Abby preparing for her wedding performance.

It is so hot here in Seffner, that we decided we needed a break. So we hopped on a plane and headed to Wisconsin. Ok, so we actually went for a wedding, but the location couldn't have been better. We were in the city of Appleton (you may have seen a few pictures on our Instagram feed) and the temperatures were nothing short of amazing, especially for June and July! 70s during the day, 50s and 60s at night. At the last minute, we realized it was probably a good idea to pack jackets for all of us (you know how thin Florida blood can be . . .) The weather made everything we did extra enjoyable and we soaked in the cool weather while we could.

Our main reason for traveling to Wisconsin was a family wedding. It was for a family friend that my parents met before I was born (and when she was only 7!) Not only did we get to attend, but Abby surprised the guests by playing her violin in the wedding. And then we doubled the surprise, when I joined her for a duet (you can check out a rehearsal video of our daddy-daughter duet here, which includes my father playing the accompaniment, so maybe it's better described as a three-generation trio). We don't have any video from the wedding, but if we did, you'd see Abby non-chalantly stroll up to the front of a church filled with 200 people and put her violin on her shoulder like it was something she does every day. She even led the song 'Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee' as the recessional, and you know how at most weddings, once the wedding party has made their exit, people head for the doors? The entire congregation remained standing, facing forward to watch Abby finish playing, and when she was done, they gave her a huge round of applause. It's hard not to be wildly proud of her.

Maddy giving a goat some loving at The Farm.

It was definitely a great trip. The wedding was beautiful and everything about Wisconsin was great. The people were friendly, you can get squeaky cheese curds almost anywhere and there were too many local craft beers for me to try them all. One of our favorite stops (especially for the girls) was The Farm in Door County near Sturgeon Bay. The kids got to bottle feed baby goats, milk a mama goat, and there were cows, sheep, chickens, turkeys and even a humongous brahma bull that let the kids pet him on the nose. The Farm made me kind of jealous, because as our veggie gardens wither away, theirs are just being planted. The corn was definitely 'knee-high by the Fourth of July' and they had new plantings of tomatoes, greens, brocolli . . . veggies we can only dream about at this time of year. But we are going to take it as inspiration to get our gardens cleaned up and ready for the next planting season. We hope your summer is going well and that you are finding a way to get a break from the heat in whatever way you can!

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