2022 Year in Review

 2021 Year in Review

It is becoming harder and harder to knock things off the original bucket list as the items are becoming further and further away but I did manage to knock a few off. There were plenty of other adventures this year. 

Original Bucket list Adventures 

1. Go to Pullman, IL #98
2. Go to a carnival #313
3. Go to the Corn Palace #102
4. Go to Mount Rushmore #75
5. Drive down longest street in US #301
6. Go to the SPAM museum #945

Extended Bucket list Adventures – 78

States -- 17
New States
South Dakota
Wyoming

It was also the first year I visited all four neighbor states in one year.

Counties -- 176, 49 new ones ones and 46 in WI alone

Baseball States -- 5

1. Arizona (2)
2. Wisconsin (9)
3. Minnesota
4. Colorado *
5. Nebraska

Major League Stadiums – 2
American Family Field (3)
Coors Field*

Minor League Stadiums – 3
Fox Cities Stadium (6)
CHS Field*

College Baseball Games – 2
1. Arizona
2. GCU

College Basketball Games – 2
1. Wisconsin women
2. Women's men

Soccer Games – 1
1. Manchester City vs Bayern Munich

Counties with sports
1  Outagamie
2. Milwaukee
3. Shawano
4. Brown
5. Winnebago
6. Manitowoc
7. Sauk
8. Waupaca
9. Fond du Lac

Counties with pizza
1. Outagamie
2. Winnebago
3. Eau Claire
4. Fond du Lac
5. Brown
6. Manitowoc
7. Oconto
8. Waupaca
9. Ozaukee

Counties with ice cream
1. Sheboygan
2. Sauk
3. Brown
4. La Crosse
5. Door

Counties with Wineries
1. Sheboygan
2. Clark
3. Trempealeau
4. Ozaukee

Counties with Wineries
1. La Crosse
2. Milwaukee

States with Pizza
1. Arizona
2. Wisconsin
3. Nebraska
4. South Dakota *

States with Ice Cream
1. Wisconsin
2. South Dakota *

States with Chocolate Shops
1. Nevada *
2. Minnesota *
3. Wisconsin

States with Donuts
1. Arizona
2. Wisconsin
3. Colorado *

States with mini golf
1. Arizona
2. Wisconsin (2)
3. South Dakota*

States with Wineries
1. Arizona
2. Wisconsin (4)
3. Michigan

National Parks
1. Pecos NHP
2. El Malprais NM
3. Saguaro NP
4. Tonto NM
5. Mojave National preserve
6. Arches NP
7. Pullman NHS
8. Indiana Dunes NP
9. Badlands NP
10. Mount Rushmore NM
11. Devil's Tower NM
12. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
13. Isle Royale NP
14 Keweenaw NHP

State parks
1. Indiana Dunes
2. Peninsula
3. Fort Wilkins

*New in 2022

Hopefully 2023 brings some more adventures.

7475. Make a 3D Snowflake

 My cousin text me the other day and said she was going to bake cookies but decided to make a 3D snowflake that she saw hanging at work. She said I could handle make it. I wasn't too sure but I always thought they were impressive looking. I decided to give it a try especially since she sent me a YouTube video.

Supplies

-- 6 pieces of Square Paper
-- Tape
--Scissors

I was concerned when I needed square paper. I thought I had to wait until Heather and I got together so she could cut my paper for me. Then my cousin told me just fold the paper into diagonally and cut off the excess. Doh.. paper folding 101. I was off to a great start.

Steps

1. Fold paper diagonally to make a triangle

2. Fold triangle in half to make a smaller triangle

3. Cut 3 slits equally spaced apart on one of the short side. What the video failed to tell us was that you needed to make your cuts from one short side to the other short side. It took me several tries to get this right. Needless to say I was about to give up.

4. Unfold your triangle and tape the tip of the inner points together.

5. Flip it over and tape the next set of points together. Repeat this process two more times so all the points are taped.

6. Repeat with the other 5 pieces of paper

7. Take two pieces of paper and tape the ends together. Tape where they meet in the middle together.

8. Repeat with the other 5 points.

Ta-Da you now have a giant 3D snowflake.

I am quite impressed. If I had a place to hang them, I would make more. The one I have is hanging in the office window.

I guess this was my year to get crafty. It was an easy(ish) winter craft that didn't really take much more than 15-30 minutes to make once I figured out how to cut the slits. 

Maybe I will make another one next year with light blue and white paper. Or sparkly paper. The possibilities are endless. 

4942. Go to a Christmas Concert at Lawrence Chapel

 Danielle mentioned she was going to Menasha Library and I was like check for a FAN Pass not really expecting them to have any. She sent me a picture of the two FAN Passes available -- both to Christmas concerts at Lawrence Chapel. The one was the same day I was going to Christmas Stars and the other was a week later. I told her to get the later one. She was unable to go with me since she had to work.

What FAN pass did she get me? NEW Voices Concert: "Gather 'Round the Manager." I had my choice of times 2 PM or 7:30 PM. I decided to do the late show since the hubby had basketball at 7. Brenda came along with me.

The concert was at Lawrence Chapel. Neither of us had been to the chapel. I was really looking forward to this as I've always wanted to see the inside of the chapel and the grand pipe organ. Parking wasn't as bad as I feared. When I got to the chapel, there was plenty of room in the small lot. I was wondered I'd have to park on the street on walk in the cold night air. The nice thing about parking in the lot, there is a ramp that leads you up to the doors of the chapel. 

Inside was smaller than we expected but still grand. I chose seats on the main level so we didn't have to climb the stairs to the balcony. The one side of the chapel is the even seats and the other side odd seats clarified why we had seats 7 and 9. We were five rows back from the stage so we had a great view of the show.

The concert itself was beautiful. The choir sang a multitude of Christmas songs many of which I have never heard or done in newer versions. As audience members were asked to sing a long to several songs as well. The opening and closing songs we just sang the last verse of the song the choir as it was a familiar carol even though the song was not. We also sang two complete songs. It was amazing to be singing Christmas Carols as a group. I miss caroling not that I could carry a tune.

A few things that surprised me.

1. The conductor used an IPad with his scores loaded on to it so he just had to swipe the screen to turn the page. The pianist also used a IPad but I don't think he had to swipe. The choir used traditional choir folders with sheet music. I found the IPads a bit odd at first but they are actually very smart. 

2. One of the flutist had a gold flute. I don't know why this amused me but it did. She was very good.

3. The last song, Peace, Peace, featured handbells. There was a bigger guy ringing small bells. I thought they usually got the big bells. I'm just glad there were some handbells.

I am really glad that Danielle picked up the FAN pass for me. It gave me a chance to get some more Christmas spirit, see a group I would not normally see, and see the Lawrence Chapel. If you ever get a chance to see the NEW Voice Christmas Concert either at Lawrence Chapel or the Cathedral in Green Bay, do it. It is a beautiful show.

Girl Scout Adventures 2022: Christmas Stars

 During our planning meeting in August, I suggested going to see Christmas Stars for our December meeting. Mom and dad were signed up to go see it on a bus tour and it sounded really interesting. They agreed. We picked a Saturday afternoon show.

Christmas Stars is a community wide Christmas program open for students in kindergarten through high school and adults at Xavier High School. Tickets are $17/Adults and $10/kids. 

According to their Facebook page, Christmas Stars is "A holiday-themed extravaganza of seasonal music, dance, comedy, with the stunning Living Nativity." It runs the first two weekends in December Thursday-Sunday with 1 show a day except for Saturdays when there are two. We caught the third to last show -- 1 pm on Saturday.

The show was everything that they advertised... music, dance, and comedy. The show consisted of two acts and a 15 minute intermission. There was some continuity between scenes but it did not flow like a play. Everything did fit together nicely though. 

My favorite scene was the Special Delivery where the little kids (Cherub choir) did a song and dance dressed as UPS drivers. It was adorable. The Cherub choir was just adorable throughout the whole show.

My least favorite scene was the Living Nativity. It did follow the story of the nativity but with the songs they used I did not care for it. It was not a traditional nativity story and when it comes to the story of the nativity, I'm a traditionalist. I have to say though Baby Jesus was very well behaved and very active. 

Father Christmas and one of his elves walked around the show greeting everyone. He was available during intermission for pictures as well.

The show changes slightly every year to keep people coming back. I would highly recommend seeing the show some year. It is great for families. You will laugh and want to sing along. 

7443. Be in an Art Show

 Kimberly Library was having a tiny art show. All you had to do was a pick up a kit from the library in November and return by the end of the month. When I sent the hubby to pick up tickets to see Elvis John, I made him pick me up a kit as well. 

He came home with the tiniest canvas I ever saw. It was about 2"x2". We were advised to paint a nostalgic winter scene. I was going to cheat and ask Heather to make a template out of vinyl but then I figured I could handle painting a snowman. I think I did a fairly good job. I am not an artist and I can not blend colors or create contour to save my life. It is cute and whimsical. 

The canvases were due back by November 30. I expected the art show to be put up by Dec 3rd. It wasn't ready until yesterday. I was at the library 3 times this week and I still couldn't see the art show. Luckily I had a book come in and was able to swing by today while I did errands.

There were about 25 canvases returned. Some of them are way above my skill level and are gorgeous. My favorite is the skis. 

Others were done by kids are just as fun and whimsical as mine. 

All of them are unique and shows the artist's idea of a winter. 

The tiny art show runs through the end of January. If you get a chance go check it out. 

7330. Go to a book launch party

 Kimberly Library was having an author event. I love author events. I didn't know the author but that didn't matter. You never know what new author and/or book you will discover if you go.

It turns out not only was it a book event, it was a launch party for Leah Dobrinska's new book "Death Checked Out" which is set in the Northwoods. Leah Dobrinska is actually from Kimberly and this is her first book in her new cozy mystery series. She has a small town romance series as well. 

After a brief introduction, Leah read the first chapter of her new book which she had to do from her Kindle since the actual books were stuck in distribution somewhere. Then she opened the floor for questions. There were a lot of good questions. 

The first question was "what is a cozy mystery." This made me laugh as one of my book club members despises cozy mysteries. A cozy mystery is a mystery is usually set in a small town where an amateur sleuth helps solve a murder in town. I am not a huge fan of cozy mysteries but will read one from time to time. 

After answering questions, we had time for cake and book signings. 

Since Death Checked Out was not available for purchase, I bought the first book in the Mapleton series which of course I got signed. I chatted with Leah for a few minutes.

Like most author events, it was a good time. I found a new author, bought a book, and even ate carrot cake. I am always happy when I can support a local author.

7472. Make a Christmas wreath

 For the last couple of years, Kimberly Library has put on a wreath making workshop. The first year they did this, they charged for. Last year it was free and for whatever reason I didn't sign up probably because I was in the midst of AEP at work. I made a vow that if they were going to do it again this year, I would make sure I signed up in time and I did.

We were sent an email to bring pruning shears, a needle nose pliers, and a wire cutter if we had them. I have a needle nose pliers in the tool bin. Mom let me borrow their pruning shears because who needs them in December in Wisconsin. The wire cutters I figured I could share. I was amazed that they would let me play with sharp objects. To be honest, I really didn't need the wire cutters as the needle nose pliers worked fine to snip the wire.

When I got to the library, I was greeted with a pile of pine branches and a wire wreath frame.

Ken, the Master Gardner that was helping out, was very helpful. He first instructed us to prune our branches about the length of our forearm. We wanted a pile of branches about 2 feet high. I got to snipping. Some of my branches were rather thick or they were really thin. I didn't pick the best table. Oh well. I would make it work.

After we all had our piles of trimmed branches, Ken showed us how to attached them to the wire frame. Gather a bunch of branches about the width of your index and thumb. Trim the ends so they are all even. Lay them on the frame and wrap wire around the branches three times and pull tight. You want to pull extra tight on the first go set so they don't come loose and wreck the entire wreath.

Continue laying bunches of pine branches an top of each other about an inch down from the previous bunch. 

Repeat until your wreath is full and you have no more room to stick any more branches. Then tie it off with the help of Ken. Add a hanging hook on the back.

Trim the inside so you have a hole and the outside if you want to make it nice and uniform.

Add some pizzazz. I went with a more traditional look and added just a glittery bow and balls. I kept it simple. It was going outside and I didn't want too much objects on it.

Take it home and hang on the door.

Ken and his group of volunteers were wonderfully helpful. There was always someone available for help. Making the wreath was a whole less complicated than I feared. I would do it again next year. Heck, I could go find my own branches in the Northwoods and metal frame and wire and I could do it without help.. well maybe. It does tend to get a bit messy with all those pine needles and sap.

Celebrate Krampustag

 One of the many Christmas events that popped on Facebook in the last month, was Krampustag at the Bavarian Bierhaus in Glendale. Stacy marked she was interested in it. Since I Glendale was technically on my way home, it made sense that we would go after we got our cookies made.

Krampus is a troll looking creature in Central and Eastern Alpine folklore of Europe who, during the Advent season, scares children who have misbehaved. I really didn't know what Krampus what. I figured he was like St. Nicholas. He is actually quite scary looking. Before we Googled Krampus, I was like why are there trolls. I associate trolls with Norway. 

Krampustag was from 11-6. We got there about 1 and there wasn't much going on. We picked up lunch of Nuremburg Sausages and a giant pretzel. The food was good but I didn't eat my sausages on bun. The sausages were a lot bigger than we remember what Nuremburger sausages. The pretzel was nothing special except it was the size of my head.

I did try Guhlwein. It wasn't bad as far as spiced wine goes. It helped once I put the orange slice in my wine. 

They had several beers as well but there was no way I could drink a 1/2 liter or liter of beer and drive home.

St. Nicholas and Krampus was walking around.

There was an accordionist playing until when it was time to set up for the band at 3. 

Honestly it was nothing special. It was neat to see Krampus. Maybe after 3 when the band stands and they tap the beer, it would get more livily. Stacy actually told her husband not to come and she'd take a bus back to the south side. There were no real activities for kids. There was some cornhole outside but that was about it. It definitely need something more action.

Would I go again? Maybe. If I was in the area and there was nothing else going on, I might go check it out to see if it improved or not. However, if you want to see what Krampus is all about, check it out.

5286. Go to Broken Bat Brewery

 Across the street from the Bobblehead Museum, is Broken Bat Brewery. Jeremy decided he wanted a beer, so we headed inside.

Broken Bat Brewery is a baseball themed craft brewery. They did a have a small collection of bobbleheads in the back corner.

All the beers are baseball themed. We opted to go with two flights. Funny enough after we decided which beers we wanted to sample, it ended up being numbers 9-16. 

My two favorites were the Mango Smoothie Seltzer and Darryl. The Seltzer, technically not a beer, but was probably hands down the best seltzer I ever hand. It didn't have the carbonation factor that other seltzers have. It was smooth and refreshing. 

The Darryl, a nod to Darryl Strawberry, was a Strawberry Kettle Sour beer. I am not much of a fan beer but give me a sour any day. I don't know why but I can tolerate sours a whole lot more than regular beer. Even though it was a strawberry beer, it still had really good flavor. 

At one point, I said one of the beers was too "beery". Stacy said we had to work on my beer vocabulary. What? It tasted too much like regular beer. 

Stacy and I also each had a sample of Kangaroo Court because it just sound interesting. It was a watermelon Kolsch. Again not bad but I liked the seltzer and sour better.

The other really cool thing about Broken Bat Brewery, it is 100% dog friendly. At first I was a little weirded out by this but since no one else found it weird, I just went with the flow. All the dogs were well behave.... for the most part.

This is definitely a nice stop before or after the bobblehead museum if you are into craft beer. It has plenty of TVs to watch the game and plenty of seating to hang out with friends. It was a great choice to relax before having to head back and bake more cookies.