Strawberry Fields Forever

Today we went strawberry picking. We left early and it was absolutely beautiful out! There were zero Mosquitos and we beat the heat. 

Every single strawberry that we picked was beautiful. They all had their own character and of course were delicious. 

Mom, Dad, and I were picking with David cheering us on. He totally loved sitting there and picking berries off and eating them. In half an hour, we had 8 5 quart buckets picked and juice running down our faces. Who can resist eating a few while they are picking?! 

I'm totally pumped to have berries in the freezer all winter long for shakes and more delicious things like pie! 

A lovely little getaway

A couple of weekends ago, A and I headed out on a mini road trip to see his sister in Madison. We went last year and had a blast.  The city is beautiful! So I was excited to go. 

We didn't do a whole ton. We went to the huge farmers market, at which I had my first whoopie pie and we bought the popular hot spicy cheese bread. 

We went mini golfing in the super light rain. And then after, the rain stopped so we headed to the botanical garden. Both outings were great. It's nice to go and not have a plan. Just do what feels right. It's in those moments that I know we are making memories that will last forever. For example: I use way too much strength while mini golfing, at least they could make fun of me, right? And that just strolling around can allow for great conversations to come about. 

I think that one of the most important things in any relationship, whether it be a friendship, a familial relationship or a romantic relationship is to just take time to let conversation happen and to make memories. Even though we didn't do a whole ton, it is one of my favorite weekends of the summer. 

My Butt Hurts

I've been AWOL for a while. I ran away to Europe in May! I was pretty proud of myself for still running a couple days a week while I was there and walking a ton! But let me tell you, it's way too easy to eat too much while on vacation. Pasties in the train station? Yes please! More beer?? Of course!!! Anyway. You can imagine. 

Grandma and I on the plane. 

Stonehenge on a gorgeous day! 

After I got back, I tried to get back into my routine. I've been cooking almost all the meals here for my family. I got a cookbook in England called 5 Ingredients 10 Minutes. It's great! It has all sorts of modifications you can do, it's quick, easy, and delicious! 

This is one of the recipes from the book. Cashew and Potato Curry! 

Part of my routine has been training for the GraniteMan Half. It's been hard. Summer heat is ridiculous! I did a run on the 4th and it was 92 degrees out. Kill me. But! I made it. And it made all the delicious food worth it. 

This weekend, A and I did the Tour of Saints! It's a 50 mile bike ride through Central MN. As a result, my butt hurts! I'm proud of both of us for surviving. 3 hours and 46 minutes of biking. It helps that there's pit stops along the way too. Anyway! Overall another great experience in our book. 

Plus, what's better than getting out and enjoying the day with your best friend?