Baby, Baby, Baby

We're having a baby.

A tiny person. A mini-me. A little minion.

It only seems fitting that our B & Me blog has a baby, too:

b-and-me.weebly.com

Here's to the next adventure!

xoxo, b & ben

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

the maine attraction

A little while ago... as in over Labor Day weekend.... I took a little ladies' trip to Portland, Maine. Trying lobstah just so happens to be on this girl's ole Life To Do. And what better way to try lobster for the first time than to go directly to the source!? And check out Maine in the process.

So here's the Maine attraction: 

• Our flight was way early in the morning. I allegedly supported that idea, claiming that we would then have the most amount of time in Portland. During one of the flights, I was separated from the girls and sat next to what I thought would be a quirky gentleman. After telling me darling stories of his handicapped daughter, he transitioned into detailed descriptions of seeing someone splatter while bungee jumping, and watching a military friend slit both arms and neck before dying in front of him. My already over-worked imagination was on overdrive, and I told the quirky gentleman his stories were grossing me out. To which he replied that he grew up on a farm so things like that don't bother him. Exactly dude, but your listener has jumped outta a plane before.... and will do it again.
  
• Our hotel was connected to a brew pub. The first day we got to Maine was rainy and overcast and dreary and sad. So we grabbed some grub at the pub, tried to do a little shopping/exploring, then returned to the pub for a 5:30pm nightcap.
  
• The rest of the time there was gorgeous fall weather. We rode around in an old firetruck and got a tour of the city (aka a tour of the tour guide's childhood), did some exploring in the shopping areas, tried local craft beers, did a ton of walking around, took a lighthouse boat tour through the harbor, rode the ferry to Peak's Island, somehow ended up at a club during rap night, and dun nuh nuh nuhhh tried lobster.
  
• Portland Lobster Company is where we had our first "lobster feast." I had limited ideas on how or what to eat concerning the red crustacean watching me with beady, judging eyes. In times like that, it's best to just have at it. Did I feel like a Midwest hick? Damn straight. But it was delicious, and turns out there was a "how to eat a lobster" printout at the bottom of the tray that was found after we were done making a delicious mess of ourselves.
  
• I adore the way people talk in Portland: Goin' down to da ha'bah to get some fwesh lobstah and buttah to make a nice dinnah fo ya.
  
• The trip was a lot of fun, and a lot of seafood. Halfway through the excursion I had the worst craving for some beef and cheese. You can take a girl out of Wisconsin, but apparently you can't take the Wisconsin out of the girl.

xoxo, b

2 year anniversary road trip

TWO YEAR ROAD TRIP!!

Kor's Bday party in DC :)

This year's anniversary road trip extravaganza started with a surprise birthday visit to Kor in DC. After hanging out and celebrating the 5th anniversary of her 21st birthday, Ben and I rented a car and started wandering southward down the east coast.






There was plenty of car concert singing before we pulled into the Embassy Suites in Hampton, VA late Sunday afternoon. One fancy Taco Bell drive thru dinner and approximately 23 minutes later, and we were both dead to the world.

road trips & complimentary drinks at the hotel every night

road trippin'

Monday we drove to Virginia Beach. It was HOT. 107 degrees. It was HUMID. It was GREAT. Ben wanted to go into the ocean... but I had just finished watching every episode of Shark Week on Netflix a week or so before. Pair this with the fact that I had scrapped my food while in DC and that I'm not too keen on the idea of being mauled by a shark (who can smell blood up to 1 mile away, thank you Discovery Channel), I politely declined his invitation.


After an hour or so of baking in the sun, we found ourselves some air conditioning and a cold beer. While sipping our suds, Ben struck up a conversation with the bartender about how I wouldn't go swimming in the ocean because of sharks. The bartender, in turn, told us about how there was a great white spotted the week before.... about two miles offshore... for about 4 days in a row.... and that authorities were tracking it because it seemed to be hunting..... told ya so.

Monday night we got a couple complimentary drinks in the hotel lobby, then went for some fresh seafood dinner on the James River. So good!


Tuesday was AUGUST 13th!!! Our two year anniversary!! We had breakfast at the hotel and then drove back over to Virginia Beach. This time, I was feeling feisty and ready to cross off another bucket list item: swim in the ocean.

swimming at Virginia Beach

Here's where it gets tricky.
1- My swim skills start and end with the doggy paddle. 2- I don't do sharks. 3- The ocean is the final frontier. Who knows what type of tentacle-clad gooey monster is lurking beneath the waves thinking about taking a nibble of me. Creepy. Long story short, it took me awhile to wade out and do my anxious doggy paddling like no body's business.... but it happened.


After swimming, we watched some air force jets take off and land right across the street from where we were parked. Feeling the air force fever, we then decided to go to an air museum. There were a ton of really awesome planes.

air museum

For our anniversary dinner, we had decided that we should do fresh seafood (again). So we found a restaurant with an all you can eat seafood buffet. We practically gorged ourselves on fresh king crab meat, oysters, flounder, salmon, clams, blue crab, and shrimp. Ben asked a waiter to take our photo with our "2" sign. Ten minutes later, we had a champagne glasses and a cupcake with a candle delivered to our table.

2 year dinner :)

Wednesday we traveled back to DC for our afternoon flight back to MKE.  But that wasn't before my first trip to Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery

Then there was a quick flight, and bada bing bada boom we were home.

xoxo, b

I went skydiving

Brianna & I in our harnesses

Yesterday, I took a perfectly good plane to 14,000 feet and jumped out.

I went skydiving. 

Our group was the first group of the day, so after our 20 minute "this is what to expect" class it was immediately time to suit up. I was so, so excited. Jumping around like a damn fool excited.

ready to board the plane

There were a few more photos and then we loaded into the plane, and I got very close to a strange man. Once it was time to jump......it was time to jump. No dilly dallying, no time to rethink anything. Let's do this thing.

Brianna was the first to go. It was definitely odd to watch your sister disappear from a plane at 14,000 feet. 

When it was my turn to waddle to the door and stand on the edge of the plane and absolutely nothing else, I honestly can't say that I was scared. It was surreal. It was just what was going to happen. Besides, the 007 theme song was playing full blast in my head. And it's hard to be afraid when your brain is playing James Bond music and you are about to do something totally awesome.

standing on the edge

Just like that, the plane was a thing of the past and we were doing a nose dive back to earth at roughly 120mph. The one thing I wasn't expecting was how hard it was to breath regularly when air is rushing by at those speeds. So I was smiling and laughing and gulping for air and yeah, being awkward. I didn't know what to do with my hands. I put them out, but that's not terribly comfortable at high speed. I waved to the camera. I let them dangle like the noodle-y arms that they are. At one point I was doggy paddling through the air. What the heck?

In the majority of the photos and video, my face and arms and any inch of my body with exposed skin resembles a wrinkly puppy.

parachute time

 Soon it was all over and we were landing...

that's wassup.

Same time next week?


Mom doesn't know that Brianna and I did a little bit of skydiving yesterday. We emailed her video clips of our jumps, because apparently we are mean children and don't just call. Can't wait to hear from her!       * update: I'm supposed to work on "nicer" bucket list things....like making her a grand baby or finishing a patchwork quilt. Thanks mom. 

xoxo, b

Bucket List-ing

Guess who booked a little skydiving trip?

This girl. 

Guess who is not too happy about it. 

Benjamin. 

xoxo, b

Giraffe hotel

Omg. A hotel with giraffes.


I want to go to there. Bucket listed.


xoxo, b

arizona

Our trip to Arizona was just a couple weeks ago, and it was GREAT!

Ben and I left the MKE airport at the un-godly hour of 7am.... and dropped into Phoenix by 9am local time. We shuttled over to the rental car location, where I promptly parked my buns on a bench to guard our bags and engage in some people watching while Ben checked in. He got the keys, and we headed into the parking structure to load into our rental car. When we finally found our rental car section of the massive structure, the little Hispanic man who greeted us took a look at our claims ticket and simply muttered "white one right there." WELL, the white one right there happened to be a 2013 Mustang CONVERTIBLE!!!! Ben was smiling like a fool because he knew all along, and I think he enjoys surprising me because of my strange reactions. I really tried to keep my shit together, but there's a slight possibility that I lost bladder control and started squeaking in excitement.

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So we loaded into the Mustang, which had FIVE MILES TOTAL on it, as well as plastic protectors still scattered throughout the car. The owner's manual itself was still in shrink wrap. The glorious new car smell lingered in the air... It was a bucket list check mark: Convertible road trip.

We stopped at the Casa Grande Ruins on our way south to meet up with my 'rents. It was interesting and made me want to build forts like I did when I was younger.


We drove down to Oro Valley, which is right outside of Tucson, and met up with my parents at the condo they were renting. They were pretty excited to rock out in a convertible as well.

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One day, we had a genius idea to put 5 people into a 4 person convertible and drive 2 hours to Tombstone, AZ. My mom, Brianna, and I squeezed into the backseat and regretted our decision 30 minutes into the trip. Whoever was sitting in the middle of the backseat ended up sitting on a hard hump, which caused butt cheek numbness. Silver lining: it was a couple hours in a car without wasting sunshine exposure.

When we stopped for lunch at a dusty little town along the way, my mom ended up getting herself stuck in the seat belt in the parking lot of a Quiznos. The jury is still out on exactly how she managed to get stuck with the belt unbuckled yet around her waist... wiggling up so she was standing in the backseat.... and climbing out of the car laughing/yelling at the rest of us that "this is not funny! THIS IS NOT FUNNY! I'M SERIOUS YOU GUYS!! HELP ME!!!!!"

Once we made it to Tombstone, we spent some time walking around. We found a silver mining tour, so we decided to hit up the saloon and then head back for some underground excitement. The Good Enough Mine tour was pretty cool, especially since we got to be decked out in hard hats. As we started to descend into the dark depths of the silver mine, Mama Steph became claustrophobic (I think she flashed back to her Quizno parking lot ordeal of before) and had to leave.

After the tour, and after finding my mom, both Brianna and I found silver rings as a souvenir of our AZ trip. Then we rode back in the convertible..... which is more fun when you have more room. I'm jus' saying.

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Early in the morning on one of the days, Ben woke me up and asked if I wanted to go outside and watch the end of a meteor shower. It's widely known that I do not do mornings as well as other individuals, but Ben was so darn cute that I slid on my flippy flops and ventured outside with him. The desert sky was crisp and the stars were so bright... it was beautiful. We walked up a small hill on a dead end street and laid down on the pavement to watch for falling stars. We saw a couple before the sun started to ruin our view and we began to talk about going back inside. It was at this point that I heard what I originally thought to be a dried leaf blowing across the road. It was immediately following this thought that it occurred to me that we were in a desert, and there weren't any colorful fall leaves blowing around........

Whipping around, I saw that it was a stinky little skunk coming straight for us. I wasn't about to be a part of his target practice, so I took off like a bullet out of a gun yelling the whole time "RUN BEN!! IT'S A SKUNK, RUUUUUN!!" As I was shuffling in my flippy flops down the hill trying to keep up the overly large men's lounge pants I was sporting , I saw a gentleman picking up his morning newspaper at the end of his driveway. He gave he an odd look, but then shouted out a "good morning!" As I cruised by looking like a rockstar, I yelled back a hurried "good morniiiiiiiinggg!" Ben jogged by 10 seconds later giggling.

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Our last day in AZ, we decided to do some hiking in the Catalina foothills. It was an awesome, tiresome, experience climbing up a pile of jagged rocks like a mountain goat.

Being overzealous, I pushed for a 3 mile hike to Romero Pools... which incidentally, included the 3 mile hike back out. I wanted to do this: Romero Pools. However, when we got to the pools, there wasn't enough water in the pools to do any sort of jumping, diving, or swimming. The whole hike was so pretty though, and I think it was worth the extra work!

at the Romero Pools with heat exhaustion

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The ride back to Phoenix to catch our early evening flight was bittersweet. The Catalina foothills started to melt into the distance as the highway stretched before us. Everything was so pretty and basked in sunlight.

Ben was really pushing to do a 180 degree turn and head straight to Mexico with the convertible and whatever we had in our single carry-on bag. The idea of running away and living on a beach somewhere south of the border was and continues to be a tempting idea. I absolutely adore the feeling of freedom when you are on the road with no real plans-- just whatever tips your fancy at the time.

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We arrived back to MKE at midnight, and like every other time we get home from a trip, we were attacked all night by a couple of fluffy, purring black monsters.  Then we woke up a couple hours later and each headed our separate ways to work.

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xoxo, b