Face Plants and Mosquito Bites

Hey, guess what…I finally found a few extra minutes to write a post…crazy right?  I am between bachelor parties and on the verge of this semester’s final exams (my brain has no idea what is happening right now).  To say life has been busy would be an understatement.  With that being said, we’ve been up to a few things since I last rapped at y’all, so I will try and squeeze most of it in. 

Where’d we leave off?  Oh yeah, Gina and I were anxiously awaiting and preparing for our house party.  Well, we ended up with a great turnout.  There was a good mix of people including several of my school pals, “dental school” friends from the Milwaukee area, and Nick and Danita were able to make it for a while with our two nephews Alex and Bennett.  Alex became my little sidekick for a good portion of the day, and besides using his face to break a fall from our swing, and a few Frisbees to the forehead, I’d say Alex had a great time!  Bennett was not able to tell me, but I am going to assume he had fun as well. 

Friends and Fellow Dentists
Back: Drs. Jordan and Katie
Front: Drs. Allison and Gina

 If you asked Gina what my favorite part of the day was, I am very confident she would tell you that it was me being able to grill about 10 lbs of meat on my new grill (she would probably be correct).  We had plenty of grillables, plenty of drinkables, and most people brought a dish to pass as well, so dinner was awesome. 

Embracing Zac

A buddy of mine from school brought two tiki torches and we placed them in the yard about 30 feet apart.  We then turned the empty oilcans upside down so the top of the torch had a flat surface to set an empty beer bottle on.  Some of you know where this is going!  Lastly, we got a Frisbee and divided ourselves into 2 teams of 2, with a team located at each torch.  The game begins with each player having a beer in one hand.  The object of the game is to toss the Frisbee at the opposing tiki torch trying to knock the bottle off.  The opposing team must catch the Frisbee (after it has passed or hit the torch/bottle) as well as the bottle if it was knocked from its perch.  One point is scored for every dropped disk and two points for the bottle hitting the ground.  If the bottle is hit but caught before hitting the ground, the bottle points are nullified (you can still get a point if the disk is dropped).  I am sure this sounds simple, but remember you must have your beer in hand at all times, which makes catching a bottle/Frisbee rather difficult.  We played to a score of 21, but naturally, it can be turned into a drinking game as well, however we had enough excuses to drink and did not need to add fuel to that fire.  Foul language and drunken tomfoolery are highly encouraged.  We also played Beer Pong along with the ladies’ favorite game, “sit in a chair and enjoy a beverage”.  The most popular game of the evening was by far “donate blood to mosquitoes” (unfortunately, there are no winners in this game, except for a few mosquitoes who were probably having difficulties flying straight, if you know what I’m saying).  All in all, I’d say we were best party south of the state line. 

Derek's friends from school
L to R: Nick, Jon(our roommate), Jenn, Ross, Van
Notice the tiki torch with the beer bottle on top!

Zac, Nick, Jon and Michael setting up a little Beer Pong

 The weekend after our party, I had to attend a Neurology seminar outside Chicago  (Nerd alert: I find these somewhat exciting), but Gina had the pleasure of attending our friend Allison’s bachelorette party in Milwaukee.  Needless to say, there are zero pictures to show you.  I was given few details, but it is safe to say that the ladies all had a great time.  On Sunday, Gina ended up at Miller Park for a Brewers game.  Nick had reserved a suite and set up a surprise party to celebrate Danita and her recent completion of residency along with Nick's 30th birthday.  I really wish I could have gone, but I would like to wish them both another congratulations.   

Gina's 2nd affair...#1 is Aaron Rodgers.  I can't complain

A shot of Yovani Gallardo warming up before the game

Brewers game attendees

 On to weekend #3.  Gina and I drove up to Port Washington for Port Fish Day.  I see a common theme developing: we never ever ever ever take a weekend to relax at home.  We have attended Fish Day a couple times in the past and I probably mentioned it in an earlier post so I won’t go into too much detail.  In the past, our friends Mike and Katie who live in Port had hosted a house party during Fish Day.  It is at these parties as well as a couple other events where Gina and I became friends with a few other people from Port.  This year, another couple (Ali and Joel) hosted the party and were nice enough to invite us.  We noshed on good spread of food and indulged in a few beers and cocktails.  Later in the afternoon, we walked a few blocks to downtown Port where the actual festival is.  Fish day reminds me a lot of the Merrill fair but without the carnival rides.  There are several beer tents serving up ice cold beverages as well as an absurd amount of fried fish (no complaints here).  There are also live bands and fireworks to top the night off.  Needless to say, we had a pretty good time.

Sunday morning on our way home from Port Washington, I worked my charm and convinced Gina that we needed to stop on our way home to get a new salt shaker and pepper grinder.  The seal on our current shaker is a prankster and loves to break loose when Gina uses it.  As you can imagine, this always makes Gina really happy.  Anyway, there was a very specific set I wanted, and the only place to get it was a nice 20+ miles out of our way (remember the charm).  Now what I should have done was call ahead and make sure the store had the set in stock, but what I did was use my man brain and drive there only to find that it was probably the only thing the store had out of stock (zero points awarded to Derek).  However, the store was promoting an espresso maker and gave us each a free sample (2 points awarded to Derek).  I would like to tell you that the espresso was worth the drive, but the truth is, no matter how much I pretended to like it, the espresso reminded me Tug Lake during the month of August (minus 5 points for Derek).  I would like to think I learned a lesson from this experience (there’s that charm again). 

*Author’s Note: The Grenfells are still without a new salt shaker and the foreseeable future is without signs of another attempt from Mr. Grenfell to try and acquire one.     

Moving right along…as I stated at the opening of the post, I am between bachelor parties.  Allow me to explain.  This past weekend was Michael’s graduation party in Milwaukee.  Michael is the fiancé of Allison whose party Gina attended a couple weekends back.  As I recall, Michael’s party consisted of a wholesome dinner, male bonding, and good clean banter before a strict 10:00 bedtime.  Well, something like that at least.  We did squeeze in 9 holes of golf in the early afternoon.  This was my first time out this summer on a course I have never played.   Somehow I am actually fairly pleased with my performance.  Anywho, us gentlemen gathered at Michael’s house before heading to an awesome dinner at The Rumpus Room (I promise this is not a strip club).  It is a gastro-pub with an excellent beer selection and one heck of a menu to boot.  After dinner we moved on to our bar hopping and good old fashioned debauchery. 

While I was attending Michael's bachelor festivities, Gina took advantage of an opportunity to head over to Madison and visit with her younger sister Brandi.  They got to spend some quality time together while doing things like having a couple beers at the Memorial Union terrace on Lake Mendota, and heading to the farmers market on Saturday morning.  For any of you who may not have been to the farmers market in Madison, I highly recommend you make that journey because in my opinion it is second to none.

Memorial Union Terrace at night

    

That leads me to the present day.  I have another bachelor party tomorrow evening in Oshkosh for my friend and former college roommate Cody.  Then Saturday and Sunday should be more studying since Monday begins my week and a half stretch of final exams.  It looks something like this:  Monday: 1 exam, Tuesday: 1 exam, Thursday: 3 exams, Monday: 1 exam, Tuesday: 2 exams, Wednesday: 2 exams and 1 Three Year Anniversary!  I also left out the Wedding festivities that take place the weekend in between.  Michael and Allison are getting married, which should give me a very welcomed study break.  Gina’s schedule looks something like this: 0 exams, a wedding (Gina along with our friend Jordan are Allison’s personal attendants), and 1 Three Year Anniversary!  I think it is safe to say Gina has a slightly better (and well deserved) schedule over the next 2 weeks.

Just a note, the day after my final exams, I have an appointment with Dr. Grenfell, DDS.  I’m really looking forward to meeting him!  You are supposed to laugh now.  Actually, I think it is going to be really awesome to see Gina in her element.  I am super proud of her and can’t wait to see her first hand in action.   

That’s enough for now, or I won’t have much to write about the next time.  Until then, thanks for tuning in and I’ll catch you all again soon. 

Cheers,

Derek

P.S. Here are a few pics I took from around our house...enjoy.

View from our back Patio

Some flowers hanging off the back deck

Our Basil and Oregano "garden"

Feelin Hot Hot Hot

Hey All,

I heard that Satan called, and he wants his weather back!  Holy balls it has been hot out there and it shows no signs of letting up.  Back at the beginning of June, we moved into our new house we are renting.  I was extremely excited because we have (had) our own lawn.  The owner of our home was nice enough to leave us a lawn mower and I was looking forward to getting out and mowing our beautiful green grass throughout the summer.  Well, as you know, unless you have been living on the moon for the past month, it has been 100 degrees every day with no rain.  Our beautiful green lawn is now the same consistency of our front door welcome mat.  I mowed the lawn two times and you could argue that the second time was not necessary.  A little rain would be greatly appreciated. 

  As is usually (always) the case, we have been pretty busy lately.  Last weekend we went up to Port Washington for a surprise graduation party for one of Gina’s good friends and former classmate Katie.  She had been told that she was going to an engagement party for one of her other friends so she was nice enough to make an appetizer and bring a gift…she was definitely surprised.

This coming weekend we are hosting a party at our home.  We needed to get a few things done like painting a bedroom that had green carpet and pink walls.  We also made a few pit stops on the way home from Port Washington and picked up a couple new toys.  I was able to finally get a full sized Weber grill!!!  We also picked up 6 new patio chairs so our guests have a place to sit during the party.  Buying the chairs turned out to be less than fun.  Well, I should clarify, the actual purchasing of the chairs was fairly simple…swipe the ol’ visa…done.  However, what I did not take into account was the fact that the chairs were too big to get into the back seat or trunk of Gina’s car.  Lucky for me we only live about a half mile from Home Depot and I had the pleasure of loading the chairs up over my head and carrying them home.  May I remind you that it has been 100 degrees for the past who knows…throw six chairs on your head and you have yourself a 350 degree oven.  Not to mention, I’m sure all the cars driving by thought I looked awesome.

Needless to say, when I got home, the grill was assembled, food was cooked and the glasses of sangria were filled (not in that order).  Our inaugural meal was Moroccan Zucchini Boats on the grill and they were awesome. 

You can find the recipe here: http://fastpaleo.com/moroccan-zucchini-boats/

You will notice in my photos that we bought a chimney to light the coals in.  If you don't have one of these, you better get up and get one.  all you do is stuff some paper in the bottom, put the coals in the top, light the paper and let it go.  No lighter fluid needed!

Papa's new toy - notice new chairs and firepit

Moroccan Zucchini Boats finishing on the grill

No Grilling session is complete without PBR

Yesterday we celebrated the 4^th of July.  For the most part we used the day to relax.  I was mixing Margaritas from scratch in the afternoon and we had two or five.  Margaritas, music, tossing washers and ultimately chillaxin’ make for a great 4^th.  For dinner I got to fire up my new toy again and grilled a tenderized round steak we still had in the freezer from our last CSA share.  I normally take pride in my grilling skills, but I have to admit, I let the round steak sit a bit too long.  I think my internal clock was running a bit slow after a few of those margaritas.  I also noticed we were the only people in the neighborhood enjoying the gorgeous 100 degree day outside.  Once the sun started to set we hopped in the car and headed a few miles south to Libertyville to watch their fireworks.  For the record, I had not consumed a margarita for a couple hours before we went to the fireworks.  Overall, it was a good show and we left with minimal mosquito bites, and for me, I think I had the start of only a mild hangover.  It had been a couple years since we were last able to watch fireworks on the 4^th so I was really happy we were able to take part this time.

Derek's Muy Bueno Margaritas

As a side note, I recently read the book Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis a cardiologist from the Milwaukee area.  It has rocketed up towards the top of my recommended reading list.   It is a quick read and full of great information.  I know I have a few friends and family members who are dealing with issues like idiopathic (unknown origin) GI issues, diabetes, or simply general inflammation/pain/arthritis issues as well as weight struggles.  If you fall into one of these categories, or even if you don’t, I highly suggest you get to the library and check it out.  You will be happy you did. 

 

That is about it for now.  As I stated earlier, we have a party coming up this weekend so I am sure I will have plenty of stories to share next week.  That is, if the sun doesn’t cook us all first.  I have to remind myself that during the Wisconsin winters I pray every day for weather like this…I guess you have to be careful what you wish for. 

Cheers!

Favorite song this week:  Feel So Close by Calvin Harris

Beer of the Week: Milwaukee Brewing Co’s “Admiral” Stache

http://mkebrewing.com/beer/baltic-porter/

This is a Baltic Porter and the best way I can describe this beer is a back massage in a bottle!  Go get some…what are you waiting for.

We're Bringing Sexy Back

We’re BACK!!!  Well alright, due to popular demand I am going to get this blog back on track and try and post regularly again.  It turns out that people were actually reading this thing.  I think that instead of doing the occasional full post, I will be trying to post more frequent short posts.

Since it has been nearly 14 months since the last post, you can imagine that much has changed.  Rather than go into detail on each topic, I will try and hit a few highlights.  I am sure I will forget a bunch, but here it goes:

-Gina GRADUATED from dental school and has been working her 1^st job for over 2 weeks now.  I cannot begin to describe how proud of her I am.

-Nick and Danita gave us a second nephew named Bennett…we just celebrated his 1^st birthday with him.

-I have completed 3.5 of 10 trimesters of Chiropractic school.  It is going great and I am absolutely in love with the career I have chosen for myself

-I began a Functional Neurology Diplomate (specialty) in addition to school that I should hopefully finish up right around the same time I graduate. 

-Gina and I moved into a house in Gurnee, IL and so far we love it (don’t panic, we have no intention to remain residents of the state of Illinois)

-I have fallen in love with CrossFit workouts.  They are intense, and so far it is the closest thing I have found to the sport of wrestling since my “retirement”

-I have become absolutely obsessed with the topic of nutrition.  My biggest interests are in the Primal/Paleo diet and lifestyle or putting it even easier, eating REAL food.  I am sure you will hear plenty on this topic in the future

I will end the list here for now. 

I promise to get another post up in the next couple days.  Here are a few pictures from the last year.  Enjoy 

Dr. Gina and I at her graduation.  

Ring Dips during CrossFit Workout

After CrossFit Workout

My nephew, Dino-Bennett on his 1st Birthday

My Nephew, Polar Bear Alex at Vilas Zoo

Hanging out with my niece Paisley