Farewell (Midwest) Fall

It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to my sister, brother-in-law, baby bean and mommy this evening. I can't believe the time has finally (almost) come for me to jet set across the ocean and begin a new and exciting adventure abroad with Andy'le.

I'm so thankful to A and B for hosting me and Harry during our nanny stint and I'm beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to spend some QT with my family before departing.

Things I'll miss most about Milwaukee...

Beautiful Fall foliage.

Sandwiches...duh.

This girl - don't grow up too much while I'm away, Ells Bells.

on to the next one...

Happy Birthday Daddy!

It's been a whirlwind year in the family: An engagement, a baby, a wedding and most importantly a huge birthday milestone for my dad - turning 60!

Destined for greatness at an early age.

His unconditional love and never-ending support helped turn these two little girls into successful, hardworking and beautiful young women.

My dad is the smartest, most creative and motivated person I've ever known. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does, from volunteering with a local food delivery charity organization to developing new and innovative business ventures and companies. He's truly an inspiration and is my business-minded buddy in a family full of brilliant PhDs.

I'm so lucky to call you my dad. Happy birthday, Daddy. I love you!

on to the next one...

Boot Camp

If you expected this to be a post about Andy getting his butt kicked at practice or me going on another one of my "Fit Not Fat" rants, you are wrong.

As we prepare to head overseas, I realized that Harry and his southern self might not be prepared for the freezing tundra of Europe. Being "cold" - and the pathetic shivering that inevitably follows - is an all too familiar phenomenon in the Hein household. After careful consideration and a few trips to local pet boutiques, we've found a solution:

And there you have it - Boot Camp: Harry Winston style.

on to the next one...

"In heaven there is no beer...

...that's why we drink it here!" And drink it here, did we ever.*

The second annual Diers/Holte/Turner/Dranka/Hein/Sams tailgate was a success. We played bags, toasted to Roberto's 30th birthday, enjoyed showing EA the tailgate ropes, cracked the case of the returned dog and cheered on our beloved Hawks.

Thinger, Mick and Cody.

BEAD and her parentals.

Missing you, Andy and Max!

Unbeknownst to my dad, Lenny and us kids had been planning a surprise 60th for quite some time. After a pretend meltdown (thanks Ellie), Lenny and the Drankas left the game early and headed home to set up for the celebration. Dad's siblings and friends gathered from near and far to ring in his 60th birthday in style.

Don't be fooled by his expression. He was surprised. I swear...

 Ellie and Lebron hooped it up post-surprise.

Homemade blueberry pancake breakfast with the fam - I die.

That's the latest from these parts. Pending flight bookage, I should be joining the mister abroad next week - hooray!

on to the next one...

*for all you Iowa haters, "In Heaven There Is No Beer!" is the unofficial victory song of the Hawkeyes. Click for a listen.

What time is it? Game time!

In a mere 35 hours, we will be noshing on tailgate grub, shot-gunning responsibly consuming alcoholic beverages and cheering Iowa to a Homecoming victory against Indiana.

This year, I'm thankful I don't have to act as someone's (ahem) decoy and do all of their drinking. Whew!

LET'S GET 'EM, HAWKS!

on to the next one...

Falling in love...

...with the Midwest all over again. This time of year is the best. The changing and falling leaves, the crisp and cool air, the 5 o'clock sunsets, the trips to the patches (of the apple, pear and pumpkin variety). Le sigh...it's heavenly!

Andy and I both said our goodbyes to San Francisco on Wednesday, and as Andy embarks on a new season abroad, I feel so blessed to be spending some time with the fambam in "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land." While Anne and Brian are busy curing the world of cancer and Parkinson's, Grandma Nunions and I have been spending our days doting over this peanut...

This weekend's adventure took us to the pumpkin patch in Freistadt. It was a windy day (you might not believe this judging by our beautifully styled tresses...humor me) but we made the most of the almost perfect Fall weather and scored some sweet gourds to carve, decorate and display as Halloween nears. A few highlights of our day... 

 Baby torture.

(for more amazing pictures, head over to A and B's blog here)

Tonight, we're hosting a s'more and bonfire night with A and B's friends so I'm off to spike the apple cider, but before I go I'd like to give a special shout out to Ellie Bellie for her help with this post - you're the bomb, girl!

on to the next one...

Fleet Week

AKA - Can't get enough of San Francisco and it's perfect weekends.

Last week Andy and I packed up our OC abode and headed north for the big city lights of San Francisco. We wanted to spend some QT with family and friends before heading off on our next great adventure.

This week(end) was Fleet Week in the city and we were so fortunate to spend our Sunday taking in the sunshine and the air show spectacle. We even had a best friend appearance by Ms. Pierce herself. Thanks for driving all the way up for our day of fun, Smash!

 dear ferry building, i miss you.

we couldn't resist.

 shan and julie pants.

 rooftop love.

on to the next one...