Social Currency

I saw this ad this morning and it made me think about how dance used to be our social currency--the skill you needed to have to be part of the social scene and meet others.




And then it made me think about what our social currency is now. Obviously, it'll vary for different groups of people, but here are some of the ones I've noticed in the past couple years of my life:

Wakeboarding.
Skiing.
Tennis.
Golf.
Climbing.
Surfing.

Trust me, I'm no expert in any of these categories, I've just noticed that these are some of the group activities I've often found myself invited to participate in...and either been seriously relieved that I'm half way decent at said activity, or absolutely mortified at the thought of hanging out with the group due to my utter lack of skill in the area.

I'm curious what other people/groups/geographical regions feel their social currency is.

Cubs Game in Milwaukee

Whirlwind trip up to Milwaukee and back this past Friday

for some good ol' baseball watching with Bob's work.

The Cubbies did not disappoint.

The Spreckers root beer did not disappoint.

The Kopps custard did not disappoint.

Win. Win. Win.

Brain Dump

Today at work I caught myself thinking, "I wonder if I could just go to the bathroom for like 10 minutes and take a nap..."

I'm in the middle of making cinnamon rolls right now for the first time in a few months. It makes me miss the days of late night college baking with my favorite girls.

I went sans cell phone today (by accident). Did it ruin my lunch plans? Yes. Did it feel good to be untethered for just one day? Definitely.

My parents just bought a new home and are in the process of moving this week. I don't know anyone else who enjoys moving as much as they do.

September is just around the corner and I can count on one hand how many times I've worn my swimsuit this summer. Thank you, Corporate America.

Did you know that living in Park City is substantially less expensive than living in Chicago? I'm tempted to relocate...if someone can find me a new job. Please and thank you.

ASOS has the best dresses right now.

I really miss my brothers a lot. Living on different continents just isn't cutting it anymore.

Tonight is the first night I've been on my own in a very long time. As much as I love company, I love the quiet calm of being alone.

Today, I applied for one of my dream jobs.

Two Dozen.

Got to spend my birthday weekend with this boy,

and couldn't have asked for a better time.

Breakfast dates

Architectural boat tour

Shopping

Lots of yummy food

Boating + BBQing with friends

Best weekend ever.

Trapeze Date Night

This weekend Bobby and I went on quite possibly the most unique date I've ever been on and took a trapeze lesson!

We found the deal through Living Social Adventures and it was a blast!

Bobby was much better at the trapeze part than I was,

but thankfully everyone there was super patient with me!

We're supposed to be getting photos back from the trapeze school sometime this week, so I'll have to post those as soon as we get them. Or at least Bob's if mine is horrendously embarrassing since I'm pretty sure the pictures will only further prove how non-acrobatically inclined I am!

I think my favorite part of the night was our caricature. Doesn't really look like me but totally looks like Bob!

After the class was over, such a fun workout!

Alaska!

Just got back from an amazingly fun trip with the fam around the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, and all I have to say is that I am definitely putting Alaska on the short list of places to revisit again and again in life! It's so gorgeous, and I only got to see a teeny tiny part of it!

Here are just a few of the highlights:

Just a word about halibut fishing: I now understand why it's so expensive. It is so hard. Like deathly sore arms and bruised hipbone from trying to balance the dang pole on my hip type of hard. I'm sure the turbulent seas didn't help either, but man I gained a whole new respect for fisherman after that day of fishing! Salmon fishing is fun, halibut fishing is not.

And last but not least, my cute mom. This woman is my favorite and makes every trip a million times more fun!

Bon Voyage

On my way to Alaska.

Wish this kid could come.