My First Badger Game

This last weekend I was fortunate enough to get tickets to go to a Wisconsin Badger football game.  I'm not a huge football fan, but the atmosphere of these kinds of football games makes me interested and enthused about football. I think the overall experience of being at any type of sport event is what interests me; rather than sitting on your couch watching the game over the television and hearing commercials every five minutes.

Go Wisconsin!

On Saturday morning I headed to my brothers place for a pre-game party with him and his housemates along with some of their parents and friends. As usual, the parents brought way to much food and it is safe to say that they will be eating left overs for an entire week. Their entire porch was packed with people and two tables held various types of food from brats and hamburgers to chips and multiple different desserts. 

The game started at 2:30 so after lunch we cleaned up and walked to the stadium (which was only a 5-10 minute walk). I couldn't believe how many people turned up for the game. In literally every direction that you looked, it was a sea of red. Walking into the stadium we opted to sit in Section K; a bit off center from behind the end zone and is one of the student sections. 

Unfortunately, some of us got split up from the group, but the group I was with was close to the field; actually about 5 rows behind the band. 

The guy in front of me moved a little bit but I like this picture because it shows my view of the field
and how beautiful of a day it was

The weather was absolutely beautiful; not too hot but not too cold - about 70 degrees, sunny, and a slight breeze. The first two quarters flew by and we were in the lead. I was enjoying my time and actually getting into the game. Whenever there was a touchdown I cheered, if there was an interception or a good play I clapped, and if there was a bad call I booed. 

Bucky doing his pushups.

Finally, the time every UW student and fan waits for came; the famous 'Jump around' between the 3rd and 4th quarter. I was quite nervous for this part, not going to lie, because we were packed like sardines and the benches weren't the sturdiest, but I managed. As soon as those first few notes of the song blared throughout the stadium, cheers rang out and hands were in the air. I'm not sure how the place is still standing because the entire audience was jumping up and down to the song. 

If you want an idea of the craziness, click the link down below:

'Jump Around' Madness - A Game Day Tradition 

(This is not my video, I own no rights)

Touch down Badgers!

Before I knew it the game was over and we won! The majority of the stadium cleared out but a good portion of us stayed after for 5th quarter (When the UW band has their time to shine)! All of the band members went out on the field and played upbeat songs like the chicken dance to get us off our feet and have fun. After 5th quarter, the band filed out and myself and the group hiked back through the Camp Randall arch to head back home. 

It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to go to another game. In the mean time every game day I will be wearing Red to represent!

Go Bucky Go!

Rush to Lush

One of my favorite things to do on a cold fall evening is take a nice warm candle-lit bath. But not just any type of bath; it has to be a bubble bath. Without the bubbles it just isn’t complete, and in my opinion, not okay. 

I first heard about Lush through some of my favorite Youtubers, and instantly became a bit curious. I immediately went to their website to check it out and I had to stop myself from buying one of everything. Mainly because they are on the pricey-er side but also because I am extremely picky when it comes to different scents. I clicked on the location tracker and found that the nearest store was over two hours away - bummer. But now that I have moved away for college I am much closer to a Lush store. In fact, I am only 5 minutes down the road from one - YAY ME! 

On one of my days off I ventured down to the tiny strip mall that it is nestled in, and spent a good half hour jumping from either side of the store. Unfortunately the location in my town is super tiny, but I still walked away with 4 products to try out; two bubble bars, and two bath bombs. I will most definitely pair up the bath bombs with the bubble bars because there is a part of me that just doesn’t agree with sitting in colored bath water. 

Here is what I purchased: 

Butterball Bath Bomb

Retail price: $4.95

Sunny Side Bubble Bar

Retail Price: $7.25

The Comforter Bubble Bar 

(bits of it already crumbled off, but they are in the bag!)

Retail price: $10.95

Pink Bath Bomb

Retail price: $4.95

I will follow up with reviews of each, but I was so excited when I popped into the shop and walked out with these four products, I had to write about it! 

Since I am a newbie and don't have a favorite quite yet, tell me, what is your favorite product from Lush?

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The weather outside was a bit chilly today, so I decided to stay in and bake. While flipping through my collection of recipes I came across one of my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookies. You could basically classify it as a double chocolate chunk cookie rather than your standard chocolate chip cookie. More chocolate the better, am I right ladies.. and gents?!

Without further ado, here is how I made them!

Ingredients: 

2 sticks of butter at room temperature

1 large egg

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

Chocolate chunks

First you'll need to preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Before

After

In a medium size bowl add your butter and sugar. With a wooden spoon, or mixer, whichever you prefer (I like using a wooden spoon), mix the two ingredients together until it becomes smooth. I found that it is best to mix using a folding technique or mashing the butter to the side of the bowl. . . if that makes sense. If you are using a mixer, just set it to a low speed and let it do all of the work. 

Next you'll want to add in a large egg. None of that small egg business.. go big or go home right? Try and have some fun by attempting to crack the egg with one hand! Did you do it?! If you did yay congrats! If not, I apologize for making you do that.. Anyways, mix the egg in with your butter/sugar. It should look like this:

Before

After

Now it's time to add in the dry ingredients. I added in the flour first but I don't think the order matters. I added half a cup at a time so that it is easier to mix - especially if you are mixing this by hand.

Then add in your cocoa powder. 

And finally add in your chocolate of choice. I went for two types of chocolate: white chocolate chips by Ghirardelli and a package of milk chocolate Cadbury squares. I used 3/4 of a bag of the white chocolate chips because the milk chocolate squares were already a lot. If you were just to use the Cadbury squares I recommend that you use two packages, but since I also used the white chocolate chips I prompted for one bar.  It really is all about personal preference when deciding on the amount of chocolate you want in your cookies.

Now for the actual baking part where your house smells of cookie goodness! Spray your pan so that your cookies wont stick to it, or you can use parchment paper. Take a spoonful of dough and roll it into a ball. I like my cookies bigger so I do two spoonfuls making them about the size of golf balls. Again, it is all personal preference. I can usually fit about 6-8 balls of dough on one cookie sheet, but it all depends on the size of your pan and how big you made your balls of dough. Pop them into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.

After the 10-12 minutes is done, pull out your cookies and let them cool for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Once your cookies are completely cooled you can leave them on a cute little tray or put them in a box; if they even last the night.  I decided to place them into these fun little bags I got from target, because I am taking them to my brothers house for him and his friends to enjoy! (how nice of me right?) I like to enjoy my cookies freshly out of the oven paired with a glass of cold milk, or even with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

I hope you enjoyed this easy recipe and the cookies!
What is your favorite type of cookie? 

Taste of Madison

Over Labor Day weekend I ventured to Capital Square for 'Taste of Madison'. Taste Of Madison is an event that shuts down roads around the Capital, where local restaurants set up booths to serve their food. It's a great way for businesses to advertise and become known but more importantly, a way for people to get a sample of their food. They also had three different bands playing at each corner of the square; I didn't really stick around to watch, but they did sound wonderful, playing songs that ranged from country to rock. The best way that I would describe this event is basically like your typical State fair, just without the rides or animals. The smell, the atmosphere, the people; all very exciting!

 This event took place on Saturday and also Sunday from dusk until dawn. Any type of food that you could imagine was basically served there. They had anything from pizza to popcorn, BBQ to gyros, and anything in-between... Not forgetting the endless supply of beer (which I did not sample). Upon arriving I soon realized that I wished the size of my wallet was as big as my stomach!  (Silly me only grabbed $8)

There were SO many people at this event, it was a tight squeeze trying to get a glimpse at each station. And it didn't help that it was super hot and sticky. With the humidity and standing in the scorching sun, I figured it was over 100 degrees fahrenheit. Because of the weather, and my mistake of only bringing less than $10, I didn't stay long; especially since I walked to the event (which was a good half hour hike). But before I left I did get the chance to grab a couple of goodies. First, I enjoyed some deep fried cookie dough; I'll give you a minute to clean up the drool escaping your mouth. And of course, I wouldn't be a true Wisconsinite if I didn't grab a tray of greasy cheese curds. 

Although the weather made it extremely uncomfortable to walk through the thick crowds of hungry folks, it was really cool to see what my new city has to offer.

All I know is next year I am bringing more money and an emptier stomach.

College | Growing up

When I was younger, I dreaded September; the end of summer comes to a close marking the beginning of another school year and hearing the NFL jingle on every TV, radio station, or mobile device - It literally made me sick, and I couldn't escape it. Growing up in Wisconsin my entire family were cheese heads. Literally, from eating cheese to wearing cheese. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about and/or think I'm crazy, the Green Bay Packers are our home football team. If that still doesn't make sense Wisconsin is the dairy land. I know what you're thinking, "No, California is, that is where happy cows come from",  but I apologize to be the bearer of bad news but you've all been lied to. If any of you have been through Wisconsin you know that the majority of it is farm land; miles upon miles of fields, tractors, and the smell of fresh cow manure.

September never failed to leave a bad taste in my mouth. Now, however, all of that has changed and the month of September is one of my favorite times of the year. Leaves start to change colors, cool weather settles in around you forcing you to bring back the jeans, sweaters, and scarves, even school has surprisingly made it onto the "favorite list". Actually, let's not push it; not yet at least. With a new year of school ahead of me I have had some time to reflect.

I remember when my brother left for college like it was yesterday. His first two years he stayed at home to attend a local two-year College campus that was literally 3 blocks away from our house. So of course there was no need to stay in the dorms when we lived so close. While he stayed busy there, I was making my way through high school. And then, fall of my senior year he left; on to bigger and better things. It broke my heart watching him leave but I was so proud of him. He was and still is my best friend. At that time I got a glimpse of what growing up feels like, but I didn't know what was to come until I myself, flew the coop. 

Growing up you really take advantage of your family's presence. You spend your teenage years almost hating your parents when they set rules into place: What time you need to be home on a school night, what events you can and can't go to, what things you can buy/how much you can spend on a particular item.  As the list grows bigger, so do their questions: Who are you going to be with? Have I met them before? Are these people good influences? What will you be doing? etc. You spend most of your days tucked away behind your bedroom door playing video games and buried in your smart phone. When you weren't hidden behind closed doors you were out with friends often missing dinner and sneaking in after dark.

You tell your parents to "go away" and "leave me alone" or "I'm busy, we'll talk later", but later never comes. In efforts to block out their desperate attempts for conversation you turn away and jam headphones into your ears; when they only wanted to ask how your day was. Their titles are stripped from "superhero" from your childhood days to "lame old people who try to be cool" in your new teenage years. Because heaven forbid, you can't be seen with your parents.

Time seems to escape us all. Soon even those days will be history. We are all in such a hurry to grow up, move away to college, get married, and have kids. But the minute you're all alone and mom & dad aren't there, you'll be wishing you didn't take them for granted. You'll regret not making time for them even if it was a couple minutes to talk about how your day went. You'll desperately wish you could turn back time to open your door and put down the phone, pull out your earbuds and interact with your family. Because when they pull away from your new home, whether it be a dorm room, apartment, or house, nobodies presence will be as fulfilling as mom and dads.

Remember: Just as you are growing older, so are they. Enjoy the little things in life, and take time to appreciate what you have.

This is for you mom and dad, I hope I will make you proud.