wordless wednesday

I have so many photos I could share of these two adorable cats. I know I say it all the time, but they are clearly sisters. And I love how sometimes it's like they are actually posing for the camera!

Victoria is the one with more white on her and Wilhelmina (otherwise known as Mina) is more brown.

Ten plans for summer

Apologies for not writing. I've been working really weird hours the last couple weeks, and it's definitely not helping me get anything done. I so badly want to blog, but I'm not very good at making time for it. Today's Top Ten list is going to be a little different than the first one because I"m going to list ten things I'd like to do/accomplish this summer. Who knows if they'll all happen, but I like lists!

1. Learn to play tennis. This shouldn't be too hard, but you never know, haha. We already bought tennis rackets and balls, now it's just a matter of time to actually play. The closer you live to somewhere (in this case, tennis courts), the less likely you are to get there? Seems legit, haha.

2. Visit Wollersheim Winery. We received vouchers for a free tour of the winery when we purchased a couple bottles of their wine recently. I've never actually been to a winery, and I don't think Nate has either, so it would be a fantastic experience. The only problem is this one is out past Madison.

3. Go camping up by Lake Superior. Given that it takes roughly four hours to get up to the lake, this one is a bit far-fetched for the way this year is going. But we both love Superior, and it's been far too long since we've been there.

4. Have a shore lunch. I'm not the biggest fan of eating fish, but fishing is a fun pastime, and one of these days I hope to be able to actually cook the fish I catch. Of course I need to start catching fish first...

5. Make ice cream in our ice cream maker. I actually had every intention of doing this last weekend, but since nothing ever goes as planned, it didn't happen. But at some point, I need to try the darn thing out!

6. Go strawberry picking. Not sure if there is anywhere nearby to go pick strawberries, but this would be tons of fun to do on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. And then I can make ice cream, jam, pie, tarts, more jam, more ice cream...mmmmmmm. Sorry, I just love strawberries.

7. Kayak on the Sheboygan River. One of our friends mentioned this idea last week and I think it would be a grand adventure. Especially since Nate and I already know how to kayak!

8. Use the bike trail in the Kettle Moraine. I see this trail all the time, and I know it's kind of long, but we would both like to bike at least part of it!

9. Go see fireworks somewhere for Independence Day. Considering the fact that Independence Day is next week, I guess I've run out of ideas. Though I still have one number left. Anyway. Fireworks are fun, and we did manage to go last year (even though most places didn't even hold fireworks because of the drought), so hopefully we manage it this year, too!

10. Watch the sunrise from the shore of Lake Michigan at least twice. We've tried to make this happen, but we always end up staying up way too late the night before! I hate that, honestly. Staying out late with friends is fun, yes, but when that's what we do every weekend...well, variety is the spice of life, and on that spice, I thrive. But I digress, because really, I do love our friends. And now that sunrise comes so crazy-early, this might be something we accomplish when summer is at its end.


There you have it, our ten summer plans. Of course there will be more, but it's always nice to make a list of the top ideas. Now if only Nate can get some days off and I can know with enough time to ask for days off...we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess. And in the meantime, we'll have a few small adventures here and there!

Do you have any plans for the summer? Grand plans? Or just small ones?

five things friday

It's the weekend! And it really is for me, because I'm going with a couple of good friends to visit my family and go to a Regency Ball! I really can't wait, because it's been quite a few years since I've been to the annual Playford Ball, and to make things even more exciting, I get to wear my wedding dress again! Sadly, Nate won't be coming along because he does have to work...but I'll make sure to have some pictures. :)

And now for my five things:

1. I completely forgot to do my second Top Ten post on Tuesday, but that's because I worked all day and was exhausted. Sometimes people are so rude and that's, well, exhausting. Anyone who says that part-time jobs can't be stressful probably hasn't worked customer service in a grocery store (or anywhere else, since people can be just as rude and demanding elsewhere...).
2. I still haven't used my juicer...sadface.
3. My yoga mat gets much more use when it's nice outside. There's just something awesome about practicing yoga outside in the sunshine.
4. Granola and yogurt are delicious together, but if you eat it too slowly the granola gets soggy and I hate that. But I eat it anyway. Because it still tastes good.
5. I finally bought myself a glass water bottle from Lifefactory (though I purchased it through Amazon because I have free two-day shipping), and it's definitely one of the best investments I've ever made. No more nasty plastic that never truly gets clean!! And while my stainless steel one was nice, it had definitely seen better days. Plus, now I have a cap that I can actually drink out of while walking or driving and not pour all the water down the front of me. And it's bright pink!

{gratuitous photography post}

I like landscape photos. I like nature photos in general. I also like architecture photos, especially of old places. I don't honestly like photos of people, or at least I don't like taking photos of people. I get some good ones once in a while, but eh. Anyway, the photos I do have of people from the last month aren't really that great, plus I wanted to showcase our awesome field of dandelions from a few weeks ago (they're all gone now...), and the weird clouds last Saturday. So, enjoy!

five things friday

Hey, it cooled down this week! But it rained like everyday. I'm beginning to wonder if we'll have an English summer: wet and cool. I'm certainly okay with it being cool, but not too enthused about it being wet all the time. The hiking trails will always be muddy, which is generally not fun.
I had a few other posts planned for this week, but I've worked a few very long days. Well, eight hours. Which is long when you have to be standing for all of that. Thankfully, my feet and back are getting used to it, though my lower back still spasms kind of a lot. Ah well. As long as I can walk around at least every ten minutes, I think I'm okay. And man does it feel great to sit down at the end of the day. But the downside of working long shifts is that I don't get anything done at home and then the weekend comes and I'm upset that the house is a mess. Eventually there will be balance...I think...though with as slowly as I adjust to things, that might not come until I'm ready to leave my job. Sigh. Well, here are my five things for this Friday.

1. I did purchase a juicer this week, but haven't had time to even take it out of the box. Stay tuned!
2. One of my fitness plans is to begin a Couch to 5K program (I even have one on my iPod already!), since I'd love to be a runner and one of my friends has been bugging me to participate in runs with him. So we'll see how that goes...if it ever stops raining when I have free time...
3. I'm always biting my tongue while at work because I want to tell people what kind of crap they are buying to put into their bodies. Quite frankly, it's appalling. Especially when someone on food stamps buys a cartload of soda, packaged snack cakes, and candy. I mean, what? I wanted to gag when I saw what these people were buying and then they pulled out their EBT card and it was all I could do not to say something...Lord, help me keep holding my tongue...
4. Totally just realised that yes, I have a camera now and I keep forgetting about it. Hmm.
5. Sourdough bread is now my favourite. Wish I had the time to make some...

Top Ten Favourite Television Shows

I like writing lists, obviously. They are a good way to get one's thoughts out. So here is another weekly feature that I am introducing on the blog: Tuesday Top Ten. I've seen many other blogs do this, and I've participated in a few themed ones. Mine isn't going to be themed overall, it'll just be random lists. And since I've been listening to music from Game of Thrones all morning, I've decided that the inaugural list for this feature will be my top ten television shows to watch. First of all, I don't even watch that much tv, at least not regularly. Second, I'm not counting shows that aren't running anymore, because then the list would be longer. Maybe that'll be a different list. So here goes.

1. Doctor Who -- This is the best show ever, it really is. Time travel is my favourite topic ever, so yeah.

2. Downton Abbey -- 'nuff said.

3. Bones -- I think this murder-solving show just finished its eighth season, and I'm still as hooked as ever. It's not even something I would have normally started watching, but my sister did, so I watched with her.

4. Orphan Black -- This thriller only finished its first season last weekend, and I honestly can't wait until next season. Many of you may not have heard of it, since it's only on BBC America. But the actress playing the main character is playing a host of other characters on the show, since the premise is that she discovers she is a clone. Tatiana Maslany is a fantastic actress for being able to play so many different personalities. WARNING: very violent and graphic at times.

5. Once Upon a Time -- I almost forgot about this show, and I'm probably about five episodes behind, but I enjoy the premise and though it's not the best written show ever, it's definitely fun to watch.

6. New Girl -- Zooey Deschanel is just too cute, okay?

7. Game of Thrones -- I almost feel like this shouldn't be so far down on the list, but eh. It's the most violent and graphic show I've ever watched, which makes me squirm and not ever want to watch it with anyone else, but I also know that tons of people watch this. I'm a season behind because I don't actually have HBO, but I'm reading the books before watching the seasons anyway, so it's all good. But this whole story is heartwrenching, it really is. Once I get over all the graphic sex and weird violence, the heart of the story is painful and sometimes beautiful.

8. The Big Bang Theory -- I can't get enough of the antics of Sheldon and crew. And the nerd references are just awesome. Always makes me proud of being a nerd.

9. Top Gear -- This probably should be higher on the list. Cars, three British men who aren't afraid to admit (most of) their mistakes on television, and awesome landscapes? Not to mention all the hilarity that comes from them trying lots of weird and hilarious things... I never manage to watch an episode without laughing.

10. The Nerdist -- Last, but certainly not least. This is a BBC America talk show, on Saturday nights. As the title implies, it's a talk show for nerds. They do some hilarious things and there's literally always at least one reference to Doctor Who. Yes, excellent show for keeping up with what's happening in the nerd culture.