Chicago: the River Architecture Tour.

Usually, when I visit a different city, I steer away from tours. I like exploring neighborhoods (with the ability to be picky and stay longer where I like, less where I don't). I like seeing the local flavor, window shopping, and eating, and noting quirky aspects that don't necessarily define a place, but enhance it nonetheless. But, my mom suggested this one, which my parents went on with my sister a few years ago, so Micah and I decided to give it a try. It was SO worth the money. Chicago has so many incredible buildings.

On the boat, ready to go.

Corn-on-the-cob buildings.

The Merchandise Mart, all 4 million sq ft of floor space.

{Here it is from the other side.}

Love the two buildings on the sides framing the ones in the middle.

Lots of the buildings on the water are converted warehouses. Recycle, reuse!

This one's my favorite.

Someone's a Blackhawks fan.

The Sears Tower (I know, I know, it's been renamed...)

Still having fun.

Check out the wavy building in the back.

Chicago: the birth place of the Ferris Wheel.

Beautiful.

Chicago: the Bean.

Micah and I just got back from Seattle yesterday (which I absolutely LOVED), but let's backtrack just a little bit. After Alison's wedding, and the pit stop at the Leinie Lodge, we made it to Chicago. It was an extension of our one-year anniversary celebration. And, my favorite part, besides eating at good restaurants with my sister and brother-in-law, was hands down the river architecture tour that we went on. It was so good that it deserves its own blog post, dedicated to all the amazing buildings that we saw.

But, before the architecture tour, we took a little walk over to the Bean.

It may be a tourist hotspot, but I think it's pretty cool (except for looking at it from some angles made me feel rather dizzy).

Reflection from the outside:

Reflection from the inside:

After taking what was probably an overkill of reflection pictures, both of us were in need of a refreshing beverage and a cool place to sit. So, of course, like all good coffee drinkers, we had already researched the area's best reviewed coffee and well, Intelligentsia was overwhelmingly the favored pick on yelp.

At first I ordered an iced americano, but was quickly informed by the barista that their iced coffee was much better. And, I'm happy to say it was tasty. Although, I must add that my memory is a little foggy, given that Seattle has some of the best coffee and we just got back from there. I mean, it's almost to the point that one need not yelp a place before going to double check! Preposterous, but true. Oh, Seattle, I think you might have stolen a little bit of my heart.

a present.

I'm going to get a little out of order here (I still have Chicago to wrap up and document all other summer happens, including Emily's wedding!). But, this year, for our first anniversary, Micah gave me a sewing machine. This may seem like an odd present, but I really wanted one and I'm excited to hopefully use it a lot. He also got me a gift certificate to Fancy Tiger, which I've already spent by taking a sewing 101 class. So, what project do you start after you've taken a beginners class, but still are rather clueless? Well, if you're me, you grab a semi-complicated pattern and dive right on in.

And here's the finished product.

It even has a lining on the inside. I'm quite proud.

The button is probably my favorite thing about it!

the leinie lodge.

After A + A's wedding, Micah and I drove to Chicago with Kristen. We had decided that it would be fun to sneak in a few days of anniversary celebration in a new city. But, before I get ahead of myself and start talking about the amazing river cruise we went on and all the good food we ate, I need to mention Leinenkugel's. When I was in Birmingham, my friend MK introduced me to a beer called sunset wheat made by leinenkugel's. I'm not usually a beer kinda girl (I'd rather have wine), but this beer was pretty delicious and it has not so subtle hints of blueberry. Yes, I'm not ashamed to say I like fruity beers. So, anyway, proud of my recent foray into the beer drinking world, I told Kristen about my new discovery (which of course she already knew about). But, she mentioned that she had passed the Leinenkugel's brewery on her drive from Chicago to Minneapolis (so, of course, we would pass it on the way back). Brilliant! We would just have to stop in for a tour.

We had a little bit of difficulty getting there, but it was well worth the extra travel after happening upon the discovery that the simplest directions to get to the brewery failed to take into account a road that no longer exists. Anyway, we arrived and signed up for a FREE tour and we were given 3 FREE samples.

first round: Classic Amber, Berry Weiss, and Summer Shandy

I highly recommend the berry weiss if you like fruity beers, but do keep in mind that the summer shandy (half beer/half lemonade) is only around in the summer!

After our second sample, the tour embarked.

Leinenkugel's has been around since 1867, which according to their website makes it the 70th oldest brewery in the U.S.

Unfortunately, you can't take photographs inside the brewery, so all I have are the buildings from the outside.

The oldest "building" on site.

Micah paying close attention to what our knowledgeable tour guide was saying.

One impressive factoid we learned was that the huge containers that are used during the fermentation process are so big that in order for a person to drink all of just one's contents, he/she would have to drink a 6-pack a day for 55 years. Micah's response: "challenge accepted."

Once the tour was complete, we headed back into the lodge for our third and final sample. All of us decided to mix it up a bit and try the combination drinks. I had half berry weiss and half honey weiss which was appropriately named "the honey bear."

And here's a picture for the Christmas card this year.

So, go visit Leinenkugel's, the pride of Chippewa Falls, WI.

Alison + Aaron.

A week ago tomorrow my cousin got married and, in consistent Alison fashion, she looked gorgeous. The wedding was a beautiful reflection of the love they share for each other. Over the years, Alison and I have become closer. We climbed (I'm talking ice picks, helmets, and crampons) Mt. Shasta together, which according to her is a simple hike in the woods. Oh no, it's 14,179 ft tall! As I cultivated my love for San Francisco, Alison was already there to share in my discoveries. And it was around the same time that we both fell in love with the people we ended up marrying. Personality wise, Al and I are really similar. If you know what INFP means, we're both that and will proudly brag about it till the day we die. (: But she is much more laid back than I am, much more go with the flow, and has a much deeper ability to enjoy life regardless of any negative experiences. She's amazing and I love her. And these are just a few pictures from her wedding weekend.

Let's begin with the "Stash n' the Dash" Bachelorette Party...we all wore mustaches and quite honestly, I couldn't believe the amount of complements we got on them.

This is a terrible picture of me, but sadly, I think it's the only one I took of the two of us. I'm wearing the "Grandfather" stash, which apparently means grey caterpillar.

The first stop was to go riding on those 4-person bikes you can rent in a lot of big parks. However, we got there 30 minutes before they were closing and they don't rent bikes out that late. The guy must of felt rather sorry for us, since he allowed us to bike around a little loop close by.

The sexy bride-to-be.

The whole group.

The second stop was burritos and margaritas, and after that just should not be talked about...(:

Saturday, Alison hosted a bridal tea, complete with three different tea tastings. My favorite was the pear green tea. Yum! After which, we did flowers and later headed out to Aaron's family's farm for the rehearsal. In between flowers and the rehearsal, I hung out with my sister and one of my aunts. We were all pretty tired and hungry, so naturally, we hit up their hotel restaurant, ordering coffee and nachos. I'm not going to lie though, it was tasty, and I was rather impressed by the fact that they had fresh jalapenos and not canned ones.

And then came the wedding day.

She's so pretty.

I think it's good luck to spot the oscar meyer truck on your wedding day.

Alison's grandmother.

Alison's mom (my aunt) and aunt.

I just loved the lighting in the bridal suite. The windows were flooded with light, but it didn't overpower the room.

Again, I don't have any photos of the ceremony, since I was a wedding model. But, here's a picture my aunt took of Micah and I afterwards. Happy 1-yr anniversary!

The reception was held at the Bedlam Theatre (shout out to their roasted red pepper dip!). They have a roof top deck with a great view of Minneapolis.

And, although this picture looks like A + A are having a serious conversation, it is the only picture of the two of them that I took. Tragic, I know.

And that is my version of Alison and Aaron's wedding. Congratulations you two!

one - year.

Time flies. It's the expression we use when birthdays pass, accomplishments are made, and new years sneak up on us. It's an expression that bemoans the fleeting moments of life's days. And, it's an expression that remains eager for more time to come. a warning and a celebration.

A year ago today I married my best friend. It was perfect. A celebration of our love and a promise of a future of shared experiences. While I understand a tad bit more the gravity that's associated with the day, I'm so glad that our wedding was a party. I wanted eating, and dancing, and drinking, and dancing. And, although I can't speak for others, it succeeded and surpassed my expectations. It was joyous and rowdy and I loved it.

In our first year of marriage, there has been what at times seemed like a revolving door of change surrounding us. new city. new people. new school. new job. But there was safety in our relationship. Our worlds changed, but the outside labels of wife and husband and student and Coloradan didn't change who we are. The growth we experienced wasn't because of identities placed on us, but was a compilation of new knowledge and new memories. Life with another person isn't always easy, but life with Micah is never dull! And I don't doubt that he loves me. This anniversary is a celebration, and it is also a reminder that life deserves to be lived to the fullest.

Time flies.