Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to two wonderful men.

We love you!

Wisconsin Vacation

For my entire childhood, each summer my family vacationed on Lake Katherine in Minocqua, Wisconsin (no, the name of the lake isn't just a coincidence...). It was quiet and relaxing. We visited the same spots, ate at the same places, and spent most of our time fishing every year. To some it might have appeared monotonous, but to me it was a place to look forward to, a place that I felt truly at home.

I hadn't been back there for many years, and Husband had never been to the area. When we were invited to the nuptials in Madison, I jumped at the idea of taking a few extra days, driving the extra three hours, and enjoying my favorite little town with my favorite person.

We stayed in a hotel in downtown Minocqua ("downtown" being a broad use of the word since the city is quite small and surrounded by water).

In fact, the "downtown" is really just one street, lined with cute shops, a candy store where you can watch them work through the picture window, and one of my favorite restaurants, if only for the name.

"My" lake is actually located in a tiny nearby town called Hazelhurst.

She is the "Queen of the Northern Waters."

This is where I began to learn to swim, where I read for hours while looking up and gazing into her waters, and spent hours fishing with my parents, even catching an almost 40-inch muskie from her depths. I love her.

I hope husband loves her, too.

Wisconsin Wedding

Two weekends ago we attended our first wedding of the season, which was totally strange since we usually have three weddings under our belts by this time every year! The wedding was in Madison, which I've only visited once, very briefly. Husband and I were totally impressed with the city -- it was easy to navigate and really lovely. We stayed in a hotel right next to the state capital building. It was gor-jus.

But.

There's always a but.

Staying at our gor-jus hotel the same weekend were attendees of WisCon, a feminist science fiction convention.

Oh, you read right. It was full-on nerdville. So much awkward. So much awesome.

But getting back to the wedding.  Also gor-jus.  The ceremony was held at a botanical garden. Aside from a minor sunburn and some concern about imminent rainfall, it was completely lovely. The bride was beautiful.

Her bridesmaids carried parasols. Here's my personal favorite bridesmaid, though it was a hard choice to make, trust me.

They done got hitched...

...and the happy couple strolled off to a bright future.

Their guests were pretty hot too.

Loved the flowers...

...the personalized favors...

...and the cake topper!

The bride is such a sweet, happy girl. We love her.

We spent time with some of our favorite people in the world.

Really, our favorite.

Seriously, FAVORITE!  Note the photobomber.

Splendid way to kick of Wedding Season 2012.  Congratulations to the fab couple!

My first creme brulee

For our Belated Mother's Day Celebration of Awesome (belated due to a not so awesome cold that relegated me to the couch for a week), I made my first batch of creme brulee ever. It wasn't fancy French restaurant caliber, but it was pretty darn good for a first attempt (and for, yes, how easy this recipe really is).

Also, note to self: I need to make more food that requires a blowtorch.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to the two best mothers in the world.

Exciting News

 So many good things are happening to so many people that I love. New jobs, engagements, graduations.  Congrats to three very special people.

Sin City: Day 3

So, I forgot.  After everything that happened on the Colorado River during day 2, the day still wasn't over. We trudged back to our respective rooms, I had the most glorious shower of my entire life, and then we went to see Penn and Teller's show at the Rio. It was fan-bloody-tastic. Husband and I have been big P&T fans for awhile now, and to finally see their show in person was a real treat -- certainly one of the highlights!  Husband had seen them once before, but he still enjoyed himself thoroughly. The way they marry "magic" and beauty is so perfectly done. Astounding and highly recommended.

We awoke bright eyed and bushy-tailed on our last full day in Las Vegas (HA, not really. I, at least, awoke, moved my body to extricate myself from bed, and immediately regretted waking up alive). My girlfriend had a plane to catch that afternoon, so we decided on a relaxing day just spending time together and enjoying one another's company.

You don't see this every day in the Midwest.

After breakfast, we visited the Mirage's Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. For me, this was one of my favorite small excursions. We got to see many dolphins up close. The area where the dolphins are housed is an educational facility, so there weren't regular shows like at Sea World. I particularly enjoyed the pool with baby dolphins, because...D'AWWWW.

We then walked in to the tiger and lion area. Beautiful. And a little scary.

See what I mean? Scary.

White lions - wow.

Most of them were either going to sleep, sleeping, or just waking up and preparing for their next nap. 

After that, we spent time at the Mirage pool area. The only (minor) bummer was that the pool was only 3.5 feet deep -- everywhere. Very strange. Though there was a waterfall feature that was neat to stand beneath, even if the pool wasn't conducive to swimming. Thankfully, strawberry daiquiris and the hot tub made everything all better.

Prettiest gals at the pool (uhh...ignore the photobomber...). 

I had a wonderful time with a wonderful group of people. As memorable as the trip was, spending time with people that I love was the real treat. I can't wait for the next trip. Whaddya think, guys?  Where to next?!

Sin City: Day 2

We began our second day in Las Vegas at an hour when most visitors are stumbling back to their rooms, tripping over their nine-inch heels and reeking of cigarettes and shame.

The kayaking company we'd chosen, Desert Adventures, picked us up from the hotel at 5:30 a.m. After a quick stop at their shop (and the last bathroom with real plumbing we would see until we returned that evening), an ID check, and some pedal adjustment (did you know kayaks have pedals? Nope, me either. The pedals control the rudder) we were on the water by around 7 a.m.

My girlfriend had suggested the Black Canyon kayaking tour, a trip she'd done before. The website listed the skill level of the journey as "beginner +." The difficulty was "moderate." I failed to notice the distance: just under 12 miles.

Husband and I had never kayaked before. We'd never even contemplated kayaking. "Why kayak when land is so nice and firm and difficult to drown in?" I wondered. But the group was excited, and Husband and I were up for anything, so that's how we found ourselves at the base of the Hoover Dam in the cold wind, with rain imminent, our legs locked under the plastic ledge of the kayaks, clutching paddles that read "Escape."

This picture cannot possibly capture the magnitude of the Dam or the magnitude of my anxiety.

Here's what I thought would happen: we'd paddle a bit, stop often to hike the beautiful, rugged terrain, pause for a bite of lunch, and paddle a bit more, ending the day kissed by the warm sun and the soft waves.

Here's what actually happened: I died. And then I complained a whole bunch about dying and was generally annoying to my friends for the rest of the trip (they were kind enough not to confirm this).

Starting at the base of the Hoover Dam was incredible - the size of the dam was awe-inspiring.

The whole gang in front of the Dam, ready to depart.

We began to paddle, and I tried to get the hang of it, though I ended up plowing into my fellow kayakers more often than not. The wind was quite chilly, and blowing against us, so it was a bit of a fight (let me be clear: it was a fight for me. None of my fellow kayakers are as weak and mincing as I. I would hate to sell them and their rippling muscles short.). It wasn't long before we made our first stop. We trudged up a steep incline and then stripped down to enter a 130-degree cave. It was completely dark, and we laid one hand on the wall and one on the ceiling to navigate our way forward. Breathing the stifling, wet air became difficult, and tiny, jagged rocks were loosened from the ceiling by my hand and fell down the front of my swimsuit (when I showered later that evening, I would find that I brought a little bit of our trip back with me). We finally stopped, and our guide told us we were about to cross a large, deep hole (giggity). He said he would show the first member of our group how to jump across, and then that person would help the next, and so forth. I think I momentarily blacked out. Thankfully, the guide turned on a flashlight and revealed the end of the cave, laughing (a bit evilly, I thought). We turned around and emerged from the cave, the outside air even sharper after 130-degree heat.

Donning our damp clothing, we returned to the water. It is important, at this point in the story, to mention that the rudder on Husband's kayak was broken. He was the first to depart the docking point, and when he got caught in a bit of current, he had to paddle quite hard to make sure he didn't become too far separated from the group.

One of these kayaks belonged to Husband. I'll give you one guess.

We then paddled a bit farther and stopped again, this time taking a short hike to a natural hot spring, where we soaked various body parts. Another guide and his two middle-aged clients were already there soaking. The guide photobombed us. Awesome.

Guess which one is the photobomber.

After another departure and another bit of paddling, we stopped for a third time. "This isn't bad at all!" I thought, foolishly.

You fool. You won't be smiling soon.

Another hot spring. This one a bit harder to reach (I was nervous scaling an aluminum ladder slick with rain; I don't have a problem with heights, but I do have a problem with ladders).

The unnamed woman in red does not like what she's about to do.

The hot spring was tiered with sand bags, and I relaxed in the warm tier with our friends while Husband climbed into the boiling tier with our guide. We sloshed around and had a wonderful time chatting with each other. This was my favorite part of the day (next to the sight of our final destination spot).

Husband, doing an imitation of a lobster being boiled alive.

This turned out to be a cruel prelude to my death. Upon leaving the second hot spring, we paddled, and we paddled, and we paddled. I'm pretty sure we're actually still out there, paddling. By this point we were hungry and cold and very wet. I had to paddle at my top speed to keep up with the group. They were great paddlers and occasionally rested their arms and gazed around, enjoying the beautiful scenery. Meanwhile, I was pretty sure I was actually moving backward in spite of all of my effort, so I did the only sensible thing and began to cry. No one could tell, however, because I was at the back of the group (obviously), and my paddle splashed chilly water onto my head every few seconds. I didn't want to do what any reasonable person would have done, which was to stop, lay down my paddle, and drown myself, so I continued on, dragging in huge gulps of air between exertion and weeping.

Somehow, miraculously, we finally, finally, finally landed at our lunch spot. I had to swallow the sobs that I felt welling up, simply because I was so happy to not have to move my arms. Lunch was incredible, decadent, succulent - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich has never tasted so good.

Inevitably, we had to return to the water. However, praises to the Gods of Kayaking, the final leg of our trip featured a more leisurly pace and several stops.

People who somehow were not dead and even appear to be enjoying the experience.

We paused at Emerald Cave, which really was Oz-like, listened to our guide describe some historic features that I really didn't catch because of the sound of the wind, and the sun finally shone bright.

See the green? All I needed for this trip was the heart, some brains, and the noive. 

It was beautiful, really and truly, though I will admit that catching sight of our final destination was even more breathtaking at the time.

Even though you people put me through this, I will continue to love you.

We finally arrived back at our hotel, and I slid out of the van on my backside, pooled on the sidewalk, and died again, this time from happiness.

Sin City: Day 1

Do not fear, dear reader, for I have returned unscathed from a long and treacherous voyage. For my extended silence, I have no excuse.

BUT THE SILENCE ENDS TODAY.

Husband and I returned about a week ago from a long weekend trip to Las Vegas. Husband had visited the city a few years ago for a work-related conference, but I was a Sin City virgin, so to speak. We ended up experiencing the trip with two of my high school girlfriends, and the boyfriend of one of those girls. I adore these people, so the vacation was really secondary to my primary excitement to SEE these people and HUG these people and talk about how AWESOME each of them is.

We flew in very late and met one of the ladies and her boyfriend at the airport, then we shuttled off to our hotel, the Mirage. It has a tropical theme, and this was part of the lobby.





















We went to our rooms and collapsed, then arose the next day bright and early to slay a Stormtrooper.





















Then we waited for our last friend to arrive...

And she did!  Next we decided to walk the strip, on a pilgrimage to the Burger Bar, the only restaurant that Husband demanded we visit (it was a good demand). We went into most of the casinos to take a peek at the different themes, saw the Eiffel Tower, Lady Liberty, and my girlfriend even got her hands on a hot, sweaty Chippendales man.

We saw giant clogs and giant dragons made out of chocolate and giant flowers.

And then we even saw a giant statue made out of boats and canoes and kayaks. This would turn out to be prophetic. The following day we were scheduled to kayak down the Colorado River. Let it be known that I was not physically or mentally prepared for this (beginner's) adventure. I will describe the carnage in a post profiling DAY 2...DUN, DUN, DUN.

We finished our day with bellies full of burgers at a Blue Man Group show. It was so worth the money (I'd seen them in Chicago, and the show was just as wonderful as I remembered). Husband had a particularly great time. Then we returned to our hotel and collapsed in bed once again.

Oh, these happy fools. Little did they know what the next day held.