I finally updated the website. This site originally served as a landing place for our wedding, but I transitioned it to a blog during the cancer years and have kept the updates coming ever since. It used to live on Weebly, but now that I have the ability to write and manage my own site, I wanted to transition it to something I fully own. The process wasn't straightforward, but everything has been moved and updated.

Now, onto our busiest summer yet! We got back from Greece on a Monday, and that next weekend we were off to Baraboo for the first performance of Julia’s The Lonely Marsh. The play was phenomenal, and we had a great time exploring Baraboo the next day. Auggie lost his first tooth on Father’s Day—it just happened to be in the same location where I lost my first tooth!

Elyse headed to California for Lex’s wedding and to watch Huck while Justine started a new job. Auggie and I went down to the burbs for the 4th of July—who knew you got so much candy during a parade? The two of us stopped in Madison to see Tammy and Aidan briefly before heading back to Appleton. No sooner had Elyse returned than we were off again to Portland for Molly and Luke’s wedding. The theme was “sparkles,” and we definitely delivered!

Once back from Portland, we walked in the annual children's parade before driving to Michigan to spend time at the cottage. After we returned from Michigan, Molly and Luke came to stay with us for a week. We had a nostalgic time showing them all the Wisconsin traditions—mostly food- and beer-based—that we have created.

That brings us to August, when I started my new job at Johnson Financial Group. The role is remote, but I need to be in person in Racine a few times a month. Auggie had his first sleepover with Asher; the boys were giggling for two hours before they finally went to bed. Elyse and Auggie went up early to the cabin for nearly two weeks. I joined them a week in, just as Elyse’s siblings arrived. Auggie had an awesome time playing with his cousins and grew very confident in the water. We were only back from the cabin for 18 hours before packing up to go camping for five days. We stayed at our usual site at Point Beach, and while the weather was cooler, it was still a wonderful time.

We’ve been wanting to go to Greece ever since we had to cancel our Honeymoon there due to COVID. Chaperoning a high school trip there wasn’t the romantic trip we had initially planned, but a free trip to Greece is a free trip to Greece.

Our journey started in Athens with a day at the Acropolis and the adjoining museum. The Acropolis was a bucket-list item for both Elyse and me, and it did not disappoint! All of our art history classes came flooding back, and we were geeking out over Greek temple terms. The Acropolis Museum was one of our favorite museums we’ve ever been to—it housed many of the original sculptures, including the Caryatids, with the top floor oriented to present the original frieze and pediments with a beautiful view of the Acropolis in the background. That night we took an overnight ferry to Crete.

We hopped off the boat and were on our way to the Spinalonga Fortress. The fortress is on a historically rich island that most recently was a leper colony. We then got a whole afternoon of beach time! This was a sign this trip was going to be equal parts chaperoning and vacation. The next day we visited the Knossos Palace, had a wonderful Greek cheese tasting, and wandered the streets of Heraklion. Our hotel on Crete had a beautiful pool and was next to a grocery store - such an easy combination for the kids.

From Crete we took a speed ferry to Santorini. Once off the boat we were on a bus to the ruins of Akrotiri - an incredible archaeological site similar to Pompeii but not nearly as uncovered. We then had lunch with equally good food as views in Fira. From there we checked into our hotel which also had a wonderful pool and was a 3-minute walk to a black sand beach. The whole next day was a beach day - can we say vacation! Our last day on Santorini had us going to Oia for an adults only wine tasting while the kids explored. We flew from Santorini back to Athens for a nighttime (very touristy) Greek meal, before flying back home the next day.

This was such a different trip than our one chaperoning Italy. The pacing was relaxed and we had a great group of kids - at times it felt like a vacation. Auggie did a great job at home, splitting his time with Elyse’s and Chris’s parents. It was a fantastic way to start Summer.

The transition from our Portugal trip back to daily life was a whirlwind of milestones and celebrations. Auggie had his piano recital and performed Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. He’s doing awesome! Playing with both hands and reading sheet music - so proud. Auggie’s Birthday party was Lego themed. Of course everything was block shaped, but mostly the kids wanted to play outside. Auggie had his official 4K graduation where many tears were shed. We took some weekend trips to visit Tammy in Madison and the folks back in the suburbs. Auggie has kept going with Karate and is now at a green belt. We of course celebrated both Elyse’s birthday and Mother’s Day - best mom in the world! Chris took a little trip over to Grand Rapids to visit Phil after his kidney donation.

We had a fantastic spring break trip in Portugal. We split our time between Porto and a country house inland on the Douro River. Our first Airbnb was in Vila Nova de Gaia, and had amazing views of the Douro and the Maria Pia bridge. We spent our first day wandering the city with Deutsch and Tiff. The blue tiles in the Porto Cathedral made a typical small cathedral feel extraordinary. Late in the day Ben and Hil joined us and we had a full next day with the whole gang. We explored the Palacio da Bolsa, climbed the Clerigos Tower, and tolerated the crowds in Livraria Lello. Elyse, Auggie and I had a fantastic meal at Gazela Cachorrinhos da Batalha, and later that day we enjoyed some wine in a converted 15th century chapel. No trip to Porto is complete without a port tasting, and we chose Taylor’s for our required drinking. On our last day we ate at a small fishing village and had a feast of grilled fish and squid. The uniquely tiled homes of the town were a trip favorite for all of us.

On our way to our second Airbnb we stopped at the castle of Santa Maria da Feira. It was a picturesque castle - the perfect size for an excited Auggie (and Deutsch) to run around. The second location was perhaps the nicest place we’ve ever stayed, and the setting, and multiple nestled patios made it hard to want to do anything besides stay put. We celebrated Auggie’s 5th birthday there with a delicious cake made by Hil. We did manage to leave the Airbnb to go on some wine tastings, the best being Sapateiro Winery. We loved our time in Portugal and look forward to exploring more of the country. Traveling with Auggie and our friends is so special, and we’re grateful to those who choose to share these adventures with us.