a little more golf

I hit the links this afternoon with a friend and shot my best game of golf yet! I won't share the score because it's still not impressive, but it does show that all of my practice and hard work is paying off. I felt much more at ease today because my friend and I are both still working out the kinks in our game and not competitive at all. Typically when I golf, I end up on a cart with an excellent golfer and I always feel intimidated and nervous. It was nice to have a relaxing, laid-back day on the course for once. I'm really excited to get out again on Sunday. I hope I can hold on to a bit of my confidence then since I will, once again, be surrounded by good golfers.

It also helps my stroke count that I learned everything I know about golf from my Dad, including how his and his friends' imaginary friend Wally golfs. Wally wouldn't hit a ball from behind a tree; he'd kick it a foot or two out. Wally wouldn't take another stroke for accidentally tapping the ball before you meant to hit it. Wally wouldn't hit a ball that lies on tree roots; he'd be worried that it would hurt his club. Wally would kick the ball off the roots. Wally wouldn't count another stroke for a lost ball; he'd be pissed he lost one. Sometimes Wally's rules really help my score.

New York Pop Ups

How outrageous are these pop ups by Daisy Lew? I love that she uses such iconic images of New York City. The detail of the city scape from the side view is amazing.

scoops ice cream

on saturday, i took these two cuties to my favorite ice cream shop: scoops ice cream. it's a cute little shoppe downtown that reminds me of one from the 1950s. the walls are even lined with shelves full of glass jars of candy. i love the atmosphere there.

carson loved his ice cream {yummi gummi - a strawberry ice cream with gummy bears mixed in}, but not nearly as much as adelyn. she was so cute. with every bite she took, she'd shudder at the coldness, smile and keep licking the spoon. i caught her mid-shudder in one photo :)

gotta love that sibling love. they are just too adorable.

Riot Fest

Riot Fest, Chicago’s punk festival, announced the lineup a few days ago and I’m really excited about it. There are a few band I’d like to see {Descendents, Suicide Machines, Down by Law, The Copyrights}, but I especially want to see the headliner Weezer. I’ve been a Weezer fan since they were singing about sweaters and Buddy Holly, but I’ve never seen them in concert. That’s a shame. I think it’d be an amazing show. Plus, I’d really like to see the man who sparked my attraction for men in glasses {Rivers Cuomo}.

Riot Fest bands will perform on stages across Chicago {including the Congress, Bottom Lounge, Double Door, Cobra Lounge, and the AAA Lounge} from October 5 – 9. Tickets went on sale on Friday, so I better get a couple friends together and a couple tickets soon.

July 4th treats

Every year, my family gathers for a big picnic and every year we have the same buffet spread. For this year, I've been scouring the internet for new, creative Fourth of July treats. I found an incredibly cute cake that I'm not sure I have the patience to make.

How creative is that to put an American flag inside your cake?

A day with Carson and Adelyn

My cousin and her husband joined the thousands of faithful Parrot Heads at the Jimmy Buffett {party/} concert on Saturday. That means, I got to spend the day their beautiful, amazing kids. Carson is a typical 3 year old boy in love with sports who could spend every waking hour running around outside. Needless to say, by 8pm I was just as close to crashing as he was. Adelyn is an adorable, sweet 1-year-old with a beautiful smile.

We began our day playing outside in the sprinkler, then headed into the backyard to play on the swing set for a while, went inside to finish a {huge} puzzle, then we drove downtown for the afternoon {stopping at a coffee shop so I had the energy to keep up with Carson}, played at the park by the marina, stopped at a ice cream shop for a treat, made dinner at home, finished another puzzle, watched a little TV and finally fell asleep. Whew. It was a busy day. But oh so much fun!

Currently...

Listening to…

The new Death Cab for Cutie album Codes and Keys. I like it so far, but it usually takes a few times through the album before I can make a true decision about it. But, considering the bad, I’m sure I’ll love it.

Reading…

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. I haven’t had much time to read lately so I’ve been working on this one for a lot longer than I typically take, which is sad because I enjoy it. {It is about…} It’s a good mix for me: a fictional story set in India. I’ve been trying to read more fiction books lately and am extremely interested in Indian culture. It’s an interesting story so far and a clever writing style that makes it easy and enjoyable to read.

Watching…

NCIS. My friend and family have been addicted to this show and trying to get me to watch it for years. The thing is I don’t really watch TV. I haven’t had cable in years because the only shows I really MUST WATCH are football, baseball and hockey games. And, for the most part, those can be watched on standard cable… or at a bar with a good beer in hand. I did give in though and borrowed the first seven seasons of NCIS. And I’m already in the seventh! I would tell you the short amount of time I’ve been watching these for, but it’s quite embarrassing. It is a really good crime, suspense show. My favorite part is the characters- an aspect of shows that usually bugs me- but not one is annoying or the center of the show. My friend and I do disagree on the best, most handsome character though. I choose Tim McGee, she chooses Tony DiNozzo. Watch and choose for yourself.

Thinking about...

How we finally got our spring weather... in the middle of June. I'm over spring, bring on summer.

My favorite thing about summer? Baseball.

On Friday, a few friends and I tailgated and cheered on the Brewers at Miller Park as they took on the Minnesota Twins. We had crappy weather all week so I was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful weather on Friday. We gathered at a friend's house outside of Milwaukee, played some games {baseball, baggo, smoke the pole}, ate delicious food and jumped on a bus headed toward Miller Park. With the exception of accidentally losing a friend at the game {whom we found after}, it was a great night. And the Brewers ended up pulling off a win!

10 things that made my week

1. Former coworkers coming back to visit
2. Meeting new people and making new friends
3. Madison Mallards baseball games
4. Catching up with old friends over ice cream
5. Spending my afternoons outside
6. Picking up a few new books I’ve been dying to read
7. Trying new micro-brews {all were delicious!}
8. Singing along with Tim McGraw at his concert
9. Spending a lazy day golfing
10. Farmers’ market vegetables and treats

Little bit of country

I don’t own cowboy boots or plaid. I don’t consider Alan Jackson to be one of the greatest artists of our time. I’m not from the South. But from time to time, I do enjoy a little country music. It’s a nice change from my typical classic and Indie rock tunes.

Last night, my friends and I went to a {surprise and free!} Tim McGraw concert at the Marcus Amphitheater on the Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee. I had listened to Tim McGraw a lot during a country-streak in my college years, but not so much lately, but I was still excited for the experience. To me, Tim always seemed like a big-kid during interviews and such. His personality definitely came out. He seemed to really enjoy himself onstage, signing autographs and giving high-fives, making the concert more enjoyable for everyone else. He sang a few of my old time favorites at the beginning: “Where the green grass grows,” “BBQ stain” and “Back when.” But most of his show was newer songs, most of which I didn’t know, unfortunately. At one point, we were all worried when he waved by and left stage, but he quickly came back out to sing “Live like you were dying.” The only downfall of the concert, besides the rainfall: he didn’t sing “Don’t take the girl,” a personal favorite of mine. But overall, it was a really fun concert and I’m glad we could make it.

So basically, what I’m saying is I need to pick up a cowboy hat and a few new Tim McGraw albums.

{image via indyconcerts}

Happy Weekend

Usually at this point of the week I’m sitting at work dying for 3pm to come around and for my weekend to start. Not today. Today I’m off so my weekend started last night. Yay! I’m glad to have some time off before the craziness of this weekend though, I’m going to need a bit of rest. Last night, my friends and I spent the night watching Tim McGraw on stage; tonight, I’m tailgating with about 50 others for the Brewers/Twins game at Miller Park {Go Brewers!}; tomorrow, I’m spending the entire day with my cousin’s 1 year old daughter and 3 year old son; and Sunday, a little work and a little golf. I’m really excited for this weekend, but I’m already tired just thinking about it!

Hope you all have great weekends!

{image via weheartit}

just little things

i recently stumbled across a tumblr site counting off the many little things that make people smile. it is definitely the kind of site i could fall in love with; and i did. i've only made it through the first hundred or more posts so far but it's made me smile countless times. it's so cute. i sincerely recommend this site, especially for one of those rainy, gloomy days.

as you can see, these are all high in number. i didn't make it too far into the list for this post because there were simply too many little things that make me smile. i would have been writing {and you reading} all day if i went through the entire site. that makes me smile.

{image via justlittlethings.tumblr.com}

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day, my big sister and I took my Dad golfing. He's always been a big golfer and started teaching Maggie and I the sport a few years ago. I love going out on a course with him and I think he gets a kick out of sharing tips his with us. Golf has definitely become a way of bonding for the three of us; I love it. It was definitely a fantastic way of spending the day!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

Mallards Duck Blind

We celebrated one of my good friends' birthday this weekend at a Madison Mallards baseball game. We {semi-}watched the game from a picnic table in the Duck Blind. In the Duck Blind, you can watch the baseball game while enjoying all-you-can-eat brats, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, cheeseburgers and fries and all-you-can-drink beer and pop. Delicious!

This was my first Mallards game and I absolutely loved it! It was just baseball should be... all about the game and having a good time with friends. I can't wait to go back again. Maybe the next time I'll watch a little more of the game too.

The birthday boy was very excited to be celebrating at a Mallards game!

The best part of the night: the good beer. A few of my favorites at the Duck Blind... Goose Island 312, New Belgium Somersault, Magic Hat No. 9, Great Dane Mallards Cream Ale, Great Dane Old Glory and Great Dane Crop Circle Wheat {my favorite}. The Great Dane brews some fantastic beer. If you're ever in Madison, Wisc., you should stop in for a drink.