tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94311842012-01-23T11:44:23.170-06:00From a Great Height...Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.comBlogger2901100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-17272189440336236672009-10-05T21:07:00.004-05:002009-10-05T21:14:14.895-05:00

7:24 PM: Let's get it on! I couldn't help but fall into the hype for this game today ever since a Vikings super tool, I mean, fan, wore a Vikings Favre jersey to work today. Personally, I think he should be suspended without pay for the rest of the year. But I have neither the time, nor the inclination to pursue that.7:27 PM: Steve Young (ESPN) gives the nod to the Pack which is a bit of a

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-87538605361134249492009-06-19T21:12:00.009-05:002009-06-19T22:40:44.458-05:00

Semi-recently we dialed up Run, Fat Boy, Run from Netflix after seeing a preview for it on another movie from Netflix. We are very much the Netflix family now, especially after little Lauren was born and our "going out to dinner nearly every night" lifestyle changed to be more of a "lucky to eat dinner nearly every night" lifestyle. Those of you with a child understand this. And those of you with

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-24894563245985715582008-12-27T10:16:00.015-06:002008-12-27T10:57:16.322-06:00

Sorry for the delay in getting to part 2 of this topic going, but with the holidays, you know how it is. Anyway, thanks for all the comments that were posted on part 1. There were some good ones. The Nic Cage one was excellent. So I said Tom Cruise was my next one. And while there were some good ones in the comments like "Taps" and "Endless Love." The "Endless Love" suggestion was truely great

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-23210582288073286922008-11-10T20:23:00.018-06:002008-12-27T10:56:12.635-06:00

So this is a post that I have been wanting to write for quite a while now that could turn into a recurring "game" on this here blog. It's called "I loved you in..." The premise is that if I were ever to meet any of the celebrities mentioned here in real life, I would say "Oh, [celebrity], I loved you in [small bit part from early in his/her career]" while that person would probably think you were

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-24289114719746081192008-11-07T10:33:00.008-06:002008-11-07T10:59:10.035-06:00

I don't like discussing politics but since we just had a historic election, I'll post ONE political post.Well the months and months of propaganda is finally over and we have a new president-elect. I can't say that I agreed with the choice, but it's over and I will be giving Mr. Obama my full support as I hope most of the rest country does also (which won't happen). I hope even more that he does a

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-9778679783727805792008-10-23T09:35:00.005-05:002008-10-23T09:53:32.476-05:00

Has it really been over a month since I posted something?? Yikes. I guess Facebook is really starting to dominate my online social time. My apologies. I am working on a few posts at one time right now so hopefully I can get those up in a reasonable amount of time.So the big news is that our little one, Lauren Elaine, has arrived! After 41 tough weeks, mainly for Kirsten, she entered the world. We

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-88171982184388568202008-09-18T22:38:00.008-05:002008-09-18T23:11:02.858-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. There are multiple reasons for my neglecting this such as work, attending to my lovely wife's every pregnant need, and my new found semi-addiction to Facebook. I'm usually a little slow on the uptake of some of these sights, especially the social networking sites like Twitter (boooo). I have been using LinkedIn for quite a while but that's more of a professional,

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-39156397604308413002008-08-21T21:06:00.000-05:002008-08-21T21:07:08.878-05:00

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-36673357892764417762008-08-01T06:00:00.000-05:002008-08-01T07:59:00.930-05:00

On this day, roughly 29 years and some hours ago in Des Moines , a lovely little girl was born and thus unknowingly changing the very fabric of a certain two and a half year old male living far off in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a city most recently known as the home of the professional football team a certain hick from Mississippi is now trying to destroy through his own selfish and mind-changing ways

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-11661551038934237902008-07-17T21:17:00.003-05:002008-07-17T21:28:20.718-05:00

Last week I once again stormed the Bastille running in the nighttime 5K race through the streets of downtown Milwaukee. It is really a great run and a great time. I ran it with a my friend and coworker Bob. The weather was really nice. We really lucked out since for a couple hours leading up the run, the skies had opened up and we had some pretty nasty storms moving through the area. One might

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-70053128425288320132008-06-19T09:26:00.009-05:002008-06-19T10:33:12.484-05:00

This week I have been spending my time in Brookfield at a programming training class. It is a five day class. So far (it’s now Thursday morning) I could have stayed home as it has been WAY more a lower level class than I anticipated. It appears as though today we’ll finally be touching on some topics that I want to learn more about but rather than start to pay attention now, I’ve decided to put

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-17938918370088826102008-06-15T14:30:00.000-05:002008-06-15T14:44:41.324-05:00

Back from hiatus which was actually a nice vacation with a couple buddies out in Utah for a camping/hiking weekend in Zion National Park which was awesome. Definitely more to come on that. Speaking of camping...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This past Memorial Day weekend, a group of friends that we have a yearly camping tradition with decided to upgrade ourselves from camping, to cottaging. Rather than tent

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-18069958222070887332008-06-11T05:15:00.002-05:002008-06-11T05:15:44.369-05:00

Brief hiatus until Sunday. I already have a post ready to go minus pictures. Be back then.Have a good rest of the week!

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-80372001068053469142008-05-29T22:42:00.008-05:002008-05-29T22:59:30.225-05:00

A couple weeks ago we took Olive down to Pugfest in Franklin, WI. It was the second year that we attended the event. Okay, so I'm using the term "event" pretty freely there. It is quite the spectacle though with what seems like hundreds of pugs running around in this huge sports complex. Olive was definitely in her element and, I'm proud to say, very well behaved unlike some of the others. I

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-60949827324162862162008-05-13T21:59:00.004-05:002008-05-13T22:19:29.538-05:00

The "Body Worlds" exhibit is winding down at the Milwaukee Public Museum after about 8,000 folks have wondered through the halls checking things out. As the end date of June 1 approaches, the museum has announced that it will stay open for 63 hours straight to wrap up the exhibit.Back in March, Kirsten and I went through the exhibit along with my sister Gina and her husband Chris. I joked in that

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-88466676249365967792008-04-23T07:15:00.015-05:002008-04-23T22:00:32.536-05:00

Day Two: Before having a little breakfast and heading out winery hunting again we took a little walk around the town of Santa Rosa where we were staying. Santa Rosa is a great location to stay. It provides easy access to both Sonoma (15 minutes to the East) and the Russian River Valley area (15 minutes to the North) and it is about $80 cheaper per night than staying right in either of those areas

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-23613882761987564482008-04-11T20:37:00.009-05:002008-04-11T22:00:02.375-05:00

A few weeks ago, we took a trip out to California to wine country with our good friends Emmett and Julie, who were taking their first real vacation without their little one, and our goddaughter, Harper. It was their first trip to that area whereas it was our third. I think it's safe to say that it's become a top destination of ours!Day One: We spent the first full day of the trip in Sonoma

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-55988287741709084022008-04-08T22:16:00.002-05:002008-04-08T22:31:07.543-05:00

I'm declaring it.After a brutal, brutal winter Spring is here after a great weekend weather-wise and Brewers victory-wise. (As I write this though, the Crew is in the tenth inning as Gagne has blown another save. Nice work $10 million man! Jeez.ANYWAY, if you happened to read the comments on the last post my buddy Derek J. let the cat out of the bag to you, the reading public, that I have been "

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-20644123716086562052008-03-22T09:40:00.006-05:002008-03-22T11:52:40.373-05:00

Back by (semi) popular demand is the blog! I hope you're as excited about it as I am, which doesn't say much I guess. Talk about a funk. I just had nothing for you. This winter is bull shit and it is bringing me down. I can't believe we got 10 more inches yesterday. I was actually angry about it all day. That's a first for me. Usually it's just an annoyance which is part of the deal when you live

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-25669426980031871822008-01-25T11:32:00.000-06:002008-01-27T22:57:09.708-06:00

Here's the annual list of what I've been up to on the reading front. As you can see, I've been sticking to some standbys but also branched out a bit.Absolute Power - David BaldacciDigital Fortress - Dan BrownThe Hunt for Red October - Tom ClancyThe Persuit of Happiness - Chris GardnerTotal Control - David BaldacciState of Fear - Michael CrichtonThe Simple Truth - David BaldacciPatriot Games - Tom

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-70760646727443079982007-12-31T12:46:00.000-06:002007-12-31T12:49:30.227-06:00

Right on the heels of my late holiday wish, here's to wishing you a happy and safe New Year's Eve!Tonight Kirsten and I will be down at the historic Pabst Theater enjoying the comedy of this guy...Hope you have a great one!

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-80169608992996579412007-12-30T21:30:00.000-06:002007-12-30T21:32:54.662-06:00

A late holiday wish from our family. Below is a picture of our tree...

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-23821671682671961922007-12-12T13:25:00.000-06:002007-12-12T13:38:19.397-06:00

Boom!Now that's the type of snowfall I'm talking about. We got pounded yesterday to the tune of 2 feet. Okay, that number is unfounded but it was a shit load. The kind where I leave work at 2:00 saying "I need to get home safely. And when I get home, I'll be sure to pick work back up where I left off."To be more accurate and honest though, I should have said "look, we're not in school anymore so

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-66266903755078312502007-11-30T09:15:00.000-06:002007-11-30T09:24:45.897-06:00

Being a pretty big techno-geek (for now anyway, but that's a whole separate post), I spend a lot of time on the internet researching programming languages and new technologies. Occasionally my research brings me to some cool, new websites. This time I was researching a language called Ruby on Rails and came across a semi-recently released site built on Rails called Placeshout.In a nutshell,"

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-51454693840311791702007-11-27T21:49:00.000-06:002007-11-28T10:31:33.456-06:00

Just got home from another UWM Panther loss. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's going to be a long season this year. As a season ticket holder, I still to do my part and go to games and cheer as much as my little heart will let me but boy, they sure are frustrating. Up next, the intercity battle with Marquette. It's nice that the two teams are finally playing each other, but unfortunately

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-77935223662409133782007-11-01T19:04:00.000-05:002007-11-01T19:40:52.289-05:00

The past couple days I was taking some pictures of our place for the insurance company. Yes it takes me two days to complete a task like this not because our place is a mansion, but because I am motivationally challenged. Anyway, I've had some requests to put up some pictures of it so...Below is the front entry way and two pictures of the kitchen...... and here are two pictures of the living room

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-62177430782380142412007-10-18T14:25:00.000-05:002007-10-18T14:48:49.980-05:00

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...This past weekend Kirsten and I headed up to Green Bay for multiple, yet equally important, reasons. First, we participated in an American Cancer Society Run/Walk. My sister Gina, her husband Chris and myself all ran the two mile portion while my part deer yet beautiful wife ran the five mile. As for the two mile group, we were happy to finish while

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-29176762387266286692007-09-27T18:24:00.000-05:002007-09-27T18:27:55.310-05:00

Friends,My sincerest apologies about the lack of posts. Right now I have literally 3 minutes before my buddy Todd picks me up and we head to a bar to watch the Brewers game (Cubs just lost again!) but I felt the need to at the very least post something.So, I'm back after a week in San Francisco and an extended weekend in wine country. We have some excellent pics that I am at this very moment

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-55483709561486431382007-09-11T09:00:00.000-05:002007-09-11T09:19:30.403-05:00

Please take some time today to observe a brief interval of time of quiet (moment of silence is getting overused) and reflect on this, the sixth anniversary of September 11. I was thinking about it on the way to work today but it didn't really hit me until I saw a large flag off the highway flying at half mast. That struck a cord.Note to Amy: Very nice to see you this past weekend! I'm glad you

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-74006439130716917462007-08-21T10:36:00.000-05:002007-08-22T08:29:25.726-05:00

Saturday Kirsten and I took part in the Irish Fest 5K Run/Walk for the Arthritis Foundation. The rain that has been going on the past 4 days here in Milwaukee hadn't hit yet so the run was quite pleasant. Not too hot, not too cool. When the sounding gun went off, I broke out into an unusually fast (for me) pace and knocked out the first mile in record time (again, for me).I paid the price though

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-67489006121297986762007-08-21T08:19:00.000-05:002007-08-21T12:05:11.953-05:00

Friday night Kirsten and I headed over to the still relatively new Bayshore (Mall) Town Center up in Whitefish Bay to walk around and catch some dinner. I really like what they've done up there with the outdoor mall concept and all. Walking around, I feel like I'm walking through a little city with all the shops and food places and greenery, fountain, etc.I remember when the Bayshore Town Center

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-6088276141767626012007-08-13T14:20:00.000-05:002007-08-13T14:32:06.906-05:00

This past weekend Kirsten and I headed up to Merrill for her 10-year high school reunion. My expectations were pretty low but I would say it was a good time. The main reason we wanted to go was to see a couple friends who have moved away but were coming back for the event.One such friend is Kirsten's friend Randy who currently lives in L.A. He and his girlfriend Ashley, or Ashelt as her name tag

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-39029695612997057322007-08-08T08:30:00.000-05:002007-08-08T08:54:59.669-05:00

I believe it was in 1987 or 1988 when I got my first real video game system. It was the Sega Master System and it rocked. My favorite game was the now legendary "Alex Kidd in Miracle World" which was just awesome...to a 12 year old at least. The one thing I remember the most about the system other than that game is that the "Reset" and "Pause" buttons were right next to each other. I can't tell

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-80270577555118129882007-08-01T09:07:00.000-05:002007-08-01T09:11:55.766-05:00

Today I'd like to send out a very special "Happy Birthday" wish to my wonderful wife Kirsten. I hope you're enjoying your day off!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~On another note, I just noticed I'm wearing GAP socks, GAP boxers, GAP pants, a GAP belt and a GAP shirt today at work. Totally unintentional. I would however like to thank the six year old children who's little hands hard at work made

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-30111604988317560862007-07-24T18:54:00.000-05:002007-07-24T19:13:23.568-05:00

I did it! I finished the 8K at the Port Washington Fish Day event in a slow, but steady, 55 minutes. I think I figured out that this is the longest run I am interested in. I felt pretty good throughout the whole thing but the problem was I was sooo bored near the end. I just wanted it to be over. To me, that's what I'd like to think of as a warning sign, a red flag if you will. So I think that's

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-78226162850346617692007-07-16T13:50:00.000-05:002007-07-16T13:57:18.684-05:00

Those 5K's ain't nothin'Thursday night I totally stormed the Bastille with relative ease. I'm really getting into this running thing now especially with my new Nike+ thingy. Next up, an 8K (!) this weekend for the Port Washington Fish Day. This one, I'm not so sure about. Though I may be able to conquer the 5K, an 8 may be a bit much for these old bones to handle.We attended this race last year

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-88981070688284448112007-07-12T08:12:00.000-05:002007-07-12T08:26:00.671-05:00

Happy Thursday everyone. It looks like we Milwaukeeans have pushed through the hot and muggy streak and entered a nice, clear and mild day. Perfect day for a run. In fact...Tonight is the annual Bastille Days 5K run that Kirsten and I will be participating in. Not only us but thousands of others including special guests, my sister Gina and her husband Chris making the trek down from Green Bay for

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-73406947249879986222007-06-28T12:22:00.000-05:002007-06-28T12:34:17.508-05:00

Well this is it. The final post from the first home (condo) I ever purchased. Definitely excited about moving to the new one but like other things, you never forget your first.So tonight the truck gets packed up and tomorrow the movers come and unload it all. A few hours later I should be up and running ready to fire off blog entry #1 from the new pad. If only I had internet service ready to go.

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-64797152356528787682007-06-21T09:25:00.001-05:002007-06-26T09:47:15.269-05:00

Once the lineup was announced for Bonnaroo this year, Kirsten and I quickly decided we should take full advantage of getting back there at least one more time before the possibility of the pitter patter of a little Derek or Derekette running around.Which honestly could be a while. I don't have a very potent feeling running through my bones but that's another post.So we scooped up some tickets the

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-84619973195615781892007-06-19T10:42:00.000-05:002007-06-19T10:43:38.829-05:00

We're back from Bonnaroo 2007 and it definitely didn't disappoint! A couple recap posts and pictures coming soon as soon as I catch up on some rest.

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-89014847462700254562007-06-06T10:03:00.000-05:002007-06-06T10:07:37.442-05:00

Being a pug owner, especially of this model, I found this to be pretty funny.From The Onion:"We apologize wholeheartedly to any and all owners of the 2007 pug," APBA director Betty McAndrews said at a press conference, standing before a table where 10 defective pugs were displayed. "While pug owners are accustomed to dog malfunction, the latest animals are prone to more problems than just the

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-45633134605934268682007-06-01T08:56:00.000-05:002007-06-01T09:13:03.410-05:00

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister Gina today! Hope you have a good day and we'll see you in a few hours with Olive in toe. She is very excited to come up and see you and wish you a happy birthday herself and maybe even leave a "present" for you on your floor. :)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Yesterday marked the beginning of Milwaukee Downtown Dining Week which goes through Thursday, June 7.

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-12485389298668116502007-05-16T12:01:00.000-05:002007-05-16T12:22:13.090-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posts. I'm actually on location in San Francisco this week for work. I generally travel here three times a year to work with the half of my team that is not in Milwaukee. The weather out here is average, mid 60's at best. I understand I've been missing some extremes back home with weather near 90 on Monday and downpours Tuesday.Still, it's good to be out here for a change

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-27827721799900598252007-05-09T14:18:00.000-05:002007-05-09T14:55:48.017-05:00

As I eluded to earlier, Kirsten and I were in Indianapolis this past weekend participating in a big run called the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon. It's one of the largest half-marathons, if not the largest, in the world with 35,000 people participating. It's a weekend event really as we found out Friday afternoon when we got down there. We rode down with our friends Emmett & Julie and were to hitch a

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-60230174788398844382007-05-05T19:14:00.000-05:002007-05-05T19:21:10.638-05:00

Well, my first ever home purchase has now been bestowed upon someone else. We've sold my, er, our condo so the biggest hurdle has been overcome. We can now sit back and relax (and save money) until June 29 when we close on both the current condo and the new, more pimpin' one.We are very excited to get to the new one. I'm sure June 29 will sneak up on us quick, especially since it's so soon after

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-73873444164395364222007-04-25T09:48:00.000-05:002007-04-25T10:11:19.311-05:00

Blogs are a funny thing. If you read one (or many) with great frequency sooner or later you feel like you actually know the person. This is definitely the case with our friend Erin over at Play in the City whose blog I've been reading from the beginning. I've only had the pleasure of meeting her once, but through her blog it feels like I've known her. Of course, that could just be because of her

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-84873930881086701512007-04-19T13:19:00.000-05:002007-04-19T13:31:34.331-05:00

So yesterday I get an email from my man Ryan Horton asking if I would like to use his pair of season tickets to last night's Brewers game since he'll be there with another friend sitting in his seats. Of course (after checking with the wife to see if she'd like to go) I say absolutely since they are saweet seats with the ever popular Gold parking pass. A necessity yesterday due to the rainy

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-8224247246541431112007-04-17T08:42:00.000-05:002007-04-17T09:06:41.548-05:00

This past weekend was my father-in-law's 50th birthday get together. Being that he's an avid outdoorsman, we packed up the Jeep on Saturday and headed north to the small, unincorporated town of Babcock, WI to spend the night at a nice little cabin on forty acres of land that Kirsten's aunt and uncle own.Ten people, one one-room cabin, no running water, no electricity. Sounds like a recipe for

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-38014103020238519532007-04-09T13:34:00.000-05:002007-04-09T20:32:49.582-05:00

Welcome to a new feature on High Life Heaven!I figured that since I am still working towards building The List into something only myths can compete with, I might as well put a little more "elbow grease" into it and share some information about the places I've visited and whether or not I liked them. Don't look for in depth, on-the-street reporting here...just a brief overview of the good, the

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-19880731294991793472007-04-05T20:52:00.000-05:002007-04-05T20:57:15.566-05:00

You know sometimes you instantly feel happy? You find yourself in a place where you're absolutely comfortable with where you are and what you are doing?For example, getting to your seat at Lambeau Field on a 75 degree day and you take your first sip of beer. Well today I once again found myself feeling that way. There's nothing quite like walking around a wine store with a shopping cart. Just had

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-76571458164638547062007-04-02T09:48:00.000-05:002007-04-02T10:12:06.364-05:00

Opening Day is here!I'm very excited for the 2007 version of the Milwaukee Brewers. They kick the season off today at 1:05 and the sacrificial lamb will be the L.A. Dodgers. Big Ben Sheets will get the nod which is exciting. He's definitely one of the big "ifs" for this season.The Brewers will have a good season IF Ben Sheets is healthy.The Brewers will have a good season IF Ricki Weeks stays

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-56650243929485184792007-03-27T13:33:00.000-05:002007-03-27T21:22:02.513-05:00

Big news from the DeGroot household. We've just been informed that the offer we placed for a new condo has been accepted! We are now (almost) the proud owners of a condo in the Brewer's Hill area of Milwaukee right near the restaurant, Roots.It's not far from my current place, but the condo is pretty slick and a little bigger with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths (and 2x what anyone should be paying for

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-75587165511584119902007-03-13T21:31:00.000-05:002007-03-13T21:51:15.782-05:00

I make myself sick sometimes. Just two short posts ago, I say that I'm in a blogging funk and plan on breaking out of it and yet, here I am, waiting another extended period of time before writing. Well, now that I have just expelled that emotion, time to move on.I'm not one for grieving.So this past weekend a couple co-worker friends and I made a pilgrimage up to the my homeland of Green Bay for

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-88158341322387382782007-02-27T20:14:00.000-06:002007-02-27T20:25:37.004-06:00

I'm very excited about this.Kirsten and I bought tickets to Bonnaroo 2007 that takes place in good old Manchester, Tennessee. You may recall we attended the event last year which was a fantastic time. Tickets went on sale last Friday and we make the snap decision to go again. Why? Because it's a ridiculously good time and the initial artist lineup is practically better than the entire lineup last

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-88997368629038401432007-02-17T07:51:00.000-06:002007-02-17T08:20:43.745-06:00

I've been in one of those blogging funks lately where nothing that comes into my head or happens to me "feels" like one of those things to write about. While I generally don't write about things that interesting, they at least get me to sit down for 5-10 minutes and type something. So with that being said, here's a recap of some things that happened or random thoughts I had last week but was too

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-55876453648981484482007-02-07T21:30:00.000-06:002007-02-07T21:45:52.296-06:00

How cold has it been around Wisconsin lately? Well Olive has needed some help when going outside otherwise her little paws freeze in 2 minutes. Kirsten made her mock-booties out of some felt.And believe me, she was just excited about those booties as she looks in this picture.And I like to keep saying the word "booties." Let's move on...We then tried putting on her sweatshirt but it appears that

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-70794688153727445242007-02-03T10:58:00.000-06:002007-02-03T11:08:33.890-06:00

This is great. It's pretty much everything I was thinking about the Michael Vick "busted at the airport for weed" thing only much, much funnier.

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-54260997249153893672007-01-27T11:02:00.000-06:002007-02-03T11:09:38.453-06:00

The title of this post is a sample of the lyrics from one of my favorite songs in college, Dammit, by Blink 182. It was also a favorite of my friend Emmett who I mentioned recently welcomed his first child, Harper, to the world.While the title of this blog entry really hits home today. (the title of the song does not)This past week Emmett and Julie asked Kirsten and I to be godparents (along with

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-26750878664949801422007-01-20T09:20:00.000-06:002007-01-20T09:42:07.530-06:00

This past week I met up with some former co-workers for lunch. Since it was just guys we decided on a manly place. Since the strip clubs were too far away, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings on Water Street instead for a chicken wing fix that apparently are hard tom come by for each and every married man.As the waitress was going around the table to take our orders, she came to Dave. "I'll take the

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1140296212379530512007-01-14T18:15:00.000-06:002007-01-14T18:15:12.936-06:00

If you recall, in 2005 I picked up a new hobby, reading. Well the hobby is more or less becoming an obsession. I rarely have one book in progress, I ususally have two as you can see below. I'm not sure why. It's weird. I absolutely hated reading in high school and college but somewhere along the line I was so bored that I picked up a book. The rest, as they say, is history.Iceberg - Clive

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-67164343519480302452007-01-10T18:30:00.000-06:002007-01-10T18:33:03.529-06:00

I big heartfelt congratulations to my main man Emmett (who still holds the title of "Best Man" to me until wedding #2 comes along) and his wife Julie who gave birth to their first child a couple days ago.The Stats=======Name: Harper Mae Weight: 6 lbs 1 ozHeight: 20 inches (looong)Feet: Size 6, I'm not kidding.Congrats folks! Kirsten and I, and I'm sure my loyal readers as well, are very happy

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-66432872677651392332007-01-08T17:59:00.000-06:002007-01-08T18:10:45.458-06:00

Happy 2007. I hope the first 8 days of this new year have treated you well. Or, if you're like me, you had a few days off for the holidays so now you're way behind in work and stressed out.New Year's Eve at Lakefront Brewery was a great time. For a mere $35 you could drink all the yummy Lakefront beer you could, which I did. They also had a bunch of food including Kirsten's favorite and thrice

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-9620816242285046392006-12-30T17:05:00.000-06:002007-01-08T18:11:00.185-06:00

Be there or be square...Kirsten and I, along with 6 or so other friends will be celebrating New Year's Eve at the Lakefront Brewery just down the river from our place. They are hosting an event that starts at 10:00 PM for the bargain basement price of $35 per person which includes their delicious beers (and soda), appetizers and a champagne toast at midnight. The price is pretty comparable to

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-42543096818302920542006-12-28T10:02:00.000-06:002006-12-28T10:05:26.579-06:00

This is going to be a quick post because Santa Derek had about 14 cocktails too many last night but I did want to take the time to wish you all a Happy Holidays.For Christmas, Kirsten and I made the trip up to St. Cloud, MN to spend a few days with her family. It was a really nice time (thanks again, Nelsons, I know some of you are readers) filled with food, gifts and fun...except for the Nelson

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1166500961988917842006-12-18T21:37:00.000-06:002006-12-19T20:14:32.311-06:00

So as my week of work in San Francisco came to close, my trip west was far from over. Friday afternoon Kirsten flew out to San Francisco and from the airport we rented a car (nothing flashy, just a Hyundai for what we save in money there will be spent on wine) and immediately headed north to one of the major wine regions in California, Sonoma Valley.As some of you know, I am a big wine drinker so

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1166198644987715292006-12-15T09:59:00.000-06:002006-12-15T21:12:18.316-06:00

A quick story from last week in San Francisco...On Monday night I went out to have dinner (alone, again) at the famous John's Grill downtown. It's famous because it was the setting for author Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon. It's also well known because it supposedly has some of the best steaks in town. While it was fairly tasty, it was a far cry from the delicious flesh that gets

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1166112662299306342006-12-14T09:50:00.000-06:002006-12-14T10:33:30.760-06:00

[I know I have more posts to write about San Francisco and Sonoma but in the meantime...]Last night Kirsten and I went to see the play A Christmas Carol at the very cool Pabst Theater with our good friends with child, Emmett and Julie. Before going to the performance, we started with dinner at Cafe Vecchio Mondo, which is now having their grand re-opening as part of celebrating their 10th

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1165341540333148602006-12-05T11:42:00.000-06:002006-12-05T12:00:43.753-06:00

What up peeps...I'm writing to you live from San Francisco, Cali where I am out here for the week running up the expense account, er, working feverishly. While I love living in Milwaukee, something about leaving that foot of snow and barely double-digit temperatures behind and coming out here is awfully nice.One thing I will say though, as nice as it is, these people out here are wimps. So, the

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1165072957604173082006-12-02T09:19:00.000-06:002006-12-02T09:38:18.716-06:00

Milwaukee's first major snowfall of 2006 is upon us. It was so bad in fact, that I pulled the ever so famous move of "working from home." Normally that's cause for ridicule, but in this case I believe it's warranted. It appeared that I was in the majority on that based on the emails that were flying around work yesterday.It not only marked the first snowfall of '06 but the first snowfall overall

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1164568764827063022006-11-26T13:05:00.000-06:002006-11-26T13:19:24.856-06:00

Happy post Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you were able to spend some quality time with friends and family and above all, enjoy some turkey with all the fixin's. Kirsten and I headed to Green Bay late Wednesday night to spend the weekend with my family. We'll be heading to Minnesota to spend Christmas with her family...one of the joys of married life, deciding who to snub each holiday. :)We went

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1164165094660527752006-11-21T20:43:00.000-06:002006-11-21T21:11:34.736-06:00

Happy almost Thanksgiving everyone. I hope this post finds you well.So this past Friday, Kirsten and I headed north back up to the town of Cedarburg, about 20 minutes north of Milwaukee, to spend the night at The Stagecoach Inn, a local Bed & Breakfast, as a belated anniversary night. We had a gift certificate to use that we received from our wedding last year from our good friends Emmett and

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1163358015490508622006-11-12T12:49:00.000-06:002006-11-12T13:19:09.480-06:00

So being that I am a multi-tasker by trade, I can't just sit on my comfy oversized chair and watch the Pack play the Vikings (up 10-0 at the moment!) so I'll continue the blog post about our trip to Miami. Quick recap: Kirsten and I went down there to meet up with my good friend Amy, her sister Therese and one of her friends from Dallas, Ashli for a fun filled and yet relaxing weekend concluding

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1163036441014320892006-11-08T19:27:00.000-06:002006-11-08T19:40:41.066-06:00

I'm going to for go a blog entry about my unhappiness that Jim Doyle was re-elected as governor of this great state of ours to write about something much more important.A friend of mine has a relative who, in February, had a beautiful baby boy named Gavin. As happy as this news was/is, there is a problem. Gavin was born with end-stage renal failure or kidney failure. He has no function in one of

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1162436107843790272006-11-01T20:28:00.000-06:002006-11-01T21:22:59.076-06:00

Talk about multi-tasking. I'm sitting here in my most favorite oversized chair pouring through "Lost" Season 1 on DVD on TV while at the same time decrypting and downloading Season 2 of "The Office" to my iPod.From what I've been told, "Lost" is a fantastic and addicting show. I think I'll have to second that motion since I watched the first four episodes last night and am #3 tonight and it's

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1162270200665212782006-10-30T22:48:00.000-06:002006-10-30T22:50:00.700-06:00

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1162077368027400272006-10-28T18:11:00.000-05:002006-10-28T18:16:08.056-05:00

We made it back (eventually) last night. Thanks to all of you who left comments and/or sent emails to Kirsten and I wishing us safe travels. The trip was fantastic and I have a virtual cornucopia of information to share. I will work dilligently to get that information up as well as pictures from our trip.First things first though. Tomorrow is Kirsten and my one year wedding anniversary. Time sure

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1161307787649761642006-10-19T20:17:00.000-05:002006-10-19T20:29:47.720-05:00

I just wanted to personally thank the jackass from Milwaukee for getting the country all riled up with a terrorist threat to blow up a bunch of National Football League stadiums this weekend, including the one we are travelling to in Miami.Even though it sounds pretty conclusive that it was a hoax between said jackass and another dipshit down in Texas who were having a "writing competition", it

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1161129240946020182006-10-17T18:39:00.000-05:002006-10-17T19:10:13.240-05:00

A couple months ago, I purchased the domain TheDeGrootsOnline.com. I've finally begun work on it, starting with the Photo Galleries. Feel free to take a look but don't be surprised if the page doesn't work as I just started getting into it and may be making changes while you're looking. I hope to have it up and complete near Thanksgiving. The plan is to host all our photo galleries as well as a (

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1160568599874204742006-10-11T07:07:00.000-05:002006-10-11T07:09:59.900-05:00

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1160443904001645862006-10-09T20:22:00.000-05:002006-10-09T21:02:00.253-05:00

Happy Monday everyone. Hope everyone had as nice of a weekend as I did. For a move away from the ordinary, I'll work backwards. Yesterday I kept my 2006 streak alive by now attending all three Packers home games and witnessing losses by the Pack in all three. This time, it was the St. Louis Rams doing us in 23-20. Every week they seem to find a new way to lose. They virtually outplayed the Rams

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1159837517947692922006-10-02T19:55:00.000-05:002006-10-02T20:20:21.393-05:00

Pack vs. Eagles tonight. We're about three minutes in and the Packers are not losing yet so thats a good sign. They're actually moving the ball pretty well at the moment (knocking on some nearby wood). I believe Philly is favored by eleven tonight which is a pretty big number in the NFL. I hate Philly...they're the new Cowboys pf the 90's to the Packers. Very reminicent of when the Pack would

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1159281374806845222006-09-26T09:28:00.000-05:002006-09-26T09:42:39.603-05:00

Lately I've been having thoughts that maybe making this move to a new job was a big mistake. I thought I was excited. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was bettering myself. How could I not? More control, more money and free lunch. A no brainer right?Wrong.I feel lost, misinformed, out of the loop. Why you ask? Because I have fallen so far behind in blogging and reading blogs

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1158497110435035412006-09-17T07:30:00.000-05:002006-09-17T07:45:10.463-05:00

Well week #1 is over at the new job and all indications are that I made a good choice, and not just because of the free lunch which is an excellent and delicious perk. It appears that my now team members weren't kidding when they said that they didn't have any type of expert in the area of stuff I deal with. There is a lot of questionable things in place right now that we've discussed this week

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1157976236699794822006-09-11T06:58:00.000-05:002006-09-11T07:03:56.726-05:00

Happy Monday everyone. I had to throw a quick post out there before I start my new job today. I hope y'all had a nice weekend. A group of us went up to Penninsula State Park for the weekend camping. We had a lot of fun, even though Hurricane Friday came through. I have some pictures that I'll post, hopefully tonight.Yesterday I went to what some people call a football game although it only looked

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1157124175081850062006-09-01T10:12:00.000-05:002006-09-01T11:15:19.736-05:00

I usually have a cookout every summer at my place...I mean, our place (sorry honey). This summer is going by so darn quick that it almost escaped without joining us in hosting one. But alas we were able to throw one together for yesterday relatively last minute and it was a success!One minor issue which I take full responsibility for was not starting the grill until an hour or so after people

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1156961390852356502006-08-30T12:58:00.000-05:002006-08-30T13:42:36.266-05:00

This week I submitted my resignation at Manpower after two years and 7 days with the company. I don't think I've ever really mentioned on this blog where I work. I know I hinted at it a little on a previous post but I don't believe I ever came out and said it. So there you have it. Another specific detail for you readers to enjoy.Although it doesn't help a lot since I'm leaving there.It was a

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1156427527626557232006-08-24T08:45:00.000-05:002006-08-24T09:34:38.736-05:00

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) -- Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight. More..I can't believe that so-called science "experts" could be so cold to diss Pluto like this. Didn't anyone consider the consequences of this action? Who is going to write all the new text books that kids

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1156363833757239652006-08-23T15:05:00.000-05:002006-08-23T15:10:33.780-05:00

Just wanted to recognize some events in the lives of friends....Congratulations to my friend Kyle and his new wife Jordan who were married recently in Ireland!Happy Birthday (yesterday) to my good friend Amy in Dallas. (I called last night, you must have been out tearing up the town. See you this weekend though).

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1156261953051592342006-08-22T10:43:00.000-05:002006-08-22T10:58:18.453-05:00

It's pretty much a proven fact that everyone's had that dream where you go to school in your underwear or whatever and everyone's laughing at you right? Well if you haven't, read on anyway.So that's supposed to be one of those just humiliating experiences. Well I've found the real-life version of the most humiliating experience possible and it goes like this.[Begin Experience]Backdrop: Yesterday

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1156195184379755832006-08-21T16:05:00.000-05:002006-08-21T16:19:44.916-05:00

Thanks to those of you who voted on the poll I had up about whether or not my lovely wife should have to leave public comments on my blog if she is to provide me feedback on my posts. As expected the answer "absolutely" dominated with a solid 11 votes to 7 thumping of "No, she's the boss." I will without a doubt pass this information on to Kirsten and hope she allows me to sleep inside the house

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1155750594182701022006-08-16T12:42:00.000-05:002006-08-17T08:05:26.460-05:00

I wanted to add a poll to my blog just for the fun of it and when I was trying to come up with a question to ask you, the loyal reading community, only one option came to me. My wife often gives me what I will nicely refer to as "feedback" on my blog. One of the frequent "feedback" topics is my lack of pictures of us on the blog and the various pictures of things that I post.Every time this

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1155669264801583902006-08-15T14:04:00.000-05:002006-08-15T14:21:08.933-05:00

This past weekend Kirsten and I put plenty of miles on the Jeep. We started off on Friday by driving up to Rochester, MN to visit her sister Erika for the evening. It was also Olive's first long road trip. She did well during the four and half hour ordeal spending most of the time in her kennel. She even saved the vomiting until we got to Erika's place (sorry again!). The standard Domino's pizza

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1155059805000404152006-08-08T12:56:00.000-05:002006-08-09T08:21:49.336-05:00

[NOTE: This post was updated as I remembered that the beer I had was from Vermont so I was able to "Google it" to find the name][Note: This post was updated again with pictures]My apologies dear readers for my lack of posts. Things have been pretty crazy lately at work due to a big project falling behind causing my team to make up the extra work and hours. I promise though that I am working on

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1154350397466872652006-07-31T07:52:00.000-05:002006-07-31T07:53:17.470-05:00

It's not often that someone comes along and really sparks a moment in your life that you will never forget. One happened to me 16 years ago that has recently been brought back to the forefront in the NFL. The National Football League recently held it's 10th annual rookie symposium which is an event aimed at preparing new draft picks for life in the NFL on and off the field. The topics discussed

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1153607974442727942006-07-22T17:29:00.000-05:002006-07-23T14:39:01.976-05:00

Big news! The Milwaukee DeGroot clan has increased by 50%. Say hello to our new family member, Olive. She's an eight-week old Pug puppy that we picked up Friday evening in Madison. Both puppy and mom are doing fine.[I know that sentence doesn't make a lot of sense but since I've received an astronomical amount of emails about people having babies this year, this is as close of an opportunity as

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1153280703555679852006-07-18T22:29:00.000-05:002006-07-19T09:29:08.166-05:00

Tonight Kirsten and I had dinner with our friends Kerry and Joe. Kerry stood up in our wedding and Joe was a very supportive spectator holding down the crowd amongst the pews. Anyway, they are moving to North Carolina next week for Joe to pursue a PHD at Chapel Hill. He is also receiving funding to pursue some research there.It's always sad to see friends move away no matter how well you know

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1153228187212682572006-07-18T07:57:00.000-05:002006-07-18T08:14:24.193-05:00

Thanks to all you commenters that were so concerned about me after the Fish Days run. I'm happy to say that I completed the 2 mile run in 22 minutes which I was excited about but I could have done without the huge pile of puke right after the finish line. Not mine, someone else's. I even received a yellow "Finisher" ribbon which is now hanging on the fridge. Kirsten put it there. I don't know if

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1152883574649686822006-07-14T08:18:00.000-05:002006-07-14T12:27:29.210-05:00

Thank you all for the prayers and well-wishes but my little guy didn't make it. I had about 30 seconds to grieve, but then they gave me a new one so I was on my way. They say you never forget your first, but I've forgotten mine. Probably because my second looks identical to it.So tomorrow I will be participating in my first official run! I'm trying really hard to be excited about it, but I just

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1152300421930031032006-07-07T14:12:00.000-05:002006-07-07T14:30:32.803-05:00

For those of you who every secretly hoped to see my in a vulnerable state, here you go. I am dealing with a crisis and need all the well wishing and prayers that you all can provide. To make a long story short, my baby is sick. After meeting with an expert today, surgery is scheduled for early next week, if it can survive that long. If I can.It snuck up on me yesterday like a tornado to a trailor

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9431184.post-1152236776004661872006-07-06T20:17:00.000-05:002006-07-07T09:33:32.123-05:00

As an avid Milwaukee Brewers fan, I'm embarrassed to say that Tuesday's game was the first one I've been to all year. On the bright side, it was a great time and worth the wait. It was my friend Derrick's birthday so he and his wife Terri organized a tailgate complete with a lot of beer, tasty burgers and brats and fun for all ages.Someone brought the Bean Bag Toss game (left) which kept some of

Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08101591101965847157noreply@blogger.com3