Still Partying Like Pirates

Remember Max's birthday last year? Remember that comment at the end where I mentioned that I was ready to retire from the life of a pirate? Well here we are a year later, and First Mate McGraw is still firmly entrenched in the world of pirates, thanks to my dear Captain Max Salty! I gave him all kinds of ideas for birthday party celebrations, but there would be no swaying him: we would again be celebrating in true pirate fashion. The invitations went out, the goodies were bought, the house was decorated and our pirate partying commenced once again!

Having as much practice as I do, the party was pretty easy to put together. For snacks we offered lime-flavored chips, skulls (pretzel crisps) with hummus, hard-tack X's (made from Pillsbury breadstick dough), cannonballs (of the malted milk variety), Pirate's Booty (a brand of puffed popcorn, courtesy of Angela and Lachlan), and chocolate gold coins.

Upon arrival, everyone was asked to choose a pirate name by drawing a word from each one of three bags and putting them together in order. The first bag contained mostly adjectives, the second contained pirate-y articles of clothing or body parts, and the third contained "common" pirate first names. This translated into such names as Blind Eye Deb, Calico Tooth Bruce and Limp Patch Sal! Captain Max Salty, of course, was not required to draw a name, seeing as he's had his for over a year and a half now. He responds to "Salty" just as readily as "Max"!

Then it was time for the treasure hunt! This year, there were even more kids who were old enough to participate in the games, and it was such a riot watching them. Ellie and Max led the charge, followed by Addy, Lachlan and Louie... with Will bringing up the rear. The hunt led them around our main floor, asking them to complete certain activities at different points along the way. They had to hop like bunnies through a doorway, spin in a circle three times, sing "Twinkle, Twinkle", give someone a hug, and jump up and yell "Happy Birthday!" all before they were able to find the treasure chest filled with goodies.

When given the choice between cake and another game, the kids chose to play another game! Can you believe it? So we played "Musical Islands"- identical in every way to Musical Chairs, except that the chairs are replaced by islands (pillows) and the person who gets out has to walk the plank! I don't think anyone minded getting out when that was the "punishment".

Waiting for the music to stop...

Louie walks the plank

Captain Salty swords himself off the plank

Addy jumps off the plank, assisted by Salty's cutlass

After a round of Musical Islands, we brought out the cake. I must say, I'm much happier with my decorating job this year than last, and it helped that I decided against trying to frost any words on the cake... just a plain old Jolly Roger. I did have a near nervous breakdown when I went to frost the cake (which was still a little soft) with chocolate frosting (which was still a little hard). The cake began to come off in chunks, and the frosting would not frost! I called Paul in a panic, and as usual he calmly told me how to deal with it. I heated up the frosting for a few seconds and it spread like a dream. Crisis averted.

We sang "Happy Birthday", and all the kids leaned in to blow out the candles together. Then, without warning, Max took his plastic cutlass and chopped the cake in half! I couldn't have planned that pirate moment. We served the cake with root beer floats, and I unapologetically sent the kids home nicely sugar-buzzed!

We had a swashbuckling good time, and I hope all of our guests did too. Here's looking to next year on the Pirate Ship Scallywagg with Captain Max Salty and crew!

Visitors from the North

Huzzah! Ryan and Maggie came to visit over Labor Day weekend, trekking across the border with their two kiddos to spend some time with their long-lost friends from CYC. It was great to see them, and to finally get to meet little Liam... who, at 14 months, isn't really so little at all. It was fun seeing the three big kids really play together for the first time, sharing toys and stealing toys from each other like they had never been apart!

We hung out at the pool on Saturday, followed by a pork chop dinner at A&E's house (best pork chops ever. EVER.) and kept the kids up way too late! On Sunday we met up in the evening at IKEA, toting all five kids along... that was an adventure. Then apple pie and ice cream and conversation, again keeping the kids up much past their bedtimes. Is that why I'm pulling my hair out today? Huh. Guess I brought it on myself.

It was great to see the whole clan, and we hope to get out to the far reaches of the earth (i.e. North Dakota) to visit them soon. We miss you guys! Come back again!

Girls Weekend Strikes Again

I had a conversation with Sara (R) awhile back, in which we discussed whether it's acceptable for us to refer to ourselves as "girls" anymore. Should it be "Women's Weekend"? Maybe "Ladies Weekend"... But once a tradition is begun, it is hard to deviate from it. So for the second time, the Book Club girls kissed their husbands and kids goodbye for a weekend of R&R at Chez Radecki.

It was HOT and HUMID (as was the entire midwest for the entire month of July). So humid, in fact, that I only took two pictures outside because the lens of my camera instantly fogged up the moment I left the air conditioning! Even though it's foggy, I have to share one of them. Since Burnsville has a law against parking on residential streets overnight, we had to fit all of our cars into the driveway in order to avoid tickets. How many cars can my parents driveway fit? Thank goodness it's massive, because get a load of this:


Yes, that's right, TEN cars. I know, we cheated a little with the minivan, but I swear the night before, all ten cars were touching only asphalt, not a single blade of grass. Are we skilled, or are we skilled?

I slacked on the photography this time, catching only a few pictures of the fun we had, but it was such a perfect weekend! We spent most of the daylight hours in the pool, and we stayed up way past our bedtimes both nights. Friday night, the girls all accompanied me to a show that I played with Ben at the 331 Club in Minneapolis. Our friends Shannon and Catherine got to celebrate their very first hand stamp at a bar! The show was fun, and it meant a lot to me that all the ladies wanted to see us perform. Thanks for cheering me on, girls!



Saturday morning we slept in, feasted on all the brunch food we could handle, swam, snacked, and swam some more. In the evening, we retired to the living room for (of course) a rousing game of bowls! A fun time was had by all, but the Karen/Sarah team was the team to watch! Not because they won... in fact, they got one point the entire game... but because they were so invested in the game, and so animated. They were on their feet shouting during every round! Hilarious! I hope some of the pictures Jess took turned out, because there were some moments to remember!



On Sunday, we went to Mass together and then had a great time showering Lily with gifts and well-wishes at a baby shower! We are so excited to welcome the next round of babies into our group: Lily, Emily and Jinger are all expecting! (Who will be next?? Only time will tell...) Thanks, Sara, for planning a great baby shower and baking a delicious cake!



Only 350-ish days til the next girls weekend! Let's start the countdown!

Friends

While in Rapid City, I got to spend almost every day with my friend Bridget, and I got super spoiled. I may have mentioned this before, but we decided that we probably weren't meant to be neighbors because if we were, we would never get anything done. We would just sit on the porch drinking coffee all day while the boys would build their imaginary worlds in the yard.

But would that be all bad? Who really needs to do laundry anyway?

The four boys had a great time together, and as long as Patrick was around, we knew they wouldn't get into too much trouble. The quintessential oldest child, he made sure that the other kids were following the rules and staying out of trouble. As soon as he was busy elsewhere, Max and Joey did what they do best: wander away. We decided that the two of them are two peas in a pod. They don't deliberately break rules, but they get so engrossed in their games that they forget to stay inside the fence... they forget to not cross the alley... they forget to not try to pet the neighbor's dog... (oh man, oh man.) But Patrick usually reins them back in before too much harm is done. I could sure use him around our place!

I also got to meet beautiful Baby Veronica! She looks just like a tiny version of her big brother Patrick. She's such a sweet baby, and her brothers just dote on her. Not bad to have those two as protectors!

Bridget and I renewed our pact to never go more than three months without seeing each other. We try, but with sick kids and pregnancies and life in general, it doesn't always pan out. But we will continue to try, until they move to Minnesota. (Kidding, guys, I just had to say it)

I'm looking forward to the next Patrick-Max-Joey-Louie adventure. Will they sail in a pirate ship? Swing through trees in the jungle? Explore uncharted territories? Whatever they decide to do, I know I will be content with a cup of coffee and a good friend.

A Taste of Wisconsin

Second time's a charm! Although I had a dream two days before our trip that Max woke up puking, the actual morning of our trip broke sunny and healthy. No sick kids, no sick adults, bags packed, ready to go!

I drove the kiddos down to G&G's in the morning, and not even Louie took a second glance when I walked out the door. When they're with Cody & Company, even Mom is old news. Ben and Norah arrived around 11:00, we picked up bagels for the road and hit the highway as soon as Paul got home from work. First stop, Black River Falls!


Sand Creek Brewery was our destination for Day 1. We learned everything we could have ever wanted to know about brewing, beer history, the history of Sand Creek (formerly Oderbolz Brewery... back in the day) throughout the course of our three hour tour of the facility. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable and sported some really awesome facial hair, but any tour that gives a beer break mid-way through might note that they are going a little overboard. (Three hours??)




We were all a little underwhelmed with many of their beer offerings, but the Hard Lemonade was a winner. Mike's move over, you don't even deserve to be called Hard Lemonade! Sadly, the Twin Cities doesn't offer Sand Creek beers; I guess we'll have to drive to Hudson next time we have a hankerin'.


We stayed the night in Black River Falls, grabbing dinner at a hole-in-the-wall pizza place recommended by our guide. And that's the way to do it, folks. Get the advice of the locals! The pizza was awesome, and there's no way we would have considered stopping there had we driven by uninformed.

Later that evening, we were sitting in the hotel's Orange Moose Bar & Grill when we looked out the rain-spattered window at a huge plastic orange moose statue across the pond. Rain or no, we were going to pay a visit to the Big Plastic Moose.




And his little brother, Medium Plastic Moose.


Saturday morning came early; everyone was up and ready for the continental breakfast by 8:00. Then, armed with coffee and beef sticks, we continued on toward New Glarus. We had no idea that we were driving straight into the middle of Little Switzerland, complete with European-style buildings and a Polka festival! We checked out a local pub for lunch and got a demonstration on how to tack a dollar bill to the ceiling! Apparently it's been a tradition there for years, and they just recently cleared off their ceiling and donated the $3000 to charity.


We then drove up to New Glarus Brewery. By 'up' I mean that the brewery was literally on the top of a hill overlooking the town. What a gorgeous location, and what a gorgeous building! We did a self-guided tour of the facility, then we joined the crowd outside for tasting. We sampled some pretty tasty beers, but I think we'd agree that the winner was their Two Women Lager. It was just so drinkable! And yummy. (Note my use of technical terminology...) Then Paul made friends with a lawn gnome, possibly the highlight of his trip. (Just kidding, honey).



We squeezed in a quick game of mini-golf before heading toward Lake Mills and Tyranena Brewing Company. Ben creamed us all... I think he had a trick golf ball.


We arrived at Tyranena just as a band was setting up to play live music! We kicked back and enjoyed some Bob Marley tunes while sampling the brewery's offerings.


I'd say we all agreed that we hit the jackpot here! While I'm not an IPA fan, there were three bitter beers that won the approval of the rest of the group: Scurvy, Stone Tepee and Bitter Woman. Of the three, I enjoyed the Bitter Woman the most... don't read into that too much. There were also two super tasty porters: Dirty Old Man and Chief BlackHawk. Think coffee, chocolate, and campfire in a beer. Ok, maybe that sounds weird. Or gross, even. But it was so good. However, my favorite was the Headless Man Amber Altbier (I know, what's with the crazy names, guys?) It was smooth, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, great color, an all-around good beer.


After eating our Jimmy John's for dinner (delivered to Tyranena!) we drove to Madison for the night. We swam, ordered pizza at midnight, played some cards, then crashed. Paul and I found a church in the morning, and after Mass we began our roadtrip home. It's amazing how much quicker six hours go when there are no kids in the car and NPR is playing their weekend programming!

When we got to my parents' house to pick up the kids, they were both so excited to see us! This is the longest I've ever been away from both of them, and I REALLY missed them. It felt good to know that they missed me too- even Max!

It was an all-around great weekend, and it was so fun to share it with such great people. If you're ever looking for a fun weekend away, check out the microbreweries in Wisconsion- they are so numerous, we didn't even scratch the surface! But I learned so much and have such a greater appreciation of the craft of beer brewing. Now instead of having Paul choose beers for me that he thinks I'll like, I might be able to order for myself next time I see a drink menu.

Open House

I don't much like making beds.

But this?



I love this. Clean, white sheets on the guest room bed can mean only one thing: Visitors.

Around 3:00 on Wednesday, I got a call from Paul. "Guess what? Father Tyler and Michael are staying with us tonight!" On their way home from a fishing trip in the BWCA, they decided to shave off part of the drive and stop over in the Twin Cities before leaving for Rapid this morning. Good choice, I say.

They got in late and the men immediately commenced poring over maps and comparing routes, discussing fishing techniques and gear selection. It got me wishing I was in on Paul's big upcoming trip! We stayed up late, finally turning in after midnight. But like I've said before, why waste precious time sleeping when we have visitors??

In the morning before they departed, Father Tyler celebrated Mass for us at our dining room table, and oh, it was so beautiful! There is no more precious gift that a visiting priest could have given us than to bring such a glorious Guest into our humble space. I can't say it strongly enough; our home has been forever changed.

I have often told my mother-in-law that I hope to have the gift of hospitality like she does. Their home is always open, her own convenience is a non-issue. They joyfully accept visitors in the spirit of St. Benedict, and I know for a fact that no one has ever gone away hungry or wanting for company.

I am starting to believe that part of our family's vocation may be to keep open a space for visitors (especially of the Rapid City variety) who need a place to rest mid-journey. Part of it is a selfish hope on my part; I love the last-minute flurry of preparations before guests arrive, I love the late-night conversations, I love the chance to get to know people better than I would in other situations. But I really do feel that we can be of service, and there's no harm in enjoying the work that God has given us.

So if you are ever traveling through the Twin Cities, I hope you won't hesitate to call us. Our door is always open to you.

Beatification Bash

JP2, We love you!

For many of my friends and myself, Pope John Paul II was a life-changing figure in our spiritual development as young Catholics. First, he was the only Pope we ever knew, having been chosen before we were born. But second and more importantly, he lived his faith fearlessly and absolutely, calling every one of us to do the same. He was famous for exhorting the Catholic youth of the world to "Be not afraid!"

So it was with enormous joy and excitement that we gathered yesterday to celebrate the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Beatification is the second of three steps in the process of being named a saint in the Catholic church, and we can now refer to our late Holy Father as Blessed John Paul II!

In honor of the occasion, we invited our friends over for a party to celebrate the formal recognition of the man we already knew was a saint. We feasted on brunch food, sweets, and an amazing Pope John Paul cake courtesy of the Cahill family.




Then while the kids ran wild around the house, the adults engaged in an intense game of Pontifical Pursuit! (hat tip to John for the game title...) Men were pitted against women in this Papal version of Jeopardy to answer trivia questions about the newly Blessed pope. I went into the game expecting a civil, respectful test of knowledge, but boy was I in for it! These people are crazy competitive! It was a blast.



As I was the host of the game, I can say completely impartially that the women TOTALLY CREAMED the men! Well, in all honesty, it was pretty close until Final Jeopardy: the men wagered it all, the women were more conservative... and they both got the question wrong. Not exactly a stand-up-and-cheer ending, but a win for the women nonetheless. Go Team Vaticana!

Since it was Divine Mercy Sunday, and Blessed JPII had a special devotion to Jesus' Divine Mercy, we ended the party by praying together the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I think it was the perfect way to end a celebration of the holy, humble, Blessed John Paul II. (Pray for us!)





And now, here's your chance to play a round of Pontifical Pursuit! I've picked out a few of my favorite questions, and you'll have the chance to win... um... my undying love and affection? Leave a comment with your answers, and you CAN'T PLAY if you were at the party!

1. This Italian doctor and mother, beatified by Pope John Paul II, chose to save the life of her unborn child at the risk of her own life.

2. To the closest whole number, how many trips to the moon and back could Pope John Paul have taken with the number of miles he traveled as Pope?

3. How many saints did Pope John Paul beatify: 200, 700, 1300, 2100?

4. What Latin phrase did Pope John Paul use to describe his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary?

5. Name six languages Pope John Paul II could speak fluently?

6. What was Pope John Paul’s favorite movie?

7. Which one of these four items does Vatican City make on its own for the Vatican household: Beer, Honey, Perfume, Butter?