Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Long weekend, coming up!!


My mom and Ralph come tonight to stay at our house and take care of the buddy for the next 4 days while B and I head to Madison, WI for FOUR days!!!! 

We're driving to Chicago tonight to stay with friends, split up the trip, and have a great dinner.  Tomorrow morning we'll get up and drive 3 more hours to get to one of my top 5 places in the world that I've wanted to visit.  This is a HUGE trip for me, you guys.  I absolutely cannot wait!

Our plans are to walk around UW-Madison's campus, shop, eat, exercise (ahhhhhhh......so nice), hang out with friends, attend a fabulous rehearsal dinner and wedding, and sleep in (you know, til 7:30!).  Darling QBS provided me with tons of recommendations for restaurants and shopping, and we can't wait to utilize them all. 

Yes, I am slightly nervous about leaving the buddy for this long (we've only ever left him once for less than 24 hours), especially since he is rocking a wicked diaper rash right now and is having a disgusting amount of diarrhea, but since it's my mom that's coming down, I know he'll be in great hands and he'll love being with them.  I also know we'll leave super early on Sunday in order to get back to him and smother him with kisses!!

Have any of you been to Mad-town?  Do you have any recommendations for things to do?  Am I going to love it as much as I think I'm going to?  I can't wait to report back next week with lots of pictures!!  Enjoy the rest of your week and your weekend.  I'll be off the grid and enjoying every second!

7 comments:

  1. I have never been, but have a fabulous time! SYT will have a ball with your mom...even if he does have a diaper rash.

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  2. Enjoy every minute of it! I remember the first overnight trip Hubby and I took without our first child - tough at first to leave her, but then we really enjoyed ourselves. It gives you good, quality time as a couple. Then, when you get back, you get to cuddle with that sweet little one!

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  3. I love Madtown, Biz just graduated from there. Obviously, QBS is an expert, I only visited from time to time. But I loved hanging out on the lake at the Terrace, and Dotty Dumplings has awesome burgers and (a weakness of mine) deep friend mushrooms. Other than that, walking up and down State works great! Med Cafe or Sunroom for brunch, yum. Have fun!

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  4. Oh, I'm so glad you're getting away, I know you will have a wonderful trip even though you will be missing that darling young man. I have been to Madison but not for several years, so I am of no help whatsoever in suggesting places to visit!

    Enjoy yourselves!
    tp

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  5. My husband and I went to Madison and Milwaukee over the July 4th weekend for a little anniversary getaway. We had heard such great things about Madison and that it's a lot like Austin, which is where we went to college. (And it is, just on a smaller scale.)

    Here are some of the tips a friend of mine gave me on things to do there:

    1. If you are in Madison on Friday night and you like fish, fish fries are HUGE in Madison. Tons of restaurants have them on Friday nights, but not all are created equal. I recommend going to The Great Dane. Its a pub and they brew a variety of beers there.
    [We weren't there on a Friday night but we did go to the Great Dane for lunch and enjoyed it.]

    2. The Old Fashioned is another really popular restaurant in Madison. Order cheese curds (they come fried or "fresh" and they're a very Madison/Wisconsin thing). Expect to wait a really long time to eat here though.
    [Went there for lunch one day and didn't have to wait. And ohmygoshcheesecurdsaretasty]

    3. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmer's market set up on all side of the capitol building (you can't miss it). Its fun to walk around and pick up breakfast from one of the vendors. Also, there are sometimes local artists set up there.
    [We missed this but would have loved to have gone. Looks like they still do it through November!]

    4. Marigold Cafe is a cute little place for breakfast or brunch with good omelets.

    5. Go to the UW Union Terrace for a beer and live music. The Terrace is right on the lake and on weekend evenings they have live music out there.
    [We did this and loved it. It was so nice out and fun to people-watch those on the Terrace and out canoeing on the lake. I would have loved to see it all when school's fully in session.]

    6. The arboretum and Olbrich Gardens are also pretty.
    [We checked out Olbrich Gardens and it was free and definitely worth checking out. I especially liked the Thai pagoda.]

    Have a great trip!
    xo,
    Laura

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  6. I'm not only late in reading this but also worthless as far as Madison tips, having never been, BUT - hope you're off having a fantastic trip! It is so tough to get away once you have a little one, but it's also so worth it to have alone time just with your spouse.

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  7. I heading to Madison for Wisconsin's homecoming against Indiana [too bad they aren't playing Michigan State!] in a couple of weeks. Should be a fun time, love Madison! Have a great trip!

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