Make New Friends But Keep The Old

When I graduated High School, I remember being devastated at the fact that i was leaving behind some of the best friends I've ever had. It hurt to think our time together would never be the same, and that our relationships would slowly fade away. I remember crying thinking that "my girls" would soon become a distant memory and that I would soon have new friends to fill new memories with. But I didn't want new memories, I liked the ones I had already!

I of course got over that thinking, and did in fact make new friends, and I created a plethora of fantastic new memories, ones that I will never forget! But I was wrong about one thing. My relationships of my high school years didn't fade. In fact, they grew much much stronger. Sure I lost touch with a lot of my closest friends, but a majority of us still have consistent contact with one another. I have watched many of them marry their long time loves, and create a brand new life of their own. I have been with some through the deaths of parents and relatives, and have shared in the joys of new houses, apartments, and vehicles. I have danced my ass off, puked in ally ways, and sat on chairs and cried with these people. Through all these years they have remained my dearest, most cherished friends, and I will forever be thankful for the joy they have brought into my life.

People have often told me how rare it is to still have such a close knit group of friends from High School and I've often thought that maybe they were right. But then I came across this story in the Journal Sentinel this morning and I realized that we're not that strange after all. That people carry on life long friendships all the time. We're just one more group to add to that fantastic story of life.

I'm not sure where our respective lives will take us, but I hope that when we're all 75, we're still getting together and laughing about where we've all been together, just as these beautiful women are. How truly special it is, to be able to share in the journey of life, with some of your very best friends in the world.

Jon Hainstock Rocks My World

Live music, and great company will cure anything…I’m not kidding!

I was feeling really sick and down in the dumps on Friday and ended up getting into my car at the end of the day and just crying to myself. It felt really good to let it all out and just be sad for a second instead of constantly putting on the flippin’ happy face. I called Tara immediately, and I felt better after I unloaded on her. I was very grateful for her kind face and words. I sometimes feel as though I have nobody to talk to these days, but then I remember that no matter what Tara has always been there for me…a shoulder to cry on. And it makes me feel a little better to know that.

Shortly after, Tara made me a daiquiri which instantly made me feel better, but I couldn’t shake the icky feeling in my stomach or the sickness in my body. I was slightly dreading the rest of the evening, as I had made plans earlier in the week to meet up with some friends at Live on North Ave. to see Jon Hainstock’s show but I knew that being around good friends would make a world of difference for my mood.

It most definitely did.

John’s show was amazing! He has quickly been thrown to the top of my list of "live musical acts to see whenever possible", and everyone else at the bar seemed to be thinking the same thing. Tara, Nicky, Joe, Sara and I grabbed a table close to the front of the stage and enjoyed our half priced martinis and free Bud Lights, courtesy of the Bud Light girls running a special promotion there that evening. Jayne and her posse arrived shortly after and I was thrilled to be able to spend a little bit of time catching up with a dear friend whom I see not nearly enough. In between sets you could hear the rumble of the crowd singing sounds of praise for what they were hearing that night, and the friends I arrived with that evening said they would definitely be willing to see him again. Score! By the time the show ended I was a proud owner of a new Jon Hainstock CD and a certified fan no doubt. He rocked, seriously. I need to talk to his “manager” about getting him to Milwaukee more often!!

We left the bar early as I was sick and needed sleep desperately but I was thrilled that I trooped it out for the evening and went to the show. Music is my safe haven to a world of chaos. No matter what happens, or how I’m feeling, a good song and a great sound will heal almost anything I’m feeling…even if it’s only temporary. Throw in some great friends and some yummy drinks into the equation and you have your own personal psychological treatment facility right there at your fingertips.

It felt good to smile that day.

Shout Out Number 4

I realize that I normally do my “shout outs” on Friday, but in wake of this weekend’s festivities, I won’t be around tomorrow to blog about anything, and this particular shout out is much too important to go un-noticed. In fact, it’s so important, that it merits its own entire entry.

So, for this week, I’d like to send a single, simple, one-and only shout out.

TO ERIN AND DAVE’S WEDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For a year and a half we have been planning, and emailing, and partying, and shopping, and chatting all things wedding…just waiting for this day to arrive. And now, in just two short days my best friend on the planet will be walking down the isle to say “I Do” to the man of her dreams. It sure makes you all ooey and gooey inside over love doesn’t it?

The wedding festivities kick off tomorrow with a girly day of lunch and manis/pedis then rehearsal, dinner and then Saturday we awake to October 28….the wedding.

I can’t wait. I’m just beaming from the inside out.

I’ll be back on Monday everyone (with tons of pictures I’m sure).

*cheers to love*

Vegas 2006

I’ve been trying for the past couple of days to find the right way to describe my trip to Las Vegas this weekend and I’m finding myself at a loss of words. What I have been able to pull from my four days there is this:

- I took lots of drunken PICTURES.

- It was HOT. 110, can’t stay out in the sun for more than 10 minutes at a time HOT! I loved it!!!!

- I still can’t believe I had to fly on the day when the alleged terrorist plot was stopped and travel was in return delayed and a bit chaotic. Way to add to my already tremendous fear of flying!!

- Bally's was the best place for us to stay. Innexpensive, and right on the strip

- Front of the Line passes are the way to go if you plan on going to the hot clubs. Even if you paid to be on it, it’s still fun to walk to the front of the massive line and say “I’m on the list”.

- Everyone in their lifetime needs to experience Ghostbar. Even if you only stay long enough for a few martinis and to learn a new phrase: “Silly Hot”.

- Looking hot and being brought up to the VIP room at RAIN nightclub is reason enough to have a big ego for the evening…especially when it’s accompanied by free vodka drinks!

- Vegas boasts some of the most fabulous clubs, and fabulously nice people! Apparently everyone that visits either comes from California…or Oshkosh, WI.

- I still have dreams about the gorgeous Go-Go dancers at Studio 54.

- I HATED Coyotee Ugly and hated Harrah’s even more!

- Travel the strip by city bus. It’s cheaper, and much more entertaining!

- Nickel slots suck. Can anyone even win anything on those?

- Three nights out and two full hot days is enough to make you crave your own bed and the cooler weather of Wisconsin. I had a blast, but was ready to come home.

Congratulations Jessica and Scott

Last Saturday, July 22, I laid witness to the beautiful exchanging of vows between Jessica McKeen and Scott Bailey. It was a beautiful ceremony, my first time at an outside wedding, and it was a wonderful and intimate experience.

Some of my favorite parts of their wedding:

The gorgeous ceremony site!
Gary's beautiful flower arrangements
Watching Jessica walk up the stairs and standing at the foot of the isle with her dad
Seeing Scott cry as he watches Jessica walk the isle
Lets face it...my dress.
The wind in the hair of the bridesmaids standing at the front of the pavillion

SUPER strong Bacardi/Cranberries at Crossroads bar in Elkhorn

The full mugs of beer in the wedding party's hands as they exited their massive limo
Crawling under Jessica's dress to help her with the bustle
The cookie favors on our tables
Tippy Cup and drinking games during the reception

Falling over while taking a picture with Jess
Watching my dad get hit on
Dancing the night away

Taco Bell

Awww, Summerfest is officially over. I’m always a bit saddened at the end of it all, because I feel that my summer has an official lull in it. I never made it to the final night, but I went out with a bang on Saturday, seeing Pink for all of 4 songs and pigging out on the final combination platter at Saz’s for the year.

Tara and I started out our Saturday festivities with martini’s at the Hi-Hat near my apartment and by the time Erin arrived at my apartment around 6:30 that evening, we were half in the bag already. *cheers to summer*. We polished off a bottle of champagne with Erin at my apartment, chatted about wedding stuff (sorry Tara), then headed back to the Hi-Hat to get one last drink, and a free ride to Summerfest.



The bus took a bit longer than we had anticipated, and we didn’t end up getting to the grounds until close to 9:30 which put a damper in our evenings plans but we weren’t willing to sacrifice any portion of the evening: Saz’s, booze, and Pink. We would just have to hurry along this way.





We hurried over to the Saz’s stand, waited in an obnoxiously long line (which is pretty common for the famous restaurant) and pigged out on our combination platters on our way to the Briggs and Stratton stage on the South end of the grounds. We quickly grabbed a drink (a beer for me, mixed drinks for Tara and Erin) and headed to the stage, disappointed to find that actually seeing Pink was going to be a pretty hard feat to accomplish.





Annoyed at some of the Summerfest patrons, and sick of hearing Erin complain about not being able to see Pink, I decided to lead the group up the front of the stage, in hopes of getting a better glimpse of pink. I was sadly mistaken as I realized the further up we went, the more condensed the bleachers became and the harder it was to see above the screaming heads. We got a few quick glimpses, enough to say we actually “saw” Pink that day, and hurried back out the way we came.







Ready to leave, we decided to foot it the rest of the way home (my brilliant idea) and I think about 45 minutes later we finally made it to my apartment…ready for bed.



It was a great end, to a terrific 11 days of fun. I can’t wait to do it all over again next year!

Fourth of July

Today, a week’s worth of festivities has finally caught up with me. My throat hurts, my body aches, and I really could just sleep. But alas, it’s summer and it’s summerfest, and rest is not on the radar until early next week. Yes, I am a Summerfest junkie. There is no better time to me than a cold beer, great friends, and a night of fabulous food and music. I feel so lucky to live in a place that for 10 days out of every year, I can pay my $15 and access hundreds of different bands. Not many other places can boast something so marvelous. Not to mention, for anyone who loves people watching, what better place than in Wisconsin! Summerfest has some of the best people watching EVER. In just a few hours you'll see a great mixture of many different types of people. Thanks to the likes of Nine Inch Nails playing on the same night as Dirks Bentley, you're bound to see a wide aray of people. It's great!



I’ve been there three days so far, and have three more lined up. Thursday’s outing was by far the most intense but Sunday’s trip was equally as entertaining. Katie, her sister Julie, and Julie’s friend showed up to my apartment around 6:00 and we headed down to the grounds, Cabby top down, boppin’ away to the sounds of Brittney and Rihanna. Parking is always absurd around Summerfest, but luckily we found a lot close enough spot for only $7 (a steal of a deal).

We started off the night with…Saz’s of course…and made our way to the Harley Davidson Stage to watch Pat McCurdy perform (One of Katie’s favorites). He was AWESOME. He had this unique gift of being able to get the crowd jumping and singing to anything he decided to spit out of his mouth. I laughed hysterically as I watched the crowd turn from hick to hip hop in a matter of seconds and they laughed along the entire time. He had quite the following and not to mention the Dirks Bently concert had begun to draw quite the crowd at the stage as well, so by 8:30 we were pretty much trapped on our bleacher seats. I guess we were staying for the concert =)



At 9:00 A CMT producer came on stage and informed us all that this specific concert was going to be televised on July 16 and we laughed at how random it all seemed. Here we were, stuck on these bleachers, and were about to be televised on national television. I love Summerfest. =)

The concert was awesome. I had never heard of Dirks Bently prior to the concert, but I left a full fledged fan. I even went out and bought his newest CD the next day. He was personable, and fun, and super cute. Minus the drunken morons that frequent Summerfest, we girls managed to have a fantastic time.





My third trip to Summerfest came a bit spontaneously. Tara and I woke up early Tuesday morning and decided we wanted to go see Kenney Chesney that night. 10 minutes later, we had 15th row seats…I was pumped. Before the concert however, we had plans to meet up with Katie and Mary at Miller Park for the brewer’s game that afternoon. We met them in the Petit National Ice Center parking lot at 10:00 and made our way to the stadium.

Only in Wisconsin can you enter a place at 10:00 in the morning, and find the parking lot full of people with grills, lawn chairs, and plastic footballs. If there’s one thing us ‘sconies are known for, it’s our ability to drink. *cheers to us* ha ha.

Anyways, we grilled out and drank in the parking lot until well after the 4th inning and finally made our way inside the stadium. It was Bobble Head Day and we were WAY excited about leaving with our free little toy. However, we soon realized that you cannot expect stock to remain well into the 5th inning and so we left instead with a blue “rain check” for our bobble heads. We were a bit disappointed.









We left the stadium at the top of the 9th inning, still bitching about not receiving our Bobble Heads. We decided to wait out the crowd and play a few games of cards outside our car and we ended up meeting a group of really great people who were waiting out the crowd as well. A nearby Chicago girl had heard us all bitching about how we never received our Bobble Heads, so she came over and dropped hers off at our table…she was never going to use it again. We were like kids in a candy store. I have never seen four grown women more excited about a Bobble Head in my life! We took pictures, and named it, and talked to it…it was a little ridiculous. But I suppose that’s what alcohol will do to you sometimes =)







After the game, Tara and I made our way to Summerfest and soon after to the Kenney Chesney concert at the Marcus Amphitheatre. We had fantastic seats (as we usually do when it comes to Kenney) but I was a bit disappointed in the concert itself. The entire show just seemed awfully random to me. Generally when I go to a concert, the headliner lets you know that he’s going to be starting…in some way. The lights go off, the music plays, there’s a moment of anticipation. But for whatever reason, there wasn’t any of that. Suddenly I just hear “Summertime” playing, and I look behind me and he’s standing on some bleacher singing in the middle of the theatre. What?! Um...okay there’s Kenney. As the rest of the concert went on, random people came out and sang with him. Sugarland. Why? Uncle Cracker...from where?! I just found myself trying to stay focused and enjoy what was going on, but was being way over stimulated =)







Regardless of the randomness of the concert, I enjoyed myself immensely. It was the best Fourth of July I’ve had in a long time. I love summer! I’m so happy that it’s finally here.

Summerfest 2006...Day 1

Every year, Summerfest roars into Milwaukee and every year I anxiously await its arrival. The festival kicked off on Thursday with a full day of music, food, and beer and I was bound and determined to be there for it!

After work on Thursday, Katie D and her two friends showed up at my apartment, ready to party it up, the way Milwaukeeans do. We mixed a few Rum and Cokes, girlified ourselves, and headed out the doors at 8:30 destined for the Milwaukee lakefront. We had a bit of trouble figuring out transportation but luckily we met a very nice woman, and a very helpful bus driver, and we were able to get ourselves to the lakefront with very little hassle. I’m really bad at telling stories, so I won’t go into detail about the bus ride and events leading up to it. But luckily, we made it =)



We started off the night with a Miller Light and an REO Speedwagon concert. We only caught the last couple of songs, but were there long enough to hear “Roll with the Changes”, “Keep on Loving you” and “Ridin’ the Storm Out”. I was sad to have missed “Can’t Fight This Feeling” but what can you do right?





After REO was finished, we made our way to Jo-Jo’s Martini lounge, sipped on a few Cosmopolitans, and awaited the Big Bang fireworks. The fireworks were amazing, a little long, but still amazing. They really are the best fireworks display all year…in the state of Wisconsin I think! Not that I’ve seen that many to compare it too, but I’m sure it’s up there!

For the remaining couple hours we spent some time at the Harley Davidson stage watching Common and then headed to the Miller Light Oasis to watch the Bodeins. At 12:30 the grounds closed and we made our way back to my apartment for some Pizza Shuttle, sobering talk, and a pass out session =)

I’m hoping to make it to Summerfest a few more times before it all ends. I’ll definitely be there on Sunday with Katie again for the Love Monkeys and then on Monday for Phil Vassar and Keith Anderson with Tara. Thursday is The Frey and Saturday Pink is playing and I’m going to try really hard to make it to that as well. Luckily I have a free ticket in my wallet to utilize. Summerfest is getting quite expensive! But it’s totally worth it. $15 gets you inside the grounds, and access to a ton of bands….FOR FREE! It’s the greatest festival ever! For anyone not from Milwaukee…get your ass up this way. You’re missing out on a fantastic time.

Just some weekend stuff

I am making it known to the entire blogging community, that on Friday of last week, I went on an interview with the Kohl’s corporation and, as I cross my fingers, it went really well. Of course there is the chance that I’m delusional in my thinking, and the interview went horribly, in which case I just admitted failure to many, many people, but I’m optimistic for the time being. I originally interviewed for a Sample Specialist position which is an entry level position feeding into the entire company. But as the interview process continued, I was introduced to even more people, in a few more departments, for a few more open positions in the company. At the end of all of it, I was taken to the buying offices and introduced to a few people there as well. The recruiter is also in the process of passing over my resume directly to them. At the end of three hours I had met with 5 different people, and interviewed for three different positions. Hopefully SOMETHING will turn up =)

I was so thrilled with how well the interview went that I was definitely in the mood for some celebrating. Tara and I thus, met up with Katie and Mary for some drinks at The Harp and headed over to Out and About a little later for some drinking and dancing with some more friends. I’m not a big bar fly, but I definitely enjoy the occasional drunk night out =)

I awoke on Saturday with a bit of a hangover, but had to quickly nurse it away as I had to work all day Saturday. The day went by quickly, thankfully, and at 6:00 Erin, Dave, and Tara showed up at my parent’s apartment, ready to head to Heather and Eric’s. They were having a small get together of close friends, celebrating their new house…and of course their new life together. Their house is ADORABLE: two bedrooms, one bath, cute little backyard, and a cute little dog to compliment it. They’re your typical storybook couple: high school sweethearts get married right out of college, buy a cute little house and a dog =) I love them. We spent the night playing games and chatting around the fire pit.

Sunday I spent lazing around trying to get my stomach into some sort of normal routine again. Feeling full I decided to jump on the scale to see how “full” I actually was and I realized that for the past month I have been consistently gaining weight. For the first time in my entire life I am above 124. While I by no means need to go on a diet, I think this was my first indication that I should probably start watching what I eat a little bit better. My metabolism seems to be slowing a bit more. I think it’s time to incorporate some fruit into this diet of mine =)

Lazy Summer Days

As summer is approaching faster than I anticipated, I'm finding that my schedule is filling faster and faster with festivals, concerts, weddings, trips, and other occasions of the summer. Thus, when a weekend such as this past one arises, I welcome the opportunity to spend a few days relaxing and gearing up for the coming weeks that lie before me.

I had the entire weekend off of work which I utilized to my full advantage to take care of a few things I've been meaning to take care of for a number of weeks. I get a lot of running in, a lot of reading, and a lot of errands done. It was great! By Sunday, I was ready for some socializing so Tara and I packed up the Cabrio and headed to the Milwaukee County Zoo to meet up with some friends for a leisurly day at the Zoo.

Before arriving, I was telling Tara how I remember the days when I was little, of going to the zoo and spending the entire day there!! We would walk, and eat lunch, and shop, and just make an entire day out of it. As time grew on however, the full days seemed to end and now I'm lucky if my trips to the zoo last more than an hour.

And then I realized what it was like to be there with small children.

We met up with my friend Rosy, her husband Ben, and their son Sean, as well as Kiersten's sister Stephanie, her husband Andy, and their son Braden. Them, along with Tara and I and Kiers and Angie, wandered the park taking in all of the sights as well as the gorgeous weather we encountered. We stopped for lunch, chatted over a few beers, and laughed at the children's reactions to certain animals going about their daily "zoo-ish" business. Suddenly 4:00 rolled around and I realized we had been at the zoo for over 4 hours!! We had spent the entire day there!

Walking out to the car I had a big smile on my face knowing that I had just spent a "family day" just as I used to only this time, we were the adults! It was a little strange at first, but I quickly warmed up to the idea. I love this getting older stuff =)

Memorial Day Weekend '06

Beneath the sunburn, behind the exhaustion and the full belly that remains from a weekend full of eating, lies a three day Memorial Weekend packed with memories. It was a weekend filled with great friends, great food, and plenty of sunshine to top an already amazingly good time.

The weekend kicked off on Friday as I hurried home from work to meet up with Tara, her roomate Dobry (Jeni) and Ashley for a night of grilled food and beer. We (read: them) cooked up hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, corn on the cobb and some baked beans and hurried upstairs to enjoy a fresh grilled meal.

Fast forward a half hour.

With full bellies we assessed the beer situation and decided we had plenty to keep us going all night. Thus, with beers in hand we busted out the board games...my favorite part of friendly get togethers. We started off with Yahtzee, as Ashley insisted she wasn't drunk enough yet for a game of Cranium and she proceeded to kick our asses in the coming rolls of the dice. Saddened at my defeat, I pulled out Cranium, ready for a game I KNEW I could win.

Drunken Cranium is probably on my list of top 5 things to do at a get together. I never laugh harder than I do while watching someone try to draw "Rock, Paper, Scissors" without looking at the paper, while their partner continuously yells "Square, Apple, Scissors", all the while thinking her guess is perfectly accurate given the picture being drawn. We never ended up finishing the game, but Tara and I were way ahead by the time we called it quits to play Circle of Death (more commonly called in B-Town, Kings Cup) =) We again failed to finish the game as Dobry left to vomit and Ashley and I engaged in an argument about whether feemer and leaner rhymed (which I must digress and admit I was wrong). It was then, we decided to call it a night.

I awoke early Saturday for work, which ended up being slower than usual, making it for a touch day to sit and stare, and wish you weren't hung over. At least I had the evening to look forward to, as Katie and I made plans for a late night out at our favorite B-Town bar: John's Main Event.

We arrived at 11:00 to a semi-crowded bar, but still managed to secure ourselves a seat at the bar, and a few rounds of shots courtesy of our favorite bartender. Seeing as how our money was obviously no good there, we decided to plug the juke-box with dollars and fill the bar with the sounds of Katie/Christi music. Def Leopard's "Pour Some Sugar On me" always gets me into the partying mood, so we opted for a few more shots, a few more drinks, and plenty of friendly run ins with old friends. But alas, at 2:00 a fight had broken out, dampening the mood of the night so we left the bar, destined for some late night eats at White Fox Den. Bed time didn't come until around 5:00 and I dragged myself out of bed three hours later to get to work.

I spent two hours at the salon on Sunday then quickly closed up and drove home to meet Tara at my apartment. I threw on a tank top, grabbed my flip-flops, and we were out the door, ready for a day by the lake.

We strolled to Altera, wandered through the Kite Festival and spent a lot of time lounging around on picnic tables, talking and people watching. It was the perfect way to spend a 90 degree day in Milwaukee. As dusk fell, we opted for an easy night in, rented a few movies, and by 9:30 I was sleeping on the couch.

Finally, memorial day came and the sun was shining as beautifully as it had the day before. I jumped out of bed, threw my swimsuit on, and we headed, with the Cabby's drop top down, to the beach to spend a few hours lounging in the sun. A few hours quickly turned into a half hour and we realized we had less time to spend there than we had originally hoped. It was a wonderful half hour though.

Tara and I reloaded up the Cabby and drove to the Metro Market to pick up BBQ essentials for our cookout with Erin and Dave. We loaded up on fresh fruit, buns, and of course Metro Market's famous free samples! The Metro Market rocks!

We arrived at Erin and Dave's exactly on time and we chatted for a while (us girls) while Dave manned the gril. Ah yes, the fine display of gender roles =) KIDDING! After dinner we played a few games, Dave kicked our asses in Trivial Pursuit, and so we moved to Taboo where Erin and I dominated the round.

And with that, my weekend ended and I sit her now recapping it and nursing my sunburnt shoulders. As the last weekend in May bring about the first week in June, it also brought with a hint of summer that still remains in the memories of the weekend. But as a cool air blows from the open door in front of me, and the signs of rain linger in the air, I am reminded that this summer is indeed still around the corner. I just can't wait for it to fully arrive!

Heather and Eric's Wedding

I work in the bridal industry and for a living, I immerse myself in weddings. Between the gowns, and the cakes, and the bridezillas and the momzillas and the bridesmaids...it’s a never ending process. Day after day the girls come in and day after day the girls leave each with their own unique story and each with their own unique set of demands. It can be tedious, god knows this industry is not all butterflies and sunshine as one would think, and it leaves me bitter many days towards the entire concept. As I lock up the doors night after night I find myself breathing a sigh of relief as I finished out another day without strangling one of the over demanding mothers that came into the store. It leaves me wondering if I’m just a bitter girl with no real romance left.

But then suddenly, you’re at a wedding. Not helping a bride choose her dress, not dealing with the bridesmaids size issues, but instead are sitting in the pew, listening to the sound of the piano up ahead and taking in the soft murmur of the other voices in the chapel. Suddenly the music changes, “The Wedding March” is playing and everyone is turning over their shoulders. Within a matter of moments familiar faces are smiling at you, holding a beautiful bouquet of daisies wrapped with yellow ribbon. You smile back politely and anxiously await the music to change yet again. And then you see her, your dear friend from High School. She looks AMAZING; more beautiful than you’ve ever seen her look in her entire life! She begins to walk down the isle and it is then that you see the look, the smile. It’s only for a moment but it brings an instant tear to your eye. It’s that look that only a bride can give to her awaiting groom. The look of excitement, of nervousness, of “Are we really doing this?!” It’s the look of love in its purest form and when I saw it, I melted from the inside out. As Heather took her place alongside her life long love, I smiled and sat down. I wasn’t heartless after all. It just all doesn’t mean anything to me unless it’s someone that I love.

The ceremony was gorgeous. It was untraditional, and heart felt, and just absolutely beautiful. Heather sang, Carrie cried during her reading, and I sat through it all in awe at the love these two still share after 8 years together. As they walked out of the chapel together, hand in hand, I caught a smile from both of them. They were finally Mr. and Mrs. Whitten. It was time to celebrate!

The reception was held at Hawks View Golf Club in Lake Geneva, WI. Tara and I grabbed a table with the rest of my friends and we spent the next few hours chatting over martinis, beer, and yummy buffet food. Soon the music was blaring, and the girls were on the dance floor dancing the night away. The end of the evening came really fast and before I knew it, I was hugging the bride and groom goodbye and we were on our way back to Milwaukee.

I had just watched my two dear friends promise their love to each other. I was ready to head back to work =)

For more pictures from the wedding, Click Here

Heather and Eric's Bachelor/Bachelorette Party

Yes! I am the first of my blogging friends to jump on the documentation of our fabulous weekend in which we partook in the sacred tradition, of seeing our friends off on their last days as single beings. Saturday, was Heather and Erics bachelor/bachelorette party, something many of us (including the couple) have been waiting for 8 years!

I had never been to a joint stag party before and I was curious to find out just how something like that would come together. But take out the clich strippers, take out the cheesy party games, and your left with a group friends just out to have a good time, and celebrate true love. It was a great evening!

We started off with dinner at Houlihans in Lake Geneva. I was a little sad that our entire wasnt able to sit together, but we made it work none-the-less with our two tables. We all sat side by side our couples (minus oneMINE) and chatted amongst ourselves over martinis, beer, and a tequila shot for Eric. Oh, and two BIG ASS Sunset Martinis for Eric and I, and Greta and Wendell. At around 10:00 we were all full and ready to begin the evening. Our first stopChamps.

The couple of honor wanted to go out dancing, but at 10:00 there wasnt going to be too much happening, so Champs seemed the perfect place to get our drink on for a bit, while waiting for the crowd at Hogs and Kisses to arrive. We had a few more drinks, and laughed as Amanda told off a very rude man for staring at my ass. You can always count on her to speak up thats for sure! Greta met a nice fella who proceeded to buy the entire party drinks and after a round of free drinks, we were ready for some dancing at Hogs.

Hogs was packed, as it usually is on a Saturday night, but we had no problems squeezing our way through the people and on to the dance floor. The music was a bit old school and I was disappointed that the DJ didnt know many of the songs we were requesting, but with good company you can dance the night away to pretty much anything. So it all worked out.

Our last stop in our bachelor/bachelorette tour of Lake Geneva was Carvettis and overly packed bar already at capacity by the time we arrived. It took some convincing on our part but we finally convinced the bouncer to let us in, with the stipulation that we went right to the outside patio. He heard no complaints from me. We pushed our way through the crowd of people, and planted ourselves at a table outside. Ahhh, a chance to relax and talk. It was probably a good thing that we never ended up making our way back out to the dance floor because after sitting for a bit and talking, the majority of us realized just how tired we were and so within an hour, we had all gone our respective ways and the fun of the bachelor/bachlorette party was a growing memory.

But the fun is not over, and its truly just beginning. In two weeks we will all reconvene, this time to celebrate the official union of these two high school sweethearts. On May 5th, Heather Cawley and Eric Whitten will become Mr. and Mrs. Whitten and well all be there to witness and celebrate it. I cant wait.

I apologize for the lack of pictures, but Blogger has been giving me nothing but grief all day long. For whatever reason, it won't let me post!!! So, if you want to see the pictures from the evening...

FOR PICTURES OF THE NIGHT, CLICK HERE

Easter 2006

Another great weekend in the good old B-Town.

Katie was in town again this weekend for Easter, so the two of us headed out for another evening out in B-Town. John’s Main Event is becoming a major favorite of ours, especially considering my drink hookup there on Saturday nights =) We chatted amongst ourselves for the first hour and soon found ourselves immersed in a game of bar dice with a few high school classmates. I refused to play dice for money, and instead insisted on playing for shots. You can imagine the shape I was in after about 12 rounds of dice. Word of advice: DO NOT PLAY DICE FOR SHOTS. TAKE THE MONEY WHEN YOU CAN =)

The people of the bar began to filter out and head to the Blue Carpet, but Katie and I hung back a bit to listen to the songs she played on the Juke Box and chat a bit more with Steve. Around 1:30 we made our way to the Blue Carpet for a bit of dancing and by 2:00 I was far from done and needed to go home and sleep.

Sunday I awoke with quite the hangover but I tried to put on the best face I could for my mom’s family as they started to arrive around 12:00 for our Easter get together. It was a failed attempt though, and I ended up spending most of the day on the couch with my little cousins, watching movies. Once Madagascar was put in though, the rest of my mom’s family piled into the living room and we all curled up for the next hour and a half. It was a nice little bonding session over a ton of laughs. It’s a great movie!

Around 3:00 my aunt tried to motivate me, and so we took a trip to Adrian’s to treat the fam to a few quarts of their tasty custard. It was a great little outing and put my stomach over the edge. I was stuffed for the rest of the night. Between the ham and the potatoes, and the deserts, the custard…I was stuffed! I left my parents house around 7:00 and went right home to bed. I was exhausted and full =) The perfect way to sleep he he.

Pure Perfection!

*Cheers* to perfect weekends. It was a mixture of old friends, great love, and beautiful spring days…the perfect combination to any perfect weekend.

My weekend began on Saturday with an extremely busy bridal salon. Wedding season is in full bloom and the brides were out and shopping! Adding to the hustle of the salon, were the procrastinating prom girls, out to get a look at the last of the season’s dresses before they disappear for good. 8 hours later the store was finally quiet again, and I was on my way out the door to meet up with a good friend for drinks.

I hadn’t been to Katie D’s house in YEARS, probably since High School, so it was nice to reminisce a bit around the house I called my second home for so many years. I chatted with her dad for a bit, commented on how old her little sister had gotten (seriously last time I saw her she was like 10...now she's 15 and dating!!!!), and then headed out with my bubbly blonde friend for some drinks in good old Lake Geneva.

We started things out at Champs, ended up meeting up with Dave, and then the three of us headed over to Cavarellis (I may be WAY off in that bar name) for a few more drinks and a shot. As the night wore on though, the music intensified and we decided to leave in search of a more chill avenue (this was definitely not a night out for dancing…we had catching up to do!). We ended up back in Burlington, at John’s Main Event, where we met up with my mom and some old High School classmates that we hadn’t seen in many years as well. Katie and Dave played pool, I played darts and chatted, and before I knew it, it was 2:00 and I had to get going. I hugged Katie goodbye in the middle of the street and we planned for our next outing. Dancing next weekend anyone? =)

I drove back to Milwaukee after leaving the bar and curled up next to Tara, thrilled that I had the entire day off on Sunday to just laze around, and spend with her.

We awoke around 9:00, made some coffee, and hung around the apartment for a few hours before finally showering and getting a move on to enjoy the gorgeous spring day that lay ahead of us! I took her to the sporting goods shop on Capital Drive so she could pick out a bat and some softball equipment for the upcoming softball season. For Christmas I had purchased her a gift certificate so she could FINALLY buy a nice bat for herself, and she left satisfied with her brand new DeMarini F2 bat. I know nothing about bats, but it sure is pretty =)

Already in a shopping mood, we decided to head over to Wheel and Sprocket to check out their bike sale, and pick out a pair for us to enjoy this summer (she insists on buying me one for my birthday). We know nothing about biking and were overwhelmed with the choices! Mountain Bikes, Hybrid bikes, racing bikes, tall bikes, short bikes, girl bikes, boy bikes…what happened to the days of pink standard bikes with pom poms on the handles!!

We hung around for an hour and half attempting to figure out, on our own, which bike would fit out needs. We tried unsuccessfully to attract the attention of a sales associate to help us with our questions and we laughed at the “May I help you” options we came up with. I finally just started to ring the little bell attached to one of the bikes I had parked myself on and I think it helped because a few minutes later we finally had a sales associate to answer our questions. 2 hours in Wheel and Sprocket and all we were able to find out is that we need a Hybrid bike, size 18 (for me) and 17.5 (for her). I guess we’re one step closer to buying a bike though! Yay!

The rest of the day we just spent running errands: Target for birthday presents for her neice and nephew, Barnes and Nobles for more birthday presents, and finally Pick ‘n Save for some food so we could grill out. There is no more perfect end to a perfect day than hamburgers and corn on the cobb on the grill! I love Sundays.

I was going to blog it, BUT....

You know what the great thing about the blogging world is? When you hang out with two of your friends, that each have their own separate blog, you KNOW they're going to be blogging about the time you three spent together, and therefore, saves you the effort of having to regurgitate the weekends activities a third time! Horray for time saving! Granted everyone does have their own points of view on how the weekend unfolded, and I'm sure I could add a few details here and there that both Amanda and Erin forgot, but who cares right? If you want to know about our fabulous weekend full of surprises, wine, and dildos (yes I did say dildos) then click on their blogs. Plus, it's good exposure for them =)

But I do just have to say one thing about the weekend... WE'RE GOING TO VEGAS!

That's it.

I myself, am on day 2 of my fasting/detox diet and I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty good. I'm a little hungry but other than that I'm well on my way. 22 more days!

I had my second belly dancing class last night. It is so much fun I can't stand it! I just miss getting out there and learning a dance, and seeing it all come together. It's the Pom-Pom girl in me. My mom and I bought our little coin skirts last night and I have to say I was feeling pretty Middle-Eastern after that. Minus the blonde hair and blue eyes of course. Just give me my finger symbols and I'm ready to go! =) We learned some belly twists (which if I can brag my teacher said mine were BEAUTIFUL) and learned a few more steps to our dance. By the end of 6 weeks I'll be able to do a full routine! I'm excited.

Pictures

PICTURES FROM THIS WEEKEND!

Martinis, laughter, and one Icelandic Princess

Last night, I took a much needed break away from life to enjoy an evening of cocktails with my roomate Nicky. Although the two of us have lived under the same roof for 7 months now, the amount of time that the two of us actually spends together would amount to the equivalent of a weekend visit...once a year! With our opposite schedules, significant others, and personal responsibilities our time together is very limited, and it makes me sad to think that I still barely know this girl!

Thus, we took some much needed bonding time last night and plopped ourselves at the bar at The Knickerbocker for some fab martinis, a few shots, and a lot of laughs and catching up. Mid way through our evening, a mob of people came strolling the doors of the quiet little bar, including one Icelandic Princess, Anna. She was in from Iceland promoting the Icelandic Vodka Reyka. She bought us all a round of shots and Nicky and I chatted with her posse who reminded us more of the New York Mafia. After about an hour at the bar they were ready to party hop a bit more, and off they were.

What began as a chill night with a few martinis, ended in laughter over meeting the Princess of Iceland. What a night! =)

My 2006 ... so far

I rang in the New Year in Green Bay this year. Actually, it was for the second year in a row. It was fun...nothing spectacular. The same old crowd, the same old scene...just the same old. Drama arose as is per-usual which put a damper on a lot of things, and my phone got stollen which is always a plus (especially when you had a $400 phone), but other than that the evening was nice.

Tara and I hung around on the first being hung-over, watching movies, and pigging out on everything in sight. I practiced my dance routine a little bit (I'm doing a dance performance for Karnitz and Marissa's Humane Society Benefit), and then watched as Karnitz, Tara, and Katie practiced their routine as well. Ahhh those girls crack me up.

The following Monday I had off from work and took full advantage of doing absolutley nothing! It was great! Then, to top off the evening, Tara made me my favorite meal on the planet...her magnificent Chicken 'n Dumpling soup. Mmmm Mmmm Good. I think that Monday topped the weekend for sure!! =)

Tuesday it was back to work and it has been CRAZY busy here at the store for the last few days. As we knew they would, all the brides waited until after the holidays to make any wedding decisions and they're coming in in full force this week!! It couldn't come at a worse time as I have so many things to prepare for in the coming weeks, and my grandpa died last night so my mom can't be here, meaning I have to man the store by myself. Somehow between all the people and all the phone calls I'm managing to slip some of my other work in between here and there so it's working out so far. I have been progressively getting sicker as the days wear on (I think it has something to do with the fact that I gave up caffeine on the 1st) so I'm not exactly on my A-Game today. Uh what I wouldn't give for a big bottle of diet coke right now!!!

And I guess that's it. I'd write some profound post about how much my life has changed in the past year, and where I project it to go in the coming 360 days...but I'm much too busy and quite frankly, I just don't feel like it =) 2005 was a combination of stress, anxiety, joy, relief, desperation, confusion, simplicity, comfort, and chaos all wrapped up into one year. I can only expect 2006 will bring me much the same thing. And I look forward to every minute of it.

See the Rest of the Photos HERE!!!

Christmas '05 Recap

I cannot believe that it's over. Christmas came and went faster than any year in the past and I fear that it's only going to gain momentum as the years progress. I cherish this season so much, and it's over faster than I know how to handle.

It was an eventful couple of days that's for sure. Erin and I started off the season with our traditional "Christmas Eve, Eve" in which we have a few drinks, exchange presents (she got me some really yummy smelling candles and a Starbucks gift card) and drive the streets of Candy Cane Lane. I look forward to it every year (although this was only our second year doing it). After our little Christmas tradition, we swooped by her apartment and picked up Dave, and headed out to Mantra for some drinks with the Bistro kids. It was a fun night, the music was lame, but I was entertained anyway. Dave, Erin, and I left around 1:30 to grab some late night/early morning breakfast and then I headed back to my apartment...only to be awoken at around 4:00 by a very drunk Nicky wanting to exchange Christmas gifts =)

Christmas Eve was spent at my Aunt Linda's house. It's my favorite night of the entire year. My mom and I showed up wearing our Santa Baby Christmas outfits, which were the hit of the evening that's for sure! The days festivities included pictures with my cousin's new baby, toe nail painting in my Aunt's heated floored bathroom, a tearful dinner, a cozy movie session to Charlie Christmas Christmas, a fabulous gift opening (my Uncle got me a Best Buy gift card and a slinky he he), and a loud obnoxious game of Scattegories.

Christmas Day we woke up to Santa's presents which included: new curtains for my apartment, bath stuff (a TON of it), a ton of gift certificates, a new digital camera, an I-Dog, Pajamas, a few DVD's, a book, a bunch of stuff from Sephora (my favorite store EVER), and a kick-ass bracelet/necklace thing. Oh and who could forget my ring from Tara!! After present opening we headed to my Aunt Miki's house for my Dad's side of the family Christmas.

It was a truly joyous holiday and I'm sad to see it go =( This week at the store will now be spent tearing down the Christmas decorations and prepping the store windows for New Years. *sigh* 362 days to go until next year!!!!

Happy Holidays All!!!