allineed in this life of sin, ismeand my girlfriends.

...on a soul-searching road trip from wisconsin out to south dakota with my 2 kindred spirits. how we got there and what stops we made were determined during the journey - and pee breaks, haha -  happy 29th golden birthday, lada! love you.

and thank you, sue, for being a trooper even though you were 6 months pregnant. it just wouldn't have been the same without you! that said, i'm so happy the trio went out with a bang to celebrate and mark the occasion... before the rest of our lives change with the arrival of baby boy and what ever the next chapters presents to us from here on out!

"as we grow older, we realize it's
not as important to have a ton of friends but
more important
to have real ones."









halfmoon pick-up fishing tournament!

congratulations to lk and ope for taking 1st with 8 fish at 21.46#s. 2nd came in at 9.34#s with 4 fish. and big bass went to seng @ 4.3#s. great job out there, guys! tough bite all morning, but everyone did well.

hoping to see more of you out next time... during the 7th annual central wisconsin hmong fishing tournament, come may 11, 2013!
  • tournament fishing waters include lake wausau, rib river and the wisconsin river - from below the wausau dam down to domtar paper mill and all the navigable waters in-between.
  • tournament fishing hours are 7:00am to 3:00pm saturday, may 11th, 2013
  • entry fee is $100.00 per boat: consisting of two (2) or three (3) man/woman teams. with an optional $20.00/boat for BIG FISH sign-up between NOW and may 12th, 2012.
  • for more info call Yeng Thao @ 612.803.0064 or John Thao @ 715-370-5270
  • eEase out #'s will be drawn the morning preceding the event.
  • prize money for 1st through 3rd place will be determined by number of entries. 100% PAYOUT.
  • the species of fish allowed are: smallmouth & largemouth bass - with a limit of 8 fish.
  • ALL FISH MUST BE ALIVE AT WEIGH IN!
  • winners will be determined by total weight acummulated. in the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by length of the largest fish. if still a tie, then length of 2nd largest and so on. 
  • no live bait is allowed!
  • every adult fishing the tournament must have a valid wisconsin fishing license.
  • everyone fishing the tournament must be back at eagle's club boat landing by - no later than - 3:00pm. NO EXCEPTIONS!
  • everyone fishing the tournament must obey all wisconsin rules and regulations.
  • anyone caught cheating or any unsportsmanlike conduct will be grounds for immediate disqualification.
  • we would like this to be a catch and release tournament, dead or kept fish will not count towards your overall tournament weight.
  • tournament directors make final decisions!

good luck and have fun..! 'til then, big fish! 




















oh, the places i go and people i meet!

the day i left milwaukee, i made one last attempt to take in the city and see those few kindred spirits that i didn't yet have a chance to see. naturally, i started my morning off at the local favorite, rochambo's coffee and teahouse on brady street with a dear friend :) you know, the type of friend where it doesn't matter how much time has passed between correspondences, but you know you can always pick up exactly where you left off..!? yeah, it was definitely a great morning with my dear kattia; nothing short of what i would've expected when you put 2 people with our energy in one room and add 2 pints of quality espresso beans to the mix, haha. and i don't even need caffeine! exactly what i needed to begin my last day of my brew city visit - lots of love and laughs while catching up on life!

i stuck around the neighborhood for a light lunch and eclectic shopping, then took a stroll down the once familiar lakefront i spent so much time at a lifetime ago... until i met up with another old friend that afternoon at the nomad, brady street's infamous world pub. he was working, i was getting thirsty and it was the absolutely perfect day out to enjoy a drink while people watching outisde the joint as we and joked with his regulars and soaked up the sun.








and let me just say, wow! you wouldn't believe me if i told you :) haha. oh, the people i met and things i saw that afternoon. it was definitely an "experience," they say "the nomad doesn't get any more eccentric!" and it sure lived up to its reputation :) thanks for the libations, mando!


one thing led to another, and before i knew it, i was at hosed enjoying more cocktails over great conversation with a small group of women i randomly met at the nomad who invited me to join them on their quest for drinks as they traveled deeper into the neighborhood :) one of which also so happened to own and operate fred boutique - a cute little shop not more than a block from my sister's condo on the river in milwaukee's infamous 3rd ward... it seems the further you venture, the smaller the world gets!

and you see, this is ultimately what i love about this city; the mixture of diverse people all within a small area and the surprise of not knowing who you will meet, run into, or where the day will take you as you make like a leaf and blow in the wind. :) good times. goodbye milwaukee.

"and at once i knew i was not magnificent, 
high above the highway aisle.
jagged vacance thick with ice,
but i could see for miles, miles, miles..."

auntie dorothy explora!

so i took a week off life to spend it in milwaukee, wisconsin with my nieces and nephew while my sister and her husband were in california on a well-deserved getaway :) this post is a collection of just a few our random happenings that kept me plenty busy!

i got in town on saturday morning and the parents were off to catch their flight! so what did we do? auntie packed a picnic and we headed off to the lakefront for some time under the sun. had lunch while taking advantage of a beautful day and splashed around at the beach. what a fun day spent hanging with my favorite little people! <3


...and before the official "week" began, we enjoyed a sunday pho'otball fun day cheering on the packers too! #GPG



the challenge began right on monday morning though! oh, the life as a soccer mom... with the honda pilot and 4 kids, i had to jump right in and make sure they all got to where they needed to be on time, clean and fed! school, baseball, soccer, handbells, church activities, birthday parties, etc! boy, do i have a new found respect for parents; especially those who encourage extra-curricular activities and commit their limited free time to all the logistics and time management involved! whoa.

definitely not easy - not even for a sahm - but, boy, is it worth it the effort and investment in your child's life and future! :) pssst... it's no myth, supermoms really do exist! i took on the responsibilities for one for a week and it nearly drove me nuts! i literally had no time for me, at all! sorry to all my friends i had planned on stopping by to visit; you'll need another visit specifically allocated for you!





...but who could complain? waking up to these smiling faces every morning and never tiring of the bye auntie, i love you's and thank you's! as they zoom out the door to catch their bus? <3 definitely the most rewarding feeling in the world! they are truly the greatest, most thoughtful kids in the world! i'd do it all over again, all day every day! :)

...just another day up north.

you know how i'm always thankful for my friends and the good people i'm blessed enough to have in my life? well, i truly am a lucky gal to be able to call this guy a dear friend of mine: chef larry. and since the day i've met him, we've become great friends and kindred spirits in greenery and fishing.

if you aren't familiar, chef larry is the man behind sweet baby ray's award-winning gourmet sauces; a household name across the nation becoming the fastest growing bbq sauce in america and the #1 premium sauce in grocery!

this past holiday weekend, equipped with nothing but the plan to enjoy labor day weekend, i packed up my northwoods essentials and accepted his invite to stay at his beautiful cottage right on the lake up north. needless to say, i was spoiled from the second i arrived! thank you, chef..! for everything.

it was definitely a great weekend spent with 2 of wisconsin's most renowned chefs - the other was chef larry's washburne culinary institute classmate and lifelong friend... also known as former executive chef for the green bay packers for many years - whose company (and food!) i genuinely enjoyed the entire time too. so much, in fact, that i stretched out my 2 day stay another night/day :) because yes, it was that fantastic and i thoroughly loved every moment!

p.s. happy birthday, chef! (september 10th!)











♩ ♪ ♫  ...but you can't stop nothing if you got no control, of the thoughts in your mind that you kept and you know. that you don't know nothing
but you don't need to know, the wisdom's in the trees not the glass windows. you can't stop wishing if you don't let go,
of the things that you find and you lose and you know. you keep on rolling, put the moment on hold... because the frame's too bright, so put the blinds down low. ♪ ♩ ♫