a weekend in the city a.k.a. a babymoon

Happy October! As Tim and I were sitting at the table this morning, he declared that October is probably his favorite month, followed closely by January/February. The boy loves his snow. I'll stick with October, thank you very much, and all it's bright leaves, sweaters, bonfires, apple pies, and (this year) baby prepping.

We spent this past weekend in the city. I guess you could call it our "babymoon", although it was really just like any other weekend, just with a few added extras...

• seeing The Milk Carton Kids and Over the Rhine at the Cedar Cultural Center. holy cow, so good! if you would like proof, take a listen.
• staying in a hotel = swimming! I've been wanting to go swimming for awhile now, thinking that it would just feel soooo good for this pregnant body. And it was every bit as awesome as I imagined it would be.
• walking around the Mall of America early on a Saturday morning to avoid the crowds. Tim said it was his best MOA experience to date.
• eating at an Asian bistro in Stillwater.
• exploring the antique shops and boutiques of Stillwater.
• eating a salted caramel pecan cupcake at Mara Mi, one of my most favorite shops EVER. seriously, I think I could live in there.

We were back at our cozy home by Saturday evening, which made for a quick trip, but also meant that we spent Sunday at church/baking apple crisp/mowing the lawn/generally enjoying each other's company and the beautiful fall day. Perf.

home again

The Tetons - my favorite destination of the whole week

We're home! And I'm very happy to report that everything pretty much went off without a hitch - the weather was phenomenal, the car didn't have any issues, and gas prices didn't make us want to scream and cry. As it is after any long vacation, there are mounds of laundry, dishes, and to-do lists to be tackled, but I just have to remember that they are all the result of one awesome week spent unplugged and unhurried in the rugged American west.

I am currently sorting through the photos from the week and am actually proud of myself. I had a goal of not "over-taking" photos during the week. It's so easy (for me, anyway) to think, "It's a digital camera so I'll just take 10 photos of every scene/shot just to be sure." And then I get home and find that I've got hundreds of photos to sift through. Not cool. But this time, I've found myself with just a little over 100 photos documenting our 9 days of adventure. Cool.

Highlights and more photos (and maybe video?!) coming soon. I promise.

p.s. - "What's in Tim's hand?" you may be asking. Yep, it's a knife. I didn't realize that until I saw the photo on my computer tonight. He said he had to be prepared. Classic.

the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful! What we've had today is good old fashioned Minnesota snow that's about to turn into a sub-zero blizzard once the winds pick up. And if you ask me, blizzards and snow storms are the perfect ingredients for cozy Sunday afternoon. We've been watching the snow fly all day, and have accumulated almost a foot of snow since the middle of the night. As I'm writing this, Tim is in his element - outside, shoveling our driveway for the 3rd time today.

Days like today always make me feel good and hearty, like I'm experiencing (and enjoying!) something few people could handle or appreciate. And I love knowing that my family and friends are tucked away in various warm houses, piled under quilts, and enjoying things like baking and new babies. It's so comforting.

Today, the Miller house has looked like this:

the snow continues to pile up high

wrapping up gifts

naps by the fire

shoveling snow sans snow blower

a hot-off-the-stove lunch

We will attempt to venture outside one more time for Bible study tonight, and then be tucked in later thankful for the blessings that surround us and keep us warm on a day like today.

memorial day weekend :: superior hiking trail

We spent our Memorial Day weekend way up north backpacking a section of the Superior Hiking Trail, and this was one of the verses we read around the camp fire. Despite a mood-dampering forecast (they were saying 90% of rain on Saturday), it turned out to be an awesome trip. Cold? Yes. Mud up to your shins? Yes. Crazy beautiful vistas and falling asleep every night to rain on your tent? Yes. Before the craziness that is life in the summer starts, it was a much needed trip to sort of calm my soul and enjoy God's creativity first hand. 

born and raised

About 10 minutes ago I remembered that John Mayer had a new album coming out in May. About 5 minutes ago I found it on iTunes and immediately hit download. About 1 minute ago, I entered musical heaven. Seriously. I love him, well maybe not him, but you get the picture. I'm daydreaming about our backpacking trip this weekend and how this might just be the perfect soundtrack for the early Saturday morning drive to the trailhead...

sunshine hiking

Holy gorgeous weekend! It was seriously Minnesota spring at its finest. We spent most of it outside, hiking, fishing, and relaxing. On Saturday, we toured the small town of Little Falls and discovered several antique and thrift stores that I want to go back to after we move. After grabbing a greasy burger and fries from a local diner, we set out to explore Charles A. Lindbergh State Park - a small, but beautiful park with good trails and a creek running through it. As we walked along the creek, frogs upon frogs kept leaping into the water. You could see small winged insects swarming in the rays of sunlight. It was one of those days that when the yellow sunshine hit the green leaves of the trees it gave off a warm glow. I'm so thankful I have a Tim and a Callie to enjoy these sort of weekends with me. 

Graduation weekend

We had another great weekend spent with family - ate great food, celebrated Mandy's graduation from nursing school, road-tripped around SD/MN/IA. Here are some photos from the weekend.

 

(more) big news

William Fitzsimmons

It's a Tuesday night, it's 2 minutes until midnight, and I'm still up. That is not the norm. But it hasn't been a completely normal day; it's been an extraordinary day. After what seemed like days of sitting at my desk this morning pretending to work when really all I was doing was thinking about the house and our offer, Tim called me with the news: we got the house! We are now Tim and Erica Miller: Homeowners. My heart feels like it could burst! I am so thankful and excited and overwhelmed and happy.

And if the day wasn't already good enough, I drove down to the Cities for a "date night" with Zach. I ate some of the most delicious sushi I've had yet. After dinner, he took me to an acoustic show - Denison Witmer and William Fitzsimmons. While drinking organic coffee out of a mug and listening to steel guitar, I couldn't help but close my eyes and soak in the goodness of the day. Nights like this nourish my soul.


I will now (attempt to) go to sleep and dream about things like what color to paint the living room and where the silver ware drawer should go...