Our Journey to Madison

Happy Friday Mates! On March 16, my friend Sophia and I headed down to Madison, to finish booking our Europe trip at the STA (Student Travel Agency) store. As we were driving down the weather was nice, but midway through our journey we had to drive through fog. Fog is one of the weather conditions I don’t like driving through because I can’t see what is around. As we got closer to Madison the fog lifted up, and the weather was beyond amazing. Nothing beats a sunny day in Madison because there is so much to see and do. As we entered the STA Company we were greeted with friendly service, and our agent Jessica helped us with all of our travel plans for a month. After we finished booking our trip, we meet up with Sophia’s friend for lunch. Once we finished getting lunch, we went shopping. We didn’t find much but we did enjoy walking around looking at several of shops, and coffee shops. Afterwards since Sophia’s friend, Casey, attends the University of Wisconsin - Madison, she gave us a mini tour of the campus. It is amazing how many people attend UW-Madison and how big this campus is, it is like a small community within itself. As soon as the fun was starting it was time for us to head back to Fond du Lac because I had to work. I must say our journey to Madison was well worth it, and I hope to visit Madison again because there is so much to do. Well mates I hope you enjoy this journey because there is more to come! See you soon!

Cheers,
Lee IV

Tour of Moraine Park’s Beaver Dam campus

Welcome back Mates! March 14 was the day I was able to take a tour of Moraine Park’s Beaver Dam campus. That was the day I sat on a committee to help pick a nominee for the Student of the Year Award. I represented as the Student Ambassador and I sat with three other members from the three Moraine Park campuses. We interviewed 13 nominees for the award, and I must say each person had a unique personality and story about them. I was glad to sit on this committee because I was able to meet students who I never met before. Throughout the day I was able to tour around the campus to see what the campus had to offer. Although it’s a small campus, the Beaver Dam campus is in the process of renovating for a new library and a new student center. I’m looking forward to seeing the renovations once the project is complete. At the end of the day the committee concluded who should be nominated for the Student of the Year Award. To find out who was elected you can find out on May 4 at the Student Recognition Banquet in Lomira. As we left the campus I headed home to have dinner with my friend from Moraine Park to eat at Perl’s in St. Peter. The food was tasty, especially since the wings special was all you can eat for $7.99. I recommend if you want to try something new to check out Perl’s. Well mates after a long productive day, It’s time for bed, ciao!
Cheers,
Lee IV

Fun Day in March

G’day Mates, welcome back to another exciting voyage back to Milwaukee. On March 13, I headed back down to the Food Expo with the baking crew early in the morning. The baking crew was preparing quick breads and other tasty treats to demonstrate for guests to learn new techniques. Since they were doing that I was able to check out the show floor since I missed it the previous day because of competing. I met a lot of people that day from Fox 6, reporter Justine, Cheese Lady Sarah and many others. I was astonished about all the people I was networking with because they gave me a lot of tips of how I can improve my goals and help others with theirs. Not only did I talk to a lot of people, I was able to eat a lot of tasty foods from steak to gyros. The abundance of samples made me full, but I made sure I tried everything to experience flavors I never had before. I recommend if you ever have the chance to check out a Food Expo you should, otherwise you are missing out on a lot of things. After having a good time at the Food Expo it was time to head back to Fond du Lac, because I had class that evening. I must say although I haven’t had much sleep this week, I am having a great time! On my next voyage I’ll be sailing off to Moraine Park’s Beaver Dam campus. I am excited to tour the campus and help select a candidate for the Student of the Year Award. See you soon, ciao!

Cheers,
Lee IV

Game Day

G’day Mates! Monday, March 12 was the official day of the hot plate food competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the American Airline Center. After a day of practice our team was feeling pretty good about winning today, although we were a little nervous. I learned if you are nervous about something, that it means you really care about the thing you are doing. As we approached our destination I was becoming super excited to get our food competition started to show what we can bring to the table. Since we had some time to spare before we started, I decided to check out the keynote speaker Duff Goodman. He is famous for his hit television show Ace of Cakes on the Food Network channel. He was an excellent speaker; I was able to take a couple of pictures, and video clip of his presentation. Shortly afterwards it was time for our team to get ready for our competition. We started to plan out what order things were going to be cooked in, then once 12:30 hit it was time for us to start cooking. In the beginning we were talking, laughing, and having a good time because this is what we do best. Midway through the competition things got a little scary because some of the food wasn’t turning out correctly, but we kept our cool and “shake and bake.” The judges kept coming around, checking to see how well we were doing, and asking us questions about ourselves and food. With 5 minutes left we were pushing for time, and then within 30 seconds left I realized I needed to plate my rice. So I quickly ran to grab the rice and shape it on the plate, and then ran the plate to the judges. I felt like the television show, Chopped, when a contestant almost forgets the key ingredient, which is one feeling when your stomach just drops. Afterwards we clapped and took a group picture. Afterwards we had some free time to walk around before the judges came around to critique us.

Thirty minutes passed and the judges came by to critique us, and it wasn’t too good. The way we were judge on didn’t seem like the judges liked our food because there were mixed reviews. After that our confident level went down, and we thought our chance of placing was shot down. Therefore going to the award ceremony we were sad, but something changed our feeling. As they announced the 3rd place winner, they called out Moraine Park team 2. We were stunned; I was like is this real and once it was, I jumped in joy and I think I screamed a little but it didn’t matter because I was glad our team placed. We haven’t placed in four years, so this was a huge accomplishment. Afterwards we took group pictures with our medals and trophy. After an emotional rollercoaster day, our hard work paid off. Some of us were even thinking about competing again, and our next goal is to beat Fox Valley Tech since they came in first this year. We headed home in tears of joy and celebrating our goal. Well mates after a long emotional day, it is time for me to dock the ship because there’s another early voyage tomorrow as I finally get to check out the Food Expo floor. Until then ciao!

Cheers,
Lee IV

Practice Day for Wisconsin Restaurant Expo Competition

Ahoy Mates! March 11 was one of my longest days because we were practicing for our hot plate competition in Milwaukee. Although we were told by our instructor it would be a long day, going through the emotions can take a toll on the body. Since we were determined to win, our team did whatever it took to place in the competition. The hardest part about this day was it was so warm and lovely outside that unfortunately we had to stay inside and cook in a warm kitchen. I learned dedication is a key factor in doing anything in life because motivation will guide you through obstacles that may occur. Throughout the day we changed our menu to fit our likeness until we felt which foods would be the winner. After going though several recipes we finally picked which food we were going to compete with. That was the easy part compared to the rest of the task we had to do for the rest of the day. We had to make a checklist to make sure we had everything to bring down to Milwaukee with us, then once that process was finished we had to cost out our menu. As the day ended we were beyond tired, and we were at Moraine Park for 12 hours. Once we finished it was time for us to head home, but I decided to go bowling to release some stress and have some fun. I headed over to Ledgeview Lanes to bowl three games. I did pretty decent for not bowling for a month. My averages were around 155 for all three games, but I was just glad to get some fresh air before competing the next day. Afterwards I headed home and got some sleep for the big event day. On my next blog I’ll tell you about my experience at the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo event in Milwaukee. I will even have some mini clips of my journey. Stay tuned, ciao!
Cheers,
Lee IV

Lunch ‘n Learn

G’day mates! Welcome to another journey! On March 6, Student Life held a Lunch ‘n Learn event for students to attend speaker, Adam LoDolce. Adam LoDolce is America’s dating coach on social freedom. He is also known for his best seller book “Being Alone Sucks” and was seen on numerous television networks. His focus is to break social norms, and to challenge our self by talking to people who we don’t know, and meeting new people. When I saw posters about Adam coming to Moraine Park, I made sure to check out the event because this is something right up my alley, to speak and meet people. During this time we were offered free lunch with our student I.D. card. On the menu we had an open nacho bar, ice cream, and a choice of beverage. Everything was good especially since it was free, so I couldn’t complain. As Adam spoke I gained some useful tips I can use in my life. Such as learning the number one thing people fear in life is Public Speaking, which is interesting because we speak to people every day. Adam pointed out how he made a difference in his life by changing his old appearance, and doing things he wanted to do. There are a lot of things you can learn from Adam LoDolce. You can check out his homepage at http://ultimatesocialfreedom.com/dating-expert/ . I am also looking forward for the upcoming event Student Life has to offer for the upcoming month. Until next time, ciao!
Cheers,
Lee IV

March Madness

G’day Mates! Welcome to a brand new month! This month so happens to be my favorite time of the year because all the events happening. Such as daylight saving time, St. Patrick’s Day, the NCAA Tournament, official spring time, it is National Women Month, and my birthday is at the of the month. What more can I ask for in a special month? On another note something about green I endure so much, I guess it could be the Luck of the Irish clovers and the Irish tradition that I love so much. Anyways I am looking forward for this month events, although it is going to be crazy busy, but the journey will be well worth it! Stay tuned for the exciting voyages ahead!

Cheers,
Lee IV

We are Futuremakers 2012

G’day Mates! February 28 was the day I finally finish my video for the We are Futuremakers competition. This competition was open to all the technical college students in Wisconsin. Students had the opportunity to feature in a video of why they are a Futuremaker. This was a fun process for me because I was able to create a video that showed my creativity inside and outside of school. To check out my video click on the link at http://www.wearefuturemakers.com/videocompetition/entry/id/269. You also have the chance to vote for my video and rate it, the more votes I get the better chance of winning. I hope you enjoy the video and let me know what you think! The last day to vote is March 17th! There are other videos you can check out on the website too. I will keep you informed on the progress of the video selection. In my next blog I’ll be talking about a new restaurant in town called Fat Joe’s. Until next time see you on the next voyage. Ciao! Cheers, Lee IV

Super Friday

G’day Mates! February 24 was a super exciting day, but first I would like to say Happy Friday! After not having classes on Friday I took this opportunity to finally purchase my backpacking trip to Europe this summer with my friend Sophia. Although it was supposed to have been five of us going, three of our friends dropped out because they couldn’t afford it anymore. We were sad but the journey must continue on. We purchased our ticket through STA (Student Travel Agency). This is a company that is specializing in trips for students and teachers, with the cheapest route to travel. I booked other trips with them before and I enjoy their service because they are friendly, and experience traveling so they give a first-hand recommendation to various places. My friend Sophia and I are super excited for this trip because we are traveling for a month in twelve different countries in Europe. This is definitely a once in a life time experience to try experience new cuisines and cultures. Our next step in our trip is buying our train ticket and finding the best way for us to save money. I plan on sharing my experience with you as we prepare our trip, and as we continue our voyage across the big pond. Well mates after that exciting step that is all for today, I realize planning can be a lot of work, but at the end it is worth the wait and patience of working hard. If you want to know more about traveling or have any questions please leave a comment. It would be my pleasure to reply back. Until next time, ciao!

Good News

Howdy Mates! February 23 started off on a good note because I found out I got the student ambassador position for Moraine Park Technical College. It is a honor to have this position because I know I will do whatever it takes to get people involved with campus activities, and communicating with students, staff, and instructors. I am looking forward to the numerous activities ahead and working on becoming a better person to balance my schedule and staying well rounded. After I received the good news I headed off to my Ethnic Restaurant class. I told some of my friends and classmates and they congratulated me on my new position. As we continued with class we went over how to service our guests in restaurants. I learned some important information how to keep guests satisfied, and the proper ways to serve drinks and food to people. All of these steps will help me to teach others down the road of the knowledge I was taught. Once class was done I did some errands around town paying off my bills, and keeping up with the maintenance of my vehicle. Afterwards I meet up with my friend Sean to have dinner at a local restaurant called Parrot Palms located on Johnson Street in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Since we both have busy schedules we meet up at least once a week and catching up on each lives and laughing of the past. Parrot Palms was a unique place, the theme was compared to a tropical place like Hawaii. There is a decent size dance floor, and the music was good because they were playing great music from the 70s. It is always nice listening to music in the past instead of the typical radio music. Five minutes later we ordered our food, and within no time the food came out. I ordered a hamburger, chips, and their hottest wings because I love spicy foods. After we finished our dinner we played a series of pool, although I’m not very good I still won because my friend Sean kept hitting in the eight ball, but I didn’t complain. Overall I must say we would come back and try some other food on the menu too see If they have the best in town. Since it was Thursday night I went into work to DJ at Slim and Chubby’s, and it was a solid night. People were dancing and enjoying themselves; this always makes me happy to see other people having a great time out. Well mates after a fun productive day it’s time for me to get some sleep I have another big weekend ahead. Ciao!
Cheers,
Lee IV

The big day

G’day Mates! February 22 was the day I got interviewed for becoming student ambassador for Moraine Park Technical College. I was a little nervous for this interview because I was in front of eight people asking me questions about myself and why I would be a good fit for this position. Since I’m used to talking in front of people I became comfortable answering my questions and making eye contact with each person. Towards the end of my interview session I was aware a student ambassador has many responsibilities such as committing to a one-year term, attending student senate meetings, attending campus activities, and much more. This experience was great because I was able to use my communication skills and practice being in front of people without getting nervous. The best thing I got out of this interview session was I was able to meet the committee members who are from the surrounding community. Overall I felt this position would be perfect for me because I am very outgoing, I attend the various events on campus, and I love networking and meeting new people. I hope I will get this position, so my fingers are crossed! I will keep you posted on my next blog of what the results are. See you soon!
Cheers,
Lee IV

Sunday Fun day

Ahoy Mates! February 19 was a super long but fun day. It all started with me working at Qdoba in the morning. My shift wasn’t too bad for a Sunday, but it seems like lately we’ve been getting a good rush in the afternoon times; which is good as it makes the time go by faster. I was ready to be done because I was excited to go tubing with my friend Rachel at Sunburst Ski Resort located in Kewaskum, Wisconsin. Once I finished my shift we grabbed a bit to eat at Hardees, and they have this new buffalo chicken sandwich which is really good and I recommend it. Then we headed on down to Sunburst. On that day the weather was beautiful, sunny, and warm; a perfect day to be outside. As we approached the ski resort we could tell there was a difference in the temperature because it was a lot cooler with all the snow around. We waited in line for ten minutes but the wait was worth the adventure. As we approach the hill there is a tube elevator that allowed us to go up on the hill without getting tired. Once we were on top of the hill we saw how beautiful the area looked on top of the hill. There were a lot of people in line, but it went by super fast once things got started. When it was my turn to go down the hill I was so pumped. The first dip of the hill my stomach drop but the rush overturned my fear of the speed. We easily went down the hill over a dozen of times. As time went by my friend Rachel and I would race to see who was the fastest. We both broke even in the series. After awhile we got tired and headed back home, but for me I still had a soccer match in Oshkosh. I already knew by the end of the night I would be super tired and sore from all the activities.
An hour later my soccer match started and we were pushing for a win because this session we haven’t been doing the best as we usually do. Although this league is for fun, we like to win at the same time. We started off strong by taking the lead three to zero. Then, out of nowhere the opposing team caught up by scoring three unanswered goals. At half time we tried to see what we were doing wrong, and change our plan. Our new approach worked for awhile but then we allowed the opposing team to score to end the game on a tie. We were a bit disappointed so we are looking forward to our next game in the upcoming week. Afterwards I headed home, I thought I would be able to do some more homework, but I was too tired to stay awake. So now you can see why today was a super long fun Sunday! In my next voyage you will hear about how I prepared for my Student Ambassador interview, so stay tuned!

Cheers,
Lee IV

Another Happy Friday

G’day Mates! Welcome to another Friday! On February 17, I started my day off with celebrating my other brother’s birthday by wishing him Happy Birthday, the day after my younger brother’s birthday. I can’t believe my brother Chris turned eighteen. Like always, I can’t believe how time is flying. In the fall he will be attending college as freshmen. I already remember the day when I was a freshman, but I know he will do fine. After I called him for his birthday wishes I got ready for another productive day. I went to school to register for my food styling class competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I can’t believe we are two weeks away from competition. I am little nervous, but I know our team will do whatever it takes to win. Plus the experience is priceless, something I will add to my resume. Once I finished registering I decided it would be a good time to start on my homework for the weekend. Since I work a lot I figure it is better to finish my home work early rather than waiting till the last minute. A famous quote I learned in high school was “to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late.” This is such a relevant quote in life because if we do things early less stress is added on our daily lives. I hope this quote helps you with anything you’re going through. Well mates it is time for me to hit the haystack, the working weekend is approaching, check you later!

Cheers,
Lee IV