For those of you wondering why I wrote checks, it’s because we don’t have debit cards for our joint checking.  We canceled them after a fraud incident and never bothered to get new ones, because really, not having debit cards has proven to be quite effective in money management.  No seriously, we actually have money left over at the end of the month, after paying bills and buying necessities like groceries and toilet paper and beer.  The beer is for Doug, not me. DUH.

Without debit cards, we don’t have the urge to buy anything because that would mean we’d have to make like a caveman and actually dig out the thing called a check book and write a dollar amount and sign our names.  Like the olden days.  You know before debit cards.

So, we don’t spend much money.  Today I wrote a check to the garage for an oil change on my car, another for the grocery store because apparently the huz and the kid still have to eat while I’m in Chicago partying like a pregnant rock star, and the third check was to Target for bras, underwear and deoderant.  I bought bras and underwear because my current undergarments no longer fit due to the expanding belly and breasts.  And I needed deoderant because it would be a crime to stink you all to death in Chicago.  You can thank me later.

So. Yeah.  Now I have to concentrate on packing and making sure I don’t forget anything before I leave on Thursday.  If I don’t start tonight, I’ll be in the Windy city paying $6 for a razor or bottled water.  Or whatever.

I have no idea what the point of this post was, but now you have proof, actual evidence, that I am crazy.  CRAZY.

See you in Chicago.

I’ve head a headache ever since I got home; the kind that hurts so terribly behind my eyes and at the bridge of my nose.  While I was driving home from my parents’ house, Dawson was chattering from the backseat about all the fun he had with his Poppa, and I kept thinking about swallowing two Excedrin and crawling into bed.  I think my exhaustion hit harder than I expected.  It was a long, 2 1/2 hour drive home, but the trip was worth it.  I’ve got a recap post planned and I’ll post it as soon as I finish some other important tasks.

I stopped at K-Mart today (before I went to get the Doodlebug — shopping is easier without him begging for toys) and picked up my prescription for Clomid which I’ll start taking tomorrow.  I’m pretty optimistic about this cycle, but I must say that even if it doesn’t work, I won’t be taking it next month.  I’m hoping this is the “boost” that does whatever it’s supposed to do.

Also at K-Mart, I got a new ceramic-barrell curling iron.  I’ve been wanting to curl my hair for awhile, probably because I can’t remember the last time I did something with my locks other than straighten them with a flat iron.  When I went to use my old metal-barrelled Revlon a few weeks ago, I noticed the curls went flat instantly.  My hairdresser told me that the metal ones cause static and the curl won’t set, and they are bad for the ends of my hair.  We’ll see how this new one works.

I also bought three new books, one of which is Marley & Me (I refuse to see the movie until I can read the book, although I said that about The DaVinci Code and I still haven’t finished that book — and I did see the movie when it was on HBO a while back).  Can’t wait to read that book, but I’m still trying to get through Gone With the Wind.  Even though I’ve read Margaret Mitchell’s masterpiece at least twelve times, I love reading it every few years.

Dawson got three new CARS cars and a children’s bible.  I knew I’d have to persuade him to come home, so I told him I had a surprise for him at home (even though I had bought the stuff before I picked him up, and had it in the car!).

My little guy didn’t want to leave his grandparent’s house.  This is the first time he’s spent the night there in a very long time.  Usually he starts to cry when it gets dark, and wants to go home.  But, since we were out of town, he had to get over his fear.  Grandpa took him tobogganing and sledding, they rented movies and had dinner at Pizza Hut.  No wonder he didn’t want to leave!  He was spoiled rotten!

So.  That’s what’s up so far.  More to come.  I just need to go to bed.  Sleep sounds so good right now.  I didn’t get much sleep last night at the hotel.  There was an argument between boyfriend and girlfriend on our floor and it was so loud that we actually had to call the front desk to complain.  They told us they received other complaints as well, and the cops were on the way.  Not sure what happened, but I saw two Milwaukee cops dragging a guy down the hallway when I was peeking out of the peep hole in our hotel room.  This was at 2 a.m., so needless to say I’m a little sleep deprived.  My bed is calling my name….

After popping an Excedrin, and downing an entire bottle of warm water (yuck, but it helped) I decided to try to blog about the night before. But, really, I was kidding myself. The in-room WiFi sucked and I was too distracted by all the upcoming events of the day.

I went down to the Mezzanine level for breakfast and after eating I got to try out the Wii Fit. Let me just say how desperately I want a Wii and Wii Fit. I’ve been coveting one for months and we just can’t shell out that money right now. Maybe by Christmas. (You hear that Nintendo? I’m in desperate need of a Wii. Can ya hook me up? What? Shameless begging you say? Yes. Yes I know.)

I met Krisco in the grand ballroom and we sat together to hear what Lisa, Elisa and Jory had to say during the opening keynote. The we did some speed dating and I collected and gave away oodles of business cards.

The speed dating session at BlogHer ’07 really intimidated me, and halfway through it I found myself hiding in the ladies room. I really don’t know the reason, other than it was my first time at a blogging conference and I was so overwhelmed.

This year was much better because we had a different way of meeting new bloggers. We all sat at the table, talked for a few moments, exchanged business cards and when the time was up, two bloggers moved to a new table. It was like Survivor: BlogHer in San Francisco, as Lisa described it, and I liked this method much better than standing in two circles like we did in Chicago last year.

And this is where I finally got to meet this amazing, hilarious, wonderful blogger. She fucking rocks my world. I was so excited, I squeeed her. It’s only because I missed her in Chicago last year (I saw her in a panel, made a mental note to talk to her, but then missed her — so this year I was elated to talk to her and pose for a photo with her.)

After speed dating, it was time to head to my first session. I chose the MommyBlogging track and geared up for “Is MommyBlogging Still a Radical Act?” This session was very informative and the many viewpoints that other mom bloggers presented were interesting and relevant. Lindsay Ferrier did an excellent job of moderating the panel. The focus seemed to steer toward the monetizing vs. non-monetizing issue that so many of us get worked up about. Metropolitan Mama did a wonderful job live-blogging the session so I encourage you to read her post to learn more.

After that panel, my brain got a little fuzzy. I went to lunch and had a delicious Thai Beef salad. I can’t even remember who I sat with. I think it was Ashley. Yes, yes it was Ashley. I swear the days are blurring together, which is why it is VERY important to blog it all right away, yenno?

After lunch I attended the second MommyBlogging panel, “Public Parenting & Privacy”. I really enjoyed hearing what Shannon Lowe, Chris Jordan, Crystal McKee, Shino Tanaka & Shireen Mitchell had to say about the privacy and security issues we face when we blog so publicly online. It’s My Life live-blogged this session wonderfully, as well.

I learned a lot about the online dangers we face every day, and I became particularly concerned about using Dawson’s name publicly. Chris and Shannon use pseudonyms for their children’s names to keep their kids “Google Proof” and I worry about the fact that I didn’t do this.

Anyone can Google my son’s first and last name and read all about him, at least from the point of view of his mother. This issue is so duh! for me, because when I first started blogging, I did use nicknames for Doug and Dawson. Then one day I slipped up and used their real names and felt I had to continue doing so from that point on. I’m still not sure how to go about this now.

After this session, I stayed for the next panel: Mirrors: Ours, the Media’s, Our Cultures’ and Our Kids’ (live blogged at Body Impolitic). I enjoyed this panel because it talked about body image and some of the issues our children face about their own looks and self-image.

I asked a question and I was so nervous about speaking with a microphone at hand, so I was totally flustered when I revealed the morals I was raised with. For the record, I said “I was raised in a very strict Catholic family. I couldn’t wear anything that looked too sexy or too revealing. You can’t have sex before marriage. I held to that.”

What I was trying to say but totally screwed up in all my nervousness: “I was raised in a very strict Catholic family. I couldn’t wear anything that looked too sexy or too revealing. You can’t have sex before marriage. I held to that standard, until I was 20 years old.” (I just want this blog to be authentic and felt the need to correct the misinformation.) I don’t know why I was so darn nervous. Maybe because someone said our panel was being video recorded? (Still makes me nervous! Still!)

After that panel, I went to the Community Keynote and cried my eyes out. Not once, not twice, not even three times. No, I had to be the girl to cry four times in less than half an hour. I sat with Lorraine from Wifey’s House and I told her that wasn’t the first time I cried that day. I swear it was all the estrogen roaming the halls of the Westin St. Francis. And, that fact that each of the bloggers linked above wrote moving posts that were even more stunning when read aloud. Just hearing their voices and the emotions behind them really touched me.

After that we all went down to the cocktail party at Ruby Skye. Where I danced, just a little. Here’s a few Ruby Skye photos:

Ruby Skye is definitely one of the coolest clubs I’ve been to in awhile. But after this fabu party, we headed off to Maggie Mason‘s house for her Haus Party. And I danced more (it was like funky dancin’ Friday or something). And that’s where I met Dooce. You already saw that photo. So I’ll share a few others.

Let’s just say that I was so tired at the end of the night I thought I’d never wake up the next day. But I did. At 6 a.m. to go to Yoga. I already told you about that, and yes — I know. I think I’m crazy, too. Stayed tuned for the BlogHer Saturday/Final Recap.

The Wednesday before my departure, I frantically ran around town as well as around my house, completing last minute errands and checking my luggage 80 million times to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything. Total waste of time, because I realized I packed too much when the mountain of swag I collected wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. I ended up having to ship most of that stuff home on Sunday, because there’s no way that Northwest Airlines would let me check that bag without charging me $50.

I couldn’t sleep at all that night, the anxiety and anticipation were killing me. However, I had nothing to worry about, because this year’s trip to BlogHerCon was fantastic. 100% better than Chicago, and I love that Windy City.

Thursday morning I woke up at the ass crack of dawn, showered and got dressed, while Doug got Dawson ready. My boys were driving me to the airport and thankfully, I was smart enough to put all my bags in the car the night before. At 5:30 a.m. we were on the road for the 35 minute drive to Central Wisconsin Airport.

It was kind of difficult for me to leave Dawson. I must have kissed him 100 times and I started to cry as I walked into the airport and saw my little boy waving from the backseat as they drove away. Doug didn’t want to bring him inside the airport because Dawson wasn’t so happy with me leaving and it might have made matters worse.

After the usual checking-in procedures and getting through the grueling security measures, I was on my way to San Francisco . My plane departed at 7 a.m. and I was dreading the 4 1/2 flight. I was so excited to be going to California for the very first time.

I arrived in the City by the Bay at around 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, and I managed to find a shuttle to the Westin St. Francis Hotel where the conference was being held. Once I got to the hotel, I tried to check-in but didn’t realize the intricacies of hotel check-in procedures.

Turns out, I need a credit card with a huge limit in order to stay at the fancy Starwood hotel. For security reasons, we keep our credit limits low ($500 max) to avoid huge losses in the event our cards are stolen, so I wasn’t able to get my room keys. I tried to use my debit card to pay for the room in full, but apparently the Westin doesn’t accept payment in full until check-out (which is very, very strange) and instead they asked me for a cash deposit for the room cost plus $200 for incidentals.

Unfortunately, I don’t carry $800 in cash because my greatest fear is being mugged. So, I had to sit in the lobby for nearly two hours until my amazing roommate got to the hotel. She was able to use her American Express card to get us checked in.

While I was waiting for Anne and our other roommate Elizabeth, I found PunditMom wandering around the lobby and we had a quick bite at Caruso’s, a little cafe in the hotel lobby. While we were chatting, Jenn from Mommy Needs Coffee stopped over. A few moments after that, Christina from A Mommy Story popped over and we all hung out for awhile.

After that, Jenn welcomed me to her hotel room to wait for my roommates, and I met Busy Mom for the first time. She and Jenn were roomies and they graciously allowed me the use of their ladies room to straighten my hair and change out of my travel clothes.

A little while later, I met Krisco from Crib Ceiling and told her how much I missed Mary Tsao. She and Mary were roomies at BlogHerCon last year, and I told her I go to Flickr every day to get my Daily Dose of Mary via her fabulous photos. I was happy to learn that Kris does the same thing!

Finally, Anne called my cell phone to let me know she arrived at the hotel and just a little while after that we had keys to our room. Or so we thought. We got up to room 952 and started to put our luggage on the beds. The I looked in the closet and saw someone else’s clothes hanging in the closet. Anne discovered a man’s business cards on the desk. We had been checked in to an occupied room.

I made a frantic call to the front desk and told them about our problem and I was assured that we’d be checked into a fresh, clean, unoccupied room immediately. I ran downstairs to get the new keys and then Anne and I rode the elevator to the eleventh floor and where we found our new, much larger and totally awesome room.

We each claimed two corners of the room to toss our suitcases, and then I patiently awaited for Elizabeth’s arrival a little while later. Once she got in, I gave her a room key and then we all just sort of chilled for a few moments.

Elizabeth then introduced me to her friend Lori who came down to our room awhile later. Lori is awesome. She has this sweet, southern accent that I somehow managed to pick up. Okay, really, I’ve always had this knack for picking up accents, but the suthin’ speak is something I’m accustomed to, being that one of my closest friends is from Texarkana and whenever we hang out I start saying things like, “Fixin’ to” and “All y’all.”

After our introductions and a few photos, Elizabeth, Lori and I headed to the lobby to meet Jennster (also known as Dirty Mouth Whore, if you ask Lori — don’t worry, it’s a term of endearment, I promise) before going to the Kirtsy/Alltop party at Guy Kawasaki‘s house. Anne stayed behind to freshen up and grab a bite to eat before the many other cocktail parties going on Thursday night.

Let me just say that Guy Kawasaki lives 31 miles south of San Francisco, and somehow we thought he lived 31 minutes south of the city. After a two hour shuttle ride to Atherton — two hours because our driver was a moron who twice passed the street we needed to turn onto — we arrived to a beautiful California home with rose bushes and hydrangeas lining the flower beds.

Guy’s backyard was meticulously manicured. Green grass, beautiful Japanese lanterns and swimming pool in shape of the number eight were just part of the scenery. The food was delicious. We had paella, grilled vegetables and barbecue in a cup, as well as delectable hors d’oeuvres and wines.

I was in awe of everything, and when I was introduced to Guy Kawasaki, I was rather shy. In all honesty, I didn’t know who he was, other than the founder of Alltop (and no, I’m not on Alltop, but I was asked that a hundred times that night).

We stayed at the party for about an hour and then promptly got back on the shuttle to head back to the city for the three other cocktail parties we had to attend. We stopped by the Mom Central party, the Experience Project Party and then finally, the People’s Party. (Note to future party hosts: Please, don’t have all the parties on Thursday night! It’s too much stress and takes way too much planning to be able to attend everything all in one night.)

I can’t exactly remember all of the goings on of Thursday night, but I’m sure the pictures will explain it all:

Shannon, Shannon, Crunchy Carpets, Liz, Amber & Me

Christina, Me, Deven, Lori & Jennster

Christina, Me, Julio & Lori

Lemon Drop…deliciously tart.

Yumm-O

Guy Kawasaki & Me

Me & Jennster and boob grabbage.

Jenn & Me

Caruso’s, in the hotel lobby.

More photos here.

Stay Tuned for Part II of my trip to BlogHer.

These very amazing sales ladies managed to convince me to buy a Coach Purse. I’ve always wanted one…but never felt like it was a necessity. The guilt of spending lots of money on a handbag used to eat away at me. But then I was standing in a room full of expensive designer bags at the Macy’s cocktail party, intoxicated by the fabrics, the leather, the straps.

I caved. I bought one. She is gorgeous. The handbag isn’t half bad either. Haha. No but seriously…look at that bag. I’m in love. Absolutely, totally in love. I know. It’s silly. Get over it.  This high won’t last forever.  Sneaky, sneaky Macy’s.  Way to sponsor a cocktail party for shopaholics like me.  You’re not stupid, that’s for sure.

Paying for my new love. That was the most fun I’ve ever had — signing my life away on a my credit card…let me tell ya. It was totally worth it. It was my first Coach experience, and I can’t wait to do it again. Mocha‘s daughter, Mallory, said it best, “It’s like a drug…isn’t it!?”

So very, very true!  I’m shaking from withdrawals already.  Time to buy the matching wallet, I think.

———-

I’m sitting on the floor of the San Francisco International Airport, patiently — or not so patiently — waiting for my flight to Minneapolis/St. Paul (where I connect to get my tired ass home).

I wanted desperately to post this entry right away, but the fucking airport doesn’t offer free WiFi. After I paid $497 dollars for an airline ticket and had a crazy TSA office go ape shit on me because I forgot to take my cell phone out of my purse before sticking the bag under the x-ray machine, you would think free WiFi is the least they could do to appease me.

If I wanted to, I could connect to this T-mobile network but I’m too lazy to pay $9.95 for 30 minutes. Or really, I’m too cheap.

I’m exhausted. I can’t think straight. My eyelids desperately long to close and my body is begging for sleep. I’ve had a busy day full of walking around the city.

This afternoon, Liz from This Full House joined me for the Giants vs. Brewers game at AT&T Park (and it’s important to mention, THE BREWERS KICKED GIANT BEHIND!) and after the game we walked down the South Beach all the way to Fisherman’s Wharf at Pier 39, and then trekked south on Powell Street back to the Westin St. Francis hotel.

I must tell you, the walk was wonderful and so worth the exercise but my dogs are barking and I want so badly to take my shoes off, however I may end up killing all these nice people sitting nearby at this shit hole airport. (No offense SFO, I’m just an overtired, cranky bitch right now.)

On our beautiful but cold and windy walk, Liz and I saw some wonderful views of that city by the bay. San Francisco is gorgeous and I keep wondering why the hell it took me so long to visit this metropolitan bliss.

I was able to see the Golden Gate Bridge, but the photos aren’t spectacular. Mostly, the bridge is surrounded by intense fog, but the snapshots I captured are interesting just the same. Good thing the very touristy Fisherman’s Wharf had some GGB post cards and other souvenirs they were eager to sell to me.

I bought Dawson a small snow globe and a t-shirt, and I got Doug a personalized GGB keychain. For myself, I chose to buy a zippered fleece jacket because San Francisco is fricken cold! Seriously, I was tempted to stop at the CafePress booth at the conference to make a t-shirt that read, “I visited San Francisco and froze my ass off!”

On the walk back to the hotel, I managed to catch a glimpse of the very crooked, zig zaggy street that is Lombard. That was freakin’ cool. I wish I had more time to really tour that block, as well as this city, in greater depths. There is so much to see and do! I’m thinking I need to come back soon with Doug.

After our city tour, Liz and I met Shannon back at the Westin and we did a second round of souvenir shopping so that Shannon could get some t-shirts for her daughters.  I found a musical snow globe much like the one I bought when I was in NYC earlier this year.  I couldn’t help but buy it, as well as a little trolley car toy for Dawson.

After shopping, the three of us had a quick dinner before taking the shuttle back to the airport to catch our flights.

That was a feat in itself. Liz put down a deposit on the shuttle, and the driver tried to say that she still owed money, not realizing I was still in the van and needed to be dropped off at the NWA terminal. I couldn’t figure out why this man was being so ridiculous.

When he got back in the car, he told me that I would owe him $15 dollars and I said that’s fine. We got to my terminal and suddenly he tells me I owe $17 dollars, which is exactly what I had in cash in my walled. Needless to say I couldn’t tip him, and I asked why he said $15 the first time. He didn’t answer my question so I handed him the cash and took my luggage, as he swore at me in Chinese. I told him I was sorry I couldn’t tip him and that if he had his rates straight it would be much easier to understand what the hell was going on.

So here I am, at the airport, tired and cranky. There are people staring at me. Probably because I’m wearing my Brewers gear (sorry Giants fans…I love my team just as much as you love yours).

Also, what is it with all the pushy people who can’t bear to stand in line at the Java Hut for more than 5 minutes? Sheesh! You’ll get your fucking cuppa joe as soon as I’m done paying for mine, okay? These people are freakin’ weird.

I just want to go home. I miss my family. And I miss having a wireless internet connection. Forty minutes until I can board. Forty long minutes. God help me.

The second day of our Milwaukee trip, Saturday, started off on the wrong foot. Not only did I get NO sleep whatsoever because my mother snores like a bear in hibernation, but my ears were aching from leaving my iPod in all night. I had that sucker cranked, and I swear the louder I turned up the volume, the louder Mom’s snoring would get. It was horrible.

To save costs, we were staying at the Super 8 in West Bend. I made the reservation online after verifying they had WiFi and a clean swimming pool. They lied. The internet connection was shoddy, and very slow, and the front desk clerk assured me that after he reset the system things would be fine. No dice. I should have known that cheap hotels really are cheap.

I had to do some BlogHer work that morning and with an intermittent connection that worked at a snail’s pace it didn’t make my job any easier. After Googling “internet cafes” and finding only one, a coffee house down the street, I packed up the laptop and Dad drove me in that direction.

Turns out the coffee house was invisible. Meaning, the address 310 E. Washington Street didn’t exist. It jumped from 230 to 520. Interesting, don’t you think? Dad finally pulled onto a side street and asked some very nice bicyclists for directions to the Washington County Library, and thank heavens it was only a few blocks away. And they had WiFi. And it was fast. I was happy as clam.

After my work was finished, we took a tour of the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown West Bend, just a few streets over. It was a wonderful museum with many exhibits and thousands of historic artifacts. Some of my favorites:

After we toured the museum, we went back to the hotel to get ready for Polish Fest. Many of you know that my Polish heritage is very important to me. And Polka music…Oh how I love my Polka music. I know, it’s not mainstream pop or rock ‘n roll, but I’ve been a polka fan since birth — before, even.

My father was a member of a polka band. He played bass guitar and some of my earliest memories are of him playing with the Happy Harmony Stars. I loved going to the ballrooms and polka dancing with my mom.

When Doug & I got married, we had the typical Polish wedding — or as it is called in Polish a “przyjecie”.

Now to say that word, it takes some phonetic skill. ‘Prz’ is prounced like the ‘s’ in the word “treasure”……the ‘y’ sounds like the letter ‘e’ and the ‘je’ is a “yah” sound, followed by the ‘cie’ which would sound like “sheh”. So put that all together and you have “szhee-yah-sheh.” There. Your first Polish language lesson.

I thank my grandmother for teaching me these invaluable things. She could speak fluently but she couldn’t write in Polish. The language was lost when her grandparents came over from Poland in the 1860s and that’s rather unfortunate I think. I’ve always wanted to take lessons but I haven’t found anyone who teaches it.

Polish Fest is in Milwaukee at the Henry W. Maier Festival Grounds right on Lake Michigan. We always have a wonderful time. On the way down we always pick up my mother’s cousin Butch and his wife Jan along the way. I love Jan’s beautiful garden. She had different species of roses and flowers planted this year:

If only I had the time to plant a garden as beautiful as cousin Jan’s. She has the most amazing lawn and garden in the town of Allenton.

Once we arrived in Milwaukee (after Butch and Dad tried to figure out the best way around all the sky-highway construction), we found a place to park the van and walked a block or so to the festival gates. The beat of the Polka was blaring. I could hear the sounds of John Gora & Gorale, Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones and my latest favorite, the DynaBrass (the band featured in the YouTube video above).

Oh how I love my DynaBrass. I wanted to get a ton of photos of the band, but Dawson was insistent on flying through the air on the Sky Ride that stretches across the grounds.

I had to trek down to the far end of the park to get on the thing, and my brother Frankie came with us. This was quite interesting. The seats were a bit smaller than the one at the Milwaukee Zoo, and the nice ride attendants were yelling “Hurry up girl….pick up the baby! Pick up the baby!” It sort of confused me. Dawson is no longer a baby. I was like “Pick up who?” as I was lifting Dawson into the seat. The hilarious attendant laughs and then says, “No I wanted you to pick up the other guy,” and he pointed to my brother. Ha ha. So funny.

I didn’t take any photos from the Sky Ride. I was too worried about plummeting to my death as this thing glides through the air, only attached by a cable. Every creek made my stomach lurch. Good times.

I did get some great photos of my favorite band members. Here are some of my faves:

Josh of the Polka Family Band

Mollie Busta (top) & Ted Lange (above) of Squeezebox Band

Wally Dombrowski of the Polka Country Musicians

John Pilch, also from Polka Country Musicians

Kevin Solecki, Steve Rodgers and Eddie Blazonczyk, Jr. of Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones, and Jeff Mleczko & Curt Majeske of the DynaBrass.

We had a great time at Polish Fest. We danced. We had pirogies and potato pancakes and kielbasa. We met up with old friends and made new ones. And we had some Stawski Bizonovka Vodka. Yum.

We left an hour after the fireworks and stopped at Pizza Hut for late night grub. We finally got back to the hotel just after 2 a.m. Dawson fell asleep long before that. Little guy loves to stay up late, especially when Polka music is playing.

My mother fell asleep upon hitting the pillow and her snoring was so loud I couldn’t take it. After not sleeping the night before, I grabbed the comforter off the bed as well as two pillows and a smaller blanket I brought with me and made my bed in the bathtub. With the overhead fan on full blare, I was finally able to drown out the lumberjack in the other room and catch some much needed Zzzz’s.

The next morning, Mom was mad at me for sleeping in the bathtub and refused to talk to me. I gave her the silent treatment as well because somehow my iPod got broken because the last person to use the shower left the shampoo uncapped. In my sleepy state, I must have tipped it over and shampoo oozed down the tub wall and right onto my iPod shuffle that was clipped to my blanket.

Technically, only one headphone is broken, or at least drowned out because it’s clogged with Sunsilk. I was pissed. I gave that iPod to Dawson and promptly bought a new, purple one since they’re so cheap these days.

Everyone was crabby Sunday morning, but we had to put on our happy faces because we were meeting Butch and Jan for breakfast before church. (Yes, we waited one full hour before going to oblige the fasting before Mass rule.)

We always attend Mass at Holy Hill in Hubertus, Wisconsin. It’s a magnificent house of Worship:

So, the trip was a little rocky at times, but we always have a good time. Some funny quotes and tidbits from the trip:

• My father was helping me take my suitcase to the van and says to Dawson, “What the heck does your mom have in here? Bricks? We’re going for three days, not 3 years…”
• After eating some Polish kielbasa and kraut, one member of our party (names withheld to protect the innocent) had to use the bathroom desperately. I was being a funny gal and yelled out, “Fire in the hole!!!” And laughed hysterically. Then my little copy cat, Dawson, repeated what I said and I damn near peed my pants.
• I had a craving for ice cream because it was so darn hot, and I asked my brother if he wanted to go on a search with me. I had just sampled some of the Polish vodka and I said to Frankie, “Do you think they sell Butterflinger Furries here?” I totally meant to say Butterfinger Flurries! We were laughing so hard people began staring.
• I bought two t-shirts. One has “Polish Princess” on it, and the other says “You bet your sweet dupa I’m Polish.” And then my cousin made me promise to wear the latter on my trip to San Francisco for BlogHer (because I’ll be missing Pulaski Polka Days this year…it falls the same weekend as BlogHerCon). I have to take pictures of me with all my bloggy pals while I wear that shirt. Y’all hold me to it okay?

When we got home Sunday night, I was going through Polka Withdrawals. I’m definitely a cult member of the Polka Underground. I can’t help it. This music runs through my veins.

I leave you with another awesome Polka Video. Here is John Gora & Gorale with Ted Lange on vocals for the song “Bartenders”. This video was recorded Saturday afternoon at Milwaukee Polish Fest. Nostrowie!

We left our humble abode at 10 a.m. and made it to Milwaukee proper by 1:15, and I only made two pit stops. We veered off the beaten path at a cute little town called Lomira (where there were nearly 50 Vestas whirling in the vicinity), which is just south of Fond du Lac.

Then an hour later we stopped at a park in Wauwatosa so that I could stretch my legs and Dawson could burn off some pent up energy. Two and a half hours in a car could drive anyone crazy.

I expected horrendous traffic once I got near West Allis, but I realized it was a weekday, and the lunch hour rush was only beginning so we made it just in time. I’m positive traffic was worse downtown.

We finally went to our hotel in West Milwaukee, after 45 minutes of enjoying the beautiful day. We stayed at the Best Western Woods View, the same hotel we chose last year for our Mother’s Day getaway. I love it because the hotel is walking distance from Miller Park (and we had Brewers tickets for that night), and it’s only a 15-minute drive to the Milwaukee County Zoo.

After check-in we changed into our swimming gear and went downstairs to the pool. The Doodlebug only asked me 25 times if we could go swimming so to shut him up I agreed. We swam until I turned into a California Raisin, and then I had to drag Dawson back to the room so we could rinse off the chlorine and get ready for the game. I realized once we were back in the room that I didn’t bring the camera to the pool. No big deal. If you’ve seen one hotel pool picture, you’ve seen them all.

The Brewer game was to start at 7:05 p.m. and because we were going to walk to the stadium we left at 5:30. I figured Dawson’s little legs wouldn’t be able to walk very fast. I was right. He dawdled and whined that he couldn’t walk anymore so I carried him and my gigantic purse/camera bag the rest of the way. That in itself was a cardio workout.

We got inside the stadium and I decided we needed Brewers t-shirts. The one I owned was from high school and much too small, and I wanted to commemorate Dawson’s first Brewer game. The souvenir sales person convinced me to get Dawson a t-shirt with a player name on the back and she asked, “Which one do you want? Braun, Hardy or Fielder?”

I thought to myself, Where are the Yount and Molitor shirts?

It was at that moment that I realized the last Brewers game I had been to was in 1988 in old County Stadium (and before that I had only been to one other Brewers game, in 1985, when I was six years old). Vivid memories of Rollie Fingers and his handlebar mustache came flooding back, as well as the blind spots that made watching the game difficult because of the columns and support beams that were often in the way.

Had it really been 20 years since my last baseball game? I had to think hard about that. Then I remembered that after Dawson was born I sort of lost interest in baseball.

“I think we’ll take the J.J. Hardy shirt because his is the only name I recognize.” I said to the clerk.

She laughed and said, “First Brewers game?”

“It’s my son’s first Brewers game. My first visit to Miller Park. And to think I used to know the players by heart so many years ago. I know every Green Bay Packer, but sometime after giving birth I lost my baseball brain.” I chuckled.

“Now’s the time to get back into it.” she replied.

Fifty-seven dollars in souvenirs later, we found our seats, ordered two hot dogs, cotton candy, a super rope and a large soda, and watched the Brewers win 5-3 against the Dodgers.

Dawson was mesmerized by the lights, noise and Bernie Brewer, and he loved the Klements Races. He didn’t have one temper tantrum. I was truly in awe of how well behaved he was. Here are some of my favorite photos from the game:

Eating his first ballpark hot dog.

The Klements Races.

J.J. Hardy, short stop.

In his new t-shirt, watching a foul ball fly into the stands.

We stayed for all nine innings because my son was having such a great time. When the Brewers scored a run, the crowd went wild, fireworks went off and Bernie Brewer went down his slide. Dawson and I exchanged hi-fives, and I watched happily as my little buddy became a baseball fan. It was such a wonderful experience and I’m so happy that I could share it with him. (For those who are wondering, I won tickets to the game from a local radio station and Doug couldn’t get off work to go. Thus, Dawson and I had a “Mom & Son” date.)

The walk back to the hotel after the game was tough for the little guy, and once we got to our room, he fell asleep instantly.

The next day we slept until 9 a.m. (this is late for us), had the continental breakfast, and after checking out of the hotel, drove to the zoo. This time we tried to see all the things we didn’t see last year. Such as:

In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle, the Lion doesn’t sleep tonight.

Not a def Leopard.

White, and black, Stripes.

No clever, musical title for this photo, I just like giraffes.

“People all over the world
Join in
Jump on the zoo train, zoo train.”

More Milwaukee Photos here.

It seems their x-ray machine thought my souvenir snow globe was a “dangerous” or “forbidden” item and they decided they needed to cut the lock on my checked luggage to inspect these things. I totally get that since 9/11 security is tighter and measures are much more strict than the past. I understand why we have to take our shoes off to make sure we’re not hiding razor blades, knives or sharp pointed scissors. It’s inconvenient, yes, but I get it.

What I’m not to happy about is the fact that after inspecting my luggage, these assholes didn’t zip my suitcase all the way and several items were sticking out. Any Joe Schmoe could have gone through my shit, and taken or damaged things.

The lovely note from TSA saying they are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items really chapped my ass. Basically, they can do whatever they want in the name of airport security. I’m angry but I don’t really know at whom. The terrorists? Our fucked up government? Myself, for having the nerve to buy souvenirs and store them in my checked luggage that any asshole could rummage through? I had a wonderful trip, so I’m trying not to let this one incident ruin it.

(Trip recap posted here.)

The alarm clock in my room was set for 7:15 a.m., but again my internal alarm went off twenty minutes ahead of my electronic wake-up call. I was groggy and then I realized that technically my body thought it was 5:55 a.m. What was I doing awake so early? I slept well for the most part. The bed wasn’t very comfortable, but I was so tired from the night before, I could have slept in the bathtub and never noticed.

I started the morning lazily. I was hungry, but I didn’t know where I wanted to eat for breakfast. I had a list of “must-see” attractions I wanted to get to, so I prioritized my itinerary, and eating an omelet didn’t make the cut.

After getting ready, I ventured toward the subway station. If I could use it successfully the night before, I would have no trouble the second time around. I had my map and studied it carefully before I left.

Then I took the wrong train. I wanted to go to Union Square and I knew I had to take the 2 train to Times Square, then get on the N train to 14th street. Somehow, I got on the W, freaked out, got off at Herald Square and waited for the N Express. I’m so glad I memorized the directions and carried that subway map with me.

After exiting the subway and visiting Union Square for a moment, I walked seven blocks south on University Place to Washington Square Park. Greenwich Village was bustling with people, mostly college students from NYU, which I passed along the way.

I fell in love with the townhouses on Washington Square North and Washington Mews. Again my mind wandered to eras past. I tried to imagine what life was like in New York circa the 1800s.

Beautiful Townhouses.

After daydreaming, I grabbed a Village Voice and a copy of The Onion and parked my behind on a bench. It was peaceful, well…except for the jackhammer loudly pounding nearby. Unfortunately construction was taking place in front of the Washington Arch. I still took some great photos, but the chain link fence as a back drop irritated me.

I loved watching the parents, nannies, au pairs and children playing in the gated playground. As they passed me they spoke in many tongues. French, German, Spanish, Armenian, Chinese. Never before had I heard so many foreign languages spoken in less than ten minutes.

Next I ventured up 5th Avenue. My goal was to see my beloved Flatiron. From the moment I saw that building in a photo so many years ago, I fell in love with it. I can’t explain why. The triangle shape amuses me I suppose. When I finally got there, I didn’t even know I was there until I saw Madison Square Park and realized I walked under the scaffolding adjacent to the Flatiron. It looks like crews were doing some work on the exterior.

The building is amazing. I was so drawn to the lines and the windows and the beautiful architecture. I took way too many photos from different angles. I was just so darn excited.

The Flatiron Building, my favorite architectural wonder.

Next, I stopped at a little souvenir shop and bought a beautiful snow globe of a New York City scene. When I wound it up it played “New York, New York” and the little taxi, fire truck, police car and horse drawn carriage inside moved around the Twin Towers, Flatiron building, Statue of Liberty, and Chrysler building inside. I also bought some post cards and three framed, black and white prints the store owner was selling. One was a photo of the Flatiron, another of Lower Manhattan and the last one of the Bow Bridge in Central Park, overlooking the Dakota. They are such beautiful photos.

I left the store and continued walking down 5th Ave, which is where I met Kenny Mayne. Then I went to the Empire State Building. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the line wasn’t long at all. Once at the 86th floor, I was amazed at the gorgeous view. I could see for 15 miles. The crazy pigeons made me a little nervous. I feared bird poop on my head. They are not shy, those birds. They get right up to you, hoping for food I suppose.

Empire State Building, from 5th Avenue.

Crazy Pigeon.

View of Lower Manhattan from Empire State Building Observation Deck.

After my observation from the sky, I walked up 5th to Times Square, passing the New York Public Library (with it’s Lion statues at guard) and Bryant Park along the way. I was so tired from walking and my stomach was rumbling. I remembered there was a T.G.I. Friday’s on the Square and I was so excited because they had wait staff. I could sit down, enjoy a drink and eat something — which is exactly what I did.

After lunch I took a taxi back to the hotel and got ready for my Circle Line boat cruise at 4 p.m. I dressed as warmly as I could and took a cap to the 82nd Pier at 42nd Street. The cruise was wonderful. Again, I took a million photos of everything I could.

Our tour guide was wonderful. He gave us several history lessons about New York in the old days and showed us so many great attractions from the boat. I loved the Brooklyn Bridge.

So strong, yet graceful in appearance.

I saw the World Trade Center. It was so lonesome without the towers. I started to cry just a little.

Something Definitely Missing

The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queensboro bridges were breathtaking.

Statue of Liberty

By the end of the cruise I was so tired and chilled to the bone. I walked to W. 52nd street and then gave in to a taxi. It was a wonderful day. I think I lost 10 pounds too, because my pants were falling off my butt after that night.

Once at the hotel, I ordered dinner from the Columbus Gourmet because they were just around the corner and were happy to deliver to me. I fell asleep at ten o’clock, that’s how tired my body was — but it was definitely the best day in the city.

Biggest Burger and Best Cheese Cake Ever.

Friday, after checking out of the hotel, I took the subway to Penn Station (getting my luggage on the train was a challenge, but I made it. I bought a ticket from the NJ Transit desk and headed to Jersey to see Liz from This Full House and meet her family.

It was only an hour long train ride, but I was so happy to get off at my stop and see a friendly face. Some of the people on the train were mighty strange, and I hated when the train stopped on a bridge with water beneath the tracks. It scared me senseless.

Liz and her four sweet, adorable children took me to the boardwalk. I’ve never in my life been to the ocean, so this event was absolutely amazing. The sound. The smell. The breeze. The sand. It was so beautiful and serene, even with the waves crashing to the shore. I truly felt at peace.

Liz and Me. And lots of waves.

After the boardwalk, Liz showed me all around New Jersey. The houses are big and bold and very gorgeous. Especially Bon Jovi’s house on the river.

Seriously. My entire town could live in that house.

After my wonderful Jersey tour, I got to meet Liz’s husband Garth (not his real name) who greeted me as if he’d known me for years.

We ordered Chinese, and Liz and Garth thought I’d been smoking weed when I asked if the restaurant had crab rangoon on it’s menu. Good Grover, the looks on their faces. You’d have thought I’d asked for ketchup on steak. Apparently New Jersey peeps have never heard of crab rangoon. And then to try to explain it! We were all laughing our asses off.

After that, the kids crashed from all the excitement I think. Garth (not his real name) hit the hay early because the poor man had to work on Saturday, so Liz and I made screw drivers and chatted until midnight. It was the best time. And her adorable dog Rudy slept at my feet, just like my Murphy.

Saturday morning, Liz was kind enough to take me to the airport. We drove through Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens — and got lost a few times — but thank goodness Garth (not his real name) was able to talk us in the right direction from the cell phone.

I was sad to leave but I had the most wonderful time. I was ready to go home, but when I got to Wisconsin I couldn’t wait to plan my next trip. You know, after I kissed the ground at the airport (turbulence all the way home, not good for my nerves).

“Dear Lord, please let this plane land safely…”