I'm Baaaaaack!

That's right, I wasn't sure if it would happen, but it's happening! I'm back!

I went through six months or so of deciding I didn't want/need to blog. It was mostly due to the fact that I was way too busy and needed to find some kind of balance in my life. Unfortunately that meant not blogging which is too bad because as I have said before, I have a terrible memory and I would love to remember all the little things that happened during that time. That was a really long sentence...whew!

I spent the winter working a ton of hours because I assumed that photography would slow down a lot due to the snow and cold. I was wrong which is awesome for my photography business but it made for a busy busy winter with little down time. I also restarted my grad school classes with the goal of finishing by the end of this year. Why not throw one more thing on my plate?

By the end of winter and early spring I noticed that the night shift was starting to wear on my body. I wasn't sleeping as well during the day and I felt a little depressed. Being constantly tired is not fun. That coupled with trying to function during daytime hours as a good photographer got increasingly more difficult. I had been thinking it might be time to make a change at work (as a nurse) and just as I was thinking of mentioning it to Jason, he said he was sick of me working nights, not going to bed together, and seeing me so tired and sad. I was relieved he felt that way too because I was ready to make a change if he was on board. The hardest thing about leaving night shift is losing the extra pay. They really make it worth your while to stay on the night shift...so planning for a significant pay cut is a big decision. But in the end, a day shift position was posted on the oncology floor which is what I am super passionate about...and I took it. I am so so so happy and can't wait to start. I can't wait to feel better, have more energy, and have more time to devote to myself, my husband, and photography. I will only be working 2 days per week so I will have lots of time to continue to expand my business.

I think part of the reason I didn't feel like blogging until now was because both me and Jason had been so crazy busy til now that we didn't get to see each other very much. That is not easy. So the time we did spend together we just laid low, hung out, and talked....nothing much to blog about there : ) As I mentioned above, I can't wait to spend more time with him when I am back on the day shift...it will be great!

One of the time consuming parts of blogging that kind of turned me off from it for awhile was when I wanted a photo for a blog post I'd have to: take the picture with my SLR camera, plug it into my computer, edit it, export it, upload it, download it...blah blah blah. I do lots with photos already and somehow that extra bit just put me over the edge. Last week I got the iPhone 5 which has a much better camera on it. From now on to allow for ease of use and to promote more blogging, I am just going to use my iPhone pics! Of course I will use my good camera too but for recipes and other things I will often try to use my iPhone...we will see how it goes : )

A bit of exciting news that most people don't know is that Jason and I are planning a really big awesome trip for this coming January. We are going to India and Nepal for 15 days.  We can hardly wait. We wanted to pick a destination where we wouldn't want to bring kids once we start having them. We also wanted a place that was very different than the US so we could experience another culture. I cannot wait to delve more into the books I got on these fascinating countries...c'mon January!

I recently joined a new gym that is only for women and focuses on strength training. I love it a lot. Now that I will have a clearer and more rested mind I am focusing more on nutrition and getting my workouts in. The rumor is when you stop working night shift, you can lose a few lbs...here's to hoping. That is one thing that often falls by the wayside for me when I am busy so I am excited to be back on track in that department.

So that's the short story of what's been going on. We've both been working a lot, the photography business is thriving (so thankful!), we are planning trips, I made a big job change that I can't wait for, and if all goes as planned I should have my master's degree done in December.

Here are a few pictures from recent happenings. I promise to put up pictures you haven't seen next time : ) Disclaimer: this are iPhone pics...not professional camera pics : )

My mom's wedding on June 15th...she and George had a really fun and lovely wedding!

two weekends ago, Jason and I went to downtown Hudson, WI for dinner at Agave Kitchen for the first time. It was sooo good and we will be back! 

Pierre being Pierre

Me and Jason and the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Concert. It was at the Cabooze in Minneapolis and it was truly the most fun I have ever had at a concert. It was the perfect night. I was the perfect amount of drunk, it was warm, the music was unreal, and I was with my boo. SO. FUN! If you haven't heard their music, please check out both albums, you won't regret it!

My first Surly...as I am learning to like beer this summer. But my trainer told me today I should probably lay off that high cal booze....dang it!

Love it

Alex, the main singer

this week I went to visit Katie Kline and her new pup Emmie! How freaking cute is she?! Katie and I had some great chats too....love her! 

This last saturday, Jason and I went to the twins game and checked out this new restaurant in Minneapolis beforehand. It was pretty good!

The game : ) It was nice and sunny. We had tickets on the third baseline but enjoyed some standing room seats in the shade for part of the game.

After the game we rooftop patio hopped around Minneapolis (again not recommended by my trainer) and found this lovely champagne cockatil at Union Restaurant. They had a retractable roof which was sweet!

Lydia is in town which is VERY exciting. We met up at the Twin's game and then later at the Crave Rooftop for appetizers and drinks : ) I will be heading up to Alexandria in a few weeks to hang out with her again. 

Jason and I hanging out at Jason's dad's house on Sunday evening. Chris (Jason's brother) was there  too...we had a delicious grilled dinner of bbq chicken and green beans...mmmm! 

Later Sunday night I was forced to go to Raceway Park in Shakopee against my will (well..sorta). My husband said I needed to have an open mind and he was sure I might like it. He went to races growing up and wanted me to see it too. I whined a lot but eventually agreed to go. It actually was really fun. It was great people watching and was fun to see the different kinds of cars. They had two figure 8 races which scared the shit out of me...above is a picture of two cars almost crashing. I was the annoying girl who screamed each time the cars almost crashed...I couldn't help it! 

these were my favorite minds of cars...so cute!

cool shot

Today I did some harvesting : ) Nothing but herbs are ready to be harvested from my garden but it was exciting nonetheless. They smell so good!! 

I even used a little of the fresh dill on our grilled red potatoes tonight!

Our dinner...turkey brats, peppers and onions, red potatoes, and corn ( I didn't eat much corn...I got full!)

That's kind of the latest and greatest. I have a lot more to share but I had to start somewhere : ) Thanks for listening and for taking me back after all this time!