When your great uncle accidentally starts himself on fire, your great Grandma turns 95 years old, and your Florida besties announce a last minute trip to Wisconsin, you rearrange your schedule to figure out how to see all the people at once, because family matters.
So, after driving to Madison to pick up Cha Cha and Ernest from the airport, we swung by the UW Health University Hospital to check on Uncle Norman in the Burn Unit and to convince him to stop playing with matches and gasoline.
Then we looked for a cure for our hangrytitus and found some delicious Mediterranean food and cute outdoor seating at Banzo, before finding a place to rest our heads in the Dells.
Of course, we needed Ernest to get a little taste of the Dells before heading to Waukesha, since he was a first-timer, so we waved down the next amphibious truck we could find and took a wet and wild Duck tour of the Wisconsin River, Dell Creek, and Lake Delton!
And since there likely wouldn’t be time to visit the Milwaukee Zoo, which was on our summer bucket list, we got our animal fix by walking through Timbavati Wildlife Park to feed the giraffes and pet the kangaroos.
Finally, we arrived in Waukesha to give Great Grandma Garcia hugs, kisses, and birthday wishes before heading back across the state (with a midpoint wardrobe change at a gas station bathroom) to get mom to an important wedding that her presence was requested at.
It was a whirlwind of miles, emotions, and love that I wouldn’t trade for anything, because we don’t often get to see my Florence and Garcia family (especially in the same weekend) and these special reunions are always so good for my soul. Turns out, it was good for my tummy, too, since we got sent home with churros and tamales!