Happy 2014!

New Year’s Eve Kathbert, Luxuli, and I gathered at Richard Bonomo’s house for brunch, then Travalon picked me up and we drove to Waupun to spend the evening with his friends. We went to dinner at a restaurant in Randolph that reminded me of the Dorf Haus, with its German décor and menu. There were eleven of us, including a girl of nine. She kept counting how many drinks her mom had, but to be fair she conceded that she had three kiddie cocktails herself and therefore was in no shape to drive. (Mom was not driving either, for the record.) Then we went to a house with a really cool living room, like a Northern Wisconsin hunting lodge, and we played Apples to Apples, a really fun game after a few drinks. Travalon and I were the only ones without teenagers calling and texting to check in.  Who knows, maybe one day we will have that to look forward to.

Yesterday morning we slept in too late to get to Mass in Beaver Dam by ten. We hung out with Travalon’s friends, drinking coffee and chatting, until driving back to town to watch the Badger game at Pooley’s. Unfortunately the Badgers lost, their fourth Bowl in a row. (This year, instead of the Rose Bowl, they were in the Capital One Bowl or something, in Orlando.) Then we went to my OTHER choir director’s place because he was having his traditional New Year’s Day Open House, with lots of delicious treats he made himself. We left to get to 5:15 Mass, but when we got to the church, it was unlocked but completely deserted. There weren’t even any cars in the parking lot. Apparently Rich read the website wrong, and the Mass had been the evening before; there was one at seven, but it was in Spanish, and by the time I knew about it, Mass would have been half over when I got there. So I missed a day of obligation – what a way to start the New Year! Hopefully the rest of the year goes more smoothly. It’s going to be a big one for me, with a wedding in May and then our honeymoon in Ireland. So excited!

Famous Hat