Cheesehead Reunion!

One of my favorite things about traveling to races is always the reunions that they bring with friends from all over the world. Madison never fails to be the scene of some of my very best reunions, due in a large part to the fact that my homestay mom here, Kari, has really become my family-away-from-home . . .

Well today I had an extra-special reunion with the family who is actually responsible for my infatuation with the great state of Wisconsin and the cheeseheads. In fact my relationship with Wisconsin started back in 1996. Probably a little-known fact is that I actually have my very own cheesehead and once wore it on the plane during my plane flight home from Green Bay, where I was visiting these folks . . .

That is Jen, my roommate (and swim-teammate) from my freshman year of college at the University of Michigan. She is from Green Bay and is one of my oldest and dearest friends; so over the years, before my first visit to Madison, I spent a fair amount of time in other parts of the state with Jen and her family.  Although she doesn’t live in the land of corn and cheese any longer, her family still does. And they are also like family to me—a common theme in this state, it seems!

Soooo today Jen and baby Carter flew in, and her mom drove down from Green Bay just to visit—such a treat to spend an afternoon with them. We had lunch at an awesome veggie restaurant downtown, too, so I will have notes on good eats for people like me here tomorrow!