South Dakota - July 2015

The town where I live has a huge festival every year for the 4th of July.  When I was the Director of the Chamber of Commerce, I always had to work that day (ALL day).

In my new position as General Manager of a local event centre, I intentionally did not book anything on that day (for a variety of reasons).

Long story short, I went to South Dakota last week.

Rapid City is a 12 hour drive from eastern Iowa.

You have to, right?

waiting, not very patiently

He's always had a motorcycle, but this year, he got a Harley, so...

mandatory

Sturgis was surprising.  We did NOT go during the rally, so it was just a very normal small town.

It also has places like these, which we were happy to see, without experiencing the craziness of the rally.

Buffalo Chip

Full Throttle Saloon

delicious!

Emmett

Just next to Sturgis is Deadwood.  I'm absolutely addicted to the HBO show (SO good!).

downtown Deadwood

Mt. Moriah Cemetery

I love cemeteries (I know that's weird), and Wild Bill Hickok, Seth Bullock and Calamity Jane are all buried here.

Calamity Jane fascinates me

Afterwards, we rode through the Black Hills National Forest, stopping at Cheyenne Crossing for an Indian Taco (it was just ok, but apparently is the thing to do), into Spearfish Canyon.

Roughlock Falls

Just off the Spearfish Scenic Byway is the trail to Devil's Bathtub.

The trail is challenging, and requires crossing the stream several times - by balancing across a fallen tree, leaping from rock to rock (or wading through when you just don't care anymore) and sometimes by shimmying across a rock face by your fingernails.

Honestly, I wanted to quit several times.  It was scary!  How cool could it be?

pretty cool

very cool

At the end of every day, we would ask each other what had been the best part.  For both of us (even me!), this was the best part of the whole trip.  It was challenging and humbling and ultimately so rewarding.

The next morning, we went to downtown Rapid City, had a delicious breakfast at Tally's Silver Spoon (consistently ranked as the best breakfast in town) and walked through Art Alley.

The quote reads "It is better to be high-spirited even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow-minded and all too prudent."  

(I love that!)

We then headed to Custer State Park...

Sylvan Lake

view from the famous Needles Highway

out to see the Crazy Horse Memorial,

they have a long way to go

then took the gorgeous Iron Mountain Road...

right after we saw this guy we saw a whole herd,
but they're mean & scary so we didn't stop

to Mount Rushmore.

Some friends of mine were talking one day about the lighting ceremony at dusk, so that's when we went and the only word I can use to describe it is "emotional".

The next day we were ready to get off the motorcycle (300 miles in 2 days was enough for both of us), so we got in the truck and drove out to Wyoming...

to see the Devil's Tower.  

(Having seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a child, I couldn't help but find this creepy.)

We ended the night in the small town of Lead, known for having one of the best fireworks shows in the country.

The next day was the long drive home.  

On the way, we drove through the Badlands.  This was supposed to be a 1-hour drive along the scenic byway, but we ended up getting out several times for a better look.  

this place is very interesting

Luckily, neither of us had to work on Monday, because we'd spent so much time in the Badlands we had to stop for the night at midnight with almost 4 hours to go.

But, like everything through the whole trip, it was worth it.

Sunday

After working Saturday, and a meeting Sunday morning, I drove to Wisconsin for lunch and a barn dance (that's right).

It was pouring down rain when I left home, but luckily that ended, because...

new bike!

We went to lunch at Daniel's Lounge, a bar inside a motor sports shop (yes, really), then rode to Galena, where I paid way too much for a very small can of paint.

I've been intrigued by this Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stuff for a while, so decided to finally try it.  I was going to be practical and get white, but as soon as I saw all the colors (so many pretty colors!), I knew that wasn't going to happen.  I was drawn to Antoinette, a very pretty pale pink, so that's what I got.  Projects to follow!

We finally made it to the barn dance at Council Hill Station, but it was late and soon became a private concert.

So we went outside and watched a bunch of guys drive jeeps through the river.

(Yes, really.)

Pretty in Pink

I've always wanted a pink bedroom.

And now I have one!

Benjamin Moore First Light

Usually when I start painting, my initial reaction is "I hate it!".

But I'm cheap, and not about to repaint, so I forge ahead and after the 2nd coat I always love it.

This time, it was love at first light (uh, sight).

I still need to prime, paint and hang the trim.  Install new blinds. And new closet doors.  One of those closet organization systems would be nice...

It'll be a while before it's "done".

I also made this recipe for Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes that I've been seeing all over Pinterest and it was GOOD!  I didn't include the chicken so it took less than 30 minutes.  (Nice!)

Ingredients

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small jar (3-4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 lb chicken breast tenders (or not)
• salt
• paprika (just a little bit for the chicken)
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz pasta
• 1 tablespoon basil (if using dry basil), if using fresh basil you can add more
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (at least, add more to taste)
• 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
• salt, to taste

Instructions

• If using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), drain the tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons of oil for sauteing.
• In a large pan, on high heat, sautee garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained) in 2 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar) for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. 
• Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil, and add chicken tenders, salted and lightly covered in paprika (for color) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side. 
• Remove from heat.
• Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water (Note: I think this is SO gross so I didn't do it and the sauce was just fine). 
• Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking).
• Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller bits and add them back to the skillet with chicken. 
• Add half and half and cheese to the skillet and bring to a gentle boil. 
• Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until all cheese melts and the sauce is creamy. 
• Add cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. 
• Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
• Optional (in my book): Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water because the creamy sauce will be too thick (do not add all water at once - you might need less or more of it). This will water down the thickness of the cheese sauce and make it creamier.
• Immediately, season the pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed. 
• Let simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.

So Far...

I've officially been in my new job one month now and (so far) I like it...

I've booked a few weddings already, and am working with other people in the community on other events.

And I've started planning some events of my own.

In my previous position at the Chamber of Commerce, I would think "Someone in town should have a [insert the name of some event here]".

Now that someone is ME!

I've already scheduled an Indoor Garage Sale this month, and I'm working on a Women's Day Out (manicures, chair massage, wine tasting...) during March Madness, a Crafting Retreat in April, and an Outdoor Show in May.

And I'm creating a new website.

(I've been here one month!)

I was working out of the office in the restaurant next door to the event centre.  This was far from ideal (I was in the way), so we had to find a new office...

Yes, that is a closet in the laundry room of a hotel.

But now it looks like this...

making progress

It's a little bare, so over the weekend I worked on some projects I'd seen on Pinterest.

First, I took these old frames I found at Goodwill...

$2.50

$4

 I hated the gold, but liked the detail on both of the frames...

I also liked this Easy Bulletin Board Project

and these Shabby Frames.

So, with a little Heirloom White spray paint, a roll of cork, a scrap of fabric and some twine, I now have these...

much better!

I still have more to do, but I'm getting there.

End of December 2014

On Friday I delivered the last of the donations for our community giving tree, and now have a lull until I either find another job or have to start preparing for next year's events (hopefully the former).

I do love this job, but I'm getting excited about the future - meeting new people and doing something different.

Over the weekend, I relaxed - finished one book (The Meadow, by James Galvin) and started another (A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan).

Although one book takes place in the mountains along the border of Wyoming and Colorado, and the other is set in urban New York and California, the books are very similar - both move back and forth in time to tell the inter-related stories of several people.

And they're both really good!

Sometimes I feel like I can't do anything fun while the house is such a mess, but this weekend I decided that the fact that my bedroom looks like this...

so I have to sleep here...

doesn't mean I can't use the kitchen, so I made this recipe for Creamy Crockpot Potato Soup.  (I left out the bacon until the end, though, because soggy bacon is so gross.)

I also made this No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread and it really couldn't be easier!  I was shocked!  I'll try adding in some flavors next time - cheese, rosemary, jalepeno...

To get in the holiday spirit, I watched Love Actually, #2 of my holiday movie trilogy that started last week with The Holiday.  Tonight I will finish with The Family Stone, before spending Christmas Eve with family (SO thankful I don't have to fly anywhere!) and then having dinner with friends on Christmas Day.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Good advice.

(And, not just for construction.)

I was recently given a bench, with a perfectly nice cushion...

The cushion, though...

It's just not my style.  I like things a little more girly.

So, I decided to make a pillow sham for it, using this video...

So I measured the cushion, and finally found the perfect fabric (on sale!).

I cut it out on Saturday and realized that I forgot to take into consideration that there are actually two sides to a cushion.

Luckily (knowing how I am), when I bought the fabric, I rounded up generously (like I said, it was on sale, and I know how I am).

And, since it's an envelope style sham, so can only be put on one way, nobody will ever know the bottom is pieced together!

ta da!

Also on Saturday, I tried a new crock pot recipe.  I am an incredible crock pot cook and this recipe for Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken from Cozycakes Cottage was no exception. This recipe requires slightly more work than I like (you have to make rice!), but it was well worth the almost no effort whatsoever that it takes to make rice.

On Sunday, I had to work.  But, as usual, my job was sitting around talking to people and (not quite as usual) hanging out with newborn baby birds.

SO CUTE!

Dubuque, Des Moines & In-between

Each year, the Voices Gallery in Dubuque, Iowa holds a month-long art exhibit and cultural event in the historic Millwork District.

On Saturday night, I attended a reading by Michael Perry, who wrote (among other things) a book called Truck: A Love Story (P.S.) that was HILARIOUS (for the most part).

New York City?  No, Dubuque.

The next day, I had to drive to Des Moines, for a press conference with the governor (yes, that sounds weird to me too).

I decided to take the scenic route.  

Literally.

The Grant Wood Scenic Byway takes me about halfway to Des Moines from the town where I live.

scenic

The Antioch School Grant Wood attended from 1897 - 1901

At the end of the byway, I took the "2-lane" (as opposed to the "4-lane") to Mt. Vernon, a small town between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (two other small towns).

Recently, a conversation broke out on Facebook about how cute Mt. Vernon is (it is!) and how cool the coffee shop Fuel is (it is!!).

I had to check it out for myself (such is the power of social media!), and since I was driving in that direction anyway...

I've never heard of a chanchito, but these were super cute!  They're supposed to bring good luck so I probably should've gotten one but I didn't.

Not-so-bright, but super-early the next morning...

View of the sunrise over the Iowa State Capitol from my hotel room

Hopefully the only time I'm INSIDE the Iowa Supreme Court