Great Outdoors & Weather » Mi Vida Ocupada

Out on the Lake {at last!}

Family Gatherings, Great Outdoors & Weather 3 Responses »

Sep 062010

Unlike many other summers, this year I was deprived from any boating on the lake, due to being in Texas most of the summer. Last weekend I finally got my chance…. My brothers, Michelle and the kids, as well as my cousin Vicky and her kids all came up to my parents place for a day of boating and dinner. It was a HOT, humid day and very breezy.

Isn’t Annika’s curly, red hair beautiful? She is a lucky girl

Fun times!
Glad I got out there at least once this summer, the way that the weather has been looking the past few days…. Autumn is on its way.

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Sunset at the Oasis {2010 Version}

Friend Time, Great Outdoors & Weather, Travel 11 Responses »

Aug 052010

One of the coolest things to do in Austin is to head out to The Oasis on Lake Travis to see the sunset. Last year I made the trek all by myself but this year I had Carolyn and Chaitra to keep me company. We went together after dinner with the big group of work friends. It was such a beautiful night! The first in many that it was clear and not raining (it has been a very rainy summer down here in TX) although it was HOT…..

Enjoying the sunset (and the Frozen Margarita- which had a floater of Chambord)

The Oasis is Ginormous, with seating to fit over 1000. They are building a new addition right now as well, so I am sure it is going to be even more magnificent when it is done. Hopefully I will see it for myself next summer ;)

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Crape Myrtle Trees

Great Outdoors & Weather, Photography, Travel 6 Responses »

Jun 282010

How ya’ll doing?

Wanted to share some of these beautiful Crape Myrtle trees with you (just in case you live in the Northern parts where these beauties do not grow). They are blooming everywhere right now in Texas! Oh… have I mentioned publicly yet that I am in Texas for the summer?! Well, I am ;)

Hope all is well with everyone back home. Sounds like there has been a ton of rain so far this summer!

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

One Creepy Yellow Sky!

Great Outdoors & Weather 8 Responses »

Jun 222010

Last Thursday night around sunset, the cloudy, soon-to-storm sky turned a very creepy yellow color. Just thought I would document it here because it is such a rare sight! (These photos are SOTC)

Did anyone else locally see this?? I am sure many others saw it too and thought, WTH is going on with the sky!!??

Creepy Yellow Sky by Kristi Sauer

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Flowers Make Me Happy…..

Great Outdoors & Weather, Photography 9 Responses »

May 062010

Thanks to all of you who took the time to look at my Photo Hunt Entry and a bigger thanks to those who left comments and feedback. I may have made it sound like I didn’t put much effort into the Hunt (which is true) but that doesn’t mean I didn’t put effort into my photography! I actually took quite a few photos throughout the month and ended up choosing those that would work for items on the April 2010 Photo Hunt list ;)

Many of the photos I took were either of flowers or food. Wanted to share some of the pretties with you….

(You can click on any photo to comment on it in my Flickr photostream)

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Bits & Pieces of My Week Off

Food and Drink, Great Outdoors & Weather, Random Thoughts & Updates 7 Responses »

Apr 032010

Time goes too darn fast, doesn’t it? Especially when you’re not working.

I had all of this past week off of work for Spring Break. There were a lot of things I wanted to do and people I wanted to see that I will have to make future plans for. I took it easy and relaxed (for the most part), enjoying my stress-free time because work is going to be crazy-busy once I return.

Here are some Bits & Pieces of my week off……

Spring weather in the 60s-70′s all week! (ALL the ICE is melted off the lakes!!)
Hiking at Tamarack
Leisurely drives through the country
Lunches at Wild Ginger and Wolfgang Puck’s 20.21
Dinners at Wildwood Pizza and Famous Dave’s
2 stupid and forgettable movies (Men who Stare at Goats and Tall Hot Blonde)
Finished 2 books (The Giver and Such a Pretty Fat)

Japanese Jade Flower Sculpture by Kristi Sauer

Big Marine Lake, MN by Kristi Sauer

Big Marine Lake by Kristi Sauer

Wild Mountain Panorama by Kristi Sauer

20.21 Seafood Dumplings in Lobster Curry Sauce by Kristi Sauer

20.21 Chocolate Cube & Spoon with Cherries by Kristi Sauer

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

St Croix River Flooding in Stillwater 2010

Great Outdoors & Weather No Responses »

Apr 032010

On one of the days during my spring break we went for a long drive along the St Croix River, starting in Stillwater. The rivers around here are all high this year, the lift bridge was even closed for a few days as they waited for the river to crest.

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Spring Ahead!

Great Outdoors & Weather 2 Responses »

Mar 142010

Spring is indeed ahead and I am looking forward to the longer daylight hours and warmer weather!

The snow here has pretty much melted due to temps in the 40′s and rain all of last week. Now that the ground is clear again, I spotted some of my lilies already starting to sprout

Can’t wait to see all my pretty tulips come up soon too; I planted several new varieties last fall.

Just hoping that we don’t get one of our regular March snow storms now (but I wouldn’t be surprised considering this is Minnesnowta)

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

White Winter Trees

Great Outdoors & Weather 2 Responses »

Feb 142010

I thought the tree outside my window looked pretty with all this snow on it yesterday morning. I couldn’t get a very good shot of it through the window but I am glad I took this photo because just a short time later the sun melted all the snow crystals off.

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

Frigid Sunrise

Great Outdoors & Weather, Photography 3 Responses »

Jan 272010

Some mornings I leave for work long before the sun makes his appearance, other days I can catch a spectacular sunrise over White Bear Lake while enroute. Today was one of those days! (Thanks to a super-sweet loaner bag (Coach!) from a friend, I am able to conveniently carry my camera around in style- camera bag problem temporarily solved)

PS On an unrelated note….. www.sweetsauer.com will be moving to a new server and platform this weekend so make sure you subscribe using this feed otherwise you will not continue to receive my blog updates!

Thanks for reading, have a great day ;)

St Paul Riverfront…..

Great Outdoors & Weather 2 Responses »

Dec 292009

Last week some friends and I got a couple of rooms on the 17th floor of a nice hotel overlooking the Mississippi River and had ourselves a stay-cation. Great views from the rooms which is great because it was freezing out!

Daytime:

Nighttime:

We ventured out a little and had dinner at American Burger Bar (which has awesome burgers!) and then looked at some nearby lights

The city is so pretty during the holidays!!

Mother Nature’s November Warm-Up

Great Outdoors & Weather 10 Responses »

Nov 092009

This past Saturday was one of the most beautiful fall days we could ask for in MN! The sun and 65' temp were a welcome sight after the cold, rainy month of October that we had. I had wanted to get out and plant my tulips in the perfect weather but decided to go on a hike and get some exercise instead. It was a beautiful day out at Tamarack! Ahhh, to see blue skies and the sun again makes me happy :)

Now that the sun is setting so early, we were able to catch it as it started to sink into the horizon. Thought it looked really cool as it set behind this water tower, causing a cool silhouette.

This warm up might be brief but it is welcome anyway :)

Something is wrong with this picture!!

Great Outdoors & Weather 8 Responses »

Oct 132009

A perfectly beautiful maple tree, covered in SNOW. (Taken 10-12-09)

I woke up on Saturday 10/10 to find snow covering the ground!! It melted by afternoon but that is the earliest October snowfall that I can remember. Two days later on 10/12, there was more snow on the ground when I woke up and it continued to snow almost all day!

Has Winter has decided to come early this year??!! As much as I detest snow and cold weather, I hope we have a very snowy season this year so that our lakes can fill back up! It can wait until December to arrive though, it would be nice to enjoy the rest of Autumn first :)

Fall Colors in Lutsen

Great Outdoors & Weather, Photography, Travel 5 Responses »

Oct 092009

The highlight of my trip to the North Shore was a day in the Lutsen Mountains. On Saturday we took the gondola up to the top of the mountain just after it opened for the day. The gondolas hold up to 4 people and are suspended from a series of cables; a one-way ride takes about ten minutes. Neither of us had ridden one before and it was really cool!

There was a small river flowing through the valley

The colors got much more spectacular the higher we climbed and the further we went from Lake Superior. It was awesome to see all the beautiful colors. Too bad the weather was overcast and damp, the colors just don't gleam the same. Still pretty though!

Once we got to the top we stopped at the overlook to enjoy the beautiful view of the valley below us. Breathtaking!! Just imagine it with blue skies on a sunny day…..

(Yes, my hair is getting ridiculously long. I can't stand it)

Next we proceeded to go on a hiking adventure like neither of us had ever been on before! The first few miles were partially off-the-beaten-path…. I was climbing a dang mountain!! With a lot of loose rocks, soft soil and tree roots everywhere. I didn't take too many photos during the hike as I was being extra-careful with my brother's camera, but here are a few….

I was not feeling so adventurous at that point ( I was being a big baby, actually) but things got better once we found the main trail again. We came across the Spur Trail, which is part of the Superior Hiking Trail system. We did not have a map with us (as we had not really prepared for a hike at that point in time in that particular area) but decided to continue our hike. There were a lot of obstacles in our way, such as this cluster of trees that had been uprooted. They had been growing on a solid layer of hard rock. It's crazy that they were able to grow there for as long as they lived without the roots being able to anchor into the ground like they do in soil.

Some other photos from the hike

After 4-5 miles (about one mountain over from where we started) and not having a clue where we were headed, we turned back the way we came. A few miles later we came across the first official sign (which we had somehow missed on the hike out so we must've been on a slightly different path). Only 3 more miles to go, all of which was slightly different than the way we came.

About 8-9 miles after we started our hike ( holy moly was that tiring!), we finally made our way back to the top of the mountain where we could catch the gondola for a ride back down the mountain to our car.

We saw some of the ski runs and chair lifts that they use in winter. (Sidenote: Downhill skiing is something I have never done in my life, nor will I ever do. I would hate to go out like Sonny and that is probably what would happen, knowing me. Breaking my arm while sledding in third grade was quite enough for me, thank-you-very-much.)

We both loved Lutsen and look forward to going back again. The fall is a beautiful time to go but I am sure it is beautiful in spring, summer and winter as well!

Trip to Lake Superior’s North Shore

Great Outdoors & Weather, Travel 9 Responses »

Oct 072009

Last week I took a couple of vacation days for the first time in three years and spent a nice long weekend up at the North Shore. I have been to Duluth many times over the years and my family used to camp up on the North Shore way back in the day, but to my recollection, I had never been any further than Little Marais. (Here is a MN map for reference)

Here is a map of Lake Superior

The first night we stayed in Duluth at the Holiday Inn. I had earned four free-night-stays during a promotion they had going this past summer when I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Austin, TX and decided to cash a few of them in for this trip. It rained all day Thursday and we were off to a late start so we didn't get to Duluth until late in the evening. Here is a view of Canal Park from our hotel room.

Early Friday morning we left rainy Duluth and started our drive northeast along the North Shore Scenic Drive. The rain prevented us from stopping at many of the scenic overlooks, but we stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse for about .32 seconds until we realized you had to pay $8 admission. Forget about it!

It had stopped raining at Silver Bay so we stopped at a scenic overlook. It was sooooo crazy windy that day, like 40-50 mph. The swells of the lake were 8-12', it was like being at the Ocean the waves were so big. I have video footage that I will post sometime soon.

It was nearly impossible to catch a clear photo of the berries, it was so windy

We got back on the road and continued the drive to Grand Marais. The weather got better the further we drove north along the lake. We stopped at another scenic lookout somewhere between Lutsen and Grand Marais. It is so incredibly beautiful! Being at Lake Superior is almost like having the ocean in Minnesota, especially on windy days that bring big waves.

We had lunch at the Gun Flint Tavern (which has an awesome Cuban sandwich that I will be reviewing on the Twin Cities Restaurant Blog soon) and then sent some time walking around the town and browsing the shops.

Cool little scene in the Grand Marais Harbor

Later in the afternoon we drove back south to our new hotel in Tofte and then out for a fancy late dinner at the Blue Fin Grille (which I will also be reviewing soon). Took a couple photos on their beach as the waves kept crashing in.

The hotel we stayed at was overlooking the lake and our room was literally less than 20 ft from the waves that were crashing all night long. I was so tired that I slept peacefully anyway. We got up early the next day before heading the Lutsen Mountain, which I will be blogging about next!

State Fair Food Diaries ~ Round 2

Food and Drink, Great Outdoors & Weather, Special Events 2 Responses »

Sep 092009

Labor Day is always the last day of the 12-day Minnesota State Fair and like other years, I had to make it out there for a 2nd time to sample the treats we only get to eat once a year. We met up with my brother Jeff sometime in mid afternoon and took the Park N Ride to the Fairgrounds.

There were a LOT of people out at the Fair on Labor Day!

I made Jeff bring his camera along so that I could document more of our food buys which consisted of:

Cheese Curds
Philly Cheese Steak

London Broil Sandwich
Deep Fried Ravioli
Deep Fried Snickers

Reuben Pretzel (eeeewww. I love Reubens and did not enjoy this at ALL)

Deep Fried Sunfish with Lindon Berry Sauce and Walleye Cakes

We were out at the Fair about 4 hrs until we were pretty hot and stuffed and decided to call it a day.

It was another great year at the MN State Fair!

Early Fall Colors!

Babies & Kids, Family Gatherings, Great Outdoors & Weather, Holidays 9 Responses »

Sep 092009

Back in August I started noticing that the trees had already started turning colors here. Doesn't this seem too soon? I can't remember another year when they started changing so early! This maple tree next door to my parents' house is already at its peak.

My parents had us all up this past Sunday for boating and a barbeque. This was the first time I had been up to their house all summer since Father's Day. Of course I had to take some photos of my nieces and nephew before returning my dad's camera back to him…..

For as long as she has been around, Miss Bianca LOVES to wear sunglasses. Little stinker knows she is adorable! (And doesn't her mama look beautiful in this pic too?)

Bennett was totally out of his element on the boat. Unlike his usual busy self, he just sat there immobile, chilling on the boat!

This "I don't know what to do" look on his face is priceless!

Bennett DID help grandpa drive the boat for awhile

and so did Beebs

Me and Jeff

I was teasing Jeff about his baby "mustache" and made him pose for a close-up. What a funny guy, this king of the Funny Video Search. (Have you checked it out yet?) He is also "pretty much the only guy in the entire world who knows how to ______" (Only Jeff can fill in that blank with the special technological things he is able to do! LOL) PS Does teasing your baby brother ever get old????!!!

After a delicious meal of smoked turkey, twice baked potatoes, corn on the cob, salad and grandma's homemade apple pie, we took the girls down to the boat to do some fishing.

How cute are they?

Annika with one of her fish….

My grandparents were up for dinner as well and I guess I forgot to take pictures with them. Hopefully I will see them again before they head home to AZ in a few weeks.

It was a great day at the lake, I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend also!

Sunset at the Oasis ~ Austin, TX

Great Outdoors & Weather, Travel 3 Responses »

Aug 032009

I was told by several people that while I was in Austin, one of the things I needed to do was check out Lake Travis and The Oasis some night during the sunset. The Oasis is a restaurant that sits high up on the cliffs overlooking Lake Travis, just west of Austin in the hill country. I had been trying to check out the Oasis for over a week but the weather wasn't cooperating for a decent sunset. Finally last Monday night I had a nice night to check it out, so I went out there by myself for dinner and to see the sunset. Here are a few of the pics….

The decks at the Oasis are very impressive, seating 2,000 people. I have a review of the Oasis on the Twin Cities Restaurant Blog if you'd like to know more!

Some sunset shots

Hopefully ya'll aren't sick of all my travel pictures yet because I only ahve about 16576157612357612 more to post!

The Natural Beauty of Austin….

Animals, Great Outdoors & Weather, Travel 5 Responses »

Jul 202009

On Saturday afternoon Betty and I braved the heat and took a very long walk through downtown Austin. We started down by the Colorado River and worked our way north to the Capitol. The nature down by the river was quite pretty……

Would you have guessed that the temperature was over 100' F and that Texas is experiencing the worst drought in 50 years?

It was a HOT one last week

Great Outdoors & Weather, Photo Scavenger Hunt, Photography, School & Work 1 Response »

Jun 282009

Warning: Long post ahead!

To say last week was hot is an understatement. Especially when its 90'+ and you go a week without A/C in your house. The condenser blew and it needed to be replaced with a whole brand-new unit. An expensive one (of course!), which we were not able to have installed immediately. I am grateful to have great neighbors with cold houses who gave us refuge from the heat in the evenings up until bedtime. There were way too many sleepless nights with having a bedroom on the third floor and afternoon sun beating down on it, making it at least 100'. Fans didn't do anything but blow hot air around. I was so dang miserable and exhausted from lack of sleep, I swear living without a/c is detrimental to my health! The last few nights I slept in the basement, which helped some. The good news is a new unit was installed Saturday and my house is cold again. Yay! I will appreciate it forever and ever ;)

This past week was also the first week of summer school. I am teaching 5th grade reading to my class and the other 5th grade class. Its going great so far, my kids are all very well behaved and the room is nice and cool. Summer school takes place in this building (taken on a rainy morning last week)

This is the view out of my classroom. I had been waiting for a clear day and the right lighting to get this photo all week!

Speaking of pictures, I bet you're wondering why your blog readers were filled with photo posts from me yesterday. Well, I decided to import all of my posts from my Daily photo Blog into this Mi Vida Ocupada blog. I just don't know if it makes sense to me to keep two different blogs when I post so many photos over here anyway. I have a lot more traffic on this blog and sometimes it seems redundant to post my photos in both places. Initially the point of the Daily Photo Blog was for me to challenge myself to take better photos more often and I think I have proven to myself that I can do that. Especially with all the interest in the Photo Hunt Challenges that I have been posting. Photography has become my biggest passion in recent months, completely replacing scrapbooking (which I haven't done in a year now and have lost pretty much all desire). I hope you all don't mind seeing more of my photography right here!

Now about the Photo Hunt: On Tuesday, June 30th I will be putting up a new post with Mr. Linky so everyone who completed the Photo Hunt #2 can link to their entries. I know summertime (and life in general) can sneak up on ya when you're busy, but I hope we have a good turnout of people who completed it. I have just two more photos to take on my list, then I will be posting My Results. FYI- I am in the process of creating a brand-new blog just for the Photo Hunts. Stay tuned for more information and when it is ready, I will start redirecting all Photo Hunt related info to that site.

So much happened last week and it was just too dang hot for me to sit down and blog about any of it. Biggest news of the week: Michael Jackson died. I was a little shocked at first, but not really. I guess I had a feeling he wasn't doing very good. I loved MJ as a kid (didn't everyone?). Thriller was my very first album and I loved, loved, loved every song. He has had so many great hits over the years. I never hated on him with all the drama in his adult life, although there is no doubt he had issues. I don't know what is wrong with me that I didn't cry when I heard of his passing, I mean I cried when Crocodile Hunter was killed?! Anyway, thank goodness the music of Michael Jackson will live on.

Last but not least, I wanted to direct your attention to the Product Giveaway on the Twin Cities Restaurant Blog. There are three things to choose from 1. Lounge Shaker set 2. Bottle Holder 3. Salt & Pepper shakers. Leave a comment on this post saying which product you like best and a winner will be randomly selected on July 7th. Feel free to direct anyone in the USA to the site. Blog about it, spread the word!