get out of town: florence.

For our trip, we decided to book apartments and b&b's instead of hotels for our stays in Florence and Rome through airbnb. I am so excited about our apartment in Florence...and we will be on the same street as Emily and Barrett's hotel! (don't know if I told you that my older sister and her husband will be traveling in Italy at the same time and our times in Florence will overlap!) Here are some shots of our "1 bedroom apartment on historical palazzo.." yes please!

kvam family farms.

Are you one of my Nebraska readers? If you are, then listen up! My mom has been able to buy farm fresh chickens, fresh eggs, honey, raw milk, and many many other goodies from Kvam Family Farms right in West Point. The Kvam's is a small family run farm that focuses on local, organic, and sustainable farming. We should ALL be supporting these small farming operations in a world of food that is extremely over-processed. You can set up an appointment to pick up your goods with the Kvam's by calling the number above...and I suggest you do! yum yum yum!

italy update.

I have been reading it up in my Frommer's Italy, Italy Day-by-Day, and Italian Islands books and can hardly believe that in a little over a month I will be on a flight to Rome with my best friend! We will start our journey in Florence exploring Tuscany, then head down for 3 glorious nights on Capri, and then head back to Rome for a few days before we head home. I will fill you in on a few more details in a bit...but on a more superficial note, what shall I wear? hee hee. I will not be packing alot. My plan is dresses, and lots of them, like this one from Old Navy I got this weekend; comfortable, supportive shoes, like Keds; these awesome Raybans I'm going to treat myself to before the trip; and the LL Bean sunwashed canvas shoulder bag, which I'm hoping will be the perfect thing to hold my camera, and to keep my organized on day trips...that should be about it!

some spring things.

The bike is out and I think it was 70 degrees for the first time in many, many, many months today. I am going to try not to drive to the grocery store at all this summer. I can get there in about 15 minutes on my bike, so I have no excuse. If I'm not biking to the store or work, you can probably find me on the hill by the Rose Gardens at Lake Harriet with a stack of magazines soaking up some sun.


I am trying my hand at some mint infused white rum for my second favorite summer drink, mojitos!


I found this little guy at Nifty Thrifty a while ago, painted it white, and now have another great place to stick some flowers!