Month in Review: September, 2018

October 2, 2018

September flew by this year and I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is officially autumn. Where did the summer go? In these moments, I’m thankful of all the photos and videos Ian and I take throughout the month. After putting together our September video, I was reminded of all the adventures we had.

The month began with a trip downtown to wander around the Third Ward. This is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city since it’s lined with cute boutique shops, cozy cafés, and stunning riverfront views.

Then we found ourselves beachside with our toes in the sand over Labor Day weekend. While the water was chilly, Ian and I were brave and dipped our feet in the lake. The rest of the afternoon was spent grilling out lunch and listening to the waves crash upon the shore.

Visiting Villa Terrace, a Mediterranean estate turned art museum, was at the top of my bucket list this month. Sadly, I was turned away on my first attempt to visit the villa due to a wedding. Mind you, this was on a Thursday and the website didn’t list any ongoing events. So this news came as quite a shock! Since we were already downtown we decided to grab sushi and walk around the East side. That’s when we stumbled across Black Cat Alley! This street art alleyway had been on my bucket list for quite some time, so it was a pleasant surprise to turn a corner and discover it nestled between two buildings.

The following weekend my Villa Terrace dreams came true. After calling the main office and confirming there weren’t any weddings that afternoon, Ian and I made our way to the estate. Quaint courtyards and perfectly manicured gardens will always have a soft spot in my heart, so I was in awe as we wandered around the property. This museum has to be on your list if you ever visit Milwaukee!

Our next big event in September was Doors Open, a weekend dedicated to hosting open houses for buildings that are usually closed to the public. This event is right up my alley, so I scoured over the list of 170 participating building to settle on a two-day itinerary! Out of the eleven properties we visited, our favorites were the St. Josaphat Basilica, Oriental Theater, and Tripoli Shrine.

Want to take a peek into one second from every day in September? Check out the video below!

https://youtu.be/6WOZEh4Abo4

Month in Review: August, 2018

September 6, 2018

Anyone else have one month a year that overflows with events? For us, that was August. As much as I tried to simplify our calendar, we couldn’t avoid back-to-back road trips, late nights, and forgoing home cooked meals for sub sandwiches on the go. When I took a step back and looked at our month as a whole it gave me instant anxiety. I thrive with a lot of down time in between social gatherings, but August taught me to live in the moment. And guess what? I survived! I even can say I had fun during all the chaos.

We began our whirlwind of a month down in Madison to spend time with friends and celebrate Ian’s grandma’s 80th birthday! We ended up having so much fun that we extended our trip an extra day. I still can’t believe we’re in a phase of life where we’ve swapped out sleeping bags for guest rooms at sleepovers. When did we all grow up?!

The following week Ian and I celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary! Ian is a traditional man when it comes to gift giving, so I was showered with fruit and flowers this year. I looked up what I will be blessed with next year and it is wood. So there’s something to look forward to…

In addition to my lovely gifts, Ian took me downtown to try out a new restaurant, C’hard, before we headed off for a rooftop concert. It was a beautiful night to look out on the skyline and reminisce about the last four years we have spent as husband and wife.

One Wednesday night I had to sweet talk Ian into missing his kickball game so we could attend the NEWaukee Night Market. I had heard many amazing things about this downtown market and it didn’t disappoint. The street was covered with twinkle lights, filled with craft vendors, and best of all – had fire pits to roast s’mores!

When the weekend rolled around we were back in the car and off to Madison to celebrate my brother’s 30th birthday! The party was thrown on a rooftop terrace and I couldn’t get over the views! It was the perfect evening full of laughter and toasting to the end of Tyler’s twenties.

Birthday celebrations continued the following week when my family came to town for a Brewer’s Game! My brother and sister’s birthdays are only 10 days apart, so we decided to gather together and enjoy America’s pastime for their joint family party. While the Brewer’s lost the game, the night was filled with a lot of laughter and cake, so overall it was a success!

Interested in seeing more of our month? Watch the video below!

https://youtu.be/jFZwNEfMGrs

Month in Review: July, 2018

August 8, 2018

At first, I was nervous about this post. In my mind, Ian and I had a low-key month after all of our June travels. Then, as I shuffled through my videos and photos I realized I couldn’t have been more wrong. While we didn’t break out our passports in July, we filled our days with mini adventures around town and snuck in multiple trips back to Madison.

July started with a bang. Literally! Our Fourth of July was spent being surrounded by friends on the lake. While I love taking a dip in the water, roasting marshmallows, and sipping on a cocktail, there is one thing about the lake I hate – mosquitoes. I had the unfortunate luck to be bit right on my eye. Being slightly allergic to mosquito bites, my eye promptly swole shut and Ian had to run to the store and buy me an eye patch. Needless to say, I ended the holiday weekend looking very fashionable.

Next on the agenda was a family wedding! My cousin said “I do” and arrived via helicopter to the countryside reception. I don’t think anyone can top her grand entrance! The evening was filled with tear enducing speeches, delicious food, and dancing.

Once we were back in Milwaukee we were ready to take advantage of all of the summer events! First on our list was Bastille Days. You might think we had our fill of french culture during our trip to Paris, but you would be wrong! When I saw this event pop up on our calendar I was more than excited to shuffle my way through a crowd to grab a Nutella crêpe and snap a picture with the miniature Eiffel Tower.

Another event that made it’s way to the top of my priority list was Ballet Beat. The Milwaukee Ballet puts on free performances around the city during the summer and I was lucky enough to catch their final show. This very well could be my favorite event of the summer!

The following weekend Ian and I packed our bags and headed back to Madison to attend a Mallards game with my family. We made the most of the family weekend by playing lawn games and driving around the farm on the 4-Wheeler.

Our month came to a close sitting on a hill listening to music at the Skyline Music Series. The silver lining of packing up your life and relocating to a new city is discovering special events such as this. I couldn’t get over how beautiful the Milwaukee skyline was as the sunset during the concert and I felt myself bursting with gratitude. I feel lucky to live in such a beautiful place.