Flashing Lights

That's pretty neat.

Merry Christmas!

Grandpa Jim sang the church down last night.
O Holy Night by Grandpa Jim by Christmas Hits

Snow Face

Yum yum

Dang this beer is good. For the best taste, serve in a chilled glass and watch a Christmas movie.

New House for 2011

Well today I signed a new house lease for the next school year. I can't wait to grill out on our deck, with the capitol in our back yard.

Kitchen

Living room

Deck

Backyard

Christmas Cookies

First Christmas cookie batch of the holiday season, thanks to the girls across the street.

When the Wind Blows

Awaiting the Snow Storm

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today marks the epic snowfall that gave UW Madison its first snowday since 1965. There was about 17 inches on the ground Wednesday morning December 9th, 2009.


Today

Two Weeks and It's Over

Two more weeks till my last final.
Two Weeks Of Hip Hop by Bemo

All of the Lights

Still Full

Here's what my Thanksgiving consisted of...

- full plates of food

- post food naps

- hours of putting up Christmas lights

- Nila

- beer

- survived the Olgesby Turkey Trot with Team Dougie

- family

- endless hours of Christmas music

- watching football after football game

- making a snowman out of paper products, I think we won the competition


- multiple rounds of Telestrations, now my new favorite game


- and more Nila


Oh and it was time to switch my desktop background to the holiday one.

Home Sweet Home

Christmas Album Release

Just in time to be played on Thanksgiving...

Brett It Snow by Christmas Hits

Turkey Trot

Well it's gettin' to be that time of year again, the 2010 Turkey Trot is a week away. This year my sister, brother in law, and brother will be participating with me. This means that Team Dougie will be reunited once again! The last time I ran was in the Chicago Half Marathon on September 12th. I hope to go for a jog or 2 before Thanksgiving, but for some reason I already feel prepared to run. Maybe it is all the p90x I have been doing. I recently started doing a couple of the p90x ab sculpting sessions and I saw instant results after the first workout! Look out Turkey Trot 2010!

This song is getting me pumped.
Let's Turkey Trot by Little Eva by Bemo

New Girl Talk Album

Download here

Brett It Snow - Vol. 1

One week till the release of my first Christmas album 'Brett It Snow,' a compilation of 20 Christmas Songs that are so good, it will feel like Christmas day every time you listen to it.

Meyer Weekend

While I sit here on this fine November Sunday evening, I enjoy a nice cold PBR, while Christmas music plays softly on the Flats new record player. Life is good.

This weekend was the first annual Meyer Weekend. My Dad, brother, grandpa, 2 uncles and 4 cousins, for a total of 10 Meyers, came to Madison for a badger football game. Although the weather wasn't great, getting to experience a badger game with family was. The cold and rainy weather didn't stop us from having an awesome time. We witnessed history, the badgers scored 83 points, the most by any big ten team since 1950. Our seats were in the corner of the end-zone on the badger side line, where most of the action occurred. Also, my buddy Nate Tice scored his first career NCAA touchdown on a 17 yard bootleg. I don't think anyone knew he could juke like that. This capped off a perfect gameday.


The Bears won and we turned our heat on today. To say the least, it was a good weekend.

Up Before the Sun

I was up by 5:30 am today...studying.

New Roommate

His name is Julius and he's a 6'7" 280 lb. fathead.

55 Days of Christmas

I recently came up with a great, possibly nation sweeping, new idea. Instead of the advertised "25 days of Christmas," why not celebrate Christmas for one more month by listening to Christmas music each day?! I am going to listen to Christmas music for the entire month of November and through Christmas day. I usually get my Christmas music fix in the morning while I enjoy chugging a couple cups of coffee before heading to class.

If you would like to participate in this wonderful event, but don't have a couple gigabytes of Christmas music in your iTunes, pandora has an awesome station you can listen to. Just search 'Swingin' Christmas' and prepare to get in the Holiday mood!


It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas by Bemo's Christmas Hits

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

I ended October with a bang last night, I made Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas. I feel like I am slowly taking on my Dad's cooking talents with age because WOW they were good. I would like to share the recipe with everyone.

Prep time: 15 min
Marinate: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min


These ingredients are the key:

1 tsp. Minced Garlic
1 tsp. Minced Onions
3/4 tsp. Ground Cumin
3/4 tsp. Oregano Leaves
1/2 tsp. Cilantro Leaves
1/2 tsp. Coarse Ground Black Pepper

You will also need:

1/4 Cup each lime and orange juices
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 lbs. Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into thin strips
1 medium green and red Bell Pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
8 Flour Tortillas (the 8-inch ones)

Secret ingredient: Ranch

Directions:
1. Mix juices, oil and all spices and salt into bowl. Reserve a fourth cup of the marinade. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag and add the remaining marinade. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.

2. Cook and stir chicken in a large skillet on medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from skillet. Add bell pepper, onion and reserve marinade; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Serve and ENJOY!

Happy Halloween!

Miniature Lion

Happy Birthday Harry!

My brother turned 19 today!

Awesome movie.

Best Gameday Ever

My day began around 5:45 am, my roommate John and I made our way to Camp Randall to experience College GameDay live. The sign I made had the word Erin on it, so the security guys at ESPN threw it away. After trying hard to get myself on TV, I was able to catch glimpse of my face in the last 10 minutes of the broadcast. Success.

The whole day turned out perfect. It was 70 and sunny and the town was filled with red and white the entire day. It was the most crowded I had ever seen Madison on a game day.

The stadium was packed to capacity. And before I knew it the badgers were up 7 to nothing. David Gilreath returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and it was probably the coolest thing I have ever witnessed live at a football game. The amount of noise the crowd generated was incredible. Turn your speakers up for this one...



The badgers upset #1 in the nation and I stormed the field. I love Badger football.


ESPN analyst Scott Van Pelt described Madison perfectly that day.

College Gameday

I hope this sign works tomorrow.

Local Natives

I saw the Local Natives in concert a couple weekends ago in Chicago. They are easily becoming one of my favorite bands to listen to these days. Here is a song that is growing on me.

I'm Baaackkkkk

This blog hasn't seen any love for 4 months and I apologize for that. But now I have gotten the urge again to get back into it and here's what you have missed...

- I have begun my senior year of college

- I still call the 444 my home

- Nila is 3 pounds


- I learned how to dougie

- And I completed a half marathon


My posting will be much more frequent, I promise.

Picture Perfect Ending

Saturday was the finals of the state track meet in Charleston, IL. Harry and his relay team needed to qualify on Thursday in order to advance to the finals. They did so by running the teams personal best and school record of 8:10. The day started early, I was up at a 5:30am. The weather turned out to be perfect for the state finals, 87 and sunny. The relay team was seeded 9th out of the 12 teams and needed to hold that 9th position in order to medal. The stands were packed full by 9:30 am and Harry's race began at 11. I didn't really care what place the relay team got because it was just great to be at the state finals.

The relay team ended up surprising all the Fieldcrest fans, placing 5th! It was another awesome and exciting race to watch. The team knocked another 7 seconds off the previous school record. With only 4 tenths of a second between Fieldcrest and 3rd place, the relay team ran a 8:03.46.

In a matter of one week, I saw my brother achieve personal bests in every event he participated in. Congrats to Harry!!

HAGS

I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought I'd get caught up in one mega post. So all finals are over with and I am two weeks into summer. I spent the first weekend of summer on the sandbar with some of the members of the 444. It was the first time everyone had absolutely nothing to worry about. The 444 was one with nature.

Most of the house took a week off to go home and get away. I am still home, enjoying home cooked meals and my spending time with my dog. Nila is finally 3 pds and is 7 months old. She is really my only friend in Minonk. BFFs

My brother just graduated high school, and last Sunday was his grad party. I can't believe he will be going to college. My parents are officially empty nesters, but they still have to deal with Nila.

Yesterday (Thursday) was Harry's state track meet in Charleston, IL. It was about 85 degrees and sunny, the perfect track weather. He ran in the 4 x 800 and qualified for finals, which are held tomorrow (Saturday). They are currently ranked 8 out of the 12 teams in the finals. The relay team shattered their previous time of 8:21. They ran an astounding 8:10, knocking 11 seconds off their time. Qualifying for finals is one of the best accomplishments you can achieve in track. I can't wait to watch the race and I am hoping they can place in the top eight so they can receive a medal. I have really enjoyed watching my brother run and succeed in track this year. I think he has 5 school records and is one of the best triple jumpers/ hurdlers/runners in the area. It would be a perfect ending to an awesome senior sports year if he medals tomorrow. I couldn't be more proud of my bro!

Drake & Diane

Here is an interesting mix I found..
Drake and Diane by Bemo

Coastin'

2 Classes, 4 Exams and im coastin' into summer...
Coastin' (feat. K.Flay) by Bemo

The Sandbar

The best parts of summer for me are the trips made to the sandbar. It is pretty much a lakes form of a beach. All you have to do is pack a lunch and turn up Saturday at the 70's on Magic 98.1, Madison's best radio station. There is nothing better than planting your chair in the sand and letting the waves splash up on your legs. The sandbar is perfect for tossing the football around or even teeing up some golf balls and testing your distance. I can't wait to go there with friends, family and the newest member of my life, Nila. It is the perfect place to break in Boat Mix '10. I love the sandbar, it is simple as that.

Smile

Nila finally learned how to smile.

Saturday on the Street

If you didn't already know or experience yourself, Saturday May 1st was the day of the annual Mifflin St block party. The weather was perfect and the street was full of people. It couldn't have turned out any better. The 444 was at the heart of the party of about 20,000 people. I loved every minute of it. I got to see many friends, I made friends and just had an overall blast.

But the block party is over, and I now enter the last two weeks of school. These last two weeks may be a struggle because of the anticipation of summer. One exam on Sunday and 3 more scattered though out next week. Summer officially begins at 7 pm Friday night.

Band Practice

I never really pictured our basement to be a host for a live band. But last night that all changed. Our basement is usually a holding place for bikes, spare doors and extra water heaters. It also once acted as a playground for squirrels during the first semester. With a little sweeping and reorganizing, our basement was transformed into a concert hall.

Ryan Flannery & The Night Owls, a trio from the town I grew up in, Wausau WI. The best way to describe them is mix between Elton John and Gavin DeGraw. I went to school with the drummer, John. We became friends in 6th grade. One of the best memories I have with john was when we were involved in the middle school talent show. We performed a song from the movie Grease and our act consisted of us dancing around in leather jackets for 3 minutes to 'We Go Together'.

The band was supposed to perform on Saturday outside one the the libraries on campus, but due to rain, their performance got cancled. They still wanted to perform, so our basement became the next best option. I really think these guys have a bright future ahead of them.

You can take a listen to them on itunes or visit their myspace page here.

The J Chord- Ryan Flannery & The Night Owls by Bemo

Kick Start

Here is a quick and easy tasty breakfast. I have had this every morning for the past 2 weeks. All you need is:

- about 1 & 1/2 cup of Milk
- 2 packets of Brown Sugar Oatmeal, one isn't nearly enough
- 1/4 cup frozen Blueberries or frozen fruit of choice

Microwave the milk and oatmeal for about 3 to 3 & 1/2 minutes, or until you get a good thickness. Add the frozen fruit and say hello to a great breakfast!

This meal is guaranteed to keep you less hungry during the morning hours.

The New Guy

So my roommate cam just got a blog. He has been posting a lot, almost to much. Every time I see his new post, I feel obligated to post too. I needed this motivation though, so thanks next door roommate.

All the popular music magazines are loving boat mix '10. Rolling Stones has it labeled as the "fresh new album of 2010" and " a must have for all boaters!"

Today Cam, Kevin, Chris and I participated in the worlds largest trivia contest. It started at 6pm and goes for 54 hours. It consists of 6 questions an hour and you have 2 full songs to find the answer. We only only played for about 2 hours, but cams dad has a real team and we were helping them out. The questions were given over the radio and I think we got only 2 correct.

My sister introduced me to an old show 'Friday Night Lights' over Easter break and now I am hooked. I just started season 2 and I need to finish both 2 and 3 before may 7th because that is the start of season 4. I recommend it to any people looking for a TV series to follow.

Tomorrow, Saturday, I am heading to my cabin to help my Dad put the boat in. It will be a relaxing weekend and I hope the fish are biting.

I leave with a song I've begun to like.

	Phoenix - Rome .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Listen to Boat Mix 10

Boat Mix '10 by Bemo

Finally

Today is the day, the release of Boat Mix '10. Here is an album that can be enjoyed with friends while on a boat or in the sand. Comment if you want a copy, Enjoy!

SB Song

Here is a new song I found while on spring break. It is by a rap/techno group called The Girls Can Hear Us. It's real catchy.

06 Can't Believe It (The Girls Can Hear Us Remix) by The Girls Can Hear Us!

Horchata

Last night a couple guys from the house and I went to the Vampire Weekend concert held at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee. And what a concert it was! After the conert I decided that I am going to try and see more live music.

Here is one of my favorite songs they played.

	Vampire Weekend - Mansard Roof .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine