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 grand canyon adventure!

how and why it's taken 30 years for me to get here, i have no idea :) while visiting nevada with no real plans other than to spend quality time with some special people i love the most, we ended up making the drive to arizona to explore the southern grand canyon rim. it was absolutely breathtaking! these photos don't do justice for how incredibly amazing it really was to take in... and i would've been perfectly at peace getting lost here. yes, i'll be back.

"a mind that is stretched by new experiences
can never go back to its old dimensions."

wild is the music of aumtunal winds amongst the faded woods...

"come said the leaves to the wind one day. come o'er the meadows and we will play. put on your dresses, scarlet and gold, for summer is gone...

 and the days grow cold."

...took a little road hunting detour on wisconsin's old logging roads in north country; don't let the dress fool you. today was a good day! ;D where else can you hunt partridge, have it breasted in a matter of minutes and have your protein all set for dinner? #sconniegirl #sconnielife <3

FALL... in love.

my kinda eye candy :) this kaleidescope of autumn colors against the bright blue sky was too beautiful not to share! after a scenic trip via the old loggin' roads in north country to visit a friend, i got to spend an afternoon digging culverts... who knew dora the explora was also bob the builder!? hah. yes, any excuse to spend outside is fine by me; heavy machinery is a plus!

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