FLO-Reeeeda!

A long, long time ago a song came on the radio that happened to be by the artist FLO-RIDA (long "I") and I happened be a little rap artist impaired at that point and said to my good buddy Bridget: "This FLO-Reeeda song is pretty good!" She of course bust out laughing and has yet to let me live it down. Thank goodness for her and my rap genius friend Kendra or else my play list would be lacking some good stuff...especially my running list! So every time I say the name of the state Florida, I now pronounce it FLO-Reeeeda based on principle alone! :) But despite the silly story, AK and I spent a few days in Flo-reeeda (okay, enough, I know!) last week.

We flew all the way to Marco Island, FL and it was well worth the day of travel it took us to get there. This place is beautiful and full of some of the nicest people. There was not one person who was in a hurry and even fewer people without gray hair! HA! It was perfect for us as we were trying to escape the chaos of Chicago and warm our bodies up from the winter (even though it was the mildest mid-west winter ever!). I would love to write about all the very exciting things we did, but essentially we did....NOTHING!!! And this was exactly what we were hoping for! We rented a little 1 bedroom condo off of the VRBO website and it was complete with a full kitchen and a balcony looking directly out to the ocean....this happened to be key!!! So we got lucky on our accommodations and the rest kind of fell into place as we had a few recommendations from friends regarding restaurants, entertainment, etc.  I will try and post our week in pictures, but will describe the routine first and then add a few funny stories....

Pretty much every day we woke up, ran on the beach, had breakfast, jumped into our suits, found a spot by the pool and/or ocean and parked it for the day with a packed cooler and good books. We also went out for dinner each night and one night we grabbed some fresh food from a local market and just watched the sunset while enjoying our own picnic including....beer and champagne of course!! :)
 We did have one rain day which ended up to be perfectly timed after two long days in the sun (if you haven't noticed AK is a red head with fair skin who likes the shade!!). :)) We sat on our covered balcony, looked out at the ocean and read all afternoon. It. Was. Wonderful!!! And the last day we were there the weather couldn't make up it's mind so on our way back to the airport we checked out Naples, FL....walked out on the pier, had lunch, checked out the beach, etc! Pretty darn cool if you ask me.

Now for a few stories and/or memories....

I said our covered balcony was key....one reason being it kept us covered but also outside during the rain day and the second reason being it looked out directly to the ocean which made it the perfect view to watch the 4 or 5 dolphins that swam and jumped and played right in front of our condo!!! It was so cool and as if they new we were watching. AK could have stood out there for hours (and he may have), but it was seriously cool and he got some seriously cool photos with his fancy dancy camera that has a zoom lens. Hopefully he sends those pics over before this post goes to press!! :)
And now prepare yourselves...every Michigan State fan/Michigan lover will enjoy this!! So everywhere we go (and I mean EVERYWHERE we go) it never fails that AK knows someone from Michigan somehow. I will give him the fact that he went to a couple different schools growing up, but after that he gets nothing! And I tell him all the time that I get overwhelmed because he is NEVER alone in his Michigan love and/or his Mich St posse and I feel like I'm constantly fighting for the big I-A and the hidden gem that it is! ;) So this trip was no different.....First license plate we see when we pull into our very small (compared to the other hotels/resorts) condo residence....give ya one guess....a Michigan one??? Ding, ding, ding!!  First couple we truly meet and have a conversation with....not only are they from Michigan, but their entire family are Michigan State alums (nothing wrong with that, but this "coincidence" happens all the time) . Just when you think you're going to escape a few days of "Go Green".... I found myself right in the middle of it all the way down in FLO-Reeeda (couldn't resist). But it gets better....AK jumps in the pool with the MSU alum that we had been chatting with and another guy in the pool pipes up that he went to MSU too...unbelievable, but it gets better....Another guy gets in the pool as the three MSU boys are chatting with their backs turned to the pool stairs (and I'm eyeing this whole situation go down from my lounge chair) and the new addition is a Michigan fan wearing a Michigan hat. Of course he goes unnoticed and AK is telling the other two MSUers that the spot I picked at the beach that morning was right next this Michigan fan (said man in MI hat)..."can you believe that," AK says! And AK's new little buddy responds: "well good for him, he probably didn't even go to school there!" I mean seriously it never fails, and the MI fan literally took one dip in the pool filled with green and white and decided the ocean side was a better fit! So in summary 4 men enter a swimming pool (in Florida nonetheless), 3 Michigan State fans, 1 Michigan fan.....sounds like the start of a crazy joke, does it not??? :))

But enough of that....take a look below and check out the beautiful place we called home last week!!

day 1....i love this picture! AK passed time by dipping in the ocean, shelling and skipping sea shells!

first beach day....sunscreened and ready to rock!

night of picnic....fun! fun!!

beach!

cheers....bubbles, picnic, and sunset!

i love sunsets....and God is good!

he got it!

AK called this "the position!"

so happy to be in sun and on a beach!!

i. love. this. photo!! framer for sure!

ready to set sail.....

with my captain! HA!!! :)

what would a destination be without a yoga pose??? tree, anyone?

fancy night with fancy food!! so fun! and so yummy!

Naples was windy but beautiful!! HA HA!!

fancy dinner night with an awesome view! pretty great!

dolphins.... belly flop!

jump and twist

dive!!! so fun to watch (almost every day!)

my favorite thing about FL beaches is how long they are....they go on forever which made for some fun morning runs!

 So there you have it folks....our vacation told by funny stories, things to remember and a few good photos!!! If you've never been, Marco Island is a place to check out....absolutely lovely!!

What Have We Been Up To???

Lots of fun things....follow the pictures below!!!

First Cubs game of the season last Tuesday night....we enjoyed the greatness that is Wrigley Field along with some Old Styles and peanuts!! :))

A little chilly, but let's be honest....always a good night for a ballgame!

2 HUGE boxes arrived at our place....what could it be!??

 

hmmm....whatever it is, it has two wheels!!!

a new 2 wheeler/beach cruiser!!! something i have been wanting forever and something that will get us to the lake and back!!!

and whatdaya know?? 2 HUGE boxes = 2 beach cruisers....his and hers!!! :)) poor picture, but i promise there will be more to come this summer with all the beach time we have ahead of us!!

this past weekend we ran the Race to Wrigley 5K....total blast and the best thing was we were to the race and back in 1 HOUR....way less time than a marathon!! think we will be stickin to 5K's for a while!

as if Wrigley wasn't enough, we made our way out to U.S. Cellular Field (a.k.a. "The Cell") to take in the White Sox vs Detroit Tigers!! good chance to take in a Tigers game! AK got heckled only a little bit considering the Tigers lost and that is known as dicey territory!! the game was fun and all, but doesn't hold a candle to Wrigley....just sayin!! :)))

So, that was our week in pictures (last week). We are starting to enjoy the Chicago we have been hearing about all winter so that is definitely relieving and it has only made us more anxious for summer!!! But for now we are headed to the beaches of South Florida (as of Wednesday), so look for pretty ocean pictures next week!! Bon Voyage!!!

Easter Delights!!!

Easter is always a fun time of the year...First off, the Lord has risen which is very exciting news for us Christian folk. Secondly, it seems as though in the Midwest that Spring follows Easter which is also exciting considering most Mid-westerner's are ready for more sunshine and for all the yucky parts of Winter to be over. Last but certainly not least, Easter is usually a time that brings families together and good food out of the cupboards....or maybe that is just my family, but either way, this year was no exception.

Last weekend AK and I headed to Iowa for some good old fashion Easter fun. We always feel a little cramped for time, but we manage to pack the weekend full of as much quality time as we can. We got to enjoy the "simple life" (as we call it) for a few days while stuffing our faces full of some ridiculously good food.

Friday
Most of Friday afternoon was spent in the car as we made our 5ish hour trek across the Mississippi. There are not a lot of high points or interesting things along the way, but we did find one thing and that was the Aurora Outlet Mall. It is conveniently located right off I-88 which happens to be one way to IA....lucky us ME!!! AK was after some works clothes and I was hoping to find a good deal here and there. We both walked away with a few new things which is always nice!! Our next stop was IA, and I could not wait, because we were stopping for dinner at THE CORNER a.k.a That Place!! Any local knows the food doesn't get a whole lot better, and typically you're bound to see a few people you went to high school with and/or their parents. All of the above happened and we all left with full bellies and happy hearts as Tate Button (our good family friend) announced his engagement to Hunter Dye (a beautiful Eldora local)! We could not be more thrilled for them and are excited to celebrate with them when we get the chance. Cheers you guys!! :)) 

Saturday
Saturday was filled with of the "usual" Saturday things that we normally do while we are home. I woke up and went running with the "Eldora Running Crew," AK played with and ran Ruby (the puppy), AK helped my mom set up for the Easter gathering, we both cleaned out our cars since we had easy access to shop vacs, etc, and we played endless games of fetch with Miss Ruby!! Saturday afternoon we headed to the farm. That's right....I spent some of my time as a child living the "farm life!" My dad and his wife live on this beautiful piece of land and we were lucky enough to have our schedules match up so we paid them a visit. The visit was full of entertainment as my brother Dan and his family joined us as well. Very fun to be able to chat with Dad and Deb and equally as fun to show AK the simple pleasures that come with an acreage/farm...no neighbors, a huge yard, your own crick, and more smells than one can stand!! :) After the visit to the farm we rallied back to Eldora and geared up for grilled pizzas and the infamous ping pong tourney. My performance was abysmal, and AK only made it to the semis this time around as their was a new kid in town...Mr. Allen Jaspers. Not only was he the new kid in town, he came right in with his deadly serve and made himself a ping pong champion. Better luck next time Gehrk.

Sunday
Sunday was just like most Easter's I remember. We all woke up, we went to Easter festival service, delivered Easter lilies to the shut in church members and then hustled home for a delicious Easter dinner. My mom spent the better part of Saturday cooking and man did it pay off. From Easter ham to carrot cake....everything was mouth wateringly delicious!!! The weather was beautiful so we also spent ample time outside. I sat on the deck and was able to soak up some sun believe it or not, and AK spear headed a very competitive game of wiffle ball. From what I could see from the deck everyone had a good time playing ball....big kids and little kids alike. Before we knew it the weekend was coming to a close but we were able to leave knowing we had tons of laughs, saw some great people and ate until our hearts were content and our bellies were about to explode.

Thanks to everyone who made the weekend so great and special thanks to my momma for cooking and cooking and cooking until she could not cook anymore. It was a great weekend and I obviously can't wait until we can go again!!! :)
Enjoy a few of the Easter pics below....
Disclaimer: in true Easter fashion the meal was most important post church so there were very few "Easter pics" taken if any at all...my apologies!! 

Poppa Jay and Jack

obviously this can was empty....however Tommy would kick, scream and cry every time we took it away from him. completely hilarious....we could not stop laughing!!! but his parents decided to pick their battles and let him win this one! :))

cows!

"The Farm" and if anyone is wondering....the big grassy area in the right of this picture used to have a back-stop with a big sign that read: "The Spieker's Wrigley Field".....fun to think about those days! :)

easter egg hunt!! tom is on a mission!

the four kiddos....who are some of the best kids around!!

the intense cheering section...and don't even forget about Ruby!! :)

and Happy Easter my friends!!

* Stay-Cation!!! *

This past week I was lucky enough to have the week off and enjoy a little "STAYCATION!" The reason behind the staycation was that I quit my first job in Chicago and accepted another one which will start on Monday (April 2). P.T.L. (Praise The Lord!) So naturally in between gigs I took a week off and tried to reorganize relax a little. So in no particular order I will list the things that defined my staycation...

1. :: sleep ::

2. :: afternoon coffees ::

3. :: shopping ::

4. :: yoga ::

5. :: long runs by the lake ::

6. :: shedd aquarium/jelly exhibit ::

7. :: DIY (Do It Yourself) projects ::

8. :: hunger games ::

9. :: cooking ::

10. :: blogging ::

11. :: wine ::

12. :: manicures :: 

13. :: tulips ::

14. :: sushi dinner with denver friends :: 

the jelly exhibit at shedd aquarium was seriously cool!! we had so much fun and look at these pics. all from my camera phone!!

and then all the other things....manis + pottery barn shopping (p. barn was not the only stop!!) + hunger games + DIY wine cork board + tulips + long runs by the lake + grant park! 

YAY for staycations and YAY for new jobs!!

Everyday We're Shuffling.....

This past weekend Chicago or 'Cago known to some hosted it's annual Shamrock Shuffle, and I had plenty of visitors to run the race with. The Shamrock Shuffle is an 8K (roughly 5 miles) and it is run through the streets of downtown Chicago so the runners get a close up view of different sights in the city, such as Grant Park (where you start and finish), the Sears Tower, Michigan Avenue, etc. And luckily for us the weather cooperated so we really could not have asked for a better day to run let alone a better weekend. So without further ado, I will give you the sequential play-by-play of the weekend starting with Friday!!

Friday: Friday night my mom and Nancy Webb were expected to arrive mid-evening so we could enjoy a late happy hour and then head to our dinner reservation. Instead what happened was they ran into a big accident on Hwy 20 on their way here and were detoured for nearly an hour....no big deal, except they detour took the place of happy hour which always bugs a little!! So once they arrived we said quick hellos, got them settled in our place and then rushed off to dinner, but not before the first "crack up" of the weekend. Once we were organized my mom clapped her hands and said "okay, I'm ready now, so Sissy call us a cab!" I of course burst out laughing, because cabs in Chicago are like yellow equipment at Gehrke Inc....always one within sight!! So once we completed "city lesson #1" we were off!! (sorry momma....you know I love the small town, this was just too funny!!) And we were off to Cafe Ba Ba Ree Ba!! Again the name sounds funny, but this place comes highly recommended by many locals and it happens to be one of the only places AK and I have visited twice! Cafe Ba Ba Ree Ba is little Spanish Tapas place so everything comes in small plates to share and pretty much everything is delicious. Besides having great food, they also have very refreshing Sangria that comes by the pitcher and it's a must order. Great meal and great refreshments!!
After dinner we were off to The Schoolyard, which is a neighborhood bar real close to where we live and located on our street...School Street...get it?? :). We went there for a night cap and to meet up with more Eldora locals/Shamrock Shuffle runners. We all enjoyed a few cocktails and the wonderful company....Both were so great we all lost track of time and got home WAY. TOO. LATE!!!

Saturday: Luckily for my mom, Nancy and I our race was on Sunday and not Saturday so we had a day to recover! (thank goodness!). Since the day was wide open, we planned to go to brunch and then hit up as many shops/neighborhoods as we could. We started at this yummy spot called Southport Grocery where I have come to believe serves the absolute best brunch on the face of earth. Yes that may sound a bit dramatic (or "bramatic" if you're talking to my nephew Jack), but it is seriously good. For all my Denver readers....it rivals Snooze (just sayin!). After the exceptionally long wait to get in we were a bit behind schedule (shopping schedule that is), but it was all worth it as always! Our next stop was the big Lululemon store in Chicago. There are multiple stores (something like 4 or 5) but I took them to the Halsted store which I think is the biggest and usually has the most merchandise....yes I have been to all locations (don't judge). Post Lulu fix were were off to another cool area called North and Clybourn, and this is where you will find a great J. Crew/Pottery Barn/Gap/you get the picture. All bets were off as to how long we would be in a two-story J. Crew but we made it in and out in 1 hour! Pretty darn good, if you ask me. By this time in the day the three of us were well spent (literally and figuratively), which meant one thing....it was time for happy hour!! :) The Eldora Shamrock Shufflers came over to our place at about 6p and we enjoyed some appetizers, wine, champagne, etc before our dinner reservation at 7:30p. After dinner we all decided to retire early considering the "big race" was the next day!

Sunday: Sunday was race day!!! We all met promptly at 8a at The Bean (a Chicago landmark) so we could enter our race corrals together. This was a splendid idea, because not only were we all together, but we had a few minutes with The Bean just to ourselves, which means we got to take some cool pics (you'll see!!). Before we knew it, it was time to line up or herd up, considering there were something like 35, 000 runners for a 5 mile race!! Like I said the weather was perfect, the course was awesome, and the company was even better. AK, Kylee Button, my momma and I all ran together and it was so much fun. The fast runners were ahead of us....don't think we left them in our dust! :). As I said it was roughly 5 miles and I think I'm most proud of the fact that my mom RAN all 5 miles and kept up with 3 people in their 20's!! She's pretty awesome and it was pretty cool to cross the finish line with our arms up together!! And then considering it was so beautiful out we decided to follow suit and join the rest of Chicago on an outdoor patio for a nice post race burger+fries+cold beverage!! Sunday may have been race day, but it really was a "fun day" and we had an even better weekend!!

AK and I just want to thank all our peeps from IA for making the trip. It's always fun to run with you while we are home, but it was great to have you all here as well!! Thanks for coming and know that you are always welcome!! :)
And remember...."Everyday We're Shuffling!!!" HA! :)

pretty view sunday morning....and notice all the white tress! beautiful and in full bloom!

cool shot at "The Bean"..... love the crazy reflections!

A-Faye and A-Kay.....ahhhh!!!

girls just wanna have fun!!

dinner shot!!

i {heart} "The Bean!"

good morning!!

look at us in the distance with the skyline reflecting.....kinda cool!

"Everyday We're Shuffling!!" Start of the race!

post race and still smiling to tell about it!

Shamrock Shuffle Finishers....love this photo!

and that's all she wrote folks.....wore her out!! :) (post race, on our way home on the El!)