Moving to Madison.

...whoa. I never imagined it would be a week before I could post...but the internet was just installed Saturday. and we had things to do ... like make a very last-minute appearance at her company picnic! yep, I got to see her office and the rest of the Epic campus from the inside (2 dots on my fitbit!). Sara's team is located in the lower level of The Barn (part of Farm Campus which is three buildings - the  Barn, the Stables and the Shed). It's decorated in a farm theme on the inside, too. There are sheep that apparently move to new spots each night and a conference room with cowhide upholstery on the chairs. Here's her building

and Sara's office (she shares with another new hire).

and then it was Sunday. I started writing this sitting at the airport (with a glass of wine and a most sympathetic bartender) with the idea I'd post before my flight...and then as soon as we landed. And now it's Monday. I'm back at my kitchen counter. I still haven't written much. So I'm just going to share a few more photos and trust that I'll find my voice soon enough.

Sara's apartment is just off Monroe Street in a neighborhood her company orientation calls "yuppie". fair assessment. and honestly great for this mama to imagine when I'm not there. The building is brand new (hence the delay in internet ... I'm not sure anyone else in the building has internet either). She's on the third floor with a through-the-trees and south-facing lake view. I took these photos yesterday morning. This is the view from Sara's back porch.

And here's the inside. This is the main living room (the kitchen is off to the left).

We hung a few pictures yesterday morning, including these prints of cities Sara's visited. These are on the wall behind the dining table.

Here's the kitchen.

and the bathroom (with another picture we hung yesterday).

(sorry, no photos of the bedroom...Sara hasn't quite gotten everything together there!)

We went out for brunch yesterday...and I'm delighted I have a smiling two-of-us to share.

It was a full week. I'm glad I was there to help her unpack and settle in. even just a little bit. Madison is a great town and Epic seems like a great company. I'm planning another trip back in February. We'll see how I handle the snow!

Prettiest Ever.

...today's photo prompt is "I never..." At this point, it seems most of my "nevers" are either life choices or bucket list items that I'm unlikely to check off on a random Tuesday in July. But I had the distinct pleasure yesterday to show off my completed Through the Loops Mystery Shawl... and I have to say, I've never knitted anything prettier.

Raveled here

The shawl pattern was released in five segments ("clues" to those familiar with "mystery" knit alongs) and we didn't know until the fifth clue was released on June 29 how it would look in the end. This is my third time knitting one of Kirsten's lace shawls and I was expecting it to be good. She surpassed my expectations. The clues flowed seamlessly and built to a stunning conclusion. This is my first crocheted border and maybe that's why I'm so smitten with the little loops?

I used a linen yarn (my first time with Quince & Company's Sparrow - a new yarn for the shop this summer); blocked, it's a little bit crisp, but still drapes. I think it's going to hold its shape well, which is good since I think I'll be able to wear this piece well into the fall.

And just one more note about my process. The knit-along started June 1 and new clues came out every Sunday in June. I started off with a bang, but sizzled out when I left the project at home while Sara and I were in Madison. The second clue took me a while and I kept putting off catching up, until I saw the finished shawls...which amazingly started to appear on Ravelry just a few hours after Kirsten released that last clue! I worked through Clue 3 in bits and pieces last week and then powered through Clues 4 and 5 Saturday and Sunday. Turns out lace knitting is good company while you're stalking your iPhone for travel updates*! I finished Sunday afternoon and then spent another hour plus weaving in ends and blocking. Clearly I could've kept up and been an early finisher, but I love that this shawl now holds memories of this past weekend.

...having typed all this, I realize I did have two other "nevers" - that crocheted border and the linen yarn. Small in the big scheme of things, but making me happy nonetheless. I love new things. which...I guess are just "nevers" in reverse!

*p.s. to everyone who sent along good wishes and/or left comments about Sara's move. I am beyond delighted to report that she made the trip safely and without incident. Her first day of work (yesterday) was "great". She said 514 (!!!) employees started along with her and it appears Epic does have on-boarding down to a science. I'll be there for the company picnic next Saturday and can't wait to report back. The menu options were lobster, steak and vegetarian. I chose vegetarian. (Marc was pleased that the company appears to be doing well :-)

Safe Travels.

...the view from my driveway about 9:25 this morning.

I posted the photo on Instagram along with the (only slightly) tongue in cheek comment that I hoped Siri had a good night's rest last night. She'll be giving Sara turn by turn directions and sending me texts about every two hours or when a new state comes up. Her last text was from Kentucky. Then there's a good stretch through Indiana before she makes a hard left turn into Illinois to spend the night in Champaign. Tomorrow's drive is - thankfully - a lot shorter.

Since she left, I've walked Holly to the lake (a little over an hour's walk), run with Lauren (about three miles), taken a 75 minute yoga class and been to Costco (for a case of wine and a few other things :-) Tonight Marc and I are going out for dinner with a few friends (celebrating our return to empty nesters!). Yes, I'm planning to keep myself super-busy for the next few days to ease the emptiness. 

She moved out of her college apartment exactly two months ago. Even optimistic me couldn't have imagined then that today she'd be headed out by herself, for a new adventure...in a state I'd never visited. I am so very grateful for all the time we got to spend together; oh my we made some wonderful memories (and we even have great photos to show for it)! And I'll see her again in nine days...

Safe travels, Sara - and if anyone else is reading this post over the weekend, I'd love for you to add your best good wishes onto mine. Thank you!

Weekending.

...I'm typing this at my usual spot in the kitchen and Sara is beside me making calls (relocating involves no end of phone calls) and I can't help but think how different it will be a week from now. I'm thinking I'll likely be sitting here...but Sara will be at work. in Wisconsin. (yikes!)

We started Friday afternoon with a three-of-us lunch at our favorite Bistro VG. We've enjoyed so many three-of-us lunches here, going back to when Sara was in middle school and Katie was in her first year of college. Our conversations have covered so much - high school, prom, jobs, boyfriends, girlfriends, sororities, spring breaks, college, study abroad, Europe, graduations, holiday menus, a wedding and a baby...and now Sara moving away.

(and yes there was browned butter tart for dessert. peach. and yes, it was delicious.)

Saturday morning I ran by myself for the first time in months. The greenway was busy and I had The Sparrow playing on my phone (oh my. I am IN LOVE with this book!)...and it felt familiar and so good to be back.

Then we had "the aunts" party at my sister's house. Sara surprised Katie with a knitted baby gift (a beautiful blanket and a hat). Katie had no idea Sara even knew how to knit!

Then we had snacks and drinks, knitted, talked, watched soccer and baseball (?!) before we managed a very bad photo. (ok, it's a great photo of Sara!)

Me with Holly, Karen, Lydia, Sara, Katie

I found the photo from Katie's party (five years ago) and yeah, I think the June afternoon sun isn't so good. We'll have to try a different location/angle next time!

Anyway, it was fun and that really is all that matters! When we got home, Sara and Marc assembled the last of her furniture (four chairs and a hall console) while I knitted (of course).

After Sunday church, I had a completely free day. The first in a long time now that I'm not teaching on Sundays anymore. I'm looking forward to the free afternoons...for cooking, knitting, meeting up with friends. Maybe even a walk (once the weather cools off). Yesterday I read (finished Love the One You're With, which I wasn't crazy about but the last 100 pages were the best part and it was nice to read them in one long sitting) and then knitted. and listened to more of The Sparrow. I'm making good forward progress on the Mystery Shawl (10 more rows of clue 3, then clues 4 and 5 to finish), but the stockinette sweater has been anything but zen. Here's what it looked like at 11pm last night. I'd just ripped back the last two stripes that had a funky join at the color change. Sad to say that was the 2nd time I'd ripped last night and the third time I'd ripped since I started. Yep, it took me FOUR tries to get it perfect.

the wine and the M&Ms came out after the 2nd rip... cannot blame that for my bad knitting!

I'm hoping it's on track now. I knit a little this morning and I am finally knitting "new" yarn (again). There are more stripes for the sleeves but the rest of the body is plain stockinette in the round. That should be zen, right?!

It's fun to type this and see the photos all in one place. Family, fun, celebrating, food, knitting, good books and even a run. The stuff of the very best weekends!

Hope yours was fun, too!

Friday Flashback and a Quick FO.

...five summers ago, Katie and I were headed to NYC to move her into her first post-college apartment. So many things about Sara's move are very different...but some are much the same.

Katie...   

and Sara.

I am very grateful that it seems both girls have inherited Marc's handyman skills. Goodness knows I have none to share!

And now for the FO part. This is my Linen Poncho. I've already written about it for the shop, but these two photos are new (it's nice having someone home who's comfortable using my camera!)

I am delighted with it. There is surely a third poncho in my knitting future for this fall/winter (assuming my love for stockinette continues!)

One more thing, did y'all know that I also write the newsletter for the shop? We recently moved to a new website that supports on-line shopping (yay!) and that means a new newsletter platform to learn. Yesterday's letter was my fourth and I can feel the learning curve starting to ease. It helps to have great projects and yarn to feature. If you'd like to share, I'd love to know what project/yarn you'd suggest for a future newsletter.

Happy Friday!

Words in the Wild.

...thanks to Kym for the idea!

Seen in the window of Square, a wine shop on Capitol Square.

Greetings from Madison | One Last Time.

...at least until next month. Sara got a call while I was in the shower that her application was approved (in less than 24 hours and no co-signer required - yay!) So much for a leisurely morning in our room. We quickly dressed, packed and checked out and shortly after 11 we were here.

That's Sara - signing all on her own!

Fifteen minutes later we were on our way to Penzey's. It was wonderful; look forward to another visit soon...and to this shop (Vom Fass) that was right next door. Seriously. Not only do they have a great selection of oil and vinegar, they have spirits - infused vodka, brandies, scotches, grappa... oh yes!

Then we had a nice long lunch at Graze. We shared a small cheese plate, tofu club with root vegetable soup and beet salad. Really, we have had more than cheese and dessert on this trip!

That's the beet salad with carrot slaw.

Now we're settled in at the airport waiting for our flight and thinking about what comes next. Here's what we're planning right now - subject to Epic's approval on the relocation details:

July 5/6 - Sara drives to Madison (by herself; it's a 13 hour trip and she'll spread it across two days); she'll check into corporate housing when she arrives.

July 7 - Her first day of work.

July 10-ish - I supervise movers to pack her furniture and ship it to Madison.

July 14 - I fly to Madison.

July 15 - The apartment is ready at noon; hopefully her furniture is here that afternoon. Sara checks out of corporate housing.

July 15-18 - I unpack and setup while Sara works so we can enjoy...

July 19-20 - a fun weekend in Madison together! I'll fly back late Sunday.

She still has a lot of details to work through; these next three weeks are going to be busy!

Greetings from Madison | Three.

...we fly home this afternoon, tired, but happy. The apartments we saw yesterday morning ("outdated inner city" and "concrete views") didn't come close to changing Sara's mind about the lakeview apartment we saw first. We went back there late yesterday morning for one more look. Turned out that a unit with a slightly better view and layout had just become available. She submitted the application and now it's fingers and toes crossed it's approved. The building is still very much under construction but if you use your imagination you can see the potential:

upper left is the view from the back of the living room (lake is just visible between all those leaves); upper right is the view from the window back into that room (washer dryer lives behind those doors); lower right is the bedroom (a full wall of closets); lower left is the kitchen (lots of cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances!)

Here's a quick look at a few of the other things we've seen and eaten since my last post.

Saturday night's dinner at Nostrano was really special. It's tiny, but very cool.

The food was all delicious, but dessert was the best photo.

That's goat cheese cake with pink lady apples, gingerbread crumbles and cider sorbet.

and us.

On the way back to the car we saw Madison's version of a light show. I'm completely smitten with the Capitol!

Sunday morning we took a quick drive to Verona for coffee and a tour around Epic's campus.

I was disappointed by the yarn selection at The Sow's Ear, but the cappuccino was perfect. 

And Epic. oh my. all the photos you see on-line are certainly true to life, but they can't begin to capture the sheer scale of the place. it's ... huge and impressive and so well-done. Here's a view from the road leading into campus.

the main entrance

the view from the wall of windows in the cafeteria building

details everywhere.

I'm planning a trip back next month to help Sara move in and I hope I get to see some of the inside views then.

We went back to Merchant (where we had dinner Friday night) for brunch and then met up with Sam and Connor for coffee. Sam is a rising junior at UW and the daughter of one of my students; Connor is her boyfriend and he's interning at Epic this summer - great connections! and now Sara knows two people in Madison and one person at Epic! We walked and walked and got back to the hotel late afternoon ready for ... nothing! early to bed for both of us!

Monday morning we had our energy back. We spent the morning on the apartment search. After a quick lunch, we headed to the Capitol for a tour. The inside is just as impressive as the outside.

After the tour, we climbed a few short flights to get to the outside observation deck. Pretty views of the city in all directions and fun to see the granite statues up close.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Starbucks, searching for furniture and bedding from my iPad. Then an early dinner at Osteria Papavero. We both agreed it was our best meal yet. We shared a cheese plate, vegetable sampler, caprese salad and artichoke pasta. Somehow we even had room for dessert.

Panna cotta with rhubarb syrup, strawberries and shortbread. Yes it was as delicious as you'd imagine. 

...so that's it. We're getting a slow start this morning; hotel checkout isn't til noon and our flight is at 4:40. I want to show Sara Penzeys (I'm a huge fan, but I've only done mail order; can't wait to see an actual store) and we'll have one more meal downtown before we head to the airport. 

Tired, happy and - if we're being honest - a bit overwhelmed by all that needs to happen in the next few weeks!

Greetings from Madison | Two.

...Madison is showing us a great time! the weather has been delightful (it was a bit chilly yesterday morning and I worried briefly that we hadn't packed warm enough clothes, but the day turned fine; today was pleasantly warm with a nice breeze), the people warm and friendly, the sights colorful...and the food...delicious. Even the driving and the parking has been ok. We're starting to navigate a bit on our own and love that things that seem far apart on the map are only a 15 or 20 minute drive away.

As I type this, we're watching House Hunters (Sara is a recent convert to HGTV and it's been fun to talk about this apartment search like an episode of the show). Yesterday started with "New construction on the lake" and ended with "in-town convenience". We see another in-town place early Monday; not sure how that will play out. But it's going to take a lot to make Sara choose anything other than the lake. This is what would be in her backyard.

She'd be on the third floor.

I was charmed by the neighborhood. Peonies are in full bloom in nearly every yard!

We walked to a local pizza place for lunch. Fresh arugula on the white pizza and caponata on the red. delicous.

And a yarn store across the street. I bought two skiens of Hikoo Rylie to make a(nother!) Diagonal Lace Scarf. The store has been there for 45 years and they're expanding to a new location down the block in August. (of course that has no bearing on how much I loved the apartment).

The in-town apartment was just ok. New construction again, but the finishes were more like a dorm (no room for a dining table, no washer/dryer and really ugly bedroom carpet). Sara submitted an application on-line but by the time we finished dinner and a lot of pro-con talk, she'd pretty much decided against it.

But the location is still a draw. Walking distance from all kinds of restaurants and an easy bus-ride to work when the weather gets nasty. I have to admit that walking distance from fabulous cocktails is a real plus!

(mine and hers at Merchant)

In all, it was a very good day!

Leasing offices are closed on the weekend here so we have time to explore. We got an early start this morning at the Dane County Farmers Market. Quite simply it's amazing.

Then we visited the lakefront park to see what it was like on the weekend and came back to the hotel for a nap (me) and a break (Sara). Headed out shortly for dinner so I need to wrap this up. It's been great reading your comments and good wishes - all very much appreciated. Thank you!