Girls' Backpacking Trip

Last April, I wrote about a weekend away at a cabin with some of my girlfriends.  We enjoyed ourselves so much that we decided to make it an annual event.

And since we all love the outdoors, we decided to make this year's weekend a light backpacking trip.  

We gathered at my friend Beth's beautiful home on Friday night and enjoyed some delicious food and cocktails. I invited my sister-in-law to join us, and I'm so happy she came along.  She fits in seamlessly with this group of women.  I just adore her. 

We woke up on Saturday and packed up. 

And then we hit the trail. We did a small section of the River to River trail in the Bald Knob Wilderness in the Shawnee National Forest. It was perfect.  The wildflowers were starting to bloom, and we couldn't have asked for better weather.

Between the 7 of us, there were some excellent map reading skills. 

We had a fun water crossing and then set up camp along the creek.

We built a raging fire and settled in for the night.

And we ate the most delicious camp meal I've ever had!  

We stayed up late into the night gathered around the fire.  And then spent much of the next day lounging at our campsite.  We didn't actually start hiking the next day until 2:30.  We definitely would have stayed another night if we could!

I just adore these women. Spending time with them is good for my soul, and I always come away a better person. I am so grateful to be blessed with these soul sisters.  And with my hectic schedule recently, it was really nice to get away and spend some quiet time in the woods. 

And have I mentioned my SIL?  She's the best.  I'm so grateful to have her in my life.  

I'm already looking forward to our next trip.  I'm thinking that maybe our girls' weekend needs to happen more than once a year!

xoxo

Lusk Creek Backpacking Trip

We went on a quick backpacking trip in early November, and I'm just now getting the time to blog about it!  Fall is our absolute favorite time of year to backpack.  The weather is usually ideal, and it's a great chance to see the beautiful fall colors.

I love all outdoor activities, but backpacking may very well be my favorite.  I get such satisfaction from carrying everything I need on my back.  I also love a good physical challenge and backpacking is a pretty good workout.  Most of all, I love to camp in the backcountry.  It's so much better than camping at a campground!  

I love the quiet and peacefulness that comes with backcountry camping.  I also love seeing the beauty of natural structures that you have to walk to get to.  

For this trip, we headed to the Lusk Creek Wilderness in the Shawnee National Forest.  I've been to most places in the Shawnee but had never been to Lusk Creek.  Andrew had planned a relatively easy 11 mile hike for us.  Somehow, we timed it perfectly.  We had the most perfect weather and the fall colors were definitely at their peak.  On Saturday night, we camped at the Secret Canyon, surrounded by beautiful sandstone bluffs, probably one of my favorite places I've ever camped!  

We were joined by our good friends and backpacking buddies, Justin and Mylisa.  My sister-in-law and her husband also joined us for the first time.  We had such a good time.  It was truly the perfect autumn backpacking trip! 

Once again, I'm reminded just how truly spectacular nature is.  I'm also reminded of why I love the Shawnee so much.   

Here are some pics from our trip.  My friend Mylisa showed me how to take pictures in the dark by adjusting the shutter speed with a remote control.  Aren't they awesome?!  I especially love the pictures that she took with the tents lit up!

Enjoy!

Friday night enjoying the fire

Tent glow on Saturday night -- courtesy of Mylisa

Saturday night fire at the Secret Canyon

The group

My favorite hiking buddy

Hiking

Pretty fall colors

The Secret Canyon

TOCO Family Festival

Happy October!  Welcome to one of my favorite months.  Living in the Midwest, October tends to be one of our most pleasant months of the year, meaning that we have lots to look forward to!

We spent this past weekend at the annual TOCO Family Festival.  We've been attending this small music festival for years, and it's always one of our favorite weekends.  It's small and all of the proceeds go to charity.  It's also very safe and family friendly.  They have several events, workshops, and specialized areas designed just for children.

Liam was old enough this year to really enjoy himself as well.  Here are some of my favorite pics:

Costume Parade

Post-parade shot of the guys

Andrew and I both got the chance to catch up with old friends

Family time

View of the stage

Super Liam!

Liam and his friend Cecelia went to the kids' Music Maker Workshop

Liam and his wild curls

Liam rocked out to the music all weekend long.

Thankfully he still wears his ear protection!

Liam LOVED the music.  He was drumming and dancing and playing his guitar all weekend.  Many folks said that he was the king of TOCO this year!  So. much. fun.

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

A Beautiful Wedding for a Beautiful Couple

Andrew and I recently traveled to California for the wedding of one of my roommates from college.  In this group of friends, we've had several weddings in the past few years and this is the last one.  We are all officially hitched!

The wedding was at a resort in Carlsbad.  It was a beautiful setting.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect.  The bride was gorgeous and wore the prettiest lace dress, and the groom couldn't stop smiling.

The ceremony was so very sweet and intimate.  I cried as my friend teared up during her vows.  She is one of my dearest friends, and there's just something so very special about watching someone you care for commit themselves to another person.  There was an immense amount of love in that moment. 

The reception was perfect.  The bride's father gave the most wonderful toast.  There were also come epic moments on the dance floor!

Celebrating the beautiful couple

We cleaned up pretty nicely after a week in the desert!

Old friends know how to make each other laugh

One of the sweetest moments

It was a fabulous weekend and so nice to spend a couple of days with old friends.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time catching up.  There were a lot of cocktails, reminiscing, and laughter packed into those two days.

Congratulations Kathleen and Adam!  We love you dearly and wish you a lifetime of joy.

xoxo

Canoe Trip

Over Memorial Day weekend, we took our annual canoe trip to the Eleven Point river with our friends.  We've been taking this trip consistently for the past five years.  The only year we didn't go was the year I was pregnant with Liam....7 months pregnant riding in a canoe just didn't sound like a good idea! 

This year Andrew's sister, Mollie, and her husband, Jon, decided to join us, which made the trip extra fun.  

Usually we arrive late on Friday night, but this year, everyone had Friday off so we actually arrived at the campground before dark on Friday.  Here we are down by the river enjoying a few drinks as the sun went down.

When we started the canoe trip on Saturday morning, it was actually pretty chilly.  That was kind of a nice treat, because its usually really hot!

The Eleven Point is my favorite river for many reasons.  One, the water is clear and ice cold because it's spring fed.  It also has these beautiful trees and bluff lines all along the stretch that we canoe.  It also isn't too busy.  Though we do see other people, it's not like we are on top of each other like some of the rivers that are closer to the city.

We always pull off and camp along the river on Saturday night.  I just love sitting by the campfire and listening to the sounds of the frogs and Whippoorwills. 

Saturday morning we awoke to sunshine and a much warmer day.  

After five years, Andrew and I have mastered packing for this trip.  We actually had a lot of extra space in our dry bags this year because we were so efficient.  I kept worrying that we had forgotten something important, but we had everything that we needed, and our canoe was perfectly balanced.

I think Mollie and Jon really enjoyed themselves!

And of course, it was nice to catch up with our old friends Justin and Mylisa.

Fun times.  I really look forward to this trip every year and hope we can continue the tradition!

Girls' Weekend

Last month I wrote about a girls' weekend with some of my dearest friends. 

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Nashville, TN for a girls' weekend with another group of close friends, my roommates from college.  These ladies are also like my sisters.   

I can hardly believe that its been fourteen years since we graduated from the University of Notre Dame.  It seems like it was just yesterday.  Here we are then (looking our finest!).  I have very vivid memories of that day....it was such a rite of passage.  The world was so exciting and none of knew where we would end up, but we swore that we would stay together and sure enough, we've made that happen.  

Do you ever feel like time plays tricks on you?  I really don't feel like that was fourteen years ago.  And when we get together, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly we pick up where we left off....as if we haven't missed any time.  We know one another so very well. 

Here we are in Nashville, fourteen years later.  Still together.  Still making each other laugh like it's our job! We met up because the last of us is about to get married this August, and we gathered to celebrate her in all of her bachelorette glory!  

We have kept in touch via regular group emails and though we are scattered about the country, we manage to see one another at least every year or two.  

These ladies are amazing.  When I first got to Notre Dame, I struggled a bit because I wasn't sure where I fit in.  I felt a little lost, like I was different from most.  But then I found a place with these ladies, and they quickly became my home.  We all lived in the same girls' dorm and were roommates in some form or another throughout our four years.  I have so many wonderful memories of our time living together.  

We are all very different but that's part of the beauty of the group.  Despite our differences, we have always loved one another unconditionally and supported each other through all of our endeavors.  We have seen each other through many ups and downs, numerous relationships, break-ups, marriages, pregnancies, children, graduate school, and career moves. I'll never forget when I was going through a particularly tough time, and this group of women surprised me by gathering for a weekend in Chicago.  I'm not sure if they know it, but for me, that weekend was a turning point where I finally began to find myself again.  

This is one inspiring group of women.  They are smart and driven and extremely successful. Simply put, I adore them.  And I'm a better woman for having them in my life.

Friendships like these are such a precious gift, and I'm so very grateful.  My hope is that we continue to maintain our connection, growing old together, sharing in all of our joys and sorrows.  I like to imagine us as old women, gathered around, drinking cocktails and laughing until our bellies hurt!