Sweet Caroline

Jimmy and I are headed to NC tomorrow in between two big snow storms. We are suppose to have a snow storm tonight with thunder snow....scary. I have never heard of thunder snow but evidently it is when it snows just like a strong thunderstorm with heavy winds and will snow up to 2-3 inches an hour. It is suppose to taper off by noon on Friday. We are leaving Friday night. Another large storm is suppose to travel through on Saturday. It is time to get out of dodge.

Keep us in your thoughts as we travel.

My new place.

My entire office just moved into a brand new building and I must admit that I really like my office. It isn't as big as my old office but it has nice new furniture and a good view of Lake Monona. Here are some pics.

This is me on a huge pile of snow in our parking lot.....more pics to come.

Christmas Wishes

The apartment is decorated for Christmas and the snow is falling. Life in the snowglobe.

Winter Storm Warning

We are expecting up to 12 inches of snow tonight and through tomorrow. I will keep you posted on the storm....plus I need to upload some video of our apartment at Christmas.

América del Sur aquí vengo

Me voy a Santiago, Chile, en julio. Estoy muy emocionado y quería publicar este en español. Jimmy tiene una conferencia en Santiago y he decidido ir a lo largo.

Por lo tanto, para aprender más español me hecho bastante familiarizados con Google la herramienta de traducción. Cabe esperar, voy a firmar hasta clases de español para esta primavera.

Mi próximo objetivo ..... obtener un pasaporte.

Espero que haya disfrutado de mi primer blog español.

Say what?

http://translate.google.com/translate_t#

Waking Up to a Winter Wonderland.

Last night while we lay fast asleep a beautiful blanket of snow covered Madison. It was quite a surprise this morning. They weren't really calling for snow last night.

We were running late. Both Jimmy and I woke up and quickly got dressed and ready for work. We hadn't even had the chance to take a look out of the window at what was waiting for us. I wanted to eat breakfast before we left...still haven't looked outside. It was quite comical when I think about it, but I just sat down on the sofa with my bowl of cereal (our sofa faces the sliding glass door) I grabbed the remote and instead of turning on the TV my eyes were fastened on this scene.

I called Jimmy who was still getting ready and asked him if he had the chance to look outside he said, "No."
"Well you better get in here. We have a surprise."

Congrats to Mary, Bobby and Ella!

Just wanted to give a shout out to my dear friend Mary. She is expecting baby number 2 at the end of June. Congrats to the Mann family. I am very happy for all of you!!

I gave in.

Well, after my rant about Christmas music I gave into the radio stations. I was on my way to the Dells over the weekend to go to the outlet stores. The Dells or the Wisconsin Dells is a town north of Madison and is a combination of Mrytle Beach and Gatlinburg of course with no beach or mountains. It has lots of amusement parks, theatres, shops and very touristy stuff.

Anyway, I was headed to the outlets to go shopping and it was snowing. I was scanning through the radio stations when I came across the song "Sleigh Ride" and I just had to stop and sing along. Well that did me in b/c the whole way to the outlets and then on the way home I sang Christmas songs.

Oh well. Celebrate the Season.

Is it just me....

Or is the Christmas music driving you crazy. Don't get me wrong I love Christmas, I love singing carols, I love buying presents, I love going to church plays, I love eating all of the Christmas goodies but Christmas music ALREADY!!

One radio station up here started playing Christmas tunes the day after Halloween. That is way too early. What about Thanksgiving?? Give Thanksgiving a chance. Poor Thanksgiving everyone forgets about it!!

And of course the department stores are decorated and "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time" is being played nonstop.

I am sure the marketing ploy is to play Christmas music so early that people will think, "Hey I need to start buying gifts." I am sure the thought behind it is to raise retail sales.

I will step down from my soap box. Hope you have a holly jolly weekend.

Chicago and Obama

Some pictures I took while visiting Chicago right after the election.

This was on display at Navy Pier.

The CNN Election bus was still parked right outside of Grant Park where Obama gave his speech last Tuesday night.

A fun weekend

Sara and Keith arrived on Friday around 11. Since this was Sara's first flight I made a sign for her and held it up when they walked to baggage claim.

Our first night we stayed in Chicago. We checked into our hotel and ate lunch at Ed D'Bevic's which is an old 50s style diner where the waitstaff throws menus at you, chews gum in your face and tells you that the food you just ordered will make you gasy. It was a nice place....no really.

Then we walked down to Michigan Ave. and had cocktails on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building to celebrate Sara's birthday. What a view!! What a great place to go. If you are ever in Chicago please do this. I think it is better than going to the observation deck. You still have a great view, its free, no long lines (unless it is a friday or saturday night) and you can buy a drink.

Here are some views from our table...

After a drink or two you will start to see like this......

We went in several stores and then headed to Navy Pier. After that we had happy hour at the hotel and then headed to Zanie's Comedy Club to see Brett Ernst. We laughed and laughed. This was my first visit to a comedy club and I can't wait to go back.

On Saturday we went to the Planetarium and then headed up to Madison. We gave Sara and Keith a tour of our new city and visited the capitol and the Cave of the Mounds National Park.

On Monday we toured Miller Brewing Company and had a blast with their free samples at the end of our tour. You know you are in Wisconsin when the free samples are 3, 20 oz. mugs of beer per person. WooHoo!!! If you like beer and are in Milwaukee this is a must do. The tour is free and so are the beers.

VOTE!!

Enough said.

check out this video too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TGf2o4qeBo

I am still here...

I haven't blogged in a week or so but I am still here and enjoying life. The weather was quite chilly last week and the first of this week. We even had snow flurry on Monday. It is 65 today and feels great. I hope it stays like this as long as possible. Those cold, cold days of winter are quickly approaching.

Nothing much going on. Anxiously awaiting Sara and Keith's arrival on Friday morning for a fun filled weekend.

Bye bye for now.

More fall pics.

The Story of Vi: the traveling violet

I have a traveling violet.

About three years ago I purchased two violets from Kroger in Apex. Both of them were very pretty and were placed near the sliding glass door in the living room. Much to my dismay one of the violets perished when the vaccum cord got tangled on the table legs and tipped the table over and the little violet went tumbling. After the tragedy I only had one violet and she was moved to a more sturdy table.

This violet is special because although I am not sure what nursery she came from I am positive she has traveled quite a bit more than any other violet could. She has large green leaves and purple flowers. She is planted in a blue pot that was left over from my wedding centerpieces.

On May 18 she started her journey. She traveled from the comfy confines of her 3rd floor perch in Apex to a lovely home in Cary. Her new home was in the guest bedroom of my sister's house. At first she was placed in a low window in the living room but Bruno the Big kept sniffing her and I was sure his tail would knock her down, so she was moved to a tall dresser in the guest bedroom.

On June 7 Vi traveled to Sanford and sat in Kathy's kitchen because the weather was too hot for her to sit in the car. That same day she traveled to Dave's house were she spent the night in the sunroom.

On June 8 she made her longest car trip, to the beach. For over a week she sat soundfront in Emerald Isle. She had a lovely beach trip and got to witness many living room parties, dancing and margarita nights.

Then on June 17 she traveled the entire state of North Carolina from the coast to the mountains. That night we stopped in Nashville, TN to visit with Jen and Ryan. On June 18 she traveled through TN, KY, IL and then to Madison, WI where she lives today.

This is Violet traveling on her big trip to the mid-west.

She is doing well. She spends her days basking in the sun on top of the piano, near the sliding glass door in the living room, much like her old apartment.

That is the story of Vi the traveling Violet.

Falling for campus

Where exactly do I work? What does it look like in Madison? Well, here is your chance to find out with an added dose of fall colors.

The picture above was taken on the lakeshore where people can rent sailboats. These boats are just waiting for someone to take them out and enjoy the day.

Taken right out of my front door at work. The building in the background is the Wisconsin Historical Society.


This picture was taken at the lake front. The building hidden by trees is the Red Gym. It looks like a castle and was home to the Armory. Currently, it houses Admissions and the Community Service Center.

The sitting area is called the Union Terrace and can get really crowded on nice days. The lake is to the left. You can see a very small portion of it in the picture.


This is a very zoomed in view of campus and downtown from picnic point. The campus and downtown basically mingle together.....they sit side by side.


This is my office. I think it looks pretty cool.

Science Hall, below, is another cool building.

Well that is a tiny view of a very large campus. I will post more later. Enjoy.

Chicago state of mind.

For some reason the Billy Joel song "New York State of Mind" makes me happy. Perhaps it was because we took a trip there last year and it brings back good memories or maybe it is because I like Billy Joel but every time I hear the song I think of how fun living in a big city would be. That is if I could live exactly where I wanted and make the money to afford it. I don't need a penthouse on Park Avenue or Lake Shore Drive, just a cozy place that is in the heart of it all.

Jimmy and I had a getaway weekend. We went to Chicago. We stayed at a beautiful hotel, the Palmer House. The hotel was built by Potter Palmer in the late 1800s as a wedding gift to his wife. What a gift!!

If it were not for Hilton Honors we could have never stayed there. The hotel was beautiful, the prettiest place I have ever stayed. Our room was big and had a view of the lake. We were treated very well. We felt like royalty.

This is the entrance to our hotel.

On Saturday we walked along the lakeshore and took a water taxi to the planetarium. The water taxi is neat because it is fairly inexpensive plus you get to see the whole downtown from the water. Saturday night we went out to dinner and then to a little bar.

Us taking the water taxi from Navy Pier to the Planetarium.

One of the great views from the water taxi.

Goofing off in the planetarium.

On Sunday we walked down Michigan Avenue. It is very similar to 5th Ave. in NYC. It has tons of upscale shops and normal ones too. We also walked out on one of the beaches. It is just like being at the ocean.

Me with The Kiss at the Hershey store....he was so cute!!



See ya later Chicago.....

First signs of fall and a geography lesson

Admist, the shore of Cox Lake stands one lone tree bursting with color. Jimmy and I happened upon our first sighting of fall on Sunday while hiking at Gov. Dodge State Park. The tree was very beautiful standing by itself among the green trees.

Our day trip to Dodge Park was fun. We hiked, took pictures and got lost. We made a 2 mile mistake that I blame on Jimmy and that he blames on me. Well, truth is, we both read the sign wrong, turned left when we should have turned right and ended up walking 2 miles out of the way.

Some history on Dodge Park: For those who don't know, most of southwestern Wisconsin is hilly, I won't go as far as mountainous but it looks very similar to the Wilkesboro area of North Carolina.

Why is this section of Wisconsin hilly and the rest of the state and mid-west flat?In the last Ice Age four glaciers covered the midwest and for some quirk of nature did not cover southwestern Wisconsin. The glaciers basically mowed down all hills and mountains from Canada to Kansas moving rocks and making everything flat, except for a section of my new state. Because the glacier did not touch this area the park has some of the oldest land, 450 million years old to be exact. (according to a brochure I read)

Well that is your geography lesson for the day. I will keep you updated on the fall color.

Alas....the seasons are changing.

Oh no....what is that I see...leaves falling from a tree on campus. Which only means fall is here and winter is just around the corner. The season that I am trying my best to ignore.

The leaves will be changing soon. Most are still green but with a chill in the air I know it won't be long. I can't believe it is almost fall. I woke up to 42 outside this morning and went to work with a light jacket. By lunch time the sun was out and it was around 65.

I actually love fall. The cool crisp air, the colors, pumpkins. I use to love spring but being in financial aid, spring is almost bittersweet. The weather is beautiful, the leaves are coming back, flowers are blooming and parents and students are yelling, "I didn't get enough financial aid, my dreams are over".......you get the picture.

I am very excited about fall. I have heard that the Wisconsin fall is very beautiful. There are lots of hardwood trees so hopefully the colors will be bright.

Stay tuned...I will post pictures once the leaves start changing.

Fun Weekend

Jimmy and I just had a very fun weekend. On Saturday we went to the Madison Farmers Market which is an event in itself. We brought home, two pies (cherry and apple), corn, cheese curds (they are very good...trust me), tomatoes, cucumbers, cantelope and green beans. We had such a nice morning.

Then on Sunday we went hiking at Devil's Lake State Park. If I ever need a dose of the North Carolina foothills and hiking trails this is the place to be. We hiked two trails. East Bluff and Balanced Rock. Both were fairly difficult.

Some views from the East Bluff trail.



Just me being a shutterbug.



Jimmy showing off....


This is Balanced Rock.


This is me trying to unbalance, balanced rock. You know I was not nervous taking this picture at all. I didn't think twice...it was fun. But when I just posted this picture it makes me a little nervous...just me and a 500 foot drop.



A shout-out to Sara Becca, Keith and Bruno. Good luck moving. Can't wait to see your new place. Love you!!

Bye bye, for now.

Our place... quick video

A few people have requested a video tour of the apartment. Since blogger.com won't allow long video and since I tend to be very long-winded this is an almost silent and very quick view of our place....

Pope Farm Park

Today Jimmy and I visited Pope Farm Park. The park is about a mile from our apartment. It was beautiful. The parked was given to the town of Middleton by the Pope Family to be kept has a "farm park" The main goal of the park is to preserve farming by reminding people of its importance to the world. Another goal of the park is to preserve the prairie and glacial land formations.

Jimmy and I have developed a whole new vocabulary concerning topography: kettles, moraines, glacial ridges. All of which were created when glaciers covered this part of the country. Fortunately, the glacier did not flatten Wisconsin as it did Illinois. Here the glacier pushed land to form moraines and glacial ridges. It also formed kettles which is when rubble was on top of the glacier then the glacier melted and created a hold or sink area.

The farm includes grassed walking trails through many types of fields: corn, barley, wheat and soybean. There is also a field of sunflowers.

Here are the pictures from our walk:

As you enter the park you walk up a gravel path lined with a rock wall. There is a picnic area at the top of the hill.

This is a view while walking the trail.



The left is corn, the dark green on the right are soybeans.



This is a view of the sunflower field. They are facing opposite the camera. Their flowers follow the sun.
Here they are! All facing me. They were so pretty.


This is a view of the Middleton country-side.
Here is Jimmy reading a sign about the land formations. If you look closely and I mean very closely you can see the Lake Mendota. You can actually see the capitol from here as well but the camera just doesn't capture it very well.

bye bye for now. anna