Badger Game Day

Tomorrow afternoon I am attending my first Badger football game since the fall of my senior year of college, back in 2002. I realize this is pathetic, especially since I've been living in Madison the past two and-a-half years. I have no good excuse. This year I conveniently live just blocks from the stadium, and although I catch some of the excitement and traffic every weekend, there's nothing like actually being at Camp Randall during a game. The student section is like nothing I've ever experienced. The students are nuts. Jump Around. "O sucks, O Sucks". Varsity. I love it all. I was once one of those drunks, but now I'm a boring adult who has tickets in one of those lame "we sit down for the game" sections. I'm still excited though. At least I can watch the students from afar and live vicariously through them. And you can rest assured that I will jump around by myself.

Tomorrow the Badgers play the Spartans from Michigan State. Game time is 2:30 p.m. It should be a perfect fall day. We'll be out on Regent Street pretty early tailgating, drinking, and grilling up a storm. I'm excited because some of my friends that I played with on the water polo team at Wisconsin are coming into town for the game. One of my closest friends from college, Marisa, who I seriously have not seen since graduation, is coming in from San Francisco. I am so excited to see her and to catch up with those girls. It should be a great weekend.

Joke from Karen:
Q: How do you keep a spartan out of your yard?
A: Put up a goalpost.

He he. On Wisconsin.

More Chicago Eats

Fox and Obel (401 E. Illinois St.)

Butterfly (1156 W Grand Avenue)

Quartino (626 N State Street)

So I really wasn't kidding when I said that I enjoyed many fabulous culinary delights this past weekend. I was totally spoiled with the most amazing foods and drinks. I enjoyed some newbies, as well as some oldies but goodies. I love trying new restaurants, especially in new cities. There's no better way to live it up and enjoy the flavor and culture of a new place. If you live, or ever go play in Chicago, I would highly recommend each of the following:

Fox and Obel Cafe- This place is one of my most treasured Chicago finds. I go there multiple times for breakfast each time I visit the city. Fox and Obel was most notably brought to prominence in 2005 when their signature oatmeal raisin cookie dough was featured on Oprah's famed list of holiday "favorite things". Located downtown near Michigan Avenue, Fox and Obel is mostly known for its market of upscale specialty foods, as well as it's excellent catering offerings. Most people don't even realize that there's a little cafe in the back serving up great gourmet meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is my favorite, particularly for breakfast. I went there with Anne and Royce, and enjoyed the Cobb Omelet, which was filled with diced chicken, tomato, scallion, avocado, applewood-smoked bacon and blue cheese.

Butterfly Sushi Bar and Thai Cuisine-Royce was craving sushi over the weekend, and Anne recommended this sushi bar on Grand Avenue. We started out with the Tom Kar soup, which was a coconut soup with shrimp, straw mushroom and tomatoes spiced with galanga roots, citrus leaves, and fresh lime juice. It's was a little spicy, and made me tear up a bit, but had incredible flavor. I think Tom Kar is my new favorite soup. We then had a spicy tuna roll, a dragon roll, another roll that escapes me, and pieces of fresh (raw) salmon. Hell, I'll try anything. All in all, it was a pretty good meal. The only things I didn't care for were the poor lighting (I could barely read my menu) and the BYOB policy (because we didn't bring any, not that I needed it).

Quartino- "where the wine is cheaper than water and the pizza is the finest." I went to Quartino with Seif and KJ on Saturday night. Seif (whose real first name, by the way, is Katie) is a huge fan and highly recommended this restaurant. And Seif would know. She's like the ultimate food critic. We had reservations for 8 p.m., and arrived early (7:15 p.m.), but still waited until 8 p.m. for a table. The place was extremely packed, and we opted for a table in the bar while waiting, where we enjoyed our first carafe of wine. The food was excellent, but the service was awful. We waited way too long in between courses, and they seemed to not have enough staff to handle their large volume of customers.

We started with a salumeria platter with various cheeses, vegetables, breads, and meats. After that, we had Italian artisan blend fondue with calabrese bread and crudites. Then we all shared two small plates--one was linguine with clams and white sauce and the other was Tuscan sausage risotto. For dessert, we had zeppole, which was hot Italian doughnuts with chocolate sauce. Delicious. I'd recommend going on a weeknight, however, or sometime when you can get better service.

House On A Hill

My friend Kelsey, who works for an architecture firm in Durango, Colorado, recently forwarded me an article featuring the house pictured above. This home was named "project of the year" by Residential Architect Magazine. And the coolest part is that it's located on Green Lake (aka, my favorite place in the world), and although I've spent enough time there to memorize almost every house on the lake, I don't believe I've ever noticed this one before! Kelsey reminded me that's probably because the house is actually intended to be a "camouflage" house. Ahh...yes. Apparently the design was a success. Kelsey said I should go spy on it the next time I'm up at the lake and I certainly intend to.

Here's an exert from the article:

Every once in a while, an architectural perfect storm occurs. A series of favorable circumstances—a gifted architect, a beautiful site, a thoughtful client—coincide in one project, leading to a sublime synthesis of design, surroundings, and program. That's exactly what happened with this weekend home for a Milwaukee family in Green Lake, Wis.

Feeling Like A Roast?

My very good friend Jill (my roommate in the dorms freshman year) and her husband Ryan (who I give the highest form of friend approval to), had our friend Emily and me over for dinner at their new house last night. Using us as guinea pigs, Jill made her very first roast—a recipe for fennel-crusted pork loin with roasted potatoes and pears that she found in a recent issue of Real Simple. It was fantastic, and Jill claims it was very easy to make. Of course we also have to give props to Ryan for throwing the roast in the oven when he got home from work. Without his generous contribution, we wouldn’t have eaten until very late. I begged for the recipe, and Jill sent it over this morning. Enjoy!

Fennel-crusted pork loin with roasted potatoes and pears
Hands-on time: 15 minutes; total time: 1 ½ hours; serves 4

1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
2 pounds boneless pork loin
2 red onions, quartered
1 pound small white potatoes, quartered
3 firm pears (such as Bartlett), cored and quartered

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Using the bottom of a heavy pan, crush the fennel seeds. In a small bowl, mix the seeds, the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Rub the mixture over the pork, then place the pork in a large roasting pan. In a bowl, mix the onions, potatoes, pears, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the remaining oil. Scatter around the pork and roast until cooked through, about 70 minutes (internal temperature 160 degrees F). Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with the roasted produce.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

BTW, What Is Your Name?

I don't know where the following article/post originated, but my friend Emily just forwarded (e-mail subject: UW Score) this very disturbing account of a man and woman getting very naughty in a public bathroom stall at Camp Randall Stadium (home of the Badger football team). Very disgusting. It's a public restroom, people, come on. That's so dirty. Have a little class and decency!

Sex in Camp Randall stall nets disorderly conduct charges
Mike Miller — 9/24/2007 12:06 pm

While the Badgers were scoring frequently in the second quarter of their victory over Washington State on Sept. 1, a young couple was scoring on their own in a stall in the women's restroom in the upper deck, resulting in a court appearance today on charges of disorderly conduct.

The man, 22, of the Grant County community of Stitzer, and woman, 23, of Madison, were initially cited by University Police for lewd and lascivious conduct, but those charges were later changed to disorderly conduct when the case went to the District Attorney's office. UW Assistant Police Chief Dale Burke, who measures his term of service in decades, said he cannot remember a similar incident at a Badger game in the past, but added "sex is a powerful, powerful motivator."

According to UW Police Officer Gerard Pehler, he was assisting a fan who had fallen due to heat exhaustion when a bystander approached and asked him, "Can you do anything about two having sex in the women's restroom stall?"

"They're going at it pretty good," added the fan.

Pehler asked a woman concession supervisor to go into the women's room and when she returned she reported she asked the couple to stop, but they didn't and told Pehler the restroom was cleared and he could enter.

The two were pulling up their pants when the officer arrived. "I asked them quite loudly to get out of the stall," Pehler says in his report of the incident. the woman still had her pants down and was struggling to pull them up, the officer said. "It should be noted that she was unsuccessful in the attempt because her pants were inside out," the officer said.

Because the UW has a policy in place to revoke season tickets of people who cause disturbances, the officer asked couple to produce their tickets and the man was able to find his -- the seats were in section KK -- but the woman couldn't find hers, what with her pants being inside out.

The pair were taken to the police office in the stadium and told they would be arrested for lewd and lascivious conduct when the man said they were "only peeing together."

When Officer Pehler was explaining the citation to the couple, the woman said, "Something to the effect, I know, I know, I did it," Pehler wrote in his report.

The man, on the other hand, said "whatever, no big deal."

Burke said in all the years he can remember he can't think of another instance of fans having sex at a game, "but we had something like that at the Kohl Center at a concert."

That couple was having sex in a family bathroom when arrested and taken to the police office, where officers were about to interview them separately, Burke recalled, "and the guy says (to the girl), 'By the way, what is your name?' "

The man and woman each face up to 90 days in jail and a possible fine of $1,000.

And they missed seeing the Badgers win, 42-21."

French Toast Kabobs

Among many other surprises, my weekend in Chicago was full of unexpected culinary delights. Anne, one of my closest friends from high school, took me to Orange (3231 N. Clark), one of her favorite breakfast joints near Wrigleyville. The atmosphere was warm, quirky, and vibrant. The menu was totally unique and hilarious, and the food, delectable. The service was friendly and prompt.

I opted for the coconut-infused french toast kabobs with pineapple, strawberries and mangos. It was fantastic. We also had several cups of their specialty coffee, which contained a hint of orange-flavoring. Although orange coffee sounds a bit weird, I can assure you the flavoring was subtle and delicious. Orange is also very well known for their fantastic juice bar, as well as their pancake flight. Other menu options are listed here. In addition to their location on Clark, they also have another restaurant on Harrison Street. This place is definitely worth checking out. I love breakfast, and this is one of my new faves.

Seif and the Fishbowl, Part Deux

KJ and the giant fishbowl

Krit, Seif, and KJ

Royce and Kristin

Seif is so evil...look at those eyes! The whole bar joins in the fishbowl fun

Good times had by all.

One Saturday night out in Chicago. Two fishbowls. Seif, as always, proves to be a very bad influence on this normally angelic, sober sister!

Birds of a Feather

I totally want one of these new t-shirts designed by Wayne Pate of GoodShapeDesign. Flock, $25. Definitely the women's brown on mint. Love it.

My Newest Vinyl

Pictured left is the most recent addition to my vinyl library. It’s a triple LP compilation titled Push Barman to Open Old Wounds, released in 2005 by Belle and Sebastian, an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland. It contains the singles and EPs they released for Jeepster Records. I am loving so many tracks on this album right now and cannot stop playing it. I’ve never listened to much Belle and Sebastian before, and now I can’t get enough. It’s like the excitement that comes from slowly discovering all of the intimate details of a new lover.

The album was actually a gift from my boyfriend. When I revealed to him, during our rain-filled six-hour bike ride a few weeks ago (detailed in a prior post), that I collect vinyl records, he found this small tidbit of information to be one of the most surprising, exciting, and cutest things I had shared with him thus far. Who would’ve thought?

Last night I started thinking more about how gifts like these are so special. Collecting and listening to records is such a passion of mine, and for someone to so genuinely appreciate and support my love for that, and take the time and risk of going out on a limb to find a little record store and pouring through hundreds of records for just the right one, and getting it so right, is quite amazing (and heart warming).

Awesome Granola

Last night I was a baking machine. I made cookies and granola, and also prepared for a small dinner party I’m hosting tonight (my sirloin steaks are now happily bathing in a top-secret fajita marinade).

I wanted to share my favorite recipe for granola, which I found in an issue of Runners World magazine last fall. It’s easy, healthy, and delicious. And you can modify the recipe however you’d like. Oftentimes, I like to add dried cranberries, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, etc. You can really make the recipe your own. I love to eat the finished product with vanilla yogurt for breakfast or by itself as a mid-afternoon snack. Following is the recipe straight from Runner’s World. Enjoy!

Awesome Granola (Runners World, September 2006)
Makes 5 cups

2 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat-bran cereal
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup blanched whole or slivered almonds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup buckwheat honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup seedless rasins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine oats, bran, wheat germ, almonds, and cinnamon in a bowl. Heat the honey and oil in a saucepan until small bubles appear around the sides of the pan. Pour over dry mixture and toss until well combined. Spread evenly in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake 40-50 mins. or until golden brown, stirring every 10 mins. Add rasins. Cool and store in an air tight container.

Accessories and Such

I. Ronni Kappos Bracelets

http://www.irkjewelry.com/

Moss Mills Charlotte Ring
http://www.mossmills.com/

Ashley Watson Bags, Tanenger in Dark Brown

www.ashleywatson.net/main.html

Belgian Red: The Marriage of Wine and Beer

This past weekend, upon finishing an entire bottle myself, I was reminded that New Glarus Brewing Company's Belgian Red may be, in fact, my all-time favorite alcoholic beverage. Truly a most refreshing marriage of wine and beer, its unique combination of cherries and hops is like nothing I've ever tried before. Read on, my friends. The following is printed on each bottle's label. It's a great, brief description of Belgian Red's vibrant flavor and elaborate production:

"You hold the marriage of wine and beer. Belgian Red is a tapestry of flavor. This beer is brewed with whole Montmorency Cherries, Wisconsin farmed wheat and Belgian roasted barleys, lagered in oak tanks and balanced by Hallertau hops we aged in our brewery one full year.

Over a pound of Door County Cherries in every bottle makes this beer uniquely 'Wisconsin.' So unique, in fact, that we applied for a patent. Expect this beer to be ruby red, with a medium body that is highly carbonated and intense with cherry flavor and bouquet. Serve your friends Belgian Red in a brandy snifter or champagne flute and toast life with beer from the land of Wisconsin."

I certainly couldn't have said it better myself. You can find Belgian Red in the refrigerator case of most Wisconsin liquor stores. Or you can take a short trip to the little Swiss-inspired town of New Glarus, just outside of Madison, to sample straight from the keg. Enjoy the marriage of wine and beer. And please let me know what you think!

Madisonian Attempts to Ride Around the World

Over the weekend, 28-year-old Madisonian Charles Isley Brigham IV peddled off on an adventure of a lifetime and a quest to fulfill his dream of biking around the world.

Charles Brigham, who has been employed at Budget Bicycle Center for the past three and-a-half years, is currently three days into his adventure, heading southeast and hoping to eventually hit northern Africa, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tibet, India, Laos, Vietnam, Australia, South America, and Central America. Brigham anticipates the 25,000-mile journey taking approximately two years to complete.

While Brigham hasn’t done much formal training to prepare, he did become very accustomed to riding his bike all around Madison on a daily basis (Brigham claims he rejected “car culture” over two years ago). During his journey, he'll take it slow and steady riding with a pack of supplies that will weigh up to 80-pounds, camp each night, and prepare meals over a fire. As for the ocean crossings, his plan is to hitch a ride on a freighter or cruise ship. And for cash, he hopes for a mix of working, bartering, and simply figuring it out along the way. Luckily, Brigham will also be armed with a passport, great bike mechanic skills, spare bike parts, lots of shots under his belt, and the ability to speak Spanish, French and Japanese, all of which should certainly help his cause.

Best of luck, Charles! You can follow his adventure online at www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/worldtour07, where he will periodically post updates on his travels. And thanks to the Wisconsin State Journal for carrying this incredible story!

Father and Son Back Country Bonding

Here are some sweet pictures from my dad and brother's recent backpacking trip through Utah and Colorado. After traversing through the moutains with 80-pound packs (my dad came back ten pounds lighter) for a week-and-a-half, Kelly competed in Utah's Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run, where he placed 24th with a time of 27:50.

French Fry Fun

Over the weekend, Karen and I attempted to make our very own homemade French Fries. This because Karen insists that I have not stopped talking about French Fries for the past two weeks, which I’m quite certain is not true. But even if it is true, it’s probably just a passing craving resulting from last week’s Ironman that will surely soon end.

So anyways, I obviously agreed to this plan, and decided that we should make both potato and sweet potato French Fries—because sweet potatoes are healthy, which I reasoned would balance things out a bit. Luckily, we own a fryer, a purchase from last year that was necessitated after I discovered a recipe for cookie dough egg rolls, a Bluephie’s original. Since then, we use the fryer every now and then for an assortment of recipes—fried chicken, French Fries, donuts, etc. All kinds of artery clogging treats, really. I think it was a solid investment. But I digress. Here is the recipe for our fabulous French Fries:

1. Slice a combination of potatoes and sweet potatoes into long, skinny strips.
2. Fill the fryer with vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees.
3. Fill the fryer basket one quarter full with the strips of potatoes. Fry in batches for 5-7 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.
4. Transfer the fried potato strips onto a paper towel so that excess oil is soaked up.
5. Sprinkle generously (you can never use too much) with Beef-a-Roo Special Salt.

6. Enjoy! Preferably with a big, greasy cheeseburger.

Sorry, Folks. The Free Shows Are Over.

On Friday morning, Karen told everyone that would listen to her that the blind man was coming to our house later that afternoon. He he, she giggled as colleagues questioned her with puzzled looks. Karen loves to call the various tradesmen that come to our house by their trade. For example, there’s painter Dave and builder Dave. And eventually, probably because of Karen’s charm, they all become very fond of their nicknames and begin using these names themselves.

But on Friday it was just the blind man. No accompanying proper name. The blind man came that afternoon and efficiently installed blinds in all three bedrooms, both bathrooms, and two of the downstairs' windows. And I really like them. They’re Top/Up Bottom/Down style, and the two downstairs are cordless. It’s a great, clean look. But best of all, four months after moving in, we now have a little privacy. So for all you peeping Toms (because I know you’re out there), I’m not giving any more free shows. You'll have to find another naked girl in the window to watch.

J'adore Gap's New European Collection

The Gap recently launched its Limited Edition European Collection, an online exclusive featuring a variety of styles with an international flair. Apparently both Chloe designer Phoebe Philo, as well as French Vogue’s fashion director Maria-Amelie Sauve, have collaborated with Gap Europe’s design team on this fall’s collection. The limited edition collection features some excellent pieces that may leave you singing, "j''adore, j'adore" and wondering, after all these years, is Gap finally back? My only complaint is that it's only available online. What is that? I totally need to be able to try clothes on.

Fall Reading List

1. You Shall Know Our Velocity!, by Dave Eggers
2. Then We Came To The End, by Joshua Ferris
3. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
4. Life In The Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khalid Housseini
6. Wisconsin Death Trip, by Michael Lesy

Pumpkin on Pumpkin: The Quintessential Fall Breakfast

While I’m still praying for an Indian summer, there’s no use in avoiding the inevitable. Fall is very much here, all around us, and it seems as though the season dropped down upon the Midwest quicker this year than I can ever remember.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love fall. It might just be my favorite season. As you will come to find during the next few months, I am truly obsessed with all things fall—pumpkin patches, apple orchards, back-to-school shopping, and haunted houses. But my pessimistic side realizes that I will be chilled to the bone for the next eight months. And that, although fall is breathtakingly beautiful, it gives way to a solid freeze, and thus hibernation of life, for what seems like an eternity.

But really, this post is a celebration of fall. And all things fall—one of the most important of which is definitely the pumpkin bagel with pumpkin shmear (seriously, why do they insist on calling it “shmear”?) from Einstein Brother’s Bagels. Today I was elated to find the excitingly seasonal pumpkin bagel sitting proudly among the other always-available boring choices like plain, cinnamon raisin, and wild blueberry. It seriously lit up and sung out to me. And I was, of course, more than happy to take a break from my usual strawberry on honey whole wheat. And so, this morning, I had my very first pumpkin bagel with pumpkin shmear, and it was sublime.

Did you ever notice how, come the very first sign of fall, there are so many pumpkin treats available at food retailers like Einstein’s and Starbuck’s? Take the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbuck’s, for instance. Their marketing ploys totally lure me in, and my sentimentality for the season leaves me feeling that by simply sipping on one of these tasty treats, I’m celebrating fall in the very way it should be celebrated. I suppose it’s the commercialization of fall. But really, I have no problem with this.

Some of the very best pumpkin treats, however, are actually homemade. My absolute favorite fall treat is for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, a recipe I'm planning to share with you in the coming weeks. But I detest pumpkin pie. I suppose my love for pumpkins only goes so far.

A More Than Adequate Hybrid

I’m always searching for the perfect pair of sunglasses—big and stylish, but not too Paris Hilton-ish, and sporty—but not like I’m getting on my bike to do a century ride. More of an everyday pair of sunglasses that serve both functions. A combination of both sporty and posh spice, if you will.

For most of the summer, I’ve been wearing a pair of sunglasses that I found at Ann Taylor. In Vegas, I might add. Very Jackie O. They serve their purpose, and I always thought they looked pretty good, too. However, some of my friends and family have called them Paris Hilton-ish—who I despise—and now I cannot get that mental imagery out of my head. I still wear them, of course, but I'm simply just not as thrilled with them as I once was. And really, I need to be thrilled.

This is why I was so excited to see a new pair of sunglasses recently that seemed to me the perfect crossbreed. I first saw Karen’s sister, Kate, sporting the Smith Audrey Sunglasses during our long week at Green Lake. Immediately, I knew I had to have them. They're a little more Audrey, a little less Paris. According to Backcountry.com, they “give you that classic Breakfast at Tiffany's look, but with optics technology that'll make your eyes say, ‘ahhh.’ We guarantee Ms. Hepburn didn't have this kind of visual clarity back in the '60s.” Well obviously that sold me, and I ordered them as a birthday present for myself. And as Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) says in my favorite movie (Serendipity), “I usually appreciate my own thoughtfulness.” Ahhh.

I very much love my new shades and sport them all the time. I decided to order the glasses in the melon stripe with the brown lenses. They run at about $80. This is a little expensive for sunglasses, I realize, but I like to think of it as an investment in my retinas. From what I understand, protecting the retinas is very important, indeed.

On A Private Beach In Michigan

I was extremely lucky to have tickets to last night’s sold-out Wilco concert at Overture Hall. The last time I saw Wilco perform was in Ann Arbor, when I was in graduate school at UM in 2005. That show was fantastic, so I knew I was in for another treat this time around.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Wilco is a six-piece Chicago-based alternative rock band that features Jeff Tweedy as its lead singer and guitarist. This fall’s tour is part of the release of their sixth studio album, "Sky Blue Sky."

Last night’s show was no disappointment. The music was phenomenal and I was just blown away by the quality of acoustics at Overture Hall. Many of the songs were from the new album, but they also played several classics from my two favorite albums—“Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and “A Ghost Is Born.” The audience was obviously very much into the music, and the band came back out for two encores. The last song, one of my favorites, was Spiders (Kidsmoke) and featured an amazing jam session. The two Wilco shows are among the very best I’ve ever seen. It’s like I can feel the music throughout my entire body. And listening to six exceptionally talented musicians play together as if they were born to do so, and just the harmony that results from that, is really a transcendent experience.

From the Bottom of My Heart

I am still in awe from all of the love and support that each one of you has shown me in the days leading up to this year’s Ironman triathlon. Words cannot express my gratitude. For once, I feel blogless. I’ve spent all day trying to figure out what to post, and all I really want to say is thank you. There is just no way to properly thank each one of you for your support and to tell you how much it meant to me. Whether you were out on the course, or simply sending me e-mails or text messages, it meant the world to me and I will never forget your thoughtfulness. I have never felt so loved.

Most of all, thank you to my best friend, Karen. For being there for me always. I think all of you know that without her, I wouldn’t have made it to the starting line, much less the finish line (especially when I’m always being attacked by killer tea kettles). Next year, we’ll be out there racing together. I can’t wait.

Pictures from Ironman Wisconsin 2007

106th Ironman Out of the Water, Up the Helix

Big Hill, Bigger Smile, Huge Heart

Kristin's Crew: Beth, Jackie, Anne, and Karen

Mile 2 of 26.2

Tears of Joy at the Finish

Kristin and Karen

Post-Ironman Laughs

Royce and Kristin