Fits on the Road: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

This past weekend, we travelled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota!

We were in Sioux Falls for our friends Paul and Laura's wedding. I wasn't really sure what to expect in Sioux Falls...I mean, it's a town of about 160,000. I suppose I thought it would be a lot of farmlands and chain restaurants.  And there was some of that. Yet I was pleasantly surprised by the charm of Sioux Falls, and I wanted to share all the details of our short weekend trip to this city!

We took Friday off of work to get in our long runs, and then we hit the road a little before lunch time. Sioux Falls is about a 4 hour drive from Minneapolis. We made a stop in Mankato for lunch, eating at Pub 500 the same place we ate back when this same Paul who was getting married won the Mankato Marathon in 2012! (Did you miss that post? Be sure to catch up HERE!)

We arrived in Sioux Falls around 3:30 pm and we checked into our room at the Sioux Falls Clubhouse Hotel and Suites. Our room was quite large, with two separate rooms- one with a king bed, one with a pull-out couch, small kitchenette, and living room area.

After we settled into our room, we had some time to kill, so we walked across the street to check out "The Little Cellar Wine Company." This wine store and cafe was really cute. We received a "card" to use with the self-serve wine stations, where 4-5 whites and 4-5 reds were "on tap." You could order a taste, a half-pour, or a full glass, and you used your card to keep track of your purchases.

Dustin and I each did a few half-pours to try out a few different wines. We enjoyed hanging out on the patio before some of the other wedding guests arrived. Eventually, more people made their way to Sioux Falls. We were getting hungry, so after a few quick Yelp searches (as well as referrals back to the bride's recommendations on the wedding website) we decided to head to "A Taste of the Big Apple." The pizza here was decent and there were some locals brews available. We thoroughly enjoyed the warm August night on their patio.

Eventually, we made it back to the hotel for the Wedding Day 5k packet pickup (read more about that race HERE)

Saturday morning, we were up early for the 5k. After showers and a little lounging around, we decided it was time to explore Sioux Falls!

Our first stop, of course, was the falls after which the city is named!

The falls were much more expansive than I expected. The surrounding park was also very well-maintained. I was impressed!

After getting our fill of the falls, we headed to the historic downtown area of the city. Again, I was impressed by how well-maintained this little 3-block area was. There were lots of really cute boutiques, including the 605 Running Store.

Other mentionable boutiques included Engage Paperie, Half Baked bakery, Man Code, and CH Patiserie.

We grabbed lunch at M.B. Haskett, which was a cute little delicatessen. Dustin had a brie and prosciutto sandwich and I had a savory crepe.

After lunch, Dustin shopped a little at Man Code and found a cool sweater. This store carried a lot of upscale brands and trendy pieces and it seems like a real gem in Sioux Falls for menswear.

One of our favorite stores was CH Patiserie. We all purchased some of the colorful and flavorful macaroons from this tasty pastry store to enjoy later. They were so good!

After exploring downtown Sioux Falls, Meggan and I headed to A Perfect 10 Nail & Beauty Bar, Sioux Falls' first blow-dry bar. Nothing against this salon, as it was cute and the stylists were really nice, but I just didn't love my blow-out. The stylist tried to "pin" my hair to add the curls, and I should have been more adamant when telling her that doesn't work on my stick-straight hair. My hair NEEDS a curling iron. Yet she did the pinning method and my hair fell flat immediately. I brushed it out when I got back to the hotel and just used my flat iron quickly instead. The salon was still a nice place, with relaxing looking pedicure/manicure chairs and an affordable menu of wine and cocktails while you get pampered.

Okay. now onto the wedding!

The ceremony was held at the chapel at Augustana College and then we were shuttled out to Calico Skies winery in Iowa.

This reception setting was unbelievable- so gorgeous, and definitely worth the 40 minute drive from Sioux Falls!

I think the pictures tell a better story that I ever could. The tables in the dining room were so colorful. The photos for the table numbers were so fitting and coordinated very well with everything else.

Toasts, first dances, a bouquet toss...all the traditional pieces were there, as well as a live band. The wine was flowing as well as the beers. Such a fun night...

Big D!

Sioux Falls...you were a pleasant surprise. Paul and Laura, congrats!

I was so happy to be a part of such a special night. Cheers to the happy couple!

Fits on The Road: Back at the Cabin!

Hi all! I'm blogging on my phone, which is not that easy...but I wanted to say hi. 

We're at the cabin for a reunion of sorts with Dustin's extended family (including his brother and family who are visiting from Japan).

I did my long run yesterday morning before we left. It actually was one of my best feeling long runs so far, thanks to an early start and company from my friend Abby.

Dustin and I arrived around 2 yesterday and ended up at the Enchanted Inn nearby for dinner. More family is arriving today- it will be a full house!

This morning, Dustin, Matilda the Vizsla, Dustin's brother Collin and his half brother Reed all joined me for the cabin 10k run. So fun to all run together!

Here's one more picture from dinner. Forrest seems happy to take a picture but Hunter isn't so sure about Aunt Jessie!

Fits on the Road: Hiking in Willow River State Park

Go USA/Happy 4th of July- I definitely dressed the part today for work, donning every piece of red/white/blue I own. Overboard? Failed Fit?  I also enjoyed a red/white/blue bomb pop at the office as part of the soccer viewing activities. So good...

Are you a big soccer fan? I will be honest that I am not, but a lot of my coworkers are, so its easy to get caught up in the excitement.

So let me change topics here from soccer to hiking!

Last Sunday, we took advantage of the gorgeous summer weather and drove to Willow River State Park. Located in Hudson, Wisconsin, this park is about a 45 minute drive from Minneapolis. My friend Vicki (an avid hiker with lots of good advice!) had told us we should check this park out with Matilda, particularly because of the cool waterfall there. 

The daily fee to enter the park was $10, and the park ranger gave us a helpful map of the trails upon arrival. We drove about five minutes into the park before we parked our car and headed out for a hike. 

The trail we took was about 2 miles long to get to the waterfall. It was mostly shaded and had nice views of the nearby lake.

We could definitely hear the waterfall before we could see it; with all the recent rainfall, it was really moving fast!

Vicki had told me that they went swimming by the falls when she was at this park last summer, but the water was just too wild to swim this year. There were a few brave souls wading in the shallow areas on the sides, but most people just hiked around the water for the view. I'd love to come back when we could swim there!

Matilda seemed to enjoy her first waterfall.

A family photo at Willow River State Park.

I posted HERE with some tips for hiking with your dog. As a reminder, we are always sure to bring plenty of water for her. We also checked her for ticks afterwards, in addition to using Frontline.

More recently, we have to be sure to keep an eye out for the blue-green algae that has been blooming on some Minnesota lakes. Read this article for more information on what you should be looking out for. This algae is highly toxic to dogs, so you really want to be sure to avoid it. There were signs up at the park warning patrons of this algae in standing waters, so we did not let Tilda get in the water.

The trails we walked were all very easy. There were some more challenging trails in the park, but we only had limited time. We will have to come back to check out more of this cool state park. The campsites looked pretty nice too, so we discussed potentially camping here for a night as well this summer.

More things to add to my Minneapolis Summer Bucket List!

Have you been to Willow River? Did you go swimming in the pools by the falls?

Fits on the Road: New Orleans!

Hi all. I'm slowly recovering from a weekend in New Orleans. No, its not because I drank a little too much, I swear! I actually had a layover at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, and made the mistake of getting chicken tacos at Qdoba. Worst mistake ever...I think I definitely had food poisoning, and I'm just now starting to feel human again. I will never eat Qdoba again...

Anyways, on a brighter note, the rest of the weekend was SO fun! I was there for my friend Laura's bachelorette party. One of the bridesmaids grew up in New Orleans, so she planned most of the weekend activities, and she did such a great job as our tour guide!

New Orleans is all about the live music and the food, both of which we thoroughly enjoyed during our weekend visit. I arrived on Friday, and after a quick change of clothes, we headed to the Columns for a cocktail.

source

This classy restaurant had a lovely patio overlooking St. Charles. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain this evening, so we weren't really able to enjoy the view. We still got a flavor for the old-school locale.

After our drink, we braved the torrential downpour to head to Peche, an amazing seafood grill. This restaurant has been honored with two James Beard awards- best new restaurant and best chef in the south. We shared a lot of small plates, and enjoyed every bite!

Next, we headed to the Maple Leaf bar for some live music. The band was "Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes," and they were really, really fun. Their original songs were great, and they also did some really fun covers, like Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative!" We were out until past 2 am, which I haven't done in quite some time, but the time flew since we were having such a great time!

New Orleans may be all about the music and food, but with this group of ladies, I knew we'd also squeeze in some FITNESS.

Even though we were out late on Friday, we managed to make it to an early morning TRX class at NOLA Pilates. NOLA Pilates was a great little studio that offered TRX, yoga, Pilates, Reformer Pilates, barre, spin, and more!  Actually, I saw that they had Surfset boards there, which I tried out last December, and LOVED (read all about it HERE) This studio definitely had a little something for everyone, and if I lived in New Orleans, I think I'd be a regular!

One of the girls had called ahead to reserve spots for us in the Saturday morning class, and I was really impressed by how welcoming the studio was to us out-of-towners. We received an email ahead of time, explaining what to bring and what to expect. After we arrived and filled out a waiver, we were offered towels. Then the instructor explained what the class would entail and demonstrated some of the moves. The hour-long class was a good mix of a little bit of cardio and a lot of strength. 

I was a little tired going into the class, but like usual, working out made me feel a lot better. We were all revived and ready to go for the rest of the day!

After lunch at the Grocery, we took a walking tour of the Garden District. This tour was so great- I really enjoyed it. We saw so many beautiful houses (including some celebrity homes), and learned a lot about New Orleans and its rich history.

Eli and Peyton Manning's house. Yes, it is tilted.

Sandra Bullock's house

Petting John Goodman's dog!

My favorite part of the walking tour was when we toured one of the New Orleans cemeteries. This part was definitely a little eerie, but really interesting.

The cemetery was really spooky, as the graves are actually above ground. The ground is too swampy to bury the bodies. Instead, as each body "rots" (sorry, I know that's morbid) they put another body on top of it. Generation after generation is buried in an above-ground grave.

If you ever find yourself in New Orleans, be sure to take a tour of the cemeteries.

After the walking tour was over, it was time for us to head back to get ready for dinner. But on the way, we had to make one stop- at a drive-thru daiquiri!

Yep, open container laws don't exist in New Orleans, and these drive-thru daiquiris are all over the place. I have to admit, it was pretty tasty on a hot day...

Before heading back out for the night, the bachelorette opened presents...

We also had a little champagne toast!

Then we were off to Bourbon Street, which was INSANE. It reminded me a little bit of Beale Street in Memphis, but wilder and "dirtier."

It was remarkable that Bourbon Street was so wild and raw, yet you could walk over one block and fine nice restaurants and art galleries. We had dinner at one of these nice restaurants, Arnaud's. It was great, though not quite as awesome as Peche the night before.

After dinner, we had to stop at Cafe Du Monde for a beignet (when in Rome, right?)

....and then off to Frenchman street for more live music. This time it was at d.b.a, where Rebirth Brass Band was playing. Another fun night in New Orleans!

My return flight left bright and early on Sunday morning. I was only in New Orleans for about 36 hours, but we covered a lot of ground and had such a great time!

Now I am even more excited for the wedding in August. 

Can't wait to celebrate again with this lady!

Fits on the Road: Turks and Caicos...Final Call!

Final post about our short trip to Turks & Caicos! Then its back to regular Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion, I promise!

Saturday morning, the weather was not as windy as the previous day. Even so, we had hoped to do a SUP (stand up paddle boarding) tour of the mangroves, but unfortunately the tour company cancelled. They felt it was still too windy to be safe.

So we started the morning off with another warm weather run. (I tried to savor running in shorts and a tank, as I just knew we'd get more snow in Minneapolis, and whaddya know, we did last night!)

After the run, we enjoyed a leisurely (free!) breakfast and more beach time, and eventually we decided to try parasailing!

Neither one of us had done it before, so it was something new and fun. I am the first to admit that I have a bit of a fear of heights. I didn't let go of my death grip the whole time!

The trip was probably only 30 minutes, but we definitely got up pretty high!

We were rewarded with a very beautiful view of the whole island...

Here is a picture of our feet to show you how high we were!

We also took the Windsong Resort's beach cruisers for a few rides to go get lunch, etc. It had been a long time since I rode a bike with a kickstand and old-school brakes where you pedal backwards to stop!

That afternoon, Dustin took out the Hobie Cat sailboat again, with me as his first mate:

...and we did a little paddle boarding of our own, to make up for the cancelled tour.

We had our final meal in Turks & Caicos at a lovely restaurant called Caicos Cafe. It was just a random find on Trip Advisor, but it was really great. After dinner, we had to stop by Giggles, to try out a "Giggler." It was sort of like a blizzard. I had the banana split Giggler, and it was good, but WAY too much ice cream for me. I'm not really a big ice cream person, but if you are, this is the place to go, because you get a HUGE serving!

Sunday morning, I had time for another quick run, a little beach time, and then it was time to say goodbye to Turks & Caicos. It was a short trip, but hopefully we'll be back someday.

Here are some of the things I really liked about TCI:

Running! It felt relatively safe to run. Dustin and I did our long run, and then ran two other mornings during the trip. Actually, one morning, I ran on my own, and I still felt perfectly safe. There were dozens of other runners out, and I never was out of eyesight of another runner. We never had to run on busy roads- always sidewalks, which was great. My last beach vacation was Cancun, where I didn't feel as comfortable running. Of course, Hawaii is a great running destination, but Turks & Caicos was one of the best of the other non-US islands for running.

Food: We had a lot of really awesome food! Lots of fresh seafood, of course, including conch.

The Beach: The beach was really pristine, and the water was super clear for snorkeling. Other than the windy days (which we were told were a rare occurrence), the water was really calm, perfect for lots of water activities. Unfortunately, we did experience some windy days, but you can't control the weather!

Our Resort: Of course, a big part of the appeal of TCI was the amazing room we had at the Windsong Resort. The resort itself was really nice- no complaints! There were not a lot of kids there, and it just seemed like a great place to truly relax. Guests can take advantage of the beach cruiser bikes, sailboats, paddleboards, snorkel equipment, kayaks, and many other water activities. I highly recommend the Windsong!

As for fashion for the islands- remember the pink/gray/white sweater I wore to this cabin bachelorette weekend? I bought it online at Catch Bliss Boutique. I had a great experience with sizing, prices, quality, etc, so I decided to order a few of their summer dresses for the trip:

The short one on the right was final sale for about $25! I loved this dress with the 3/4 length sleeves, and the double layer of soft but light fabric. It's no longer available, but you can find the maxi dress on the left HERE, just $44! Of course, I had to bring my new favorite Oia Jules Agate necklace (on the right). If you haven't checked out her necklaces, you should!

That's it from our Turks & Caicos adventure...Our next trip won't be until the Flying Pig Marathon in 6 weeks!  Any tips for Cincinnati, Ohio?