Weekend Review!

Hello!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, Mr G. and I certainly did, we were able to spend a beautiful weekend with my parents at their lake place in Northern WI (not far from Danbury, WI).

About a month ago when we decided to visit them this weekend we asked my parents if they could borrow my grandfather’s four wheeler (which he happily said of course) this weekend so the four of us could go for a ride, my parents own one as well.  There are great trails all around them and with the leaves just beginning to change color we knew this would be a perfect time to enjoy a ride through the woods. 

So on Friday Mr. G and I left Minneapolis at 3pm in order to get ahead of some of the afternoon traffic and headed north.  We planned to make a couple of stops on the way to my parents since we were not in a hurry, usually my family is eagerly awaiting our arrival and want us to get there as quickly as we can.  We stopped in North Branch, MN to visit the cemetery where Mr. G’s grandparents are buried; we try to do this a couple of times a year since we drive right by on our way to the cabin.

We needed to stop at the grocery store in Danbury, WI to grab a few things and outside of the store is this gigantic Leinenkugel’s Adirondack chair.  I see this chair every time we stop in Danbury and I’ve never climbed on it for a picture (usually there is a bunch of people around).  This time there were very few people around so I decided to climb up and get some pictures!  I am short, 5’2” to be exact and this chair is big and the front of it came up to my chest.  I had to climb in from the side (in heels of course) and because there is so much lacquer on it I kept slipping around, Mr. G thought it was very funny.

A nice gentleman offered to take a picture of both of us so Mr. G climbed up as well!  It was fun and I think the photo turned out cute.

 

After our adventure at the grocery store we decided to stop at the St. Croix Casino in Danbury; no joke this is one of the smallest casinos I’ve ever seen.  After having my feelings hurt when the security guard at the door didn’t want to card me (actually laughed at me when I took out my ID) I decided it was time for a cocktail.  We both enjoyed a drink and spent about $30 playing some slot machines; it was fun but definitely not something I can do a lot of.

We headed for my parents about an hour later and $30 poorer.  Friday night was spent hanging out with my parents, enjoying some cocktails and warming ourselves by the fire.  Let me tell you, it was cold!  My parents have a place in a resort and they always have friends stopping by so we were able to catch up with a few of my parents friends which was great.  Mr. G and I turned in about 10pm, it had been a long week and we were both exhausted.  My mother stayed up longer than us, she went to bed around midnight after sitting by the fire with some friends.  Dad was in on the couch watching the news by 10pm and sleeping shortly after.  The four of us had decided that we needed to leave the resort by 11am the next morning in order to enjoy our four wheeler ride that day and get back before dark.

Saturday morning we enjoyed coffee and breakfast together, my mother is known for her amazing breakfast.  She even let me cook the bacon, which is unusual, breakfast is her “thing”.  After breakfast we cleaned up and started to get dressed and get ready for our ride.  It was a chilly day but thankfully the sun was out.  I had tights on under my jeans, smart wool socks & tennis shoes, two shirts and a fleece as well as a scarf, mittens and hat on.  I was determined to stay warm, and I did.  Mr. G was layered as well but not nearly as much as me.  3 other friends of my parents decided to join us as well.  We had 4 four wheelers hitting the trail, my dad led the pack with a buddy of his bringing up the rear to make sure we didn’t forget anyone.

We are all safe riders, we take our time and enjoy the scenery; there is just no need to ride fast and unsafe.

Just after leaving the resort we went by a bar that is very scary, it is called Bud’s.  It is an old trailer house and they only serve beer, it stinks horribly in there and how it can be up to code is beyond me.  We had been to Bud’s over the Fourth of July with my 2 sisters, their spouses and some family friends; it was frightening.  The people that own the bar had animals in the bar…ducklings and cats and who knows what else.  So as we drove by I took a photo and sent everyone that had gone with us a text, “Bud’s anyone?”
FYI…I was riding and Mr. G was driving so this was completely safe and we weren’t going very fast.  Here is Bud’s!  I know you want to go;)

 

 

The remainder of our day was perfect, the sun was shining and leaves were beginning to change color.  We got to play in the mud a little, here are some photos of the mud and our gorgeous surroundings:

 

 

 

And we also were able to visit some old friends at “Bear Camp”.  My father used to hunt black bear and this family sets up a camp for a month in the fall during bear hunting season.  It was great to see some familiar faces and catch up with old friends.  Here is what "bear camp" looks like as we drove into it.

 

We arrived back at my parents place around 6:30pm and we were exhausted, dirty and my face was red from the wind.  All four of us were in desperate need of a shower and some clean clothing, so after cleaning the four wheelers up a little we all cleaned up and changed clothes. 

Saturday evening was spent relaxing, enjoying some beverages and eating my mother’s incredible potato soup!  YUMMY!!  Mr. G & I were in bed around 11pm Saturday night and slept fitfully until 9am Sunday morning.

Sunday we had planned to eat breakfast and get on the road but we ended up having a bloody mary (my homemade recipe) with some friends before a wonderful breakfast of homemade pancakes and syrup. We were on the road about noon, just in time for my husband to turn the Vikings game on the radio.  I received occasional updates about the Green Bay Packers, guess that’s what happens when you live with a Minnesota Viking fan.

Our weekend was fantastic, beautiful weather and perfect company!  Thanks to my parents for planning a great weekend!

 
With love,

Mrs. G

 

Lessons learned from Mom!

Most of us learn a lot of very valuable lessons from our parents, I am no exception, they raised their children to the best of their abilities thus supplying them with lessons to apply throughout adulthood.  I thought it would be fun to put a short list of lessons I learned from my mother, not the serious lessons about love and life....more so the fun small lessons that at the time I likely rolled my eyes and thought, "I'm never going to need this info".

Here are five lessons I learned from my mother, these are supposed to be fun and not serious:)

1.  Never use generic dish soap, always buy Dawn Dish Soap. 
I learned this one the hard way, Mr. G went to the store and picked up some generic dish soap (instead of Dawn).  This by no means was his fault, I simply asked him to get some dish soap and a few other things we needed at home.  I began using the generic soap and quickly realized that I needed to keep adding more because the soap just kept disappearing.  After some contemplation I laughed out loud and told Mr. G that once again.... Mom was right (shhh, don't tell her).  When using Dawn dish soap I don't have to use much and it works like a charm.
* Dawn dish soap did not pay me to write about their product, these are my own personal feelings about the soap.

2.  Sewing on a button. 
My mom taught me how to sew a button at about the age of 15, I'm sure at that time I thought she was nuts and just didn't want to do it for me.  But as the years have gone on her lesson has come in handy so many times!  The buttons on coats, shirts, jackets, etc are not sewn on very well and often times come loose or fall off quickly....I just snip off the button, find some matching thread and fix it right up!

3.  Don't call in sick to work unless you are sick. (This one is from both Mom & Dad)
My parents are very hard workers and have been throughout my life, they both instilled a sense of hard work in all of my siblings along with myself.  One of the things that I remember hearing them say over and over again was "never call in sick to work unless you are really sick."
In the interest of full disclosure, I have called in sick when I wasn't 100% sick.  However, I do try to remember this lesson as much as possible.  Let's be honest, everyone needs a mental health day every now and then...even if that includes wine with your girlfriends;)

4.  Always eat a little something before you go out drinking. (Remember, I am from Wisconsin)
I was a good kid and teenager, I didn't drink while I was in high school...I chose not to and enjoyed being a three sport athlete.  Once I got to college I experienced a few parties and enjoyed myself but I was always very careful.  While home on Thanksgiving break I attended a party hosted by one of my high school friends and before I left the house my mom asked if I had eaten anything.  My response was, "Nah, I had a few M&M's...I should be fine."  Needless to say the next morning I wasn't so fine; I was hungover and my mother knew it.  She didn't take the opportunity to scold me or torcher me (she could have) but simply said, "next time, eat something before you go out and maybe drink a little less".  She knew I had received a ride home the night before and was with long time friends that she knew well, so she took a moment to give me a little advice before handing me 3 ibuprofen and some water to make me feel better.

5.  Don't underestimate the power of a little mascara and lipstick.
My mother does not wear a lot of makeup, just not her thing.  As I grew up and started to wear a little bit of makeup she often times said to me, "always wear mascara and lipstick, never underestimate those two items".  I live by this little rule even today, whether it means putting a little on before running out to do some errands or even a casual night out.  Sometimes all you need is a little lipstick and mascara.


Like I said at the beginning of this post, these lessons are not the most serious lessons my mother instilled in me but some of the more fun and light hearted lessons.  My parents will be the first to admit that they weren't perfect but tried with all of their hearts and sould to raise good kids and did they absolute best they could.  I feel lucky and blessed to call them my parents and hope and pray that I do things as well as my parents did when I have children.



With love,

Mrs. G

You know you are from Wisconsin when...

I got this idea from Kate (Set this Circus Down) http://www.kaitlynandbryan.com/. 

 

The major difference between Kate and I...she is from South Orange County California and a lot of the points are MUCH more glamorous than the following WI points. 

YIKES!  Here goes nothing, the italicized points are the ones I relate to.

1.      Your whole family wears green and gold to church on Sunday (I’ve never done this but have seen it).

2.      Snow tires come standard on all your cars.

3.      You refer to the Green Bay Packers as “we”.

4.      You have gotten frost-bitten and sunburned in the same week. (Not quite this drastic however this May we had 17 inches of snow on Thursday May 2^nd and on Saturday My 4^th it was 60 degrees)

5.      You can identify an Illinois accent.

6.      You know what cow-tipping is.

7.      Down South to you means Chicago.

8.      Travelling coast to coast means going from LaCrosse to Milwaukee.

9.      A brat is something you eat.

10.  You have no problem spelling Milwaukee.

11.  You can actually pronounce Oconomowoc.

12.  You don’t have a coughing fit from one sip of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

13.  You know how to Polka. (I can Polka, sober)

14.  Your snow blower gets stuck on the roof.

15.  You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.

16.  You design your Halloween costumes to fit over a snowsuit. (This is so true!!)

17.  You enjoy driving in the winter because the potholes fill with snow.

18.  You know what “knee high by the Fourth of July” means.

19.  You know it is traditional for the bride and groom to go bar hopping between the wedding ceremony and the wedding reception.

20.  You find 0 degrees just a little chilly.

21.  You are a connoisseur of cheese curds and find anyone unfamiliar with them to be frighteningly foreign. (I was at a MN Gopher football game a year ago and did the happy dance when the cheese curd guy told me he only buys Ellsworth Cheese Curds.)

22.  You know that Kaukauna is NOT an Hawaiian Island.

23.  You think Lutheran and Catholic are THE major religions.

24.  Football schedules are checked before wedding dates are set.

25.  At least one kid in your class had to help with morning chores.  Stinky!

26.  You always believed that vacation meant “going up North”.

There are plenty more where these came from and I have to admit that I am giggling uncontrollably while writing this blog!

I hope you enjoyed these silly little tidbits about Wisconsin, even as silly as these are Wisconsin is a nice place and my hometown provided a nice place to grow up.

With love,

Mrs. G

 

Birthday Celebrations - just the beginning!

My birthday is in one week and birthday celebrations began last night with a wonderful dinner at a little Italian restaurant in Edina, MN called Arezzo Ristorante. This birthday dinner was part of my gift from my new in-laws.

Arezzo is a charming little Italian restaurant, they have a lovely patio and we enjoyed our dinner outside last night as the weather was perfect.

The waiter suggested a bottle of Rizzi Barbera for the table and all four of us enjoyed the wine, it was easy to drink and went very well with our dinner choices.

We started the meal with Strangolapreti (oven baked spinach and ricotta dumplings, topped with fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and grans padano) and delicious bread with olive oil to dip.All four of us thoroughly enjoyed the appetizer.

My MIL ordered the Tagliatelle di Pollo e pinoli (house made tagliatelle pasta tossed with chicken, tomatoes and pine nuts in white wine sauce, topped with goat cheese).

My FIL enjoyed the Torteli Padrino (spinach tortelli hand stuffed with a blend of ricotta cheese and fresh spinach, finished in a tomato and eggplant sauce).

Mr. G ordered the Pollo alla Marsala (sliced chicken breast sautéed in Sicilian Marsala liqueur, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus).

I ordered the Farfale alla Gorgonzola e Salsiccia (butterfly pasta tossed with gorgonzola sauce and spicy Italian sausage).

All four of us loved our meals and shared the tiramisu for dessert. We were very full and enjoyed the evening immensely.

Each year I often say that I'm going to scale back on the celebrating but then another year rolls around and I celebrate with my in-laws, my family, Mr. G, some girlfriends, a birthday weekend at the cabin, etc etc....and by the time August is done I've had 7 "birthday celebrations", drank too much red wine and probably gained 7 pounds.

So to say I'm grateful for amazing people in my life is an understatement...I love celebrating with all of them and wouldn't trade it for the world.

How many birthday celebrations do you have?

Check back next week after Mr. G and I return from our couples weekend at the cabin. 4 couples are accompanying us to the cabin, lots of food, drinks and great company!!

 

With love,

Mrs. G

 

 

The Big Question

Now that Mrs. G and I are married we were just waiting for the BIG QUESTION to start banging on our door.  The big question is of course, when are we going to start having kids????  I even thought that someone in one of their speeches at the reception would bring it up.  Unfortunately, I was rather militant about this and even remember saying to Mrs. G (when she was Ms. S) prior to the wedding "I'm going to bepissed if someone brings that up.  It's none of their business!"

To be honest, I thought it would come from Mrs. G's mother for sure.  This will be her first grandchild while my parents already have 3 and since I'm the baby, I think they're more than fine waiting a bit.  Maybe it's a been there done that attitude.  For instance, I remember dropping my older brothers off at college and my folks being emotional.  When it was my turn, I got a hug and a smile and a "talk to ya later."  (Maybe they were happy to be childless for the first time in over 23 years.) Not that they wouldn't be excited for a new baby.  They'd be ecstatic.  Anyway, I got sidetracked.

Mrs. G's mother has not said much at all.  And if at all, more curiosity than anything.  Again, not that she wouldn't be excited but I haven't really heard boo.  My folks haven't said a word.  (Now I'm back on that topic.  Maybe that's a subject for my therapist if I had one.)  There's been a few inquiries from siblings but that's about it.

My biggest surprise is that my guy friends have inquired about it consistently.  Most of my friends have children and I think are excited.  Maybe the thinking is that we can hang out more if I have kids also.  (Don't get to see them much.)  I do have one friend who is single and is very picky about his ladies meaning he's always single.  He was the first to inquire and he has a few times since.  This is a friend of mine who I go and watch football with and drink beer.  Not family planning or future plans!  I saw a male former co worker of mine the other day who in passing asked me how I was.  I enthusiastically told him I got married and pointed to my ring.  (I've noticed my go to move is holding up my hand and pointing to my ring.)  He said to me right away "You need to start having kids right away, don't wait."

I guess my point of this whole post is that I am shocked by who is inquiring.  My thoughts were family members would be asking......nay, hounding us about having kids.  But the truth is, it's my guy friends who are interested.  Which is actually flattering and touching.  It's nice to see them encouraging etc.  Maybe it's because it's something we can share and talk about.  Or maybe, it gives us an excuse to get together on play dates and drink beer.  Either way, it's a good thing.

And to answer the big question........none ya bizness.

Mr. G

Ring Shopping

Believe it or not, shopping for a ring that not only will your bride where forever, there's the added stress of whether or not you picked the right style etc.  I have trouble picking out clothes in the morning so picking out a ring was a daunting task.

As it turns out, my engagement saga starts out with me going to purchase the ring.  I was fortunate enough to be gifted my Grandma's solitaire which was near perfect.  I took a long lunch from work to go pick out the ring.  Mrs. G and I had looked at rings before on several occasions and had basically decided on a style however when I saw her future ring I knew it was the one!  Two weeks later I was picking it up.  No one ever tells you that buying a ring is a nerve wracking ordeal.  I remember paying for it and my hands were shaking and I was sweating.  The lady handed me the bag and receipt and said "thanks and good luck."  I stood there perplexed with a dumb smile on my face.  I think I was only there for seconds and didn't say anything.  Very awkward.

I walked through the mall with my bag in hand very covertly nearing the exit still quite shaken and sweaty.  A whole range of emotions were going through my head.  Excitement, nerves, excitement for the future and also joy about how the beautiful the ring turned out.  (I still am quite proud of it to this day.)  I just knew I had to get out of the mall and back to my car and back to work!  All of a sudden I hear my name yelled!  Did I hear that correctly??  Someone's yelling my name.  It was my college roommate and good friend who was at Big Bowl waiting for his computer to be fixed.  He asked me "whatcha doing here?"  Well, I showed him the bag and took out the ring and said "you tell me."  His reply, "Sweating a bit, are ya?"

Now, that evening my family and my future bride's family were going to a social event.  Plus, I had to go pick up the future Mrs. G after work.  What to do with the ring????  I can't have it kicking around in the back seat.  Someone had told me to put it underneath the spare tire in the trunk.  Panicked, I did it.  Soooo, unbeknownst to my future bride, her engagement ring was underneath the spare.  Other than getting a flat tire, I figured it was a safe hiding spot. That evening a whole crew of people were in that car and we had to park it in a parking lot for the event.  It made me very nervous out there and I kept trying to look out to see if was safe.

That evening getting home it was pouring rain.  I didn't want to leave it in the car over night even though it was in a garage.  Getting home around 10 PM, I pulled the lame excuse, I'm not sure if I closed the garage door.  I zipped upstairs and put on my baggiest pair of shorts with big pockets and ran into the pouring rain.  She thought I was crazy but I wasn't going to leave it out there over night!  Came back in soaked and found a hiding spot for the ring until the big event.

Which is a post for another time......

Sincerely,

Mr. G

Red Letter Days

One of our most memorable and treasured wedding gifts came from a good friend of mine, Maggie; she presented the gift to me the morning of our wedding.  To say it was a special and very sweet moment for my friend and I would be an understatement, this gift was one that came from the heart and meant so very much to me.

Here is the story leading up to the opening of the gift and the gift itself.

On the morning of the wedding all of the incredible women in my wedding party joined me in a hotel suite to get ready for the big day, this included my maid and matron of honor, bridesmaids, personal attendants, sister in laws, flower girl, my mom, future sister in law and some other special guests that popped in.  There was a lot of hustle and bustle, to say the least.  We all enjoyed the morning, getting hair and makeup done, the gals that are already married sharing fun stories from their wedding day and maybe a few little tears of joy and nerves snuck in there.  I was having a blast, this was exactly what I imagined; all of the most important women in my life were surrounding me and I just sat back and enjoyed….not thinking or worrying about anything. 

That is, until I realized it was 10:30am and my florist hadn’t arrived to deliver my flowers nor had anyone heard from her.  Now I had the most incredible florist, she was my 7^th grade home economics teacher and I absolutely adored her and knew I had nothing to worry about.  I was always confident that she would show up but what I realized is that I had no contact information for her with me, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  No home phone or cell phone and all I could think was, “what if she got lost?”  Most of my friends and family members called me one of the most organized brides ever; I tried to make sure I covered my entire basis as to make our day go as smoothly as I could.  So having forgot her contact info was sort of out of character for me, I was so confident in her I never worried or thought I’d need the number.  Long story short, she didn’t get lost, my flowers were incredible and I ultimately should not have worried.

In order for the gals to keep my mind off my little melt down Maggie suggested I open her gift to Andy and I.  GREAT IDEA:)

She presented me with a beautiful turquoise and silver box, I carefully opened the box and on top of the tissue paper was a poem.  Maggie suggested that I read the poem out loud.  As I began to read the poem titled “Red Letter Days”, the tears began to flow.  All of the love and happiness I felt just poured out of me as I read the following poem aloud.

Red Letter Days

Every now and then in life, each of us deserves a place of honor for a Red Letter Day.  Enclosed in this box is a place setting to help celebrate your special occasions.

It is my prayer that these dishes will make many appearances throughout the years.  They can be used to celebrate a milestone in your careers or to cheer one on who is facing a challenge.  They can be used to celebrate a birthday, to recognize a goal reached, or simply to say, “I love you.”

And of course, when the time comes, these dishes can be used to celebrate your children…when one of them earns an A, wins a race, or does a good deed, out they can come.

My hope is that these dishes will help you and Andy recognize and celebrate the good times ahead, both the large and the small moments and that these moments will be many over your years together.

In the box was a red bowl, red plate, red mug and red napkins; this gift is something that Andy and I will cherish for years to come.

Two nights ago the table was set with one typical place setting and one red place setting; I had received great news at work regarding a promotion.  My wonderful husband remembered the “Red Letter Days” and set my place with the red dishes.  It was so much fun to be eating off of this setting and to know how proud my husband was of my hard work and dedication at work. 

I don’t know where Maggie found this poem, maybe she wrote it or maybe she found it somewhere….but either way this gift was from her heart and something that I intend to pass along to other couples in the future. 

Maggie, thank you for always being the supportive wonderful friend every woman needs!  I hope our story continues for many many years….we could already write quite the amusing book:)  Love ya lady!

Here are some photos of me opening the gift on our wedding day, I forgot to take one of me using the dishes a couple of nights ago.

 

With love,
Mrs. G