Sunday, June 26, 2011

Song of the Week

I'm a little late on my song of the week, but this week I'm liking Coldplay's Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.  It's a little strange that I would choose this song, just because I'm not a huge fan of Coldplay.  I like some of their music, and really like a select few of their songs, but I find most of their music to be average.  I think Every Teardrop is a Waterfall has a great sound and if this is a sign of what's to come from Coldplay, I'll be listening in the future.
Every Teardrop is a Waterfall-Coldplay

I turn the music up, I got my records on
I shut the world outside until the lights come on
Maybe the streets alight, maybe the trees are gone
But I feel my heart start beating to my favorite song

And all the kids they dance, all the kids all night
Until Monday morning feels another life
I turn the music up, I'm on a roll this time
And heaven is in sight

I turn the music up, I got my records on
From underneath a rubble sing a rebel song
Don't want to see another generation drop
I'd rather be a comma than a full stop

Maybe I'm in the black, maybe I'm on my knees
Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes
But my heart is beating and my pulses start
Cathedrals in my heart

As we saw oh this light
I swear you emerge blinking into
To tell me it's alright

As we soar walls
Every siren is a symphony
And every tear's a waterfall

Is a waterfall, ah
Is a waterfall, ah
Is always a waterfall
Every tear is always a waterfall, ah

So you can hurt, hurt me bad
But still I'll raise the flag

Oh,
It was a wa-ah-ah-ah, waterfall
A wa-ah-ah-ah, waterfall

Every tear
Every tear
Every teardrop is a waterfall

Every tear
Every tear
Every teardrop is a waterfall

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Wisconsin Dells!

Last week, we decided to take a somewhat last minute trip to the Dells for the weekend.  We make sure to take a trip up there at least once a year since it's so close and there's so much to do!  We had a great time, as usual, and made sure to pack in as many activities as we could.

Chad and I left straight from work on Friday night so we could get our mini-cation started as soon as possible.  We checked into the Monaco Motel before starting our night.  The Monaco is located on Wisconsin Dells Parkway right next to Noah's Ark, America's largest waterpark.  If you've never been to the Dells, you probably don't know that they pride themselves on having the largest, longest, fastest, first ______ (insert anything here).  We normally stay at the Black Hawk Motel, but they were booked that weekend so we settled on Monaco.  It was very outdated but this is to be expected from any motel in the Dells.  If you want to avoid this, you can stay at one of their many (expensive) resorts with indoor and outdoor waterparks.  By staying at the Monaco, we got free waterpark passes and oodles of discounts at restaurants and attractions.

We started our weekend by eating at Famous Dave's on Broadway (downtown Dells).  The food was delicious and I just love this location as it is right in the middle of all the "cheesy" Wisconsin Dells action.  Afterwards, we decided to walk up and down Broadway and stop in any place that interested us.  We stopped a Nig's bar, took a stroll on the Riverwalk, and went to the Showboat Saloon.  Downtown Wisconsin Dells is really hopping on summer nights.  Everyone is on vacation and just wants to have a good time.  We had a great time bar hopping!

On the Riverwalk

Saturday we got up early and made sure to get to Noah's Ark right as it opened.  This is key, as it tends to get very packed after the first couple hours.  We got on all the awesome rides we wanted to and even did several of them more than once.  It was a slightly cloudy day so it worked out perfectly because we didn't have to wait in long lines to get on the rides.  Some of our favorite rides include the Sting Ray, Black Anaconda (America's longest water coaster) and our favorite waterslides, Black Thunder. :)


After tiring ourselves out at Noah's Ark, we headed back to the motel and got ready to go eat some lunch.  We had lunch at the High Rock Cafe, which has a great location above "the strip" downtown.  I love this place as their food is awesome and I love people-watching while we eat.  The service left a lot to be desired at this visit, though. 

High Rock Cafe

Later that afternoon, we decided to try out zip lining.  I wasn't sure it was going to be worth the cost, but I'm so glad we did this now!  If you ever get the chance, make sure you check out Bigfoot Zip Lining in Wisconsin Dells.  This was my first time ever zip lining, so it was a bit nerve-wracking, but turned out to be an amazing experience.  We did 6 zip lines and walked over 500 stairs (all after walking 1000+ stairs at Noah's Ark).  The final zip line was definitely the scariest, as it took us above the tree tops and over Sasquatch Lake. This one was also the longest at 1397 feet.  The guides were great and they even taught us tricks, which I was too chicken to try, but Chad did them all!  He even zip lined upside down (crazy if you ask me)!

Getting ready to go zip lining!



The 1397 foot zip line

We did it!

After an action packed day, we relaxed with drinks and supper at Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Company.  This place is really neat and really huge! They have 3 floors, 3 bars, and their own brewery on site.  We tried out some of their microbrews and my favorite was definitely the Rustic Red.  We also ordered a pizza and I was surprised to see that their taco pizza is made with Doritos! If you've never had taco pizza with Doritos, you're missing out.  My favorite pizza place ever makes their taco pizza with Doritos and I haven't found any other place that does, until now! 

Ahh...Rustic Red after a long day

Just being goofy

The Dorito-covered taco pizza :)

After filling our stomachs, we headed back downtown and walked through some of the shops.  The great thing about the shops in Wisconsin Dells is that many of them stay open really late.  They have tons of candy shops, fudge shops, ice cream parlors, and souvenir stores.  I had to stop and get some of the delicious chocolate as a dessert.  I chose a chocolate and M&M covered pretzel from Swiss Maid Fudge.  We ended the night by hanging out at the beautiful, relaxing Riverwalk Pub.  This place has a great set up as it is set back from the strip area, so it's away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, but still easily accessible by foot.  They have a great beer garden area where you can enjoy drinks overlooking the river.  We tried to convince ourselves to stay out all night, but after doing so much that day, we decided to call it a night.

Sunday morning, we had breakfast at Denny's and then took advantage of our free waterpark passes at Chula Vista resort.  This was the first time we had been to Chula Vista, and were so happy we had the chance to check it out!  It's absolutely gigantic and has both an indoor and outdoor waterpark.  Sunday was a little chilly, so we didn't get to try the outdoor waterpark, but the indoor one was fantastic!  We had so much fun on their waterslides.  They have some great tube slides that Chad & I went on over and over again together.  They also have great racing slides, and another that really gets you going fast!  Chula Vista's indoor waterpark also has the world's fastest and longest indoor water coaster (see, I wasn't lying about that), but we found this ride to be quite boring compared to the slides.  If you ever get the chance to go to Chula Vista, make sure you don't miss out!


After a fun-filled weekend, we finally decided to head back home.  I don't think I've gotten that much exercise in one weekend since I was a kid, but it was totally worth every minute!  If you haven't been to Wisconsin Dells, it's definitely one of those things you have to put on your bucket list.  How could you miss seeing America's largest waterpark, the longest indoor leisure river in the U.S., or the first U.S. indoor waterpark?  You can see all of that and more in "The Waterpark Capital of the World" (largest concentration of waterparks in one area) with 18 indoor waterparks and 3 outdoor waterparks within 18 square miles, including more than 200 waterslides and 16 million gallons of water. :)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Song of the Week

It's time for my song of the week.  This week it has to be the new SafetySuit single "Get Around This!" As I mentioned in an earlier post, I absolutely love this band and have seen them live (and hung out with them) way too many times to mention. This is their first single off of their yet-to-be-released sophomore album. I really like it because it keeps that "SafetySuit sound" from the first album and really puts you in that rock-out kind of mood. There's no video for this song yet, but look for it in upcoming weeks on the VH1 Top 20 Countdown and vote it to #1!



Get Around This - SafetySuit

You and I, we had it all. I wonder why, I let it fall.
I don’t know why, I make this hard for you
And if go, and get it back, apologize, for all I lack!

Would you be there to take this heart?
Would you do anything at all?


Take me back to yesterday, I swear it on your life,
I’ll stay on the short side, I’ll stay on the short side.
Take me back to yesterday, if you can forgive me,
I will stay by you only. Oh if, you can forget,
We can get around this. Get around this, get around this,
get around. We can get around this, get around this mess.

No you can go. You can leave.
I wouldn’t blame you for a thing!
I acted like I never should.

But I will stay, and I will bleed!
Stand in the rain! I’m begging please!
Cause I will be here for you. Yeah I will be here for you!


Take me back to yesterday, I swear it on your life,
I’ll stay on the short side, I’ll stay on the short side.
Take me back to yesterday, if you can forgive me,
I will stay by you only. Oh if, you can forget,
We can get around this. Get around this, get around this,
get around. We can get around this, get around this mess.

So hold on, baby don’t you leave me.
Please just hold on to me.

Take me back to yesterday, I swear it on your life,
I’ll stay on the short side, I’ll stay on the short side.
Take me back to yesterday, if you can forgive me,
I will stay by you only. Oh if, you can forget,
We can get around this. Get around this, get around this,
get around. We can get around this, get around this mess.

Monday, June 13, 2011

A Weekend of "F"s - Friends, Family, & Food!

This weekend was steadily busy with family get togethers, work around the house, and time with friends.  I'd much rather have a busy weekend than one where we have nothing going on because I'm not very good at entertaining myself at home.  I need to be constantly doing something, whether it be cleaning, surfing the net, or planning our next vacation.

Friday night we headed over to Gobbie's to have some beer nuggets (one of my favorite treats) and pizza.  I had a craving for them the last few days so just had to get over there and satisfy it.  The only problem with going to Gobbie's is that I always eat way too much! I, of course, felt uncomfortably full the rest of the evening, but that's ok once in a while, right?

The infamous beer nuggets

After eating, we headed back and met up with some of Chad's family at one of the casinos in town.  We watched them gamble (I know, sounds really exciting) and chatted for a while and then capped off the night with Chad's brother and sister-in-law at Monk's.  It was their first time at Monk's and they didn't even know it existed, so it was fun to show them a new place (since that often doesn't happen in our town).

Saturday we did some work on the house and yard since it was a fairly cool day.  We still have a lot of work to do, especially landscaping, but it was a good start to cleaning things up.  That evening, we headed over to our friend Jenny and Nick's house for a cookout.  I love going to cookouts (mostly because I get to snack on food all night long). :)  We had a great time eating, laughing, playing bean bags, football toss, euchre (a "locals" card game), drinking, and eating some more.  The weather was perfect before the sun went down, and when it got cool, we headed inside for more fun.  Jenny & I had lots of long laughs and I think I entertained everyone with my amateur euchre skills.


 Jenny & I winning at the football toss game


 Playing euchre

Jenny & I after one of our many laugh fests

Sunday we relaxed for a while and then went for a 4 mile run before heading to my cousin's graduation party.  It was nice to chat with my cousins for a while and also catch up with an old high school friend, who is now my cousin's teacher!  It makes me feel old when my cousins tell me that their favorite teacher is Mr. So-&-So because to me, he's still just my high school classmate.  We got to enjoy some more good food as well!

What did you do this weekend?!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Song of the Week

I thought I would try posting one song that I'm loving each week. This week I chose Young Blood by The Naked & Famous.  It's a fairly new song I've been hearing on Sirius Alt Nation.  I think the sound makes it a great summer anthem and they lyrics take me back to being young again.  Hope you enjoy...



Young Blood - The Naked & Famous

We're only young and naive still
We require certain skill
The mood it changes like the wind
Hard to control when it begins

The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-between
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Can't help myself but count the flaws
Claw my way out through these walls
One temporary escape
Feel it start to permeate

We lie beneath the stars at night
Our hands gripping each other tight
You keep my secrets hope to die
Promises, swear them to the sky

The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-between
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah


As it withers
Brittle it shakes
Can you whisper
As it crumbles and breaks
As you shiver
Count up all your mistakes
Pair of forgivers
Let go before it's too late
Can you whisper
Can you whisper
Can you whisper
Can you whisper

The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-between
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-between
Fall back in love eventually
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Summer Has (Finally) Arrived!

This weekend was quite uneventful compared to most summer weekends for Chad & I.  Friday night we participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  This is such a great event because almost everyone knows someone affected by cancer.  The event raises a significant amount of money towards fighting off the disease.  Over 5,000 people were in attendance and they're hoping to match last year's fundraising of over $266,000. 

After the event, we just had to get out and have a couple of drinks because it was such a beautiful night!  We headed downtown to sit outside at Hotel Julien on their awesome balcony.  We met up with one of Chad's high school friends and ended up hanging out with him most of the night.  It's always nice to go out and just see who you run into.  After having a few drinks, we headed to Monk's Kaffee Pub, our favorite bar/coffee bar to cap off the night.

Saturday night we decided to head to Potosi Brewing Company in Wisconsin since it's been there for a while and we haven't had a chance to check it out.  We again sat outside since it was another gorgeous night.  We ordered the cheese curds (of course, made with Wisconsin cheese), I had a chicken ceasar wrap, and Chad had a burger.  The cheese curds were really good (I'm a cheese lover) and we thought the rest of the food was mediocre.  Most importantly, we had to try their beer.  I ordered the Potosi Brown Ale and it was absolutely delicious, almost as good as Chad's homemade brown ale. :)  Chad ordered the Snake Hollow IPA and thought it was below average.  After eating, we headed inside and sat at the bar for a second beer.  I chose to get the brown ale again because it was so good and this time Chad ordered the Potosi ESB (extra special bitter).  He thought this was better than the IPA, but still just ok.  The brewery was really nice and even had a nice little museum, which is pretty impressive for such a small town.


Potosi Brewing Company (via Potosi Brewery)


Potosi Brown Ale

After visiting the brewery, we made our way back and again had a drink at Hotel Julien on the balcony.  After that, we went to Star Brewery and sat out on the balcony overlooking the river for one last drink of the night.


Heading over the Mississippi from Wisconsin

Sunday was very uneventful, which is why I had time to start this blog.  I also booked some hotels and did some research for upcoming trips, which I'm sure I'll be writing about when the time comes.

Looking forward to another great summer!

Welcome!

Hello all! (or few, since I'm sure not very many people will be reading my first blog post).  Welcome to my blog!  I want to start by giving credit to my friends from Philly for encouraging me to start a blog.  The memory is a little blurry, but the conversation happened in the early AM hours about a month ago on VH1's Best Cruise Ever.  Our friends Jules and Geof both have excellent blogs that I very much enjoy reading and I had been thinking for quite some time that I too would love to start a blog.  Hopefully I can keep up on it so you all have some interesting things to read each week!

You can check out Jules' blog here: http://chicnpink.blogspot.com/
And Geof's blog here: http://www.theman-cave.com/

Just a little about me...I love to travel with my husband, whether it be a weekend trip to somewhere here in the Midwest or a weeklong trip to Southern California (our favorite vacation spot).  My husband and I also both love music so we attend a lot of concerts...some of which we travel miles upon miles to see.  The one band that we have traveled to see live way too many times to mention is SafetySuit.  You can check out their music here: www.myspace.com/safetysuit

When we're not traveling or seeing shows, we usually spend our free time hanging out with friends, going out on the river, or attending local festivals and events. 

I hope you enjoy reading about all of my thoughts and endeavors!