A List

October is going to be a VERY busy month for us. This is what we have scheduled so far:

• Tomorrow I am going to the Cranberry Bogs in Wisconsin
• Sunday we are going to Zimmerman to make a massive amount of egg rolls (to freeze) with Eric's mom
• The weekend of the 8th we are going to the Cabin one last time
• October 15th we are going to a movie called Farmageddon
• Possibly on the 15th or 16th I want to pick apples and pumpkins at Pine Tree Orchard
• We plan on going to 1 Bethel Football game
• Spending another weekend on the North Shore with Aunt Ada & Uncle Chuck and adding some miles on the SHT
• HALLOWEEN

SHT: Fox Farm Rd to Reeves Rd

Last Thursday we made the 4 hour trek to the North Shore for our hike on the Superior Hiking Trail for our 6 year anniversary. We spent Thursday night with Aunt Ada and Uncle Chuck in Castle Danger. They were very nice and made us pancakes on Friday morning before driving us to the trail head. We were very thankful to have full bellies!

At the start of the trail

We did a total of 21.9 miles over the weekend. The best part of the hike was walking through lots of different types of forests. We saw maple groves, white pine, spruce, balsam, basswood, poplar and birch trees. Towards the beginning of our hike the color was minimal and we mostly saw green everywhere.

A little color at the beginning of our hike

Beaver pond

Maple Forest

Somewhere behind us is supposed to be Lake Superior from 12 miles away

We started our three day adventure on the SHT at Fox Farm Rd. We hiked 9.7 miles on Friday in a cool 53 degrees. It felt great to be out on the trail and not be hot at all. We arrived at our campsite at McCarthy Creek  at around 3:00. We were very happy to get off our feet and rest. We had not hiked with packs in a LONG time. We quickly set up camp and searched for firewood before settling down and getting off our feet. Eric set up the hammock and we settled in for a little reading. Once we stopped moving though, we realized it was a little chilly. We had to put on our hats, mittens, and get into our sleeping bags….it was cold! We enjoyed the evening drinking tea, eating couscous, and sipping bourbon by the fire. 

relaxing in the hammock after a long hike

 

On Saturday we woke up a little sore but were ready to keep hiking and exploring the SHT. We hiked 6.3 miles on our 2^nd day to Stewart River. Our hike on the 2^nd day was great. The Fall leaves started looking a little more colorful and the sun came out in the afternoon. We shared our camp with two older gentleman and a single guy. It was fun to talk to them about their other hiking experiences while enjoying the warmth of a fire.

Cool mossy knobs all over the forest

On Sunday we hit the trail even sorer than the day before and hiked another 5.9 miles to Reeves Road. This section of the trail had great Fall colors. Unfortunately the clouds and fog came back for the morning but it was still a beautiful hike! We reached our destination by noon and Chuck and Ada were waiting to take us back to their place for lunch. They cooked us a turkey! Everything tasted soooo good but as you know, the Turkey only made us more tired! We said goodbye around 1:30 and made our way back to Minneapolis after making a quick stop for coffee. Overall, it was a great anniversary weekend!!

This birch tree was growing inside an old dead tree....the old tree's bark was wrapped around the new one.

This time last year: September

When we decided we wanted to move back to MN I knew that the yearly activities I was used to would be changing dramatically. For instance.... I wont be taking pictures of blooming flowers in March her in Minnesota. Its still too cold!! The weather difference between Georgia and Minnesota is dramatic!! For this reason I am starting a blog series on "this time last year" to document the difference for my southern friends.

So.... this time last year I was wearing shorts and t-shirts and listening to concerts on the lawn. Now, I am wearing scarfs, sweaters, socks, and fleece jackets!!

6 Years

I cant believe it! Eric and I will be celebrating our 6 year anniversary this Saturday. I wont get too sappy but it has been a great 6 years and I am truly blessed to have Eric as my spouse. Over the last year of our marriage we have spent a lot of time enjoying the outdoors. Hiking, camping, and canoeing our way through Georgia and Minnesota.

We are planning on hiking & camping this weekend on the Superior Hiking Trail on the North Shore of Lake Superior for our anniversary. We will be doing around 26 miles from Friday to Sunday. Weather conditions will be perfect, sunny and 65-72 degrees during the day and 42-48 degrees at night. I am excited to hit the trail, get some exercise, see some beautiful Fall colors, and spend quality time with Eric! A big bummer is there is a fire ban on the trails. Apparently it is too dry (and there is a huge fire north of where we will be). I am sure we will have a great time though!

map of the entire trail - 277 miles

Nice Ride

When we moved back to MN and to the city life of Minneapolis, we knew that I needed to get a bike. Too bad they are SOOO expensive! But wait! There is this amazing program in MN called Nice Ride. Nice Ride is basically a bike rental that has stations all over the metro. I signed up last week for a years subscription....$40! So I can use the bikes whenever I want. The only catch is it costs more after the 1st 30 min. BUT I can just ride from one station to the next and "check in" and keep riding. It is great! I took my first ride yesterday along the West River parkway. It is a trail that goes along the Mississippi. I promise to take my camera next time and post some pictures! The 30 min ride felt great. I was cold at first since it was not quite 60 degrees but I warmed up after a little while. I plan to go at least 3 times a week before the season ends in November..... I am out of shape!!

New things

Wow, I know…. I haven’t posted anything in a while. I have two excuses…. We have no internet at home and I have been super busy moving! So this is what is new:

1.      New jobs – I am loving my job at Bethel! I am working with some great people and I am enjoying learning everything there is to know about Financial Aid.

Eric is also loving his new teaching jobs at Bethel & Augsburg. At Bethel, he has two Ethics classes with about 50 students total. But Bethel has given him a TA so he can pass off some of the grading. At Augsburg, Eric is teaching an upper level Philosophy class to….wait for it…. Three students! That’s right, he only has three students in his class! Crazy hu?? But he is loving it!

2.      New home -  we are all moved into our new place in South Minneapolis! We are living in the Seward neighborhood and are loving everything about it. We love that we are within walking distance to a co-op grocery store, city park, local hardware store, several great restaurants, the Mississippi river, the Greenway (a bike path that goes through MPLS), and a salon I plan to get my haircut at. Everything is super convenient.

We love our new space too. Obviously it is smaller than our house in GA…. It is about the size of our 1^st floor in GA. It is really the perfect size for the two of us and the cats. Who by the way are also loving their new home.

So….some of you have asked for pictures….and here you go! What do you think?

Bedroom

Rainy in the window

Bathroom

Our "pantry"

Living room

Living room

Eric's office (still needing to hang the picture on the chair)

Office

Kitchen

Kitchen/Dinning

Kitchen