Spring in Wisconsin :)

Just a couple weeks ago I was heading to Wisconsin for a whirl-wind week of fun!  It was my first trip back since Christmas and there was so much planned.  I was looking forward to spending time with my family and just being home :)

My cousins were actually on the same flight from LA to Milwaukee so when we landed in WI we all went out to Dinner together.  On Thursday night I Bartended at Rosie's Valley Inn and my entire family came in and visited me.  It was a blast to be behind the bar in Wisconsin and reminded of how affordable it is to drink back home.  I poured a round of drinks (all cocktails) for $11; it would have cost $40 in Los Angeles!  It's kind of mind-blowing.  My little cousins loved helping me out behind the bar, doing dishes, pouring sodas, and even mentioned coming to help the following day because doing dishes in the bar is far more fun than doing them at home!

Monica & I with Nicki, Russell Wilson speaking for the Graduation, and Dad & I at Camp Randall!

On Saturday, Dad and I drove to Madison for Nicki's Graduation from UW-Madison.  Russell Wilson (QB from the Seattle Seahawks who went to Madison for a year) was the Commencement Speaker and did a really great job.  I was actually impressed with his speaking abilities; he was relateable, funny, but also very motivating.  Aside from the hail (it was so cold it was hailing...in May) and walking seven miles to get to the right area, it was neat to be at Nicki's Graduation and we were so glad we went!  It was also Tyler's Birthday so we celebrated later that evening at St. Anne because no trip back home is complete without a steak from my favorite place in WI!

Bridal Shower Cupcakes!

Sunday was Tyler & Monica's Bridal Shower with family so we had a nice party at my Aunt Mary's house, had a beautiful lunch, opened gifts, played some games and answered questions about Tyler & Monica.  When everyone had left and we had cleaned up, the kids and I played cards!

Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse

I was looking forward to our Wine Tasting Adventure in Door County for months so we all went to the Von Steihl Winery on Monday afternoon.  After tasting some delicious wines (for free) and buying a few bottles as well, I had seen that there was a Cheese Tasting a few miles away.  We headed there next and tasted some fabulous cheese, once again, bought a bunch because they had Squeaky Cheese Curds.  They vacuum-sealed mine since they were traveling back to California with me and I wanted to make sure that they would still be squeaky when I got them home to LA.  We had Lunch on Lake Michigan and then Dad and I went to the Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse.  We had to walk on this narrow walk-way to get closer to the lighthouse and the water was actually splashing up and over it because the waves and current were fairly strong.  It was a little scary at times and I was really surprised that my Dad led the way but when we got to the lighthouse, he was just as excited about seeing it as I was.  I was so glad we did that together!  On our way back to Plymouth, we stopped at one more Winery with the entire family called Parallel 44 and Dad and I both agreed on the same bottle to buy there.  They had a Summer Concert series that sounded like so much fun, and reminded me of Malibu Wines.  I hadn't eaten at A&W in years since they're only open when it's warmer outside so I was really excited to get my traditional hot dog from there and cheese curds once we got back to P-town.  This time I changed it up and got a burger too and let me say, In & Out, oooooh you have some competition!  It was so yummy!

My Dad's Birthday was on Wednesday, the day I was heading back to LA, so late Tuesday night I prepped for his Birthday surprise.  I had a giant piece of Chocolate Cake I had picked up, some Sparkling Wine from one of the Wineries, a few gifts, and then we played cards and just hung out on my last night in Wisconsin. A low-key 61st Birthday surprise!

The week I was home went by so quickly and my Dad called me the next day to thank me for such a nice time and to tell me he loved me.  That's always nice to hear and as difficult as things are for me without my Mom, I can't imagine Dad being in the house without her.  He's so strong and I'm so proud of him!  We really did have a good time although I wish I could have made a meal one night (I sound like my Mom), but we played lots of Trivia Crack, debated some politics, learned some things, and had some really nice conversations.  I'll be heading back in a week and a half for a few days and can hardly wait!

Pourvino in Plymouth

While I was back home in Plymouth for Christmas my family and I decided to check out this new wine bar called Pourvino.  I'm so excited we have a place like this back home; if I was still living there it would definitely be my go-to spot.  I can't wait to visit again and do more wine tastings and check out their new food menu as well!

Mom and I decided to split the Sweet White Wine Flight and also ordered a bottle of The Little Black Dress Moscato.  Our awesome Bartender gave us an extra taste of another kind of Moscato that was a little more syrupy but without the sugary taste; it had mango and tropical fruit notes, was really smooth and totally delicious!  I almost wished we had tried that before we ordered The Little Black Dress bottle because we might have gotten that instead.  That Moscato was very tasty as well, with slight carbonation and from California.

The Sweet White Flight we had included a Riesling, Chardonnay, and Sauternes.  The Riesling was far less sweet than I expected and was my least favorite of the three but Mom enjoyed it.  I really liked the Chardonnay because it did have that buttery finish and I always look for that when picking out a Chardonnay.  It was a unanimous decision that the Sauternes was the best of the three.  That wine was the sweetest and the grapes they use are partially raisined which brings on the sweeter flavor.  Even my Dad liked that one!  He was drinking Bourbon that night since he's more of a Whiskey drinker.

Wine Tasting at Pourvino in Plymouth!

Overall, the experience was amazing.  Even the music was on point, they had a chill mix that had Sara Bareilles playing "Little Black Dress" and other fun songs (perfect while we were drinking the same-titled bottle of Moscato).  On Tuesday's they have half-price bottles and it made the night very affordable, even in Plymouth!  To top it all off, they have a menu that includes a Chocolate Tasting, Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake, small plates like Proscuitto wrapped Breadsticks, and Spinach Artichoke dip.  This is a must visit spot in our wonderful small town in Wisconsin :)

It looks like they just updated their menu so find Pourvino on Facebook right here: https://www.facebook.com/pourvinowinebar

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!

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...