100 Things to do in Milwaukee

With graduation now two months away and a very uncertain future ahead, my friends and I have been compiling a list of things we want to do in Milwaukee before/if we leave. I've been living in the area my entire life and attending college downtown for the past 4 years, and I still feel like I have a lot to discover in the city.

So it was a wonderful surprise when I came across this article online...

1. Cheer on the Brewers at Miller Park ...
2. ... and be sure to tailgate before the game
3. Check out the lights and live music at the Domes
4. Explore Milwaukee's spy bar, The Safe House
5. Pull up a boat to a slip at Barnacle Bud's or Water Buffalo
6. Eat (and request a song) at Organ Piper Pizza
7. Wind your way along Grant Park's Seven Bridges Trail
8. Get up early and watch soccer at the Highbury Pub
9. Climb Holy Hill in Hubertus
10. Close Wolski's and get a bumper sticker to prove it
11. Bike the Oak Leaf Trail as far as you can muster
12. Buy a wax Samson at the Milwaukee County Zoo and tell the kids about the famous gorilla
13. Visit the Milwaukee County Historical Society, where scenes from "Public Enemies" were filmed
14. Commiserate with the butterflies at the Milwaukee Public Museum
15. Buy a brat at the Usinger's store
16. Take the Lakefront, Sprecher and MillerCoors brewery tours in one day
17. Experience Jim's Time Out, the Downtown "towny" bar
18. Enjoy family-friendly live music at Bayshore Town Center
19. Marvel at the beauty of the Milwaukee Art Museum
20. Take a Milwaukee Ghosts tour and learn local haunted history
21. Smell the flowers at Boerner Botanical Gardens
22. Find the Streetza Pizza truck and buy a late-night slice
23. Skate a few laps on the Olympic Oval at the Pettit National Ice Center
24. Eat a corned beef sandwich at Jake's Delicatessen
25. Shop for vintage clothes on Brady Street
26. Take a booze cruise
27. Catch the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra on Monday nights at Alterra on the Lake
28. Buy farm-fresh produce all winter long at the State Fair Park's winter farmers market
29. Fall in love over a Tiki Love Bowl at At Random
30. Have a drink in The Yard at the Iron Horse Hotel
31. Eat like a king at 4th Base
32. Tour Palermo's Pizza in the Menomonee Valley
33. Interact with nature at the Schlitz Audubon Center
34. Make a difference at the Volunteer Center
35. Pet the animals at the Wisconsin Humane Society
36. Tour the Pabst Mansion
37. See an indie band at the Cactus Club
38. Cheer like a maniac with the Bucks' "Squad 6"
39. Experience intimate theater at Boulevard Theatre
40. Bowl a few lines on America's oldest lanes at Holler House
41. Tour the Harley-Davidson Museum
42. Crack up at ComedySportz
43. Say "Ayy" to the Bronze Fonz
44. Sunbathe at Bradford Beach or South Shore Beach
45. Swim in the Brown Deer Pond
46. Wander around the Bong Recreation Area
47. Marvel at the Mars Cheese Castle
48. Eat a bowl of Real Chili
49. See an Admirals game
50. Sled down the North Avenue hill
51. Watch kids playing soccer at Uihlein Park
52. Visit the Beulah Brinton House in Bay View
53. Star gaze at UWM's Planetarium on Friday night for $1
54. Stroll back in time on the Streets of Old Milwaukee at the Milwaukee Public Museum
55. Step back in time at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford
56. Bask in the beauty of the Basilica of St. Josaphat on 6th & Lincoln
57. Buy a kite at Gift of Wings and fly it at the lakefront
58. Join the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center
59. Get saucy at a Brew City Burlesque show
60. Find the city's Frank Lloyd Wright architecture
61. Visit the North Point Lighthouse
62. Take the kids to the Betty Brinn Museum
63. Hike the Hank Aaron State Trail
64. Visit the birthplace of the American League (now a Downtown parking lot)
65. Hop aboard the Lake Express ferry
66. Grab a meal at Friday's Front Row Grill to enjoy Miller Park in winter
67. Experience a real Milwaukee Friday night fish fry at Lakefront Brewery's Palm Garden
68. Rent a kayak and take a ride down the Milwaukee River
69. Enjoy a beer in a smoke-free Von Trier (or have a smoke out on the patio)
70. Eat a butter burger at Kopp's
71. Have breakfast at the Plaza Hotel on Cass Street
72. Order a Brainbuster at Bryant's
73. Find Milwaukee's smallest park, Kaszube's Park, on Jones Island
74. Rock out at Verge -- the Lakefront rock fest
75. Get a doughnut at the National Bakery & Deli
76. Watch people play lawn bowling at Lake Park
77. Take a picture at the intersection of "Keefe" and "Richards"
78. Ride the mechanical chili pepper at La Perla (or have a margarita on the roof)
79. See the statues in Doctor's Park
80. Bowl with tiny balls at Koz's Mini Bowl
81. Shop for a vintage LP at Bull's Eye Records
82. Sing along at Lucille's Rockin' Pianos
83. Take a Milwaukee Food Tour
84. Tour St. Joan of Arc Chapel on Marquette's campus
85. Find Gertie the Duck along Wisconsin Avenue Downtown
86. Admire the Carl von Marr collection at the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend
87. Get hot ham and rolls on a Sunday morning
88. Tour the city's longest thoroughfare, 27th Street
89. Enjoy outdoor movies in summer at Discovery World, Pere Marquette Park, Miller Park and State Fair
90. Buy locally produced food at Outpost Natural Foods
91. See if the security guard at the Midwest Airlines Center is real
92. Take a photo of the boat house on Cambridge & Hampshire
93. Quickly order a drink at the world's shortest happy hour at The Nomad World Pub
94. Window shop the boutiques and the mod furniture at Rubin's in the Historic Third Ward
95. Grab a dog from "the hot dog guy" on Water & Wisconsin
96. Tour Growing Power, Milwaukee's urban farm
97. Tour Bolzano Meats in Riverwest
98. Eat thin crust pizza at Zaffiro's
99. Cheer on the all-girl roller derby, the Brew City Bruisers
100. Sample Great Lakes Distillery's Milwaukee-made spirits

How much of this have You done?! I'm so excited about all of them! We're adding a few to the list we already have, which is growing rapidly.

Can't wait to get exploring, yay spring!

see the full article at http://onmilwaukee.com/visitors/

Big Fish

For my Disciplines of Movement class tomorrow, I have to perform an interpretation of a dream.

First of all, I am a second semester senior and I needed two simple credits to complete my semester requirements and graduate. I was told that this was a yoga/dance class. That was a true statement, but I thought the emphasis was more on yoga - I thought it would be great in addition to my triathlon training. I didn't realize that mixing yoga with dance would lead to...interpretive dance.

Now, I love dancing. I've talked about my love for dancing. But being evaluated on interpretive dance makes me extremely uncomfortable and awkward. I've always had a love for ballet, but anyone that knows me can vouch that I am not exactly graceful. After our first individual performance, my teacher even commented that I tried to put a comedic spin on my work.

No humor was intended.

No one clapped for me.

I was all clammy and sweaty, and my heart was beating through my butt. I was feeling abnormally self-conscious.

And no one even clapped! ...hilarious, yet extremely traumatizing.

Thankfully, I've moved on from that anxiety, and either my class has accepted my "comedic" dancing, or I've improved. So tomorrow, we're dancing our dreams. Dreams that are significant and a mystery to us.

So what is my dance, you ask?

I dream a lot. I love dreaming. But I'll have to save that for another post. I have a reoccurring dream that I come outside of my house and see my family down on the pier by the lake. It's a nice day out so I go to join them. When I reach them, I notice that the water is filled with fish. Not just regular little sunfish or bluegills, but ginormous fish. Fat and long and just HUGE! I'm horrified, and no one seems to understand. There are tons of them! I rarely remember the ending, but one time I actually fell in.

Imagine this in the form of interpretive dance.

I guess my teacher was right...my dancing is comedic, or just bizarre.

What are your reoccurring dreams? What would you dance?

Anyway, wish me luck! More importantly, wish me applause!

Just like a wavin' flag

This was just released as the World Cup's Theme Song - AMAZING!

Definitely will be on repeat for the next week or so, wish I could see it all firsthand in South Africa!

Get Motivated

One of our professors spoke to campus about her experience as an ultra marathoner,

specifically her 135 mile run through Death Valley.

135 miles. Running. through Death Valley.

Please take a second to wrap your mind around this.

I ran my first marathon this past fall and it was truly an amazing experience-physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But by mile 23 I was ready for a wheelchair, and during the last half mile, my vision was blurring and my hands were starting to tingle. I was in constant prayer, asking God for His legs and repeating a verse from Isaiah, "I will not grow weary."

That was 26.2 miles over flat Chicago land in nice cool weather.

She ran in 127 degree heat. Bread turned to toast right in her hands. She went through 6 pairs of shoes after the soles melted underneath her. She climbed a nearly 13,000 ft. rise in elevation.

No problem, right?

After 38 hours of running in these conditions, she crossed the finish line.

She titled her speech, "Get Motivated," and spoke of the physical and mental training required for such a feat. We were left stunned. It is truly amazing what the body and mind can do. Really, anyone could complete this task. You train physically, and you strengthen your mind. But to have the heart, (and slight insanity) to actually do such a thing is awe inspiring.

As she was describing her journey, I couldn't help but stare at the cross hanging on the wall above her head in the lecture hall. (Another reason why I love my school.)

To take on something like this without faith seems impossible. An ultra-marathon through Death Valley can be completed by anyone, yes, but not alone. He is the one that strengthens us, carrying us through each mile and opening our eyes to hardship in order to see the intense beauty surrounding us. I feel like an experience like that would change you forever, opening the door to a new level of living. A new high, a new strength, a new perspective and a new life.

Needless to say, I got motivated.

"We drench ourselves with the grace of exhaustion, and the ecstasy of knowing we are worthy to receive it."

What happened to Mary!?

A friend of mine was spending time with her little nephew and discovered that Sesame Street has undergone some changes.

Our innocent little country girl and her wholesome song has turned into Murray from the streets with a bumpin beat.

What has happened to our little Mary!?

My New Office

Just as I was getting really excited about this new little blog, I spilled a glass of water right over my keyboard. I could type about ten letters and was bound to a life of copy and paste, and I must say, I mastered it pretty well. But I'm happy to report that I am back, not with a new laptop, but with an amazing external keyboard, special thanks to IT services!

I'd really like to bring it to class, but I'm a little nervous as to how accepting my classmates will be to my new office...I might not fit in those tiny desks.

Drenched in Vanilla Twilight

"Cuz the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly"

From "I have to" to "I get to"

If you're reading this right now then I'm guessing you probably run more days a week than not. And if you're a runner, it means you enjoy running most of the time. You like knowing you're doing something good for your body and your mental health and so most days it's not a chore but rather something you get to do.

Most of us have days—weekly for some, every third day for others—where we don't really enjoy the run. On these days, getting dressed and putting on your shoes feels fatiguing, let alone doing the lunge warm-up the guy on NikeRunning.com says you need to do. Often this coincides with a stressful work week or a poor running weather, but even when those external stressors aren't present part of being a runner is the thought, "I don't really want to do this."

This is why a tweet I read this week, from a runner in Boulder named Todd, struck a cord. He simply said, "It's about the smiling, not the suffering. Change the mindset from 'I have to' to 'I get to.'" He's right and you and I both know it. It's hard to embrace each day you have the opportunity to go for a run as an "I get to," but I encourage you to adopt that mindset because we almost always feel better about ourselves (and often our lives?) when the run is over. so why not start today's run with "I get to."

Borrowed from Nike Running - Training Blog