My Patio Garden

Since the inside of my new apartment is still a disaster and far from being finished....I thought I would show off some of my patio garden.  My roommate and I have a beautiful patio that was pretty bare when I moved in.

We spent an entire evening at Home Depot searching through their plants and added a whole slew of them- don't ask me what they are...because we threw away all of the tags :) 

But I do know what this little guy is....my first jalapeno! Actually, I have three little ones and I can't wait to see how big they get! 

Since potted plants can't reach down into the ground for any water- we have to water these guys once or twice a day. It's nice to wake up every morning and see how all of them are doing. 

This is the jalapeno plant- he began really tiny, only a few inches tall.  He tells us when the plants need to be watered; his leaves will droop and mope.

Hopefully soon I'll have pictures of my room- but as they say, 'a designer's space is never finished!' :) 

Lake Gogebic

For the 4th of July weekend, Evan and I took a trip up to Michigan....but nowhere near my hometown.  Evan's grandparents built two small cottages on Lake Gogebic, the largest inland lake in Michigan about 20 miles from Ironwood, MI and Lake Superior.

The lake was beautiful; we swam, bathed, fished for minnows and lounged lakeside the entire weekend.  Standing at this point, you could see the Milkyway at night.  I have never seen so many stars! Every night, we would sit on the porch or on the dock and stargaze before going to bed.  Over three nights we saw 6 shooting stars!

Evan's mom encouraged us to go on some 'adventures' throughout our trip.  That meant going on some hikes through dense forests to find some amazing waterfalls. This area is littered with waterfalls and we only saw a handful of them.

Near Black River Harbor; the Black River feeds into Lake Superior about 2 miles from this point.  After seeing a bear on our drive through Wisconsin, I kept waiting for a bear to cross our path while hiking through the many trails...luckily, we never saw one up close and personal.

What do you do when a tree falls in your path?? 

Conglomerate Falls. 

Lake of the Clouds. 

Lake Superior.  As we drove the 20 miles from Lake Gogebic to Lake Superior, the temperature dropped 15 - 20 degrees! And the Lake water in Superior was frigid!! I could barely stick my feet in without going numb!  We spent some time 'beachcombing' for Lake Superior flatstones, perfect for skipping.

Playing in Rainbow Falls!  Yes, we were walking through the falls! Next year we're going to bring our swimsuits!

Not a bad way to spend a vacation, eh?  

Houston House and Home July 2011

As if my 25th birthday weren't awesome enough...here is some more great news! A master bedroom/bathroom remodel of mine was recently highlighted in the July issue of Houston House and Home!

The magazine hosted a contest to select five great master suite remodels from Houston based ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Designers. 

July Houston House and Home cover

The preview to the article - that rockin' shower in the lower left corner is mine!

The full page article about my bedroom/bathroom remodel!

To see more of the magazine or to read the article....CLICK HERE!