Wisconsin For Thanksgiving

It was an adventure.  Dale and I were on our way to Wisconsin!  He was a little bit bigger than the last time I tried to bring him on the plane for Thanksgiving, exactly one year ago.  I stuffed the little rascal into his kennel and Josiah was kind enough to bring us to the airport early Saturday morning.  I thought Dale was going to be able to handle the trip without drugs considering he didn't get much sleep the night before, and I dropped him off at Camp Bow Wow for some energy expenditure.  I was wrong.

Dale in the Pittsburgh Airport ready for mischief! 

He quickly figured out that if he stuck his nose out of the ripped travel carrier in just the right spot he could escape... pretty rapidly.  We were fortunately upgraded to the first class area, only to have Dale yip and pop his head out continuously. Thank you Dale, very relaxing first class experience. He quickly earned himself another dose of Benadryl.

Our plane was delayed out of Pittsburgh, so it was going to be a running match (with a heavy dog carrier, loaded purse, and pregnant) to our next gate.  Fortunately, I noticed the shuttle was leaving momentarily to the opposite side of the airport, we got on by sheer luck and road across the runways. We made our plane in perfect timing, it was amazing! A Buck intervention. It was 11/22/14.  It was clear he was with me on this important day. Shortly after we landed in Green Bay we recognized that although Dale and I caught the flight... my luggage was not as fortunate.

Dale at Buck's cabin, tracking probably nothing... Deer would be helpful, but it's Dale.

Later that afternoon, we got my luggage from GRB and went up north to spend time at Joel's cabin, an annual tradition around this time of year.  It's nice to be close to everything he found so important: family, friends, good meals, and the woods.  Dale enjoyed sleeping off his drugs up there too. Good Dog.  The next day he had some time to romp around in the snow and was feeling a bit more mischievous, aka normal.

A sample of the gems I found from Middle School in my room...

Mom and I came back Sunday to start working on the house.  My goal was to completely gut my whole room so it was easily moved if they wanted to sell the house.  I had so much random stuff in that room, it was definitely a project and a week long task.  Let's just say, Goodwill got a lot more than they bargained for!

That weekend and early during the week we also broke out our cross country skis to enjoy the fresh batch of snow in Seymour.  We set up a loop around the house and made a few rounds.  Dale also was able to join in the fun and ski with us.  It was a blast - beside my minor heart attack when Dale ran across our pond that is covered by a paper thin ice.  Luckily he didn't break through... sheesh. 

Preggers night out. So much CHEESE - Thank you Wisconsin, thank you.

Wednesday before Thanksgiving I met up with Jeanne and Lyssa at Jackson Point for some pizza and entertainment.  It was a blast to connect with those ladies... it was "preggers night out", a massive cheese pizza and O'Douls. Classic.  Perfect few days in Wisconsin with family. 

Dale got to visit Leanna at Starbucks - Puppy Latte!!

 *****

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

Meat and Potatoes for Buck: An Annual Tradition!

Corndog appetizer... they weren't kidding, this one is for Lyssa.

One of my final weeks in Pittsburgh, before leaving for Palermo, was a busy one to say the least.  I was working long hours, meeting with a variety of different people and trying to get to the bottom of some changes with my PhD training.  It was stressful to say the least.  Of course Thanksgiving was approaching too, which means it’s a time to remember some of the fond times I spent together with Joel.

The photo-worthy feast of meat!

One tradition that Paul and I usually do to celebrate Joel’s life is to take time to enjoy a nice meal at Meat and Potatoes.  Paul was out of town this year and lucky for me my friends offered to take me out for the evening!  I was so excited when they remembered this tradition and offered to join me on this special dinner!  Friends are such a special blessing.

The Ladies: Anna, Alyce, Katie!

Out to Celebrate at Meat and Potatoes!

We enjoyed a lengthy dinner at Meat and Potatoes with a celebratory toast to Uncle Buck.  Oddly enough, the table we were sat at left me staring into the eyes of a head mounted white tail buck the whole dinner.  Coincidence? I think not!

The table behind Josiah was not particularly amused...

The meal was fantastic.  Taylor and Josiah split the “Meat and Potatoes for Two” special that came with bone marrow, a large cut of beef and delicious potato wedges.  It was entertaining to watch them take the meal down.  This was after a round of appetizers!  I ordered the goat burger, which was excellent.  A fine choice for meals, that is for sure!

Taylor... the champion.

Thank you for joining me on this special night – it was such a treat!

Wisconsin for St. Patty's Day: Spring Break 2014

My partners in crime.

Free casting during ice fishing season - new concept. 

Well, it was Spring Break 2014.  Lyssa and I continue to go on spring breaks together ever since we started college - since we're both still on school schedules (me a student, her a teacher) we continue to have time off to break away from the madness and hit a beach!  Usually because we cannot afford any vacation, our beach of choice is the Marsh Pond.  This year spring break fell on St Patty's Day, so it was a whole host of madness.  Lyssa picked me up from the airport and we enjoyed a few Maplewood Meats hot sticks.  There's really nothing better than a good hot stick.  After meeting up with Curty (who was of course at Menards), we went back to Menards to pick up some stuff for the remodeling project including all of the tile, grout and other building supplies.  Lyssa and I, like the children we are, both grabbed a Sprecher soda for the drive home.  You can't beat it.

How many polls can you fish with at once? 

Once we got back to Seymour it was time to cast a few lines with the Nagel Boys.  We brought over the expert ice fisherman to fish some trout out of the pond.  They put a few holes through the ice and we were able to catch a few nice ones!  I froze them up and brought them back to Pittsburgh!  So good.

FISH ON.

Friday the whole family - Lyssa included of course - went up to Joel's cabin to check on the place and  do a little snowmobiling.  Since the snow was melting rapidly and I hadn't been on the trails much this winter - it was my las chance to get in a good trail ride.  We went down to the local pubs and chatted it up with the always entertaining hosts.  We hung around Saturday for a bit while Curty was doing some odds and ends at the cabin and then headed on our way back home to Seymour to celebrate St. Patricks Day!

Fish slayers

Fishing captains!

After a moment to freshen up and scrunch my hair (per ush) Curty handed over the keys to his Chevy!  The van that I usually drive when I'm home was in Pittsburgh, so I had the luxury of driving the big beast to Lyssa's in BC.  Seriously, that 20 minute trail ride made me want to toss my Hyundai to the curb and big up a big Dodge. I felt like I could run over anything and everything.  However, I should have probably been sitting on a phone book, and maybe that would have helped that feeling. 

Notice Lyssa's snowsuit. Epic.

Deer at Buck's Camp

Curty let me take out the Chevy!!

 At Lyssa's we med up with Jeanne and Lizzo to enjoy the Palubicki residence before going to Appleton.  It was just like college and I was in love haha!  It was nice to see everyone in one place!  We went to the Stoneyard and boot stomped to a little Nashville Pipeline before heading back to Seymour to drop off Lizzo and see who was all at Jackson Point.  At JP we did some more dancing around to a band who was playing the cowbell like I've never seen the cowbell be played before.  

All in all, it was a wild spring break 2014 and I was stranded in Green Bay for one more night due to weather before making it back home to Paul in Pittsburgh.  Well, see ya next year Lyss!

Joel's Birthday Celebration

Birthdays at the Marsh House on Isaar!

Again this year, I wanted to celebrate the many wonderful years that Joel had on this earth and the heavenly birthday that we continue to celebrate.  It would have been Joel's Golden Birthday this year.  27 years on February 27th.  This year, Paul took the day off so we could go to dinner for Joel's Birthday.  To put this into perspective, we don't really even go out for Valentines Day, but Joel's Birthday is something that is so dear to my heart.

We again decided to keep to the tradition to go to a wonderful restaurant downtown called Meat and Potatoes.  (Read about Joel's Birthday last year)   I can't help buy smile just by reading the name of the place - makes me think of Joel.  I ordered another great dish, and found a new drink on the menu, called... the "Brandy Buck".  So I had to indulge.

Joel and I ready to take on the Wisconsin winter

Another gift I gave to Joel this year was taking the time, two full days, to sit down and write about the moments I spent with Joel in the hospital after flying home to be by his side as he courageously fought for the opportunity to bring life to others. I feel good knowing that those precious details will be with me forever.

Those we love don't go away, 

They walk beside us everyday

Unseen, unheard, but always near,

Still loved, still missed, and very dear.

Joel's Birthday reminds me of old times when Joel had his trach - he was never very good at blowing out candles because all the air would fly out each sides of his trach nose and not towards the cake.  Some times I would pitch in a help blow out a few so he wouldn't have so many "girlfriends" left.  Man, those are some beautiful memories.   I'll help you with the candles down here  Buck - just keep laughing, having fun, and keep Jerry out of trouble. 

We love you and miss you Joel.

Happy Birthday Bud! 

When I went to visit Joel in Houghton during his last semester at MTU.

You can read more about things we are doing in memory of Joel at his blog:

 http://joelrmarsh.blogspot.com

Thanksgiving Weekend at Camp Fence

Dad and I in the trees waiting on a deer...

Blaze orange is very slimming.  So is camo.

You would think that during vacation would be the best time to blog, but time always seems to slip away on me when I'm home visiting.  Additionally, internet is hard to come by in Seymour, so I have to use my cellphone to power up my computer.  This makes for slow blogging, as you can imagine.

Dad and Tristan splitting wood, to keep us warm all winter.

Mum, Dad, Tristan, and me at Joel's cabin - Nov 2012

The Hunting MEN: Bill, Curt, Tristan

Anywho, I wanted to share some footage and stories from Thanksgiving weekend up at Joel's cabin.  Thanksgiving continues to be a time to reflect on all that we are thankful for and it's a time that I wish I could be close to Joel.  This year we were fortunate to be able to go up to his cabin and spend sometime surrounded by his favorite things: 

snow, hunting, family, and the outdoors.

The only deer I saw... behind a game farm fence.  Expensive mistake.

Excited to be in the woods.

I knew I was going to be home over Thanksgiving break and we were planning to spend it up north, so I thought it would be fun to sit in the tree and go hunting with Curty.  I used to hunt more when I was little after I so proudly aced my hunter safety course!  Whooot whooot.  The hunter safety course leaders announced that there was only one student to score 100% on the written test, and only one student who failed the distance test.... I was that person for both.  Dohhhh!  Ohh well.  So, I bought a license this year to try my luck.

Curty in his second home: the truck.

Breakfast sausage station.  Man land.

Dad and I went out morning and night until we were frozen, and we didn't see anything.  The deer were pretty smart at this point and would leave moments before we got to the stand in the morning.  There were fresh tracks all around and their daily corn was licked clean.  All I can say is... better luck next year!  I had a blast in the woods and hopefully can continue the tradition in the coming years!

"Did ya see Da Thurdy Pointer?..."

Turkey Day

Matt is carving the delicious turkey!

The night before Thanksgiving is apparently the most profitable night for local establishments… I remember hearing some of the crazy stories of how much people would make tending bar that night.  Mom, Dad and I stopped into see Grandma Marsh and I was able to spend time with Kyle’s kids.  They were having fun playing games and running around the house.

Afterwards we met up with Dan and Katie up at Jackson Point to grab some dinner before the band blasted our ears off and Lyssa and I went to downtown Seymour.  There were a lot of familiar faces out, and it was a blast to catch up with Dan and Katie to hear about their new puppy!

Thursday morning I made my wild rice with dried fruit and we had Thanksgiving with the Nagels.  It was so nice to see them all under one roof on Thanksgiving.  Grandpa VB even stopped by for a while after he had lunch with Grandma.  The food was excellent – I could barely move after dinner and didn’t have a spare ounce of room for dessert.  

After chatting after dinner for a while, Mom, Dad, and I took off for Joel’s camp to spend the rest of our Thanksgiving Holiday relaxing in Joel’s presence at camp.  It was nice to be up there to relax and reflect on the year that has gone by all too quickly.  I cannot even begin to explain the ways that life has changed in the past year, but I’m sure blessed to be surrounded by such supportive friends and family.

There’s always something we can be thankful for – I am thankful for the memories and special moments we had together.  Miss you more each day Buck.

Wisconsin: Camp Buck Work Weekend

The before photo, Curty arrives!

The siding crew making their plan of attack!

It was the weekend before the Renal exam, but we had a Monday without required class - and I wasn't about to miss Uncle Buck's Work Weekend!  (Definitely check out Buck's Blog for LOTS more photos!!) This trip started off a bit rushed and interesting to say the least.  I arrived at the Pittsburgh airport ten minutes after my plane was boarding, and I was RUNNING through the airport to catch my plane to Cleveland.  It was wild!  Joel definitely had my back for that one.  Whewww, thanks bro.

I flew into Green Bay and was greeted by Lyssa of course - but this time, she was in my favorite MiniVan!  Whooot.  I seriously sprinted out of the airport in order to have every minute possible up north with family and friends.  Lyssa and I jammed to some country tunes on the way up to set the mood for the evening.  It was a little bit of an Eric Church night... just a Creepin'.

Curty up at the peak putting in some last minute windows!

Friday night was a blast, and the next morning Lyssa's face matched her Packer sweatshirt.  Brilliant.  We spent some time getting ready and recharging our batteries at the Winsand camp with Alyssa as our host.  It was so much fun to be able to spend some time together in the afternoon.  Later we went back to Buck's camp - and were in awe of the progress the boys made!  It was outstanding!  The colors that Curty, Mom, Kate, and I picked out a while ago came together so nicely!

Lyssa, Alyssa, and Alyce while Bergs works hard on the siding behind us!

It was a bit brisk outside, and we even were graced with some snowflakes in the morning, which made the coffee taste even better.  The weekend was an absolute blast, and it was so neat to see so many of Joel's friends come up to the cabin to celebrate and help Joel carry out his projects to completion.  It is truly inspiring to be a part of it all.

Nothing like life long family friends!

After the weekend, I was spent and tired from all the running.  Dad and I went down to stop and visit with Grandma Marsh, which was a lot of fun!  Monday morning it was back to Pittsburgh!

Coffee, camera, and casing - multitasking!

Dad at home in his favorite toy - the New Holland!

Thank you to all who came up to Joel's cabin for the work weekend and for those who couldn't be there - we definitely had a toast to you all!  Soon we'll have to plan another weekend to get everyone together!  It was just too much fun not to repeat!

Uncle Buck's Camp Fence

Seymour Daily Dates with Lyssa, and Kate!

 As many of you may know, most of my time in Seymour consists of daily dates with Lyssa - this trip back to Seymour was just that.  We got quite a few things done including fitting my wedding dress for the first time with a friend of a friend from Black Creek, WI.  We also went for ice cream, did some shopping, dropped of pictures of Joel at Jed's place for WE Fest, made a fresh veggie dinner, and went out to eat with Katie Morris in Green Bay!  Wheww... too many activities to list. 

One of our more adventurous activities included driving cranes.  Yep, cranes.  I can't disclose the details - but I can say that it was AWESOME and we felt like such powerful human beings after lifting over a ton of steel!  All we could do was growl like men in the minivan on the way home while my greasy fingers gripped the wheel!  RRGGGH!  Now if there's one thing that will put hair on your chest - it's driving cranes! 

Lyssa in command of way too much tonage...

As the week was drawing to an end in Seymour I was able to convince Kate Z to drive all the way up from Chicago on a Thursday night to spend some time in Seymour and Green Bay with me, Lyssa and Haus.  It was a blast.  Thursday, we stayed at Haus' place and I thought we started out sleeping in the same bed, but later I found Kate on the couch in the living room.  Either I snore, or Kate sleepwalks - we're not sure which one is true yet.

Getting to work at Buck's Camp

the siding colors came together nicely

Early the next morning, we went home to hit the road up to Joel's cabin.  We were planning to pack way too many activities into one day... something we like to call "MARSHing it!"  We got up to Joel's camp and first worked to pick out the siding colors.  Next, we were put to work right away in the bathroom.  We painted it a light grey which looks awesome and tough.

Finally, we started in the master bedroom with varnishing.  Joel wanted the ceilings to remain rustic with rough saw beams and the wood from the upstairs showing through.  This means it all must be varnished to keep it's beauty.  Kate and I worked on the scaffolding and got a good chunk of the room done.  After our jobs were finished, we hit the road back to Seymour to get ready for Packer Family night!  Whoot whoooot!

thumbs up for the finished product

Varnishing the ceiling in Joel's master bedroom, nice design Buck!