The last time I was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it was bitter cold February day, the Packers won the Super Bowl, I was 7 months pregnant with my third child and I was cleaning our home once last time before we handed over the keys.
This weekend we were back in the “good land” for our nephew’s wedding and it was fun to reminisce just a little bit.
We arrived the day before the wedding with Steve’s brother and wife which gave us just enough time to play tourist for 24 hours. Steve and his brother were insistent their first meal be a bratwurst and according to them, it did not disappoint.
The wedding was downtown which is a beautiful walkable area on the lakefront when it’s not covered in snow. The art museum is always a showstopper and the clouds were showing off when we arrived – we walked up and down the waterfront admiring the beauty and we landed in a park playing cornhole.
We gathered with our nephews and their families that evening to catch up and it might be the highlight of our trip. Steve’s nephew is just a few years younger than us and we’ve always had a close relationship with them and it’s been fun to watch them raise their family – their oldest is Briggs’ age and we have pictures of them together as babies. They’ve been living in London for the last year and a half so we don’t see them as much as we would like which makes the time we do have even more treasured.
The next morning we took a walk down memory lane and went to visit our old home – which looks just the same as when we left with the exception of the tree in the front yard we planted which is now huge – it was just a little thing when we moved almost 14 years ago.
We made a quick visit to the Irish fest downtown before the wedding which is a cultural immersion unlike any other. I’m not sure if the river dancers were my favorite or perhaps the bagpipes. The people watching was entertaining and I’m suddenly interested in Irish tartan patterns!
The wedding was beautiful, but just as we sat down it started to rain. I kept waiting for someone to announce we were going to move indoors to the backup location – but instead, we sat in the rain and waited for the bride and groom. It eventually cleared up and we enjoyed the ceremony looking somewhat like wet dogs. 🙂
Not all of Steve’s siblings could make it, but this family is great at showing up. And we know how to have a good time together – and a wedding is a good excuse to party. Oddly enough, I live just a mile down the street from my sister-in-law and it was so fun to travel together on this trip because it has been an embarrassingly long time since we’ve been able to talk and connect.
I am grateful for opportunities to connect and this weekend was full of connections and even more laughter.
