Hi, gang! Welcome back to the monthly recap edition of Footprints and Photographs. September was a chaotic month for the Hraban clan, so get comfy in your chair because this is a loooooonnnnnggggg episode. There were a lot of highlightable events and moments over the past 30 days—such as Labor Day weekend, Treinen Corn Maze, Cave of the Mounds, our visit with Josh & Erica, parenting drama, a haunting experience with a Brown Recluse spider, Bay Beach Amusement & Animal Park, our surprise trip to Michigan, Beetlejuice with the family, and my bro-date with Eric. Thanks for tuning in, folks!!!

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Gang, please send safe travel wishes to Tonkie! She is currently on her way to New York City for her sister's bachelorette party. I'm so happy and excited that she has four days to explore and experience a new part of the world! That’s what life is all about. So, please get home to your husband safely, Tonkie. I’ll be thinking of you ❤️

Hello! Get comfy in your chair and turn up the volume, it’s time for another segment of Footprints and Photographs. As summer approaches its end, our opportunities to enjoy autumn activities are beginning to blossom. That means the next couple of months will be filled with pumpkin patches, corn mazes, haunted houses, apple orchards, classic scary movies, bonfires, and bringing out the full selection of flannel apparel. With that said, Kristin and I kicked off fall with a trip to the Treinen Farm Corn Maze—our first corn maze and pumpkin patch of the year, but definitely not our last. In fact, we were included in the first handful of people in Wisconsin to do a corn maze this year. No other place in Wisconsin had opened yet, and we happened to be the 8th car in the parking lot—not surprisingly, located in another cornfield. Out of all of the corn mazes and pumpkin patches across the state of Wisconsin, we seem to have the best time and luck at the Treinen Farm. With options to choose from, such as the corn maze, pumpkin patch, animal petting barn, and child playground—there is always something fun to do for any age group! Tonkie and I happen to be adult-sized kids, so we do very well there.

Our adventure that day didn’t stop at Treinen. After leaving the farm but before going home, we skedaddled over to Cave of the Mounds for one more round of excitement. Not only did we experience a beautiful yet ominous hike through one of Wisconsin’s most famous cave systems, but we were able to walk away with a quartz souvenir that we mined ourselves. Although we enjoyed our time there, I doubt we will go back. It was more of a one-and-done kind of attraction, but at least we tried it out!

Thanks for tuning in, gang!!!

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Topic: Mistaking words for intent.

Topic: Taxes.

Folks, don’t forget to lower your American flags to half-staff in honor of the victims who died on September 11th, 2001. It is unfortunate that we have to remember a day like 9/11, which stands as the worst terrorist attack in history and America’s greatest nightmare. 2,996 men and women lost their lives that day; a majority of that number comes from the attacks on the World Trade Center. However, there is a lot we can learn from an event like 9/11. I believe that’s why 9/11 is an important date and event to honor and remember. We saw the worst of humanity but also the best of it. Most importantly, we saw how a tragedy that affected every American brought a nation together—standing loud and proud through it all. An act of solidarity as such teaches us that uniting as one is more than possible. God bless.

Hi, gang! Welcome to another segment of Footprints and Photographs. The Waupun Truck-n-Show has been around for 35 years, and we’ve had the pleasure of shooting photographs during the parade for the past 3 years in a row. Unfortunately, this was the final year of the Truck-n-Show. That was tough news for all of us from Waupun. It is a sad thing to witness a town’s cherished tradition vanish away after years and years of providing entertainment for an entire community. We desperately hope this isn’t officially the last year, so maybe someone will bring the event back under new management.

With that said, Kristin, Kylle, and I made sure we were front and center with our cameras at the ready. If this really was our last year to witness hundreds of semis parade by, then we wanted to capture every picture we could! Tune in to hear about the Hraban family’s Friday night party, the history of our tradition, one hell of a parade mixup that ruined part of the event, and our final experience photographing the Waupun Truck-n-Show. 📸🚛🚚🚛🚚🚛🚚🚛🚚🚛🚚

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My Topic: Is human ingenuity at risk with the presence of AI?

Hi, folks! Welcome to the monthly recap edition of Footprints and Photographs! Recap episodes are my absolute favorite podcasts to record because I get to look back at the highlightable moments of each month. When I do so, I realize and appreciate how we spend our time, as well as the importance of keeping life interesting.

With that said, August was a fantastic month! There was a lot going on but that’s not been anything new to us. I was very content with how our weekends flowed. It felt like our free time was a healthy balance between busy and relaxing.

Tune in to hear about our month—including my transition back to 3rd shift, Tonkie and I’s driveway theater, the 2024 Truck-n-Show, Carmen’s graduation party, our hike at Hobbs Woods, our evening of drinks at the tiki bar, family beach day on Lake Michigan, and our grillout with Eric. Thanks for stopping by for another recap segment!

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