Dontcha know

We're at the tip of the Wisconsin thumb on Washington Island visiting my aunt Anne and uncle John. After a two hour drive from Green Bay and a 40 minute ferry ride we made it to this picturesque, island community.
We toured their beautiful homemade house (they actually finished building it themselves a year ago).
Great dinner and nice, long chat, then off to bed.
Early rise with the sun, flocks of birds all over the property.
Toured the garden and snapped a bunch of photos of the house.
Toured the island: maritime museum, Jackson Harbor, up the mountain park look out tower.
Back for lunch, then packing up for the freeeeeezing cold ferrrrrrrry ride back to our van (which hopefully is still there!!)

Herb and Kathryn's house in green bay...glad to see it still looks the same

It was a coooold ferry ride to the island!

Their beautiful house

Thanks for the food and everything, aunt anne and uncle John! So good to see you!

Shhhhhhicago and Milwaukee

Vans united! We met up with Lou and Rory in Chicago, played around in millenium park for bit, and then headed north. Lou and Rory are moving west and we were able to converge at the same place and time! After Chicago we drove up to Milwaukee and ate at the famous german restaurant, Mader's. Rory and Mark got the full liter boot of beer and Lou and I had the half liter baby boot! 

Loucifer's evil van meets the falcon

Party in the midwest!

That's your big boy boot

Lou-dawg sporting the baby boot

Mmmmmmmm

post-Mader's-2pm-drunken-food-coma. and they shrank. 

good Arch support

Spent a few busy days in st. Louis reconnecting with lots of my family. I have a new found appreciation for my mom and all my aunts and uncles. (she's one of nine kids!) Uncle dan and aunt Kathy were wonderful hosts and tour guides! We went all over the place! Highlights included: seeing the arch and the westward expansion museum bike riding along Grant's Farm, toasted ravioli, several museums, a brewery tour, lots of great food, and of course the chance to spend time with family!

The Arch!

At the base of the arch with Aunt Kathy

630 feet up in the top of the arch!

Getting concretes at Ted Drews! They serve your frozen custard by turning it upside down first. So good!

Looking through an old fashion view finder at the History Museum

Climbing through the crazy city museum. This place was so awesome and weird! www.citymuseum.org



Irish music at the famous McGurks bar.

M-i-ss-i-ss-i-pp-i to hot springs, arkansas

Had a great night in olive branch, ms. We ate awesome BBQ, watched Lindsay band play and saw a million hummingbirds!

After camping at hot springs national park, we partook in a traditional hot springs mineral bath. It was sooo fun and old fashioned.

The water coming out of this spring was 140 degrees!

This was the needle shower! After several different baths and a few minutes in the sweat closet, the needle shower is the last step. We're totally getting one of these.

Bath house row. Only 2 of the several bath houses are in operation now.

Move over!

Ain't no 'ham like birmingham

Visited my bestie, Cindy, and had a great night with Liz, Nelson, and John! Thanks for the nummy beer and moonshine y'all!

Sweet Home...

In Alabama for the past week staying with ma, lindsay, and blake!

Makin some super mega ultra pizza

Lindsay and Blake, we love you!

Goin' for a family ride!

Swimmin' in the Tennessee River

lauren and her sister, lindsay <3

  

freshly picked cotton

chili night

Distillers! like the football team in Pittsburgh!

We made it to Bourbon County Kentucky and found a few good places to stop! The Maker's Mark Distillery tour was the highlight! We learned a ton about bourbon. And at the gift shop they even had a dip-your-own bottle station! (A lil out of our budge, unfortunately) The next day, on the way down to Huntsville, AL, we stopped at the Jack Daniels Distillery in Tennessee.

You have to be able to dip 25 bottles per minute to work on the line!



This was a bourbon smelling thing! It was so crazy!

The extra special cave spring water at Jack Daniels