Vacation Recap

I just returned from 11 days of rest and relaxation back in my native state, Wisconsin. I go back twice each year to visit family and friends. Here is a quick rundown of some highlights ...

Meet the Carters
Catching up with my family is the primary purpose of the trip so I met the Carters: my brother-in-law Kevin, sister Ann and of course the main attraction, my niece Reese (who is turning 2 in August).

My niece, Reese Carter, with my mom.

My dad and I took in the Pirates at Cubs game on July 7 from the right-field bleachers at Wrigley Field: A 3-2 11-inning, victory for the good guys! (Go Cubs Go!). By the way, don't look now but the Cubs have been playing decent ball recently, taking six of their last eight and pulling away from the Brewers for cellar-dweller honors in the N.L. Central. (And due to operator error, my thumb managed to photobomb two out of the three photos ...)

No summer vacation to Wisconsin would be complete without a brewery tour so I went with my parents and Ann and Reese to the Lakefront Brewery, which was a short walk from where my sister lives in Milwaukee. And we ended up missing the actual tour because we strayed too far away from the group after registering, but that was beside the point. It was a great time! Good conversation and good beer! On tap for next summer is a tour of the New Glarus Brewery for some Spotted Cow.

I hear the tour was good ...

I ventured west to Baumgartner's in Monroe, Wis., for Wednesday night ribs with my mom's side of the family. This place was awesome and I'm already scheming to come back for Green County Cheese Days in September 2014!

Baumgartner's in Monroe, Wis., with my mom's side, the Albrechts.

A visit to the O.G. with my parents and my aunt Marge and her husband Rol on my last night in Wisco was a great way to end the trip!

There were also a lot of little things that made this vacation memorable:
- Laying back in my designated recliner and having coffee with my parents every morning
- Being able to thoroughly enjoy Jay-Z's "Holy Grail ... Magna Carta" four times without interruption
- Going to work out at the Janesville Athletic Club whenever I felt like. (Quick sidenote, I did manage to go 10 times).
- Getting recommendations on books and movies from parents. I took notes on my iPhone and now have homework assignments!

So now I'm refreshed and re-invigorated for the upcoming year of University of Utah Athletics! Go Utes!

- Mike