We live across the street from a Dairy Queen.

I think it’s dangerously close, but Steve loves ‘sweet treats’ and has the metabolism of a 10-year-old boy, so the pros outweigh the cons.

On Monday, June 25 we started the 1,023-mile drive from NY to WI. The first day, we drove from Syracuse, NY to Angola, IN where we stayed at an Airbnb on Stump Hollow Lake.

The setup: Uhaul truck and car trailer.

We secretly called our host ‘Grandpa Dick’. (His name is Dick and I’m pretty sure he’s actually a Grandpa, so it’s not that weird.) Grandpa Dick gave us a tour of the property and showed us how to feed berries to his chickens.

On the second day, we hopped back in the Uhaul and powered through the remainder of the drive. We only ran into a tiny bit of rain the entire time. Hallelujah. When we reached Fond du Lac, we stayed at my Aunt and Uncle’s guest house for a few days.

Road Trip Highlights:

1) Steve quickly got used to driving the Uhaul and car trailer. (Thankfully, because I wouldn’t even drive it with a CDL.)

2) After we checked into the Airbnb, I was sitting on the couch talking to my mom.  I looked out the window and thought I saw a Great Dane. Nope. Neighbor brought her 4-H calves over to visit.

The neighbor, her dad, and the calves.

3) We listened to Celestine Prophecy on audio book as recommended by my mom. At 8 hours and 27 minutes, it was the perfect length. And the narrator’s accents were  apparently memorable, because a month later, Steve still speaks in a quasi-Peruvian accent.

4) Last but not least, on the second day of our drive, I got a call from one of my best friends, Nichole: She got engaged!

Screenshot of the group call announcing the engagement.

After hanging in Fondy for a few days and visiting my Grandma and Grandpa Riley at Salty’s (of course), on Thursday, June 28, Steve and I drove the remaining 3.5 hours to Menomonie, WI. Menomonie is near Eau Claire and Minneapolis—not to be confused with Menomonee Falls, WI (near Milwaukee), the Menominee Casino Resort in Keshena, WI, or Menominee, MI. Yes, there are three different spellings.

When we arrived in Menomonie at UW-Stout, we were greeted by one of Steve’s new co-workers, Amy. Steve and I unpacked about 2/3rds of the Uhaul in 90 degree weather. After we each sweated off 10 pounds and were sufficiently crabby, we took a break and decided to reconvene after sunset. Wise decision.

Our apartment. Our kitchen, dining, and living room were previously three separate dorm rooms. The renovations make our apartment very spacious. I guess close to 1000 sq. ft.

The next day, my parents came to Menomonie, helped us unpack boxes (in an air-conditioned apartment), and treated us to Steve’s first Wisconsin Friday night fish fry at Jake’s Supper Club on Tainter Lake—as recommended by Dave Hubbard.

The next day, we headed to my Grandparent’s house in Phelps for our annual 4th of July trip. It’s been a while since a large group of the Riley-Buchers have been available that week, but the majority of us were there: Grandma and Grandpa, Jeff, Sherri, Steve, Amy, Emily, Brian, Katie, Dillon, Steve, Sherman, Murphy, and Missy. Still missing a few, but we had a great time on the lake, at the fireworks, Paulding Light, and casino. Most of us left the casino ahead, especially Jeff. And I almost forgot the most important news: Steve caught his first fish! Thanks to a successful fishing trip with Grandpa. After five days Up North, Steve and I headed back to our new home.

Steve’s very first fish on Lake Imogene.

Steve and I have spent the last month exploring our very walkable, quaint city. We’ve checked out 3 of the 4 grocery stores, including an expensive but very sustainable, healthy, local, welcoming Food Co-op (four superlatives means I think highly of it), along with our favorite place, ALDI. We’ve tried several local restaurants and coffee shops including Lucette’s Woodfire Eatery, Silver Dollar, Marion’s Legacy, Tabby’s Catfe, Acoustic Cafe, The Raw Deal, The Waterfront Bar & Grill, and Steve had his first experience with Toppers Pizza. All have been great.

We’ve also gone on a few bike rides, visited the Farmer’s Market (Wednesdays and Saturdays), disc golfed on campus, checked out a summer music series called Music Over Menomin, visited Eau Claire, toured the Mabel Tainter Center for The Arts, found a $5 signed Mister Rogers poster at Town & Country Antiques, and scored some awesome deals on fall and winter UW-Stout apparel at a business moving sale. I got a soft shell winter coat for $10. Pretty pumped.

Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts

Inside of the historic theater.

It’s also been a busy month of travel. Steve and I both went to California for our grad school friend’s wedding in Berkeley. During that trip, I spent a few days with my sister—including a great trip to Napa Valley. We stayed at a cute place called El Bonita Motel in St. Helena and went wine tasting at Markham Vineyards.

Sarah and me at Muir Woods Beach Overlook.

Back in San Jose, we checked out a few potential apartments and hung out by Sarah’s pool. We also tried out my new favorite thing, Bird electric scooters. Steve spent a few days doing wedding-related activities: bachelor party, rehearsal dinner, sailing, eating good food, and getting to know the bridal party. It was a great trip!

The winning apartment complex. With a pool and palm trees, it’s like a little oasis.

Back in Menomonie, we’ve also done some things alone (because we’re independent people). On July 6th, Steve saw his favorite band, Electric Six, in St. Paul at Turf Club. And this week, I checked out free, outdoor yoga at the library and got a library card. “Having fun isn’t hard when you got a library card.” I’ve also grabbed coffee with a few local business owners.

Aside from that, we’ve been lucky enough to have two overnight guests, Katie Glod and Becky Ballweg. Katie stayed with us Friday-Sunday and Becky stayed Sunday-Monday morning. We’re basically running an Airbnb. If you want to visit, it’s $65/night, plus a $10 cleaning fee. The guest room includes a queen bed and unlimited HGTV. 😉

Katie Glod and me on the UW-Stout campus.

Overall, our first impressions of Menomonie are positive. Steve loves that it’s bikeable. I love the abnormal number of coffee shops within walking distance. Steve is adjusting to his new job, it’s definitely a new challenge. And I’m trying to get involved in the local business scene. Menonomie, anemone, however you say it, we think it’s a pretty cool place. And we’d love for you to visit.