Wisconsin Wedding (Part 1)

I had a really wonderful trip back to Wisconsin a couple weeks ago!  Just a few days before I headed back home, it was hotter in Wisconsin than it was in California but the weather decided to change as soon as I landed and it was definitely Fall back home!  I was able to spend a week with my family, celebrating my cousin Matty and his wife, Becky's Wedding, and just relaxing for a few days. 

The adventure started at LAX on my way back to Wisconsin.  I'm deathly afraid of birds and sure enough a bird got into the airport and flew right onto my arm and scared me pretty good.  Thankfully, as soon as I got on the airplane, I ordered a glass of Chardonnay, listened to some 80's rock, and started looking over my script for 'Thenardier's Inn' since I'm now playing Madame Thenardier in the show!  I started working on my Cockney accent as well as memorizing my lines and songs during the flight; what a perfect way to spend the four hours on the plae.

Congrats Becky & Matty!

Once I landed in Milwaukee, Mom and Dad picked me up and we drove to Elkhart Lake to celebrate with my cousins, aunts and uncles, and Becky's family.  We went out to the Brown Bear, marveled at the expensive Elkhart Lake prices (compared to Plymouth) and all caught up and even got every one to try Hula Hooping!  It's been years since I've done it and I was really happy to see my Mom was really good at it too!  On Thursday it was the Rehearsal at the Church and then we all had a nice Dinner at Becky's family's house complete with a fabulous Italian meal!

Bobby got into Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon with his girlfriend, Melissa, and we all went to the Church in St. Cloud for the Wedding.  Becky's dress was so pretty and the back was beautiful.  Matty looked sharp, dressed in his Naval uniform and obviously so excited to see Becky coming down the aisle.  I loved the Bridesmaid dresses; they were a gorgeous shade of purple.  Monica did one of the readings and I did the petitions and we both felt very fortunate to be a part of Wedding ceremony.  The Reception took place in Elkhart Lake and I was finally able to have my first Old-Fashion of the trip.  Wisconsin is one of the few places I have my Old-Fashions because they are made the best back home :)  The best part of the Wedding (aside from my cousin Tyler's Best Man speech which was heart-warming, special, and hilarious) was all the dancing; even my little second cousins stayed and danced the night away.  Everyone was dancing and having a blast, it was so much fun!

Schamberger's, Wittkopp's, and Wegner's on the Dance Floor with the Groom!

Sunday started out a little slow for me after a night of family and whiskey but we did get to watch the first Packer game of the season which was nice to see at home.  A trip back home isn't complete without a Steak Dinner at St. Anne so we had to go there that night!  Later, we had a game night with my cousins and aunt and uncle and Monica, Tyler's fiance, asked me to be in her Wedding!  I gladly said yes and their Wedding and am thrilled to be a part of the festivities in July 2016.

Check out Part 2 below this!

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...