Play in the City

Nature walk

We didn't go to the haunted house last night after all. We were really tired and ... well, alright - I was scared.

I was psyching myself up to go all evening. I came online to read about the history of the Mars Haunted House building and that was it - I didn't want to go anymore.

I don't do ghosts. Or darkness, if I can help it. I'm not really a fan of walking through a pitch dark building, having scary creatures jump out at me, all the while hearing spooky screams and creaks and praying to God that's it's over soon. Nah. Putting on a blindfold and sticking my hands in bowls of cold spaghetti and peeled grapes is more my speed. An old building where people were murdered? Forget about it.

And so we stayed in.

Today was a nice, warm day, so instead of staying inside all day, Dave and I headed out to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center to go for a little hike. I'd never been out there before and had only heard good things. I made a few wrong turns along the way so it took us awhile to get there, but really, it's only 6 miles from where we live, and only about 15 minutes from downtown Milwaukee. The drive was fun - we got to see all the beautiful homes in Whitefish Bay and Fox Point, and all the cute autumn decorations people put out. I'm pretty surprised at how many people carve jack-o-lanterns. There were tons of them!

We didn't have as much time there as we would have liked - but we wanted to be home in time for all the trick-or-treaters who were going to be visiting us from 3 to 5 p.m.! The woman who greeted us when we got there gave us a map and a list of birds and told us where we'd be most likely to see deer and wild turkeys.

We hiked for probably an hour, making our way to the top of a tower that overlooked the area, and walking along the shore of Lake Michigan. We skipped rocks in the water, and said hello to the other families and couples we passed along the way. The trees surrounding us were vibrant shades of yellow and orange. They probably weren't as colorful as they were just a week ago, and the lack of sunshine muted them a bit, too, but they were still beautiful.



We crunched through the leaves and explored a couple of the trails, but upon looking at the map when we were back at the car, we saw that we'd hardly even put a dent in the amount of land that we could have covered. The Center covers 185 acres of land and contains six miles of trails. I didn't really want to leave so soon, but it was becoming overcast and we had candy to hand out at home. It's nice to know that this place that I can go to experience quiet and commune with nature is such a short drive from where I live - I'll definitely go back.

Three o'clock came and we were at home, ready with our big old bucket of candy bars, and we watched a few creepy shows on TV to pass the time. Three-thirty came, then four o'clock. We watched out the window as a few costumed kids here and there went by, but always on the other side of the street! By the time 4:30 rolled around, we just put the bucket out on the front porch. One kid came and took a candy bar. That's it.

So now we're left with a HUMONGOUS bucket of candy bars. Of course, I want to dive right into it, but I'm restraining myself - I've only eaten two so far today. Where the heck were all the Shorewood trick-or-treaters? Next year, I'm just not buying any candy!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween weekend!

Wanted to come on with some updates ...

Dave's been in California the past two weeks for work and I've missed him like crazy - I went to get him at O'Hare very (VERY) early this morning and it was wonderful to see him. We came home as the sun was coming up and slept our morning away.

We're going to take it easy this weekend - no dressing up or crazy night out for us tonight, although I think we're going to check out the Mars Haunted House. It's supposed to be terribly scary and I'm not gonna lie - I'm a pretty big baby when it comes to stuff like scary movies, haunted houses, the dark... I'm sure I'll completely freak out the whole time, but I'm gonna take my chances.

Tomorrow is trick-or-treating in Shorewood, and I'm prepared with a big bucket of candy bars. Living in apartment buildings the past few years, I've never gotten trick-or-treaters. I hope we get a lot tomorrow - or else I'll be eating a heck of a lot of chocolate in the coming weeks!

Yesterday was one year until my wedding so the official countdown has begun. I'm really excited. My Milwaukee blogfriend, Derek is getting married today - and what a perfect, gorgeous day for a wedding it is. Congratulations Derek!

I was informed yesterday that Play in the City is up for Blog of the Week on MKE online again. Just thought I'd throw it out there - although my post about it last time wasn't enough to help me win! My prediction is that Sexy in Milwaukee will win - I mean, with a name like that, how can you lose? But hey, if you feel like visiting the link and trying to improve my chances of a win, well, I'd have no objections to that at all.

63 and still ROCKIN

After seeing Sir Paul McCartney at the Bradley Center last night, I rather feel like I did after I went skydiving. Like I want to explain the emotions and the wonderment, but all I feel like I can do is gush the same nonsense over and over again. It was phenomenal. It was phenomenal. It was PHENOMENAL.

It was 7:00 on a Sunday night, it was cold and pouring rain outside, I'd had a long weekend already and all I really wanted to do was curl up in my pajamas and relax. However, my excitement soon overshadowed my tiredness as I made my way downtown to meet my parents and my brother, Alex, for the show.

Since you can only buy two tickets at once when they go on sale, dad and Alex sat together and mom and I sat together, two sections over. Mom and I were sitting directly across from the stage, in the middle section. Our tickets said 7:30, but the show didn't start til a little after 8:00. At around 7:45 music began to play and so we thought the show was starting, but that music went on for about 20 minutes. It was fun to listen to - it was a mixture of orchestra and techno and rock with some snippets of Paul McCartney thrown in here and there.

The stage was the coolest stage I've ever seen. It was all screens underneath the band and behind them, and the graphics and pictures and colors were constantly changing with the music. When the pre-show music finally stopped, a video came on, documenting Paul's life and career. It lasted a good ten minutes and was fascinating, and it built the anticipation up even more. I was so excited to see him come out, and when he did, singing Magical Mystery Tour, the sold-out crowd just roared. It was amazing.

After the first three songs or so, Paul finally said "Hello Milwaukee!" and everyone cheered. He then said that he had to "drink it all in" and he walked from one end of the stage to the other, basking in the applause, smiling, waving and giving thumbs up and the peace sign. He was just so humble and appreciative. It was so apparent how much he still loves what he does.

The picture is courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He took the jacket off almost right away and looked dashing in the sky blue long-sleeved shirt, and then he changed into a red Tshirt for the final encore that said No More Landmines on the front.

But I digress. Over the course of the three-hour concert, Paul played close to 40 songs, most of them older songs, with a few of his better new ones mixed in (my favorite being English Tea). He played so many of my favorites - Please, Please Me, Til There Was You, Good Day Sunshine, Drive My Car, Maybe I'm Amazed, Got to get you into my Life, Get Back, Band on the Run, Jet, I'll Follow the Sun, Back in the U.S.S.R., Penny Lane, Let It Be ... I could go on and on.

Even Hey Jude, which isn't one of my favorites, was just so fun to listen to. Having a sing-along with 20,000 other people to the Na Na Na's under Paul's direction is a pretty good time.

Sitting there, I became completely overwhelmed by the fact that I was lucky enough to be there, seeing one of the best musicians (if not THE best) of all time. Yes, I may have even shed a few tears. Perhaps I was born in the wrong generation, because no music has ever moved me and thrilled me the way Beatles music does.

I was amazed at how much he interacted with the crowd. There were thousands and thousands of people in there, and yet the concert had an intimate feel to it, like he was talking specifically to you. He was in very good spirits, making the crowd laugh a lot. He read signs that people were holding up, he made jokes, he told stories of his Beatles days, and he had us all give some applause for our dearly departed, George, John, and Linda.

And that voice.

He sounded perfect. His voice was as good as it was when he was 22 years old. His band was absolutely awesome, too. The band came out for two encores, and each encore was about three or four songs long. I yelled and screamed like a mad woman, trying my darndest to show my adoration.

It was the best concert I've ever been to, a million times over. It was worth every penny of the $130 ticket, and then some. I was simply bursting when I walked out of the Bradley Center.

He's going to have to stop touring one of these days, and it will be a sad day when he does. I probably will never be able to see him live again - though I will try - but I feel so fortunate to have been there last night.

Big Moment!

Well, folks, it finally happened. I've hit the big time.

I don't know if I've written about this on here before or if I simply tell people, but Dave has been teasing me for quite some time now, saying in mock exasperation, "when are you going to start getting recognized when we go places?"

Last night at the Paul McCartney concert, I sat down with my mom and we talked while waiting for the show to start. The guy sitting right ahead of me turned back after a few minutes and said "excuse me" and I looked at him thinking that maybe I had accidentally bumped him or something. Then he said, "Do you write the Play in the City blog?"

Well, my face probably just lit up like a big ol' Christmas tree. "Why, yes!" I said. He said that he thought he recognized me when I walked in and that he reads the blog and enjoys it. He told me his name was Carson and I told him that it was very good to meet him - my first fan, sitting right in front of me! 

I'm sure Carson didn't like me as much once the concert was over seeing as though I screamed my head off right over him after every song, but what can you do? Anyway, I'm going to write about the concert but thought that it - and this big moment! - should have its own post.

Thank you for the compliment, Carson!

Girls Gone ... Shopping

My weekend in Minnesota was all kinds of good fun. Drove up there on Friday afternoon/evening and came back already Sunday morning/afternoon, so it went very quickly, but it was still quite nice.

Friday night, Amanda, Christi and I caught up over a few bottles of wine, and Saturday we spent a good part of the day bridesmaid dress shopping. We didn't expect to actually find the one, but we did. Vera Wang, chocolate brown, DIVINE - so I'm very excited about that. Saturday night we went out to dinner at a cute bistro called Figlio. Sunday morning we went out for breakfast and then Christi and I headed back down to Wisconsin.

The drive was surprisingly pleasant - and went much quicker than the ride up there had been. The trees along I-94 were the most fiery, gorgeous trees I think I may have ever seen. I wanted to snap a few pictures, but it wasn't possible while driving 75 miles per hour down the freeway (and it didn't occur to me to have Christi take them). They were beautiful, though. Autumn in Wisconsin is very fleeting, but it sure is splendid for the short time it's here.

MIA

Tomorrow I'll be heading up to Minneapolis until Sunday for a fun-filled girls' weekend. And then I'll be back just in time for the Paul McCartney concert at the Bradley Center on Sunday night.

I give you this information because it of course means that I won't be around to share my outdoor escapades with you this weekend. I've been so wrapped up in work and in my weekend plans that I'm not even sure what's going on in Milwaukee in the next few days. (I know, what kind of outdoor blogger am I?) However, OnMilwaukee.com always has a good "Weekend Preview" on Fridays, and Sarah over at Paint the Town will know what's going on indoors. That'll get you started!

If I were you (which, ok, I'm not, but let's just pretend), I would enjoy one of the last autumn weekends by carving a pumpkin, visiting a haunted house, or taking a long walk or bike ride.

(But I'm not you. I'm me. So I'll be spending my weekend drinking wine, visiting with my girls, shopping for bridesmaid dresses, and eating out. And driving a lot. And seeing a Beatle!)

Anyway, on second thought, I think the weather is supposed to be pretty crappy this weekend around here - not to mention in Florida! Are these people ever going to catch a break? - so perhaps it'd be better to stay in.

Whatever you do, I hope you have a great weekend. And hey - why don't you leave me some love while I'm gone? I know there are plenty of you who visit often but never say anything. I think in the blogosphere, you're called lurkers. Come on, you can say whatever you want. I mean, you might as well since you're here anyway...

Pumpkin Picking

Yesterday after visiting the Public Market, eating out for lunch, and getting some Starbucks coffee, Dave and I rounded out our ideal autumn Saturday by driving out to a local pumpkin patch and picking out some perfect ones for carving.

The plan had been to go to Apple Holler, but the day got away from us pretty quickly so we opted for a closer pumpkin farm. (Apple Holler is about 30 miles outside of Milwaukee.)



We drove out to Simon's Farm in New Berlin. I can't find anything about it online, but I knew of it because we used to live out that way. Taking 43 South out of Milwaukee, it's about 20 minutes away, just off of the Racine Ave./Hwy. Y exit. They sell pumpkins, gourds, squash and other fresh produce, plus they offer hay rides on the weekends. We went out into the big pumpkin patch and started our search. The sun was getting low in the sky and it was just the most beautiful afternoon.



I've never picked my own pumpkin from a patch before - and it was difficult to decide because they were all such perfect shapes and colors. Dave found his right away - a huge, tall thing - but I took a bit longer to decide on the right one. We lugged them inside to pay for them and then loaded them into the car.

We stopped at Target for some necessary items, and went into the costume section just for the heck of it and tried on some masks. I still haven't decided what I'm going to be this year, though!



When we got home, we settled outside on our front stoop to carve our pumpkins, and we had to work rather quickly because it was getting mighty dark outside. When we were all finished, we lit them up and they look great. I hope they last through Halloween!

Milwaukee Public Market

"Now this is what a Saturday is supposed to be."

This is what I said to Dave yesterday as we perused the stands at the Milwaukee Public Market. After much waiting and anticipation, the market finally had its grand opening yesterday, and from the looks of the crowds it drew, it's going to be a huge success.

We got off the freeway early yesterday afternoon and the streets surrounding the market were jam-packed with cars whose drivers were trying unsuccessfully to find parking. We drove around for awhile and finally just paid $4 to park in a lot across the street.

We walked through the doors of the market and quickly saw that it was going to take awhile to get through the place. Hundreds of people were inching their way past stand after stand, eyeballing the freshly baked cookies and bread, sampling cheeses and tortilla chips, enjoying the aromas of roasting coffee, bunches of wild flowers, and fresh fish, and touching the ripe fruits and vegetables.

The people handing out samples couldn't keep up with demand, and several stands, including a soup stand and a bread stand, were completely sold out of their products. Dave and I made our way through the place, bought a giant chocolate chip cookie and a few apples, and then we went upstairs to get a better view. There were a couple dozen small tables with chairs where people could eat, relax, and escape the crowds. A cooking demonstration was going on and Aurora Healthcare had a stand up there, and that was about it for the second level.

The Milwaukee Public Market is going to be a great asset to the city. It will be nice to go back on a day when one can actually browse and move around freely, but I'm glad, too, that I got to be there on the day it made its big debut.

Celebrity Shoot-out

Last night I spent my evening rubbing elbows with local media celebrities at the Bradley Center. I didn't win the shootout like I'd hoped to - but I was close - and I had a really fun night anyway.

I rushed home from work yesterday and changed my clothes and then we were off to meet my parents downtown for the Admirals season home opener. A little before 7:00 we made our way up to level 300 - where the suites are. I had never been in a suite before and it was really nice - spacious and comfortable with a great view of the ice. There were chips and salsa out on the tables, and after a few minutes, pizzas were set out. Beer and soda were served, and I sipped my Pepsi (unfortunately, I hate beer) as I watched the other celebrity shooters stroll in.



We grabbed some pizza as the players were announced, and we listened to the national anthem as solemnly as we could - seeing as though it was sung by an Elvis impersonator. The game began and Dave and my dad sat in the seats with their beer and watched the first period as my mom and I talked and nonchalantly tried to name all the local TV anchors surrounding us.

I was very excited when Jim Stingl arrived, as he is the only one I'd met before. I really enjoyed meeting him when he wrote the story on the blog, and I was looking forward to talking with him again. I visited with him a lot throughout the night, and he was very kind in introducing me to the people I may not have met otherwise.

I got to talk with Susan Kim from Channel 4 for quite awhile - she was incredibly sweet and her family was beautiful - and I also met Charlie Sykes (he and Bill Michaels were human hockey pucks last night), Bill Johnson of ESPN radio (who wanted a picture with me so he could be on the blog!), Mike Strehlow of Channel 58 (he was incredibly nice and cute - and he smiled a lot!), and Patrick Paolantonio from Channel 12 (so handsome!), who was there with co-anchor, Caroline Lyders, to root on his other coworker, Joe Gehl.



I'm not sure how much of the game I actually watched. I was talking a lot, and we were sitting just above the new Poop Deck - and the fans sitting there were REALLY loud with their yelling and their ringing cow bells.

Halfway through the second period, we were taken downstairs to prepare for our shootout. Dave rode the elevator down with us - he was my official photographer, like always. I had been wondering where Gene Mueller was and when we got downstairs, we saw him - he had never gotten his suite tickets in the mail, so he and his family were sitting elsewhere. I have listened to Reitman and Mueller for years and I was very happy to meet him.



The second period ended and the players shuffled by us into the locker room, slapping hands with their young fans as they went by. We had been lined up in the order we were to be shooting in, and we headed onto the ice in a single-file line.

One by one we took our shots. Jim Stingl went first and missed. Susan Kim, the only other woman in the group, missed. Everyone ahead of me missed except Jim Powell and Joe Gehl. I was second-to-last and was feeling pretty confident when I walked up there. I wound up a bit, pushed the puck, and ... missed by about two inches. DARN!

I have to say, I think of all the people who missed, I came the closest to getting it in the goal. (But what's the old saying? 'Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.') Gene Mueller brought up the rear - and missed (by quite a bit - but who's keeping track?) Jim and Joe both shot again and Jim ended up winning the $1,000 for his charity. The rest of our charities got $100.



So then we headed back upstairs and watched the rest of the game. Well, almost - I think most everyone left a bit before it ended. The Admirals ended up losing, 0-1. I said good-bye to everyone and got a hug from Susan Kim. I also had to give Jim Stingl a big hug, of course. I must say, he holds quite a special place in my heart now. He's just the nicest person ever to talk to. I truly hope I can see him again and again!

The four of us went to Buck Bradley's for a drink after the game and visited for another hour or so. It was a really, really fun night. I had been a bit nervous since I'm not exactly a local celebrity the way the others are, but they were all so nice. I feel very lucky to have been invited.

Welcome to the weekend

I gotta say, I'm pretty psyched to have the entire upcoming weekend off.

I've been working weekends since I was 14 years old. What does it feel like to get out of work on a Friday evening and not have to be back until Monday morning? To be off at the same time as other normal people? Hmmm... I'm about to find out.

As far as jobs go, I think my new one will be pretty cool - nice people, awesome office, and I think I'll learn a lot - but this whole working full-time thing is a little rough. What can I say? My life has been quite leisurely since graduating in May and well, this week has been a wake-up call. This is what people do, huh? Day after day, week after week, year after year? Yowza!

I'm just teasing. Sort of. I'll get used to it and probably love it. And I'm sure weekends will help tremendously.

So tomorrow night is the Admirals game. My parents and Dave are coming along and we get to watch the game from the party suite, which sounds pretty ... well, sweet. A press release was posted on the Admirals site yesterday and it lists all the people who will be there with me.

I heard Jim Stingl talking with Gene Mueller on the radio yesterday morning, and it sounds like neither of them have much hockey experience, either, so perhaps I won't be the only one nervous about hitting some pucks. Tonight Dave showed me how to hold a hockey stick in our kitchen, and I used a mop to practice my swing. We'll see tomorrow if it helped at all.



Saturday is the Milwaukee Public Market Grand Opening and I'll definitely be checking it out. We're also going to head to Apple Holler to get some pumpkins and then carve them up. This year we can put them outside and light them at night since we live on the second floor and can put them up on the deck. Take that all you pumpkin-smashers out there!

I'll post more this weekend. Have a good one!