Entries Tagged as 'dad'

Jessica’s 8th Birthday

May 26th, 2011 · 3 Comments


Jessica

Last weekend I went to Oak Creek to celebrate Jessica’s 8th birthday. Jess wanted pizza for lunch. Instead of just buying pizzas or getting them delivered, Richard and Amanda bought all kinds of toppings and individual doughs. Each person made their own custom pizza and then my brother grilled them outside. Turned out great. Same goes for the dessert we had. Jess wanted ice cream instead of cake. Amanda got all kinds of toppings and we all made our own sundaes. Jess is holding her sundae in the photo above.


Got the memo

My brother also had a growler of beer from St. Francis Brewery nearby his house. I’m not sure which it was, but it was really good. Glad to finally try it.


Jason

It was a really nice day outside so we all sat out on the patio. I even got sunburned on my arm. It was so hot! Jess opened a bunch of gifts. Brian came over with his kids and they all played. Pretty laid back day.


Jessica

I was just looking at these photos from Jess’s previous birthdays: 7 years old, 4 years old, 3 years old, 2 years old. She is growing up fast!


Mom


Stephanie

Since it was just Mothers Day a few weeks ago, I gave my mom her Mothers Day gift. There were some prints she wanted from the wedding, so we gave her those and we also made a wedding photo book. I think she liked it.


Mom & Dad

Finally, yesterday was my mom and dad’s 37th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary!

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UPAF’s Ride For The Arts

May 25th, 2011 · No Comments

Please consider sponsoring my family on our ride. To do so, click here.

On June 5th, my dad and my brother and I are participating in the UPAF Ride for the Arts in the Milwaukee area. My brother and my dad have done this bike ride in years past, and last year my brother and I did it, but we’ve never all gone together. We will be riding the 25-mile route on bike to help raise awareness and money for the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), which supports 34 performing arts groups in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Since 1981, over a quarter of a million people have participated in the UPAF’s Ride for the Arts and it is considered to be one of the nation’s largest one-day recreational bike rides. This year is the 31st year of the event, which has generated $7 million for the UPAF. The money is used to help UPAF’s member groups produce over 2,000 live performances of music, dance, theater and opera each year. When you support the arts, you’re helping your local economy, improving education, and strengthening outreach programs to the disabled and elderly – all while adding culture to your own life.

Last year the ride was not easy, but very do-able. I thought I’d be dying and sore the next day, but I surprisingly was not. Sure, the day of there were lots of aches and pains, but they did not last. And since Miller Lite sponsors The Ride, the finish line party on the Summerfest Grounds is really fun. Last year there were bands playing and it was a total celebration. I’m not going to lie, the I only made it through the last few miles of the bike ride because I was thinking of ice-cold Miller Lite. Honestly, it was the best beer I ever tasted. Last year there was also one sponsor who donated 5,000 hotdogs to the event, so everyone got a free hotdog on completion. Looking forward to the ride this year and to helping support UPAF’s great cause.

Please consider sponsoring my family on our ride. To do so, click here.

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Easter Lunch and Birthdays

April 24th, 2011 · 1 Comment

The Saturday before Easter we went to Wisconsin to my brother’s house to have Easter lunch. We had ham and potatoes and grilled veggies and a ton of other food. I made deviled eggs and brought them up. I also brought a growler of Revolution Brewing‘s Iron Fist Pale Ale.

For dessert, Jessica decorated a cake and sugar cookies. See the missing cookie? Dallas ate it before dinner!

A couple weeks ago both Amanda and Stephanie had their birthday, so we gave them late birthday gifts. My parents and I went in together and got Stephanie a new camera. We gave her one last year for her birthday, but I guess it broke. Dallas made sure to lecture her about not getting her another camera again next year if this second one breaks. And he did it before she even opened her gift, so yeh.. surprise spoiled! We also got Steph a gift card for her favorite store, Hot Topic. Amanda also got a few gift cards for her birthday. Dallas and I gave her a sampler pack of some lotions made by Island Soap & Candle Works in Kapa’a, Kauai.

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Professional Wedding Photos

March 30th, 2011 · 1 Comment

We were lucky enough to have Steve Koo, an award-winning Chicago photographer (and friend), come out with us to Kauai and photograph our wedding. Steve did such a good job on our engagement photographs in Logan Square. I was excited to see what he’d come up with for the wedding.

We could not be more happy with how Steve captured the spirit of the day and all the little moments and emotions. We love Steve’s style, how saturated the photos are. It went really nicely in the tropical setting. I could not pick just a few favorite photos from the day, so I posted a whole bunch below!

For a more behind-the-scenes account of our wedding day, check out this post.

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Whale-Watching Oscars Barbecue

March 21st, 2011 · 2 Comments

Name three things you never thought would go together: Whale-watching, Oscars, barbecue! Ha.


Ging, Damien, Billy (Photo by Rob)


(Photo by Rob)


Damien (Photo by Rob)


Jordan & Liz (Photo by Jen)


Cousin, Loden, Brian (Photo by Rob)


Dallas (Photo by Rob)


Cliff Jumping (Photo by Jen)


Ross (Photo by Rob)


Brian & Jill (Photo by Kristin)

If I back up just a little bit, though, when we got back from breakfast a bunch of people had gone to Shipwreck Beach. Dallas and some others left to join them, but since we’d told people to stop by the house on Sunday, I thought I should stay there. Kristin and I sat around by the pool. I took a nap on a float. After a while, it was clear that no one was stopping by until later. I blame this on hangovers! So, Kristin and I went to Shipwrecks for a while too. I had fun playing in the surf with Brian and Chad and Jill for about an hour.


Tien, Pina Colada Master


Cousin, Dad & Dallas Grilling


Dallas, Josh & Tweeny Grilling


Richard & Amanda


Richard & Rachelle


Todd, Kelly, Damian, Vanessa, Sara, Brian, Adam, Christine, Trevor, Kate


Todd & Kelly


Such a pretty sunset!


One last sunset shot, this one taken in the same spot a few days earlier. (Photo by Kristin)

When we came home friends began coming over to hang out. Some just stopped by on their way out of town or on the way to other plans. We had a big barbecue to try to eat up our leftover food and drinks. It was a task we were not up for! We sat out on the lanai and watched whales while eating dinner. There was a beautiful sunset that night and I found a bunch of our friends across the street watching the beautiful show. Also, the Oscars were on (on a time delay) so some people were having fun watching who won. This was our last day on Kauai, so it was nice to hang out with everyone one last time.


Watching the Oscars


Watching the Oscars


Josh & Tweeny watching basketball


Paul, Kate, Caroline, Cory, Tammy, Chris, Dallas


Party Slippers


Cory & Kathy


Dallas, Danny & Chris

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