Goodbye for now: Choose Happy

Hi Friends!
It's been over a year and a half since my last blog post. On the eve of my Aunt Nan's birthday, the one that inspired me to write this blog, I feel like I have failed her a bit as I have stopped writing and sharing on this blog. I have been trying my best to Choose Happy and share that message with those around me and those I come across, but it isn't always easy. Nan always gives me a little sign to keep it up and to live each day to the fullest. 

The truth is, with the daily grind of life and running kids to sports, events, long drives home from work, etc., I just haven't had the time nor the will to sit at the computer at night working on blog posts. It may be that I have to write full time for my job, so I don't enjoy writing like I used to or maybe I am just over the whole blogging thing. But whatever it is, it's time to call it quits. I have been postponing this for too long. 

High Hopes
I really had high hopes for this blog. In the hay day of blogs a few years ago, I dreamt of being an amazing, well known blogger that was paid for all of my DIY, Home, Beauty, Travel and Organization posts like the "big" bloggers do. I tried selling Choose Happy shirts, selling ads on the side of my blog, I just didn't quite have what it takes or know the "right" people. 

After awhile, I realized that life is too short to get upset over a failed blog, so I kinda just let it go. Maybe someday I will have more time to blog, but for now, I enjoy sharing pictures and messages on Facebook and Instagram!

Thank You
Thank you to everyone that has followed and commented on my blog over the past four and half years. Four years? WHOAH, I guess I didn't even realize it had been that long. Nan certainly inspired me to encourage everyone to Choose Happy and will continue to inspire me. 

If you haven't been here before, I encourage you to look through my past posts, as I really enjoyed sharing DIY projects, What I Wore, family, recipes and especially all of our travels. 

I will continue to be active on social media, so feel free to follow my Choose Happy page on Facebook and personal page on Instagram!

Celebrate the life that you have and try to Choose Happy!

Currently Choosing Happy {vol.20}

HI! Welcome to Currently! This post series is a great place to share what we are up to and share your post through the link up below. We can make new friends & encourage each other in this thing we call "Life". Please join me! 

This is my 20th week of 2016 hosting- Currently Choosing Happy link up, please join me this week or next or the week after, or any time you can join in, I would LOVE to hear from you!

**Sorry for the delay in posts. I have been so busy lately with work, kids, events, etc...that I have not made enough time for the blog. If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you will see I post almost daily.  Thanks for still loving me :)

Exploring// Madison, Wisconsin for Memorial Day weekend.  Friday night, we stopped at the Great Dane Pub for dinner. I would highly recommend it. They have great food, great drinks and fast service! We made sure to pick up a t-shirt for our nephew Dane too! The kids enjoyed swimming at our hotel pool that evening as well. 

Enjoying// Mickey's Dairy Bar in Madison for breakfast after many recommendations. It was so delicious and so filling. I had the scrambler on the bottom right, I barely ate 1/2 of it. We had to get a strawberry shake to go and it was incredible! 

Admiring// Camp Randall stadium. My son has already decided that UW-Madison is where he will be attending college. This fall he will be in 3rd grade, he has big aspirations! 

Visiting// the Henry Vilas zoo in Madison. We were amazed by the many animals on-site, as it is a free zoo. We saw polar bears, giraffe's, penguins, lions, anteaters, grizzly bears, sea lions, monkeys and more! They also have a beautiful carousel and train to ride through the zoo. 

Shopping// for my very first kayak. We stopped at the Rutabaga kayak shop to try out a few kayaks. I fell in love immediately with the Wilderness 12ft kayak and knew I wanted to take her home! It fit perfectly on our new kayak racks and we headed 3 1/2 hours home. I tried out my kayak at home the very next day! I love it already!

Celebrating// my cousin's wedding at a beautiful countryside location on Memorial Day weekend. The weather was great, the old fashioned's were amazing, the food was incredible, the company was even better! 

Hiking// this past weekend at Willow River State Park. Saturday was free Wisconsin State Park day. We took a long hike down to the falls and the kids enjoyed getting dirty and playing in the water. 

Kayaking// with my little brother on Sunday. We had a nice relaxing ride around the lake together. It was a beautiful day to be on the water. Being on the water is my happy place. 

Choose Happy & have a wonderful week!

CURRENTLY LINK-UP RULES

1. Link your Currently post below! **Unrelated posts will be deleted**

2. Link back to this site so others can join on this adventure with us. You can grab the button below:

3. The link up starts on Mondays, but you can join any day of the week!

4. THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL!! We are each here to encourage each other and make new friends. Please comment on at least one other Currently post.

5. Each week, I will be highlighting a blogger on my Currently post! I think this will be a great way for others to get to know one of our fellow bloggers and share the love!

An InLinkz Link-up

Currently Choosing Happy {vol.19}

HI! Welcome to Currently! This post series is a great place to share what we are up to and share your post through the link up below. We can make new friends & encourage each other in this thing we call "Life". Please join me! 

This is my 19th week of 2016 hosting- Currently Choosing Happy link up, please join me this week or next or the week after, or any time you can join in, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Stylin'// for her beach party at school last week. She wore her swimming suit, flip flops, my old sunglasses, beach towel and they made visors at school. She had such a great time playing in the sand and wearing her swim suit in her classroom. 

Ready// for summer! Friday, I went to the local nail salon for bright pink toes! I love them and they look so much better than they did last week!

Climbing// the rock wall at REI in Bloomington, Minnesota. The kids enjoyed climbing on Friday evening. Collin can't wait to go back! Afterwards, we enjoyed ice cream cones at our favorite chocolate & ice cream shop, Knokes.

Walking// for auntie Nana. Our family of four raised over $1000 this year. I am so thankful for all of our amazing supporters. We couldn't do this without you!  It was an absolutely gorgeous day to walk for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 

Smiling// with my adorable hubby on our hike on Saturday afternoon. We had one free hour in between kids events. We went for a long hike before heading to pick up our daughter from a birthday party. It felt like a date! What's a date again? ha

Enjoying// our beautiful campfire on Saturday evening. I am soooo ready for camping season! We enjoyed sitting together by the nice warm fire. 

Planting// flowers in all of my flower pots, planting my vegetable garden and new perennials! It's finally warm enough in Wisconsin to start planting, so I was excited to get my hands dirty on Sunday. 

Happy Monday, Choose Happy & have a wonderful week!

CURRENTLY LINK-UP RULES

1. Link your Currently post below! **Unrelated posts will be deleted**

2. Link back to this site so others can join on this adventure with us. You can grab the button below:

3. The link up starts on Mondays, but you can join any day of the week!

4. THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL!! We are each here to encourage each other and make new friends. Please comment on at least one other Currently post.

5. Each week, I will be highlighting a blogger on my Currently post! I think this will be a great way for others to get to know one of our fellow bloggers and share the love!

An InLinkz Link-up

Currently Choosing Happy {vol.18}

HI! Welcome to Currently! This post series is a great place to share what we are up to and share your post through the link up below. We can make new friends & encourage each other in this thing we call "Life". Please join me! 

This is my 18th week of 2016 hosting- Currently Choosing Happy link up, please join me this week or next or the week after, or any time you can join in, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Stirring// up a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. My grandmother used to make these cookies when I was a little girl. My aunts passed down some of our families favorite recipes at my wedding shower 10+ years ago; it is one of my favorite cookbooks to bake and cook from!  Some days just call for a chocolate chip cookie, or at least a scoop of cookie dough!

Sprucing// myself up at my hair appointment last week. It was time for a change, so I went with some summer highlights. I am not usually one to color my hair, as I am plain jane...but I went for it. It's a little bold for me, but I'm learning to like it!

Searching// for my parents dog Copper. He ran off after a walk last Thursday night and has been  missing since. We searched with my parents on Friday and Saturday evening over the weekend, with no luck. Praying he shows up soon!    

^^^^UPDATE: Copper has been found!!! Thank the lord for farmers!^^^^

<This was one of the beautiful bridges I hiked across looking for Copper.>

Watching// my little man enjoy his early birthday present. We drove almost 2 hours on Saturday to pick up his new four-wheeler.  He hasn't wanted to get off of it since we brought it home! He is all boy and ready to get dirty. Thankfully, grandparents and relatives are chipping in for his birthday too!! ha

Celebrating// my husband's grandpa's 89th birthday this past weekend! He is one of the most hilarious men I know. We are so thankful we were able to celebrate his big day with him! 

Following// along with my favorite blogger Emily at Jones Design Co on their 3 month summer adventure across the United States. I love seeing her posts on Instagram every day and reading her posts on the blog. What an amazing experience for her family & I am loving reading all about it!

Happy Monday, Choose Happy & have a wonderful week!

CURRENTLY LINK-UP RULES

1. Link your Currently post below! **Unrelated posts will be deleted**

2. Link back to this site so others can join on this adventure with us. You can grab the button below:

3. The link up starts on Mondays, but you can join any day of the week!

4. THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL!! We are each here to encourage each other and make new friends. Please comment on at least one other Currently post.

5. Each week, I will be highlighting a blogger on my Currently post! I think this will be a great way for others to get to know one of our fellow bloggers and share the love!

An InLinkz Link-up

Currently Choosing Happy {vol.17}

HI! Welcome to Currently! This post series is a great place to share what we are up to and share your post through the link up below. We can make new friends & encourage each other in this thing we call "Life". Please join me! 

This is my 17th week of 2016 hosting- Currently Choosing Happy link up, please join me this week or next or the week after, or any time you can join in, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Watching// my little man at his first dinner theater performance at school. They put on an amazing Disney themed show this year. We are so blessed to have such wonderful teachers that plan this event. 

Smelling// all the beautiful flowers this weekend. Saturday morning, I went to a beautiful green house with my mother-in-law to pick out flowers and vegetables for my garden.  My daughter enjoyed helping me pick out flowers for our baskets. 

More gorgeous flowers at my mother-in-law's. She has ginormous lilac bushes in her yard covered in big beautiful lilacs.

Admiring the simple beauty of a tulip. Sometimes, we just need to take a step back, take a deep breath and look at the beauty around us.

Celebrating// Mother's Day with my family on Sunday!  We had a wonderful day together. We started our morning with a delicious brunch, stopped at a playground to play for a bit with the kids, drove 2 hours to my cousin's medical school graduation party, and enjoyed spending time with the kids. It was a lot of time in the car, but well worth it. 

Happy Monday, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!! Choose Happy & have a wonderful week!

CURRENTLY LINK-UP RULES

1. Link your Currently post below! **Unrelated posts will be deleted**

2. Link back to this site so others can join on this adventure with us. You can grab the button below:

3. The link up starts on Mondays, but you can join any day of the week!

4. THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL!! We are each here to encourage each other and make new friends. Please comment on at least one other Currently post.

5. Each week, I will be highlighting a blogger on my Currently post! I think this will be a great way for others to get to know one of our fellow bloggers and share the love!

An InLinkz Link-up

Currently Choosing Happy {vol. 16}

HI! Welcome to Currently! This post series is a great place to share what we are up to and share your post through the link up below. We can make new friends & encourage each other in this thing we call "Life". Please join me! 

This is my 16th week of 2016 hosting- Currently Choosing Happy link up, please join me this week or next or the week after, or any time you can join in, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Admiring// my new car! Last Thursday night, we picked up my new 2016 Subaru Outback. It is my very first brand new car. I am in love and it is everything I hoped for. I can't wait to go on many adventures and vacations in this car for many years to come! 

Slurping// lime sno-cones from the Panther --my hometown drive inn. This one of our favorite summer stops. They have the best ice cream treats!

Watching// the beautiful sunset while we played at the park near Grandma's house. What a beautiful night to play outside!

Making// out like a bandit! I had the best luck at one garage sale on Saturday morning. They had my daughter's size and a lot of it. Shoes, boots, snow gear, clothing, learning books, lunch bag, the list goes on. Everything in this picture was less than $48.  I am so thankful I found all these great deals!!

Cheering// for Fancy Nancy. My cousin's daughter played Fancy Nancy at the Children's Theater. She has such an amazing voice and did a great job. We love watching her perform!

Trying// to get all the way across. She had been begging to go to her school playground to practice the monkey bars. She told me that it is her favorite thing to do at recess. She can only make it about half way across, but she is getting stronger every time! 

 <Big Brother wanted to join in the fun too>

Feeling// the sunshine and fresh air in my new car through our moon roof. I was really doubting if I would like it, but I love it! I can't wait to use it this summer. Sunshine and blue skies....ahhhhhh!!!!

Feeding// the trout at the fish pond on our way home from early Mother's Day festivities on Sunday. The kids thought it was so neat how the fish came right up to the surface to leap for their food. The ducks were another highlight for the kids, my daughter kept asking why they dive into the water! ha

Happy Monday!! Choose Happy & have a wonderful week!

CURRENTLY LINK-UP RULES

1. Link your Currently post below! **Unrelated posts will be deleted**

2. Link back to this site so others can join on this adventure with us. You can grab the button below:

3. The link up starts on Mondays, but you can join any day of the week!

4. THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL!! We are each here to encourage each other and make new friends. Please comment on at least one other Currently post.

5. Each week, I will be highlighting a blogger on my Currently post! I think this will be a great way for others to get to know one of our fellow bloggers and share the love!

An InLinkz Link-up