Monday, August 31, 2009

Weekend Getaway

This weekend, I took a few days off from TCF so Jarad & I could head up north for a little getaway. Destination: Leech Lake. Along the way, Jarad made a special trip into St. Cloud so I could see the Munsinger Clemens Gardens. This beautiful garden features various sections of beautiful flowers, foliage, and fountains. I particularly liked the hibiscus:


And there are several working fountains that just begged me to take pictures:


After this delightful pit stop, we were on our way up to Leech Lake. Jarad's mom and stepdad have a sailboat, The Renaissance, which they keep in a Marina at the Shores of Leech Lake. We were able to get up there and out on the water for a lovely sail. We anchored in a shallow end of the the bay, and had a great lunch cooked on the grill. Jarad and I both took turns sailing - I even learned a bit of sailor language (not the dirty kind - I already knew that!). But I think I figured out which side is "port" and what it means to "tack". Very exciting!!


Sunday morning, Jarad & I woke up early enough to see the sun rise over Leech Lake. There was a beautiful fog on the water, and the clouds were just striated enough for a really cool effect. It was chilly - down in the lower 40's - but it was worth it to get this view!


After a nice breakfast and some coffee, we took a bike ride of about 7 miles, seeing some more of the lake shore and enjoying the great trails that run around the lake. All in all, a wonderful little weekend getaway - I felt refreshed and ready to face Monday when we got back to town!


Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Real Deal


It's been 7 months - seven amazing, wonderful, exhilirating months - since Jarad & I first met. This is the real deal, people...bask with me...c'mon, you know you want to!