Savoring Our Lives

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode we: Organized Chad's closetWe Marie Kondo'ed the bedroom a few years ago, but Chad's side of the room had gotten pretty messy again and even he was done with it. So, we decided to go through all the clothes piles and clean up. [caption id="attachment_1134" align="alignright" width="300"] Baked Provolone....mmmmmmmm....[/caption] Sat at the end of the bar It seems like whenever we go out and sit at the end of the bar, magical and deep conversations occur. We visited Story Hill BKC and ended up at the end of the bar. It was fun to see all the servers, the food, and the chefs at work. We enjoyed a bottle of single vineyard Ravenswood wine and talked about what it really means to savor our lives. Enjoyed quite a bit of irony about our health As we sat at the bar and ate and drank quite a bit, we talked about how we have not made any progress with our weight loss and exercise. We need to decide and commit to making changes but we can't find the motivation to ma

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode we: Explored the Explorium [caption id="attachment_1117" align="alignright" width="225"] Anti-Theft Candle[/caption] We finally tried a beer pub near us called The Explorium Brew Pub. We tried a fried meatloaf appetizer which Chad liked. He also tried a burger wrapped in pizza dough just before setting off the candle alarm. Were feelin' California Our friends from California were in town for Harley-Davidson's 115th Anniversary. We chose to take them to Bass Bay Brewhouse for a delicious experience. Grilled some salmon Chad picked up some salmon fillets and created a spinach and mandarin orange salad paired with a Director's Cut Sauvignon Blanc. The meal was outstanding and we'll try it again soon. Attended a wedding We went to Illinois Beach Resort for Chad's friend Jason's wedding where Chad was an attendant. It was definitely an adventure and a nice weekend.[PHOTO] Want to share a story about what inspires you?  Or if you have a recipe for a cheesecake-l

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode we: [caption id="attachment_1102" align="alignright" width="225"] Fried Chicken and Slaw[/caption] Had a couple chicken occasions Winner, winner, chicken dinner! First, we spied some fried chicken earlier this summer and decided to source some for ourselves at Golden Chicken. Then, later in the week, we created gourmet chicken and potatoes. Caught up with friends Chad drove to Madison to catch up with his friend Roger while Ruth had wine with her friend Amy. Took a bike maintenance class We signed up for a class at Brinn Labs to find out how to care for our bicycles. Our teacher, Chris from Dream Bikes, was super friendly and helpful. Want to share a story about what inspires you?  Let us know! Email: stories@savoringourlives.com Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867) Follow on social @savoringpodcast on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook. Today’s episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery – a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Wa

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode: We celebrated Ruth's birthday We thought about going to Ishnala - a seasonal supper club located about two hours away. Instead, we went to our old standby, Mr. B's Steakhouse. The food was fantastic and we enjoyed a bottle of Jefferson by Monticello Vineyards. [caption id="attachment_1087" align="alignright" width="225"] Burger at The Kiltie[/caption] We drove to The Kiltie for dinner The Kiltie is a real, live vintage drive-in restaurant. Burgers, fries, and custard served directly to your car. Chad brought a drive-in movie speaker he bought online and streamed a Spotify playlist through it via Bluetooth. Ruth visited the Bristol Renaissance Faire She went to the Bristol Renaissance Faire in costume with a couple girlfriends. It'd been about five years since she'd been there and it was fun to see the changes. [caption id="attachment_1089" align="alignright" width="225"] Shenanigans at Bristol[/caption] Chad got together with his Little Brother They hadn'

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode: Chad visited a Makerspace Chad was in Grand Rapids, Michigan and visited The Geek Group. He got to hang out in the high voltage lab and learn about how the group interacts with their community. Ruth took Abby to the vet...again Abby has a yeast infection in her ear which is pretty common in dogs with floppy ears - like beagles. While we were there, the vet agreed to try putting Abby on Prozac. Within 36 hours we saw a noticeable improvement. Ruth visited Wisconsin State Fair  Every year, Ruth and her mom go to State Fair. We eat corn, visit the expo center, and drink milk. This year, the price of milk increased from a quarter to fifty cents! [caption id="attachment_1069" align="alignright" width="300"] Smoked S'more at Tofte's Table[/caption] We had date night on a Wednesday  We headed to Waukesha to Tofte's Table - Ruth was there recently and really wanted to show Chad. The meat and cheese plate was extraordinary. We splurged and went with dessert - a sm

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode: We returned to Pizza Man for Cubano Part 2 Our server Lindsey encouraged us to come back to customize our Cubano Pizza, so we did! And, luckily, it was half price wine night! Ruth hung out with friends In trying to dig out of depression, Ruth's trying to connect more with friends. She went out to dinner with two different friends this week and really enjoyed the French Onion Soup at new French restaurant, Fauntleroy. [caption id="attachment_1061" align="alignright" width="300"] Homemade Sunrise Burger and Zoodles[/caption] We created our own Sunrise Burger Inspired by Chad's favorite burger at The Hale House, we decided to try to make our own at home! We also had zoodles - zucchini noodles - with the burger. Got some info about Frank Turns out Frank is a focal fat deposit. It's basically some fat that didn't know where else to go. It's mostly from leading a sedentary lifestyle and being overweight. The advice was to lose weight and exercise more. Want to

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode: We tested out party options We were going to take Chad's folks out for their 50th wedding anniversary and needed to test some options. We headed out to Bass Bay Brewhouse for lunch. Both sandwiches we ordered were fantastically delicious. The next night we went to Parkside 23 to talk with the staff and make reservations. Ruth hosted a coffee break The World's Largest Coffee Break happened for the 13th year. About 700 people come out into a park in downtown Milwaukee to enjoy free coffee and baked goods. [caption id="attachment_1047" align="alignright" width="300"] Cubano Pizza![/caption] We had a Cubano pizza For Wineza, we headed out to Pizza Man and they had a Cubano pizza as their specialty pizza. It was really good but a little heavy on the mustard. We restocked the bar We were a wee bit low on a number of bar items so we headed to Total Wine where Chad got a cart because he didn't want to risk the Scotch incident of 2018 happening again. Because we h

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode: [caption id="attachment_1021" align="alignright" width="224"] Swimmers at Camp One Step[/caption] Chad was a counselor at Camp One Step Chad was a counselor for two weeks at Camp One Step in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Camp One Step empowers children who have been diagnosed with cancer to find new hope and believe again in a brighter future. Discover the biggest lesson he learned. Ruth attended Shakespeare in the Park We help support Optimist Theatre's free Shakespeare in the Park production each year. This year was the tragedy King Lear. Spoiler alert: everybody dies. Well, mostly everybody. Ruth went out with a friend She went to dinner with her friend Katie at Tofte's Table in Waukesha. We ate (way too much) at the bar and paired everything with a bottle of Pinot Gris.   Want to share your story about what inspires you?  Want to tell us what you've been using as an excuse? Let us know! Email: stories@savoringourlives.com Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867)

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode, we: Ate a lot of food We attended Taco Fest with our friends Shelley and Adam. The event was made up of local restaurants serving tacos. Later in the week, we actually didn't eat local, we ate salads (!) at BW3. Chad spied on birds Chad put together a bird house with an infrared camera in it. Now, a mama bird moved in and we have eggs! Ruth started biking Ruth got a new helmet from Nutcase Helmets and started riding every morning for 20+ minutes. And then there was music Ruth went to see the 30th Anniversary tour of The Posies live at Summerfest. Jon and Ken were rockin' out for this show and were having a blast. Want to share your story about what inspires you?  Have a story about wildlife in your area? Let us know! Email: stories@savoringourlives.com Call: 808.42.SAVOR (808.427.2867) Follow on social @savoringpodcast on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook. Today’s episode was sponsored by SB Framing Gallery – a custom picture frame and gift shop in Milwa

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode, we: Celebrated an Abby-versary This week marks the one-year anniversary of bringing Abby home. [caption id="attachment_994" align="alignright" width="300"] Rise and Shine Burger at Mainstream Bar and Grill[/caption] Enjoyed date night in Waukesha We visited Mainstream Bar & Grill on main street in Waukesha. Chad had the Rise and Shine Burger which he dubbed, "The Chad Burger." Visited Ravinia Festival to see Seal We drove to Ravinia in Highland Park, found parking on the festival grounds and hung out with Seal. It was his "Standards" tour so the first half of the show was '50s covers; the second half was a Seal dance party. See a set list from the tour. [caption id="attachment_996" align="alignright" width="225"] Seal at Ravinia Festival[/caption] Got some test results Ruth had the CT scan of her liver. Turns out, in addition to some hemangiomas which are NBD, they also found a 3cm legion which has a blood flow going to it. which is so not cool. She n

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode, we: Met Hawaiian Ruth and Coffeehouse Chad Ruth's therapist asked her what she would do with just two weeks left to live. She said she would go to Hawaii and chill out on the beach with a tropical drink in hand. He encouraged her to live her life in the mindset of Hawaiian Ruth. [caption id="attachment_977" align="alignright" width="300"] H-Party Wine and Pizza[/caption] Enjoyed some delicious wine We received a wine club shipment from Coppola which included a member-exclusive wine called H-Party.  And we were going to have friends over for dinner but they had to cancel, so we went into the wine vault and pulled out a 2014 Charles Woodson TwentyFour Wines Cabernet. Learned Chad eats his least favorite things first Chad had to clean his plate as a kid and learned to eat the stuff he didn't like first so he could enjoy what he liked best last. Want to share your story about what inspires you? Do you enjoy pickle-less burgers with your wine? Let us know! E

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode, we: Found out about gallbladders Ruth has been in pain for a few weeks and went to see her doctor. Right now, the doctor is thinking it's a gallbladder issue. We'll find out next week after an ultrasound. Were challenged to eat vegetarian Ruth's second cousin Sydnee was in town and challenged Ruth to eat vegetarian for a week (or two) and see how she feels. [caption id="attachment_931" align="alignright" width="225"] Cheeseburger Pizza![/caption] Got the wrong pizza...and the right pizza We ordered the cheeseburger pizza and Ricardo's rung in cheese. Whoops! They re-made the pizza AND gave us the incorrect pizza. #allthecarbsandfat Went to Camp One Step orientation Chad went to orientation for cancer camp this week. He's volunteering as a counselor after having attended the camp in 1986 as a camper. Want to share your story about what inspires you? Do you know some good camp songs? Maybe you know what a gallbladder is? Let us know! Email: stories@savorin

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode, we: Returned to The Hale House for date night We were inspired by some new additions to the menu so we returned to The Hale House. The items we chose were unfortunately only meh. But we're up for going back and trying some of the other new items. [caption id="attachment_920" align="alignright" width="225"] Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur[/caption] Captured kittens Kitten fest continued! We put a trap out for the four kittens under the deck and Tuesday night we got the first one. Luckily, we managed to catch the remaining three cats. They all went to MADACC and we know the first kitty has already been adopted. Chose salads over sandwiches for lunches We went to Blue Bat Kitchen and Tequilaria for lunch Friday. We had really delicious house margaritas. Ruth had a Korean Beef bowl and Chad tried the Cubano bowl. Earlier in the week, Chad chose a couple deconstructed sandwiches in salad form. [caption id="attachment_922" align="alignright" width="3

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode, we: Returned to meal prep [caption id="attachment_908" align="alignright" width="225"] Chili Lime Chicken Skillet[/caption] We picked four recipes and shopped for them all. We spent three hours Sunday afternoon making all the recipes. It was the perfect amount of food for the week. Check out this Chili Lime Sweet Potato Chicken Skillet recipe. Used Yelp to find pizza Chad was dog-sitting and we tried to find local pizza. We ended up at Pizza Man in Oak Creek. We tried a chicken pesto specialty pizza along with a Dry Creek Vineyards Cabernet. Bought some flowers for the lanai [caption id="attachment_906" align="alignright" width="225"] Never enough flowers[/caption] Ruth went shopping for plants, flowers, and hanging baskets at Prospect Hill Gardens. Everyone is done with winter and was out gathering plants. Got the news Chad is going to camp In middle school, Chad attended a cancer camp called Camp One Step. As a 40-year survivor, he applied and now has

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode, we: Got our bikes tuned up In addition to our new treadmill, we wanted to have another movement option so we got our bikes out. We had to take them in because they needed some love after sitting for a couple years. Kept an eye on wildlife in the yard [caption id="attachment_884" align="alignright" width="300"] Hummingbird Cam[/caption] Chad set up a camera outside to keep an eye on the hummingbird feeder which was cool! And then yesterday, the beagles let us know there were cats under the deck. Later, Abby found a kitten on top of the deck. Chad tried to catch it but it ended up under the deck all day. So the hummingbird cam became kitten cam. Worked with Abby's trainer Laura from Connecting with Dogs came out to visit again to help us fine-tune some of Abby's training. We have to work on her reactivity with the dog next door as well as going back to doing crate games. Ate out a little more than usual We went to Double B's BBQ to investigate the brisket.

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode, we: Broke some Scotch Chad decided to splurge on an $85 bottle of Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch. And then, gravity took over and suddenly there was Scotch all over the floor of Total Wine. [caption id="attachment_872" align="alignright" width="300"] Steak, Corn, and Avocado[/caption] Grilled some corn on the cob We decided to try winging it for dinner and invented recipes for steak, avocado, and corn on the cob. We learned you can cook husked corn in aluminum foil. Met up with a friend Ruth met up with her friend Erica this week and was actually early to the meeting. She didn't know what to do with herself with all the extra time. Had a delicious misunderstanding Chad tried to suggest eating stuff in the fridge. Ruth misheard him say burgers at Ferch's and Vintage 38. So, we misbehaved and had burgers for dinner. #notpaleo Worked with our treadmill trainer We had our second session with Andrew the personal trainer. We actually had to work during this ses

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode: We had a beagle adventure Abby got very sick Monday with acute gastroenteritis which then led to aspirated pneumonia. It was three days of ups and downs and two nights at the emergency vet. We chose to postpone our trip to Vegas to take the best care of her we can. She continues to be on the mend. [caption id="attachment_849" align="alignright" width="225"] Abby Beagle resting[/caption] Chad found himself in a ditch He was driving home from Illinois during a snowstorm and spun out into a ditch. A tow truck got him out and he received a ticket. The best news is he and the car were okay. We got lemons and, well, we added vodka Since we were going to be in town this weekend, we had a number of opportunities to try new restaurants and see a number of friends. We visited Mad Rooster Cafe for brunch Friday. The food was quite good. Later that night, we went out with friends to an all-you-can-eat-crab legs buffet at the local casino. Then Saturday, we stopped fo

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode: Chad saw a doctor for the first time this century Chad had an appointment with a new primary care physician. His blood work results came in this morning and some lipid panel numbers were a little high. Now Chad needs to eat plants. [caption id="attachment_839" align="alignright" width="300"] Turkey Cobb Salad at Matty's Bar[/caption] We ate salads for Date Night Chad was glad he ordered a cocktail. And we tried to be healthier and ordered salads for dinner. We went to the Weird Al concert We scored second row tickets to the show at the very last minute. Emo Philips opened the show and was surprisingly ridiculously funny. Al and his band did a show full of originals - songs written in the styles of other artists - which was a lot of fun. [caption id="attachment_841" align="alignright" width="225"] Weird Al live in Milwaukee[/caption] We ate a lot of pizza We enjoyed our usual Wineza (pizza and wine) night on Friday even though we were going out with a frie

Welcome to Savoring Our Lives! In this week’s episode we: Had fun in the car This week we visited Parkside 23 for date night. On the way, Ruth was pretty sure Chad threw a shaka symbol at a Methodist church. [caption id="attachment_829" align="alignright" width="300"] Edie and Chad eating Tamago at Wasabi Sushi Lounge[/caption] Enjoyed sushi with friends As a tradition of our family of friends, we visited Wasabi Sushi Lounge for all-you-can-eat sushi for Easter. Started getting fit It's official: we're back on the road to fitness. Ruth started walking, the treadmill arrived, and Chad started running. We also had a coaching session with a fitness trainer who suggested another style of eating for us. [caption id="attachment_826" align="alignright" width="300"] Cauliflower Pizza Crust![/caption] Made healthier choices We were challenged to have a pizza with a cauliflower crust - in an effort to eat more plant-based foods. Chad was apprehensive, but in the end, he admitted to really liking it! Connected with a f