Happy Dadda Day

We honored David on Father's Day weekend by enjoying some great Wisconsin activities.  On Saturday, we drove to the Sheboygan County area to give David a taste of a dairy farm.  In June, Wisconsin farmers bid for the chance to host Breakfast on the Farm which coincides with June Dairy Month.  The idea is to teach young and old how a farm works and all the products you see in the grocery stores that come from farms.  We drove to Cascade, Wisconsin and only found one sign pointing us in the right direction (thank you for GPS navigation) but once we found the right county highway, we were staring at fields upon fields of parked cars! 
Breakfast was good and the ice cream was even better!  They had a farm animal petting area, farm equipment to look at and climb on, a tractor pull, and hay rides.  Max enjoyed playing on the vintage tractors the most.  How did he know that his Nanu owned an Allis Chalmers?

On Sunday, we walked the 2 blocks to our new Church.  Then, we drove along the Lakefront to Alterra on the Lake for some breakfast, followed by a stroll out on the fishing pier.  Check out the beautiful water! 

The rest of the day included watching the US Open golf tournament and BBQ-ing steaks.  Sounds like a perfect end to a Father's Day to me! 

Happy Father's Day, David!  You are one fantastic husband and a truly wonderful Daddy.  We love you!

Wisconie

Like the nickname your mom lovingly gives to you, Wisconie is what I call my home.  We're here and finally settled into our home for the summer.  Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, a beautiful suburb on the shore of Lake Michigan, is just a short drive north of downtown Milwaukee.   As we drove into town 3 weeks ago, a rush of memories hit me.  It was like opening a dusty box of photo albums.  I had forgotten just how beautiful this neighborhood is.  I lived here almost a full decade ago when I was attending Marquette University's nursing school as a grad student.  In fact, my 1st and 2nd apartments were only a 1/4 mile away from our current address.  It's crazy, but I can only explain this as my brain re-mapping itself.  I tucked way places, directions, and things I used to know when I moved to Denver.  Now, being back here, the connections are being made again as I re-discover the area. 

I think this is probably the best spot we could have picked.  The Lake is only a short 10 minute walk away.  If you can't live near the mountains, the Lake is where you want to be.  It's a giant magnet of peace and serenity.  And in the summer, it is the bringer of cool breezes providing relief from these hot and humid days.   Our neighbors will also tell you that it makes for some great gardening, since the groundwater flow from the shoreline is so high in this area.  We will find out soon - our vegetables are going in as soon as I can stand the heat!

Leisure boats along the river

Milwaukee skyline from a sailboat

What can I tell you about Milwaukee in the summer?
It's the best time of year!  Beautiful weather, turquoise waters, Brewers games... oh, and festivals!

Milwaukee has a festival every weekend of the summer and is probably best known for Summerfest, a 10-day long festival of music.  We plan to check out German Fest (July 26-29), Festa Italiana (July 19-22), Bastille Days (July 12-15), and Irish Fest (Aug 16-19).  Obviously, we like the food festivals. 

In keeping with my training plan, I have signed up for Storm the Bastille, a night 5K to kick off Bastille Days and the Color Run, a 5K fun run.  Check out The Color Run here - www.thecolorrun.com.  There is a running group that meets just a 1/2 mile from our house.  I plan to start running with them and want to put a 1/2 marathon on my calendar for the Fall.   Okay, now I said it.  You all have to hold me accountable. 

Here are some pictures of Max visiting with Canaan at Nana's house:

Auntie Cristina and Canaan

Auntie Cristina, Canaan, Great Great Aunty Jo, Max, and me

Check back soon for pictures from Father's Day weekend.

Winding Down in O! Town

Our home in Omaha

So the time comes to wrap up another city.  Omaha has been so good to us.  We really loved living here for the last 10 weeks and have come to appreciate just how much this city has to offer.  I want to give you a few things we learned (and loved) about this place.

• Omaha is lovingly referred to by the locals as the Echo City, because undoubtedly someone will echo it back to you when you tell them where you are going.  For example, "We're in Omaha now."  "Omaha?!"   Happens all the time.  The next question is usually, "What's in Omaha?"  Now I have some really good answers. 

• Everything is called Aksarben this or Aksarben that.  It took me a while, but that's Nebraska spelled backwards.   
• There are some crazy storms around here.  I'm a fan of thunderstorms actually, but the way the thunder rolls here is really different.  It just keeps going and going...and it makes you hold your breath.  It's a little uncomfortable - like an irregular heartbeat.  
• They have a fantastic zoo.  We've been there 3 times and have probably only seen 25% of it.  
• It only takes a maximum of 20 minutes to get anywhere and everywhere around here.  
• It's smack dab in the center of the Midwest, meaning wholesome values, a slowed down pace, a smile or a greeting from across the street, and you can always find someone willing to help you.

As we finish up our packing and get ready to drive away, we say Farewell, Omaha!  Maybe we'll be back again some day!  To Omaha?  Yes, Omaha. 

And where to next?  Well, we are so excited to share our next destination with you.  It was a bit of a struggle to decide between two REALLY good options, but in the end, it came down to location, location, location.  With a long drive ahead of us this Fall, we decided our next destination should be somewhere in-between.
Some of you already know this (consider yourselves the first to know) but for many of you, I've been rudely ignoring your questions until I could finish this post.  Please forgive me!  Max has been awaiting his chance to be a part of the big reveal, so drum roll please......

 TA DA!!!

Hello Brew City!  We'll be cruising to Milwaukee, Wisconsin next week and are very much looking forward to enjoying the summer with our friends and family there.  More details to follow!

Something Special from Wisconsin

A few weekends ago, my brother, Dominic, and my Mom drove out to visit us from Wisconsin.  Not only did they get up early to make the 8 hour drive, they brought a cooler full of traditional Wisconsin goodies with them! Check it out!  This ought to keep us entertained for a while.  Oh, and FYI, this is just a sampling... no, seriously!

While they were here, we decided to try out one of the locals' favorites for steak.  Drover's is known for their whiskey marinated steaks.  I can't stand the smell of whiskey, but "when in Rome..." My steak disappeared from plate before I knew what happened.  Y-U-M-M-Y!

Dominic and David

Omaha is the home of the College World Series of baseball.  The old stadium saw it's last game in 2010.  Now, the Series is played at TD Ameritrade Park, just this side of the Missouri River.  David was looking forward to taking Max to his first baseball game.  Here are some pictures from our afternoon at the ball park.

Left to Right: me, my Mom, Max, Dominic and David

Lastly, a few random pictures from the weekend:

Uncle Dom with Max

Ooooh, ice cream!

It was so much fun having company stay with us.  I know Max enjoyed the visit as well.  Thanks, Mom and Dominic for driving an entire day to be with us.  Hope you enjoyed Omaha!

Our Visit to Denver

Max ready to start the day in Denver

 On May 3rd, we hopped a plane to Denver for a long weekend.  David had been hired to speak for Wells Fargo's regional meeting on Friday.  Max and I decided to go along so we could visit with some friends while he was there.  This was Max's second flight and what would be his fourth state visited in less than 4 months.
It was so great to be back in Denver - visiting with friends, enjoying the beautiful mountain views, the weather!  I just cannot get over the fact that it's been almost a full year since I left Denver, and almost two years for David!  You know you have great friends when despite distance and changes in circumstance, you can just pick up where you left off.  We truly are lucky to have friends who we consider to be like family. 

On the airport shuttle

There is just too much to detail about our trip but I do want to say thank you to all of our friends for opening your homes and sharing your time with us while we were there.  We had a blast and I can't wait until we can come back...maybe longer next time?! Here are some pictures from our trip and a few extras.  Hard to believe, but we actually forgot our camera, so thanks for sharing pictures, friends!

Jack Scully meets Max

Max visits with his godfather, Dan

Max meets the Sasseville Family

Valentino and his mommy Cristin

What a handsome guy!

Valentino meets Max

Valentino wants to PLAY!

Max thinks Tino's bouncer is super cool!

What a trip!

I can do it myself!

Found my toes!

A walk on Big Papio Trail in Omaha

Max shows Daddy where we have Wiggle Worm story time

Max cracks us up.  Check out this video:

https://vimeo.com/42284349

A little RUNspiration

Do you watch Dancing With the Stars?  We do.  And I've been cheering on Donald Driver, loyal Packer Backer that I am.  Go Donald!  That smile is contagious! 
I love the dancing, of course, but I also love witnessing the transformations that take place over the season.  Transformation of character and physique.  It's motivating.  Makes me want to learn to dance.  Since I probably won't be invited onto DWTS anytime soon, I decided I need to fall back into running again to get my pre-baby body back.  It's been a long time since I've hit my stride.  I've only been able to get out to run a total of 3 times in the last 6 weeks.  David's schedule changes daily and his hours are long, so I can't plan on a run very easily.  Plus, Max is not old enough to ride in the BOB during my workouts.  So, I found a women's running group that meets Wednesday nights here in Omaha.  It's great that it's after Max's bedtime but running at 8pm isn't my favorite. 
Thanks to my Laurie, my beautiful and generous sister-in-law, I've found a pair of bright and shiny new running shoes to go with my new routine.  They are called Newtons.  The technology is very cool.  You all remember Newton's Law, right?  For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  This means when you run with a natural gait of mid-foot or forefoot strike, the shoe absorbs shock and returns energy to your stride.  For a girl who's been on the natural running train since reading Born to Run a few years ago, these make a lot of sense.  Plus, they are like runner's bling!
Now, I just need to book some races to keep my training on track.  

Check out my new sneaks.  Wait, grab your sunglasses first...now check out my sneaks.

Round 2 - Ding Ding

"In this corner, Maximilian, the Bear, weighing in at a lean and mean 15 pounds and 26 inches.  He's solid, very persistent, and has the heart of a champ.  In the other corner, it's Wendy, the Nurse.  She's bigger, she's quick, and she's armed with immunizations.  She may look friendly, folks, but that smile is skullduggery.  She's got an agenda and Max had better keep an eye on her..."

Max had his 4-month wellness exam yesterday.  He's tracking well on the growth curve.  84% for length and 51% for weight.  The pediatrician encouraged us to start solid foods anytime now.  I think David is more ready for this than I am.  It's a huge step.  I'd like to wait a little longer, either until he can sit up or when I'm feeling comfortable with how to start.  There is a huge difference between cuddling with nursing or bottle feeding and eating from a chair with a spoon.  I realize that some of my hesitation is for selfish reasons.  I'm just not ready to accept the idea that he's old enough to get food from another source other than his mommy.  I know I'll have to let go at some point, but I'm content to wait until I see some signs of readiness.  Sitting is one, showing interest in food is another.   I'm a very systematic person.  I need have a plan before I just go for it. 
We finished the visit with those dreaded shots.  Max did great.  Wendy was seriously fast and Max barely knew what hit him.  Here he is just a few minutes after the round was over: