Kyra has just transferred to University of Wisconsin - Madison, but she needed to find a place to live. Kyra, Dad Nowacki and I went on a little House Hunters adventure to Madison.
The most memorable part of checking out apartment number one was realising how cold it was outside, and that I shouldn’t have left my coat in the car. Only wearing three layers I was more frozen than a couple of sisters from Arendelle.
Apartment number 2 would be a steal. It had so many facilities like a study area and fully decked out gym.
Apartment number 3 had stunning lake views.
Which apartment would Kyra choose? First we ate at the Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company.
Here’s Kyra in her new common room.
We drove past The Capitol building on the way back home.
The Nowacki Christmas tree was looking a little bare. It was time to decorate it. Dad Nowacki and Kyra attempted to put the lights on while Mom Nowacki and I watched on and laughed. Rather than wrapping the lights around the tree, they managed to keep unwrapping them.
Eventually I stepped in and helped. Between the four of us we got all the lights around the tree. But wait... most of them didn’t work. At this point I remembered you should test your lights before putting them on the tree.
JJ just watched the whole the decorating attempts unravel.
We tested other lights and placed them on the tree. Then came the other decorations.
#CandidChristmasSelfie
This was followed by a little dance party around the tree, accompanied by eggnog laced with a hint of brandy.
The next morning I attended church with Kyra, Mom Nowacki, Katlyn and Elyse. It was a lovely service about making sure Jesus is acknowledged at Christmas because it’s his birthday, after all.
You know what else was lovely? It happened to be Gingerbread Weekend at the church.
We all had fun decorating our own cookies.
Elyse also thoroughly enjoyed taste testing the product before it even had any icing on it.
She even gave us all bites of her gingerbread man, which we all washed down with water as Elyse enthusiastically called, “Cheers!”
I iced mine a little gingerly at first, but then my love of the sugary goodness took over.
Elyse then wandered around trying to take other people’s gingerbread, so Kyra and I distracted her with balloons.
Then it was time for me to farewell Katlyn and Elyse, and to hope that Elyse has forgiven me for that whole dragon thing.
I experienced the first snow fall of the season.
The Packers played and were losing, so Kyra and I decided it was nap time. While we slept they won, but they’re out of the comp now. Obviously I need to nap more next season to help my team.
I couldn’t let my visit to Wisconsin go by without a festive photo shoot.
Kyra got right into the Christmas spirit.
There were of course selfies captured.
JJ wanted to be part of the photoshoot.
JJ and I had a little chat about how he can’t always be the star.
At first he didn’t even look at me, but then I think he took it fairly well.
These next photos were meant to be turned into a Christmas Eve meme along the lines of, “While others are panicking about last minute shopping, namaste calm this Christmas.”
The next morning I woke up exceptionally early to make my way to Georgia, but first let me take a family selfie and say how grateful I am to have the Nowacki clan in my life.
Great Dane Pub
