Tag Archives: weddings

Wedding Recovery + The Bakken Family + Bram’s Senior Portraits

Being in a wedding is exhausting! 🙂 Brian and I stayed with Abbie at the Jefferson Street Inn, so we could just walk over to the gift opening brunch. That hotel was really quite wonderful! We’ve shot weddings there before, and I’ve loved working with their catering and event staff, but we’d never actually stayed there. Our room was classy, the front desk staff was very friendly (I needed extra shampoo to get all the hairspray out of my updo!), and they let Abbie stay there for a small fee. The trip signified many “firsts” for Abbie- her first hotel stay, her first carpet experience (we have hardwood and tile), and her first ride in an elevator! She was such a champ. I love that cutie! We took her for ice cream at Briqs to celebrate. 🙂

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I started the next week with an adorable family/maternity shoot with the Bakken family. Kendi is beautifully pregnant with Teddy, so we had a fabulous shoot with these guys!

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It’s safe to say Jace is excited about becoming a big brother! 🙂

After their photo shoot, I went for a run around the park. I found a little trail that I hadn’t run before, and I loved exploring.

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Hot, humid runs are a special kind of cleansing. 🙂 I got home in time to clean up and finish studying before my first full city council meeting. Here’s the view from my new “office…”

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…and of course, a selfie with the alders from Districts 5 and 6. 🙂

Our friend, Ali, had a cancelled flight, so she was in Stevens Point for an extra day. We met at Emy J’s, caught up, and I learned all about her Brooklyn life! New York sounds like a completely different experience- I’ve been there once, but we went and visited all the sights that tourists typically see, so it wasn’t a really authentic experience. 🙂

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I finished out the week with some fabulous senior portraits for Bram. He’s a very talented soccer player and avid fly angler, so we had a variety of locations for the shoot. 🙂

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It was great to work with you, Bram! Thanks for not kicking that soccer ball right at my head.

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Shots like this are a sure sign of trust… I wouldn’t lay down on the ground with my gear in front of just any soccer player and ask him to shoot the ball. 🙂

I was busy putting the final touches on my STREAM Girls program, and subsequently feeling pretty stressed, so Brian decided to take me on a little date to Belts’! It’s a short bike ride from our home, and we just LOVE their ice cream! 🙂

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It’s easy to support local businesses when their products are delicious! 🙂

Up next? STREAM Girls- all the cuteness of Girl Scouts learning about their watershed and the Trout Unlimited volunteers who help. 🙂

As always, thanks for reading! 🙂

Miles this year: 294.1

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Learning As An Alder + Amy’s Wedding!

As alderwoman, I have a chance to learn more about my city in some pretty unique ways- and one of them is by attending community meetings.

I went to my first Association of Downtown Businesses meeting, since my district includes our downtown square and a portion of Main Street.

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It was wonderful to meet the shop owners, and we had a wonderful discussion about how to make our downtown more bicycle-friendly.

When I got home from the meeting, I’d received a special delivery from one of my TU friends, Fred. He gave me a whole stack of fly fishing books!!

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I’ll have my work cut out for me on the rainy days this summer and the cold days this winter. I’m actually looking forward to cuddling up with a cup of tea and one of these books on cold days. 🙂

And now, on to the main event… Amy’s wedding!

She invited the wedding party and out-of-town guests to come to a wine and cheese social at the wine shop on Thursday night. It was SO awesome to see my Colorado mountain girl, Kyt, and my Brooklyn girl, Ali!

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We went home and got a good night of sleep Thursday night, to help us prepare for the long weekend ahead. On Friday morning, I met my sole sisters for a hot yoga class at Community Soul with Kevin, a guest teacher from Costa Rica! It was a wonderful way to get my day started. 🙂

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CSY is in downtown Wausau, so after class, I just ran across the 400 block to help the wedding party set up at the Elks Lodge for the wedding reception. After we finished setting up, the girls all went to Gloss nail bar for manicures and pedicures. 🙂

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After our appointments, Becky and I ran a few errands to grab last minute wedding necessities, and then I ran home to shower, get dressed, and pick up Mr. Mustache. ❤ I packed everything I’d need for the wedding, then we went back to Wausau for the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

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We had a wonderful time catching up with family and friends at the dinner, then the girls went back to Amy’s parents’ house to spend the night. Her last night as a Snyder was spent laughing with her family and friends, and we all went to bed way too late. 🙂

Wedding morning came in with a bang… or I should say it came in with a chirp. The birds were singing so beautifully but LOUDLY that we all woke up early. I half expected the birds to carry Amy and her dress to the wedding Cinderella-style!

We had our hair and makeup done at Euphoria by a good friend of Amy’s, and I had to grab a photo of her fabulous custom-made blue wedding shoes.

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When we were finished getting all dolled up, I headed over to the Yawkey House Gardens and Carriage House to put my dress on and prepare for the ceremony. Amy chose the most beautiful bouquets for us to carry… I couldn’t get over how pretty this was!

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It sprinkled right up until the wedding, but it stayed dry once the wedding started. In typical Heidi fashion, I cried my way through the entire wedding.

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Isn’t she gorgeous? My best friend planned and executed the most fabulous wedding, and I’m so happy for her and Chris as they start their married life together! The ceremony was beautiful, and the photo session was really fun! Amy and Chris hired my friend, Kim, and I’m sure her photos will be absolutely fabulous.

Amy let us all choose our own bridesmaid dress from a variety of styles, so we were all a little different. I loved it!

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We spent some time relaxing at the park before we headed back for the reception…

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…and once everyone was seated, Amy surprised Chris by singing a little song. It was way too cute.

I worked really hard to write a perfect matron of honor toast, and I somehow made it all the way through without sobbing. I don’t know how that happened. A miracle, perhaps. To sum it up: I’ve never seen Amy so happy, and I feel warm in my heart knowing that Chris will be there to support her and love her as they go on the adventure that is marriage. There is no one that I’d rather share my best friend with!

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Now that I’m crying, I better sign off. I’m such a sap. ❤

As always, thanks for reading, friends!

Miles this year: 292.1

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Go, Pack, Go… and Casi and Eric, AKA the best Labor Day weekend ever.

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Yes, we went to Lambeau. It was Stacey and Ron’s first trip! They invited us along, and they didn’t have to ask us twice, we jumped at the chance! Preseason games are a lot of fun, and it shortens the wait for football season. Amen to that.

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We had awesome seats! It’s hard to find a bad seat in Lambeau, though. Just one more reason to love our little hometown team.
I even found my Lifest friends, Bill and Darrell!

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We love the Packers.

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It was an awesome way to spend our Thursday evening, but we hurried back to Stevens Point to get ready for Friday’s beautiful wedding of Casi and Eric.
These two lovebirds had the sweetest ceremony up in Wausau, and their adorable daughter, Evelyn, stole the show. The weather was perfect, and we had a really fun time playing by a beautiful covered bridge.

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Congratulations, Casi and Eric!
I’ll continue on with our whirlwind weekend in my next post. Thanks for sticking with me!

Miles this year: 438.7

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My mentor, the record store, tacos, ice cream, and a fun TU trip to Milwaukee… and Mr. and Mrs. Phares!

I had my weekly meeting with Bill, my photo mentor. 🙂 We often go to Emy J’s, and if I have time, we go visit Randy at Radio Kaos.

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I love visiting actual record stores. There is something special about it, and Randy is awesome. I usually ride my bike for my errands, and this was no exception. I often take a little detour just so I can see one of my favorite smiley faces in the tar.

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In fact, when I was running this week, I found a new one…

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Too cute.
Friday afternoon, I headed back over to Central Waters to catch Tortuga Express, a food truck to be featured in Hoopla. If you’re not hungry now, you will be!

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Brian and I ate those delicious tacos for dinner, and swung by King Cone for dessert. I knew about their delicious homemade ice cream from a photo shoot that I’d done a few months ago, and I wanted Brian to taste it for himself!

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We took our ice cream to go, and headed down to Milwaukee. We stayed with my TU friend, Henry, since we had our first family work day planned for Saturday morning!
It was incredibly adorable. We encouraged parents to come to the work day and bring along their kids- we had a coloring table with trout pictures, an entomology station, a fish shocking station, and a chance for the kids to help us put in spawning gravel. We had the DNR guys come on out to help, and the kids loved playing with the bugs! They got right in the stream and helped us use the kick nets. The kids seemed to love it, and I think the parents also learned a bit. 🙂

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We grilled out for lunch, and Brian and I headed out quickly to get to Stacey and Ron’s Minnesota wedding. A few hours of driving, a stop for iced coffee, and we made it just in time for dinner and dancing!

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We met this beautiful couple through the small group at our church. We love these guys! 🙂 Robert was the officiant, and the rest of our small group (minus Pam) came to celebrate, too!

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Our handsome small group men are what keeps the ladies coming back for more theology and bible study! Haha. 🙂

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Congratulations, Ron and Stacey! We are so happy for you two. Thank you for inviting us to celebrate with you… We wish you a lifetime of love!

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We stayed in a hotel over in Winona, and after we slept in a little bit, we headed out for a Driftless area adventure.
More to come in my next post…

Miles this year: 392.95

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The National Mustard Museum, Madison fun with friends, and Ashley and Erik’s wedding

My dream has finally come true.

I went to the NATIONAL MUSTARD MUSEUM! It is located in Middleton, Wisconsin, and I secured a tour and case of personalized mustard.

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I could barely contain my excitement. I love mustard! I watched a video about mustard in history, saw all kinds of antique mustard jars and tins, and learned about mustard use around the world. Mustard fields are a beautiful thing! Did you know that mustard has been used for centuries as medicine? I can’t wait to take a mustard bath after my next long run. 😉

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I came home with sixteen jars of mustard, mustard powder, and whole mustard seeds, so I can make my own! Awesome.
We stayed at Amanda and Andy’s new apartment, and had one heck of a sleepover with our Delta Omicron college friends. Curtis, Mo, Josh, and I all went to market on the square on Saturday morning. It’s a big farmer’s market on Madison’s Capitol Square.

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We had a lot of fun with our friends celebrating our Delta Omicron sister, Ashley, marrying the man of her dreams, Erik. Brian played in a saxophone quartet for the first time since college! I wasn’t allowed to take pictures during the ceremony, but if her photographer will let me buy one of the quartet and put it online, I will post it for you all to see. They sounded pretty awesome. 🙂

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We hung out in the Union until it was time for the reception, and then we partied with our friends all night!

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Congratulations, Ashley and Erik! You had a beautiful wedding day. 🙂
As always, thanks for reading, friends. I’ll be back soon!

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Relax? What’s that?

I got home from Pennsylvania just in time to celebrate Mother’s Day. Brian and I invited our moms over for a brunch- we had a waffle bar!
My mom is truly an amazing woman. She was a single mom for most of my life, and made some amazing sacrifices so I had every opportunity to develop into the woman than I am. I love you, Mom!

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The flowing week was packed with some of my favorite things: running the Green Circle Trail with Lydia and Carmel…

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Cuddling with my favorite Halle girl…

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Making chive vinegar…

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…and feeding watermelon to Abbie on hot days.

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I ran over to Green Bay to host an event sponsored by Green Bay TU that we called Women, Water, and Wine. It was an event for women to come and learn about the things that TU does in their community and hook them up with the local chapter. Tim Landwehr over at Tight Lines graciously donated his shop space for us. We had wine and cheese and it was a great time!

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That same week, B and I went down to Milwaukee to catch a Brewer game.
I feel like the only person who tailgates with a salad, but it was delicious!

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We made a couple stops for some tasty eats- gourmet cupcakes and Bloody Marys from Wicked Hop.

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More trips to come- the driftless area for a meeting, the Green Bay half marathon, a baby shower… You know me. Always on the go!
Thanks for reading, friends. 🙂

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Another whirlwind Milwaukee trip…

Milwaukee. A rainy, warm weekend. Erika and Chad. Wedding preparations in the historic Third Ward, a beautifully personalized ceremony at Lake Park Lutheran, and a regal reception at 1451 Renaissance Place. Enjoy!

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Erika chose gorgeous shoes…

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Photos at the MKE art museum…

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…and in the Third Ward…

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Chocolate cups filled with Baileys? Yes, please!

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We wrapped up the evening with the men and their cigars. I think it’s a sign that I did a good job when the groom offers to share his with me. 🙂 Thanks, Chad, and congratulations, friends!
We headed home Sunday morning, but only after a quick Starbucks stop, and a detour to honor our Olivia Act award winner, the Soba family… specifically, Alexis Soba.

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Alexis was a healthy, average 9-year old “girly girl,” or so her family thought. Last July, Alexis had three episodes with severe headaches and vomiting. The third time they went in to the doctor, the CT scan revealed that Alexis had a brain tumor, and her family’s worst nightmare began. Alexis was admitted to Children’s Hospital and had a full resection of the tumor… Leading to a diagnosis of Glioblastoma, brain cancer. She went through six weeks of radiation, chemo, countless platelet and blood transfusions… And she is now on the road to recovery.
We felt so blessed to be able to award her family a portrait session and document this beautiful stage in her recovery. We’re all rooting for you, Alexis!

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Now that I’m crying all over again, I’m off to find some Kleenex.
More to come soon. Love you all.

Miles this year: 341.7

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That was some kind of hiatus.

Hey, fans and friends. Sorry about that ridiculous break that I like to call a disorganized summer. Actually, I focused on spending more quality time with B and spent more time on the stream and playing outside. I can’t really apologize for that.
I left off promising to share some favorites from Hannah and Todd’s beautiful central Wisconsin wedding on June 22nd. ❤

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Absolutely, positively, stunning.

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Todd and Brian have been friends for quite some time- I believe they met in middle school, and they played in a rock band together when I first met Brian! I met Todd when he first came to college- we were in percussion studio together. It was so wonderful to spend this day with our friends.
Sadly, about a month after their wedding, a tornado destroyed much of their church. I’m so glad I captured her dress hanging in front of those beautiful windows- that entire wall collapsed in the storm.
Even though it rained on their wedding day, we were able to spend some time playing outside and truly celebrated this new beginning with Mr. and Mrs. Truesdale! 🙂
Another fantastic June project of mine is something I developed this past winter, that I’ve briefly mentioned in the past. When our Wisconsin State Council of Trout Unlimited asked me to take on the role of chair for their brand-new Women’s Initiatives committee, I agreed, even though I had no idea how to start. Among the many ideas that I had while brainstorming, I was thinking of how I could plant the seed in the minds of girls, so they would grow up informed and connected to the resource. The biggest source of girls in our country? Girl Scouts! There are 3.2 million Girl Scouts in our country, and almost a million of those are adult volunteers. That sounded like a perfect place to start, so I called up my long-time pom-squad girlfriend from junior high, Melissa, since she works for the Girl Scouts.
I started asking questions about water badges, and I contacted TU national’s staff to see what kind of youth resources that were available for me. To make a long story short, the TU staff (Bryan, Franklin, Rochelle) and I developed a curriculum for a three day event, and Stream Girls was born. We took the girls out to a stream for a guided stream walk, entomology, fly tying, casting, and fishing. I have big plans for the growth of this program, as it is a perfect opportunity to create a new generation of informed, educated female citizens… And they’re darn adorable. See for yourself.

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Up next? Kim and Brad’s beautiful Wausau wedding. A perfect transition from Stream Girls, Kim and I met 15 years ago in Brownies. Beautiful bride, fun wedding, delicious 2510 celebration cake, fabulous friends, and lots of laughter.

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Congratulations, friends. Love you.
Bear with me as I play catch up for the next week or so.

Miles this year: 327.85

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Ben and Katie, and Arizona shenanigans.

We flew down to Phoenix for the incredibly hot wedding of our college friends, Ben and Katie. 🙂
So many photos, so little time.

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A nice early flight.

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The wedding day!!

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Twins?

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We had a fantastic time at the wedding. Congratulations, Ben and Katie!!!!
Brian took me to the zoo while we were there. I love going to the zoo! Those animals are so fun to watch. 🙂

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It was 104 degrees at the zoo. That sno cone was the best flavored ice I’ve ever had! 🙂 we spent time in downtown Tempe and exploring the area, too.

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Hot weather running!

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It was a perfect vacation. We slept, relaxed, read, and swam a lot!
I came home to a lot of photo work. It is, after all, WEDDING SEASON! 🙂 I’ll share some photos from Hannah and Todd, then Kim and Brad, but first: a photo montage of summer in the Oberstadt household.

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Gardening…

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A couple batches of chive vinegar…

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Skating, of course…

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Stay tuned for our June and July weddings, some gorgeous family portraits, and all sorts of shenanigans from Lifest, including the 5K. 🙂

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Miles this year: 231.45

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Cute babies, a 15-miler, Paul and Nikki, and a trip to Chicago

What a fun week!
I started off last Tuesday with two fun photo shoots.
The lovely and adorable baby Halle…

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…and the fun staff over at Fehrman Orthodontics.

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I made, quite possibly, my favorite salad so far the year, too! 🙂 …and it was accompanied by juice with fish ice cubes!!!!

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Thursday’s 15 miler was a rough run. I started out with a hot quinoa breakfast. Quinoa, almond butter, unsweetened coconut flakes, chia seeds, a banana, and a drizzle of honey.

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I had a pretty nasty stomachache during most of the run, and didn’t fuel, so I started to feel pretty wiped out near the end. Alas, I pushed forward and returned home, red and ready for an ice bath.

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Thursday night involved a meeting with the DNR, discussing the individual components of their Environmental Impact Study (EIS) in Saratoga.

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The research that they do as a part of that EIS helps determine whether it is legal for them to permit the CAFO to move in. I feel bad for some of those DNR employees- many citizens seem to be mistaken and think that the DNR is there to protect the environment against all evil. The reality is that the DNR can only protect the environment according to the laws that we have in place. If the CAFO will not damage any of the resources enough that it will violate the laws we have in place, then the DNR is powerless to stop them.
On Friday morning, we said goodbye to our love seat. Our living room is now much more spacious. We used that space right away for packing our bags, and we headed down to northern Illinois for the beautiful wedding of Paul and Nikki. A big Americano + a safe driver = a happy Heidi.

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Paul and Nikki are a couple who are so in love that it shines through in all these photos. I’ll let the images speak for themselves…

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That one is of Paul with all the ladies from Adventure 212. That’s the club where I work out, and Paul was a (well-loved!) trainer before his recent move to Rochester.

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Congratulations, Paul and Nikki!
On Sunday morning, we packed all of our stuff back in the car and headed south to Chicago, to visit my aunt, Maureen.

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We stopped at my favorite store down there, Calumet, and looked through all their beautiful photo equipment.

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Maureen was competing in the Chicago Triathlon, and my little cousin, Michael, competed in a kids’ triathlon. They are too cute with their medals!

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We went to a late lunch at Burke’s to celebrate. My cousins, Brendan and Kevin, own that great place!

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Congratulations, Maureen and Michael! We headed home Sunday evening, in the rain.

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Stay tuned for info about this week’s pet portraits, senior portraits, and much more. 🙂

Miles this year: 437.45

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