Make a Decision, Already!

The awkward, repetitive, tedium makes this video fantastic. Don't worry, around minute 4:25, you're rewarded with a girl in a bikini.



Sort of reminds me of the process my bathroom is going through the past 6 months.

Excuse Me, Mr. Yorn??

I decided to skip Pete Yorn at the rave this past Saturday, in favor of going camping for free in the Southern Kettle Moraine, and do some trail reconstruction on the Ice Age Trail. This was a very very hard decision, because I do so love Pete's older material, and some of his new stuff, and I crave camping all the time.

As the forecast began to show lots and lots of storm clouds, I made the proclamation that the only way I would regret my decision would be in the case that a) it rained the entire camping trip and b) Pete Yorn actually played Lose You.

It rained. Oh, how it rained. I am still wet. My gear will never be the same. But I had some fantastic bonding with friends throughout.


"Icy Spring"

"Wild Reds"

So, did Mr. Yorn Play my favorite song? NO! He did in Kansas City, but not in Milwaukee. I made the right choice after all.

Karly's First Camping Trip

"Night Bouquet"

"Crossing Over"

"Vertigo"

"Just Stop"

On Friday night, my little sister and I embarked on a journey to Bluemound State Park, 25 miles west of Madison, WI. Thanks to the recommendation of several friends (thanks Heather, Cheri), we had a great time. I'll admit, Karly may have over-packed, but who hasn't done so a little bit on their first trip to the woods. I sure did. She didn't whine once, she helped pick up firewood, and one guess who the bigger trooper was when we had to take down the tent in the rain.

The hiking was great, as was the running. The Military Ridge State Trail runs right next to the highway, and through the woods, which made for a really nice morning run with the sun rising to the east. We discovered that most of the trails in the park are designed for mountain biking, which meant that they were relatively flat. Great for the pace we were looking for. No one trail was longer than a mile, which meant we got to do a lot of exploring, especially as we searched high and low for the East Observation Tower (Eventually found it on the way out on Saturday afternoon. Great views).

Finally, a trip to Cave of the Mounds proved to be an interesting diversion from the road. We didn't take the hour long cave tour, due to expense (more than camping itself) and length, but we wandered the gardens and gift shop, and walked around the learning center, where Karly learned that Wisconsin was once covered by the Ordovician Sea. Neat place. Don't go out of your way to check it out, though.

Great time spent with the little sis. Good conversation. Good sights. I should point out for the record that Karly is the Queen of Marshmallow Roasting, while I am the Queen of Fire Building. It's only too bad that Pokey and Earl had to be lost in the efforts.

60 Miles in June

Another one bites the dust... Running goal completed, sticker chart filled in, and I'm satisfied. I wasn't too sure I was going to make this month's goal, since I kept hurting my foot and needed to take quite a few days off to rest. But some hard work and dedication, and a couple of double runs at the end of the month, paid off, and I managed to finish off in style.

Some highlights and musings of the jogging month, for those who care about my new obsession:

• I've managed to plot out very nice routes ranging anywhere from 1/2 mile to 6 miles all over the city, near my house, my work, downtown, church, and friends' houses. This really helps to keep up variety.
  
• Running on vacation or while camping is a great addition to the trip. It's such a wonderful way to get out and see different scenery, and makes for a refreshing beginning to your day.
  
• It's also become my biggest stress relief. Pounding the pavement when I'm ticked off at the world does so much more than moping ever did.
  
• I've noticed that once you start running, you start to make a lot of friends who run, too. This is fun, but I feel like an outsider, not having run track or CC in high school or college. Am I a faker?
• Lastly, what do I do with my keys and ID? I switch between clipping my keys to my shoe (very annoying jingling sound) and carrying them, and I sometimes tuck my ID in my shorts, but I'm not satisfied with any of those options. Surely there's got to be a good solution out there to run in safety.

And as usual, I've rewarded myself with a treat from REI. Well, I bought myself a treat from REI, and decided that since I met my jogging goal, I could excuse the purchase by calling it a
reward. Meet my Arc Teryx Bora 75 pack. I need to stop shopping at that store...

Shawn Mc Donald is A Dreamy Man

Annette and I made the drive down to Wheaton, IL last night after a long work day with the intent to enjoy some amazing acoustic music, and hopefully not get lost in the process. Due to some incredibly precise directions (a shout out to Chris Stokes is in order), we indeed made it to the chapel and home again without incident. And due to some phenomenal musicians, we did indeed enjoy some music that will make me giddy for days.

Shawn Mc Donald has a unique style that just finds him playing with music like it was a toy. As write, I realize that this is what I find most endearing in musicians. He doesn't feel like he needs to stick in a style that works, just because it works. He plays with his instrument, in Shawn's case, with his voice, and makes new music with it. he doesn't whine. His songs are a joy to listen to. His lyrics are different. They're not all just a variation on the same 6 words. He writes on themes like freedom, and greed, and pride, and hunger. He's honest. He's human. He's married.

Just a few observations about Wheaton and the concert experience in general:

• College kids are young. Annette and I felt really old at this concert.
• A lot of Wheaton kids have DSLR cameras. I got to move up close during the Shawn portion of the concert and sit with them, and I felt very inferior with my Canon ELPH. In retrospect, I wish I had fiddled a bit more with the settings, because I'm not very pleased with the lighting in most of my Shawn pictures. I got some nice stills before the concert, though.
  
• I really dislike seat savers. The two girls in front of us came in, saved seven seats, then left until 5 minutes before showtime. At least there was no arguing at this show as in the past...
• A lot of Wheaton guys look like Chris Stokes.

So That Happened

Well, the birthday is over, for the most part. The weekend began with a very enjoyable Friday off of work spent however I pleased, and ended with a late night in Madison with the guys at a not-too-rockin' Pete Yorn show (Eric's review here). Thankfully, Josh did not get beat up this time around, by a girl or otherwise.

Sandwiched in between Friday morning and Sunday night were several nice dinners with friends (no tears shed!), one very lovely Mojito, my worst two games of bowling ever, afternoon manicures and girl talk with KB, and lots of super fun presents, including all kinds of fun music to listen to and talk about on my blog!

Oh, and there was also a few hours spent at the lovely St. Joseph's Urgent Care facility on Hwy 100 on Sunday afternoon, where I had my left foot x-rayed to find a fracture in the bone of my big toe, from spill I took down the stairs at Landmark on Friday night. The doctor ordered a surgical shoe type thing, and no jogging or volleyball for the next four weeks. And at least a week of living in terror of children jumping on it (happened at least 3 times today).



I guess 25 years without a broken bone all that milk drinking could buy me.

Breakfast, A Beagle, and Cute Babies

Well, it turns out that I was extra good this year, because Santa surprised me with a brand new digital camera! My Canon point and shoot has made the past several days infinitely more exciting! Hopefully, as I learn how to use my new toy to its fullest potential, it will make this blog infinitely more exciting, too!

Some pictures...

My cousin Jack (before the projectile vomiting incident)













"Who is that?" "Jenna!"











Baby Evan, the sweetest, tiniest addition to the family















I did promise a beagle...













...and some breakfast.



More photoblogging to come, when I get better at it.