A Surprise trip for Fashion

(Jessi Idso is the model second from the left)

Stefan's sister Jessi recently graduated with a Fashion Design Major from UW-Stout. Before graduation, she had her last fashion show where she presented her line Idso Golf. Stefan's mom, dad, and step-mom helped me figure out a way to surprise her. The plan was to work the week before in Chicago and then fly up to Minneapolis, rent a car and meet in Menomonie for the big surprise. When I arrived in Menomonie we all met before hand and then headed over to Jessi's house. She quickly saw me and ran over. She was so surprised!!! It was wonderful.

After seeing her place we went over to campus to put together her display table, which looked amazing. This is what her line looked like, John Idso is the model on the left:

After putting together the display, we grabbed some dinner and then headed to Stefan's mom's house to say hi to her and give her hugs- as I wasn't going to see her until the next day. Then we went to Stefan's dad's house for a bonfire. The bonfires are definitely a favorite element of every Eau Claire visit. We sat around and chatted for a bit, but then Jessi was eager to go out and celebrate the fact that she had finished all of the hard work for the fashion show. So we headed out with her friend Katie and our step-sister, Tess, to a bar near Jessi's place. The night was a ton of fun !

The next morning we all got up and headed back to Stefan's dad's house for Brunch, which was tasty as usual. Then, I headed to Stefan's mom, Carol's place. She and I grabbed some beautiful roses for Jessi and sped on over to campus for the show. Because Carol's sisters got there early, we got amazing seats- right at the end of the Runway. John, Stefan's brother, was one of Jessi's models and he strutted his stuff with the best of them! Jessi's line looked amazing and there was a lot of cheering for Idso Golf. Jess was also a model for one of her classmates. She looked like a natural- born to walk the catwalk!

After the second Fashion Show there was an Awards Ceremony. Jessi was nominated for 5 AWARDS!!! She won 3: Audience Choice, Most Marketable, and Best Menswear Line. She was nominated for Studio Choice and Best in Show. Idso Golf got rave reviews and now that Jessi has graduated she's looking for a career in sportswear.

After all of the shows, Carol, John, Jessi, and I all went to dinner together. We got to gloat about Jessi's amazing success and also John's possible modeling career. :) Carol and I then went back to her house where we chatted and then headed to bed. The next morning we had a yummy breakfast together and then I headed back to Minneapolis to fly home. My flight was scheduled later that afternoon, but I was able to fly standby to Dallas earlier. I was able to get home to Stefan a little earlier than planned. It was a great trip, but it felt too short! I'm so glad Stefan and I get to make the Memorial Day Weekend trip up there together, so he can see his family, too.

Guy's Houston Trip

Two guys from my class and I traveled up to Houston to watch the Astros vs. the Brewers baseball game. The game was on Saturday evening so we left San Antonio around noon so we would have time to tailgate! When we arrived we discovered that it was not in the culture to tailgate like it is in Milwaukee, we were the only ones in the huge parking lot that were tailgating. We grilled brats, represented with Miller Lite, then headed into the game. It was a close game and the Brewers ended up winning in overtime and took the series. After the game we went to a couple bars then headed back to the hotel which was right downtown. The next day we left for San Antonio in the morning to get back to study for a test like good Nav students. In a couple weeks we are planning on going to a Texas Rangers game up in Arlington, TX and add another ballpark to the repertoire.

a visit to Del Rio

A dear friend of mine, Fritz, and his wife, Stella, are both in the Air Force and stationed in Del Rio, TX. Stella was here in San Antonio for training for a bit, but now she's back in Del Rio and we hadn't seen them for a while, so we decided to take a trip to Del Rio to see their new house and have some quality time with quality friends.

We made the three hour trip over on a Friday after work. The night we got there there was an Air Force party going on in their neighborhood that we walked over to. It was a bunch of fun to hang out with them and meet their friends. The next morning we grabbed breakfast and then took their dog, Wilson, to the lake to play. Later we got some barbeque and went to the local winery to buy some wine and port. We grabbed a bottle of port and went out on the boat. It was a fun, relaxing time to just hang out and talk about memories from the past and also our futures. After the boat ride, we relaxed, made some dinner, and talked for a while.

The next day was Easter and we woke up and made some breakfast and sat in their backyard for a bit. Then we headed over to their (colorful) neighbor's house. Their neighbor's are very unique and have unique design choices, but were wonderful hosts! We had an amazing Easter Lunch and then headed home soon after.

It was a great weekend with great friends. I feel really lucky to have them here to ease us into their Air Force lifestyle. We truly enjoy the time we get to spend with them!

Houston, we have a problem!

Sorry we haven't posted in a while, but I'll do my best to catch you up in the next few posts. First, Stefan recently had a week without any classes- not to be mistaken for a week off- and we decided to take a trip to Houston. We booked a downtown hotel and set out on our trip. As we're about to arrive in Houston Stefan gets a call from a number he doesn't know. He figured it was someone on the Air Force Base and that it might be important. His flight commander informed him that he needed to drink some fluids and come to base for his random drug test. Stefan informed him that we were in Houston and wouldn't be back until the next day. He told Stefan he should report in at 8am the next day. This lead to many other issues.

Because Stefan didn't technically have the day off (just no scheduled classes) he was supposed to sign out in a book saying where he was going to be, if he was leaving. He forgot to do this and so we couldn't really make a stink about them making us drive back. Instead of turning around then, we decided to at least enjoy a little bit of Houston before driving home that night. First, we went to the Houston Space Center and took a tour of the facilities. The tour was three hours! We learned a lot and saw a lot, but by the end we were getting pretty hungry. So, we headed to a yummy seafood restaurant for a late lunch. After lunch, we headed to the hotel to cancel our reservation as we weren't going to stay the night any more. Then, we parked and wandered around downtown Houston until the baseball game!

Stefan was so excited to go to a baseball game. It was the second game of the season and the Astros were playing the Cubs. I couldn't tell if he was more excited about being at the game or cheering against the Cubs :) It was a great game and I decided to drive us home so that Stefan could get some sleep before having to be up and at work early in the morning. The drive was uneventful- we made good time without any tickets.

The next day, Stefan went in for his meeting at 8am and then waited on base for two hours to get called for his drug test. He never even got called!!!! I was hoping he would so that it wouldn't have made us coming home so irrelevant. All in all, Houston was nice but we'll probably need to go back to see more of the city the next time around!