It's All About The Food!

A goal of mine this summer was to lose some weight. It hasn't happened. There is just such good food here in Wisconsin. Last night, some friends and I got together for some amazing food at The Wausau Mine Company. They have wonderful food. My favorite thing is the Italian Fries with their special sauce. SO YUMMY(see pic). Then we had a pizza. Cheesed out, that is for sure. It was a good meal.

After eating, we headed over to Sunnyvale Park(that is where we play softball every Tuesday night) and watched some Men's games. It was fun, even if it rained a bit while we were there. I love the rain btw! There was an amazing sunset, which just made the end of the day spectacular. I am so glad I have great friends here to play with in the summers.

Well, I am off to play softball. Hopefully no knuckleheads will slide into first like they did last week. My knee is a little hurt. Don't tell my mother. Oh wait, she will probably read it on here and be worried. Sorry mom!

Tubing Adventures

This weekend was one of the highlights of the summer. I was able to tube for the first time and it was a blast. It was also so fun being with my family and getting to know my Dad's extended family a bit more. Yesterday was the tubing adventure. The first part I was by myself(my tube was not tied to any other tubes) and on a cheap black tire tube. It was fun because I could maneuver myself anywhere I wanted to be on the river just by paddling. The second half I was tied to my Uncle Paul and I was on a luxury tube with a headrest and all. It was fun to chat with my Uncle as we gingerly floated down the river. It was a beautiful day even if we got stuck in a whirlpool for a while(we kept paddling to the middle of the river only to be swept back to the exact place we were previously stuck) and totally missed the last landing point(my mom was in a panic to see us floating past the place they were waiting for us, luckily we got out just downstream a bit). I was also very impressed with my great aunt, Jeanette, who is 86, who went along with us. I want to be that kind of an older person: not afraid to do stuff and just alive!!!

We went back to the hotel that night and ate some real good pizza and visited. Today, we ate breakfast and chatted for a long time. We were the last ones to leave beside my Dad's cousin Donny and his family. It was so fun to just sit an talk with them in the hotel lobby. Very cool people.

On the drive back my mom had us stop at a really cool place for lunch. It was a vacation resort in Eagle River, Wisconsin. The place was amazing. There were a bunch of individual vacation cottages and some condos on the shore of a lake. The main lodge(where the restaurant was located) was amazing. There were cool decorations, like a wooden baseball bat for the safety rail in the women's bathroom and wooden canoes all over the place. It was a fun little diversion.

I cannot believe that I only have two and a half weeks here in Wisconsin. The time is flying. I am not quite ready to go back to my reality. :( I guess I will have to start mentally preparing for work and being a real live adult again. BOO!

Last Trip to Minneapolis!

Yesterday, I got back from Minneapolis for the second time. Well, technically the third time. First: Leaving for San Francisco, Second: Coming back from SF. Third: Taking friend Aimee back to airport. Three different hotel rooms in the same hotel in one week. It was tiring.

This last trip I took my nephew, E. E is an awesome boy, just to let you know. He was very patient with Aimee and I as we shopped at The Mall of America. In the middle of the endless shopping hours, we took him to the amusement park in the mall. He and Aimee rode a ride together and then he rode one solo. I was glad that Aimee had somebody to ride on the coasters because rides really aren't who I am! We also played some mini golf while there. Crazy that you can ride rides, and play mini golf! Crazy that we also got to see two movies in the mall. We saw Hancock and The Dark Knight. Both very good movies. I was amazed by Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in the new Batman Movie!

It was fun to have had Aimee here the last week. On the way back from Minnesota, E and I stopped to see my friend Morgan in Menominee. (She and her family are there for a few weeks running a children's theatre.) We got to spend a few hours with their family to eat and just play around. E was so good with their kids. It was so nice to see them and I look forward to seeing them lots as they will be living in Vegas this next year.

Today I have been hanging out with family in Michigan. We tubed today on the rivers that separate Wisconsin from Michigan. It was a blast. I will add pics tomorrow!

Well, I am off to eat pizza and visit with my Dad's extended family. They are awesome people! :)

Tour Guide

I have been very busy since getting back from San Francisco. My friend, Aimee, flew in from Salt Lake City the same night my mom and I flew back in from San Francisco. On Monday we visited the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (that is mostly why Aimee came to visit!) Tuesday, I took Aimee fishing and then played softball. Today, I took Aimee and Elijah(nephew) to Camp Five. I blogged about that place a while back when my sister, mom, niece and I went. It is way cool. Basically, you ride a real steam train to the logging camp museum. At Camp Five you can pet animals at the petting zoo, visit the logging museum, buy stuff at the gift shop and tour the logging woods. I totally turn back into a kid at the petting zoo. Today's adventure was a baby goat eating my pants. So funny and cute. After the adventures at Camp Five, Aimee and I went to the Merrill Fair in Merrill, Wisconsin(Duh!) and partook of some fair food. My favorites were the fried cheese curds, there is just nothing like fried cheese, and the elephant ear(it is not a real elephant's ear, silly, it is fried bread similar to a scone with cinnamon sugar on the top). My arteries are clogging as I type, but the food was fab. Now I must sleep because we are going back to Minneapolis tomorrow morning to hit the mall again and then Aimee flies out Friday Morning. I have had quite the two weeks. I will leave with mom and dad on Saturday for a family adventure in Northern Wisconsin. I am a busy girl. SIGH! Sorry for not writing much about SF, but I have been busy. Maybe when I am bored again next week, I will tell you all about it!

Day One San Francisco

I have been so tired. I was going to go through a play by play of all I did in California, but I really think that I will never ever catch up, so you will just have to enjoy these pictures and know that I had a great time and did lots of stuff.