December Karaoke

With only two weeks in December of Karaoke for me I wanted to take it easy during that first week since I knew the following week would be a big one since we'd be doing Christmas and Holiday Karaoke!

Fleetwood Mac - 'Landslide'
Adele - 'To Make You Feel My Love'

Peggy Lee - 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree'
Garbage - 'I'm Only Happy When It Rains'
Bon Jovi - 'Please Come Home (For Christmas)'
Helen Cornelius - 'Mary Did You Know'
Whitney Houston - 'Do You Hear What I Hear'
Journey - 'Lights'

That first week I did 'Landslide' by Fleetwood Mac as my new song of the night.  That Adele song I did next was an easy go-to for me so I closed out my night with that.  For Holiday Karaoke it was a lot quieter than normal but usually I'm there for one more week before Christmas so it made sense.  I was able to do a bunch of my favorite Christmas songs while throwing in some other stuff as well.  My new song was 'Please Come Home (For Christmas)' by Bon Jovi which was great!  We all know I love Bon Jovi, so I was glad to sing this song as my new one and it will be a Holiday staple from now on.  'Mary Did You Know' is probably my favorite Christmas song so I needed to do that one before the night was over.  We all closed with a Journey song, Carolyn, Adam, Marty and myself, so it was a nice long Journey Super-Set!

Cheers to the Holidays!  Fireball, Fernet & Black Sambuca!

Here's to a Happy New Year filled with new music, lots of fun, friends singing, and excitement the whole year through :)

Winter in Wisconsin! Part 1.

I always go back to Wisconsin for Christmas and this time I planned an extended vacation because I hadn't been home since last Christmas.  I'm so lucky and thankful that all of my jobs worked around my schedule and I was able to get shifts covered and people wanted to pick up certain days, so I was able to spend a whole two and a half weeks with my family in Plymouth!

With some of my favorite girls, Dru, Ari, and Olivia!

It was literally go go go the entire time I was home!  Not only was it Christmas and the Holidays, but there were Birthday's, brunches, and dinners to attend.  One of the best parts about being home was that our entire family on my Mom's side was able to get together for the first time in years.  I was able to spend quality time with my cousin's children that I don't get to see very often; we talked about "Frozen," played games, they showed me their Christmas presents, we roared, I cackled, gave lots of hugs, and so much more.

Another one of my favorite things about being home are the dinners I have with my family.  We went to St. Anne for my Uncle's Birthday and had a steak dinner that night, my Mom & Dad had a steak and lobster night for my brother and I one day when we were all home together, and we went to Prime Quarter a different night and grilled our own steaks.  Plus, we tried The Black Pig in Sheboygan, Rupp's where I had amazing Cajun Chicken, Mom had made roast beef one night, we had chili, Dad made his incredible steak sandwiches and more.  The family time really makes the trip worthwhile, and I loved being able to grab lunch one day with my Grandpa and Dad, and spend a lot of time with my Grandpa during my mini-vacation.

Wegner Family Christmas Eve 2014

We always get together with my cousins and aunt's and uncle's to play games like Spades, Loaded Questions, and at home we play Settler's of Catan and Peanuts.  It's always so fun to laugh and have a good time with my family.  Mom and I play Dr. Mario and we even watched a few movies together.  Mom and I watched my favorite Christmas movie one night, 'White Christmas' and I caught 'Love Actually,' another night.  Mom had never seen 'Country Strong' so we watched that while I got 'The Fault in Our Stars' for Christmas so we had family night all together with that wonderful, amazing, heart-wrenching movie.

The Packer's had two games while I was home and won the Division Title.  I would have loved to have gone to a game but getting tickets for them are super hard since it's all Season Ticket holders.  It was nice just to watch them at home while Mom and I were baking Christmas cookies, or we were all playing cards.  I wore my Aaron Rodgers jersey with pride, especially after he left the Detroit game with an injury to his calf/ankle, and then came back and threw that beautiful touchdown pass to Randall Cobb!  There's nothing like watching my home-team while I'm in Wisconsin; it's just a totally different feeling.

Make sure to check out Part 2 of Winter in Wisconsin!

Winter in Wisconsin! Part 2.

The two and a half weeks really flew by because of how much there was going on.  Since Christmas and New Year's fell on Wednesday's my parents were able to take off of work and that gave us even more opportunities to hang out.  Mom and I drove to Green Bay one day and had our after-Christmas shopping trip along with a stop at the casino and bite to eat at Five Brother's for burgers.

I was able to go out in Plymouth one night and met up with some friends.  I love being able to have Leinenkugel's beer and RumChata, which come out of Wisconsin.  We all made a couple trips to Rosie's Bar, and had Old-Fashions at home, as well as plenty of wine and Cognac.  In fact, at Antonio's one night I ordered Stoli on the rocks and it was a very generous pour for just $4.50!  I sipped on that all night long because I had to drive home and it was certainly more than a double.  You gotta love Wisconsin prices :)

Drink's at Rosie's on a Saturday afternoon!

The weather really held out well while I was home.  Initially, it's always a surprise as to how cold it really feels.  Mom and I were able to take walks for two weeks without having to wear boots and that is definitely not normal!  In fact, one day it was 47 degrees when we took our walk, and just a few days later, it was two degrees, and wearing four layers of clothes, it was still really cold.  I love having a White Christmas and this year we were able to take our Family Christmas photos outside!  Of course, the weather gods came through and snow finally hit so I was able to enjoy the beautiful blanket it created.  That also brought the below zero temperature's and including wind chill, it was negative 11 at one point.

Family Christmas Pictures outside without snow!!

On New Year's we had a family dinner at home and Mom made Split Pea Soup as well as French Onion Soup, Dad grilled steaks, we had beer biscuits, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and more!  My cousin and his wife stopped over with their kids so we could say goodbye since they were leaving the following day and I was able to get my New Year's kiss from my 6 year-old second-cousin.  His parting words...'Don't be late, Rattlesnake.'  I can't even handle how cute all my little second cousins are!  We made it to downtown Plymouth just in time to catch the Cheese Drop at midnight and had drinks at The Depot and stopped in at City Club for a drink and a Beaver shot.  It's Cherry Doctor with orange soda and so delicious; I always have to order one when I'm home.  Then Mom, Dad, and I went home and played Spades till nearly 3 am.  It may not have been the most exciting New Year's I've had, but it was one of the most memorable <3

Needless to say the time went by way too quickly and in all honestly, I wish I could have stayed home for another week.  There was just too much to catch up on and do since I hadn't been home for a year and to cram it all into a couple weeks just felt rushed.  It was by far one of the best Holiday vacations I've ever had and now I just need to plan a Spring trip back home!

*A special thanks to my family for all the Christmas presents, memories, time spent, and everything else you do to make my time with you so perfect.  Miss you already!*

Tis the Season for Holiday Party's...

December means Holiday Party's and living in Los Angeles and enjoying year-round sunny weather, there are still Ugly Sweater Christmas Party's even when it was 70 degree's that afternoon!  We do Tree-Trimming, go and look at Christmas Lights, make Hot Toddies (on those 70 degree days) and all the same things we do in the Midwest just without the snow.  It still seems strange to me...

Michael and I at the Lubitsch
Holiday Party!

The first Holiday Party of the season was kicked off by my Committed Inc. Bar Lubitsch Family.  The food was catered from Jones Bar and drinks were endless all night long...  Yes, by the time Michael and I were done drinking Cucumber Gimlets for the night, I could say I wouldn't be drinking that cocktail for a very long time.  It's been one of my favorites since I started working there over two years ago, so that makes me very sad!  On top of the delicious food and open bar, it's a time to catch up with people from the other bars and restaurants in our company.  Since the party was held at Lubitsch this year, most of my co-workers were working the party and thankfully were able to partake in the festivities as long as they remained responsible.  And clearly they did, as my tipsy-self was jokingly pushing around my fellow co-workers asking why they weren't drinking more.  Oops!  Sorry Cara and Lauren!  Of course, spending time with fellow Bartenders means shots are going to happen throughout the night; and it's a Vodka bar (my favorite thing to drink) and we have all these amazing juices and fruits to make the Vodka taste even more delicious!  Needless to say, we all had a good time :)

The following weekend I had two Party's for Friday night.  Jamie & Spark were Hosting an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party with all sorts of yummy food and friends I hadn't seen in a while.  Samantha was having a Hunger Games-esque Party with a Gingerbread House competition, costume/festive clothing competition, Beer Pong, etc.  My friend, Robby and I went to Sam's first and I had a cup of Home-Made Hot Chocolate (there was a Hot Chocolate Bar, and how cool is that) with some Peppermint Schnapps and lots of marshmallows.  Well, you don't really think adding a shot or two will do anything, but it sure did, and I took a little break after that Hot Chocolate.  Although, when we all started to play King's Cup, I ended up being someone's Mate, who was then connected to someone else, and they were connected to someone else, so I ended up drinking any time one of those three people had to drink.  I had switched to the less-intoxicating Punch at that point and was happy about that!  Did I mention that Sam makes some of the best cookies I've ever had; no matter what she makes and how full I am, I always have room for her cookies, they're seriously amazing.  

Hostesses with the Most!

At 10 pm, it was time to head over to Jamie's so we could catch the Costume Contest since Robby had gone out to buy a sweater that evening, just for the party.  Plus, I knew Jamie had spent the afternoon shopping and making appetizers and I was so excited to try everything.  I had baked Brownies as well that were just waiting to be eaten and I completely forgot how much I love to bake; I cooked them to fudge-y perfection, as the pan was demolished in under an hour.  There were definitely some ugly sweaters and outfits at this party (on purpose), and some others that were really creative, or something that I could totally see myself or my husband wearing 40 years from now, and that's just kind of adorable so I couldn't vote 'Ugly' for those!  Jamie and Spark always hand-make their sweaters, which is so creative, and this year, Jamie had also made a Wrapping Bow Dress!  It was so colorful and cute; she was a hit!  She also made some delicious spiked Punch with Pomegranate, Ginger Ale, Lemon and it had Whipped Cream to go with it and when the party had started to wind down, Spark made a Chocolate Pizza that I wish I had gotten a piece of because the bite I tasted was awesome!

So for another Winter in LA, the Holiday Party season wasn't too shabby and everyone stepped it up this year!  My two beautiful Hostesses had super fun party's and Lubitsch never disappoints.  But alas, I'm so excited to go home and see snow, because there's just something about a White Christmas that really makes it feel like the Holiday season.  

Our CAC Family at Sam's Holiday Party!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night <3

Home for Christmas! Part 2.

Christmastime at home in Wisconsin always flies by and with Christmas falling on Wednesday I knew my trip back home was almost half-way over.  It had snowed the day before Christmas so the backyard looked magical and white.  That's exactly what I want when I'm heading home; it just doesn't feel right here in California to see Christmas lights and no snow.  It was a perfect White Christmas!

Wegner Christmas Family Photo!

Gifts had been opened on Christmas morning and I was proud of some good finds, including a cool Beatles shirt for Bobby, a new Nintendo so Mom could play Dr. Mario, as well as a Lady Antebellum Christmas CD, a matching scarf and pants for my Dad, as well as a Duck Flop I found in Santa Barbara were some well-received gifts.  Later that day the rest of our family came over and we had a nice feast and played games late into the evening.  Mom and I did our annual after-Christmas shopping trip on Thursday and since we had been efficient we had enough time to stop by the Casino for an hour so Mom could get her fix and so I could win a little money on the Wizard of Oz game.

It's on...

On my last night back home I got to see some of my close friends while going out in Downtown P-Town as well as spend some time with my cousin and have a couple cocktails.  No trip to Wisconsin is complete without an Old-Fashion or two, a Leinenkugel beer (this time it was the Vanilla Porter) and Beaver shots which are Cherry Liquor dropped into Orange Soda.  Yummy!

I even spent a couple days in Chicago with Neil and his family, including Diego, enjoyed some amazing Football food and an edge of your seat game when the Packers beat the Bears to become division champs.  Unfortunately, my Fantasy Football team saw it's demise again falling into 4th place even though I had a great game from Cordarelle Patterson, Vernon Davis (whom I needed to have a good game the week before), Gostkowski, my Kicker whom got me 15 points and my Cincinnati Defense.  It wasn't enough to beat Travel Belly but he probably had icky tummy when his Bears lost to my Pack and I'll take a Packer win any day over a Fantasy win.  We watched American Hustle on Sunday night and I really enjoyed it.  I wasn't a huge fan of Silver Linings Playbook and enjoyed this movie much more.  I loved Amy Adams performance, and wanted to wear all the ladies outfits and costumes, and thought the movie moved quickly and kept me entertained.  It's one of my favorites so far!

It was back to LA before I knew it and now I wish I could be back in Wisconsin for a couple more days without the responsibilities of the holidays and just time to enjoy family and relax.  I'm already looking forward to Christmas 2014 :)

Home for Christmas!

I love to go home for the holidays to be around my family, celebrate with friends and good food, give gifts, and enjoy the snow and Christmas cheer!  Of course, after being home for over a week I'm ready to come back to LA and escape the two degree weather but while I'm there, I try to take it all in until the next time I come home.

Grandma & I during a Grandparent's Day Lunch
and even though I have a mouthful of muffin
this is still one of my favorite pictures of us :)

Unfortunately, I had to head home a little early because my Grandma passed a week before Christmas.  It was sudden and I was devastated that I couldn't get home to see her before she took my Aunt Nadene (her daughter's) hand into Heaven, as she kept telling my Dad while in the hospital, that the Angels were ready for her.  This was one of those moments where I realized, that's the closest I'll be to Heaven for hopefully, a long time.  She lived a very long and wonderful life and as I stood at her funeral with my family and Grandpa and accepted condolences I was reminded of what an incredible woman she was, how generous and friendly, always polite and inviting, helpful and talkative.  It made me even more proud to be her granddaughter, remembering all the great moments we shared these past 30 years.  There were always cookies waiting for me, games to play, envelopes to seal and mail, crafts to be done, things to be sown, drives to be taken, and recipes to be made.  I will miss her but know she's watching over me and proud of my dedication and hard-work.  To top it all off, one gentleman I met said that my Grandpa was his Hero.  It brought tears to my eyes to hear these people say such special things about my Grandparents.  I'm definitely lucky.

Business Select...thank you Southwest!

In switching over my flight so I could get home early, my Mom upgraded me to Business Select on Southwest for about $30.  As I got to LAX about 90 minutes before my flight was scheduled to leave I was greeted with two insanely long lines that wrapped around five times.  I didn't think I would make my flight but as I asked a Southwest Employee where I should go, she looked at my ticket, opened that velvet rope, and sent me to the front desk where I easily checked in.  Security was next but once again, my ticket did all the talking as the Security Clerk held his hand up to the long line and a group of three and told me to come through first.  Of course, the flight happened to be delayed for 40 minutes so having to wait wouldn't have been a big deal but Business Select made it so convenient especially with the holiday travel.  When it came time to board I was A1 which meant I was the first person on the airplane (aside from Priority Boarding) and to make my flight even more comfortable, got a complimentary cocktail.  I had an hour-long layover in Las Vegas where yet again, I was the first person on the plane and got another free drink.  That cocktail certainly helped since there was some major turbulence right before our descent into Wisconsin but overall, the whole Business Select experience was one of my best flight experience's ever and something I would highly recommend.  Thank you Southwest Airlines for making my flight a very enjoyable and easy to manage trip!

The first couple days in Wisconsin flew by with Christmas preparations like wrapping gifts, cleaning and getting Dinner's ready.  Having the whole family together was really nice and at night we were all able to sit down and relax to watch some of the SAG Screeners like Captain Phillips and Gravity.  We all really liked Captain Phillips; I really enjoyed the story, liked how the pirates made you feel for them, and how different a role this was for Tom Hanks.  Although, I wasn't a huge fan of his accent.  Gravity on the other hand, kind of bored me.  Usually, the Awards Show nominee's are a little lengthy and can be shortened some but I felt like Gravity kept going but wasn't getting anywhere.  I've seen Sandra Bullock do more in other movies but I would give it another chance and see it again.

Christmas Vacation continues in my next blog...

December Karaoke

A couple weeks before Christmas everyone is prepping for the holiday's: Shopping for gifts, baking cookies, decorating tree's and houses, and celebrating with friends and family.  LA is an ever-busy city and I always look forward to the holiday season when I'm hosting karaoke at Gabe's.  It means that there's at least one themed-holiday music night for everyone to enjoy.

Since I'm catching up on two weeks, half-way through December started off with a song I haven't sang for a while, Stevie Wonder's, 'I Just Called To Say I Love You,' and then I did 'One And Only' by Adele since I was more prepared this week than the previous and what a beautiful song to sing.  My new song of the night was 'Everytime' by Britney Spears and then I switched over to some Alanis Morissette, 'Head Over Feet,' before singing 'These Boots Are Made For Walking' which was another song I hadn't sang in a while.  McCracken and I sang 'Another Day' and this was our first time singing it together.  I closed out the night with Dolly Parton's 'Jolene.'

The week before I left for Christmas was our holiday-themed karaoke night and a lot of people got into the festivities and sang some Christmas tunes.  I opened with one of my favorites, 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree' and then did a bunch of new songs throughout the night.  One was 'Winter Wonderland' and another was a duet, 'Baby It's Cold Outside' although it was a different version than the Dean Martin one but was still a great song to sing.  Since Rent revolves around Christmas time in New York there were more duets during the evening including 'Light My Candle' and 'Another Day.'  McCracken, Neil, and I all tried a new song and did a little Alvin & The Chimpmunks singing 'The Chipmunk Song' which was super cute and I gave Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' a whirl.  It went far better than expected thanks to lowering the key!  I closed out with 'Mary Did You Know' because it's one of my Mom's favorite Christmas songs :)

Alvin, Theodore, and Simon...The Chipmunks!

It was a really fun way to get into the holiday spirit and I loved that so many people got involved.  It always proves that themed-nights bring more participation from the audience and patrons of the bar and that's what I try to do when I'm hosting karaoke at Gabe's!

Bar Lubitsch Holiday Party

I covered a shift at Bar Lubitsch over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend which was nice since I had my Thursday off at Irish Times because of Thanksgiving.  It was a slower night at the bar due to the Holiday but it was nice to be back in a busy bar with all the right ingredients for craft cocktails and other good stuff.  And I got to work with my old Saint's & Sinner's buddy, Mike!

It was the Comitted Inc. Holiday party that Sunday night.  This year it was held at The Pikey on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, once again, fully catered meal thanks to The Pikey and an open bar with all sorts of goodies.  Thi and I went to The Pikey for Dinner a few months ago and it was absolutely delicious so I was super excited but this was more bar food (at least when we got there) which was good too; I had an awesome burger and salad.  I was definitely bummed to miss the dessert because they ran out though.

Lubitsch Ladies, Ashley & I with Jake & Neil

A few of my co-workers from Bar Lubitsch were there so it was nice to catch up with them outside of work and get some fun pictures together.  Plus, they had a Photo Booth which is always great :)  I drank 'The Stanley' which was a Rum & Pimm's cocktail served up in a martini glass and didn't really notice the alcohol in them but my tummy ache the next day reminded me not to drink so much rum.  Thankfully, I had switched to Hendrick's Gin later on but the damage was done thanks to Stanley!

Saint's & Sinner's Love

This was my first Christmas Party of the Holiday season and hopefully there will be some more coming up before I head back home to Wisconsin for Christmas with my family!

'Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReinDoors'

This Sunday I went to see 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindoors' (the classic story with music from The Doors for a modern twist) put on by the Troubadours at the Falcon Theater in Toluca Lake and what an experience it was!

Ready and waiting for the show to start!

Andy invited me to the show and I'm so glad that he did because it was an absolute blast!  The Cast came out caroling a few Christmas songs and when the show was about to start, something happened with the video play-back and they had to Improvise through it but it was actually more funny without the video.  Donner narrated the whole show and really had a tough job of keeping the show upbeat and moving forward and he did an awesome job!  The Cast brought so much energy to the show it made it so much fun for the audience.  Each member of the Cast played different roles throughout the show with multiple costume changes and it really made me miss doing Theater and the excitement of playing to a live audience and how each show is different.  What made this show even better was that there was so much Improv and how they worked with the elements to make it special for each performance.

My favorite parts of the show were the group numbers because at one point there was an Aerial Dancer doing tricks above the stage, my friend Andy, was juggling while on top of a ball that he rolled across the stage, and there was even an acrobatic stilt walker that was a dude and kicked higher than some of the cheerleaders on my college team!  The music really brought life to the Play and I realized I knew a lot more Doors songs than I thought!  Another favorite part was the snow falling throughout the audience during one of the final scenes and Rudolph flying all over the stage and also reciting the whole 'Rudolph' story that we all know and love.  The Cast got the audience involved by having us sing along, they called people out and joked around with them too.  I loved when Andy played a Mini-Elf and almost fell out of Santa's Sleigh!

It was a really great show and I'm so glad that I went; not to mention that doing something new like going to see a Musical/Play is one of my Resolutions this year!  I will definitely see more shows at The Falcon Theater put on by the Troubadours because this was very special, so different than anything I've seen since I've moved to LA and it makes me really enjoy being an Actor and making people laugh and smile :)

Home for the Holidays! Part 2.

As stated in my previous blog, I love going back to Wisconsin and it's mostly because I get to spend some quality time with my family and I get a break from LA's craziness.  Here are a few more of my favorite things from my time home for my Christmas vacation!

At Antonio's in Plymouth with Neil!

When I'm at home I usually try to go out at least one night to catch up with friends from Plymouth and one of them is my friend, Brittany, whom I've known since Kindergarten.  So this trip was no different as Neil and I met up with her and her boyfriend, Josh, at Antonio's and had a wild night there!  It was complete with shots, Gin & Sprites, 'Catchphrase' while at the bar, and blowing fire!  We literally had a group of 10 people playing Catchphrase while we were out and it was a blast.  I even taught one of the Bartender's at Antonio's how to blow fire, and we even got a video of us blowing fire together and she learned it on her first try!  Go Gena!!  Before the night was over we wanted a change of pace and City Club (which used to be where my Dad would pick up Dinner on Friday's during Lent for the Fish Fry) was our next destination.  What a change from when I used to go with my Dad to get Dinner!  It was a lot of young people, playing bar games, taking shots, and the lay-out was totally different.  It was kind of nice to have somewhere else fun to go to!

Christmas also means a wonderful family meal and this year we had family over on Christmas Eve Day and had an awesome meal of turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potatoes, fresh rolls, corn, and some sort of pistachio and whipped cream salad that has always scared me but was delicious along with appetizers that included Cheese Fondue and Shrimp Cocktail and also had an awesome dessert of Chocolate Lava Cake, made by my Mom, which was INCREDIBLE!  I can't wait to try the recipe here in LA using my Crock Pot.  And of course, no Christmas would be complete without Old Fashions and Cocktail Hour!  It's been a tradition in my family to take Christmas Pictures for the Christmas Card that goes out the following year and the paparazzi was in full effect!  We had Grayson and Greta, the little ones playing and doing my tradition of taking pictures with the Maker's Mark and Malibu bottles, and then everyone's family photo time.

Wegner Family Christmas Photo

Lastly, aside from opening presents and being excited about what I got my family, this year I had picked out a ring for my Mom from a Boutique on LA called Brandy Melville and another ring similar to hers so my Mom and I would have matching rings which I thought was a fun idea.  I had also gotten my brother a super cool Nirvana T-Shirt that was worn-in from H&M and although my Dad was more difficult this year, he was very happy to use his Barnes & Noble Gift Card to pick out a great book.  Of course, there was plenty more but I really enjoy seeing my family's faces when they see the gift I got them that took some planning or that I figured out would be something they would really get use out of.  After Christmas my Mom and I usually grab Lunch at Victoria's, which is an Italian Restaurant in Green Bay, hit up the mall to return or exchange things that don't fit, and our new thing is going to the Casino.  Unfortunately, I lost but had a couple really good rounds on some games but didn't come out ahead and Mom broke even so I'm sure she was happy about that!

Those are a few of my favorite things when I go back to Wisconsin for the Holiday's and the time always goes way too fast, even though this time I was home for a week.  We always have so much planned that it seems like I'm only home for a couple of days but that just gets me excited for my next trip home :)  Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Everyone!

Home for the Holidays!

One of my favorite things about the Holiday Season is going back to Wisconsin for Christmas and spending a week with my family!  I always take a nice long break from Los Angeles to relax, enjoy the time with family and friends, and get back to a normal and real environment!   Spending time in Wisconsin is not complete without a few things and I'll be telling you about some of my favorite things to do when I go back to Wisconsin for an extended vacation.  

First off, my flight back to LA was showing signs of complications as a Blizzard Warning was present days in advance and as my flight got closer I noticed more and more flights being canceled.  I called Southwest to make sure my flight was going to take off and someone at the Customer Service Center told me because my flight was coming from the West Coast we had a good chance of making it to Milwaukee without any pitfalls.  I arrived at the airport with plenty of time and sat at my gate for almost 2 hours to hear just before we boarded, we might be re-routed somewhere but nothing was certain at this point.  The flight went well and I only noticed the weather and slight turbulence as we got closer to Wisconsin and a half hour before we were going to land in Milwaukee.  The snow was flying by my window, I couldn't see the ground, and I started to pray and grip my seat as we were getting within landing distance at the airport.  I feared that the plane wouldn't be able to stop because of the snow and ice and we would crash into the terminal and the Mayan prediction would come true one day early.  Thankfully, the plane landed in one of the most peaceful landings I've ever had as the Flight Attendant said over the loud speaker, 'Thank you, Jesus.'  The Pilot wasn't the only person I thanked during my trip back to Wisconsin, I had to thank my Dad for his incredible driving skills during the drive from Milwaukee into Plymouth.  I don't know how he maintained 55-60 mph during this blizzard but he did and not once did the car slide or get out of control like so many others did as we saw cars in ditches and swerving in front of us.  Thank you Dad!!

Winter Wonderland in our Backyard in Wisconsin

My Dad definitely likes when I come home because that means we're going out for Steak Dinner at least once and St. Anne is our go-to spot close to home.  It was my Uncle Ollie's Birthday so my parents and I, along with Ollie, Aunt Mary, and their son, Tyler, all had Dinner at St. Anne.  Unfortunately, it wasn't the best steak (even though it's been on my Top 5 for years) so it was a little disappointing but not as disappointing as my Mom's gamey Tilapia.  Typical Wisconsin fish that tastes like lake water and why I never ordered fish at a restaurant for a long time!  We all had a great night and enjoyed cocktails, Birthday cake, and interesting conversations :)

Another favorite thing of being home for the Holidays means that my whole family gets together to play games.  While my Mom, Dad, and brother, Bobby and I played 'The Prisoners of Eskiban' which is actually The Settlers of Catan (I prefer to call it the "Harry Potter" movie name, that I'm not even sure if it's the real title or not) on Christmas Day, it was fun nerding out to a new game!  Neil had bought my parents Beatles Trivial Pursuit so we also played that in teams considering Bobby and Dad would have an extreme advantage, and I surprisingly knew some questions and got some wedges on my own.  YAY!  Then we played a Trivial Pursuit Game I had gotten from Santa which involved everyone betting on whether you would get the answer correct or not, and had more recent trivia and random categories like 'Beer,' 'Barnyard Animals' and '80's Sitcoms.'  While we're with my extended family we tend to play more card games like Spades or Bavarian Rummy so we did that on the last night I was home and enjoyed Old Fashions and Fat Squirrel Beer.  No one makes an Old Fashion like my Uncle Ollie!  We also like to play big group games like Catch Phrase and this year our new game was 5 Second Rule where you had 5 seconds to list 3 things in the category given to you.  Tricky tricky.  We are definitely a Board Game kind of family!

Settlers of Catan on Christmas Morning with Cheli

There's more photos, stories and fun to be told, so part two about my Christmas Vacation in Wisconsin will be coming at you soon...these are a few of my favorite things!  Happy Holidays Everyone :)