I finally went somewhere!

Yes it is funny to have "vacation" in the title of a blog that never mentions going anywhere.  This year I finally got myself to go visit friends in both Wisconsin and Texas.  Over about two weeks I took planes, trains, and automobiles to travel to Chicago, Monroe, WI, Tulsa, and the San Antonio area.

I spent the week July 4th in Wisconsin. Of course I had to pick one of the hottest weeks of all time to visit so hid indoors a lot. Some activities included:

• Sampling fudge for friends who are in the process of opening a candy store in Monroe, WI.
• Eating Braunschweiger and chili at Baumgartner's.

• Attending Sunday Mass at St. Victor's church where a friend's uncle was the pastor and is now honored by a statue in front of the church for work with the disabled (Apostolate to the Handicapped/Campion's Champions).

• Went to the Sky Vu drive-in to see Brave and The Avengers.
• Saw Fireworks!

• Went to Cave of the Mounds.

When the week finished I traveled by minivan with a friend and her two children aged nine and six from Wisconsin to San Antonio, spending the night in Tulsa.  Texas activities included:

• Sunday mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

• Visiting a snake farm/petting zoo.

Toured the San Jose mission instead of the more touristy Alamo.

I even helped to bottle a batch of beer.

It was a fun couple of weeks.  I have been to both places before but I had never traveled between them.  All the trees lining the highway through Oklahoma was unexpected, but all the rest of the terrain was pretty dull. Sorry Midwesterners.