Wisconsin
Back to where it all began…
If you don’t know us, Tom and I met and got married in Milwaukee, WI. So every time we come back, it feels like coming home a bit. Not only that, but there are lots of people we love who live there: Tom’s parents, his brothers and their families, my oldest sister and her family, and many friends. It’s a place filled with nostalgia, beautiful countryside, and lots of Wisconsin delicacies… cheese, custard, brats, and beer. This is where we went from kids to adults (baby adults, anyway… we got married when we were 23!).
This time, we came in from the north - a first for both of us! We drove from the U.P. and landed at Breezy Hill Campground in Fond du Lac. Now, this isn’t a smear campaign, because the owner at Breezy Hill was truly the kindest guy. An honest to goodness GEM of a human and all the staff were the nicest people and wildly helpful. We would absolutely stay here again.
However, there was a rather annoying hang-up. We needed to book 2 weeks here and they didn’t have any spots that were free for 2 consecutive weeks, so Jon (the owner) worked it out so that we would be at one spot for about a week and move to another spot for the next week. When we saw the second site in person, though, we knew we wouldn’t fit. It was a risky site to have put us in. So we ended up needing to leave on a Friday, go to a different campground (which was stressful because there are almost no other options) and come back Monday for the remainder of our stay. This was all made a lot worse because Tom was actually traveling for work that first week. He flew out to NYC on Monday and was supposed to arrive back on Thursday night and move the rig on Friday. Let me be clear… this is not a rig I feel safe hooking up to our truck and driving anywhere. So when his flights on Thursday got cancelled, I had a minor panic attack. We needed to be out of the site before 2pm the next day (check out is technically 11am, but this was a tricky circumstance). Long story short, I had my best friend’s husband on deck to come help me, but meanwhile Tom took a bus, trains, and two planes getting himself back to us in the nick of time. I was very proud of myself for stepping in and doing most of his duties for the exterior tear-down as well as mine on the interior - yay for always learning along the way! Anyway… haha this was not the overarching memory of our time in Wisconsin, but it sure was the most dramatic! I’m just so grateful that Tom made it back and we got the rig moved. OH! We had to go to the Fond du lac Fairgrounds for those few days. We were sort of nervous that it was going to be sketchy and junky, but it was actually kind of fun. There were full hookups, it wasn’t unsafe at all, and there was even a tractor pull event that we got to watch. Not a total loss and made for some memories. I think at the end of the day, we wish we would have just booked a week at the first campground (and not bothered with risking the second site when they said we “should” fit), and then booked a week somewhere else.
Now that the drama of the story is behind us, the rest of our two weeks were packed to the brim with visits! First we stayed with my sister Jill and her family in Appleton. We got to go to church with them (where her husband is a pastor), and spend all of our first three days with them. We spent Sunday in Greenbay playing at Bay Beach and visiting Titletown by Lambeau Field and eating philly cheesteaks at a Star Wars themed dive. Then Tom left for NYC on Monday. So me and the boys hung out with Jill who did a wand making project with them (she’s an amazing art teacher and artist) and visited the school she taught at, went to a creamery, and explored a cool wetland with an amazing playground. I was about to load up the boys and head back to the camper, but Silas wanted to stay… so! he had a spontaneous sleepover with his big cousins and aunt and uncle. Jill brought him back to us Tuesday morning and we spent some time at the campground freezing in the pool - haha!
Wednesday morning, the boys and I left for Sheboygan to see one of my best friends and her family for another happy overnight. We walked the stunning gardens by their house with wine in hand, and snuck out for drinks after the kids were in bed while her sweet husband manned the fort. Our kids played and played and we got to yap. It was perfect!
Thursday I got back to the camper amidst some windy storms and the power went out throughout the campground. This is when Tom’s flights got cancelled and I freaked out. Alas, we survived! So Friday, after we moved the camper, Tom crashed for several hours after being awake all the night before. It was such an exhausting day.
Saturday, we drove down to Tom’s parents’ house and spent the day with his whole family and all the aunts and uncles and cousins. It was warm and grandpa and grandma had the pools and yard games out. We had a great time eating and catching up and watching the kiddos play.
Sunday, we drove down to Milwaukee for a Brewer’s game! The boys very first MLB game! We met up with Tom’s parents and one of his brothers + family. Besides having to move seats for some barf in the row in front of us (gag!) it was a fun game with a Brewer win! Afterwards, we got Kopps (frozen custard) with his brother + fam before heading back to the camper. A very Milwaukee day :)
Monday, Tom worked and I finally got some laundry done before spending the afternoon thrift shopping with my sister, sans kids. Jill styled me at Goodwill (very out of my comfort zone) and I left with a heap of clothes that I love! We had so much fun and giggled our way through the racks. We were having so much fun, I got back to the camper later than expected and we had to move it BACK to the first campground. So much rig-moving-hubbub! Jill’s whole family followed us to the campground, we set up super quick, and made dinner. It was so happy to share our new home with them.
Tuesday was another catch up day and I finally ordered groceries, finished our heaps of laundry, and donated some items we’d been carrying around too long. That evening Tom’s parents and their daughter came over for dinner to see the camper. Another happy chance to host.
Wednesday, while Tom worked, the boys and I did a little exploring on our own and made sure to visit a Wisconsin meat market for some brats. Of course. Tom left after dinner to grab a cigar with a friend near Milwaukee.
Thursday was our last day in Wisconsin and Tom had to leave with our only vehicle in the morning to see a friend later that day and didn’t want to drive 45 minutes in the middle of a work day. So my sister was sweet enough to drive down and take the boys and I on some farm adventures! We went to a goat cheese farm, a strange farm run by nuns that created a great inside joke for us, and finally an amazing park with a train to ride (where Jill’s husband proposed?! Had somehow never really heard that story which also made me laugh). We had so much fun before saying goodbye! Then… ever so spontaneously… my best friend decided to hop in the car with her oldest kiddo and drove over for dinner and wine, playtime for the kids, and a stop at the (super delicious) ice cream shop around the corner from our campground. It was another perfect evening! Man, nothing beats a Wisconsin summer - gorgeous sunsets, almost NO BUGS, and cool breezy nights that are perfect for campfires.
Our time in Wisconsin felt so jam packed with the blessing of being with people we love. Somehow it STILL didn’t feel like 2 weeks was enough time to fit it all in!
Yet… on we go.
To Iowa!
