Weekend Scene Times 3

Part 1 of my weekend......

When I turned forty about 6 months ago, my friends came up with a list of things I needed to do in my fortieth year. One of the things I needed to do was to go to a bar all by myself and order a drink and drink alone. For some reason I thought I could never do this because I seriously would feel like a big loser. So, for a gift they even went out and bought me a couple of bar tokens for a free drink. The bar is this local saloon about a mile from my house. So, on Friday I got a text from my friend Cari ~ Denny's? (that is the bar) I texted her back and said sure....so when I got home from work Friday night, ate a little dinner (yogurt~too nervous to eat real food), my husband dropped me off (so I wouldn't chicken out I guess) and I walked into the bar ALL ALONE! There were about 6 people in the bar...it was about 6:30 pm. I felt like such a dork...paying with the free bar token, but I drank my beer and continued to text her until she met me out for a second drink. That was a crazy 15 minutes. So, I did it...I went to a local bar (dive) all by myself, even if it was only for 15 minutes, I did it. Let me tell you, I really didn't like it.


Part 2 of my weekend.....Soccer games are our life in the Fall. The two older kids play and my husband coaches the U13 team that Alyssa is on. So we spend about 3 hours of our day on Saturday's at the field. One of the things my husband does while coaching or being a spectator, is he loves to yell....quite loudly if I must say. Not a mean yell, but an encouraging shout! However, it drives me nuts and this Saturday EC (John's best bud) happened to be at the field right next to us, his daughter plays and he yells like John....loud, but encouraging. It drove me crazy...so here the two nut jobs are yelling at the games on Saturday.

Looking on and ready to shout!


John...EC....and Alyssa
Part 3 of my weekend....

On Saturday my very good friend Marie who I met 15 years ago when we were hired the same year to start a career in teaching. She had a surprise 4oth Birthday party. Her sister's did a great job pulling this off. It was suppose to be a Girl's Night Out with a few friends. Some of us surprised her at the restaurant...and her favorite Aunt and cousin surprised her in a limo ride to the restaurant. Awesome...she never saw any of this coming. After dinner we headed off to a place where she thought we would have some drinks and dancing. However, waiting for her was a huge bash with her family and friends that her sister's also planned. She was so shocked walking in that it took her a few minutes to realize what was going on. It was a great party.

The girls after dinner...The birthday girl is in the green top...her sister's are the two on the far right. Climbing up to Party with Jose...
Too bad it was a blow up bottle....

Happy Birthday Marie. You are an awesome friend. Thanks for all the great years we have gotten to know each other. You are truly terrific! Remember 40 is only a number and you look fabulous!! I left you a bottle of wine without a card...I know you will put it to good use.

I became a wino 2 years ago when I had a certain student in my class and now Marie is blessed with the same student...so the wine is for her to calm her nerves on a daily basis.

Beautiful Scenery

These photos are from our view from the cabin in Door County, WI. These are from our friend's camera. I think I need to get a camera like that. I love the following pictures. So pretty.

We are beautiful too...and part of the scene. :)

Until next year.....the group will be bigger!

****Thanks Randy and Heidi for these awesome pix! I need a new camera!!

Door County Weekend

It was a great weekend. A whole weekend without kids! We had a great time. We stayed in this resort right on the lake~ Lake Michigan~ we were in the thumb of Wisconsin. Anyways, the resort was nice we stayed in a cottage with everyone. (beds were very squeaky~held on to the headboard one night anyway) The weather was great~Indian Summer like temperatures. I ran on Friday...it was so beautiful not to enjoy a run. That way I felt like I could justify all the food and drink I knew I would have.

Hubby and me
I had one too many "Christmas Trees" that night. I love Gin and Tonic, but it makes me loopy. I paid for that night on Saturday morning.... a huge hangover...felt better later in the day. Saturday was the big Pumpkin Patch Festival where you walked around the town with open intoxicants...it was awesome! I decided to drink the margaritas instead of beer or wine.
Hubby had a plan..let's take the shortcut to the Festival....didn't work out so well....we were trespassers and the owners were not liking the fact that we wanted to cut through their property. So we were almost there...and we had to turn around and walk around. No big deal except I ruined my cute new shoes...they stunk like rotten fish and seaweed the whole day....nasty...I ended up going into one of those candle shops and spraying some room spray on my shoes. I think that is why the flies loved me that day. I am going to try and wash those shoes. I just love them!! Sorry Amy...it was all about the food and drink at the Fest! It was very crowded that day. Thousands of people...lots of thousands. Glad we walked our half mile and more after our detour.

The boys were looking at all the traffic and enjoying the day.
This is what I came h0me with. I went to two wineries on Friday. I was the driver so I couldn't go too crazy. I tried many types of wine...even tried the drys and semi dry. I ended up really liking this Blackberry Merlot. Never thought I would like the red wine, but I did. Yummy. I also like the apple blend wines...sweet. I didn't really like the holiday wines...to nutmeg ...spice for my liking. It was fun. At one of the wineries there was this bus that had about 50 women who were 75 years and older. They were cracking me up at the bar when ordering their wine. I hope that is me someday...living it up and having fun. That is what it is all about.

Anything else that happened....can't tell...just look at the sign. :)

Who is This Guy??

Went out on Saturday night to cheer on Wisconsin sporting events. Went to this pub that offers over 250 micro brews from around the world. Very cool....everyone was sporting either Brewers wear or Wisconsin Badger red. However, there were a few with Ohio State and even the Cubs (we live minutes from the Illinois border). One good thing is that the Brewers won that night...(lost Sunday...hubby was at that game and it sucked for sure) and the Badgers lost. So all in all the weekend in Wisconsin sports just SUCKED! Losses: Brewers, Packers, and Badgers, and if the Bucks were playing, they probally would of lost too. So why is my title labeled Who is This Guy?

Well...Saturday night in walks this guy...Is is Sammy Hagar, ZZ Top, who?

Look at that cool jacket...white cowboy boots!




Are we in 1985 all over again?? My BIL making a new friend.




I wanted to ask him for his autograph...got really embarrassed...not enough to drink yet.




Hubby and EC....

Birthday Madness

Happy Birthday to my very best friend.

We became friends and neighbors almost 9 years ago. We've been through many things together. We have laughed, cried, puked, been pregnant at the same time, acted like teenagers together, completed 2 triathlons together (and you kick my a$$), but most of all have developed a great friendship that I know will last a life time. Thank you for being there for me and I will always be there for you.

So Happy 33rd Birthday today to you! Cheers!!

Rockin' Hard

We rocked so hard last night I didn't get out of bed until 9:00am. That is unheard of around here. I am always up bright and early. Today I had to force my head off the pillow so I could get some much needed Ibuprofen for the pounding headache I had. Once I finally rolled out of bed and ate, I felt fine.

We started the night by going to see one of our favorite bands. They are called Boys and Toys. They were the band that played at our wedding and my husband works with the singer, so we have seen them many times. They proved they are still a rockin' playing rock from the 70s and 80s and even music of today. The crowd was great...I fit right in. (I didn't feel old).

With this event, the bands that are scheduled only play for about an hour and the next band comes on. We stayed for the next one called 89 Mojo...very good band. We "moshed" to the Violent Femmes. OMG...that brings back memories from back in the day. LOVED IT. "Why can't I get just one kiss...Why can't I get just one f.ck..." Oh yeah, we were screaming those lyrics. "Gone Daddy Gone, Love is Gone" Anyone else know the Violent Femmes?


We decided to go to some other bars that were participating in the event. More bands, huge crowds, lots of beer, shots, and dancing. Most bars had a waiting line to get in. The best part was the "drunk" bus that picked you up and brought you to bar to bar. That whole experience reminded me of college...we had a drunk bus that would pick you up and bring you home safely.

This was the "drunk" bus. A wild ride...can you imagine

a bunch of people in their 30s and 40s shouting like maniacs?!

I was so trying to get a picture of a group of girls who belonged on the show "What Not to Wear", but my camera sucks...very obnoxious flash...so by the time our group was trying to figure out a way...the skanky whoes left (spelling is so off on those words). The outfits were a black spandex mini dress with this hole by the boobs that made them look like balloons were coming out of the shirt. Hookers they were I swear. Yikes.

The bus was a great idea...the only thing that really sucked was that it stopped running at midnight and we had to walk a mile back to our car. Nice....the walk helped exercise the booze out of my system. Can't wait til next year. So much fun. I will post just a few of the pictures.





Getting ready to go out. Mr. Handsome and I.




Pat, Cari, and Tricia...Rock out!






Cari and Tammy (me) . We were the girls singing in this bar

with the 2 man band. Bust a Move...(song) Remember that one?!

This was the sign that was posted on the bus. Awesome!

The conversation with numerous people on the bus...talking about

other things they would rather lick. Think gutter people.

The boys waiting to get in. We went in before them. So sorry boys.

Rocked out at this bar. They were playing ZZ Top...so 8os rock was the

theme for the night. Sure made me feel like I was in college again.

Party Planner

In the last week I have taken on a new role...Party Planner. I've planned a Brewer game with 19 friends and bought all the tickets. I have rented a 3 bedroom cottage in Door County, WI(awesome place) for Pumpkin Patch weekend in October with a smaller group of friends, and this morning I am trying to coordinate a night out at the end of August. I am calling it my last hurrah before I go back to work on August 25th. This event is called Rock the Block. It is a group of bars that have bands, you pay one cover, get to go from bar to bar, and there is a Shuttle Bus that will take you to these places. It is an awesome event because it is a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club. I went last year with a Bachelorette Party and had a great time so I thought this year an outing with friends would be just as fun. http://www.happeningsmag.com/kcms/modules/tinycontent/index.php?id=22 Here is the link...so if you live in the area...you should think about coming. I am posting some photos from last year.

Getting ready to go out...

My sisters and my Mom.

I am glad we we safe from crime that night. :)

State Fair

I am not a huge fair person at all. However, yesterday was a beautiful day outside. So we thought...let's go to the fair. I think everyone in Wisconsin thought that as well. The fair was packed!!

We met some great friends there. It was great because the kids had their friends to keep them occupied and entertained. It was a "yes" day. Whenever it is a yes day, it is an expensive day. We sure dropped a couple hundred dollars in no time at all. We ate, drank, did the famous slide, listened to music, looked at all the animals, and did endless amount of walking. The kids really didn't complain...no reason too, they pretty much got whatever they wanted.

One of the highlights to the boys was laughing hysterically at the animals and all of their "jewels". See picture below...

This had the boys almost wetting their pants.

They loved the cows. They were so cute.

The famous big slide. There goes B down the hill.

For me the highlight was enjoying Summer Shandy. (There was plenty of it flowing). So glad we went. A great day with family and friends.

A Day with Miller~Brewery that is...

I have lived in Wisconsin all of my life and never once took a tour of the Miller Brewing Company. I've done Leinenkugels and Old Style(Lacrosse, WI... a long time ago), but never Miller. So after running the 5K at Miller Park home of the Milwaukee Brewers it only seemed fitting to head on over to the Brewery for some beer. A celebration of a hard workout.

We got our tickets and our tour began. It started with a 10 minute video...very good I might add, except for the weasels behind us who were whooping it up at 11:00 am and seeming like they were 15 and not legal to drink (they had wristbands)...but you never know. Okay the video has ended and off to see the plant. Wouldn't you know it...cleaning day, nothing going on in the factory...what a bummer. Would of liked to see the bottles and cans being fed through at a very fast rate. We saw the warehouse of beer and it was more beer in one room than I ever saw.

John and Tammy

Cari and Pat( EC that is)

I was waiting for the best part...the samples. We finally got to the first stop at a pub on campus called Miller Inn. We were seated at a table with a small bag of pretzels waiting and a glass of Miller Lite. That was the best Miller Lite I ever tasted. I was parched and hungry. I wanted another bag of pretzels. ( Now remember I haven't eaten anything after the race and I puked as well.)

Cheers to a great time!

The Fearsome Foursome...watch out!

The last stop was the Miller Beer Garden across the street where 2 more samples of our choosing were waiting. I chose Leinenkugels Honey Weiss and Miller Lite. I wasn't too experimental. I was parched and wanted to have what I know and what I would like. Needless to say I got drunk off of 3 beer samples...not full 12 oz, but samples. I was ready to party....I felt great...wanted more drinks...and even talked about going bar hopping. (It wasn't even quite noon) I knew I had to eat. We stopped for lunch at a local pub, ate, and realized I am not 21 anymore and am exhausted. By the time we drove home (45 minutes) I felt like I was hung over. It was only 2pm at this point. So, for the rest of the day I laid around and realized once again I AM NOT 21.

Great Day! Thanks to EC for being the DD in the new Sequoia...as Miller says...Drink Responsibly!!

Hannah in 3D

Do I need to say anymore? The countdown began long ago...tonight is the big night. Hannah in 3D...Alyssa and Paige all ready for the concert.

Sausage Race

It all started at 6am today. Maybe a little last night too. ( I get race anxiety and usually can't sleep...I get all nervous) Anyways, I did another 5 K race today. It was the best time...until I realized I am not 21 anymore.

Today my friends, husband, and I signed up to do the Sausage Race in Milwaukee. It is through the Milwaukee Brewers and their charities. For anyone who does not know...there are 5 types of sausages that race on Miller Park each home game. So funny...anyways they raced in the 5K today too.

We got to the ball park around 8:30 am...put on our timing chip, bib number, got the music ready, and waited to start the big race. It was about 2,500 people. There was a group of walkers, but mostly runners. Thank goodness I got a front row spot...a timing chip...however, no timing mat at the beginning...only the end...how goofy is that.

The girls are ready to go...Heidi, Cari, Tammy.

It is time to go...I took off like a shot...thought I could hang with all those young kids and serious looking runners (that includes my bffs) anyways I did my first mile at 7:40. I thought if I keep up this speed it will be a miracle. The only thing was the sun was so HOT and it was 80 degrees already. I had to slow down a little because I was getting beat already. I approach mile 2 and am feeling so hot...thank goodness a little relief...we got to run into Miller Park and run in from right field..run around the outside of the field and exit out. That was way cool to run where some of my favorite Brewers play...Ryan Braun, JJ Hardy, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, I was so in awww that seriously I wanted to walk just to have it last a little bit longer. But dah you are in a race...no walking allowed.

The last mile felt like forever. I knew it was almost done when I saw the tent and heard all the cheers. I finished the race in 28 minutes and 20 seconds. I placed 19th in my age group out of 126. I was pretty proud of that. I do hope to improve and I WILL. I crossed the finish , was looking for someone I knew and OMG are you serious? I felt that sensation in my mouth...the watering feeling...the feeling of you guessed it...I puked. Thank goodness there were some bushes close by. I felt much better. I only wanted water at this point...not the hot dog that they were giving out. So I drank my water and felt okay. We had a great morning...changed out of the sweaty clothes and took advantage of NO KIDS for a while kind of deal. We decided to head on over to the Miller Brewery for a tour. This is where I know I realized I am not 21... next story.

What a race...who is that guy to the right? He snuck in...

John, Tammy, Mr. Sausage, Pat (EC), Cari, Heidi


Great run bud...fishing tomorrow!