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!