Nakita Grinie

Photos galore

Verdict in: Skiing did not kill me. In fact, I seriously enjoyed myself and would consider doing it again and again. And therefore, my husband thinks he has died and gone to heaven.

We had a super fabulous weekend and I managed to take a ridiculous amount of pictures. I chose some of my favorites to share with you but this is one of those times when there are even more pictures on my Flickr site than I could fathom posting on my blog. Feel free to enjoy the rest as you please.

Friday night: Authentic Mexican food on the South side of Milwaukee.







Then out for drinks at an Irish pub [we are so ethnically diverse, I tell you].


Catching up with our St. Louis buddies still warms my soul. I miss them. I love having visitors up here. Love. Miss. Sigh.

My favorite quote from Friday night:

Hannah: "I believe you now."

Me: "What do you believe?"

Hannah: "How freaking cold it is up here." [please note, it was 11 degrees at the time....not exactly warm but nowhere near the depths of despair that Milwaukee can boast.]

Me: "What, did you think I was exaggerating about this weather?"

Hannah: "Yeah, kinda."

Score one for me! I really AM in the Artic. My St. Louis friend said so. And once she said that Mother Nature shone down from above and blessed us on Saturday: it was the first day in recent weeks that gave us temperatures above freezing. Perfect timing for our ski trip, no? The thirties are a wonderful place to be and I only wish it would last.

So yeah, we went skiing at a resort about 1.5 hours away from Milwaukee. Nate gracefully cared for the camera so I wouldn't fall on top of it but he got rather sick of lugging it around after awhile. We got some pictures but of course, my mind was swirling with other photography opportunities on top of that mountain. Oh well, it's a start.













You guys, I must announce this: I went down a black diamond! And I didn't fall! Now of course I fell a few times throughout the day but I'm so proud of myself for harnessing my inner fears about breaking a bone and going for it. My calves are a little upset with me today but it was worth it. I liked skiing and want to go again, so take that, Mother Nature. Winter sports can be fun....just like Nate has always said. :)

We were totally pooped after 6 hours on the slopes but we drug ourselves out for a pizza dinner, complete with an ice cold brew.


After going to bed at 10:30 like old hags, we awoke Sunday morning rather refreshed. I continued taking pictures of various drinks just because I like it. See?

Henry was, in fact, around this weekend. He was just a little peeved for being left out of the ski trip.

Michael brought one of the most perfect hats with him and I took full advantage:





The weekend went by in record time and it's always sad to say goodbye. But life goes on and so do the pictures...

Another drink shot will do. I convinced Nate to stroll around by the Lake just like we did last Sunday, except today was about 20 degrees warmer. I think I found my new favorite shot:


The juxtaposition [big word alert!] of sand and snow on the beach makes me feel happy. It's like two polar opposites colliding for the sake of photography. The sand reminds me that someday the snow will melt and we will walk around without shoes, basking in all of summer's glory. My heart is beating faster already...


Lake Michigan is not warm at the moment, though.


And I've decided that Milwaukee's skyline is pretty cool.


So yeah, what a fabulous weekend. It just proves that friends and photography make me very happy right in the midst of some winter blues. I know I'm not the only one who's been feeling down lately and I'm pretty sure it had a lot to do with the endless cold. But hey, January is behind us....February is a short month, and by March it BETTER start warming up or I might flip out for real.

Anyone else with me?