A little early...

Spring it a bit early this year! Last year I blogged about spring in April....it isn't even March yet!! The weather has been unseasonably warm and we already have daffodils and all the trees (with the exception of the dogwoods) are blooming. It truly is beautiful outside! The only downside for me is the pollen.... I found out a couple weeks ago that I am severely allergic to pollen (no wonder why I am always stuffy!!!). So I have started taking allergy shots. Hopefully this will solve my allergy issues for the rest of my life!

I have to say I am a little hesitant with the early spring, I am sure we will get some colder weather around the corner before summer comes. But for now I will enjoy the warm weather and the flowers before it is all over and the muggy hotness that is summer in GA falls upon us.

REI Dividend

Anyone who has an REI membership is excited for this time of year...why you ask? Because it is dividend time!! If you are an REI member you get a percentage of your purchases back each year in March. Plus they give you a 20% off coupon. So in the spirit of shopping at REI, I have made a wish list. Of course I have to share the dividend with Eric so I most likely will not be able to get everything I want :) ....but here is to hoping (and my birthday is in April....hint, hint)!! 

Arc'teryx Moveo Tank Top 

prAna Gigi Shirt 

Privo by Clarks Polar Lake Shoes 

REI Willow Roll-Up Pants

 

Camping....Hiking....Camping....Hiking....

Camping and hiking are the two things I keep thinking about this time of year....It has gotten nice out and I am ready to spend time outside! Unfortunately, it is still a little cold to do overnight camping and my husband has a sprained ankle so.... no day hikes for us! 

I love being outside end exploring the woods, having a camp fire, taking pictures, and enjoying my friends & family with me.

We have gone camping and hiking a lot since living in GA. We have been to Cumberland Island, the Appalachian Trail, Altamaha River,other parks in MN, GA, and NC and Costa Rica. 

Luckily for us we have friends and family that enjoy camping & hiking with us. I hope we can do a lot more this spring! (If Eric's ankle heals quickly.) 

Where do you like to go camping & hiking?

(PS. Our computer has been fixed! It is a miracle!!)

Shutting down....

...Just for a little while. My computer crashed at home (don't worry I have most of everything backed up) so I will not be blogging a lot until I get a new one. When I do have time to blog at work, I wont have any pictures to share (sad!) but I will post a few things here and there. I would LOVE to get a new computer asap but financially I am not sure if we can make it work. Computers are SOOOO expensive! But at some point I will need one so I can download my pictures, edit them, and post them on here! Until then, I hope you have a wonderful spring! I will be enjoying the warmer weather....I hope you do as well!

Around Athens: Cine

Happy Valentines Day! I hope you have special plans for the day! Eric and I are celebrating tomorrow. We will be going out to eat at Speakeasy and then catching a movie (Another Year) at Cine. Which brings me to my latest Around Athens posts.....

Cine is a movie theater downtown Athens that features independent films, small budget films, discoveries from festivals, and local productions. They always have a great selection of movies and they have a bar. You can order anything and bring it into the movie with you. I love being able to enjoy a glass of wine with my movies!


If you haven't been to Cine I highly recommend it! What are your Valentine plans?

Warmer weather

I think that no matter where you live, this time of year you are itching for some warmer weather. I know I am! A couple weekends ago we had two 70 degree days...ever since then I have been dreaming of shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. Spending afternoons on our deck and grilling dinner. I know I am only a month away from that so I am not going too stir crazy, but I know when we move back to MN it will be another 3 months before it is really warm. So I am going to enjoy the early spring while I can! (Sorry MN friends....I know its cold there.... you can come & visit if you need a break!).

Here are a few random pictures from the 70 degree day of the cats enjoying the warm weather. 

Fun with Fungi

One of our favorite things to do in Athens is to go on a quick hike at the Botanical Gardens. This past weekend we went for a nice hike and I took my camera along. There were some daffodils peeking out of the ground but most of what I found to take pictures of was fungus. Lots and lots of fungus growing on trees. So, check out the pictures I snagged...

I am excited for everything at the Botanical gardens to start blooming so I can take more pictures but until then they have some beautiful orchids inside.

YouTube

So I am not a person that uses YouTube a lot.... Occasionally I will look at a funny or cute video that someone shared with me on Facebook or something like that. Now however....my house it on it.

Our Realtor is using it to try and bring more interest to the house. I am not sure what I think yet.... it is a little weird to have our home on YouTube. But if it sells faster, than I am all for it! Our cat Heidegger even makes an appearance in the film. Check it out:

Changes

This will be a year of changes.....

The first change is my health. I am working on being healthier -- eating better and exercising more. I am also going to have an allergy test don't. I have allergy problems year round and it is time for me to get them checked out. Next week I should know what I am allergic to. I am NOT looking forward to doing a "scratch" test.

The second change is our home. We have officially listed our house for sale. It is weird being in this transition....trying to keep the house clean, spending free time fixing things around the house, spending money on a home we wont be staying in for long. But it is our first step to moving back to MN and making that our home again.

Moving to MN will be the biggest change. It is bitter sweet thinking of leaving our life style and friends in Athens. We are sad to leave it all behind but are excited for the opportunities for us back in MN. New opportunities being a new and better job for me. I am hoping to advance my career in HR by moving to the twin cities.

Until then, we will be enjoying everything here in Athens!