Plays and such.

So wedding planning is really time consuming and on top of that I have started both of my jobs so I don't have days just sitting around at my apartment much anymore. Today is an exception though. I didn't have to nanny, so it's 10:30 and I'm still laying in my warm bed looking at wedding dresses thinking that the moment I start trying them on things will get real.....whoa!!

Derek and I still explore and create a lot, but I don't always have time to blog. Sad.day. Some things that we have done: took engagement pictures, went to a Marquette bball game for free and sat court side (crazy story), toured various venues for our wedding, went to a ping pong bar, went to a Penn St/Wisconsin football game, decorated a Christmas tree with our own made ornaments, and various other things. I also got to explore a fun coffee shop in the tour of coffee shops I'm doing! A lot has happened even in a month, maybe I'll work backwards and just catch up?! We shall see

This last weekend I was looking forward to working on my to do list and to start a simple knitting project that I've been wanting to do, well Derek had access to free tickets for a play from his boss which he decided to take and then tell me about. (It was snowy and cold, the boss didn't want to get out). At first, I will admit I was upset it interrupted my plans that I had made, but it all worked out in the end.

The show was called Noises Off and was shown at The Rep which is a pretty small and cozy venue. The description of the show was that it was pretty much about doors and sardines....interesting?! I hadn't been to a play in a long time and didn't know what to wear, but really who cares?! It's a matinee showing and because of that the average age of the attendees was about 65 years old. That made us stick out just a little bit!

The first act was all about setting up the characters of course, but it took a little bit to understand who was who because it was a play about an acting troupe putting on a play. That part we could understand the minute "the director" started yelling directions from the aisles in the audience. The second act was probably my favorite because it to me was the most funny. It was when the dysfunctional relationships started to fall apart. Seriously, I was laughing most of the second and third act. Derek's favorite was the third act because those same dysfunctional relationships then carried over to "the play" they were putting on and how it affected the show. So so funny! I'm glad we went and because it was a matinee we got out around 6:30 and still had the rest of the night to knit and relax! I would definitely be interested in going to another show either at the same theater or somewhere else.

Fun fact: One of the women in the play was Glenda the good witch in this commercial with Jordy Nelson (who went and played at KSU and is from KS), which Derek absolutely thinks is great (mainly probably because it talks about how great Wisconsin is)! See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OEKr3OIAj8

We finished the weekend out by enjoying perks of living in Wisconsin in the winter even. Free ice skating! Some people froze over a pond in the park across from Derek's apartment, so we both wanted to skate on it. Of course he took his hockey sticks to play around with. There was a kid there who already had found a puck in the snow, but didn't have a stick, so I let Derek hit the puck around with him while I skated around. We didn't stay long because it was so cold, but it was fun so we definitely want to utilize it again this winter. Who knew WI in the winter could be fun?! (Don't tell anyone I said that)!

A week from today we will be leaving to go to my home for Christmas!!! That means seeing my family whom I have seen since moving, eating delicious food, going wedding dress shopping, and seeing many, many friends as I wind my way back up to Wisconsin!!! Can.not.wait.

He liked it so he put a ring on it!!!!!!

This weekend...oh boy....where to begin!!!! We had plans to go out to dinner on Friday night to Buca di Beppo to spend a gift card Derek had (I like to think I'm a cheap date?!) So I thought it would only be dinner and then go back to his place to hang out, but I usually make him dress up if I know we get to go out to dinner! I'm glad this was no exception!

What a great date!

Always got to be ourselves, right?! Typical. 

Dinner was great!! Such good food, Sangria, and lots of laughter! Near the end of dinner, Derek suggested going down to the lake front for a short walk since we were already downtown and don't go often. I was tired and really just wanted to go back to his place to relax. Plus it was cold and rainy outside. Not a good combination for me!! It didn't really take much convincing though since he was driving. After parking near where we usually walk, on a puddle, and drenching a boot we started walking towards the Summer Fest grounds where you have a great view of the city. I thought it started looking sketch and was cold so of course I wanted to turn around, yet Derek was adamant we keep going. I stopped to take pictures of the city-scape knowing that I would be blogging about the night later (meanwhile Derek is behind me thinking about getting on a knee). We walked just a bit longer, talked about being best friends, and then decided to turn around....

"Before we head back, I do have one question for you."

Pulls out a ring box.

Gets on one knee.

Asks if I would marry him.

Puts the ring on and I'm pretty sure I can't stop smiling, looking at the ring, and asking "Oh gosh. Is this real life?! Are we really engaged?!"

Pretty sure I squealed a lot. Smiled a lot. And couldn't let go of him!

The entire car ride back (he did pull around so I didn't have to step in water again, thanks) I called my parents and a few of my best friends. Most of which greeted me with lots of squeals and joy and excitement as well!!! The hardest part of the night was not being able to hug or flander with my friends!!!! I did have Derek to hug though!!! :)

Then we went back and watched Harry Potter. Perfect.night.

A bit blurry, but so pretty!

He did so good!! I love it!!! So sparkly!!

The rest of the weekend consisted of calling and texting our friends and researching venues, looking at dates, and starting on our planning. We both like lists and Derek likes Excel...so our wedding is already starting out pretty organized.

I'm going to make a Knot website soon with our whole story on it so keep an eye out for it. But in the mean time, who knew that "airplane boy" would become my husband?! :)

NeedToBreathe

Earlier this fall Derek "suffered" through a Parachute (one of my favorite bands) concert with me. I use suffer loosely because I think he actually enjoyed it. So it was only fair that when his favorite band came an hour away, I would go with him to see them. We left right after work and drove the hour to Madison. I was excited just to explore a new part of town. The area of town the theatre was in looked more like a college area with a great view of the capitol building! There were at least two coffee shops in the same block, and I do love my coffee shops! There was also a lot of amazing buildings in the area, so of course I had to take a picture of some art deco detailing!

Wisconsin Capitol

While we were waiting for the concert to start my design side kicked in as the place became fuller and fuller for the sold out concert. One of the first things I did was look for the nearest exit just in case. I tend to get claustrophobic in large crowds but was able to keep cool the whole concert, mainly because I focused on being with Derek and not the whole crowd. Also, while waiting the kids in front of us decided it was a good idea to pull out a lighter to play with. Really?! Do you know how fires start?! All I could think of was learning about all the fires in Interior Design classes and why codes are the way they are. I didn't want to start picturing what could happen if a fire had started....hence why I looked for the exits!

Waiting for the show to start!

Bear, the lead

Bo, his brother, rocking the Banjo

Several times during the show I could feel the floor moving with the crowd. Again, my design senses were asking myself how old is this building, when was the last time they were inspected, how far of a drop could it be? Yes, maybe my design side makes me more paranoid about public spaces, but I just want to be safe, right?! The actual show though blew my mind! They.were.so.good!!!!! I would rank it in the top three concerts I've ever been to and I've been to a lot! Definitely worth the drive, late night, and facing my claustrophobic fears! Here is our look after the show:

So good live!!!!

Also, late night McDonald's runs are questionable......

Fall, Flannel, Friends.

This post is a week late, but oh well! Last weekend was a pretty good chill weekend in Milwaukee. A friend of ours was hosting a Fall Flannel Bonfire at her place on Friday night so I decided to try my hand at making Chex Mix to take with us. While buying supplies, I decided it would be cheaper and quicker to just buy the prepackaged stuff, but where's the fun in that?! The recipe I used made a lot, but it was a hit at the party so we didn't have much leftovers (minus the rest of the supplies)!

The bonfire was actually supposed to include an outdoor movie night as well, but it was just too darn cold away from the fire. Welcome to Wisconsin! We did get to watch some New Girl and hang out playing Catch Phrase around the fire. The night was full of meeting new people, fun times, and lots of laughter!

The lovely ladies!

I put this one on here simply because if you know me, you know I'm a picture ruiner. Location doesn't change that!

I also had a chance to explore a new place after church with some friends. I had been wanting to try a place called Melthouse Bistro for awhile now, so this seemed like a good time to suggest it. They serve specialty grilled cheese sandwiches and the design firm I would love to work for designed the place. It was so good!! Everyone who was with us got something different, which I feel doesn't happen in large groups at restaurants. The restaurant was located downtown Milwaukee a few blocks from UWM and a few blocks from the lake, so after lunch we decided to try to beat the rain and walk to the lake. It was cold. It was starting to sprinkle. But it was an adventure that included a large hill and my hands being frozen! It was still a beautiful walk that included seeing some of the fall colors here!

Another thing I liked about the restaurant: It offered healthy side options!

Beautiful leaves changing!

 Down by the lake front.

 And the shortcut hill that was our finale!

There is so much to explore and do here! 

I love lamp.

No, seriously, I love my new lamps!! I found some awesome vintage lamp bases at an antique store in OK (which is a whole different story) for pretty cheap and knew that they would be a great first restoration project to try my hand at. I cleaned them before I moved here and had reapplied gold spray paint to hide some of the bits that wouldn't come off when I cleaned. Then they just sat for the perfect lampshade. And sat some more. They had the tall shade holders on them, and I was trying to find something to fit those, but I either couldn't find a good pattern or they were too big for the lamp. So I finally decided to paint my own after being inspired by a post of this blog I follow (A Beautiful Mess). On a whim I decided to just buy some shades at my local Target (for once I left with only the thing I went for) and found out while there that I should be able to take off the shade holders. I didn't know I could, so please don't judge me! :) Anyways, the shades worked and the pattern matches well the geometric glass of the base, and fits the color scheme I love!! Here is the process in pictures:

They are awesome!! Also, I finally got permission to paint my room so my ugly wall color will hopefully disappear soon!!

Let Him Shine.

This weekend was pretty uneventful and I'm okay with that! Derek, his roommate, and I had another one of their coworkers over for a pumpkin spice pancake breakfast/games and it was fun! Then the boys started watching football so it was my cue to go be productive! However, I did make it back in time to watch the ending of the Penn State game, which I would have to say was one of the best football games I've probably watched. I mean four overtimes?! Really?! Derek was pretty excited, which in turn made me excited. Side note: I've probably watched more football games since moving here then I have....probably ever.

We have found a church, which I may have said before, but the church has awesome worship bands that they rotate every week. These people are not only talented, but have great taste in music to play. Church and especially the worship is usually where I get the most inspiration for being creative. This week was no exception and may be one of my favs so far.

After making this I was thinking about what does the "it" refer to. His glory? God himself? Why don't we put that in there: Let Him Shine!!

Colectivo Coffee

A friend and I have started what is turning out to be a tour of coffee shops around the area. Yesterday we got together for a cup of coffee at a downtown location of Colectivo Coffee near the UWM campus which meant the area had a great college town feel to it! This particular location had a strictly interior part and an exterior part which could be closed off by a garage door. What also made this particular location fun was the atmosphere (as a design major, I kinda like spaces and the atmosphere they provide, surprised)? They had large skylight windows in the ceiling and rafters full of plants that hang down. The exterior part had levels of seating which made more of a view to the outside! The time was a bit rushed only because of some crazy scheduling conflicts that arose the day before, but it was still a fun time! I am definitely enjoying exploring various places, and the place being a coffeeshop doesn't hurt!

This is the view from my table in the exterior part with the garage door to the right of the  picture.

The front entrance. Everything was so colorful!

Leinenkugel's

This past weekend Derek and I had plans to go to Eau Claire to "reverse" surprise one of his coworkers for his 30th b-day. As in, we all show up where he is versus he show up where we are. I was hoping the four hour drive would be gorgeous because leaves are starting to change here, but the weather decided to be rainy and foggy all day. Lame. Some of his other coworkers came with us and we had planned to go to a local brewery, Leinenkugel's, before meeting up with everyone else. I'm not a big fan of beer, especially when I hadn't even heard of the beer before, but I like trying new things, so I payed the $1 to sample 5 different kinds. They have a Raspberry Weiss beer that was actually really good along with a few other fruity beers I tried. Not a big fan of dark or real hoppy beers. This one reminded me of the pineapple beer that is served in Manhattan. (Have I mentioned I miss that place?!) After the short tour at the brewery we met up with some of the family members and headed to the bar where Derek's friend was. I think his friend was really surprised and glad to see so many people there to hang out with! After a few hours there though, I decided to leave and let the guys hang out so a friend from staff (who I stayed with) picked me up and we hung out the rest of the night doing girly things! And in the morning we were able to enjoy a cup of coffee and scones (my lovely friend's recipe which I've missed)!

Overall it was a fun weekend exploring a new part of Wisconsin and it was great to see my friend and catch up! It was weird though going to my old directors' stomping grounds before they came to KS and they weren't there!!

It was started many generations ago by one family.

I also saw a sign for and Augusta, however, it obviously was not the right one....

Soup & Sunshine

Derek came back to Wisconsin, after visiting home last week, sick. My roommate also got sick last week. And if any of you know my immune system, it means that I inevitably got sick as well. Luckily, it was Derek's cold and not my roommates ear infection/strep/mono combination of whatever she has. I took care of him last week before I caught it and decided to try my hand at chicken soup from scratch for the first time. After gathering all the needed ingredients it wasn't too hard to throw it all together! I was pleasantly surprised with myself! The only downfall was that it was a bit salty. (Something I'm learning about Derek is he likes to add salt and pepper to pretty much anything when cooking, so before he could ask if I had added it I did it anyways. His salt container has a wide hole though, sooo a little more may have been poured in then needed, hence the over saltiness). It was a learning experience for sure!

Plenty of leftovers too!

I ended up getting sick around Wednesday/Thursday last week, and was luckily still functional to nanny on Friday (after checking with the family, don't worry). By that night into Saturday though, I was pretty lethargic and may have looked like death if you asked Derek. So our Saturday plans of going to the 3 year old's birthday party and having a bbq with some friends turned into "Elizabeth resting, sleeping, and watching New Girl all day at Derek's place so he can take care of her." I did feel better that night though, enough to have a couple friends over for cards. I did need that day of rest in order to be functional on Sunday!

Derek and I have been wanting to make a Goodwill/Golfing date for awhile now, and it just didn't work out because of many things including us being sick, so Sunday it was super nice outside and we were both feeling much better so after church we invited another friend to go with us and we headed to Goodwill! I wanted to get some plaid flannel (since I'm living in Wisconsin now) and we like to look for puzzles/games for cheap there as well. I would say overall it was a successful trip except I forgot to look for one thing I wanted to look for (boys are fast shoppers and they made me nervous to hurry up). 

After a quick lunch, we headed to the driving range. I'm learning that golf is kinda big here, or at least in Derek's circle of friends.Probably because they work for a company that has a golf league and takes clients golfing. My dad and brother both like to golf occasionally, and the only experience I ever had was swinging the golf club with my brother in our backyard as a child, so to say the least I didn't know much. Hence why Derek wanted to take me to the driving range. Our friend who went with us also didn't have much experience so I wasn't alone! We started off chipping shots to practice then "graduated" to the driving range. It took awhile to get the hang of and not every shot got air or distance, but there were a few! Overall, I thought it was fun (minus blisters forming from the grip) and almost relaxing! It was just great to be outdoors after being cooped up for several days inside, and fun to try something new that Derek was interested in! I wouldn't mind going back eventually, but I'm definitely not ready for an actual round of golf!

Our friend trying his hand!

Derek could hit it wayyy further!!

One of the best shots I had. Air and Distance!
Derek wanted to point out my very intense concentration face! 

I have a few more adventures already lined up this next week so I'm excited to share those when they happen! I really am enjoying blogging about these explorations!! I'll leave you with another drawing I did last week inspired by the song Awakening by Hillsong United which we sang at church last Sunday!

Slowly. Slowly, I feel myself awakening.

Beach.

One thing Derek found out about me way back when was my absolute love of the beach, which may have to do with growing up in the beautiful landlocked state of Kansas. So while trying to convince me to move to Wisconsin (I didn't need much convincing, but he tried anyways), Derek kept saying that there is a beach here. While visiting previously, we had gone to the lakefront to walk around and such, but he had heard that one of the state parks near Sheboygan had one of the best beaches around. So a few weekends ago, Derek planned a day to go visit said state park. It was absolutely beautiful!! The Great Lakes really are great. You can't see the other side, so you can trick yourself into thinking it is the ocean! There was even a boardwalk along some sand dunes (not like the ones in Namibia, but still beautiful) that we could walk along and still see the ocean (or lake). You can even camp there, so we talked about going back at some point to camp this fall. Or maybe put that on the bucket list for the Spring even?! We finished up the day by going into Sheboygan for dinner which happened to fall at the same time as the Packers game, so wings and a game it was! I just appreciate him for trying to make me happy and finding me a beach!! :)

Inspiration.

I wanted to start a new blog because I've been feeling rather uninspired since I got back from Africa and moved. One would think that Africa should have inspired me for years to come, but in reality I think it helped contribute to me feeling Spiritually dead lately because while I was there I was pretty much on a Spiritual high, and when I came back that kinda went away. This blog was made to combine a couple of the things that I like together: being creative and adventures. It was suggested to me, while on a recent trip back to my homeland (which also helped to refresh my soul), that I should start exploring this new city I live in. To explore various parts and to gather inspiration or at least get out of my house! So starting last Thursday, that's what I did. 

I started off my explorations by literally just driving down one of the main streets near my house to see what was on it. Being here only a month, I really only know how to get to places I need to get to: boyfriend's house, church, or store. If you asked me where something was or where certain streets are I couldn't tell you yet, so I figured I should just get lost a few times and figure it out! On the first day of these explorations, I stopped at a coffee shop because these always tend to inspire me or help me to concentrate for some odd reason. Hmmm. Wouldn't know why! hahaha. It did work though. This is what came out of that first trip:

It has also helped this weekend that I'm starting to finally make friends to do things with and to get out of my house. Derek being gone may have also catapulted me into needing to do other things and hang out with other people. I explored a new restaurant with a friend for dessert in the middle of a thunderstorm on Thursday night. And then Friday night I got to experience the night life of downtown Milwaukee! I went out with a few friends from church that I had met and we were supposed to go to a place called Blu. It is a bar that is on the 23rd floor of a beautiful hotel with live music and classy people! We ended up going, but not staying. I did however get at least a good shot of the view (minus it being dark). This was just the view from the restroom. Imagine what it was like in the bar being surrounded with this view! :)

After volunteering to paint at the new coffee shop that I'm going to be working at, (YES, I found another part time job and couldn't be more excited about becoming a barista!!!!!!) I heard about a thing called Doors Open Milwaukee. I honestly wish I had known about the day before the day of and that Derek was in town for it because he would have enjoyed it as well, but things to look forward to for next year, right?! This is a day/weekend once a year that over 100 different buildings with historical/architectural significance open their doors to the public free of charge for people to explore them! Sounds like a design nerd's dream!! I had heard that the Frank Lloyd Wright B-1 prototype was one of these buildings and was really wanting to go. I already had dinner/movie plans with the same friends from the night before, so one of them was able to go stand in line with me to see this beautiful house! After slightly getting lost on the way there and discovering the house is seriously probably within two miles of my house, we were able to get in line before tours ended for the day! To say Frank Lloyd Wright was ahead of his time is an understatement. I feel like most of his designs would actually be forward thinking for today's society as well in a way to redefine livable space. I even added another place to my Wisconsin bucket list: Taliesin! Photos couldn't be taken inside, but I did get this pic while standing in line: 

It's been a blast this weekend making friends and exploring Milwaukee. I'm starting to embrace that I moved to Wisconsin and that this place has a special beauty all of it's own. Every place I go here will be a new experience or something new to try. What a great opportunity! I will leave you with another inspiration from a worship song that I was able to put down while the kiddos I nanny for napped:

He has redeemed my soul and will refresh it as well!!