Happy hour chat

Hiiiii!! Thanks for joining me for another round of faux drink-clinking, where I fill you in on life’s adventures because it’s been a little too long since I last checked in. (Here’s my last happy hour chat, for reference!) As usual, I’ve got a lot of ground to cover in this happy hour chat.

Grab your tea, your Koolaid Jammer, a sour beer, iced coffee, mini Corona, bottle of bubbly, your little treat bevvy of choice! We’ve got some work to do.

Here’s what life has looked like lately in my corner of the world.

Wiffle ball

In the time since my last happy hour update, my wiffle ball team: won a championship (which I commemorated with a tattoo, lol), played an entire spring season, and is now, after a summer break, is already coming back to start back up again for fall. There were dramatic wins, losses, home runs, and a successful pitcher race.

I’m so excited to be back with LeftySwagBats for more.

Softball league

We have been in Chad’s co-ed work softball league since APRIL. It’s been a long, long season. I’ve had a blast! It’s been a lot of fun playing first base and catcher (I love playing catcher, because I get to touch the ball every play and literally play catch the whole time, lol).

There have been lows (like when an opposing pitcher motioned and called for everyone to move up when I went up to bat) and highs (like when I hit a double over their heads at that same at-bat), and I’m thankful to get to play with my husband as my teammate.

Hot dog club

In true #GlizzyGirlSummer, I decided to join the inaugural Brewers Hot Dog Club. Essentially, I paid $60 for a cool hat and one free hot dog at ever home Brewers game. It’s been so worth it, in my opinion.

Also, it’s been a great excuse to go to more Brewers games than ever this year. It has been extremely fun to go and cheer for an incredible team this year. Go Brew Crew!

Colorado trip

In May, I went to Colorado for a couple of days to see my parents. It was so fun to be together for Memorial Day, spend time at the pool, and celebrate my dad’s birthday. It was quick but worth the few days of quality time and sunshine.

Surprise date night

I have to brag about Chad: my sweet husband told me, “we need a night out,” and gave me a heads up to dress up, because he made reservations at a nice restaurant. We ended up going to Santino’s in Bay View, and had a wonderful time.

Modeling journey

As I mentioned last time, I was putting myself out there to think about modeling. I made a modeling portfolio, then landed my first paid gig! I did a commercial branding shoot for a Milwaukee-based beverage company called Top Note Tonic. 🙂

Additionally, I submitted my materials to a local modeling agency, and they have since put me on their casting roster. Making moves!

Self care

The past several months have been full of some routine self-care maintenance that I try to stay on top of. These include:

• A facial – I got mine from Aveda’s beauty school, which was super affordable and wonderful!
• Lip filler – I got my annual lip filler, this time from Laken at Retrograde Aesthetics
• Hair cut – as always, I went to Kelsey for my regular trim
• Drybar – once a month, I head to Drybar for a blowout! I have a partnership with them, which is so fortunate because I literally love getting my hair washed and styled by them

Pints and paddles

Chad turned 31! To celebrate, I threw him a “pints and paddles” pickleball party. It was a blast: we played for a few hours at Dale Z’s on Tour (it was free to reserve their private court—amazing!), and enjoyed friends and easy going fun. It was a 10/10, highly recommend day.

Big Client Project

Back in September, I won a bid to create the communications plan for the Upper Gunnison Drought Plan. Since then, I’ve been busy at work! I created a brand, built a website / drought dashboard, made a communication strategy, and then designed the entire plan. We’re working to submit the final plan document, and I feel incredibly grateful for this project.

Michigan trip

We took a weekend trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where we had a blast with friends Phil, Megan, Natalie (visiting from Colorado), and Haley. We packed in a lot of fun!

Bastille Days

This summer we went to our first Bastille Days; Milwaukee is home to the biggest French festival in the country, and it delivered! We had a ton of fun exploring, eating, and enjoying the vibes of this free festival located in Yankee Hill. I already can’t wait for next year!

Summer fun

I have been doing my very best to spend as much time outside as possible, banking up the hours of sunshine. My favorite methods have been:

• Going to the community pool. Sheridan Park Pool is my new favorite spot! I love coming to the pool for an easy going, no frills day of chlorine and sun. It’s so fun.
• Sitting in the yard. Lol, this is basic but effective. I’ve been setting up a lounge chair on sunny afternoons to soak up the rays (with sunscreen of course). It’s not a private yard, and I’ve had more than a couple conversations with strangers while in my swim suit, lol, but I’ve really enjoyed making this a part of my routine.
• Going to the beach. I’ve had several beach days this season (more than last year, which is always my goal), mostly at Atwater Beach. Sometimes we bring a cooler and spend the whole day in the sand, while other times we pop by to read for a bit on a weeknight.

Minnesota trip

At the beginning of August, we traveled to Minnesota to reunite with family. My brother and his family took their home leave from Turkey, and so we joined, along with my parents! It was so fun to join the fun in Eagan, stay in downtown Minneapolis (at two different hotels), and spend quality time together.

We went to Minnehaha Falls, the Minneapolis Sculpture Park, Como Zoo, Lebanon Hills campground, Mall of America, Cascade Bay Water Park, played pickleball, and more. It was a blast!

My parents came to Milwaukee

Immediately after our MN trip, my parents joined us in Milwaukee for a few days! It was so much fun to host them and enjoy the summertime. We packed it in, including:

• Favorite haunts. As always, we took them to some of our favorite spots, like Lakefront Brewery (a must for cheese curds), Barnacle Buds, and Broken Bat
• A day trip to Lake Geneva. We took a boat tour, walked around downtown, and ate some yummy food.
• Beach day in Racine. I showed by parents one of my favorite sandy spots on Lake Michigan.
• A happy hour with our friends! We invited our friends out to meet my parents and it was so special to me! Thanks to Haley, Kelli, Sam, and Brittany for hanging out on the rooftop with us.
• A stop at Goddess and the Baker. It’s a tradition! We love their upscale drinks and fancy pastries.
• Softball game. It was extremely special to me that my parents got to watch us play in our work softball game! It happened to be an incredible game too, lol, with big hits, dives, and Chad and I getting involved in a pickle!

Happy birthday, Alexis!!

My best friend turned 31, which meant coordinating a fun surprise! When Jessica asked if we could come to Colorado to join Alexis for a day of fun at Water World, it was a resounding yes. We packed in a quick weekend trip to Denver the day my parents left Milwaukee, where our surprise was met with an “I knew it!” (she really did guess it correctly, lol). We absolutely loved Water World, and more importantly spending quality time with our besties for the resties.

Staying social

There have been a LOT of fun events and opportunities to make memories with friends over the past few months. Here are some examples:

• Derby party! For our second year in a row, we dressed up to drink mint juleps and enjoy the fanfare hosted by Laura and Ryne
• Pickleball with Kelli and Chad
• Girl’s night at The Copper Turtle (we definitely got our espresso martini fix)
• Checking out the At Random patio with Laura, Ryne, and Brittany
• Celebrating our friend Jackson’s 30th birthday, complete with a tiki party
• Our first pride! It was so much fun to dance, celebrate, and support our friends and the MKE queer community
• A day well-spent at the beach with Brittany
• Aila’s first birthday party, on the hottest day of the year
• A surprise celebration of Sam’s new job, organized by Kelli and Seth
• Fourth of July, which included a barbeque with our friends Ben and Nicole
• A delightful and dreamy lake day spent with Kelli, Sam, and Seth
• Our first-ever night swim with Haley
• A fun stop at Barnacle Buds with Laura and Ryne
• Girl’s night at Pipsqueak Wine Bar with Kelli and Brittany
• Meeting a new friend, Jessie, at Lost Whale
• Watching the NBA finals with hosts Laura and Ryne
• Heading to Wild Rose for Kelli and Cheryl’s birthday celebration
• A lovely rooftop bar night at The Outsider with Kelli and Brittany
• 3oh!3 concert with Annie, Kelli, and Sam!

Oshkosh

Chad and I got to visit a new-to-us Wisconsin town for a fun weekend getaway: Oshkosh! We had a blast exploring: enjoying downtown, farmers market, botanical gardens, kayaking Lake Winnebago, shopping at the outlet mall, and more.

Wild Rose

We recently got to celebrate my friend Kelli’s 28th birthday with an overnight trip to Wild Rose, Wisconsin, where we attended a joint birthday bash for her and her mom. It was a fun weekend of bar crawling, camo hats, the Packers and Brewers games, pull tabs, dog loving, and great food and drinks. It was a blast!

Cooking with Kelli on TV!

I also want to take a moment to recognize that one of my best friends was on TV! Kelli, of Cooking with Kelli fame, went on Milwaukee’s TMJ4 network for their Morning Melt segment, and presented a recipe using all local ingredients. She did such a wonderful job and I’m so proud!

Recent content

In case you’ve missed it! Here’s a list of things I’ve made lately! Blog posts, IG reels, you name it.

Food (and drink) adventures

Here’s a list of all the places we’ve eaten and drank lately, according to my memory. Have I mentioned: going out to eat is indeed my favorite activity in the world? 🙂

What we’ve been watching

Cheers!

Thanks for tuning into this happy hour chat! Let’s catch up again soon, okay? The next round’s on me.

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