Eating, drinking, and hiking our way through Galena, Illinois

It's crazy that this summer marks the fifth year Ben and I have lived in Chicago!

I grew up in central Illinois and never thought I'd be a city girl, but I guess it's official now. I do love this town. It's where we were newlyweds, where I went through my crazy quarter life crisis, and where we've made some lifelong friends. 

But oh my gosh you guys, the energy of Chicago is intense. It's a scrappy, fast paced city of hustlers, movers, shakers, corruption, violence, extreme weather, more delicious restaurants than you could ever visit in a lifetime, and a patchwork of neighborhoods that are each as culturally and economically distinct as a small country. 

We live in a neighborhood that's as quiet as it gets, but there's still always a sense of urgency and go-go-go. I try my best to carve out a little oasis at home, but sometimes I just have to get out of town back into the "normal" part of Illinois to relax and breathe!

In just one hour you can drive out into cornfields and big skies, and take a giant exhale.

Ben and I love to explore new places together and take mini getaways, since there are so many cool towns within a half day's drive of us in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Last week he had some time off work between the end of the school year and the beginning of summer school, so we decided to visit Galena, IL. It was my first time there and I fell in love because it's SO ADORABLE!

It's on the northwestern most edge of Illinois, only 20 minutes or so from the borders of Iowa and Wisconsin. In the 1800's it was one of the biggest steamboat ports, and the very first mining "boomtown" before the silver and gold rushes in California. (Lead deposits = the name Galena).

The topography and history of the area is also unique and fascinating, especially to a geography nerd like me.

It's situated in a patch of land stretching into southern Wisconsin called the Driftless area, untouched by the glaciers that scraped the rest of the Midwest flat, leaving glacial "drift" (fertile, mineral rich soil) behind. 

There are rolling hills, rare species of plants, archeological remains, deposits of minerals, and unique microclimates as a result of the un-glaciated terrain, which gives you the feeling of being in a completely different country.

On top of the landscape, the actual town of Galena hasn't really been touched since the glory days of lead and zinc mining, and it's been revitalized into a trendy tourist destination full of boutiques and restaurants. 

Since Ben is a history teacher, we also wanted to visit because Ulysses S. Grant had a home in Galena and there's a lot of Civil War era history there, including an unexpectedly awesome small history museum!

Because we're cheap, we stayed at a Ramada on the edge of town but next time I definitely want to check out one of the cute bed and breakfasts or inns. 

In 36 hours, we packed as much into our trip as we could!

The town was very quiet since it was the middle of the week right after Memorial Day, and the weather was perfect so we started our adventures at the Casper Bluff reserve, where there are ancient burial mounds that are part of the larger Effigy Mound culture that existed between A.D. 700 and A.D. 1000 in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. We honestly couldn't figure out what was a mound versus a hill, and the bugs were driving Ben cray, but we met some adorable cows!

Oh, don't mind us. We're just the cliche city folk who are gonna take a selfie with your cows...

After our hike, we drove over to Galena Cellars vineyard, a gorgeous little winery, for a tour and wine tasting. After living in Oregon, I've turned into a bit of a wine snob, but I was really impressed with this place. It was super homey and friendly, and they had dozens of wines to try! We'll definitely be back. There are also lots of fun events there and hellooooo wedding venue if you are looking for a unique event space.

For just $10 you can get a tour of the facility and a wine tasting with 6 pours. The wine tasting ladies were very nice, friendly, and enthusiastic about the wines and gave us a couple extra tastes too. We ended our visit by grabbing a couple of (CHEAP AND HUGE) glasses of our favorite wines, some cheese and crackers, and sat on the front porch looking out over the countryside.

HAPPY PLACE!

That night we had dinner at Vinny Vanucchis, an adorable Italian restaurant with a great patio. 

The next day we started off at the Galena Historical Society and U.S. Grant Museum which was very impressive and full of things to learn about the geographic, cultural, and political history of the area (must visit if you are a Civil War buff). In a really cool twist of fate, the building is situated literally on top of one of the original mining shafts, which you can peek down into! The museum also houses the original Peace in Union painting by Thomas Nast, depicting the surrender of Lee to Grant at Appomattox.

It was still fairly early by the time we made it out of the museum, so we grabbed coffee and wandered around the park and downtown shops. 

We wanted to check out the brewery for lunch, but it was unfortunately closed on Wednesdays so we went to a tavern called Gobbie's with the most AMAZING unhealthy appetizer I've ever eaten in my entire life. They're called beer nuggets and I still don't know what that means, but they appear to be deep fried herbed dough bites dusted with Parmesan and served with a delicious chunky marinara sauce. NOM. 

On our way out of town we stopped at Blaum Bros Distilling Co. because heck, the theme of this trip was eating and drinking everything possible. It followed the theme of every other place: unexpectedly amaaaaazing! Ben sampled a few of the liquors and I had a delicious bourbon cocktail.

We worked off the buzz with a visit to Horseshoe Mound, which seems to be the highest point in the area with gorgeous views and a painfully steep little hiking loop. I mean, can you believe this is Illinois, only 3 hours from Chicago?

When people call the Midwest a "flyover zone," I say hey. Watch yo'self and come see and eat and drink your way through MY Midwest. (Also see: Bayfield, WI).

What to do in Galena

Galena Historical Society & Grant Museum
Wander up and down the boutiques and shops -- eat all the samples in the kitchen and canned good stores!
Hike or picnic at a nature preserve
Galena Cellars Vineyard (there's also a tasting room downtown)
Blaum Bros. Distilling Co.

On our list for next time:

The Grant Home
Belvedere Mansion and Gardens

Where to eat in Galena

Gobbie's -- Lunch or dinner, great outdoor space. EAT THE BEER NUGGETS (they come as a side with pretty much everything). The pizza looked good too.
Vinny Vannucchis -- Family style Italian restaurant with lots of pasta. Great outdoor patio and Negroni cocktails.
The Market House Restaurant -- Basic Midwest comfort food with lots of gluten free options. Good for cheap lunch!

On our list for next time (lots of places are closed Tuesday and Wednesdays):

Victory Cafe
Otto's Place
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fritz and Frites
Galena Brewing Company

SO MUCH TO EAT!

Where to stay in Galena

We stayed at the Ramada Inn because we wanted to spend all our money on food and drinks, lol! It was a very nice and clean motel, but skip the continental breakfast. If you want more of a special experience, there are a bajillion adorable bed and breakfasts and quaint inns downtown.

Where is your favorite place to go for a weekend getaway?

xo Anna

Field notes from the entrepreneur rollercoaster (buckle up!)

Hello my friends!

Can you believe we're already at Memorial Day? In typical Chicago fashion, the weather has been boomerang-ing between 40’s and rainy and 70’s and humid. But the peonies are starting to bud so there’s hope!

The weather is kind of a metaphor for my life right now. Sunny/cloudy. Hot/cold. Energizing/depressing.

I’ve spent the last few months participating in a wonderful and inspiring mastermind group of other life and business coaches who are also passionate about building successful coaching businesses grounded in authenticity and spirituality. A fusion of biz and woo, if you will. It’s been a blast and also an extremely intense comfort-zone blasting experience (I'm such a sucker for those!).

This week my coach Lexi helped me realize that I need to share more behind the scenes of what I’m going through in this season of life.

So here I am! 

For the past several months I’ve been dealing with a lot of writer’s block around blogging because to be completely honest, I feel like a hot mess on the inside and don’t even know what I could or should be writing about. I have so many thoughts and ideas swirling in my head but as soon as I get a bit of clarity, I move on to the next breakthrough and I’m afraid if I try to put what I’m going through into words, I will make absolute zero sense. 

Insert: perfectionism paralysis. 

But I also know that it’s ok to not make sense. I’m living this life for me, and I want to write for me. I want to document this messy season of becoming and be-ing because I’m starting to understand that life will always feel messy and it’s not my job to make sense of it all. It’s my job to strap into the rollercoaster and go along for the ride!

I think it was Liz Gilbert who wrote that she bargains with God, saying "I'll show up and focus on the quantity (of work), if you take care of the quality," and I'm trying to adopt that mindset of faith.

It’s not about the outcome or whether my (or your) writing is good or bad. Who’s the judge, anyway? It’s about the process and the discipline of sitting down and letting creative energy flow through me. Letting myself find my voice. Letting my message and thoughts be heard. The more I bottle up creative energy, the more anxious and stressed and out of alignment I feel.

So here’s where I’m at:

I’m learning that entrepreneurship is very much a spiritual journey, and building a business doesn’t fit a linear growth model.

Yup, it's a never ending rollercoaster shaped like a ball of spaghetti noodles.

My inner perfectionist and Type A left brain scientist is having fits.

My inner artist and right brained creative is having a field day.

When you’re trying to figure out your purpose, you’ll probably be faced with the questions “what did you like to do when you were a kid?” AKA what were your dreams and desires and passions back before the world started to get into your head?

And the truth is that I was always creative. I was easily inspired and loved making beautiful things out of nothing. My imagination was bigger than life. I lived inside of my daydreams, my magical invented worlds. I knew I was part of something bigger than I could see and feel with my eyes and body.

So I’m giving that little girl Anna some time in the sun again. This is who I’m meant to be and I'm discovering that through the past 15 years of education and jobs and pivots and crises I’ve simply been on a journey of coming home to myself.

I'm trying to get curious and listen to and ACT on my creative impulses instead of telling myself things like “I’m too busy to take a break and paint.”

I've been taking deep dives into self care, spirituality, and learning what it’s like to lean back and meet God/the universe halfway instead of trying to force and control my goals into existence. Trying to trust that what I’m seeking is also coming to me, and learning how to open myself up to receive instead of constantly striving.

Here’s what I’m learning about entrepreneurship:

There’s so much dogma about the hustle, the grind, working harder and smarter and making more money, but when does it all end?

It only ends when we decide that WE ARE ENOUGH. It’s ok to want to continue to grow, but when we work from a place of rest, peace, and knowledge that we already have everything we need … we’re able to go deeper and further.

I’ve been exploring my faith, establishing a personal relationship with God, and getting curious about the invisible stuff like feminine energy, astrology, cycles, deeper connection to the vast space of source energy that we’re all part of. 

I love learning how I work, how I’m wired, and discovering my strengths. To me, spirituality is a form of self discovery on a deeper level, beyond personality tests.

Where this is bringing me?

Into my soul’s purpose.

My mission as a life coach: to help my fellow perfectionists and creative entrepreneurs learn how to slow down, release the striving,  navigate the rollercoaster, connect with their purpose, put their soul and heart back into their biz, overcome “empty success syndrome” and create a thriving business that supports them and a life that lights them up. 

And I'm learning that I need to do the work on MYSELF first and always (because it never ends), and learn what it actually feels like to slow down, tune in, and light myself back up from the inside.

When we project thriving positive energy and a sense of abundance, we’ll attract the people and opportunities that we need to take ourselves to the next level of success.

It's also important to remember that external success doesn’t bring happiness. If you want to be successful, you have to be happy FIRST. The money and all the ego stuff will follow, but it shouldn't be the goal.

Welcome to the rollercoaster. Up and down and up again.

Sometimes I feel like I’m growing and evolving so quickly I can barely keep up.

Sometimes I feel stuck.

Sometimes I feel like I’m pouring all my heart and time and energy into something that isn’t going anywhere.

Sometimes I feel like I can't even contain the joy and happiness and gratitude that's exploding my heart. 

Sometimes I go through a few weeks where I’ll be busy being … not busy. Hanging out with my own thoughts and Hulu.

Sometimes I watch myself dip back into my old workaholic tendencies and forget to take care of myself. Then I start to feel burned out, frazzled, and desperate and try to remember what it was like when I was doing less.

But through it all I’m continuing to show up for myself, my business, and my life and I’m learning so many lessons along the way.

I’m turning my life into my work and even though it's scary, it's also so much fun.

And day by day I'm making it happen! And letting it happen.

And learning how to relax and ride the rollercoaster with my arms in the air.

xo Anna 

p.s. if you want to chat more about life coaching or your own rollercoaster, click here to book a free 30 minute discovery call! Aka virtual coffee date :)

photo by Artistrie Co

Open-hearted: my word of the year

Back in January I decided to choose a word of the year. Have you ever done this?

I always get caught up in the New Years goal setting rush, but I also know myself and I know my goals are constantly shifting and evolving so I wanted one specific word or mantra to come back to and ground myself through the unknown months of adventure to come.

I decided to choose the word OPEN-HEARTED.

It felt like a way to release all the pressure I’d been placing on myself over the last few years as I launched and grew my businesses and evolved into Anna 2.0 -- this new confident, self-assured, happy version of myself that I'm still getting used to!

Why open-hearted?

When Ben and I were joining our church a couple of years ago, we took a new members class and learned that one definition of sin is a closing off of oneself, or turning away from God and inward to our own agenda.

God’s grace and love is constantly pouring into us, and when we feel anxious, overwhelmed, or alone it’s not because we aren’t worthy of love. It’s because we’re literally blocking ourselves from receiving all these good vibes.

As a highly sensitive introvert, it’s easy for me to close myself off to the world and go into hermit mode, especially since I work from home. But when I get too caught up in my head and my own agenda, I start to feel stressed, lonely, and let fear and anxiety take over. No bueno!

“The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength.”
A Course in Miracles

By practicing open-heartedness, I originally wanted to open myself up to new experiences, opportunities, and adventures this year. The older I get, the less intense and serious I feel about life. I want to have more fun, take myself less seriously, take pressure off, learn how to embrace the journey instead of constantly racing towards some destination and feeling like a constant failure if I'm not there yet.

I thought being "open-hearted" was an active verb - something I would practice or do.

Instead it’s become something much deeper, a way of being.

I'm learning how to open myself up to RECEIVE as well as give. To be vulnerable. It's not just about having adventures and exploring the world. It's about relaxing, slowing down, standing still. Experiencing life right now, as it's happening around me, instead of rushing off to find it.

Turn on.
Light up.
Live with more pleasure, more joy, more fun…even in the mundane.

Finding beauty everywhere, in everything.

In the two energetic/sparkly pre-teens next to me at Starbucks drinking sugary smoothies, stalking their friends on Instagram, and discussing babysitting techniques.

In the winter sunset peeking out above the rooftops of my city.

In the sound of birds singing as cold rain pours down.

In the flowers that drip off the trees in April.

Sitting in my parents' backyard on a warm 70* afternoon watching the sun glow through the tulips and new leaves.

Turning 30 with open arms and a fresh perspective, leaving this emotional rollercoaster of a decade behind.

Doing less.

Taking stuff off my plate. Saying no, even to volunteer activities that would leave me feeling drained and resentful.

Taking ownership of my time, my energy, the way I talk to myself.

Learning how to follow through on the commitments I make to myself, lean in to do the work when it's uncomfortable, but also to lean back when I need to work from a place of rest.

Learning how to experience the FULL range of emotion, instead of numbing the extremes with alcohol or mindless snacking.

Knowing that I'll always have far to go, and room to grow, but being content where I'm at anyways.

Learning how to embrace the messy process of life.

Self compassion.

Removing the timeline from my dreams.

Giving myself more white space to think, dream, process, integrate, create, daydream.

Following my curiosity instead of listening to the critical voice in my head.

Receiving support, love, and being vulnerable. Asking for help instead of pretending that I have it all together.

Learning how I operate and why, so I can give myself permission to own my strengths and weaknesses. Personality tests, strengths tests, natal charts, human design, chakras, energy, I am fascinated by it all.

Writing and sharing and speaking from my heart instead of passively consuming information.

Spending less time scrolling through social media and more time building relationships and connections with the women I stalk.

Reconnecting with old friends who knew me before I knew myself.

Discovering that yes, I actually can meditate and do yoga. And it feels amazing.

I’ve realized that over the past couple of rollercoaster years, I’ve been in a season of becoming.

Growing, learning, evolving, shifting.

It’s been exciting, but also terrifying and exhausting. I’m finally starting to feel that I’ve arrived. Not at a final destination, but at a place where I can just be me. Allow myself to be happy and grateful for the simple fact that I’m alive and healthy and breathing.

Something is shifting deep inside of me, unlocking a source of energy that feels grounded and free.

Faith, surrender, trust.

When I finally release my control-freak grip on external goals and growth and live AS IF I am already where I want to be, it’s like all the fear and stress and anxiety goes poof.

And once you start to slow down and pay attention, synchronicities start to appear. You wanna hear something funny? After writing the rough draft of this post, I took a break to go to a midday yoga class and the instructor Alex’s theme for us was heart opening. She led us through a beautiful series of heart opening poses and shared her own reflections on what it means to live with an open heart and open mind. I almost started crying!

We are always supported, you guys. We just have to get out of our own heads and recognize the love and support that’s constantly flowing into our lives.

After I came home to eat and shower I opened my Google doc to add some of her thoughts to this post and realized that I’d already written them.

Vulnerability. Accepting what comes, what is, what is happening.

Trust that whatever is coming into your life is happening for the highest good of you and everyone involved.

We live in a crazy scary and challenging world, but there's so much love surrounding us if we're brave enough to keep our hearts open.

Namaste ;)

xo Anna