Last Week in Moments

Storm love. Giving my pups some extra snuggles today -- especially this guy -- after learning that yet another friend's fur baby passed away. I've known four in the last month! It makes me so sad. Pets are such a special part of our families. This one never leaves my side. I call him my shadow. He follows me everywhere. My quite protector.


Brunch at Fuel Cafe. So good.


Cannot drive past this place without stopped by. We are totally obsessed. I had the cream nitro on top -- made with my new favorite thing, oat milk.


Darn! I didn't get to use my fancy, high-tech eclipse viewer thanks to all of the clouds.


First Nicolet HS JV soccer game of the season. They won 7-1. H is having an absolute blast this year. I think it's going to be a great season.


Lunch with my dad and a couple hours at the beach. Unfortunately, it was too cold for me to jump in ... but not for the boys.

Total Eclipse

Well, that was a bummer! We were all ready. Had our fancy cereal box viewer prepared and everything. While we were not in the line of the total eclipse, it still would have been impressive. Unfortunately, the clouds in Milwaukee did not cooperate with us today. The good news is, we could stare through the clouds without special equipment and did catch a glimpse of it.

Last Week in Moments

Last Friday was the third date night in a row! Who are we? Went to C-Viche. Ended up running into friends and joining them for dinner. Good times.


Nitro coffee flight at Pilcrow Coffee. A great way to start a Saturday.


KMHS 30th high school reunion at Stolley's Hogg Alley. Was so great seeing some of old friends. Happy everyone is doing well.


German-American days at Carl Schurz Park. It's been an annual thing for us for a few years now!


Swimming in the lake with their second cousin -- who is C's age, by the way.... The Toson's are in town from Texas! So happy we got to see them.


The Frigs have been joining us for this event the past few years. They weren't there this year, but we got to spend the day with a big fun group of people, including these guys, today.


Dragged the boys to the beach for a picnic lunch. Seriously, they never want to go, but once there, they have a blast. Doctors Park was super wavy and fun.


This rascal's favorite spot to relax is right here, under my feet, whenever I'm cooking.


We took the boys to the Beck concert.


It was like WOW! Seriously, it was amazing. Unfortunately, we had a tired C on our hands, so he didn't enjoy quite as much as the rest of us.


Imagine this scene, with constant pathetic whining. That's my life right now. Thank you critter that is tormenting my puppy.

Last Week in Moments

Grandma came and stayed with the boys for the weekend, while Brian and I went to the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin. How cool is that? I had reserved a hotel as soon as I found out that they were going to be there, but wasn't sure Brian would be as excited as I was. Fortunately, he was into it.


We ran into my old coach who opened her own gym, her husband and another one of my old workout buddies. So great seeing them.


My new coach is friends with Margaux Alvarez, one of the CrossFit athletes. I spotted my coach, who was with Margaux, who was there selling shirts and taking orders for her wine. I only spent a couple minutes with her, but from what I could tell, she's pretty freaking awesome. Such a pleasure meeting her.


Brian and I went to Stronger U meet-up, then headed over to Morris Ramen. We both had the Spicy ramen with chashu chicken. Delicious! It was a gorgeous night, so we also enjoyed some time just wandering around.


The next morning we went to the Dane County Farmer's Market before going back to the Games. The boys were super bummed they weren't there with us. Next time.


Had so much fun the entire weekend. From the 60+ women absolutely killing it in the 2RM front squat today, to the teens, it was such an inspiring experience. My favorite moment however, was this. In the 16-17 boys group, this athlete was struggling with his handstand walk. It started with one guy, but by the time the clock ran out, he had an entire group of competitors cheering him on and helping him get through it. That's what it's all about.


Before going home, we went to Miko Poké. So good. I'm totally obsessed with poké -- it's ridiculous. Afterwards, I had to try their Hawaiian shaved ice with Agave Hibiscus and Ginger Lime syrups. And check out Tom Selleck. Well played, Brian.


Before we left, the boys found a couple new pets -- two tomato hornworms. So gross. They took care of them for a few days, then decided it was time to release them. Thank goodness.


Amy and the girls were heading back from vacation up north, and we were able to meet up with them for a quick lunch at Kopp's. So great seeing these girls. Especially Gracie, who is heading off to college in a week! Crazy how fast these kids are all growing up. So exciting, but so bittersweet.

Last Week in Moments

The boys finally made it out to my parents house for a night, so Brian and I went on a date. Tried Kindred. So delicious. I even had a cocktail. Can't tell you how long it's been since I've done that!


C and I got to go out on Saturday night, just the two of us. He picked sushi. I had a date night with every single one of my boys this week. It was awesome, and such a treat.


Brian and H spent Saturday night camping at the EAA. H is hugely into aviation, and has been wanting to go to the air show forever. We knew he'd love it, which he did. But Brian was just as excited about it.


While H and I were exploring Chicago, C was in Lake Forest for his final Wisconsin Fire training day. They went from 8am until 5pm. It was a fun day. So glad he got to have this opportunity this year.


At the Wisconsin State Fair.

Wisconsin State Fair

Oh my gosh, we had such a fun day! The boys and I went to the Wisconsin State Fair. We missed it last year and were not about to let that happen again. Today was the only day we could go, so we braved the rain -- and the crowds of opening day -- and went. Seriously, it was such a blast. The first stop is always the Milk Barn. C had Salted Caramel and H and I had Chocolate Peanut Butter. 50 cents for a little glass of milk. Delicious. Because it was raining, we found a moment of dryness and headed for the Giant Slide. It was the one ride they went on this time. We didn't even make it to the carnival ride section. We did, however, watch the pig races. C's obsessed with pigs, so he was in hog heaven. Next, we checked out the animals. This, is by far my favorite part. They are all so adorable. I love the goats. My favorite this year though? The little baby Clydesdale. So sweet! As far as the food goes, we didn't stray to far from our favorites. Maple cotton candy, corn on the cob, potato pancakes, deep fried cookie dough, deep fried oreos, deep fried pickles, a cream puff. And the boys got crickets. Weirdos.

A Day in Chicago with H

The boys and I left bright and early this morning (6:15am !!!) for Illinois. First stop -- dropping C off at his last Wisconsin Fire obligation for the season in Lake Forest. They had trainings, classroom sessions and games all day. After dropping him off, H and I drove along the lake into the city, and to Bucktown. Brian and I spent a ton of time in the this neighborhood when we first met. He worked at an antique store on Milwaukee Ave. And, our first house was close by. In fact, here's H standing outside of it! Our 2-flat in the city. He lived here for the first 2+ years of his life. Good times.

It was so much fun exploring today! We basically walked up and down Milwaukee Ave. and Damen. First, we stopped in The Wormhole for some coffee. Next, we went to David's Teas and a couple little shops before checking out the first place C lived as a baby. Truthfully, that apartment = stress to me. Let's just say, I don't recommend starting a gut rehab on a house, a new job (Brian) and having a baby all within 3 weeks (me -- although, I had started a new job 5 months earlier myself!). We lived in this place for 8 or 9 months -- after we sold the 2-flat while our Oak Park home was getting remodeled. Lots going on during that time. Great neighborhood though. That part was fun. Next we stopped in Stan's Donuts, then it was time to meet Melissa and Emma for lunch at Big & Little's. I had the Bahn Mi and Raw Ahi Tuna tacos and we split the Kimchi Fries. I'm still thinking about those things. So good. Think we were done? Nope! Next, we wandered up to Jeni's for some ice cream. (I had cream puff,) Let's just say, I didn't have much will-power today.  Oh well. Finally, it was time to meet up with C again and watch the play. And that's a wrap for Wisconsin Fire. Too bad. It really was a great experience for him. Unfortunately, he's switching clubs next year and where he's going doesn't have a relationship with Chicago Fire. We are so glad he got to have this experience. Such a good year.