Lisa Lisa Bo Bisa

July has been a very busy month. I had out of town plans scheduled every single weekend, along with some busy weeknights as well.   3 down, 1 more to go!   But first… July weekend #2 was with my girlfriends, for our 3rd annual summer Girls Weekend. This year, we booked a vacation rental early in the year, a house on the St Croix not too far from Stillwater.   We learned our lesson after last year we couldn’t find anything available the fit our needs and ended up in a tiny 2 bedroom cabin on an island.   Fortunately, we made the most of it, as we always do, and being on an island had its fun moments and great stories.   But this year we knew we needed more comfort.   The house we found is on the banks of the St Croix River, has a wraparound deck with outdoor seating for at least 16 or more, 4 bedrooms (no air mattresses this time!), a private pool, two giant grills, and a dock and motorboat.   Not to mention the interesting carousel out front...

Two weeks ago we headed to Alpine Valley for Dave Matthews Band concerts.   It was our 4 th trip there together, if you can believe it.   (And if you know my husband, you can believe it).   I’ve never really written much about what the weekend is like, so this may get long but it’s for memory’s sake. Almost 40,000 people attended each show that weekend, despite the Fourth of July holiday.   DMB fans are true fans, fo sho.   Of course there is always a smattering of young people that may go to get drunk and act like idiots more than they care about the show, but nevertheless, it’s a boatload of people crowding into this rural amphitheater for the weekend.    People are often surprised that there are two nights, and that 95% of the audience goes to both nights.   DMB has hundreds of songs and rarely repeats during their 2 or 3 night stints, so it is literally a new concert each night.   Nothing like Madonna or Bieber who perform t...

This year’s Fourth of July was nice.   We didn’t have much planned, and we were ok with that.   We spent the morning being lazy around the house, and around noon we decided to head to the pool.   I’d been itching to get there this year, but weekend weather up until now had been rainy or cloudy.   We’ve learned that the lunch hour is a perfect time for us DINKs to go, as the masses of children are usually being dragged back indoors for lunch and naps.   Don’t get me wrong, kids are cute.   But we want lounge chairs, and to not get splashed, and to enjoy a somewhat shriek-free experience.   (Kids are LOUD).   It was great.   There were still plenty of children, but we found some free chairs, set ourselves up with our iPods and drinks, and all was good.   Unfortunately, we got carried away and didn’t put on sunscreen very promptly, and found ourselves pretty sunburned by the night.   I could kick myself for being so stupid, bu...

This last winter was not kind to me, or my body.  The holidays were all sorts of sugary and carb-loaded.  The snow and cold made a ridiculously long appearance.  I got too comfortable on the couch.  A myriad of other things happened.  As a result, I found myself shopping for clothing a pant size bigger, which is something no woman wants to have to do.  Ever.  I realized I was in a rut.  I could never get myself to the gym, and while I did work out on my treadmill somewhat regularly, I didn't push myself hard.  I was lazy - I didn't want to get all sweaty because I didn't feel like showering again.   I started Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred several times, and did it for a few days at a time, long enough to make every muscle in my body ache, and then I stopped.  Of course I didn't see results - it's not named "30-day Shred" for nothing. A month or two ago, Alicia suggested that we try a class.  Whether she realized...