This spring Natalie and I decided it was going to be one for yard projects around our house. If you're going to plant things to grow, you really have to focus on doing it in the spring and fall. The summer is good for building things but is not when you want to put green things in the ground. So, we set out working on this stuff pretty much as soon as we got back from New Zealand in mid-March.
We started by tearing up sod in the front of the house and shaping it so there is depth and more interest up there. This also involved moving buckets of small rocks that had been embedded in the earth. Tedious and decidedly un-fun labor. After tearing up the grass, we ordered some dirt from a local source and set about filling in spots and making some mounds in the front a back. Then came planting and mulching. The pictures will really help illustrate our efforts but we've now got lilac, hostas, lillies, hydrangeas and a service berry, among other things. It looks good now and will get better next year.
We had assistance from both sets of parents in this effort too. The Brunia side came up the first weekend of May and then the Ritz side came up the following. They were wonderfully helpful in picking out plants, coming up with ideas and planting different items. Thanks Moms and Dads!
Additionally, I made a small woodshed to stack up much of the sticks and logs that had been just laying around the backyard. A little organization sure helped to clean up the look. I also made a nice flower box to adorn the window of the shed I built last summer / fall. Of course I had it painted orange to match the lovely door and I must say it looks pretty sharp!
We also created a rain garden to capture water runoff that flows down the side of the yard from our house and the neighbor's house. This required even more digging and earth moving but we created a nice, long rain garden along the fence. We put down weed block fabric and then pour the aforementioned river rock over top of it. Fortunately, my coworker had some unwanted rocks so I loaded up the car and hauled them back home. There aren't any plants around it yet but we'll get some grasses, sedges and other native flowers to make it look nice.
Last, I've endured a quixotic battle with a stump this spring and summer. We cut down a cedar tree early in the spring and I set about killing the stump. I drilled holes and dumped in a bunch of Epsom salt and lawn fertilizer. That effectively killed the stump and root systems but the thing wasn't dried out or rotten yet. I gave it a couple months and then burned it by making fires directly on top of it. This was moderately successful but I've still put in a good deal of chopping. The stump has resisted admirably but I'm determined to get the thing out by the Fall.
I must admit that Natalie has done much of the labor herself as I am often away with soccer something on the weekends. She has definitely been a worker ant this spring and the yard is looking great!
Monday, July 27, 2015
Saturday, May 23, 2015
New Zealand Honeymoon
So I'm finally getting around to posting about New Zealand. I know I said I'd post more frequently but the spring has become crazy busy and it is difficult to find time. Not that I'm complaining too much, but this is the first weekend free of soccer (mostly) for a month and a half. Anyway, here you go.
Natalie and my honeymoon to New Zealand was amazing! It was a helluva trip in terms of travel - over 16,000 miles of flight round trip - but well worth it. I recommend going to New Zealand for anyone as they have activities that pretty much tick all boxes:
Highlights
Milford Sound - In the very southwestern part of the South Island, Milford Sound is truly isolated and incredibly dramatic. It has sheer cliffs leading down cold ocean fjords. When it rains, and it does this a lot - locals said it rains 2 out of 3 days and gets roughly 6 meters of rain a year - waterfalls cascade down the mountainside in beautiful, roaring white ribbons. There really is nothing there save for a couple lodging areas, tour boats and a small airstrip but Natalie and I arranged a to do sea kayaking trip around the fjord. "Wilderness Will," our guide who didn't own shoes, lead us and three other kayaks around the water. Fortunately, Natalie and I managed to get one of the days that it wasn't rainy. Not only was it not rainy, it was sunny, warm and the water was calm. We paddled around the fjord and managed to see some beautiful birds, seals lounging in the water and on the rocks and even managed to see a curious but timid Fjordland Crested Penguin. Fantastic.
Tongariro Crossing - In the middle part of the North Island, Natalie and I endeavored to do one of New Zealands "Great Walks." The country has a really excellent conservation agency that maintains extensive outdoor activities and facilities. In particular, they have some single day and multi-day hikes that are really popular. We did a day hike that took us past flowing streams, filled-in craters, smelly geothermic pools, steaming vents and active volcanoes. (Not flowing lava active, but still very much alive - the last eruption was in 2012.) Of note, we hiked past Mt. Doom of the Lord of the Rings movies. I thought about casting my wedding band in the fires of the mountain but Natalie wasn't keen on that. Natalie had never done such a major hike but performed admirably on the 8-hour, 20 kilometer sojourn!
Wildlife - As you might expect as an island nation, New Zealand is home to some unique plants and animals. I was really hoping to see a Kiwi bird in the wild but they are mostly nocturnal and are timid creatures. It is difficult for the average person to see them outside of a zoo or conservatory and we didn't get to spot one, unfortunately. We did, however, see sea lions, seals, penguins and royal white albatross, kias and other animals right up close. In particular, Natalie and I were able to walk amongst nearly two dozen sea lions lounging in the sand on a beach in the Catlins region of the southeastern tip of the South Island. Some of these hulking creatures were frolicking in the surf but most were just sprawled out in the sand. Apart from the sea lions, I loved seeing penguins in the wild. I mentioned above about the crested penguin but Natalie and I also went a reserve when Blue Penguins nested. These are the smallest of all penguins and are absolutely adorable!
Flat whites - I don't know exactly how these coffee drinks are made but they're delicious. New Zealand and Australia are rivals in most things and the story goes that the flat white was created in Australia but perfected in New Zealand. I had never had one before but they are served in every coffee shop.
Lowlights
Dead car battery - The flip side of the epic Tongariro Crossing was that we came back to a dead battery on our faithful camper van called "Kashyyk" (also, affectionately nicknamed "Special K"). We had inadvertently left the lights on and the battery was completely dead. This would not normally an issue but there were only a couple cars left in the parking lot, no one had jumper cables and we were miles from anything. Fortunately, we had befriend this lovely girl from San Francisco who let us use her phone to call for roadside assistance and shuttled us back and forth trying to get help. (Shay, once again, you're a life saver!) Eventually, we got it sorted out but had to drive to four hours to get to Wellington, not arriving until 12:30 AM. It was a long day to say the least.
No dolphins - At the very end our trip we had schedule a tour out into a bay to go swimming with dolphins. We had heard it was a really cool experience and wanted to go for it. We got dressed up in wet suits and headed out in a small boat to try to swim with Hectors Dolphins which are the smallest species of dolphin and are unique to New Zealand. The tour company advertises that 99% of trips get to actually swim with these guys but we were, unfortunately, part of the 1% that didn't. We saw several small pods of these guys but they were never interested in sticking around to play with us. We boated around for two hours in choppy seas and the only thing we got was sea sick. Bummer.
Unexpected
Narrow, curvy roads - Although the pavement was generally smooth, the roads are much narrower in New Zealand than in the U.S. and they are super curvy. The country is very mountainous and it made for some steep up and down driving with tight corners. This not only frayed nerves but also made it much slower driving than what flat-landers from the upper Midwest are used to. It was particularly disorienting at first driving on the left side of the road and dealing with the challenging terrain but as the trip progressed it was pretty much a non-issue. Oh, and instead of having raccoon for roadkill, they have possums. We saw tongue-in-cheek souvenirs saying, "Possums, New Zealand's little speed bumps."
No gas stations - New Zealand is rural, sparsely population nation. There are long stretches between civilization, especially on the South Island, and you have to be very mindful of how much fuel is in your vehicle. There may be no gas stations for 50+ miles on the road you're driving and more than that, some of the gas stations aren't open late. I took it for granted that you could find 24 hour pay-at-the-pump gas stations but this was definitely not the case. We almost got in trouble a couple of times before adopting a very conservative approach to refueling.
With all that said and with what transpired, would we do it again? Absolutely!
Natalie and my honeymoon to New Zealand was amazing! It was a helluva trip in terms of travel - over 16,000 miles of flight round trip - but well worth it. I recommend going to New Zealand for anyone as they have activities that pretty much tick all boxes:
- beautiful beaches (check);
- dramatic mountains (check);
- picturesque country side (check);
- unique flora and fauna (double check);
- good tourist infrastructure (check)
- friendly locals (check)
Highlights
Milford Sound - In the very southwestern part of the South Island, Milford Sound is truly isolated and incredibly dramatic. It has sheer cliffs leading down cold ocean fjords. When it rains, and it does this a lot - locals said it rains 2 out of 3 days and gets roughly 6 meters of rain a year - waterfalls cascade down the mountainside in beautiful, roaring white ribbons. There really is nothing there save for a couple lodging areas, tour boats and a small airstrip but Natalie and I arranged a to do sea kayaking trip around the fjord. "Wilderness Will," our guide who didn't own shoes, lead us and three other kayaks around the water. Fortunately, Natalie and I managed to get one of the days that it wasn't rainy. Not only was it not rainy, it was sunny, warm and the water was calm. We paddled around the fjord and managed to see some beautiful birds, seals lounging in the water and on the rocks and even managed to see a curious but timid Fjordland Crested Penguin. Fantastic.
Tongariro Crossing - In the middle part of the North Island, Natalie and I endeavored to do one of New Zealands "Great Walks." The country has a really excellent conservation agency that maintains extensive outdoor activities and facilities. In particular, they have some single day and multi-day hikes that are really popular. We did a day hike that took us past flowing streams, filled-in craters, smelly geothermic pools, steaming vents and active volcanoes. (Not flowing lava active, but still very much alive - the last eruption was in 2012.) Of note, we hiked past Mt. Doom of the Lord of the Rings movies. I thought about casting my wedding band in the fires of the mountain but Natalie wasn't keen on that. Natalie had never done such a major hike but performed admirably on the 8-hour, 20 kilometer sojourn!
Wildlife - As you might expect as an island nation, New Zealand is home to some unique plants and animals. I was really hoping to see a Kiwi bird in the wild but they are mostly nocturnal and are timid creatures. It is difficult for the average person to see them outside of a zoo or conservatory and we didn't get to spot one, unfortunately. We did, however, see sea lions, seals, penguins and royal white albatross, kias and other animals right up close. In particular, Natalie and I were able to walk amongst nearly two dozen sea lions lounging in the sand on a beach in the Catlins region of the southeastern tip of the South Island. Some of these hulking creatures were frolicking in the surf but most were just sprawled out in the sand. Apart from the sea lions, I loved seeing penguins in the wild. I mentioned above about the crested penguin but Natalie and I also went a reserve when Blue Penguins nested. These are the smallest of all penguins and are absolutely adorable!
Flat whites - I don't know exactly how these coffee drinks are made but they're delicious. New Zealand and Australia are rivals in most things and the story goes that the flat white was created in Australia but perfected in New Zealand. I had never had one before but they are served in every coffee shop.
Lowlights
Dead car battery - The flip side of the epic Tongariro Crossing was that we came back to a dead battery on our faithful camper van called "Kashyyk" (also, affectionately nicknamed "Special K"). We had inadvertently left the lights on and the battery was completely dead. This would not normally an issue but there were only a couple cars left in the parking lot, no one had jumper cables and we were miles from anything. Fortunately, we had befriend this lovely girl from San Francisco who let us use her phone to call for roadside assistance and shuttled us back and forth trying to get help. (Shay, once again, you're a life saver!) Eventually, we got it sorted out but had to drive to four hours to get to Wellington, not arriving until 12:30 AM. It was a long day to say the least.
No dolphins - At the very end our trip we had schedule a tour out into a bay to go swimming with dolphins. We had heard it was a really cool experience and wanted to go for it. We got dressed up in wet suits and headed out in a small boat to try to swim with Hectors Dolphins which are the smallest species of dolphin and are unique to New Zealand. The tour company advertises that 99% of trips get to actually swim with these guys but we were, unfortunately, part of the 1% that didn't. We saw several small pods of these guys but they were never interested in sticking around to play with us. We boated around for two hours in choppy seas and the only thing we got was sea sick. Bummer.
Unexpected
Narrow, curvy roads - Although the pavement was generally smooth, the roads are much narrower in New Zealand than in the U.S. and they are super curvy. The country is very mountainous and it made for some steep up and down driving with tight corners. This not only frayed nerves but also made it much slower driving than what flat-landers from the upper Midwest are used to. It was particularly disorienting at first driving on the left side of the road and dealing with the challenging terrain but as the trip progressed it was pretty much a non-issue. Oh, and instead of having raccoon for roadkill, they have possums. We saw tongue-in-cheek souvenirs saying, "Possums, New Zealand's little speed bumps."
No gas stations - New Zealand is rural, sparsely population nation. There are long stretches between civilization, especially on the South Island, and you have to be very mindful of how much fuel is in your vehicle. There may be no gas stations for 50+ miles on the road you're driving and more than that, some of the gas stations aren't open late. I took it for granted that you could find 24 hour pay-at-the-pump gas stations but this was definitely not the case. We almost got in trouble a couple of times before adopting a very conservative approach to refueling.
With all that said and with what transpired, would we do it again? Absolutely!
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Champions!!
Champions! My men's league soccer team, Paradigm, claimed victory in the 2015 edition of the Madison United President's Cup tournament two weekends ago (February 14-15)! We capped off the tournament with a hard fought 3-1 victory over a team comprised of recently graduated former UW-Madison players. In an odd coincidence of symmetry, the final was actually a rematch of our first group game on Saturday morning. The first game was a lopsided win for us but the UW team improved as the tournament went along and the final was a much more evenly contested game.
This tournament is big, highly competitive and something everybody anticipates every February. I've been playing in this tournament for the past five years running and we've had a few teams go deep into the competition. Three times we've made it to the semifinals only to lose close, competitive games. Last year was a bit of blip in that we lost the first knockout game (round of 16) against the team that ended up winning it. Overall, we were 7-0 scoring 29 goals with only 6 conceded. Those are some pretty good numbers!
Also, here is a link to a Wisconsin soccer blog that has a brief wrietup about the tournament - Wisconsin Soccer Central
Winning this tournament was especially gratifying for a couple of reasons. First, I am getting older and I had to put in a lot of effort working out and training in the buildup to the weekend. It paid off; I felt fit and played pretty well in each game. Second, we beat some good competition to earn the championship. We had a difficult group to come out of and played some tough teams on our side of the bracket. Last, I think the best team won. We played really well the whole weekend and I don't think there was any great fortune that befell us or luck that allowed us to squeak out a game. In the end, it was the most fun and satisfying soccer experience I've had in a long time!
I will also add that I'm especially grateful to Natalie in regards to this year's tournament. We started planning our honeymoon a while ago and were always looking in the February / March time frame. Initially, we had talked about going in the middle of February but upon my request an insistence, we pushed it back specifically so I could play in this year's tournament! Now if that is not love, I don't know what is.
This tournament is big, highly competitive and something everybody anticipates every February. I've been playing in this tournament for the past five years running and we've had a few teams go deep into the competition. Three times we've made it to the semifinals only to lose close, competitive games. Last year was a bit of blip in that we lost the first knockout game (round of 16) against the team that ended up winning it. Overall, we were 7-0 scoring 29 goals with only 6 conceded. Those are some pretty good numbers!
Also, here is a link to a Wisconsin soccer blog that has a brief wrietup about the tournament - Wisconsin Soccer Central
Winning this tournament was especially gratifying for a couple of reasons. First, I am getting older and I had to put in a lot of effort working out and training in the buildup to the weekend. It paid off; I felt fit and played pretty well in each game. Second, we beat some good competition to earn the championship. We had a difficult group to come out of and played some tough teams on our side of the bracket. Last, I think the best team won. We played really well the whole weekend and I don't think there was any great fortune that befell us or luck that allowed us to squeak out a game. In the end, it was the most fun and satisfying soccer experience I've had in a long time!
I will also add that I'm especially grateful to Natalie in regards to this year's tournament. We started planning our honeymoon a while ago and were always looking in the February / March time frame. Initially, we had talked about going in the middle of February but upon my request an insistence, we pushed it back specifically so I could play in this year's tournament! Now if that is not love, I don't know what is.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Photo update
So this post is meant to accompany the previous one with the multi-year recap. I am just going to upload a few photos that may or may not correspond with the key events I described previously. Enjoy!
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| Ritz Family Christmas 2011 |
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| Natalie tickling the ivory at her Senior Recital |
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| Graduate! |
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| Uffda! |
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| Inside Liverpool FC's stadium |
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| With Toby in Edinburgh |
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| Homeowners! |
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| 4th of July, 2013 in Madison |
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| Macalester friends in California for Eddie and Heather's wedding |
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| Shed project |
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| Trifecta bachelor party weekend |
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Four Year Recap
As I mentioned in the previous post, it's been a number of years since any serious entry into this blog. Four years and some change to be slightly more accurate so this next blog is going to be highlight reel of key events during the intervening time.
2010
June 14 - Start working at Wisconsin Department of Transportation. For some reason, I remember the exact date I began work at WisDOT. I don't know why really, but I suppose it is because it was my first professional type job of any sort and it was shortly after I finished grad school at La Follette. It was actually out of the blue that I got the offer because I had interviewed for the position several months earlier in March and did not get it. I was still in school at the time and was applying to various state agency positions. I had made it for a second interview but they chose another candidate for a temporary project position implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act transit capital grant. The other person didn't end up working and they went to me as the next choice. Four years later I'm still in the Transit Section at WisDOT and things are going well.
2011
May - Natalie graduates from the University of Northern Iowa. Natalie finished up her undergraduate schoolwork with a bachelor's degree in music from UNI. Despite being anxious beyond belief, Natalie successfully completed her senior piano recital that consisted of four separate pieces lasting more than 30 minutes. Natalie is a supremely talented musician but does not like to perform so the prospect of doing a recital in front of dozens of people was absolutely terrifying. There was a bit of a bobble in the first portion of the first piece but she recovered admirably and aced the remaining pieces. A truly impressive performance and I was so proud!
July - Natalie moves to Madison. Natalie made the move from Cedar Falls to Madison to live with me and two other roommates in a duplex on the west side of Madison. This was the first time either one of us had lived with a significant other so it was a pretty big step in our relationship. I don't mean to say that there was no stress or friction involved, but we both took to it really well and adjusted to the new living situation without too much fuss.
2012
May - Travel to the Great Britain. We had talked about taking a big trip for some time and decided that going to England and Scotland would be the way to go. One of my very good friends from Macalester - Toby Pforr - was living and going to school in Warwick, England at the time and it worked out well to see him. I had promised him long ago that I would come visit him in Europe at some point but it hadn't really materialized. Natalie had been to England before but was excited to go back and see more of the country. We flew into London and then worked our way up to Edinburgh and then back down through York, Manchester, Liverpool and then Warwick before flying back out of London. Highlights of our adventures include touring London, going through the Harry Potter studios, touring Edinburgh Castle, visiting the Chatsworth House estate and touring Liverpool Football Club's Anfield Stadium.
August - Start coaching with the Madison 56ers. I had been thinking about getting back into coaching youth soccer for a little while but a great opportunity pretty much just fell into my lap. I got an email from a soccer friend of mine asking if I'd be interesting in coaching a U13 boys team at a local club. She coaches there as well and indicated that the person who'd been assigned this team had accepted a job somewhere else and couldn't continue with the team. It was close to the start of the season and they were scrambling somewhat to find a replacement. The 56ers are great club and I've had a really good experience working with the players and getting to know the families and other coaches.
2013
February 28 - Move into our house. Natalie and I had been looking at buying a house through part of the year in 2012 but hadn't found the right fit. After seeing a number of houses and working with a really nice realtor friend, we decided to take a break in the fall and winter of 2012 with the idea of picking back up in the new year. Almost on a whim, we scheduled two showings in January without any real expectation of finding anything. The first house we saw was intriguing but we weren't totally convinced. The second house, however, is the one from which I'm writing this post. Many people have said that when home buying, you just 'know' when you've found the right one. I was a little skeptical about this idea but in fact, that's exactly how it turned out for us. Natalie and I walked in and both had a great reaction immediately. We ended up negotiating on the offer and getting the house, a quaint little ranch with and open basement - great bike workshop area - and space in the backyard for our new dog, Marty. As excited as we were to move in, we had some extra excitement in that my car died the day before were to close on the house (and my birthday) so we had to borrow a vehicle from Natalie's coworker and then buy a new car a week later. A bit more excitement than I was hoping for at that time but everything has worked out well to date.
September 9 - She says yes! On a little wooden deck overlooking a bubbling natural spring in Pheasant Branch Park in Middleton, Natalie said yes. I was quite sure that she would but that did not assuage my nervousness about the moment. I had worked with a jeweler in Ames to order an engagement ring and have it sent up to Madison. I was forced to have it mailed to a friend in Madison because I didn't want Natalie to be nosy and figure out that I had picked up the ring. Natalie is notoriously nosy with packages and gifts and she would undoubtedly be suspicious about a small package from Ames Silversmithing. I knew the ring was coming and earlier in the week I had suggested that we plan to go for a walk in the park that weekend. It is our favorite park and we go there often so I figured she wouldn't think anything about an innocuous stroll with the pooch. I hid the ring box in the pouch of my hooded sweatshirt and was freaking out that she would notice the funny shape in my stomach. I was very fidgety and kept my hands in the pocket to obscure it. She was totally surprised as I got down on a knee and asked the question - as I had hoped - and such is how we became engaged to be married.
2014
October 18 - Tie the knot. On a beautiful, sunny, clear autumn day in Ames, Iowa, Natalie and I exchanged vows and were thus married. The ceremony was in my parents backyard, which they had carefully cultivated and manicured all spring, summer and fall, in front of family and friends. After months of planning (mostly by Natalie) I was worried the day would be tainted by poor weather. An outdoor wedding in Iowa in October was always a risky endeavor and waking up that morning it was cold, windy, overcast and wet. I had been monitoring the forecast for days and everything had indicated a really nice day. I was somewhat disheartened that morning but two hours before the ceremony the clouds broke and it turned into a perfect afternoon.
Natalie was absolutely beautiful in her dress and everything went smoothly at the wedding and following reception at Snus Hill Winery. The most special moment for me was definitely when Natalie surprised me for our first dance. As a I mentioned earlier in the post, Natalie abhors performing publicly so I knew how incredible it was for her to secretly record herself sing and play the piano for our first dance song, 'All of Me' by John Legend. And what's more, this was a surprise change from what we had agreed for our first dance song and it was performed of 100 people in the reception hall! Ridiculously special and needless to say, I cried like a baby. It really is overwhelming to think about all the people and the time and energy that goes into your wedding. So many wonderful family and friends are there to celebrate and share in the experience with you. It makes you feel humble, grateful and happy all at once. And this says nothing about the joy and love Natalie and I felt for each other at becoming married.
2010
June 14 - Start working at Wisconsin Department of Transportation. For some reason, I remember the exact date I began work at WisDOT. I don't know why really, but I suppose it is because it was my first professional type job of any sort and it was shortly after I finished grad school at La Follette. It was actually out of the blue that I got the offer because I had interviewed for the position several months earlier in March and did not get it. I was still in school at the time and was applying to various state agency positions. I had made it for a second interview but they chose another candidate for a temporary project position implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act transit capital grant. The other person didn't end up working and they went to me as the next choice. Four years later I'm still in the Transit Section at WisDOT and things are going well.
2011
May - Natalie graduates from the University of Northern Iowa. Natalie finished up her undergraduate schoolwork with a bachelor's degree in music from UNI. Despite being anxious beyond belief, Natalie successfully completed her senior piano recital that consisted of four separate pieces lasting more than 30 minutes. Natalie is a supremely talented musician but does not like to perform so the prospect of doing a recital in front of dozens of people was absolutely terrifying. There was a bit of a bobble in the first portion of the first piece but she recovered admirably and aced the remaining pieces. A truly impressive performance and I was so proud!
July - Natalie moves to Madison. Natalie made the move from Cedar Falls to Madison to live with me and two other roommates in a duplex on the west side of Madison. This was the first time either one of us had lived with a significant other so it was a pretty big step in our relationship. I don't mean to say that there was no stress or friction involved, but we both took to it really well and adjusted to the new living situation without too much fuss.
2012
May - Travel to the Great Britain. We had talked about taking a big trip for some time and decided that going to England and Scotland would be the way to go. One of my very good friends from Macalester - Toby Pforr - was living and going to school in Warwick, England at the time and it worked out well to see him. I had promised him long ago that I would come visit him in Europe at some point but it hadn't really materialized. Natalie had been to England before but was excited to go back and see more of the country. We flew into London and then worked our way up to Edinburgh and then back down through York, Manchester, Liverpool and then Warwick before flying back out of London. Highlights of our adventures include touring London, going through the Harry Potter studios, touring Edinburgh Castle, visiting the Chatsworth House estate and touring Liverpool Football Club's Anfield Stadium.
August - Start coaching with the Madison 56ers. I had been thinking about getting back into coaching youth soccer for a little while but a great opportunity pretty much just fell into my lap. I got an email from a soccer friend of mine asking if I'd be interesting in coaching a U13 boys team at a local club. She coaches there as well and indicated that the person who'd been assigned this team had accepted a job somewhere else and couldn't continue with the team. It was close to the start of the season and they were scrambling somewhat to find a replacement. The 56ers are great club and I've had a really good experience working with the players and getting to know the families and other coaches.
2013
February 28 - Move into our house. Natalie and I had been looking at buying a house through part of the year in 2012 but hadn't found the right fit. After seeing a number of houses and working with a really nice realtor friend, we decided to take a break in the fall and winter of 2012 with the idea of picking back up in the new year. Almost on a whim, we scheduled two showings in January without any real expectation of finding anything. The first house we saw was intriguing but we weren't totally convinced. The second house, however, is the one from which I'm writing this post. Many people have said that when home buying, you just 'know' when you've found the right one. I was a little skeptical about this idea but in fact, that's exactly how it turned out for us. Natalie and I walked in and both had a great reaction immediately. We ended up negotiating on the offer and getting the house, a quaint little ranch with and open basement - great bike workshop area - and space in the backyard for our new dog, Marty. As excited as we were to move in, we had some extra excitement in that my car died the day before were to close on the house (and my birthday) so we had to borrow a vehicle from Natalie's coworker and then buy a new car a week later. A bit more excitement than I was hoping for at that time but everything has worked out well to date.
September 9 - She says yes! On a little wooden deck overlooking a bubbling natural spring in Pheasant Branch Park in Middleton, Natalie said yes. I was quite sure that she would but that did not assuage my nervousness about the moment. I had worked with a jeweler in Ames to order an engagement ring and have it sent up to Madison. I was forced to have it mailed to a friend in Madison because I didn't want Natalie to be nosy and figure out that I had picked up the ring. Natalie is notoriously nosy with packages and gifts and she would undoubtedly be suspicious about a small package from Ames Silversmithing. I knew the ring was coming and earlier in the week I had suggested that we plan to go for a walk in the park that weekend. It is our favorite park and we go there often so I figured she wouldn't think anything about an innocuous stroll with the pooch. I hid the ring box in the pouch of my hooded sweatshirt and was freaking out that she would notice the funny shape in my stomach. I was very fidgety and kept my hands in the pocket to obscure it. She was totally surprised as I got down on a knee and asked the question - as I had hoped - and such is how we became engaged to be married.
2014
October 18 - Tie the knot. On a beautiful, sunny, clear autumn day in Ames, Iowa, Natalie and I exchanged vows and were thus married. The ceremony was in my parents backyard, which they had carefully cultivated and manicured all spring, summer and fall, in front of family and friends. After months of planning (mostly by Natalie) I was worried the day would be tainted by poor weather. An outdoor wedding in Iowa in October was always a risky endeavor and waking up that morning it was cold, windy, overcast and wet. I had been monitoring the forecast for days and everything had indicated a really nice day. I was somewhat disheartened that morning but two hours before the ceremony the clouds broke and it turned into a perfect afternoon.
Natalie was absolutely beautiful in her dress and everything went smoothly at the wedding and following reception at Snus Hill Winery. The most special moment for me was definitely when Natalie surprised me for our first dance. As a I mentioned earlier in the post, Natalie abhors performing publicly so I knew how incredible it was for her to secretly record herself sing and play the piano for our first dance song, 'All of Me' by John Legend. And what's more, this was a surprise change from what we had agreed for our first dance song and it was performed of 100 people in the reception hall! Ridiculously special and needless to say, I cried like a baby. It really is overwhelming to think about all the people and the time and energy that goes into your wedding. So many wonderful family and friends are there to celebrate and share in the experience with you. It makes you feel humble, grateful and happy all at once. And this says nothing about the joy and love Natalie and I felt for each other at becoming married.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
New Year's Resolution
Well, I decided that for my resolution for the upcoming year was to resurrect the blog. For many years I didn't do anything in the way of a resolution at the turn of the calendar. I think this was mainly because people often set ambitious goals and then break them readily. I've always been a goal oriented person and I see setting an objective but not really working at it as quite a frivolous endeavor. I don't have any issue with people making commitments to improve this or do that differently, in fact I believe strongly in continual growth and personal betterment, but it just seemed that many resolutions are grandiose and therefore unattainable from the outset.
Yet, for whatever reason, my stance on New Year's resolutions has softened a bit - perhaps its old age - and I've come up with some modest, attainable resolutions the last couple of years. For example, two years ago I decided that I should hold my fork in my left hand and use a knife in my right so that when I eat out at restaurants, I have better eating etiquette. There were many dropped food morsels along the way, but with continued effort I have become relatively adept at eating this way.
So, for 2015 I resolve to regularly update my blog with the various ongoings of my life. Three of my siblings have blogs and its a useful way to keep tabs on whats going on in there life outside the more conventional means of email and phone calls. Moreover, I was chided by my parents recently for not having update my blog in a long time. (For the record, my last post was a mere 4.5 years ago.) I imagine it will be filled with the joys and frustrations of home projects, musings of my love hate relationship with soccer, as well as news and notes of Natalie and my adventures. I hope you will find it at least mildly entertaining.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Graduation
The time has finally come, I am officially a Master of Public Affairs. After two years and countless hours of studying and writing, I concluded my program at the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (geez, that's a mouthful).
The graduation ceremony was last Saturday and it was really nice. Instead of sitting through the mass graduation at the Kohl Center, the students of the La Follette School organize our own ceremony at the Wisconsin Capitol Building in Downtown Madison. We reserve an assembly chamber and coordinate speakers, guests, and all accompanying activities. The student, faculty, and keynote speakers were excellent. Jeff Greenfield, former speech writer for Robert Kennedy and currently a CBS senior political correspondent, was the keynote speaker and his message stressed the of public service and reasoned policy, but mixed in humorous realism. My favorite line was, "You will not reach all your dreams in life... In fact, some of your dreams may be illegal."
My parents as well as Natalie and her parents were up for the weekend too. It was awesome to have them share the experience with me and we had a lot of fun. Highlights included going to the Farmers Market on the Capitol Square, walking through Olbrich Gardens, and eating a bunch of delicious food. I even managed to drag them to my men's league soccer game on Sunday morning.
It was certainly a great weekend, but I am now left with the anxiety of semi-unemployment. I have a 20-hour/week research job on campus through the end of August, but I definitely need more permanent employment. I enjoy my work but it is not sustainable and I am looking to finally start a professional career that matches my education and skill set. It is a daunting prospect to be sure, but I am up for the challenge.
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