destinationwi

January 2009 - Wow when did that happen. I still remember the craziness over the year 2000 coming along and now it's nine years later. I think you are officially old when the time passes by faster than you can count. 2008 was an amazing year for me with MANY firsts, and not the kind the lunch crew will think of ;)

January - We were newly engaged and holding on to our belief that Favre was going to take the Packers to the Superbowl and win. We wholeheartedly thought that green and gold was in the air. So much so that we planned to celebrate in Arizona at the Superbowl location, after all Brett needed some Wisconsin backup!

February - We were sadly mistaken about the green gold feeling in our hearts, but we went to Arizona anyway because we had good friends there. My first time in Arizona or any type of western state for that matter. I was like a small child who had never seen a cactus. All my pictures consisted of cacti (I learned this is the plural word for multiple cactus plants).It was negative 10 at home and in this 50-60 degree weather I busted out my shorts and tank tops. We watched the game, had some drinks and truly enjoyed chilling out.

March - Justin's birthday was celebrated low key, as we were waiting to embark on my company trip to Mexico. Playa Del Carmen to be exact. My first time in Mexico and another country. This actually required purchasing a passport...who knew this small town girl would ever make it out of the country. I think it is strange that the first time I leave the country it is for a trip that I earned at my job. But I suppose stranger things have happened! Mexico was a lot of fun, we enjoyed the company we were with and I came home with a new appreciation of what it meant to be an American. I have not experienced an area where there are poverty stricken people including children. I came home feeling thankful for everything and everyone that I have in my life.

April - Wow, I am 30 that is crazy! Justin surprised me with a trip to Vegas. My first time in Las Vegas and it was BAD ASS! Looking forward to going back there again.

May - I caught my first Walleye and it was a beauty! I earned myself a front row spot on the hooch wall, now that is a true honor.

June / July - Big blur considering just about every weekend we spent driving home to Wisconsin. Lots of fishing, fish fries and tag saling baby that's where it's at. Throw in a Brett Michaels concert while he was filming Rock of Love Bus version and you got one hot summer!

August / September - State Fair and all that food.

October - Well this was the treat to ourselves for working hard and doing all of the wedding planning. We went to Hawaii, Kauai to be exact. Heaven is the only word that comes to mind. Blue water, green lush grass and wild orchids need I say more. This was my first time to Hawaii and my first 8 hour plane ride. Justin played literally 8 hours of gameboy while Heather literally read for 8 straight hours. Adam and I struggled through playing trivia games and watching some OK movies. We left Hawaii with many ideas trying to figure out our travel plans for the rest of our lives as we purchased a time share in this little slice of Heaven we now call our own. This was my first time listening to or even thinking about purchasing let alone actually buying one. It must be all of that fresh air, or the fact that I couldn't live with myself if I left that island without a clear cut path to finding a way back. Get straight to power and negotiate isn't that the way it goes? I also ordered my very own fish meal, my first time ordering fish. Sounds lame but a big deal for this American eater ;)

November - It's almost time. I have been waiting a long time for just the right guy to come along at just the right time. In turn it did work out just in time when Justin came along. I realize that yes in fact I am overbearing, controlling, not a morning person, boring eater, and sometimes I just plain lose my damn mind for no reason. He not only stuck around but asked for me to stay around for life and this month we were going to celebrate with all of our friends and family! I recall very clearly that looking around at our wedding reception and truly seeing every person there. Each of them represents a little piece of me, each of them leaving their impression on me and forever changing the way that I see the world. It took my breath away to see that all of them were there to celebrate our success in this journey we call life. I don't get sappy often but this day was something indescribable.

December - No Christmas decorations for the Kramer household. We were barely here and were exhausted from all of the planning. The Kooyers were kind enough to invite us to their family celebration on Christmas Eve and we had a blast. We got to enjoy amazing food and company that WAS NOT our crazy ass family. Actually instead of the ugly sweater party we should start attending other crazy ass family holiday celebrations. Think of how much fun that would actually be, we wouldn't care who forgot the ham or who had too much to drink or even the crazy Uncle who still gives the creepy hugs. I think I am on to something here, holidays could take on a whole new meaning.I spent the ENTIRE month of December trying to make sure that I hit my goal at work. Note to self do not wait until the last minute ever again. Lost 10 years off of my life with that shit!

Cheers to 2009 here we come.

This is our official Shout Out to our Wedding Party. Let's be real, this day would have never happened if it were not for you guys! We love you and were so happy you were part of our special day!

Chris & Brian
Thank you for kicking off Friday night with such a great video...a tribute to Justin, Brats, The Pack and Great Friends! Brought us all to tears.
***It is however a strange irony that both Justin and Chris were pulling all nighters on the same night for a video???

Jenine & Chris
Thank you for taking over the programs...we were out of steam!

Michael
Thank you for taking the Shank Bus I mean the Mega Bus and arriving on time with a smile even though you had the flu. I saw a whole new side of Kutzner and I think I like it...organized and on point!

Ann
Thank you for saving the day with a last minute "perfect" (Wedig's Way) lacing of a dress. Although you had only seen it once for a minute you pulled it all together on the fly! Way to think on your feet.

Heather
Thank you for listening to every drawn out dramatic detail about this wedding, and bless your heart you actually cared to hear about it. As I am writing this I am recalling the fact that on your wedding day Snickers ran away from home and it was a disaster...on my wedding day your car gets hit and the guy tries to drive away and it was a disaster. Such as life ;)

Heather & Adam
Thank you for your special touches, you guys did an AMAZING job with our room at the St. Paul hotel. I don't know what it's like to stay there without the Kooyers ;)

Tara
You get the Director's Award...for getting thrown into a list of tasks that you just found out about that minute and doing an AMAZING job on pulling all of the details together. I didn't think one second about what was happening down there...and the floor took my breathe away when I saw it! Thank you so much for your help of setting up and taking down all of that stuff!

The Sorry's

Heather
I am sorry your hair was giving you drama and your car got hit in the same day!
Cramer
I am sorry Brian announced your wherabouts when we trying to take pictures.
Kutzner
I am sorry you were denied at Erberts & Gerberts.
Wedig
I am sorry you went room to room looking for a box for the top part of our cake!
Snoop Dog
I am sorry your song was represented during our prayer circle...no disrespect man - just keepin it real!
Brian
I am sorry that you had to try so hard not to laugh during Snoop Dog's presence.
All
I am sorry I hired a Flower Nazi but the flowers were awesome!
Landmark
I am sorry that we exposed you to the Humpty Dance and the Polka all on the same night.

All jokes aside ;)

This was an Awesome day, everything was perfect and we are so grateful to have such amazing friends to help out...Thank You!

There are many things in a household that are necessary that you may only need to buy once in your life....such as a plunger. I was walking through Target yesterday and saw a lady walking around the store with only a plunger in her hand. This stops me dead in my tracks thinking:

1. Have you moved into your first place and now realized it did not come with a plunger?
2. Is this a house warming gift...funny.
3. Is this the only reason you are in this store?
4. If so, do you realize how funny you look walking around Target holding a plunger?
5. Is there an emergency at home? That sucks.

Or maybe just maybe she is heading to a batchelorette party where plungers are hours of fun ;)

Justin and I got home really late on Sunday night from our WI weekend. I was exhausted Monday morning and should have stayed in bed. Contrary to my better judgement I drag myself out of bed and get ready to head to work. Usually I car pool with Justin and he drops me off, but this particular morning I had a Dr.'s appt. so I dropped him off.

While half asleep driving back to my building I accidentally turn down a one way the wrong way with cars coming at me. That is a start to a bad day, luckily there was a parking ramp right there that I had to quickly turn into. I circled the ramp looking for the exit...this is a disaster! Finally I find the exit and then realize that I have to pay to get out of the ramp, I have literally been in this ramp for 5 minutes.

This even cost me $1.75 to exit the ramp.

Lesson Learned....sometimes it's just better for all involved to stay in bed.

Joy put together a fabulous shower at her house in my honor complete with Family and Friends it was fantastic. Heather and Ann drove all the way in from the cities (5 hours) to help me celebrate which was very sweet!

Heather coordinated a fantastic game including gifts that her Mom had brought home from Japan. They were awesome! Everyone had a great time with the game and everyone enjoyed their gifts.

We had a feast of so much yummy food and I received wonderful gifts that I will enjoy for a long time!

Thank you to - Joy - Heather - Ann for throwing such a great shower!

Dear Frack (Rich-Justin's Dad),

It's Frick and I needed to write you this letter because we couldn't duplicate this day again for all of eternity. This is being published to the internet so that all can see that Frick and Frack prevail in the end.

Frack, I am so sorry that you tried to make coffee twice today (in a row) and forgot to put the coffee screen in the coffee maker. I know I tried really hard not to laugh at you jumping up and down with coffee grinds running down your leg and onto your feet (twice-in a row).

Frack, I realize that while bringing the boat into the water dropping the wing-nut (no pun intended) down a very skinny and deep crack in the floor was not conducive to our getting out to fish. It's a good thing the wing-nut didn't have ears because the cuss words that you must have dropped during this event might have made the wing-nut cry. I realize all the implements of destruction that you tried to use to retrieve this wing-nut must have been flung all over the boathouse due to their failure to solve your problem.

Equally cussing on the other side of town there I was, Frick driving home from Kwik Trip with my Big Buddy and custard filled long-john getting ready for my fishing trip with Frack. About half way home the phone rings - Frack: "Frick I don't have any worms...are you already on your way home?" Frick: "Yes, Frack I am on my way home let's not worry about the worms let's fish with sleeches" Continuing on my way home and several bites into my custard filled long-john I realize that there is no custard in this donut. That was depressing...upon arriving home and telling Frack about this incident...he replied with "Frick, you got a sterile long-john?"

What a start to the day...Frick and Frack shake hands and agree to have a good rest of the day. Once we arrived at our fishing location we dropped the anchor and commenced to fish. The Pink Lady went in the water first...my new hot pink fishing pole that fishes them boys under the boat every time! Frack was baiting up some poles when the pink lady gets her first bite. Holy cats...it's a Walleye and nice one!

Frack, our luck is turning up at this point. 5 Walleyes later we had the best fishing time ever! Frack could barely pour himself a cup of coffee let alone man the poles. Each Walleye presented a new challenge, tripping over poles, getting stuck in the net or the most common problem catching the fish faster than we could handle them. Which most of the time turned into Frick "Dutch-Hauling" the fish over the side of the boat.

"Dutch-Hauling" - This is Frack's name for reeling in a large wild fish and instead of using a net the experienced fisher person flings the fish out of the water and directly into the boat. This is actually a skill that takes people years and years to develop, because any false moves here will allow the fish to break or bite the line resulting in loss of the catch.



Just before the rain came in Frick and Frack ended their adventures with smiles on their face and fresh Walleye to clean.

Best Walleye fishing so far to date this summer. Not too bad for Frick and Fack.

Cheers to additional Frick and Frack adventures.

Love,

Frick

This past weekend I was in Wisconsin to participate in the Bridal Shower that my future Mother-in-Law was throwing for me. Reluctantly I agreed to this event because Joy really wanted to do it for me. So here is the low down in a nut shell:

I drove home by myself, well I guess it was me, the girls, a large coke, bag of Cheetos and sour chewies so let's be real I wasn't by myself. I was just minus the usual suspect chauffeur (Justin). The drive was fine other than the time I had to stop to use the restroom and the closest town had a prison in it....not a good idea to stop here! So several exits later with just a tad of sunlight left I found a good spot.

My man only gave me directions to a certain point then I had to call him because construction was confusing etc. So here is how that conversation went, in the pitch black on some busted ass county road. "Now babe stop the car because the cell phones might cut out, so listen carefully....at the stop sign take a left onto 49, then a left onto County Road D (as in dog) then a left onto County Road B (as in boy)"

My translation of this conversatoin was....really am I out here with Jason Voorhies or even the children of the corn in the pitch black trying to find my way somewhere - with no damn cell phone...how have I let this happen to myself.

                                                                                                         

Finally, I find myself to County Road B - my destination is just a short drive down this road! The only problem is that this is AKA "Deer Alley"
                     Meet my 2006 Ford Fusion                         

As I was honking at a family of deer on the left hand side of the road before my very eyes a huge deer ran across the street right in front of my car. That is some scary stuff!!!! I always wondered why we would hear honking during the night in the country. Well I know now...either you are saving yourself or you are letting the world know another one bites the dust!

12:15 am - Mission Accomplished.

After a rough week at the dentist and work I was looking for a pick me up when I realized a glass of milk and Oreos would be just the perfect fit.

You should try it.

I am very much enjoying the warm sun and the lush green grass. in the back of my mind I know that summer will pass by in a blink of an eye and Old Man Winter will be staring back.

Cheers to all the fishing, sun bathing, roller blading, grass mowing, grilling, strolling, shopping, and just laying around that summer offers. Get outside and enjoy it!

For as long as I can remember I have worked Memorial Day weekend as a Finance Manager in a car dealership. It is one of the busiest weekends of the year and attendance was mandatory. So while the rest of the world was celebrating I was trying to make money!

Last year was my first Memorial Day out of the car biz and I spent it laid up on the couch with a hurt mouth. I had my Wisdom teeth taken out and I won't bore you with the gorey details but let's just say that I didn't leave the house and the weekend blew by without me ever celebrating anything.

This year we headed up to Justin's parents place on Lake Poygon in WI. The weather was great and I knew I was going to fish every day from dawn till dusk...just the way I like it! We either fish off of the dock or we take out "Group Therapy" (The family boat) On this particluar evening we were fishing off of the dock at about 8 pm, Justin was helping Joy cook dinner while me and Snickers were on patrol of the fishing poles.

While I was reeling in the first pole I noticed all of the line was missing off of the real which is strange because usually we catch small pan fish like perch or blue gill....sometimes you get an occassional catfish or carp. While I was reeling there was no tension on the line so I thought that the fish broke the line maybe while going through the neighbors dock....when all of a sudden I noticed a tug and another tug. I thought what is this thing, I have been known to sound false alarms so I wanted to at least see what it was before ringing the alarm. As this fish got closer the slack in the line was less...all very strange this was no ordinary pan fish. All of a sudden as I am leaning over the side of the dock in search for what kind of treasure lie under the water all of a sudden my eyes met the eye of a Northern....we saw each other he rolled over about 10 times in an attempt to break the line. I just about fell into the water and started screaming like a small child..."I got a big one down here I need help....get the net! Hurry Hurry"

At this point I can see Justin standing at the grill he looks over and decides that the chicken is more important that what I need so I scream some more. Along comes Stew Rondale (Rich) running as fast as he can down through the yard he grabs the net and in one ultimately skilled swoop of the net he gets the fish. This fish is mad and strong, he is flipping in the net and I swear I thought he was going to bite right through the net. I have seen the mouth of a Northern before, both mounted and while alive. It looks like about 100 razor sharp teeth...NO THANK YOU!

All in all I must say it was a fun catch...27.5 inches 5.5 lbs. and I gained all the respect from the guys. What a great time, also on a side note I was the one who caught all of the fish. Croppies and Blue Gills, too bad for them!

Here is a pic of the real catch!

 

Dear Polar F6 Heart Monitor,

The fact that you have dared to enter into my home is one thing but you actually think you are going to push me around? You are just a small pink watch that beeps, how intimidating do you really think that is? I will win this battle! It's on.



Workout #1

Went well, the beeping was annoying about 10 minutes into The Real World. Come on how can I pay attention to the drama on the TV with all of that beeping. Note to self - Tasha how do I turn off the beeping?

Strap fits better than anticipated and you don't notice it after a minute or two.

Here is a secret....the calories burned on your eliptical or treadmill are ALL LIES! To the tune of 71 calories for one work out. Damn that's like half of a coke, or a glass of fat free milk.  71 Calories times 4 workouts a week....that's an entire 40 minute workout!

Polar your still cool, I learned a few things and once you learn the ground rules this might be a succesful relationship.

Cheers,

Chrissy

At dinner last night I found myself actually saying out loud "If I ruled the world it would be a better place".

With my Mom's eye surgery that has not been successful to a couple of very close friends who are having family struggles. If I had a magic wand to make all the people that I love feel better I would. That's the problem with life it's unpredictable and way out of our control, no matter how much we want to fix the problem we can't. This makes my heart heavy!

Today I will try to let the weight of the world go, only for the day of course because it's my nature.

Let me preface this entry with I am in no way shape or form a morning person. So when things don't go as I planned in the morning the rest of the day is wrecked.

This weekend I bought a super cute pair of Cargo pants at Kohl's. I planned on wearing them this morning when I realized that there was a large tag that read "Remove after purchase". Fine, I grab my scissors and carefully cut the tag off only to see a hole in the pants. That's right folks I cut a hole in the pants....rendering them trash. Not good....

I changed into some jeans while mumbling sarcastic remarks under my breath. Really??? Is this what society has turned into? People have been stealing clothes forever and stores can't bear the loss of these actions anymore so now they arm clothes with this "Remove after purchase" tag. I am irritated that my pants are wrecked and now I have to go purchase new ones because they are too cute to let go. I am also irritated at the fact that the preventative measures to protect stores from theft have invaded my morning. I have officially been stolen from, I spent $25 on these pants only to have them go in the trash.

I am not a morning person.

As I walked into work today with an angry face I busted into out loud laughter when I saw a lady actually wearing a banana clip on the top half of her hair. I have not seen one of those in about 15 years...who knew they were still in existence and someone actually still wears them.

Happy Tuesday :

30 was a birthday that I sincerely did not look forward too. I can't really put my finger on what the problem was but it didn't feel good. Justin realized early on that he was going to have to distract me from this untimely event. That he did....I had been wondering for several weeks where in the world was my surprise Birthday Vacation going to end up?????



We left on a Wednesday night and I didn't find out where we were going until I got to the airport. I was like a small child all over again with excitement. Vegas Baby!

We stayed at the New York New York hotel as we drove up Justin mentioned that he knows I love New York but it's still too cold there for my liking so he brings me New York with warm temperatures. Yay me, maybe he has been listening after all these years ;)

The room is fantastic, we don't stay their long because there is much gambling to be had. Downstairs at about 2 am my time I am diving into a traditional slice of New York style pizza complete with bubbles on the crust and grease dripping off the end. I was in HEAVEN. About half way through the pizza I am caught completely by surprise when someone walks up behind me and kisses me on the cheek. The pizza hit the table and all of the casino heard me scream! Turns out it is Michael who is in town for training...that was very convenient for us.

I was just mentioning to Justin that being up till 2 in the morning just isn't the same without Michael. He had a coworker with him Rod who I had met before but for the life of me I couldn't recognize. We chatted it up had some drinks watched a bunch of Europeans dance with their shirts off. Before we knew it the night was gone and the morning was here! Before we parted ways I had to gamble...thank you Top Gun nickel machine for paying me $100 at 4 in the morning!

With two hours of sleep we head over to Paris. The Casino was no good but the room that my man scored was to die for. It was at the top of the hotel and overlooked The Belagio and it's water show. So we could see the show all by ourselves. The remainder of the day was spent at the pool, dinner which was awesome and he surprised me with tickets to Phantom of the Opera (My all time favorite show). It was better in Vegas than it was on Broadway.

Somewhere during day two I won another $350 at The Wizard of Oz nickel machine. Thank you Vegas for letting me win money so I can come back again and again. I could barely keep my eyes open that night running on two hours of sleep so we crashed early. On Friday we walked the strip and went to Cirque de Soliel, KA. It was amazing to watch.

Thank you Justin, for a great birthday that made me forget I was turning 30! As for what happened in Vegas certainly is not going to stay there...I brought home all of my winnings!

30 years is a long time. With my 30th Birthday approaching entering my very first blog entry seems appropriate. I realize that I learn more about my friends and family through their blogs than I would have otherwise known. Great pictures and everyday stories that would have been shared over a dinner table or on a long winded telephone call to your best girlfriend now appear online. In no particular order here are 30 things that I have done in the last 30 years.

1. Graduated High School
2. Broke my nose
3. Crashed my Mom's car
4. Received a trespassing ticket which was later dismissed
5. Managed an Ice Cream and Bagel joint
6. Had nightmares
7. Lived in CT, NY, TX, MN
8. Driven Pontiac, Ford, Dodge
9. Started to eat vegetables
10. Rocked out to Poison concerts 5 years in a row
11. Saw Phantom of the Operah on Broadway
12. Vacationed in AZ and OR
13. Tried Sushi ONCE that will never happen again
14. Gambled on the 5 cent slot machines
15. Rode dirt bikes
16. Did a Free Fall
17. Drove 27 hours in a car with my Mom
18. Fell in love with fishing all over again
19. Seen fireworks over and over
20. Cried
21. Collected antique tins
22. Finally broke down and bought an MP3 player
23. Cooked a million meals
24. Started to exercise and be healthy
25. Achieved goals 
26. Was the Maid of Honor in my best friends wedding
27. Drank one yard of Margarita's at Senor Frogs in Mexico
28. Gave my heart away
29. Got a massage for the first time
30. Fell in love

31. For luck here is something that I hope to accomplish this year: Start to run regularly.