will post the interior invitations and rsvp...

Beautiful, Pennsylvania Dutch themed shower invitations created by my soon-to-be family! Baka's array of Serbian cakes and desserts. She is incredible. All transported from Milwaukee to Chicago the morning of the shower. Crate and Barrel sunny apron! Max, the family dog, models Rachel's new dog camping backpack. He's jealous.

Well, things are certainly on the up-swing wedding-wise! The checklist is starting to focus on details instead of the central drivers. Just this week, we met and contracted the most natural fit photographer, Scott Streble . His studio is in Northeast Minneapolis in this great old warehouse. Mike and I had quite an adventure figuring out the freight elevator. From his massive PEZ wall to his candid, photo-journalist style, it was immediately clear that Scott fit the bill. And! After waiting four months, my wedding dress arrived! And yes, it is as gorgeous, more gorgeous, than I remember. The ladies at l'atelier couture are just lovely. This is the precious e-postcard I received last week: Also, new bridesmaid dresses... Pansy for my beautiful bridesmaids: And, wisteria for my lovely sister: Okay, and just so you are convinced that I haven't fallen headfirst into the over-the-top world of wedding planning, I am sharing with you a quite hard-core (well, about as hardcore...