Spring has finally sprung!

As the old saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers," except when you're from Northern Minnesota and April means a chance of snow while May is spent in anticipation of that one breakthrough day when temps finally rise above 50 degrees. 

To be fair to our great state, we've already had more than a handful of beautiful days, my bronzed shoulders and awkward first tan lines are proof.  And when I say bronzed, I mean finally showing a little bit of tan after several aloe applications. Even if it stings, the first sunburn of the year is always a milestone for me, it symbolizes the start of careless sunny afternoons floating on the lake, windswept hair from boat rides, and cool, smoky bonfire evenings with friends. That's the small-town girl in me, referring to some of my favorite activities in Northern Minnesota.  But, now I'm a city girl, so I'm looking forward to happy hours and late nights on one of the many patios throughout the city, bike rides and walks around the chain of lakes, and Saturday mornings wandering through the farmer's market. 

I've already been to both the Minneapolis and St. Paul Farmer's markets this spring. I prefer the St. Paul market because it's smaller and the vendors are local so I trust all of my purchases are in season, fresh and also supporting a local farmer. On the other hand, I do enjoy the Thursday afternoon "Market on the Mall" when vendors from the Minneapolis Farmer's Market setup on Nicollet Mall, allowing me the perfect excuse for an outdoor lunch.  I recently took advantage of the fresh rhubarb available, spending an afternoon filling my apartment with the aromas of strawberry-rhubarb crisp.

The bright sunshine and longer days have also been advantageous for my indoor herb garden. Some of my herbs are thriving more than others, mostly because I'm situated with Eastern facing windows, but they're all showing signs of new growth. My sweet basil is especially vigorous, allowing me to get creative in the kitchen. My most recent creation were caprese grilled sandwiches.  I began with a demi-baguette and rubbed both sides of the sliced baguette with some raw garlic, to add flavor, and drizzled the bread with olive oil. I then laid down slices of fresh mozzarella, roma tomato, and fresh-picked basil followed by a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of black pepper, kosher salt, and dried rosemary (dried from the rosemary in my herb garden). I then used my cast iron skillet to warm the sandwich, melt the mozzarella cheese and slightly toast the bread. It was full of flavor and an easy weeknight meal, plus I got to utilize my own garden! Living in uptown may restrict me from a big garden, but sometimes you just need to be resourceful and try other methods of gardening.  There are so many neat things out there, why not give one or two a try?!

Now that it is warming up (the temperatures right now are actually resembling summer with the humidity), I'm anxious to create some refreshing cocktails and fresh summer dishes with some of my other herbs, like mint and rosemary. A mojito would really hit the spot right about now! 

Another activity I'm looking forward to as an Uptown girl is bike rides around the Chain of Lakes.  This past weekend, we rented some of the NiceRide bikes,a non-profit bike rental system in the Twin Cities, and peddled our way around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet. About 7 miles total, we started by the Tin Fish on Lake Calhoun and followed the bike path up to William Barry parkway, across to Lake Harriet and around, then back to finish up the loop around Lake Cahoun. We stopped to check out the Lake Harriet Bandshell and grab some refreshments at Bread & Pickle. The weather was fantastic with slight cloud cover and a decent breeze for a pleasant cruise. I'm definitely looking forward to taking advantage of this opportunity again in the near future. The NiceRide system is quite affordable and they have over 170 stations where you can rent and return your bike.  

Our next trip is going to be more extensive, we plan to further explore the Grand Rounds and the beautiful bike trails, traveling from Lake Calhoun over to Minnehaha Falls.  And I know there will be at least one stop along the way at either the Tin Fish or Sea Salt Eatery too! I love that Minneapolis offers the bike trails, it gives those who are less avid bikers the chance to still get out and enjoy without having to worry about navigating busy streets and cars whizzing by. As we rode along Lake Calhoun, I took a few mental notes and added a couple more activities to my summer to do list - I definitely want to check out Wheel Fun Rentals and spend an afternoon on the stand up paddle boards or kayaking around Lake of the Isles. 

As mentioned earlier, another thing I cannot wait for this summer is bonfires.  When I think of bonfires, my mind is immediately drawn to fires on the shore of Lake Vermilion, but once again, I can't have that luxury as readily as I used to and I'm growing to accept that.  And it really isn't so terrible.  We spent last Sunday evening with friends surrounding a small, tame fire in their backyard, roasting marshmallows and indulging in ooey-gooey s'mores.  I must admit, it was rather pleasant not having to swat at ferocious mosquitoes every few minutes. 

I loved waking up the next morning to find my hair still scented with smoke, it was a sure sign that summer is here.  Yes, this summer will be different than my previous summers because I'm working full time, but I'm definitely looking forward to exploring and getting to know my city much more.  Just the same, I am also counting down the days until I can get back home and spend a few days on the lake catching up with family and friends, too! 

Looking back: Under the Tuscan Sun

As promised, this blog is dedicated to one year ago when I embarked on a two week journey through the Tuscan countryside. Post-graduation and pre-real world, this was my last opportunity to take advantage of traveling without having to save up vacation days, well at least for awhile!  This trip taught me that  I definitely possess characteristics of both of my travel companions, mom and dad. For instance, I was always up early with dad writing in my journal and prepping for the day by paging through guidebooks and mapping out our daily itineraries. And from mom, I got a small attention span for in-depth history and a love for nature and beautiful landscapes, especially a fascination for water. Another lesson learned was patience. Mostly, it was patience while navigating our way through foreign freeways and winding country roads.  As I recall, mom found herself sitting quietly in the backseat of our Fiat 500, on more than one occasion, as voices were raised in the front seat. At the end of the day though, we made a pretty great team.

After landing in Rome, we made our way deep into the heart of Tuscany to Agriturismo Banditella. La Banditella was an Italian version of a cottage set on a working vineyard and olive oil farm. To be considered an agriturismo, the family must make more in farm revenue than hospitality revenue, a unique experience I learned about while staying in Switzerland.  We settled into our cottage, Il Roseto, and familiarized ourselves with the family that owned Banditella. The head of the house and chef extraordinaire, Paolo, immediately stole our hearts with his smile, warm greeting, and genuine hospitality. 

Our first full day began in the nearest town (more like a village) of Cinigiano (pronounced chin-e-gee-on-o) at the local market.  The town was bustling was little, old Italian women demanding which bunch of carrots they wanted while all the men sat watching and smoking their cigars. We joined in, selected some porketta, a baguette and a milder tasting fromage (cheese) for a fresh, farmers market lunch. 

After a delicious, rustic lunch, we made our way through the winding roads and switchbacks up to Monte Amiata, the largest lava dome in Southern Tuscany.  We continued on in search of one of the many hot springs sprinkled through the area. Our noses, filled with a strong sulphur scent indicated we had arrived, but it took the guidance of some local teens to get us directly to Saturnia.  The mineral pools, with their warm, pounding water and steam, made me feel as if I were receiving a sophisticated spa treatment. 

In the next couple of days, we familiarized ourselves with the area and put many kilometers on our Fiat 500. We ventured to the sea, driving through the Maremma nature preserve and up the coast. We also visited a local farm, Vegni e Medaglino, a producer of wine and olive oil. We were treated to a personalized tour and tasting session with each of their wines, grape jelly, and olive oil.  After taking a "Vines and Wines" course at the U of M, I appreciated the opportunity to interact and have an intelligent conversation with an authentic Italian wine producer. Following our tasting and a bit of a walk around Castel Porrona, we settled on a lazy afternoon by the pool. 

We continued our tour of Tuscany and it's hillside villages with a day trip to Siena. As we found ourselves suddenly upon the Piazza il Campo, I was in awe. I had to take a minute to gather my thoughts and appreciate the stunning architecture, rich history and vastness. We grabbed a bite to eat on the piazza before heading up into one of the 17 different contrade (city wards all stemming off the piazza, each with it's own symbol). We mosied through shops, stood in wonder at that Romanesque-Gothic Duomo, and found ourselves ending the afternoon with a gelato back at piazza looking out towards the Palazzo Pubblico. 

Firenze, or Florence, was next up on the agenda.  We'd planned ahead and this was day one of a split two day excursion.  It was a rather quick drive with limited curvy roads and mostly freeways. We parked the Fiat 500 on the outskirts of town and rode the bus into the heart of Firenze. The first sight as we stepped off the bus was the Ponte Vecchio, an inconic sight on the Arno River. We walked along the river into the city center, taking a stop at the Galleria Uffizi to purchase reserved tickets for tours on our next visit, I'd recommend this to anyone planning a visit as it saved us a ton of time and we avoided long queues. 

We wandered through the streets coming across Plaza Vecchio (original site of "the David"), Piazza del Republic and finally reached the Duomo and Baptistery. Both structures were astonishing works of art and architecture with their intricate carvings, marble facade, gold plated doors and the stunning dome on the cathedral. Dad climbed the top of the clock tower for some stunning aerial views of the city, while mom and I grabbed lunch. We continued on to cross the Ponte Vecchio, stopping to admire each of the gold and silver shops that line the bridge, on our way to Pitti Palace, home to the 16th century dukes of Tuscany and Florence, the Medici family. Behind the palace sat the Boboli Gardens, a collection of formal Italian gardens and sculptures.  We wandered through the maze of hedges and soaked up the sun until the gardens closed and we realized our first day in Florence was nearing an end, so back to Banditella for a late night meal. 

Rome, which was not built in a day was also tough to squeeze into one day, but we tried.  It was an early morning train ride into the city, and the slightly unreliable transit system already caused us to be delayed, but we managed to make our way to the Vatican before the line grew too long. We toured the Vatican Museum seeing wonders from across the world (my favorite, the Hall of Maps), stood in silent awe and wonder at Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, and watched as St. Peter's Basilica was prepped for an address by Pope (Papa as the Italians referred to him) Francis. 

We then wandered the Via Contraddi, a line of high end shops, each with a well-dressed tall, dark and handsome Italian man standing ready to greet you, on our way to the Spanish Steps.  We spent a few minutes on the steps sampling some roasted chestnuts (a delicacy the Italians work hard to pick before the wild boars snag them in the fall) and people watching while allowing our feet a quick rest. A few minutes later, we pulled the map out and guided ourselves in the direction of Trevi Fountain, something I've longed to see since seeing photos from my sister's first trip to Rome. I posed for photos and also tossed a coin over my shoulder, as all tourists do. I only threw one, which legend claims is a hope for coming back to Rome, while two is the hope to find love. At that time, I had one thing on my mind, going back to Italy. I guess I lucked out though, because I found someone who loves to travel just as much as I do!

As if we hadn't crammed enough of Rome in yet, we continued on towards the Colosseum.  Yet again, another fascinating and impressive exhibit of Roman architecture.  Due to time constraints and still hoping to walk the via Appia, we opted to skip the inside, however, that just gives me all the more reason to go back!  The via Appia, or Appian Way, was the earliest and most strategic of Roman roads (also where the phrase "all roads lead to Rome" stemmed from), and is notably said to have been the location of where Jesus appeared to St. Peter. Of course, as the one thing that dad wanted to see most, the dwindling sunlight and confusing directions prevented us from landing on the exact spot. As consolation, we did find some of the orginial stones outside the colosseum.  Finally, after some major travel delays (again as a result of the poor transit system in Rome) and being gone for nearly 24 hours, we were back at a Banditella and spent the next day sleeping.

Back at Banditella, we were nearing the end of our two weeks, and Paolo had a farewell meal planned for us.  As I mentioned earlier, hospitality is top rate and this is a custom for all guests. Paolo, a renowned chef, loved to cook but loved to share his cooking even more. I wished we would have been able to take a cooking class with him, but maybe next time! Our meal began with a special labelled Banditella red wine and a platter of antipasto (assortment of pickled vegetables), salami, prosciutto and bread. Next was homemade pizza, we sampled both mozzarella as well as sausage and broccoli rabe, both delizioso of course! We paused for a mid-meal shot of grappa, the leftover skins from winemaking fermented into alcohol, with some other guests at the table. We continued on with a small salad dressed in a white wine vinaigrette accompanied by a grilled pork sausage.  And last, definitely not least, our dessert was a cream puff drowning in a sea of rich chocolate sauce complete with an after dinner cup of espresso.  And not to forget, the limoncello, homemade with lemons from Capri, was passed around two or three times at least! 

Our final days were drawing near and we had one last excursion to Florence plus a trip to the sea on the agenda. We had pre-purchased our tickets for both the Uffizi and Accademia galleries, so thankfully we didn't waste any time in queue.  Both galleries were wonderful, I'm glad I've seen them, however, I grew tired of seeing the same scene depicted in different ways over and over. I've definitely had my fair share of "Madonna and Baby Jesus" portraits, and I much prefer depictions on landscapes, like those of Monet and Renoir that I was delighted to at Musee d'Orsay in Paris. However, I could not take my eyes of Micheangelo's famed piece, "David."  Standing 17 feet in the air, his timid eyes and rock hard abs had me continually wandering back for another look.  Another noteworthy place to mention from our final day in Florence was Cafe Nerbone in the Market Centrale. I highly recommend the porchetta sandwich to anyone who may find themselves in Firenze for the day. Delizioso! 

Hopefully I haven't lost your attention just yet, because our last day was my favorite. We hopped in the Fiat 500 for one last exploration, this time selecting the Tyrrhenian Sea as our destination. We arrived in the coastal town of Porto San Stefano, which to our surprise was quite empty, tourist season had not yet begun. We seated ourselves at a little cafe with a seaside view, and shared a couple of pasta and fish dishes. After lunch, we meandered through the quiet town and snapped ample photos of the sea.  However, no photo could truly capture it's beauty, like a box of azul crayons spilled out, exhibiting its turquoise, seafoam and cobalt hues in the water. After a quick stop for gelato, we opted for a dip into the sea. It was surprisingly warm, as we bobbed up and down, allowing the surf to toss us around. 

We spent our last evening back in Rome at a hotel right on the sea and prepped for our trip home. I'm so thankful I was able to have this experience and I'm excited that I am able to share it, one year later, with you. And by the way, I already have a new list of things to see when I return! 

Boston: The Walking City

I, as well as my blistered feet, can definitely attest that "the Walking City" is a fitting and accurate nickname for Boston.  My calves are tight and my body aches with the pains of a satisfying long weekend seeing the sights and checking off another destination on my must-see travel list. It's the best kind of hurt though, because along with the sore muscles, memories were made and experiences were added my travel repertoire. 

Enough of my post-travel woes, let's get to good stuff! Our trip began on an early, cloudy Friday morning. We arrived safely in Boston after a quick flight, and I was a bit disappointed by the immediate chill I felt as the outside doors opened. Oh well, as an experienced traveler, I just added another layer to my outfit! We easily navigated the T, Boston's metro transit subway system, and checked into our hotel. We had penciled out a general itinerary prior to our arrival and Harvard Square was first on the list. We grabbed a quick lunch at Felipe's Taqueria, in the midst of a bustling Harvard Square. It was sprinkling but that didn't seem to bother anyone as seemingly sophisticated students and distinguished professors scurried through the streets with their Hunter wellies and Burberry umbrellas. 

As a group of recent college grads, of course we had to check out the Harvard campus and Harvard yard. And of course, it was absolutely beautiful. Stemming from years as a design and horticulture student, I absolutely loved the picturesque campus with its classic brick buildings accented by abundant cherry blossoms and other spring blooms. 

Next up, Little Italy. Our group had one destination in mind: Mike's Pastry. Numerous travel blogs and "must-see" Boston lists boasted this as the destination for the "best" cannolis around. Well, I'm partial to Presti's Bakery in Cleveland's Little Italy and of course Italy itself, but I must say, Mike's did not disappoint. I had a chocolate mousse cannoli and also snagged a few tastes of Mitch's peanut butter cannoli, too. Yum! 

The North End, especially the Little Italy neighborhood proved to be on the top of my Boston favorites list.  The locals had the thickest and best Boston accents. We continued to wander the North End and portions of the Freedom Trail, leading us to Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market, or as the locals pronounce it, Quinn-zey market. Similar to most open-air/ market halls I've been to, it was filled was a mixture of local eateries, modern shops and street vendors. We mosied through a few shops and continued onto the Inner Harbor and Charles River. It was a bit of the gloomy day and all of the sail boats were resting peacefully on the calm water.

That evening, we met up with a friend who now calls Boston home, and hopped back on the T in the direction of Brighton.  Mitch has some other friends in Boston that he met while studying abroad a few years back and they recommended we get together at Roggies, a beer and pizza joint near the Boston College campus. I think I've now had enough culinary experience to classify myself as a foodie, on the most elementary of levels I'm sure, but still I love food and I'm always willing to try something new while also critiquing my favorite takes on the classics. In my opinion, pizza is pretty hard to mess up but it is, however, difficult to stand out. With so many options, how can you differentiate the best of the best? Well, I certainly found a new contender for my best pizza joint list - the Sicilian at Roggies. It was a mix between authentic Italian flavors and Chicago- style deep dish with capicola, fresh mozzarella, spinach and prosciutto. Even better, served up with a cheap beer, a college atmosphere, and great friends both new and old. And did I mention we got to watch the MN Wild take a game 4 victory to tie up the series with Chicago, too?!

Saturday morning began with breakfast at an East Coast staple, Dunkin Donuts. I failed to get the true experience as I chose an OJ and breakfast sandwich over the normal donut and coffee. Oh well, I knew I needed a solid base for the Sam Adams Brewery tour up next. Settled in a hip, artsy area, the Sam Adams brewery was much smaller than expected. Rather than a tour, it felt more like a lesson on how beer was made, which I already knew from ample tours around MN and WI. Slightly disappointed, at least the tasting was fun and interactive. Leinekugel's still holds the too spot on my brewery tour list, and I hope to visit Chippewa Falls again this summer. Our next stop was Fenway Park because what better combination is there than beer and baseball?

As a die-hard hockey fan, I think of baseball as an excuse to day drink, eat hotdogs and get a good tan from the cheap seats while only maybe seeing one inning of the entire game. But, I'll admit learning more about the oldest ballpark in America was pretty cool. 

Morry, our enthusiastic tour guide, did a fantastic job. He kept my attention the whole time with fun facts and the intriguing history of Fenway. We got to tour the park, see the visiting locker room and have a seat in the press box.  

It had turned into a beautiful, warm and sunny afternoon so we took advice from our Boston dwelling  friend and walked from Fenway up to the Beacon Hill neighborhood. We strolled down Newbury Street, a bustling hub of window shoppers and big spenders alike. I admired the displays from afar and only stopped for scoop of Ben & Jerrys turtle cheesecake ice cream. I'll need to work a few more years before I can grace the doors of these boutique shops like Chanel, Vera Wang and Burberry! At the end of Newbury Street sits the Boston Public Garden, which was in full bloom.  Unfortunately, our wandering the streets caused us to miss the swan boats, but I still ogled at the pristine landscape, perfectly manicured with vibrant bulbs and flowering foliage. 

We only spent a few minutes in the garden, I didn't want to make the rest of the group suffer through my love of landscapes.  Instead, I happily joined them in moving along to the Beacon Hill area. If I were a Boston native, I'd dream of living in one of the perfectly kept hillside residences on Beacon Hill. The colorful blooming window boxes set on a backdrop of classic brick, black shutters and white trim with stately columns surrounding the entries had me rethinking my dream home. 

Besides the perfect facade, the cobblestone sidewalks shifting from deep rooted trees completed the look for me. They also accentuated the feel as my legs began to burn when we continued our climb up Beacon Hill.  After a busy day on our feet, it was back to the hotel to rest and freshen up. A sudden violent downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning kept us snuggled under the blankets until it cleared it up. Once the rain had passed, we headed into Boston towards the harbor.  We only had one thing in mind: seafood. After a bit of research, skimming through yelp reviews and asking the locals, we decided on the Barking Crab. Set on the waterfront, the Barking Crab's casual atmosphere complete with plasticware and picnic tables, was well worth the price for some of the freshest seafood in town. 

Mitch and I have mastered the art of sharing when it comes to dinner. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I like to try a variety of dishes at any new and noteworthy restaurants we check out and this was no different.  He ordered the clambake for one and I chose the Pacific Dungeness crab legs. We started out with a cup of chowder (pronunciation: chowdah) to share. Up next a platter filled with a 1.25 lb boiled lobster, steamed clams, boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, chorizo and coleslaw, plus my plate with 1.5 lb. of crab legs. Not to mention, enough butter to clog an artery or two. 

After a delicious dinner, we strolled along the Harbor walk and took in the Boston night skyline and saw the site of the Boston Tea Party.  Heavy raindrops cut our walk short and sent us back to the T and up to Central Square for a couple drinks. We went to the People's Republic, a Russian pub, in Cambridge and sampled some East Coast brews. I had a Mayflower Stout, not sure if I liked the name or the beer more. We only stayed for a few, as the exhaustion was setting in and we had a big Sunday planned.  

We began Sunday morning with brunch at a little cafe just outside the public garden. It was tasty, but nothing to noteworthy to report. We then stepped out into the sunshine and embarked on our journey along the Freedom Trail. First stop, the Massachusetts State House followed by the Granary Burying Grounds, the site of Paul Revere's grave. Up next the Old South Meeting House, Old State House and the site of the Boston massacre. We moved along rather steadily through this area and the Faneuil Hall area, as we'd already seen most of it on Friday. 

Next, we crossed back over to the North End and Paul Revere's House onto the Old North Church. Which in the famous words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was the site of the "one if by land, two if by sea" warning lantern. It was definitely interesting to be in an urban area so rich with our nation's history. Afterwards, we crossed the Charles River and headed towards the Charlestown Navy Yard. Here sits the USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides", which is the country's oldest commissioned warship afloat. We stepped aboard and checked it out, going down two levels below deck, and I quickly realized this definitely wasn't something I could have done. First off, I'm too tall and secondly I appreciate my wide open spaces. We also looked around the USS Cassis Young, a destroyer used during World War II. 

All of this military history made me miss home, dad would absolutely love the Freedom Trail and all of it's treasures. Out final destination was the Bunker Hill Monument which was created to commemorate the battle at Bunker Hill. At a total of 294 steps to the top, I regret to inform, I only made it up over half the way. My knee and my exhausted legs simply failed me and I turned back around and joined the part of our group back on the hill. The guys made it to the top though, and I heard it was an impressive view. By this time, my sun-soaked shoulders and tired feet were realizing the trip was drawing to an end. I was ready to head back to the airport. One last stop in Harvard Square for a quick sandwich at Grendel's Den, then off to Logan International. After a little airport excitement, a turbulent ride home, and a late night, it was finally back to MSP. 

Another destination is crossed off my list and for that I am thankful. But as always, it just creates an ever-growing thirst for more. It's a great big world and I can't wait to continue exploring it! 

Back in the Saddle

A close friend reminded me this past weekend that I used to have a blog.  Now I had not completely forgotten about An Afternoon in the Garden, but unfortunately the posts began to dwindle and eventually ceased as I returned to my senior year at the Univeristy of Minneosta.  And, now almost a year after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Horiculture, I am grateful for that reminder. This friend, whom I haven't seen in too long either, reminded me of how much she enjoyed keeping up with my travels and experiences. And it was in that instant, when I realized people had actually been reading, that I decided it was time to put the pen to the paper once again (figuratively of course, as I ferociously peck at my iPad keyboard).  For my first post, I will play catch up and summarize the highlights of the past year and a half, and for your sake I will try my best to keep it short & sweet!

The excitement began almost exactly a year ago, as I crossed the stage at Mariucci Arena to accept my diploma and officially call the University of Minnesota my alma mater, it was a proud day for this Golden Gopher! I didn't have a job lined up yet, but at that point, I was more concerned with my two week vacation to Italy.

I could dedicate seven blogs to my two weeks Under the Tuscan Sun, but since I failed to continue my prior blog, I'll have to limit it to just one post. You can look forward to that in the weeks to come.  For those of you who know me well, it will be the perfect excuse to fuel my nostalgic tendancies! For now, I'll leave you with one of my favorite photos as a teaser for what's to come!

As today marks my nine month anniversary of joining the big kid world, it's only fitting that my next highlight is that daunting task of figuring out what to do with my life. I could only escape it for so long, it would inevitably be waiting for me when I returned home from holiday. Between the search and catching up on my Netflix recently added TV series, I was also blessed with a few other important tasks. Two special people in my life got married last August and I had the privilege in assisting with planning, preparation and execution of their special day.  Needless to say, I loved every minute of it and it definitely solidified my aspirations to become an event planner. I think one of my favorite parts was making our yard look like a real live Pinterest board! 

And since they are probably the only people reading the start up of my new blog, I must give lots of credit to mom and dad for all of their help, too! Planning and excitement aside, I was happy to also accept an offer working as an executive assistant at a firm in Downtown Minneapolis.  I am very happy to say that my job consists of event planning and execution, so I can continue to learn and expand my experiences to assist with my future career aspirations. 

With a new, big-kid job, it was also time to move on from the U of M St. Paul campus and upgrade to my own apartment in Uptown.  I absolutely love living in such a fun, vibrant community with lots of different dining, recreation and entertainment options all within in walking distance. My bank account may not be so appreciative, but I'm definitely taking advantage of it all while I'm still at this point in my life. Not to worry, you can live vicariously through my adventures too! Since summer is finally approaching, I can assure you there will be plenty to share. And, I absolutely love my apartment with it's 100 year old charm, creaking hardwood floors, rattling windows, and lack of air conditioning. I've definitely made it my own little oasis - again with the help of my parents and multiple trips up and down the stairs.

Next up, another wedding. And this time, I was in charge of the flowers, an absolute passion of mine. This was my first big job, and I was nervous, but I welcomed the opportunity to help a friend out and excercise my creativity. After all, I did spend four years studying for a degree in Horticulture and my job doesn't necessarily focus on it (except when someone wants to know why the office plants are dying!). I hope there is more to come on this subject in the future! Until then, I'll settle on flowers as a hobby. 

Up next were the holidays, which were cherished surrounded by family. For me, this holiday season was extra special, as it was the last to treasure with my grandma. It was a tough time, but I know she's looking down on us now, and I bet she's proud that I started this up again. She always loved keeping tabs on the grandkids and always knowing exactly what we were up to. 

And of course, last but definitely not least, I have been extremely blessed to have met someone very special to me to share a lot of these memories with. I can't wait for many more memories and adventures together. In fact, we're hopping on a plane on Friday to head East to the home of "cawlidge hockey." For those of you who haven't seen Miracle over 100 times, like we have, that's Boston. 

So, as I find myself at a natural break it's time to wrap up my favorite recollections from the last year.  I've missed plenty, but there's also plenty more to look forward to. I hope you are just as excited as I am to explore the world (near and far) with me! Up next, bean town.