Turkey Day 2014!

We were fortunate enough to join the Nagels for their Thanksgiving feast at Aunt Sue's place!  The food is always spectacular and this year Ryan and Matt surely outdid themselves!  Aunt Sue's cranberries were out of this world.  Fortunately, we are only in charge of bringing wine, which is pretty hard to ruin - whew. No stress Thanksgiving, that's what I'm all about!

Baby Bump: Pre-Thanksgiving Feast.

Before the feast we made our way out to the Whipp's in Poland for the Chicken Trot!  The Turkey trot is Green Bay is a crazy mess of people, and a little too high stress for our liking!  We met everyone in the bar area, grabbed our T-shirts and shortly after began the walk.  Quickly we realized just how cold it was this Thanksgiving.  The freezing breeze was flying off the open fields in the country and stinging our faces.  Dale didn't seem to mind - he wasn't phased and just pumped to be out on a walk with people and other dogs.  The first two legs of the walk were rough, but once we got the wind on our back it started to become a bit more enjoyable - haha!  I was so happy that we signed up for the walk, it made indulging in all the turkey feel just a little bit safer for the waistline.

Aunt Sue and Matt carving the turkey.

In afternoon we met up with the group for an excellent meal.  I got to catch up with Leanna who is also expecting a little baby Nagel in February!  Our kids should only be 3 months apart - how cool!  It would be even better if we're in the same state, but I guess that's what frequent trips home are for.  I got the scoop on maternity clothes and all of the fun things that await me as I move forward in the pregnancy!  She's a champ - still working like crazy.  I am spoiled with a job that isn't so physically demanding. I get tired just thinking about her work schedule. 

The Wesolowski Family!

Turkey nap for Matt and Curty.

After the Thanksgiving feast we stopped to see Grandma VanBoxtel.  She and Grandpa were chatting it up like two teenagers, it was so precious.  Love really does stand the test of time.  They were laughing and giggling while trying to figure out who stood up who for the Thanksgiving dance! Ahh, so refreshing.

On Black Friday Mom and I decided to sleep in.  We weren't too impressed with the advertisements anyway, so it was a good thing we stayed in bed.  We met Laura and Aunt Theresa for breakfast at Perkins, and then set out to grab some half price maternity clothes at Target.  I found some bargains and then we made our way back to Seymour.  Definitely the way to go.  All of the deals are on Thanksgiving now, and I just cannot get into that - Thanksgiving is turning into a shopping holiday, ugh!  That evening I got to catch up with some special ladies: Lyssa, Becca, and Jeanelle, who were in town for the holidays!  We ordered up some amazing Thai food and chatted over dinner.  We were all pretty well-behaved, which is different that our earlier outings about 4 years ago, haha! Yikes.

 After stuffing myself with some very spicy food, Lyssa and I took the old minivan through the Dairy Queen drive-through and gave the high school kids running the place a few laughs.  They were pretty impressed that I had to get out of the minivan in order to pay for the ice cream.  They were also amused by my enthusiastic upgrade to medium blizzards: Buy One get One 99 cents! That's something to be excited about! Am I right?! Heck yes!

Ahh, I think I'm good on cake, but thanks anyway mum!

Saturday following Thanksgiving we were invited to share in Avery's Birthday party at the Morris household.  KBC on tap and one year olds eating cake - what's not to love!?!  It was so nice to be able to see Dan, Katie, their parents, friends and little Avery.  What a great afternoon!  It was a quick glimpse in the many fun times that are about to come our way soon enough I fear!

After Avery's fiesta we met Joel's buddies out for a little Buck gathering at Jackson Point.  It was nice for everyone all to get together.  I was able to finally order up a round of CHEESE CURDS - the real stuff too.  I was driving the crew around and got to catch up with Haus finally!  He was back in the area after a long stretch in Rochester, MN.  It was time to come back and kick the dust off the sled before the real snow falls later this winter.  Great timing indeed Haus!  

Hustle Inn, out of O'Douls. Embarrassing.

Sunday I handed Dale off to the Anderson - poor Kathy and crew, I fear they were not aware of the monster they kindly took for us while we were away.  I knew Dale was going to be treated like a king when I saw the fluffy bed they had waiting for him.  I cannot thank them enough for taking the mischief maker for a whole month!! Thank you, thank you!!

Dale, you have fun.  For me, it's off to Palermo, Sicily! 

Dale is clearly a cheesehead at heart. Have fun in Wisconsin buddy!

 *****

Please take the time to join me at my new blog:
Alyce Jane, Living Simply

Jack, Kathy, Tiggy and Bumps visit Pittsburgh!

Tiggy and Bumpa's first time to the Incline!

More Pittsburgh visitors - thank goodness - they keep us sane!  Tiggy, Bumps, Jack and Kathy all piled in the minivan and drove out to Pittsburgh.  They broke the drive up into two days to make it a bit more manageable.  When they arrived, we took them to restaurant in the Strip District called Gaucho Parrilla Argentina.  We all ordered big sandwiches loaded with veggies or prime rib.  We were a bit chilled sitting outside in the late October air, but it was a nice little trip to the Strip.

Coffee to sustain our shopping adventures!

Bumpa taking in the scenery! 

Street Vendor Kabobs! 

We then went on an adventure to search for the perfect fabric for crafting around the house.  Tiggy and Kathy were kind enough to bring out the sewing machine and help me with curtains in the office and the front door to ward off any peeping toms!

Saturday we went on an adventure down to the Strip District for some shopping.  We found a lot of goodies. I bought some locally made lotion and a few small gifts for my parents.  I also took my first crack at ordering cheese from Penn Mac, compliments of Lori and Matt's gift card.  I got italian cheese and some reduced fat fontina - both were outstanding. We all got coffee for a little jump in our step and we even tried some kabobs from a street vendor. It was an excellent adventure.  That evening we went to Noodle Head for some spicy dishes. Jack brought us for ice cream next door to cool off a bit from all the spice.

The whole family out for dinner at Noodle Head!

We spent the rest of the weekend staining the deck so we could get one coat on before the winter hit.  It was "all hands on deck" - if you know what I mean.  Considering how many sides, corners and hard to reach places that come with staining railings, the job was done pretty quickly!  Tiggy and Kathy helped me with all of the yard work and were a huge help in getting the leaves cleared - what a job!

Our little rascal, Dale.

Enjoying all of the sewing fabrics with Kathy!

We enjoyed evening hors d'oeuvres, watched Frozen and took a lot of fun photos.  I am so happy they were able to sneak in one more quick visit before Paul left for Italy! I know I sure appreciated all the help! Thank you for the fun and memories!

The more hands the merrier! 

The boys went to town staining the deck!

Christmas in Pittsburgh

Dale, freshly groomed, looking like a hot Christmas mess.

Our Christmas celebration this year was nice and low key.  To celebrate the holidays, we spent time cooking some wonderful meals including roasting duck and enjoying some fresh shrimp that my parents brought back from Florida.  Both were absolutely delicious.  We also went of plenty of walks and worked a little around the house, as we always do when my parents visit. Dale added another level of chaos as one would assume.  The pup was crazy and enjoyed helping us unwrap the presents on Christmas morning. 

Red Solo Cups for Mom and Dad!

GARTH! YES.

Ohhh Thank you for your help dale.

We had a few simple gifts for one another. My parents got me the Garth Brooks box set, which I've watched already like 5 times.  Oh my gosh, his concert at the Wynn is better than I ever could have imagined. I remember when I heard he was coming out of retirement to play in Vegas, I emailed Joel to ask about the tickets.  He called me out on wasting time and money, hhaha, see below. 

Marsh, Joel <Joel.Marsh@jacobs.com>	2/16/11
to me

A lot pricey, busy morning then I see!

From: Alyce Marsh [mailto:alycemarsh@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 9:38 AM
To: Marsh, Joel
Subject: Re: Bad day on the Portage

Hey Uncle Buck,

Here's Garth's tour dates in Vegas....  A little pricey.  Eeeeeeee

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2011—Garth Brooks has performed to sold-out crowds and rave reviews at the intimate Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas since December 2009. Tickets for the next series of highly anticipated concerts will go on sale on Saturday, January 15 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are $225 plus service charge and tax ($253 total).

Concert Dates: 
March 25 & 26
April 8 & 9
June 3 & 4
June 24 & 25
July 22 & 23

Concert times: 
Fridays: 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.

Haha, so that pretty much settled that. But luckily I got to watch the concert in the comfort of my living room, and Paul finally got to use his surround sound! It was a great time in Pittsburgh, and I'm so happy that they came out to visit!

Lyssa's Christmas present for Dale.

Thanksgiving in Wisconsin with Dale

Dale flying coach, and my yellow travel pants.

One of my more adventurous moves included taking a brand new puppy on a plane to Wisconsin after having him for only a week and a half. What I was thinking, I have no idea. I gave him a little Benadryl in his favorite Little Cesar's kong and threw him in a fabric basket to put under the seat in front of me. I was pretty sure he was going to bark the whole way - but much to my relief he fussed around to get comfortable and continued to look up at me with sad eyes through his carrier the entire trip.  Also, I should note - Dale was not potty trained at this point - so much of my layovers were spent in the girls bathroom trying to get him to pee on pee-pads while he was trying to sniff the stall of the ladies next to me.  It was a ridiculous display.

Lyssa getting some lovin' from her new nephew.

Who can spot the pooch?

Luckily we made it in one piece and Mom picked me up at the Green Bay airport and was utterly shocked that I had a dog with me hahah! We thought we would never see the day. Dale took a pee and got to ride shotgun on our way to Appleton.  We went to show Kathy and the Anderson family the new pooch.  They were in love with the crazy terrier, and got to take care of him for a bit while we went to grab a crate and puppy essentials. 

Something I thought I would never see, my dad reading next to a dog.

Dale enjoying the snow of Wisconsin!

The next morning, mum and I got our hair did and I met up with Lyssa after school to cause some trouble in Seymour per-ush. We danced like crazy and came back to let Dale outside for a midnight tinkle. He was pretty concerned when I rolled down the hill with him - hey, I was just trying to bond. Then I let the pooch sleep with me in the futon and woke up to his rustling under the covers by the feet terrified that Lyssa was sleeping at the foot of my bed.  Needless to say, it was another classic adventure and my parents were entertained. 

Tristan teaching Dale a few new tricks, like how to be taller. 

The following afternoon was Thanksgiving, and we were fortunate to spend it with the Nagel family at Sue's house.  Dale came too, he's already spoiled. The food was excellent and I had to chance to catch up with their rapidly growing kids and Grandpa VB.  It's too bad the Packer's didn't win, but hey, can't have it all. 

Venison sausage. Seriously, to die for. (well the deer anyway)

No luck hunting, but it sure was fun!

That afternoon we went up north so I could do a little hunting in the woods with Dad. It was the second weekend of the season so the darn whitetails tend to wise-up by this time and only feed at night. However, we went out every morning and evening to try to get a glimpse of fresh venison. Nothing. We saw a few squirrels but unfortunately not a deer this year.  I'll have to try my luck again next year - skunked two years in a row is not a great sign.  Luckily Dad got a few with his muzzleloader so we had some meat for fresh breakfast sausage. So delicious.

Our peaceful back yard in Seymour. Miss this view every morning. 

It was so nice to be back in Wisconsin to relax over Thanksgiving.  Dale, mom and I took numerous walks and he played in the snow and destroyed numerous water bottles and peed in our house.  Classic Dale behavior really.  I think Dale secretly misses Wisconsin, and hopefully we'll both be able to go back soon!

DALE takes a SELFIE, and tweets that he's at Buck's camp.