Chicagoland!

Our weekend adventure in the Windy City

Kevin and I spent our first weekend in Chicago July 27 - 29, 2012. Kevin has been to Chicago once before, but it was several years ago. We stopped and had lunch in Chicago on our way to the Jim Gaffigan show in Joilet, IL... but this was my first official visit!

CHICAGO IS SUCH A COOL CITY! In fact, I think it's my favorite city I've ever visited. It probably helped that we stayed in the best part of the city... Michigan Avenue. We arrived on Friday night; it literally took an entire hour to get into the heart of the city and find our hotel. It's a huge city and they even have double decker streets (weird huh?). We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Ave. Since we got into town late, we decided to have dinner in the Angels & Kings restaurant in the hotel and had a few drinks at the bar. They had fun cocktails that were really yummy, except for Kevin's hot sauce cocktail (yuck!).

We kept Friday night an easy night because Saturday was our BIG day. On Saturday morning, we ordered room service for breakfast and then, we rode the "L" to Wrigley Field to see the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs. Such a neat and historic park. In fact, Kevin's grandpa grew up on the Southside of Chicago, so it was cool to be in the city that he grew up in. We're not sure if he ever made it to Wrigley, but it still made us think about him. Overall, the Cards lost.. boo.

After the game, we went to this great burger joint beside Wrigley. We rode the L back to our side of town. It's called the "Elevated" technically because it's an elevated subway for the most part. You hear it called the "L" and the "EL." The train/subway is pretty cool and very crowded. We came back to our hotel and changed before we went to McCormick & Schmick's for dinner. It was a great seafood restaurant in walking distance from our hotel. Great food, but kind of poor service.

On Sunday, we had to keep it fast-paced because we had to pick the dogs up from the boarder by 5 pm. We woke up early and went to Millennium Park. I had to see the Famous Bean! It's a pretty interesting piece of art. I cannot imagine how someone created it. It looks like a mirror (see pictures below). After we walked around Millennium Park, we went and had breakfast. By this time, we only had a few short hours to spend in the city, so we had some important decisions to make... The Magnificent Mile or The Aquarium. We decided since we had such a short amount of time it would make more sense to drive through the Magnificent Mile and head over to Navy Pier and go to the Aquarium. On my next visit, I plan to spend some time and some $$ on the Mile. Navy Pier is BEAUTIFUL! It has bright blue water and sailboats for days! It's hard to believe it's Lake Michigan - looks just like an ocean.

I was sad to leave the city!! Although, I'm excited to visit again in October when Betsy and Amber come to visit!! I definitely know a few spots to take them!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field was built in 1914 - Such a historic Park! There are a few tall buildings (probably around 15) beside the Park that have bleachers on top of them, so people can watch the game without paying the price! 

Downtown Chicago on Michigan Ave

The Bean in Millennium Park

Underneath the Bean - Really cool!! 

By the Art Institute in Millennium Park

Navy Pier - Look at that beautiful water!! 

Looks just like the ocean - it has no end!! 

Titletown Bike Tour

Kevin and I rode in our first tour together on Saturday, July 15th in Green Bay. It was the Titletown Bike Tour and we rode the 55K (34 miles). This was a big step for me, since my longest ride was 18 miles on a bike trail. I had my first "endurance" ride the week of the tour... ugh, it's a big difference.

Overall, it went very well. I finished! We started around 9:00 am and finished a little before 12:00 pm. We only took one break at 10 miles in. I probably could have used another break around 25 miles, but we pushed through. The ride was very pretty and unlike Arkansas, there are very few hills (meaning real hills) in Wisconsin. We had a few rolling hills that were tough for me but in the grand scheme of things, they weren't that bad. Although, I've never been so happy to get off my bike after we crossed the finish line!! Per my request, we laid in the grass for a little while.

Our next big ride is the Door County Century on Sunday, September 9th. This ride is in Sturgeon Bay - which is a beautiful area in Door County (about 1.5 hours north of Green Bay). It's on a peninsula. I plan to ride 50 miles... a Half Century. It sounds scary, but I have tell myself it's only 16 miles longer than the Titletown. I can do it. I will practice a little more for this one. I think I learned my lesson. Several of Kevin's family members are doing this ride with us including: his dad (Steve), his uncle (Doug Richey), his aunt (Gina Richey), his sister (Kim) and his brother-in-law (Tony). Thanks to his dad - we are ALL wearing matching Maverick jerseys!! There is also a big group from Schneider National riding with us! It will be a fun time.

Here's a few pictures of our Titletown ride:

Pre - Ride looking all fresh!

I had Kevin take my picture with the sign like a dork.

Amy didn't ride with us but ran into us at the finish line. She rode the 100K (60 something miles). 

 We did it! 

One proud cyclist!! 

Life's a Beach...

Even in Wisconsin!

On July 14th, Amy took me to Algoma (WI) to the beach. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised! Who knew Wisconsin had such cool beaches and this one is only 45 minutes from my house. I plan on being a regular. Now it's not the ocean... it's Lake Michigan, but it looks like a beach to me!! Here are a few pictures from our trip. 

Amy and I lounging on the beach! 

Gotta love the lighthouse on the pier!

Downtown Algoma - If you ever go, please visit The Flying Pig - you won't regret it! Such a cool store. Everything is handmade/crafted by local artists! I bought this cool Doggie Cookie Jar, 

created by Mercedes Pottery. 

 

Happy 4th of July!

We celebrated with TWICE the amount of visitors!! 

Kevin's parents (Steve & Terry) arrived on June 30th - just in time to celebrate Kevin's 29th birthday! I made reservations at Ogan; a fantastic restaurant on the Fox River. Luckily Kevin's parents are "project people," so our yard got a makeover during their visit! Not only did we repaint our deck, we cut down trees, trimmed our hedges and took out a lot of brush. Just how much brush... TWO full trailer loads!

We actually have landscaping now! Our second visitor arrived on July 3 - Macy (my sister)!! This was her first visit to Wisconsin since we've moved! We were so excited about her visit and had a lot planned!

It was nice because both of their visits overlapped two days - and over July 4th. His parents haven't spent much time with my sister (it was mainly all wedding events), so it was nice for them to spend some time together. On July 4th, Kevin smoked some of his FAMOUS ribs and I cooked collard greens and sweet potato fries. Greens are always a staple when we smoke because they both take several hours to cook so it's perfect timing. I LOVE greens - they remind me of my Grandma and Grandpa Blount. Kevin loves them too!

On the next day, I took Macy and Ms. Terry to Lambeau to see the stadium and had planned to have lunch there... however Curly's Pub was closed. Bummer. I ended up taking them to Krolls West, which is right beside Lambeau (so you still get the experience) and you get to experience the 1970's throwback restaurant. Kevin's parents flew home the afternoon of July 5th.

Below are some pictures from the rest of Macy's visit:

This is on the Foxy Lady - we took Macy on a Cocktail Cruise on the Fox River. Craig and Julie Brown also joined us. 

This is us just being silly while we were tailgating before the Dave Matthews concert at 

Alpine Valley Music Theater. 

This was the COOLEST concert venue! This is the actual site of Stevie Ray Vaughan's last concert before his helicopter crash. His helicopter crashed just to the left of my picture into a small ski slope. 

Check out that crowd! Friday night wasn't sold out, but I think it had to be close. The max is 37,000 people. 

Group picture towards the end of the show. All of the hotels near the venue were sold out so we had to drive almost back to Milwaukee. Then we devoured McDonald's. "I love McDonald's Ranch," said Macy thirty-three times. 

When we got back in town the next day, we took it pretty easy, although Macy had one request. She wanted to GO OUT. So, Kevin and I went out for like the 3rd time (out-out) since we've lived in Green Bay. It was a fun night, we took a cab so no one had to be the DD. We went to Hagemeister Park, Knuckles and then to Stir-ups! We had a lot of fun at Stir-ups - there were seriously at least 3 bachelorette parties there! We danced a lot and then I proceed to leave my debit card there. Lovely. 

On Sunday, we did NOTHING! It was great! We laid around the house and watched movies and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 

We were so sad to see Macy leave on Monday morning :( But, I think her and Slade are coming back up this fall for a Packers Game!! Fingers crossed!

First Laney Visit!

My parents (Sid and Debra) came to visit us for the first time this past weekend - Memorial Day Weekend! 

It was truly a perfect weekend and we were so sad to see them leave. They flew into Milwaukee on Friday  and got in town around 7 pm. Kevin and I gave them a quick tour of De Pere & Green Bay and then we went to eat at our favorite Mexican Restaurant, Caliente! They make the  BEST margarita I've ever had - it's called The Black Magic Margarita! So yummy - with no heartburn or tummy ache! I usually can't drink margaritas.

We gave mom and dad an official tour on Saturday complete with a tour of Lambeau Field (Packer's Stadium). Then we took them to one of our favorite places to eat and grab drinks, Fox Harbor. They have great food, but the best part is their view of the Fox River! So much of Green Bay is centered around the water, however there's not too many restaurants or bars on the water!

We were invited over to The Cobb's House (Kevin's co-worker) for appetizers and drinks late Saturday afternoon. We had a great time and the Cobb's are great hosts! Our friends Craig and Julie also came over. It was so nice to actually sit and talk with everyone. Many times we meet at a party or restaurant and it's hard to talk. Afterwards, we came home and made a fire in our firepit. It sprinkled a little but it was great to sit on the patio with Kevin and my parents. I miss this!

Sunday was our Grilling Day - well actually not grilling, Kevin smoked a few racks of ribs. He is a fantastic smoker and griller! We've bragged so much about his grilling-skills and this was my parents first time to experience his ribs! Let's just say... he may be cooking at our future family gatherings! We had such a fun afternoon! Mom and I went to Menards (like Home Depot) and bought some plants for the house. I'm really testing my green thumb - we bought tomatoes and strawberries. If all goes well, maybe I'll follow in my grandpa Blount's footsteps and have a real garden one day (baby steps first!). We hung out on the patio all day and the weather was BEAUTIFUL! Mom kept saying it felt like beach weather - warm but with a cool breeze. Mom and I even made some yummy and quite tangy "Wine Slushes." They had Merlot, pomegranate juice and raspberries in them.

On Sunday evening, we went to Celebrate De Pere, which is an annual music festival in our neighborhood. We mainly went for the fireworks but stuck around for a little bit of Diamond Rio. Here's a few pictures from the festival.

You don't realize how much you miss being with your family until it's time for them to leave... I think we were all a little teary eyed. All I wanted was for them to have a wonderful Wisconsin vacation and I think we accomplished that! It was a very relaxing weekend, and we even fit in a few tourist attractions!

We love you! Ready for your next visit!

Milwaukee Weekend

Little Weekend Getaway! 

Kevin and I decided it's time to start crossing some trips off our "to-do list!" We were able to knock off Milwaukee and a Brewers Game in one weekend! One day while I was working, Kevin surprised me with Brewers vs. Cubs tickets (for the following weekend) and Cubs vs. Cardinals (in July in Chicago!). Fun Surprise! 

This past Friday Night while we were packing for our trip to Milwaukee, I told Kevin that his beard looked a little long... and he came out of the bathroom with a fu manchu! Oh yeah, very baseball appropriate! 

We left early Saturday morning because our game was at noon; Milwaukee is only an hour and a half drive. We stayed at The Aloft Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. The downtown area is very neat and historic! I thought we had a fantastic idea for the day - we valeted our car and didn't move it until we left on Sunday. Since we were downtown, we went to a bar called Mo's Irish Pub and they actually had a shuttle to and from the game! Perfect! 

The Cheese Bar was just block down from our hotel! I had to get a picture and we planned to stop on our way home, but forgot. 

 Here's us at the game! We had a great time and had GREAT seats! It's been so long since I've been to a Major League game... I think a Rangers game when I was little. 

Be sure to notice Kevin's stash! By the way, the Brewers won! 

After the game, we waited and waited on the shuttle and then decided to take a taxi. We went back to Mo's for a late lunch/early dinner and then began our "bar hopping" back to our hotel! We came across this cool piece of art on our walk. We took a TON of pictures of it but only a few turned out cute. I thought this was neat!

I'm sure we got a lot of funny looks, but we didn't care! We were just being goofy! 

This is my "the earth is on my shoulders" picture!

We even had a nice runner take our picture! The picture on the right is of the "Das Boot" when we were at The Braut Haus. Not sure if you've ever seen the movie "Beerfest"... but it's pretty funny. It's about this "beer drinking team" from America to go to Germany to win Beerfest! The final challenge is "Das Boot." I'm laughing while I type this just thinking about it! We thought it was hilarious that it was on the menu!   

Kevin finished his Das Boot, but we had a minor Das Boot accident with mine. We kept laughing and cheers-ing... well you can probably figure out what happened to mine. CRASH and SPLASH! 

On Sunday, we had a great brunch at Brocach Irish Pub and were off to the Milwaukee Zoo! I absolutely loved the zoo when I was little and still do today! They can make me a little sad, but some animals are much safer in a zoo than the wild! I just have to remind myself of that. 

Hope you enjoy our trip! Just in case you are wondering, Kevin shaved his fu manchu before he went to work on Monday! 

Love, L & K

Pixie Turns 9

When I say that I got Pixie in 2003, it doesn't seem like that should be nine years ago. I feel like it was just yesterday when she was a little pup and could fit in the palm of my hand. Well, here it is 2012 and she's not too much bigger, weighing around 6-7 pounds.

This little dog truly brings so much joy to my life and not only my life, but my family and Kevin too. Kevin wasn't so sure about Pixie at first. He thought she was a sweet dog, but she had to grow on him. And, him on her too. Pix didn't know about Kevin at first either. I think it was because he is so tall (6'5") and he has a loud voice. I have a loud voice but she's plenty used to mine. Don't worry, they are two peas in a pod now.

We celebrated Pixie's 9th birthday on April 28th. It was kind of a yucky day... I had planned on us going for a picnic along the Fox River. They have a great walking/biking trail along the river, but it was windy and rained instead. So, Kevin and I took Pix and Kaaba (our lab) to Pet's Mart to pick out their presents and then I made doggie cupcakes! I'll share the recipe - the dogs loved them and they are super easy to make!

Dog Cake/Cupcakes
1 egg
1/4 cup of peanut butter (I bought the natural/organic kind so it wouldn't have sugar)
1/4 of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of honey
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and baking soda and mix well. Add other ingredients and mix well. It will be very thick. Pour mixture into cake pan or cupcake pan (grease pan). My recipe said cook for 40 minutes, but I think that is too long. I think 25 minutes was enough. I also made icing with cream cheese (8 oz), honey and peanut butter. I mixed to taste.

Here are some of my favorite Pixie moments:

 At a bike race - looking a little crazy

Soaking up some rays at Betsy's cabin

Being blessed by Pastor Will at Blessing of the Pets!

Snow day in 2011 with Aunt Macy

Her favorite Halloween costume

This picture only needs one caption: Worthless!

Ready to take a ride on my scooter - although I was afraid to put her on there. For her own good. 

Sun bathing turned into a regular bath... she love rolling in nasty stuff.

Showing her brother (Kaaba) her cowboy hat

We love you Pixie - Here's to 9 more years!