monday musings

It's been awhile since I've graced this little corner of the inter webs with my inner most musings. So much has happened in the last few weeks and even more will happen in the coming ones. I'm hoping "get warm and stay sunny" is Mother Nature's to-do list as we head into our last month in Innsbruck. Within hours of the above photo being taken, we were hit with dark skies and snow flakes. I can't keep up with this valley weather...

birthday trip - czech!

My mommy came over to visit for a few days short of two weeks. After an evening arrival into Munich and a quick snooze at a nearby hotel, we hopped in the car and headed for Prague.

on top of the world

Kiley and Cody visited us - twice - as part of their Tour de Europe. After 4 straight days of snow, the skies cleared, the sun shone, and we trekked up Nordkette to Hafelekar. It literally could not have been a more picture perfect day.

schönes neues jahr

there is a castle on a cloud

With almost a full day off, the Heins Four piled into the car and headed toward Neuschwanstein. It was cloudy and foggy most of the day. In fact, our first attempt at the castle view was laughable. You could hardly see your own hand in front of your face.

happy birthday daddy / california dreamin'

End of August 2014:

My dad has had a wide variety of visits to California in his time: Bootcamp at Camp Pendleton, a family vacation to Disneyland with two young daughters, his convertible rode trip across the country, helping me settle in after my move from San Francisco to Orange County, and possibly most importantly, Andy and my wedding. And although I had the pleasure of seeing my dad more times than usual this summer, his trip to California in August was one my heart will cherish forever.

flyover states

Fourth of July weekend 2014:

After nearly five years, I was finally able to drag Andy to Iowa for a long weekend to visit my dad and step-mom. Iowa City and the University of Iowa is a super special place in my family. My sister and three step-brothers attended college there, my dad and step mom reconnected there after nearly 30 years apart, we've celebrated birthdays, bridal showers, football wins (and loses), weddings, and much more there. This visit was long overdue.

thirty + six

Early July 2014:

The men in my life have now reached a combined age of 36. I don't know what's crazier - the fact that Andy is 30 or that my little boyfriend, Harry Winston, is 6. Time flies, that's for sure. We were lucky enough to be in the Chicagoland area for Andy's 30th birthday, meaning he got to celebrate (early) with some of his first and oldest friends, and a slew of our favorite family members.

minne

Late June 2014:

I haven't lived in Minnesota for nearly 10 years. Woah. That hurts my heart a bit to say. 10 years is a long time to be away from anywhere but the funny thing is, Minnesota still is and always will be "home." I grew up there, I spent summers in college there, my best friends are there… Minnesota will hold the number one "home" spot in my heart forever. Sorry California.

bwahston

Mid-June 2014:

One of our first to-dos on this summer of travel was to head east for a very special birthday celebration. Our beloved Ellie "Bucket" turned three in June, so naturally her Godparents and all three sets of grandparents had to fly out for the occasion. It's a funny thing having only one grandchild in the family. At any given point, there were upwards of 10 adults following around a teetering little lady. It was actually ridiculous…

triathlon training essentials

Last Saturday officially marked 3 months until the 2014 Nautica Malibu Triathlon. As you may know, earlier this year I successfully recruited a handful of family members to join me for this year's race. Throughout Ellie's birthday weekend and our time in Boston, we spent a good chunk of time discussing tips and tricks for triathlon training.

boston or bust

Another day, another Hein/Dranka/Kleinschrodt/Diers cross-country trip for a very Bucket birthday party. Looking at the above, it's hard to believe homegirl will just be turning three. Time has gone both too fast and just fast enough. She could be the head camp counselor for a group of junior high kids…

wedding season beginnings

Love is most certainly in the air. Between bridal showers, Bachelorette parties (and let's be honest, the upcoming season of The Bachelorette), and many MANY weddings on the books this summer, it's safe to say my wedding fever won't be breaking anytime soon.

In DIY-ing the invitations for my step-sister and her babe's upcoming engagement party, I discovered wax sealing. It was such a simple, classic, and perfect finishing touch, and made dropping these babies in the mail that much more fun.