indie on-line shopping

etsy.

farm country

yarn
i'm back from my vacation. i visited yarn stores galore, but must say i was a little disappointed. i really didn't see anything out of the ordinary until i visited a place in minneapolis that had some wonderful handpainted yarn. i even bought some for my secret pal!

food

it seems you can now even find vegetarian restaurants in the heart of america. here are some of the best we encountered:

Chicago: Chicago Diner and Green Zebra
Minneapolis: Ecopolitan (excellent!)

family

i've been going every year to the family reunions on my mother's side. although it's usually a brief visit, these moments are very important for me to connect to this family. this time there seemed to be so many kids running around and our picnic seems to have doubled in size. i'm thinking about my own running around some day too...

memories

i missed my 10-year high school reunion while at the other one. before the trip i was anxious about missing this "momentous" event, wondering who would be there and thinking about who i would (or would not) remember and who i would miss. but while on vacation and visiting with family i didn't think about it once. my grandmother turned 91 that day and i'm happy i was there with her.