Summer Fun With Cousins

Good Morning Beautiful weather today to start the week. Early in the week Mia was reunited with some old friends at the new Malone Park. These girls have been best pals since she was two and a half years old. They had a lot of fun exploring the new playground. Wednesday, we met my friend Nichole and her boy Benny (plus sister) at the zoo. The weather was pretty hot, but the kids had a lot of fun checking out all the different indoor exhibits as well as some outdoor ones.

We couldn't stay too long because Mia has her 2nd dance class. It was my first time taking her since her injury last week. She was a bit nervous going in, but I told her that I would be waiting in the lobby for her when she's done. I sat and drew her a baby Dory (which didn't turn out so well) but she had the best time. She danced, did crafts and met some nice girls. She's already looking forward to the next dance class. If she likes dance, we'll keep her in classes, but I sometimes worry her shyness in front of large groups could give her stage fright (she'll counter that with both concerts at school that she sang beautifully) so I don't know. I'm just glad she found something she enjoys.

Saturday, we did yard work before a get-together at my parents house. My 1/2 bro and his family were on a road trip and they stopped by for the afternoon. The kids had fun chasing each other around laughing and being silly. Sunday, Mia went to her friend Irianna's birthday party while I went to work. From what Jill said, she had a lot of fun. Irianna is this adorable free-spirit kid that always broke Mia out of her shy shell. At the kindergarten assessment test, she got Mia to go into the testing room and relax while she was super nervous, and on Sunday, she got Mia to come into the gym and have fun when she was shy (again). She's very fun and full of energy and I hope Mia and her can be good friends for as long as possible.

This week's gonna be very busy. Wednesday, Mia starts her art class in Brookfield 9:30am-11:30am, THEN she's got a "goodbye" party with her friend Alexa at the park, THEN she has her dance class till 3:30. This is probably the busiest Wed we've had in quite a while and I'm sure both of us will be dead exhausted after the day is over. It's crazy how fast July has gone. My birthday is next week (along with my final tattoo session) and it feels like July just started. This Saturday, the Torrent play the Chicago Mustangs home so I'm hoping for no rain and a great crowd. My Dad is supposed to come as well so it should be a good time.

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

Early Bird Wedding in the Windy City

Good evening everyone! MY was it a busy week! I'll try to jet through this quick since there is a lot to discuss. 4th of July was a busy day. Mia rode her (new) bike in the mini parade which consisted of kids who decorated their bikes all patriotic around a parking lot following an old woman in a golf cart. They had to get there early as well to participate. There were a TON of kids and Mia had a pretty good time. She loved the guy who made balloon animals. These were balloon animals to the next level. He did a Ghostbusters pack, a giant hot dog and a large octopus all while joking around with the kids. He was very fun to watch. She and Jill went to the fireworks later while I made time and a half at work. When she got home, she discovered the harsh reality that she had some gnarly mosquito bites. The one that bothered her the most was right on the bridge of her foot.

For the rest of the week, she whined and complained about it which unfortunately, made our lives miserable. Wednesday, she was to start her dance class and I had a 2nd tattoo session. The whole morning, she just went through ice pack after ice pack totally unsure if she'd be okay to dance. My in laws came over to take her to class when I left for my tattoo session. I was "under the needle" for about 3 1/2 hours totally 7 1/2 so far. Another 4 1/2 to go most likely. Can't wait to get the water, shark, turtle and Diamond Head filled in next. When I got home, Mia explained that she had a blast at dance class but didn't do any dancing because of her foot. I totally understand and hope this week she'll be able to dance. I'm taking her this time and will wait in the hall for her. I also hope she meets some nice friends since she apparently was pretty shy.

Thursday was a rough recovery day on my tattoo. I wrapped it up just to be safe to keep any bacteria out. Made it easier too when people wanted to see what it looked like. Friday afternoon, we left for Chicago. The traffic was all kinds of fun, and when we arrived at the hotel late, we found out that the hotel we set up a reservation to was under construction, and that the whole wedding block moved to a DIFFERENT location. Awesome... They didn't have any open rooms at the new location and didn't transfer our names, but they ended up giving us a recently renovated room at the hotel (under construction). Good. We almost didn't have a place to stay for the night. Almost. The room was very nice and thanks to some Chicago traffic, we missed the dress rehearsal but luckily found them and got to enjoy the picnic. The sunset over the city was gorgeous as we ate and enjoyed the beach.

The next morning, we woke up at 3:30am. Yes, that's right. The wedding was at 6, so we had to get up super early. Mia wasn't a fan of it. "WHY IS IT STILL DARK OUT!? ITS NOT MORNING" Yes it is kid. Luckily, she didn't put up too much of a fuss, and we got out the door and made it to the beach. The sun was beautiful as we watched from a distance Matt and Whitney getting photographed in the early hours of the morning. There were probably 25 people on the beach in a very intimate ceremony. It was real nice and probably the last beach wedding I'll attend. We had some donuts and bagels and were on our way. With the reception not for 10-12 hours, we had a LOT of time to kill, so we hung out for a while in Downtown Chicago. There wasn't a lot opened and Mia had her heart set on going to the infamous Dylan's Candy Store. We spent some time roaming around Michigan ave and luckily the Disney store was opened. What was funny, is that the employees there, act the exact same way as the ones in Florida at Disney World. They treated Mia like a princess and were very courteous to her. It was fun.

Finally, Dylan's was opened and Mia had a blast going through their crazy candy store. She picked out a bag's worth of candy to enjoy. We went back to the parking garage, paid our enormous parking bill and left. Napped on an off at the hotel before checking out, and switching to the OTHER hotel. After that mess was cleared, we went to the reception. The food was incredible. Mia didn't care for it and during the speeches she fell asleep. Yes. Right on Jill's lap. The long day wore her out and she slept for about an hour before we woke her for a little square of chocolate cake. The crab was too cranky to bowl or do anything so we left. Sunday morning, we got up and had breakfast with the wedding group. Absolutely delicious veggie omelet made right in front of me. After breakfast, we went home. First, we stopped at Gurnee Mills to see what all the hype was. It's actually pretty disappointing. From what I hear from everyone that goes, it's this amazing mall that's a blast to shop in. No, not even for Jill. When we got home, we had a quick dinner and went to Secret Life of Pets with both sets of parents + Tommy. It was very funny and well worth watching. Over the weekend, the Torrent won their home game thus clinching the Midwest Central Championship. Very proud of these guys.

This week, Mia may hang with her friends Tuesday. Hopefully the weather is good. Dance class is weds and my half brother is coming in for the weekend. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Boys, Park and Pizza

Afternoon people. It was a gorgeously delightful week in Wisconsin, with plenty going on. Jill's birthday was Tuesday so my parent's took her out for Pizza. Mia and I made her a sweet little card. I felt bad that we didn't do much, but Jill preferred it that way. Wednesday, Mia hung out with a handful of her friends from school and the kids had an amazing time. She found out her friend's sister has a crush on her "boyfriend" so she wasn't too happy about that. In fact, it distracted her throughout the day. "Daddy, HOW can she like him? I am the one who is in LOVE with TREY!!" It was cute, but also sad she was putting herself through this silly turmoil over a 3 year old's crush. She found out later that day that the boyfriend actually does like Mia so all is good :) It was cute when she went to sit next to Trey while the "other girl" was there too. It looked like the Bachelor at the park. Her good friend Alexa is moving to Texas in July, so the girls wanna hang and play whenever they can before the big move. Alexa has always been real sweet with Mia and I love watching the two play together. Mia's super stoked for her "Goodbye" party she's having at the park because "Olivia, Alexa and myself will be TOGETHER DADDY!!"

Later after the park, we took Remi to the vet for a few shots and a new rabies tag. He wore his sunglasses into the building and the vets were like "OH MY WHO IS THIS DOG!!??" Mia responded "Rockstar Remi".  Friday, Mia and I made some chalk art in the driveway. Something we love to do, but haven't done much of lately. I love listening to her sing as she draws. Saturday, we did some yard work, per the usual, and Mia decided that it would be day she would start learning how to ride her bike without training wheels. A very difficult task to learn for a 5 year old, but alas, my father in law took the wheels off and she made her attempt. I held the bar firmly as she made her best effort to balance herself. After hitting her ankle on the pedal, she got mad and took a break. 5-6 minutes later, she said "YOU KNOW WHAT? LETS TRY THAT AGAIN, OKAY??" So we did. A little better this time around and we'll give it a go again soon. I was concerned the bike would be too small for her to learn on since her knees come close to the bar, but she said she's fine.

We had plans to paint the sunroom, but ended up going to the newly built Malone Park. This place is gorgeous. An all-inclusive park where children of all walks of life could enjoy it. It was during the New Berlin holiday fest whatever, going on so we had to pay to park at the event. Looking forward to going to it when there isn'y 60+ people in there. Later, we went to MOD pizza down the road to try out their build-your-own pizza. Similar to Blaze, the pizza quality is really solid. The customer service was a bit off-putting at first, but they're new so they're getting used to things. Jill loved her balsamic vinegar topping she had glazed on her little pizza.

After dinner, we went to my parents to help them build a glider for their back porch. Mia played with the neighbor girl Ava. She's such a sweetheart with Mia. I love watching how comfortable Mia is with her. Thursday, the girls swam when I was at work and Mia really adores her. They played soccer for quite a while last night and Mia didn't even care who was "winning" it was just fun. Last night, she tried to make it through Princess and the Frog but was way too tired from the day. I got through about two episodes of Orange before turning in. I found out when we got home from my parent's house that the Torrent DESTROYED LC Aris 9-1! AMAZING!!!

Today I finished yard work before the girls went over to Trader Joe's. This week is going to be VERY busy. Tomorrow we're heading to a cookout at my in laws with my family before I work. Tattoo session Wednesday while Mia goes to dance class. Friday afternoon, we leave for our good friend Whitney's wedding in Chicago so I'm off for the whole weekend. Hopefully Mia can squeeze in some play time with her friends while the weather is good. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Good afternoon. Warm weekend in good ol' Wisconsin and I couldn't be happier. Summer has always been my favorite time of the year so we've been trying to enjoy the most of our days outside. Wednesday, Mia, her BFF Olivia and her bro Gavin went snap pea and strawberry picking in Mequon. Mia had an absolute blast and ate so many snap peas as she was tossing a few in her bag. After about 30 minutes in the snap pea area, we moved over to the strawberries. Same thing, she'd eat and eat and put a few in our basket. The kids really enjoyed the nice warm weather and ate snap peas on the ride home. She hadn't seen Olivia in a few weeks so the girls were super stoked to get to hang out.

She's been patiently waiting for my parent's neighbor kid to be home so they can swim on a warm day in their little pool. Hopefully soon. Saturday, we went to the farmers market near us for some muffins and veggies. Off in the near distance, we could see the new Malone Park that will be open this coming weekend. She's very excited to get to play there. Later, we went over to her grandparents house for dinner for Jill's birthday. They made BBQ chicken, baked beans and corn on the cob. Very tasty (minus the baked beans. never been a fan) Their new sun porch is incredible and I know they'll enjoy many meals to come out there.

Today, we didn't do much. Last night Myself plus Jill and the animals didn't get a lot of sleep due to the storms rolling through. Going to be a zombie at work today. I finally started the most recent season of OITNB and two episodes in, I'm already excited for the 3rd. It's always been a really good show with a lot of intense moments.

This week is Jill's actual birthday so Mia and I will have to give her something come Tuesday. Wednesday, she's hanging out with friends. The tattoo has been healing slowly and I can't wait for the color session. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Tattoos and a Toothless Smile

Good evening everyone! Hope the weekend was great. It's been a busy June and I can't believe we're almost done with it. Wednesday, Mia and I met up with her friend Kaylee and her sister Mayah at the Zoo. The girls had a lot of fun, despite the very warm weather. There were TONS of day camps from all over there. The girls really enjoyed the fish exhibit with the leopard sharks, turtles and octopus. Later after Jill got home from work, we went over to the park across the street to enjoy the remaining daylight. Mia was playing all over the playground before Jill noticed something odd in her mouth.

"MIA YOUR TOOTH IS LOOSE!!" Sure enough, she had her first baby tooth that was wiggling. I pulled out my phone to see if that's normal at her age. Apparently, kindergarten-1st grade a kid can start to lose baby teeth. Mia was excited and nervous because she didn't know what to expect, or how she'd eat with this wiggly tooth. It blew our minds for a short while that she has grown up so much. We went to the library later and she checked out 47 books for a Reading Challenge. She read quite a bit of them that night. Like, she really read them. It was insane. Jill's never seen her read to her before so it was really exciting.

Thursday, my Milwaukee Torrent custom jersey came in. Super excited to see this thing in person, with name on it. A lot of hard work has gone into creating so much for the team, and it's been an absolute joy. Saturday, we went to the Farmer's Market in Waukesha with Remi. They really doubled it in size since the last time we were there. Jill got a really nice sun hat to match the same color of Mia's that she sports. Both girls looked very sweet. After some muffins and juice, we jet back home so I could get ready for my tattoo. It was a long time coming. 6 years since my last one and I was anxious to start. It took so long to find a guy who could do a photorealism 1/2 sleeve with confidence and after a few meetings with Marcus, I knew he was the man for the job.  As soon as he started, I remembered very quickly that this hurts in certain areas. Sometimes I'd talk through some of the painful areas to keep my mind off it. 4 hours later, we were complete for the day. He put the tiger shark in last which hurt the most. Once again, I'd have to close my eyes with this one and try to focus on something else, and that works most of the time. He cleaned me up and I was on my way.

Had to jet back to New Berlin to get the girls so we could make it to Finding Dory. We met her parents at the Majestic just in time for the 15 minutes of previews. The theater was very packed but we some how managed to get seats. The short, Piper was incredible. Very cute and the animation was insane. Finding Dory was everything I hoped it would be. Finding Nemo for a very long time, was my all-time favorite movie. Dory was just as good. Lots of great lines, the animation was solid and the story was well thought out. Pixar didn't make any mistakes with this one. I'd totally recommend seeing this one.

Today was Father's Day. Mia woke up stoked to give me all her gifts. A sheet of paper with an "all about Daddy" survey (which I honestly love and was always jealous that Mom's got these for Mother's Day), a jar of Recess Pieces with "I love you to pieces" on it, a plate of butterscotch homemade cookies and finally, two hands with an accordion paper inside that says "I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH". Super cute and amazing from both girls. We were supposed to meet my parents for brunch but they didn't make it. I worked the steady 2-10 shift with my new sore ink.

This week, hang with some friends at some point and start working on some art. I had this idea to do a story book style drawing/painting of some of Mia's creative quotes. It came to me in the dining room today when she was randomly talking out loud to herself. Should be really cool.

Thats all for now. Thanks for reading!

A Flood of Goals For the Torrent, A Major Win For a Penguin

Good morning everyone. Hope you got to enjoy the gorgeous weather we've been experiencing. Mid week, Mia and the majority of her class friends met at the park for a day of fun and a picnic. She was especially cute following her boyfriend Trey around, although she says he doesn't quite know that he's her "boyfriend" because she's afraid he wouldn't like it. They hung out and every time he'd lay on the ground, she'd lay right besides him. His Mom and myself kept laughing about it. It was fun watching all the kids run around and play. After wards, we ran to Smarty Pants and grabbed her graduation pictures. They turned out very nice.

Thursday morning we ran to the Stefans Tent Sale. We rarely ever buy anything but Mia loves looking around the different deals. She especially wanted her very own pair of pink goalie gloves, neon green goalie jersey and a new pair of boots. Sorry kid, we didn't sign you up for soccer this year because you sorta didn't end soccer well last Summer. Friday, I had the day off for the Milwaukee Torrent Kickoff Party. My Dad and I drove to Brenner Brewing Company on the very warm evening and got to try the Barons beer (which was very tasty). We got our free shirts, and I introduced him to coach/owner Andi Davi. The event was a lot of fun, and I even was interviewed later in the evening on the live 2UpFront podcast that broad casted from the event with Flood founder Derek. We had a lot of fun and I even hyped the Torrent fans. After, we hung out at my parents for a little while before calling it a night.

Saturday Mia had a zoo class and had an absolute blast. She made a polar bear costume, penguin art and learned about both North and South pole animals. I on the other hand, went to the very first Milwaukee Torrent home game. Packed the bag with some cameras, mask, tons of water, drum sticks and my Flood scarf and drum before heading down to Glendale in the 90 degree heat. It was a long long wait, but the day finally came. I tailgated with some fans before heading into the game late with the Flood founder. We had a bunch of stuff to bring in, including the large flags, the James Weber FatHeads and his two kids. I pounded and pounded throughout the game destroying my voice with the chants. I couldn't tell if the fans were chanting as well, but we didn't get the best turnout for the actual Flood section behind the net. The overall attendance was 673 fans. WOW. On a hot day that's pretty solid. The Torrent beat the Twisters 5-0 staying top of the table. A fan bought me a water in the first half "you look like you could really use this!" Thank you so much! Ian Bennett deservingly won Man of the Match with a pair of goals. He was really hoping for the hat-trick and we did a quick interview post game. A few fans were high-fiving me on their way out after the game. I won't be able to make the next home game in July, but  I will the last few games. Hopefully, we can get more fans to join in The Flood the next match. It was an amazing experience and I can't wait for the next home game. A group of fans drove 14 hours JUST for this game.

Sunday, work work work. The weather was much cooler. Work was very busy, and after an issue I don't feel like going into again, I was stuck till 11:15pm. After work, I found out the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Incredible. A few bad seasons and a rocky current season pre-playoffs and the good guys took the cup. Very proud of the Pens. Been a favorite team since the early 90's. It really sucks how little hockey I can watch due to my work schedule, but I do try to catch highlights when I get home.

Saturday, first of 3 sessions for my 1/2 sleeve tattoo. Can't wait. That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

So Long 4K, Hello Summer

Morning! Another busy week(end) in the books so I'm going to try and blast through this post so I can finish a logo design that's taken way too long to complete. Tuesday, the diva with my Mom went to her very last field trip with her 4-K class, to the Zoo. I made them both special lunch bags. Mia's was had Shopkins on it, my Mom had Olaf. When I went to pick them both up. Mia was super tired and was exclaiming "I...can't walk anymore". Wednesday was her last regular day at school before graduation. I spent the majority of the morning talking to my tattoo artist who will be doing a Hawaiian half sleeve on me. I saw his color study he was working on and I couldn't be more excited about it. NEXT Saturday is the first session. I ran back to the house to get Remi and went to pick up Mia. 

She and her friends hung out at the park for a few hours. The kids had such a good time enjoying the nice weather. I even caught Mia sitting with her "boyfriend" Trey on the bleachers talking. It was cute. Thursday was her very last day at Smarty Pants. Jill and I took her to school together. Mia, decked out in a beautiful dress ready to graduate. When we brought her in, her friend Audrey yells out "MIA, YOU LOOK LIKE A PRINCESS!!!" Mia couldn't get rid of us fast enough. A little subtle hand-wave to signal "okay GO" and that was it. No hugs. Slightly disappointed, but we went back home and did some cleaning before our families who could attend met up and went into the graduation. 

We took our seats and watched the kids come marching in, singing about the last day of school and how they're ready to graduate. I had to stand in the back so I could get a nice view of my short little kiddo. Everyone had phones out videoing and me, I took a few pictures but didn't want to cover my face with it. I wanted to soak in as much of my kid finishing school as possible. This was a big deal for her, and we couldn't have been more proud. Last year, she wouldn't sing or do anything and it was frustrating. This year, she matured and sang with her friends and classmates beautifully. They had the kids get their diploma and toss their hats in the air. They all got to keep their tassels which is pretty cute. I took as many photos after with her and her friends and family. The morning of graduation, she was sad thinking she won't see her friends much anymore, but I promised her we'll keep in contact. This Thursday she'll get to meet up with them at the park for a picnic. Should be fun but I'm bummed I can't take her. The parents and faculty have been real nice over at Smarty Pants and I can only hope at Orchard Lane they'll be the same. She's honestly excited to make new friends but wants to keep her old ones. 

Friday, we met up with BFF Olivia at the park and the two played, drew with chalk and kicked the soccer ball around before a nature walk. They wanted it to be "just us girls alone walking" but we had to keep them in sight. Friday night, Jill's friend Leanne came in to town for the weekend but when I got home, everyone was asleep. Saturday the rest of the friends plus Leanne's new boyfriend came in (minus Nichole). The weekend was a lot of fun. We went to Jokerz and for the first time EVER had someone "friend sit" Mia (plus Caleb) that wasn't a family member. My friend and coworker Shelby watched the two kids. They both were very good for her, and when we got back from the comedy show, Mia was hanging out with Shelby on the couch watching Netflix and eating a sandwich. She had a great time with her and wants to hang out again. the comedy show was all kinds of fun. Good food, raunchy jokes. What more can you want? 

Sunday we went to breakfast and the kids went swimming after. Leanne, Rick and I wandered over to a nearby car show and DAMN where there a lot of fancy nice cars. Leanne's getting into cars more and more since her new BF drives a very very fancy one, and honestly it was kind of nice to go to something that I've never been to before. For dinner we went over to Stone Fire Pizza. The kids LOVED it and played all kinds of games before picking out prizes. After the brief but gnarly thunderstorm, they said their goodbyes and were back to the hotel for the night before leaving this morning. This week should be mostly relaxing but excitement as well. Friday is the Torrent kick off party. They won over the weekend 4-0 in Chicago and supporters made the drive in to watch the good guys win. Saturday is the home opener. The team sold 500+ season tickets, which means over 500 people will be watching me, the El Capitano mascot pound a drum and getting fans to chant and sing loudly THIS Saturday. I'm both nervous and stoked. I signed up Mia and Jill for a zoo class Saturday afternoon. Polar Pals. They'll take a class on animals in both the North and South poles with costume making and some painting. Both girls are stoked.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!