Minnesota Blogger: Jen from Apartment Wife

Hi I'm Jen and I blog over at Apartment Wife. I'm a newlywed living in uptown Minneapolis and I'm new to the city! The husband and I got engaged in Chicago, and then 2 months later, his job relocated us to Mondovi, Wisconsin -- a town of 2,500. After 9 months, his job relocated us Minneapolis. We're living in Uptown and loving this beautiful city. The blog is about our adventures as newly weds, but also about Random Acts of Happiness. I try to commit a new random act of happiness at least once a week, but sometimes it ends up being more like 5 times :)

Here are five photos that describe me pretty well:

  

You can find me here:
Blog
Pinterest
Facebook

~Jen

Minnesota Blogger: Cassi from Bright Forest

Hello, I am so excited to meet all of you.

My name is Cassi. I am a lifestyle blogger writing and posting lots of pictures at Bright Forest.

What will we talk about when you come for a visit?

Well, we'll discuss marriage

Why? Because its hard and we need support, help and pray.

Of course we'll chat about traveling, camping and geocaching all with pictures included.

Because that is where our passions live and how we build memories as a family.

Now we'll chat about parenting, the joys, the struggles and the blessing it is.

You will learn we call our little one Mouse and that she's had some struggles along the way. Doesn't community, even online, just make the those struggles seem more manageable.

Then we'll just talk. We'll chat about passions like photography, art, crafts and faith.

So stop on by and lets walk this thing we call life together.

Minnesota Blogger: Amy from Limit Reached

My name is Amy and I'm a blogger. I've been writing Limit Reached since 2004. The doodle is my brand or is it my logo? Either way, she works for me. Who am I, really? I'm an 8th generation Californian who is now living in St. Paul, Minnesota. I am writer who blogs. Or am I a blogger who writes? Yes, both.

 

Why am I here? Why not? Minnesota is awesome! Oh, and I fell in love. I met my boyfriend, Paul, via Twitter in August 2011. We chatted online (and text/phone calls) for a year. He came to visit me in California over Labor Day Weekend in 2012 and we've been in love ever since. Yes, it's been a whirlwind romance and I have never been happier in my life. Sometimes life doesn't fit into the molds society creates for us. Are you still with me or has the "romcom" aspect to this post totally turned your stomach? Sorry. Well, not really.

What can you find at my blog? My tagline is centered around frustration. I vent or just noodle through a few thoughts. Sometimes life is just confusing, but it's also amusing. I'm addicted to social media, nail polish and coffee. I love wine, both white and red. And of course, I couldn't live without cheese and chocolate. All of these are topics you'll find on my blog. One of my life goals is to visit all 50 states. I think I'm up to 23 now, so travel, especially road trips/day trips, are on my editorial calendar.

 

California was great. Most of my family still lives there and my roots run very deep...like my family settled most of the major cities in that state deep. Also, wine. Napa is nice, but I always liked going to small wineries in random regions of the state. If you are a wine lover, I encourage you to try wines from Amador, El Dorado and even Sacramento/San Joaquin counties. There are some great wines coming out of the Central Valley and the foothills. Need a recommendation? Just ask!

   

Some of my friends have likened my blog to stand up comedy. I really need to work on my elevator speech when someone asks me what I write about because when you say, "Whatever I feel like," this glazed look appears in their eyes. It's a lifestyle blog. I write about everyday things and seem to find the humor in it on an accidental basis. As for social media, I'm on the Twitter, the Facebook, the Pinterest, the Instagram, the Google+, and the Tumblr. Thanks for reading and feel free to check out my blog anytime. I try to write at least 3 times a week.

Minnesota Blogger: Meghan from Whatever Is Lovely

Hello. My name is Meghan!

There are so many beautiful and lovely things happening in the world. My goal is to capture some of those moments!






I love nature and consider myself to be a little bit of a hippie. I enjoy reading everything from classics to cookbooks. I have a bipolar cat who I love dearly. My favorite word is 'eloquent.' I enjoy traveling and exploring. I drink way to much coffee. I am a ballerina in my spare time but can often be found dancing in the kitchen. I love to cook and want my own bakery. My middle name is joy. Handmade and homemade are the best.


Three more tidbits...

1. I am a hopeless wanderer. [waving on the right!]

2. One of my favorite parts of exploring is discovering bakeries!

This cupcake is from Miette in San Francisco.

3. This is my favorite quote, I hope to scatter joy in my life!

I want to document what inspires me and share some of my crazy adventures!
Stay lovely and bright,
Scatter some joy,
keep smiling,
would love to chat,

Minnesota Blogger: Brianne at Avalanches In My Heart

Why hello there! I’m Brianne.

The little things in life give me the most happiness. 

I love the smell of freshly ground coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening. 

I am passionate about photography and travel. 

I love how pictures allow you to capture moments and feelings.

You could say I’ve got an extreme case of wanderlust.

 If I could do one thing for the rest of my life, 

I would gladly live out of my suitcase and explore the world with my camera.

 I am new to the blogger scene and hope to fill my blog with chronicles of my adventures, day-to-day occurrences and random thoughts about anything and everything. 

Four things that give me the most joy:

1. Taking Pictures

 

2. Travel

When I went hiking in Scotland.

3. Coffee Coffee Coffee!

 

4. Disney

My sister and I at Disney World.

Join me!

My Blog

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

I would LOVE to hear from you!

Minnesota Blogger: Abby from Abby Talsma Blog

Hey there! My name is Abby, and I am so excited to get to share a bit about my life and blog with you. As I have only been blogging since November, I am fairly new on the scene. It all started as a way to communicate with family and friends while my husband and I spent a few months volunteering in Ecuador this past winter.

But it has become so. much. more.

Writing has allowed me to slow down the constant swirl of thoughts going on in my head. To take a closer look at how I want to live my life. With purpose. With love. With a heart geared toward serving others.

So I write about just that. Life. I don't focus solely on one area, but an array of topics weave themselves through my stories. 

Other things that hold a place in my heart are...

1   my husband. We got married last summer. Which did, in fact, bring me here to good ol' Minnesota. I'm originally an Iowa girl, have dabbled in Minnesota living since graduating college, and will call Minnesota my permanent-for-now home. 

2   traveling. The quote below pretty much sums this one up.

I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question.

       -Harun Yahya

3 community. I believe that living in community is essential. While I would love for you to come over and check out what I'm writing about, even more so, I hope to get to know you in the process. Whether our communities are formed in our neighborhoods, or online, I believe they are the heart beat of life. 

So join me on...
 

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

My Blog

Minnesota Blogger: Jaime from It's Gotta Be Here Somewhere

Hello to all of my fellow MN Bloggers!

I'm Jaime and I run the blog It's Gotta Be Here Somewhere.

I haven't had this blog up and running very long but not to worry, 

it will fill up soon with my never ending ramblings, stories, and confessions. I write about obsessions, guilty pleasures, the kids, The Rocky Road to Healthy, and other stuff. I am slightly opinionated (ha) but I do try to be nice about it.

I moved to MN 5 years ago this month (has it been 5 already?) to be with 

my now husband and his two children, Button and Peanut.

This is us having family photos done in Fall 2011:

Button is about to turn 10 and is in the 4th grade. She's a sweet girl that is usually more 

worried about other people being happy then herself. And yes, she's quite animated.

Peanut turned 7 in January and is in the 1st grade. This is a weird child. And she will proudly tell you that she is the weirdest of us all. Some days, it's like there is a 30 year old trapped in a 7 year old body. The next day, there's a 4 year old in there wrecking havoc.

I have a page on my blog, Kid Quotes, that can give you a glimpse into the laughs these two provide.

The girls live with us full time and we are a pretty tight family of 4. (Nope, no plans to add to the family now... or ever. We are 4 strong and we all like it that way.)

My husband and I were married June 12, 2010 in downtown Minneapolis. The girls were our flower girls and they were ADORABLE in their dresses. They amazed everyone with their manners and how well they behaved. (Yay! We are doing something right!)

I make nail polish and jewelry and sell both on Etsy. (At the moment, both shops are closed. But photos of what I have created can be found on the blogs and for the polish, on FB. I also add photos of nail art that I have done to my own nails.)

Red Carpet Lacquer

shop: www.etsy.com/shop/RedCarpetLacquer

blog: www.redcarpetlacquer.com

FB: www.facebook.com/RedCarpetLacquer

 

Designs by JW: 

shop: www.etsy.com/shop/DesignsByJW

blog: www.jmwdesignsjmw.blogspot.com/

You can follow me on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Himay_Jme

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/itsgottabehere/

FB: www.facebook.com/ItsGottaBeHereSomewhere

I hope you can stop by, say hello, and follow along as we try to navigate this ever changing world.

-Jaime

Minnesota Blogger: Elise from Crap, Did I Just Say That Out Loud?

Hey there, Minnesota Bloggers!

My name is Elise, and my blog is called Crap, Did I just say that out loud?

As most blogs go, I kind of just post about whatever I want, including, but not limited to...

 

1.) My Smokin' Hot Husband.

We met when I was in high school, he was MY BOSS (classy, right?) at the restaurant we worked at, and, at the time, our relationship was strictly professional and consisted of him telling me to shut up and get back to work. 

Four years later, we somehow got in touch, and he pursued and chased me until I was totally in love with him. We dated for a couple of months, got engaged, and then a few months later got married. 

INSANITY.

A month after we got married, I was pregnant (MORE INSANITY), and we then decided to move from Colorado to Minnesota to raise our family here (for some EXTRA INSANITY).

So it's been a non-stop insanity ride since we got together, and we even still have the hots for each other through it all!

On my blog you can find posts on his Proposal Story, 30 Things About Luke, and our wedding pictures. 

But what I really write about most is...

2.) My cute kids.

I had my daughter, Vienna, in May of 2011, and I just had my son, Boaz, this last September, 2012.

 Having two under two has been so fun and so, so, SO crazy!

My daughter is like five kids in one body, has her own opinions about EVERYTHING, and has broadway-musical-style meltdowns most every time something doesn't go her way. 

Sooo....she's a typical toddler.

But when she's not whining or getting into something she's not supposed to or requesting to watch Finding Nemo for the 3rd time in one day, she's actually super adorable and funny.

And she's got great hair.

So that's a plus.

My baby boy is about as cool and chill and happy as they come. 

He rarely complains, no matter how many times his sister sits on his face or tries to "share" her snacks with him (by shoving a graham cracker down his throat).

Oh and he's HUGE. Almost 20 pounds at 6 months old.

(That's a little on the heavier side of things, for a baby...)

So these kiddos keep me rather busy, and I'm pretty sure have caused quite a few friends and family members to think that I'm a raging alcoholic, by how often I mention that I'm desperately in need of wine by 2 pm.

And every once in a while I post about...

3.) Food!

I REALLY love food.

Like..a lot.

(You know, it pairs nicely with all that wine I drink.)

I'm not a phenomenal cook by any means, but I totally love it and I enjoy sharing recipes and meal ideas.

So that's pretty much the gist of it! 

Just writing about our insane life as it happens, and trying to keep all of our far away friends and family updated on what we do. We are in the works/planning stages of getting a farm in the next year or two, so that will be another fun, weird, unfamiliar extravaganza to chronicle.

Social Media wise, my blog has a fancy Facebook Page, I have Twitter (which I suck at), and I'm on Pinterest and Instagram (@elisej125) quite a bit.

Hope to get to meet you all at some point!

Minnesota Blogger: Alisha from Lovely Mind Heart Soul

Hello Minnesota Bloggers!!

My name is Alisha and I blog over at Lovely Mind Heart Soul. I am 24, married, a college grad, a major science nerd, an avid outdoorswoman, and an animal lover!

I tend to blog about the craziness that is my life. Some days it can be really random and others very heartfelt and soulful. I write how I feel and what I think. And I take lots of pics. Many are of my Hubby and my 2 year old Chocolate lab Raeghan. She makes a great model!! I am rather new at this whole blogging thing but I'll get the hang of it! Pic numero uno (oh yes. I know some spanish):

I married my best friend (Sean) on May 31st, 2012 in Breckenridge, Colorado. It was just the 2 of us and we couldn't have been happier. Then in June we had our reception here in Minnesota at the MN Horse and Hunt Club.

I'm a big sportsmen. I love hunting, fishing, camping, nature walks, and sport shooting. In high school, I shot trap competitively and am fairly confident I can beat most guys.

Really? That's the only pic I have of my baking? Note to self: fix that!!

I love love love to bake. I love trying new recipes, perfecting the ones I already have, and giving away all sorts of sweets! I can't cook worth a damn and Hubby thinks I can burn water (Thank goodness he's the cook in our house!!) but baking is a whole different story. My best wedding present was my KitchenAide mixer. I baby that thing. No touchy!

 

I am a huge Minnesota sports fan. I love the Twins, the Wild, the Gophers, the Vikings. I will argue until I'm blue about how great they are and I love going to the games. Hubby doesn't really care for team sports so he encourages me to go to the games with my girl Dana! Girls and sports in our neighborhood!

We have a 2 year old Chocolate Lab named Raeghan. She is our baby! She loves cuddling, playing with her Kong (heavy duty chew toy if you didn't already google that one) and eating --- ok, shredding -- socks. It's the only people-item she eats so I guess its ok. She's my natural hunter and loves being in the water. Oh and she's terrified of balloons (big hot air ones and little helium ones... no idea why). We could also never live too close to the railroad tracks because she howls at the train horn.

I love making new friends so please stop over and follow me!

instagram: lovely_mhs