tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27923465632959178332024-03-04T20:28:32.284-08:00Kelly B, JDKelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.comBlogger307125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-28396234674930382842015-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:002015-09-08T06:00:07.518-07:00NEW SEASONS<br />
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I couldn't even tally the number of hours I've spent in coffee shops over the duration of my educational career. Once that ended, and I landed my first law gig, I would sometimes head to a coffee shop to work on a brief. Most recently, I'd head to a coffee shop to hammer out some job applications. I sent M to the lake with the boys this weekend and headed downtown to the trendy "North Loop" part of Minneapolis to a new coffee shop for some pure, unadulterated ME time. </div>
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No homework.</div>
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No work. </div>
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No job applications. </div>
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And here I find myself in this space again. The space being, this blog. I find that when I'm off kilter in certain areas of my life, I have the tendency to stall out in others. Two weeks ago, I started a new job. Without getting into the details- not because I'm a vague blogger, but because I'm a professional- it was both an easy and incredibly hard decision. I knew it needed to happen, but once the wheels were in motion, I was looking for the brakes. I recall a moment on my 2nd day of work at the new job having at total panic attack that I'd made the wrong decision. It's more unsettling for me to have unsettled feelings because usually when I make a decision, I commit to it- paint color, furniture. I'm not a waffler. </div>
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The moment passed, and at the end of my second week, I feel confident that I can say I will really love this job. It's a 180 from what I was doing: practicing in state and federal courts across the country; to primarily Minnesota based, administrative law. Plaintiff's work; to defense. 6 attorneys; to 14 attorneys. It turns out, the things I thought I would like and would value fresh out of law school, are not the things I found myself loving. Maybe I'm not cut out for the stress and anticipation of 2+ week jury trials in federal court. Maybe I can't handle Plaintiff's work..not because I don't want to help people, but because I would carry their stress, their case, home with me. </div>
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I have no idea if I'll find myself missing some of those things. I still have components of that type of civil litigation in what I'll be doing now- just on a smaller scale. 90 minute depositions instead of 7 hour marathons. 1-2 day trials instead of 1-2 weeks. But I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. Right here, right now, I'm feeling at peace and happy and excited about my decision. I miss my old coworkers terribly.. but the wonderful thing about the small legal community in MN is that everything circles back around, and I'm confident in the friendships we made. </div>
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Totally unrelated thought, and I feel no shame in saying this either because it's so much more than cliche blog fodder for me, but I can't wait for fall. Summers in MN can run you ragged because everybody wants to do ALL THE THINGS ALL THE TIME. It's fun, but my late August illness told me my body is so sleepy. I've always loved school, and I played tennis in the fall, so for me- fall always symbolized the start of a new year. </div>
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So, chalk that up the most I'll probably ever write about work ever again on the blog.. but it needed to be said. With billable hours come less free time during the week to poke around on blogs or start a draft of my own.. but I'm hoping this season of "new" - new job, new season- will help me find balance and come back here more. </div>
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Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-48585761051518453372015-08-19T06:00:00.000-07:002015-08-19T06:00:01.083-07:00COEUR D' ALENE<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<i><b><u>Sleep</u></b>: <a href="http://www.greenbriarlodging.com/">The Greenbriar Inn</a> - 315 E. Wallace Ave, Coeur d'Alene, ID {bed and breakfast a few blocks outside of downtown, still within walking distance- also the location of 315 Martini and Tapas bar- which isn't open Sunday-Monday, so make sure you stay here or spend time in CDA when they are!} </i></div>
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<i><b><u>Eat</u></b>: <a href="http://www.315martinisandtapas.com/">315 Martini and Tapas</a> {inside the Greenbriar, I can't speak to the martinis but the TAPAS.. omg. So creative, so damn delicious. My favorite were the chicken curry cakes with a spicy aoli sauce of some sort} </i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.thecellarcda.com/">The Cellar</a> {I want to chalk up the really weird/bad customer service we had here to it being an 'off' night because the food was outstanding- I had a gnocchi and M housed a giant bowl of paella and declared it the best he ever had- worth chancing some maybe suspect customer service for the food! They also have a cool wine pour area where you can buy a refillable card and sample a ton of wines}</i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.fireartisanpizza.com/">Fire</a> {Artisan pizza in a brick fired oven- lots of variety, tasty, a good casual spot for the artisan pizza lover}</i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.craftedtaphouse.com/">Crafted Taphouse</a> {fantastic place for a burger and a beer- with a twist. Their "OG" menu is, as promised, very original. I had the tacos and M had the chicken and waffles (you can see the literal tower of them below)- also a really awesome indoor/outdoor seating, so try to go on a nice day to enjoy the patio!}</i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jun/20/the-garnet-cafe-a-breakfast-gem-in-coeur-dalene/">The Garnet Cafe</a> {just a really good old fashioned greasy american breakfast- but with local, sustainable, organic fare. Gotta love the PNW} </i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.cdaresort.com/discover/dining/whispers">Whispers Lounge </a>{inside the CDA Resort, great spot for a hand crafted cocktail. The first night we went there I was exhausted and got coffee- but the second time I was alert and ordered the huckleberry cocktail- so. damn. good, and I don't like hard alcohol. They also have a really nice patio with a glass wind shield where you can enjoy the sunset over the lake}</i></div>
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<i><b><u>See</u></b>: <a href="https://www.lakecoeurdalene.com/on-the-water/parks-and-recreation/mineral-ridge-scenic-trail/">Mineral Ridge</a> {the photos I found everywhere of this hike sucked, but the views were spectacular. It's a bunch of switchbacks up a hill, but the nice part is the 3 mile loop doesn't backtrack at all, so the "exit" back down to the parking lot is still all "new" territory (and shorter- most of the hike is the trek up, the trek down is only another .5 mile or so) - pretty drive to the area too, and may be worth cruising along the scenic byway if you have time}</i></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.cdaid.org/763/departments/parks/all-parks/tubbs-hill">Tubb's Hill</a> {Again, the photos of this hike weren't great, and I put it on my list simply because I hadn't found a ton of other things to "plan" but it was so much more than an afterthought. Tubb's is located right in downtown off the big park by the water and follows the ridge out into the lake. It's convenient, not a tough hike by any means, and again- really beautiful} </i></div>
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<i>Downtown CDA {really cute downtown with shops, restaurants and antique stores- M and I popped into one and wandered around for an hour or so one afternoon/ also pretty much the lake area as a whole- the CDA resort boasts the largest floating boardwalk in the country (world..?), and we made more than a handful of loops on the boardwalk. There's also a little food spot on the dock where we grabbed drinks, ice cream, and snacks at various points} </i></div>
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The "see" category up top pretty much covers what we did- hiking, eating, walking, sleeping, repeat. It was low key but beautiful and the perfect type of "active-restful" vacation. I'll let the pictures do the talking. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Tubb's Hill}</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Tubb's Hill}</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Tubb's Hill}</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Tubb's Hill}</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Crafted Taphouse}</td></tr>
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Now, to plan our fall/spring getaway. I've been trying to coax our entire family (well, some combination of siblings/parents on some side) to take a big vaca. Will report back if I have any luck. </div>
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Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-29770669150396456612015-08-11T20:22:00.000-07:002015-08-11T20:29:06.382-07:00SPOKANE<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">First up, the logistics! If you're uninterested in the details, feel free to scroll past. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Sleep</b></u>: <a href="http://www.spokaneclub.org/hotel">Spokane Club Inn</a> - 1002 W. Riverside Ave, Spokane, WA {cute, historic, boutique hotel in the downtown. Within walking distance to Riverfront Park, downtown, and plenty of shops and restaurants}; </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Eat</b></u>: <a href="http://clinkerdagger.com/">Clinkerdagger</a> {upscale steakhouse- make reservations! The main draw is its location on a cliff overlooking the waterfall and the Spokane river. Matt had a giant slab of meat and was drooling. I had the Italian sausage pasta which was homemade and spicy and amazing}; </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.casperfry.com/our-food/">Casper Fry</a> {we ate here for both brunch - Saturday and Sunday only} <u>and</u> dinner and both were out of this world delicious. The menu is an incredible combination of "southern with a twist". For dinner we opted for small plates and sampled the sausage, pork belly, hush puppies, and blackened radishes- I had a single bite of pork belly as M inhaled the rest. The sausage was to die for}; </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://eatcentralfood.com/menu/dinner/">Central Food</a> {we had breakfast here during the week- they serve it up every day. Food was outstanding- and the view wasn't too shabby either- located just across the bridge from the Spokane Club Inn, and a nice walk along the cliff above the river}; Scratch {we stopped here for lunch after getting into town, get the adult grilled cheese- if it's still available- the best combo of cheeses on a grilled cheese I've ever had. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>See</b></u>: <a href="https://my.spokanecity.org/riverfrontpark/">Riverfront Park</a> {walk around, check out one of the oldest carousel's in the country, ride the Sky Ride across the falls! The park is huge and there's actually a small amusement park in the middle. We spent the early afternoon into the evening of our first day just walking around the park}</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/riversidestateparkwa/">Riverside State Park</a> {located in 9-Mile Falls just 20 minutes northeast of downtown Spokane, it's worth the drive to get out of the city for a leisurely hike along the Spokane River. I use the phrase leisurely quite literally, as the trail we walked on was paved. Not a lot of tree cover, so if it's a hot day- bring water! Also, if you get to the trailhead and note the "permit required" signs, do not fear! You can buy one online or by phone and then write the confirmation number on a piece of paper and put it in your windshield! This is brilliant because the spot to buy permits was about 10 miles down the road and we totally below past it.} </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I may have mentioned it in the past, but Coeur d'Alene was put at the top of Matt's domestic travel list when he drove through it last summer on a family road trip from MN to Seattle. I've equated it to the Lake Tahoe of the northwest, but maybe a little less well known. (We remarked upon arrival that it was definitely more of a regional attraction than a national one).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After googling some photos of the area and seeing the beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, I obliged and eagerly began planning our itinerary. When researching Italy, I spent more time on the "what to see" vs. "what to eat" because WE'RE IN ITALY who cares what we're eating!? I knew I wanted to invest more time in the meal aspect of things for this trip since it was a bit of a more low-key vacation location, thus, the food had to be part of the 'destination' as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'd actually had a couple cases based out of Spokane and defense counsel split time between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, so I had heard them talk about the area in general. After some initial research I realized spending 5-6 days in Coeur d'Alene alone probably would've left us a little bored and antsy. After seeing that there were some neat things to do in downtown Spokane and in an effort to diversify, I planned the first 2 and a half days in Spokane.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{Riverfront Park}</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived around 1 local time and after dropping stuff at the hotel, took a short walk over to Riverfront Park. Be sure to check out the map of park attractions as there's a lot tucked inside! There's a sky ride that takes you out over the falls for 15 minutes and provides some spectacular views of the river and waterfall. For only $8 a person, it's worth the expense. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">The park also has a small amusement area- so if you're visiting with kids, it's worth perusing. Sans kids, M and I still wound up sitting inside the carousel building for a good half hour watching kids geek out while riding it. It's a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I._D._Looff" style="text-align: left;">Looff</a><span style="text-align: left;"> carousel and one of the oldest in the country, so it was ornate and beautiful as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dinner that night was at the Clinkerdagger- which is an historic old steak and seafood spot located on the cliffs overlooking the falls and river in downtown. Despite a reservation, we weren't seated with a view of the falls (although I did make a reso late) so it may be worth reserving earlier (both WHEN you make the reservation and at what time you select) - or try it out for lunch! You'll likely be guaranteed a better spot with a better view. View aside, it was still a fantastic meal. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{Casper Fry: counter clockwise from bottom- Sausage, blackened radishes, pork belly with an over easy egg, and hushpuppies}</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That night we ventured out of downtown to a cute, hipstery little neighborhood to have dinner at Casper Fry. It was a beautiful night so we sat outside and caught the tail end of what appeared to be a farmer's market closing down. The spot next door was bustling, and there were restaurants or shops on the other corners packed with people - it seemed like a very vibrant little neighborhood. </span><br />
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The food was nothing short of incredible- southern food with a twist. We opted for the small plates because why have one meal when you can have 4 small ones, right? (see above photo)- I got one bite of that pork belly with the sunny egg because M was salivating over it like a rabid animal. But that's okay because I didn't do too good a job of sharing the sausage either. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next morning we walked across the river from our hotel to Central Food for breakfast. We were there on a Friday morning (one of the few places I found that served weekday breakfast!) and it was quiet and practically empty- although started to fill up as we were leaving. It was another beautiful day so we sat on the patio overlooking the river. Happy accident, in all my internet research I didn't realize they had a patio! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After walking back and changing, we hopped in the car for provisions before taking a quick 20 minute drive northeast to 9 Mile Falls Washington to go for a "hike" along the Spokane River. Really it was more of a walk because the trail was paved, but it was such a nice morning and we had some great views along the way. It was also insanely hot, unfortunately, and the pavement reflecting the sun meant we only walked about 3.5 miles total instead of longer. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{Riverside State Park}</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{Spokane Club Inn}</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">{Casper Fry- eggs benedict with spicy hollandaise}</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Saturday morning we packed our bags and checked out of the hotel to head to Coeur d'Alene. BUT not before stopping at Casper Fry on the way out of town for brunch, because NOM. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Up next, Coeur d'Alene. </span></div>
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Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-83467725189828626202015-08-05T10:42:00.000-07:002015-08-05T10:42:11.409-07:00THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE<br />
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This is hardly going to be a "travel post" as I've barely left my hotel room, but I just wanted to pop in from Great Falls, Montana and say hi. </div>
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I've been here for work since Monday and actually spent a day and a half even farther north near the Canadian border. I made a mental note on the drive up when I passed a scenic overlook to stop and take a peek on the way back. </div>
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I've always wanted to be more spontaneous, be a "stop when you see something cool on the side of the road" person... but usually my hyper logical side kicks in and says, "eh, keep going. Not that big of a deal, you have somewhere to be anyway." There's always something to justify <i>not </i>doing it. </div>
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So when I passed that creepy old building you see above on my way north, and again on the way back, I got about 100 yards past it going 75 on a 2 lane highway before thinking "what the heck am I doing? I have nothing to be back in Great Falls for until tomorrow afternoon!" So I slowed down, whipped a U-turn, and pulled off. This decrepit looking building was set back about 200 yards from the freeway off a dirt road marked for hunters. I parked the car, got out, and walked around the outside of the building..wondering what it was back in its heyday. It kind of looked like an old schoolhouse, but there were no historical markers around to note anything of significance. Whilst creeping, the wind blew, and a piece of tin that was nailed to the roof creaked, nearly sending me out of my shoes and into an early grave. I quickly reminded myself that what I was doing was the basis of the poorly scripted storyline for many a scary movie, and hightailed it back to my hatchback. </div>
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A few miles further down the road, I had remembered seeing a sign for a scenic overlook. During my first approach of this area on the way north I kind of laughed- this road cuts through a flat, desolate, <i>very </i>barren part of the state of Montana, so in my head I was all, "scenic what...?".. but just as quickly as the sign came up, and I saw a dad with his small child looking out over the valley, I caught a sliver of the view of the Missouri river and audibly gasped "oh wow!" So on the way back to Great Falls, I stopped. </div>
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This trip cropped up quickly after returning from our vacation in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, so I'm hoping to get that recapped over the weekend, along with some general life updates. If it seems by the tone of my posts I'm in the midst of a quarter-life-crisis, you may or may not be correct. I'm hoping some recent life changes (not pregnant) will help shed some light on my inner angst I've been experiencing. </div>
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Until then. </div>
Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-14195322281518004462015-07-21T05:00:00.000-07:002015-07-21T05:00:02.322-07:00TOOTIE<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Four years ago next month, I walked into the Animal Humane Society in St. Paul to check out a tiny 8 week old little fuzzball I had seen online named Trapper Joe. </div>
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He was wild and independent and just the tiniest bit crazy and he had the most high pitched manic little squeak purrs. It's safe to say he stole my heart from day 1. </div>
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Four years later, he's still wild and independent and just the littlest bit crazy, but he's also so funny and affectionate. He's a creature of habit, but it's so neat to watch him develop new weird little habits over the years. </div>
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For example...</div>
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He's taken to cuddling with Matt before bed (always on a blanket, and always between his legs), but once the lights are out, he'll find his way to my side of the bed. </div>
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In the winter he paws at me until you lift the comforter, crawls underneath, circles once, and lays down. His new summer routine involves meowing until I move into the position he prefers- which is big spoon position with my legs partially tucked up- allowing him to curl into my stomach area. </div>
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Lately in the mornings when I wake up and can't find TJ, I know the first place to look: under my bed. Matt has usually left for work by this point (I sleep in, what can I say) and TJ is curled up under the bed. He usually emerges eventually once I've woken up. </div>
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When I would shower, he used to hop up, pace between the curtains, and sit on the tub. Now? He waits until he hears the water stop, the drain plug lifted, and without fail he's sitting on the sink or the toilet waiting for me to come out. I pop my head out of the shower and he meows. I climb out, put on my robe, lower my head, he gives me one good nuzzle before hopping down and walking away. </div>
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He's always got his nose all up in EVERYTHING you're doing, often annoyingly so- but when I find myself snapping at him I just remember how nice it is to have such an affectionate and loving little guy. If M and I are working on a project (painting, woodwork, staining) that he shouldn't be in the room for, and we kick him out? He sits outside and WAILS. And no, I don't mean "meow" I mean he honest to God just howls and wails. He hates being away from us. He's got the worst case of kitty-FOMO I've ever seen. </div>
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Which means when we come home from a weekend away, or haven't been around a lot at night during the week due to other obligations, he gets <i>so</i> needy. </div>
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Besides marrying M, adopting TJ (or Tootie as I more often call him) was the best decision we ever made. He completes our family in such a big yet understated way. The house just feels warmer with him padding around and being weird. </div>
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Happy 4 year birthday/gotcha day, Toots. You're my furry-best-friend, and I love you to pieces. </div>
Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-54552515849236535762015-07-15T06:30:00.000-07:002015-07-15T06:30:00.206-07:00KAYAMPING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What's more american than kayak camping down a river on the 4th of July? </div>
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Spotting like 5 bald eagles. </div>
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Thursday before the 4th M and I packed up the car with 2 yaks, camping gear*, and some boxed wine and set off for Wild River State Park in northern MN. There, we met the same couple friend of ours who we met up with in <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2014/10/italy-cinque-terre-vernazza.html">Italy</a>. We camped overnight at the park Thursday night and enjoyed steak and chicken kebabs and cous cous- as one does over a camp fire. </div>
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Bonus of traveling of any kind with fellow foodies is eating really well. Other meals included bacon and eggs, a lunch of fancy cheese, cured meat and bread, spicy Italian sausage pasta, and open faced chicken salad sandwiches with salad. NOM. </div>
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We did about 12 miles each day with pit stops along the route before setting up camp on an island. We had planned to stay at a marked but primitive site along the river but when we arrived it was taken- the next closest one was 3 miles downstream and after 12 miles of kayaking- NOPE. </div>
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We only almost had to fight off 2 racoons and 4 meth heads (long story) but it turned out to be a wonderfully secluded and quiet campsite. </div>
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Some highlights, by way of photos: </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(*and a lot of other things to ensure we did not die).</span> </div>
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<br />Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-40295978729175113802015-07-01T08:01:00.002-07:002015-07-01T08:07:32.132-07:00THE INBETWEENS<div style="text-align: center;">
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It's easy to fall into the habit of waiting until the weekend to make plans. </div>
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I think I convince myself there's not enough time during the week, after work, to do things. </div>
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By the time you get home it's 5:30 or 6, then dinner, then what? </div>
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Most of the time I just want to unwind. </div>
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That being said, if you live for the weekends only, I realized you can miss some really great stuff during the week. </div>
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Like, say- an impromptu dinner picnic along the shores of Medicine Lake.</div>
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I was feeling a bit funky this particular week (last week) and was thinking about dinner plans for the evening. I may have even stumbled on a photo during some IG trolling of a picnic when the idea hit me, and I was on my weather.com app checking the forecast. It was cloudy but the weatherman said by 6:30 or 7 it'd be partly sunny. </div>
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I stopped by cub, whipped up some turkey and brie balsamic sandwiches on little rustic french loaves, grabbed some old fashioned potato salad, raspberries, and wine, and gave M prompt instructions to stay the heck out of the kitchen for 20 minutes. I put together the sandwiches, packed up our picnic basket, and surprised him with a fun dinner outing. </div>
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The weekends are a great time to do things; more involved things, but if we trick ourselves into think they're the <i>only </i>time to do things.. we may miss some pretty sweet little weeknight opportunities. </div>
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Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-76903194962370891052015-06-17T12:43:00.001-07:002015-06-17T12:43:24.136-07:00WEEKEND THINGS<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Remember the FRIENDS episode where Phoebe tries to find a truly selfless act and everyone else insists even charitable acts are selfish because thy make you feel good? </div>
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I was a big ol' mess of feel-good-charitable this weekend, and it was awesome. </div>
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M had skipped town for his second (in as many weeks) long-weekend-boys-fishing-trip (yes, he knows how spoiled he is) and I was contemplating whether to binge on Sex and the City or FRIENDS that night (important life decisions) when <a href="http://www.synfullydelicious.blogspot.com/">Syndal </a>texted and asked if anyone wanted to come over and help her make 65 corsages for a cancer survivor's breakfast she was hosting on behalf of her job. I think she was mostly joking, but all I heard was "girl talk, wine, and a good cause? Sign me up!" </div>
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I'm in no way a floral designer but I think I have a decent eye for design in general, and while I can't keep the things alive, I like playing with them. Jess and her hubby ended up coming over a bit later and we all hung out and chatted over wine and flowers. It was an unexpectedly wonderful little Friday night. </div>
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I headed home at a reasonable hour knowing my dad and I had volunteered to help at the MS 150 bike ride in Hinckley, MN. </div>
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The bikers start about 160 miles north of the Twin Cities in Proctor, MN and bike 75 miles the first day to Hinckley. There's a huge village set up with tents and entertainment and food and massages. Everyone stays overnight, and hits the road early the next day for the final 75 miles or so to White Bear Lake. </div>
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We had signed up to help in the bike corral, making sure everyone knew where to set their bikes, and matching up wristbands with bike numbers for security. (I was told by a family friend who was riding the "average" bike cost on the route was around $4,000, and he saw a few $15,000 bikes. <i>Insane</i>.)</div>
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That would've been all well and good if that were our only job duties, but we ended up battling with the giant balloony finish line for about an hour, too. Initially because the generator crapped out <i>twice</i> and it started to deflate ON riders. Everyone just kind of stood there as I tore off to the finish line realizing people were about to clothesline themselves on it. </div>
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After we fixed that issue the wind picked up and the giant Culligan jugs that were holding it in place started to drag, which again- threw the finish line down and in the path of bikers. </div>
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We ran down there to hold it up for a while before ultimately recommending taking the whole thing down- it was just too much of an issue. </div>
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The sea of bikes in the corral. That was only half of them too. They estimated there were around 3,500 riders. We've talked about doing the bike ride instead of just the walk, but it was readily apparent we would NOT be doing so without training. Oof. </div>
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My dad and I were standing near the entrance of the corral early in the day and a woman walked over who was waiting for her rider to cross. She struck up a conversation with my dad an I and told us it was an emotional year for her family to be participating. I nodded sympathetically not wanting to prod but she continued. She told us last year on the trail her husband went into cardiac arrest mid-ride. A doctor just happened to be biking behind them as well as a nurse. They performed CPR until medical personnel arrived. He ended up having a stent put in (and a whole host of freak medical complications) but survived and <i>really</i> wanted to bike this year, which he did. It was very much a similar case of "right place, right circumstances" or he wouldn't have made it. </div>
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I sat there in shock as my dad and her swapped stories. What are the odds of meeting someone at an MS event, after losing my <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2014/03/mom.html">mom </a>to MS, who suffered a major heart attack under similar circumstances as my <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2013/10/lucky.html">dad</a>. (I still honestly have a hard time believing all that happened.) </div>
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The rest of Saturday night brought a delayed onset sunburn and heatstroke that had me bedridden with the cat. Awful. </div>
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Sunday was some errands and getting ready for the week, followed by the season finale of Game of Thrones. I think TJ's face after the show sums up my feelings appropriately: </div>
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Legitimately distraught over what happened. </div>
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We turned on Orange is the New Black to cleanse our palates after the shocker. </div>
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This weekend is shaping up to be a busy one- M's dad will be in town for Father's day, which also coincides with M's mom's birthday this year. SO, we'll have 2 father's day celebrations and a birthday celebration. Looking forward to a weekend of family! </div>
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Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-51411054274916909222015-06-10T04:00:00.000-07:002015-06-10T04:00:00.415-07:00HERBED PARMESAN TRUFFLE FRIES<div style="text-align: center;">
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I make no secrets about the fact that I am a fry addict. </div>
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The answer to the question of "chips or fries?" is always, always, "fries." </div>
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This is especially true when I find truffle fries on the menu. </div>
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I think I first had truffle fries in Fargo, ND at a rather snazzy hotel known as the HoDo, or Hotel Donaldson. The fries looked normal, save for a light dusting of Parmesan cheese and some herbs, but oh. my. god. </div>
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If you've never had truffle oil on food I can't even describe it to you other than to say it's other worldly. </div>
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Truffles are insanely expensive and farmers actually use pigs to sniff up truffles underground. BUT truffle <i>oil</i> is a less expensive way to indulge in its greatness. </div>
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I've received two bottles of truffle oil as gifts (I make no secrets of my affinity, clearly). </div>
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So, in search of a cheaper and slightly healthier way to have truffle fries, I tried to make them at home..and I must say, I've finally found a fry method that produces perfectly crispy fries with the least amount of work. </div>
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INGREDIENTS: </div>
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<li>Howevermany potatoes per people (I use 2-3 depending on size, for Matt and I. I've also used both Russet and Yukon Gold and they've turned out great). </li>
<li>1 Tbsp of truffle oil</li>
<li>2-3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, divided (or 2 Tbsp olive oil, and a cooking spray) </li>
<li>2 Tbsp of minced parsley</li>
<li>2 Tbsp of Parmesan</li>
<li>Salt to taste</li>
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DIRECTIONS: </div>
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<li>Pre-heat oven to 425. </li>
<li>Slice potatoes into "fry size"- specific size isn't AS important as it is that they're uniform, that way they cook at the same pace. </li>
<li>Toss sliced potatoes in a bowl with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil, if two seems like too much, just use one. Use your judgement. You just want a light coating on all the fries. Toss lightly with a 1/2 tsp of salt or so as well.</li>
<li>Lay tinfoil on a baking sheet (makes for easier cleanup), spray foil generously with nonstick spray OR use remaining EVOO. </li>
<li>Spread potatoes in a single layer, leaving as much room as possible on all sides to let them breathe/cook evenly. </li>
<li>Bake for 15 minutes, remove, and fluff/flip potatoes. Cook another 15 minutes. Depending on how crispy you want them, keep repeating these steps until they start to crisp up to your liking. I tend to do this 3-4 times. </li>
<li>Remove from oven, put back in bowl, toss with 1 Tbsp of truffle oil, Parmesan and parsley. </li>
<li>Inhale. </li>
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Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-2712531921743858192015-06-08T04:00:00.000-07:002015-06-08T09:10:47.026-07:00SUMMER WEEKENDS<div style="text-align: center;">
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This weekend was the perfect summer weekend. </div>
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It kicked off Friday with dinner at Lo and Jesse's house with Jess and Syndal and their men. It'd be a fair statement to say the ladies all overindulged in some adult beverages. O_O. Managed to do so though without waking up too hungover on Saturday, so, elderly win!</div>
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Saturday morning was for leftover #NationalDonutDay spoils and coffee. </div>
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M went kayaking with Syndal and Jess's husbands for a bit, and then we bummed around the house and watched The Lincoln Lawyer. We went to download it and iTunes told us "you've already downloaded this movie, would you like to proceed?" For the next 10 minutes we debated whether we'd actually seen the movie, neither of us having any memory of it even after watching the trailer. We figured even if we HAD seen it, since neither of us remembered anything about it, we were safe. </div>
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Well, as it went on, we both had some "ahhhh yep. We've seen this." moments but neither of us recalled enough specifics that it ruined our re-watch. Does this make us old? Not being able to remember if we've seen a movie? </div>
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Sunday morning M and I checked off one of my "Summer To-Do's." I got sick of finding ourselves midway through beautiful days going back and forth asking "what do <i>you</i> want to do?" SO I made a little list of fun day-date ideas. One of those was to grab some <a href="https://www.niceridemn.org/">NiceRide</a> bikes, bike around some of the city lakes, and get brunch. </div>
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I plotted our route, and we parked at a business center where a NiceRide station was located. </div>
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We took off south towards Lake Calhoun only to realize pretty quickly the bike lane was one way, leading us the long way around the lake and away from our ultimate destination. It wasn't a huge deal, (beautiful day for a bike ride!) but factor the heat in with the fact that those public bikes are fairly heavy, and I was sufficiently sweaty, exhausted, and dehydrated by the time we got to brunch at <a href="http://www.tiliampls.com/">Tilia</a>. After slamming three waters I rejoined the living. </div>
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I fall firmly in the savory breakfast camp, but after the bike ride I was feeling a bit woozy and was worried a big egg breakfast wouldn't help. Thus, I opted for a sweeter (and what I was sure to be "lighter") creme brulee yogurt bowl. zomg, guys, that thing was life changing. Tart and sweet yogurt, carmelized on top, with warm strawberries, insanely chewy apple granola and mint piled on top. I think I shall require mint in all areas of my life from now on- added such a nice fresh component. </div>
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After our ride, we finally pulled the trigger on a new laptop, a Toshiba Chromebook. It's entirely web-based (meaning it runs on the Google suite and has no real hard drive- I think that's the proper term...), but with Google Docs and Google Sheets and the internet, it's got everything we needed. We'd been using M's Macbook Pro that was about 7 years old (he had it when we met) and it finally slowed down to the point of being unusable. </div>
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Hope you all had a good weekend, especially if you're in MN! The last few have been so rainy and miserable that this one was such a treat :) </div>
Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-54613811239904213692015-06-03T12:45:00.000-07:002015-06-03T13:27:01.123-07:00HOME TOUR // KITCHEN (AGAIN)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P1QSnKVQe5A/VW8xJk0QasI/AAAAAAAAOYY/nOaXgd5n9X0/s640/IMG_4483.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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We first moved into our house in May of 2011, and over the course of the next year or two, we did a ton of painting and settling in. None of the original colors were hideous but this was our chance to customize our first house, so we slowly wound up painting most rooms.<br />
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Here we are 4 years later and a lot of these rooms are going through a second transformation.<br />
I'm hesitant to speak for everyone but I feel pretty confident in saying that although it was only over the course of 4 years, my design aesthetic has changed a TON from 24 to 28. I always had a soft spot for the style we ended up gravitating towards but, much like wedding planning, I found myself appreciating many different kinds of styles, which meant that to the naked eye our house looked fine, but it started to feel disjointed to me.<br />
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So, slowly, I've been tweaking rooms to bring them in line with my newly defined preference, which I've dubbed a cross between farmhouse and restoration hardware (on a NOT RH budget). Actually if we're being honest, <a href="http://www.jennasuedesign.com/">Jenna Sue</a> is my new design style but that's weird to explain to people. Think: neutrals, some rustic wood finishes, a touch of industrial, and natural textiles.<br />
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Most of the first floor has gotten updates with this vision in mind.. the <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2012/05/home-tour-office.html">office</a>, well, to be blunt I'm waiting until that transforms into a nursery (NOT PREGNANT) because it's weird to do a mini in-between stage and weird to make it a nursery sans baby in utero, so for now it stays. Even though the couch got moved to the living room and I HATE HATE those shelves now. Woof. The b<a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/search/label/master%20bedroom">edroom </a>is close to finally finished (after that last update over a year ago, HA), so I'll post about that soon, and the bathroom is going to be going through it's 2nd phase of updates too since we took down some shelves, realized we lost/tossed the original paint color, and now need to repaint it all anyway to cover the spackle marks.<br />
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But TODAY is about the kitchen! She got a fresh coat of paint, some new shelves, and new curtains. The color is Benjamin Moore, revere pewter.. I want to slather it on EVERYTHING, it is THE PEFECT greige.. all caps necessary. Thankfully there's literally 1.25 walls showing (the rest are covered by cabinets) so this was a super easy paint job. Previously we had a mini cork board we made out of wine corks, a wine rack, and a chalkboard hanging on this wall. The former and the latter were REALLY early on DIY projects, and were quite honestly, very <i>obviously</i> DIY, which started to bug me as I want a more grown up look. So for now it's just the shelves, but I'm thinking of re-adding a chalkboard to the right, just have to determine my materials. Enough blabbing, here she is:<br />
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Shelves were a DIY: that's galvanized steel plumbing pipe that was sprayed in an oil rubbed bronze finish. For each one, we used an end cap, a 6 inch pipe segment, and a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/LDR-Industries-1-2-in-Black-Iron-Floor-Flange-310-F-12/100357978">flange</a> (this one is black though). We then drilled each assembled bracket into a stud through 2 of the 4 holes in the flange (just left the other 2 empty, it was plenty supported with 2 as is). Used some pipe clips that wrapped around each bracket and went into the bottom of the wood to secure the shelves in case they were bumped. 4 hooks on the bottom and side holding the mugs and keys were from Target and were white, just sprayed them to match the brackets. </div>
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Curtains are from Target as well (also come in yellow and grey). </div>
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And let's not forget what it looked like when we moved in: </div>
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<img height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dmMRa5V45Js/T1kLu_lVeUI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/HY046JY7cqg/s640/kitchen.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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So there's a proper little tour of our little kitchen! Someday I want a great big open kitchen with the same kind of floating wood shelves (for some of my pretty white pieces), white or grey cabinets, white subway tile... but, I love this little kitchen just the same for right now. It's where we blast music and chop veggies and talk about our day as TJ alternates between meowing for scraps and staring out the door. </div>
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The more we tinker with the house the more I realize that even though I know this isn't my "forever" house, I'm going to have a really, <i>really</i> hard time leaving it..and get emotional even thinking about it. I know I offhandedly mentioned it a few times we were sorta casually looking, but after running numbers decided that rather than stretching ourselves or making an intermediary move, we're going to stay here for a few more years and really save and make sure we're ready for the next one. That means we'll undoubtedly (barring complications) be bringing home our first baby to this house. The same house that saw us move in together for the first time, get engaged, get married, lose a parent and so much more. </div>
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I love you, little house. You've been so good to us. </div>
<br />Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-19152394538041180582015-05-28T04:00:00.000-07:002015-05-28T09:31:34.353-07:00HOME TOUR // THE GARAGE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>*FTC disclosure: I was provided one free storage item from <a href="http://www.monkeybarstorage.com/">Monkey Bar Garage Storage Systems</a> from their local dealer, <a href="http://garagesolutionsminneapolis.com/" target="_blank">Garage Solutions Minneapolis</a> in connection with this review. All opinions are my own. </i></div>
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M and I live in a little one and a half story home in a suburb of Minneapolis. </div>
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This means we have a proportionally little garage to complement our little house. </div>
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SO, the garage had never been a huge priority of ours in terms of beautifying and organizing, until recently when it reached max-nasty and upon pulling the car in one night, M said to me, "ACK, I need to organize the garage. This is a mess." </div>
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Picture the perfect timing then when I was contacted by <a href="http://www.monkeybarstorage.com/">Monkey Bars Garage Storage Systems</a> about a product review for a storage solution for our garage. Yayyy! Above you can see our previous "storage solution" (a term I use loosely), which was haphazard nails rammed into a 2 x 4 leftover from the previous owners. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{the other side of our garage, equally a disaster}</td></tr>
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The other side at least had some shelving, but that was organized quite haphazardly as well.<br />
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I selected the <a href="http://www.monkeybarstorage.com/garden-tool-rack" target="_blank">large tool yard rack</a>, and it arrived less than a week later. So on Monday of this past 3 day weekend I approached M about hanging it. We'd been pretty busy doing house stuff all weekend- organizing closets, tossing clothes, painting the kitchen and hanging shelves (stay tuned on this one!), and cleaning, so his initial response was something more than a groan and just shy of a full fledged grunt. I told him it'd be easy and we trudged out to the garage.<br />
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Upon opening the package I found the bar (le duh), some hanging accessories and 2 brackets. Instead of mounting it to the old 2 x 4, we pulled down the old board to keep a lower profile and so tools wouldn't bump the car as we drove in.<br />
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I skimmed over the instructions and relayed the info to M who replied, "wait, that's it? Ok..." (the lack of readily apparent difficulty was met with heavy skepticism by M, who by now knows with house projects, nothing is as easy as it looks).<br />
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But nope, it seriously was <i>that </i>easy. Each bracket got 2 screws with washer heads, and the bar itself slid through one hole and into the other and was secured by those little push-button locking devices.<br />
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It seriously took 10 minutes. We spent more time tinkering around with the multiple styles of hanging accessories to determine how best to hang all our tools, and we didn't even use every hanging bar. The accessory pieces just kind of "clip" on the bar and are held by a tiny lip that catches on the bottom or back end.<br />
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If anything, this bar is too nice for our garage. I told M we need to keep a running list of "fixtures and appurtenances" to take down or make sure to keep out of any future purchase agreement because <i>they're coming with us.</i><br />
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Now all our tools have a nice little home.<br />
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This of course spurred M to say, "aw screw it, let's just clean up the rest of the garage right now."<br />
So we grouped fishing, outdoorsy stuff, and yard stuff together and tossed a bunch of scrap wood.<br />
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We still need to borrow the neighbor's push broom to sweep it out, but now it's actually become a place I feel comfortable storing some "nice" "outdoorsy" things vs. a place where things that we don't care if they get filthy land. </div>
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So THANK YOU Monkey Bars Storage Systems and Garage Solutions Minneapolis (LOCAL company, FTW!), for helping us organize and clean up our garage!<br />
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I'll definitely be keeping them in mind for when we have a bigger garage someday that I can fill with useful (and PRETTY) storage items (like <a href="http://garagesolutionsminneapolis.com/garage-cabinets" target="_blank">these beautiful garage cabinets</a>/work space area. Swoon.) Getting excited over garage organization.. does this mean I'm officially old?<br />
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M and I hung some pretty sweet shelves in our kitchen this weekend too, which has me itching to properly photograph and update the <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/search/label/kitchen" target="_blank">kitchen home tour</a> post, so stay tuned for that!<br />
<br />Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-45021788696636168832015-05-21T03:00:00.000-07:002015-05-21T07:48:34.337-07:00WOMEN'S HEALTH MONTH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's no secret around here that I've been trying to be a "healthier" lately. </div>
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I put that in quotes because that phrase can mean different things to different people. BUT between my <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2015/01/food-philosophy-part-1.html" target="_blank">food philosophy</a> and a new <strike>love </strike>begrudging appreciation for <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2015/02/classpass-final-thoughts.html" target="_blank">fitness </a>(I will simply never be one of those people who loves to work out), I'm working on it. Sometimes you do things because you know you have to, and quite frankly, because your life depends on it. </div>
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May is Women's Health Month, and it can't be stressed enough how important it is to be proactive about health in every aspect of your life. Devoting time to your diet, exercise, and overall preventative medicine is crucial in living your best life. </div>
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Recently I found myself thinking about preventative medicine visits and trying to recall, "is it every <i>two</i> years for mammograms? At what age does that start? What about other stuff, didn't they just change some guidelines?" Honestly I felt a lot like I did about eating right: I would find myself getting terribly overwhelmed, not having something easy to understand in one location, and as a result, not doing anything about it. </div>
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So, the timing was pretty perfect when <a href="https://www.hioscar.com/" target="_blank">Oscar Insurance</a> inspired me to post this neat info graphic on my blog in honor of Women's Health Month. (If you all already knew this stuff, at least now I have a convenient spot to come back and reference it for myself!) </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Oscar has tools like their Doctor on Call service where you can call your doctor right through the app with any health questions you have without making an appointment. Or the personal health care timeline that list out your entire health history within the app. Their incentive program uses Misfit wearables where members can sync them to the app, set personal goals for steps and every time they hit those goals they earn back cash rewards up to $240 a year.</span></div>
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For an industry as a whole that tended to associate with an older generation and maybe wasn't <i>as </i>progressive, I'm so impressed with what insurance companies have been doing lately in terms of technology and health. From services like Doctor on Call to Virtuwell, fitbits, misfits, jawbones- we've created a level of accessibility to our health and our health stats that is really incredible when you actually think about it.<br />
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I'm not trying to sell you anything with this post (although if you did need Insurance and lived in NY, NJ or soon TX or CA, Oscar seems pretty cool)- but I figured if it even prompts one of you to schedule an exam or do something proactive for your health, it's worth it! You can find more information on Oscar's health insurance plans <a href="https://www.hioscar.com/faq/new-jersey-health-insurance/" target="_blank">here</a>.Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-72477342310849867442015-05-18T11:36:00.001-07:002015-05-19T09:36:19.990-07:00WEEKEND RECAP // SNOWFLAKE FUNDRAISER<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{piece of art I painted on Thursday when I was feeling stabby after an awful commute home.. turns out rage makes me creative..} </td></tr>
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Hello hello. </div>
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This weekend was the culmination of a shit ton of planning and hard work and I'm so thrilled with how everything came together. </div>
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If you recall, <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2015/04/crafting-for-cause.html" target="_blank">I spent a day last month</a> down at Coop's Event Barn whipping up a bunch of crafts to sell at Lo's <a href="http://www.jesseandlauren.com/2015/02/so-we-doing-fundraiser.html" target="_blank">Embryo Adoption Fundraiser</a>. </div>
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This past Saturday I rolled down to the farm early to help set up. I was floored when I walked into the granary to see our craft "store" set up and looking like a real, legitimate tiny little craft store. </div>
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The barn was cleared and auction tables were going up, the guys were doing some last minute cleaning and organizing of the big equipment, vendors were rolling in throughout the late morning: the band, the clown (who was seated right behind us at the money table and was terrifying), face painting, henna tattoo artist, and an on-site firebrick pizza oven for dinner. We had a Square reader checking people out, two lots of auction items, a raffle, and a live auction of some of Lo's mom's famous Fat Linda bars.<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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It seems silly to say it this way, but it ran so smoothly and so "officially" that I was just giddy. </div>
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The most important part is, all together we raised around $8,000 to help Lauren and Jesse realize their dreams of becoming parents. Their goal was $10,000 though and <a href="http://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/jesse-lauren-s-snowflake-adoption-fundraiser-/305250" target="_blank">there's still time to donate</a> online if you couldn't make it out to the event and want to help! </div>
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Sunday was spent doing what I do best- eating. M and I had a birthday brunch for a good friend of mine at Red Stag, after which I impulse bought the same shirt the birthday girl received from the store next door (check it out on Insta: kellybea14). </div>
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Sunday afternoon M and I got a start on some home projects that I'm pretty much counting down the minutes until I can tackle again. I tend to go in phases with my creative energy and right now I'm definitely in a high output phase. I want to paint, style, and decorate ALL THE THINGS. This latest burst will result in some new shelving in both our bathroom and kitchen and a more grownup vibe for both. I may touch on the evolution of my design aesthetic, as these will be second iterations of both rooms. I also feel like I owe you an update on the master bedroom which has been under "construction" (loose term for messing around with the decor) for nearly a year. BUT there have been some bigger changes since <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2014/03/home-tour-master-bedroom-remix.html" target="_blank">my last post</a>... So here's hoping this burst of creativity will result in some blog content! </div>
Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-37902615804142308142015-04-26T19:37:00.001-07:002015-05-18T11:23:03.512-07:00CRAFTING FOR A CAUSE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Saturday was filled with 3 of my favorite things: friends, food, and <i>crafts</i>. </div>
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The thing about being a craft-addict is, there's only so much you can make for your own house before <strike>your husband threatens to leave you</strike> you run out of wall space. </div>
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This weekend was the perfect opportunity to expend a bunch of crafty energy for a good cause. </div>
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On May 16th, I'm helping to host an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/739082402855471/777484399015271/" target="_blank">embryo adoption fundraiser</a> for <a href="http://www.jesseandlauren.com/" target="_blank">Lauren</a> and Jesse. </div>
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Saturday, a bunch of us gathered at Coop's Event Barn down in Dodge Center, MN for a day of crafting items to be donated and sold at the fundraiser. Lauren's parents have a whole shed full of barn wood that's over 100 years old. To say I was geeking out was an understatement. </div>
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A sampling of what I made.<br />
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Lauren's parents said they'd let me take whatever wood was leftover after projects at the barn were completed. I've been toying around with the idea of opening a shop of some sorts..what form that'd take I'm not sure- craft fairs locally? Facebook sales? Garage style pop up sales? Regardless, I think a gift of a heap of wonderfully perfect barn wood may be the push I need!
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-224-LtheJbU%2FVT2cx9NwTSI%2FAAAAAAAAOSA%2FUKZ7fyeyvOs%2Fs1600%2FIMG_4440.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-224-LtheJbU/VT2cx9NwTSI/AAAAAAAAOSA/UKZ7fyeyvOs/s1600/IMG_4440.JPG" -->Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-65288476246551306792015-04-22T18:57:00.001-07:002015-04-22T19:01:04.684-07:00TRAVEL TIPS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lyMK6zSHiUk/VThPZb5_0MI/AAAAAAAAORQ/k-M-heoBN0o/s1600/CDA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lyMK6zSHiUk/VThPZb5_0MI/AAAAAAAAORQ/k-M-heoBN0o/s1600/CDA.jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://www.realestate-browser.com/north-idaho-real-estate/coeur-d-alene-homes-for-sale/" target="_blank">VIA</a>)</td></tr>
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For those of you (ahem, <a href="http://lifeofloveblog.com/" target="_blank">Sar</a>) in the Pacific Northwest, this post may strike you as funny.<br />
I've learned this is true of places we call home- sometimes we don't look at them through the eyes of a visitor.<br />
That being said, this summer M and I are taking a trip to..... Idaho!<br />
I'll pause while you go and google search Coeur d'Alene to understand why. It sort of looks like the Tahoe of the northwest. Ever since M roadtripped from Minnesota to Seattle last summer with his family, he's insisted we visit CDA, ASAP.<br />
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CDA is about 40 minutes east of Spokane, WA- where I happen to have had several cases recently. Those cases all settled, but in talking to defense counsel, I was googling the area pretty regularly just to see where things were and to google-street-view them. (anyone else do this? just me? mkay). So after M's rave review of passing through CDA, I started to look into vacationing there this summer. After feeling satisfied there were enough things to do to justify a long weekend there, I looked at the Spokane area, too. Ta da, even more! We're going for a combination of active (hiking, kayaking, walking) and relaxing. This won't be like a trip to Seattle where there are must see physical landmarks- more so, must see hiking trails.<br />
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Anyway, what I'm wondering from any of you: Have you been there? Do you live there? Any must see, must do, recommendations for CDA or Spokane? I think we're going to spend 2 nights in Spokane (so 1-2 full days, depending on when we drive to CDA) and 2-3 nights in CDA.<br />
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Plllllleeaassseeee share!<br />
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(p.s. I did a little blog design work this week- I added tabs for travel and home tour with some handy buttons to take you to those posts- click around!)<br />
<br />Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-39957671508209699492015-04-20T08:32:00.001-07:002015-04-20T08:32:29.491-07:00ON AUTHENTICITY<i>"Real life." </i><br />
<i>"Authentic." </i><br />
<i>"Keeping it real."</i><br />
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These are phrases that are thrown around a lot on the internet.<br />
I've received comments myself even that people love that I "keep it real".. and then go on to talk about these fake people who are fake and post overly staged fake photos of their fake life. Maybe I'm just not following the right people, but upon receiving these comments I usually wonder who these people are.*<br />
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Maybe I'm naive, but I tend to believe that <i>most </i>of what I see on social media stems from the truth, and it's just a question of, "to what degree, is this the truth?" For example, that eggs benedict with the paprika sprinkled on top, mimosa with an orange garnish, sitting prettily on a rustic wood table. I assume that's real food, at a real restaurant, on a real table. Did I maybe move the salt and pepper shaker out of the photo? Perhaps. Did I place the mimosa in a more photogenic location? Likely. But that doesn't make my meal any less real. It means I view social media (Instagram especially) as a creative outlet. I enjoy the challenge of trying to see and capture things in a different way- from above, from the side, slightly off center, half in the frame. So- YES- sometimes there's some rearranging that goes on before a photo to make it look clean and presentable. On occasion I even take a few shots of it, although I would hardly consider myself over the top in this respect. I'd go on to say that in this respect, I'm a very average Instagrammer.<br />
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But here's my question- why do you need to see shit piled on my counter or in my sink or my dirty closet for you to think I'm real? Do you lack critical thinking to know or assume those things exist? My social media is not a place for you to go to feel better about yourself. To assuage your guilt or get peace of mind that I'm just as messy as you are. If that's what you're using it for, well, that says more about you than it does me.<br />
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The same can be said, perhaps even more overwhelmingly when it comes to topics for blog posts. I don't need to wish Matt a happy birthday on my blog and qualify it by saying "even though you drive me nuts and we fight, I love you" to make <i>you </i>feel better.. because that's exactly what those sentiments are designed to do. People are so damn scared of coming off as inauthentic that instead of just doling out praise, we make sure to qualify it with something "real", for example, "I love you so much, I love our life, <i>even though we have struggles.</i>" and honestly, that drives me more nuts than just saying something positive.<br />
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Do Matt and I have disagreements and hard shit? Yep- and maybe I just violated my own rule by even putting that out there.. but it's illustrative of my point. The thing is, the struggles in my relationship are none of your damn business. It'd be one thing if the topic of this blog was relationships and relationship advice. Then perhaps it'd be inauthentic to not spill everything. On a more personal note- I ran into serious issues in past relationships by divulging too much of the personal with family and friends. Every. little. tiff. was aired out via email to girlfriends. That possibly had more to do with a) the relationship I was in not being a fantastic one, and b) my age and maturity at that point, but I've come to realize others are not so quick to forgive and forget those wrongs as you are. The more people you bring into your relationship the more people think they have an opinion on what happens. My relationship is personal and sacred and it's between <u>us</u>. If you (the proverbial "you" of course) come here expecting me to air my shit, it's just not going to happen, and perhaps should require some introspection on why you feel like you need to see that from other people in the first place.<br />
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This isn't to say I'm perfect, and that everything I see on Instagram or read in blogs I can view through the mature, reflective lens, and repeat to myself those things I said before. Absolutely on occasion I find myself feeling a down or dare I say, jealous, of something I see. Again though, with the <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-million-directions.html" target="_blank">self awareness I try to stay in touch with</a>, I really try to use those moments of inadequacy and jealousy and funnel them into something good. If I see a brunch I'm jealous of, I do some menu scouting and plan a little brunch date with M or my friends. If I see a beautiful vacation or home, I think of ways I can replicate that locally, or fix up my own bathroom to turn that jealousy into happiness in my own life. I fail at this sometimes, but it doesn't mean I fault the people taking or posting the photos.<br />
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Maybe it's just me, but I find overhyped and overpraised efforts to <i>keep it real</i>, insulting. I share what I want when the mood strikes and not to satisfy anyone else that my life is <i>real</i>.<br />
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*<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>There is absolutely an exception to this statement, and these are the hyper stylized, sponsored, "professional" instagrammers. The thing is, I don't usually follow these people. It's less to do with the portrayal of perfection and more to do with the constant. schilling. of shit. </i></span>Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-31236797014027714882015-04-16T14:54:00.000-07:002015-04-16T15:00:32.357-07:00A MILLION DIRECTIONS. One thing I really pride myself in is possessing a level of self awareness, and the ability to pinpoint the source of my feelings.<br />
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For example, if I see something on Facebook or have an interaction with someone in real life and have a certain reaction, I almost always can identify, psychologically, the WHY behind that reaction. Sometimes it's as simple as, "I'm clearly hungry, this is making me crabby for dumb reasons." Sometimes it's deeper than that and it's, "this makes me jealous, they have all the means and access in the world and squander it." Am I mature enough to acknowledge outwardly when it is the jealousy? No, probably not. BUT at least <i>I </i>know, right?<br />
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Lately I've had this really unsettled, anxious, spazzy feeling deep in my gut and I'm having a hard time identifying why. What I do know is it usually surfaces when I'm thinking about one thing in particular. For a while now I've toyed with the idea of opening up some kind of a side gig. I know I feel my best mentally when I'm doing something creative that balances out the very UN creative (unless you count sassy motion writing...) aspects of my day-to-day career. I know what makes me happy, I know what I enjoy doing, but when I think of ways to actually turn it into a fluid business I get discouraged. One, because the idea of dumping money into something that may go nowhere gives me hives. I hate gambling because I like, no ..I <i>need</i>, to see a physical return on investment. I'd rather spend $20 on a t-shirt or happy hour than a slot machine.<br />
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The same can be said for putting any money at all, no matter how small the amount, into start-up costs for a venture. I enjoy working with wood (decor items- mason jars hanging on wood, signs), I enjoy watercolors, I absolutely love anything to do with weddings: I helped a friend with assembling flowers and reception decor at her wedding recently and had a blast. I'm a militant type-A who has contingencies for every possible flaw and can think on my feet unprecedentedly well. But then I start to think about the hassle of selling on etsy, especially for wood pieces- or getting an insanely high quality printer to duplicate watercolors, and taxes and whatnot and I get discouraged and stop.<br />
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I also think about redesigning my blog, and I mean REALLY redesigning professionally, and putting more time and energy into <i>this </i>as a source of income. But I really don't see the point of doing that without something to offer. There are enough bloggers who blog about blogging and get rich because of blogging about blogging to have turned me off to that entirely. I enjoy blogging for what it is: an outlet (for me at least).<br />
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Then I think about doing something <i>more </i>in the legal community to satisfy that itch. Volunteer more, especially in an area of law that's different than mine. I went to a seminar recently on updates to the areas of Domestic Violence as a part of a women's tea that my law school puts on. I was in a room with top thinkers in the field, who have traveled to other countries on fact finding missions, collecting research and advocating for change. It was one of those nights that energizes you and makes you want to do something. Again though I get so discouraged easily.. the time, the time my current job consumes, am I even being realistic?<br />
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This discouragement across the board leaves me feeling lazy and unmotivated. I don't feel like I'm that kind of person.. I mean, I survived 3 years of law school and studying 8 hours a day for a grueling 16 hour test- I have a drive in me.. but where did it go? Is it a fear of failure? I'll go ahead and acknowledge that plays a huge roll in it. And don't even get all cliche and tell me that all great things come when people get over that fear and leap- blah blah. I know that. It doesn't matter. I would rather launch a project on 100 strangers, let it get to a satisfactory level, before ever sharing it with family and friends. I'd feel okay if it were dubbed a proven success. I don't like doing something if I can't be proficient.* This could be why, to date, I've never shared my blog on my facebook page- or with any of my family. Initially it was because: blogs are weird, even weirder and sadder when you have like.. 3 followers. I don't mind mentioning it in casual conversation now, and have given it out to friends.. but only after feeling out that they don't think it's weird. Of course this makes things exponentially more difficult for me when typically, especially for creative endeavors, your family and friends are your best first source for feedback and, in the case of selling thing, sales. But would people just buy out of pity? Would they just pay me lip service and not mean it? Are there already too many personal endeavors on Facebook that one of my own would just add to the noise? It already feels like everybody wants everybody else to buy something from them. Is there a need for more?<br />
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Maybe the answer is, at least with the creative/crafting stuff, to acknowledge that it's <u>not</u> about the money- and even breaking even would be OK as long as it permitted me an outlet to release that creative energy. Iiiiiii just don't know. I know that writing makes me feel a little better if for no other reason than it's no longer knocking around in my head. There may be other things contributing to my angst as well, including the amount of debt I have, whether we're going to stay in our house or move.. among other things that aren't suitable for internet discussion.<br />
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So, take it for what it's worth.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*this is also probably why in 9th grade, after funneling into high school, when I realized I wasn't the smartest at math I sort of gave up prospects of trying to be. There are few things I hate more than trying and failing. I'd rather be openly mediocre and have a quality of life (i.e. social life and time) than be the best. I suppose this is also a reflection of my grades in law school. Could I have done way better? Maybe. But did I value having a life, family, and friends more? Absolutely. I also will probably acknowledge it was easier for me to blame my grades on this theory than acknowledge that it's a real possibility that even if I tried my damndest, I may not have done better. Feel free to psychoanalyze that to the bank. </span>Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-8619498057800189352015-04-12T18:05:00.003-07:002015-04-12T18:05:49.483-07:00SUNDAY CURRENTLY // VOL. 5<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /> R E A D I N G </b></span><br />
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Just finished Paper Towns for book club and was a bit disappointed by the ending. Interested to see what the movie does with it this summer. Anybody reading anything good?<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><b> W R I T I N G </b></span><br />
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I've got a handful of posts started and for whatever reason lack the motivation to finish them. One on how being an ambivert has shaped my life, another on "authenticity" and what that word means... I get this spark to start it and then once I get into it and get a few paragraphs in in the spark fizzles. In actuality I think I know what the root is, but because I have a vested interest in not sabotaging my future.. it's not something I can write about. Which is actually maddening and stunting my writing.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><b> L I S T E N I N G </b></span><br />
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Madam Secretary is on in the background- waiting for The Good Wife to come on at 8:00. As far as law shows go, it's one of the least offensive ones.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><b> T H I N K I N G </b></span><br />
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About this summer. This is usually the time of year I start to think about how <i>this</i> will be the summer I actually get up every saturday and go to the farmer's market. I enjoy weekend mornings.. and I enjoy the farmer's market.. what I don't enjoy is the parking situation and the crowds that are already crawling by the time I make it there (8:30/9). I need to find a smaller market. Any locals have any tips on smaller ones? I've been to the one by the Basilica...any other good west metro ones?<br />
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<b><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> S M E L L I N G </span></b><br />
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The impending rain.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><b> L O V I N G </b></span><br />
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The warmer weather (knock on wood).<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><b> W A N T I N G </b></span><br />
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A vacation. We've been casually talking about where we're going to go this summer and need to get something booked..before work stuff comes along and interferes.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><b> F E E L I N G </b></span><br />
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A cool breeze from the window, which is pretty much perfect.<br />
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Some scenes from this weekend: </div>
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<br />Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-22501140462086233222015-03-25T06:00:00.000-07:002015-03-25T06:00:03.440-07:00MY TEN YEAR REUNION AND A LOT OF FEELINGS I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD.<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{my alma matter}</td></tr>
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Earlier this week I got the notification in the mail that my 10 year high school reunion is coming up this fall.<br />
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High school, according to many, is supposed to be the best time of your life. I have mostly fond memories of high school, in that it wasn't <i>overly </i>difficult for me, but I certainly wouldn't categorize it as the pinnacle of my youth either. I was awkward, shy, lacked self-confidence, and never really felt at home with any particular group of people.<br />
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I had friends (a lot from other area schools), I was busy and social during those four years. I was friends with a few girls who floated between groups, and who seemed effortlessly cool- which left me feeling like the nerdy side-kick. I remember driving around after football games with them as they got texts from guys who I fawned over, asking what their ("our") plans were for the evening and having borderline fan-girl moments thinking it was possible I'd get to hang out with ((insert hot-guy-of-the-month's name here)) and his friends, or even better <i>upperclassmen</i>.<br />
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I cringe writing these things out now because it just sounds so sad. I'm fairly certain I project my current feelings, as a significantly more confident version of myself, onto the 2005 version of myself. That version of myself didn't know who she was or where she fit in. She always dressed a little "off" from what was actually cool at the time, and didn't learn how to effectively use a hair straightener until sometime in 2007. Here's the thing: nobody ever made me feel left out as I was experiencing these things. If I was secretly being made fun of behind my back all those years I had no idea. Like I said, high school was fine for me, but when I spend any amount of time looking back and analyzing who I really was back then, I recognize myself as someone who was not totally happy, or secure in herself.. and it brings up all sorts of retroactive feelings I didn't know I had.<br />
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I spent some time tonight scrolling through the people who have been accepted into the reunion group on Facebook..often times clicking on images of new married names to try to figure out who from the class of 2005 I was looking at. I thought about who those people were back then, my very ambiguous self-imposed definitions of who they were and what groups they ran with. While I'm sure everyone is 'different' in the vaguest sense of the word, I spent more time wondering about those individuals who seem <i>so very</i> different: the quiet 'nerdier' girls, the ones who have lost a ton of weight, the ones who have mastered a makeup brush. It's not even so much those superficial attributes I notice, but the confidence- the change in attitude. This is perhaps the case because I identify with them the most.<br />
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I find myself wondering what people think of me- am I looked at and pigeonholed as the 2005 version of myself? What did <i>they </i>identify that version as, even? Do people even remember me? It's probably time to mention that I currently am friends (as in, see on a semi-regular social basis) with absolutely no one I graduated high school with. I do have some friends today that I picked up in that time period, or knew in childhood, but didn't graduate with. This has been a source of anxiety, self-doubt, and remorse for me for years. Like I said, I had friends in high school- that was never the problem. The problem was that I didn't know who I was. I floated between groups, more concerned with having weekend plans than gaining the confidence to form and carry through deep meaningful relationships to where I am today. In some respects, the same can be said for college- a place I also escaped with fair enough memories and absolutely nobody who I see on a consistent basis (or any basis) today. The reasons looked different, but I'm just now realizing the root was the same. I tended to follow guys around, and formed my social groups based on who I was pursuing that year. I can see it plainly when I look back, year-to-year. My junior and senior year were predominantly the same group of friends. My junior year I was dating one of that group, senior year I wasn't. So my time was spent between that old group and my new boyfriend. I realize now that my actions again stemmed from a fundamental lack of confidence in who I was and feelings of inadequacy in terms of my intimate relationships. I poured myself into those relationships, at the expense of my plutonic ones, because of this insecurity.<br />
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I often found (and still find) myself wondering what I did wrong to go through 4 years of high school, and 4 years of college, the "best" years, with very little to show for it in terms of relationships. It wasn't until recently, maybe even getting that reunion letter, that I think I understand why. While both of those times were happy enough for me, it's got everything to do with the me <i>now </i>not loving or wanting to be identified with the me <i>then</i>. I'm embarrassed at the way, or the lack of the way, I fought for relationships back then. For my lack of confidence. I think subconsciously, being around those people and those memories brings me back to that version of me.<br />
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I honestly wouldn't self-identify as confident, or comfortable in who I am, until early 2010. I don't feel like the same person that I was in high school. OK that's a lie, I think my personality is largely the same, but it's blossomed. I pursued a career choice that gave me extremely higher levels of confidence and found a partner that never knew the "dorkier" (I'm absolutely still a dork) or less confident version of myself. He's helped me by letting me be the version of myself I always wanted to be.<br />
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Jury's out on whether I'll attend the reunion. If I do go, it won't be to prove anything to anyone. It may be to redeem, in some small way, the way I feel about those 4 fleeting years and the 2005 version of myself. <br />
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<br />Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-30102414653615351192015-03-24T07:50:00.001-07:002015-03-25T07:24:54.676-07:00THIS AND THAT. I figured after a month absence it'd be weird to come in here and bomb you with a deep post, which are some of the ones that have been marinating in my head lately.<br />
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So, I figured I needed a buffer. This is my buffer.<br />
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I equate the dormancy to a bear coming out of hibernation.. it's spring! Time to write.<br />
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I've also thought for a little while now that my blog layout was bugging me, which stunts my desire to come here when I feel like it looks frumpy. Every time I tried to make a header in a photo program I'd install it and the background would look faintly grey against my blog..which drove me batty. Lo and behold after last night's tinkering I found on picmonkey I could design straight in the site and choose "transparent" backgrounds in a .png file (nerding out so hard here) and VIOLA- no more grey! So I fixed that, my nav bar (at one point while making that M looks over and exclaims, "are you <i>coding!?</i>" I LOLed but felt like a badass) AND updated my "about me" page- so feel free to check that out.<br />
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I also equate the dormancy to equal parts feeling frazzled and busy and feeling a little "meh" and unsettled in different areas of my life. I'm currently acting as a wedding coordinator for a wedding this Saturday, doing the flowers for that and running the room-flip; packing my office/our office for a work-move to a new location on Saturday; coordinating our family's second Walk MS event on May 3; and planning an <a href="http://www.jesseandlauren.com/" target="_blank">embryo </a>adoption <a href="http://www.jesseandlauren.com/2015/02/so-we-doing-fundraiser.html" target="_blank">fundraiser </a>for May 16th.<br />
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So there's that, too.<br />
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Anyway, I'm here, my space is prettier, hope to be back sooner.<br />
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Ok, good talk.Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-33425357059191318332015-02-19T08:18:00.002-08:002015-04-21T18:21:17.410-07:00ARIZONA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hola! </div>
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Checking in after spending a wonderful 5 days 40 miles north of the Mexican border in Green Valley, AZ. </div>
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M's mom is snow-birding down there for the first time, so we took advantage of the free hotel and booked a mid-winter getaway, that just so happened to coincide with my birthday. </div>
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I'd never been to Arizona before, or any true desert state, so it was fun to experience the desert and the climate. It was a perfect high 60s (which felt way warmer than a high 60 in MN) to high 70s while we were there.</div>
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We hiked twice, went to the pool twice, did a LOT of reading and relaxing, as well as browsing our MLS, Edina Realty, and Realtor.com apps- perhaps a post for another day, but we find ourselves in the midst of a "do we stay or do we go" existential crisis with our current home. </div>
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My birthday festivities spanned two days, which is very rare for me (I sit firmly in the birthDAY camp, not birthWEEK,.. in case you were wondering), but M's planned activity was booked solid, so he and I celebrated with a little date night on Friday the 13th. We drove 30 minutes north into Tuscon and enjoyed a 50 minute couples massage at a spa inside a casino (bonus points for M for gifting to himself, too ;-)), after that we wandered around the casino a bit waiting for our dinner at the Asian fusion restaurant inside the casino - excellent people watching at casinos, I tell you what. </div>
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Saturday (my birthday proper) we went to a tiny artists town called Tubac where we wandered in and out of shops and had lunch. It was a nice low key day. M took two calls on his phone, which he chalked up to a big work presentation he had the day after we returned from AZ. Little did I know he was actually trying to locate the proflowers guy who was lost in Green Valley. </div>
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I can't receive flowers at home because my cat is apparently neglected and malnourished and insists upon eating EVERYTHING living he can get his grubby paws on, so M found a way for me to receive and enjoy some flowers for my birthday :). Thinking back, I think he's sent flowers in some shape or form just about every year for my birthday. </div>
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Saturday night we went to a fantastic little Italian restaurant in town, returned home in a carb coma, and were in bed by 10. The perfect birthday. </div>
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Sunday was one of my favorite days, by far. </div>
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We drove an hour north, to the north side of Tuscon, to hike in the Catalina Mountains at Sabino Canyon. We parked at the visitor's center and took the tram up to the last possible stop in the canyon in a light rain. As if by design, the rain stopped when we got off the tram and hit the trail head. </div>
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We hiked the Phone Line Trail, which was a trail they had started to partially clear to install phone lines. (Why phone lines would be necessary in the canyon, I'm not sure..). It was SUCH a beautiful hike. We stayed high along the ridge as we hiked out of the canyon back towards the visitor's center. It was about 3 hours overall (with pit stops, photo ops, and a lunch in there) and was such a beautiful morning. (M's mom and step-dad hiked too both days but I clearly didn't take many photos of all of us together).</div>
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It's funny.. I went from being a VERY outdoorsy child to an inexplicable aversion to the elements the last few years. I still highly dislike being cold and/or rained on, but I've found as long as I'm dressed appropriately, I REALLY enjoy hiking. M's mom bought M and I some hiking boots as birthday/valentines presents and I'm super pumped to put some miles on them this summer at local state parks. </div>
Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-82936096907483486412015-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:002015-02-06T06:00:03.498-08:00CLASSPASS: FINAL THOUGHTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arimo; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: left;">*FTC Disclosure: I was provided a month free of classpass to try out in exchange for promotion of the program, all opinions are my own.</i></div>
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There was supposed to be a "Classpass: week 2/3" post but.. here we are in February. Woops. </div>
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I've wrapped up my month trial with <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2015/01/classpass-one-week-in.html" target="_blank">classpass </a>and want to get some of my final thoughts.</div>
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Perhaps the biggest thing I learned through this process was a) what type of workouts I enjoy and b) what type of exerciser I am. </div>
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Here's a confession: in the last year+ at Lifeitme, (not including barre classes or yoga) I have pretty much solely ran on the treadmill or eliptical for 30 minutes and then been done. When I think about what I'm paying a month for my Lifetime (which is onyx level.. so.. $$$ cha-ching $$$) that is hardly maximizing my time or money. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The plain truth is when I'm not in the confines of an hour long structured class-type workout, I just don't push myself. I make excuses, "oh, NEXT WEEK I'll research those weight machines that scare me and start doing that on certain mornings as well as running!" Turns out, "next week" never came. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The BEST part about classpass for me, and what differs from Lifetime, is the sheer number of types of classes at certain time slots. If I decided I wanted to work out after work on a Thursday and was browsing for a 5:30/6:00 class, Lifetime may have 3-4 options, but none that interest me that particular day. Classpass, the conversation is so different. Instead of, "well, out of step class, spin and water aerobics.. I guess spin sounds fine today." It's, "hmm, which of these 6 spin classes at 5:00, 5:15, 5:30 or 6:00 do I want to attend." </span></div>
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Despite this realization, it was still hard for me to come to terms with the idea of canceling Lifetime, for a few reasons. First, even if my workouts were piddly, I loved the routine of the mornings I DID drag myself to the gym: running, showering, getting ready around other people. I felt accomplished those mornings. The reality of classpass is a majority of the gyms I want to attend don't have showers, which makes it a virtual impossibility for me to workout int he morning. </div>
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Second, I learned a little bit more about classpass's structure that made me a little nervous. The participating gyms don't get compensated for being a part of classpass. The incentive primarily is advertising, getting new people to the gym, and then perhaps selling ancillary services. I do see the value in the advertising (perhaps not AS much as my advertising husband would) but I started to wonder- with classpass being a "newer" idea, what if gyms decided they didn't see the return they wanted to and pulled off classpass? I have <i>absolutely </i>no reason to think this (*besides my general anxiety about money that I apparently projected onto small gym owners...?) but it was a thought of mine. This was even more prevalent when I thought -what if it were my more favorite gyms? </div>
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Ultimately though I can't stay at a gym that I'm not maximizing and that I'm paying $30 more a month than a classpass monthly membership would be (onyx level.. kills me...), based on these fears. I've reassured myself that IF something goes terribly wrong with this classpass model, Lifetime will ALWAYS be there. I can always go back. But I owe it to myself to try something that really motivated me, even if it meant giving up a few nights a week to attend classes- something you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to do post-work at Lifetime (the parking lot. so busy. so anxiety inducing- also why I would run for 30 minutes and want to go home). </div>
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In the confines of a group fitness structure though, those anxieties about getting home late dissipate, or at least the class goes by so fast that it doesn't register. </div>
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So, since I was behind the 8-ball and waiting on some job stuff.. (#vaguemention) I've already paid for the month of February at Lifetime. I'm going to force myself in there sometime this month (before March gets taken out) and try to "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR8yT86jSao" target="_blank">quit the gym.</a>"</div>
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I can't thank classpass enough for offering me this opportunity. It seems trite to say it was life-changing, but it certainly has the possibility to be! It's gotten me more excited about fitness than I had been in, well, <i>ever</i>. </div>
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Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-50340075758851086052015-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:002015-01-21T06:00:00.688-08:00FOOD PHILOSOPHY // PART 3 // FINAL THOUGHTSIf this series has bored you to death, my bad.<br />
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A lot of this is just me working through my thoughts for the first time- despite the fact that we've been "living it" for a little while now.<br />
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Here's the big secret though, we're not perfect and we absolutely never intend to be, because I would go insane without balance. As I've mentioned several times, we come nowhere close to tracking daily percentages of calories, carbs, cholesterol, etc. and instead just aim for a general healthy balance. When we go out to eat, all bets are off and I'm eating fries <u>a lot</u> of the time.. <i>but </i>as long as we're good at home, we allow ourselves the splurge when we're out.<br />
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Here's another secret, some of the meals we eat at home <i>absolutely</i> do NOT qualify as "healthy" in the traditional sense of the word: Pasta with meat sauce, burgers, "home-fries" (notice a theme with french fries? I SERIOUSLY CAN'T STOP). I think there's a misconception that health has to mean eating lettuce salad with no dressing and radishes and raw turnips. Health has a LOT to do with your goals and our goals are simply to eat <u>naturally</u>, not necessarily low carb or low calorie. <i>[I do personally believe that eating naturally is the best place to start and that a lot of modern diseases and health issues can be traced to packaged foods and artificial ingredients.] </i>I'm aware there are probably people reading this who don't consider any of the things I eat healthy.<br />
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Again, a lot of this has to do with the fact that we're not eating in a way designed to lose weight. We want to maintain our weights, and definitely have a healthy balance of meals that reflect that. For example, our meals* last week:<br />
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1. Braised pheasant (M went hunting) with asparagus and risotto w/caramelized fennel and leeks<br />
2. Jess's <a href="http://www.jessismoreblog.com/2014/07/italian-turkey-burgers.html" target="_blank">Italian turkey burgers</a><br />
3. <a href="http://www.thekitchenpaper.com/paprika-chicken-spinach-white-wine-butter-thyme-sauce/" target="_blank">Paprika chicken and spinach with a white wine butter thyme sauce and brown rice</a><br />
4. Flatbread pizza on naan bread: caramelized onions and garlic with goat cheese<br />
5. <a href="http://www.thecandidappetite.com/2013/01/19/spicy-sausage-potato-kale-soup/" target="_blank">Spicy sausage, potato, and kale soup</a><br />
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It's no secret I consider myself a foodie (that meal list above may hint to that as well). I love trying new food and exploring <a href="http://kellybjd.blogspot.com/2015/01/to-do-list-revisited.html" target="_blank">new restaurants</a> and am so grateful that the metro area in Minnesota has an unbelievable wealth of restaurants that boast a locally sourced, organic, natural kitchen. It definitely makes me feel better about eating out. That being said, lacking those qualities won't stop me from trying a restaurant. There are simply too many things I want to eat and cook to have too restrictive of a diet. This is why the philosophy we've developed in our house works for us.<br />
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Food, for Matt and I, is SO much more than fuel.. food is community. There's nothing I love more than hosting company for dinner, talking about great meals, scouting restaurant menus, researching new recipes, or trying to make something in a new way. I think it's important to note that because a lot of the way I view things stems from that belief system.<br />
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I hope this series didn't come off as preachy, and in fact, that fear is what kept me from writing about it for so long. I want to be an inclusive voice in the food conversation. A large part of why I resisted change for so long had to do with the tone of the conversation. I'm sensitive to try to not come off as judgmental or authoritative and instead just share our family's story. Now, more than ever, I am aware that making these changes involves a total shift in a person's frame of mind: The same can be said about any change- quitting smoking, kicking a bad habit, etc. I may share things along this topic as I find them, I may not ever again, but I hope this series was helpful to at least one person.<br />
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<i>*A <u>huge </u>aspect of this conversation I'm overlooking in these posts is the fact that 80% of the time I truly ENJOY cooking. I have my moments where looking in the fridge fills me with rage and I want to go out to eat, but for the most part I find chopping, dicing, and sauteing therapeutic. [I am convinced there is NO BETTER SCENT than fresh minced garlic and onions sauteing in butter.] So yes, this is a different conversation if you aren't the type who enjoys cooking. </i>Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2792346563295917833.post-23156534038143669402015-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:002015-01-20T08:43:26.787-08:00FOOD PHILOSOPHY // PART 2So, what does "whole, local, organic" mean? It means that as often as we can,we making decisions about our food that mean we understand what form it comes in, and as often as we can that means it's natural existing state (fresh veggies vs. frozen, making pasta sauce from tomatoes and spices vs. canned). It means that where we can, we buy food that has come from Minnesota or the Midwest (why? because midwest is best ;-), joking..kind of, but also, supporting local! yay!). Organic to us means there's as little artificial stuff (preservatives, chemicals, fillers) in our food as possible. This mostly applies to meat, dairy, and when we buy processed.<br />
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Here's a look at how this plays out for us:<br />
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If you want to make a baby step in the right direction, challenge yourself to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible. As a rule of thumb, it's the healthiest areas and it's a great place to start. I play a game with myself to see how little I need from the interior and usually? It's not much. When I DO venture into the middle? I am more conscious of what I'm getting: organic free range chicken broth, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. WHERE YOU SHOP</b></span></div>
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If you'd told me a year ago I'd be shopping at a co-op, I'd have laughed at you. First, there's a perception that co-ops are for hippies. Second, there seems to be a perception that you have to be a member or work there (neither true). Last, there seems to be a perception they're more expensive. This is true with SOME items (meat, especially) but definitely not all. In fact, at Lakewinds, where M and I go, you can buy bulk basil. Only need 6-8 leaves? You can pick out 6-8 leaves and don't have to pay $5 for a package that will go to waste. They sell SINGLE eggs and bulk pasta! SINGLE carrots! Have a recipe that calls for ONE carrot and you can't find anything in a bag less than 8? I seriously avoided carrot recipes for this reason. Drove me nuts. </div>
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The huge benefit I've found of the co-op is that at Lakewinds especially, they're pegged as a natural food market. It's so much easier to make decisions on purchasing when you know everything is either natural, local, or organic for the most part. Does it mean eating a brick of cheese will feel good just because it's local and organic? Probably not. But there's a lot less label checking for me because I believe that when I shop there, as long as I eat in moderation and still balance my food groups, I'm already doing a lot better than I was before. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. WHAT YOU SHOP</b></span><br />
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Stay with me here because this may sound crazy, but as I've said before this means we eat organic veggies where we can, local or at least organic meat where we can, and full fat. </div>
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<<record scratches>> full fat? Absolutely. </div>
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You may remember a few years back there was a surge of low-fat and fat free options? EVERYTHING had a low fat/fat free version. I bought it. Everybody did. But turns out, low fat and fat free basically tasted like cardboard. So what did they do to compensate and make people still want to buy it? Jack it full of SUGAR. If you want a really fantastic, short, and interesting documentary on the subject, watch <a href="http://fedupmovie.com/" target="_blank">Fed Up</a>. My very simplistic understanding of it goes as follows: sugar is a carbohydrate, so although the food item is labeled low fat, consuming more carbohydrates than your body needs may cause you to convert the excess calories to fat for long term storage. (<a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/517367-how-is-sugar-processed-in-the-body/" target="_blank">VIA</a>). Which means basically that "low fat" food item had the exact opposite affect and is making you more fat. Ironic, huh?<br />
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For us, the "WHAT" we shop boils down to the ingredients list. I want to be able to recognize all, if not at least 90% of, what's on that label. This is why, for the most part, I stay out of the middle of the grocery store. I'm not even going to get into all the gross additives that go into packaged and processed foods because a) it's not something I'm knowledgeable in and b) the rest of the way we shop is designed so we don't need to do that. There are no labels to check when you're throwing a handful of Brussels sprouts into your cart. The ONE area I've heard consistently that is most important to pay attention to is meat and dairy. There are countless studies on the effects on our bodies from the hormones that the animals are injected with, and it's frightening.<br />
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Speaking of labels, if you turn over an item of food that carries a nutrition label you may have noticed the breakdowns and percentages of daily values for various items. Yes?<br />
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Do you see a percentage missing? Where's sugar? (I'll be honest I have no idea where Protein is either but THAT'S NOT MY POINT). That's not an accident, it's the Sugar Lobby. No shitting, and Fed Up explains it far better than I do (and it's been a few weeks since I watched it) but the Sugar Lobby in Washington is so powerful they have kept these percentages off food labels based on the idea that this daily value percentage stuff is "inconclusive science", as they claim. The movie goes into a really interesting narrative about all of this, and the redirection of Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign (which initially had a large food component) to primarily an exercise campaign. Again, your Sugar Lobbyists at work, folks.<br />
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I'll be honest in saying there's a whole lot I'm uneducated on: what my daily values SHOULD be, what some of those preservatives and fillers in processed foods really are and which are the ESPECIALLY bad ones (if they can even be ranked). This is in part because it's a lot of information and I know that tracking calories and/or daily values is not something that's sustainable for me: a HUGE reason I resisted making <i>any </i>changes for a long time- it just never seemed feasible. As I said before, this "how, where, what" method combined with eating mostly whole fruits, whole veggies, and protein is designed so that I am able to give myself a pass on the more stringent tracking. I am aware that veggies have naturally occurring sugars, fiber, carbs, etc., but in moderation and balance I believe eating them in their natural form means I feel fine about not tracking.<br />
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I have some closing thoughts tomorrow on balance and eating out, and how our philosophy plays in to these areas.<br />
<br />Kelly B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04901696268627454070noreply@blogger.com4