Hudson!

Back in the winter, a group of 8 of us who are all interconnected from La Crosse did a "staycation" at a cool cabin up north. It all happened to be couples, and it was an amazing time! We vowed at that time that we wanted to do something again, so fast forward about 6-7 months, and we decided to do another 'staycation' up in Hudson. A bit of a hike for L and me from Madison (about 4 hours), but totally worth it! Our friends Rachel and Eric live up there, and we always have such a blast every time we go! They graciously agreed to host us and take us out on her parent's pontoon, so no way were we passing that up! L and I took off work that Friday and headed up early. We got to explore the city for awhile before they got done with work and before the rest of our crew got to town, so that was fun! Once everyone got there, we headed out to Rachel's parent's house (amazing!) and made a bunch of fish they had caught on a fishing trip awhile back. It was so tasty! We also stayed in tents in the backyard. It's been a LONG time since I've slept in a tent. Let me tell ya, those damn birds are brutal at 5:00am! ;) Anyway, on Saturday, we got moving and got on the boat early. We were on the St. Croix River. Unfortunately for us, the weather was not the most cooperative that day. It was a bit chilly, and it was also very overcast. We parked at a sand bar and eventually got poured on. Good thing for us it was still fun! :) We hung out on the river for awhile, then went back to our cars and drove to Stillwater, MN for dinner. We ate at a place called Smalley's; I got the jerk pork tacos, and they were so good! After dinner, we went back and cruised on the river for a bit again because the sun finally decided to peak out. The next day, we got breakfast and then L and I met a friend of ours in Minneapolis for lunch. We ate at a seafood place called Smack Shack. I got the Lobster Mac 'n Cheese, and talk about heaven! L got a lobster roll (one of his all-time favorite things to eat), so we were both quite satisfied and full for our drive back to Madison:). Overall, a fantastic weekend, and I'm hoping we can do it again!

 They have a cigar shop in Hudson we always go to. He couldn't decide between these two big ones! He ended up getting the really long one for the boat the next day.

 

Enjoying one outside the cigar shop.

 

I even tried a puff or two:).

 L with Rachel's parents dog, Gracie!

Getting ready to head out on the boat for the day!

Soaking it all in:).

The ladies of the trip!

Lighting up the big one!

Me and Kayleigh!:)

The crew.

Me and Carrie!:)

My delicious tacos and mac 'n cheese (odd, I know:) from Smalley's!

 Back on the boat! Get ready for lots of pretty views! (No filter on any of them either!)

 

Love this one!

 Rachel and Eric driving the boat!

  

 

 So bright!

 

 

 What a gorgeous evening!!!!

Menu at Smack Shack!

 

My lobster mac!! YUM:).

A great weekend was had by all!

The Terrace:)

Hey, yo! Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful summer! While we haven't had as many really warm days as I'd like (I say that on a day we hit 90;), I have really been able to take advantage of some fun excursions in the past month or two. Work is a lot more lowkey for me over the summer, so it's a lot easier to just relax and enjoy rather than stressing about the next day. That being said, that means I spend less time blogging too, but I suppose that's not too much different than any other time of the year, ha!

One of the fun things we got to do about a month ago was go to The Terrace at Memorial Union on UW's campus to watch L's brother perform during their weekly open mic night. He got to sing 3 songs (he did great!), and since we got there early to save seats, it also allowed us to just spend some time with L's family. Always fun! It's kind of crazy that despite us all living in the Madison area, we don't get to see each other as much as we'd like. Life gets so busy, I tell ya. Anyway, I took a few fun photos that night and thought I'd share. We don't go too often because we hate the logistics of getting there and parking, but I sure like it once I'm there! :)

 

 L's nephew Tai Long. What a cutie! :)

 

 

 They are known for their colorful chairs. Love 'em!

 <3

 L's niece Dahlia. She loves yellow:).

 

 

 Gorgeous sunset views!

 

 

 

L and his brother Chark!

All and all, a really fun night. Was great to see family and see Chark perform! :)

Another Weekend Home!

Nothing like being about a month behind on posting about something, ha. I just keep feeling like I have nothing to post about, and then I think back to my busy calendar and all the photos in my phone, and it turns out I just don't take the time to post. ;) Anyway, just under a month ago, L and I went back to Colby for my long-time friend Jenna's wedding. We spent lots of time with family, and we even stayed until Monday morning somewhat unexpectedly since we were having such a great time. That was rough since we had to get up at like 4:30am to get to Madison in time for work, but overall, totally worth it! I think I'll let the pictures of the weekend kind of speak for themselves. A great weekend was had by all! :)

 Always gotta stop at the VFW on Friday nights in Colby:).

 Me and mama:).

 <3

 Got to see Popp, who I haven't seen in years! So fun!

 Jenna and Nate getting hitched!

 Mr. and Mrs. Jackel!:)

 Oh, you know... Just drinking a beer with a mustache;).

 Me and L after the wedding!

 

 Me and mama!

 L had never been to Cherokee Park, so we took him out there the day after the wedding!

 

Love this pic!

Looking for crayfish:).

 T just about had a panic attack when he found out we were leaving on Sunday and he didn't get to see us. This little guy is responsible for us turning back around and staying overnight until Monday, ha!

 Me and Drew!

 Here comes a series of hilarious photos with most of the kids. L is trying to 'mind meld' Austyn in case you're wondering about that craziness on his face;).

 

 

 

 

We actually got a nice one! :)

 T and L goofing around!

 Me and papa!

 The plus side of getting up so early on Monday was catching this beautiful sunrise! :)