Green Lake 2012

Our Green Lake Family

We were so fortunate to spend another summer on Green Lake in Wisconsin.  This year, so that we could share our time with our entire Green Lake family, which includes our family and our friends, the Usedoms, we rented a home and cottage on the Southeast side of the lake.  We wanted to have enough room for them to stay with us.  The Usedoms grew up in the house right next door to our old summer rental, on the West side of the lake, in an area known as the Princeton Cottages.  For 18 years, we have jumped in and out of each other's boats to go water-skiing, tubing, and wake-boarding.  We have shared meals together outside of our cottages overlooking the lake.  And we have caravanned to the middle of the lake to watch the fireworks together year after year.  The Usedoms still have their home right next to our old cottage.  You know the old saying, "There is no place like home."  And that was true again this year.  If I could only don my ruby heels and tap them together...
The home and cottage we rented this summer, although in theory large enough to accommodate our group, was not quite what we expected.  It was a very old home, previously part of one of the original hotels on the lake...and, seemingly untouched in many a year.   Dusty, dark, and dirty.  During our week out there, we found many clues that indicated the owners were largely unaware of how their home was being taken care of.  They live in California, and trust the maintenance and management to a local group.  The dirty dishes were one, the dirty floors another.  A mouse nest underneath the range top in the back cottage...yuk.  But to top it off, a dead bird under one of the twin beds? Just disgusting.  Needless to say, we promptly requested our cleaning fees returned in addition to our security deposit.  Don't get me wrong, we don't need much when we stay at the lake.  Our old cottage was less than simple - a few beds scattered throughout the place, one bathroom, a kitchen.  No luxuries, except for the TV, which didn't make an appearance until a few years ago.  Who needs it all when you've got the lake to keep you busy, right?  Well, that has always been our theme during the summer and I would love to keep it that way.  We like it simple, but we also prefer the inside clean and the wildlife outdoors,   Call me crazy, but I doubt we'll be asked to write a review. 

Aside from those little surprises, we really did enjoy our week out there.  There was a lot of boating, swimming, a golf outing, and of course, the annual Bocce Ball Tourney.  Wait, hold up.  I can't mention golf without giving a shout-out to Mary Usedom, who got a HOLE-IN-ONE during our golf outing!  Whoop whoop!  We had record temperatures this year, with the heat index hovering around 108 degrees.  And with no air conditioning in the house or cottage except for one room, we spent most of our time neck-deep in the lake, which was the warmest I've ever experienced in all my time out there.   For a lake as deep as Green Lake, which is usually just a few degrees warmer than chilly, it was a real treat. 

The flag from Mary's Hole in One.  Mary and Rick

Squaring off in Bocce Finals

Horsing around

Max with Uncle Dominic

Max and JJ hang out

Vincent, Rick and Dominic

Since we were on the SE side of the lake, we could watch the fireworks from the dock.  Some of us even observed right from the water!  The fireworks show was beautiful as always.  This year's event marked the 4th anniversary of our engagement and Max's 1/2 birthday too! We hope this will be the first of many summers on Green Lake for Max.  We've always wanted our children to grow up around water.  Having a home (or renting one) on a lake is a dream of mine for my children because it has been one of those precious memories for me.  Max certainly took to the water, which makes all three of us happy.  It was so much fun to watch him kick and splash and chase after water toys while floating in his canopied swim raft.  It was like he was just waiting to return to the water after a 6-month hiatus outside the womb! 

Max and Canaan at Norwegian Bay

Next year, we decided to rent a home just down the shore from our old cottage.  We'll be in the same bay we grew up on.   Since rentals go fast, we already have it pegged so we won't be stuck with another less-than-desirable option.   To mark the anniversary of another summer with our great Lake Family, the Usedoms lovingly purchased an engraved paving stone at the new marina.  The stone will be revealed later this Fall.  So thoughtful!  It will be fun to see it there year after year when we make our ice cream runs to the parlor.  I think Dad would have really liked that.  I'm sure he was watching our vacation with a twinkle in his eye.

Thank you all for another fun summer vacation on Green Lake!  We love you guys and can't wait for next year!

Max and I with my sister Cristina and Canaan

Max with Mommy

Rick, grilling lunch from his perch

First Bites

Max tried his first bites of solid food on the first day of Summer! Introducing solid foods is such a huge milestone for baby and parents alike.  As I've said before, Max seemed to be showing readiness way before I was emotionally ready for him to be.  I figured he'd have years of eating ahead of him so there was no need to rush into it.  Part of my hesitation was that I wanted to be sure I knew how to start him off on a food journey that included healthy eating habits.  I've looked into several books and websites and of course, I have my nursing education as well.  There is so much conflicting information out there about when to start, what to start with, how long to wait in between, etc.  Now that we've got a good foundation, I've found a few resources that I really like: Momtastic's Wholesome Baby Food, The Healthy Baby Meal Planner, and Super Baby Food.
The brown rice cereal was a hit.  Since then, we've tried rice cereal with mashed bananas, sweet potatoes, pear, avocado, and mango.  Max's faves are sweet potato, avocado and mango.  Here are a few pics of our first adventures in gastronomy:

Getting psyched up for the event

Day 2: Already using the spoon on his own.

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!