Wedding Weekend in Milwaukee

Ryan and I were fortunate to spend last weekend in Milwaukee at the historic Pfister Hotel while celebrating his good friend Eric & Kristen's wedding.  It was the first time I think I have ever had my car valet parked, and besides our honeymoon, the first time I've had my luggage carried up to the room for me.  As you can tell by my pose I could get used to this sort of treatment, who needs camping?....just kidding!  Camping is always my first choice.  :)

After settling into the hotel, the wedding party was picked up by two trolley buses that took us on a tour of downtown Milwaukee.  Its first stop was the Milwaukee art museum where we had a picnic lunch and watched the wings, called brise soleil, open and close at noon.

 

The next stop was a tour of the Lakefront Brewery.   It is not a very big tour, in fact it was one large room that the guide takes you from one side to the other and explains the process of how they make beer.  But the tour guide made the entire thing worth while.   He was so funny and kept us entertained the entire time.  I would recommend going!

The trolleys also made a quick stop by the Fonzie statue from Happy Days so the wedding party could get a picture taken next to it. 

After the rehearsal that night, we then went to the Fox Bay Theater where we saw a picture slideshow of the bride and groom growing up, and then watched When Harry Met Sally.  It was during the film festival, so it was a pretty busy place.  It was really neat to be in a theater though that had tables and served drinks and food inside during the movie.  We need a theater like that in the Fox Valley!

The wedding was on sunday which was in the US Federal Courthouse.  We had to go through security like the airport to get in and be escorted upstairs to the courtroom where the ceremony took place.  The center courtyard area insde the building shown behind the picture of Ryan and I was my favorite part.  I can imagine the bride and groom got alot of amazing shots in this place. 

I thought Ryan looked so handsome in his suit.  How did I get so lucky to marry this guy?  He seems to get more handsome every day!

The reception was then at the Lake Front Bistro along Lake Michigan.  We had a little fun in the photo booth! :)  I love it when people have those, its such a fun way to remember the day. 

It was a beautiful wedding and we are thankful to Kristen and Eric for having us be involved in their special day! 

Fox Cities Half Marathon

Ryan ran his first half marathon this past weekend.  It was an early and chilly morning with the race starting out at 7am in Appleton.  We had everything laid out the night before so we wouldn't forget anything.  I had my bike in my car so that after he started, I could drive to the finish and then bike back and meet him along the run. 

I found him around mile 7.   Still a smile on his face, so he must've been feeling pretty good yet!  He even found his cousin in the large group of people.

Here he is coming in for a strong finish.  The whole family was there to cheer him in.

Congratulations Hubby!  We are proud of you!



Devils Lake & Dinner with the Governor

The last couple years Ryan has had the opportunity to have dinner with Governor Walker.  Since Walker had been a boy stater in his high school days, he speaks every year at Boy State and invites all of the counselors to his mansion in Madison.  Last year I think I had his schedule already booked with some camping adventure, but this year he decided to stay back from the one I had planned and go see the governor.  Fortunately, his brother was able to join him and they made a fun day out of it together.     



I think the one on the far right is the governor :)



While he was rubbing shoulders with the big wigs, I was hiking at one of my favorite places in Wisconsin.  A group of us had a fun day hiking at Devils Lake and enjoying the beautiful fall day.  We grilled out on the beach and walked around Baraboo afterwards.  All in all, a successful day for the Hathaways!



Nothing like good friends!



The Men



diy: Fall Wreath

Welcome to the Hathaways!  I thought our entry way needed a little sprucing up, so I found some great ideas on pinterest for fall wreaths.  I went to Walmart and bought 1/4 yard of four different colored fabrics, and then followed the fabric rosette tutorial and made flowers in all different sizes.  The wreath at Walmart was only $3.50!  Then I wrapped the wooden H with twine, and hot glued the flowers onto the wreath.

I'm pretty excited with how my first pinterest craft project turned out!

Take A Hike: Perimeter Trail

While Ryan was at Badger Boy State this year, I spent a week is Colorado with my family at our favorite spot in Ouray.  We rented a Jeep from the KOA for one day and took Imogene Pass to Telluride. 

But we also went on a couple great new hikes that I want to share with you.  The Perimeter Trail is one that the city has been working on expanding over the last couple of years.  The goal is to give a scenic view from above around the entire city of Ouray.  It starts at the north end of town, right across from the visitor center and Hot Springs pool.  It is easy to follow and well marked with signs.

I think it is really neat how they carved out areas in the side of the mountain for the trail, and it has amazing views along the way. 

It goes past Cascade Falls and continue around the city over Box Canyon Falls.  You do not need to pay to continue over Box Canyon unless you want to go down into the canyon itself, then there is a small fee.  To get through the area where the canyon had been blocked off, they made a tunnel and steps on the other side with a railing.  If it is your first time to Ouray, I think it is a great trail to start off with to get you used to hiking in the elevation.  You will end up back in the parking lot of the hot springs/visitor center.  Happy Hiking!

Andrea + Ben

I was desperate to find someone to go to Colorado with one summer. Luckily I met Andrea through my friendship with her sister and she was ready to take on an adventure of a lifetime with me. We didn't know much about each other prior to the trip, but after a 16 hour drive we realized we hadn't stopped talking the entire drive. We shared many things in common, and learned alot about each other during that week. We were both single, and were waiting for the right guy to come into our lives. We spent mornings around the campfire encouraging and confiding in one another. That trip has been a significant part of my life that I won't forget. Now a couple years later it is ironic that we have celebrated each others weddings only a few months apart. Ben & Andrea make a perfect couple, and I look forward to hopefully going on another trip someday in the future now with our significant others. I hope you enjoy the video I put together of a snapshot of their day.
andrea + ben from Rachelle on Vimeo.

Celebrating Owen

This past weekend my girlfriends and I put on a baby shower for our good friend Dawn.  She is due in November with precious baby Owen Matthew, and we had a great time showering her with love.

This Owen banner was made with some material and burlap from Hobby Lobby.  Hot glued the triangles together and then onto some twine.  Used a permanent marker and stencils for the letters. 

We had some cute baby boy clothes hanging from twine as decor and made a diaper cake.

I made some Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes combining 2 recipes I found on Pinterest.  If you are a lover of cookie dough like I am, you will love these cupcakes! 

Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

For the cupcakes I used Betty Crocker Extra Moist Yellow cake mix, and made as the directions on the box indicated.  Then rolled some Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough into 1 inch balls and placed in the middle of the batter in the cupcake tins.  Once cupcakes were cooled, and added the frosting.

Frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 1/2 cups powder sugar

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

First beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy.  Mix in powder sugar until smooth.  Beat in flour and salt.  Mix in milk and vanilla until well blended.  

Then I placed the frosting into decorating bags and used an 1M Open Star tip. 

Catching Up

Since I was gone from the blogging world for the past 6 months, I thought I would catch you up on what the Hathaway family has been up too!

1.  Ryan and I celebrated our last Christmas being single!

2.  Planned a wedding in 5 months and got married 1-7-2012!

3.  Went on an amazing honeymoon to Riviera Maya, Mexico to Secrets Silversand Resort.

4.  Built some rockets...one of my husbands new hobbies. 

5.  Had a fun weekend in Wisconsin Dells with our good friends from Minnesota at the Kalahari. 

6.  Celebrated Grandpa's return home from the Honor Flight 

7.  Graduated from the Radiologic Technology Program, passed my boards, and got a job!

8.  Ryan threw me an amazing Graduation Party!

9.  Spent Memorial Weekend in Eagle River with great friends.

10. Ran the Madison Mud Run.  

11. Were toilet bowl champs in the Oshkosh Streetball Tournament.

Its been an amazing 2012 and I am looking forward to many more adventures to come!

Ryan + Rachelle

I finally was able to upload the video I made for our wedding reception.  We played this following dinner at Pullmans Trolley Banquet. With the help of Danae Herrmann Photography, we took the pictures and video footage on Thanksgiving morning in Wrightstown and High Cliff State Park.  It was a busy time of year to plan a wedding and had to take advantage of every free moment!  Hope you enjoy!
Ryan + Rachelle from Rachelle on Vimeo.

Leaving a Legacy

Hello Readers!  In the midst of wedding planning and studying during the semester, unfortunately the blog has dropped low on my priorities.  Sorry I haven’t had time to update along the way.  With all that’s been going on I’ve been running on auto pilot, going from one thing to the next on my checklist.  It’s not until something happens out of your control, that causes you to drop everything you are doing and go a different direction, that you realize the humor of the statement, “If you wanna make God laugh, tell Him your plans for the day.”

This week I received a call during clinical that grandma had gone into another fainting episode that she never came out of and only had a short time left to live.  The hardest part was watching the goodbye tears of the workers who had grown to love her so much during her stay in the Alzheimer’s home.  It made me think about the legacy that grandma has left behind in the hearts of so many people.

Ryan and I are currently taking marriage classes through church and recently discussed contentment and the things that are truly lasting in this world.  If we were honest with ourselves, its disheartening how many times our anger probably stems from the discontentment of our hearts when comparing what we have to others.  It’s not until the death of someone who impacted your life and who you loved, that you truly understand people are not going to remember the amount of your paycheck, type of job, education, home, or status you had.  For if that was all you held in importance, there will probably be many who will not even notice your absence once you’re gone.  What people will remember in this life is the love of Christ in your life.  I pray that I am remembered as a wife who brought my husband closer to the Lord by the respect, love, and godliness I displayed (1 Peter 3:1), that I taught my children to do everything in life for His glory and to fear the Lord (Prov 31:30), and that I was a friend who loved and listened (1 Cor 13).   

While grandma will be missed by many, I know that she is dancing with Jesus…not regretting anything she did not have in this short life.         

The Proposal

As a young girl hiking up the trail to Chasm Lake, I remember talking with a man on his way down from the summit of Longs and was fascinated by what he shared about it.  Much to my mother’s dismay, after talking with him, is when my captivation with the challenge truly began and I vowed that someday I would be back to climb it myself!  Years later I accomplished that goal and it soon became a dream to someday be back with the person I would someday spend my life with and hike it together.  

When Ryan and I went to Colorado this year I had a tiny suspicion the proposal might be coming then.  I was pretty excited over the idea, considering Colorado, hiking, camping, and being outdoors are all things that are very important and meaningful to me, and for us to do together.  However, after numerous “car cleanings" throughout the week, the ring was nowhere to be found.  Unknown to Ryan, I secretly was getting a little disappointed.  You hear stories of women who just knew when their husbands were about to propose because they acted so weird and nervous beforehand.  Well, Ryan was cool as a cucumber and never even flinched as I was cleaning.  He can’t have the ring with him I thought!

Well on Tuesday, August 9^th, Ryan and I woke up at 2 am to begin our hike up Longs Peak, the event that we had been training for by running up and down the UW Oshkosh stadium bleachers for months now.  It was as strenuous as I remember; actually, the older I get the more strenuous it seems.  Not a good sign.  However, I like to blame it on the fact that we weren’t acclimated to the elevation because Ryan insisted we do it towards the beginning of the vacation to get it over with.  Going from Wisconsin's 800 feet to 14,259 feet elevation is bound to have a bad effect on your endurance.  We gave each other a high-five as we took our last climbing step onto the summit.  Like normal, we ate lunch, relaxed, and started walking around the flat summit to look at the view.  Ryan said he wanted a picture of us taken, so he took my camera and walked over to a family that had recently made it up.  While I waited for him to come back for the picture, he secretly had asked them to take a video instead.  He walked back towards me and I was about to put my arm around him when he took my hand, and dropped to one knee.  The crowd that was once talking and laughing became silent as all eyes turned.  The proposal in reality was probably under a minute, but seemed like forever as I forced myself to concentrate and try to remember exactly what he was saying in the midst of my nervousness and excitement.  “Will you meet me at the altar and make me a happy man?” I picked that phrase out and knew it was my cue.  “Yes, of course I will.” I said, and the crowd cheered and clapped when we hugged.  It was a moment just like I had always dreamed it would be.

What’s funny, is that the family that ended up taking the video was a Pastor from Eau Claire, WI and he jokingly offered to do the ceremony right there on the summit and save us some time and money.  We laughed, although it did sound like a tempting offer.  J 

We are extremely excited about Jan 7, 2012 and are so thankful for all the wonderful family and friends that have wished us blessings and congratulations.  God is good and continuously proves Himself faithful in our life- and I am thankful for a man who follows after Him. 

Thanks for reading our story.

Kayak the Winnebago Video

Here is a video my wonderful boyfriend made from our kayak the winnebago adventure.  Hope you enjoy watching us being silly together.   Its great when you meet someone you can have fun with just being goofy!

Rhythm & Boom

Ryan and I went to Madison for 4th of July this year and saw the best fireworks I've ever seen.  We had such a great time hanging out around State Street, drinking carnival smoothies, and people watching at Warner Park.  Maybe it'll become an annual event for the 4th of July?

Take A Hike: North Shore Lake Superior

Tyler Forks Canyon

Just got back from a weekend in the exciting North Shore of Lake Superior.  With many resorts, campgrounds, and things to see and do it is sure to be a trip the whole family would love.  We started our trip by stopping at Copper Falls State Park just south east of Superior, WI off of Hwy 13.  There are numerous trails, but we took the 1.5 mile loop from picnic parking lot to see parts of the Bad River and Tyler Forks where they merge together to form Brownstone Falls plunging into a canyon.  



Lakewalk




From there our next stop was Duluth, MN, home of the Grandma's Marathon.  I discovered if you are planning on staying in Duluth you should plan on making reservations somewhere because there is always something going on in this exciting tourist city it seems.  The main downtown has lots of shops, then cross over the interstate towards the lake and walk around Canal Park to see boats in the harbor, tons of restaurants and shops, and a beautiful Lakewalk trail covering 4.2 miles of lakeshore.  The Lakewalk begins at Canal Park and ends at 26th Avenue.  There are places to rent bikes and kayaks in the area in case you didn't bring your own.  You can also get around by horse carriage rides if you choose.  Duluth also has a beautiful rose garden at Leif Erickson Park which is a great place to walk around or have a picnic.  We had a great Italian dinner at Bellisios located in the Canal Park area near the lake.  You can also head South on I-35 to Spirit Mountain and take the Alpine Slide, or go to Lake Superior Zoo.  

Canal Park Duluth



After touring Duluth we headed north on Hwy 61 and took the scenic lakeshore drive.  First stop was Gooseberry Falls State Park.  A short walk from the parking lot brings you to the beautiful Upper and Lower Falls.  This is a great place for doing some rock skipping and swimming in the falls.

 

Gooseberry Falls





Keep heading North on Hwy 61 you will next see Split Rock Lighthouse.  A beautiful short walk along the rocky shoreline which gives you a beautiful view of this lighthouse sitting atop a steep rocky ledge. 



Before reaching Tettegouche State Park you will see a small sign saying Palisade Head which is a popular stop prior to the main park entrance.  Once reaching the park walk to the lake to get a view of Shovel Point, or cross the Hwy and take the trails away from the lake to High Falls. 

Temperance River State Park has some good swimming within short walking distance from the Highway. There were lots of people have fun jumping into the canyon and sliding down the small rapids. 



The city of Grand Marais is the final stop on the North Shore tour.  This is one of my favorite cities along the lakeshore.  It reminds me of what a small town in Maine might look like with boats in the harbor, lighthouse, tourist shops and restaurants, fishing and kayaking all available.  We stopped for a fire stone grilled pizza at Sydney's and enjoyed the 360 degree panoramic views from their rooftop seating.  They are most famous for their frozen custard which was one of the best I've ever had!

Split Rock Lighthouse



So if you are looking for a place to go one of these weekends, visit Duluth and the North Shore of Lake Superior!



Sydney's Rooftop Restaurant





Temperance River State Park





Grand Marais, MN