Spring is here...again

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and it is warm outside. I'm hoping we won't be fooled again since we have already had one spell of warm weather followed by freezing temperatures and snow. I'm thinking this is the real deal though...and since it is almost May, isn't it time? Although we can reason out why the temps have been changing so severely, our trees and flowers are really confused. We have three trees that are beautiful in the spring. Two bloom purple and one blooms white. All we got was a smattering of color before it froze and the flowers and leaves died. Now it looks sad and pathetic. :(

Chris and I are still enjoying the weather though. We had six yards of mulch delivered Friday and we managed to get it all spread and cleaned by before the night was over. We even had enough left over to mulch Kim and Wayne, our wonderful neighbor's, back deck.

We have started working out outside and even managing to hit the running trails on the weekends...a sure sign it is getting warm.

Soon, the hashing as Rear Admiral and Rear-End-Id will begin again.

Ah, spring...

Easter in Chicago

There is something special about spending Easter Sunday with my family in Chicago. For many, Easter isn't a big deal. It consists of the Easter bunny, chocolate, and hunting for eggs. For us, it is about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, no one celebrates like College Church in Wheaton. The banners are beautiful. The sermon is meaningful. The children are adorable. And the singing, oh the singing. Every Easter our church breaks out the entire orchestra and everyone sings the Hallelujah Chorus. Even though I can't hit the majority of the notes, I make my joyful noise to the Lord and I feel so happy that I'm convinced I have beams of light shooting out from my fingers. And yes, we still have the Easter baskets and chocolate, and colored eggs. What a wonderful holiday!

Blogging

I have been complaining to Chris for about two weeks that I need to blog but I wasn't having any grand ideas. Once I did have a grand idea, I always forgot it or failed to make the time to write. Tonight I had a few minutes and decided to pull up my blog to write a new entry regardless of my lack of ideas. I then saw my previous entry...the entry about our new tv. Now I know why I haven't blogged for almost a month. Sad...very sad.

The upgrade

Chris and I have received teasing from multiple friends for having exactly four channels on our television and that is when our rabbit ears are turned just right. The last straw came when we were watching one of our favorite shows and our really really sad tv kept cutting in and out. Chris did some research and we are the proud new owners of a 37 inch LCD tv and tv stand. It is incredible!! The tv isn't cutting in and out anymore and the fuzz we had on our old small tv is now even bigger on our new big tv...we are still waiting to get cable. We did see the excitement of our new tv when we put in a dvd and watched a movie. Whatever are we going to do with 800 channels?

...more snow

here we are, we got about 4 more inches of snow on top of the foot we already have. but thank goodness, we have....the snowflake hunter?!?!

V-Day

Valentine's Day is easy to hate when you are single. In fact, it is almost COOL to hate it when you are single and a woman. By hating it we pretend the lack of gifts, attention, and love doesn't really bother us when in fact, it really really bothers us. I used to be one of those woman...and then I met Christopher.

I now love Valentine's Day. It has nothing to do with the flowers, jewelry, or chocolate and everything to do with the date on the calendar. Feb 14, 2004 was the day I knew I had met the man I was going to marry. I arrived at Christopher's apartment and there was a red and pink construction paper heart on the front door. In blue crayon was written that after walking inside, I would discover all the things Chris loves about me. I opened the door and found that the room was full of candles. Under each of the 25 candles was a smaller heart. On each heart, written in the same blue crayon, was something Chris loves about me. It was the most romantic gesture anyone has ever done for me.

I told Chris last night over dinner that three years ago when I was reading those hearts, I knew I was in love with him before I reached the final heart. I also knew I wanted to marry him.

I'm not sure why Chris and I have been blessed with such a wonderful marriage but I thank God every day for it.

I love you Christopher.

Indianapolis Blizzard of '07

We were supposed to get 3-7 inches. We figured they overestimated. They always over estimate. We were wrong. We are currently at a foot of snow and are supposed to get another 4-5 inches before the night is over. The wind is also supposed to pick up to around 40 mph so the drifts should be impressive.

Indy certainly isn't Oswego, NY but Indy also rarely has snow. That means that when it does snow, it is a HUGE problem for the city. Chris and I braved the roads this morning and I was promptly scolded from my boss after arrival since my boss knew that the snow was much more significant in the area I live. I worked for an hour before my boss told me to go home. I got all the way home before getting my car stuck directedly in front of my garage. My car was blocking the street so I ran around to neighbors to locate a shovel.

For those who are interested, Target doesn't carry shovels and plastic shovels from Meijer break easily.

I was able to dig my car out of the snow and create a path up the driveway into the garage. Thanks to my dad's good teaching, I thought to lay down kitty litter in front and in back of my tires for a bit of tread. I managed to make it into the garage on my second attempt.

Chris stayed at work until noonish before he called it a day due to cancelled meetings and an inability to make visits to his clients. We have spent the day making cookies and watching movies. Here is what our cats have been doing while we have been home...




P.S. Pickett, hope you are enjoying warm Kenya while we are freezing our tails off in America!

Superbowl XLI continued...

350 to 3. Not good odds. Even worse odds when you are part of that three. That was me the day of the Superbowl.

Chris and I decided to go to Bufflo Wild Wings to watch the game. He likes the big screens and I was convinced it was one place that there would be at least a handful of Bears fans. We were worried about being able to find a seat so after going to the early service at church, we scarfed down some food and headed to the restaurant. We arrived around 12:15 with a deck of cards and in good spirits. We knew it was going to be a long afternoon since the game didn't start until 6:30. We arrived and the place was already half full. We made friends with those sitting around us and I was appropriately abused by all of the Colts fans. The gentleman next to us informed us that he was actually a Bears fan. It was difficult to tell with the screaming blue jersey he was wearing. He said he was wearing Bears boxers. I opted not to see them.

The restaurant was a sea of royal blue and there I sat with my Bears hoodie and hat. I was told by many that I was brave. I partially agreed. Thankfully many found me acceptable since I was actually a Chicago native. That is how I was dubbed in church when I was pointed out in the middle of the service. Chris was kind enough to tell after the service that he knew I had been embarrassed due to the three shades of red my face turned. And I thought it was due to the heat that was radiating off of my body when the entire congragation turned around and stared at me. But I digress...

The beginning of the game began with me screaming and jumping up and down after Deven Hester scored a touchdown. I figured that since I was the only one (the other two Bears fans were no where to be found) I needed to be loud and proud and make up for the small number that I was.

Note: I did have a girl come up to me wearing a Bears shirt and she gave me a high five. My excitement lasted about 10 seconds when she informed me she really didn't care who won and cheered for whomever had the ball. Dumb girl!

In terms of the rest of the game, I don't want to talk about it.

If any other team in the NFL had to win besides the Bears, I am glad it was the Indianapolis Colts. It has been fun seeing the city celebrate their win. It is also nice to see my husband so happy. And yes, I took down my Bears flag and Chris has three days to celebrate with only his flag flying from the house.

It isn't easy being a Chicago Bears fan in the heart of Indianapolis but it has been a great football season.

Kinda creepy

Not too long ago I was trying to figure out what key words I could use in Google to get my blog to pop up. In case you are interested...none. Or at least I still can't figure it out. Anyway, while on my search, I discovered another blog. What is a bit odd is how much we have in common. First, we share the same name which is a bit unusual. Not only is it the same name but it is spelled the same way. Second, we are both counselors. She is an admissions counselor and I am a mental health counselor. Granted it isn't exactly the same thing but pretty darn close. We are both 28 years old and I discovered her grandparents live in the Chicagoland area. Crazy!!! I wonder if she is a Bears fan too? Last...and I swear I am not stalking her but I simply looked at recent posts on her blog, we have the exact same toothbrush. Coincidence? See for yourself. Her blog is torreysblog.blogspot.com.

She is a much more dedicated blogger than I. Maybe she will inspire me to write more than twice a month... :)

Superbowl XLI

We are officially the house divided.

Of course the Bears are going to win but I won't rub it in...much.

Vegas

I spent the first week of January in Las Vegas working at the Consumer Electronics Show. Being that I never attended camp as a kid or worked as a camp counselor, living with four other women and spending a large quanity of time with about 25 other women was quite the experience. The weekend was full of drama, backstabbing, gossip, and the occasional racial slurs. If I hear, "Because I'm from Hollywood" again, I think I might hit someone.

In the limo on the way to the convention the first day, a few of us were talking about how old we are. I asked the girl sitting next to me who was obviously younger than yours truly, how old she was. She was the first to inform me that, "I'm from Hollywood and we don't say how old we are." I told her to get over it.

Another girl yelled at and disrespected our agent's assistant. When she was approached by our agent, she denied doing it even though there were multiple witnesses. The next day she decided to quit, refused to leave the condo we were all staying in, and wrote a multiple page letter saying how she was "verbally terrized" by the agent's assistant.

It was quite the weekend.

Thankfully there were some good points to the week. I managed to make a bit of coin and also made a few new friends along the way. Hannah, a good girlfriend of mine that I have mentioned in previous posts, and I shared a room and a bathroom. She helped me keep my sanity.

I am not much of a gambler but I did throw away $2. I spread the $2 over the course of two days and came away with nothing. In this picture is Breana and Janay, both of whom I got to know over the course of the trip. This evening started off as a walk to get a bit of exercise and ended in the Flamingo where I spent one of the $2.



The only other night I went out was quite an adventure. A group of us be-friended a very kind dancer who was hired to work the same booth at the convention we were working. He seemed to know everyone in the city and was considered a local. He invited us to Studio 54 in Vegas and promised us free admission as well as VIP access. I laughed at the initial invitation since dance clubs are not my scene. I am more of a homebody and like to go to bed early. I have to admit it was quite a rush to go to the front of the line to get into Studio 54. We were given dirty looks from the 40 people in line, especially when we didn't have to cough up any money. We were given more dirty looks when we walked through the club and made it to the VIP section. This is a picture from the evening. I had a great time and even made it to bed by 1:00am.



The best part is that the check I earned should be arriving soon and will help to pay for the roof we are having put on next week.

Update on potty training

When Chris and I moved out of our townhouse, we discovered the cats had been peeing on the carpet. $500 and an irritated apartment complex later, we moved into our house. I swore that if our cats didn't get it together in the peeing department, they were on their way out. We laid our a tarp under their litter boxes and hoped for the best. Mistake. Big mistake.

The first step in potty training is to move the litter box (now one instead of two) to the bathroom. If we want them to actually use the toilet, we need to get them to start going the bathroom in the bathroom. In moving the litter box to the bathroom, we pulled up the tarp in the office which where their little box used to sit. Gross. Disgusting. Horrendous. Alright, it wasn't quite that bad. Nothing beats the smell that seeped from the carpet when we pulled up the tarp at the townhouse. But nevertheless, this is MY house. We are no longer renting and I really really really care about what happens to the carpet. And now, thanks to Moses and Mijo, the office has a twinge of cat pee odor.

I can't decide if I should make mittens out of them or if I really need a new scarf...

Decision, decisions.

The time has come...

After a year of pooping on the floor, peeing on the carpet, and loads of kitty litter, Chris and I are ready. Commence kitty potty training.

I'll keep you posted...

A different sort of Christmas

For the first time in 25 years I was not in Chicago for the holidays. Chris and I decided to take turns spending Christmas with our families and this year was his turn where the plan was to go to his sister's house who lives in Indianapolis. His other sister who lives in OH was already going to be there with her husband and daughter. We spent Christmas Eve hanging out, playing darts, and eating. Both of his sisters are incredible cooks and they made a fajita bar. It was delicious.

Chris and I left to get ready for church since the entire family was going to meet up and attend the Christmas Eve service at our church. We arrived at the church 20 minutes early so we could find good seats for everyone. We were really surprised to find so many cars already there. We were even more surprised to discover church had started 45 minutes ago. This isn't the first time this has happened to us. We have a history of receiving bad or delayed information regarding our church services and since we frequently spend our weekends in Chicago, we miss announcements that are made about service times. Chris and I sat in for the final ten minutes of the service. We sang one song but I was so disappointed I couldn't even sing.

We decided to go to my old church and attend their Christmas Eve service. I was determined to hear one good sermon and since more than one Christmas carol. The problem was that we had an hour to kill. We decided to go to Starbucks only to discover it was closed. We opted for TGI Fridays to get a cup of coffee with Bailey's Irish Cream. We sat down and the place smelled of stale ciggarrette smoke and old greasy food. It was absoutely disgusting. We were sitting there for almost ten minutes before anyone acknowledged our presence. The drinks were good but the service was terrible. Thankfully this was the low of the evening.

The church service was good and when it was over we went home, popped pop corn, and watched the black and white version of Miracle on 34th Street. The evening was rescued!

Then came Christmas morning.

I woke up and started feeling queasy about thirty minutes later. I spent the rest of the morning on the couch before telling Chris I needed to go home. Chris drove me home and was wonderful spending a few hours with me before I encouraged him to go back to his sister's for dinner. The rest of Christmas has been spent making the difficult decision of which end to put on the potty. It has been a rough happy holiday for me. I'm hoping it is a 24 hour bug and I will be feeling like new tomorrow morning.

Merry Christmas!

Happy birthday and 1 year anniverary

December 3rd was Chris' birthday and our one year anniversary. I can't believe it has been one year!!! Too late to change the title to this blog. It will have to stay. Maybe I should have made it Years of the MC. Anyhoo, this is a brief account of our weekend together:

To celebrate Chris' birthday and our first year anniversary, we joined friends in Chicago for a fun filled weekend. Chris and I drove up Friday after work and went to Second City which is an improv club in Old Town. It is famous for being the club where many Saturday Night Live comedians got their start. I was there many years ago with my sister and brother in law and it was just as funny as I remembered it. Chris laughed uncontrollably which made it all the funnier. We are still mimicking some of the better lines given during the night.

The next morning we laughed when we realized the one of the sets of friends we were meeting up with was directly across the hall from us in the hotel. The four of us hit the magnificant mile for shopping, people watching, and enjoying the Christmas lights. I was able to show off the Marshall Field/Macy's Christmas windows to Chris who has never been downtown during the holidays.

As the sun was going down, I insisted we go to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building. Joe, one of the friends we were with, found $40 on the ground in Crate and Barrel so we treated ourselves to a cocktail.





After returning to the hotel from our shopping excursion, we linked up with another couple from Indianapolis who drove up for the occasion along with a third couple who were friends with Jeff and Joe and live in Chicago. We walked to a friend of mine's apartment to begin the evening. This is a picture of the guys as we headed out of the hotel. It was freezing cold and we all laughed when we realized they were all wearing their manly earmuffs.



Here is Chris cheesing it to the camera with Joe who decided to try on Hannah's fluffy hat.



Gary, my friend and hairstylist whose apartment we went to, has a friend who is well connected in the city. With two hours notice, she was able to get the ten of us a reservation to an incredible Italian restaurant. The food was amazing, the service was excellent, and bottles of wine were abundant. Gary, who is from Italy and has only lived in the states for a few years, ordered the appetizers and the wine. We let him run the show. I think when all was done as said, we had sung Chris happy birthday two or three times. He was given a shirt from the restaurant with a picture of a gigantic mouse on the front and back, a wine cork which we all signed, and a b-day card from me which had the game hangman on the inside. It became a table wide game and everyone pitched in to help him figure out his birthday gift...a subscription to Cooking Light and a date to a movie.





The night took us to a few other places downtown Chicago before we turned in for the evening and drove back home the next morning. Chris decided the weekend was one of his favorite weekends of the year. Gary decided we should do this every year. I decided Chicago is one of the best cities on earth.

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniverary. May this coming year be as wonderful as the last.

Cats

And we thought our cats had problems...

http://www.glumbert.com/media/cattoilet

Photos

It has taken 356 days for Chris and me to print off the pictures saved on our digital camera...beginning with photos from our honeymoon. Sad but true. We have always had great intentions but the number of pictures stored on the camera continued to grow as our albums continued to sit empty. Tonight I spent time filling the albums while Chris put a few pictures in empty frames that have been hanging on our walls. We are excited to announce our camera is finally empty and our frames are now filled with faces we recognize. Yahoo!

The man store

Also known as Lowes. And it is a wonderful store for Christmas shopping for my husband. It is even better when my husband gives me a list of Christmas gifts that he wrote word for word off of the man store website. He makes my life so easy!! Thank you Christopher. And because you have been such a good boy, Mrs Santa just may get you what you want this year. :)

Apple picking

Chris and I went apple picking this fall. After pulling a few choice apples off of the trees, we enjoyed some of the apples. The apples were so good we returned the following week to get more apples and we brought a few friends along with us.

Food diary

My mom and I have started to keep one another accountable for the food we consume. We tried it before but gave up after about two weeks. It is helpful because I know I will have to tell her what I eat and also because it is a great way to stay connected.

I just finished e-mailing my mom and before I hit send, I read to Chris what I had written because...well, because I was sort of proud. Self control isn't my strong suit. In fact, it is probably what I struggle with the most. But tonight, I was successful. No overeating. This is what I was thinking about when I read my food list to Chris. Apparently it wasn't what he was thinking about. His comment to my list: "Not exactly a prime example of the food pyramid." I couldn't help but laugh as I reviewed what I had eaten before the world wide web whisked away my e-mail to Chicago for my mom to read.

Breakfast: oatmeal (Pretty good start I would say. Heart healthy.)
Snack: almonds, cashews, cranberries (Lots of good protein in those almonds.)
Lunch: worked through lunch (Those darn mentally ill children always having a crisis at lunch time.)
Snack: jello with apple sauce (Sugar free jello, unsweetened applesauce. Very tasty. Will give recipe if interested)
Snack: peanuts with a few candy corn (Tastes like a candy bar and not too unhealthy if eaten in small amounts.)
Dinner: heart healthy pancakes with no butter and sugar free syrup (Chris makes the best pancakes.)
Snack: 90 calorie granola bar (I had oatmeal raisin so I worked in more fruit for the day.)
Dessert: 300 calorie white chocolate hot cocoa
small slice of chocolate cake (No redeeming qualities in my dessert other than portion control.)

Admittedly my list wouldn't win any awards from FDA but it is a small victory in terms of self control. I wonder how my mom did...?