tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65536268625165691632024-03-19T05:09:12.385-05:00This Little House of MineThis is the story of life in our first home (a century-old house we inherited) and the renovation progress through all the ups and downs, and little projects in between! Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.comBlogger649125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-54424195720577740432018-12-26T14:00:00.006-06:002022-12-04T20:33:31.101-06:00Feels Good to Be Back In!It's the day after Christmas, and we are BACK IN OUR HOUSE. We have working heat now, we have some electricity, and we now have running water!<br />
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Yesterday, Christmas morning, we got the best present Trent and I could have imagined. We were able to take a hot shower in our own house.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFHRm1C4Rzuxlh1vD489JiJW3XtIbhLTC-rWFpNNgGlzWwQ3QUOgMMv2VyxWQMHYc5RSf3xZA42vcE9ppcFYa8ajTyaw9O_8fmNgYhAmLrBYLPcAMde_hbTwNQZh_adIQ5r_8qz4VWgfkcNsfOOSN7pR8AsV9sG4-EKs1yHwTQRC54ESYsqpn4aazcQ/s4032/2018-12-22%2012.48.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFHRm1C4Rzuxlh1vD489JiJW3XtIbhLTC-rWFpNNgGlzWwQ3QUOgMMv2VyxWQMHYc5RSf3xZA42vcE9ppcFYa8ajTyaw9O_8fmNgYhAmLrBYLPcAMde_hbTwNQZh_adIQ5r_8qz4VWgfkcNsfOOSN7pR8AsV9sG4-EKs1yHwTQRC54ESYsqpn4aazcQ/w640-h480/2018-12-22%2012.48.21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>
We moved back in on Saturday, the 22nd, after 2 months of living across the street at Trent's aunt and uncle's during the renovations. We had some heat in the house, but no water yet. On Sunday, we went to my mom's family Christmas in Iowa City (still no water, and had to shower across the street). Monday, Christmas Eve, Trent had to work, and our contractor came over to get the water working. He wasn't successful. He couldn't get the copper pipes to connect and broke one of the fittings. He left and told us he'd be back Wednesday to run new lines.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2S3DwZTDUkXeMbarGERVqd1dr8gwmisZiR03yAKIve5hQnBZXbIZiwr_hC6eiWFiVei5Eof9LcSMXGmSsQUU4SyBaryB2Gq2eIry5up0yV1yr2nKqbIu27PLKfD8_WwbazEoaQ2OatiuzypVAOCMMFI3F6Npwk18-AfxMgSKi8M2z1IGh4Wv6OkBog/s3950/2018-12-22%2012.48.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2828" data-original-width="3950" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2S3DwZTDUkXeMbarGERVqd1dr8gwmisZiR03yAKIve5hQnBZXbIZiwr_hC6eiWFiVei5Eof9LcSMXGmSsQUU4SyBaryB2Gq2eIry5up0yV1yr2nKqbIu27PLKfD8_WwbazEoaQ2OatiuzypVAOCMMFI3F6Npwk18-AfxMgSKi8M2z1IGh4Wv6OkBog/w640-h458/2018-12-22%2012.48.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
So Trent got new fittings while he was working, came home Monday evening, and was able to get the cold water line working! We had cold water in the faucet! Christmas Eve night we went to Trent's brother's house to celebrate with their family.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoP9CG-aXGmyRrWIhj7xYMdOAxyPt8FRGbVFyGrTiNqbEWMTBGeUokgMiRRCERrpa1q4LAL5jCN7vIfAFR_CuzJ4ZwDGeIal7ClurFwQuufeNXgy1AGkyzKr74R8YWKswmMC1OB-Ho3txqDrkz83e4dhVld0LF6M2cFozJ1ZOFsTMl6n7ZxW7EVgzXQ/s2881/2018-12-22%2012.48.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2326" data-original-width="2881" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoP9CG-aXGmyRrWIhj7xYMdOAxyPt8FRGbVFyGrTiNqbEWMTBGeUokgMiRRCERrpa1q4LAL5jCN7vIfAFR_CuzJ4ZwDGeIal7ClurFwQuufeNXgy1AGkyzKr74R8YWKswmMC1OB-Ho3txqDrkz83e4dhVld0LF6M2cFozJ1ZOFsTMl6n7ZxW7EVgzXQ/w640-h516/2018-12-22%2012.48.45.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Yesterday morning on Christmas, Trent went back down and was able to get the hot water line working to the shower. He was only one fitting short of getting the hot water to the bathroom faucet, so he is picking that one up today when he gets home. We were finally able to shower in our own house and enjoy Christmas with our families yesterday! Who would have thought just getting running water in our house again would feel so satisfying!<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background-color: transparent; background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a></div>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-81213687790882720322017-12-31T17:35:00.002-06:002017-12-31T17:35:51.740-06:00Happy New Year!We are only hours away from celebrating a New Year - 2018. It's been a great 2017, mostly a year of travel for us! We didn't get a lot of house projects done this year, but we are hoping that next year we will get to some bigger projects that we've been wanting to do for a while.<br />
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This New Year's, we have several inches of snow outside, and temperatures in the negative digits. But we're ready to ring in the new year with Trent's family here in town!</div>
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I hope you all have a Happy New Year, wherever you are. Stay warm everyone!</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-58249378176289799032017-12-23T11:34:00.000-06:002017-12-23T11:34:23.744-06:00Merry Christmas from our Family to Yours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello all and Merry Christmas! Our Christmases with family start today. Trent is working for a little while, then later this afternoon we go to Iowa City to celebrate with my mom's side of the family.</div>
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Look at all of these presents covering up our tree (and living room) this year!</div>
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This might be a record for number of presents, or size of them, either one. But the good news is, I am all done Christmas shopping and wrapping.</div>
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It's been a busy holiday season this year with working and shopping, but like I said in my last post, I've also had time to watch Hallmark Christmas movies and <i>Friends</i> and <i>Boy Meets World</i> on Netflix and Hulu, so it's all good. :) </div>
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Hope you and yours have a merry holiday season! Off to celebrate!</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-26470572769130465612017-11-30T19:38:00.001-06:002017-11-30T19:52:18.946-06:00Thanksgiving and Our Christmas TreeIt's been so long since I've blogged, and November's already coming to an end! I don't know where this month went, it seems like it's been a blur. Since we've gotten back from San Diego, I've been busy working, but have also had time to relax at home (watching Hulu, Netflix and Hallmark movies!), and spend time with friends and family.<br />
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We got together with our families for Thanksgiving. We ate a lot of food and had a good time with family. The day after, I got some pretty good deals shopping online for Christmas gifts, and I spent the afternoon putting the Christmas tree up and decorating the house while Trent was working, as is my tradition!</div>
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This is the eighth (!!) Christmas we've had this tree, and it's the first one we've ever had. We got it right after I moved into the house, on sale at Target for Black Friday. It looks almost the same every year, except we always seem to get a few new ornaments every year, and it's been in a different spot in the living room since we got our sectional a couple of years ago.</div>
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It's strange to think that it used to be in front of this window. Now the couch is there, of course, and all we see is the reflection of the tree in the window. :)</div>
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It's actually a prelit tree, but most of the original lights are now burnt out. Last year, we had to get a couple of new strands of lights, and some are brighter and "less golden" than the others - I think due to being LED, so you can actually tell if you really look closely, that the lights don't match!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cj4BC5OI_PNmx4I2HmbEExDZbgJvcdBTzJsFFRbOzToB3IW_-TscdVkh_SFdq3sV_8CXDIoHBbNm9oYmZte7gm8ttKQfoWNSTkAIGK7JKa98gPoRq_6ELLQWEBLiBYp9px6gV01fivGx/s1600/2017-11-24+15.51.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1137" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cj4BC5OI_PNmx4I2HmbEExDZbgJvcdBTzJsFFRbOzToB3IW_-TscdVkh_SFdq3sV_8CXDIoHBbNm9oYmZte7gm8ttKQfoWNSTkAIGK7JKa98gPoRq_6ELLQWEBLiBYp9px6gV01fivGx/s640/2017-11-24+15.51.49.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
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I still like our tree, because it's small enough that I can haul it out of the closet myself and set it up without Trent's help. It's easy to set up and fits perfectly in our living room, but this might be the last year that we have it... We'll see! I haven't decided yet if we should go another year with the prelit lights not working. I guess it depends on whether we find another good deal on a tree we really like!</div>
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On another note, this month was our 7th Housiversary! November 21, 2010 is when I moved in with Trent into this house. Usually I do a whole "Housiversary" post, but this year, we can just consider this my housiversary post. Close enough, right? :)</div>
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Next Tuesday I leave for another work conference, in Columbus, Ohio again this time. I'll be gone until the following Saturday, so expect another small leave of absence. The busy-ness continues!</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-56123391516548819552017-11-12T14:55:00.003-06:002017-11-12T14:55:40.857-06:00San Diego Adventures, Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello and happy Sunday! Today I'm sharing Part 3 of our San Diego trip. You can view <a href="http://www.thislittlehouseblog.com/2017/11/san-diego-adventures-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part 1 here</a> and <a href="http://www.thislittlehouseblog.com/2017/11/san-diego-adventures-part-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2 here</a> if you missed them. </div>
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We left off watching the sunset by the cliffs. After that, we went back downtown to find a place to eat dinner. We decided to go to the Gaslamp Quarter, but ended up finding a place a street or two over from all the hustle and bustle of the main street there, so it was a little quieter.</div>
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It was a pretty cute place called Half Door Brewing Co. The second floor patio was closed for the night, so we ate in the front patio area, which was nice and quiet.<br />
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We just got some appetizers and drinks, but it was enough to fill us up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjraYwUspYc2OvomxyG14C8jAktk-U7Gp2bTpY6tSIdlrLhMTtisw4hLYIcXPr3X6iKpd-LXvf7YTIceXmSWH4-KvtOBgjOUX-pY-XqDuIAbQyaVvUyoejvADMRiP5YtTacLWCGl_Ly-ozh/s1600/2017-10-22+20.57.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1241" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjraYwUspYc2OvomxyG14C8jAktk-U7Gp2bTpY6tSIdlrLhMTtisw4hLYIcXPr3X6iKpd-LXvf7YTIceXmSWH4-KvtOBgjOUX-pY-XqDuIAbQyaVvUyoejvADMRiP5YtTacLWCGl_Ly-ozh/s320/2017-10-22+20.57.41.jpg" width="248" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUghmKsFbOlWnTzvvM1y9fJwauw8VVWYyDuHhM8RlZAzZ8RQENvw4Ei-Dn6I8L1K7HlqUpvU1aQj_lMWHc5GF11NfdHtcJlr7DwT-w_HDbHGIuXRFBF56qAa0GT75NO5_DZhlaZYNFNkvT/s1600/2017-10-22+20.37.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUghmKsFbOlWnTzvvM1y9fJwauw8VVWYyDuHhM8RlZAzZ8RQENvw4Ei-Dn6I8L1K7HlqUpvU1aQj_lMWHc5GF11NfdHtcJlr7DwT-w_HDbHGIuXRFBF56qAa0GT75NO5_DZhlaZYNFNkvT/s320/2017-10-22+20.37.45.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The next day was our last full day in San Diego. It was also the hottest, with a high of about 94 degrees that day, at the end of October.<br />
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I snapped a few photos of the hotel grounds before we left. We stayed at the Town and Country resort, and it had a little bit of a retro vibe. We were in an older part of the hotel, and our room had a balcony with a view of the pool below.<br />
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With each day, literally more and more pool floaties appeared in the pool. Maybe because it kept getting hotter?<br />
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There were other quirky things about the hotel too, like some flamingos gracing the lawn, and some oversized rubber duckies in the fountain.<br />
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For lunch we decided to go down to the North Park area, which we thought felt like a more young/ hip area of town. Right across from one of our bus stops was this awesome mural.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9KVT1HeA3w8cX1VJ9OBd0eKTgYBh71MSL5yemT3sK6MZgXu9qPCDpbbhxYBUh99YRngiXvEvMWlJI4EvjRrKHYGQoURqv1zjv5thNXlucoXjHaPyQ8V02s-dRe5hWZHR4FJYF4WMFhY1/s1600/2017-10-23+12.16.57-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1268" data-original-width="1600" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9KVT1HeA3w8cX1VJ9OBd0eKTgYBh71MSL5yemT3sK6MZgXu9qPCDpbbhxYBUh99YRngiXvEvMWlJI4EvjRrKHYGQoURqv1zjv5thNXlucoXjHaPyQ8V02s-dRe5hWZHR4FJYF4WMFhY1/s640/2017-10-23+12.16.57-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We ate at a little place called Underbelly, which had a completely open dining area. They had ramen and rice bowls, and I got to pretend like I knew how to use chopsticks.<br />
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Then we sampled a few brews at the Modern Times Tasting Room next door. They had the most unique decor of all of the places we had been so far. My favorite part was the huge mural on the wall made of floppy disks.<br />
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The ceiling was also covered in upside down lampshades everywhere. It was definitely unique!</div>
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We decided to go to the San Diego Zoo in the afternoon, and we couldn't have picked a hotter day for it. The walk itself to the zoo was a little torturous, but we finally made it!</div>
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It was like heaven's gates were opening when we finally got to the zoo entrance. Haha.</div>
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The zoo was probably one of the largest zoos we've ever been to. At $50 a person, we wished we would have had more time to walk around, see all of the animals, and really get our money's worth. If you have kids though, it's probably worth it. Just plan to spend a whole day there if you really want to see it all - It is big!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNWITbLtlR1C8gojSzIpBl_Vj1pna60L2s59ze634V86VS5wp3EIdFfdUbWntOPbfOjT_-OohlgxNPggCSHf0-CbKN73OkxpO-FnuK8v2civXn4fyAgEv10ifb1O0_hplPPSSTP6jOWy1/s1600/2017-10-23+15.31.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNWITbLtlR1C8gojSzIpBl_Vj1pna60L2s59ze634V86VS5wp3EIdFfdUbWntOPbfOjT_-OohlgxNPggCSHf0-CbKN73OkxpO-FnuK8v2civXn4fyAgEv10ifb1O0_hplPPSSTP6jOWy1/s640/2017-10-23+15.31.46.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We also found it hard to navigate, so we just kind of winged it! I thought they had giraffes there, but I was disappointed because we didn't see any. I don't know whether we missed them, or they were hiding. Not sure!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU_E27a9YmJuMtME0V8s0AiqRf-CV1y7WbyU-japrBebIruXvbCoO7yAOAujxiQV18CEusllTjVLTfJHVvvnsWaaHOe0nYQ4l_6PzWB9v5IEen6bZefSvAqHkqYNKruwixhSErPthUfYg/s1600/2017-10-23+15.38.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU_E27a9YmJuMtME0V8s0AiqRf-CV1y7WbyU-japrBebIruXvbCoO7yAOAujxiQV18CEusllTjVLTfJHVvvnsWaaHOe0nYQ4l_6PzWB9v5IEen6bZefSvAqHkqYNKruwixhSErPthUfYg/s640/2017-10-23+15.38.07.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We did see elephants, pandas, and penguins, though. Those were some of my favorites!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW89m_iLffuX69qiba9J76kp2RVG1-bV8gzcR41ymElutAB7DUczOREgbNqItjpmz2PCbSPqVfLv2rFC1XtNFaMfdSn9ClR8Lp3s1C0G6wmwba7THs05u823101U9lMLEUnhQxV-3vSod_/s1600/2017-10-23+16.29.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1233" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW89m_iLffuX69qiba9J76kp2RVG1-bV8gzcR41ymElutAB7DUczOREgbNqItjpmz2PCbSPqVfLv2rFC1XtNFaMfdSn9ClR8Lp3s1C0G6wmwba7THs05u823101U9lMLEUnhQxV-3vSod_/s320/2017-10-23+16.29.50.jpg" width="246" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboShjNLaJOKfW3MeMxVyqwt7ybSBpVzyac6ruPizf69feQBrzHvI__1Wx0X5ZYNz-q_zhP8SBBh1EdFyHJimi6KzLhgf9l_MkCg83642ehwppZYPa6ZC_BkxNGDN12c1sJnbiPX084HWn/s1600/2017-10-23+16.37.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboShjNLaJOKfW3MeMxVyqwt7ybSBpVzyac6ruPizf69feQBrzHvI__1Wx0X5ZYNz-q_zhP8SBBh1EdFyHJimi6KzLhgf9l_MkCg83642ehwppZYPa6ZC_BkxNGDN12c1sJnbiPX084HWn/s320/2017-10-23+16.37.18.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There was also some pretty cool scenery around the zoo, too, like this waterfall:</div>
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And you can't forget the zebras!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ju36DOp-LeyiOnmHd4H5AEoRlvahWf0ZByEfZhCCf7gXWtdOLuTpn6gFH2CCsw5hdNW_C7TzLiVClzJ9hmYVmmgJDAt3BFIgqSZcA2Ui2JIEki1SZMkIToHU4VXa6OSGU618WQJVyabQ/s1600/2017-10-23+16.58.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="1600" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ju36DOp-LeyiOnmHd4H5AEoRlvahWf0ZByEfZhCCf7gXWtdOLuTpn6gFH2CCsw5hdNW_C7TzLiVClzJ9hmYVmmgJDAt3BFIgqSZcA2Ui2JIEki1SZMkIToHU4VXa6OSGU618WQJVyabQ/s640/2017-10-23+16.58.47.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the end of the day, we rode a skylift ride back to the beginning of the zoo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8uLgaQucD3IhYwS7MUsMlYk6ns7_HTeRuBb07JuJwJdQWnIkQpOKNJrDKacsFRuk9RfBBjqKrb8K0loDdyWhTojM6Ai903J3kQ6sOrWsF_4JAKE8AEH7Ys0Rq8P2YO1MMBm7K9DkMxWy/s1600/2017-10-23+17.12.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8uLgaQucD3IhYwS7MUsMlYk6ns7_HTeRuBb07JuJwJdQWnIkQpOKNJrDKacsFRuk9RfBBjqKrb8K0loDdyWhTojM6Ai903J3kQ6sOrWsF_4JAKE8AEH7Ys0Rq8P2YO1MMBm7K9DkMxWy/s640/2017-10-23+17.12.27.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You could see downtown San Diego, and the bridge that we had walked across to get to Balboa park.<br />
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Some all around pretty views from above the trees.</div>
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Even from our bus stop going back, you could see the faint view of mountains in the distance.<br />
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We decided to eat dinner back at Seaport Village again. We walked along the bay, and ended up finding a little pizza place with a view of the sun setting over the ocean.<br />
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It was our last night in San Diego, so we took it all in for the last time!<br />
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The views were gorgeous of course.<br />
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Nothing like eating pizza and drinking wine outside on a patio, with a view like this to end your trip.<br />
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We saw the ships all lit up at night, too, which was pretty cool.<br />
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It was a nice night to end our visit in San Diego.<br />
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We had a couple of early flights back home the next morning, and we watched the sunrise from our plane above the clouds.</div>
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Even though it was fun to explore a new city together, it was really nice to be back home again in the end. :)</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-48754424158235987422017-11-06T18:29:00.000-06:002017-11-06T18:29:15.572-06:00San Diego Adventures, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now for Part 2 of our San Diego trip! (If you missed <a href="http://www.thislittlehouseblog.com/2017/11/san-diego-adventures-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part 1, you can see it here</a>.) Next on the agenda was Balboa Park. I had seen pictures of this place and wanted to stop here during our trip. This area is full of the coolest, most intricate architecture. I believe the style is called Spanish Revival. There are museums and other fun cultural stuff going on here too, like musicians singing and playing music while you walk by.</div>
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We strolled through the park and enjoyed seeing all the cool buildings and fountains all around.</div>
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We didn't go into any of the museums since I worked in the morning, so we just had some of the afternoon and night to explore. The lily pond, below, is apparently one of the most photographed places in Balboa park. </div>
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It was a really pretty area. I've seen pictures of it at night, and it looks pretty awesome then, too. </div>
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After the park, we took a bus down to Coronado Island. We got to the beach just as the sun was setting, so we watched the beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean in Coronado.<br />
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It was one of the prettiest sights we've ever seen. It just seemed to go on forever, and last so long. Like an endless sunset.<br />
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As we watched the sun set on the beach, right behind us was the Hotel del Coronado. It looked so huge, and we explored it a little later. It's basically a resort, with shops and restaurants, and it all seems so nice and upscale.<br />
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Coronado was another favorite spot of the whole trip, just because of how beautiful it was. We really felt like we were in paradise and didn't want to leave!<br />
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I captured a few pictures of Trent dipping his toes in the ocean, and they're some of my favorites photos from the trip. </div>
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I got my feet wet too (I don't think there's a photo), but of course my jeans got completely soaked at the bottom when the waves hit the shore! It was so pretty though, that I couldn't let soggy jeans ruin the night, that's for sure.</div>
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How majestic does the Hotel del Coronado look with the pink sky behind it? Also, fun fact - the movie, <i>Some Like It Hot</i> with Marilyn Monroe was filmed here!<br />
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We decided to walk down to the hotel and check it out, along with finding a restaurant there to eat. As we walked around the hotel grounds, the sunset lingered even as the sky got darker. I've never been to Hawaii, but I think this may be what it would look like!<br />
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We couldn't get over the views.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGALhk0D36PABLIJmmzfR1hO8jjNcYV8x2o-u-vvw4B87XHhPF8TE9lOiVU-mkhbm-4WG2hLSbf5wVfenOdn_VaPCnIsf2FT0J9017t3hQUSBUDYM9TASZoDLur8W_gvPvtZ5S-P-SS-fJ/s1600/2017-10-21+18.41.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGALhk0D36PABLIJmmzfR1hO8jjNcYV8x2o-u-vvw4B87XHhPF8TE9lOiVU-mkhbm-4WG2hLSbf5wVfenOdn_VaPCnIsf2FT0J9017t3hQUSBUDYM9TASZoDLur8W_gvPvtZ5S-P-SS-fJ/s640/2017-10-21+18.41.31.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We ate at a nice little pizza and wine place outside of the hotel called Eno. There were all these little outdoor patio restaurants there, and it was just a nice and cozy vibe.<br />
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Also, thank goodness I was right next to a heater! It was a little chilly at night.<br />
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Our dessert was the best part. It was a s'more cheesecake, and it was AMAZING! I highly recommend it if you're ever here. Go to this place just for the dessert, seriously.<br />
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When we cut into it, it was all marshmallowy and gooey inside. The best.<br />
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The next day, we went downtown again and ate at the Stone Brewing Tap Room, another place Trent wanted to try. It was right next to Petco Park, where the San Diego Padres play.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQeUFO_8eTjYbreh2ufAZpxmrc-CCteUhn-VDggUnnLWJp2pZeTzTK2wXuimz1YWiii_Z3wDq2S5IysDZt0y8_GuF7mzdMIwmClabRiiV-fFJ19gnibpDNQ5it-Pg3FuKJgqFoosp2qRY/s1600/2017-10-22+13.47.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQeUFO_8eTjYbreh2ufAZpxmrc-CCteUhn-VDggUnnLWJp2pZeTzTK2wXuimz1YWiii_Z3wDq2S5IysDZt0y8_GuF7mzdMIwmClabRiiV-fFJ19gnibpDNQ5it-Pg3FuKJgqFoosp2qRY/s640/2017-10-22+13.47.55.jpg" width="640" /></a>Trent had a flight with a few different beers, and we both got flatbread pizzas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBi39RTDi8z413j3YvGZ0rUnkttVv83BGB6hhz1B8PCTiXldIGb8uULJJA1-wuOdpO17FJLQpuB6y8pd4VPZHbZ0wbRiuInErAlvffIx2m6miLTH7aOLRUwzSaH8qY39o7Ofqi9igZN-t7/s1600/2017-10-22+14.09.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBi39RTDi8z413j3YvGZ0rUnkttVv83BGB6hhz1B8PCTiXldIGb8uULJJA1-wuOdpO17FJLQpuB6y8pd4VPZHbZ0wbRiuInErAlvffIx2m6miLTH7aOLRUwzSaH8qY39o7Ofqi9igZN-t7/s640/2017-10-22+14.09.07.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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The pizza was good, and the vibe inside the tap room was kind of hip, modern, and relaxed.</div>
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There were even some board games, a couch, and an oversized coffee table if you just wanted to have a couple drinks with friends and hang out. Not to mention some pretty cool art on the walls.<br />
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After Stone Tap Room, we went back downtown to the Seaport area. We hadn't yet gone over to where the Maritime museum or the old ships were, so we decided to check it out.</div>
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We just walked a while by the bay and enjoyed the scenery. It was probably the first day since we'd been there that it got really hot out and actually felt like California weather!<br />
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There were maritime themed statues there, like the giant "kissing" statue below, based off of the famous World War II photograph.<br />
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Then there was a cool Bob Hope memorial, where it played a recording of his voice in the background entertaining the troops.</div>
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We didn't go into any of the ship museums, but it was cool to see them all up close. </div>
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In the evening, we headed down to Ocean Beach to see the sunset and the pier.</div>
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We took a bus down, then had to walk a while and just barely made it there in time, but I'm glad we made it there to see the sun setting again over the ocean.<br />
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We wanted to go to Sunset Cliffs afterward, but didn't have much time before it got dark, so we walked along the rocks and made it as far as we could by the cliffs.<br />
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It was a pretty walk by the ocean, and it got rockier as it went on.<br />
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It eventually got too dark to see anymore, so we stopped and watched what was left of the sunset before walking back and catching the next bus.<br />
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I'll leave you with this last bit of sunset for now. :) Part 3, and our last day of the trip, is coming up! Stay tuned to see how it ended!<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-50564368208853454572017-11-04T17:53:00.002-05:002017-11-04T17:53:51.360-05:00San Diego Adventures, Part 1Hello all and happy Saturday! I've finally started on these San Diego posts! I've been working on them almost all day today, sorting pictures, and am now compiling 3 full posts all about our recent trip to Cali. So, get ready for 3 parts of San Diego photos and adventure!<br />
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Let's start from the beginning. A couple of weeks ago, we had the privilege of traveling to San Diego, California for a mini vacation. I went for a work conference, but Trent tagged along too, and we got to spend time in this beautiful city that neither of us had been to before. We had such a great time. It's such a nice city, and we got to explore quite a bit while we were there.<br />
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From the sunsets to the beaches, and all of the fun restaurants and breweries, there is so much to do in San Diego.<br />
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And of course, I thought I would share some highlights and fun memories we had while we were there. We hope to visit this city again, and see even more of California someday.<br />
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Our first evening there, we got the MTS public transit cards so we could ride the trolley and buses all over the city for just a small fare. Once you have the card, you can get a 1, 2, or 3-day pass for few dollars, and ride all of the trolleys or buses you want for those days. That's the way we traveled most of the time - that and walking a lot! If you don't mind all of the walking involved, I recommend the public transit system to get around.<br />
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We went to Old Town and ate at a little Mexican restaurant the first night, then to Seaport Village and just walked around and took in the beautiful scenery.</div>
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I immediately fell in love with the natural beauty all around. The sky, the sea, the waves, the trees..It was all very pretty!<br />
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We also checked out the Gaslamp Quarter, a historic area with a ton of nightlife, restaurants and bars. We found a little pub there where we watched the Cubs lose horribly to the Dodgers in the playoffs!</div>
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The next day, we went out to Mission Beach and Belmont Park. We ate at Draft, a restaurant/brewery by the beach, then just walked around a little.<br />
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It was cold and chilly most of the day, even sprinkling a little bit. We were just waiting for the sun come out and be nice again!<br />
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We went north a little bit to La Jolla, which was one of our favorite places we visited of the trip. The beach and the whole area was just really pretty.</div>
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It was still pretty cloudy while we were there, but the sun slowly started to peak out, and it was beginning to clear up a little bit.</div>
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I loved all of the ocean waves and the palm trees.<br />
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La Jolla Cove was the best part. There were rocky cliffs jutting out into the ocean, and our first encounter with California wildlife.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLy2HgccwcKjbIjnKKGMh8b1ktLJeOBt-y7kpC0jj0s0sx1tqkSaMKWHPZgcmtybtGTr2XhLw3G3aD_GK_2Mghjt3raWiSz-gtkBkMJ1p2VKAPMuM3qCA3-P9hP9Di8OpPGNK7pCqdJn5T/s1600/2017-10-20+15.10.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLy2HgccwcKjbIjnKKGMh8b1ktLJeOBt-y7kpC0jj0s0sx1tqkSaMKWHPZgcmtybtGTr2XhLw3G3aD_GK_2Mghjt3raWiSz-gtkBkMJ1p2VKAPMuM3qCA3-P9hP9Di8OpPGNK7pCqdJn5T/s640/2017-10-20+15.10.34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Not only was it a beautiful view, but we saw tons of seals and sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks, and could even get up close to them. It was the coolest thing.<br />
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They would just all huddle together in groups, and there were too many to even count. They all blended into the rocks, too so were hard to spot at first.<br />
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It was definitely worth it to go up to La Jolla and see them. I highly recommend it if you visit San Diego! Just look at this guy posing for the cameras:<br />
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For both of us, it was one of our favorite places we went the whole trip.<br />
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We walked around a lot while we were there, just checking out all of the scenery and taking in the views of the cove and the ocean.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuqdzf8n3zy_hs9wizkFNNdgc9BgkA-_7QUjIGw6u5RvtI0ZCsAQ6zLtPGBTdEyvlTSFgTP1mZ8mFR6i4Uw-_7kPAu0LKa-JiqVY-OGdKIzGEm-leOU5asRKlmeSXwtHvZuBeeNjHVFOP/s1600/2017-10-20+15.59.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuqdzf8n3zy_hs9wizkFNNdgc9BgkA-_7QUjIGw6u5RvtI0ZCsAQ6zLtPGBTdEyvlTSFgTP1mZ8mFR6i4Uw-_7kPAu0LKa-JiqVY-OGdKIzGEm-leOU5asRKlmeSXwtHvZuBeeNjHVFOP/s640/2017-10-20+15.59.03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This arch reminded me a little of Arch Rock in Michigan:<br />
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Afterward, we ate at a rooftop restaurant right in La Jolla called Duke's, with a view of the ocean.<br />
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It was a great, full day spent in San Diego, and really gave us a taste of what this beautiful city had to offer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECrANMGkg6oui_25hV9oiRW99nR_D7PCfzt8d1WQlC1uewfE118m95D1Q-rEVttBrsSOx4XpIYOgVr4HNBfeBTojyvSf6zBkSigJrQazQBM-17iMfgG_QfhZ4s5e1V7fr4GC5ZdeG94eJ/s1600/2017-10-20+16.07.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECrANMGkg6oui_25hV9oiRW99nR_D7PCfzt8d1WQlC1uewfE118m95D1Q-rEVttBrsSOx4XpIYOgVr4HNBfeBTojyvSf6zBkSigJrQazQBM-17iMfgG_QfhZ4s5e1V7fr4GC5ZdeG94eJ/s640/2017-10-20+16.07.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We ended the night, first checking out Scripps Pier just after sunset.</div>
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What a view by the pier! It's so pretty. You can't go out onto it, but there's a deck area there where you can sit and enjoy the views.<br />
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Finally, Trent had to check out Green Flash Brewery, so that was our last stop of the night. We had some drinks there on the patio outside, then took an Uber back to the hotel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZG-rgBMIXdNYqPStb8eyvVPkLNaSO8WcogDuQrlYo2CgLe3lNXrc4_MlVXywwVc_7YgapNqAgG87uHrL7L2PU8I2-7xDwChNLcUEWf6n5GfM43uiLqjy8b1e9UERLt1-muhcxLcaW_nhi/s1600/2017-10-20+20.07.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZG-rgBMIXdNYqPStb8eyvVPkLNaSO8WcogDuQrlYo2CgLe3lNXrc4_MlVXywwVc_7YgapNqAgG87uHrL7L2PU8I2-7xDwChNLcUEWf6n5GfM43uiLqjy8b1e9UERLt1-muhcxLcaW_nhi/s640/2017-10-20+20.07.20.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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It was a long and full day, but a lot of fun! Part 2 of our trip is coming soon, so stay tuned for more of our San Diego trip!<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-52906523278617493882017-10-28T13:28:00.000-05:002017-10-28T13:28:15.804-05:00Back HomeI'm back from a little hiatus today! We spent last week in beautiful San Diego, California, but we're back home now, and I'm spending the weekend watching season 2 of <i>Stranger Things</i> on Netflix.<br />
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It's sooo good so far! I'll blog all about our San Diego trip soon, but for now, I'm spending this weekend being lazy around the house. I need a couple of days to just do nothing and catch up on sleep! So I will be back soon with some travel posts, as soon as I feel like being productive. :)</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-41913377175689721052017-10-07T11:48:00.003-05:002017-10-07T11:56:18.619-05:00Living Room Wall ClockHey guys! I bought a few new things for the house online this past week. One of them was a new wall clock for the living room. Our old one had been broken for a while now. No matter how many times I changed the batteries, it always seemed to get "off." So I did a lot of looking online, and a little in the stores, too. In the end, I decided on <a href="https://www.target.com/p/24-wall-clock-white-washed-wood-finish-threshold-153/-/A-50336361#lnk=sametab" target="_blank">this one from Target</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzScTsDzLN51e9tRv7KFntnYoiSK95l89wcNh4nUIutaVXmbG0ZvGgUfpjHUIp8kUqXl582DlwvN34yyecJQlW1He72pV6Ka_su4za0hzwbdqHFb4jpd0BZdppaDJVRUz7ImEf7rmya4IS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-11+at+6.46.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1600" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzScTsDzLN51e9tRv7KFntnYoiSK95l89wcNh4nUIutaVXmbG0ZvGgUfpjHUIp8kUqXl582DlwvN34yyecJQlW1He72pV6Ka_su4za0hzwbdqHFb4jpd0BZdppaDJVRUz7ImEf7rmya4IS/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-09-11+at+6.46.35+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I like the distressed wood look that it has, and it was on sale for $35.99 from $40. It's pretty big - 24 inches. Our old clock was 18 inches, but the space is big enough to fit a larger clock, so we decided to try it.<br />
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It just came in the mail this week, and we hung it up today! Since it's bigger and heavier than the old one, we had to hang it a little higher and use a reinforcer with the screw.<br />
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I'm really digging it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNX-I3yiJXn_fczjS4dXUN0jJYSIKQUE-uyDMn99YHEtKKZoA-qCAWYPmX2z6ByEN_LqhFeipeRGmLbb-UNDFgecXQp444WGlvpID4V5gGBcCpU9y2W0UdM_yD_yexcIK6DHEHdoYSlyeH/s1600/2017-10-07+11.19.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1225" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNX-I3yiJXn_fczjS4dXUN0jJYSIKQUE-uyDMn99YHEtKKZoA-qCAWYPmX2z6ByEN_LqhFeipeRGmLbb-UNDFgecXQp444WGlvpID4V5gGBcCpU9y2W0UdM_yD_yexcIK6DHEHdoYSlyeH/s640/2017-10-07+11.19.48.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>
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Here's the old one for comparison:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuenEchwJLGln2R4jQ5U9NFsVmkXE8PH_lQ8PKHbBmvW3BupcqrOnEwlOQvyX8YACZz_OYwypTBstZClcQwwbWytQyIb3ho_OmrQgUydiTakQg8oUCXdOA-Vu8hEUp8vBXpYwX5XP5J8Vf/s1600/2017-03-06+16.05.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1600" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuenEchwJLGln2R4jQ5U9NFsVmkXE8PH_lQ8PKHbBmvW3BupcqrOnEwlOQvyX8YACZz_OYwypTBstZClcQwwbWytQyIb3ho_OmrQgUydiTakQg8oUCXdOA-Vu8hEUp8vBXpYwX5XP5J8Vf/s640/2017-03-06+16.05.03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The new one is a bit trendier, and I feel like since it's larger, it makes more of a statement.<br />
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Definitely liking the new look. Happy Saturday, everyone!</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-84102093234343650332017-10-01T12:16:00.000-05:002017-10-01T12:16:09.352-05:00New MowerHello and Happy October 1st everyone! I'm just sitting here on my couch this Sunday, watching <i>The Shack</i> on HBO. Never seen it. So far, it's pretty good!<br />
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Popping in today because I just realized I forgot to blog about Trent's new addition: his very own riding mower. This is the only picture we have of it:<br />
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This is when they first loaded it onto the trailer to take home. Trent has already mowed a few yards with it now.<br />
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Since we've been in this house, he's always shared a mower with his dad. He mows yards around town, so he would use it quite a bit. This year, he's been looking for his own so he doesn't have to share with his dad any longer.<br />
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He needed one that could support attachments, like a snow plow in the winter. This one is big enough for that. It's a used 2011 model, and it used to be owned by a cemetery.<br />
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Now he just needs to find his own snow plow to attach to it, and some tire chains. Then he'll be all set for winter.<br />
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I sat on it just for fun. It wasn't too fun though when Trent turned it on and wanted me to drive it. I hopped off right away! Haha.<br />
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Moral of the story, Trent is super happy to finally have his own mower now! I'm sure he'll get a lot of use out of it.<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-8370437661560179822017-09-17T13:38:00.001-05:002017-09-17T13:38:58.860-05:00Status of the HouseI thought I would write a house-related post today, since with all of the traveling and stuff we've had going on this summer, it's been a while since we've been able to really do any home renovation projects. So I think our little house deserves a "Status of the House" post.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9sAgjWmjieO7dEEAry2IBVhL7O2m7LfFgG2lInuQEnoUu-PkLh-dJlmC1I1uYJU3rSdnnuvU69opIs2Paq_mLwJYHlZsmcc8tWgPVsDYySzSSDJkAtoaD2_LgfMMHmzZ6vCQUvQ7lPcB/s1600/2016-10-15+16.03.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9sAgjWmjieO7dEEAry2IBVhL7O2m7LfFgG2lInuQEnoUu-PkLh-dJlmC1I1uYJU3rSdnnuvU69opIs2Paq_mLwJYHlZsmcc8tWgPVsDYySzSSDJkAtoaD2_LgfMMHmzZ6vCQUvQ7lPcB/s640/2016-10-15+16.03.36.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our house, fall 2016</td></tr>
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For years now, and even before I started this blog, we've had a huge list of things we've wanted to get done with this house, and we're probably not even halfway through that list. It's true that while we've done a lot with the house so far, we're not nearly as far as what we envision the end result to be in our heads.<br />
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We've made it comfortable for us for the time being, though. Comfortable enough for everyday life to take place and not have to worry too much about the house on a day to day basis. But there are so many more projects that need to happen, namely structural projects, that we're just trying to find the time to fit in with our everyday lives.<br />
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When I look back at the time of my first blog posts here, especially when I first moved in, we were thinking about the house constantly. The living room and bedroom were both in a state of renovation, and we wanted to get those projects done as soon as we could in order to live comfortably in our home.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkj3aGQWlhbgsXXB9MyuLlSgxetPjiCvguG4Letgd5CS7y28dQWp5kJHgdPePjA3yn1xl5TgeOYtrsD-YEegUAAiOmNWjRZLyQ26TNLpmhmyC_35s28ojmiUXwTpnh3jeCO0uri3wwmBMq/s1600/2016-07-24+14.01.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkj3aGQWlhbgsXXB9MyuLlSgxetPjiCvguG4Letgd5CS7y28dQWp5kJHgdPePjA3yn1xl5TgeOYtrsD-YEegUAAiOmNWjRZLyQ26TNLpmhmyC_35s28ojmiUXwTpnh3jeCO0uri3wwmBMq/s640/2016-07-24+14.01.09.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trent working away on the hallway floor</td></tr>
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Now, in recent years, we've taken things a lot slower than when we first started. This has allowed us to not only live in the house and really think about what we want to do with it, but we've also been able to just experience things without worrying as much about what we need to do with the house. We've been able to fit in small, and slightly larger projects, here and there, while still being able to make memories, get married, travel, and work along the way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvCCCiubdurGBWNulUCJ36ujpkD2rUbB1CM-8Jd-qv-bVWURY6r2zpMJ5HhWEwqkE4wu4uZfX_w4RfL00ILYyj8t_TzaeUM0ENr41YDdD55YukC-KR4ek6Qq2kYilj2WcSqB0oV6bPDPI/s1600/2016-05-10+17.43.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvCCCiubdurGBWNulUCJ36ujpkD2rUbB1CM-8Jd-qv-bVWURY6r2zpMJ5HhWEwqkE4wu4uZfX_w4RfL00ILYyj8t_TzaeUM0ENr41YDdD55YukC-KR4ek6Qq2kYilj2WcSqB0oV6bPDPI/s640/2016-05-10+17.43.49.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many memories in recent years!</td></tr>
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Even though this means things may not get done as quickly as we like, we have at least been able to live in the moment and not be focused on the house 24/7, which I think is what you should do to stay sane!<br />
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So, what does the future hold for our little house? Maybe a few small house projects before the year ends, maybe a big project..we're not quite sure yet. I've been itching to start another big reno project, though. I just need to get Trent on board. ;)<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-63979420915538709562017-09-16T09:00:00.000-05:002017-09-16T09:00:02.081-05:00The Stories Told By TravelingAs much of a homebody that I am, I also like to travel and see new places, and I think it's super important to do so. Every road trip or vacation you take, and every new place you visit, adds to your own personal library of stories, experiences, and memories. And, to me, that's what life is all about!<br />
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I'm not much of a world traveler. As of today, I've only visited a total of 3 countries - The U.S., Canada, and Jamaica. One day I hope to visit places like Europe and more islands in the Caribbean, but until then, I have plenty of domestic travel goals.<br />
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You can see all of the states I've visited so far, in pink, below. Not the greatest graphic (I used a couple of free websites to put it together), but the idea is that in nearly every state I've visited, I've made memories and experiences to last a lifetime.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj742VSEoc2Hw7wpSEDIZOKSsuRmN82hPwyIrOctAhbiaCKj18QOntXb2gkV-eK0RowhsVZX5OFH2t_fmsGfDSQYZmWCRScY21_zyQmqc6IRJDN3tw0Ch_WToy9z3YUIDJ9_HtUK1_9-JX/s1600/travel-map2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="789" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj742VSEoc2Hw7wpSEDIZOKSsuRmN82hPwyIrOctAhbiaCKj18QOntXb2gkV-eK0RowhsVZX5OFH2t_fmsGfDSQYZmWCRScY21_zyQmqc6IRJDN3tw0Ch_WToy9z3YUIDJ9_HtUK1_9-JX/s640/travel-map2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I saw the ocean and rode in a plane for the first time when I was 10, traveling to Florida with my family. I went fishing for the first time while visiting Trent's family in Missouri. I saw endless miles of forests in Louisiana, saw the beautiful Rocky Mountains and rode to the top of Pike's Peak in Colorado, saw the Alamo and got engaged in Texas. </div>
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Sure, some states we just drove through, or I had a work conference there so didn't spend much time in that place (I'm looking at you, Nebraska). But there are so many more places that I still want to see, right here in this country. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhv51O97KNJ58zHprqF4wXNeMsGI0jOchGU9nT9JEQdr-FctFynB0pcZ42JazDGMUy0GVI-jTXegKXKmUqmUULkqrgY2WsA-USqNdskXrUozoSd7enTqWtoNzX4l2C1PSij3FdEwAEEfC/s1600/travel-graphic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhv51O97KNJ58zHprqF4wXNeMsGI0jOchGU9nT9JEQdr-FctFynB0pcZ42JazDGMUy0GVI-jTXegKXKmUqmUULkqrgY2WsA-USqNdskXrUozoSd7enTqWtoNzX4l2C1PSij3FdEwAEEfC/s640/travel-graphic.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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For example, I'd like to see more of Oregon and Washington, since I was just there for a short work trip. I've never been to Arizona, Utah or New Mexico, so I would love to see the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, and the Four Corners. I've also never been to New York City, or any of the New England states, so those are other areas I would love to visit.</div>
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I hope to fill in my U.S. travel map fully someday. This year I added Nevada to my list, so now I've seen 34 of the 50 states. Which means, 16 more to go... I have a feeling there will be many more road trips and fun times ahead.</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-63453942713744523072017-09-14T20:57:00.000-05:002017-09-14T20:57:06.245-05:00Homemade Margherita PizzaAnybody love pizza like I do?! Tonight I have to share a little bit about this yummy homemade Margherita pizza that Trent made a week or so ago. It turned out to be really delicious, and he even used a few veggies from our garden. Here it is pre-baking:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8z22F9CEl1rXFqSIgdhZO8chQ-iMI7opyvZHGZrKcLXzSLNnbsQ6hBsSKGWgCc6GrGJQNJ6Y5Z8lt7I3CouQQmvC9jzZSOzLJN4aoGX1LwZV4mnoJSHuoqFSUybD4IIEc8stO28-_QPdO/s1600/2017-09-05+19.04.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1275" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8z22F9CEl1rXFqSIgdhZO8chQ-iMI7opyvZHGZrKcLXzSLNnbsQ6hBsSKGWgCc6GrGJQNJ6Y5Z8lt7I3CouQQmvC9jzZSOzLJN4aoGX1LwZV4mnoJSHuoqFSUybD4IIEc8stO28-_QPdO/s640/2017-09-05+19.04.05.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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And here it is all done and crispy:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsOUULlMob6YE11XRv22Ii5cVSlFPGQjf3TI91jLaarI-R9FRDBbq7FTOPcSlDZTtJ1uMxn_D8_VmyK-QXWvx7AJN8U4iceNU2D9jZ_3rtocG0FtFTjtPmxCnlTPL_xtPMlez6AWEl9OX/s1600/2017-09-05+19.17.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1436" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsOUULlMob6YE11XRv22Ii5cVSlFPGQjf3TI91jLaarI-R9FRDBbq7FTOPcSlDZTtJ1uMxn_D8_VmyK-QXWvx7AJN8U4iceNU2D9jZ_3rtocG0FtFTjtPmxCnlTPL_xtPMlez6AWEl9OX/s640/2017-09-05+19.17.55.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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That melty cheese, though.<br />
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I made him give me the lowdown on everything he used. Because we all know he's the chef of our household, not me. The crust was a pre-made thin crust, but he made his own sauce. It was just the right amount of sweet and spicy, with fresh ingredients right from the garden.<br />
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Here's what he used for the pizza:<br />
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-Pre-made crust<br />
-Tomatoes (from the garden)<br />
-Red bell peppers (from the garden)<br />
-Butternut squash (from the garden)<br />
-Garlic (from the garden)<br />
-Salt and pepper<br />
-A bit of crushed red pepper<br />
-Basil leaves<br />
-Fresh Mozzarella<br />
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He used the blender to blend the tomatoes and mix in some of the ingredients to make the sauce, and I'm pretty sure he just did it to taste. He doesn't like to follow recipes! He did say he baked it at 425 degrees.<br />
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I have to say, I'm ok having to maintain a garden when it comes with perks like yummy pizzas. :)<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-4145888681437724282017-09-03T09:00:00.000-05:002017-09-03T09:00:10.520-05:00Las Vegas Trip, Part 2I'm back today to share the second half of our Las Vegas trip! <a href="http://www.thislittlehouseblog.com/2017/09/las-vegas-trip-part-1.html" target="_blank">See Part 1 here, in case you missed it</a>. I ended up with photos galore from the trip, so I've tried to narrow it down to the best photos, and the ones that really capture the experience of our trip for you all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDVlXdpd5JwoctUw0D739uv3jv_Pi0-1G-G_cE3i0Uhy417PgwoCNe01XTvZw8jhgng-l4Q-_-JzOXyTLM89epXXg37KyaRKrwljOdKKmuy0v8rFCmp9iM2YqCXCtnN5oTYgqe-WXEK91/s1600/Las+Vegas+Trip-Pt2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="634" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDVlXdpd5JwoctUw0D739uv3jv_Pi0-1G-G_cE3i0Uhy417PgwoCNe01XTvZw8jhgng-l4Q-_-JzOXyTLM89epXXg37KyaRKrwljOdKKmuy0v8rFCmp9iM2YqCXCtnN5oTYgqe-WXEK91/s640/Las+Vegas+Trip-Pt2.png" width="512" /></a></div>
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We leave off the day after the Britney show, and it was another day exploring the Strip. First we went into The Paris, which had a really elegant feel, as evident by the many chandeliers that hung on the ceilings. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQGMeeD3bbXGJGO2MvhXOIWHMONWy5oXF8_MKEolqLNNRxFJeIUOPDALJMjtsGB6r5mteoIkL687svKSl1HIlXZPftDuXWzidmtUhyZspcRgrCpq0BjkHiEltVG9HMKfdJWm_W8C3E8De/s1600/2017-08-26+13.55.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQGMeeD3bbXGJGO2MvhXOIWHMONWy5oXF8_MKEolqLNNRxFJeIUOPDALJMjtsGB6r5mteoIkL687svKSl1HIlXZPftDuXWzidmtUhyZspcRgrCpq0BjkHiEltVG9HMKfdJWm_W8C3E8De/s640/2017-08-26+13.55.30.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I mean, how gorgeous are those?! As we walked around inside, we felt like we were walking the quaint cobblestone streets of Paris.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_H1Wo_XSZY-pIC-95kW-Cvi_9sIiZ-ys4zEObVpoEobWf8H81Cs5urGCfEqs8h4DEJdhonSQ7xPIXRuvqltibUCofup0nkvoBVU9jLbwo1PnwdVsJTBqeDFZLlUvDeJ8Ulhq89HuE3AH/s1600/2017-08-26+13.57.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_H1Wo_XSZY-pIC-95kW-Cvi_9sIiZ-ys4zEObVpoEobWf8H81Cs5urGCfEqs8h4DEJdhonSQ7xPIXRuvqltibUCofup0nkvoBVU9jLbwo1PnwdVsJTBqeDFZLlUvDeJ8Ulhq89HuE3AH/s640/2017-08-26+13.57.22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Paris also had more of the "sky with clouds on the ceiling" look, similar to The Venetian.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5jv-9dr2mJe6jNWNc3TM4gTc2gWqxHeVpj0CX3K-YDFl5f-e7VBcBXdnGr5dY-YXikVeOpL0hAgMUG8RGY81h5bU8NfnW0Ou-rGgaTDqqjceuK1SH6HkjBlY4WqAehxq6z6ewR61udDY/s1600/2017-08-26+13.57.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5jv-9dr2mJe6jNWNc3TM4gTc2gWqxHeVpj0CX3K-YDFl5f-e7VBcBXdnGr5dY-YXikVeOpL0hAgMUG8RGY81h5bU8NfnW0Ou-rGgaTDqqjceuK1SH6HkjBlY4WqAehxq6z6ewR61udDY/s640/2017-08-26+13.57.32.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eVGXg9525cKsS8QAdAHZw4EdQWJOfslSLegsdege3KaQiBHEDm41a18MLry5K65U7v7B8YIBJX34p0QC85uFMViPmIH9mds6O9QWY94j46gtoEaJ7QIyK3h9ELgCGwSJC6HUkCib3uHz/s1600/2017-08-26+14.18.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eVGXg9525cKsS8QAdAHZw4EdQWJOfslSLegsdege3KaQiBHEDm41a18MLry5K65U7v7B8YIBJX34p0QC85uFMViPmIH9mds6O9QWY94j46gtoEaJ7QIyK3h9ELgCGwSJC6HUkCib3uHz/s640/2017-08-26+14.18.13.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We explored other hotels too, like The Aria, where colorful bicycles hang above you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkii8Xf-6r8-wNzC7ZHDZ6XifTwMsdbBro-vGwGEB3VcUOibLlLxxLt5zZPJ9FxTDwhmaAfYViXnumxCx8hafoZPNw6Qi-t8DHiproBWfGRSO-EMscJrUuSoJOXQhVmS-B1xfTrpfRVBe4/s1600/2017-08-26+14.33.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkii8Xf-6r8-wNzC7ZHDZ6XifTwMsdbBro-vGwGEB3VcUOibLlLxxLt5zZPJ9FxTDwhmaAfYViXnumxCx8hafoZPNw6Qi-t8DHiproBWfGRSO-EMscJrUuSoJOXQhVmS-B1xfTrpfRVBe4/s640/2017-08-26+14.33.27.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then the New York New York, which captured the shiny lights and hustle and bustle of Times Square.<br />
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We went to Hershey World and M&Ms World while we were there, which might be heaven if you're a chocolate lover. There are pretty impressive models of the Statue of Liberty, one made of chocolate, and the other made of Twizzlers.<br />
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The outside of the New York New York might be the coolest part. It's a replica of the New York skyline, which is definitely another sight you don't see everyday living in Illinois.<br />
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We made our way down the Strip, all the way to the Luxor for the Titanic Artifact Exhibit.<br />
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The Luxor is literally in the shape of a pyramid, modeled after the pyramids of Egypt.</div>
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When you enter the Titanic exhibit, you are supposed to turn off your phone, as no pictures are allowed inside. So we could only take photos outside the exhibit.<br />
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The exhibit was really cool though and well worth the time. As you walk through, you get to see real artifacts from the ship, and also learn about real passengers along the way. </div>
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Before you enter, you receive a "Boarding Pass" that is supposed to look like the boarding passes that the passengers received.</div>
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The back contains the name and information of one of the real passengers aboard the Titanic. You carry this pass with you throughout the exhibit, and at the end, you get to find out whether that passenger survived or perished.</div>
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We found out that all three of our passengers survived!</div>
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After the exhibit, we took a taxi downtown to Fremont Street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mxvEOfx_HWyY7LPfE7Phw5ubwT6AGShKkvB5vSlJpuKIIh-98yybWXdXxyQE1vTNP_YVCaFcbdxLK0KKsIAinVJowbNcL6YECi1X8gcS2w2p54i7jMlmZZQyTXG3xQYe0NSZ9PbNzIH0/s1600/2017-08-26+18.38.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1600" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mxvEOfx_HWyY7LPfE7Phw5ubwT6AGShKkvB5vSlJpuKIIh-98yybWXdXxyQE1vTNP_YVCaFcbdxLK0KKsIAinVJowbNcL6YECi1X8gcS2w2p54i7jMlmZZQyTXG3xQYe0NSZ9PbNzIH0/s640/2017-08-26+18.38.21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We watched people zip lining above us at Slotzilla. Then we ate at a restaurant in one of the older casinos downtown, which didn't feel quite as fancy as those of The Strip.<br />
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At night though, we got to see the Fremont Street Experience, where the roof and buildings are all lit up. It's quite the spectacle, and I feel like it was worth the trip downtown to see.</div>
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The highlight of the night though, was the Neon Boneyard tour. We had gotten our tickets in advance for the first night tour, and it turned out to be really cool, and informative.</div>
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Our guide was great, and you learn a lot about the history of all the signs as you walk through and see them up close.<br />
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You even learn a lot about the history of Las Vegas from the stories of the old signs.<br />
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We thought it was a cool experience, plus all of fun pictures you get during the tour are totally worth it.<br />
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This one was called The Ugly Duckling.. but he's cute, right?!<br />
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The next day was our last full day in Vegas. Haley and I layed out again by the pool in the morning. You can't beat the tropical atmosphere of the Mirage pool. And it was hot, even in the morning at about 9 am!<br />
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Then we all went back to Buddy V's again for dessert.<br />
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My creme brûlée was amazing!<br />
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Our last day was spent mainly between The Mirage and The Venetian. It was nice with both hotels being right across the street, so we could experience both places without having to walk super far, since we had already walked a lot over the past couple of days.<br />
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I had to play the slots once while I was here. Of course, I only played $10 and lost most of it, but hey, when in Vegas, you have to play at least once, right?</div>
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We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant in The Venetian, where we even got a little show put on by some characters in costume in front of us.</div>
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Mom and I shared a very authentic looking margherita pizza, while Haley got pasta. It was pretty delicioso! (is that Spanish or Italian??)<br />
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We also got a view of the Venice streets in both the day and the night time while we ate.</div>
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After we went back to The Mirage and got photos by Siegfried and Roy, we saw the Cirque du Soleil Beatles LOVE show.<br />
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It was another show where we couldn't take any photos or videos during the show, so we had to get what we could outside the theater.</div>
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I did get one of inside the theater before the show. The stage was in a round, which was cool, because we felt close to the action, and it really looked like there wasn't a bad seat in the house. </div>
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It was my first Cirque du Soleil show, and this one was all set to Beatles music. It told a story throughout the show as Beatles songs played in the background. The choreography was really great, and was obviously well thought out and practiced.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nPiC_62Dst-eEM0hdjulyNr2ya56eQmms664PDOPMLyvoav_qaFuKj-BPXLKIj5urt9YNTBMve7Y2tZMvUJFWEvsAFKX-rjzJph-TRR1r-5FqtijH-Dzur2V82CYoxR1hoISqjSZMrqO/s1600/2017-08-27+21.08.51-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nPiC_62Dst-eEM0hdjulyNr2ya56eQmms664PDOPMLyvoav_qaFuKj-BPXLKIj5urt9YNTBMve7Y2tZMvUJFWEvsAFKX-rjzJph-TRR1r-5FqtijH-Dzur2V82CYoxR1hoISqjSZMrqO/s320/2017-08-27+21.08.51-1.jpg" width="256" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaY_XLWbDpdLvqtmf_ktqcRLyPLcFCcy1eTjq_EUZjtTbavjecD73MEPjt9RC8EWyvXxG_AQLWmXqeYGZDSArisA7ox8E6yOazp7dqa1zAP7ySe9kl70W1eH_YSqvKZJKpNFe-NDvNCgR/s1600/2017-08-27+21.09.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaY_XLWbDpdLvqtmf_ktqcRLyPLcFCcy1eTjq_EUZjtTbavjecD73MEPjt9RC8EWyvXxG_AQLWmXqeYGZDSArisA7ox8E6yOazp7dqa1zAP7ySe9kl70W1eH_YSqvKZJKpNFe-NDvNCgR/s320/2017-08-27+21.09.12.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We got our photos with the Beatles (ha ha), then went outside and got to see the Mirage volcano erupting before our eyes. It was actually much better than we expected!</div>
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And the Vegas heat was even more intense with all that fire right in front of us! Whew!<br />
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It's safe to say my first time in Vegas was all around a success! The only downfall was traveling back home, when our flight from Vegas to Denver was delayed, so we missed our connecting flight and had to spend the night in Denver. That meant our flight home was moved to the next day... It was a long 2 days of traveling home, spent in airports and on flights.</div>
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It was worth it though to experience Las Vegas and spend time with family. We had a great trip overall! Trent and I will definitely be making our own trip to Vegas in the future!</div>
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<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-74969132658327872942017-09-02T16:05:00.002-05:002017-09-02T16:05:48.320-05:00Las Vegas Trip, Part 1Hello and happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! I'm so excited for a 3-day weekend, but also excited to tell you about our fun trip last week to Las Vegas! I have so many pictures, that I'll break it down into two parts so it's not quite so big. I literally took hundreds of photos on this trip!<br />
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It was my first time experiencing the city and I already want to go back. I went with my sister Haley and my mom, and we had a fairly packed itinerary, but I can honestly say that everything we planned was fun.<br />
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We stayed at The Mirage, which was really nice. It was a great location on the Strip, the pool was nice, and it was just a great hotel overall.<br />
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We were also right across the street from The Venetian, which was probably my favorite hotel that we went in. We went back several times!<br />
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It was pretty surreal being in Las Vegas and being right on the Strip. There are so many cool things to see and do while you're there.</div>
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Since it was the end of August, it was very hot - highs of 106 and 107 degrees! But that didn't stop us from walking, A LOT. There are always air conditioned hotels to walk in all the time and cool off.<br />
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Our first night there, we went to The Venetian and ate at Buddy V's.</div>
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It was probably my favorite restaurant we ate at the whole trip. The food was delicious, the service was great, and the decor inside was really cool.<br />
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There was a live band playing while we were there too, and they were actually really good and not too loud at all. We enjoyed our dinner and even went back later in our trip for dessert.<br />
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I couldn't get enough of all of the palm trees and cool buildings on the Strip. We were there for about 3-4 days, which I think was the perfect amount of time to see what you want to see and really experience Las Vegas.<br />
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We went into most of the hotels around ours, including The Flamingo, where we watched some real flamingos hang out right outside.<br />
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Then we walked around the Linq promenade, where we rode the High Roller and had some pretty amazing sunset and night views of the city.</div>
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Basically, you are in these "pods," where you can walk around inside and take in 360 degree views of the city while you go around on a big, 30-minute ferris wheel type of ride.</div>
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It was definitely a cool experience for our first night in Vegas.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifobw8-PHMa9KLEYMAykKabjwZkTn87KI3igXw9gAGYjTHsuRNIEd8vC8koVND6KVxPaQ9trP1oFrfFLgMPiTz0DCNjxwhCHBNfjRStQScgdBR7c2_OEZPKnqo3picJFj-FYydqpOrSU0p/s1600/2017-08-24+19.37.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifobw8-PHMa9KLEYMAykKabjwZkTn87KI3igXw9gAGYjTHsuRNIEd8vC8koVND6KVxPaQ9trP1oFrfFLgMPiTz0DCNjxwhCHBNfjRStQScgdBR7c2_OEZPKnqo3picJFj-FYydqpOrSU0p/s640/2017-08-24+19.37.32.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I mean, can you get a better view of the Strip than this?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2MRmLif-hrk9v-D04D4A5h5Yg46TJde8ZPU5LgO-VcL71inamIhns6PJ9bqOxzUEMiNyCw0KiDs3srpKCZmRAOFxqYFdjy6KBuf-41zgKW55T0owOpQZMcWaUsbqg8c8pty2KpoW6y2R/s1600/2017-08-24+19.45.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2MRmLif-hrk9v-D04D4A5h5Yg46TJde8ZPU5LgO-VcL71inamIhns6PJ9bqOxzUEMiNyCw0KiDs3srpKCZmRAOFxqYFdjy6KBuf-41zgKW55T0owOpQZMcWaUsbqg8c8pty2KpoW6y2R/s640/2017-08-24+19.45.21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We went around 8:00 at night, so we got the perfect dusk/ sunset views, and also got to see all of the lights coming on while the city got dark.<br />
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It really was awesome, and I recommend doing it once while you're in Las Vegas.<br />
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The next morning, we layed out by the pool, which was so nice and tropical-feeling. The Mirage pool opened at 8:00 am, and I recommend getting out there early to get a prime spot.</div>
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After the pool, our day was filled with exploring the different hotels on the Strip. We went back to the Venetian and saw the cool simulated sky ceilings and gondolas inside.<br />
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There were also so many high end shops to browse.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbfMIfDoBALXP9pC8c-Hj3sKdzjREPrCP9PZVqfLYrTB1WCL0mrEHUtshvDa__IBGzEBtM0DNRvYs86JqEUV7rbqPnixdoTVrKESGvnzhC-VS3qfAgDEuqgaeXVl99njjBoNtz_kMxTCI/s1600/2017-08-25+14.14.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbfMIfDoBALXP9pC8c-Hj3sKdzjREPrCP9PZVqfLYrTB1WCL0mrEHUtshvDa__IBGzEBtM0DNRvYs86JqEUV7rbqPnixdoTVrKESGvnzhC-VS3qfAgDEuqgaeXVl99njjBoNtz_kMxTCI/s640/2017-08-25+14.14.33.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Those amazing ceilings, though...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dhYXp_UVW9FZ4hU6HUWqw47kYnEghU00fZK-XtPk3dicdTwaOhqEM3ck7UJnbGH0x60BFUBZcHce32p-KMxWbbfQauCgVE1Iw-h5gFlIl80zuqmVD3y1qU8Ajea5AsH_QZTw1hVkSQU3/s1600/2017-08-25+14.19.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dhYXp_UVW9FZ4hU6HUWqw47kYnEghU00fZK-XtPk3dicdTwaOhqEM3ck7UJnbGH0x60BFUBZcHce32p-KMxWbbfQauCgVE1Iw-h5gFlIl80zuqmVD3y1qU8Ajea5AsH_QZTw1hVkSQU3/s640/2017-08-25+14.19.05.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then we checked out Caesar's Palace, another elaborate hotel on the Strip.<br />
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With all of the cool sights around you, it's hard not to fall in love with this city! There are photo ops literally around every corner.</div>
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The changing sky ceilings in these hotels were spectacular sights to see.</div>
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And don't miss the Atlantis show while you're here. It's kind of a cheesy, animatronic show but it's pretty fun overall.</div>
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After the show, the animatronic characters go away, and just the statues remain once again. </div>
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Then we headed over to the Bellagio, where the Chihuly glass on the lobby ceiling is incredible!</div>
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You also can't miss the conservatory and gardens, where the theme changes with each season.<br />
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The theme when we went appeared to be lemons. Just look at those fun lemon-shaped topiaries.<br />
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On the way back to our hotel, we walked by The Paris. We saw more of the Eiffel tower close up later in our trip, but it was pretty impressive to see in person (from someone who has never been to Paris in real life).</div>
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That night we had plans to see the <i>Britney Spears: Piece of Me</i> show, and were super excited. We went to The Cosmopolitan first, where we saw the amazing Chandelier bar.</div>
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Definitely a photo opportunity, for sure. It's so glittery and pretty!</div>
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We ate dinner at Holstein's in The Cosmopolitan and shared a "boozy" chocolate chip milkshake. It was delicious, but we couldn't eat all of the cookie after eating our meals, too. A little filling to say the least!</div>
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The Britney show was awesome! The sets were all really cool, and we had so much fun singing along to all of Britney's greatest hits.<br />
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She is also in amazing shape by the way. I was in awe of all of the choreography and dancing involved.<br />
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It was the coolest show, and we were not disappointed. If you're a Britney fan, you'll definitely enjoy it and have a great time.<br />
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We ended the night watching the Bellagio fountain show, which was really cool, and we saw the Paris and Eiffel tower all lit up at night. So many amazing sights, that's for sure!</div>
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And that concludes Part 1 of our Las Vegas trip! Stay tuned for Part 2, coming later this weekend, which will include several more photos of our time in Vegas.<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-10608775579264363632017-08-30T19:38:00.000-05:002017-08-30T19:38:37.719-05:00Back From VegasWhy hello! Just popping in tonight because I am back from LAS VEGAS, and thought I would share a short blog post before I delve into more details and photos from our trip. I hope to get to those this weekend.<br />
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For now, I'll just say that my mom, my sister and I had a fantastic time in Vegas. It was both mine and Haley's first time experiencing this city, and we did quite a bit while we were there. We had a rough couple of days flying back home, but other than that, it was a great time.<br />
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There was so much to do and see, and I think we definitely had our favorites along the way. Like the gorgeous Venetian hotel. I think we visited this hotel almost as much as our own!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mf4GtO-pb3MhokbG-brS1VLln8TlqmQmzQNBfTd9_pm8ffnWKR2EdKL8XJsPozVhGnYlbMTgP-BezHqbyUG6EgAc7oFI5xOnxeOMDvNCrVmOTvPHWsrpldnlfrba5oWLV_viqImG40Db/s1600/21078674_10213406805221699_3688628696105030927_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mf4GtO-pb3MhokbG-brS1VLln8TlqmQmzQNBfTd9_pm8ffnWKR2EdKL8XJsPozVhGnYlbMTgP-BezHqbyUG6EgAc7oFI5xOnxeOMDvNCrVmOTvPHWsrpldnlfrba5oWLV_viqImG40Db/s640/21078674_10213406805221699_3688628696105030927_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then there was the awesome pool at our hotel, The Mirage. We had plenty of fun in the hot Vegas sun, that's for sure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrj8msf6zPMcsWMYK2CbPAezfPn9Ofm8a-2a4bY5hp2Udwqah4l2Ik4hjhOz0FV4yOQJswaD-A_-VSoj73TaijS03mTbw9c3Ee6Nz-KzQRE0QgqZn4TpLeS5Dd9enKRPj-dz1U7BeTB0zp/s1600/21078702_10213406802021619_779427769803319734_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrj8msf6zPMcsWMYK2CbPAezfPn9Ofm8a-2a4bY5hp2Udwqah4l2Ik4hjhOz0FV4yOQJswaD-A_-VSoj73TaijS03mTbw9c3Ee6Nz-KzQRE0QgqZn4TpLeS5Dd9enKRPj-dz1U7BeTB0zp/s640/21078702_10213406802021619_779427769803319734_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm back to work this week but hope to share more photos and all of the fun deets this weekend when I have time! In the mean time, have a great second half of the week everyone!</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-54796641943856380692017-08-13T08:00:00.000-05:002017-08-13T08:00:52.563-05:00More Garden Tomatoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A short garden update today: Tomatoes are growing faster in our veggie garden than we can eat them right now. We picked some more tomatoes this past week, and are still working on eating them. Maybe we should make a salsa or a pasta sauce or something?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8R3IDWGJznD0YlWOr0hdc67SHAEEsEIzX4nfrpd30_hu6hZutOn9aY96aJki8tychAHVQUvwCpzOnhz-nK4RQ2_mmfrm_KRedY2C5nzZDg8rnDu_fzSibHZE7VqYKbn7fP8B3qi7XZco/s1600/2017-08-09+18.22.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1600" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8R3IDWGJznD0YlWOr0hdc67SHAEEsEIzX4nfrpd30_hu6hZutOn9aY96aJki8tychAHVQUvwCpzOnhz-nK4RQ2_mmfrm_KRedY2C5nzZDg8rnDu_fzSibHZE7VqYKbn7fP8B3qi7XZco/s640/2017-08-09+18.22.25.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We've also picked some sweet corn, but that too has been growing faster than what we can eat. I think we may have planted too much this year. Haha.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzJlUDH3Dv6d7rDXVjZ4ge09OpnASPagQaH2oJZ3_Gud0nJY_FrSzN41g8tsvNXKASlaHxq8ZtZ0dIyPzZtJeVz7K8uKOlG-YCGVTgo1y6UgMDSClK1B4n_QrSgE5fSzyPt1fgxA6b1-J/s1600/2017-08-09+18.25.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzJlUDH3Dv6d7rDXVjZ4ge09OpnASPagQaH2oJZ3_Gud0nJY_FrSzN41g8tsvNXKASlaHxq8ZtZ0dIyPzZtJeVz7K8uKOlG-YCGVTgo1y6UgMDSClK1B4n_QrSgE5fSzyPt1fgxA6b1-J/s640/2017-08-09+18.25.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well, if you need me, I'll be working on this here bowl of tomatoes that I only like if they are incorporated into a salad or sandwich or something! :)</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-82684928044291543452017-08-12T13:09:00.001-05:002017-08-12T13:10:08.897-05:00Rug Cleaning AdventuresHi all! I know I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks, but today it's Saturday and I'm home watching Netflix, so thought I would share a recent adventure we had involving rug cleaning. I know, it sounds super exciting. But it actually was a pretty exciting day in our household.<br />
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First off, our living room rug has seen better days. I bought it back in 2013 <a href="http://www.thislittlehouseblog.com/2013/05/new-living-room-rug-woot.html" target="_blank">(remember this post?</a>), and Saleen likes to rub and lick on it because of her allergies. In short, it's gotten pretty disgusting for that reason. Yep, having a dog has made us learn "we can't have nice things." I'll spare you the "before cleaning" pictures.<br />
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We had gone a while without cleaning the rug, so we decided to rent a Rug Doctor at our local Dollar General. You can rent it for $30, along with buying the solution that goes in it for about $5.<br />
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We gave it a good vacuum first. Then Trent filled it with a mix of water and the solution, and I held the edges of the rug in place while he ran the Rug Doctor over it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_tnHarLRke-gu0OoPXHO_awtDsCFsj99D_nUOLHHG7j0TcdZVdsrGrCaOApH2yWcPt6VQBeyqCNs8UqustZeb7OqX06Kps7MVULkVPIC2F-jXHnrrxQm6nkKvGuix4Hi2bxt4FaQDAqj/s1600/2017-08-06+16.53.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_tnHarLRke-gu0OoPXHO_awtDsCFsj99D_nUOLHHG7j0TcdZVdsrGrCaOApH2yWcPt6VQBeyqCNs8UqustZeb7OqX06Kps7MVULkVPIC2F-jXHnrrxQm6nkKvGuix4Hi2bxt4FaQDAqj/s640/2017-08-06+16.53.16.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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While you run it over the rug, it releases the mixture of solution and water, and also has brushes underneath that vibrate while it runs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEyZ7vODN5M7SjmPBvtAcHKKLIRMK-z4oL3w9-12NGn4vJ0pmvP0KyYgf45rfcOAuM2fpRxvL4U11dPpxReKnuyaZR43OegeDq-KNx4Gyez6i5pzZ71B-XeF3qLVgD5I_Wqi6yKMzSe54/s1600/2017-08-06+16.53.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEyZ7vODN5M7SjmPBvtAcHKKLIRMK-z4oL3w9-12NGn4vJ0pmvP0KyYgf45rfcOAuM2fpRxvL4U11dPpxReKnuyaZR43OegeDq-KNx4Gyez6i5pzZ71B-XeF3qLVgD5I_Wqi6yKMzSe54/s640/2017-08-06+16.53.28.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We had to continuously refill it with more solution, since it goes through it pretty quickly. And we ran it over the rug row by row, several times to make sure we got the dirt out the best we could.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wyZ0Fb_sSmVv1KJh-3VoudAgBzQOBesSHmU4DhPr-yEea6ddIj8yg3u54U_C2B7-VekkCSJCQ838VgjdSyPo1-4Q5Nk6FBvyfi_RwauYQJu2NWakFEkmTkNtSxvcLhZnVcpaIwZvj9SV/s1600/2017-08-06+17.20.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wyZ0Fb_sSmVv1KJh-3VoudAgBzQOBesSHmU4DhPr-yEea6ddIj8yg3u54U_C2B7-VekkCSJCQ838VgjdSyPo1-4Q5Nk6FBvyfi_RwauYQJu2NWakFEkmTkNtSxvcLhZnVcpaIwZvj9SV/s640/2017-08-06+17.20.43.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Once we were done, instead of letting it dry in the living room, we took the rug and the rug pad underneath, outside and hung them on the fence for a little over a day to fully dry out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2mdw373YQZLhWVoIdfk7X-0ggftOpsPEeDpfYivcX0SxFI6fd8FnL1-hNRGUjg87FyDXBSPQ5f6pl6aOJncdNWnsrQnkzP24a6Kedn8T6cw3gGcgkt_miYdrZ-GCgT6ENhnHglySTEL-/s1600/2017-08-06+17.35.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1600" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2mdw373YQZLhWVoIdfk7X-0ggftOpsPEeDpfYivcX0SxFI6fd8FnL1-hNRGUjg87FyDXBSPQ5f6pl6aOJncdNWnsrQnkzP24a6Kedn8T6cw3gGcgkt_miYdrZ-GCgT6ENhnHglySTEL-/s640/2017-08-06+17.35.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We didn't want it to hold onto any water between the rug and the rug pad, since that might leave a little "mustiness" in the air, and no one wants that.. Eww!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_EKqL-IeVOl2tZxELMk053b3U5wf8IitIk96lkrpTVopKOwYCxu8-bl8vfwxjdjnVlD95KAdpHrSaK1F6uu6k8iohsCfw6_HRzW54R8yWd0f_tnR9-oYau4bUK1dtxFkSMh18JdeX04K/s1600/2017-08-06+17.35.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_EKqL-IeVOl2tZxELMk053b3U5wf8IitIk96lkrpTVopKOwYCxu8-bl8vfwxjdjnVlD95KAdpHrSaK1F6uu6k8iohsCfw6_HRzW54R8yWd0f_tnR9-oYau4bUK1dtxFkSMh18JdeX04K/s640/2017-08-06+17.35.34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I think leaving it out in the sun probably helped bleach the stains a little bit, too. At least we like to think so. So here's the "after":<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIIHxh25BcxS5ZHjvXFIEyi7A5dOhn99kJEFUpAJiw9xbHxFTOV6REUm0OFKpLz4CGa37TZiewbP3W0Ay3puhkmbU05vKy9qoStTlk6M_8sGZdFE6ra2T4dNp8oC6GEg2SlavCCWa0lrf/s1600/2017-08-08+18.46.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIIHxh25BcxS5ZHjvXFIEyi7A5dOhn99kJEFUpAJiw9xbHxFTOV6REUm0OFKpLz4CGa37TZiewbP3W0Ay3puhkmbU05vKy9qoStTlk6M_8sGZdFE6ra2T4dNp8oC6GEg2SlavCCWa0lrf/s640/2017-08-08+18.46.46.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's not perfect, but it looks visibly cleaner, for sure! I'd say renting the Rug Doctor was worth it, not to do all the time, but I'd maybe do it once a year or so.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvp2sfWLi9vka5mXnsGyMgsWRDnDnufo60K2IRYCJCoOPZqh2swBc0EsP5KXrjSTXIQn7OzKnEEgve-fKYf5SJZC8J4nso4R_1Ii53iKZNXzqDRdAeTb8f38nerLS2TFiqwGKKQT6NaXOn/s1600/2017-08-08+18.46.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvp2sfWLi9vka5mXnsGyMgsWRDnDnufo60K2IRYCJCoOPZqh2swBc0EsP5KXrjSTXIQn7OzKnEEgve-fKYf5SJZC8J4nso4R_1Ii53iKZNXzqDRdAeTb8f38nerLS2TFiqwGKKQT6NaXOn/s640/2017-08-08+18.46.53.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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At first I was really hesitant to let Saleen into the living room again, and wiped off every stain she left. Haha. But now I've come to the conclusion that it's inevitable that the rug WILL get dirty again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkv0EvXF91BnSe_uSasiggViji31VaOQm6NMro9h0NQfTvITY2q2kGetikPye_32lL3BkX72MWhQ_9pfXH50HbqTpR3AUD1ji1hp7fonxSF1LP8gIaQvbrNRPXHd-Zwpl9KjsdAvLaR8J/s1600/2017-08-09+16.54.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkv0EvXF91BnSe_uSasiggViji31VaOQm6NMro9h0NQfTvITY2q2kGetikPye_32lL3BkX72MWhQ_9pfXH50HbqTpR3AUD1ji1hp7fonxSF1LP8gIaQvbrNRPXHd-Zwpl9KjsdAvLaR8J/s640/2017-08-09+16.54.45.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, moral of the story, having a nice rug + a dog with allergies, do not mix! But a good rug cleaning every now and then makes things a little nicer, at least for the time being.</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-8091620153484616302017-07-30T09:00:00.000-05:002017-07-30T09:00:22.871-05:00Cubs Game at Wrigley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While Trent is in Milwaukee today at the Cubs/Brewers game, I'm at home again and blogging about the Cubs game we went to a week ago! Yep, last Sunday, we went up to Wrigley for a Cubs/Cardinals game. We did the Farm Bureau bus trip again with my Dad - it had been a few years since we did this, and I'm happy to say it was a much <a href="http://www.thislittlehouseblog.com/2013/08/our-annual-wrigley-trip-or-trip-that.html" target="_blank">better experience than the last!</a> It was also the first night game we had ever been to at Wrigley.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPMeCZAfN2oN_Hf_CWWnAiFl9AEtjZQ7vh9YCIjfEuaTFbEzDETv5DmiJQdg9P69tsvB6wN7IY6wbYP39bfuFOANSsyT9c45sS26MCQVdZVixzayVcepgAOaOGIikYOZvjMzED1krntg/s1600/2017-07-23+17.43.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1600" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPMeCZAfN2oN_Hf_CWWnAiFl9AEtjZQ7vh9YCIjfEuaTFbEzDETv5DmiJQdg9P69tsvB6wN7IY6wbYP39bfuFOANSsyT9c45sS26MCQVdZVixzayVcepgAOaOGIikYOZvjMzED1krntg/s640/2017-07-23+17.43.52.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As lifelong Illinois residents, we're big Cubs fans, so it's always fun to experience a game at the famous Wrigley field. This year was also the first year that they had the new area by the field, called <a href="https://www.parkatwrigley.com/" target="_blank">The Park at Wrigley</a>. There are bars and restaurants, a grassy hangout area, and a few shops that you can hang out at before the game. We thought it was pretty cool.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuRb8hYJzuqkDlk72pnVT1XXNtO9twgkGNMCe1OLu_8DmuwI2eTxn_7-KlveTSp95EzWeWCXl5RuOHFSYDm-BnEE0HZ3j2CjUPwfik_ppD-2Xt-ogFhjs5rhMtso30sPSsnd84Kn6sJ8/s1600/2017-07-23+17.21.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuRb8hYJzuqkDlk72pnVT1XXNtO9twgkGNMCe1OLu_8DmuwI2eTxn_7-KlveTSp95EzWeWCXl5RuOHFSYDm-BnEE0HZ3j2CjUPwfik_ppD-2Xt-ogFhjs5rhMtso30sPSsnd84Kn6sJ8/s640/2017-07-23+17.21.53.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We checked out the new Cubs merchandise store, which is two levels high, and there's a balcony you can go out onto with a view of the people walking around below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8WT8QAe2Q3QwEa2YAhjL1KAqxhciBx4tbZOi_nMFuyDgyg_QqyEaLjA_DzogxwfESzskUD8pEYhB4BZI45lfljpXGEO3DDnzoZHV_coSFJXUmAMoaqwTEoPtJnFqifImWauiEfy3MNs/s1600/2017-07-23+17.24.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8WT8QAe2Q3QwEa2YAhjL1KAqxhciBx4tbZOi_nMFuyDgyg_QqyEaLjA_DzogxwfESzskUD8pEYhB4BZI45lfljpXGEO3DDnzoZHV_coSFJXUmAMoaqwTEoPtJnFqifImWauiEfy3MNs/s640/2017-07-23+17.24.19.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We also went into the Jostens jewelry store, the official jeweler of the Cubs, and they had replica Cubs World Series rings there, which you can actually buy for yourself. </div>
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Then we got our photo taken with the Cubs 2016 World Series trophy. Pretty cool to see in person!</div>
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We walked around the field for a little while before the game. It actually sprinkled when we got there, and we totally thought it was going to storm on us, and we would have a rain delay. Luckily, the majority of the rain stayed away and the sun came out later for us!</div>
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It was fun to be back at Wrigley again watching the game live in person. It had been a while! Our view wasn't spectacular or anything, but we could still see the field pretty well, and we got to experience the new seats and the new video screens.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_flIL2ZIel-wmdVWdlf3kXNcofzoNuvT-4pMo2KtgQwJqhxHXLY978s0h7kha6wqRJ6dREuOy6DNfHvriyJpjHaloMabFDTqRqdWhSG1590gE3C3bhNgCNKIZmfjI4WihBhu_ZbXl_ZA/s1600/2017-07-23+18.26.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_flIL2ZIel-wmdVWdlf3kXNcofzoNuvT-4pMo2KtgQwJqhxHXLY978s0h7kha6wqRJ6dREuOy6DNfHvriyJpjHaloMabFDTqRqdWhSG1590gE3C3bhNgCNKIZmfjI4WihBhu_ZbXl_ZA/s640/2017-07-23+18.26.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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They've done so many new improvements to Wrigley in the last couple of years. It still looks basically the same, but with a few upgrades here and there. Another change is that the bullpens are now underneath the stands and closed off, instead of out in the open. And even the bathrooms are upgraded!<br />
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Also, I think the below picture was a little stroke of luck for me. The sun is hitting me just right so it looks like I'm glowing! Haha.<br />
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We played the Cardinals, who are one of our biggest rivals, so it was fun to be amid both Cubs and Cardinals fans. And it was a pretty packed house.</div>
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We got to see all of our favorite Cubs players, from Kris Bryant, to Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, and Javy Baez.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwUT8PgULJoAM5pqbZZBY5NbvtNh1SI7kgx38xUCzD7EdJO-xI6SeDaFhvs65YCWmidBIGA-DOOmBUG8mRSanvjzzSDqbGwvwMd69rDLC1uCWxkPlqqJw4xMtCta4XNHlQ1qoQoZUfhg/s1600/2017-07-23+19.58.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1099" data-original-width="1600" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwUT8PgULJoAM5pqbZZBY5NbvtNh1SI7kgx38xUCzD7EdJO-xI6SeDaFhvs65YCWmidBIGA-DOOmBUG8mRSanvjzzSDqbGwvwMd69rDLC1uCWxkPlqqJw4xMtCta4XNHlQ1qoQoZUfhg/s640/2017-07-23+19.58.57.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvCaO9u8XpBWKEuirdCjwVkSiHObSSlBAYuEg5alkiriV2leGbI1hejtmeycRMUPcGJod32rCNl0zHU5M614ZSOoo2gpS7wYgKsn5q-kN8mru8KXaLIAN5p2ZbvZ5sbauTOBNZX-PWbI/s1600/2017-07-23+20.48.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1600" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvCaO9u8XpBWKEuirdCjwVkSiHObSSlBAYuEg5alkiriV2leGbI1hejtmeycRMUPcGJod32rCNl0zHU5M614ZSOoo2gpS7wYgKsn5q-kN8mru8KXaLIAN5p2ZbvZ5sbauTOBNZX-PWbI/s640/2017-07-23+20.48.41.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And best of all...We went home with a W!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOQnkiwKXMijwbZVJ9nz42TSNBpicD00EvP0j8hkt91ixnMp32yBLOYmhi2lAGeFywtNtfFo1sBj29ZhK4YKMbAnnxZYACixTWMrkJ6Eow4EtVCXbdbcW2QJfP3IPZYFn86yC4ZJXINY/s1600/2017-07-23+22.01.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1600" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOQnkiwKXMijwbZVJ9nz42TSNBpicD00EvP0j8hkt91ixnMp32yBLOYmhi2lAGeFywtNtfFo1sBj29ZhK4YKMbAnnxZYACixTWMrkJ6Eow4EtVCXbdbcW2QJfP3IPZYFn86yC4ZJXINY/s640/2017-07-23+22.01.52.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Nothing like getting to sing "Go Cubs Go" with the rest of the crowd after a great win at Wrigley Field. A fun time was had with my Dad and Trent at the game!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdgCigQ0AjeWgNHBkQUfLOW2Oqjk5GWReQblCYBEw-U733jQlrdyYf8VW-PdSvIc9GIeBJlBXi9NsYOvpR6jPe3iMu1JCP3S3Gl2sVgE8ruOKb_4JeOMBV1H6sZ_INmV2v3eiBB16wo0/s1600/2017-07-23+23.11.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1564" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdgCigQ0AjeWgNHBkQUfLOW2Oqjk5GWReQblCYBEw-U733jQlrdyYf8VW-PdSvIc9GIeBJlBXi9NsYOvpR6jPe3iMu1JCP3S3Gl2sVgE8ruOKb_4JeOMBV1H6sZ_INmV2v3eiBB16wo0/s640/2017-07-23+23.11.21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the end, when most people had already left the stadium, our entire bus got to take a huge group photo in front of the field.<br />
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Not going to lie, it was complete chaos and confusion trying to get everyone together and figure out where we were supposed to be, with everyone leaving the stands at the end of the game, but we figured it out somehow, and it actually turned out pretty cool in the end!</div>
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As we were leaving, we even got a glimpse of the players heading out to their rides at the end of the night. Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward walked right in front of me as I was waiting for Trent to get out of the bathroom! Haha. It was kind of surreal.</div>
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I was so glad I took work off the next day. Night games are no joke, when you have to ride all the way back home in a bus the same night and don't get home until 3:00 in the morning! For that reason alone, I'm not sure if I'd do another night game bus trip again. But it was a fun day overall, and good to be back at Wrigley again.</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-50851521968279549422017-07-29T12:50:00.001-05:002017-07-29T12:50:13.635-05:00Tomato UpdateIt's Saturday, and I'm hanging at home this weekend! Trent went up to Milwaukee with a couple of friends and will be going to the Cubs/Brewers games tonight and tomorrow. So I'm home with the pup, watching Netflix and cleaning!<br />
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And I took a couple of new pics of the garden yesterday, well of the tomato plants anyway. It looks like we'll have lots of tomatoes pretty soon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5iko0XJNL3rlzhyphenhyphenArImOEiyDn9X6PC7VW6eW_mRa30gAPHUl9dbayD-l3Zzw5aVnX_jXYgFo51E_8D0v5B-3eYBKSiFXtFYw-xYih2aGJlCT5vdOjtX7jS4oYFW9VOpfT93-q8WJvfc/s1600/2017-07-28+18.55.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1230" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5iko0XJNL3rlzhyphenhyphenArImOEiyDn9X6PC7VW6eW_mRa30gAPHUl9dbayD-l3Zzw5aVnX_jXYgFo51E_8D0v5B-3eYBKSiFXtFYw-xYih2aGJlCT5vdOjtX7jS4oYFW9VOpfT93-q8WJvfc/s640/2017-07-28+18.55.38.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
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I think those are cherry tomatoes above. </div>
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And the below look like the Romas. We have a few more turning red...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaHjTW3ZAJaEcKudVgToJccklDL8VmxdxOKanHu_jyRZOpvlgEWIhGkTJJGBBM5hZ48rjaeqqxvLN2vNcrYg1Q4BMnU4QH2WZ3iECzwPoaVTGQ9vyn3p-8I51PRrRW2CBcoYZPiu2-to/s1600/2017-07-28+18.55.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1034" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaHjTW3ZAJaEcKudVgToJccklDL8VmxdxOKanHu_jyRZOpvlgEWIhGkTJJGBBM5hZ48rjaeqqxvLN2vNcrYg1Q4BMnU4QH2WZ3iECzwPoaVTGQ9vyn3p-8I51PRrRW2CBcoYZPiu2-to/s640/2017-07-28+18.55.43.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38mODaeJZLzjO5GJ2xW0b9KjmjaSUQjvjd3NqxaKK8EFSUrrog_lXFcU8_tolf4jF8BEGJThxz3LN4Jz9PUqFv57BVzg3z-BU7k5NkFIuTVDrN-nd5rX9iVQpXNFD2TA1w4xu6KaUlbI/s1600/2017-07-28+18.55.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1001" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38mODaeJZLzjO5GJ2xW0b9KjmjaSUQjvjd3NqxaKK8EFSUrrog_lXFcU8_tolf4jF8BEGJThxz3LN4Jz9PUqFv57BVzg3z-BU7k5NkFIuTVDrN-nd5rX9iVQpXNFD2TA1w4xu6KaUlbI/s640/2017-07-28+18.55.55.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We have some big ones growing, too. These things are going to be bigger than my hand pretty soon!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR5MJBb2RdMtsp7Cy7jVGTfYPQC5JNkEBwRpJtaTueU5zEgcy3EYK7wQOlPvU17p7K65oYP4_iPRbFq58-2ny7ThU9oZUBmKydOflZDEBB8zIE762P6ExMXbTaIEbJivyy4KuPd2tob8/s1600/2017-07-28+18.56.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR5MJBb2RdMtsp7Cy7jVGTfYPQC5JNkEBwRpJtaTueU5zEgcy3EYK7wQOlPvU17p7K65oYP4_iPRbFq58-2ny7ThU9oZUBmKydOflZDEBB8zIE762P6ExMXbTaIEbJivyy4KuPd2tob8/s640/2017-07-28+18.56.15.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Pretty sure we'll have a much bigger harvest than last year! I'm ready to add some tomatoes to my sandwiches. :)</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-80028917848793157462017-07-27T07:00:00.000-05:002017-07-27T07:00:12.950-05:00First Garden Harvest of 2017It's been a couple of weeks since I blogged all about our recent Michigan trip, but I'm finally popping in for another post, less about traveling and more back to the domestic life! Don't worry though, there will be another travel related post in the near future, as we went back to Chicago for a Cubs game over the weekend. Trent and I are pretty sure Chicago is our second home now, since we have visited the city multiple times this summer!<br />
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Today though, I thought I'd share our very first harvest of this year. It's not very big, but we're excited that our tomatoes are finally turning red, and we have been able to enjoy our first veggies from the garden:<br />
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Yes, so far we have a lone ear of corn and a couple of tomatoes! So I got to add a couple of slices of fresh tomatoes to my salad the other day that we grew right here in the garden.</div>
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We have plenty more veggies that will be ripe soon, too. I actually need to go out to the garden and see what else is ripe, plus take more recent pictures! </div>
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The below photos are all from a few weeks ago, but you can see all of the tomatoes that have been growing. Here are the Romas: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kHbuXvyEDz00_pVQZwl_3FgjKCz58rIeS250MW_t3FI2FPdgOW-DK_PkCCZuRdINzjEzSZKc8a7dYNglZvogwRNZErfVnJF-sxwMGepfktONoeB3i6SKCgyjt48AjOgwK0YW5wR2_AE/s1600/2017-07-08+16.03.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kHbuXvyEDz00_pVQZwl_3FgjKCz58rIeS250MW_t3FI2FPdgOW-DK_PkCCZuRdINzjEzSZKc8a7dYNglZvogwRNZErfVnJF-sxwMGepfktONoeB3i6SKCgyjt48AjOgwK0YW5wR2_AE/s640/2017-07-08+16.03.31.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'd imagine we have many more turning red now. And here was the corn a few weeks ago:<br />
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We also have some garlic that grows back every year. We're not really garlic experts though, so we're not sure when garlic is ripe and ready to pick...this looks close though, right??<br />
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It definitely smells like garlic, that's for sure.</div>
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Well, that's it for now...I'm sure I'll be back with some new posts this weekend!</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-8671089764932243462017-07-14T07:00:00.000-05:002017-07-14T07:00:29.624-05:00Fun Stop at The Found CottageHudsonville, Michigan is the site of the cutest little shop, co-owned by one of my favorite bloggers, Liz of <a href="http://www.lizmarieblog.com/" target="_blank">Liz Marie Blog</a>. I've been following her blog now for a while, and I never miss any of her social media posts or Insta stories.<br />
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Liz just seems like the sweetest person. She's my age, and I remember following her blog as she was in the middle of taking interior design classes, and I became hooked. She has such a knack for making things look pretty, and I love following her new journey of life on a farm. Seriously, <a href="http://www.lizmarieblog.com/" target="_blank">check her out</a> if you haven't already.<br />
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Since I knew Liz was in Michigan and that's where we were going for our vacation this year, I had to look up where her shop was, so that we could hopefully stop there during our trip.</div>
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<a href="http://thefoundcottage.com/" target="_blank">The Found Cottage</a> is actually right outside of Grand Rapids, which was on our way to where we were staying in northern Michigan. We didn't have time to stop on the way up from Illinois, but luckily we had time on the way back home.</div>
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I was so excited to check out the store. It always looks so pretty from her photos, and after stopping and looking around, I was not disappointed.</div>
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There is a mix of antiques and home decor, along with some clothing and jewelry, too. I just snapped a couple of photos, but everything in the store is just so cute! There are so many unique vintage, rustic, and handmade items. It all looks so pretty, it's hard not to want everything!</div>
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I was of course wondering if Liz was going to be at the store working that day, and she was! I saw her there but didn't talk to her. I think she smiled at me, but I was too scared to say anything. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself! Haha. She did seem really nice though, and she sounded exactly like she sounds on her Insta stories. I was kind of star struck, I have to admit!</div>
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There was a necklace there that was so cute and I thought about getting it, and there were SO many other things I considered, too. In the end though, I ended up taking home this framed print, which we hung in the hallway:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXXpEBguTxdbnE6-_t-i83f6VbAuwSVgrw5xHPmiow3SQD6HpkL5FfezQaAh0y-JJlY73wdUwdH9azU7VNO4Vxo7T9mSTCSFNeFLzuxcBg-BbXqR7BfDmVbqCc3ZVfomPY0JYi8i2pVE/s1600/19800871_10212975973051164_831290487100943354_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1080" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXXpEBguTxdbnE6-_t-i83f6VbAuwSVgrw5xHPmiow3SQD6HpkL5FfezQaAh0y-JJlY73wdUwdH9azU7VNO4Vxo7T9mSTCSFNeFLzuxcBg-BbXqR7BfDmVbqCc3ZVfomPY0JYi8i2pVE/s640/19800871_10212975973051164_831290487100943354_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And this throw pillow, which is now on the living room couch:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q1iZFiLMgEvc30TiTmnO1uS3PO3P6oboSV0AwFmL92iML3n_ocMU4X_gtLiY1fKExyRYlZ-fNxEEj27hqLlX5v0zZR6naGUhN9l8MO5m-GjAoDQCSpKCYqcW0Ouqc83yeLolj9xIVH4/s1600/20024151_10212975972651154_6867233581139707055_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1080" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q1iZFiLMgEvc30TiTmnO1uS3PO3P6oboSV0AwFmL92iML3n_ocMU4X_gtLiY1fKExyRYlZ-fNxEEj27hqLlX5v0zZR6naGUhN9l8MO5m-GjAoDQCSpKCYqcW0Ouqc83yeLolj9xIVH4/s640/20024151_10212975972651154_6867233581139707055_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Are those not super cute?</div>
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I'm so glad that we had time to stop on our trip, and if we ever get back up there, you know I will be stopping there again!</div>
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-29727290919044071192017-07-13T08:00:00.001-05:002017-07-13T08:00:16.532-05:00Breweries We've VisitedKeeping with the theme of the week, I have another travel-related post for you today! On our Michigan vacation, we visited 2 new breweries. If you know Trent, you know he loves all different kinds of beer. He's a big craft beer fan, and likes to visit new breweries whenever we go on trips.<br />
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We have a couple of small brew-pubs here in our local area, but nothing we would consider something you would travel for. And we haven't been to a lot of breweries, but every once in a while we will stop at one on a trip, so I thought I would share some pics from those that we have been to, and also share a little bit of our experiences there if you're thinking about going to one of them yourself.<br />
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All of the breweries we've visited happen to be in the Midwest, including Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin. I'd recommend stopping at any of them if you're in the area.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3 Floyds Brewery - Munster, IN (July 2017)</span></b><br />
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3 Floyds was the first stop on our Michigan vacation a couple of weeks ago! It was just across the Indiana border, which is on the way to Michigan for us. Trent loves his craft beer, so he loved going to this brewery and spending some time here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRwe68WNnBkiqe9NeUjO6pEo9Xol37LQTh3VhLnk1PQXTG38wHdjqomjOgKAMnJLId5M6o0sO_jJSwoaYxaHEcFxTAuqWXN4vravdV_mII6ZX1ORl_ZfEEXjqqqbAQKcEZQW19JYOsgI/s1600/19477722_10212875921309933_6875235830958199915_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRwe68WNnBkiqe9NeUjO6pEo9Xol37LQTh3VhLnk1PQXTG38wHdjqomjOgKAMnJLId5M6o0sO_jJSwoaYxaHEcFxTAuqWXN4vravdV_mII6ZX1ORl_ZfEEXjqqqbAQKcEZQW19JYOsgI/s640/19477722_10212875921309933_6875235830958199915_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I enjoyed the brewery tour and the food, too. (Trent actually ate quail here! I didn't. Haha) I'm not a big beer fan, but I tried the Gumballhead with my meal, which wasn't too bad. It was a little too "hoppy" for me though, I think.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn9tgsM0r3Mrug2hFoK-fqx3nVVFLQvV11sRFqjTh117SATHXn_FAKJUy-Ugt7-g6s_CSQ8sLiHfDc633YTku03BVSfBJGgn2VzU811ScmUCm48Um2tJu9lOhn-XX1e85AQyog7-0RWs/s1600/19488496_10212875922389960_3822363357313923399_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNn9tgsM0r3Mrug2hFoK-fqx3nVVFLQvV11sRFqjTh117SATHXn_FAKJUy-Ugt7-g6s_CSQ8sLiHfDc633YTku03BVSfBJGgn2VzU811ScmUCm48Um2tJu9lOhn-XX1e85AQyog7-0RWs/s640/19488496_10212875922389960_3822363357313923399_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The tour was interesting, and it was cool to see the huge barrels they use, and the state of the art equipment they have. But my favorite part of the tour was the cool artwork on the walls. They truly have some of the most creative and unique artwork on their labels, and the owner apparently has a lot of connections with comic book artists, and even artists that work for Marvel, so their walls have plenty of artwork to look at.<br />
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Plan on waiting a while to get a table if you go on a Saturday though, which was when we were there! We did the tour while we waited which was nice, but the wait was an hour and a half from the time we got there. The food was great though, and the atmosphere was pretty cool in the pub / restaurant area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToyZlqjQxOlFg3hJDvewQm-xBLNJgaqGhdQAvmFGMVb7yRTvkJ5KJ8BGMZQ_Sj_YDW6djY2ISBmsTgPrd-kVOGL06OgGIuLubTGASez97UiUvUQQa0L5NMuxcLlcUIhWPHj_vaJeIJgM/s1600/19620319_10212875921829946_459686514596513424_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToyZlqjQxOlFg3hJDvewQm-xBLNJgaqGhdQAvmFGMVb7yRTvkJ5KJ8BGMZQ_Sj_YDW6djY2ISBmsTgPrd-kVOGL06OgGIuLubTGASez97UiUvUQQa0L5NMuxcLlcUIhWPHj_vaJeIJgM/s640/19620319_10212875921829946_459686514596513424_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Founders Brewery - Grand Rapids, MI (July 2017)</span></b><br />
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Founders was another stop on our Michigan vacation - one of the last stops, actually. It's another beer company that Trent's a big fan of. We stopped here on the way back to Illinois. It's located downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvitmlDe95jAHqOQn0pyrkP1XxuK6g_3v0ibW1T__5045kREsisYaj0mNdlZBuHVDD18f7j2BCeFRnJlHaBQpOyESCPgfiInxxjPiT4I2TIy1NCuHp9fNSwDkmoZaA5VT_lZILLM0_HLM/s1600/19679380_10212921282643938_4224016315099637998_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvitmlDe95jAHqOQn0pyrkP1XxuK6g_3v0ibW1T__5045kREsisYaj0mNdlZBuHVDD18f7j2BCeFRnJlHaBQpOyESCPgfiInxxjPiT4I2TIy1NCuHp9fNSwDkmoZaA5VT_lZILLM0_HLM/s640/19679380_10212921282643938_4224016315099637998_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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They don't do tours everyday here, and we were here on a Wednesday afternoon, so there were no tours going on. We just ate dinner and hung out on the patio, which was nice! It was perfect weather.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVR1pmp8OwldX1VHdXiDsjHcikWW6odPkUA0wzFMtDbZBEXmaKS09L0EUvl8A1TKkG9I4d7JT4DEfmlsV492mVcSsOvhVIxFWlCE0qWwQLUZA8PiQnAW4I4WRBZg0rsa-LDC3ITGFuFc/s1600/19702494_10208869685090969_8046044588237113624_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVR1pmp8OwldX1VHdXiDsjHcikWW6odPkUA0wzFMtDbZBEXmaKS09L0EUvl8A1TKkG9I4d7JT4DEfmlsV492mVcSsOvhVIxFWlCE0qWwQLUZA8PiQnAW4I4WRBZg0rsa-LDC3ITGFuFc/s640/19702494_10208869685090969_8046044588237113624_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here I had the Watermelon Gose, which is a tart and kind of sour beer. I like fruity beers, so I decided to try it, and it was actually surprisingly good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_sCmMkOzstOCO03EClh6WP0pRRqflnGFWyJWNo6rq1SyBvcW_37kKiF9koObO1IIF3n7MuxY5HFR8uVSufUC9j0nZuDj8wvK-kmhmVgopMF2smvcNmgboiUkiyvjoIK-5FHzqngVlf4/s1600/19679188_10212921283803967_9137291397244131346_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_sCmMkOzstOCO03EClh6WP0pRRqflnGFWyJWNo6rq1SyBvcW_37kKiF9koObO1IIF3n7MuxY5HFR8uVSufUC9j0nZuDj8wvK-kmhmVgopMF2smvcNmgboiUkiyvjoIK-5FHzqngVlf4/s400/19679188_10212921283803967_9137291397244131346_o.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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They also have a ton of seating inside as well, so you can go on a rainy or colder day, too! The inside atmosphere actually looked pretty cool, and there is a gift shop, that of course Trent had to spend some time in before we left. :)</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Anheuser-Busch Brewery - St. Louis, MO (August 2010)</span></b><br />
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Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis was the first real brewery we ever went to...wayyy back in 2010. Unlike Founders and Three Floyds, Anheuser is a huge beer company who makes Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, and tons of other brands. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUa6jnTaGR_7swkqaK0rYX0OPH2fl2ubaOV8MJjMonnHGSWcaaNO-1a5Q4lalMDE3PhrHT9u6wY7DVeWHdVP33YuYutEArKJtnJQc5OjAIb5yb4cI_S2xC7D6lFpNqB2AIGnmmb8fmC4/s1600/38581_1565338010492_714451_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUa6jnTaGR_7swkqaK0rYX0OPH2fl2ubaOV8MJjMonnHGSWcaaNO-1a5Q4lalMDE3PhrHT9u6wY7DVeWHdVP33YuYutEArKJtnJQc5OjAIb5yb4cI_S2xC7D6lFpNqB2AIGnmmb8fmC4/s320/38581_1565338010492_714451_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLHVEdSyKnQ1ZQYQS-GpzP1OLZhC381nLWyHLyshCwwHfeOIXHZmcFZ-U9Dq29yisiMLphjooOp7Aht-D7se8SfPOffJddQTYvK-OWHjYI1S7r5oTX8b3xroVYcB-i1J6Ey0HZGPM2E0/s1600/38581_1565338050493_5007335_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLHVEdSyKnQ1ZQYQS-GpzP1OLZhC381nLWyHLyshCwwHfeOIXHZmcFZ-U9Dq29yisiMLphjooOp7Aht-D7se8SfPOffJddQTYvK-OWHjYI1S7r5oTX8b3xroVYcB-i1J6Ey0HZGPM2E0/s320/38581_1565338050493_5007335_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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I'm sure they've changed quite a bit since when we were here 7 years ago, especially with the craft beer scene becoming more popular. I think they may have added more craft-style beer brands in recent years to stay relevant.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EIFwNQS8PvUidWMhtaDkVhHzBZQF51zvs6lDA886FFc3BJlNDvIyhDgii1sN4lUi-dQPfaX7XPFCIFlOQvtuD5mcIrwZ0yNh2y6SWt7FcePKKT1m5o0mo0wnceUiZoxmqwiyl14OM9M/s1600/39907_1565336410452_6293188_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="720" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EIFwNQS8PvUidWMhtaDkVhHzBZQF51zvs6lDA886FFc3BJlNDvIyhDgii1sN4lUi-dQPfaX7XPFCIFlOQvtuD5mcIrwZ0yNh2y6SWt7FcePKKT1m5o0mo0wnceUiZoxmqwiyl14OM9M/s640/39907_1565336410452_6293188_n.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></div>
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We took the whole brewery tour while we were here, and at the end, got to sample some beer straight from the brewery, which was cool. As my first brewery tour at 22 years old, it was a pretty memorable and fun experience. I recommend doing it at least once while in St. Louis.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsofrepNtqSf4OeZlIpUGval3ERwu3YTHR0ndQu6dRpjHfbY6FAX2GYleRgRMmUBTncyFNt9FVyCZTW7UUO0xdU_anCcNqqH3AmNI-HJorFGTRFAk25Vzg6M8KlF-ZkKfBM7KNTiNGjEw/s1600/39894_1565337170471_5868459_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="720" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsofrepNtqSf4OeZlIpUGval3ERwu3YTHR0ndQu6dRpjHfbY6FAX2GYleRgRMmUBTncyFNt9FVyCZTW7UUO0xdU_anCcNqqH3AmNI-HJorFGTRFAk25Vzg6M8KlF-ZkKfBM7KNTiNGjEw/s640/39894_1565337170471_5868459_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">New Glarus Brewing Co. - New Glarus, WI (July 2016)</span></b><br />
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We visited the New Glarus Brewery last year on our way back from Milwaukee. It was a little out of the way, but Trent had been wanting to check it out, so we took a little detour.<br />
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I'm really glad we decided to go, because it was one of the coolest breweries we've visited in my opinion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmJi8j28bVgNd0mgFCCKmh8nbbmhtNV4mY8Jb2r5aO4kupjm-ISS5UkYgLLgIwTGd76A9Kem557k4-fqyHeq-Y_chkHVfXIL-E0pD7kcETw45yNEsgnii30CIf0V6S09agTf0_JrVZns/s1600/13669405_10209470511856825_3016332772590061160_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmJi8j28bVgNd0mgFCCKmh8nbbmhtNV4mY8Jb2r5aO4kupjm-ISS5UkYgLLgIwTGd76A9Kem557k4-fqyHeq-Y_chkHVfXIL-E0pD7kcETw45yNEsgnii30CIf0V6S09agTf0_JrVZns/s640/13669405_10209470511856825_3016332772590061160_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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New Glarus is a really cute Swiss-themed town, with some pretty countryside as well. They actually call themselves "America's Little Switzerland." The brewery is out in the country, but almost feels like a European villa.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvpQ6DrE070R42VgqRie3bf7H-9MeIcOmDuYkUlrRTmITK6Y6meo1fRmBFOds6H6HrsPziB1RpAKWBfpVj6aX8dGjncAaB1711O5CrcIMZC5fIidhLHw-CNDmS-_y5U3wvY0LRWynTJM/s1600/13613407_10209470497936477_5687451206396593628_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvpQ6DrE070R42VgqRie3bf7H-9MeIcOmDuYkUlrRTmITK6Y6meo1fRmBFOds6H6HrsPziB1RpAKWBfpVj6aX8dGjncAaB1711O5CrcIMZC5fIidhLHw-CNDmS-_y5U3wvY0LRWynTJM/s640/13613407_10209470497936477_5687451206396593628_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We took a self-guided tour of the inside of the brewery, then we paid to sample a few different beers outside on the courtyard.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOvW6nLib1O3edqFphdYaCAUeDG9hvfmPKgPv-IBsgeL4Qjti2uYmRbRQDNiQaRtQwBEhGUHSoQ9BV9ivMnb5Yy7a_dE0Dhu3-nKNjdW6wmC_rOdNejzSOALTq8aVQBdv9FrqLMDQ1zc/s1600/13584955_10209470489856275_5452278410517832391_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOvW6nLib1O3edqFphdYaCAUeDG9hvfmPKgPv-IBsgeL4Qjti2uYmRbRQDNiQaRtQwBEhGUHSoQ9BV9ivMnb5Yy7a_dE0Dhu3-nKNjdW6wmC_rOdNejzSOALTq8aVQBdv9FrqLMDQ1zc/s640/13584955_10209470489856275_5452278410517832391_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can walk around the grounds, and take in the pretty scenery that the area has to offer. It's just a really nice place to spend an afternoon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXq2xwEr0pVifb6OCQGQ3xMGWuggRfEYsp7YwqiI7d2O-qd5bQVOyPEBjE0ggRZ8hbJ4D1DGr6ZJ4B7FbmGVR2zzG-PtOCV8dy5S6Dov4wCf-d8ZsjSdEVb6tY8mtuj4cM3tAKbAx5hs/s1600/13661893_10209470500456540_236675560482038908_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXq2xwEr0pVifb6OCQGQ3xMGWuggRfEYsp7YwqiI7d2O-qd5bQVOyPEBjE0ggRZ8hbJ4D1DGr6ZJ4B7FbmGVR2zzG-PtOCV8dy5S6Dov4wCf-d8ZsjSdEVb6tY8mtuj4cM3tAKbAx5hs/s320/13661893_10209470500456540_236675560482038908_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZOjqjf7UiJlx2t6a-B5luJrWCe7C2a3FLtJk4H0QzBtLs9Ty2zOgY8x4NJW1Uy7N4Za4j1HXO28QV78Sbw5ylXHQh8drewyy4nijnVUmx5IbB1Y6DesoChVXMqti7LwEOV9CYHWuNAw/s1600/13641115_10209470517376963_7994431732393541149_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZOjqjf7UiJlx2t6a-B5luJrWCe7C2a3FLtJk4H0QzBtLs9Ty2zOgY8x4NJW1Uy7N4Za4j1HXO28QV78Sbw5ylXHQh8drewyy4nijnVUmx5IbB1Y6DesoChVXMqti7LwEOV9CYHWuNAw/s320/13641115_10209470517376963_7994431732393541149_o.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozJdYi_W78JOIyq9PXSOXz9itPSgMz9pXXLJW5cWWpG623oVYIDnUC7D4Hy2NOo7JQhOCV4jGzV9hyphenhyphenHEHnfsmHKQ26CqBwvP39PV0k00g-qTLYqtg9LLmBpVt0YhQbZRqe-i_Jy7I3nY/s1600/13680145_10209470511136807_4116185157358660711_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1600" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozJdYi_W78JOIyq9PXSOXz9itPSgMz9pXXLJW5cWWpG623oVYIDnUC7D4Hy2NOo7JQhOCV4jGzV9hyphenhyphenHEHnfsmHKQ26CqBwvP39PV0k00g-qTLYqtg9LLmBpVt0YhQbZRqe-i_Jy7I3nY/s640/13680145_10209470511136807_4116185157358660711_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't mind New Glarus beer at all, the light beers anyway. Spotted Cow is a popular favorite, but you can only get their beer in Wisconsin. So, every time Trent or one of his friends visits, they always have to bring some Spotted Cow back!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPDq4vaD-crU-O3XsCzs3Y-s9gQzB4uj8nD2-gtprH8BXF5Fs2S5uP7JFQsUnxggefqQrIoDuuw8RV0BYg6ogMbgihdhRS00dWKbWfG4FelUcc9KZcr6GgyoT6t4I4BM3WkYxqV0DhAg/s1600/13669020_10209460285681177_8728720601559580326_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPDq4vaD-crU-O3XsCzs3Y-s9gQzB4uj8nD2-gtprH8BXF5Fs2S5uP7JFQsUnxggefqQrIoDuuw8RV0BYg6ogMbgihdhRS00dWKbWfG4FelUcc9KZcr6GgyoT6t4I4BM3WkYxqV0DhAg/s640/13669020_10209460285681177_8728720601559580326_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Potosi Brewery - Potosi, WI (November 2014)</span></b><br />
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Potosi is a small town in south-west Wisconsin, just across the Iowa border. The brewery and National Beer Museum here are the main attractions that draw people to stop at the town.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfk9cDpPmXCM8AjW3H2hTJ9vlr6_z1jpzr1W17mYPoZQZTXrrQrxdn9P4XFcz20O3cV_o60i3dsxdZ6efKo64fNIKJ-ihxtnVvptBOmJe2WkqB5CGNtt-0RuvHK78_vvK7fWZMtVkpWs/s1600/10634014_10204789534715322_8049348781532038911_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="1588" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfk9cDpPmXCM8AjW3H2hTJ9vlr6_z1jpzr1W17mYPoZQZTXrrQrxdn9P4XFcz20O3cV_o60i3dsxdZ6efKo64fNIKJ-ihxtnVvptBOmJe2WkqB5CGNtt-0RuvHK78_vvK7fWZMtVkpWs/s640/10634014_10204789534715322_8049348781532038911_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We were up here in late fall a few years ago so decided to stop on our way back home. We went through the Brewery museum first, which was pretty interesting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Vo3RVluEa4SlMfw9E9qZuuJpjyjVZOkf9gNUE5z7wRsozmxOthn_g-a9ssttCp7Yp8Dm9feS7Xj37i-XeK1VxqnER-lipZ58z72iCndoq8LORM3nkBaEWr0MQPoqYm0j5s69O2b7szM/s1600/1555442_10204789538035405_8129177337218784327_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="960" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Vo3RVluEa4SlMfw9E9qZuuJpjyjVZOkf9gNUE5z7wRsozmxOthn_g-a9ssttCp7Yp8Dm9feS7Xj37i-XeK1VxqnER-lipZ58z72iCndoq8LORM3nkBaEWr0MQPoqYm0j5s69O2b7szM/s640/1555442_10204789538035405_8129177337218784327_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The museum has a lot of displays about the history of the beer industry, and the evolution of beer throughout the years, including models of cans and bottles throughout history.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSrg2sgHzdhcUuUnIbx1E4UpDFwdQrLIGDZ-nphFruCZpHLgUrwjjxyK-_zahTuHyEFp2PLnTPAUhHIRDhEmuvQgmyzatGDAGpxLfzMC4t_W1Cdx-XekzvFowIioCvanCyWBHaJg9wfY/s1600/10423909_10204789537755398_7543503463995251470_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSrg2sgHzdhcUuUnIbx1E4UpDFwdQrLIGDZ-nphFruCZpHLgUrwjjxyK-_zahTuHyEFp2PLnTPAUhHIRDhEmuvQgmyzatGDAGpxLfzMC4t_W1Cdx-XekzvFowIioCvanCyWBHaJg9wfY/s640/10423909_10204789537755398_7543503463995251470_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After going through the brewery museum, we ate at the pub. I don't remember what beer I had, but I had some pretty good mac and cheese here. It was overall a pretty cool place to stop and visit for a couple of hours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EIFwNQS8PvUidWMhtaDkVhHzBZQF51zvs6lDA886FFc3BJlNDvIyhDgii1sN4lUi-dQPfaX7XPFCIFlOQvtuD5mcIrwZ0yNh2y6SWt7FcePKKT1m5o0mo0wnceUiZoxmqwiyl14OM9M/s1600/39907_1565336410452_6293188_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismzkV1O3oGQVaeT1xv8Tj2ZoQkxfB5XqGfJn4epx2rM06mi0CqYXAlEmKflKPpGXK0EcS6vVhyQnNSJTYn5ce8EWeHM6wBaY1aHN2FVez2iE5JWFrtd2OV5S89SCaEnP1QrvleR8rYl4/s1600/10678866_10204789533835300_6309302353349921441_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismzkV1O3oGQVaeT1xv8Tj2ZoQkxfB5XqGfJn4epx2rM06mi0CqYXAlEmKflKPpGXK0EcS6vVhyQnNSJTYn5ce8EWeHM6wBaY1aHN2FVez2iE5JWFrtd2OV5S89SCaEnP1QrvleR8rYl4/s640/10678866_10204789533835300_6309302353349921441_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Miller-Coors Brewery - Milwaukee, WI (September 2011)</span></b><br />
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Finally, back in 2011, we were in Wisconsin for Labor Day weekend, and spent a day in Milwaukee. We stopped at the Miller-Coors Brewery hoping to take a tour, but they were actually closed for Labor Day. So, I don't recommend going on a holiday for this reason!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0sckzJiX5hEF3naBGZpyvlbgGJOFOc8Af-cJaX38morlCLiqCEcMVynqkU1hUl80ghcb3n5qFO4f-Sp1-VwUFH0Fwg63JTkbNHuvBLdhw8Wc9khmAkugdpGLRjD6FC00O7pZJEdiddg/s1600/300888_2372936479949_3655789_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="719" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0sckzJiX5hEF3naBGZpyvlbgGJOFOc8Af-cJaX38morlCLiqCEcMVynqkU1hUl80ghcb3n5qFO4f-Sp1-VwUFH0Fwg63JTkbNHuvBLdhw8Wc9khmAkugdpGLRjD6FC00O7pZJEdiddg/s320/300888_2372936479949_3655789_n.jpg" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvuMsy4_Tmzcl3DNr4q_fbenyFsiwIRS3Mfm8EFFPL9Ra_wfe3nticsaSohNZe93DgX0po9pFLWo6JmaciuNfP-77XjQzfTQQZ0stjtAupsIB1sKR_gOAFTVUi351DsiVjpwgwqdFT0E/s1600/314328_2372935879934_275475025_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvuMsy4_Tmzcl3DNr4q_fbenyFsiwIRS3Mfm8EFFPL9Ra_wfe3nticsaSohNZe93DgX0po9pFLWo6JmaciuNfP-77XjQzfTQQZ0stjtAupsIB1sKR_gOAFTVUi351DsiVjpwgwqdFT0E/s320/314328_2372935879934_275475025_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Even though they were closed, we still drove around and checked out the area. We got pictures by the "High Life Cruiser" bus in front of one of the buildings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAwiVDCmPJ6oYyJIIfEfHQouCUdyfRe3kBVVEWBeFnpSt7zdXJT3we17Y58uXUbWQpzP1Jaw7xGLWp9uJpqCEesenw-SuvCN9R54Hx7TRr1NP8VNPYkSjj8ea_RRs46zb-ShHrA2Uwms/s1600/314956_2372937039963_942203511_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAwiVDCmPJ6oYyJIIfEfHQouCUdyfRe3kBVVEWBeFnpSt7zdXJT3we17Y58uXUbWQpzP1Jaw7xGLWp9uJpqCEesenw-SuvCN9R54Hx7TRr1NP8VNPYkSjj8ea_RRs46zb-ShHrA2Uwms/s640/314956_2372937039963_942203511_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ePOJSsrQUSaT7DeIekigMRNFRDXcYRBXN_Oa-Ja63tJ4WTN3TNiVTtNZP9AtNuFswBFDLkSk-B2KI74pbGpSZy8VhgjwZOpZ8QYm8erQ_gTmEDqa55rKTG-DfsjLv1-8qV-8R17tDww/s1600/293560_2372937559976_40421141_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ePOJSsrQUSaT7DeIekigMRNFRDXcYRBXN_Oa-Ja63tJ4WTN3TNiVTtNZP9AtNuFswBFDLkSk-B2KI74pbGpSZy8VhgjwZOpZ8QYm8erQ_gTmEDqa55rKTG-DfsjLv1-8qV-8R17tDww/s640/293560_2372937559976_40421141_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, we didn't get to try their beer straight out of the brewery, but at least we could say we were there! Maybe next time we're in the area we'll be able to do the tour. :)<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-68893174121009721022017-07-12T08:00:00.000-05:002017-07-12T08:00:18.838-05:00Just Another Weekend In Chicago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I titled today's post, "Just Another Weekend in Chicago," because I feel like we are here all the time these days. Haha. We are just under 3 hours from the city, so it's not too far, and it's one of our favorite cities because there's just so much to do here.</div>
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Last week, we spent a couple of nights here on our way back from our Michigan vacation. We actually stayed here because we were attending the Third Eye Blind concert Thursday night. They are one of my favorite bands, so I was so excited to finally see them for the first time!</div>
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We stayed at the <a href="http://www.congressplazahotel.com/" target="_blank">Congress Plaza hotel</a> again, and this time our room was even better than the first time we stayed here. We had a lake view, which was awesome.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy41rmANgJBSjzCynRJIjF_LvYyvvsHG9Qp7VVhJT-1NOJJ35Y7D3ECYg5_gqOqljlzzg5-RAmn8B66fp8KZ9dYg8KJ3qQLZ78Sf3d7Z2yYUT0QDMHB8xT9APa6lYuRvBQC-m18dvWHS8/s1600/19598817_10212924615527258_4535459702015863246_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy41rmANgJBSjzCynRJIjF_LvYyvvsHG9Qp7VVhJT-1NOJJ35Y7D3ECYg5_gqOqljlzzg5-RAmn8B66fp8KZ9dYg8KJ3qQLZ78Sf3d7Z2yYUT0QDMHB8xT9APa6lYuRvBQC-m18dvWHS8/s640/19598817_10212924615527258_4535459702015863246_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our room even seemed bigger, even though it was only a standard room. It was a bit noisier with the traffic right outside, but the view of Grant Park, the lake, and even Navy Pier in the distance was totally worth it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfy77QEzgI-mUzt-A1Ir4l-j9EILdR1yiVfRBtFwdSwRj5BCA7Vj1w1QyOH5vmt3cjwyzAr0xxTaXaMIGRDssRbReI0HlpA38x_O7sJTjmAdGisXU-9lUc8-SrtyMEWMI88ffZfWlfkGo/s1600/19756819_10212924615487257_828651476712169879_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfy77QEzgI-mUzt-A1Ir4l-j9EILdR1yiVfRBtFwdSwRj5BCA7Vj1w1QyOH5vmt3cjwyzAr0xxTaXaMIGRDssRbReI0HlpA38x_O7sJTjmAdGisXU-9lUc8-SrtyMEWMI88ffZfWlfkGo/s640/19756819_10212924615487257_828651476712169879_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Plus, it looked even better at night. Amazing view!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nDtXZSBYXdX20gbDcIGDPM0FKNi5BHlQb0LTrKsMDD3fzrmhzOaSReITJlpZx2ukEq-wnJtdDLf4jBthqHY5tp-xVoLlhdAJzvr-x0kf4bwwQKtdn-i0lHYHdBEfdLlv0re7AgGfxdo/s1600/19665247_10212924615887267_4077853799245730422_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nDtXZSBYXdX20gbDcIGDPM0FKNi5BHlQb0LTrKsMDD3fzrmhzOaSReITJlpZx2ukEq-wnJtdDLf4jBthqHY5tp-xVoLlhdAJzvr-x0kf4bwwQKtdn-i0lHYHdBEfdLlv0re7AgGfxdo/s640/19665247_10212924615887267_4077853799245730422_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Taste of Chicago was going on right across the street in Grant Park, too, so we could hear music from that, and we walked through it on our way to the concert Thursday night. You could buy tokens to try some of the local food from the vendors who were there, but we didn't partake in the food since we didn't have much time.<br />
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We did eat at Italian Village on Wednesday night after we arrived in the city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoa9IWDUHCFDQuiOGwxbvPH1Gx7_qOJRp7fo4FsrRzaLd3DLayd1PuU_1eYVOYv4a0cGKx-mRX2f8UesIOjm2Nybj8qv-uu3ntqyvV-1x8Xb-NPk3Q1780xSMxxbfVnwgOVAmEkvqtpQ/s1600/19884175_10212925138780339_8707021750070004467_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoa9IWDUHCFDQuiOGwxbvPH1Gx7_qOJRp7fo4FsrRzaLd3DLayd1PuU_1eYVOYv4a0cGKx-mRX2f8UesIOjm2Nybj8qv-uu3ntqyvV-1x8Xb-NPk3Q1780xSMxxbfVnwgOVAmEkvqtpQ/s640/19884175_10212925138780339_8707021750070004467_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It had been a long time since we first ate here. Actually, it was back in 2010 on my 22nd birthday to be exact! So it was nice to finally come back to this place. The atmosphere and food is a little like Olive Garden, but 100 times better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ptATXM2PUdjiDBsUznaOjBLVA_A1ygE1mVdTRru0m_iIiyyCh-dfNMrSdNwkA4HE04BIoOpREHDg6LQ2OjfwA-IBKUerG103SHg4BJvxZtBbqfQ-hdZ0LDg3yS6VNWBqUp__u4RcMLc/s1600/19732309_10212925138740338_3474795827635563020_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="960" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ptATXM2PUdjiDBsUznaOjBLVA_A1ygE1mVdTRru0m_iIiyyCh-dfNMrSdNwkA4HE04BIoOpREHDg6LQ2OjfwA-IBKUerG103SHg4BJvxZtBbqfQ-hdZ0LDg3yS6VNWBqUp__u4RcMLc/s640/19732309_10212925138740338_3474795827635563020_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's more authentic Italian, and the food and wine we got were all great.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4wXEDEQunoE2r0pvZQTCiBuIWAEuQBpK7lb5TMkRfqGhAkBKvhlJNGTKdx6-YzKeQ1Om9GXYT0nY6io8HsPipZKL35medq6489BLra6lwtR8Q2HJHxKhzxB5oUWvWEWneCnAcO9bzRM/s1600/19657274_10212925138820340_8520326326950361230_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4wXEDEQunoE2r0pvZQTCiBuIWAEuQBpK7lb5TMkRfqGhAkBKvhlJNGTKdx6-YzKeQ1Om9GXYT0nY6io8HsPipZKL35medq6489BLra6lwtR8Q2HJHxKhzxB5oUWvWEWneCnAcO9bzRM/s640/19657274_10212925138820340_8520326326950361230_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The next day, we went to <a href="http://www.cpdbeaches.com/beaches/north-avenue-beach/" target="_blank">North Avenue Beach</a> on Lake Michigan. I had always wanted to go to the beach here. It was a fairly hot day, a little breezy, but the sun felt good! We layed out for a while, and Trent went in the water. I waded for a few minutes, but the water was freezing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyb6N7IEeY269m8aS2yAwmEBUgcqhM7C_sFxP0egF6iRMZ_1RA06N2eF4-lgRoqPNbUhisHFUxr9YJQbRVTSfScnEqV0bXMif1JFZmX-7PBqf4X21BpWzDoqlDcweMffXCh_b47GqIKQ/s1600/19702751_10212933440347873_6657704063668799304_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyb6N7IEeY269m8aS2yAwmEBUgcqhM7C_sFxP0egF6iRMZ_1RA06N2eF4-lgRoqPNbUhisHFUxr9YJQbRVTSfScnEqV0bXMif1JFZmX-7PBqf4X21BpWzDoqlDcweMffXCh_b47GqIKQ/s640/19702751_10212933440347873_6657704063668799304_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After getting a pretty good sunburn (haha), we ate at a restaurant at the beach called Castaways.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVOeCRVhWsIK_q4TtAqsFJqz4A1QjDnrbBJcR4XOCjTiQ2rr5-1HE5YdEJvWlc0t95E89K3-cSz7tBx5bV-6mhB6qLijo2kQbGC2IeLIbEZOHqToEsD3vb2vHiJ22W4LvH-56Dzwnec4/s1600/19883983_10212931588581580_3980766036092113305_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVOeCRVhWsIK_q4TtAqsFJqz4A1QjDnrbBJcR4XOCjTiQ2rr5-1HE5YdEJvWlc0t95E89K3-cSz7tBx5bV-6mhB6qLijo2kQbGC2IeLIbEZOHqToEsD3vb2vHiJ22W4LvH-56Dzwnec4/s640/19883983_10212931588581580_3980766036092113305_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The building is shaped like a huge boat, and we sat on top and had a great view of the entire beach.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8UWTAGndql2OkYhIxvLy9g-zvRBl2_lxmYCtiijaTQJUDuGoJDbbRC3NT6EX4PVTmwF32mWq_OYAw7B7tAHBMa3Ehaje4UEET241tU9292CDzgNsQCH8Xok-IG9F9saRdIrmpnv1fkg/s1600/19665283_10212931588501578_7871630705624515224_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8UWTAGndql2OkYhIxvLy9g-zvRBl2_lxmYCtiijaTQJUDuGoJDbbRC3NT6EX4PVTmwF32mWq_OYAw7B7tAHBMa3Ehaje4UEET241tU9292CDzgNsQCH8Xok-IG9F9saRdIrmpnv1fkg/s640/19665283_10212931588501578_7871630705624515224_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I got a Pina Colada which was pretty yummy. It kind of felt like we were back in Jamaica. It was so nice to have a day to relax at a beach after an eventful vacation!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuHzePAY9puzOCsdDnswHUEXfAN3g78Xm7s2rXuDr4UHwGkwXKd7ihdBZ2hXeNbYvs9Y25oYHV2MGTvFwtA0dPu6wFhjm4p4pqS_Iuu-MnmZ4CczLlwvHX1ZG1s5WO6qTmszkbZAOLM8/s1600/19701993_10212931588541579_9216807599197586227_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="682" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuHzePAY9puzOCsdDnswHUEXfAN3g78Xm7s2rXuDr4UHwGkwXKd7ihdBZ2hXeNbYvs9Y25oYHV2MGTvFwtA0dPu6wFhjm4p4pqS_Iuu-MnmZ4CczLlwvHX1ZG1s5WO6qTmszkbZAOLM8/s640/19701993_10212931588541579_9216807599197586227_n.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
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That night, sun burns and all, we went to the Third Eye Blind concert at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island. They were just as amazing live as I had imagined!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIejElWmRWEL6hfSXKQfDFEqat6qGvs9moNVtC89vPtGywD4w4cZWjxtjLLShoypAXuUaUL_z1U8pvZ-S3Wdpi-gh8jOFPQWfEu09TkkMAmuDymRLjIwJ2NZeAJGlbXDSrKvBawq2_8U/s1600/19884267_10212939918349819_4861617445209604583_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIejElWmRWEL6hfSXKQfDFEqat6qGvs9moNVtC89vPtGywD4w4cZWjxtjLLShoypAXuUaUL_z1U8pvZ-S3Wdpi-gh8jOFPQWfEu09TkkMAmuDymRLjIwJ2NZeAJGlbXDSrKvBawq2_8U/s640/19884267_10212939918349819_4861617445209604583_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was literally a nineties music dream come true.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr56yMncncxVYPZ7bt5xRv3YDd2fCQpraffGM7cj8MkTTRtft5sFxUUo_sGwpaecgRkJzvH1-BHLwNktayS44iEAdNeN17jIVjgIwXV41rHJJQbo7dc4Hhku2YCEu6_OgdBR0Im-nmjxU/s1600/19731858_10212939928430071_9117480423697914937_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr56yMncncxVYPZ7bt5xRv3YDd2fCQpraffGM7cj8MkTTRtft5sFxUUo_sGwpaecgRkJzvH1-BHLwNktayS44iEAdNeN17jIVjgIwXV41rHJJQbo7dc4Hhku2YCEu6_OgdBR0Im-nmjxU/s640/19731858_10212939928430071_9117480423697914937_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oIlTXODLg3A_FeE_mbIj2ZtBLVLQgwggRF3SUYfZ5ndkPj0wKrI1qyhuYQrvYK7gF0gsA3RT6W8q-qLGi1ZY8hxjU8tV5tV8bmjaxCArkagv4C9blKWH60Uk78dy-NcT36Ef_FMZ85k/s1600/19731861_10212939919629851_6790447974413697291_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="960" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oIlTXODLg3A_FeE_mbIj2ZtBLVLQgwggRF3SUYfZ5ndkPj0wKrI1qyhuYQrvYK7gF0gsA3RT6W8q-qLGi1ZY8hxjU8tV5tV8bmjaxCArkagv4C9blKWH60Uk78dy-NcT36Ef_FMZ85k/s640/19731861_10212939919629851_6790447974413697291_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After the concert, we had a great view walking off Northerly Island. I mean, Chicago, could you get any prettier?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbADe9Yl3MtbALxjTO0lNIv3kotP22s0ErOjR4dIXNLMteYXY9DBhs63p8f4g8UGs5CeX4Ywb6h-arzpHS3lzAXuAGLiFq4VE_mlBKU7aUGnTWMC-LNhgK-_My0j4BFJ-ULZgvVnz8vw/s1600/19732197_10212939933550199_1429735680937450025_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbADe9Yl3MtbALxjTO0lNIv3kotP22s0ErOjR4dIXNLMteYXY9DBhs63p8f4g8UGs5CeX4Ywb6h-arzpHS3lzAXuAGLiFq4VE_mlBKU7aUGnTWMC-LNhgK-_My0j4BFJ-ULZgvVnz8vw/s640/19732197_10212939933550199_1429735680937450025_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We had to do a selfie in front of the lake and night skyline. It was such a perfect ending to a great night!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdn-C4kPBdKUMKUhM2AK64L8eUmLitkESp0EGJjMSxUSfj-Of2JW409oHHSN9JBt-xjdyHPZuLmB2Q3huPrtmnM_ESTXSa1kKZso2snH4lnc5-tG8q66zCQFTrL4IYZ04gOr_AxP47vhQ/s1600/19748835_10212939933270192_558386458723783122_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdn-C4kPBdKUMKUhM2AK64L8eUmLitkESp0EGJjMSxUSfj-Of2JW409oHHSN9JBt-xjdyHPZuLmB2Q3huPrtmnM_ESTXSa1kKZso2snH4lnc5-tG8q66zCQFTrL4IYZ04gOr_AxP47vhQ/s640/19748835_10212939933270192_558386458723783122_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The next day, we drove home but stopped at a couple more places along the way. First, the <a href="http://www.fashionoutletsofchicago.com/" target="_blank">Fashion Outlets of Chicago,</a> which is a pretty awesome mall, though we just ate there and didn't buy anything. And then to Haley and Dan's again for another quick visit.<br />
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We got home on Friday night, and while it was so nice to be home, we were sad that it was the end of our 4th of July vacation. It's been back to reality and work for us this week! I'm sure there will be many more fun vacations and trips to come, though. ;)<br />
<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6553626862516569163.post-77010400271933448572017-07-11T08:00:00.000-05:002017-07-16T14:03:23.128-05:00Lighthouses We've VisitedHappy Travel Tuesday, everyone. If you've ever seen a lighthouse in person, you know how amazing they can be! They are such cool structures, and being by the water, they also make for some pretty scenery and beautiful photographs.<br />
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During our recent Michigan vacation, Trent and I added a few new lighthouses to the list of those we've seen together.<br />
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So I decided to gather some photos we've taken over the years of different lighthouses and put together this list of those we've seen during our travels so far. You know I love a good list! :)<br />
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It's not a lot, but after I started looking through old photos to gather them all together, I realized it's more than I thought it would be!<br />
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I've listed each lighthouse we've seen below and their locations. You can click on some of the names for a link with more information about it.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.travelwisconsin.com/architecture/kenosha-north-pier-lighthouse-203360" target="_blank">Kenosha North Pier Lighthouse (Kenosha, Wisconsin)</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOm6v_79K33cmGLzU-afQS6UnkODii3ugVk50WZ-SvHuiJM7EfsZ3th2tdjtwhQWPQS-M5_2Szaty1GOlsKy6-i6NSMyyQ9LvEFX3PXXU57eOKMxhwj05a1vIwtU8YxR05lmpurhEeESI/s1600/Kenosha-North-Pier_lighthouse-Sept2011-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="719" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOm6v_79K33cmGLzU-afQS6UnkODii3ugVk50WZ-SvHuiJM7EfsZ3th2tdjtwhQWPQS-M5_2Szaty1GOlsKy6-i6NSMyyQ9LvEFX3PXXU57eOKMxhwj05a1vIwtU8YxR05lmpurhEeESI/s640/Kenosha-North-Pier_lighthouse-Sept2011-2.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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We have been to this lighthouse twice - once in the winter, and once in the summer. It's located in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfbtdN2mAh4w5w28Zr_HG-r6GF0q_dA4HUMAdiakt-m2gUrYSvJ62SkgKGqDZQZtvDIqE8rZbmVfxhFvcjL1Ic9TjJHEMKN5vUGZVM9MxQ_fijBXqGb3c1KBzCKmwWAV1oTnbP4IUnWY/s1600/Kenosha-North-Pier_lighthouse-Sept2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfbtdN2mAh4w5w28Zr_HG-r6GF0q_dA4HUMAdiakt-m2gUrYSvJ62SkgKGqDZQZtvDIqE8rZbmVfxhFvcjL1Ic9TjJHEMKN5vUGZVM9MxQ_fijBXqGb3c1KBzCKmwWAV1oTnbP4IUnWY/s640/Kenosha-North-Pier_lighthouse-Sept2011.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was a much drearier day when we visited in the winter, but was cool to see in either season.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=234" target="_blank">Chicago Harbor Light (Chicago, IL)</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-sdiszXhmbNgtNa9mHB7h5Djy2ouzJPlvY0iBjNxKHpBjXpaFeqnsMBIFjwP4yU5mAjEp0NX5Zd-6Lljt7Pn6C5KtwlcPfUVL3ajDuZvJW8y95xpSei9_bSRhQtaUsKmFEwf18gc8f4/s1600/1909813_1205324210372_4841652_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-sdiszXhmbNgtNa9mHB7h5Djy2ouzJPlvY0iBjNxKHpBjXpaFeqnsMBIFjwP4yU5mAjEp0NX5Zd-6Lljt7Pn6C5KtwlcPfUVL3ajDuZvJW8y95xpSei9_bSRhQtaUsKmFEwf18gc8f4/s640/1909813_1205324210372_4841652_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We've seen this lighthouse from a distance other times, but the closest we got was on a boat ride on Lake Michigan while visiting Chicago back in 2009.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfGpzZDS_2_cPuYIRMKwyTCyfd_ZJI4PCgElU_559ddh2XWh43PHc_KTHnoeqbM9vx8kGAsZG7UXTBmZRgDVZ3SNFPrOXgNFvOsONxc0Vy1E8JLqT2bPNmR8D-25tt_ZHd69xq0xh5V8/s1600/1909813_1205324170371_7180117_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="604" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfGpzZDS_2_cPuYIRMKwyTCyfd_ZJI4PCgElU_559ddh2XWh43PHc_KTHnoeqbM9vx8kGAsZG7UXTBmZRgDVZ3SNFPrOXgNFvOsONxc0Vy1E8JLqT2bPNmR8D-25tt_ZHd69xq0xh5V8/s640/1909813_1205324170371_7180117_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I almost forgot about this lighthouse, it's been so long! I think it's so cool looking, though!<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/bils.htm" target="_blank">Bodie Island Lighthouse (Nags Head, NC)</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXew6RyVduhB5iOEoOikZQhuiAwJta7EMLMBVm4nHWCtv2gdrHYsqqmxSZwBYWfuth927cs1KEI9QdJtxFNqBBcRn0hCwmdn8YmN-bAaPQfSg62MIFuMQwa_CoDieaKLYSlCefGgc-oo/s1600/Bodie+Island+Lighthouse+during+Restoration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXew6RyVduhB5iOEoOikZQhuiAwJta7EMLMBVm4nHWCtv2gdrHYsqqmxSZwBYWfuth927cs1KEI9QdJtxFNqBBcRn0hCwmdn8YmN-bAaPQfSg62MIFuMQwa_CoDieaKLYSlCefGgc-oo/s640/Bodie+Island+Lighthouse+during+Restoration.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The Bodie Island Lighthouse was actually <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/bodieislandpreservation.htm" target="_blank">in the middle of being repaired and restored</a> when we visited in 2012. So unfortunately, we didn't get to see the lighthouse in all its glory.</div>
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This is apparently what it normally looks like (<a href="http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=357" target="_blank">from here</a>):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoa8V6K4sW85w4dA9V6_wM7EERpzrnfcAufkZ9QMaBCYI51oXRccK2EKurSSA_5vC1e-1A9qgaeL_Vyeq-Kxw_4AsYW3EulXab1GqD2lBcilWY8re7APfK1JzXw0gB9ccoBUtku0mDknQ/s1600/bodieisland7_2006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoa8V6K4sW85w4dA9V6_wM7EERpzrnfcAufkZ9QMaBCYI51oXRccK2EKurSSA_5vC1e-1A9qgaeL_Vyeq-Kxw_4AsYW3EulXab1GqD2lBcilWY8re7APfK1JzXw0gB9ccoBUtku0mDknQ/s400/bodieisland7_2006.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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Much better and more magnificent finished and without the scaffolding surrounding it!</div>
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<b><a href="https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/ols.htm" target="_blank">Ocracoke Lighthouse (Ocracoke Island, NC)</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMy2QbzuQKTFQ1-Ev5e926aujD1DGdzPf9Jgia6H1HhBhEqRRN0ipvOcAXUHfQek-Joba_rZKOKBC3DKnapBOamtBMidxTXNJk0oXjUb9uFp6j26oUCByN8roYZDGItAU8CV44yKGeLrk/s1600/539417_4113032141253_1985211851_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMy2QbzuQKTFQ1-Ev5e926aujD1DGdzPf9Jgia6H1HhBhEqRRN0ipvOcAXUHfQek-Joba_rZKOKBC3DKnapBOamtBMidxTXNJk0oXjUb9uFp6j26oUCByN8roYZDGItAU8CV44yKGeLrk/s640/539417_4113032141253_1985211851_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ocracoke Island was one of our favorite places we've ever visited, off the coast of North Carolina.</div>
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If you travel to the Outer Banks, I highly recommend driving all the way down and taking the ferry to Ocracoke, where you can see this awesome structure. (And many more cool things!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gQkPaB5Ep-d_9Lap0dS_7Nhn_9KX9SSlirokLsEoHyBkcH75jsZ9Cverl8Wv00NYf-EyIxpWGDGrDr0w1ittejH-mKq998_co34ESvO8gJ6h-t_dUF0gIcmNfOU2FUzCkhU9ssgVPoA/s1600/179549_4113032701267_1468439706_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gQkPaB5Ep-d_9Lap0dS_7Nhn_9KX9SSlirokLsEoHyBkcH75jsZ9Cverl8Wv00NYf-EyIxpWGDGrDr0w1ittejH-mKq998_co34ESvO8gJ6h-t_dUF0gIcmNfOU2FUzCkhU9ssgVPoA/s640/179549_4113032701267_1468439706_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b>Clinton Lighthouse (Clinton, Iowa)</b><br />
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This is another lighthouse that I actually almost forgot about, because it has been so long since we've been here. It's unique because it's located in Iowa on the Mississippi River, not on a major lake or an ocean. It's one of the few that are pretty close to home for us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJmiywYj7D7lSGM2r3eKWxQP9mWfufnbZyrwSdyv8jNK1ycOaoDXQnJpgB1ko-LwtWw5sxHCeCmD5C3FcjqpXvjPAaSfVM7aw1Kr-Yn0LP9KxIxw_6dw1RGZiIVQLT5CkgSDXMbQyfO8/s1600/25496_1419024752752_7147956_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="504" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJmiywYj7D7lSGM2r3eKWxQP9mWfufnbZyrwSdyv8jNK1ycOaoDXQnJpgB1ko-LwtWw5sxHCeCmD5C3FcjqpXvjPAaSfVM7aw1Kr-Yn0LP9KxIxw_6dw1RGZiIVQLT5CkgSDXMbQyfO8/s640/25496_1419024752752_7147956_n.jpg" width="448" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b2hzNofApSrWk9kjmvcA04QO7t7o2-lA9erduwgjdE-YxUdhzqDEJzJ-ppZBiNczM8oGealXC2VU_4MBBxINx3-rNy3-e4nRDMgCWQ9cn-IkxZ8A5j4P9D3v7okav_e1Rv4LRL7WCyo/s1600/25496_1419024872755_1551661_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="720" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b2hzNofApSrWk9kjmvcA04QO7t7o2-lA9erduwgjdE-YxUdhzqDEJzJ-ppZBiNczM8oGealXC2VU_4MBBxINx3-rNy3-e4nRDMgCWQ9cn-IkxZ8A5j4P9D3v7okav_e1Rv4LRL7WCyo/s640/25496_1419024872755_1551661_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskegon_Pier_Light" target="_blank">Muskegon Pier Light (Muskegon, Michigan)</a></b><br />
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This is the first lighthouse we saw on our Michigan trip last week. It's along the coast of Lake Michigan, and was on our way up to Traverse City, so we decided to stop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fxYxNtIj69sjZa5TDT-NpVpe07HBSUs42h4dUV6ZxJK1VykHQsuEd5O9Hq50uGgujdB17u7t1hyphenhypheno8hm-xMa0f80hnU983zo2MLtxoOHlp4gUW7c_5RECHPj6oQ3tT0WL4fx_rE3oneY/s1600/19601188_10212885145260526_2843875947609792665_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fxYxNtIj69sjZa5TDT-NpVpe07HBSUs42h4dUV6ZxJK1VykHQsuEd5O9Hq50uGgujdB17u7t1hyphenhypheno8hm-xMa0f80hnU983zo2MLtxoOHlp4gUW7c_5RECHPj6oQ3tT0WL4fx_rE3oneY/s640/19601188_10212885145260526_2843875947609792665_n.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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It was perfect timing, because the sun was setting while we were there, which made for a pretty gorgeous backdrop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMITpodAjEZyD8A9cX5pPfo5E_W-IadI6rfaYTX4xSMkMN6qFspgc7wgja-HHH_l5Wd3PYBADuQ-7o8gNCOiJT838MA7J2JqrUc3F8mlgGVuX2pZLMGRfTYjTW70rSA-CXBR-5yBgHzk/s1600/19601369_10212885148100597_6951429741187500139_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMITpodAjEZyD8A9cX5pPfo5E_W-IadI6rfaYTX4xSMkMN6qFspgc7wgja-HHH_l5Wd3PYBADuQ-7o8gNCOiJT838MA7J2JqrUc3F8mlgGVuX2pZLMGRfTYjTW70rSA-CXBR-5yBgHzk/s320/19601369_10212885148100597_6951429741187500139_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0fqBhy5o7CiQu3V7C47lMRI-yYUh8aaejRaHqbNU7VFww_LYZfJOnSS7-9dxxfiP1IlouBxz572wWxXkKOYdR3wB0VlSs761MamkSuRHgEcMSsSIzXIUWpIanZVnuQQBRqLOjrErftU/s1600/19598487_10212885144460506_3635006764601962293_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0fqBhy5o7CiQu3V7C47lMRI-yYUh8aaejRaHqbNU7VFww_LYZfJOnSS7-9dxxfiP1IlouBxz572wWxXkKOYdR3wB0VlSs761MamkSuRHgEcMSsSIzXIUWpIanZVnuQQBRqLOjrErftU/s320/19598487_10212885144460506_3635006764601962293_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.michigan.org/property/wawatam-lighthouse" target="_blank">Wawatam Lighthouse (St. Ignace, Michigan)</a></b><br />
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This was another short stop on our trip. We stayed in St. Ignace (in the Mackinaw City area), just over the Mackinac Bridge. We first saw the lighthouse from our ferry to Mackinac island, then decided to stop before we left the area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-4kNmMGFeKtAega5Cl_KLm949DTcLD76JvLOYBFpxOX-YOATAM-IWfgSaA3okLaQxr2TMTjfOWB4zCEMyu6fTRRecoReQeIiVscx2jmGyH2LZrXWUgwXtqkBJoCHKI_fe4pOdu5i0bw/s1600/19657307_10212922327110049_3080653846992721023_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-4kNmMGFeKtAega5Cl_KLm949DTcLD76JvLOYBFpxOX-YOATAM-IWfgSaA3okLaQxr2TMTjfOWB4zCEMyu6fTRRecoReQeIiVscx2jmGyH2LZrXWUgwXtqkBJoCHKI_fe4pOdu5i0bw/s640/19657307_10212922327110049_3080653846992721023_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksj7ivOaZqaY8zFkpUgTrdm5kxDzyyh5xLyHv8FpycLLxqhgCKwwrD9yAaZdhyGU9NmKOKOc1Thzxql8cClUdkFMyl8ZGTGEfBZlqhk3-HHD7fpZy-SKTaEbar92v1egQDU9HJ08sIrI/s1600/19642730_10212913967341060_1564216206419966938_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksj7ivOaZqaY8zFkpUgTrdm5kxDzyyh5xLyHv8FpycLLxqhgCKwwrD9yAaZdhyGU9NmKOKOc1Thzxql8cClUdkFMyl8ZGTGEfBZlqhk3-HHD7fpZy-SKTaEbar92v1egQDU9HJ08sIrI/s640/19642730_10212913967341060_1564216206419966938_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks-and-attractions/old-mackinac-point-lighthouse/" target="_blank">Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse (Mackinaw City, Michigan)</a></b><br />
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This lighthouse is located in Mackinaw City, Michigan. You can pay to go inside and go up to the top, but we decided not to, since we didn't have much time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjku2xGPKvWmRdO8CkBMZRUZVjMc7Z6tb0H4_qsBYRuwcXq4AmLsyPOrJ4Bndy6OAP-ObrRy1Rjw74qyG310dDMXF5eT7lDM0zlT30DasVPflOu_Y7KuUJZ0TedsKLHogX5n217hzzn4/s1600/19732352_10212907368736099_5151865699090354144_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="960" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjku2xGPKvWmRdO8CkBMZRUZVjMc7Z6tb0H4_qsBYRuwcXq4AmLsyPOrJ4Bndy6OAP-ObrRy1Rjw74qyG310dDMXF5eT7lDM0zlT30DasVPflOu_Y7KuUJZ0TedsKLHogX5n217hzzn4/s640/19732352_10212907368736099_5151865699090354144_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So we just walked around and admired the lighthouse and its cool structure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHgk3pj2_6ZqJ_nTOZ5E6ZSRFCcAfed28zvPAPOR0nCgT1ruXHLVqvH_SwXvdafjfMN7Mf5xr6iL-h_MCz-3YHmUGVf_QYIpgRfw09aNnOn_PdEjZkQ7NV782pB7l6_2FzZa4TXAgblk/s1600/19260720_10212907369296113_7017599657457786847_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHgk3pj2_6ZqJ_nTOZ5E6ZSRFCcAfed28zvPAPOR0nCgT1ruXHLVqvH_SwXvdafjfMN7Mf5xr6iL-h_MCz-3YHmUGVf_QYIpgRfw09aNnOn_PdEjZkQ7NV782pB7l6_2FzZa4TXAgblk/s640/19260720_10212907369296113_7017599657457786847_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMO234uHGlWeDpLgfOiMYvhXGH_hApmPR4SWiuzWooNxvY9WRPC7i6mbwyhOSLcHhHUDjNgG-1lkbw-Ozt_5aklcbQHiDPMpomjgA75r8mVQN_CtRG47ZIeM6BvnDgqsa07qqtadylTc/s1600/19732351_10212907368776100_1575593295611152762_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMO234uHGlWeDpLgfOiMYvhXGH_hApmPR4SWiuzWooNxvY9WRPC7i6mbwyhOSLcHhHUDjNgG-1lkbw-Ozt_5aklcbQHiDPMpomjgA75r8mVQN_CtRG47ZIeM6BvnDgqsa07qqtadylTc/s640/19732351_10212907368776100_1575593295611152762_n.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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And that concludes the list of lighthouses we've seen up close on our trips so far. Hopefully, we'll see more in the future! They always make for some pretty cool sights to see, and great photographs as well.</div>
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<a href="http://www.this-little-house-of-mine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/137/5431BDA97575AE64D5C6E608BF67666F.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px;" /></a>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07712424413034681503noreply@blogger.com0