2014-A Year End Review

Good morning everyone. It's been a busy week. Holidays are just about coming to an end with New Years a few days away. Christmas Eve, Jill and I hosted dinner at our house. We decided to skip the traditional meal of turkey and sides and decided "to hell with it, let's get creative" and made a cornucopia of different items and everything was delicious. Jill really outdid herself. Next year if we do it again, we'll cut back on the excessive amount of food. Thank you Pintrest for sparking the creative juices in my culitary creative wifey. All the kids enjoyed the presents. Everything Mia opened, she really loved. All the excitement got her pretty worn out and we got her into bed at a mostly reasonable time. For the first time since she's been born, Jill and I put the presents under the tree together, and set up the food for Santa. She wanted to leave a cupcake with a ton of iced sugar she put on it earlier in the day and organic chocolate milk. Blah. Hahaha. She had a great Christmas morning opening everything, and give Jill and I our "gifts" she picked out for us. Later, we packed up and headed down to Illinois.

It was a pretty good drive down to Jill's family's house. For a short while, she'd pull the "ughhhhh this is taking SO long" but mostly, she did well. She opened all of the gifts Jill's family got and played with everything. For a few days, she practiced and practiced shooting her Merida bow and arrow (from Brave) It's hard, the coordination it takes to do it, but she's getting better. The next time I see her, she actually may be way better at it. Other then that, we just simply enjoyed the off-work time. I got up early on Boxing Day to watch Chelsea FC play. Great game. Great goals. Glad we could get the victory after the holiday.

Saturday, I drove back to Wisconsin. It was pretty hard leaving because Mia kept telling me while holding me tight "Don't let go of my hand Daddy. Please don't". As heartbreaking as that was, I had to split because I had work on Sunday. When I got home, I turned on the Pens/Caps game. I shouldn't have. 3-0 loss was terrible. Sunday, I got up early and watched the Chelsea vs Southhampton game. Not the best game, but the draw will have to do. The refs seemed to be making all the wrong calls at times. Next game is on New Years Day (that I'll actually get to watch in NBC in real time) Usually when I watch the game online, it's about 5 minutes off and starts and stops often. I was quite sad to miss two very awesome indoor soccer opportunities yesterday and today. Yesterday, they had a small tournament from 4-7 and today, they have an early afternoon game. Ughh.

Okay, time for the annual Year End Review. A lot of things happened this year, so let's look at the positives first. Mia, has truly developed into this smart little person. She FINALLY became potty trained. It took a lot of work and different techniques, but she eventually decided for herself to become potty trained. She can count to 20, knows the majority of the letters when written in front of her, and can write her own name out. She started school this year, which was awesome. Smarty Pants Learning Center 3k has developed her into being more social with kids and making new friends. She loves her teacher and always looks forward to telling me about her day after school. (most of the time). She sings ALL the time now. When she's playing with her dolls, sitting on the potty, or just playing in the bathtub, she's singing SOMETHING and it's adorable. Jill started an Etsy store Colorful Noise (the name seems familiar) where she was making jewery pieces from Mia's art and selling them. They looked awesome and we'll see if next year she'll do more. We took a trip to both Florida and Indiana this year. Both were enjoyable. Mia loved the ocean in Florida and hanging out with her friend Caleb in Indy. I got to go to a concert this year. My sister and I saw Tegan and Sara at Summerfest. I was torn between seeing The Lawrence Arms in Madison or T&S in Milwaukee. Ended up seeing Tegan and Sara. The wait was insane, but worth it. Still wish I would have seen TLA. In the Fall, I got to play a game of pick up at Brookfield Indoor. It was a lot of fun. No goals, but a few assists made me happy.

Now for some negatives (unfortunately). She's developed the attitude most kids get at this age. (hence why we call her a threenager) and is feisty about eating and what she doesn't want to eat. I swear, its like a hostage negotiation, but we're working on it, and haven't given up. Jill unfortunately lost her Grandma this year. She was a fun-spirited woman who always treated me like one of her own grand kids. Mia really liked her too.  Remi got to visit the vet emergency room twice this year. One injury while hiking (when he broke his toenail) and then recently, he got into a box of raisins.

Okay, let's look at the goals from last year and see how I did.
Another series of great photographs-Not quite. I need to brainstorm still and think of something truly awesome to do.
if the weather cooperates, make a snow-Minion- The weather didn't. Didn't have the best "snow-Minion" making weather sadly. And this winter has been peculiar since we haven't had snow since November.
Draw a portrait of a Chelsea player-DONE! My Didier Drogba picture turned out alright. I'm planning on doing another picture very soon.
Work on my endurance/get in better shape- It's a work in progress. I've been running more with Remi, and a few times, I've been able to get to the park to work on free kicks and overall, just running across the field.

2015 Goals
Create more art.
Continue working on getting in better shape.

That's it. I want these goals to be my focus all year. In 2015, we've got a trip in the spring to Florida, but this time, we'll be going to Disney for a day. Mia will be starting 4k in the Fall as well. Thanks for keeping up with the happenings in my life. See you next year!

Kris Kringle Crunch Time

Good Morning. I'm a bit late on the blogging. Totally forgot to write yesterday morning. Over the weekend, we spent Saturday in Illinois exchanging gifts with some of Jill's friends who were in town
for a short time. Mia played with her old pal Caleb like they've known each other forever (which they have) After playing at lunch and at Jill's parent's house, I came to the conclusion that Mia is full of crap. The whole "boys are yucky and gross, I don't like them" is a total bunch of BS, she had so much fun with Caleb. She did specify that she doesn't want to kiss them (which is fine) when Caleb went in for a smooch, but they had a great time. He was showing her all of his karate moves, and she'd try to imitate them. Maybe that's why she likes him. He could protect her :P

Sunday, we drove up, and I worked 2-10. This week, we've still got a lot to do. This morning we're going to make the effort to wrap Mia's presents (and hopefully not wake her). We were going to yesterday, but Jill had a pinched nerve in her shoulders and couldn't get her self moving. An acupuncture appointment helped with that.

Forgot to mention this: Thursday, I took Mia to her school's Christmas program. She got all dolled up, dress, tights, her red heels etc. She was invited to sing, but of course said "no thank you" but we went anyway to watch her classmates including longtime friend Hannah. She had a great time. She proudly walked to the gym showing me the different rooms and where she plays etc etc. She clapped for every song. She actually knew the lyrics to the 3k songs, but just was too shy to sing. After the concert, she got to hang a bit with her friends. Her teacher was so happy Mia came. Friday when I picked her up from school, she gave Jill and I the most beautiful ornament she made.It was a thumbprint with antlers like a reindeer. "THIS IS FOR YOU GUYS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH"

I finished my Didier Drogba portrait. At the time, I was quite stoked, but the more I look at it, the more I realize it could use some work. Overall, it's not bad. I'm probably going to move on to another player this weekend.

So the other week while listening to the Chelsea FanCast, I wrote in to the show about how Mia and I are big fans, blah blah blah, and last week, they read it on their show and showed a photo of Mia. (with her David Luiz tongue sticking out) Totally awesome. Mia loved it. "MOMMY THESE GUYS IN ENGLAND SAW MY CHELSEA PICTURE!" I sadly missed the Stoke game yesterday, but on my break, I saw we won 0-2. I'll watch the highlights after I post this blog. Doesn't feel like Christmas with the 40 degree temps and rain. Last day of work today. WOO! Thanks for reading :)

Chef Mia

Good Morning. Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. Wednesday, Mia and I went to my parent's house to watch the Chelsea vs Sporting game. A very easy match that got us through the next round with easy. I had my work's annual Year-End Meeting, so I had to drop off Mia at Jill's studio, and then jet over to work to pick up a few people THEN head over to the meeting. Mia had a solid day at school Friday. They painted wreaths and she told me they played in the gym. Her teacher told me Mia didn't like how loud it gets in there with a lot of kids running around screaming, but later Mia mentioned she played basketball and made a few shots. :) She was invited to a Christmas program (to either perform or sing) on this Thursday. I'd LOVE to see her sing, but Mia told me she's too shy to sing and that she'd rather just attend it. We haven't decided if that's happening yet or not.

Saturday, I got up sorta late, but made it back from my walk in time to watch the Chelsea vs Hull City game. I missed Eden Hazard's header and first goal. Bugger. It was not the best game, chocked full of cards and dives, but we got the 2-0 win. We later went over to my parent's house to bake cookies with them. I kept my Dad entertained while Jill and Chef Mia baked with my Mom. They had a lot of fun, and Jill's Maple-Flavored Sandwich Cookies are incredibly tasty.

Sunday, I worked early. Very busy, but it was game-day for all of the Packers fans, so I wasn't surprised. After work, I met up with Jill in the area, and Jill shopped for a few things for Christmas. Later, we had a scary situation. Mia had left a small box of raisins on her little table in the living room, and Remi got into them. If you're a dog owner, this is really scary, because you would remember that grapes and raisins can be toxic for dogs. We didn't see how many he ate, just that the box was torn to pieces. He has NEVER even touched a grape or wanted raisins if they fall to the floor, but for some reason last night, they looked good. Jill quickly called the emergency vet, and she rushed Remi in to induce vomiting and get it out of his system swiftly. I stayed with Mia for a few reasons. A-It was late, and who knows how long we would have been sitting there. Jill didn't get home till 11:30pm. B-Because it was late, I didn't know what other cases of emergency situations were sitting in that waiting room, and I didn't want Mia seeing them. Good thing we didn't go, because Jill said there was a cat that was run over by a car, and another cat that was about to be euthanized. :( So I stayed home with Mia, and got her ready for bed. Nervously, I calmed her down and got her to relax and try to sleep. Jill came home as soon as Mia started to fall asleep, so she heard Jill walk in the door and woke up.

Remi's fine, and we caught it in good time. Because of his size, he didn't eat enough that would have done anything horrible, however we just have to keep monitoring him for a few days. Took him out for his daily walk, and he acted quite normal. I explained to Mia how important it is to never leave out any raisins on the table. We don't want this happening again.

Lots to do this week. Hopefully everything can get accomplished.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Bright Lights

Good Morning everyone. It's been a busy week, and the holiday is creeping in every day. Wednesday, Mia and I went to the trampoline park with my brother and one of his kids. It was perfect. There were so little kids there, which gave Mia and her cousin Easton plenty of room to run laps around the place. A boy came up to her at one point and said "Hi!" and she responded with "Hi little boy, I do NOT wanna marry you, sorry boy" and the Mom goes he's a nice boy, but you don't have to worry about getting married yet little girl". I told Mia "he wasn't proposing to you sweetheart". Anyways, Mia had a lot of fun. Later, we watched the Chelsea vs Spurs game at my parents house with my Dad. The 3-0 win was fantastic. Great goals despite the lack of Costa. Drogba had no problem getting one in the net proving he's still awesome.

Friday, she had school. She was off last week due to the Thanksgiving holiday break, so it was nice to get her back in for the morning. She had a lot of fun, and when I picked her up, the whole school smelled like fresh-baked gingerbread cookies. Saturday, I got up super early to watch the Chelsea vs Newcastle game. I had high hopes for a win, but in the end, we lost 2-1. We needed Matic (who was out on suspension) in the defensive mid. He's been great this season, but Saturday, we suffered our first loss in 23 games. For some reason, Chelsea always struggles when we play Newcastle away. After the disappointing loss, my in-laws arrived for the weekend to celebrate my father in law's birthday. Jill had to go photograph Santa photos at her studio, so we later brought Mia in. It was a tad rough, but we got a nice photo of Mia the Diva.

Later, we went to the holiday lights thing in Pewaukee where you drive a car through a short path that had huge displays of Christmas lights. Mia enjoyed it. Sunday, they left early for Illinois, and we spent the day getting gifts ready to send out to our family and friends out of state. Last night when I came home, Mia was asleep, so Jill and I made our best effort to catch up on Orange is the New Black. Almost finished with season 2. It's been pretty interesting to say the least!

This week will be another busy one. Mia's got a dentist appointment Tuesday (which I'm not looking forward to). It's not that she's even slightly cranky at the dentist, it's what they have to do. hopefully she's a brave little girl and does well. I've been trying to work on her Tegan and Sara custom shirt, and my Drogba portrait is really coming along.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

The Feast De Le Resistance

Good morning everyone. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend. Wednesday, our new furnace was installed!! YEAHHHH! Mia and I spent most of the day hanging out at the house while the two fellas worked on installing it and updating our pipes and heat line. The new furnace is very quiet and smaller, which is great. When the guy fired it up, it had that new smell, and Mia yells out "IT SMELLS AWFUL, THIS GUY IS CONTRIBUTING TO AIR POLLUTION!" I just about died laughing. Thanksgiving morning, I worked 6am-2pm. We got pretty busy after 9am, but when 2pm came, I was so stoked to go home and not come back till Monday afternoon. We had a great Thanksgiving by my parents. Mia played very nicely with everyone without the whole sassy attitude that she gets from time to time.

 Friday morning, we were on the road and off to Illinois for the weekend to visit Jill's family. Mia was mostly good in the car, and we had another great 2nd Thanksgiving with them. This will most likely be the last one we have in Illinois since they'll be moving up here come Spring 2015. It was a little different sitting at the table. One person was missing. A person I grew accustom to seeing every Thanksgiving. Jill's beloved grandma who passed away this year. No one mentioned it, but it was strange for me. Saturday, Jill's friend Whitney came over. We chatted during the Chelsea vs Sunderland game (ughhhhhhh) Mia helped decorate Jill's family's tree, and we enjoyed the strange, but nice weather outside. It was in the upper 40's. Later, Mia helped bake some Christmas cut-out cookies.

Sunday, we had a birthday party to get to, so we packed up in the morning and left. We went to Jill's co worker's daughter's 1st birthday party. It was Frozen themed, and everything was quite adorable. Mia made a couple of ornaments and played pin-the-nose-on-the-Olaf. Arabella (the baby) looked adorable, and made out like a bandit. Her Dad will have lots to put together :P  Sunday night, we did the traditional activity of setting up the Christmas tree and did some decorating. The living room looks very nice, and Mia's Christmas tree looks great. Hard to believe the holidays are here already. Lots to do, but every time I get stressed, I look at that gleefully happy smile on Mia who can't wait for Christmas. Thanks for reading!

Living in an Igloo

Good evening everyone. It's been quite the interesting week, but we sincerely hope things improve. So last Wednesday, Mia myself and my Dad went shopping (for my Dad to pick out gifts) for my Mom for  Christmas. Mia had fun helping Grandpa Grumpy decide on what to get. Thursday, we unfortunately found out that our furnace was acting up. Wonderful. It would kick on, and off making us more and more frustrated. Finally Friday morning, I woke up and it was 43 in the house. Jill and I could literally see our breath as we're sitting on the couch eating breakfast and watching Orange is the New Black. A few calls later, and we had a guy coming out. After I dropped off Mia at school (she was so stoked to go because I told her the school will be significantly warmer than our house) I waited...and waited...and eventually the worker came at 11am! Which gave him approximately 20 minutes to tell me what is wrong with this possessed furnace. He immediately told me that it was fried, and that Carrier (the company that made it) was recently in court and had to settle on a lawsuit, so we will be getting a new furnace...Eventually. In the mean time, Jill and Mia stayed at my parents house (thanks again guys) while after work, I spent the night in our igloo. It was 57 when I got home from work. We have a few space heaters on keeping the place nice and warm. Not stoked for the electric bill.

Saturday morning, I went over to their house and watched the Chelsea vs West Brom game. Great game. 2-0 win for the Blues. Costa's goal was fantastic as well as Hazard's that leaked through the keeper's hands. My brother and I planned on taking the kids to the trampoline park, but because Tot Time was at 9am, Mia wasn't awake to go. With her spending the night at my parents, I wasn't able to wake her up to go. No big deal. So my brother took his little boy, and left behind his 6 month old. So I watched the game with Camden (the 6 month old) The kid has gotten so big. Later, we took my parents out for a birthday lunch. Later, Jill and my sister-in-law went to this 50 Shades of Gray parody called Spank. It was a late night show. Mia and I went with my parents to my brother's hockey game. We had a lot of fun, but Mia really wanted to ice skate. The scariest part of the night was when my brother was spun around from an opposing player and slammed into the boards. It was very sketchy, especially since he didn't get up right away. He got the wind knocked out of him, but was fine. The ended up losing 3-1

After the game, Mia and I spent the night hanging out, watching Doc McStuffins and eating mac n cheese. We crashed on the couch till morning. Today, I worked. Nothing special. I just really hope our furnace comes in before we head to Illinois.

That's all for now. Enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone :)

Why So Early Winter?

Good morning. Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, and are surviving the cold. Friday, I took Mia to school, and after dropping her off, I grabbed my cleats and went to the park for one last time, before we got snow on Saturday. It was 25 degrees out, but I wanted to get 10-15 minutes of free kicks in. The cold air was hurting the lungs a bit as I was running from end to end with the ball. Mia had a great day at school, and if we get more snow this week, I'll probably have to start packing her snow pants with her for school. She painted me a picture too! Loved it. Usually she's doing pictures of Jill so this was great.

Saturday was okay. No Chelsea games this weekend due to the international break. A few friendly games here and there, but none that I could watch, so I caught up on sleep over the weekend. Jill went to a glass-making class with some old coworkers, so Mia and I got to hang out for the day. I drove to Music-Go-Round to sell an old cymbal. Mia once again, pointed at the mandolin that she wanted. We then hit up Play It Again Sports as she's been talking about how much she wants skates. We found a pair of figure skates (she doesn't want hockey skates) for $25.00. They fit really well, but what kept me from purchasing them was that she's 3, and she would out grow the skates in less then a year. She still had fun putting them on and a hockey helmet/gloves. After checking out the skates, we went home and relaxed the rest of the day.

Later when Jill came home, we went to my brother's hockey game. The snow was flying, but we went anyway. We made it through the end of the 2nd period before Mia was too tired/crabby to watch anymore. When we walked to the stands, Mia noticed they had open skating going on. This one fella, dressed in jeans, black vest with a long pony tail and sporting a goatee was figure skating. He looked like he came off a Harley, but could figure skate really well...till he fell over, but the point is, I guess you can't judge someone by how they appear. This guy was probably pretty good as he backwards skated around people with one leg up parellel to the rink.

Andy's team ended up losing, but we still had fun at the game. Sunday, we shoveled and I worked 2-10. This Saturday, Jill's busy again so Mia and I will find something fun to do. I always enjoy the days off with her. Speaking of Saturdays, a new indoor soccer/football/lacrosse place opened in West Allis not too far from here. They may start  Saturday leagues, which means I could play indoor again :) Keeping my fingers crossed for that. That's all for now. Thanks for reading

A Little Off The Shoulders

Good Morning. Going to try to make this real quick. It was quite the busy, but entertaining week over here. Wednesday, she had her very first professional hair-cut. Mia's had cradle cap for as long as she's been born, and recently I learned that the place that styled her hair like Anna could also treat her condition. She did REALLY well, but didn't care for the cap they put on her head to help lift the pieces off her scalp. After they were done, they gave her a nice trim. I'm very proud of Mia and she'll be going back for hair cuts again in the future. Her hair looks nice and healthy. Mia had a great day in school on Friday. She's currently learning about bears, and animals that hibernate. She was a bit late getting there (lazy bones) but when we arrived at school, her friend Olivia was super excited to see her. When I went to pick her up, once again, Olivia didn't want to go to "potty time" till she gave Mia a hug goodbye. Cue the "awwwww"s. I wasn't able to catch up on sleep this weekend. Woke up nice and early to watch the Chelsea vs Liverpool game. Took the dog for a run, only to come back and see that the game had started and Liverpool was up 1-0. But we quickly equalized when I got breakfast together. The end result was a 2-1 finish thanks to Diego Costa. He looked great playing, very determined to get the Blues ahead. The game was pretty physical, with someone ripping the back of his jersey during a challenge. Not sure how the ref didn't card the fella, but we won, so that's more important. Jill hosted a book party, that her cousin's wife put together at our house, so we had a few people over. I was doing my best to keep all of the kids happy. It was a great way to for people to pick out some wonderful book for Christmas for their kids.
flaky

Saturday night, while playing with Mia we somehow let her pretend she was the Mom and Jill and I were the kids. Jill and I were imitating that we were fighting and not playing well, which of course would require Mia to be the good parent and discipline. She put Jill and time out, and word for word, would explain to Jill why she was in trouble and how to remedy the situation. It was pretty funny and proves that despite the sassy attitude, she does listen.  Sunday, I worked the early shift 7am-3pm. We had a lot of people for a Sunday, but the day went quickly, and soon I was home with my family. Mia and I watched one of my favourite moves, Pirates of the Caribbean-Dead Man's Chest. She liked it, except the Kraken parts when he'd show up.

Art-wise, I'm struggling with a portrait currently, but hope to nail it. I've restarted it 3 times, but recently found a high-res photo that will be a lot easier to get that real fine detail. It's the nose that I"m struggling with. I hope I can pull this off.

Tomorrow, Mia has her first dentist appointment. Once again, I'm nervous. She'll probably be fine, but I just am concerned. She's been doing real well with brushing, and candy is super limited (especially around me). That's about all that's going on this week. I don't think Chelsea has a Champions League game. Saturday, we're gonna watch my brother's hockey game.

Thanks for reading!

And the Dad Of The Year award goes to..

Good Morning. Hope everyone had a great weekend. It's been a busy week over here. Let's begin. Wednesday was Mia's Halloween party at her pre school. She of course was going as Anna from Frozen. Well, I struggled with getting her wig on. No wonder it was $5. I couldn't get it to fit on her mellon. Even with the wig cap she used trick or treating in New Berlin, the wig just wouldn't stay on! So I quickly looked online on how to braid. Mia just didn't trust me to braid her hair, and wouldn't sit still. I had to think of another idea. Called Jill's studio in hopes her coworker Christina would pick up. She used to do hair and could do this, no problem. No answer. New plan was needed fast. So, I thought to myself "the place that cuts our hair down the road, they could probably do it for me. So I called them, and they had a small amount of time opened for Mia. So we quickly grabbed everything for the party and were out the door. "DADDY I CAN'T BE LATE FOR MY APPOINTMENT!!"

So we got there, and she was absolutely awesome the whole time. This was the very first time she has ever let a single professional touch her hair. She explained what she wanted them to do, and sat like a champ. They even did her hair from the Coronation Day scene, added gold flake accent pieces and a dusting of glitter. I swear, she looked like she was getting ready for homecoming. They even gave us 10 DOLLARS OFF, which was pretty awesome. Mia told me as we're running out the door that she wants come back again. I'm so proud of her. In the future, they could easily cut her hair and she'd sit perfectly.

So we got to the party. TONS of kids. A few Elsa and Anna's sitting at a table. Mia's friend Olivia was there too. I gave her teacher the treats and was gone. A little hour to myself didn't last. Later, I picked up Mia and she told me about how much fun she had. Great success to a very busy day. Friday she had school. We brought her Halloween temporary tats to class since she forgot to on Halloween. She passed them out after I came back to pick her up. One by one, she's slowly giving them to every one sitting at circle time. They all thanked her by jumping up and giving her  a big hug. A few snuck in kisses. She didn't care for whatever boy kissed her. Oh well. I have retold the story about getting Mia to the salon about a dozen+ times to people. The responses are always nice. "You officially won "Dad of the Year' for taking her to the salon, that is SO sweet". I'm really just doing what any Dad with a daughter would do. I mean come on, it's my girl's first party at school. I wanted her to look nice, and in the end, she looked gorgeous :)

Over the weekend, Jill's parents came to town. I watched what I could of the Chelsea vs QPR game. Oscar's goal was incredible. His shot with the outside of the right foot was awesome. NBCSportsLive stopped working again in the 2nd half. We secured a 2-1 win. Still at the top with 26 points (I believe) We did lots of yard and house work. Overall, good weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Bazinga!

Good morning everyone. We had a busy week, and a pretty good weekend. Wednesday was Mia's parent-teacher conference. It expected "she's a shy little girl" but got something totally different. Her 3k teacher had said only positive things. She has a great imagination during class and recess and gets along with all of the kids. She can count well and can recognize the majority of her letters and numbers as well. I felt very proud of my little Mia. It's a weird feeling going to a conference as a parent. I always went along with my Mom to our parent-teacher conferences. It's just a different feeling going as a parent. I'm so stoked to hear the progress she's making. This was the same pride I had when she was just a baby, rolling on her side, or crawling for the first time..Or that time she said "Daddy". She's growing up and it's been a surreal experience for both Jill and I. Mia's got a Halloween party this Wednesday at school
. Should be fun. She had a great day in class Friday. In fact, for some reason they had a lot of kids there including old pal Hannah. When her Mom dropped off Hannah, her sister Gracie saw Mia, and gave her a huge hug. (all told to me by Mia) Her teacher said that she was happy to see some familiar faces.

Friday night, Tommy and Jill's pal Leanne came to town. Tommy, to visit with friends and trick or treat, and Leanne, for a party we were attending. Saturday morning, Jill, Leanne and my Mom went to an arts and crafts fair. Mia and i hung out here. Later, we took Mia full in costume to Delafield where they do the business trick or treating. She took a 8 minute nap on the way, but when I woke her up, she was ready to roll. Lots of cute kids in costumes hitting up all of the different stores and restaurants. My favorite was the kid in the shark costume. He had a hole in the mouth so they could drop treats in. There were so many Elsa and Anna's and of course Mia was Anna despite having the natural hair of Elsa. Later we dropped her off at my parent's house, and we headed out to a party. Jill and I went as Amy Farrah Fowler and Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. Most could tell who we were, especially when I was walking in . Jill wasn't in costume yet, but I'd hear "SHELDON" from people passing by. The party was fun. Always enjoyable catching up with old friends. Jill played flip-cup. When we went to get Mia, she was fast asleep on my Mom's lap. We took her home and ended up staying up for a while watching Orange is the New Black. Still an addicting show.
Delafield

Sunday, we went out for breakfast, and I watched the Chelsea vs Manchester United game. It was a close one. We had the one-goal lead early in the 2nd half from Didier Drogba and I really thought we'd get the win, but after a trip outside the box from Ivanovic, which resulted in a 2nd yellow (which of course lead to a red) Van Persie was able to squeeze a late-goal resulting in a 1-1 draw. Still at the top of the table, no matter the result. I went to work at 2, and later Mia went trick or treating with her cousins and my brother in law. From what I heard, they had a really good time. The weather was perfect for it. Made me real sad that it was the first time since she's been born that I missed trick or treating with her.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

The Gourd Gutting Festival

Good Afternoon. It's been quite a week, and this coming week promises to be even busier! Tuesday, Mia and I met up with my friend Nicole and her boy Benny at Kids in Motion. They had a blast running around and playing. Wednesday, my little brother, his boy Easton plus Mia and myself went to the trampoline park. It was my bro's first time there, so they were stoked. Well, they changed a few things. You have to purchase their jumping socks now for a few bucks to participate. I assume someone got hurt and filed a complaint or something. The kids had such a good time. Mia always enjoys Helium Trampoline Park more with a friend to play with. It's always fun hanging with my brother, and we hope to make it a weekly thing that we meet up somewhere and do something with the kids (since he now works 3-11 during the week at a new job)

Wednesday night, I was fortunate to play some pick up indoor soccer at Brookfield Indoor. I had this feeling that after trampolining for an hour and a half, I'd be dead exhausted playing soccer. At the same time, I also knew that I wouldn't be able to play virtually ANY soccer (indoor or futsal) throughout the Fall and Winter season. This was my very last chance. Thanks a lot work!! :( Anyways, it was a lot of fun. The opening 3 minutes, I was able to secure two fantastic assists (like Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas). I megged one fellow through his legs to a teammate who made a simple goal. My 2nd assist was off a great cross to the right side. After these, I felt super confident. Wasn't able to get any goals sadly, but blew a few chances. While playing on the left side I had received a very fast cross and my attempt to one-touch shoot it. Couldn't get my body behind it and it went wide. I passed it to a teammate and he missed too. Sad efforts, but I was able to get a few shots off. One of my prouder moments was being able to spin out of a challenge from a teammate. The craziest part of the night was when one of the opposing guys had accidentally stuck his boot out with the cleats up into one of my teammates ankle. He went down in pain, got up and almost punched the kid right in the face. They had to hold him back. It was quite brutal. I don't know what is is about some of these guys, but they take the game WAY too seriously. A kid earlier was throwing a fit too. All in all, fun time. Sad it's my last.

Friday, Mia went to school. Her teacher told me she can attend their Halloween party Wednesday. We also have parent/teacher conferences! Really? 3k? Well, okay then! Sadly Jill can't attend because of a Wild Tree event, but I'll be going. Hope to hear good things. When I was signing up for the day we can attend, Mia was giving her classmates hugs goodbye. Well apparently a boy had got up and snuck in a kiss to her cheek. I didn't see it, but Mia sure told me about it. "Dad! HE WAS A SNEAKA AND KISSED ME! EWWW GROSS!!" So that story was shared throughout the weekend. Saturday, I watched the Chelsea vs Crystal Palace game. Quite intense. Oscar got a goal off a free kick near the box. Azpilicueta got a red card for a bad challenge but soon after that, one of their players picked up his 2nd yellow card, which meant he was red carded out. 10 vs 10. Fabregas got our 2nd goal off some beautiful passing. I missed the 2nd half because the NBCSports.com feed completely went down. We ended up winning 2-1. Great game for the Blues and we're still top of the table. Tuesday we've got a Champions League game. The rest of Saturday we did yard work and carved pumpkins with my parents. I free-handed a Minion, Jill and Mia worked on two Sophia The First ones, and my parents did some creative pumpkins.

This Saturday, we're going to a Halloween party. First one in probably 4-5 years. Should be a great time, plus Jill's friend Leanne is coming in. Sunday is trick or treating in our neighborhood. I just found out the weather will be a nice 73 degrees. Perfect for her Anna dress. I'm very bummed out that I'm missing it because I'm stuck working 2-10. First Halloween I won't be going trick or treating with my little love :( Hopefully she has fun.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading :)

Midnight Moon

Good Morning. We had a pretty good weekend. Saturday after breakfast, I cut the back grass (hopefully for the last time for the year, but we'll see) before we headed out to the Elegant Farmer with my parents. It was a fun time. Amazing weather. Mia and Jill picked out some pumpkins as well as my parents. Mia also rode a pony.  My friend Nicole and her kid/fiance came out as well. I think it was Mia's first time on a hay ride. Bumpy, but fun for her. On the ride back she tried to stand on one leg while the tractor pulled us. We had fresh donuts and cider. All in all, fun time. Sunday, didn't get much done around the house, and I worked 2-10. Mia attempted to fly a kite with Jill. Hate how fast Saturdays go. My time off to spend with my family and it goes so quickly.

One week before Halloween. Mia's gonna look adorable, plus we're going to a Halloween party too. Stoked since we never get to hang with these people, plus Jill's friend Leanne is coming in, so that will be awesome too :)

I've been suffering from a creative drought lately. The little time I've got to get creative, my mind goes blank. Friday, we had the plumber here, so I wasn't super motivated at all. Hopefully this Friday after I drop her off I can get something started. I ended up spending most of the time cleaning HIS mess in the basement and doing some light cleaning in the living room while watching Orange is the New Black. Great show. If the weather cooperates, I can kick the ball around. Who knows. I just want to play.

Last Wednesday morning, I was able to capture the eclipse, or "Blood Moon". First time getting up very early for an eclipse. One time at our old apartment, we stayed up late to watch an eclipse. So I took Remi out at 5:30am. The moon was eerily beautiful. The sky was clear and the stars were bright. I on the other hand, struggled to get a good photo while holding Remi. I had to slow the shutter speed down (which was hard to see in the dark) while holding a very antsy dog. He did his best with patience , but in the end, I walked him back home (after he scared to large deer away) and I took Jill's car out and parked it where I stood. The reason, to place the DSLR camera on top of the car to keep it SUPER still. I didn't know where Jill's tripod was, and didn't want to mess with it anyways. Luckily, I was able to get a good photo. I was mostly pleased with it, and couldn't wait to show Jill. She liked it too.

Chelsea plays Saturday. FINALLY. It's been a long two weeks of international break. I watched a little bit of the Armenia vs Serbia game. Ended in a draw. Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks for reading!

When It Rains, It Pours

Good morning. Late, per the usual. It's been a hectic few days. Over the weekend we visited Jill's family for her bro Tommy's birthday. He's been working crazy hours, so we didn't get to see him till about 10:30pm Saturday night. Mia was so anxious and excited. Jill made rhubarb pie for the birthday boy. All in all, it was a fun day. Sunday morning before we headed back to Wisco, I watched the Chelsea vs Arsenal game. Great win for the Blues. Any time we defeat a rival, its a great day. Hazard's PK was perfect and Costa's 9th goal sealed the deal. International break this week, so no games, which is fine. When we got back to our house, our lower-level bathroom sink had over flood. So today, we've got a plumber coming to fix that. THEN on top of that, our furnace went out. We've had no heat for two days now. We got a space heater from Jill's work and she picked one up from Walgreen's the other night for upstairs, but it's still been incredibly cold in here. 54 degrees yesterday. So glad it'll all be done today. THEN when picking through clothes the other day, I noticed I stupidly washed Mia's Torres jersey and like an idiot, didn't realize I tossed it in the dryer. Even with it inside-out some of the thread unraveled. Super pissed about that one. May find another one for her (not Torres), or see if Jill can fix it.

Over the weekend, Tommy gave us his Roku for Netflix. Jill had resigned up for Netflix on Friday. His Roku will allow us to watch Netflix on instant on the TV rather then sitting at a computer. We used to have Netflix before we had Mia on my laptop and the mail-in movies, but after she came along, we just didn't have time. Mia's already loves watching Scooby Doo.

She had a great day in school Friday. I love hearing about her day, even if it's just a few hours, it gets her into a more social environment. If we could afford it, she would easily do the two days/per week, but she's told me she really likes her class. She even hugged her new friend Olivia goodbye Friday. I on the other hand, took my few hours of peace and quiet, and played my drums, did some cleaning and working on art. I will be restarting a portrait I was working on. Didn't like the direction it was going. Oh well. I found out recently that there are TWO indoor games (this wed and next wed) that I could play. 6pm is the problem. Jill gets out of work at 5pm so I don't know how it'd work. She'd have to meet me at the arena and I'd bring Mia or something. I dunno if I'll be able to do it, but I REALLY want to. Okay that's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Someday Somewhere

Good Morning. Once again, late and with lots to go over with. Tuesday, I took the day off so Jill, myself and Mia could drive down to Illinois for Jill's Grandma's funeral. I'm already not a big fan of them, but taking a 3 year old and having to explain the whole process will be both confusing and a little heart breaking, but in the end, Mia did very well. She didn't go into the actual funeral part because I didn't want her seeing her Great Grandma in the open casket. We hung out with a couple of kids in this other room and colored. She did go to the burial at the cemetery where I did a lot of the explaining. I was glad I was able to get off from work to spend time with Jill and her family to pay our respects to her dearly departed Grandma. She lived a good life and unlike a lot of senior citizens, had every bit of her memory in tact before she went.

We came back to Wisconsin Wednesday evening because both Jill and I worked Thursday. Friday, Mia had school which went well. She was a pain to get moving (per the usual) but had a great day. Her teacher told me "Mia said that she was excited to be in class, but didn't want to get out of bed because it was comfortable" Too funny. She cooked for her class outside using sticks and leaves and seems to be getting along well with all of the kids. We watched the Chelsea vs Aston Villa game Saturday morning. Great 3-0 victory securing 3 well-deserved points. Loved Oscar's goal. Willian picked up one as well as Costa. Costa has 8 goals in 7 games. He was a great pick for the Blues and I hope he can continue his success throughout the season. Champions League game Tuesday so hopefully we can pull off the win.

Friday, I had found out that there was an opening for a spot in a coed indoor soccer league. Great! Except they meet on MONDAYS. DAMMIT. I so wish to play in a league. It's been a frustrating Summer (and now Fall) that I can't get into some sort of league to play. There is a new indoor place in West Allis called Strikers of WI LLC that hasn't been open too long. I asked them if they plan on doing any open times. Sounds like they might start at some point. I just hope it doesn't fall through.

So back to Saturday. We went to the Harvest Fest at the Stare Fair grounds with my brother and his wife and kids. Mia got her hair done like Elsa. Blue with snowflake stencil sprayed on her blonde head. She loved it, but it was a pain to wash out at night. Still, she looked gorgeous and kids throughout the day were complimenting her on it. She also tried pumpkin bowling. Knocked two pints down. Not bad.

Later at night. Jill and my sister-in-law went out for dinner while my bro and myself hung back with the kids. It was fun, and Mia really enjoy herself as well. She made him food while he played guitar for us. I've got to take her to a work meeting this Wednesday. Hopefully it won't be too long and she can make it through.  Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Goodbye, Goodbye.

Good Morning. Lots to go over, plus I've got to leave for work in a short while, so let's get to it. Last Wednesday Mia and I watched the Chelsea vs Schalke game with my Dad. That was a rough one. We had the early goal by Fabregas which gave me hope that we'll win. Didn't happen. We ended up finishing off with a draw. Schalke was a stubborn team to try to get goals on. We had lots of chances. Drogba started and just couldn't get one in. My favorite moment of the game was when Fabregas got the goal, Mia jumped up and down and stops...looks down and realized she jumped right out of her flower jeans. "Uhh Daddy?" Couldn't stop laughing. So today, they play Manchester City, which I'll be sadly missing.

Mia had a great day in school Friday. She was hard to get moving in the morning, said "okay Bye Daddy" when I dropped her off. She totally loves school, and when I went to pick her up, she was sad because she didn't want to leave. My time Friday was mostly used on the pitch working on some shooting practice. Had the entire place to myself. I realized after about 10 shots, that I'm better right footed then left. Well, at least that day I was. I kept curling the ball with my left foot the wrong way. All of my life I've always shot lefty because it was the more comfortable one to shoot with. I get more power and accuracy with my right for some reason. Anyways, it was nice to get some quiet time to play. I wanted to get into my new art project, but that's okay.

Earlier in the week, we learned that Jill's grandma fell and broke her pelvis and with that, had a blood clot in her leg. Wonderful...Well yesterday morning when I came home from walking with Remi, she got the call that she passed away. 95 years old is a amazing. She always treated me like one of her own grand kids and Mia absolutely loved her. She's been through a lot and throughout the day, Jill kept quietly saying "it feels weird knowing she's gone" So while Jill worked on photos for the service, Mia and I went to my best friend Jay's birthday party for him and his wife's little boy Caleb. It was a lot of fun, even for the short while we could stay. Mia made friends with another girl her age.

Later, Mia, my Dad and I went to watch Carroll University take on Lawrence University at my old college while Jill and my Mom went to the early Just Between Friends sale. The rain clouds were threatening, but that didn't stop me. Well, in the end we didn't stay long because the rain+ wind blew into our section (under this overhang) so before my Dad started to "melt" we got out of there. Maybe another game in October we can hit up.

Today, 9am-5pm shift. No idea what we're doing later. Maybe laundry. Anyways, thanks for reading!

The Conundrum

Late once again on my blogging. Been pretty busy.  Fall is coming. Well, it sure feels like it it's arrived. The other day, I had a very cold walk with Remi. Can't believe Wednesday it was a delightful 80's. Yesterday it didn't even get above 50. BRRR. I sincerely hope it can improve the rest of of the month. Nothing too exciting to report this week. It's been busy at work for both Jill and myself.

Mia had school Friday. Second day. Got her in early in hopes to meet some of the other kids, and learn some names. Mia and I had time to read a book and get her to the bathroom before her class started. Didn't get to talk to any other parents. It would appear they drop them off, and head out immediately. Mia got to paint an apple tree, play outside and a variety of other fun activities. She really likes her teacher, Miss Angela and gave her a high-five when I picked her up. Her teacher told me they have an opening for a tues and thurs class (which would be with her best friend Hannah) so we're undecided on if we want to do it. The Pros-she's with her best buddy, she'll have the same teacher and she'll have a more routine schedule during the week for school. The Cons-It'll cost more per month and she isn't always the easiest to get moving in the morning. So, we're undecided. There isn't a long list of kids waiting for that spot, so there isn't a rush to decide if we wanna do it. While she was at school, I made some time for myself to drum. Felt so amazing to play again. Didn't feel rusty either, which is great because it's been long since I've played last.

Saturday was great. I got up early to watch Chelsea take on Swansea City. Awful first half. Terry had an own goal off a deflection, but luckily before the end of the half, Diego Costa picked up equalizer. Towards the end of the first half, Jill and Mia came downstairs with Mia in her Chelsea jersey. We watched the 2nd half while Jill went to the grocery store.One by one we started picking up goals with Costa getting a hat trick and newly signed striker Remy getting the 4th goal. Mia found it hilarious that there is a player on the team with the same name as our dog. All in all, great win for the Blues.

The rest of the day, we did yard work, played at the park and Jill and I were able to watch a movie at night when Mia went to bed. Sunday, we went on a family walk, I got my hair cut and will be heading to work very soon.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Down For The Count

Good evening. A few days behind on my blogging, only because I was sidelined with a rough fever that lead to some stomach pain since Wednesday. Wednesday night I got real real sick, through up a ton but still had to make it to work Thursday and Friday. I'm doing a little better but I'd rather not reflect on this. It sucked and I'm still getting over it.

Last Saturday Chelsea marched on to a fantastic 6-3 victory over Everton. I was fortunate to watch it while Jill and her family were out. It was a total nail biter. Diego Costa picked up two great goals proving already that he was a great pick. New comer Luic Remy will be interesting to see in action in the near future. We did have to say goodbye to striker Fernando Torres as he went on loan to AC Milan. Mixed feelings for the fans since he cost quite a bit for the club and wasn't able to aptly perform to to the price tag that brought him there, but there are some solid memories of the player that we'll always have and look fondly on as he moves on to bigger things in Italy.

There's been quite a few things going on with Miss Mia as well. She's been avidly listening to Tegan and Sara every time I drive her anywhere. More specifically songs "Back in Your Head" and "Hop a Plane". She most recently began enjoying their latest single "Closer". She's got almost all of the lyrics to "Hop a Plane" down which is crazy. She's getting really good at driving her Mustang Power Wheels and can now park it in the garage. It's really handy that the battery plugs into a normal outlet because she's been driving it every other day :)

She started preschool Friday. It was a day I was both looking forward to and dread for obvious reasons. She's been talking about it for a while. Just as I was going to get her into the car and Jill was heading off to work, she got upset. She exclaimed how much she'd miss us and Remi and started crying. Great. Not even out of the driveway. We calmed her down and Jill followed us to school. She got in, and was perfectly fine. Kissed Jill goodbye and myself. For the first time in quite a while, I had some peace and quiet. Sadly, because of my health, I couldn't take full advantage of it. Did a little picking up in the living room, took care of some laundry. Would have loved to kicked the ball around the pitch or played my drums, but there will be other days. Picked her up at 11:30am, and she was stoked to see me. Told me all about school, playing with the sand table, painting a picture. She's looking forward to going back next Friday which is great. Today, I spent the majority of the day with her, as Jill did a WildTree workshop at my sister in law's house. Mia and I had a pretty good day. Did some art, played outside, she rode her bike around, she took a bath, watched a movie. Tomorrow, I hope to get some grass cut before work.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

One Fish Two Fish

Greetings and good morning to everyone. Going to try to make this one quick as I eat my breakfast. Over the weekend, we had plans on as a family, going to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning, but because Mia tends to enjoy sleeping in, I got to thankfully enjoy watching the Chelsea game. First one of the season I got to watch! So, Jill went out to our local market and I stayed home watching the game :) Lousy 1st half, but much better 2nd. Hazard starting to finally make some runs towards the end of the 1st and in the 2nd, he was making his shots. Diego Costa got the first goal and Hazard secured the win with the 2nd one. The man is a genius with the ball. Can get around anyone to cross it and has a great shooting power. This weekend Chelsea face with two ex players on the team. Both strikers so we'll see what those guys have in store for us.
Everton

Sunday, I worked the early shift and when I was done, we spent a few hours at Jill's studio so she could catch up on work since she's been super busy.  I took Mia to the Pirates and Fairies event Tuesday at Fort Cushing park. She was looking forward to it for weeks. Of course what happens when you look forward to things? It rains. Luckily, she got to play long enough before the rain started picking up. My friend Nicole brought her little pirate kiddo and the kids had fun. It's a cool park. Jill still needs to check it out some time. Wednesday, we went to the park with her friends. It was great for the girls to catch up and play since they haven't seen us since we returned from Indy. All three of them start school next week, so Mia won't be seeing Gracie, the oldest anymore, but she'll luckily get to hang out with Hannah on her days that she's not in school. Those two seem to play better together anyway. After the park, we visited Grandma at work, then on a whim hit up the beach in Pewaukee. We didn't bring a lot, but she had fun playing in the sand. After we were done, we wandered down the pier so she could watch some people fish. I explained the process and what you have to do, she seemed intrigued. One gentleman that she was watching asks "I've got a small pole in my trunk her size if she'd like to give it a try?" She got really excited and I hooked her worm and she got to try fishing. She got REALLY close to catching some small ones, but in the end, gave some hungry fish some lunch. Her goal was to catch "dinner for Mommy to cook because she's the best cook ever". She gave him a high five and a thank you before we called it a day. I'm thinking we're going to need to find her a pole to fish now.

My Milwaukee FC MLS kit is coming along nicely. Hopefully complete before the end of the week. This weekend Jill's parents are coming up. Hopefully I"ll get to watch the Chelsea vs Everton game Saturday morning. I work 2-10 Sunday and Monday. Hooray for time and a half on the holiday. Blah. Thanks for reading everyone :)

Horse Power

Greetings everyone. Hope all is well with all of my readers. So the weekend had its ups and downs, so let's dive right into it, okay? Saturday, I spent the morning cutting grass and doing some yard work. On a whim, we decided to take Mia, Remi and my Mom and her dog Chief for a hike in Lapham Peak in Delafield. Lots of different trails and of course the lookout tower, once used many years ago as tower to  search out fires. Now, people enjoy the long walk up to just relax, snap some panoramic photos and take in the scenery. So we hiked and hiked the different trails only temporarily getting turned around a few times. The hike was warm, but thoroughly enjoyable, for the most part. It made me miss hiking the beautiful rain Forrest in Oahu and the few miles up Makapuʻu. Mia got exhausted during the hike and I had her on my shoulders for quite a bit of the time. Then of course came the unfortunate accident.


 Remi and Chief had a great time hiking and exploring together, till our poor dog busted one of his nails, almost right off the paw. He lunged for something in the bushes that was moving and came right back out with his paw in the air, and bleeding. I was a bit behind Jill and my Mom so I didn't quite see what had happened. He may have slipped on a rock when he jumped in. All I know is he had a hard time putting pressure down and it made me really worried. After we got out of the park, we dropped off my Mom and Chief and headed down to the emergency animal clinic in Waukesha. They took off the nail, wrapped it up, put him on antibiotics and stuck a cone on his noggin so he couldn't lick the wound. It's been a rough few days keeping him from licking the bandage. He hates not being able to run with me and I hated seeing him in pain. Well after a lot of "stop licking that!" and having to rewrap it several times, today he's finally showing improvement. He's no longer limping and hasn't been licking the bandage. He's too smart for that stupid flimsy cone and could figure out how to stand on all 4's and lick the paw still. Both walks I took him on today he looked better and even wanted to jog. I don't wanna risk it yet, but I'm relieved he's doing better. Love my dog to death and we just want the lad to be happy.


Also over the weekend, I think it was Sunday Mia decided she was finally ready to drive her pink Ford Mustang Power Wheels. Santa had brought it last Christmas and she wanted nothing to do with it. She really got into it, and figured out how to shift between forward and reverse when she needed it. It looks like she's trying to drive a stick :P Today she drove her Mustang too. I was hoping a random police officer would drive through so I could talk him into parking behind her so I could photograph her getting a "ticket". Ah, another time. Yesterday was the open house at Smarty Pants Learning School, which is one of the preschools in the area we were interested in for Mia. I couldn't attend but Jill and my Mom were able to take Mia and get info. Mia's officially registered for a one-day-a-week 3k on Fridays. No more playgroup, but she's pretty stoked about school. I guess the teacher told her "go draw me something on my dry erase board" and she drew this piece of my Mom and Mia holding hands with a sun and grass and the teacher said "WOW you've got great detail!" Always nice to hear a compliment of my daughter's art abilities outside of the family.

Today, I took Mia to Cushing Park in Delafield. Technically, we went to Fort Cushing, a very elaborate and impressive castle playground. Mia and I both dropped our jaw when we saw it in person. Tuesday of next week some parenting magazine is hosting a fairies and pirates play date for kids there where the kids can dress up as either characters and play. I saw an add for this on Facebook. Mia's genuinely interested as well as my friend Nicole and her kiddo Benny. I almost was going to take Mia to the pool today, but had some errons to run.

This weekend, not sure what events we've got planned outside of myself watching the Chelsea game. First game I"ll be able to watch of the season. I missed the first game against Burnsley but watched the impressive highlights. It's gonna be a great season. Making progress on my Milwaukee MLS kit. Hopefully it'll turn out. That's all for now. Thanks for reading!!

Roadtrip

Didn't realize it's been several weeks since I've written. One week we were out of state, but I'll get to that later plus all kinds of other things. Hey, how's everyone doing? So the last time I wrote, we were taking Mia to the Wisconsin State Fair. It was very very busy, but she had a lot of fun. She ended up spending a lot of time on the rides. That's right. RIDES. If we would have had more money, she would have ridden them all. She ended up going on roughy 5 or more rides including my fav one, a small Harley that popped a wheelie. I sat in the side car and it was hilarious watching her pop a wheelie yelling "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH" in pure excitement. She also rode a ferris wheel too. Probably the biggest ride she's ever been on. It was a great time, and we all had fun.

So last week Wednesday, we packed up the car and headed down to Indiana (first stopping in Illinois to  drop off Remi). I was slightly concerned leaving Illinois later then hoped since it's a 5 hour drive, but Mia was able to squeeze in a much-needed nap in that time frame allowing us some quiet driving. When she woke up, she was hungry and had to go potty, which was perfect because we could stop at some McDonalds in the middle of nowhere in Indiana. Showed Mia what a corn field looks like (exciting right??) and explained that's where corn comes from. Corn is probably her all-time favourite veggie. Anyways, after dinner we headed back on the road to Greenwood. She was good the rest of the way, and had to make yet another potty stop, except we didn't see any places to stop. We got off the freeway and got her out to pee in a field. Bladder shy, and didn't even have to go. Crap. Oh well. Got back on and made it to Jill's friend's house (Jacqui, Rick and their kiddo Caleb) Jill's got 3 really close friends and this week was about them getting to spend the time together. Leanne came in too from Illinois, and her friend Nicole also lived in Indiana. One of the days, they went out and shopped and I watched the kids. Gave me a reality check on what it would be like having twins. Yikes. One wants to watch shows about firefighters, one wants to watch Tinkerbell. Sounds fun right? We went to the park and they had fun running around.

The next day we took the kids to the Indiana Children's Museum. Mia was crabby part of the trip, but she had fun in the China exhibit. Specifically the Chinese restaurant. The kids could make pretend food in woks and bring it out to the parents sitting at the tables. She bad a blast doing this. She got her name written in Chinese too but a calligraphy writer. We rode the Great Wall of China slide before heading home for the day. One of the last things we did was go to the Indiana State Fair. Jill's aunt drove in from Ohio and was here for that day adventure. Mia went on a few rides, but just didn't seem as excited as she was for the Wisco fair. She really enjoyed watching this small marching band group playing songs. They all dressed silly and one of them let her play on the buttons of his sax. Easily her new fav instrument. She had a wonderful time swimming in the pool at Aunt Gail's hotel. The day of our departure, she was being all cute and fun with Caleb, then surprisingly kissed him. When I show her the photo of her kissing him, she goes " I DONT KNOW WHY I KISSED THAT BOY! BOYS ARE GROSS" The ride home was long, but we made it. Mia had a great time. Sadly, I brought back a congestion and cold and have been stuck with it since Monday :( Now Mia's stuffed up. Poor girl.

After work Monday I received the devastating news about Robin Williams's suicide. A tragic loss for his family and the film industry. His depression got the best of him and it's heartbreaking. I remember getting up on Saturday mornings as a kid, my dad would have Good Morning Vietnam on. Classic movie. I laughed my ass off watching the Birdcage a few years ago with my and I saw Jumanji in theatres. I've always admired Williams. His comedy was spot on, he really got into every role he did, but I never realized what inner-demons he was dealing with. I knew he had substance abuse problems but didn't know he had depression. A friend of mine worked with him once and said how nice of a guy he truly was.
inlaws

What's frustrating is the "he chose suicide, so it's hard to feel bad for him" comments. When you're depressed it's not like being simply sad. You're stuck in this "I can't think of a good reason to live" thought in your head every single moment. Everything hurts, moving is a pain, going out is bad. So when you're depressed, you need help, and a lot of times people go through depression without looking for help and eventually it can catch up to you and end your life. It's really awful. I hope more people can seek help instead of taking their own life.

Took Mia to the park with my brother and his kids. It was a long nice walk. The kids had fun for a short while before we headed back. Tonight, I'm off! Took the day off for Zoo Ala Carte with Jill, Mia, Grandma and my sister. Should be fun. This pounding headache needs to go away though. 4 DAYS TILL THE PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON STARTS! LETS GO CHELSEA!! Thanks for reading!

Turning 31

Good Morning. Lots to discuss so I'm gonna dive right into everything that's going on in my life. Okay? Okay. Over the weekend, I celebrated my 31st birthday. Not that exciting of an age, but I enjoyed the day thoroughly. We were at the farmers market in Waukesha for some fresh veggies. Some fella booed me because I was wearing a Chelsea t-shirt, but then recants that and said "oh wait, you guys just resigned Didier Drogba.." yeah we did fool, shut it. Had dinner at Red Robin with Jill's family and my parents. It was delicious, but my Dad was bummed I didn't want them to sing to me. I didn't get the "free ice cream" like everyone does on their birthday there because I was really full, and we had cake at home, but the real reason why I didn't want them to sing, is because a few tables behind us, a 14 year old girl was celebrating a birthday. They came out singing loudly and it scared Mia. I didn't want them scaring her at OUR table.

Sunday, we went to the park. Jill took some photos of Mia and I fully dressed in Chelsea gear playing soccer. Got a few shots before Mia wanted to go to the swings. I worked 2-10 that night. Monday night I came home from work and I found Mia, riding around the house, no underwear on on a bike. A BIKE. It's like you just mastered potty training, now you're on a bike (training wheels too). Can't believe how much she's growing up. Wednesday was a busy day. Real busy. Decided to take Mia to the morning $2 movies at the theatre down the road from our house. The Croods was playing. They do these kind of deals I guess three days a week. This was Mia's first time at a movie theatre. She was super stoked about the experience. Definitely will do it again sometime. Later, we went to the park with my friend, and later my little brother. Great time. She's getting really good at the rock wall. OH! That's right the other day  I got some awesome gifts in the mail from my parents, Jill's parents and Jill. A beautiful brand new Chelsea jersey for the new season with Azpilicueta on the back (One of the Blue's best defenders), a pair of shorts from the 2013-2014 season and a Petr Cech Air freshener.  The pre-season games are off to a great start so hopefully we'll do well this season with all of the new boys.

Later, we picked up Jill from work and went to my friend Jay's house for dinner with him, his wife and little boy Caleb. It was a great time. Mia wasn't her usual shy self either, which was refreshing. Typically, she gets shy and doesn't want to interact, but she was great with everyone, and enjoyed watching the turkeys roam his yard.

This weekend, Jill's hosting a Wild Tree freezer meal work shop at our house, then state fair later.  That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Wait a minute, wait a minute now!

Greetings. It's a gorgeous day out, but first let's get to the weekend okay? Saturday was my nephew Alex's 7th birthday party. I made him a custom Pokemon card that make him very happy. I know absolutely NOTHING about the game, the culture and the cartoon, but he certainly enjoys it. We hit up the beach after an early meal. The beach was fun. The kids really enjoyed themselves playing with the water and seaweed. They didn't want the day to end. This week, we finally hit 90 degrees. Took long enough. Would have loved some 90 degree weather today so we could take Mia and her friend Benny to the beach (like planned) but instead we did the zoo. My friend Nicole and I took the kids to the zoo. For some reason the other day, Mia got the idea in her head "I should get my face painted" so the entire day, through every animal exhibit "Daddy, when are we gonna get my face painted? After the tigers?" etc etc. She had a lot of fun throughout the whole day, but face painting was on her mind. So before riding the carousal, she got her face painted. She held her little charm bracelet for comfort and sat like a champion. She loved the big fish exhibit and of course riding the carousal. When she said her goodbyes and got into the car she says "you know what my favourite part of the zoo today was Daddy? Getting my face painted" Before we even left the parking lot, she was passed out. She got up at 6:45am this morning, started the morning crabby and really needed the nap. Luckily, she improved throughout the day and we had a great time off.

Later today, we're heading over to my parents for a "farewell" dinner with my brother, his kid and wife before they leave for California. It's gonna be a rough one. We're gonna miss them so much. They're moving onto more exciting things in Sacramento. It'll be hard, but we'll see them again.

This weekend, I'm turning 31. Not too exciting. We're having her parents come up for Mia's "Potty Party" to celebrate her being potty trained. I think we're doing dinner later. Finished a tattoo for a friend of mine.  A simple bird with lettering and quote. Easy, could have done other things, but it'll work.

Gonna restart some Chelsea FC players portraits. Sort of want these to get attention on Instagram and other pages to get people from all over, wanting me to make custom ones of players of their choice. Could work, could not. We'll see

That's it for now. Thanks for reading :)

Weekends All Year Long

Good evening. The end of last week into the weekend, we had our Rummage for a Cause sale selling old items and donated items from the community in which we took whatever we made, and donated it to the American Diabetes Association. Why the sale? Because Jill's friend's father passed away from Diabetes and every year, she tries to do something to raise some money for the cause. This was Jill's first year doing some sort of event for it.  Mia also sold cookies and lemonade for a few days for a select amount of hours. She made about 15 dollars. In total, we brought in close to $200 which is pretty good for the short amount of time we had the sale going. We even had people stopping over just to donate money, not taking anything. Just wanting to help in some way. We'd get a lot of people telling us how nice it is that we're doing something like this. We're slowly donating the left over items to Goodwill. There are still things sitting on our front lawn, although a woman stopped over tonight asking about purchasing the wheel chair we had. So, Wisconsin has been having not-so-Summer days as of lately. Low 50's at night. Only mid 60's during the day. Not very July at all, which sucks. I want the mid-high 80s again! I haven't been able to take Mia to the beach or pool at all, but we're hoping to go next Wednesday with some friends.

She's been getting really good with potty training, with only a few accidents here and there. She understands now that wearing underwear  means that if she pees, it'll be a bigger mess to deal with and she doesn't want the embarrassment. I love her for trying. It seems to work. Just to keep her in undies and shorts/capris/skirt all day and try to hit up the bathroom as needed. The candy and toy thing for every time she went didn't work. She remembered that if she went potty, she'd get candy, but after a while she lost interest. Same with the potty chart. Just lost interest.

So The World Cup is officially over with Germany getting the big win over Argentina, sending Messi home with nothing. He may be considered one of the best players, but he just can't get a World Cup Championship. Germany deserved the win. The only goal scored that game was fantastic. I watched the cross to chest trap to shot quite a few times.

So now I wait till the start of the Chelsea FC season starts. They had a pre-season game today against the Wanderers winning 5-0. Lots of younger players getting the start, with Swartzer in goal. Unsure if Cech is still recovering from the injury during the Champions League semi-final. Mia and I wore our matching Chelsea Fc kits from the 2012-2013 season. Glad she FINALLY enjoys wearing it.

I've got some projects to finish and start. A Pokemon card for my nephew for his birthday customized with him on it, and a tattoo of a bird with my friend's newest baby's initials inside. Could be tricky. Challenges are always good. Thanks for reading.

The Black Hole

Good afternoon everyone. My, it's been a busy week over here. Over the weekend, my wife got off for the 4th of July. We walked down to the parade route, but because the start time was so close to the time I had to work, I ended up having to walk with the dog all the way home. It wasn't a short walk, but it was nice out so I didn't mind. I guess later she told me the parade was pretty lame with only one float and a few other things. They watched some of the fireworks later at night. Saturday we had a family get together. It was a lot of fun. The kids playing soccer in the yard was quite enjoyable. Jill made these tasty mini cheese cakes and black bean sliders that were a hit with some of the family. Sunday, I worked. Not too exciting. This week, we've hung out with her friends at the park, and today we went to the trampoline park for about an hour. It was fun, because there wasn't a lot of kids around, which gave us room for Mia to chase me around.

The World Cup has been very...interesting to say the least. Saturday in between drink breaks while I was cutting the grass, I was catching a little bit of the Argentina vs Belgium game. Sadly the red devils lost to Argentina. The game that blew me away was the Brazil vs Germany game. Neymar was knocked out the last game they played, so I have this feeling the morale of the team was lacking in this game because the samba boys got destroyed by Germany 7-1. SEVEN TO ONE!! How did this happen? Is it because of Neymar getting injured? Hardly. It wasn't his fault. I missed the game, but saw the highlights which mostly had every goal scored. The problem clearly was defense and some mid field. They let the Germans run them over like a speeding train. David Luiz, who has been solid during the previous games they've won just was not in this one. I don't know how else to explain it, other then the defense had far too many careless mistakes, some cheap shot attempts to get the ball, and a total lack of passion to win. Oscar was the saving grace to keep it from becoming a shut out, but that doesn't matter. The team blew it on their home turf and that one will sting. They were sucked into a black hole and there was nothing else they could do. The fans looked beyond devastated. They were my very last team I had in this tournament that I wanted to win. Whoever Germany plays, I hope Germany wins. I can't stand Messi (with Argentina) so if they beat Netherlands, I hope the Germans de-rail Argentina's so-so performance thus far during the Cup.

The other day, Mia decided she wanted to try skateboarding. She's got some balance issues, but hey, she's three, she's entitled to that. She's getting stronger at the playground, hanging and climbing with every bit of strength. The potty training has gotten better too. Hopefully it continues. She had a hat-trick of making it to the bathroom today. So very proud. For some reason, she lost interest in going on bike rides with me. My bike that I commandeered from my bro in law is sorta falling apart anyways. Couldn't get the kick stand to kick back up normal, so I may have to hit up a garage sale or something for another one (that if she wants to ride with me anymore) This weekend, we've got a wedding reception to attend. Not sure what else we're gonna do. I think Mia and her pals are gonna do a picnic tomorrow. Other cool things on the horizon but I can't speak of them till there is a 100% that they WILL happen. great new things. Stay tuned. Anyways, that's all for now. Thanks for reading :)

HOW ARE YOU DOIN MILWAUKEE!!???

HEY! Hi, and how everyone's doing? Hopefully great, or at least pretty good. Lots to discuss. First off, the weekend was quite busy. Friday I took off for Summerfest, but before then, I did some finishing touches cleaning the house before Jill's surprise birthday party. Friday night, my sister and I met up and took the ol' bus down to the grounds for Tegan and Sara. Since it was Friday, it was incredibly busy, but we made our way to the Briggs and Stratton stage. A local cover band was playing when we claimed our spot 8 rows from the very front. They were quite boring. 4 guitar players, two dudes playing keyes and of course one bass and drums with a female doing back up vocals. They were covering Bon Jovi, country crap, Matchbox 20 and other typical cover band tunes. The opening band for T&S was a group from Canada called Soho Ghetto. Right away I could easily tell the singer was another Springsteen fan. His look and the way he sang was a dead giveaway. Their first couple songs were tolerable, but that was about it. An unfortunate woman passed out at some point during their set from too much beer or alcohol. Security kept rushing in and eventually stretchered the girl out. Finally it was Tegan and Sara's turn to light up the stage. Literally.

They knocked out a good chunk of songs, mostly favoring their newest album Hearthrob, but they dabbled into their back catalog a bit playing some hits off The Con and did a couple songs from Sainthood. It was a total dance party the entire time. Tegan goofed up some lyrics during a song (that I can't remember at the moment) but Sara was going to punish her by making her sing the National Anthem. Didn't happen, but they restarted the song and she nailed the lyric. Some songs that were played were:
The Con
Back in Your Head
Walking With A Ghost
Closer
Goodbye Goodbye
I'm Not Your Hero
Dark Come Soon
plus many many others. It was deffinately worth the 3 1/2-4 hour wait. The only song missing from their set list was "Hell", one of my all-time fans because it sounds like an Alkaline Trio song. After they finished up, we made our way through the hoards of people lingering around. There were fights breaking out at the Five Finger Death Punch show, and some how we got on the bus. This is one of the reasons why I don't go down to Summerfest that often. The crazy amount of people everywhere. Luckily the bus ride wasn't too bad. A lot of older people looking at their photos they took of the bands they saw. I took a few good photos, but had to shoot in b/w to make a desperate attempt of getting some detail in the shot. If I had our DSLR camera, that would have been slightly easier to get some good color photos. I remembered the Hanson show I shot for the Rave/Eagles Club and how it was a pain in the ass fighting the low and ever-changing lighting.

Saturday was Jill's party. Gonna keep it short. It went quite well, despite the fact that it was meant to be an outdoors one, and we got rain (which lead to muggy air) so we all stayed inside. I had the Brazil/Chile game on (which was intense to the end) Jill loved her sushi-looking cupcakes and sashimi crispies. The gift was what I was most excited about. Her very own KitchenAid mixer. She's been wanting one for almost a year now. In fact, Sunday when I came home from work, the neighborhood smelled like fresh baked goods. MMM!!

Tuesday, the USMNT played Belgium. Two teams I was hoping would do well this World Cup, so this was a difficult game. In the end, Belgium won (which is what I predicted) and at the hands of two Chelsea boys, but US gave them hell. Tim Howard, who's now a household name, had 16-17 saves that night which is a new record. I've watched the highlights and it was definately a nail-biter. We may not have gotten out of this round, but we proved that they are a team with a lot of fight. And any Donovan fan can say "well see? We should have played him, we would have won" all they want, you really don't know that for sure. Most likely, he'll be too old for the next WC. Looking forward to the next games (if I can watch them).

Lastly, my friend Nicole and I took our kids to the zoo Wednesday. Despite the rain, they had a great time. Mia decided that today would be the day she'd conquer her fear of the zoo train. "I promise I won't cry Daddy" and she didn't. In fact, she LOVED it. I was so proud of her.

Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for reading :)