howdy, stranger

First of all - friends, I am so sorry for having neglected you and your need for blog-time. Whether you actually love my little stories or you just seriouslyneed something to do while you're at work, girlfriend let you down. But now I'm back (to show you, I can really shake 'em down).

Last week was a blur of work and that 48 hour sickness that goes around each time the seasons change. That's the boring stuff. The fun part was the wedding of my friends Andy & Sarah, two hilarious and wonderful people who met just over a year ago and were married this weekend (insert aaaaws). Their ceremony & reception were at the Goss Opera House in Watertown, SD. Everything about this place was beautiful and it was perfect for A & S. I love weddings in general, but I especially love seeing how people's weddings reflect their character both individually and as a couple. For these two it was groomsmen in black converse (the groom's were red!), Sarah's dad's prayer during the ceremony, wild flower bouquets, skinny neon ties and a photo booth full of props. For me, it was so much dancing. When we left the reception the bride said to my date, our friend John, "Thanks for bringing her. More than one person has said to me 'she looks like she likes to have a good time.'" Because I do. And because their marriage is something to celebrate.

Note: Great things said in the speeches included "A lot of you think Sarah's too pretty for Andy. And you're right." And "I always wondered who would be the right man for my friend with the leopard print flats, until I met Andy. I think he was born with a bowtie on."

I know what you're thinking...I look really good with a mustache. 

woot, woot.

These pictures are fromt last week. I know, I'm the worst when it comes to timeliness.
And washing my hair. And talking too loud. And a bunch of other stuff.
But I'm pretty good at celebrating - which, I'm sure, you've noticed.

My standard treat-Thursday-like-Friday festivities were amped up by the fact that we were celebrating Ju's birthday and the fact that Liz the Wiz is officially a registered dietician.

It was also extra wonderful, because I was able to:
a. catch up with one of my favorites, Ash (redhead/twin/campus coworker/ultimate funtime)
b. run into my lovely Sarah (curly hair/barista buddy/hilarious)
c. see a few of my best high school guy friends, who were on their way to Minneapolis

It was just one of those night where you feel right, because you're doing nothing but being
happy with the people you love.

weekend haze

Still in a daze from my non-stop busy weekend of big-time thrifting, friend catch-upping, phone losing, phone finding and other all-around goodtimes. Let's just say I have enough to write about for the rest of the week, but no time to do it this afternoon. I'm sorry, friends. Call me a mediocre bad guy.

No don't. But feel free to enjoy a song by the very same name.

$28 adventures

Dearest readers of the universe, thank you for showing up today.

This post is sponsored by the letter Q, the number 7 and a thrift store near you. Because today we're talking about how I'm obsessed with thrifting. If you didn't know, you probably found out when you told me I had a cute dress on and I promptly replied, "Thanks! It was four bucks!" At this point, I would say that 90% of the items in my wardrobe cost $20 or less, with probably 50% costing under $10.

To amp that closet up, I decided to make a pit stop at the downtown DBR on the way home from work last night. And, I tell you what, it was raining deals like it was the golldang apocalypse! I got a new blazer, a fall jacket, a pair of shoes, a belt and an adorable hat - all for $28! FYI, people - this aint my first rodeo. I've been popping in and out of second hand shops since I was a tot. My mom - a fantastic seamstress, deal stealer and do-it-yourselfer - raised our family with an appreciation for the previously used. Our extended family is the same way - my cousins and I could spend days in thrift stores, at auctions or digging through a shed full of old things looking for buried treasure. All you need is a little imagination to find furniture to refurb, clothes to tailor, dishes to wash and old things to make new. It's my perspective that thrifting is an awesome adventure. It's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle. And, actually, it's also becoming a tradition. Every holiday, our siblings pick names for gifts, each with a $30 limit. Two years ago, half of that gift money had to be spent on making or thrifting part of the gift. This year, the entire gift had to be second-hand.

Anyway, I think I'm going to start posting my favorite finds on my blog in the hopes that it will inspire you to dig for deals of your own. Happy thrifting, loves!

ps. I was going to call this post "one man's junk" to imply the latter "...is another man's treasure." But it still would have just said "one man's junk," so I skipped it. This time. 

cass lake lovefest

I'm still recuperating from my fantastic (and ridiculous) weekend camping with some friends at Norway Beach on Cass Lake.

My friend Amber threw a camping extravaganza birthday party for her husband Josh with fifteen or so from our group of high school friends (we were still missing a few!). And, after our short time together, we're all begging them to make it an annual thing. It was fantastic.

It's weird to think that I was camping in this same spot more than ten years ago with my friend Jeena. And that we were back in the same place all these years later. (See her and her little family toward the bottom of this post). There's this picture of us from that time where - well, first of all, where she looks adorable and tiny and I'm like captain baby fat, head of the ugly two-piece parade - but secondly, where we look unbelievably happy. We are just two kids with the whole world in front of us doing nothing but being together. That was enough then. And when you take a break from the "real" world, it's enough now.

Isn't it funny how being at a lake or in the wilderness with nothing to do automatically brings you back to a place of innocence again? For us, that meant skipping stones, playing frisbee, laughing around the fire, riding bikes, going on walks and splashing around in the water (or having a sand fight after a few drinks on the pontoon. oops!).

We often forget how lucky we are to be almost a decade out of high school and still loving our time together. Everyone is so so different now, but the bond we made back then was enough to last. I guess there are some things we just get right the first time.

rooftop summers

Forgot to post these pictures from last Thursday, when I had dinner & drinks on the rooftop of the HoDo with a few of my wonderful friends. It was the perfect night to spend time outside, catching up. Plus, one of our favorite local bands, the Fillers, was playing outside, while Charlie Parr played inside. Great friends. Great music. Great weather. Great food. One great summer night. And there's no point in living, if you're not living for those.