Milwaukee Weekend Getaway

We took a weekend fall getaway to Milwaukee last weekend. It wouldn't be a Sanford vacation without some crazy happenings before we got to our actually vacation. Somehow... we missed our flight on Friday morning. We had a straight flight set up from Kansas City to Milwaukee and were supposed to leave at 6:40am and get in around 8:15am. I blame Tom's alarm setting skills, and he blames me for forgetting my ID and realizing it half way to the airport. Yes, his argument might hold a little better, and there is some serious evidence to back it up - but, let's not point fingers! ;) I would say it was a combination of the two.


We got to the airport and saw our plane pulling away. Luckily, Southwest was easy to work with and they got us to Milwaukee (with a short detour to Baltimore) before noon. It was quite the start to our trip! They didn't charge us a dime either.

We rented a car and found a spot in the Third Ward District (www.coquettecafe.com/) to eat lunch. After lunch we walked around and window shopped, and then drove all along the lake and admired the gorgeous houses, and beautiful trees. It really was the perfect time of year to go with all the leaves changing colors. We then checked into our hotel, and of course had to take a mini nap. We found a grocery mart that had a wide selection of New Glarus beers - Tom was really excited, and we got a lot to ship home. We ate dinner that night at Distil, and had some great small plates, cheeses, and beers. Tom even got to try the Belgian Red by New Glarus at dinner, and I think he had reached beer heaven. After dinner we headed over to Sugar Maple to try some MORE unique beers that Tom could only find in the area.

Saturday morning we took a long walk along the water. It was fun to people watch. All of the boats were still out on the water, and it was a gorgeous morning. I think I could have stayed there all day long, but we were getting hungry by noon. We went to eat brunch at Cafe Hollander - which we highly recommend. YUMMY! After breakfast we went back to the Third Ward and went to the Public Market. We tried our first wheat grass shots. They weren't as bad as anticipated. haha! We didn't feel like we could conquer the world after we took them though, so maybe we should keep trying. More than anything it was interesting to see how they were made!

There were so many unique areas, shopping districts, and houses in Milwaukee. That afternoon we went to Lake Front Brewing. Unfortunately, there tours stopped early due to a wedding, but we got to see the set up, and try a few of their beers. It was located on "Brewers Hill," and was a really nice space. Tom approved!

We got to watch K-State destroy West Virginia at a local pub before heading to "our" restaurant for dinner. Sanford restaurant is very well known in Milwaukee and the chef there has been nominated and won the James Beard Award several times. We made sure to put the reservation under "Sanford," so our presence would be known when getting there. (kidding) The food was amazing, and we got the most delicious dessert. It was a little ball of ice cream/peanut brittle/chocolate/heath goodness. WOW.

Overall we really recommend Milwaukee for a weekend getaway. The flights are really cheap from KC, and the city has a lot to explore - we didn't conquer half of it. I would say it's a must to go in the fall, to see the trees by the water. Enjoy the photos!

Along the water was so beautiful. 

Our first stop for lunch

The Milwaukee art museum. 

Our first wheat grass shots. We had to try it!! 

More photos from the lake

We found a K-State bar! GO CATS.

When in Wisconsin... do as the cheese heads .

 I am prettttty cheesy. 

Getting ready for dinner with my handsome husband. 

Loved all the fall trees. 

Gorgeous colors!

Tom's favorite New Glarus beer. He was in beer heaven. 

Cheese everywhere!! MmmmMMMM

Their architecture was so unique. They said it resembled German renaissance.

Outside of our restaurant - it was so fancy!

A few panoramic shots of the park by Lake Michigan

Lakefront Brewing company. 

Ready to head out on our first night!

Again, loved the architecture. 

Loved our restaurant. 

Lake Michigan

Lakefront brewing tasters.

In Wisconsin you get a "beer chaser" with your bloody mary. I think we should bring this south!!

Weekend Update!

Tom and I didn't have any real plans this weekend and it was amazing. Friday night we prepped the upstairs bathroom that we are working on for painting. We got ALL of the priming, and painting done on Saturday and things are really starting to come together.

It was so nice to be able to relax, cook some, and get a lot of work done on the bathroom. This Friday we leave for Milwaukee (so excited), so it was good to have a weekend to catch up on things.

In other news...

• Tom and I are still training for our 5k and got new tennis shoes. They will of course make us run faster.

• We went to see the movie "The Looper" - very good, and I would recommend it. Bruce Willis does a great job, and it was a good combination of sci-fi and action. Very unique story line! 

• We have been pretty lucky to get out to Ozawkie 4-5 times in the last month to see Toms dad, Barb, and the rest of the family. Byron and Barb are heading south to Sun City, Arizona in a few days. They are going to stay down there for the winter, and relax in the warm sun. (I am a little jealous!) We were glad that we got to see them before their trip down. Safe travels Byron and Barb!! We hope we can come see you soon. 

• I have been stashing all the bananas that I cannot eat fast enough in the freezer. Today was National Banana Day (not really, I made that up) - so I decided to use all of them. I made chocolate chip banana pancakes for breakfast, and 2 loaves of banana bread this afternoon. Yummy! 

That's all I got! I am sure I will have lots of exciting pictures and stories from our Milwaukee trip. It's going to be SO awesome to get away. This will be a cheese, food, beer-centric trip. We plan to hit up 2 breweries, eat a ton of cheese, the Historic Third Ward art district for some shopping, walk along the river, and relax! If you have been to Milwaukee, and are reading this we would love any recommendations or suggestions!!

Making banana pancakes!

My new kicks! So comfy and bright!

Our color choices for the bathroom!

Banana bread in the making. 

Delicious!

Hawaiian cauliflower crust pizza

You tape everything off and we are trying out our new paint sprayer. The cabinets will be white! 

Paint on the walls... things are coming together. 

Tom is hard at work!!

Our color choices. I am super happy with the wall color! 

Tom Is The Tile Master!

We finished the tile tub surround this week! (and by we I mean Tom) I won't totally throw myself under the bus... I did do a lot of sanding, spackaling (is that a real word?!), and painting. I am really happy with how things are looking so far, and can't wait to see the final product. Whoooo go Team Sanford - best re-modelers in all of the land. 

Beautiful crown molding and tile shot. 

Close up of the detail

Finished Product!

Pumpkin Carving and Fall Festiveness!

Friday night we enjoyed one of Kansas City's best events - The American Royal BBQ! We went with our friends, Renee and Ben, Jon and Becca, and Adam and Andrea. The tickets and good food, and drinks were compliments of Renee! It was really chilly, but nothing good bbq, beer, and fireworks couldn't fix.

Yesterday we had our FIRST block party with the neighbors. Our next door neighbors, the Reeves hosted and we enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats. The even numbers brought a side and the odd numbers brought a dessert. It was really nice to be able to meet everyone, and put a "face with a house." We met a really nice couple across the street that invited us out on their boat next spring, and I loved talking with the Reeves! I will definitely have to make cookies or treats to take around this winter. We are really lucky to have such nice neighbors and live in a great house!

Last night we had the Thowe's and the FitsGeralds over for dinner and pumpkin carving. It was really chilly here in Kansas City, so it was perfect fall weather. We made spiced nuts, had apples and caramel  spiced cider, chili, and pumpkin bars. MmmmMmmm!

Tom makes a mean chili with a kick to it! Unfortunately, I can't tell you the recipe because it's a secret family recipe. I just wish I had a dog to tell you that! (cue Busch's Baked Bean joke) I can however share the recipe for the spiced nuts... http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/10/chile-lime-cashews enjoy! The recipe came from Bon Appetit magazine - I swear that magazine is the best thing that ever happened to our kitchen.

After dinner we carved pumpkins. It was a lot of fun, and great to see everyone's end results! We sat on the floor in the great room with trash bags under us, and the fire going. It was too cold to carve outside. After pumpkin carving we watched a scary movie. Tis the season. We watched Paranormal Activity - and I am shocked I slept through the night. It was scary!

It was an awesome weekend filled with great friends, and the perfect way to enjoy fall!

Happy Fall! 

Erica and Chris getting ready to carve their pumpkins! 

Tom and I's end product! VERY spooktacular!

The FitzGeralds with their punkins!

Our wonderful fire compliments of Thomas. 

Carve away!

Everyone's pumpkins all lined up! We are very creative, eh?

Another shot of Tom and I's!

The start of the chili... yummy!

The chili beginning to get SPICY! 

Andrea, Becca, and I at the American Royal. 

On a side note... Tom and I have been running quiet a bit - training for our 5k. I am so proud of us!! He ran yesterday in this white hoodie and I thought it was so funny!! You don't see very many guys under 65 in white fleeces. ;) Love you Tom!!

Oktoberfest

This past weekend was Oktoberfest, and I think I am just now starting to fully recover. It was an another AWESOME event put on by Thomas, Strube, Kyle and Chris. The weather was a gorgeous 75 degrees and sunny. There were about 700-800 people that came out and brought their dogs, kids, and drinking pants. 

The guys had brewed over 20 beers, and each one was unique and delicious. I was in charge of selling the t-shirts, and awesome steins (compliments of Richard Nordstrom) and it was a great way to mingle and say hi to everyone. I almost felt like it was a wedding reception because so many people we love and don't get to see too often were there.

I have to give ALL photo credits to my talented friend, Rebecca Spexarth. She took some fun shots of all the action. I am so proud of how hard Tom worked, and I was glad to say I was "the brewers wife" this year!

Aren't my friends beautiful?!

The hop hammer and coffee club. (The beer flows through this and gets extra hoppy in IPA's and Coffee  in  the Porter) 

Tom, Chris (the graphic designer), and Kyle 

Look at all those people! 

Lots of friends and family to help drink all the beer. 

The tap set up! 

This is Blake... modeling the Oktoberfest coasters 

Me and the brewmaster himself.

Tom pouring the beer.  

The amazing ceramic steins Richard made. 

                                      

This is how they kept all the beer cold. A pool filled with ice, tarp, and blankets

The beer menu! This photo doesn't do it justice!