Wild in Chicago

Good morning everyone. Another busy week in the books with what feels like Summer speeding quickly by. Tuesday I went to the last league home match between the Torrent and GRFC. We had a 2-0 lead before giving up a pair of goals to end the match in a draw. It was a frustrating match that had a lot of missed calls, but we chanted and cheered anyways. Next blog, I'll give my full review and thoughts on our frustrating season. Wednesday afternoon, Mia went to her friend Cecilia's house for a few hours. For some reason, she was hella shy with Cecilia's Mom Andrea. I don't know why. She's seen her before at school and outside of school but decided she would just be shy for the day. The kids played, watched a movie and later, Cecilia's neighbors and fellow classmate Harper and Hayden came over. Harper is such a sweetheart for playing with her sister and her friends. Hayden is a ball of crazy fun that loves to give hugs. Before long, it was time to go. I've been so grateful that the parents that I've met so far in Mia's grade school are genuine and incredibly friendly.

Later, I went out with old college friends Nicole (and her boyfriend), Steve and Shawn. We met at the Karaoke bar Shawn works at during the week. Both Nicole and Steve did karaoke but I did not. Just not my thing. I play drums for a reason. No matter how much I may enjoy singing songs at shows, I'd prefer to stick behind my kit playing the best that I can. I think I'd need a lot more Guinness in me to do karaoke. We had a good time catching up before I headed home. Saturday, we left early for the Brookfield Zoo and after visit Whitney and Matt in downtown Chicago. The zoo was a lot of fun and we got to see some animals Mia hasn't seen in person. The first stop was her favorite-The Red Panda. Although the little fuzzy one was asleep, she's always happy to see her favorite animal. We got to pet a wallaby! That was something unique for the diva. William the wallaby was super soft and adorable. Mia also got to see an emu up close in the same attraction. She fed some goats and really enjoyed feeding all of the parakeets as well. The underwater viewing of the sea lions was really nice. Mia liked the ones that would swim upside down backwards. Her favorite thing we did was the dolphin show.

She purposely picked for us to sit in the splash zone. Jill had told her that we'd probably get like a misting of water but it was more like a wave. The dolphins played a game of "who could soak the most people" and just as Jill handed me her camera to stick in my backpack, we got hit. Mia thought it was the greatest thing. "I CAN TASTE SALT WATER IN MY MOUTH AND I DON'T CARE!" She was worried we wouldn't get wet, but was pleasantly soaked and had a great time.

We stopped by the arts and crafts area before hitting up the butterfly garden. She was bummed none landed on her, which was the signal that it was time to go. We soon met up with Whit and Matt in their new condo. Beautiful place with a nice rooftop area to enjoy. They made us pizza and tequitos. Mia had fun being silly with Matt and it was overall, a really fun night catching up. She fell asleep shortly in the car on our trek back home, arriving at 12:30am.

Sunday, Jill and I cut the grass before going to a cookout at her parents house. I couldn't stay for long and had to work at 2. This week, Nothing in the books. Mia may hang out with friends at some point. We have to do some back-to-school shopping at some point (school items are on sale). At this point, nothing going on for the weekend.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

6 Day Break

Good morning everyone. My goodness, was it a fun 6 days off. My brother from CA and his family came in to town for the week (and my 1/2 brother and his boys, for a few days) so we had all kinds of fun. 4th of July, myself, my Dad, my little brother and older brother went to the Brewers game. First one for me in 12 years. Baseball has never been something I've gotten too excited about. The game, however, was a lot of fun. The Brewers ended beating them 6-2 I believe and the O's fans we were surrounded by weren't too happy. All in all, great outing with the guys. Later, we had food, watched the fireworks and played a family classic game PIT. Added the rewards of vodka shots if you lost or won. With the amount of shots I did, I don't know if I really won in the end :) It was a fun night in the end.

Mia went to a friend's birthday party Wednesday afternoon. She apparently was very shy with the salon staff and didn't eat much. I credit the experience to myself waking up Mia a bit early. She did have a lot of fun with her friends, which is always important. Mia played with her cousins the rest of the evening. Thursday, she had some friends over and they played in and outside our house. Charlie and Noelle (and Noelle's sister) played for about an hour or so. Mia hasn't seen Charlie since school ended and hopes to have a sleepover here with the two girls sometime in August. Later, we went to Stone Fire Pizza with my family. My nephew Alex was too excited to do the Ninja Warrior Course. Sadly, he's a bit short to do a lot of the obstacles but he had a blast doing what he could. Mia won 2k tickets and that was enough to get a large panda thing.

Later, we went swimming at the hotel my brother and fam were staying at. Friday, we did a little soccer at the park before we went to the Torrent game. Jill, Mia, my Mom and my Sister in law + Alex went out shopping and grabbed some food. The game started out great 2-1 before the storms hit and we all had to take cover. Just when we though it would never clear, it DID and the game went on. I was with my supporters group before the storms hit, but quickly found the brothers/Dad/sister. I convinced them to stay till the 73rd minute and we left while the Torrent picked up their 5th goal, securing their first league home win 5-1 against Indiana. Great win and fun experience. Tuesday is their last match at home so I hope we don't get hit by storms. After we got back to my parents house, we said our goodbyes, as they would be leaving the very next morning. Saturday. we kind of bummed around. Visited my in laws and later and saw Despicable Me 3. Fun movie. The premises was similar to the 2nd one when Nafario wanted to do evil again. In the 3rd, the Minions wanted to do evil again and ended up leaving. Mia really liked it a lot. Sunday, Jill and I went to my cousin's baby's baptism. Mia would have never made an 8:30am mass so my in laws watched her. We had went home to pick her up to go to the party after the baptism, but Mia didn't want to go. The poor girl got a mosquito bite on her forehead and she reacts pretty rough to bites. Her bite swelled up the bridge of her nose and she was afraid people would laugh at her. I, however, went to the party because I had our present and wanted to visit with family I don't see often. Later, I went back to work 2-10.

It sure was great having the 6 days off, but all good things must come to an end. This week, I'm going to the Torrent's last game Tuesday. I believe I'm meeting up with friends for drinks Wednesday night. The rest of the week, totally playing by ear. Hopefully Mia can meet up with friends she so very much enjoys spending time with.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

The Torch

Good morning everyone. We're preparing for an exciting but busy week over here, but we'll get back to that later. Last week, Mia registered for 1st/2nd grade girls rec soccer for the Fall season. I also will be involved as an assistant coach. My Dad coached for several years in both soccer and softball and I honestly didn't think I'd end up doing it. The opportunity came up to have a role on a team as a coach and since I'm not sure how much responsibility I'd want to take on, I figured assistant coach suits me better. Mia's really excited and hopefully her friend Cecilia from school that registered as well will be on the team. My Dad seems indifferent about my role, but hopefully can make Mia's games. The torch of the coaching role has been passed on to me so hopefully I can do well with these girls.  Mia got to hang out with Cecilia and Hayden (and her sister) from school at the park. Beautiful weather, plus she was really excited to see the girls since she hasn't seem both of them since school got out. Malone Park is really nice, but there's always a massive crowd of people so if you're planning on taking a kid there, I'd recommend they play with a friend so they always have someone to be with. This week Wednesday, Mia's going to Cecilia's birthday party. She's super excited because it's at a kids salon.

Wednesday,  Mia had a zoo class. Oodles of Art. It was a really fun all-day class. When I picked her up. she had a big portfolio full of projects she made, but for some reason, was way more excited about the custom lunch bag I drew for her of a red panda. Later, we celebrated Jill's birthday after she got home from work with tacos and ice cream. YUM. My sister stopped over with a unique Stitch mug. Jill loved it. Saturday, we did yard work ALL day. Cut the grass, did some planting and mulch work in the front. Later, we had late dinner and a bon fire. We were all pretty exhausted but worked well and our yard has never looked better.

Sunday, we spent the day cleaning before I went to work. We've got a lot of family coming into town today. My brother Bryan and his family are driving in at this moment from Nebraska and my half-bro Todd and his boys are coming in from Michigan. I work 2-10 but will get to reunite with everyone later. We're all very excited to see them all and it promises to be a pretty great week. Brewers game tomorrow, celebrating Alex's birthday Wednesday and Torrent game Friday. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

3 Day Weekend

Good evening all. Voice is completely hoarse after a rough Torrent game today, but we'll get back to that later. The week was pretty good.  Mia got to hang out with old buddies Hannah and Gracie on Wednesday. Mia had a blast and it's always nice catching up with their Mom. Friday through Sunday, I took off. Friday, Mia and I went to the library and she checked out as many Eric Carle books she could. Her absolute favorite author.

Later, I went to the Torrent vs Stars match. I felt confident going into the match, then I found out 3 major players were suspended. Not great. We drew 0-0. Great crowd, we hyped the crowd as best we could. Going into Sunday's match, the win would have been solid. They won Tuesday, drew Friday and today, we lost 2-1. We got an early goal against the dreaded DCFC before giving up a PK to draw 1-1 before HT. The Northern Guard supporters invaded Tosa and chanted all match. They're an impressive supporters group, despite their hate for our city, our team and our state. We can get to their level one day, but it always takes time and patience. 2nd half, we started strong, but ended up having a slip up on the backbone leaving a 1v1 for DCFC to chip one over our always hard-working keeper.
DAMN. If we could have beat these jerks, we could have sent them home crying and destroyed their winning streak. As for now, we're tied for 4th, with not a lot of matches left to play. Next game, my older bro is coming in to watch. We should be able to win this and I hope we can hold our place. That's the goal.

Saturday, we celebrated my wonderful wife Jill's birthday early with a rooftop dinner at People's Park in Waukesha. My parents and Jill's family attended. Despite the rain that ended our rooftop dining experience, we had a great time. Jill loved all of her gifts and that everyone could come. Wednesday is her actual birthday so Mia and I will take her out for frozen yogurt most likely. Today, Mia had a zoo class while I was at the match. She had a lot of fun with Jill making a diorama about polar bears. Wednesday, she has an all-day class and is really looking forward to it. Her good friend Cecilia returns to Wisconsin today, so she's looking forward to hanging out with her again. Hopefully we can set something up this week.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

A Father's Life For Me

Good evening everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the weekend and Father's Day (to the Dad's out there) Summer is in full swing here, and Mia's enjoying not having to get up for school. She hasn't been getting up as late as she probably thinks (usually rolls out of bed around 8:30-9:00am which is fine because we'll get to spend the day together before I'm stuck at work. Wednesday, Mia and her partner in the lemonade business Noelle went to HAWS to donate their earnings to the shelter. The girls had a blast looking at all the dogs, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs and birds. They played after I brought Noelle back. While driving, I heard Noelle say to Mia that she wishes she has her in her 1st grade in the Fall. I'm glad she's got a nearby friend in the neighborhood. Mia really liked that Noelle had some blue-ish semi-perm highlights in her hair so on Friday night, Mia and Jill did some hair dying of their own. Aqua to be exact. It's a cute Summer look. 

Thursday, Mia reunited with some old friends that she hasn't seen in a really long time. Gracie and Hannah. Her first friends she made when she was about 2 1/2 years old. The girls have definitely gotten bigger and were cart-wheeling and flipping all over Gracie's room. It was fun to watch Mia play with them again and we hope they can hang out when it's not 90 degrees.  Friday, Mia and I hung outside and colored under the tree. Such a simple thing to just sit and color but it was so relaxing and fun. When I'm stuck at work inside, all I want to do is be outside with Mia doing something.

Saturday after cutting the grass, we visited my Dad for an early Father's Day celebration. He loved the goofy light up shoes he wanted when he saw Mia's pair. Later, we played some backyard baseball. It was Mia's first time swinging at a ball and she did pretty well. I heard today, she played again, but with Jill's family. 

Sunday, Mia insisted that we watch my favorite movie-Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. She really liked it and was such a sport to watch the whole thing. She made me a really nice beer mug, some cards and a cute book to read together. We went out to MOD pizza for lunch before I went to work the rest of the day.

This week, nothing majorly planned till the weekend (unless we spare-the-moment hang with some of Mia's buddies. I'm off Friday-Sun. Friday night-Torrent game. Sunday, we're celebrating Jill's birthday at People's Park for dinner. Sunday, another Torrent game that I'll be face painting kids faces before the match. Should be a good time. I need Mia to talk Jill into coming and bringing her trumpet skills. They drew 1-1 on Friday away and have an away game this Tuesday as well. Time to start winning matches again boys! 

That's all for now, thanks for reading! 

One Last Dance?

Good evening everyone. Well, it's been a busy year but school is finally over for the diva. What a year. She gained so much knowledge, confidence, friends and a lot of skills that I can't believe she could master in a short amount of time. She's academically and physically more than ready for 1st grade, but for now, we're going to enjoy the time off from school as much as possible. She's got two zoo classes coming up this month and we're working on setting up violin lessons as well.

Wednesday after school let out,  I delivered my Skywalker drawing that I did for Samuel, one of the awesome kids I taught a few months ago. He wants to be an artist one day (like I did when I was his age) so I decided to surprise him with something special. I found out he had a rough week and the drawing made him smile. Awesome :) After wards, myself, Mia and Noelle walked home from school together. The pair most likely can walk to school daily next Fall since Noelle may be not riding the bus. I know Mia would love it. They hung out with Noelle's neighbors for a few hours till it was time to head home.

I met up with my Dad later and we went to the Torrent vs Kzoo FC match. Both teams fought hard, but in the end Kzoo with the help of some clueless refs got the win. It was a frustrating loss to say the least. Today, they drew 2-2 in Michigan. The team really needs to kick it up and get some more wins. We had a great time at the match and hope they can win the next one on the road. Thursday, Mia had her dress rehearsal before her recital. She had no problem dancing in her costume and was ready for Saturday.

Friday was Mia's LAST day of school. She was super excited and brought a couple of gifts for the teachers. She had a early release and got to spend the rest of her day with Jill and I before I had to split for work. The pair went to Store Fire Pizza for dinner.

Saturday was the first time we didn't have to get the diva up for dance, although she ended up waking up early anyways :P We visited with Jill's family before heading home to get ready for the big recital. Mia got ready backstage with Jill as we patiently waited for her group to come out. There was about 26 different groups performing all together. My parents joined us as well. When Mia came out in her dress and ballet slippers, I couldn't stop smiling. She stuck it out through dance class and performed very well. A lot of the girls in her group would be peering over at Mia to see what dance moves to do next. She was just so perfect on that big stage in front of so many people. She's currently proclaiming that she will not be doing dance next year and would like to try something new and different. I'm fine with either. Who knows what her future could look like for an extracurricular activity. All I know is that it was very special seeing her perform. She was also rewarded Perfect Attendance as well. After dance, we went to get frozen yogurt at Yo Mamma. VERY good and we'll for sure be back.

Sunday, Jill and I surprised Mia by taking her to Minooka where she met up with her grandparents who set up a little End of School picnic at the beach. We grilled and Mia and Grandma made tin can ice cream. Very tasty. I watched the Penguins beat the Predators in Game 6. What a season. First Chelsea takes the Premier League title, and now Pittsburgh gets back-to-back wins. Unreal.

I'm glad that Summer break is here and we can try and relax before the school year starts again. This week, back to work. Jill's got some late nights coming up. I've got some Torrent game day images to make and Mia will most likely play with some friends. Nothing major going on this weekend coming up. Father's Day is Sunday and I'm working so we'll see what the girls have planned.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Last Week

Good morning everyone. Hope you enjoyed the incredibly warm weekend, and mostly pleasant week. The week was a pretty busy one. I was off Monday, which was great. We did yard work and enjoyed the Memorial Day together. Mia had went fishing and caught several bull heads. Every time she'd catch one, she'd just for joy. I worked the rest of the week, while cranking out art and design any moment I was home. Saturday, Mia had her very last dance class for the semester before her recital next week. I'm unsure if she's going to do dance next year, but I think she'll move on to a new activity. As a kid, I did baseball and soccer so I understand the desire to try new things. Hopefully, she finds something she's in love with and enjoys going to. If not, no biggie, we'll move on to the next one. After dance, Mia immediately changed and met up with Noelle at our house before driving to Jill's studio for the first Mia and Noelle's Sweets and Treats sale. The girls have been super excited all week about it. With the crappy weather, I didn't know what to expect. The stand was set up indoors when we got in, but luckily, everything cleared and we moved it outside. The girls did really well and had a lot of fun. It was interesting to watch them figure out how to operate as a business. One would get the little umbrella, while the other would pour the juice and grab the straw. They had a blast and honestly were the perfect pair. Mia's shy at times and Noelle totally isn't. It worked out well. Noelle would be yelling "LEMONADE FOR SALE! BUY MY LEMONADE!" And that would get people walking from down the sidewalk over. The girls would get all giddy every time someone would wave and walk over. "WE GOT A CUSTOMER!!" They can't wait to do it again. They earned about $187.00 for the local animal shelter. Very proud of them!

Later, We dropped off Mia by my in laws and Jill and I had a late-anniversary dinner at People's Park on top of the roof. SUPER tasty food and we definitely will go back again some time. After wards, we went to the movies to see Pirates of the Caribbean-Dead Men Tell No Tales. GREAT movie. Better than the 4th by a little bit. VERY dark for a Disney/Pirates movie, but we really enjoyed it. I thought it was the last one, but with the after credits scene, we're left thinking there will be one more. Hmm...

Sunday, Mia and Jill met up with the in laws for my Mother in Law's birthday. They drove to Madison to spend time with Tommy and enjoy the beautiful weather.

This week, I have a LOT of art to crank out including a special Luke Skywalker sketch for an awesome little 2nd grader. Wednesday, the Torrent take on Kalamazoo FC. They won their last league match so I hope they can win again! This weekend is Mia's recital so we're all excited to see her in her cute costume dancing.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!