Leaves falling like snow

I was working off Post Road last week and experienced a sight that reminds me how much I love autumn. The maple trees in the neighborhood were bright yellow, and the sun was just strong enough to light up their color without making it too bright. The wind had been blowing that morning, so the trees were dropping all their leaves around the base of the tree - circles and circles of leaves as we drove down the street.











When we parked our trucks, we got out and I couldn't help but stare as leaves were falling like snow down the entire street. Just like when it's raining or snowing, I became so engaged with nature because it was happening right there in front of my eyes.


Leaves turn colors, leaves fall - but for me to see them falling off the trees and usher out and in a new season, I couldn't help but stand in awe of God's creation and the beauty of autumn.

David Crowder*Band at House of Blues

There's nothing like a great show to remind you how much you love a band.
David Crowder*Band at the House of Blues Chicago did that for me Thursday night.

My brother invited me about a month ago to attend the show with a couple other guys from church. We ended up having dinner at the House of Blues which was decent. The cool thing is that if you have dinner there, they put you to the front of the line for the show. We ended up being three rows deep, dead center - great spot. I know bands often get the crowd jumping, but Crowder's music is perfect for making an entire crowd jump around in unison. Literally the floor was flexing at least an inch. We were double-jumping on a wooden floor like it was a trampoline!!

Crowder brought out the key-tar and then the guitar from a new video game, Guitar Hero. Fully plugged in, it was a unique sound and a lot of fun.

I felt a little bad for the bartenders. We got a round of drinks and were like the only people at the bar. The venue was at capacity - some 1,300 people!! Great showing, but I guess we were the only 4 Christians who felt comfortable buying a beer.

We were supposed to have Meet and Greet tickets, but our names never made it on the list. So Chad was trying to talk to a security lady, but she was pretty cold (can't blame her). Well, as we were ready to walk out, she abandoned her post and we paused at the door. As the other three in our party stood around, I walked through. I made it to the end of the hallway and turned around and no one had followed. I decided to explore the back hallways of the House of Blues.

I went two flights and ended up in the kitchen. I decided then to go up a level. I found a door that said "stage", so I went in. I was back in a control room with no one in it. I peaked around a corner and was literally on stage, but I heard guys talking so I made my way out.

I was back to the stairwell, and I figured everything was up. There were like 6 levels, and I went to what I think was the top. Through the door, I found a room where the band eats - food and drinks of all kinds spread out. There was a table with a MacBook Pro on it - must be a trusting atmosphere. Then I heard a bunch of talking behind a door, and I knew that was the Meet and Greet.

Sure enough, I came in and jumped right into a crowd of people meeting David Crowder and the band. I introduced myself and got a quick video with him b/c I knew none of the guys would believe me. Actually, I knew they'd believe me - I just wanted video proof. It was quite an adventure to sneak around the back hallways of the House of Blues into all the rooms so few people get to see. And then to make it to the desired "event" was really fun. I tried calling my brother, but no answer.

I went downstairs and out of the music hall - big mistake. They don't let you back in after that, and soon my brother called and said they waited for someone's All Access pass as they were coming out - they were in the Meet and Greet. I told him I was already there, and assured him they should stay and hang out.

My journey to the Meet and Greet was way better than theirs, but I'm glad we all got to meet Crowder.

Football - 'Tis the Season

Saturday we had tickets to the Badger game, which was homecoming. It was good to be HOME. And the beautiful thing about this season is our location - we walk to the game!!! Katie and I stopped for a brat on the way.
























We sat with Matt and Amanda at about the 5 yard line.













Then since we didn't get enough of the Cranney's (and b/c we don't have cable), Katie and I went to their place Monday night for Brett Favre Day - I mean Monday Night Football. Did you see that game?!?!?! Some people were a little critical of the Brett Favre Love-Fest, but I can't get enough of him. Think about it - he's going to be gone very soon and then everyone's really going to miss him. He's a living legend.

Adventure One on YouTube

Last April I documented a little bit of our trip to Europe. Well then I got home and put together a video and posted it on YouTube. I thought I'd link to it here.

Adventure One

Fair warning -- it's 10 minutes long, but the music is great.

Kitchen Essential - Custom Apron

A man's place is in the kitchen. Sure, Katie is 10 times the cook that I am (ask for her jambalaya). But men need to feel comfortable and proficient in the kitchen. When I purchased my cast iron skillet and chicken fryer, I started to look at cooking in a whole new light.

Well cooking can get messy. So an essential item is an apron. You don't work in the garage in your best jeans and collared shirt, do you? An apron is the uniform of the kitchen, and it's as manly as you make it. Fortunately I have an unbelievably talented wife, so I had her make me a custom one.












In my kitchen, breakfast is sacred. Eggs, sausage and hashbrowns are usually on my skillet to start my day.

Singletrack

About three years ago, I bought a mountain bike with the consultation of a good friend, Andrew Tainter. He and I found a bike at Budget Bike Shop for about $600. Andrew said the components were really good, especially for the price. The bike was a really good deal, especially for an entry-level bike.












The next three years I used the bike occasionally for commuting and leisure rides around town. I knew I had this performance bike that was not being utilized. Then Matt Ehn called.




He said he and his roommate were going mountain biking in Kettle Moraine. I joined them for my first single-track experience about a month ago. We had such a blast! The John Muir Trails are considered by most to be the best in the state. Mens Journal calls it the best in the Midwest.

Single-track is the term for mountain biking over an area of... single track. At the John Muir Trail, they have 4 or 5 different routes from 3 to 10-mile loops. The single-track takes you through open prairies, and then into the woods. You go up and down hills of varying degrees with a few obstacles in the way: branches and limbs laying across the trail, pits filled with mud, tree roots, and all shapes and sizes of rocks.












This time when Matt and I went, we got better at picking up good speed. But when speed and obstacles come together, you have crashes. We both fell a couple times, but no big injuries. Matt's shoulder took on a small tree - the tree won.

We only got a couple pictures b/c we're still so excited to be on the track, that we don't pull off to the side and take some better action shots. Hopefully there will be better shots of the single-track in the future.

For an excellent workout, take a mountain bike on some single-track. I can honestly say that those two rides were some of the most fun I've ever had. Matt and I were laughing the whole way and extremely "stoked" when we got to the bottom of a big downhill run that was littered with boulder-moguls as you weave in and out of trees and around hairpin turns.

Inaugural Trip to Lambeau (regular season)

There are some things in life that I just get "geeked" about. The Packers and Lambeau field are right at the top of the list. The history of the Packers is fascinating to me. Did you know that Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the U.S., doesn't have an NFL team, and Green Bay, the 257th largest, does?!?! That is so awesome (thanks Rick Reilly).












My dad and I went to Lambeau quite a few years ago for a pre-season game on a Monday night. They played the Browns. I'll never forget my first trip to Lambeau field. As cool as that was, pre-season just isn't the same as the regular season.

Two weeks ago I successfully bought tickets from a friend at work. Katie and I made plans for the Sunday night game. I could write for pages about our experience. If you've ever been there, you know how cool it is. Let's put it this way: Katie started to get REALLY excited about the atmosphere - she ended up admitting how cool it is there, it's just special. She went on to say Badger fans are lame - Packer fans are where it's at.

She's right. Fans tailgating at Lambeau are just different - in a cool way. All that green and gold never looked better. Everyone's really nice. It's fanfare at it's best. We at at Brett Favre's Steakhouse - good burger. Our seats were fantastic. Ok, they were average, but I would sit anywhere in that stadium.





John Madden was doing the game for NBC - here's his famous touring bus.








Here we saw A.J. Hawk getting dropped off and entering the stadium.


So they're playing the Bears, which made this sign the biggest laugh of the day.












So we've all heard about the season ticket waiting list. If you put your name on the waiting list today, you would be number 74,659. An average of 70 people give up their tickets every year, which means you'll have your tickets by the 3074 season.
Luckily you'll still catch Brett Favre's last year.







Sadly, we all know the Pack lost its first game of the season to the arch rival Bears. But I can honestly say that my first regular season game was so memorable and special - there's extra excitement around the team this year with their great start. And Brett Favre is a living legend. Even if I had the opportunity to get season tickets, it would be hard - the time, the money, and the impossibility all are stacked against me. But getting to Lambeau once every couple years would be the way to go for me.

Four Pillars of a Man's Heart

I just finished reading a book I put down four years ago. I was given Four Pillars of a Man's Heart in 2002 and for whatever reason, I never finished it. Boy, am I glad I picked it back up. When I read, I'm an underliner - everything that catches my attention gets some ink. It really helps me so I can re-read sections and cement it into my head. And this book got it's fair share of my ink.

The Four Pillars, described by Stu Weber, are foundational for men to hold in balance. As men, we need to carefully discern which pillar needs our attention at any given moment, with any given person, for any situation.




-- A man of vision and character... a King.
-- A man of strength and power... a Warrior.
-- A man of faith and wisdom... a Mentor.
-- A man of heart and love.. a Friend.


Here's a little synopsis of the book. I don't like giving things away, but if this gives you a good idea of the content of the book, then mission accomplished. Fantastic book!

Weber's background is in the military and he's an outdoorsman, so he's got some great stories. For any man looking to learn about four Biblical pillars of manhood, check out this book.

Rappelling at Devil's Lake

Earlier this week my cousin Brad invited me to go climbing and rappelling with him and some friends at Devil's Lake. My experience in the tree business has gotten me comfortable hanging on a rope and swinging through the air. But it took me a little bit to get comfortable in the rappelling setting. All the principles and even techniques are similar, if not the same. But with the trees, so often you have branches to hang onto and even stand on. Today, the context was a little different - just a face of rock to push against, and certainly nothing to stand on.

Nevertheless, my first rappel was safe and controlled. The second one was a lot faster - I had the figure-8 hot from friction when I got to the bottom.

Here, Scotty's getting Brad set-up for a descent.













Brad took these of me coming down.

Labor Day Festivities

Katie and I have been looking forward to this Labor Day weekend for quite some time. We've just moved into a new place, and we've still been busy around town. So a quiet, extended weekend was highlighted on our schedule. Well Sunday night Katie started to get a cold, and it got worse Monday morning.

Nevertheless, we still managed a nice day on the water and experimenting with our new cast iron cookware.

Lake Wingra Boathouse is about a 10 minute walk from our place. We rented a canoe and soaked in some of the last good rays of the season.

The project for the evening was to make our initial attempt at fried chicken in my new Lodge cast iron chicken fryer. We had concocted a rub for the chicken earlier in the morning. Once the oil was hot, we breaded the pieces in some flour and began the cooking.

We couldn't have been happier with the results. Katie and I really get into these kinds of things - southern cooking, classic recipes, fun and different ways of cooking.

(Breading the chicken, in the fryer, and the finished product.)

Game Day!

Theres' something special about the first Saturday of the football season. Sure, a few teams kicked off the 2007 season on Thursday night, but let's be honest - the season starts today. After a back-and-forth week with tickets, I thought Game Day for me meant meeting my brother and his wife at Lucky's for pre-game. Then Katie said she'd join me for the game -- "oh by the way, we have tickets!" A doctor from work gave her possibly the best seats in the house - 25 rows up on the 50-yard line.

Life is good in the Schiefelbein household this fine Saturday morning. We just had a great breakfast made in the aforementioned cast iron skillet. Katie made her signature tube-top from an old Wisconsin shirt of mine, and I'm ready for that walk to the stadium.







This place off Monroe Street is great - it reminds me of the college days of "park at my house and walk to the game." It's not like we're downtown like the college students, but we're within striking range - right where Katie and I like to be.