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.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Playa Del Carmen Mexico 2011
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
{transcribed 1/29/2020}
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.
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| Last one on the plane |
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| Sleeping on the plane |
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| 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.
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| Felix will eat ALL the yogurt! |
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| Thanks, Grandma! |
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| Exploring the resort |
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| Baby sombrero |
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| Smash sandcastles: Done! |
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| Bury Nick: Done! |
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| Bury Cassie: Done! |
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| Monkey sighting! |
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| So many festive colors found in Playa |
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| Trying to keep Felix from drinking the pool water. Yuck. |
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| Badger Fans, ready for the day |
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| My beach boys |
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| Geepa & Grandson |
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| Dennis, Cassie, Grandma, Leslie, Nick, Dad, Cara, Mom |
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| Leslie, Cassie, Mom |
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
{transcribed 1/29/2020}
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Athletics
I was thin and wiry when I was growing up. Bean pole may be an accurate description. Both of my parents were athletically-inclined, and so they signed me up in sports to channel some of my energy.
I think I might have mentioned previously that I was in soccer for a summer when I was 6. I didn't take to it, preferring to turn somersaults along the side than to actually run around after the ball.
In the summer before 3rd Grade, I signed up for softball. It must have been one of the first years they offered it, because there was a range of ages on my team. We were the Demons (which was ironic, because the next year, we were the Angels).
I played softball from that year through my sophomore year of high school, when my competitive fire had nearly died out and I just didn't care anymore. During that span, I played every single position on the field. I had a pretty good eye, and could be counted on to get on base either by walking or a bloop single. I didn't like the outfield (incredibly boring when playing other girls my age).
My sister came along three years after me and got most of my parents' athletic abilities. Her summer softball teams played in national tournaments. I made the All-Star team once. I did hit at least one inside-the-park home run, though. :o)
Until I was 5 months pregnant with my son, I played volleyball recreationally after high school. Once he's older, I plan to play again. Look out, world!
I think I might have mentioned previously that I was in soccer for a summer when I was 6. I didn't take to it, preferring to turn somersaults along the side than to actually run around after the ball.
In the summer before 3rd Grade, I signed up for softball. It must have been one of the first years they offered it, because there was a range of ages on my team. We were the Demons (which was ironic, because the next year, we were the Angels).
I played softball from that year through my sophomore year of high school, when my competitive fire had nearly died out and I just didn't care anymore. During that span, I played every single position on the field. I had a pretty good eye, and could be counted on to get on base either by walking or a bloop single. I didn't like the outfield (incredibly boring when playing other girls my age).
My sister came along three years after me and got most of my parents' athletic abilities. Her summer softball teams played in national tournaments. I made the All-Star team once. I did hit at least one inside-the-park home run, though. :o)
My other sport was volleyball. I started playing in 7th grade, and by the time I hit high school, I was a decent setter. My junior year I made the varsity team, mainly because I had a badass floating serve. My team wasn't very good, though, and as a benchrider, I only got to play when the starters either one the first two game or lost them (usually the latter). I got chewed out once by the coach because I had a bad game (blowing a serve in the 3rd game when we were already 0-2 in the match and "not cheering enough"). It was almost enough to make me quit midseason, but it definitely killed my interest in volleyball for my senior year. That year, I was a volunteer 7th grade coach instead. Much more rewarding and less hostile.
Until I was 5 months pregnant with my son, I played volleyball recreationally after high school. Once he's older, I plan to play again. Look out, world!
Childhood: The Most Embarrassing Post I'll Probably Write
I'm not sure quite how it got started, but I was kind of a sensitive kid. Some kids are afraid of the dark, others, monsters. I was terrified of those and of having nightmares. It was so difficult for me to fall asleep, for fear that I would have a nightmare. To comfort myself, I either asked (or made) my sister sleep in my room, slept on the floor in my parents' room, or in a nest of blankets in the hall outside their room. (I wasn't kidding about the subject of this post).
For many years, anything disturbing I saw would haunt me at night. I have my nearly-photographic memory to thank for that. In order to get some sleep, I'd "watch" a movie in my head until I fell asleep. Eventually I grew out of the need for closeness and nightlights, but some things still trouble me. I still have a picture in my head of a corpse I saw while learning about civil rights in 8th Grade.
More neuroses: I picked out a daybed so that I would be "protected" on three sides, even though my bed was always against the wall. I took turns putting socks on each foot, because I didn't want one sock to feel bad. I still have to have all closet doors shut before I can comfortably go to bed.
I'm sure there are others, but I'm just repressing them. If you always thought there was something "off" about me, you were right.
For many years, anything disturbing I saw would haunt me at night. I have my nearly-photographic memory to thank for that. In order to get some sleep, I'd "watch" a movie in my head until I fell asleep. Eventually I grew out of the need for closeness and nightlights, but some things still trouble me. I still have a picture in my head of a corpse I saw while learning about civil rights in 8th Grade.
More neuroses: I picked out a daybed so that I would be "protected" on three sides, even though my bed was always against the wall. I took turns putting socks on each foot, because I didn't want one sock to feel bad. I still have to have all closet doors shut before I can comfortably go to bed.
I'm sure there are others, but I'm just repressing them. If you always thought there was something "off" about me, you were right.
Band
I started playing the saxophone in 6th grade. I don't know what possessed me to pick up the sax. After all, I clearly remember wanting to play the trombone because they sat in the front row at the UW Band spring concert. But by some whim, I chose the alto saxophone. I remember learning to play Hava Nagila in 6th Grade Band. That should have been a warning to me that every sax part I got for the rest of my playing career would be very, very boring. My band teacher kept things "lively" by getting frustrated and throwing music stands. No joke.
Fast forward past junior high and uninspired performances (despite how much "potential" a substitute director said my 8th grade band had. I learned to despise that word). I was never a great or outstanding player. I didn't practice often, and playing in front of the director (which was necessary to move up into a better band) made me nervous and squeaky.
It was in high school marching and pep band that I found my true interest. I attended marching camp the summer before 10th grade, where the rest of us marching band newbies learned how to mark-time-mark and about-face. I felt so proud in the hot polyester uniform marching down 8th Street in the annual Rapids parade. I also remember singing "I'll be there for you" on the bus there to a friend of mine who recently ended a relationship.
I was in marching and pep band all three years in high school (note: despite the name, Lincoln is a senior high). My pep band director (and friend Kendra's father) chose fun music for us to play. I also really got a kick out of dressing up with the themes he chose. Sci-Fi/Space was always fun. One year, I dressed up as Princess Leia (and so did Kendra - and friendship blossomed :o). My saxophone-playing cohorts, Andrea and Becky, and I had a lot of fun choreographing our movements to the songs (something later bands seemed to think they couldn't do. "What? Move to the music?!"). 25 or 6 to 4 was a favorite, as was the band's theme Call Me Al. Everyone danced to that one.
One fun thing about the band was the annual trip to participate in Band Day at Camp Randall Stadium during a Badger football game. That was chaos. Dozens of bands, thousands of kids, instruments, chaperones, etc. One year, a friend brought a stuffed Fozzie Bear doll and got lots of chants of "Foz-zie Bear!" from us. We also always played when we shouldn't have. Oh well.
The Band Day my senior year was definitely the best. We had a great group of friends on the bus, had a great time at the game, and got away with pretty much anything we wanted on the way home. We hung our uniforms from the overhead racks so the driver couldn't see what we were up to (though I believe s/he didn't care). It was all good, clean fun. We tried to see how many people we could cram into a seat (12, I believe), and found that we could flip over and under one of the back seats. We had a dance party by the glow of the red light above the rear door. Ah, such fun.
The Rapids wrestling team is really, really good. They've one the D1 state title or come in second all but one year since the early 90s. And every year, a pep band would be sent down to state to cheer on the wrestlers and fans. My senior year, they were going for their 4th straight title. Andrea made a sign that said Quad Squad, and we cheered their way to that victory. By the end of the evening, we had a new in-joke: thump (as in, a pin)-yeah! (crowd cheering)-*click* (Andrea taking a picture). Thump-yeah-click!
Other band-related memories: One evening after a marching band performance, a bunch us heard there was supposed to be an aurora borealis that evening. We went to the football practice field after halftime and sure enough, that was the only time so far I've ever seen one. It was amazing.
I tried out for drum major one year. It was probably a lack of confidence and weak voice that did me in.
My friends Renee and Laura played awesome bells. Our cadence was great, especially with Bill leading the way.
Trespassing on the main football field after a game, we found that 2 somersaults = 5 yards.
It can get really, really cold in the evenings. So cold, in fact, a few years we created fake "fires" to keep us warm on the sideline until it was time to play at halftime.
Fast forward past junior high and uninspired performances (despite how much "potential" a substitute director said my 8th grade band had. I learned to despise that word). I was never a great or outstanding player. I didn't practice often, and playing in front of the director (which was necessary to move up into a better band) made me nervous and squeaky.
I was in marching and pep band all three years in high school (note: despite the name, Lincoln is a senior high). My pep band director (and friend Kendra's father) chose fun music for us to play. I also really got a kick out of dressing up with the themes he chose. Sci-Fi/Space was always fun. One year, I dressed up as Princess Leia (and so did Kendra - and friendship blossomed :o). My saxophone-playing cohorts, Andrea and Becky, and I had a lot of fun choreographing our movements to the songs (something later bands seemed to think they couldn't do. "What? Move to the music?!"). 25 or 6 to 4 was a favorite, as was the band's theme Call Me Al. Everyone danced to that one.
One fun thing about the band was the annual trip to participate in Band Day at Camp Randall Stadium during a Badger football game. That was chaos. Dozens of bands, thousands of kids, instruments, chaperones, etc. One year, a friend brought a stuffed Fozzie Bear doll and got lots of chants of "Foz-zie Bear!" from us. We also always played when we shouldn't have. Oh well.
The Band Day my senior year was definitely the best. We had a great group of friends on the bus, had a great time at the game, and got away with pretty much anything we wanted on the way home. We hung our uniforms from the overhead racks so the driver couldn't see what we were up to (though I believe s/he didn't care). It was all good, clean fun. We tried to see how many people we could cram into a seat (12, I believe), and found that we could flip over and under one of the back seats. We had a dance party by the glow of the red light above the rear door. Ah, such fun.
The Rapids wrestling team is really, really good. They've one the D1 state title or come in second all but one year since the early 90s. And every year, a pep band would be sent down to state to cheer on the wrestlers and fans. My senior year, they were going for their 4th straight title. Andrea made a sign that said Quad Squad, and we cheered their way to that victory. By the end of the evening, we had a new in-joke: thump (as in, a pin)-yeah! (crowd cheering)-*click* (Andrea taking a picture). Thump-yeah-click!
Other band-related memories: One evening after a marching band performance, a bunch us heard there was supposed to be an aurora borealis that evening. We went to the football practice field after halftime and sure enough, that was the only time so far I've ever seen one. It was amazing.
I tried out for drum major one year. It was probably a lack of confidence and weak voice that did me in.
My friends Renee and Laura played awesome bells. Our cadence was great, especially with Bill leading the way.
Trespassing on the main football field after a game, we found that 2 somersaults = 5 yards.
It can get really, really cold in the evenings. So cold, in fact, a few years we created fake "fires" to keep us warm on the sideline until it was time to play at halftime.
Childhood: Christmas
Christmas with my family, for as long as I remember and until I started dating my husband, followed this pattern: Christmas Eve with Mom's side (my grandpa's birthday) in Iola, Christmas Eve service at church, our own family gift exchange first thing Christmas morning, then packing up everything for Christmas at my Dad's side in Waupaca. When I was really young (under 6), I remember going to very extended family gatherings. As I got older and started to get more cousins, Christmases moved to my grandparents' houses.
Certain gifts I got stick out, like the year my uncle Steve gave me a chemistry set (awesome!) and my sister a My Pet Monster (totally appropriate). He was also the one who gave me my first New Kids On The Block cassette tape and a VHS tape of the first season of South Park. Always wanting to corrupt and inform, Steve.
You know how certain foods or smells can bring memories flooding back? If I haven't had 7up in a while, my first taste will immediately take me back to Iola and Christmas. It was there as a mixer for the adults, but for me, it was the only time in the year when I got a drink of it. There would also be lutefisk, lefse, sandbakkels, and krumkake (can you tell I'm part Norwegian?).
On my mom's side, for most years, it was just my older cousin Jimmie, my sister, and me. This led, generally, to us getting very bored after the presents were opened. Invariably, we either went outside and tormented my sister or whatever little kid happened to be along that year, or else we went into my grandparents room and broke the bed. I think we had a streak of several years where we'd be bouncing around the room and *bang*, the bed would break. My grandparents also had a set of Mr. Scent markers. We'd get ourselves a little dizzy sniffing those, and occassionally, throw them at the wall to see if we could leave a mark.
Christmases on my dad's side were much more boisterous affairs. Lots of aunts, uncles and cousins would fill the place. We'd eat lunch, chat, then tear as one into the presents. Few memories stand out, likely because every year was pretty similar to the last. Same people, same handmade ornaments of my great-grandma's on the tree, same sledding. Well, there was the year we were sliding on snowtubes and Alissa went onto the ice. For a few years early on in my life, an ice skate would be passed around between my dad and his sibilings and cousins as a gag gift.
Certain gifts I got stick out, like the year my uncle Steve gave me a chemistry set (awesome!) and my sister a My Pet Monster (totally appropriate). He was also the one who gave me my first New Kids On The Block cassette tape and a VHS tape of the first season of South Park. Always wanting to corrupt and inform, Steve.
You know how certain foods or smells can bring memories flooding back? If I haven't had 7up in a while, my first taste will immediately take me back to Iola and Christmas. It was there as a mixer for the adults, but for me, it was the only time in the year when I got a drink of it. There would also be lutefisk, lefse, sandbakkels, and krumkake (can you tell I'm part Norwegian?).
On my mom's side, for most years, it was just my older cousin Jimmie, my sister, and me. This led, generally, to us getting very bored after the presents were opened. Invariably, we either went outside and tormented my sister or whatever little kid happened to be along that year, or else we went into my grandparents room and broke the bed. I think we had a streak of several years where we'd be bouncing around the room and *bang*, the bed would break. My grandparents also had a set of Mr. Scent markers. We'd get ourselves a little dizzy sniffing those, and occassionally, throw them at the wall to see if we could leave a mark.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
2011 Badger Rose Bowl
31 Dec 2010 - The day dawned extremely foggy. We had a flight from Madison to Chicago that was to be the first leg of our journey; we found out that the same flight was canceled several times yesterday because of similar weather conditions. That was worrisome, but we packed up Felix's stuff and drove to Fond du Lac, where we met Vicky and Cindy. Steve and Vicky are watching Felix while we are in California. It was hard to see him go, because we've never been away from him longer than a workday. {Felix was nearly 18 months old.} On the way back, it seemed less likely that our flight would be on time, if at all. We borrowed an I-pass from Cassie and hit the road for Chicago almost as soon as we got home. The fog cleared as we went south, but turned into heavy rain around Chicago. At least flights were going in and out. We tired to switch to an earlier flight, but apparently they don't let you fly standby anymore. We went through security (ugh), then decided to have a nice early dinner at the Macaroni Grill restaurant in our concourse. Nick got pizza and I got chicken and pasta. While we waited, we played Dominion, called to say hi to Felix, and tried to relax a bit before our 6:45 flight. Mom and Dad flew out on the 29th and will pick us up at the airport when we land. We left at 7 pm and flew in at 10 pm (CT). We met up with Mom & Dad, when went to the hotel (Anaheim Hilton). Quickly discussed our plans for tomorrow, then called it a night at 12:30 am CT, after 16 hours of travel.
1 Jan 2011 - I slept so soundly last night I didn't hear the fireworks at Disney at midnight. We got up at 5:15, then meet the folks at 6. We drove up to Pasadena as the sun rose, slowed only by the odd slaloming police car on the interstate. We parked at the stadium, then followed the mass of humanity toward the Rose Parade route. We found a place to stand at an intersection near one of Jay Macias's aunts (very friendly lady). We also saw Matt Bernstein walking around. we were near a good group of Badger fans, who joined Dad in cheering for the manure scoopers. ["Scoop! Scoop!] We left the parade after seeing both the Badger and TCU floats and bands. We made our way back to the car to tailgate. The day is beautiful - only contrails marring the blue sky and with temps in the low 50s. we had our bloody marys, sat on upturned plastic buckets on a red-flowered tablecloth. Ah, lovely. There seems to be many more Badger fans than our purple-clad rivals. Jim, Jess and Jess's family stopped by to say hi shortly before we went in to the stadium. About an hour before game time, we found our seats. As for the game itself, I'd rather not comment too much. Suffice it to say we did not look like ourselves; missed opportunities and a missed 2-point conversion left us short 19-21. Damn. We stuck around afterward for 5th Quarter and for the parking lots to clear. When we got back to Anaheim, we went to a sports bar called Clancy's for dinner. That was nice, but we all felt beat. we shared a quick drink with the folks before we called it a disappointing day.
2 Jan - We woke up around 6:30 and gave a call to see how Felix was doing. Great, apparently. Nick and I relaxed in the room for a while, then got ready. Around 9:30, we went up to Mom & Dad's room for some snacks. We checked out and went for a drive over to the Disneyland Hotel and Downtown Disney. It's been a long time since I was there and it's totally changed. We walked around the shopping area, then decided to go to the Jazz Kitchen restaurant for brunch. I got crab cakes, while everyone else got something with a similar creole style. After that, we drove up to Santa Monica in the rain to find a bar to watch the Packers-Bears game. The first we tried was packed with no parking, so we went to a hole-in-the-wall near UCLA. A few other tables of Packers fans joined us while we were there. The Packers won 10-3, putting them in the playoffs! Sweet! After the game, Mom & Dad dropped us off at our hotel near LAX {Hacienda at Sepulveda @ Mariposa}. It was raining, dreary, ucky. We said good-bye to them (they're driving to Las Vegas right now), then made our way via stairs (elevator broken) to our less-than-stellar room. (TV with no green, broken light bulb), but at least it's clean and there's a shuttle that will take us to the airport on Tuesday. We were still feeling pretty tired, so it's good we got food from the folks so we didn't have to go out. We may be more adventurous tomorrow, although we don't have a car.
3 Jan - It was still rainy and cold this morning, so we abandoned the plan of going to Knott's Berry Farm in favor of a trip downtown. We got a free breakfast, then relaxed in the room until about 9:30. Then, we walked to the nearest rail line and took that to our transfer stop. It took a while to figure out where we were supposed to be for the next leg of our journey, but we found it and it wasn't raining anymore. We took the bus downtown to Little Tokyo. Our first stop was for lunch at ZenCu. We got spicy tuna rolls, Philly rolls and crab rolls (all yum!) along with chicken teriyaki for Nick and Soba noodles for me. That was the first time I had them and they didn't do much for me. Oh well. We walked through the small Japanese Village Plaza, purchasing sake sets for Natalie and us. From there, I wanted to talk to the Flower Market. Not a bright idea, I must admit. The route took us through a very unsavory area, and to top it off, the flower markets were closed. Damn. Nick wasn't thrilled about either and I don't blame him. we walked on toward the bus stop that would take us back to the hotel, through the gorgeous historic district. We decided we needed to use a restroom, but instead of a gas station, I suggested we stop at a sukiyaki restaurant for sake and dessert. We shared a large sake, ordered mochi ice cream balls, and watched The Food Network on TV. Very pleasant. After we finished, we caught the transit back to the hotel, arriving around 3:30. We relaxed in the room and called to check on Felix. We read a little, then decided to get dinner. We walked to the strip mall kitty-corner from our hotel and got takeout from a Mexican restaurant. I got a veggie burrito and Nick got nachos. We watched an MST3K movie (Soultaker) on Netflix on Nick's laptop. Called it an early night.
4 Jan - We woke at 4:10 am PT, got ready, and were on our way to the airport around 5. Our flight was at 7, so we got some Starbucks for breakfast. Our seats were near the front of the plan, so we were among the last on. The flight was uneventful (caught a glimpse of the edge of the Grand Canyon) and landed in Chicago at 12:40 ct. We stood in line at the check-in counter to get our receipt for the flight we weren't taking, then got to the car and were on the road by 1:40. We can't wait to get home to see our little man!
{transcribed 1/29/2020}
1 Jan 2011 - I slept so soundly last night I didn't hear the fireworks at Disney at midnight. We got up at 5:15, then meet the folks at 6. We drove up to Pasadena as the sun rose, slowed only by the odd slaloming police car on the interstate. We parked at the stadium, then followed the mass of humanity toward the Rose Parade route. We found a place to stand at an intersection near one of Jay Macias's aunts (very friendly lady). We also saw Matt Bernstein walking around. we were near a good group of Badger fans, who joined Dad in cheering for the manure scoopers. ["Scoop! Scoop!] We left the parade after seeing both the Badger and TCU floats and bands. We made our way back to the car to tailgate. The day is beautiful - only contrails marring the blue sky and with temps in the low 50s. we had our bloody marys, sat on upturned plastic buckets on a red-flowered tablecloth. Ah, lovely. There seems to be many more Badger fans than our purple-clad rivals. Jim, Jess and Jess's family stopped by to say hi shortly before we went in to the stadium. About an hour before game time, we found our seats. As for the game itself, I'd rather not comment too much. Suffice it to say we did not look like ourselves; missed opportunities and a missed 2-point conversion left us short 19-21. Damn. We stuck around afterward for 5th Quarter and for the parking lots to clear. When we got back to Anaheim, we went to a sports bar called Clancy's for dinner. That was nice, but we all felt beat. we shared a quick drink with the folks before we called it a disappointing day.
 |
| At the Rose Parade |
 |
| Emulating a statue |
 |
| Ws! |
2 Jan - We woke up around 6:30 and gave a call to see how Felix was doing. Great, apparently. Nick and I relaxed in the room for a while, then got ready. Around 9:30, we went up to Mom & Dad's room for some snacks. We checked out and went for a drive over to the Disneyland Hotel and Downtown Disney. It's been a long time since I was there and it's totally changed. We walked around the shopping area, then decided to go to the Jazz Kitchen restaurant for brunch. I got crab cakes, while everyone else got something with a similar creole style. After that, we drove up to Santa Monica in the rain to find a bar to watch the Packers-Bears game. The first we tried was packed with no parking, so we went to a hole-in-the-wall near UCLA. A few other tables of Packers fans joined us while we were there. The Packers won 10-3, putting them in the playoffs! Sweet! After the game, Mom & Dad dropped us off at our hotel near LAX {Hacienda at Sepulveda @ Mariposa}. It was raining, dreary, ucky. We said good-bye to them (they're driving to Las Vegas right now), then made our way via stairs (elevator broken) to our less-than-stellar room. (TV with no green, broken light bulb), but at least it's clean and there's a shuttle that will take us to the airport on Tuesday. We were still feeling pretty tired, so it's good we got food from the folks so we didn't have to go out. We may be more adventurous tomorrow, although we don't have a car.
 |
| Packer fans in UCLA-ville |
4 Jan - We woke at 4:10 am PT, got ready, and were on our way to the airport around 5. Our flight was at 7, so we got some Starbucks for breakfast. Our seats were near the front of the plan, so we were among the last on. The flight was uneventful (caught a glimpse of the edge of the Grand Canyon) and landed in Chicago at 12:40 ct. We stood in line at the check-in counter to get our receipt for the flight we weren't taking, then got to the car and were on the road by 1:40. We can't wait to get home to see our little man!
{transcribed 1/29/2020}
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