We are all settled back into our Sydney routine, having arrived back a week ago.  Here is what we were up to on our trip to Wisconsin and since!

We took an Uber to the airport on Saturday the 8th, a really friendly guy who has just returned from a 5 week trip with his wife to the US.  He was really fun to talk to about his experience there.  We boarded our flight to LAX and were delayed an hour because of a medical emergency.  Eventually the person with the issue deplaned, but they had to call the paramedics and get their bags, etc, so it took a bit.  It happened toward the front of the plane and Brandon and I were already zoned out with a movie, so don’t know what happened.  The flight went fine after that.  I got some sleep and also watched a few movies.  I enjoyed the food and was just happy we had the medical emergency before we took off and did not have to make an emergency landing somewhere.  Brandon did not sleep much and does not like plane food, so we ate Panda Express when we got to LA.  Our flight to Minneapolis, then on to Appleton were also fine.  Minneapolis airport is always fun.  They have cool shops; I buy more at that airport than the rest of my trip. 😉 My parents picked us up when we landed.  Their friends were also there picking up their daughter, so it was a coincidence to see them.  We went to bed after getting organized for the night.

Sunday morning we went to church in Oshkosh at St. Raphael’s, our old parish. We got to see a bunch of people from the choirs we were in and our choir director, Karen.  It was so nice to catch up with them.  After lunch at IHOP with my parents, Brandon and I headed 3.5 hours north, to Eagle River to see the house his parents’ built.  We passed through Hortonville and I had to snap a picture of our high school.  His parents’ house was super nice and they are still working on finishing it all off.  I especially like the swing in their living room.  We talked a bit and had supper, then watched the stressful Bears/ Packers football game.  The next day Brandon made us all eggs, then we took the four wheeler out on the trails.  It was a bit brisk in the shade, so we didn’t go far.  We then took the canoe out on their private lake and were treated to views of a Bald Eagle that lives around it.  We had a fish lunch at sports bar just out of town and then I headed back to Appleton.  Brandon stayed another night and came back with his parents.

Tuesday, my parents took us past sad fields of sunflowers (they got beat down in heavy rain that summer) to the Ebben cottage.  We grilled out and my Uncle Bob took us on a pontoon ride.  We saw a whole bunch of turtles, some really big, out sunning themselves, and a crane.  That evening, Brandon and I had an early supper with Brad and Ciara downtown Neenah.  Then, Lindsay met Ciara and I and we went kayaking along Lake Winnebago from Neenah to Menasha through Fox River Kayaking Co.  It was a beautiful day and really nice for it.  We were lucky with hot, sunny weather up until the last few days we were in Wisconsin, it was great!!  Kayaking wasn’t too intense until the end, the current from the locks made the paddle back to the landing grueling.  But we made it!!  After kayaking, we went to a brew house for a later dinner and drink.  I was so happy to be with by two best friends again!!  It is hard being so far from them.  Thankfully we can message and video chat, but the time difference makes that a bit hard.  I am glad we have stayed close, despite my move!!  Thank you Ciara and Lindsay!!!

Wednesday, we did some shopping in the morning, then went to Grandpa and Grandma Kohl’s house.  We took their boat out to lunch in Fremont.  Brandon spent the night and next day with them, but I headed back to supper with my Heritage coworkers.  It was so good to see them and catch up on all the work news.   Thursday morning, I got a new suitcase at the mall with my Mom and in the afternoon, Ciara and I got pedicures so I could have nice toes for the wedding.  Thursday night, we met at Brandon’s parents’ house with his sister and the kids to celebrate Grandma Kohl’s birthday with supper and cake.  Our nephew Tristan was a little ham for the camera.

Friday, we loaded up my parents and us into the car and drove 1.5 hours down to downtown Milwaukee for my cousin Alex’s wedding celebrations.  The men had a nap, while my mom and I checked out the mall down the block.  I had great luck at TJ Maxx and found a bunch of fun leggings for future kayaking/scuba adventures! The rehearsal dinner was open to everyone and was at a cool brewery on the water.  My parents, Brandon, and I all went and had fun meeting the bride’s family and getting acquainted and reacquainted with the more of couple’s family and friends.  The next morning, we met up with my sister and her family at breakfast at the hotel as they were staying there too and had been to the Brewers game the night before.  We hung out a bit, then got ready for the wedding. We took an Uber to the ceremony since I had to be there early to practice my reading and Mom had to be there early to hand out programs.  They had a shuttle otherwise from the hotel.  The downtown area seems to have been revitalized recently.  There were new buildings everywhere and it had a really cool vibe.  We really enjoyed our time there.

The wedding was beautiful; they wrote their own vows, making it extra special.  I have gotten to know Alex and Emily at family events before we moved and from visits with them while my dad was in the hospital in Milwaukee.  They both are easy to talk to, like traveling, and are passionate about their dog, Brady.  They always help with cleaning up at Grandma’s house and I am so happy for them as they start wedded life together!  Most of our family made it to the wedding, just a few of the cousins were missing.  We caught the shuttle back to the hotel and chilled in our room a bit while Mom stayed for pictures.  We took Austin and Trae exploring in the hotel; we saw the view from the top floor, lots of fancy lounges, and it all was amazing.  Brandon found a grand piano right by the reception room which he tried out.  The Hilton was fun to explore.  Eventually we made it back to the cocktail hour rooms and had a snack and family pictures done.  They had speeches and dinner and cheesecake as their wedding cake.  Austin and I approved!! Trae was less excited.  Then they had dancing; I tried to split my time dancing and talking to family to catch up with them.  Brandon, Austin, and Trae all got to show off their moves too.  Mom and Dad even got out there for a few.  We didn’t stay too late since we had plans the next day.

We ate breakfast all together again and more family joined us.  We packed up and checked out and Brandon and I took Austin and Trae south another hour to Six Flags in Gurnee, Illinois.  My parents, Stephani, and David headed north, back home.  It was a hot day spent in line for the boys to ride all the roller coasters.  Brandon went on Superman, and then no more.  In between the big stuff, I went on the spinney rides.  Austin and Trae had never been to Six Flags before and had a blast! There were a lot more people there then I thought there would be for a weekend with both a Packers and Brewers game on, but it was nice out, so that helped.  It was the first day of Fright Fest so everything was decorated for Halloween, though we didn’t stay late enough for it, having a three-ish hour drive back.  The boys handled all the rides well.  Nothing too scary for them.  We did be sure to take breaks in between and stay hydrated.  Trae tried Dippin Dots for the first time and we had supper on the way back at Culver’s.  It was a long day, but fun.  I always enjoy hanging out with my nephews.  It is crazy that they are getting so tall and grown up.  I am sure next time we are back, I will be shorter than both of them.

Monday, Brandon went to Green Bay to hang out with his sister and her family and I had drinks and lunch with Lacy from FVARC.  We went to Fratello’s on the Fox River in downtown Appleton.  Another nice day, but the mosquitoes chased us inside.  For supper, Brandon and I went to his grandparent’s on the Miller side to catch up with that side of the family and celebrate his aunt’s Birthday and his grandparents’ anniversary.  A storm blew through that evening and brought with it cool and grey weather for the rest of our trip.

Tuesday, Brandon and I spent the day exploring Door County with my sister.  We stopped at a few winerys and shops.  It didn’t rain on us, but it threatened to the whole day.  We went to Von Steihl winery, Door Peninsula winery, had lunch at the Log Den, Harbor Ridge winery, the Cheese Hut, a candle shop, a coffee shop, and a gift shop.  It was a great day exploring and we bought cheese and wine to enjoy at home.  We also saw pumpkin patches and fall throughout the countryside.  Corn was being harvested and hay cut.  A few trees were even turning colors.  I was glad to be able to spend time with Effy in between her crazy work hours and do something fun.

Wednesday, Dad and I went over to my Grandma Ebben’s house to visit with her.  We were lucky to catch two of my aunts and my uncle over there too.  It was good to see them all.  My parents and I went to lunch at TGI Friday’s while Brandon was spending the day with his dad.  I snuck in some time with Ciara in the afternoon when she was in between works.  I then headed to downtown Appleton to meet Lacy at the martini Bar, then dinner with a few girls from FVARC at Victoria’s, famous for huge portions of delicious Italian food.  I was a bit early, so I spent some time in prayer at St Mary’s church, my home parish, close to where we were meeting.  I also saw a car someone modified for an Amy.  Reminded me of my first car, also a Pontiac Grand Am.  It was so good to catch up with my coworkers and find out what was new with them.  It sounds like the Fox Valley too is feeling the Vet Tech shortage.  Both of my former clinics asked when I am moving back so I can work there again. 🙂  It is nice to be needed and appreciated in my field.  🙂 I do miss working both places, and my coworkers, but we are not done with our traveling adventures yet.  I also do not miss the cold of Wisconsin.  I am happy and looking forward to warmth and sun of the Australian Spring and summer.

Thursday was to be our last day in Wisconsin, with our flight leaving Appleton at 5pm.  I said Good Bye to Mom when she left for work.  We packed up.  I met Lindsay for breakfast at SAP, then stopped at FVARC for a visit and Heritage for lunch to have one last hurrah with my coworkers.  It is so odd to go from spending every day together, to not seeing each other for months and months.  We were able to pick up exactly where we left off with our friendships.  I am so blessed!  Hopefully a few of them will be able to come out and visit us in Sydney soon! My dad brought us and all our bags to the airport a bit early since I had gotten an email about our flight being delayed and things being reorganized.  Appleton airport is very small.  I think only 8 gates in the one terminal. There are two security lines and it is very home-town feeling.  The desk attendant said that since our flight out of Appleton was delayed, we would not be able to make our next flight in Minneapolis nor the following out of LA.  We elected to stay another night in Appleton and leave the next day.  It would mean arriving into Sydney Sunday morning instead of Saturday, but we would still have the day to recover and not have to worry about finding accommodation along the way.  I called my dad to come back and get us, a five min drive, and we began our bonus day.

We didn’t get to surprise my mom since my dad had called and told her, bummer, a missed opportunity, but oh well.  We went out for supper at Texas Roadhouse, delicious rolls and food!  Dad and I got celebratory margaritas.  He has been feeling so good and got good news from his latest Dr. appointments, so we felt the need to party it up a little.  We then played some games at my parents.  My dad learned how to use the tablet during our stay.  He can read the paper and do Sudoku on it.  He is slowly becoming a tech genius. 😉  Next thing we know he will be Googling things and setting up an email.  Hee hee.  Probably not. 😉

Friday, I said Good Bye to my mom for real this time as she went to work and we had a quiet and relaxing day with Dad.  He brought us to the airport again in the afternoon and we actually left this time. We went Appleton to Detroit to LAX to Sydney.  We had an awesome view of the Ebben farm as we took off from Appleton.  I hadn’t been to Detroit airport in a while, but we just took the tram and got to our gate easily.  We got upgraded to First Class on our Detroit to LA flight.  It was fancy!  Not sure if it was from our delay or because we are Silver Medallion Members with Delta now from all our flying.  We had free, fancy alcohol, actual cloth towels and napkins, and metal silverware.  We got to pick a hot meal (salmon!), Ben and Jerry’s for dessert and had designer blankets and more room in our comfortable seats.  Brandon thoroughly enjoyed it and thinks it is worth it to get again. I was a bit underwhelmed.  I didn’t think it is worth hundreds of dollars extra for it, though I will take the free upgrades anytime!  I think the fancy blanket backfired though, because when we got on our next flight, I found a few hives on me.  Not really sure what it was from since I have overly sensitive skin, but it could be from that.  I took an antihistamine, but when we landed in Sydney the hives had spread all over my arms and legs.  I treated it with herbal cream and oral antihistamines and it resolved a few days later, but it was annoying and itchy!! My coworkers got a kick out of it though.

We had stopped for a burger in LAX and enjoyed it in the little outside area in the Delta terminal.  Our flight was delayed a bit due to the fast tailwind; we would have gotten into Sydney too soon, before customs opened.  The flight only took 14 hrs back instead of 15.  I slept a lot and watched a few movies.  I enjoyed the food and got some reading in.  The long flights get easier every time.  We got back to Sydney and all our luggage made it! Always a goal! We took an Uber back to the apartment where the cats were awaiting our laps to sleep on again.  My coworker, Bek, had taken great care of them and our apartment.  We unpacked, did some laundry and tried to stay awake as long as we could to get back on the right time zone.  We only mildly succeeded with some naps and an early bedtime.  We adjusted pretty easily from then on.

We packed up our paintings in a box as one of our luggage to bring back with us.  Brandon is not agreeable to art I have wanted to get to decorate our walls in the apartment.  So I brought all the art we had at our place in Oshkosh.  We hadn’t brought it originally because it had exposed wood on it and posed a bio security threat to Australia.  I painted the wood so it would be allowed and now we have some color on our walls. 🙂

Thank you to everyone who made time to see us, plan events, and hang out when we were back.  We so appreciate it!!  Thanks to my parents for hosting us and letting us use their vehicles. and to Brandon’s parents too for letting us stay in Eagle River and use of their car as well.  If we didn’t catch you, we will be back in July of 2019 so let’s plan something for then!!