As I mentioned before, my dad's conventions and Badger bowl games were the primary driving forces for our family to get out of Wisconsin.
California
I've been to California many times over the years, starting off at the ripe old age of 1.5-years-old, when my parents drove there from Wisconsin.
When we were younger, we'd stay at the Disneyland Hotel. One year, when my sister was 3 or so, she ran her hands along a rough wooden fence... and screamed when they removed the splinters in the bowels of the hotel. I had to wait outside and spent quite a while examining the Mickey Mouse outline in the sand of an ashtray in the hall. But it wasn't all bad. They had a "Dancing Waters" show in the corner of the courtyard that was always fun to watch. My sister and I have a great picture of us standing near the area all dressed in our glorious neon clothes (below!). It was always a thrill to take the Monorail from the hotel into or around Disneyland. And there was the time I got sick in the rental car on the way back from Sea World. Yeah...
We'd also make the occasional trips to the other theme parks. When I was about 6, went to Knott's Berry Farm. I convinced Mom & Cassie to go on a parachute drop "ride" with me. I don't think they ever quite forgave me for that. :o)
In the early 90s, we were out there again around Super Bowl time. We ate dinner one night at Tony Roma's, where several Hispanic fans of the Bills gathered. I still remember them chanting "Boof-a-lo! Boof-a-lo!"
Through various (mis)adventures, we've been to the bathrooms of the Crystal Cathedral, and South Central L.A., and been nearly trapped by the rising flood waters brought about by El Nino. We've been up the cable cars near Palm Springs and been in an earthquake simulator at USC.
I've been to three Rose Bowls (and three Rose Parades... most notably on 1/1/11 when Dad started
cheering the poop scoopers and got the crowd around us to do likewise). Nothing quite like getting up at 4 am, jumping in the car, getting to the stadium, and waiting for the sun to come up. And to get a sweet, sweet Badger victory... awesome.
We also made the occasional trip to San Francisco. There, we visited Alcatraz, went on the cable cars, visited the museums... typical touristy stuff. Because we went there when I was too young to drink, I didn't care much for the wineries in the area. :o)
The Best Thanksgiving
In 1991, we decided to shake things up a bit, and headed out east for Thanksgiving. We drove to DC (where we toured the White House and made it onto CNN briefly when Jesse Jackson showed up to protest when we were walking past). Next, it was on to New Jersey, to visit my Uncle Steve. We had a Thanksgiving meal of spaghetti, apple pie, and Sour Patch Kids. :o) He took us up to New York where we toured the Statue of Liberty. From Steve's place, we drove up to Niagara Falls, where they were (unbeknownst to us) having a Festival of Lights. Every hotel room was booked save for one, a huge space with a Murphy bed. We went to the falls and viewed the lights as well. From there, we drove through Canada to Detroit, where we visited an old friend of Dad's, then drove back home.
Florida
Every so often, we'd make our way down to Florida (Orlando, Tampa or Sarasota). Our neighbors in Rapids had a beachfront condo in Sarasota that we were lucky enough to stay at a few times. I can definitely see the appeal of being able to just walk right out onto the lovely, white sand (from which my friend and I made an awesome dragon during Spring Break one year).
We went to a few memorable bowl games down there. One year, we played Georgia in the Old Sombrero in Tampa. We found out seats were in the Georgia section (not cool) and it was very cool temperature-wise. Not a stellar outing. But we returned a few years later and saw awesome fireworks in Ybor City. College friends and I took two consecutive trips down to Orlando when the Badgers played in the CapitalOne Bowl in the mid-aughts. The first year we drove down, while the second we flew. Being the only one old enough to rent a car, I had to be the designated driver, which was no fun at all (especially with all of the terrible drivers around Orlando!).
Whenever we were down there for my dad's conventions, we would be interested in whether or not there was a shuttle launching. One year, we tried a few times to see the launch, but it got scrubbed every time. We did make a trip over to Cape Kennedy one year, which was pretty interesting.
Disney Cruise
When I was 20, my paternal grandmother decided to take all her kids and grandkids on a Disney Cruise in the Caribbean. Hooray! I was (and still am, curiously enough) the oldest grandkid, so it was more aimed at my younger cousins. I didn't mind. My sister and I shared a cabin with Grandma. We learned pretty quickly which of the family was prone to motion sickness, then learned we're all susceptible when the waves through the Gulf Stream are causing the boat to go up and down so much that distant ship lights move over a foot vertically. My sister nearly had a finger severed in a heavy door. I was underage according to the ship. But those were the bad things. The good included the taxi tour of Nassau we took, snorkeling and seeing a waterspout, and the gorgeous day we had at the private island. Yes, I could go back there.
Mexico
My grandma is awesome. I'm just going to say that. Because of her, I've been on a Disney Cruise and THREE TRIPS TO MEXICO. In 2007, we went to Riviera Maya. In 2009, Puerto Vallarta. In 2011, back to Riveria Maya. (Since I'm writing this in 2013, I'm wondering why I'm not going there this year! ;o) They were great big family vacations when everyone who could come, did. It was a lot of fun, and we got to see some interesting sights, like ancient ruins, manta rays, and my toddler son trying to eat sandy ice cream. We zip-lined and rappelled into a cenote. Drank moonshine in a town only accessible by water (Yelapa) and saw a woman with unbelievably huge jugs (that somehow my husband totally missed). So many great memories.
A post about my dad would be naturally followed up by one about my mom, right? Right.
I may have gotten my love of classic rock from my dad, and got my love of musicals from my mom. One of the first musicals I remember learning was CATS. We've gone to several together over the years, and these has a special place in my heart.
My mom taught me that sports weren't for guys only. My mom's love of sports and athleticism (even being a Badger State Games representative in her teens) attracted her to my dad. They have been long (loooooong) time Badger fans, and that has rubbed off of my sister and me. In 1993, the Badgers were playing Michigan State in Japan. My parents stayed up late (very late) to watch the game, knowing that the victory would send us to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 60s. Sure enough, my mom excitedly came into my bedroom and woke me up exclaiming "We're going to the Rose Bowl!" while bouncing my bed.
As I noted in the post about my dad, we would often go along for a family vacation. This often resulted in adventures for Mom, Cassie and me as we explored while my dad was busy with convention stuff. One of the most memorable was when we were in Anaheim (in the mid 1990s). We were trying to find our way to a Hard Rock Cafe and somehow wound up in South Central LA shortly after the riots. Not the best place for three Midwestern gals to be, so we beat it out of there in a hurry! Or the time we were trying to get to another Hard Rock in California (hmmm... sensing a theme) and had to do a lot of creative driving to avoid roads washed out by El Nino rains. My mom was the one who put up with taking us to the theme parks, and I've learned never to pass up an opportunity to use a restroom if one's available from her!
Oh, the things I've learned from my mom. Like how to put out a sweet tailgating spread. The importance of buying things on sale (and justifying the purchase). Saving certain food items (namely, Mint Milanos) for "vacation food" to make them more special in the long run. To always have a Plan B. That money is better spent on memories than things.
Through the years, my parents have been my main support system. When I was in college and stressing over an exam, even though I knew what she would say, it always comforted me to hear my mom tell me "You'll do just fine." :o)
Looking back, I watched a LOT of TV. Some of it with my parents, some of it on my own. These are the shows I remember watching often in the 80s and 90s:
I love my dad. I've got his taste in music, perfectionist streak, and feet. I've also got lots of fond memories of him from my childhood.
My mom is a banker and my dad is a golf course superintendent. That meant that he would be up at 4 am in the summer and get done with work about 4 pm in the afternoon. Sometimes he would take us back in the evening to the course to set up the irrigation system. I learned to drive a golf cart long before I ever drove a car. You'd think that having access to a golf course would have made me an avid golfer - on the contrary, my dad's general irritation with the members of the course turned me off to the sport. I didn't swing more than a handful of golf balls until my sister and I took a golf class together in college. After big storms, my sister and I would go out on the course to pick up sticks for him. We both worked for him for a few summers during and after high school. I mostly got the easy jobs of painting, weeding, bunkers, and roughs. Nevertheless, I learned that a lot of jobs weren't limited to men only, and if I had an interest in something, I should go for it. That made me one of the few women in my mechanical engineering graduating class.
My dad's career resulted in interesting family vacations. Every year, the GCSAA would have conventions in January or February, and most years, we would join my dad for a family vacation. Over the years, we visited Anaheim, Orlando, Phoenix, and San Francisco. It was nice to go somewhere warm when it was snowy and cold back in Wisconsin.
Since my dad was off earlier than my mom, he would pick my sister and I up from our summer care. When I was in 6th grade, he would come to the YMCA where we spent our days, and we would pile into his old F150 pick up. We developed a habit of singing "Great Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts" on the way home, and at the end of the song, we would each sing a different utensil ("and I forgot my spoon/fork/knife!"). My dad would also pick me up when I was much younger, and when we got home, pretend to make coffee for me.
Dad was the one did most of the teaching when I learned to drive. Thankfully, he was pretty patient with me (terrified as I was), and gave me great rules-of-thumb that I still use to this day.
When I was a teenager, we would have mock snap/kick fights in our kitchen. Silly, but something I fondly remember. Dad also was the one who would go on rollercoasters with me.
Swing dancing made a resurgence in the late 1990s, after I graduated from high school. This was the first music I got into since NKOTB in the 80s. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was my favorite.
While I was a freshman at UW - Madison, there were regular swing dances at Union South. I sewed a dress to wear with a flaring skirt and scoured the resale shops to the ultimate pair of 40s-style dancing shoes (I never found them). I liked dancing with guys who really knew what they were doing, complete with flips. :o)
One of my favorite father-daughter memories was taking a pillow and laying down on the floor in front of my dad when he watched the Indy 500 or another IndyCar race. Those lazy hours on a Sunday ultimately led me to where I am professionally today.
My dad had a fair interest in IndyCar racing in the '80s. Several years, we'd drive all the way to Elkhart Lake to watch the race their. My sister and I weren't so interested... we'd just run around. One year, we're clearly visible rolling down a hill in the race broadcast before or after a commercial.
In 1993, racing became my passion, too. That year, we drove to Milwaukee to watch the race at the State Fair grounds. We all decided to put a few bucks down on a few drivers as a bet. I picked Nigel Mansell because he was British (it was his first year in the series). Halfway through the race, things weren't looking so well, but ultimately, Mansell won. I was hooked. I started following the series religiously. I clipped the race results and articles out of the paper and put them in scrapbooks. I subscribed to IndyCar Magazine (even getting two Letters to the Editor published). This high-level interest continued through high school, when I decided that I wanted to be a race car engineer when I grew up. I had written to the chief engineers on several teams and asked their opinion about how to get a similar job. They all said Mechanical Engineering. So my path was set. I was accepted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering right out of the gate.
My freshman year, I joined the Formula SAE team. I didn't have a very large role, but I definitely learned that it's a boys club. I kept at it, but that fall, one of my favorite drivers, Greg Moore, was killed in a race and that numbed me to the sport a little. The following year, I did a bit more with SAE, and got interested in aerodynamics. Some of the testing I did was enough to interest Ford Motor Company when I interviewed for a summer internship position. I accepted and that lead to two more internships and eventually a permanent position with the company. Unfortunately, my interest in racing had almost completely faded by the time I quit Ford.
I wanted to find something similar but different professionally, which is how I ended up with a MS degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with an emphasis in traffic safety.
18 March 2011 - Once again, thanks to Grandma Maxine's amazing generosity, we find ourselves preparing for another trip to Mexico. We are returning to Playa del Carmen. This time, many of my family members (Dave, Rob, and Brian and their respective families) will be absent, and Dennis's daughter Amy and Michelle, along with their families, will be along. Today was work, then I left early to run to the bank, pick up {20-month-old} Felix, and take care of last-minute stuff before we were met at our house by Cassie, her friend Leslie, Mom and Dad. Nick took care of a ton of stuff around the house before we left for Milwaukee. we got there shortly before dinner. The six and a half of us (yes, this is Felix's first big trip!) ate at the hotel restaurant. Dry, overbaked cod - ugh. At least Felix was happy with the cherry tomatoes. I put him to bed at 7:30 after running him up and down the corridors. I went to bed shortly after, but I couldn't sleep much. Even Nick coming to bed after chatting with the folks didn't help.
19 March - 3:20 am came all too early. Felix definitely wasn't keen about being woken. We got to the airport, checked in, security, blah, blah, blah. We had a lot of time to kill, so I fed Felix and let him run around. He and I were the last two to board the plane shortly after 6 am. Felix did very well on the takeoff, but he was antsy and wanted to move once we were airborne. The toys and books I brought didn't hold much interest. Eventually, he went by Mom and fell asleep. I didn't get any myself. It supposedly took about 3 hours to fly down, which was better than expected. Once we deplaned, we had to go through immigration, where we learned a valuable lesson - traveling with children in Mexico can expedite you getting into the country. We got through both immigration and customs a lot faster. Once through, we had to wait for everybody else, then find our bus. After being awake and seated for so long, a two-hour bus ride wasn't exactly welcome, but at least we were here. We got to our hotel at 12:30 local time. Our room wasn't ready, so we went to lunch. After the lovely, much-needed buffet, we found our room was ready and checked in. Despite the early morning and short nap on the plane, Felix wasn't interested in an afternoon nap. We all got our swimsuits on and headed for the beach. Felix liked digging in the sand and we let him get a little wet in the ocean. We were joined by Mom, Dad, Cassie and Leslie (hereby known as the Others (as opposed to Everyone Else)). Felix played with a Scottish 2-year-old named Becky, while I chatted with her parents Scott and Carrie. Nick and the Others had plans to watch the Badgers basketball tournament game at a sports bar in Playa, while I stayed with Felix. We took him back to the room to shower and change while I got him a poor dinner of applesauce and hot dog. I got him to sleep around 6:30 (7:30 back home), then leaving him with a voice-activated walkie-talkie, I joined Everyone Else for dinner. I went back to the room after getting a picture of the full moon the closest its been in 18 (?) years. Looked bigger, anyway. I wrote these entries, hoping to catch some of the Badger game. No luck yet.
Last one on the plane
Sleeping on the plane
Felix's first time in the ocean
20 March - Nick informed me the Badgers when he got back. Yay! We were up early - around 6, but the restaurant didn't open until 7, so we relaxed in the room for a while. After breakfast (where Felix got his fill of fruit and yogurt), we went down to the beach. I managed to find two open huts together. I followed Felix around on the beach for a while, then we were joined by the Others and Cheryl and Stephen. We went into the ocean, where Stephen "caught" a fish, then I took Felix into the pool to get him used to floating in the foam swim helper. He was tired after that, so we put him down for a nap at 10:45. I stayed with him and read while Nick went back to the beach. Felix woke at 1, when the restaurant opened for lunch, and we met up with the Others. Felix enjoyed watching the birds and waterfalls while we waited. He's already learned so many new words on this trip - wave, waterfall, agouti, palm, frond and donkey (Cassie's present). We went back to the beach after lunch, through this time Felix and I didn't swim. We played in the sand with the new toys Mom bought. Stephen came back after chasing down his raft saying, "fifteen minutes of work for five minutes of fun." The best part was grandma laughing first. After we had our share of fun on the beach, we met up in our room with the Others. Felix ate dinner (leftovers from lunch) then we put him to bed at 6:30. We left him with the walkie-talkie and headed to dinner. Not much in the buffet appealed to me or didn't taste right. Oh well. The walkie-talkie battery died, so I went back to the room after we were done with dinner. We did have a quite the interesting topics of conversation - sleep disturbances, Cassie's softball tournament in Houma, LA, and New Orleans. Mom cried with laughter when Dad misheard Cassie's "people pooped" as "people pubed." I digress. Nick went to join the Others while I read. The theater was so loud we couldn't fall asleep until it was finished at 11:30. Ugh.
Felix will eat ALL the yogurt!
Thanks, Grandma!
21 March - We had an hour to kill between waking and breakfast. All the folks except those with small children went on an excursion to Chichen Itza. We took a cab to Playa. We walked on the main shopping street until I fond the shop I remembered the last time. I got a replacement water glass and five salsa bowls. Felix was pretty lethargic, so we headed straight back. Were were only there about 45 minutes. He took a nap at 10. We relaxed in the room and I made dinner reservations. We again had to kill some time until the lunch restaurant opened. Felix makes such messes at meals, but nearly everyone thinks he's cute. We went down to the pool after eating. First, Felix played in the playground. Then we waded in the kiddie pool, before taking him into the big pool. He's getting better (or more comfortable) at floating. Felix and I got ice cream cones on the way back to the room. We all showered and settled in. It's very quiet. Felix ate prunes and two bananas and decided he wanted to push his stroller around the room. Eventually, we fed him dinner and put him to bed. Then Nick and I dressed for dinner at the tropical restaurant. I got a tasty mojito to start. I'm trying more seafood while we're here and tonight was no different. They had octopus and squid, to go with the clams and mussels I tried earlier this week. For an entree, I got a tuna steak (delicious!) while Nick got spaghetti with lobster. His was good, too. It was a nice dinner for just the two of us. I also got a tiny lemon meringue pie for dessert. We walked around looking for the Others after dinner, but didn't see anyone, so we went back to the room. We went to bed early and the show wasn't too loud.
Exploring the resort
Baby sombrero
22 March - I got up around 6, hearing monkeys outside. I didn't see any, but when Felix and I went out a little later, we saw two. We also had a gecko on the patio, which Felix called a "lilad". We went to breakfast shortly after 7, but didn't see anyone else. It rained while Felix and I were monkey-watching, so it was cool out. We went back to the room. We heard an airplane fly overhead and Felix asked for "more airplane". Mom and Dad stopped by on their way to breakfast, both with presents for Felix: a Chichen Itza shirt from Mom and a bouncing ball from Dad. We went to the beach and met Cassie and Leslie. We made a sandcastle on the edge of the water, or ate least tried to. Nick and Leslie did the main construction while Cassie and I built castles Felix could smash, and he did. Mom and Dad joined us, and eventually Felix got tired. As I took him to nap, we found monkeys! I called the Others on the walkie-talkie to let them know. Mom and Cassie joined me. I read with Felix while he napped. He woke at 1 and we met Nick for lunch. After lunch, we went back to the beach. Both Nick and Cassie got buried in the sand. Dad & I took Felix into the ocean, but it was pretty rough. I lost my sunglasses, and Dad and Felix bumped heads. At around 4, we took Felix back to the room to shower and feed him dinner. We put him to bed at 6:30, then we met Mom and Dad along with Leslie (Cassie too passed out) for dinner in the buffet. It was nice and the wine kept flowing. We check on Felix, then took our beers to Mom and Dad's room. Glad I stopped after one beer, otherwise I would have been seriously hurting the next day.
Smash sandcastles: Done!
Bury Nick: Done!
Bury Cassie: Done!
23 March - We were up early, as usual. We ate breakfast shortly after 7. The buffet food is starting to wear on me, and it's only Wednesday. We played after breakfast, waking up Mom and Dad, and seeing a monkey and lizard close to our balcony. At around 10, us girls (Mom, Cassie, Leslie and me) went in to Playa. We walked a long way, but didn't go into many shops. I did get a raspberry-colored shawl for about $14. We also picked up little gifts for {Amy's son} Finn, who despite only being 11 months old, will be having his birthday celebrated tonight. We stopped for chips and guacamole, found the sports bar we were at the last time in Playa (La Taverna), then headed back. Got back o the hotel at 1. Joined Nick and Dad, along with Felix and Amy for lunch. After Felix's lunch, we got our swim stuff on and found chairs around the kidding pool. We were eventually joined by the Others. Felix had a lot of fun splashing around the pool. We got ice cream cones, played on the jungle gym, and got Felix dinner (four little slices of pizza). He was so tired he insisted on going to bed at 5 pm local time. we got ready for and headed to dinner. Everyone except Erik, Angela and Felix were in a big group for Finn. He was a sleepy baby, though. The highlight of the meal was the chocolate fountain. We left shortly after Happy Birthday, heading up to Mom and Dad's room to play Apples to Apples. I was tired and left around 9:30.
Monkey sighting!
So many festive colors found in Playa
Trying to keep Felix from drinking the pool water. Yuck.
24 March - Felix's going to sleep early had repercussions this morning when he woke at 4:44. We got him to play in his crib for 45 minutes, giving us more time to sleep. Eventually we got up fed him prunes and yogurt, and killed time until the restaurant opened for breakfast. The Badger basketball team is playing in the Sweet 16 game tonight, so we all put on our Badger wear. We went to breakfast where we saw Cheryl, Stephen, Grandma and Dennis. After eating (Felix liked the papaya this morning), we changed into swimsuits and headed to the beach. Felix wanted to go into the pool, so I waded with him while Nick held down the circle of chairs. We took Felix into the ocean, but it was a little scary for him, standing near the waves. He was getting tired, too. I had to make him a sad man because he did not want to shower. Eventually, I got him to settle down and nap. I read on my Nook and closed my eyes briefly. After Felix's nap, we met Nick for lunch, changed, and headed down to the beach. I talked with the Wisconsin couple Nick and I met this morning, and Lilo and Karl {from Germany. I tried to speak a little German to them, apologizing for forgetting so many words.} who the Others met yesterday. We mostly followed Felix around when he wanted to explore. We got him pizza for dinner, then took him back to the room. He was in bed by 6:20. I got a plate of food and Nick went to go into town with the Others. Again, I stayed here, but didn't mind because I'm not as big of a basketball fan. It was pretty quiet after that. I read, waiting to see if any part of the game would be shown. A little of the first half was shown, but it didn't look pretty. Nick came back a little after 11 to say they lost.
Badger Fans, ready for the day
My beach boys
25 March - We woke up around 6. I played with Felix while Nick tried to sleep longer. We went to breakfast shortly after 7. Then we came back to the room to change for the beach. We had a tough time finding chairs, but eventually found two open huts. Dad came down to join us (the others were shopping). Felix had fun throwing handfuls of sand into the waves. He got tired shortly after 10, so we put him to bed and packed up most of our stuff. We will still have a lot of last-minute packing to do in the morning. Felix woke up at non, and we went back to the beach. We ate lunch, but it was pretty warm out. Nick took Felix back to the room while I stayed out to read. After a while, we decided to walk to the nearby shops. Felix and I went with the Others. It sprinkled on us. We walked and went in a few shops. I got a purple stone pendant necklace to wear with my dress tonight. We had some time to kill, so we took Felix to get dinner. He was in a silly-monkey mood after that. We watched Jeopardy and Big Bang Theory before putting Felix to bed. After he was asleep, we got dressed for dinner and met the Others, along with Grandma and Dennis for a drink before dinner. The six of us were eating at the Japanese restaurant in the resort. It was a nice hibachi show with tasty sushi. I ordered chicken and octopus to be daring (it was actually very good). Nick and I got sake on top of the wine we were served with dinner. After dinner, we went back to the bar, where interesting conversation and copious drinking occurred. We got back to the room and finished packing at 11. I tried to stave off a hangover drinking two cans of mineral water and a bottle and a half of regular water.
26 March - Felix woke up screaming at 2:30. By 3, we gave up and brought him into bed with us. He slept well, but my intestines were doing unhappy things. We got up at 5 (I barely slept after bringing Felix into bed with us), checked out and grabbed breakfast for Felix. I couldn't eat anything. Our shuttle to the airport came at 6. The ride was hard in that I needed to pee and Felix kept bouncing on me. We finally got to the airport and after killing an hour and a half, we were airborne. Felix and I slept for a while. He got antsy the last hour of the flight. After customs, we got our luggage and gave Felix a chance to run around. We caught a shuttle to our car, said our good-byes and headed to Madison. After stopping for a quick bite of McDonald's, we pulled in a little after 5. Despite the cold, we were glad to see less snow on the ground than when we left. Mom, Dad, Cassie and Leslie stopped by to collect cars, and that was the end of our adventure.
Words Felix learned on this trip: agouti, beach, boat, castle, donkey, flag, float, fountain, help, hola, jungle, lizard, ocean, palm, papaya, path, peacock, pool, sand, shell, turtle, wave
