Banff Canada

It's now on my bucket list to go to the official Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada. It's a week long festival with tons of fun events going on all week.  However, it's in October... so it would be really hard to go there when I can't ski!  So, i'm thinking we would go after we have skied there a few times.  For now, we enjoy going to the traveling tour that comes to Duluth in the Fall & Spring.  Last week we went to the Radical Reels tour which are the best high adventure films that come from the festival.  Here is a preview:

The Wannabe Sisters

It's my dream of all dreams to own a store with my lovely smart talented creative unique bestest friend ever... Mary.  Somehow, someway I will get her to move to MN (best state ever by the way) and we will hit up every estate, thrift, garage, antique sale we can find to repurpose old junk.  I'm slightly obsessed with this new trend called junking.  I go to all of the stores and occasional sales in Duluth... but really I just want to find my own junk to repurpose.  My dad was bidding a job to tear down an abandoned farm... and we went over there to salvage old barn wood, old doors, vintage dishes left in the house, old milk cans... etc.  It was the most FUN day ever.  We are planning on going again in a couple weeks so I will take pictures then.  Once, Mary & I had a garage sale and sold a painting that we painted ourselves... ever since then we have considered ourselves real artists (i'm positive they wanted it for our beautiful masterpiece and not the canvas underneath it).  Someday Mary & I will have an occasional sale... but for now i'll just dream about it.  We will call our store "The Wannabe Sisters"... maybe.

Here are some of my latests estate/garage sale finds.  As you can see I have an obsession for jars!!  I flirted with an old man to get a good price for them.... a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. :)  My favorite piece is the yellow crate...  I LOVE IT!  I'm also starting my very own collection of vintage pyrex.  I love old junk so much!

Happy Easter!

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Derby Girls, Blameshift & Hobo Nephews...

Robby & I love bluegrass music... its't kinda a must if you live in Duluth. Last weekend when we were in Ashby there was a bluegrass band from Duluth playing near Fergus Falls.... The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank. We really love this band and were excited to go listen to them live with my family! Turns out it was the most awkward, weird, unpredictable night ever. First the Roller Derby girls were there skating around for a fundraiser selling shots (what?). My uncle Gary gave in and bought the table a round... i'm pretty sure it was kool-aid. We thought that the Hobo Nephews played at 9pm but it turns out there was a band playing before them (Blameshift) that was alternative hard rock which is not my type of music AT ALL. So we had to sit through 5 songs of loud (opposite of bluegrass) music. Who thinks it's okay to schedule a hard rock & bluegrass band on the same night AND have the bluegrass band play last? That's just messed up. It was after 11pm by the time the Hobo Nephews started playing... and the Balgaards were tired! We danced to a few songs and then headed home. I was sooooo dissapointed! I guess we will just have to catch their next show in Duluth!

Barbie & Gary - not too impressed with Blameshift.

Dad. Also, not impressed with Blameshift. This is what he looked like the whole time!

Robby - he was a fan of Blameshift. Me, not so much.

And the biggest fan of Blameshift... Heidi.

She loved them so much that she got a picture and autographed cd!

She is set for when they make it big.

Robby was excited to share our 1st ever shot together (i'm still convinced it was kool-aid). Thanks Uncle Gary!

We bought the CD incase we had to ditch out early

at least we could listen to them in the car on the ride home.

After much anticipation... The Hobo Nephews! Completely worth the wait.

Sam & Heidi... so cute and so in love.

Dancin' like the hippies in the Brewhouse.

Duluth Life

Robby and I took on a new little (rather big) life adventure.

In February I got a random phone call from a friend of the family. They own a mansion very very large home in Duluth that has been on the market for quite a while. Since they were having trouble selling it they decided to put their home on homeaway.com and use it as a vacation rental click HERE. They asked us to be caretakers and flip the house after groups leave. Also, we get to have family up and use the house when nobody is staying there... which is a really really fun perk! We are going to have a very very busy summer cleaning - but i'm really looking forward to it and it's great extra money! YES! :)

The Balgaards were the first to come up and stay and we have the most lovely time! My mom and I sat in what used to be the cigar room & had wine by the fireplace. The room has a bell built into the wall that back in the olden days was used to ring for the hired help - Lily would ring the bell and Robby brought her whatever she wanted :) The house has so much character and old charm - I love it! The hiking trails are right behind the house with beautiful views and waterfalls!! We had such a great time!

And the best picture of the weekend...

The prefect alone time...

Robby had a guys weekend a few weekends ago and I had the perfect quiet night...

Sushi + Red Wine + Red Box = LOVE!

1st Annual Frey Slush Run!

On March 3rd Lakeside (the neighborhood we live in) got 12" of snow!! I skied in the streets down to a cafe for lunch. It was all lake effect snow and they only predicted 1"!

Exactly a week later it was 70 degrees! Robby & I have been craving a good trail run. We decided it was time to put away the ski's and break out the trail shoes... In MARCH! The weather has been so warm here ever since the crazy snow fall. We declared this run the 1st Annual Frey Slush Run.... it was really wet and muddy.

Thanks to mom for these awesome Yak Trax!

Robby & Beckett are best buds!

We ran up to Hawks Ridge - so pretty!