Since... MAY!?

We've been on Go Mode since.... well apparently since May and the first hints of summer.

Since then, we had a Ben&B trip to Vegas.... where it actually ended up raining for a good portion of the trip. In the desert. We had a pretty wicked awesome corner suite room at the Hard Rock, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the center pool on 2 of the 4 walls. Ben flew in from Wherever, USA that he had a work trip the week prior, and I managed to get myself from MKE to LAS in one piece. Because Ben is amazing sometimes, he went out and bought an array of snacks, champagne and orange juice, wine, vodka, red bulls, and waters to stock up our room before I even got there. We had way too much fun at the pool (on the nice day.5), playing goofy slots, hitting up the blackjack tables, and walking the Strip.

So obviously, we went back in about a month's time. Hello Hard Rock Hotel, you sexy beast. The second go-round was for Ben's birthday, so we ended up going right over Labor Day weekend. There was a little snafu with not getting the corner suite again, so we stayed one night in a standard room and were told we would move in the morning. Morning came, we fueled ourselves with mimosas, and headed to the pool to wait for the call that at our new room was ready. Long story short, when we grabbed all our stuff and dumped it in the new room, our wedding bands were nowhere to be found. Ben went back to the old room to look around, and the nervous Nelly maid assured him that she hadn't seen anything................................................this brings me to a dark place. No additional comments.

Anywho, we spent the majority of this trip outside by the pool. We played swim up blackjack, lounged in the sun and sun, and went to the Jason Derulo pool party concert. It was while we were poolside that I found out my friends Kor&J were already on their flight headed to Vegas. And then Ben's cousin Jennifer from Phoenix texted and said she also was in Vegas for the weekend. What are the beautiful odds?! We ended up meeting up and spent a night out together causing a general ruckus.



The week before the second Vegas trip, I surprised Ben with family and friends at our apartment for his 29th birthday. His high school friend/best man Dan stopped by as the official distractor, and took Ben out on a brewery tour and to Potowatomi for lunch while everyone gathered. If you know anything about me, I'm :HORRIBLE at keeping secrets from Ben. I get too excited to share things with him, and when I do keep my mouth shut, he can pick up on my even more awkward attempts at being smooth and nonchalant. The surprise went off without a hitch, and the second surprise-- a pontoon boat for the evening-- went over great as well.

But more catch up later... time for work!

weekend warrior [part b]

I'm not 100% sure where I left off.... oh well. 

Bachelorette Par-tay in Nashville  

• 5am + coffee + sick Jessica + minimal sleep = 8.5 hour power thru drive to the glorious country capital of the entire freakin' world
• Little black dresses, little tank tops, little hotel room, little party favor pins and "Mrs. Mathews" shot glasses
• Fireball shots + fire-y red lipstick on the "kiss the man" poster = bachelorette pre-gaming
• Bar dancing, booty shaking (I legitimately won a booty shaking contestone night... what?!)
• Big hair, big attitudes, big country accents
• Theme song = Eye of the Tiger. Why? Sometimes magical things like that happen on their own.

And now for the harsh reality: Girls are a gross group when they get together, scream, hug, jump around screaming "I-have-not-seen-you-in-forEVERRR!," and then spend a night or two together in confined spaces. Pillow fights and giggling? More like smeared lipstick, fake eyelashes clinging to life, and no topic frowned upon. But girls already know that. And boys? They should go on pretending. 

Minnesota Bday Bash

mega beer

• This last weekend was a very short trip up to Minneapolis for Bean's birthday. 
• Fancy bacon and chocolate donuts and coffee Saturday morning at Glam Doll Donuts
• Mall of America 6+ hours Saturday afternoon, where I fell in lust with Typo.



B at the Mall of America

• Mall of America also including a fantastic trip through the aquarium where I got to poke and prod water dwelling things. PLUS we took a trip down the underwater aquarium tunnel of awesome which included none other but the apex predator of the seas.... dun nun dun nun... sharks! My tireless educational Shark Week watching on Netflix proves useful yet again.
• German beer hall and one gigantic stein of beer each
• Brianna falling into a 12 foot+ snowbank on our way there... but conquering it on the way home
• Entire backseat of the car to myself on the way home meant that I got to sip my Starbucks coffee drink and knock-off Gatorade and send fat chin Snapchats to all my friends. My lucky, lucky friends. 

Ben in Tampa/Parents on Mexican Cruise/Ben in Boston

• and I was not/am not. Instead, I'm drudging through a Polar Vortex and having dinner with my cats. Because I'm cool like that. 

xoxo, b

Weekend Warrior [part 1]

HOLY CRIPES, BATMAN! Weekends off?! I forgot what those were............but I love them. Here's the dealio, since New Year's Eve (which I spent bad dancing at Karma), I've been a weekend warrior. The titan of the truck stop. The pop star princess of car concerts. I've been able to give into every whimsical fancy that floats across my mind involving a car and the open road (within reason).

And now I present to you, my weekends in Reader's Digest form:

1) Britani turns 25+2 birthday celebration extravaganza. This particular weekend started by going out with friends Friday night. Then Saturday morning rolled around, and Ben and I tentatively decided to go to Louisville because, hell, it's within the 6 hour radius perimeter that we had just set and neither of us have spent any time there. After a little Google search I found underground zip-lining outside the city limits. Sold. BAM-A-LAM and we're headed south early Saturday afternoon.

Then the snow started. The freakin' snow. North of Indianapolis, we were creeping along. Our trip was taking longer than planned (granted, not a lot of planning went into the trip other than "head south"). That's when traffic stopped. Just stopped. Before long, tow trucks and police cars and hazardous waste clean up crews were driving past us. And we stayed exactly where we were for the next 3+ hours. The worst 3+ hours of hoping that my bladder would not explode, because that's right folks, this chicka had to whiz from minute uno. (btw, no one was killed in the gigantic accident) After that special bonding experience with my man of choice came to an end, we figured it was best to stay in Indy and leave early for the Lou. Ben found a room, and we ended up staying downtown at a hotel hosting a middle school cheer competition. There were fake eyelashes, glitter, and high ponytails everywhere.

By early Sunday afternoon we were in Louisville, hanging out at the Louisville Slugger Museum because sidenote, I wanted to be a baseball player when I was younger.








We also did a whiskey tour at the Evan Williams Experience, where we tried two shot sized glasses of whiskey.

Then Ben booked a hotel online and we drove over to check in and drop off our luggage. As we were standing in line, we looked at each other and commented about how it smelled like old perfume. We had a chuckle, and waited like perfect angels until our turn came. During this time, I figured I should check in on Foursquare because sometimes I'm social media conscious like that. As the Internet delivered my request, the front desk beckoned us to come forward and check in. At this exact moment, the Foursquare stars aligned and the top comment for Seelbach Hotel popped up onto my phone "careful, the 8th and 10th floors are haunted." I don't do haunted. I don't do scary. I do do Google researching though, and Google researching revealed that yeah, that place has had a few things go bump in the night. One of the things was people smelling perfume...
So long story a little less long, we stayed on the 7th floor which means my ceiling was definitely haunted. I think we were the only living humans on that floor. I may or may not have screamed because I saw my own reflection in the window and maybe I tried to pee with the bathroom door open while maintaining eye contact with Ben. All alleged activities keep in mind.  Creepy stuff...especially when I woke up at 3am to use the restroom and our tv was on (did we leave it on?!) and Insidious was playing.........Ben woke up as I was getting out of bed, saw the tv, and knowing that I'm 100% chicken started yelling "DON'T LOOK AT THE TV!!!" which of course made me freak out. Very little sleep that night... and not even for fun reasons.


Monday was my birthday and for my birthday we went going cave zip lining at Mega Caverns!!!!!!!!! Never been zip lining, and definitely never zip lining in a cave so check that one off the ole bucket list. I adored dangling by a rope and going fast, which my mom tells me is "not right." She's such a nice lady.


Monday afternoon consisted of driving back to WI, and getting Kentucky Fried Chicken while in Kentucky. Obviously.

2) The following weekend was a trip to Winter, WI. This trip was also a last minute "hey-ya-wanna" trip, and also included snowy weather that made us take an early pit stop. This time it was a pit stop in LM at my parents' house for the night. It's cool though, because I got to have a glass of wine with my mom and pop and shoot the breeze. And Ben got to say sassy things to make my dad laugh and my mom's "ears bleed." The next morning we proceeded up nort', stopping at the Leinenkugel Brewery for a tour, then in Hayward for lunch, and finally a stop at the casino before getting to the cabin after dark.

super long walk in the dark...

....seriously.....

Since we had rented a crumby little Nissan Versa (which, incidentally, is the exact same little piece that we totaled in IL one year....) we were not able to make it up the tiny snowy hill to the cabin... so we were going to have to walk. In the dark. In the northern woods where bear have been known to wander and a giant had been spotted the month before near the cabin's front porch. I pouted. I got out and tried to push the car myself. Then (mostly because Ben made me), I grabbed my bags and started sprinting through the knee high snow while wimpering and screaming and carrying on like a gawd-damn fool. Once inside the cabin, I hyperventilated for the first time in my life. I don't understand it, and I probably never will. I can jump out of airplanes, speed makes me happy, heights get me excited............ but you ask me to go down a water body slide without a tube, ride a ferris wheel, or deal with the possibility of a bear and I'm down for the count. The rest of our time there was spent watching old movies, playing games, drinking wine, and watching snow fall on the lake. Relaxing once you stop thinking about being mauled by a bear.



xoxo, b

16 candles + 10

I accomplished another full year of living, which brings my grand total to 26. Lucky for me, I have not had any spontaneous arthritis, need for a hip replacement, or found any grey hair. However, I'm 26 now, and I fully realize I will need to monitor for those types of things from here on out.

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To celebrate such a joyous and monumental occasion-- aka the 5th Anniversary Party of My 21st Birthday-- Ben and I decided to head  north to DeCabin in Winter, WI. We left Thursday, and after a pit stop in LM, showed up at the Leinenkugel's Brewery by 3:30 on the dot. We got our tour on (with a crowd of 4 other people), wrote postcards, and sipped 5 different beer samples. Life was good.

Then the TomTom got us lost. Then we got ourselves found. Then we continued to DeCabin.

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part of the goofy zoo puzzle

The next day, my parentals showed up with their pup, Eko. We didn't do much of anything on Friday... other than go for a Friday Fish Fry at the Wannigan, watch movies (What About Bob!), play games (which I managed to win every single one...), put together a crazy puzzle (that ended up missing a piece in the center), walk around the edges of the lake (because I figured I would fall through or a muskie would fly thru and eat me), and drink wine.

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Saturday, we went for breakfast "downtown" at The Hotel. It was the first time since we got up there that either Ben or I had an Internet connection (but still no cell service). No cell/Internet is fantastic!! After breakfast, we took a little trip up to Hayward, WI. On the way, we stopped at the LCO Casino and played 5 cent Wizard of Oz slot machines. I won five bucks on a spin, which apparently flipped a competative switch in my mom, because she immediately went ahead and won 8 bucks on her 5 cent spin. Typical.

mom with Hook Stone wine to open in the summer!

After winning big at the casino, we did some wine sampling at Hook Stone Winery. We bought a bottle to bring back to LM and open sometime in the summer so that my birthday will continue to last throughout the year. Then we stopped by The Angry Minnow Brew Pub and shared a paddle of their craft beer.



beer samples at The Angry Minnow



After the Hayward trip, it seemed like a good idea to make a gigantic bonfire.... even though it was negative something degrees outside. So Ben and my dad created a 5-alarm fire with gasoline and pallets, and then Ben and Eko shot off some fireworks. I think the macho fire was to prove that they COULD make a fire... since they weren't able to do a dam[n] thing about the fireplace inside....

2 men, 1 fireplace, 1 goal

the birthday tiara and matching earrings

Since my 'rents were leaving in the morning, my mom made a steak birthday dinner Saturday night. It was dee-lish. I was even allowed to wear the AMAZING plastic earrings that went with my birthday tiara to dinner... even though it wasn't my bday yet. Because a birthday tiara is exactly what every [twenty-]six year old needs.

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Anywho, Sunday was my official birthday. I woke up with the sun shinning and birds/butterflies fluttering around and Ben singing a gorgeous melody in a deep and soulful voice while on one knee..........then I woke up from that dream to Eko's wet nose and sloppy tongue on my face. A few cinnamon rolls and a shower later, and it was time for me to wait impatiently by the duck phone for my grandma to call and sing me happy birthday. Because it's what she does every year, solely because she is awesome. 

mom signing the bottle

I wore my tiara and earrings that day, we popped a little pink bubbly, and I turned 26 like a champ.





one of the bottles Ben & I
got in NY on our anv roadtrip!

 

In other birthday related news, Ben bought a strange pie and some candles when we first got to Winter. We ate half the pie right away. The second half we saved for my actually bday. Since there weren't enough candles, a couple of scented pillar candles completed the distraught-looking mess of a bday cake display. It took awhile for Ben to light all the candles, and then I forced him to sing to me. After I blew out all the candles my first attempt, we lit them all again so Ben could prove that he was able to blow them all out in one breath, too.

definition of a beautiful disaster

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By the time Ben and I left, neither of us had any idea what was going on in the world or exactly how many days we had spent at DeCabin. It was lovely.

We stopped in LM on our way back to MKE for some birthday margaritas in Mexico (aka the Mexican restaraunt in town) with Jessica. Brianna and Weiner happened to be in the area at the same time, and stopped by to join us. It was a mini fiesta! Brianna told the waiter that it was my birthday. He asked me if I wanted a tequila shot or a shooter. Well HELL! Tequila shots and I end up making bad life decisions together, but I've always gotten along with a shooter. So I asked for a shooter. He brought me a fried cinnamon stick in a glass of whip cream... a "churro."

birthday "shooter"

Life Lesson from a Quarter Life Crisis: You know you're geting old when you turn down a shot and ask for dessert. And the whip cream on that fried cinnamon stick? The fact that you didn't hear the waiter correctly in the first place.

Here's to 26.


xoxo, b

Mother Earth/Martha Stewart

Today, I realized that I'm Mother Earth AND Martha Stewart rolled into one green thumbed, crafty individual.

[100% self-reported results with no additional tests supporting exaggerated tales of glory that follow]

FIRST: I found the dried up and dead plants that were hiding on my windowsill. "How amazing and forward thinking am I that I can showcase these pots with nothing but dried dirt in them?" I thought to myself. Then I decided to try something new; I WATERED those pots who still had plants "growing" in them. I gave them more dirt, some tender plant love, and a few motivational and encouraging words to help them realize their potential. Then I had a serious talk with Nicole to keep those kitty lips off my greenery. Wham bam! One minor mess later, I present to you.... plants.

SECOND: I went Little House on the Prairie up in this joint and made some candles. Home made, glorious smelling, adorable little glass jar candles. Because not only am I Mother Earth today, I am also Martha Stewart. There is such a strong mixed smell of apple jack and blueberry pie (plus the other three candles I strongly felt should be burned at the time) that I feel a slight sense of lightheaded-ness. Or maybe that's just the euphoric feeling of success. I'm going with the latter.

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On a very important note, my birthday is a single week from today. I asked Ben for a birthday tiara. I also asked my mom for one, because a girl needs a backup plan.

I was under the impression that there would be another major quarter life crisis in which I jet off to Vegas.... Or maybe this go 'round I'd get a questionable tattoo or piercing or make some other irrational life decision. However, it dawned on me like a ray of sunshine that Clay Matthews is 26. If he can do 26, I can do 26. It's just one more thing we have in common besides long blonde locks and strategic tackles.


xoxo, b

hippies on the high seas

The Ellen Show-- my most favoritest show ever and member of my bucket list must do-- was in Milwaukee December 4th. And I was there.

Jessica and I showed up to Walgreens with our ugly Christmas sweaters, Packers tutus, and a couple of footballs for the Toys for Tots campaign. The place was jam packed by the time we got there. HELLOOO.... I left work early to get there & Jess drove in from LM. Dedication.  Since the joint was so packed, we ran inside Walgreens and purchased a big, neon pink sign. Then we wrote "We're over here!" and an arrow pointed towards us. It was beautiful for the time it was used. Then it got even more packed, and everyone in front of us had a sign. But I was not discouraged! Nay! I rolled that poster into a tube and stuck a Santa hat on top of it. Then, to really get the party started, we swapped out the Santa hat for Jessica's Packer cow hat.


See list of video proof below:

News footage... I'm holding up a neon pink sign in the far right. Please observe that I was prancing around before any of the rest of the crowd became so jolly.

The Ellen Show. Right around the 57 second mark, and 1:40 mark. Note the jumping Santa hat on a stick in the far right.

I would also like to add that we had a small Twitter following, urging Ellen to get us onto the show. So why the hat only got on, I will never know.


December 4th was also my mom's birthday. Apparently she's 29....which blows my mind since I've already hit quarter life crisis 25.

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On Black Friday (but really late on Turkey Thursday) I bought Ben's Christmas present.... a television.

Since he was present for the shopping, and happened to be the fine young lad who hauled the television box from Target to the car, from the car to the apartment, and from the general apartment area to being set up in the bedroom, he knew that he was getting a tv from me this holiday time.
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With that pre-story out of the way, one night we happened to Netflix across Whale Wars. This show is all about hippies on the high seas, declaring their love and willingness to die if it saved a single whale. Of course, we were addicted after episode numero uno.

These silly guys and gals are on a ship cruising around the Antarctic. The ship isn't designed to be in icy areas. Most of the crew has never been on a ship or had any experience, except maybe for that one time as a kid when Uncle Greg took them for a spin on the old fishing boat. It's madness, and I plan on continued watching to see what crazy mishaps those happy hippies get themselves into.

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I would really enjoy wrapping some Christmas presents today, but I've run out of gifts. I mentioned that I wanted to go and finish our Christmas shopping while I have off today.... but Benjamin wants to go Christmas shopping with me.

So I suppose I'll wait for him. I've heard from a number of reliable sources that in 5+ years he won't want to do those sort of things.

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The Style Network is doing a reality show on Packers fans. Auditions were held near Lambeau Field on Thursday that I did not know about this until after the fact.

My husband knew about it within plenty of time, yet willfully and knowingly disregarded the notion that such fantastic news should be shared with his better half.

When I approaced him concerning this most distressing news, he said, quote "Ooh shoot, you found out. Yeah, I didn't want to tell you, because I knew you and Jess would get on the show. Then everyone would know what a crazy person I married."

There is a tight, strange feeling in my chest. I believe it to be utter devastation, because I don't fall into the age bracket most commonly associated with heart attacks.

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Off to eat cookies for breakfast... but those cookies have oatmeal in them so it's all good.

xoxo, b

springsteen

This song has literally been on my mental replay consistently for the last week or so: Springsteen

It makes me feel so happy... and think about the pretty drive Ben & I did from Vegas to Phoenix where this song was on every radio station (which I was absolutely A-okay with)

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I'm doing a solo mission to color my hair this afternoon. Gutsy? Yes. But with big risks come big rewards.... or bigger issues to deal with.... we'll see

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Happiness is kinda a funny little thing.
Here's my personal thoughts on that jazz:

1) you can't always control the situation or the outcome, but you can control your reaction

2) spend more time right now.

3) quality over quantity in your relationships... have a sanity structure (aka family/friends) you could literally melt into a puddle in front of, and they'd help you back to your solid state

4) figure out who you are, and your quirks, and own it. dance to your own symphony.... because marching to the beat of a drum is lame.

5) do what you want. you  know you  best

6) define yourself by your actions, not your income

7) 'fess up when you're wrong, and make it right

8) everything happens for a reason, I'm positive of that.

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Tomorrow I'm going to Chicago for the night with a couple of girl friends. I will be hitting up a hot tub, a club, and any impromptu dance floor I find. Mmmmmmmmmmm yeah!!

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free birthday mug

Ben's 27th birthday was a couple of weeks ago. I got him an adorable tiny little dwarf hamster which he named Forest (run Forest, run!) He also got cupcakes, tshirts, long sleeved lounge shirts, and a sweet volcano for the fishtank that blows bubbles and glows red like lava.

Ben with the look of mischief plastered on his face

the boys tried very strange beer

It was two days of presents and celebration for the Benjamin creature. Day 1 was presents. Day 2 (the actual bday) we went to Rosie's so Ben could get his free bday mug... then to Ben's current most favoritest place: World of Beer on Brady Street. Jessica came with us to Rosie's, and then had to leave. Then we met up with Branners and Weiner for the remainder of the evening

Ben had an enjoyable, drunken night telling everyone that it was his BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!! and running down Brady Street pretending he was an airplane. He later whispered to me that his face hurt because he was smiling so much. It can be very entertaining Ben-sitting





**Forest is no longer with us. She was too little for her cage, and while climbing the sides of the wire cage and trying to chew her way out like it was Alcatraz, she decided to wiggle out between the bars. P&N figured this was a bedtime snack, went nuts, tried to help her wiggle out, and knocked the cage over onto her.... killing Forest at approximately 4am. I was and still am extremely upset by this, and have only recently began to talk to P&N again because they are murderers in my book. I want them to have teardrop tattoos by their eyeballs. Ben also is very upset... and wants a look-a-like that will be named Forrest (two R's) that he can love. However, it needs to be a glass cage with barbed wire so the furry black monsters stay back at least 50 feet and the tiny dwarf hamster can't go shimmying out between the wires. Then I can get to pretending that the whole thing never happened.

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We got to see fireworks this Labor Day weekend, since LM's fireworks had been cancelled on the 4th due to the blessed drought. Ben & I were back in the LM, and my mom roped us into helping at the brat stand.... again. 

Ben and my mom, making brats and doggies

The LM Fire Department was there too, with their firetrucks and ladders and such. I asked one of the firefighters if I could climb the giant ladder. He said I have to pass Basic first. Pure disappointment.

It's all good though... because it makes me think of how Ben&I have been roped into it for as long as the non-profit 4th of July fireworks committee has been doing the brat stand.... and how it was after goofing around at the brat stand one year, watching the fireworks, and then going to a little park to watch the stars together that Ben proposed to me. aaaaaaaaaaawwww small town life

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xoxo, b

25th on the strip

I'm 25... what?

part of the las vegas strip

limo ride

flying over the mountain

We arrived Thursday morning, Jan 19 a little before noon and wasted no time getting the fun/gambling/dancing started 

We left Monday, Jan 23 early.... we were at the airport by 5ish IN THE FREAKIN' MORNING and got back to MKE around 3:30pm. That made for a bit of a long day. I feel like maybe someone else should be in charge of booking the tickets next time; it's obviously not one of my strengths

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Here's a fun fact: If you start accepting the stripper cards handed out on the street corners by the little foreign men wearing neon colored shirts reading "girls to your room in 20 mins," they will all flock to you quicker than a pack of seagulls going after a homeless guy in the McDonald's parking lot. I've seen it happen. And they will all give you handfuls of stripper cards. Why? Because it's what those little stinkers do.

Here's another fun tidbit: Those suckers are great for throwing in the air; throwing out your window; and general sticking in random places. Because what am I going to do with stripper cards? Have a girl to my room in 20 mins? Not my style, not my style at all little foreign hooker card hander-outers. I'd rather leave a neat little pile outside the door of the high school soccer team (?) that was only a few doors down... I feel like they would appreciate them more.

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limo ride

highlights:

* wizard of oz slot game

* the hangover slot game (big winner first spin!)

* zumanity show

* seeing the lions at the MGM

* the fountains

* walking down the strip

* cat naps in the middle of the day so we could be up all night

* "what do you say" song on repeat

* throwing stripper cards out the window

* trying to make a game plan for what we would do each night... and never having it work out that way

* limo ride

* turning 25 I suppose
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misc. officer who realized he wanted to dance

fountain outside monte carlo

I did not realize how sleep deprived I was until I slept for 13+ hours the day we got back. Passed out, dead to the world, I-think-I-should-be-hooked-up-to-an IV-and-have-a-muscular-doctor-monitoring-me sleep deprived.  You win this time, Vegas.

ben loves blackjack

we tried ordering a pizza... the pizza never came, but brianna waited like a champ

water tornadoes!! aah!!

xoxo, [25 year old] b