2011 - Anniversary Getaway - Day 2 - hiking

I just realized I forgot to publish this post about day 2 of our anniversary getaway.  Day 2 was spent exploring and hiking (and then enjoying a very delicious dinner).  Did I  mention dinner?  Did I  mention that we were alone, just the two of us, without any kids?  Did I mention how wonderful it was to eat without a million questions about what we were eating, if we were going to have dessert or an ongoing commentary about the food and how someone didn't like it and would rather have a blue sucker or a peanut butter sandwich?

I did?

Oh yeah, that's because we WERE alone, WITHOUT kids.  And let me tell you, eating a dinner at a SLOW and LEISURELY pace is pretty darn wonderful.  And, I will NEVER take it for granted AGAIN!

So, we started off the morning at the Indian Mounds Park.  This park is not much to write about.  The path that winds around the Indian Mounds is very short.  If the mounds were not identified by signs, you would probably walk right by them and not take notice.

But the nature walk on the other side of the park was absolutely delightful!  And NO ONE else was there -- so it was completely peaceful, quiet and tranquil.  The path winded around the forest and down to a small creek.  You could hear the water trickling over the rocks and through some branches.  You could hear birds calling in the trees and rustling through the leaves.  Off in the distance you could hear a very persistent woodpecker.  It was very VERY nice (and quiet).

See what I mean?  BEAUTIFUL.

All in all, the park trip took less than an hour, so we consulted the map and decided that we were so close to Kohler-Andrae State Park that we would head there, buy our state park pass for the year (so we can go on hikes near home) and find a hiking path there.  We opted for the "cord-walk" -- aptly named because the boards which made the path were kept together using cord...because they winded over the sand dunes, and right up to the shore of Lake Michigan.

It was still pretty foggy, especially right up on the beach.  But still very beautiful...and despite some of the other visitors, mostly peaceful (and quiet).

I couldn't resist...I am a dork!

The cordwalk was a nice 3-mile roundtrip hike that winded through the sand dunes.  It was pretty nice, and we had a great time getting active and just spending time together -- after all, that is what the anniversary weekend is all about -- re-connecting!  It was wonderful and I am already thinking about next year's trip!  :)

Sam resorts to drinking...

An Interview with Little Max

I heart this child, seriously. He is such a ham!

Keep your eye out for a video of Sam (and another one of Daddy) soon! But for now, enjoy little Max!

2011 Anniversary Get Away - Day 1 - Caving and Diamonds

The first night of our honeymoon, we stayed the night at a B&B outside of Plymouth, WI.  Our honeymoon was a driving/camping tour of Northern Wisconsin, and that first night was the starting point of our adventures.  So, to celebrate our anniversary each year, we have tried to either go back and re-visit the original B&B, or to take a trip somewhere in the area and do some more exploring.

This year, we decided to stay at Tauschek's Log Cabin B&B just outside of Elkhart Lake, WI.  

We never know what to expect when we are trying a new place -- some years we have been disappointed, but I think we both really liked this place!

We started off the trip by dropping the boys' off at my parent's house for their own 'Stay-cation" or "Acation" as little Max put it (he was pretty stoked to get to sleep over at Granna and Grumps for 2 nights).  After lots of hugs and kisses, we got back into our car and headed into the wilderness.

Our first stop was a little out of our way at a small cheese shop in Theresa, WI, Widmer's.   They weren't doing any tours with it being the weekend and all, but we stopped and got some cheese to enjoy during the weekend. 

Since we couldn't check in to the B&B until after 4pm, we decided our next stop would be the LedgeView Nature Center in Chilton, WI.  I'm not exactly sure WHERE I found the information on the Internet about their 'cave tours', but I wish I would've done a little bit more searching first.  There were a few things that would've been nice to know ahead of time:

1.  Flashlights were recommended (bring your own) - as there is no lighting set-up in the cave

2.  Crawling is optional (um...crawling?)

3. Boots are recommended -- the caves are pretty muddy

4.  Cave tours last ~ 2 hours (don't all caves start to look the same after 1/2 hour?)

So, we had no flashlights, poor footwear choices and we had no intentions of 'crawling'.  Looking back, it is laughable.  We still had a good time, and we learned a little bit about Wisconsin caves in the process.  Overall, these trips are about re-bonding and spending time together.  We sure bonded over the absurdity of this one!

Here is the entrance to the main cave.  We were in a group with a bunch of highschoolers.  These boys were making us laugh on the walk to the cave -- at one point I turned to Max and said to him "so this is what I should be preparing for in a couple of years?"  Surprisingly, these boys were really into the caves and were sliding around from one room to the next on their stomachs and getting all muddy and dirty -- and LOVING it.  Boys will be boys!

 

See my footwear (and the muddy floor right next to me?)  I managed to stay mostly clean.  And, it was pretty interesting....

 

A view of the interior of the 'cave'.  All of these caves were excavated by hand by volunteers.  All caves in WI were filled in during the glacial period -- so they were all filled in with mud.  'Sinkholes', or depressions in the earth are usually a sign that there is a cave below.  Several sinkholes were found in this area, and so they decided to start excavating some of them -- revealing the caves below.

 

This was our 'guide'.  She was a very non-social guide -- but once she started talking about caves, she really opened up and you could see that she was very passionate about geology.  I have to be thankful to her that she found us two spare flashlights...

 

The forest was literally growing on top of this cave (and all the caves), so in some spots you could actually see the tree roots creeping through cracks in the rocks...

 

More mud...and puddles...and mud.  The caves were pretty neat, but as you can see -- once you've seen one, there isn't that much more to see.  At least, not for those of us who weren't using it as a big slip and slide....

 

I believe this cave was nicknames 'Whale's throat"...it should be pretty obvious why.  Again, notice the water and mud.  I did not venture down into the whales throat...and I do not regret that decision...

At one point (about 45 mins into the tour) we were given the option of sliding on our bellies into another section of the cave or climbing the ladder up and going back down another ladder.  We chose at that point to cut our tour short and let our guide know to go on without us...

We took a small hike back through the forest instead...

 

Saw some trillium.

 

And this weird fungus/bug disease...

 

And then we climbed this cool tower and got a panoramic view of the countryside.  It really was beautiful!

It was pretty windy at the top...

 

But we took our obligatory pictures...

 

And even managed to get a semi-decent one of us together!!

We then headed to the B&B, checked in, took a little nap and leisurely got ready for dinner out.

In the middle of getting ready, Max surprised me with my anniversary gift...

 

The best things don't always come in big boxes...

 

 Apparently this is the face I make when I am really happy about something...

 

Beautiful diamond earrings!  I am such a lucky lady!!

Day two is up next...

Phone Dump (May 2011)

Home repairs took on a more frantic pace this month as we realized the goal date we had set for listing our house was fast approaching.  We finally got the chimney fixed (and the ceiling needed a repair as well).  In addition to this work, we finished the front landscaping, got a new front door and are in the process of building a mudroom in the garage.  What is the saying?  You finally get your house the way you wanted it to be, and then you leave... right?

Spring this year has been unseasonably cold -- or fluctuating wildly between hot HOT days and cold COLD days.  As a result, we have had some pretty awesome weather (storms).

Mid-may we took a trip to St. Louis to celebrate my cousin's 30th birthday.  This was the awesome view from our hotel window...

Warmer days mean more time outside.  This particular day we decided to take our 'lunch break' down at the neighborhood park.

Little Max continues to be a cutie, of course!  :)

May's Zoo class was Seal's and Sea Lions.  The 3's classes often end in a face or arm painting.  Little Max has been hesitant to get his face painted, and usually opts to have something drawn on his arm or hand instead.  I convinced him to do the face painting this time...and he was so cute about it afterwards!

Exploring the water table with other 'friends' in Zoo class...

Afterwards, you go with the class over to see the animal on exhibit and you get a special talk from the keeper.  Max was totally ENAMORED with this keeper and the seal.

I don't think I could have gotten him to turn around, even if I had tried!

May also saw the last t-ball practice.  The last day was parent/child day where the kids took on the parents in a friendly t-ball game.  The kids won (probably because the parents never got to bat...)

Little Max practicing his 'alligator snapping' skills on the ball...

Winding up for the throw (and letting go at the wrong time and thereby throwing the ball in the wrong direction...LOL).

Come on, Mom!  Your turn!

Widmer's Cheese -- the first stop that Max and I made on our annual Anniversary trip.  This year we went up to spend the weekend at a Bed and Breakfast in Plymouth, WI.  Taushchek's Log Cabin B&B -- very NICE!

Max surprised me before dinner with these exquisite and wonderful and very SPARKLY diamond earrings.  He did a GREAT job picking out some really spectacular diamonds.  I am a lucky LUCKY girl. (and I haven't taken them off since I got them!)

Co-worker Chris and his bounty of pizza.  Really, what happened was Pizza Hut decided to donated a bunch of pizza to us for lunch one day...Chris was pretending that he was really hungry.  LOL.

And there you have it.  You are officially caught up on  my phone photos (for now).  Now I just have to upload the pictures from our anniversary trip to share with you!  Good things come to those who wait...I promise... :)

Phone Dump (March - April 2011)

It has been awhile since I unloaded the phone...enjoy!!

We had a few 'warmer' days in March where we could load up the boys and take a short walk down the street to the neighborhood playground...

Meet Janice, the ball python.  Little Max got to meet Janice for his Snakes Zoo Class.  He was a little apprehensive about the snake, but very curious.  In fact, I got asked a LOT of questions about Janice in the weeks following zoo class.  Does Janice like milk?  Does Janice sleep in a bed?

Big Max turned 36 (yes, the 6 above is really an upside down 9...) this year.  His one request was a French Silk pie...so I decided to make a homemade one.  It was NOT as difficult as I had expected, but MAN was it DELICIOUS!  YUMMY!

We continue our tradition of 'pancake Sunday' in our house.  I try to come up with a different recipe every once in awhile to keep everyone on their toes.  For the longest time I thought it was so weird that little Max would always ask me "Is it Sunday, mom?" Or, he would tell me "I love Sunday, mom."  Well, duh!  Wouldn't YOU love pancake Sunday too?  

I treated myself to a day off and a haircut and a facial in April. (I'd never had a facial before and it was AWESOME).  GO get one, seriously!!

Sam continues to be a great eater -- he tries everything!  He is also getting insistent that he must use a fork and spoon and have his food served to him on a plate like everyone else.  He just wants to be like everyone else!

Lil Max continues to love on 'blue' the beloved blankie....

Check out my rack!  :)

Goofing around with a balloon...I'll have to explain the logistics of this one later... 

But I have to laugh because later this night after bathtime, little Max asked me if he could 'have a baby sister'.  I didn't know exactly how to answer that (um, so would I? LOL) so instead I asked him what he would name his baby sister.  He thought for a few seconds and then turned to me with a devlish grin, "Cat Nap Pants!"  He was so proud of himself...

Sam also continues to be a joyful, happy and mellow (but determined) child.

We went to the Betty Brinn museum mid-month with some of my coworkers...

Pancake sunday again!  These were supposed to be cinnamon swirl pancakes, but we decided to make them a little more fun (because it was Easter) and draw designs...

Easter tulips....my favorite!

Playing at the neighborhood playground again.

You know Mason had a good and tiring day when you find him sleeping like this.  :)

2011 Garden Plan

This is the plan for this year's garden.  I still have to get some remaining plants in, but for the most part, things are planted!!  Also, some of the placement might be a little different -- no matter how hard I try to visualize things on paper ahead of time, I always end up doing something different when I am out in the garden getting my hands dirty --- I call it my creativity.... :)

We will keep you posted on the harvest (if we are still in this house to enjoy it, that is...)