my wisconsin winter wonderland!

...there's never really such a thing as bad weather in northcentral wisconsin :) just different types of GREAT weather to embrace! we've had a pretty mild winter so far this year, so it's only natural to take advantage of the hoodie-appropriate temperatures - here, it's anything above zero degrees farenheit, lols - and enjoy the cool crisp air under the bright blue skies! yes, today was definitely a treat considering it has been nothing short of a gloomy season!

snowshoeing, just another way to get outdoors and inhale! i am truly blessed to be surrounded by such awesomeness year round. there's just something so humbling about the untouched wilderness that pulls at my spirit! :) it's not lucky people who are grateful, but grateful people who are lucky. om.

oh, the beautiful the red rock canyon...

as much as i am a sconnie girl at heart and love the 4 seasons here in wisconsin, after a trip out west... i think i could be a desert girl too! mother nature has yet ceased to amaze me. same feeling of wholeness, different landscape... but nonetheless, still definitely my kind of wanderful! :) divide, conquer, exhale. repeat. i continue to look forward to the rest of my life!

"sometimes
you find yourself in the
middle of nowhere.
sometimes
it's in the middle of nowhere
you find yourself."

a long weekend at the cabin on the lake..!

...yet another fabulous and fun weekend with my favorite people up north! during this long labor day weekend, it was really nice to enjoy some r&r, fun on the water and cold beers (with a side of LAKE) under the northwoods sun in lac du flambeau, wisconsin! i really do love unplugging and enjoying the company of great friends; there may be no wifi, but i find a better connection. :)

camping with my favorite people!

with 4 brothers and 4 sisters, it's not an exaggeration when i say i have a huge family! throw in all the nieces and nephews (nancy, cassandra, elyjah, annabella, kassie, jadeleen, dominic, madison, aviana, nalana and hazel) and it makes for... very expensive christmases, to say the least! haha, jk. :)

as each and every one of us is growing up, moving away and starting new chapters in our lives... we still try our best to make it a point and get together for our annual family camping trip (as well as all major holidays). this year's destination was high cliff state park - on the northshore of wisconsin's largest inland lake, lake winnebago. we spent 3 days and 2 nights out there and, like always, the trip mirrored my family's personality exactly; great times, serious eats and lots of laughs! i'm blessed.

during our family nature hike, my niece maddie and i started collecting a "rainbow'quet" for her scrapbook! the goal was to put together a bouquet consisting of elements of each color of the rainbow representative of wisconsin foliage - and what an accomplishment it was! <3 i love that it's these little experiences i can have with her that her big heart will always remember!

...we even spotted a leaf bug, whoa! such a neat little creature! ;D

best auntie, ever! haha.

after we cleaned out an under utilized workspace behind the garage... my niece and i got inspired and decided to spend a day styling it into a cozy hangout for her and her friends. needless to say, after a day of successful thrifting, it turned out AWESOME! ;D she loves it and therefore i'm the happiest auntie in the world right now! <3

happy july 4th!

what an awesome holiday weekend spent on the lake. the weather was absolutely perfect to spend outdoors and enjoyed under the sun in westcentral wisconsin. not to mention, it was definitely a great bonding experience with my niece and i was glad i could expose her to a little of my world... and i have the amazing judd who hosted "the best weekend ever," to thank for it all. :)

the icing on the cake, though? my 16 year old niece caught her first fish - and even had the opportunity to enjoy more off the dock during down time. although nothing substantial, this auntie is still proud and hoping another fishergirl was born! yep.

from fishing to tubing, waterskiing to cliff jumping and kneeboarding to kayaking - we had an absolute blast! thanks again, judd, i do wholeheartedly appreciate your patience and time in having us over and keeping us more than entertained the entire stay... even amidst your already very busy weekend hosting other guests, preparing for the pontoon parade, and throwing your j4th party! good times with good people :) there's nothing better. well, maybe catching big toothy creatures too! haha, jk.

summer weddings...

congratulations to the newlyweds... desirae and garrett! <3  it was the perfect day to have an outdoor wedding in central wisconsin against the big eau pleine resevoir as your backdrop! i loved everything about it and had a great time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones! wishing you both and the girls nothing, but the absolute best! thank you for including me in on your special day. it was beautiful!

birthday dinner with the girlfriends!

several girlfriends' birthdays fell closely together at the end of this month, so we decided to celebrate them all over a nice dinner at our local back when cafe.

friends really are the sisters you get to choose and although i can't believe it's been 15 years, i'm looking forward to so many more years with you all!

as i was going through the menu of calamari and lambchops, i couldn't help but notice the ribs featured; special shout out to my dear friend chef larry raymond, the man behind sweet baby ray's bbq sauce! <3 i couldn't not try it!

enjoyed a great evening over laughs with the best ribs in town and libations before a fun night out downtown with some of the best friends a gal could ask for! happy birthday, ladies... love you all to the stars and beyond!

it's a hmong-inspired babyshower!

congratulations s&k! what a fabulous hmong-inspired babyshower welcoming baby boy bentley! from the prizes of framed prints (by our homegrown artist, lor lauj) to the sivceeb details and choice of decor throughout the event... everything, from the smallest details was executed perfectly and it couldn't have been a funner time! i love you guys! can't wait to meet baby!