December 1 - 31, 2002

Sunday, December 1, 2002                                                                Madison, WI

Today was mostly scheduled around watching the Packers game, what ended up being a clear victory over Chicago, though it didn’t begin that way.  We finished the day in the comfortable home of Teresa & Doug.

By Christine: Teresa and I have been best friends for almost 22 years.  We went to college together and were maid-of-honors in each others weddings.  We've been living in different states for over 10 years.  We have had many great visits in the past two years.  It has been wonderful to see each other more often.

Monday, December 2 – Saturday, December 7, 2002           Francis Creek, WI

We returned to my in-laws and busied ourselves with various projects.  John’s deer hunting group bagged three deer last week.  Two of which were our pleasure to butcher. This was a new experience for me.  I got to help skin the deer and cut them up.  It was a big project that took the better part of three evenings.  We’ve had a great stay here, but look forward to heading up north to get some early season skiing in before Christmas.

By Christine: We spent the evenings of December 2-4 working to skin the whitetail deer from this years hunt and cut up the meat.  It was alot of work and some late nights but it is comforting to know where your meat had been and how it has been handled.  We made 20 pounds of it into Breakfast sausage, there are also chops (steaks), roasts, and ground meat.

1) John, Richard, Carol, and Joe working at cutting up the meat.  2) This picture shows the second deer hanging.  Joe is the one who cut off the ribs and helped Dad skin both deer. 

Sunday, December 8, 2002                                                    Francis Creek, WI

Today was all about going to see the Green Bay Packers play the Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay in historic Lambeau Field.  Since it was an evening game with Kickoff at 7:30 PM, we spent the whole day in anticipation.  Christine wrote about this day in detail.  I just wanted to add that it really was a special experience seeing the Packers play at home.  The level of devotion and crowd involvement is hard to comprehend until you actually attend a game at Lambeau Field.  I was very impressed and had a great time.

By Christine: Today was spent waiting for tonight.  I made a Chicken Corn Chowder and a layered bean dip for tailgating tonight.  We double checked all of our cold weather layers and I made sure Mom's heavy winter boots fit me.  The game started at 7:30 PM and Joe and I started out about 3 PM to pick up a seat to use at the game and to pick up Jane and Wenzel for Tailgating.  I already had a nervous energy flowing through me.  Going to a Packer Home game is something I've always wanted to do but there is always a lack of tickets to Green Bay games.  

We had about 2 1/2 hours to tailgate and we loved it all.  We drank plenty of beers and shots and ate plenty of food as we counted down to game time.  The RV was great for tailgating, especially in such cold weather.  We were outside the whole time but we were able to keep the chowder hot on the stove and we went inside for about the last 25 minutes to warm up, drink a nice hot chocolate drink and put on the layers for the game.  The temperature was in the single digits for evening and we all wanted to be comfortable.

I've been to Packer games in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and twice in Charlotte.  There is no comparison.  There is something about the energy flowing through Lambeau field.  For once I was not the loud mouth visiting fan.  Everyone was yelling as loud as I was.  The announcers always talk about the level of noise at Lambeau field and I can attest to this.  It was like we were trying to move the team down the field by volume alone.  I've never been in any stadium where the noise is so constantly loud.  I not only got to go to a Packer game but it was an amazing game with an absolutely exhausting ending.  I can't even explain the absolute abandonment of yelling and jumping as the seconds ticked down and we won a hard fought game.

It was so wonderful to share this dream with my cousins and with Joe.  Joe is great about enjoying and looking forward to these games with me.  We were on a total high as we walked back to the RV and slowly got under way.  It was a perfect first home game experience and I look forward to more Packer home games in the future.  Thanks to Karen and Aaron for finding us the tickets!  And Thanks to my Mom for buying us the tickets for Christmas!

Click here to find pictures of the Green Bay game on the Spotlight Pictures page.

Monday, December 9, 2002                                            Wausau, WI

We left my in-laws this afternoon and drove over to visit our friends, Bonnie and Jeff in Wausau for the night.  Teresa came up from Madison to join us for skiing tomorrow.

By Christine:  Today we loaded back up the RV and recovered from the euphoria of  last night.  Other than a sore throat, which was expected, all is well today.  We left my Mom about 2 PM and drove to Wausau to meet my friend Teresa and spend the night with Bonnie and Jeff.  We enjoyed a nice evening of visiting.

Tuesday, December 10, 2002                                        Iron River, MI

Christine and I drove up the road to Granite Peak Ski Area, joined by Teresa.  Granite Peak is located on Rib Mountain, Wisconsin’s highest peak.  We enjoyed sharing our first day of skiing this season with Teresa, though the snow was all man-made.  Granite Peak boasts being the largest ski area in the Midwest with 700’ of vertical drop and 72 runs.  New ownership has recently improved the area considerably, though it is still far from being a resort.  We said goodbye to Teresa and drove into the evening toward Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

By Christine: Day One of the 2002 - 2003 Ski Season.  Teresa, Joe, and myself got to Granite Peak ski hill in Wausau, WI about 9:30 this morning.  It was a warm day and Granite Peak hasn't had any natural snow but they have had plenty of cold weather to make snow.  Only 2 lifts and about 1/3 of the runs were open but it was a perfect first day of skiing.  It felt good to be back on skis and we all skied well.

1) The only snow in the area was on the slopes, but that is the important place.  Here we get ready to ski in the brown parking lot.  2) Teresa and Joe enjoy one of the slopes.  3) Joe is happy to be back on skis.  4) Teresa and Christine.  We didn't shop together but anyone that knows us well would understand how this could happen.  5) Teresa on the ski lift.

Wednesday, December 11, 2002                                                    Rapid River, MI

We woke this morning and went skiing at Brule Mountain, a rather small ski area with just 410’ of vertical drop and 17 runs.  We enjoyed having nearly the entire mountain to ourselves.  We continued driving eastward across the Upper Peninsula until it got pretty dark.

Thursday, December 12, 2002                                                    Kalkaska, MI

We crossed over the Straits of Mackinac onto Michigan’s lower Peninsula.  The Mackinac Strait separates Lake Michigan from Lake Huron.  These two lakes actually form one body of water with a narrow connection at the strait.  Before the bridge was built between 1954-1957, Michigan’s two peninsulas were very separate.  A ferry service was heavily utilized during the summer months, but long periods of freeze and thaw preserved the gap between the landmasses.  The massive suspension bridge remains today as the 3^rd longest in the world, only recently surpassed as the longest by bridges in Japan and Denmark.  We enjoyed doing some shopping for ski gear in Petoskey and finally found a campsite for the night.

Friday, December 13, 2002                                                                Mt. Pleasant, MI

We woke to a foggy morning and spent the day skiing at Boyne Mountain, one of the better-developed ski areas in the Midwest with 500’ vertical drop and 62 runs, though far from being challenging for us.

Saturday, December 14, 2002                                                    Detroit, MI

We drove into Lansing this morning to visit our 31^st state capitol.  Michigan’s State Capitol Building has recently completed a major restoration that returns the building to earlier glory.  Later we met up with our friend Dave in Detroit, having just moved there to begin a new job.  We enjoyed an evening with Dave and his dog, Comet.

Sunday, December 15, 2002                                                                E. Claridon, OH

We drove into Ohio and spanned the state to visit the Jolly family.  Pat and I grew up as next-door neighbors in Cincinnati.  It was good to visit with him and his family: Paula, Daniel, Patrick Jr. and Anna.

Monday, December 16, 2002                                                    N. Ridgeville, OH

We spent most of today visiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland.  It is located in a beautiful spot on the shore of Lake Erie.  The I.M. Pei designed building has seven floors of music exhibits arranged inside a complex of shapes that includes a pyramid.  We got our moneys worth by choosing to go on a quiet Monday and taking our time with the exhibits.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tuesday, December 17, 2002                                                    Dublin, OH

We visited our 32^nd state capitol in Columbus today.  The Ohio Statehouse underwent a massive restoration from 1989 to 1996 that included the erection of an atrium to connect the Statehouse with the Senate Building.  The exterior of the buildings still appears unimpressive, but the interior restoration resulted in a very pleasing finish.

We spent the evening visiting with our friends Tom & Karin and their children Jonathon and Jamie.

Wednesday, December 14 – December 31, 2002                                  Bradford, KY

We returned to Cincinnati and moved back into my parents’ basement for the holidays.  We enjoyed two great weeks visiting with friends and family and celebrating the season.  We even managed to have a white Christmas.

December 31, 2002 - By Christine:  It was a very nice holiday week in the Lustik household.  We decided to do New Years Eve at the house and Marilyn was great about letting me take over.  We had 11 people all together.  Marilyn and Ron; Joe's sister, Martha; our friends, Tracy and Chris, and Jackie and Carolyn; and Ron and Marilyn's friends, Bob and Rene.  Using all the pottery I bought in Mexico and a book of Mexican recipes from Ken and Luma,  I created a mostly traditional Mexican feast that included 2 types of salsa, guacamole, from scratch refried beans, Chicken Enchiladas with salsa verda, and a variety of types of Quesadillas.  It all turned out well and we passed the evening  playing Charades and other group games.  2003 holds the promise of many changes for Joe and I.  It was exciting to enter this new year.

Christmas Pictures: 1) Carmen holding a Mexican doll she received from us.  2) Evan, Martha, and Preston.  3) Martha, Marilyn, and Joe.  4) Carmen, our little model.

New Years Eve Pictures: 1) Game group 1: Jackie, Carolyn, Martha, Marilyn, Tracy, and Chris.  2) Chris and game group 2: Joe, Bob, Rene, and Ron.  3) Carolyn and Jackie. 4) Bob and Rene.  5) Tracy and Chris.