I'm a Packer Backer

As many of you know by now, the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 6th. This wouldn't be a Wisconsinite's blog if I didn't pay homage to my beloved Packers. I promise this will probably one of the only times I talk about sports for those of you who read this blog and really aren't into sports. I love sports! I love to watch football, basketball, hockey and baseball. I think a lot of my love comes from attending UW-Madison and also from my hubby's insistence on knowing every sports stat and watching every game he possibly can, which is ok with me.


This was definitely a year we weren't sure how the Packers would do, but they defied a lot of odds with a young team (2nd youngest in the league) and many injuries and made it to the Super Bowl on a wild card.



It is hard to explain to non-Packer backers what it is like to be a Packer fan and to be born and raised in Packer country. Most states have a football team, but all of them are owned by an actual person...a team owner. The Packers are the only NFL team to not be owned by a single person. Instead the team is owned by the rightful owners....the fans. The Packers are a publicly owned team; the good occupants of Wisconsin (or wherever else a Packer fan may live) are the owners. Wisconsinites, Packer fans and all others alike own stock (no one person can have more than 200,000 shares to prevent sole ownership of the team) in the Packer's organization which is why I think being a Packer backer has such unique characteristics. We aren't fair weather fans; I have never seen a Packer fan turn his or her back on the team in bad times and losing streaks. Sure, we complain about plays, bad games and bad play calls, but we always back the team no matter what the season is like. Packer fans will gladly dress in layers and layers of clothes to sit at Lambeau field in -20 degree weather to watch a game (if you can get a ticket). Season tickets have been sold out since 1960 and there are over 81,000 names on the waiting list. According to packers.com, the average wait is 30 years to actually get season tickets. Recently a friend had a baby and she put her daughter on the waiting list and I think she was number 67, 000 something. Hopefully, by the time she is 30 she will get her tickets!

Packer fans will also sit in -20 degree weather or +100 weather to tailgate and enjoy beer, brats, cheese curds, cheese and any other Wisconsin-made treats.

I love being a Packer fan! Not just because they won the Super Bowl, but because they are a great team, owned by the people. We are down-home fans who always stick by their team. Living in Minnesota has NOT changed my perspective or fan following at all. Even though many people have tried to persuade me in the last 7 years of living in MN to switch my cheering to the V team (Just can't put the name in my blog), I would never turn my back on the Packers. I think I choose the right team this year and for many years to come.

I will forever and always be a Packer Backer.

Painting is underway!

Our house has been taken over by tarp, painters cloths, ladders, tape, paintbrushes and rollers. The painting has begun...the best thing is... I-DON'T-HAVE-TO-DO-IT! Little did we know how much more the painters would actually have to do than just paint. Since it was a newly built house when we moved in there was only one coat of paint on the walls and there were screws and nails starting to pop-out. Something that happens with newer homes, especially if the drywall was hung in the wintertime and there are temperature variations from outside to inside. Anyway, there were some corners that were cracking, so the painters had to remove the drywall tape, clean out the cracks and put some "mud" in them to seal it. No idea what the "mud" is (probably dry wall compound or something)

Here are some before pictures (notice how EVERYTHING is painted the same color....ugh...the reason for the massive painting project):

Stairwell going up

Kitchen

(the center island is never that cluttered...we were putting everything on it to make way for the painters)

Dining Room

Fireplace
(notice all the paint samples...man, it was hard to decide! The fireplace will be painted an accent color)

Living Room with fireplace
(the toy in the corner is a toy crash cart! Yes, my daughter has a toy crash cart complete with defibrillator paddles. Found it at a garage sale; couldn't pass it up)

Now for the in progress pictures:

Master Bathroom
(not so tranquil yet)

Dining Room

Upstairs hallway

Stairwell going up

Living Room

The painters thought they would be done tomorrow, so stay tuned for after pictures! OR maybe I will have to wait to post those until I get everything decorated, but that could take me a while too. We shall see!

Weekend with family...

This weekend Aunt Heather, Cousin Ainsley, and Grandma and Grandpa Stephany came to visit. It was actually to celebrate Christmas since Heather, Dave and Ainsley traveled to Chicago for actual Christmas this year. Here are some pictures from our weekend. Of course, Julia had a blast playing with Ainsley!

First, a really cute picture of the little gal! I just love the pigtails and of course, who can resist those big brown eyes! Eating her favorite pumpkin flax muffins and milk in her Bucky cup.

Playing in Julia's Dora tent

Dress up...wouldn't you want this cutie as your doctor or nurse?

Sang ring around the rosey in their cute dress up clothes
They made messes (this is Julia's toy room)

Played toy trains with Grandpa

Rode on Azul the train at MOA

A picture with Grandma and Grandpa