A Lovely Wedding

Joshua and I drove to Monticello for Betsy and Adam's wedding this morning. They got married in Allerton Park at 10. It was already quite hot, but it was a beautiful day. Betsy looked beautiful and happy, and I was quite jealous of the no-frills, relaxed theme of the entire event. The ceremony lasted less than 10 minutes, followed by enjoying a small cake, and then snapping a few pictures. Many years of happiness to Betsy and Adam!

Enjoying the Weekend

After a full week back at school with students, I was really in the mood to have a fun weekend. Last night Shaun and I visited the Erin Feis festival down by the river. Before making it to the festival, we hit up Billy's Phillys for dinner with Crack Shack ice cream for dessert. Both were delicious. Other stops of the evening included Junction City for art on the boardwalk and another craft fair near the river. Here are a couple pictures from the evening.

Tomorrow we're headed to Monticello for Betsy's wedding. It should be a pretty casual affair, which I think will be nice. The last fun news for this weekend was the delivery of our crab boil pot. Next weekend we'll be making crab, shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes for 30 people, which requires a very large pot. So fun! (Silly, I know, but I just couldn't resist climbing in.)

Back to Work I Go

I'm headed back to school today. Summer vacation is ended, and that's okay. It's time to get back into a routine. Students don't arrive until Wednesday, so two days of meetings to enjoy.

Back from Vacation

We had beautiful weather and lots of fun on our Wisconsin trip this year. Here are a few highlights.

We took the scenic route on the way up and stopped along the way to see the sights.
The Uff-da-Mart in Westby has always intrigued me. It turns out that it's not very exciting afterall, but still a worthwhile stop.

This makes me smile.

A large Catholic church in Dickeyville that has interesting shrines, a gift shop, and a year round basement sale.

Finally in at our destination, with plenty of time on the lake and in Hayward visiting some memorable places.

Going on Vacation

Tomorrow we're leaving for a week of vacation at Joshua's grandparents' house in Wisconsin. This has become a yearly tradition for me, and has always been part of Joshua's life. Lots of time in the sun and on the water await us, so it should be a fun time. Hopefully I'll do a better job of taking pictures this year, so I'll have them to share in a week.

In other news, today I started knitting. I woke up and said, "I'm going to knit!" After a trip to Michael's, I had a beginner's booklet, some yarn, and needles, and I was ready to begin. Several hours of practice later, I think I'm ready to start on a scarf. Not exactly what I had in mind in my knitting dreams, but it seems that lovely sweaters like this one are a bit challenging to begin with. Maybe someday...

Party Time

Last night we hosted a party for a few friends at the split level. Here are some highlights from the evening.

Shaun and I went to Hardee's before the party got started. It had been about 20 years since either one of us had visited a Hardee's, but we were watching TV and a commercial for their new hand breaded chicken fingers came on. Well, the advertising worked, because before we knew it, there we were in Hardee's snacking on some chicken and curly fries. The chicken was not great, but the fries were fantastic. Overall, I wouldn't miss Hardee's if we don't go back for another 20 years.

A little later in the evening, Wes hooked us up with a truckload of snow. He drives the Zamboni at a local ice skating rink, so all we had to do was drive over and shovel after the 9:15 cut. We all had a fun, although wet, time with a snowball fight.

After the snowball fight, karaoke was quite popular. I worked on my singing and dance moves, which honestly, could use some improvement. The gentlemen seemed to enjoy trying on moustaches as well.

Crafting Again

I've been using my time the past couple of weeks to make a few items that will be making their way into my etsy shop. Business has been very slow the past year, probably because I'm not desperate for the money like I was in grad school. That's made me a little lazy when it comes to crafting. I do still enjoy my felt stash, though, so I got back to it.
I think these daisy pincushions are quite cute. I would like to make more in different colors.

I got started early on a few Christmas stockings. I usually sell a few. I especially like the hot pink bow one.

It's a little late for goals for the week, so here are accomplishments for the week.

- The sump pump backup was installed yesterday, a pricey little thing, but totally worth the peace of mind.

- Read a book like a crazy, possessed woman who couldn't put it down.

- Hosting a party tomorrow evening. Stop by!