Frozen Waterfalls

     We had a really lovely, fantastic weekend this weekend. Valentine's Day we spent at home making homemade pizza and cuddling up on the couch watching Netflix and eating Ben & Jerry's. Saturday was spent adventuring at Vertical Endeavors rock climbing (although of course it happened to be the day that I wasn't feeling well so I spectated instead of actually climbing) and eating fantastic Greek food in Minneapolis. On Sunday I felt the itch to explore and the need for an adventure. Then I thought of the frozen Minnehaha Falls that I had never seen. I often say things that I want to do and then never put them into action. Well, I decided to just go for it and do what I say I want to do! It was about a 20 minute drive from our place in St. Paul and well worth it.

    Technically you're not really supposed to go back behind the water fall, it's quite icy and can be very dangerous if you're not careful and have at least a little bit of athleticism. You have to hold on to ropes and pretty much slide along a steep ice covered hill to get back there. But it's oh so worth it. A beautiful and unique experience for sure.  

(Remember to click the photos to view a larger version!)

Behind the falls:

    Driving home I felt so good about going out and exploring the amazing world we live in. So often I feel like I'm wanting a beautiful adventure some place far, far away and forgetting about the amazing cities I live in and all the interesting things we can do here. Advice for myself and for others who feel stuck- especially in these chilly winter months- be a tourist. Be an adventurer. For free. There's a million things you can do if you just look around. Feel young and naive and wide-eyed and let your heart be open. Sometimes it's as simple as that.

Silver Bay

     Our mini winter vacation concluded with a little road trip up to the North Shore. We stayed with Tanner's grandma up in Silver Bay (as we do almost every year), a beautiful little town nestled in amongst the snowy bluffs and Lake Superior. It ended up being extremely cold while we were up there, most of the days were -10 below and colder. So as you can imagine much of our time was spent inside, which was actually quite nice. Lots of HGTV, mexican train dominoes (which I WHOOPED Tanner at) and so much delicious food. Most of these photos were taken during the commute to or from there, out the car window. 

 It was hard to capture the majesty of the lake on camera, but it had steam rolling off of its waves.

Sweet deer right out side the house!

The marina.

Lukewarm car ride there and back.

Big Lake Christmas and Frozen Adventuring

     Day one of our little trip was nice. We ran around to pick up some last minute gifts in the morning, and then drove out to my parents house in the snow woods. In the afternoon we bundled up and attempted snow shoeing through the woods and down to the frozen lake with a little orange kitty named Weasley trailing after us. When we got down there we laid on the snowy ice for about fifteen minutes with silence between us and the noise of the world around us. Evening activities included hot chocolate, pizza, fire places, crocheting, hanging out with my parents, reading and snuggling.

     Day two at my parent's began with sleeping in, homemade venison sausage and eggs for breakfast, and taking beautiful frosted photos out on my parent's porch. We went snowmobiling through the state forest by my parents house. We were surrounded by snowy evergreens and animal prints. In the afternoon after a hot shower and a cup of tea my grandparents came over. With my mom and my grandma I went for another long walk through the woods and down to the lake. We came back as the sun was setting and one by one my sisters and their loved ones arrived for dinner. I got so much playtime with my sweet little niece. She's 6 months old now, and so, so adorable. She's not really scared of us anymore as she was a couple months ago. We all got lots of giggles and snuggles. Also to be noted, she really likes the banjo (I gave Tanner one for Christmas!)

     For dinner my family made prime rib, shrimp and scallops with baked potatoes, tequila berry salad and

homemade sweet bread with honey butter. Baked Alaska made by my grandmother was served for dessert. We opened gifts after dinner. My parents are always the best gift givers, they put in a lot of thought and effort to get us gifts that we love and need. I got a new (much needed) camera bag- backpack style, new snow pants (also desperately needed) and a box full of wholefoods goods. The night was ended by being cozy on the couch, good television, good company and lots of laughter. We went to bed late and were up bright and early (well not so bright as the sun was not quite yet up) and hit the road for Silver Bay- photos to be seen in the next blog post!