A Night out in Milwaukee

Recently I had the chance to get out of town and spend a night in Milwaukee with my friends. Since we all have busy schedules with work, school, and more we barely have time to hangout. This time around I made sure I was off from work to enjoy an epic time with my friends. To kick off the night I drove down to Milwaukee. Since my friends have an apartment in the city I was able to save money by sleeping over for free. As I arrived at their apartment I realized they had a perfect view of the city from all angles. I quickly remember how much I miss living in a city. Throughout the night we were able to check out a German bar call The Beer House and an Irish bar called Harps. I made sure we went to these places because it reminded me when I was over in Europe. There is something about singing, dancing, and drinking that makes the atmosphere a unique experience. After a fun night out with my friends I must get some sleep, and for the next advantages. Cheers, LeeIV

My Grandma 70th Birthday

G’day Mates, recently I celebrated my grandma’s (abuela) birthday in Chicago! Since being away from my family for a long period of time, I make sure I found an excuse to visit them. Although I have school and work during the week I found a way to make a quick trip to sweet home Chicago. As usual I drove down to Milwaukee to catch a Greyhound bus down to Chicago, but this time I made a detour to Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee. I didn’t stay long because I had to make sure I didn’t miss my bus. I didn’t win or lose much, but it was enough to get the casino rush in. Afterwards I got on the bus and headed down to Chicago. It is always nice to get away and do things that I can’t do in Fond du Lac, such as Chicago style food, more shopping options, and of course check out the city life. As I arrived in Chicago my mom picked me from the Greyhound station then we headed to the store to pick some items for my Grandma’s birthday eve dinner. We made tacos and fries and for dessert we made an apple pie and it was delicious. The following day I made a birthday breakfast for my grandma and family. We had pancakes with applesauce, sausage, and eggs. Once we finished breakfast we got ready to take care of some errands. Although we didn’t do anything huge for my grandma’s birthday, I had a great time spending time with them. I am jealous my mom and grandma are going to the Bahamas for my grandma birthday gift in two weeks. I am hoping we all can do a family trip to Hawaii next summer, especially since I have not been able to do a family trip since I was in first grade. We have a lot of catching up to do. Later on my family dropped me off at the bus station so I could head back to Fond du Lac, and finish the rest of my week off. I am already looking forward seeing my family again in January and to start planning my trip to Hawaii! Until then catch you soon! Cheers, Lee IV

Milwaukee Trip

Recently I made a random trip down to Milwaukee with my friend Heather from Moraine Park. We headed down to the city on Saturday night to check out some bands at bar called B.B.C. located on the east side of the city. I was excited to check these bands because their genre of music is an Irish rock theme. The three bands were Living Dred, Wise guys and Scallywags, and Whiskey o

f the Damned. They each gave an excellent performance on stage, and got the crowd pumped up to their music. My friend Heather knew one of the band members of the Living Dred and I was able to meet the band. They were a fun group to talk to and they were down to earth. We didn't stay out too late because we both had to work the next morning; therefore, we came back the same night. I had a lot of fun doing something different to support local bands in the big city. Remember you don't have to look far to find something fun to do. Catch you soon in my next blog, ciao! Cheers, Lee IV

The Color Run in Milwaukee

Recently, I had the opportunity to do my first 5K run in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A group of friends and I joined the most fun run ever. The Color Run is an event that is hosted in cities around the United States including Australia. This event is a bit different from your typical runs. Regardless of age, weight and experience people are welcome to join with family and friends. The color run helps raise funds in the surrounding communities to create a better environment for charities. This year’s event was sold out and 10,000 people came out to join the fun activities. During the race I was able to keep up with our group and we had a blast seeing people dressed up in the craziest gear ever. The best part of this run was running through the various colors ranging from blue, yellow, pink, and orange. Then at the end of the run there was a huge celebration with music and a grand finale of throwing color in the air. This was truly a great experience and I am looking forward for more events like this, and doing other runs in the future. To find more information about the Color Run and to see where the next event will be held check out the website at www.thecolorrun.com. Catch you soon in my adventures blog. Cheers, Lee IV

4th of July

Happy birthday America! On the 4th of July I was able to enjoy my day off and enjoy the hot weather day. A couple of friends from Moraine Park and I headed down to Bradford Beach in Milwaukee. Bradford Beach is an hour south of Fond du Lac located on the east side of Milwaukee. I made sure I tagged along because the weather was super hot and the beach was a perfect way to stay cool. Of course since a lot of people were off on the 4th the beach was packed with people. After walking a mile we finally arrived at the beach, and the sand was beyond hot; it felt like we were stepping on hot coals. We quickly found a spot to drop off our cooler and bags then ran into the water. We enjoyed the day of tanning, drinking, playing beach games and volleyball. It was good to see people wearing clothes supporting America. After a long day at the beach I decided to get something to eat before we headed off to watch the fireworks at nights. I went to 5 Guys and they have a simple menu but amazing food. They are known for their fresh burgers and Cajun fries, but I decided to get their all beef hot dogs with everything on top and Cajun fries. Afterwards I caught up with my friends at the local park to watch the fireworks as I ate my food. Unfortunately the firework show was not as impressive as I hoped, but I enjoyed being off from work and spending time with my friends. Well mates I hoped you enjoyed your holiday off too and spent time with your families. I will catch you on my next blog! Cheers, Lee IV

– Brewers vs. Dodgers

G’day Mates, like I promised previously, here is round two of the voyage on April 17. After having an early morning helping with the segment for Fox 11, I had to work at Qdoba. The shift went well as the normal lunch rush came in and made the time fly by. I was eager to be done because later that day I headed down to Milwaukee for the Brewers game. After work I met up with some friends to carpool down to the game. We were celebrating our friends Danni’s birthday. She wanted to eat at the Safe House restaurant in Milwaukee before the game started. The Safe House is a unique restaurant that specializes in a spy theme. I recommend this place because of the cool features that are located throughout the restaurant. You can check out the website at http://www.safe-house.com Afterwards we headed off to the Brewers game. We made it in enough time to tailgate, although it was a bit windy we still had a good time talking and getting pumped for the game. The Brewers were playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since this was my first Brewers game for 2012 I was hoping they would pull off a win. We sat on the 400 level in which I didn’t mind because I was able to see the whole stadium from the top; I think it is the best seat. Throughout the game we got drinks and food as we cheered on the Brew crew. The whole game was very close; I wasn’t sure if the Brewers had it to take home the win. It wasn’t until the bottom of the 9th when things changed and there was hope. The Brewers fought hard to get the go ahead run to win the game. The people who left early missed a tremendous ending. I was glad to witness a great game against the Dodgers. Well mates, after a long fun day it is time to dock the ship. I’ll catch you on the next voyage as I sail down to Madison for the Student Ambassador banquet, it should be a great time! 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

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

Hasta Luego Chicago!

Well today is my last day in Chicago. Every time I am having fun time always tends to go fast. My mom was kind enough to drop me off at the bus station in the Chicago. As we drove through the city the skyline is one of the beautiful scenes than any other city I have seen yet. I gave my mom a hug as she dropped me off, then I quickly jogged to the bus to make sure I didn’t miss my bus. Then another surprise came along as my friend Tyler decided to come back to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin for a couple of days to visit. He is one of the fewest friends from Chicago who actually came up to visit me here in town. We both got on the Mega bus and headed off to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During this time we were catching up on the present and past. Another reason why Tyler came up was to DJ with me at Slim and Chubby’s so I can learn more about DJing. We got into Milwaukee in no time because the traffic was smooth and the weather was sunny. I then decided we should go to the casino especially since Tyler has never been to one, so we went to Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee. The best way to describe a casino is like Chuckie Cheese for adults because of all the noises, lights, and people. It was a good time; we walked around and played a round of roulette which is my favorite game to play. We didn’t stay long because I had to work, then we got into the van and drove up to good ol’ Fond du Lac. Once we got back home I showed him around the house and told him to make himself at home. Afterwards I headed off to work for a couple of hours. Once I finished I headed back home, and by then some friends from school came over to play board games. It was a good time; we all laughed, told jokes, and just enjoyed the night. We then decided it was time for bed since we had a big day for the next day. Well mates that completes another fun adventurous day, until next time Ciao!
Cheers,
Lee IV

Turkey Break Part 2

On Tuesday, November 22, for the first time in awhile I didn’t have to wake up early for my morning class because turkey break officially started. Therefore, I slept in but not for too long because if I sleep away my morning I feel I wasted my day away. Once I got ready for the day I headed over to school to water the plants that we are growing for my salads class. They are looking green; I can’t wait to harvest them! Afterwards I headed to the auto lab to change my new license plates for my vehicle, since the tools were strong enough because the old license plates had rust on them. The students from the auto lab were friendly and gladly switched my plates for me. As a tip to save money on car repairs you can take your vehicle to the auto lab and they will try to fix it for you. The only thing you pay is the parts, and the labor is free but tips are always a good thing to show support. You can view a list of their repair schedule at http://www.morainepark.edu/services/automotive-lab/vehicle-repair-schedule/.
In the afternoon I headed off to Biolife to give plasma, this is a great way to earn extra cash and most important, save people lives. For more information about Biolife you can check out the website at http://www.biolifeplasma.com/. Once I got home one of my past housemates came down to visit us; we decided it would be a good idea to go to Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee since we haven’t gone in a long time. The drive wasn’t too bad until we hit city traffic because of rush hour but that is a given since everyone is heading home. After a hour later we arrived at the casino, it is always a thrill for me to see if I will win or lose money. I am not a big spender on gambling; therefore I prefer to bid smaller amounts to have my money last longer. One of my favorite games to play is roulette, black jack and spin the wheel. My friends and I were having a good time playing, walking around and see how other people play their favorite games to win big. After being at the casinos for a couple of hours we figured it was time for us to head back home, and call it a night. As a result we broke even with our money, it is always nice to come out on top and not be in the negative. Well another fun day I’ll say, until next time Ciao!

Cheers,
Lee IV