tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71392135405499909912024-02-07T19:11:13.978-07:00hopefulˈhōpfəl/ adjective <br>
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1.feeling or inspiring optimism about a future event.
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synonyms: optimistic, full of hope, confident, positive, buoyant,
promising, encouraging, heartening, inspiring, reassuring,
auspicious, favorable, optimistic, propitious, bright, rosy
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-32203789169670878422018-06-19T15:05:00.000-06:002018-06-19T15:05:01.554-06:00Firsts and LastsI write today from a strange vantage point. Nearly a year ago, we made a very rapid and life-changing decision to move to Montana. Sean would begin his new job as a district administrator, the boys would start at a new school, and I would figure it out once I got there. We'd sell our house, buy a new one, and start anew.<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Breakfast at No Sweat Cafe - The First Day of School</i></td></tr>
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It has been ten months since we arrived here. We haven't sold our house yet, nor have we bought a new one. I spent my fortieth year mostly unemployed and without a home of our own, and it was wonderful. Who gets to do that? I hiked a lot and made a ton of new friends and was able to check in on the boys at school and even occasionally have lunch with them or chaperone a field trip. I could keep them home if they weren't feeling well without having to have those late night whispered conversations with my husband about the next day's schedule. I read books and learned my way around my new town and became an excellent winter driver. I attempted to get this blog up and running again and at least got in a handful of entries to anchor this time. I did not write the next great American novel, but I did attempt to learn to ski. I went grocery shopping whenever I wanted and ran errands and went out for a lot of lunches. I watched the way that the seasons change the trails that I have learned so well. I've seen the mountains shift from green to white to green again. I exercised a lot and read countless Zillow postings and planned trips and tried to keep up with the boys ever-evolving interests. It has been the best year ever.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Breakfast at No Sweat Cafe - The Last Day of School<br /></i></td></tr>
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And, because I'm a girl who likes a theme, I treated myself to a solo breakfast at No Sweat Cafe on the first and the last days of school. I ate the same meal and sat at the same table and wrote in the same journal. </div>
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We're still living in a bizarre liminal space (Sean always tells me that this is such a Grinnell word. I happen to love it), and it looks like we will continue to hang out in limbo for the foreseeable future. We've learned a lot this year, though, and hopefully are coming out of it stronger than we started. </div>
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I'll keep you posted.</div>
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To everyone that has been along on the journey, thanks for the love and support! Onto the best summer ever...</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-12504374664218548582018-06-12T07:53:00.002-06:002018-06-12T07:53:27.592-06:00I Heart ArtichokesThis is a throwback post that I am mostly writing for my own archival purposes. See, from 2011 - 2013, this blog was largely a reflection of my life as a stay at home mama: lots of projects, lots of kid stuff, and lots of recipes. To date there are over a hundred posts here, many of which feature cooking and baking. I still use this blog a lot to find my own recipes, especially now that my cookbook collection is in a box (who am I kidding, make it about ten boxes) in a storage unit in Wyoming. <br />
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This is probably my all-time favorite recipe to make for people. If you've had a baby or had surgery or had a loss in the family, this is probably what I made for you. And yet I never blogged about it. And so, because I need it to exist digitally, I'm taking a few minutes this morning to type it out.<br />
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Sean first made this for me when we were living in our tiny Missoula apartment sixteen years ago. It's the only entry in my recipe journal that is in his handwriting. It is perfect comfort food.<br />
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Artichoke Rice Casserole<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HRq3H8vjGzwWl9fZP-NvmpsoutIIYVo1RhYL511mcu8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PRINT ME!</a><br />
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2 boxes Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice<br />
2 Tbsp. butter<br />
3 1/3 c. water<br />
1/2 c. breadcrumbs<br />
3 c. shredded cheddar<br />
2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped<br />
2 large tomatoes, diced<br />
1 c. mayonaisse<br />
1 c. plain yogurt<br />
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1. Prepare Rice a Roni according to package directions (using butter and water).<br />
2. While that is simmering, chop the artichokes and dice the tomatoes. Mix them together.<br />
3. Combine the mayo and yogurt until smooth.<br />
4. Spread prepared rice in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread breadcrumbs over the rice.<br />
5. Sprinkle half the cheese over the top. Spread the artichoke/tomato mix over that.<br />
6. Spread the mayo/yogurt mix over the veggies. Finish with rest of cheese.<br />
7. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-51746787309754811802018-01-25T10:31:00.000-07:002018-01-25T10:31:29.965-07:00It's All Downhill From HereI made my Montana ski debut two weeks ago today. It was hard and scary and maybe a little fun but the joy honestly came from the satisfaction of accomplishment. I wanted to love it. I didn't, at least not yet, but I have two more lessons to progress.<br />
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When I first arrived, I was waiting in The Schoolhouse at the base of the bunny hill. There was a group of fifth graders just finishing up on the hill. Helena has this great program wherein the fifth graders at every elementary school get a day of skiing/instruction and, along with it, a free season pass. It was a large group that day maybe three classes of students, and they were everywhere. There was a girl sitting inside the Schoolhouse who was clearly choosing not to participate. She had thick brown hair and glasses and had that somewhat awkward/not-quite-comfortable-in-my-changing-body look. While her classmates skied, she sat inside with a unicorn notebook, some colored pens, and a little pouch full of fruity lip balms.<br />
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Talk about mirrors. I sat there, and maybe even teared up a little, seeing eleven-year-old me, afraid to take physical challenges, afraid to try something that I might not be good at, choosing instead the safe, warm, but not really fun glass windowed space. Eleven-year-old me sitting opposite forty-year-old me. Feeling out of place, too old for the task at hand, a little embarrassed and a lot scared to be unable to do this thing that most of my friends here have been doing since they could walk.<br />
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The thing is, I turned out okay. I may not shred it on the ski hill, but I can do lots of other things really well. And at some point in life, I became a risk taker. I wanted to hug that girl, and I wish I had at least spoken to her and asked her what she loves to do.<br />
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Instead, I tightened my boots, pulled on a neck warmer, and faced my fear. It was by no means a resounding success, but I'm glad I finally went outside.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-89153754516745408472017-12-18T09:38:00.001-07:002017-12-18T09:38:14.883-07:00Off the Camera: The Tenth Month<br />
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There are lots of different reasons that I take photos. I take them to capture the way I see something. I take them to record moments in our family. I take them because the light strikes me or because my kid is cracking me up or because I want to print a photo for someone. I occasionally take photos with the intent of writing a blog post on a particular topic.<br />
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As to how I take photos, there are two possibilities. I have a Canon SLR that I schlep all over the place. And I have an iPhone. Quite frequently the selfies I take with my iPhone show me wearing my Canon; I like to have both around. I previously had an iPhone 6 that was always full, so I didn't use it much for photography, but I recently upgraded to an 8 and now have more storage (a LOT more storage) and a better camera, so that is getting a lot more use. <br />
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I have the amazing capability to move photos from my Canon to my iPhone via the wifi network built into the camera. Because of this, I can take a photo on my Canon and share it via my phone within minutes. This is a huge improvement over my previous camera, where photos would sit and sit until I had a chance to pull out the card and upload them to my computer.<br />
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And yet, photos still sit. Even if I get them off the camera and onto my hard drive, I still am awful about going through, editing, and uploading.<br />
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That was a really long and boring introduction to the point of this blog entry, which is just to share some photos that have been sitting on my camera or my hard drive for a while. No theme here, no unifying event, just a handful of photos from October that I feel have a story to tell. I hope you like them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahELnxOlJqmg-C-vRlMduZWzZ2nEkEfnoXKPQiteIfa4Ij-0AzLEOTYcl_yFww8ex1p4L8l8KACZ004v8wg9NhfLqoApZOO1Rv6VjhE65-XZRJW4Jr1_J5eDVPyjhH0LZlU2uEkbz3hg/s1600/Archives+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahELnxOlJqmg-C-vRlMduZWzZ2nEkEfnoXKPQiteIfa4Ij-0AzLEOTYcl_yFww8ex1p4L8l8KACZ004v8wg9NhfLqoApZOO1Rv6VjhE65-XZRJW4Jr1_J5eDVPyjhH0LZlU2uEkbz3hg/s400/Archives+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A ledger from the Butte mines circa 1915. We went to the <a href="http://www.bsb-mt.us/149/Archives" target="_blank">Butte Silver Bow Archives</a> in search of information </i><br />
<i>on my great-grandfather. This book, which was about 3 feet tall, tracked hiring dates for all employees.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-t44adtjDY_Pvas6aKzw5Qw_VmzX1MSwWXTvhOP8LevGpdU4HFV2gTRl05cEw-e45P1oXGBTkE63RKXluu5WIEjynVpFd01DQNAgZxNyQDcBghbHnEgX8962nT0SE1YpJke8jHur2l6g/s1600/Frozen+leaves+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-t44adtjDY_Pvas6aKzw5Qw_VmzX1MSwWXTvhOP8LevGpdU4HFV2gTRl05cEw-e45P1oXGBTkE63RKXluu5WIEjynVpFd01DQNAgZxNyQDcBghbHnEgX8962nT0SE1YpJke8jHur2l6g/s400/Frozen+leaves+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Early fall frost in the neighbors' garden.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlo79MVoT38psJvynRf05SYUAeHxolwicPYVs4X_8zQkiBuE3QyW1pC090OZDYlHWnuPc2Yj8nwBz5pUiOac5zdxoVkg3SRZkM_xcDWFBlE7hdwa4wQtzHvyCZ4Ve1CgCNrd1rQNtY5lw/s1600/Just+outside+Ennis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlo79MVoT38psJvynRf05SYUAeHxolwicPYVs4X_8zQkiBuE3QyW1pC090OZDYlHWnuPc2Yj8nwBz5pUiOac5zdxoVkg3SRZkM_xcDWFBlE7hdwa4wQtzHvyCZ4Ve1CgCNrd1rQNtY5lw/s400/Just+outside+Ennis.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Many colored tin, just outside Ennis.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazpfWwjYO1NypP2g_1XCIthz_B0ftQ7m7b2MPUndR0cAIlZnGL6zXTb21fCCzfsSPWSCT840q69U97InObr9VxvWgMs9uVuhZpJQNbT5oJdbN-GZvtcgFR_f_FW4_Ml2cQ50sTb8y5aI/s1600/Missoula+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazpfWwjYO1NypP2g_1XCIthz_B0ftQ7m7b2MPUndR0cAIlZnGL6zXTb21fCCzfsSPWSCT840q69U97InObr9VxvWgMs9uVuhZpJQNbT5oJdbN-GZvtcgFR_f_FW4_Ml2cQ50sTb8y5aI/s400/Missoula+1.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Autumn on the Clark-Fork River</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vkLieCyoNJ2YHE_UuiECQxpQMgewAy9q2V0nSLVnrybbrYAvI_LBe5CHPD964JHGEj-k12_WrXtPqbR_WVPwPoh96Y5dv6Xr1H0J8vdvMr0mP3OTDhGkqO576ClUKubPs6T2zQBsTHM/s1600/Missoula+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vkLieCyoNJ2YHE_UuiECQxpQMgewAy9q2V0nSLVnrybbrYAvI_LBe5CHPD964JHGEj-k12_WrXtPqbR_WVPwPoh96Y5dv6Xr1H0J8vdvMr0mP3OTDhGkqO576ClUKubPs6T2zQBsTHM/s400/Missoula+8.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My mother, collecting fall leaves in Missoula</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Taking at <a href="http://www.sculptureinthewild.com/home.html" target="_blank">Blackfoot Pathways Sculpture in the Wild</a>. This installation, called <a href="http://www.sculptureinthewild.com/steven-siegel.html" target="_blank">Hill and Valley</a>, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>features over 30,000 pounds of newspapers and 28 lodgepole pines. </i></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-29780850699064379322017-11-22T09:15:00.000-07:002017-11-22T09:15:33.899-07:00Snow TiresWe got our first big snow of the year on November 1st. It was crazy - on the evening of the 31st we were all over the neighborhood trick-or-treating, it was fairly mild, and the streets were dry. Twelve hours later it was coming down fast and furious. Now, as I've mentioned previously, I don't mind winter temperatures but I am not a fan of winter driving in flat places let alone in the mountains. That said, I went out anyway that morning and slip-slided all the way to the gym. Coming back an hour later was even harder. I made it almost all the way home before I ran into trouble. After turning onto Beattie, which runs uphill at a pretty steep incline, all forward progression stopped. I was stuck.stuck.stuck. I spent about twenty minutes backing up and attempting to move forward, but my wheels just spun and spun. Finally, tearfully, I was able to pull over to the side of the road and hiked the last five blocks to the house. I hated Montana right then. I felt so enormously incompetent, I was embarrassed, and I thought I was going to spend the next six months sitting at home because I couldn't drive in the snow.<br />
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(Quick aside: my regular tires were totally shot before I left Illinois. I knew this. I went in for an oil change in mid-August and they told me they were totally shot. But I was losing my ever-loving mind at the time trying to get the house packed and I just didn't have time to deal with it. I fully intended to get new tires with new tread upon arrival in Montana. But I didn't.)<br />
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Several hours later, my father-in-law and I drove down to my van to see if he could get it up the hill. Is it terrible that I was elated when he couldn't? He's the best driver I know - the guy flew helicopters, for goodness sake - so if HE couldn't get my van up Beattie then maybe I'm NOT a Montana failure after all. I was so happy!<br />
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It took a shovel, a spade, and a bucket of gravel to get the van out. We drove it directly to the tire shop where my beloved minivan, Alexvander Hamilton, was fitted with studded snow tires.<br />
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(Quick aside: I had no idea what studded snow tires were. I didn't even know they existed. Sean thought this was crazy, but it turns out that studded snow tires are illegal in Illinois and that's the only place I've ever done any winter driving. So it's perfectly logical that I didn't know what they were.)<br />
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Shortly after this debacle I learned that you can also get studded thingamajigs that you can put on your BOOTS so that you can HIKE in the SNOW! What a miraculous invention! As we near the end of November, I am a newly liberated winter woman. My van and my feet have studs and I can go anywhere. Bring it on, winter!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-44592696520441517692017-11-17T10:06:00.000-07:002017-11-17T10:59:22.724-07:00It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...I'm a sucker for a Christmas tree, or really for all things Christmas (thanks, Mom), so I was perhaps disproportionately excited when I heard that the live evergreen tree destined for the U.S. Capitol was planning a whistle stop in Helena. The seventy foot tree started in the Kootenai National Forest in western Montana and is making the 3000+ mile journey to Washington, D.C. strapped on the back of a ginormous semi truck.<br />
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Since 1970, a different national forest has been selected each year to provide the U.S. Capitol Tree, or "People's Tree." The tree hasn't come from Montana since <a href="http://www.capitolchristmastree.com/history.html" target="_blank">2008</a>. In honor of the event, the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce along with several local businesses and organizations planned a two hour celebration in front of the Montana State Capital. There were cookies, hot cocoa, and carolers from the high school, and both the governor and the mayor spoke. Visitors were invited to sign their names on the tarp covering the tree, and people across the country will continue to add their names as the truck pushes on. <br />
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So it was a pretty cool event. You know what made it even cooler? My kids' elementary school, which is located about four blocks from the capital, planned to have the ENTIRE SCHOOL walk over to see the tree in a giant single file line. Even better, every kid came with a can of food in hand to donate to Helena Food Share. Even better, Helena Food Share didn't know they were planning this, so they were blown away by the 300+ canned goods brought by 300+ smiling kiddos in brightly colored winter wear. It.was.awesome.<br />
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That was a pretty great kickoff to the holiday season. You can read more about the U.S. Capital Tree <a href="http://www.capitolchristmastree.com/" target="_blank">here </a>and even tracks its progress as it continues to push eastward.<br />
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Happy early holidays, all!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-5206124099178743562017-11-10T13:01:00.002-07:002017-11-10T13:01:46.526-07:00A Tale of Two Summits(I started this post a few weeks ago, and it feels strange to pick it up now; the mountains and hikes described herein are now covered in snow. But that's a story for another post. For today, let me tell you about the mountains of Helena, Montana.)<br />
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Helena, Montana lies just east of the Continental Divide, tucked in a valley with mountains on all sides. Just as in Chicago you can always figure out where you are by knowing the number system for the streets (thanks, Dad), here you can always get your bearings by the mountains. The city of Helena is nestled pretty closely to mountains in the west and the south; Mt. Helena is easily identifiable in the west, Mt. Ascension to the south. There's a great big valley before you get to the mountains in the north, but those are easy to find because of the Sleeping Giant, a range of mountains that look like a huge giant snoozing. The mountains to the east are similarly a ways off.<br />
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This is a photo of our neighborhood taken from the top of Mt. Helena: <br />
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Mt. Ascension is off to the right in this photo, and those are the Elkhorn Mountains in the distance.<br />
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It looks nothing like east central Illinois.<br />
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One of the privileges of my temporary life of leisure (AKA unemployment) is that I have time to hike in these hills. I also have extensive amounts of time to drink coffee. So that's pretty much what I do - hike and drink coffee. My partner in crime on these ventures is most often my dear, dear friend Malena (along with Charlie the Amazing Goldendoodle), though sometimes I go on my own. Sometimes I hike fast, sometimes I hike slow, sometimes I bring my camera, sometimes I don't. It's pretty great that within a few minutes of leaving the house I can be at a trailhead and on my way to the top of a mountain.<br />
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Malena and I hiked to the top of Mt. Helena a few weeks back. It's a great spot to see all of Helena spread out below:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwilN44mwtQD1VVe-ActYZx8EzW4wGdgQ-FYX7zJuDhsD9guhDdxL9cUShIF0oVVteTxa9nuoPCzLu9DsAK5lunaJhpLdBKj9ASndtMhO9hVsbJgvMyLAUFloWnK48EJTK3F3nsCuMCc8/s1600/Mt.+Helena+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwilN44mwtQD1VVe-ActYZx8EzW4wGdgQ-FYX7zJuDhsD9guhDdxL9cUShIF0oVVteTxa9nuoPCzLu9DsAK5lunaJhpLdBKj9ASndtMhO9hVsbJgvMyLAUFloWnK48EJTK3F3nsCuMCc8/s400/Mt.+Helena+5.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From the west side looking east. You can see the cathedral in the middle.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQI8wQ3Zg5cyPy-eGi6XqfqLkjIUJtHURXLLks4gqv4kBe4J5CFa6q2dzx0ImEFY-35qSiYwOgmK5oJEHIulH_5ah3RsYQRWmASLXXX_9-mp3jYVitpcNlBxVDO5wQoxCjevSWCNx4ugU/s1600/Mt.+Helena+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQI8wQ3Zg5cyPy-eGi6XqfqLkjIUJtHURXLLks4gqv4kBe4J5CFa6q2dzx0ImEFY-35qSiYwOgmK5oJEHIulH_5ah3RsYQRWmASLXXX_9-mp3jYVitpcNlBxVDO5wQoxCjevSWCNx4ugU/s400/Mt.+Helena+6.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Looking west.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IF9XZMdjnGFcj8wIKIFfRYULkocR3s_pZ-wLjYaVayKLtJybKSchWQSOi7NPCNnX4WO8gl8ijXnQkC1KoJI80ggnSzenuTKR0Mng8hOZ9_lFA8uvfbOAToKnXfuM2TY-MwmWYDouO6w/s1600/Mt.+Helena+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IF9XZMdjnGFcj8wIKIFfRYULkocR3s_pZ-wLjYaVayKLtJybKSchWQSOi7NPCNnX4WO8gl8ijXnQkC1KoJI80ggnSzenuTKR0Mng8hOZ9_lFA8uvfbOAToKnXfuM2TY-MwmWYDouO6w/s400/Mt.+Helena+7.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Charlie the Amazing Goldendoodle</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYQKdIU6rFeJt3WlwEnZ5E_fndoNUYkCZCBde_qjcxZSxnIjVI-W3MGtxmHRU_quZDh1W0UnFDs8GLPtUpiT6UXn7s07zYXGmcp5l-11I0-qUdJ11NFDsBl7GiKRTQlcwlcofu_stePU/s1600/Mt.+Helena+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYQKdIU6rFeJt3WlwEnZ5E_fndoNUYkCZCBde_qjcxZSxnIjVI-W3MGtxmHRU_quZDh1W0UnFDs8GLPtUpiT6UXn7s07zYXGmcp5l-11I0-qUdJ11NFDsBl7GiKRTQlcwlcofu_stePU/s400/Mt.+Helena+8.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Sleeping Giant (Mt. Helena view)</i></td></tr>
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A few days after that I hiked to the top of Mt. Ascension by myself. These photos were taken on my phone so they aren't as sharp, but you get the idea:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9i5aGtgkJ6ojRcxx0xUfuhG-s56kY_xiQmL4hYS5-uL32W8iW02fShCwFFowPDiARecxs3T3QjgpWqAjhgQ6mfR_X23Ft2pYBbeb55T_z0-TCWXK8ChxNWXGH4-PXTi-ikn4LbymUXh0/s1600/IMG_2196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9i5aGtgkJ6ojRcxx0xUfuhG-s56kY_xiQmL4hYS5-uL32W8iW02fShCwFFowPDiARecxs3T3QjgpWqAjhgQ6mfR_X23Ft2pYBbeb55T_z0-TCWXK8ChxNWXGH4-PXTi-ikn4LbymUXh0/s400/IMG_2196.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mt. Ascension from the trailhead</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ee3S3r78H7LBJMyJD_Mf8sKuJ-GmuV1GZJJlADLCNTMcgSTqRSFW4Ed2l5ozhZLCfx5mP9VJzRqAuvYinC8o37pGjrn0Jf5-kqbVhpQ7jbXEPMKfdMIEeRFPgkGwJPutEGCoe746aGw/s1600/IMG_2204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ee3S3r78H7LBJMyJD_Mf8sKuJ-GmuV1GZJJlADLCNTMcgSTqRSFW4Ed2l5ozhZLCfx5mP9VJzRqAuvYinC8o37pGjrn0Jf5-kqbVhpQ7jbXEPMKfdMIEeRFPgkGwJPutEGCoe746aGw/s400/IMG_2204.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trees</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyOMPqhKFCAJduGdEdA-sd3D_vZQJn_fdRFqXOBjib8ah2dehP9Dmu2AjaE2ZvPn5W3gslGVzd9AvDQvtbw987mt4s7YdV5az1iPBPLxP9shDB83gFfhwrZoom2qAkJcDm4cYIFVTT3M/s1600/IMG_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyOMPqhKFCAJduGdEdA-sd3D_vZQJn_fdRFqXOBjib8ah2dehP9Dmu2AjaE2ZvPn5W3gslGVzd9AvDQvtbw987mt4s7YdV5az1iPBPLxP9shDB83gFfhwrZoom2qAkJcDm4cYIFVTT3M/s400/IMG_2205.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Helena from above</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnEE-jAfCkt04Zg0hs3MSiSjrJi5igg8WB71GzgPViklokAPKIF1XMjIYYx7y-H6LQ2fKDw-6-Gs2cj-i2rLYU7BAZYKbUdUdra-rAG5Z98MNSnTYRDn4ogs42rAG4UapxUs65tVzwGs/s1600/IMG_2206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnEE-jAfCkt04Zg0hs3MSiSjrJi5igg8WB71GzgPViklokAPKIF1XMjIYYx7y-H6LQ2fKDw-6-Gs2cj-i2rLYU7BAZYKbUdUdra-rAG5Z98MNSnTYRDn4ogs42rAG4UapxUs65tVzwGs/s400/IMG_2206.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Snow in the distance</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_6wUAyaaZE4mFMD5jBA-7KHLqYU5zekBUf3D5k1JJoljUBWidk1jbYuD7uZVr-U0-Ni9UQxk7Qqt18KKGn7WB6zUMLm4Xo6RThnQO_jvWquFg8IOMyKhowd44HVYmv4q3Vj_7x5UdLs/s1600/IMG_2214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_6wUAyaaZE4mFMD5jBA-7KHLqYU5zekBUf3D5k1JJoljUBWidk1jbYuD7uZVr-U0-Ni9UQxk7Qqt18KKGn7WB6zUMLm4Xo6RThnQO_jvWquFg8IOMyKhowd44HVYmv4q3Vj_7x5UdLs/s400/IMG_2214.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mountaintop Hope</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxdKcIH61rR3mKKuVcWiT587eocdNp-XJ5GVsaIKhR3i42FUYuPJ4OxpGLujCWqB5Eh8LF11sjK5YDY5ghmjLTTbDvdQESWxOdrOYHH5OGQ11NRCZLkeO_Fsgl7xsY7BI8Hg1copC1yk/s1600/Sleeping+Giant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxdKcIH61rR3mKKuVcWiT587eocdNp-XJ5GVsaIKhR3i42FUYuPJ4OxpGLujCWqB5Eh8LF11sjK5YDY5ghmjLTTbDvdQESWxOdrOYHH5OGQ11NRCZLkeO_Fsgl7xsY7BI8Hg1copC1yk/s400/Sleeping+Giant.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Sleeping Giant (Mt. Ascension view)</i></td></tr>
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A tale of two summits. Hope you enjoyed.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-68677833824854792672017-10-17T10:48:00.005-06:002017-10-17T11:40:22.070-06:00Gates of the Mountains Part IIAs mentioned in an earlier <a href="http://hopefulblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/gates-of-mountains-part-i.html" target="_blank">post</a>, I had the opportunity to attend a field trip with Finn's class to the Gates of the Mountains. Named by Meriwether Lewis, who, along with his expedition, passed through this area in 1805, the Gates are so named for the ginormous limestone cliffs that rise alongside the Missouri River:<br />
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<div style="margin-left: 1em;">"'In many places,' wrote Meriwether Lewis, 'the rocks seem ready to tumble on us.' At each bend in the waterway, great stone walls seemed to block passage, only to open like gentle giant gates as the expedition drew near. In his journal, Meriwether wrote: 'I shall call this place: <b><i>GATES OF THE MOUNTAINS</i></b>.'" - from the <a href="http://www.gatesofthemountains.com/" target="_blank">website</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnk3onCgY-98lAUeCV4LX2KIjmtHsxRkB35uxYU8A7kC1ClkjqJzXEZgyIjs2QQT3gqbxfBc5_6wIS-LO7GMf4NhyphenhyphenkyogXrD9-lYgqpsvqChLenOzvkm1D91NcztyW_w4bK1Fc0WGMMY/s1600/Gates+27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnk3onCgY-98lAUeCV4LX2KIjmtHsxRkB35uxYU8A7kC1ClkjqJzXEZgyIjs2QQT3gqbxfBc5_6wIS-LO7GMf4NhyphenhyphenkyogXrD9-lYgqpsvqChLenOzvkm1D91NcztyW_w4bK1Fc0WGMMY/s640/Gates+27.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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A few takeaways from my day spent on the river:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;"><li>Getting to go on field trips is such a gift. As a working parent, I seldom was able to, and when I did I had to use one of my two personal days. I feel super lucky for the gift of time I have this year.</li>
<li>Getting to go on field trips ON A BOAT is super cool. Amiright? </li>
<li>Montana kids are tough. It snowed the whole time. Snowed. Now, we were in a covered boat, but it wasn't heated, and at the end of the trip when the teachers allowed the kids to go out back, they loved it. </li>
<li>Finn seems to be thriving. He's made good friends. I'm so happy I got to spy on him for a day and get to know some of the kids in his class. </li>
<li>Unrelated: Sean really wanted to name a kid Meriwether. </li>
</ul>The photographic highlight of the trip was this bald eagle. The boat skipper/tour guide pointed out the nest shortly before spotting the actual bird. With my long lens, I was able to see it up close:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI_42fozWve9Bu93oo3ogkwA_WJMAcCmdqJGGM74dUwtpH2XZxgezeOrKtRMppqDmp6hgztu8rRJzVMlELl-NbKVWSGhVDcKFqoW69bOopQ5d2NBA-nTEaZCdjBOBi8qhqdJbzh1slco/s1600/Gates+15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeI_42fozWve9Bu93oo3ogkwA_WJMAcCmdqJGGM74dUwtpH2XZxgezeOrKtRMppqDmp6hgztu8rRJzVMlELl-NbKVWSGhVDcKFqoW69bOopQ5d2NBA-nTEaZCdjBOBi8qhqdJbzh1slco/s400/Gates+15.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I leave you with a few more photos. Come visit us; we will take you on this trip! Maybe plan on coming in the summer, though :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_wv1BcbDb9WiGSnnVLzN7tNTnroqNma3VXUXBMHmFe_xDuKLb2Yi1oeoYAjHosKDariBq2Tjy6Rn_WaYzBE9HrQOnI9JPbvLfnBFPDCurvDeIVCjMPC8Si0wP4_oR2yW6L-JauNtjjU/s1600/Gates+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_wv1BcbDb9WiGSnnVLzN7tNTnroqNma3VXUXBMHmFe_xDuKLb2Yi1oeoYAjHosKDariBq2Tjy6Rn_WaYzBE9HrQOnI9JPbvLfnBFPDCurvDeIVCjMPC8Si0wP4_oR2yW6L-JauNtjjU/s320/Gates+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All aboard!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7v_eLtY2lcf6JYfmCDA9N2OHB7YJQsn-BiP4dtoVKOHgIf01tOIuWfwLdjSF-uPQGDZnAHnBazBRWRXaSggWz4EQtGUYbeMg1J2CqOG4g_TaxBRLfIZZ-Bw1naqz3B4h2R-XWNC3HWg/s1600/Gates+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7v_eLtY2lcf6JYfmCDA9N2OHB7YJQsn-BiP4dtoVKOHgIf01tOIuWfwLdjSF-uPQGDZnAHnBazBRWRXaSggWz4EQtGUYbeMg1J2CqOG4g_TaxBRLfIZZ-Bw1naqz3B4h2R-XWNC3HWg/s320/Gates+5.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Early morning light on the Missouri</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivP3oeAkpHtP5Mz1L3XoHgbNY8sKLOxL3LKYRyHCeYxw26R8JmEEcFW2vlScirZs2CKlAXBD7RF5Hm5heBDTtF1Tvq-MKRVq2-VCpzjNTxPTWVqeW1aI7kU4VjlbpvZPh2rCpjZUYy0sg/s1600/Gates+21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivP3oeAkpHtP5Mz1L3XoHgbNY8sKLOxL3LKYRyHCeYxw26R8JmEEcFW2vlScirZs2CKlAXBD7RF5Hm5heBDTtF1Tvq-MKRVq2-VCpzjNTxPTWVqeW1aI7kU4VjlbpvZPh2rCpjZUYy0sg/s320/Gates+21.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Indigenous pictographs</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAOPQ0oxglU3eiyOSizdRtnt2rqTVC5Dij8KdJhSRTpUnr_1TAoOyY7NvN5pfj_UI2ZBcWMfcuYseCUWMiQkHkTjkTrHh6GnuyIhVZEQ6QCCcLY9_cVe-uwaChkc44HmrSSbhjf9BD_E/s1600/Gates+26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAOPQ0oxglU3eiyOSizdRtnt2rqTVC5Dij8KdJhSRTpUnr_1TAoOyY7NvN5pfj_UI2ZBcWMfcuYseCUWMiQkHkTjkTrHh6GnuyIhVZEQ6QCCcLY9_cVe-uwaChkc44HmrSSbhjf9BD_E/s320/Gates+26.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Autumn colors at Mann Gulch</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvqL3gRrAt5KkrH8VtBlRBoMjOllFBTuC63SUGjZG_ot8JF3UmMHI7UAvfD1uai0Vg3aTib2SPP5r9lw-xkrJSegK6ZXBhwlVHqG61Pv6QZarrI9ZFB1B8aATCRESkbTZmjZEJ2F4qa4/s1600/Gates+37.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvqL3gRrAt5KkrH8VtBlRBoMjOllFBTuC63SUGjZG_ot8JF3UmMHI7UAvfD1uai0Vg3aTib2SPP5r9lw-xkrJSegK6ZXBhwlVHqG61Pv6QZarrI9ZFB1B8aATCRESkbTZmjZEJ2F4qa4/s320/Gates+37.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Braving the elements</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYhj4PePV472VKc_e0IUYqdFE1lDU65QaXP-1FfyoGLMIGdwSSeKwYEWcpWEzXCnVyIm4XA0VuzkvZ0ljKwwwx1vCjPp9j_smXHQ_Njg2cxIgOtif3Vub1UrDKYCzjH50ftmHu5Ltcak/s1600/Gates+30.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYhj4PePV472VKc_e0IUYqdFE1lDU65QaXP-1FfyoGLMIGdwSSeKwYEWcpWEzXCnVyIm4XA0VuzkvZ0ljKwwwx1vCjPp9j_smXHQ_Njg2cxIgOtif3Vub1UrDKYCzjH50ftmHu5Ltcak/s320/Gates+30.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My favorite 4th grader </i></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-91738116968742870022017-10-04T12:28:00.002-06:002017-10-04T12:28:50.812-06:00LandscapesI took 968 photos when we visited Montana in early July. At the time, Sean still hadn't interviewed for his position so we didn't know we'd be moving here. Things happened pretty quickly when we got back to Illinois, and while I managed to get those 968 photos onto my hard drive, I never went through them until today -- three months to the date after we arrived for a ten day visit.<br />
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It's a strange feeling to look at photos taken on a vacation and realize you now <i>live </i>in that place. That hill we were playing on is now our route to school. Those cousins we usually see once a year we now see every few weeks. That pool is right outside our window. Sometimes it feels like we're still on vacation, but most of the time it feels like we've settled into a functional, everyday routine. <br />
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Montana is one of the reasons I got into photography; there is so much beauty and it changes by the second. These photos were all taken the first few weeks in July - before it got smoky. Pretty spectacular. I share today to put a little beauty out into the world. I hope you enjoy them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISWXqLpF54Ot1eQREVYasdGHGO1MjJqgWJq5PNbVHPbBkrXZvU9mw7M5cPY-G8K0BapM7XwF5LUy_Po7AfFjNa9DfttL1cPacBWsXeO5Nf3Z41-wuRhcWRsZftc8WesocbSKiZDQtVZ8/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISWXqLpF54Ot1eQREVYasdGHGO1MjJqgWJq5PNbVHPbBkrXZvU9mw7M5cPY-G8K0BapM7XwF5LUy_Po7AfFjNa9DfttL1cPacBWsXeO5Nf3Z41-wuRhcWRsZftc8WesocbSKiZDQtVZ8/s640/IMG_0047.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Little Blackfoot River</i></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsk505dlcVrm9AjctkGZUjt9pijezb0m99-mzOEDcwnSuc-RxxfydDH17WAzyZ3H7Ivc8aMG0FCRCsaumDH0VnqDaED-KXDFDF6HNQeKQuvAFXWhKwan8hty4snZLCTE2F9IK-nSzHnw/s1600/IMG_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsk505dlcVrm9AjctkGZUjt9pijezb0m99-mzOEDcwnSuc-RxxfydDH17WAzyZ3H7Ivc8aMG0FCRCsaumDH0VnqDaED-KXDFDF6HNQeKQuvAFXWhKwan8hty4snZLCTE2F9IK-nSzHnw/s640/IMG_0082.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>MacDonald Pass</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c5Mk2DlOQwItsfTdlW-JqFznzBF97gE-8we_I13txhmRmuIaK-NLyOA7mbW22TV1qvgCuBj4GNvWfCh1PL7-b3R1s11A-_3oWXaDd5J3eUxI2blXWnTURWZk5VXwDLUvJW2xIPnS5Ts/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c5Mk2DlOQwItsfTdlW-JqFznzBF97gE-8we_I13txhmRmuIaK-NLyOA7mbW22TV1qvgCuBj4GNvWfCh1PL7-b3R1s11A-_3oWXaDd5J3eUxI2blXWnTURWZk5VXwDLUvJW2xIPnS5Ts/s640/IMG_0050.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Little Blackfoot River</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPq6123DipInz9cC8-CgRzjlbhxjr0LQYsgu6L_AqYtU1O2Fb4tEoIhsLcEWD7voV5KgEz-s3u8NnRvXEr_J_LhDpnX6vSYhF30GAw9QHbNqMupv04nCCqxebwQx54L8f5hxQdWcxqyuU/s1600/IMG_0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPq6123DipInz9cC8-CgRzjlbhxjr0LQYsgu6L_AqYtU1O2Fb4tEoIhsLcEWD7voV5KgEz-s3u8NnRvXEr_J_LhDpnX6vSYhF30GAw9QHbNqMupv04nCCqxebwQx54L8f5hxQdWcxqyuU/s640/IMG_0060.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sunset on the Little Blackfoot </i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnd21W2yJ0KKnQ8Ut_Sg2vDSZTkM2ARePwOXTHatpIgNfNk-049CPvBNxHWU9uyjoKVOI5iRotDuQG2Z0LQXP4KhOn9YDvt-x9CzL6qOlvVkevGxdu8KVoZyYluUpPc4yO_XwIJ_xmwg/s1600/IMG_0199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnd21W2yJ0KKnQ8Ut_Sg2vDSZTkM2ARePwOXTHatpIgNfNk-049CPvBNxHWU9uyjoKVOI5iRotDuQG2Z0LQXP4KhOn9YDvt-x9CzL6qOlvVkevGxdu8KVoZyYluUpPc4yO_XwIJ_xmwg/s640/IMG_0199.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Driving to Seeley Lake</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmIL-jHQcGj53LNoAJEs2FJ6H4egKu9BKaBoYu6Ni15C5JJqraEOIWdzN2qLRWlQ6yRDB76dWmGM3LW-eD82bcks-T9ebp9PVo9pvV9ohiOEnodruHF3_LOrpROUArTVoErT3RBCSEqI/s1600/IMG_9891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmIL-jHQcGj53LNoAJEs2FJ6H4egKu9BKaBoYu6Ni15C5JJqraEOIWdzN2qLRWlQ6yRDB76dWmGM3LW-eD82bcks-T9ebp9PVo9pvV9ohiOEnodruHF3_LOrpROUArTVoErT3RBCSEqI/s640/IMG_9891.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mount Helena from the backyard</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglt3Ktl-EE3ttlJWd5rw9oQFXpU-T4v8LiHrtAlSSLTx3kNVSDfPC7Q2Etehg6EVJHw0oJIGQEYw3PShMJa7zND6zXQIsZuB3mJRH2V5AWatpyLnqBVppTWziPYbb6nlGusT6nQSK8qpM/s1600/IMG_9910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglt3Ktl-EE3ttlJWd5rw9oQFXpU-T4v8LiHrtAlSSLTx3kNVSDfPC7Q2Etehg6EVJHw0oJIGQEYw3PShMJa7zND6zXQIsZuB3mJRH2V5AWatpyLnqBVppTWziPYbb6nlGusT6nQSK8qpM/s640/IMG_9910.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Approaching the Little Prickly Pear</i></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-76998351812658903172017-10-01T21:50:00.002-06:002017-10-01T21:59:21.484-06:00Gates of the Mountains Part IThe first time I went on the <a href="http://www.gatesofthemountains.com/" target="_blank">Gates of the Mountains</a> boat tour, it was 2002. I was newly engaged to one Sean Morrison, and my parents were visiting Montana for the first time. Fun fact: we did not yet own a digital camera - ours still had film- but I borrowed one of these new fangled contraptions from the library where I was working in Missoula. It was a Sony Mavica, and it stored the photos on a floppy disk that you inserted into the camera. No joke.<br />
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Anyway, we took my parents on the boat tour along with Sean's parents. They were meeting for the first time. My Chicago-based parents' idea of wilderness was pretty much limited to attending the <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/cabins-at-fort-wilderness-resort/hoop-dee-doo-musical-revue/" target="_blank">Hoop-Dee-Doo at Fort Wilderness</a> in Disney World, but we got lucky that day; while coasting along on the Missouri River learning about Lewis and Clark, a beautiful cinnamon bear came galumphing along the shore. Glad I had my Sony Mavica to capture this shot:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCWIT99XHnCGQRYt3UmNG7_57CmSwASlXokxysplzeGkzKxlFWZ9kECffdFBwoMMDrzC_6-4oyNipL2o5NqWS3HKLDds9CEBSegXL1qnodzkF3i5_CSxTDF8-8TaIw9BKEoSyKJ4cGAw/s1600/6-23+BEAR%2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCWIT99XHnCGQRYt3UmNG7_57CmSwASlXokxysplzeGkzKxlFWZ9kECffdFBwoMMDrzC_6-4oyNipL2o5NqWS3HKLDds9CEBSegXL1qnodzkF3i5_CSxTDF8-8TaIw9BKEoSyKJ4cGAw/s320/6-23+BEAR%2521.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Fast forward one year. The night before our wedding, we rented out two boats at Gates of the Mountains and brought our friends and family up the river and to a picnic pavilion where we held our very casual rehearsal / rehearsal dinner. It was a huge highlight of the wedding weekend and so.much.fun for our out of town guests. So to say the Gates have a special place in our memory is a bit of an understatement. Here are a few favorite pictures from that night:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFjUBjpJWV2P0EyaKrpos_0QsFpevoAZXZK9Z_XRue_U-yzwtPdH7nSmDsJBbLv-r3wVuWRSQZwfTaWkq3lEhGWSk399pGAf627J_GMpzihYQjpkGjN9FX1fOu2rLhDwX6VjY2FgqS9o/s1600/5+Jubilant+Cousins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFjUBjpJWV2P0EyaKrpos_0QsFpevoAZXZK9Z_XRue_U-yzwtPdH7nSmDsJBbLv-r3wVuWRSQZwfTaWkq3lEhGWSk399pGAf627J_GMpzihYQjpkGjN9FX1fOu2rLhDwX6VjY2FgqS9o/s320/5+Jubilant+Cousins.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-departure. Only 4 Rokosz grandkids, and they were so little!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4VDYnsDtGX0F1PcxIs3s5ITwe6H5HupAwBWFtkTqnL0cKvhyphenhyphennDupJ47_Y25TadApMatMmQLTPnk_P5SnbFG0xAVkr4GgRb0PqAAr4et44dgPlJ3hz6gNq5qqdv2V5Srag-xpCGXKdKw/s1600/15+Rokosz+Gals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="986" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4VDYnsDtGX0F1PcxIs3s5ITwe6H5HupAwBWFtkTqnL0cKvhyphenhyphennDupJ47_Y25TadApMatMmQLTPnk_P5SnbFG0xAVkr4GgRb0PqAAr4et44dgPlJ3hz6gNq5qqdv2V5Srag-xpCGXKdKw/s320/15+Rokosz+Gals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory sister shot. You can't see Annie's ridiculous pants, unfortunately.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_WwWZryHhWha5T8fKNL6PTAYgSYd-4AO_O0njdA5uDuERBIu25NLURrsJ9-_UfHa3jcO14EHffbzkRxXdxLzb9zAk9un8_xx0q0-0FD9fT5SoYcsDfbBueiv08olQkIiO0YkKy5is6k/s1600/28+Danny+Chris+and+Jen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_WwWZryHhWha5T8fKNL6PTAYgSYd-4AO_O0njdA5uDuERBIu25NLURrsJ9-_UfHa3jcO14EHffbzkRxXdxLzb9zAk9un8_xx0q0-0FD9fT5SoYcsDfbBueiv08olQkIiO0YkKy5is6k/s320/28+Danny+Chris+and+Jen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the best thing about your wedding weekend? Your lifelong bestie and your Peace Corps besties get to hang out...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoATZCb2t_BlVbAoF1au7e4dMXcsV3h1PjbhA3SKRga__1i1eH_Z1X33CNAPaO5qyCOsmwwdplBYSrNy3A-MXgWEoCcSZgYoaL64INDX8uEw89LVoORxn22CLYNqMSaXJKB60dHC848Qo/s1600/30+Grinnell+Folks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoATZCb2t_BlVbAoF1au7e4dMXcsV3h1PjbhA3SKRga__1i1eH_Z1X33CNAPaO5qyCOsmwwdplBYSrNy3A-MXgWEoCcSZgYoaL64INDX8uEw89LVoORxn22CLYNqMSaXJKB60dHC848Qo/s320/30+Grinnell+Folks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and your college friends come all the way to Montana to celebrate with you.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHxqpJuVRAX9Ig76pOxLJ0vq1Ml0fmuNpZOhq3vH7FdPZQMgYpwxSrg5EZBd82muFQtUcXKI_5nglMCYAnQonbjBoTvKhmT1WSMQqd8UJkpi3LdBkn8i8DeeLmzVUseJqdwLFuPRmKGA/s1600/37+Sean+Jen+etc%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHxqpJuVRAX9Ig76pOxLJ0vq1Ml0fmuNpZOhq3vH7FdPZQMgYpwxSrg5EZBd82muFQtUcXKI_5nglMCYAnQonbjBoTvKhmT1WSMQqd8UJkpi3LdBkn8i8DeeLmzVUseJqdwLFuPRmKGA/s320/37+Sean+Jen+etc%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two boats full of wonderful people.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6P64M5hmOP9v3Q3Vo1JR6Bln1q8kNRZ10F73aLvv-TtKcF0EsEHUxKAu0knUzKEYC-WDSTwiGHh39boKOw6fI5BH2j3VH7oHgAdP6dH3Uefe01uYAODt-Xvu5DN-xXqqbhncIygwGNY/s1600/54+This+is+a+stickup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1122" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6P64M5hmOP9v3Q3Vo1JR6Bln1q8kNRZ10F73aLvv-TtKcF0EsEHUxKAu0knUzKEYC-WDSTwiGHh39boKOw6fI5BH2j3VH7oHgAdP6dH3Uefe01uYAODt-Xvu5DN-xXqqbhncIygwGNY/s320/54+This+is+a+stickup.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun with bandanas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQ5BnJH0yZt4fs_xuc7iFLgqDq_LVb9yDkx7GtlP0tn8BOx1Tu-VU2wmcWLOag1dms5huExS8b4kCn92ZTtaL5cj-aOduxA0HeI81e1z-g2C6YCGjaTH8N04r8KszmjM5WgQZv_eY3II/s1600/58+Bridal+Party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="1288" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQ5BnJH0yZt4fs_xuc7iFLgqDq_LVb9yDkx7GtlP0tn8BOx1Tu-VU2wmcWLOag1dms5huExS8b4kCn92ZTtaL5cj-aOduxA0HeI81e1z-g2C6YCGjaTH8N04r8KszmjM5WgQZv_eY3II/s320/58+Bridal+Party.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aforementioned very casual rehearsal.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Since 2003, we've been to Gates a handful of times, and if you come and visit us in Helena we'll likely take you there as well. It's really pretty great. I bring all this up because tomorrow morning I have the privilege of accompanying Finn's class on a field trip to Gates of the Mountains. Fourth grade is pretty heavy on Montana history, which is pretty great for our transplant, and I'm super jazzed that I get to go. Never mind that the forecast calls for snow mixed with rain and a high of 38. I'll be back with more pics after our adventures.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-74465095703084131922017-09-30T22:14:00.000-06:002017-10-01T21:13:31.443-06:00Guest Blogger: Thoughts from Finn<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hi everyone, this is Finn! In this post I will be writing down my thoughts about Helena, Montana! I love the nature and that I can go outside and hear the soft sounds of the birds and look around and realize how lucky I am to be here and realizing '' Oh my gosh! A month ago I was stuck in my house packing all my childhood memories and packing up and moving to Montana'' I really also miss Champaign. </span></span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitM0FKPjsswKEnQ391zDUq1m4z7yKhyphenhyphenWTUnWL0_mvdhGOQRRLEdrcFiWrlaEI_6-gqi5gcewbE9xJ-tZoWqWq2EFFQqPIWmfCqt-rSGh3-QOdbsA9EOOTOxRptTX2QiDxhGiWfX30Z1uI/s1600/image1%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitM0FKPjsswKEnQ391zDUq1m4z7yKhyphenhyphenWTUnWL0_mvdhGOQRRLEdrcFiWrlaEI_6-gqi5gcewbE9xJ-tZoWqWq2EFFQqPIWmfCqt-rSGh3-QOdbsA9EOOTOxRptTX2QiDxhGiWfX30Z1uI/s320/image1%25281%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pros and cons:</span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pro: nature, new friends on the block, mountain biking, grandparents</span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Con:missing my friends and family😨 </span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next week is my tenth birthday. Woohoo! I am going to have some friends go to the hibachi steak restaurant with me and have a sleepover. I can't believe I am going to be ten. </span></span></span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My life has changed so much. If you know Finn Morrison, you know I ALWAYS have more to say (especially you Ms. Anderson!) That was just the beginning of me running my mouth.😜 </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finn OUT!</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-38214098182071092252017-09-27T22:53:00.000-06:002017-10-01T21:13:15.544-06:00A New Look<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmK5mLkNNMtdpzU5Sfx3Xm9ULEK_YsCGOZi95-D2eFr7HeXHs5MXB600AYkCYT-mQ_qDQNOl1AQIl9AzMl3AY0jLkF2a4grgyAunhsfvluNXTik1-Bjdx2dfjvjC-FzP5a94SNG4dZpUk/s1600/newlook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="1600" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmK5mLkNNMtdpzU5Sfx3Xm9ULEK_YsCGOZi95-D2eFr7HeXHs5MXB600AYkCYT-mQ_qDQNOl1AQIl9AzMl3AY0jLkF2a4grgyAunhsfvluNXTik1-Bjdx2dfjvjC-FzP5a94SNG4dZpUk/s320/newlook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In a manner of a few hours I've completely changed the previous appearance of this blog and created a new look. I like it. There are a few things driving me crazy (how do I get rid of that blue menu bar? I can't find it in the code) and a few things I wish I could change (I don't honestly think anyone reading this blog needs to tweet my photos but can't figure out how to make those buttons go away), but I'll keep messing with it.<br />
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I also revamped the blog description at the top. I'm really digging on the word "hopeful" lately and wanted to play with the language there. <br />
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What do you think? I'd love some feedback...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-75283371313106838272017-09-26T08:36:00.001-06:002017-09-26T08:36:17.816-06:0080s Childhood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the years I've seen articles floating around the interwebs about how childhood today differs from the childhood we parents remember from the 1980s. When we moved to Helena, the strangest thing happened; it feels like we're living in a throwback. And it is awesome. Things are simpler, there are fewer rules, kids are outside more, weather isn't scary, kids come and go, and Finn and Emmett are thriving. Following are a few observations on how our boys are experiencing an 80s childhood:<br />
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<li>The neighborhood kids walk to school in a big bunch. I feel like I'm watching a scene from <i>The Goonies</i> every time they disappear around the hill. Oh, and they have to walk around a big hill and it's hard and they complain but that is what they do. It's the same hill Sean walked around with his crowd of Goonies 30+ years ago. It's a good hill.</li>
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<li>When they get home from school, they are back and forth between our house and the neighbor kids' house. They get a snack in one place or the other, or perhaps both, and when it's time for dinner a parent shouts down the block. We do not call this a playdate. We don't call it anything. The same neighbor kids might show up on Saturday morning when you are still in your pajamas to see if the boys want to play. They will join you for pancakes.</li>
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<li>You can bring homemade cupcakes on your birthday. Finn and Emmett are reeling from this one.</li>
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<li>The kids get three recesses a day. This is not as time allows or dependent upon sunshine. The whole school goes out for morning recess, for lunch recess, and for afternoon recess. Even in the rain. And the cold weather cutoff is 10 degrees. That's 10 degrees colder than the cutoff was in Illinois. That means so many more minutes of outdoor recreation during the winter months. </li>
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I don't know how or why it is so different, but I know that I love it. My kids are so much more active, are spending so much more time in the fresh air (well, once the smoke passed), and just seem more relaxed. Because I'm not working, I'm able to be relaxed with them, to get to know their friends, to be involved in their lives. It is good here.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-32353931131524522062017-09-21T21:42:00.002-06:002017-09-21T21:42:54.063-06:00September SnowWhen we talked about moving to Montana, driving in the winter was always high on my list of concerns. I <i>can </i>drive in winter weather - I learned to drive in Chicago, for goodness sake - but I really, really hate it. With that in mind, it makes absolutely no sense that I went searching for snow last Friday.<br />
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Last Friday. September 15th. After weeks of absolutely no precipitation and wildfires raging across thousands of acres of land, Montana got rain. The thing about mountains that we flatlanders don't understand, however, is that what is rain in town (elevation 3875 ft.) is snow on the pass (elevation 6312 ft.) and that you can get from point A to point B in about thirty minutes. From my rainy vantage point in front of my in-laws house, I could see snow in the mountains surrounding us, and I wanted to see it better. So with a little convincing, I got Sherry to join me for a drive to the other side of MacDonald Pass. She had been meaning to get to a quilt/antique shop in those parts to buy more fabric, so she was easily coaxed to join me. So, with camera bag and Subaru keys in hand, we ventured out.<br />
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We stopped at the top to take a few photos; there were four or five inches of snow on the ground, and the air temperature was in the low 30s. It was beautiful and frigid and weird and wonderful.<br />
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Once over the pass, we reached our destination - <a href="https://www.birdseyemercantile.com/about-us.htm" target="_blank">Birdseye Mercantile</a> in the little town of Avon, Montana. Housed in an historic stone building constructed in 1887, Birdseye sells a funky assortment of antiques and fabric. There was a fire raging in the cast iron stove in the middle of the room, the shop was full of cats, and it was altogether the coziest place to spend a snowy September day. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-44521115559464747952017-09-14T13:30:00.000-06:002017-09-14T13:40:33.216-06:00Leaping ForwardOver the weekend, Finn had the opportunity to Facetime with his very good friend from back in Champaign. It was adorable; they laughed and told stories and Finn walked all around the house showing her where he has been staying. She filled him in on Nutcracker auditions which had happened the day before, and he asked dozens of questions about life at his former school.<br />
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Somehow Finn remembered that the Nutcracker cast list was going to be posted online on Wednesday night, and when he woke up this morning, he immediately asked if he could look at it. He spent the next twenty minutes poring over the six page PDF, commenting on friends who had moved into bigger roles, looking for friends he remembers from previous productions. I watched him as I toasted waffles and poured juice, wondering what was going on in that head of his. While Finn had a love/hate relationship with attending ballet class, he loved being a part of <a href="http://www.cuballet.com/nutcracker.php" target="_blank"><i>The Nutcracker</i></a> these last three years, and I know that leaving that has been on his mind.<br />
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Finally I asked, "You okay?"<br />
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"I'm excited for my friends. But I'm a little sad that I can't be in it this year."<br />
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Not ten seconds later, he asked me if he could practice the monologue for his audition at <a href="http://grandstreettheatre.com/elf-jr/" target="_blank">Grandstreet</a> this weekend, and for the next twenty minutes he did just that.<br />
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I could learn a lot from this kid. In the face of sadness and a feeling of loss, he turned his attention to something new, something exciting, and moved forward. If he is successful at his audition, he will have the opportunity to be a part of a musical here in Helena, to meet new friends, to perform on stage in a different way than he did as a ballet dancer. He will take with him all that he learned; focus, poise, determination, strength. One experience does not replace the other, but I'm pretty proud of his resiliency and willingness to try something new. I can't wait to see him shine. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-89676565819841450422017-09-11T09:22:00.004-06:002017-09-13T18:20:49.261-06:00Eye Candy - The Prairie Sisters Vintage Market<div style="text-align: center;">
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On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to attend <a href="https://www.theprairiesisters.com/" target="_blank">The Prairie Sisters Vintage Market</a> in Missoula, Montana. There actually are two real sisters behind this event - Laura and Jami - and they hold five vintage markets throughout the state every year. Appropriately enough, I attended with a trio of sisters - Sean's wonderful cousins Ami, Christy, and Katy, among others - and we had a blast exploring the nooks and crannies of the super cool stalls.<br />
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Seeing as I am currently between homes, I figured it probably wasn't wise to purchase a bunch of things to decorate an imaginary house. While I did not escape empty handed (hello, super cool vintage butterfly botanical <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwbpliorxh71QTFyTTc5aWRpRm8" target="_blank">poster</a>), I focused more on the visual splendor of the market as seen through my camera lens. It really was such a feast for the eye. Enjoy!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-49020738908305857052017-09-08T20:24:00.002-06:002017-09-08T20:24:56.762-06:0020 Things<i>This is a recap of the "20 Things I Love about CU" posts I shared on Facebook during our last 20 days in Champaign-Urbana. I'm including it here mostly for my archival pleasure, but feel free to scroll through. Those of you in CU can hopefully join me in confirming many of my choices; those of you who wonder why the heck we spent fifteen years in CU can hopefully gain some insight on what a special place it is.</i><br />
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#20 - <a href="https://www.sakanaya-restaurant.com/" target="_blank">Sakanaya </a>- The best sushi joint in CU.<br />
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#19 - <a href="http://thevirginia.org/" target="_blank">The Virginia Theater</a>...and so many memories of enjoying performances and movies with good friends and family at my side. <br />
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#18 - Meadowbrook Park. I know I'm about to move somewhere stunningly
beautiful, but there is something about the prairie. I will always love
and remember the late summer wildflowers and bike rides and deer
sightings.<br />
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#17 - <a href="https://ischool.illinois.edu/" target="_blank">GSLiS / the iSchool / the library school / whatever you call it</a>.
It's the reason we came here in the first place (for two years - tops!)
and led to everything else that has happened, including my job at King
and, indirectly, Sean's internship at Westview.<br />
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Pretty lucky that
I had the opportunity to stay in the town where my mentors are for so
long. Very lucky that the Bulletin welcomed me as a reviewer all those
years.<br />
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#16 - <a href="http://www.blackdogsmoke.com/" target="_blank">Black Dog</a>. Every.single.time. I think my dad will miss it too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtFIBBvy0hbdgMS0nw0D50k52uiGnrndJy2s6giJz8bIxY3S736sI4VAGfZl5e-fv8gM6zUg82e5THd9aY-Cc2Pus4N2JRICrqS5CqmFJBBs5_1fJFNd7Ztm36FbO_1qog0N1ks-Cc7o/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtFIBBvy0hbdgMS0nw0D50k52uiGnrndJy2s6giJz8bIxY3S736sI4VAGfZl5e-fv8gM6zUg82e5THd9aY-Cc2Pus4N2JRICrqS5CqmFJBBs5_1fJFNd7Ztm36FbO_1qog0N1ks-Cc7o/s320/16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />#15 - <span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Sunsets.
I've always thought it strange that Montana gets to be Big Sky country
when in fact us flatlanders get a whole lot more sky to enjoy without
those pesky mountains getting in the way.<br /> <br /> Photo taken last August when my big sister Annie and I went sunset chasing west of town.</span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3Ff-XlPJ8Pdz4frBXdpes3_UIMHeuiAEsakWUs85YHHQ_BmhF5kUq6GWW2APVvhaJOB_EqwjDvSjWROG7cMw1On5wuQss23VlOEt9z_zWMZ7PfSP4bMweuwKaa2rmnHDALmx5SGfy8U/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3Ff-XlPJ8Pdz4frBXdpes3_UIMHeuiAEsakWUs85YHHQ_BmhF5kUq6GWW2APVvhaJOB_EqwjDvSjWROG7cMw1On5wuQss23VlOEt9z_zWMZ7PfSP4bMweuwKaa2rmnHDALmx5SGfy8U/s320/15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#14 - </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The
Urbana Farmers Market. This one gets a whole collage of photos because I
love it so very much. I remember walking there from our first house in
east Urbana, practically living there during our year on Race Street,
and happily wearing babies/pulling wagons/holding hands there these last
ten years. I will miss it.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiHeUyVDth5IDwby53SlFOOzZXXqOcLT5zRIHi7HlWv_Efme_Qp8_4Ue5APBLdlDwwe2g9RgaZVJ7x7l5xNLu5fdcB2MzadWexQex25DrJS2VE_k4PTZ2t41w825jFPuSvEe4Mi82wPU/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiHeUyVDth5IDwby53SlFOOzZXXqOcLT5zRIHi7HlWv_Efme_Qp8_4Ue5APBLdlDwwe2g9RgaZVJ7x7l5xNLu5fdcB2MzadWexQex25DrJS2VE_k4PTZ2t41w825jFPuSvEe4Mi82wPU/s320/14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#13 - </span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><a href="http://stpaturbana.weebly.com/" target="_blank">St. Patricks</a>. We picked it from among several parishes just a few weeks
after arriving here in 2002...and we are really picky in our brand of
Catholicism. It has been a wonderful church home for our family, and
we've made lots of great friends there.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhE69OcX7cXA84k36iPezcbx341550AEoAEmLOcVBajXFMupH8p45BG0z-PGH5HhTXf7SLIEUHIUEL1mFIyk76w9gPnvioQp6oDlsROcDv-ikvnENCLZ_YW_rKxjywtV72Av7iQtnAGU/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="562" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhE69OcX7cXA84k36iPezcbx341550AEoAEmLOcVBajXFMupH8p45BG0z-PGH5HhTXf7SLIEUHIUEL1mFIyk76w9gPnvioQp6oDlsROcDv-ikvnENCLZ_YW_rKxjywtV72Av7iQtnAGU/s320/13.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#12 - </span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><a href="http://www.cuballet.com/" target="_blank">CU Ballet / Champaign Ballet Academy</a>. Finn auditioned for <i>The Nutcracker</i>
for the first time in Kindergarten. He wasn't cast that year, and when
he brought home the flyer in 1st grade and said he wanted to try again, I
was admittedly a little nervous. He had now performed in three
Nutcrackers and studied ballet for three years. It had been so good for
him: his focus, his attention to precision, his friendships. Last year,
Sean and Emmett joined him on stage and my heart pretty much exploded
the entire run. How I will miss it.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFnRCup6J04MaXTGV6ar_dVYj8yxEOCwgU9fAmLEOqmUdnRUozTWutejj4OMG8lm37YjbTKNQgK3y1nXGXF8eHpyW08b787xULy7S4XB1t_ekgnIoquhGfZm0MTLjY7ibPI8sVhVjpDkU/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFnRCup6J04MaXTGV6ar_dVYj8yxEOCwgU9fAmLEOqmUdnRUozTWutejj4OMG8lm37YjbTKNQgK3y1nXGXF8eHpyW08b787xULy7S4XB1t_ekgnIoquhGfZm0MTLjY7ibPI8sVhVjpDkU/s320/12.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#11 - </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><a href="http://www.usd116.org/king/" target="_blank">King School.</a> As my Urbana colleagues head to UMS for Opening Day, I gotta
say it's feeling pretty weird not to be among them. Sending love and
strength to you all!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-dZXfO0b7Mr2rXCBBi00s6XT-7a6llvEKnYgsF1dI3thlk6IyFSg3SlaRlPTQP7RFMJ-82PYnqxSg6wruCZaWIEjlB5PcvxBGYgyZfNOB3yGk4NQ5oHyDVxeNZSO_5rokZ88O8L_zN4/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="363" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-dZXfO0b7Mr2rXCBBi00s6XT-7a6llvEKnYgsF1dI3thlk6IyFSg3SlaRlPTQP7RFMJ-82PYnqxSg6wruCZaWIEjlB5PcvxBGYgyZfNOB3yGk4NQ5oHyDVxeNZSO_5rokZ88O8L_zN4/s320/11.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> #10 - </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">The <a href="http://kingschoollibrary.wixsite.com/library" target="_blank">King School Library</a>. Twelve years (well, twelve minus two) is a long
time to sink your heart and soul into a place. I'm pretty darn proud of
what I accomplished during my tenure, and I'd like to think there are
King kids with great memories of time spent there.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0-48snDYOQ7vR_KS1fqqx3HOHTtUrfKxuB3KhpNYOsNF5WQyN0UCuBxABrdGU-fotlXH543O2EfGqwQnhzlZUPorklzIfA5Hd7u7v0eCI1O6Ddp4ZucdTSFxcspYYJcTXrwZ_DS4TMg/s1600/10.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="810" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0-48snDYOQ7vR_KS1fqqx3HOHTtUrfKxuB3KhpNYOsNF5WQyN0UCuBxABrdGU-fotlXH543O2EfGqwQnhzlZUPorklzIfA5Hd7u7v0eCI1O6Ddp4ZucdTSFxcspYYJcTXrwZ_DS4TMg/s200/10.1.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RVE-r5teRIm4ROA1X4sSApUwmSMy6V5nJtE-eOzcroLT9Zen-qx2A3ez8gMoBIuoy6OqT08MXeB0w0hvIHQ2vm7hJpQLLmxnVdaYXAyS7PeHxiCoxsioHIovLch9X_BELm3IfaPlcMc/s1600/10.3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RVE-r5teRIm4ROA1X4sSApUwmSMy6V5nJtE-eOzcroLT9Zen-qx2A3ez8gMoBIuoy6OqT08MXeB0w0hvIHQ2vm7hJpQLLmxnVdaYXAyS7PeHxiCoxsioHIovLch9X_BELm3IfaPlcMc/s200/10.3.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl2ATj3yUIIA_qcUyu2VfcZmpjDmE9jEX3VZz3OSefwY4mUKYbeN4F9Ap9H6A_-qES9IPlSEcBnkyxMo-3eW63Fk47w1my8HqzpclRTW_c_dvjm8HDJqjZz363IejXE0Cj5L1_g23LLU/s1600/10.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl2ATj3yUIIA_qcUyu2VfcZmpjDmE9jEX3VZz3OSefwY4mUKYbeN4F9Ap9H6A_-qES9IPlSEcBnkyxMo-3eW63Fk47w1my8HqzpclRTW_c_dvjm8HDJqjZz363IejXE0Cj5L1_g23LLU/s200/10.2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#9 - </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">West Side Park. I love that we can walk there, that my kiddos got to
hang out there so frequently while at FUMCCC, that the route from our
house to downtown goes right through it. I love that when I was nursing E
and chasing F and I sent the park district a letter about the need for a
bench near the playground they installed one the next week. I love that
it's the first place my boys ventured to independently.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftroCVtEMAeeHdLZER_vpS62b0TaC04KwDJ7tv59k0VnjT2gMB5Ida4KIi-G9_YmUKE6wziOC3ar2jkY39xXVBckgiLOTFK9XqWmNLto0962Ty-nxWAQUNeUTm_Uhqp-LXxHchnjYlk0/s1600/9.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftroCVtEMAeeHdLZER_vpS62b0TaC04KwDJ7tv59k0VnjT2gMB5Ida4KIi-G9_YmUKE6wziOC3ar2jkY39xXVBckgiLOTFK9XqWmNLto0962Ty-nxWAQUNeUTm_Uhqp-LXxHchnjYlk0/s200/9.1.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34czdkcNMuRD5ytigeJnjcIXnstzF7eL_dfLlhYmcur9h8GBJsNAAILyiB7VuBen-iJSNf9VpIAoRhD_4_reyK826YR5e3A0uYjrghSnpyPCwq40b_hpFbkDuUG4jwpHGDYP24R_dGmw/s1600/9.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34czdkcNMuRD5ytigeJnjcIXnstzF7eL_dfLlhYmcur9h8GBJsNAAILyiB7VuBen-iJSNf9VpIAoRhD_4_reyK826YR5e3A0uYjrghSnpyPCwq40b_hpFbkDuUG4jwpHGDYP24R_dGmw/s200/9.2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> #8 - </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">So this entry is a little specific, but I love the Huevos Rancheros Stack at <a href="http://www.destihlbrewpub.com/" target="_blank">Destihl </a>so much that I've written to <i>Bon Appetit</i> magazine on
multiple occasions asking them to track down the recipe for me. It is so
crazy good. </span></span> </span></span> </span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhj6gXIHbFGQLkrOTTfzRneN5z67UhahtV_0jE7oExAu6TcxYAezAlDLrXa2HlHddNQJwFCadXqg5HbEobxQYz0VBLqwCa7su-xmVOzD9sm4UFKqkzIrCFsioEc48xUEbhBJACuVsyauk/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhj6gXIHbFGQLkrOTTfzRneN5z67UhahtV_0jE7oExAu6TcxYAezAlDLrXa2HlHddNQJwFCadXqg5HbEobxQYz0VBLqwCa7su-xmVOzD9sm4UFKqkzIrCFsioEc48xUEbhBJACuVsyauk/s320/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> #7 - </span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">My King School family. Tonight I'm ugly crying as I read your kind words and remember all the good times. You are in my heart.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioesfY-CEVXsiEKIM8fXKjb32nnZOIchjcPwOkbyj4FlVl1R1bEJBxxMafMIKYMo_oqT3bY5-mTyZ18jeAOSzTCa1cNb0lvqapsFgJgK9ZmA789QkI-egwXRyJBxoubl1AGqR3_DjvqBg/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioesfY-CEVXsiEKIM8fXKjb32nnZOIchjcPwOkbyj4FlVl1R1bEJBxxMafMIKYMo_oqT3bY5-mTyZ18jeAOSzTCa1cNb0lvqapsFgJgK9ZmA789QkI-egwXRyJBxoubl1AGqR3_DjvqBg/s320/7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#6 - </span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Proximity to Chicago. Being 128 miles away from my childhood has its benefits.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yFeHRoX7YoylRYnkgaxF-f6CosRQWIrKy8D8-Fj9vTbW4E3kYRa2PI52cnZUhrIwZ04x-zkuCgFRS7aM8WCk3wy9L8jgF1yr5DjdZBpSNFMAirBecwFJtLM9nPvs5HlKqll8ArD4Tng/s1600/6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yFeHRoX7YoylRYnkgaxF-f6CosRQWIrKy8D8-Fj9vTbW4E3kYRa2PI52cnZUhrIwZ04x-zkuCgFRS7aM8WCk3wy9L8jgF1yr5DjdZBpSNFMAirBecwFJtLM9nPvs5HlKqll8ArD4Tng/s1600/6.png" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#5 - </span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><a href="http://visitsparkmuseum.com/" target="_blank">Spark Play Cafe</a>. So this one is a late entry but this fantastic cafe/bar/coffee
shop/children's museum is the very kind of place I have always dreamed
of opening. Maybe I'll do it in Helena...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkbnPBMc2Gry4PJ5Mv8HpZQjqRougbN9pxgcefa9L6qECn-CmMtoPaafuObCKnR2qRDwsX3OboJskU7Z68uc3HTKYZsMgTAmkIonj4_T7LhfJfbG4TNAMdC_b5-rJ4CMtLSRKjIFg9Ag/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="419" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkbnPBMc2Gry4PJ5Mv8HpZQjqRougbN9pxgcefa9L6qECn-CmMtoPaafuObCKnR2qRDwsX3OboJskU7Z68uc3HTKYZsMgTAmkIonj4_T7LhfJfbG4TNAMdC_b5-rJ4CMtLSRKjIFg9Ag/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#4 - </span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> <a href="https://champaign.org/" target="_blank">Champaign Public Library</a>. Stopped in today to turn in our reading program cards and get free
books. The place is abuzz with eclipse madness, but even on a regular
day, there's always an energy here. The staff is top notch, the
collection unmatched, and the memories abundant. Oh, and the lobby decor
is always the best.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJgF1JhrPrqFtCd7vH7G_LvKTpdKX76_2cAkG5eM86mNpGCP4oHOUHDmf2ax_isI4fiq9WR-3GX7B1JsJzWzlufKE3Askk_Nr2Wlo5ptu2WEfCDbjpyS8YlvUnGkgm9C-YZJzrbspDKo/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJgF1JhrPrqFtCd7vH7G_LvKTpdKX76_2cAkG5eM86mNpGCP4oHOUHDmf2ax_isI4fiq9WR-3GX7B1JsJzWzlufKE3Askk_Nr2Wlo5ptu2WEfCDbjpyS8YlvUnGkgm9C-YZJzrbspDKo/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">#3 - </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">My People. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>No photos. No names. But I have a wonderful tribe
here and am so filled with gratitude and love on this, my last night on
Union Street. <span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/ff3/1.5/16/2764.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">❤️</span></span><br />
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A special shout-out to those who have helped me get through these last
few weeks...taking the boys, feeding me, packing my ENTIRE kitchen. I
hope that on the flip side it is what I'll remember about this crazy
transition.<br />
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<complete id="goog_49082160">#2 - </complete><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Finn & Emmett. Born in Urbana, raised in Champaign. Products of this quirky microurban
community and so much more. They are handling this transition
incredibly, in no small part because of the aforementioned tribe that
surrounds us.<br /> <br /> Thanks, CU, for loving my kiddos. MT, fasten your seatbelt...here they come!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZTWW58a-pO9ToRfp39BjQP-rCJJkYEEbvB6OypWUM0rFhD1w5P2Ev4KDU51c4IA2yPAo0HugAOLDrmMvE2K2wzXZoieieBi5tbVw4_JePFmdWwTGNvRTbhAB1UzmqUkxom-fbzHGz5s/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZTWW58a-pO9ToRfp39BjQP-rCJJkYEEbvB6OypWUM0rFhD1w5P2Ev4KDU51c4IA2yPAo0HugAOLDrmMvE2K2wzXZoieieBi5tbVw4_JePFmdWwTGNvRTbhAB1UzmqUkxom-fbzHGz5s/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> #1 - </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Champaign Urbana. Fifteen years of memories. We came here as a newly engaged couple just a
year home from Mongolia. We leave with three masters degrees, a dozen
years of professional experience, fourteen years of marriage, and two
great kids [see #2]. It has been a wild ride, and leaving is
bittersweet. We're pretty excited about our new chapter, however, and<span class="text_exposed_show"> I can't wait to share 20 things I love about Helena down the road.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJy1xcuo_0Bb7VscHWAK-5jbKYlkPpHnIIHYuDfDFR976Jak3UXgwPvaWR2AbScXL37olNVuQ_w08lhyphenhyphenFyn4PunBzAMGUyj5kxhWXShoHwtQ47HaCzKomKhpmhUZ048KgQAuRJnEKsMjE/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJy1xcuo_0Bb7VscHWAK-5jbKYlkPpHnIIHYuDfDFR976Jak3UXgwPvaWR2AbScXL37olNVuQ_w08lhyphenhyphenFyn4PunBzAMGUyj5kxhWXShoHwtQ47HaCzKomKhpmhUZ048KgQAuRJnEKsMjE/s320/1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Thanks to all who have been a part of our CU story.<br /> <br /> <span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/ff3/1.5/16/2764.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">❤️</span></span> Hope</span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span> </span></span> </span></span> </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-57804527166691557782017-09-07T12:18:00.000-06:002017-09-07T12:23:17.537-06:00The New NormalMy last post at <a href="http://hopefulblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hopeful </a>was in January 2014 -- 1323 days ago. Let's take a moment to get you up to date...<br />
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Finn, previously a six year old Kindergartner, is now an almost ten year old fourth grader:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rt4F6lBxc9kGYP24SGD-7Hnmi37I6uI11x_Mh7tNrWpFEC9UT2HGaH9x8-EK3FyKa6eklIKY0DBUFxYz9yJKEdn77VmRo1sBAVjte0oUl0OizHdOcr67yLXfFj6i0TYuR3d3xbM-uF8/s1600/Snowy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rt4F6lBxc9kGYP24SGD-7Hnmi37I6uI11x_Mh7tNrWpFEC9UT2HGaH9x8-EK3FyKa6eklIKY0DBUFxYz9yJKEdn77VmRo1sBAVjte0oUl0OizHdOcr67yLXfFj6i0TYuR3d3xbM-uF8/s200/Snowy.JPG" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-4uPZfzpDODlMQFy6oRMwmBp2tB7R1YwamuvIwn0Whq-yi0LtyY-0HIVujJ_dNXm6i5kRYahpVAO5LkDvyJC_JYJ5Ax4AOzgpeSzjMozwmRs0b_pJgTdaUxiSwBaCMZXL5bmsIsgHEY/s1600/IMG_1579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-4uPZfzpDODlMQFy6oRMwmBp2tB7R1YwamuvIwn0Whq-yi0LtyY-0HIVujJ_dNXm6i5kRYahpVAO5LkDvyJC_JYJ5Ax4AOzgpeSzjMozwmRs0b_pJgTdaUxiSwBaCMZXL5bmsIsgHEY/s200/IMG_1579.JPG" width="133" /></a></div>
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Emmett, previously an almost four year old preschooler, ) is now a seven year old second grader: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1kol0s9L2lcR3sI_C2TtIFgDNwxtwHodozCmAnV5Sm7DM0zHpmB9xQW14CO0ksQJnQPlPmcCbFSZxKvukFd9QEIDAOStk8gsaW-14FNF08dZarLTv9Ctb08dfvtg2DjFCNab2f1qptc/s1600/Smiling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1kol0s9L2lcR3sI_C2TtIFgDNwxtwHodozCmAnV5Sm7DM0zHpmB9xQW14CO0ksQJnQPlPmcCbFSZxKvukFd9QEIDAOStk8gsaW-14FNF08dZarLTv9Ctb08dfvtg2DjFCNab2f1qptc/s200/Smiling.JPG" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJikqijhiLSltc_lT8sn4P8ERvgW32PejV9Nxkg1Vh6VGJorVc9ZvxwAfNrNei9Q6EZvUgn9DZhxuUs0VqN7WVJdlVep659PUW_ltUIxRHaxKprRKMOxpB6wGJGQtg4d_i9vOcDXRUAo/s1600/IMG_1582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJikqijhiLSltc_lT8sn4P8ERvgW32PejV9Nxkg1Vh6VGJorVc9ZvxwAfNrNei9Q6EZvUgn9DZhxuUs0VqN7WVJdlVep659PUW_ltUIxRHaxKprRKMOxpB6wGJGQtg4d_i9vOcDXRUAo/s200/IMG_1582.JPG" width="133" /></a></div>
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Sean, previously an elementary school principal in Illinois, is now a district administrator in Montana:<br />
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Hope, previously an elementary school library media specialist in Illinois, is now...well, I'm not quite sure what I am. In the immediate moment, I am thinking I'd like to be a blogger again, among other things. So here I am.<br />
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About six weeks ago, Sean landed a sweet job in his hometown of beautiful Helena, Montana. In the last six weeks we've put our <a href="http://difanisphotography.com/tours/union_607/" target="_blank">little yellow house</a> on the market (you can visit it <a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=fhBsXrPWNf4&brand=0&ts=1" target="_blank">here</a>), moved 1516 miles cross country, enrolled our kids in a brand new school (which happens to be Sean's old school), and moved in with Sean's parents while we look for a house of our own. To say it has been a time of tremendous transition and gigantic emotions would be a gross understatement, but we're finally mostly on the flipside of the madness and it's starting to get exciting.<br />
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Not sure what this space will look like, but as I find myself wanting to write, it seemed as good a space as any to do that. You can subscribe at the bottom if you'd like email notifications on new posts. Thanks for joining our family as we figure out the new normal. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-29118575148544343162014-01-23T21:12:00.001-07:002014-01-23T21:12:07.308-07:00Bicycles for the BoysWhen we decided to move Finn and Emmett into the same room this past fall, it seemed like a natural time to redecorate. Out went the <a href="http://www.cdkenterprises.com/fabric-wall-art.html">soft sculpture rainbow and butterflies</a> from the nursery, in with something new. But what?<br />
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Not sure how we came up with bicycles, but the boys loved the idea and so did Sean and I. It wasn't a common theme, which we loved, and it was clear from the get-go that we'd have to create and gather a lot of the details ourselves. <br />
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I found fabric for curtains (and perhaps patchwork duvet covers in the future) <a href="http://www.keepsakequilting.com/productdetail/9294.htm">here</a> and worked that in wherever I could; curtain pullbacks, valances, a bulletin board. We found the bicycle print at <a href="http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/going-to-see-my-baby-blue">Uncommon Goods</a> and my mom got us the bicycle mobile from <a href="http://www.signals.com/cgi-bin/hazel.cgi?ACTION=DETAIL&ITEM=HN2662&websource=GOOGLSH&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PLA&coupon_code=SIGGOOGLE7&gclid=CLWlheLxlbwCFcVFMgodMj4AsA">Signals</a>. I found <a href="http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/bicycle-chain-picture-frame">picture frames</a>
made of bicycle chains at Ten Thousand Villages here in Champaign,
which we used to frame recent (or, in the case of E, recent-ish)
pictures of the boys on their bikes:<br />
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Ready for the irony? About a month after we finished custom creating our very original theme, the Pottery Barn Kids catalog shows up, including a featured new line of - yeah - bicycles. The fabric is almost identical to what I used for window dressing and the kids' bulletin board. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8G1BekZAJ9plKK8T1_qaOOmTaWqnWWx4cqdt3WYDtN1K3v0K_JE2d8ERsLjbKP2OsqR-3Hg2Ggm7mfrkxSNRFTg_zUgu436gmDCvcmz_v-6DWRHDJH48FXDTjOmfYhmBPh-ocuL8rIU/s1600/bikes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8G1BekZAJ9plKK8T1_qaOOmTaWqnWWx4cqdt3WYDtN1K3v0K_JE2d8ERsLjbKP2OsqR-3Hg2Ggm7mfrkxSNRFTg_zUgu436gmDCvcmz_v-6DWRHDJH48FXDTjOmfYhmBPh-ocuL8rIU/s1600/bikes.jpg" height="282" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i>Pottery Barn Kids</i></td></tr>
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Oh well. What we lack in uniquity we hopefully made up for in effort. Here are a few pics of the finished room. Enjoy!<br />
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<span id="goog_359602934"></span><span id="goog_359602935"></span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-82931318902962399002014-01-11T14:24:00.002-07:002014-01-11T14:27:29.446-07:00The Force Is Strong in These PartsIt's been just about a year since we invented <a href="http://hopefulblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-dawn-of-dapper-dinner.html">Dapper Dinner</a> here at our house. We've had many more since the inaugural event, generally born out of last minute spontaneity, and it has proven a valuable tool for making an otherwise unimportant night feel really special. We needed one of those last night...after starting the week in the middle of a polar vortex, we ended it with rain, rain, rain...the snow has turned to slush, the landscape is muddy and gray, and we all needed a pick me up. I suggested Dapper Dinner; Sean countered with "How about Jedi Dinner?"<br />
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We're a bit <i>Star Wars</i> mad around here right now. Action figures, Lego sets, movie viewings, books, dress-up. It's been lingering for a while now - the boys dressed as Luke and Yoda for Halloween, so I'm certain the fascination is at least three months old. Like most phases, I am confident it will pass, but in the meantime I'm having fun learning along with the boys.<br />
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So we eat Dagobasta (spiral pasta with pesto) and the boys drank Yoda Soda (sparkly water with Rosa's Lime Juice and a bit of sugar). We ate in front of the TV -- which we don't EVER do -- and, naturally we wore costumes. Emmett went with Anakin, Finn chose Darth Vader, Sean pulled out the R2D2 costume he made for Halloween, and I quickly twisted my hair into a Leia do (the boys wanted me to be Padme but I had neither the energy nor the wardrobe for that):</div>
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And that's how we make our own merry. Happy winter, all.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-32780434280810350422014-01-06T16:05:00.001-07:002014-01-06T16:05:51.826-07:00Homemade Pretzels / The Never-ending Winter Break<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Checking in from the frigid midwest, where the outside air temperature feels like -48 and a cup of boiling water vaporizes in mid-air when thrown out from the back porch. We were supposed to go back to school today - it's the end of winter break - but school was cancelled, and I just got the call that it is cancelled again for tomorrow. And while many of you out there are going cabin-fever-crazy, I am just plain giddy with happiness. I love being home with my boys.<br />
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<br />Way back in my stay at home mom days, Finn and I got hooked on an obscure kids program called <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360266/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Hi-5</a>. In a moment of apparent nostalgia, Finn requested it this morning, and I was all too happy to pull out the old DVDs. At some point during some episode there was a reference to soft pretzels, and I couldn't get it out of my head. And that's how Finn and I ended up making soft pretzels this chilly day. And, oh my goodness, if someone had told me years ago how easy it was to make AMAZING soft pretzels at home, I would have jumped on that bandwagon long ago. <br />
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So here you go. Whether you are stuck inside or just can't get the idea of a soft pretzel out of <i>your</i> head now, I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. <br />
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<b>Homemade Pretzels</b><br />
Adapted from <a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/12/25/30-minute-whole-wheat-pretzels/">Sally's Baking Addiction</a><br />
<br />Makes 10-12 large pretzels<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/11jsqVmlo_iuij_vU7KxH-_yjyqbx1H-oxIOFIGZkl5o/edit?usp=sharing">PRINT ME!</a><br />
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1 1/2 cups lukewarm water<br />
1 packet active yeast (2 1/5 tsp.)<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
1 Tbsp. sugar<br />
3-5 cups flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)<br />
2/3 cup baking soda<br />
1 large egg, beaten<br />
coarse sea salt for sprinkling<br />
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<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.</li>
<li>In a large soup pot, bring 9 cups of water and 2/3 cup of baking soda to a boil.</li>
<li>Dissolve yeast in warm water in bowl of stand mixer. Stir with a spoon until fairly mixed. Add salt and sugar. Stir until fairly combined. </li>
<li>Attach dough hook and turn mixer on low. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix on low until dough is thick. Add additional dough (up to one cup) until dough is no longer sticky.</li>
<li>Turn up mixer and knead with dough hook for 3-5 minutes, until it forms a soft, supple ball.</li>
<li>Turn the dough onto the counter. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into chunks, about 1/3 cup each (bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a tennis ball). </li>
<li>Roll each chunk into a rope with an even diameter. Once you have a long rope, take the ends and twist them together, then bring them to the middle. Press firmly.</li>
<li>Using a slotted spoon, dunk each pretzel, one by one, into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Once cool enough to handle, dip into beaten egg (both sides). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Repeat for each pretzel.</li>
<li>Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Turn oven to broil and bake for 5 more minutes to brown the tops. Watch closely to avoid burning.</li>
<li>Enjoy! </li>
</ol>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-75286629780225044452014-01-02T16:32:00.002-07:002014-01-02T16:45:54.213-07:00Hello Blog"Wherein Hope writes about cooking, crafting, photographing, parenting, organizing, and other day-to-day gerunds." Sigh. Still doing all those things, with varying levels of commitment and success...just not writing about them, much as I want to. So in an effort to get back to this here blog, here I am. New year. 2014!<br />
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<ul>
<li>Cooking: Plenty of new recipes attempted in the last few months. Some great, some passable. Some will end up here, most won't. I've really missed writing about our eating.</li>
<li>Crafting: Many gifts as of late. Knitting, mostly, with a few sewing projects thrown in for good measure. Some fabulous (super easy!) teacher gifts. Some fun with cork.</li>
<li>Photographing: Whenever I can. Many snowy days as of late. Favorites to come.</li>
<li>Parenting: My boys are growing faster than I can handle. Old challenges put to rest, new challenges on the rise. Much, much joy.</li>
<li>Organizing: Constantly rethinking our little house. Moved the boys into a room together earlier this fall. Tremendous thematic decorating fun.</li>
<li>And much more! </li>
</ul>
So...if you are still with me, or just reading for the first time...thanks. I'll be here when I can.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-10108028340533935012013-10-06T21:43:00.001-06:002013-10-06T21:49:19.134-06:00Pure ImaginationThere's a whole lot keeping me from blogging these days, but nothing is going to stop me from taking a moment on this night to share the story of a very special birthday for a very special kid.<br />
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This guy.<br />
<br />
This guy who, six years ago almost exactly to the minute as I write, came into the world and made me a mama. Today we celebrate Finn Kimbell, an extraordinary little man.<br />
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Finn is a kid who lives life fully. When talking to my parents last night, I used the word "zest," and it is so fitting. He is tremendously expressive, enormously enthusiastic about new things and experiences, and gets ridiculously excited about the littlest moments. I love this about him.<br />
<br />
It was months ago that Finn came up with the idea for a <i>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</i>-themed party. It's the perfect match for him - he is that kid who walks into the Chocolate Room with eyes wide open, an enormous grin spread across his face, eager and ready to take it all in. He is my Charlie Bucket.<br />
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The party itself was great fun. We invited six friends from his Kindergarten class, three girls and three boys. The invites had Wonka bars printed on the front and golden tickets inside (which several of the kids brought to secure admission at the door). We played a few games, opened a few presents, and then...we ate chocolate.<br />
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We happen to be the proud owners of our own chocolate fountain. Got it on Kohl's clearance years and years ago and have gotten a ton of use out of it since. The fountain served as our chocolate waterfall, and my awesome husband lovingly recreated the Chocolate Room around it - lollipops, gumdrops, snow caps, gummi bears, you name it. I made two dozen <a href="http://hopefulblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/cupcakes-for-breakfast.html">pumpkin cupcakes</a> that I frosted to look like the mushrooms in the movie, and Sean added those to the tablescape. It was fantastic:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFZSLtc8cW2arwWTGFQ4LsROKmxigjrHXU3z3rcc7wtl_W1ulGbjQMySRJx_cwdNkiAZfCjrIzMOJ7XITWokjUlF_KkHzlEmYN8VhB84hq-8ZMqt7IIFEEvry5UXDqWO3yImnrN2VAWs/s1600/IMG_3825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFZSLtc8cW2arwWTGFQ4LsROKmxigjrHXU3z3rcc7wtl_W1ulGbjQMySRJx_cwdNkiAZfCjrIzMOJ7XITWokjUlF_KkHzlEmYN8VhB84hq-8ZMqt7IIFEEvry5UXDqWO3yImnrN2VAWs/s320/IMG_3825.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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My personal highlight? When Finn declared it the best party ever after saying goodbye to his last friend and gave us both hugs. Because he's that kid, too.<br />
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Happy birthday, Finn. So much love. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtMUceBZA7r4DKi9Ck0dN5nruLlRI4o5EPF0aosbxh4MLNC_xXzHkd3HNjvKp5ejwolUWxIxwDDyU-X93DEafpMHazicHePBdxv-mV9hqpMV021TXLtVr-ssYCvMp3riNUUfh-76eiJE/s1600/IMG_3815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtMUceBZA7r4DKi9Ck0dN5nruLlRI4o5EPF0aosbxh4MLNC_xXzHkd3HNjvKp5ejwolUWxIxwDDyU-X93DEafpMHazicHePBdxv-mV9hqpMV021TXLtVr-ssYCvMp3riNUUfh-76eiJE/s320/IMG_3815.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm convinced that the secret to a good theme party is the perfect font. I found this Willy Wonka font at <a href="http://dafont.com/">dafont.com</a>.</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8U6h544kBAuPPrNPBd6IjYZp3VciZconrfVOlfBatkcCoXpC_bYGyfz5eWOZxrXl3kefZggzEGeNfzmWw2mbpxJhMqcGIsvpOP3dsc4HhOEHnXQViWi0QRwvJa9bcbvqTB50qUZjv3Y/s1600/IMG_3826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8U6h544kBAuPPrNPBd6IjYZp3VciZconrfVOlfBatkcCoXpC_bYGyfz5eWOZxrXl3kefZggzEGeNfzmWw2mbpxJhMqcGIsvpOP3dsc4HhOEHnXQViWi0QRwvJa9bcbvqTB50qUZjv3Y/s320/IMG_3826.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Table yummies</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKvW1oCa6YM-d5j-bn9blQoTS9eKqxwLDN70NHnB7CHzckC9hMzxpLmQ5DeTJYyQNkgviPG6XOQl_MOm5a2LjqVA8qmtSakiHHnxrb5psmZpPfhIwlDZoYcoV6Edz-xHQwaC12Ba4yQM/s1600/IMG_3879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKvW1oCa6YM-d5j-bn9blQoTS9eKqxwLDN70NHnB7CHzckC9hMzxpLmQ5DeTJYyQNkgviPG6XOQl_MOm5a2LjqVA8qmtSakiHHnxrb5psmZpPfhIwlDZoYcoV6Edz-xHQwaC12Ba4yQM/s320/IMG_3879.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Child's eye view of the fountain</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzgdk743VqSSdcb9QoOTQpuEJj3Wjfvry1IA7dWr2OgFjJXIpBTrcJAdAWvBHwvB1yQyK1m_O5XKOL7oHZqWMgzrq1KT3G77f6RxcRyIgKnS1NGv3q3iz7ZY9F20z4ryGfMNHQEMJA7I/s1600/IMG_3830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzgdk743VqSSdcb9QoOTQpuEJj3Wjfvry1IA7dWr2OgFjJXIpBTrcJAdAWvBHwvB1yQyK1m_O5XKOL7oHZqWMgzrq1KT3G77f6RxcRyIgKnS1NGv3q3iz7ZY9F20z4ryGfMNHQEMJA7I/s320/IMG_3830.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Soda water + fruit juice</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUO92PBioKlKjWyGEyDHpK6RGM6oeHqaDYC8TsmYTOA3Uh0n2m8NXsHyV6n69U324Dj_xADvFUCs8uFGYS9wPq9tG89A29pTP91Sw9u0tnAOKU2Z9MAz4z3Ex1T-FN1j7kNV-do4FlVc/s1600/IMG_3887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUO92PBioKlKjWyGEyDHpK6RGM6oeHqaDYC8TsmYTOA3Uh0n2m8NXsHyV6n69U324Dj_xADvFUCs8uFGYS9wPq9tG89A29pTP91Sw9u0tnAOKU2Z9MAz4z3Ex1T-FN1j7kNV-do4FlVc/s320/IMG_3887.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mushroom cupcakes</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ2GQNhgNPbJxmgWVshATSeG8kT4ry7XQIhyphenhyphenRM5HZli9rspQ0wP7__DFEx-GiSvzUeX7Z8xRc8tcF_0468MfO1_8WXS1QG2LtjlFUf_5JIx8kvV_OzOtEqrLPZtCNCQodAWfsl5RFq5M/s1600/IMG_3886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ2GQNhgNPbJxmgWVshATSeG8kT4ry7XQIhyphenhyphenRM5HZli9rspQ0wP7__DFEx-GiSvzUeX7Z8xRc8tcF_0468MfO1_8WXS1QG2LtjlFUf_5JIx8kvV_OzOtEqrLPZtCNCQodAWfsl5RFq5M/s320/IMG_3886.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Party activity (take photos, make frames) + party favor</i></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-25636045183002490352013-07-18T13:19:00.000-06:002013-07-18T13:51:15.715-06:00No-Bake Energy BitesSo a few weeks back, I attempted to make <a href="http://hopefulblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/when-blogs-go-wrong.html">homemade breakfast bars</a> with no success whatsoever. I really wanted to find a homemade alternative to processed snack bars - I find that when I am trying to eat healthily, I all too easily fall into the trap of purchasing granola bars and energy bars which - let's be honest - just aren't all that healthy and are far more expensive that the sum of their parts. I definitely have a sweet tooth, so while I appreciate the thousands of articles recommending that I snack on almonds or celery sticks, I need a little sugar to get me by, particularly in the afternoons. <br />
<br />
I found this recipe referenced in a magazine that my husband's cousin Ami left at the house when we were in Helena. This is the perfect opportunity to give Ami a shout-out since she informed me that she checks my blog <u>every morning</u> for updates - how's that for loyalty? With deepest apologies for the long, silent weeks, Ami, I thank you for leaving behind that magazine which led me to this awesome recipe! You rock!<br />
<br />
These are crazy good. You probably have everything you need to make them right now, so walk away from your computer and go do that. There is lots of information on substitutions, etc. on the original blog which is linked below. The only thing I changed from the original recipe is the amount of coconut - my first batch seemed a bit flaky, so I cut back.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<b>No-Bake Energy Bites</b><br />
adapted from <a href="http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe.html">Smashed Peas and Carrots</a><br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RUmsmFJU2YMV_jWjEfgHjmZt0gsaF4A6uGhjOsEDsFs/edit?usp=sharing">PRINT ME! </a><br />
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1 cup oatmeal<br />
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1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)</div>
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1/3 cup honey</div>
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1/2 cup coconut flakes</div>
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1/2 cup ground flaxseed</div>
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1/2 cup mini chocolate chips</div>
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1 tsp vanilla</div>
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Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.
Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll
into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep
refrigerated for up to 1 week. (NOTE: They will not last one week. Guaranteed.)</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139213540549990991.post-90109660010281331602013-07-16T15:26:00.001-06:002013-07-16T15:28:22.652-06:00Jiggity JigWe're home. Sigh. It was a lovely, lovely vacation, filled with family and friends and beauty and happy kids.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXoLva2niTNknyN3Kj0-6zTKB27GDIeuDwQ5pWAWH8rXy_Tu33SNn8QSpYcFhsKk7BCIpfpQWdY5LaVh3O4vKWqmFXyGOQB3miUodyhCyp6pZSCP9_HDa_DRL_k02TaqrJLCEK6bOgCM/s1600/Heart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXoLva2niTNknyN3Kj0-6zTKB27GDIeuDwQ5pWAWH8rXy_Tu33SNn8QSpYcFhsKk7BCIpfpQWdY5LaVh3O4vKWqmFXyGOQB3miUodyhCyp6pZSCP9_HDa_DRL_k02TaqrJLCEK6bOgCM/s320/Heart.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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When it comes to food, two things happen on the flip side of a vacation: we come home with a renewed commitment to healthy eating (generally brought on by weeks of microbrewed beer consumption and an "I'm on vacation" mentality), and we always come home to a fridge so empty it takes a good week to get it back to snuff. We've been home three days now, and I've spent a fair amount of energy on the latter. There are a few things we just always like to have in the fridge: staples, like milk and bread and cheese and eggs, and homemade items, like <a href="http://hopefulblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/homemade-yogurt.html">yogurt</a>. Since we also came home to a vegetable garden two feet taller than the vegetable garden we left, Finn and I spent a good portion of yesterday afternoon making <a href="http://hopefulblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/goodbye-garden.html">pesto</a> which found itself on whole wheat penne last night and will end up on a pizza later this week (while not a huge fan of packaged pizza dough, we're kind of crazy about the <a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/Products/Pizza-Crust/Artisan-Pizza-Crust">Pillsbury Artisan Whole Wheat Crust</a> -- so good to have on hand!). <br />
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We ate a lot of hummus in Montana (I went to Costco for the very first time...wowzers!), but I really never tire of the stuff. It's great to have on hand when dinner isn't quite ready but the kids are already hungry. I liked the Costco stuff a lot (which is a good thing, since the container of it was ginormous), but I really like this easy recipe as well...it's super easy to throw together on a weekly basis. Feel free to add ingredients to your heart's content (olives, roasted red peppers, etc.) - I'm somewhat of a hummus purist, but you can easily customize this basic recipe.<br />
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Happy summer, all!<br />
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<b>Quick Hummus</b><br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JViNFv5Iz6eH-z67XMmkyLG_yIeonGR7LmWi2UaQ24s/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PRINT ME!</a><br />
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1 16 oz. can chickpeas<br />
~1/4 cup liquid from the can<br />
3 tbsp lemon juice<br />
1 1/2 tbsp tahini<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
2 tbsp olive oil<br />
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Throw garlic cloves into the food processor and pulse to mince. Add the chickpeas, the lemon juice, the tahini, and the olive oil. Add a bit of the liquid from the can, then a bit more, until you reach the desired consistency. Once blended, add salt to taste.<br />
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The key ingredient here is the liquid from the can.
I've tried lots of hummus recipes and could never get the texture quite
right. This is super yummy, super economical, and super easy to throw
together. Tahini is the only unusually ingredient; however, once you buy
a jar to make this once, you'll have it on hand whenever you want to
make more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0