The Nest

Braving the cold to scope out a location

Posted Monday, September 17, 2007 2:40 PM

Friday night my fiancé and I were planning to spend the night at a near-by State Park to check out their amphitheater, but when we woke up Friday it was supposed to be 32 degrees on Friday night and we weren't sure if we'd get a campsite so we decided we'd take a day trip Sunday or something.  By the time I left work Friday, I was feeling very disappointed that we weren't camping that night, I'd been looking forward to it all week.  Much to my surprise, when I got home my fiancé had his arms full of our camping gear which he threw in the trunk and said, "let's go!"  We grabbed a pack of hot dogs, buns and some marshmallows for dinner and hit the road.  It was freezing that night, it actually did reach 32 degrees (lowest low recorded for that day) but I brought my winter coat and we both have very warm sleeping bags, so we successfully made it through the night.

Saturday morning we got up and started a fire again (it was too cold not to). We had grabbed a store made loaf of lemon poppy seed bread for breakfast and I was lamenting the fact that our breakfast was cold, when it struck me that we could roast the bread and marshmallows on our roasting forks.  It sounds kind of gross but it was surprisingly delicious (it may have been because it was so cold...)  After breakfast we hiked up what seemed like a mountain (well, a mountain for South Central Wisconsin) and found the amphitheater (and a look-out tower) at the top.  I forgot my camera (actually, I technically forgot my camera's memory, but either way I couldn't use my camera) which I was hoping to record the location for planning, however we found the amphitheater much too small.  The official seating number is 100, but we wanted to see if we could add seats or anything, but there was no room, the amphitheater was set back in the woods with 28 permanent benches that ranged from 1 or 2 wide to 4 or 5 wide, but I'm sure we can't fit our wedding guests there. 

We do like this State park though, so I guess if we can't find a park with an amphitheater we like we'll still consider this as a location.  But we need to pick a location still and hopefully soon. There's another state park just a little farther than the one we checked out this weekend that we'll hopefully make it to next weekend.

I asked my fiancé's sister to be a bridesmaid this weekend, she said she would love to.  I just have my youngest sister and my two childhood best friends left to ask.  I have lunch plans with one of the friends tomorrow.  My fiancé's sister's best friend has been going to culinary school... and makes fancy deserts by the hundreds says my fiancé's sister... sounds like the best offer I've had yet (although, pretty much everyone I've talked to about the wedding knows someone who bakes, this friend is by far the most professional/experienced).  His sister also said she may be able to ask a friend's father who owns a golf course (the same friend, I think) if we can use an event tent from the golf course, which would save money and be awesome!  I hope that works out.  I think that's all the wedding updates I have from the weekend.