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The Wonder Luster

For Those Of Us Whose Dreams Won't Die Between 17 and 65.

Life is wondrous! Feed your lust for life with the tools & inspiration to help make it a great one.

Meanderings in Milwaukee…Summerfest, Harleys and Local Happenings #VisitMKE

Travel | July 4, 2015

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Disclosure Policy.

Bastille at Milwaukee Summerfest

If you’re into the summer music festival scene, Milwaukee needs to be on your list of cities to visit.  In the past, I’ve avoided Coachella while in California and totally avoided Lollapalooza in Chicago.  It was just too hot, too crowded and too expensive.  I’m not one who likes to fight with a bunch of drunken, high, idiot teenagers, and some 30+ somethings who are acting like teenagers, except usually with pricier cocktails and better seats.

Summerfest is staple of Milwaukee and runs like clockwork, without the same problems temporary festivals face.  Additionally, the community of Milwaukee is ingrained with Summerfest, gearing up to feed, transport, house and enchant visitors, unlike the reluctant locals that find themselves hosting other festivals.  While the festival has wrapped up for this summer, you might want to put a note in for next year on your 2016 calendar, I suspect the lineup will include some great acts like this year that you won’t want to miss!

Milwaukee Summerfest Fireworks

Summerfest kicked off this year with a gorgeous and lengthy fireworks display.  The festival housed some great acts this year- the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Carrie Underwood and I got to catch Bastille and Keith Urban.

Milwaukee is home to an impressive art museum and is also the birthplace of the Harley-Davidson (swoon…someday!) with a restaurant and museum to peruse.  As a social media manager by trade, I was super impressed with the brand that Harley-Davidson has built and an inclusive culture they’ve fostered around the love of the motorcycle.  I was also super stoked to see a selection of the museum was dedicated solely to female fans of the bike.  Chicks on motorcycles are cool.  I want to be one, it’s true.

Harley Davidson Museum MilwaukeeThe Harley Davidson Motorcycle Museum in Milwaukee Wisconsin VisitMilwaukeeWomen of the Harley Davidson Museum- Milwaukee Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Art Museum was probably one of my favorites- a spot I’d want to go back to again!  The exhibits housed some pieces from my girl Frida Kahlo, Van Gogh and just really great pieces.  Little ones roamed the halls in summer immersion programs (kids need art..NEED)  and in the mornings, the giant wings on the museum open up to welcome guests.  It had a unique, inclusive vibe and really cool pieces, while still being close to the Summerfest activities.

The Milwaukee Art Museum Wings Milwaukee Art MuseumThe Milwaukee Art Museum

If you’re looking for good food and shopping in Milwaukee, you won’t be disappointed.  While there are plenty of great spots to stop and sip, including Lakefront Brewery and Central Standard Distillery Company (the gin was awesome, I bought a bottle to take home!) there are great spots to stop and shop as well.  The Milwaukee Public Market is a quaint collection of booths and eateries that will have you salivating.  I stopped for a big brownie, coffee and some sushi- but there were wines, sandwiches and cheeses to enjoy, something for every palate and some great things to buy and take home.

Milwaukee Public Market The Milwaukee Public Market WisconsinWines and cheeses at the Milwaukee Public Market

Feeling hungry?  You should check out Pizza Man. I love that place, and so does Milwaukee. It’s yummy and has been around since the 70’s for a reason..it’s just good!  For a Chicagoan, we have something to say about pizza- everyone in Chi-Town has their favorite joint, an opinion on who makes the best deep dish (I’m a Lou & Gino’s girl), but Pizza Man is a Milwaukee staple.  It was so yummy!  Stop in for pizza, pasta and some wine, you won’t regret it.  We sampled pizza with cream cheese and artichoke hearts.  Yes…it was delicious!

Pizza Man Milwaukee, WI Pizza Man MilwaukeeA cliché that was proven true- Milwaukee is home to some awesome cheese.  To which, we ate a lot. We drank plenty of beers.  We noshed on desserts and ate delectable french toast slathered in goodness.

I haven’t been kayaking before, but finally got the chance to in Milwaukee and it was awesome. Needless to say, I want to try kayaking again when I visit Austin..I’m hooked!  The Milwaukee Kayak Company offers a fun excursion while in Milwaukee.  Fellow kayakers also smuggled in a six pack of Spotted Cow (also a must when in Wisconsin) into their boat for some fun river time, but we kayaked sober (probably out of necessity so I don’t hurt myself or others).

Milwaukee Kayak Tours

While you’re in Milwaukee, you’ll need a place to stay. We stayed at the Potawatomi Hotel, which is brand spankin’ new. It was built last year, and while connected to the hotel, it also boasts a few really great dining spots, cafes and a gift shop for those of us who don’t gamble!  We got to try some fine dishes at the Dream Dance Steak, including kangaroo….Yup, I ate kangaroo in Milwaukee. Kangaroo, it should be on your list.  While you’re there though, you can enjoy some luxe offerings including Kobe beef and seared fish, you can have quite a time and a long, tasty meal.

Summer in Milwaukee is a delicious experience.  You’ll enjoy mild weather, fun outdoor activities and really friendly people…so you can see why Chicagoans flock to the city for weekends, concerts and fun excursions.  Even if you’re not rooted in the Midwest, it’s a city you should experience for the art, the food and the people!  Have you been?

I had a terrific time visiting Milwaukee and seeing the local sights. From Summerfest, to the Harley-Davidson Museum, to the food, it was a great time.

I was invited with a group to experience Milwaukee as a media guest.  A big thanks to Visit Milwaukee for facilitating the visit. All opinions expressed here are my own and are not indicative of those held by Visit Milwaukee or any other entity featured in this piece.

Life is wondrous! Feed your lust for life with the tools & inspiration to help make it a great one.

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Follow the adventure on Instagram

Some people just make the world a more vibrant pla Some people just make the world a more vibrant place, simply by being in it.  I can say that about these people- who make life more colorful, brighter and true just by being themselves. 

Grateful we could slow down to capture a little snippet in time for our family before we grow again. ❤️
IYKYK, bath time edition. 🛁. #bathtime #travelb IYKYK, bath time edition. 🛁. #bathtime #travelblogger #travel #familytravel #travellust
3 years since this photo was taken and my former k 3 years since this photo was taken and my former kidney became this guy's kidney. ❤️

I can say, I've grown to appreciate this moment a lot more as time has gone on.  It hasn't been an easy road for my recipient, he and his family have had a few health scares and ups and down, but I'm so grateful we are in each other's lives.

Chances are, you may know of someone in need of a kidney. 1 in 3 adults in the U.S., over 80 million people, are at risk for kidney disease.  While not every diagnosis leads to kidney failure, there are millions of people in this scary limbo hoping for good news.

I didn't know my recipient before this process started, but when I found I could live healthfully with one, I knew I had to try.  Donation is low-risk, my costs were generously covered by my recipient (both through insurance and the kindness of others) and I was back at work in 4 weeks.  Needless to say, it was easier than birthing a baby.

Candidates for kidney donation are thoroughly vetted to ensure the surgery, and life with one kidney are a good fit.  Trust me, your team will not ask you to donate if you have any risk factor of being in need of a transplant yourself down the road.  Testing took months and was incredibly thorough.  Your remaining kidney can do the job of two, and my kidney levels are normal and healthy 3 years later.

Even if you don't personally know someone who needs a kidney, please consider living kidney donation.  You can anonymously donate, be paired through a registry or find someone on social media who is in need, like I did.  There are literally thousands of people using Instagram and Facebook to try and someone who is even willing to get the basic tests.  You could be their person.  Have questions? I’m here for you! 

Being a living kidney donor absolutely enriched my life beyond imagination and has blessed my little family with a beautiful extended family to celebrate with.  Grateful for this day.
Life’s moments are made better with our pets. ❤️

Joey had been with us for nearly 4 years, made possible by the kind folks of South Texas Boston Terrier Rescue. I picked him up, intending on fostering him for a few weeks and ended up falling in love with his sweet spirit, exuberance for anything food related and his lovable derpiness.

Previously, he was kept in a small cage with two other terriers, all day every day and used as a stud. When he was no longer profitable, he, like plenty of others, was surrendered to rescue.  He was blind in one eye, needed teeth extracted and had skin lesions from life in a cage. 

Life hadn’t been easy for him, but I’m glad a rescue was there to give him a second chance, and they trusted me to give in his second chapter.  He was a well travelled dog and he was the Best Pup on our wedding day in Marfa.  Last night we said goodbye. Hubs and I will miss him dearly, but savor the moments and adventures with our little tank. 

Adopt, don’t shop.  Support your local rescues and give your fur kids an extra squeeze for Joey tonight.
“Is this enough for you?” My husband has asked “Is this enough for you?” My husband has asked me this before. To which, I answer- life is full, wonderful, and I am grateful. 

I believe he asks because before kids, I had a very different lifestyle. I traveled to Europe by myself, started businesses, donated a kidney, ran half marathons, got my master’s degree.  I lived a full life, then too. I was fiercely independent because I had to be.

I’m still that person, but fortunately I have more people to share it with. I also have to be more vulnerable than ever.

I had years to find myself and don’t plan on losing that woman I forged. Being a mom has also helped me heal some of the hard parts of the experience I had with my own mom. (I didn’t see that last part coming.)

Being a mom can make you lose yourself.  For me, it’s helped me discover myself once more. Grateful for this day and so many days - I’m just happy to be here. 

Happy Mother’s Day everyone. I hope you discover yourself, heal what you need and feel the love today and everyday.

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