Oh, Yah...

I really enjoyed hearing the Wisconsin accent. Steve and I tried to emulate the "Oh Yeah" that is the affirmative response in so many conversations.

It was great finally meeting all of them. Steve is number 5 out of 6 kids, and he has 5 nephews that are all in their early twenties, as well as several nieces. He's very close with his nephews, and so it was important to me to get to know them and figure out who's who! There were also aunts, uncles and cousins to meet, and of course, his mom.

Steve's mom celebrated her 65th birthday on Saturday, and Steve's birthday (39th) is coming up this Saturday. His niece Sara turns 16 later in the month, so we had a joint birthday celebration at a friend's farm on Saturday. Almost everyone hugged me right upon meeting me. Then we just hung out around a campfire, drinking beer and eating all the good food everyone had brought along. The kids ran around playing croquet, chasing the dogs and cat, and messing in the large water container for the cows, which also housed a catfish. As it got dark (and cool!), Steve put on a sweatshirt, and I donned a jean jacket. The Northerners got a kick out of that! I told them it felt like December in Texas. (just kidding, but our last morning was a crisp 57*! I thought of you, Anth!)

Some of the nephews shot off some fireworks, and the cows stampeded to the far end of the field! Poor cows. They were scared out of their skins.

We also went fishing up north (like Wisconsin isn't north enough) to the U.P. (Upper peninsula of Michigan). The lake we were fishing on was terrific, and all three of us (Steve, his nephew Chad and I) got many bites. My largest catch was about 7 inches long. Not huge, but lots of fun. Plus, the guys did all the worm hooking and fish stuff for me.

That night, we stayed in an extremely rustic cabin, owned by Chad's best friend's dad. You could tell it's a man hangout from all the 80s girlie posters and the lack of amenities -- no running water, no electricity. There was an outhouse, jugs of water, and gas lamps. We cooked over the campfire. Oh, and several mice families have made the cozy cottage their home. I thought I'd never be able to sleep after hearing them scurry and squeak, but exhaustion won out. (and they didn't bother us)

The farm, by comparison, was terrific! There was the ever-present strong smell of cows, but that's not all bad. I got to milk one of them. Steve told me how to do it, and sure enough, it worked! I squirted at his feet while he danced out of the way. The farm actually uses milking machines, as they milk 50 or more cows twice a day.

It's beautiful land in Wisconsin. Lots of tall trees and rolling hills. And everyone was so nice to me. One of his nephews even introduced me to his kids as "Aunt Emily." :-)