when in florence: take a day trip to San Gimignano.

We enjoyed a lovely day trip into the Tuscan countryside to the small village of

San Gimignano..You can take about an hour train ride to Poggibonsi from Florence, and then a short bus ride into San Gimignano. What brought us there was one of the best experiences we had on our trip, a day cooking class in the countryside at Il Vicario, which I will tell you all about later. But we took a break amidst our pizza dough and panzanella to walk around this charming walled city. Make sure to look up and soak in the charming curtains blowing in the windows. Take a moment and sit by the fountain in the main square. Make sure you go into Ciani, a store with beautiful wooden kitchen utensils and knick-knacks. I wish I would have bought more from this little place! It was a lovely break from some of the more touristy stores..You will enjoy your day in this little gem of a town!

new favorite drink.

I spent the weekend with my family on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin staying at a dear friend's gorgeous home. She brought us down these amazing drinks on the dock one evening..

-Frozen Limeade

-Citrus Vodka

-and tons of Fresh Mint

Can't wait to make these!

when in florence: spend a night at Piazza Santo Spirito.

One of my favorite nights in Florence was spent sitting on the fountain at Piazza Santo Spirito. The whole vibe of this square felt incredible authentic and just far enough removed from the hustle and bustle of Florence..quaint restaurants, and tons of people just hanging out and enjoying the night. My suggestion is to buy your wine at one of the groceries around the corner from the Piazza (you will save yourself alot of money), head to Gusta Pizza, and place an order for 1 Gusta Pizza, then go sit and enjoy one of the best things you will ever put in your mouth by the fountain! If you can add in a few great friends, it will be a great night.. I promise.

when in florence: soak up the beauty of the Duomo at night...

I will never forget turning the corner and seeing the Duomo in Florence for the first time..you can hardly believe what is right in fron of your eyes. I will also never forget turning the corner and seeing the Duomo at night for the first time...absolutely breathtaking. Get yourself a bottle of wine, some plastic cups, and go and feast your eyes on this architectural beauty.

when in florence: eat gelato.

The perfect end to every yummy pizza or saucy pizza was just a bit of gelato. Every night I found myself craving a cool, crisp, fruity combination...Peach, Melon, Strawberry, Coconut, Grapefruit..and over there, the peach flavor actually had huge chunks of peach skins..so fresh!
These pics were taken at Gelateria Santa Trinita in Florence!

the trip of a lifetime.

Oh y'all...I am so excited to start this string of posts about my trip to Italy. To say this was the trip of a lifetime is an understatement.There are so many pictures and stories I want to share with you all, but wanted to start with a few overall thoughts for you.

Traveling out of the country is always worth the money and time.

I know full and well that no one normal just wakes up and says, "Of course I've got enough money to go to ______! Pocket change!" BUT when you invest in trips like this, you are not only investing in dear relationships with whoever you are traveling with, you are adding rich seasoning to your life. I always compare my life to a steak that is simmering on the grill..each trial, experience, relationship, is adding one more complex flavor to that steak...and traveling to other cultures around the world adds flavor like you wouldn't believe. I will be telling the stories from this trip for the rest of my life with fondness, thankfulness, and laughter. So when the excuses start flooding in for why you shouldn't go try to remember that.

Embrace Life.

This little phrase became the theme of our trip. When I say embracing life, I mean not being afraid... not being afraid to talk to strangers, to walk into awkward straight on and turn it into something you never thought it could be, to just say yes when every rational part of you says to say no. There is a freedom and confidence that comes along with this, and it is something my mom has been modeling for me in the best way for quite some time. For a little example, my mom knows no strangers. When my mom and step dad come back from vacation, they always have a handful of new friends that they have met on their travels..they even befriended Colin Ferrell on their honeymoon. And they didn't just say hi, they invited him to dinner, and by the end of the trip were introducing him to other friends they had met. I learned how to let go and embrace life on this trip because of Ashlea Taylor and Katie McAfee, the dear dear friends I was traveling with. Life happens when you let people in, when you talk to strangers, when you stray off the usual path...and it is a wonderful thing.

So to give you an overall snapshot of our trip, We flew into Rome, headed straight to Florence for 4 nights, headed down to the Amalfi Coast to the island of Capri for 3 nights, and then back to Rome for the last 3 nights of the trip. Can't WAIT to tell you all about it...

happy 4th.

a little late..but happy 4th! Here are a few photos from the Tekameh, Nebraska Fourth of July Parade. I do love me some old cars.

ciao for a while!

i am leaving tomorrow for a dream trip to Italy with my bestie..so ciao for a while! How amazing is this photo from InStyle? I actually just bought some bright yellow shorts to wear! And now I am totally going to be obsessed with finding this wonderful woman in Portofino..I want those dishtowels!

joie's wedding dress.

For the last few months, I have been working with a friend of mine to make her wedding dress. The idea started when she thought maybe she could use elements from her sisters dress and maybe add some new modern elements. Her sister got married in 1993, so there was lace and shoulder pads galore, but we decided to use the skirt and then construct a new top. This was the first wedding dress to had worked on and Joie was very sweet to entrust me with the look for her big day. We did a floral spray at the top of the dress, with dot patterned tulle straps. I pleated the waistband and covered it in the dot tulle. Since the skirt had a long train, I had to come up with a way to bustle the skirt. I put a pearl button on the back and then hid a small loop on the train that hooks onto the pearl in order to bustle the back. It was a big project but I am happy Joie is happy!

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!