Beer Fest.

Ahhhh, summer in Milwaukee. It's like one big frat party. Every weekend there is some sort of 'fest'--Summerfest, Irish Fest, German Fest, Cheese Fest, Polish Fest, etc. And then there are the fests that try to trick you by not having 'fest' as the suffix: River Splash, Storming of the Bastille, Indian Summer, the list goes on and on. While I appreciate that outwardly these are all celebrations of diversity, it's become clear to me that really, every single festival revolves around the same thing: beer. I don't know why we kid ourselves anymore. We went to Cheese Fest yesterday with visions of blocks and blocks of free, wonderful, Wisconsin cheese. In actuality, a few scant bites of cheese were consumed, followed by beer after beer after beer after beer....not that we were disappointed. The weather was absolutely perfect, there was tremendous people watching, the live music was entertaining, and there was even a drag show. You might ask: what do drag queens have to do with cheese?!?! Well, here's the answer: beer. Lots of it.

Matt enjoys these activities because he's constantly hanging out with large groups of future nurses. Life's not bad if your Matt these days. Evidence:



The people I've met through my program are obscenely fun, and hardly a day goes by when there isn't some grand scheme to get a whole bunch of people together and go to a 'fest,' or have a bbq, or storm the public pool. Summer is flying by, though! The mosquitoes and lightning bugs aren't quite as numerous anymore, our second summer session is winding down, and Matt and I are excited about our August plans: home for a week and then to Dallas to visit Chris and Cindy.

Life continues to be action-packed and lovely. We're trying to live it up this summer, knowing now what awaits us around the middle of November...

Just an update...

Well, a day in the life of me right now may consist of any or all of the following: running tests on fake urine; giving my lab partner a bed bath or looking into her ears or just generally being waaaaay up in her business (and she in mine); learning about genetic diseases or cancer or kidney problems; sticking my own finger to test blood glucose; catheterizing a few headless, limbless dummies, or perhaps dressing one of their many serious looking wounds; writing a nursing care plan; getting mutilated by monstrous mosquitoes while sprinting to and from the car; hyperventilating/getting a fat lip/spraining my ankle in a soccer game. You know, the usual.

Time is FLYING by, and I really love school. It's fun! We are always doing things; this is so key for me. I mean, the book learning can be important, but I really learn best by doing. I cannot wait to get into the hospital. I start clinical rotations in late August; I will be doing med/surg once a week and OB once a week, along with associated classes. I am already sleeping better than I have in years--I come home from school absolutely exhausted and actually, it's a great feeling. Nursing is so much about competency, and becoming competent at a skill can be stressful but is also very rewarding; every day I come home having learned to do something useful, something that I will be good at, something that will help people in some way. It's a very practical, applicable way of learning, and I like that. I never feel like I'm wasting my time or my brain space or my limited attention span on something that I don't need and want to learn.

And on top of all that, I've met some great people in my program and we've been having a blast getting to know each other. It's been a pretty action-packed summer so far, and there's much more to come: trips to Maine and San Diego and Dallas, lots more school, festivals on the weekends, much outdoor activity despite the humidity and the bug problem....although, speaking of bugs, there is one unexpected and fantastic up-side to the heat and humidity: LIGHTNING BUGS. Quite possibly the most awesome insects I've ever in my life seen (I'd never seen them before this summer); our lawn is like a fairy wonderland at twilight. They are absolutely everywhere, and Vinny is fascinated by them!

So, all in all, besides the sprained ankle and numerous mosquito bites, things are great right now. Summer is wonderful. I love being a student again!

And Summer Sprung

Time went so slowly this winter, but now that it's warming up the days seem to fly by. It definitely feels like summer today; hot and humid, and everyone is outside. Matt and I ran down to the track in Hart Park and did some laps, and we later ate dinner out in the yard, which was wonderful. The temperature was perfect, the breeze ever so slight. All of our neighbors were out, too, barbecuing, planting, chatting with each other. I got shot in the head by a nerf machine gun (our 5-year-old neighbor, Sam, has an incredible collection of harmless but ever-present weapons), but managed to get hold of one later and revenge was both close-range and extremely satisfying. Everyone is happy.

We went to Philadelphia this weekend for Claire's wedding. She is the first close friend of mine to get married, and hers was also the first wedding in which I've played the part of bridesmaid. As such, it made me realize just exactly how much work and planning and stress goes into something that is over in the wink of an eye. It was a beautiful wedding. I have known Claire since third grade and it was surreal but also very comforting seeing her marry the man that she is so obviously meant to be with. I know how cliche that sounds, but really, if you know Claire, and if you know Dave, you know that there is absolutely not a better match--it's almost uncanny how perfect, and necessary, they are for each other. I love them both very dearly. The wedding was good for me, too, and for Matt. I think it renewed our excitement about our own--not that we aren't always excited about it, but it's easy to get caught up in the stress of the planning and the details, and it's nice to be reminded that the best part of the whole thing is a) what it actually means, and b) having all the people you love together to celebrate it. I came away from the whole thing with tons of ideas and also with a very real sense of how soon this is going to happen for us--we are so excited. We are so ready.

Here are a few pictures from the wedding:







Other than all that, I am starting school tomorrow. I can't believe it. I'm more nervous than I'd like to admit; I feel like a kindergartener on the first day of school. I have no idea what I'm in for but I'm sure it will be a good thing overall. I can't wait to meet some new people and to gain some insight into what I actually want to do with (some of) my life. We're kind of thrown into the whole patient assessment thing right away, so within a couple of weeks I bet I'll have about 100 funny stories to tell. Check back for updates.

Wow, it suddenly became exceptionally windy outside. I wonder if we're destined for another epic thunderstorm tonight....

Rebirth

Here is what a winter in the midwest teaches you, first and foremost: spending a couple of hours, even a few minutes, in the backyard or in the park, out of the confines of your small, well-insulated home; feeling the sun on your arms and legs, having the freedom to walk to the grocery store or the coffee shop or even just down the street; watching dogs and children smile and romp and roll around in the grass while your neighbors build a play house and plant new flowers in their front yard--these are by no means our unalienable, god-given rights. We are subject, always, to the whims of a natural force over which we have no control, and while Wisconsin may remind us of that fact (FAR) more often than California, we will always be reminded, nonetheless.

For me personally, this means two things. Firstly, I have never been so acutely aware of how important and invigorating it is to be outside, and now, any opportunity I have to do so has become almost an obligation, a responsibility. Secondly, I am beginning to understand why so many people put up with these horrendous, endless winters, why so many people spend their entire lives here, and never want to leave: it's because when the snow finally melts, and the sun appears, there is revealed, suddenly, alarmingly, the greenest trees, the brightest flowers, and the happiest human beings you will ever in your life see. It is such a hopeful, healthy, determined resurgence that I can't help but feel that we have been granted the opportunity to start over, to really truly make and meet our New Years resolutions, and to re-learn how to appreciate every single precious waking moment that we have.

Emerging.

I'm honestly not really sure how to begin this post. I owe you an apology....it's been a good long while since I wrote, and it probably seems like I either fell off the face of the planet or just gave up on this whole blog thing altogether. But I assure you it's neither; on the contrary, it's more the fact that my life has been so chalk full of adventures and love and family that whenever I've gotten a spare moment I've been pretty much overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to write about it all. So I put it off, and now I'm even more overwhelmed but also feeling very guilty for neglecting what has turned into one of my most favorite projects. In conclusion, I will try to keep this entry shorter than it could be, and I have a good excuse: almost unbelievably, what lies ahead for us is infinitely more exciting than what has already been, and I promise that I will do a good deal more writing about all that as it comes. So this is just a quick catch-up, so that I'm no longer bogged down and can move on with all the joys that spring is slowly bringing.

In the interest of time, this will be a summary of sorts. I apologize for the formality, but I actually really like roman numerals.

I. MATT AND I ARE ENGAGED!!!!!!

Yeah, I'm aware that everyone and his/her mother already knows. But I still believe it's exciting enough news that the headline warrants caps and numerous exclamation points, and I own this blog and make all initial and final editing decisions, so there.

I sincerely apologize if we haven't gotten around to informing everyone of this fact individually, but hey, that's what the grapevine is for! And by the way, we have had an unbelievably effective grapevine. I think I was the first to inform about, oh, two people. Everyone I talked to after that was pretty much like, "yeah, old news." But in a happy way, of course. :) It's hard to say much more about this whole thing; the story is pretty sweet and involved my birthday, a scavenger hunt, and a ring combining heirlooms from both of our families (it's beautiful and perfect). At the risk of being waaaaay too mushy, I will just say that we are ridiculously in love and terribly excited about, and comfortable with, the prospect of spending our lives together. We've already started planning what I hope will be an intimate, family-oriented wedding, so there may be more details about that to come since I'm admittedly already obsessing about REALLY dumb things like possible wedding cupcake designs.

II. We went on vacation -- TO SOME PLACE WARM!!!!!!!

After careful consideration, I decided that this headline also deserved caps and exclamation points.

We went to Belize for a week with the Leaches, and had an absolutely wonderful time. We stayed in a resort right on the beach and it was gorgeous; here's pretty much the view from Jeff, Pat and Alex's room, and then a look back at our hotel from the water:





Pretty nice, huh? I can't even begin to explain how wonderful it was to feel the sun and the warmth; it was in the 80s most of the time we were there. We saw and did so much cool stuff while we were there, including but not limited to:

-Baking (aka, managing to procure an epic sunburn on day 1. Dumb.)
-Drinking Belikin Beer. A lot. Almost all the time, in fact.
-Visiting the Mayan ruins at Lamanai:



-Floating on inner tubes through lengthy caves with really cool rock formations.
-Petting Tapirs at the Belize Zoo.
-Taking ridiculously tiny airplanes out of the San Pedro airport on what seemed like a daily basis:



-Enjoying spectacular scenery at all times of the day and night:





In conclusion, it was amazing and I owe the Leaches my life for taking me along. No, really, I owe them my life, you know why? Because Milwaukee got 15 INCHES OF SNOW while we were gone. I swear. *Side note: that makes this winter officially the second snowiest on record. Sigh.

III. MY PARENTS CAME TO VISIT US!!!!!

Ok, I'm officially a fan of the sensationalist-style headline and I won't apologize for it. Plus, we really did have a fabulous time with my parents last week. They stayed at the Pfister, one of my most favorite old hotels, and I think I managed to show them almost every part of Milwaukee worth seeing. We of course went to the art museum and the Third Ward, had many awesome dinners, took Vinny for some nice walks, and talked a lot about wedding stuff. Thankfully, it was sunny for several of the days they were here (and even made it into the 40s), so I wasn't too mad when, inevitably, it snowed one day; and we tried to make the most of it by acting like snow is really nice and pretty and novel, which I know now is COMPLETELY untrue. I was sad to see them go but very happy that we got to spend a substantial amount of quality time together, especially since I was still on spring break and didn't have to work (yay!).

IV. I'll be damned--SPRING IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Knock on wood.)

We had a bit of a thunderstorm the other night and I lay awake (because I never sleep well during thunderstorms) feeling happy, and relieved. Thunderstorms remind me of the end of last summer, when we first arrived, when it was hot and muggy during the days and there was often thunder at night. The whole thing seemed to me to be a marker of some sort; we haven't had a thunderstorm in months and it was a welcome change from the Silent Killer (snow). Then this morning I heard on the radio that this weekend it will be partly sunny and in the 50s. I seriously felt choked up. I could cry from happiness just thinking about it right now.

Yes, this winter has really, truly worn me out. But I'm all the tougher for it, right? I feel like I should get some badge of honor, or a tee shirt: I Survived the Second Snowiest Milwaukee Winter on Record During my First Year as a Midwesterner. It's a little too long to be very catchy, I guess. Anyway, I'll officially put it out there: we are emerging from this seemingly endless, exhausting season in a cautiously joyous way. No doubt, we are still bloody, bruised and beaten; but we're also discreetly optimistic, tentatively eager, just waiting for that final certain sign before we begin an all-out frenzy of barbecuing, frisbee throwing, and uncategorized frolicking, at which point we will likely completely forget (PTSD-like) how shitty Midwest winters are until next Thanksgiving, when the beat-down will begin all over again. I for one am ready to start forgetting. Bring on the blissful ignorance!

Spring? Are you in there???

Welcome to March in Milwaukee: dreary, wet, snowy, gray, and pretty much just as cold as February. Woohoo. Generally, I'm used to the arrival of my birth month signifying some truly lovely weather--in San Diego it warms up a little in March, and it's sunny and green and people are frolicking excessively. In Wisconsin, March might well be the most detested month of the year. After having been pummeled by Jack friggin Frost for four months, we turn the calendar to March and semi-optimistically check the forecast, thinking, how much longer can this dismal season really persist? Isn't this when it's supposed to get better?? And here's what we see in the 10-day forecast: snow, 20-something degrees, mostly cloudy, snow, sleet, 18 degrees, 'wintry mix,' etc etc. It's not uplifting, to put it mildly. And there is absolutely NO frolicking. On the contrary, even *moving* has become difficult here because streets, sidewalks, and driveways alike have turned into ice rinks that appear fairly sturdy until you step on them trying to reach your car, break through, and end up in four inches of water. Just lovely.

I moved to Milwaukee with low expectations. Early on, this city exceeded them. I vaguely remember green parks, a beautiful endless lake, long sunny days, eating out on restaurant patios, and evening walks with Vinny through the Highlands. Now I realize: the midwest seems almost surreally and unnaturally quaint and lovely for exactly half the year. The other half of the year is a frigid, soggy graveyard where all of our hopes and happinesses lay at rest until....um....I dunno, April? Haven't gotten there yet; I'll let you know when my hopes and happinesses resurrect themselves.

You might think I'm being melodramatic, but everyone else here is, too. This winter has been awful, and no one can seem to complain enough about it. And apparently bad winters come in cycles of three to five years, so if I'm lucky, I'll get three more years of this crap before Matt and I flee to somewhere ridiculously arid, like Arizona, or maybe Texas!! Vinny's voting for Texas, I think. He is absolutely the definition of 'stir crazy' these days.

Here's what currently keeps me going: in a mere two weeks we are going to Belize with Matt's family, and my shrively, grey-ish arms and legs are going to reunite with their old friend: the sun! The anticipation is killing me, but I know it will come quickly. My wildest dreams would come true if, upon our return from the tropical wonderland, we found Milwaukee thawed and green!!!!! I know, I'm destined for disappointment. But at least my parents will be coming to visit us the week after we return, so by the time all the excitement of family and vacations has died down it will be nearly April, and if he weather is still like this in April, I can't guarantee you will be wanting to read this blog anymore.

Proud to be from Wisconsin.

It's not just the cows, folks. Or even the beer. Democrats in this state are awesome, and I'm so happy to be one of them. At least for today--I was officially a California Green Party member until 3:45 pm when Matt and I finally found our polling place (the basement gym of an elementary school, with one scant cardboard sign that read "VoTing" which had clearly been written by an eight-year-old) and re-registered in our new home state, where we're allowed to vote for whichever presidential candidate we choose in either primary (which, incidentally, I think is a totally sensible way of doing things--I'm not really a Democrat or a Republican, I just wanted to vote for Obama). I actually felt GOOD casting my vote, and I am thrilled Obama is probably going to take this state, and I'm genuinely excited to see where this election is headed.

I also just think it's fantastic that there were twice as many democratic votes cast in this state as republican votes, and 1 in 7 voters were new voters. I don't want to get over-excited, but the young people here are so dedicated and involved right now, and it really seems like Obama is a huge part of that. I feel like my demographic matters, and I hope we can contribute to something momentous come November.

Don't get me wrong, I am as disillusioned as anyone about the state of US politics and I don't personally believe that any of these candidates will be able to singlehandedly right our country's wrongs in one or even two terms of office--no way. But lately I've begun to believe again that Americans have the ability to mobilize in a way that is forceful, optimistic, and impassioned--and not arbitrarily, but because we truly DESIRE change. I mean, come on. It was 5 degrees outside today, absolutely miserable, and the turnout was awesome.

I'm hopeful. Check back with me this summer, but for now, I will officially say: Wisconsin has given me hope.