It was around 10° during our candlelight hike a few weekends ago. Coupled with the snow, it made for a chilly night. When I originally planned our date, we had yet to receive any snow beyond a dusting. Temperatures were near 40°/50°. I figured it would just be a colder than usual hike for us. When the snow hit and temperatures dropped, I decided to keep our plans as they were. It made for a perfect opportunity to test out my new base layers from Columbia: the midweight long sleeve stripe top and midweight stripe tight.

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Both pieces make use of Columbia’s Omni-Heat technology. The inside of each garment is covered in silver, reflective dots, making it look very space-age but keeping you very warm. Both also incorporate Omni-Wick in high-perspiration zones, keeping you dry in all the right spots. There are antimicrobial properties to the fabric, so you continue to feel and smell fresh while being active. While the pieces are very form fitting, the fabric is very stretchy and comfortable.

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I wore the tights under my regular jeans. They actually made me feel slimmer – not at all bulky. It was like wearing Spanx, but without the discomfort. I don’t know that I looked skinnier, but mind over matter. Maybe I should start wearing them under jeans all the time 

Because the colorful stipe pattern is so cute, I decided to treat the top like a regular long sleeve shirt. I would never wear it alone unless I magically turned into a super model (remember – very form fitting), but it worked layered under a short sleeve top. I thought it was casual-date-night cute with the sleeves showing and just a hint of the collar peeking out through my v-neck.

Performance-wise, I am in love! I am always cold – always. I already had a good experience with the Omni-Heat in my Heat Elite jacket, so I had high hopes. I wasn’t disappointed. Wearing the tights under jeans, the long sleeve baselayer under another shirt (short sleeve), topped off with my Heat Elite jacket, I was perfectly comfortable in the 10° weather. Only my hands were cold – my gloves weren’t equipped for long-term cold exposure. So I stuck my gloved hands in my jacket pockets – problem solved. I have never been so toasty in the winter cold while simultaneously feeling sleek and slim. Perfection!

If you are looking to invest in good base layers for your winter activities, I would highly recommend the the midweight baselayers from Columbia. I’m even more excited to get out in the snow regularly with my new snowshoes…if we ever see snow again.

Last weekend, I finally tried out the snowshoes!

I didn’t trapse around too much. We just headed out to our land. Jason attempted to burn some brush (fail), so I took the opportunity to try my new gear.

My snowshoes weren’t the only new gear I was using. I donned my new snow pants, Omni-Heat gloves, Vasque Breeze hiking boots, and Columbia Triple Trail Shell that I’m testing out for CampingGearTV.com. I’m like glow-in-the-dark in that thing! No losing me in the woods.

So what were some of my thoughts after my inaugural snowshoe outing?

• I was a little surprised at first that I sunk into the snow. I thought something was wrong, but it wasn’t. Snowshoes just distribute your weight over a larger area so your foot doesn’t sink as much into the snow. This is called flotation.
• I quickly experienced both how much easier it is to walk in the snow with snowshoes and what a good workout snowshoeing will be. It was so nice not to have my foot sink into a hole with every step.
• Your foot sinks more in the powdery snow, less in the more compact, iced-over snow.
• My shoes came with poles, but we forgot to put the powder baskets on the ends before leaving the house. Just FYI – There is no point in using the poles without the powder baskets. They just sink in the snow.
• It is going to be really fun hitting a real trail in my snowshoes. It was a little uneventful walking around our small clearing, but it was an excellent way to get used to the shoes.

One of the things I want to do in 2012 is have regular “date nights” with Jason. It’s not that we don’t spend time with one another – we’re together a lot. But most of the time, we hang out at home. If we go out for dinner, it’s often a random decision based more on laziness than specialness. We’ll switch off each month planning our date night – January was my month.

For our inaugural date night, I chose the 5 O’Clock Club for dinner followed by a candlelight hike at nearby Lapham Peak in the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

The 5 O’Clock Club is supper club in Pewaukee (outside of Milwaukee). I trolled around Urbanspoon looking for good options near Lapham Peak, and I found this to be the best option based on ratings and the menu. Jason is a supper club kind of guy.

I started my meal with the homemade rosemary fries with garlic aioli. OMG! These were incredible! The fries were seasoned just right, and the garlic aioli added the right punch of flavor. I highly recommend these fries. Jason ordered mozzarella sticks. They were made with wonton wrappers, and Jason liked that a stick of fried cheese could taste lighter.

For my entree, I went with the chicken caesar salad. I got adventurous and added anchovies. The salad was good, not great. I was kind of surprised I didn’t like it more based on how salty it was. The kalamata olives and anchovies were a bit much even for me. Jason had the “classic cluck,” a large, fried chicken half. It was massive! The meat was very juicy, but the fried batter wasn’t super flavorful. We finished our dinner with a tasty – and free – slice of cheesecake. It was a good ending to a nice meal.

After dinner, we headed to Lapham Peak. Jason and I had never visited this unit of the Kettle Moraine, so we weren’t completely sure where we were going. After entering the park, we turned into the first parking lot we saw – a lot full of cars and people walking around. We got out of the car and walked towards what appeared to be the trail. I was mildly concerned that everyone had skis – it was a ski/hike event. There was also no candlelight, but actual lights. We didn’t see any signage and no one said anything, so we started off on our hike.

About 10 minutes down the trail, a cross-country skier stopped us and kindly let us know that other skiers would likely get upset with us walking on the cross-country trail. We explained our confusion, and he pointed us further down the road. We were grateful that someone guided us – not one of the other people we passed, including the person at the entrance section, bothered to point us in the right direction. So, we high-tailed it back to the car and headed down the road. We quickly found ourselves in the right location.

The trail was a one-mile loop lit with milk jug luminaries. Temperatures were around 10°, but I managed to stay warm in my Columbia thermal base layers – long sleeve top and tights – and Heat Elite jacket.

We hiked for about half an hour. It was tougher than I anticipated – the snow really throws off one’s balance – and it made for a good workout. Jason and I were both sore on Sunday. Some people did have snowshoes, but I didn’t think using my snowshoes for the first time in the dark was such a good idea. Maybe next time.

As you may know, I have become mildly obsessed with Pinterest. Not a day goes by when I don’t visit the site, and I even found a way to use it professionally. Yeah, I’m that good 

It’s almost impossible to spend time on Pinterest and not want to be more crafty. Christmas seemed like the perfect time to let the “pinspiration” take over.

Mason jar crafts are rampant on Pinterest. I went with two different mason jar ideas that I had pinned: Christmas Treat Jars and “In-A-Jar” gifts.

Christmas Treat Jars

I made four of these jars using almonds, almond M&Ms, and, since almond M&Ms were quite scarce, mint M&Ms. To maintain the layered look, I used a cup of the given treat for each layer. If you make these jars and use nuts, it’s important to use unsalted nuts only. Apparently, salt will ruin the other treats in the jar.

In-A-Jar Gift

I used this pin more for inspiration than strict instruction. I decided to make four “Manicure In a Jar” jars that included:

• Manicure gloves (which to my great surprise, we extremely difficult to find)
• Mini nail clippers and emory board
• Nail buffing block
• Hand lotion
• Hand sanitizer
• Ghirardelli chocolates – for the pampering factor

I used my Xyron Create-A-Sticker (5″) to attach ribbon around the rim of each jar. Then I stuck a curly Christmas bow on top. I used my Cricut to craft up some Christmas-y tags. Luckily, my most recent cartridge acquisition included a tag shape, the “To:,” and a snowflake. Perfect!

Duct Tape Flower Pencils

After completing the jars, I set to work on one more project – Duct Tape Flower Pencils for my niece. I pinned this idea from Pioneer Woman, and it was a huge hit.

I made a bouquet of five flowers. Four were pink with silver accents, and one was the reverse. Once I got into a groove ripping the pieces of tape, I wanted to keep going. They were rather fun to make. I happened to have a tiny vase, so I stuck a piece of colorful ribbon around the neck of the vase and put the pencils in it. Perfect packaging for the gift.

With all the pinning I have been doing, I am proud that I actually followed through on a few of them. I feel so productive 

Are you on Pinterest? If so, have you taken action on any of your pins?

In keeping with the spirit of the new year, I am thinking about what I hope to achieve in 2012. I see the beginning of a new year  as the perfect time to set some new goals and maybe a resolution or two (there’s a difference).

This time last year, I set four goals for 2011. I didn’t achieve a darn one of them.

• Write at least three posts a week –> Some weeks I did awesome, most weeks I completely failed.
• Lose 20 pounds by June 1 –> Considering that, as of right now, I’m only 8 pounds down from my January 2011 starting weight, I’d say I pretty much blew my timeframe.
• Complete at least two 5K races (all running, no walking) –> Ok, I’ll give myself a break on this one. I did complete one 5K last year and ran the whole thing. I intended to run The North Face Endurance Challenge 5K again this fall, knowing I would/could run the whole thing, but had to pass on it after a minor medical procedure. So close.
• Complete a backpacking trip –> Ouch! I completely forgot that this was one of the goals on my list. What seemed like a sure thing back in January came to a swift end in May. Probably out of everything I wanted to accomplish in 2011, this was the thing I wanted the most. No Yosemite High Sierra Camp lottery for us this year. To make quicker progress on our dream home, we plan on sticking close to Wisconsin for our summer trips the next few years. We’ll definitely try for the camps again, though. And in the meantime, we’re weighing our backpacking options closer to home. This goal hasn’t gone away…

I’m disappointed that 2011 was such a bust, both in terms of my goals and as an all-around year. To be honest, I don’t know if 2011 ever stood a chance. It kicked off with the 5th anniversary of my dad’s death. The cancellation of our Yosemite High Sierra trip was a huge punch in the gut – I was SO excited for it – and the disappointment definitely carried into our revamped vacation.

Making matters worse, I found that I started to care too much about my day job. Let me explain, because that statement just sounds bad.

I care about my job. I’m very fortunate to have the job I have, and I enjoy the work I do. I get to work with some amazing students and some amazing co-workers. But nothing is perfect, and there are plenty of things that severely bother me on a daily basis. Hence my problem – I have cared so much that I have allowed the little (well, and some big) problems to dominate my days. It has brought me to a bad place, one that I want to leave behind in 2012.

So, it’s a new year. And it’s going to be a good year. Because I say so. So there.

Instead of setting goals for the entire year at this time, I have decided to cut the year into thirds-of-sorts. So, my goals for January through May are…

• Run a 5K
• Complete my Yosemite 2010 scrapbook

In addition to the goals I will set three times this year, I’ve decided on one over-arching resolution. Given it’s nature, it also fits nicely with the One Little Word I’ve learned about from Kam of Campfire Chic.

Be Present

Being present is another thing I have failed at lately. Where do I even begin… Technology consumes too much of my time. I live too much of my life ruminating about the past. I spend too much time worrying about what I don’t have instead of appreciating what I do have. I want to take steps to be present, to live in the here and now. 2012 seems like a good year for it.

So there you go. Two goals and a resolution to kick off the new year.

What do you hope to accomplish this year?

Similar to what happened in 2010, Jason and I were really good about getting out to hike every week…until after our summer vacation. To be honest, our motivation to hike this past year diminished greatly once we found out our Yosemite High Sierra Camp loop trip was cancelled 

Despite not getting out nearly as much as I would have liked, here is a look back at our 2011 hikes.

How Many John Muir Trails Are There In the World?

Backpacking Recon

Ice Age Trail Near Lone Tree Bluff

Ice Age Trail, Pre-Downpour

National Trails Day 2011

National Get Outdoors Day 2011

Ice Age Trail, Scuppernong River Habitat Area

Ice Age Bust

Hiking Lembert Dome (THE hike this year)

Dark Hollow Falls

Stony Man

Is it just me, or did 2011 fly by? It certainly was a busy year, thanks to some great opportunities to travel. Here’s a little look back at some of my year’s highlights.

We completed our biggest renovation project in three years…

Before & After: Bonus Room Renovation

Which was promptly ruined…

This Old House

We explored our land in the winter and snapped some pictures of our wild tenants…

Special Winter Photography & Peek-A-Boo Deer

Jason and I visited the Milwaukee County Zoo for the first time in ages…

Warmth Draws Me Outside

I entered photos into a photo competition, a first for me. I didn’t win, but it was a start…

Photo Contest!!

After making it into the Yosemite High Sierra Camps for the 2011 season, Jason and I made preparations for our trip…

Working with My Strenghts

Which were promptly decimated…

Back to the Vacation Drawing Board

We kicked off summer by camping in the backyard with our niece, Reagan…

Great American Backyard Campout 2011

July brought our revamped trip to California, where we visited three national parks – Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon – instead of the originally planned one.

Complete California Vacation 2011 Series

And thanks to a family wedding in Washington, DC, we were able to add a fourth national park to our itinerary this year, bringing our total to 4 of 58 national parks visited…

DC Road Trip and Shenandoah National Park Series

2011 was a pretty good year. Can’t wait to see what 2012 brings!

I hope you enjoyed Christmas with your loved ones. Jason and I had a (mostly) nice holiday. Celebrating Christmas three times is always a bit much for me. As an only child with a very small immediate family, I grew up celebrating one time, Christmas Day itself, in my own home.

Christmas Eve eve was spent with Jason’s dad. Christmas Day was spent with Jason’s mom. Christmas Eve was our at-home celebration with my mom and grandma. We fixed a huge meal for just four people – maple-glazed ham, hash brown casserole, garlic mushrooms, scalloped carrots, watergate salad, and biscuits. To top it off, Jason made mint oreo truffles. We have a lot of yummy leftovers.

Whenever we host guests at our house, Thea and Bailey make themselves the center of attention. Christmas is no different.

Thea becomes overly affectionate towards guests, in this case my mom.

Bailey was just content to lounge.

Gift-wise, Jason and I did very well. The highlight of the gifts I received was snowshoes. I have been asking for snowshoes for a few years, because I really want to try the sport. Now, I have a pair of very pretty snowshoes in their own case with coordinating poles. All I need is some snow, which we are still without in Southern Wisconsin.

One of the gifts I gave to Jason was a set of chess pieces for the board he and his dad made years ago. It is a beautiful board that I have made the centerpiece on our dining room table, so it’s wonderful to have the pieces to make it a functioning game. Jason is teaching me to play. I’m not doing too badly, but I have yet to win.

It has been a nice and relaxing way to spend our evenings, making for the perfect end to a very hectic year.

With the holidays upon us, I reflect on what the year has given us. Jason and I feel blessed to to have done all of the things we have done this past year. We are so fortunate to share our lives with wonderful family and friends. We are grateful for all that we have worked for and are excited for another year of making our dreams come true.

Wishing you Happy Holidays from Wisconsin!

Road Trip to DC: Adam & Ellie’s Wedding

Road Trip to DC: Primanti Brothers

Road Trip to DC: Exploring the National Mall

Road Trip to DC: Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park: Dark Hollow Falls

Shenandoah National Park: Dinner at Skyland

Shenandoah National Park: Stony Man

Book Review: The Undying Past of Shenandoah National Park