Friday, December 18, 2009

It's almost the new year...

... and I've resolved to start blogging more regularly. This resolution coincides with my other resolutions to (1) work less and (2) communicate more with my friends near and far.

For those of you who don't know, Rob and I are off to Chile next Tuesday. We'll be there through Christmas and New Year's. We're even daring to do some major hiking in Patagonia. We'll see how that works out.

I may be able to blog a bit from Chile. But if not, I will give a full report once we're back.

Love to all of you!!!

PS Go Colts! 14-0! Tess loves the Colts and so should you.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know I'm not around much in this space lately, but I mean well. So here's a little insight into what's up with in our lives. I love Thanksgiving because I love a reason to slow down and be grateful. Rob and I have a hectic but happy life, which means there's much to be thankful for.  

This year I am especially thankful for...

... my marriage. I have the best husband ever. Seriously. BEST. EVER. I don't know what I ever did to deserve Rob, but his support this year in particular has kept me whole, not to mention kept me laughing non-stop.  

... my job. Just having a job these days feels like an enormous blessing. I'm lucky not just to have a job, but also to have a job that I enjoy, with colleagues that I love, with kind and quirky bosses, and with interesting work.

... my expanding family!!! I already knew I was lucky to have my family. But our new niece Tess joined the world in June and another niece will make her first appearance in early 2010. Wow! Obviously I have no favorites among my six nieces and nephews (they are the best nieces and nephews in the world, so how could I possibly choose among them!), but there is something incredibly special about meeting the child of your sibling for the first time. Tess has changed my world this year.

... the Chicago Red Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks. I love having hometown sports teams, and I haven't had one in so long. And I love that these teams are Rob's and mine together. 

... Omar Vizquel! Speaking of sports, my favorite sports player of all time, not to mention the best defensive shortstop to ever play the game, is coming to Chicago via the White Sox. While I'll always love the Tribe more, the White Sox are officially my number two team for as long as they have Omar. Thank you thank you thank you White Sox!!!

... my former boss who should have gotten a promotion last spring, but is still making the world a better place because of her current job. (Yes, I'm being cryptic so this isn't google-able. Most of you know what I'm talking about. If you don't and you're curious, just email me. :) DW rocks. We are all lucky she's out there!!

... my friends. I drive myself crazy all the time. So I really don't know how I've attracted so many wickedly awesome friends into my life through the years. In my self-loathing moments, just the fact that my friends exist makes me feel like I can't be all that bad. I wish you all lived closer, but I will always be grateful to have you in my corner even from a distance. 

... travel. Yeah yeah yeah. Work travel has driven me bonkers this year. But I've traveled of my own volition as well this year and loved it. Rob and I have taken our own quick trips to Toronto and to Maine. We took off for Mexico with Mark & Chris. We hit Vegas with Dave & Jen and our new BFFs Jim & Jessica. We made it to LA a couple times to see Lib, Colin & Tess. We went to Cleveland to hang with the whole M-narik clan. We hit NY for the M-ilstein family reunion and NJ for a P-zold gathering. And we flew to DC for Brian & Mariska's wedding and later for Angela & Eric's wedding. It's just been awesome to see so many people we love. 

... my adopted families. I will never stop thanking my lucky stars for my in-laws, who are a wonderful riot. And I am doubly blessed because the amazing M-ilsteins still welcome me and Rob as as if we were their own. 

... my health. Life is too short for too many. So much of it is luck. I'm so thankful my luck is still holding. 

... my reproductive autonomy. Truly. I am grateful that I am allowed to be a 33-year-old married woman and not be expected (or at least not be expected by everyone) to be a mother. I'm glad that I live in a country and in a life where no one but me gets to dictate what happens in my uterus. Most women don't have that. So I am all the more grateful for this blessing (and determined to help this blessing reach others). 

(and finally) ... all of you who read our blog because you care about our lives, even though we don't post often enough. We love you so much and we miss all the long-distance folks out there! We stink at being long-distance friends/relatives. But don't ever doubt how much you mean to us!

Thank you thank you thank you for being part of our lives. From the bottom of my heart, thank you and happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

My wise niece

I call this one, "Hmmm, Patriots, I'm not sure that going for it on 4th down is such a good idea right about now. Not a good idea at all."


Thursday, November 12, 2009

I'm Such a One-Trick Pony

If you follow me on Facebook, you know what's been stressing me out lately.

But the stress continues. Read this.

I love you Katha Pollitt. you are so right, even though your rightness breaks my heart and leaves me in tears.

I am go glad I don't work in politics or live anywhere near it these days. I'm so angry from afar, I don't know how I'd feel if I were in the middle of it in every way. If my life were still fighting this fight. And yet I feel terrible because my life is not fighting this fight.

So in case I have not said it clearly: Abortion is legal. Abortion is a constitutional right. Abortion is healthcare.

Tragically, we're not even just debating whether abortion is healthcare. We're debating whether birth control is healthcare. We're debating whether any reproductive healthcare apart from giving birth is healthcare. This is abominable.

For shame America.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Happy Halloween!

Sorry we haven't been posting much. I'm having issues uploading pictures. It keeps crashing my computer. I think I've figured it out, so I'll post about our maine trip soon.

Below is our Halloween pic. I was a Jedi. Rob was Elvis living in disguise as a Brooklyn hipster.


Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Happy birthdays!

We are delinquent in saying happy birthdays to all the babies we know or hope to soon meet. Or maybe we’ve said some happy birthdays, but not others. This past year officially marked the transition of our friends from weddings to babies.

Our friends Jeff & Sara welcomed a baby girl to the world last week. Yea! A few weeks back, our friends Jess & Jeff welcomed a baby boy, Miles, to the world of NYC! A couple months ago our friends Jason & Beth had their third little one, baby girl Campbell!

Meanwhile, other babies are getting older. A couple weeks ago our friend’s Erica & Feroz celebrated the first birthday of their little girl Sofie! Also a couple weeks ago, my cousin Angela’s little girl Adele turned one. And a few months ago, our friends Mark & Mary celebrated the first birthday of their little guy, Leo!

Now within sight are Bill & Claire’s baby girl Maggie’s first birthday, Deborah & Josh’s baby boy Ephram’s first birthday, Heather & Blair's not-really-baby-anymore Sophie's second birthday, and our soon-to-be new niece’s arrival (in February)!

We feel really lucky to be on a planet where so many amazing people are shepherding little ones into the future. (And for the babies I’m sure I’ve missed, happy birthday to you too!!)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Our Ridiculously Cute Baby Niece!

Seriously. This girl could not be any cuter. (Picture courtesy of Resa.)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sunday brunching

We had a fantastic brunch at The Bristol this morning with Ali and Eddie. After ordering a bloody mary, Rob said he never drinks on Sundays. He then qualified that by saying, "Except when the Giants are on."


This is the picture Ali took of Rob's "I don't drink on Sundays" face. And the Giants are on tv today. Hee.

Friday, September 11, 2009

New York Giants

In case any of you have lost track of time, I wanted to remind you that the NY Football Giants will be playing their first game of the 2009 season this Sunday.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Sex and the City

On the one hand, I enjoyed the movie.

On the other hand, this is exactly how depressed I was after seeing the movie.

I'm not sure I want to see another movie because, sheesh, I really liked how the show ended. And I'm currently pretending that's how everything still is.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Bipartisanship?

I wonder if we're at the point where the only hope for bipartisanship is for one party (or, ahem, President) to be so ridiculously awesomely successful while going alone that the other party is left with no alternative to coming to the table.

Of course, that'd require a lot of political courage at the starting line. And maybe even a big agenda item that the public massively supports but that the other party doesn't.

Hmmm.

My random thought of the day.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

The Greatest Video Ever? Perhaps.

I think this speaks for itself (also, Michael Strahan is the smartest human being on the planet).
http://www.giants.com/Giants_Stadium_Tribute/

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Best Advice Column Ever

I'm a big Carolyn Hax fan. Her Sunday column was particularly fantastic.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Vegas Crew

Rob, me, Jen, Dave, Jim, Jessica -- at the Palazzo indoor waterfall in the Venetian compound.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Quote of the day

"When I hear people saying that feminism has ruined X, Y, or Z, I always want to know what planet they're living on, because I'd probably like to move to a place where feminists have that much power." - Kate Harding, salon.com.

Ha. Seriously.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Vegas and Other Stories

We were in Vegas this past weekend with my long-time, awesome friend Dave, his girlfriend Jen, and Dave's friends Jim & Jessica, who are married. I'll post pictures eventually, but suffice to say we had an awesome time. Not only was the company fantastic, but we had one of the best meals I've ever had. Ever. Ever. At Bouchon. I'm quite sure I'll be going back to Vegas just to eat there again.

Rob and I aren't huge gamblers. I played with about $25 on slot machines and $5 on video poker. I ended up down $4.75 come Sunday afternoon. Rob played a bit of slots and a bit of Blackjack and ended up down $80. But not too shabby all things considered.

As for the "other stories," today Resa and I went to a talk show taping here in Chicago. But I'm not allowed to say anything about it on my blog because of the release I signed. So I'll let you do the math. If you want to hear about it, email me!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Doctors and Patients

This is an article about the last living American provider of later-term abortions following the murder of Dr. Tiller in Kansas. Please read it and pass it on. I've already emailed this to some of you. In my email I wrote, "Sometimes in all the debates and rhetoric, it's easy to forget that we're really just talking about doctors and patients facing unique and difficult (to say the least) circumstances." This article is a powerful reminder of that fact, and of the burdens this doctor, his staff and their patients shoulder because that fact is so lost these days.

http://www.esquire.com/features/abortion-doctor-warren-hern-0909

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Family Reunion

Last weekend we were in Cleveland for my Grandma's 91st birthday. Our cousins Carol and Judy planned a backyard Olympics on Saturday. Below are a few video links. My cousin Margaret Mary and won the three-legged race, which was awesome. And you can see both me and Rob being the bottom halves of wheelbarrows at the far end of the screen too. 


Post-three-legged race excitement. (Yes, that's me squealing.)


Thanks Jen for the videos! And yes, I'm related to just about everyone in these videos. 

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I'm Not Ignoring You, I Swear

I know it seems like it. I just haven't had much to say lately. I also lost the little thingamabobber that lets me download pictures from my camera. So my inability to get to my pics makes me even more unmotivated to blog.

Anyway. We've been up to a lot since my last post. We went to the East Coast for the 4th of July weekend. First we hit NY for Mark's family's reunion. Then we headed south to NJ to see Rob's family - Grandma, Kyle & Taber & Daniel & Lauren, Gena & Jay. Great way to spend a four-day weekend. And I can't say enough that if I ever want to feel loved, I just have to walk into a room where Daniel and Lauren are sitting. The very best part of the weekend might have been taking a walk with Daniel, at his request. How much longer will our so-soon-to-be-teenage nephew who wants to take walks with his nerdy aunt? :)

The weekend after that, no, we didn't stay in Chicago. We headed out to LA to help Libby, Colin and Tess move into their new house. It was an exhausting weekend of packing and moving and baby-watching and unpacking and shopping and furniture-assembling. But it was great to see Tess again. Rob was totally smitten too.

The last two weekends we've been in town, thankfully. Two weekend ago we hit the Three Floyds brewery and brew pub in Indiana with Georgia and Oli. Great beer! Then dinner with Ali at the always awesome Volo. Then hanging out with my old, no-longer-Chicago-dwelling friend Eric and his great girlfriend Sharon.

A couple days later it was my birthday. Age 33. Lord that sounds so much older than I feel. Kindof. Except for the fact that my knees definitely hurt a lot more than they used to. On my actual birthday I worked from home because we got new kitchen countertops installed. As my friend Dave said, "Wow, you really are old and married." Then Rob and I caught a late showing of Harry Potter 6. Loved it!

Friday night we had a few people over to taste some Italian wines as a birthday celebration. Rob cooked lasagna -- my favorite! It was a very last minute party. We had a blast the whole night with everyone who could make it on such short notice!

Then Sunday we ran for the third year in the third annual Teb's Troops March on Melanoma 5K. I think I just about tied my time from the first year (right around 36 minutes), which is better than last year's 38 minute time. Rob -- now a seasoned runner -- didn't run with his slowpoke wife this year, although he offered! So he jogged his was to a finish under 30 minutes. Even better though is that we officially raised over $1000 to support Teb's Troops through the 5K. (Thanks Jason for closing us out!) What rockin', supportive friends we have!!

So that's what we've been doing. Pictures of all of this will follow. Some day.

Oh, and in other awesome news, come February, Rob and I will have seventh niece/nephew! My little sister is pregnant! Whoo hoo!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Two weekends in a row in Chicago!

I've been in Chicago the past two weekends. Wow! Last weekend we took in a couple Cubs v. Indians games at Wrigley... and watched the Tribe lose both times. Very depressing.

This past weekend I ignored all the baseball highlight shows, since the Indians are trying to tank their season, and Rob and I stuck to other activities. On Saturday morning, Rob had booked a massage for me after watching me keep a grueling schedule at work last week. That was awesome! Then we hit the mall, finally having the occasion to appreciate an outdoor mall in Chicago, for some overdue shopping for our house and closets. Saturday night we picked up my friend Ali and headed out to the 'burbs for pizza at Burt's. The pizza was indeed excellent and worth the trek, although not quite so amazing that I'd turn around and run right back.

Today we got up early (for us... for a Sunday) to play tennis with our friends Erin and Brian followed by a delicious pancake breakfast. We came back home in time to get our hopes up and then dashed by the US Men's National Team in their big game against Brazil. The first half was pretty exciting though! Then we ran a few errands, rented a couple movies, and settled in for the evening so I could do work while Rob folded laundry. Fun.

Nothing too exciting, but I can't even express how nice it was to just spend a weekend at home and see friends who I've missed a lot lately.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Our new niece Tess!!!

My twin sister Libby and her husband Colin welcomed their first child into the world today -- baby Tess!

Tess with Daddy.

Tess with Mommy.

Tess up close -- showing us a peek at her blue eyes.


Tess with Grandma Wendy!

Libby and Colin just before Tess was born!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Whoo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Almost)

I'm in LA... at LAX to be specific... waiting for my mom's flight to arrive. Then Colin will pick us up.

Tomorrow morning is Lib's delivery. I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funny how strange it seems that my twin is about to be a mom. Especially since Rob's twin has been a mom for 10 years. :)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Post-Wedding Brunch

Today my Aunt Margaret and Uncle Tom (Angela's parents) threw a post-wedding brunch at their house.

My little cousin Marta enjoys some food.

My little cousin Joseph (Angela's youngest brother) frolics in the front yard.


Three of Angela's other brothers -- Nathan, Anthony and Andrew -- relax after some fierce croquet battles.


Me and Rob sit in the shade.



Angela's oldest brother Paul and his girlfriend Whitney.




Angela's Wedding

We went to my cousin Angela's wedding in Virginia this weekend. Angela looked beautiful and happy. It was nice to catch up with family and eat and drink and dance the weekend away. Tomorrow night I'm off to California because on Tuesday my new niece will arrive!!!!

Angela and Eric leaving the reception under sparklers.

Me and my cousin Anne, who was one of Angela's bridesmaids.

The happy couple making the rounds at the reception.


At the end of the ceremony, all smiles.











Championship weekend

Our nephew Daniel made the winning out this weekend in his Little League chapionship. He was at shortstop and threw out the final batter at first base.

Here's the video, which starts with the final throw already in progress.

Whoo hoo!!!!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Hellooooo

Not much time to blog these past few weeks. I know I always say I'm working like crazy, but lately it's been a whole new level.

We had a nice weekend last weekend though. My friend Rachel came through town for a wedding, so we took her out on Friday night to a Jenny Lewis concert, which was fantastic. Then Saturday night we saw (my cousin Paul's girlfriend's) Whitney's play which was really good and intriguing.

Of course I did a ton of work during the weekend. And I had to get on a plane on Sunday. Back to Chicago Monday night. But now I'm back out of town. Tomorrow back to Chicago. But then off to Virginia for my cousin Angela's wedding on Friday. Then next week I'm off to California to see Libby and hang out in the hospital waiting room with my mom while Libby and Colin's baby girl is born!

Anyway. Lately I'm still way grumpier than I should be. I think I'm just so mentally worn out from all the travel. I need to chill. So I'll just say publicly that my poor husband has had to put up with a really annoying wife lately. It only makes me love him more. I can't wait to have a travel break so I can actually spend time with him. And catch up with my friends. And sleep. And mellow the heck out.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Scooter News

No, not that kind of scooter. The actual scooter you ride around on.

Resa and Nick have a scooter. My dad got on it on Sunday and after a successful turn around the block, ended up hitting the pavement on his second turn. The end result was thankfully just a day in the ER and three lost teeth. Could have been worse! He's off to the dentist tomorrow to get some new teeth. In the mean time, he's taking painkillers and eating soup.

Never a dull moment in our family, I tell you!

PS Thanks for indulging my uber-whining last week. I'm slowly but surely catching up on sleep and getting past my funk. :)

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Grumpfocious

Grumpfocious is what Rob and I call the other when that person is being a total grumpy monster. It's typically a description of me in the morning. And it's exactly how I've been feeling since Monday night this week. A few big annoying things have happened that seem to have sealed my mood into grumpfociousness. Now I'm stuck.

I'm sure I'm not helped by the fact that I started the work week blitzed out of my mind with exhaustion. But why am I getting the pile on this week? Why are there a gazillion little annoying things all at once -- things that normally I wouldn't care about, or would be able to talk myself out of caring about, are avoiding the rational part of my brain -- when I'm already feeling stressed and tired and all-around bummed out? Can someone upstairs give me a break? Please? This is not going to get me out of my funk!

After multiple delays getting on a plane, I finally made my way to the East Coast and am currently in a hotel. A supposedly fancyschmancy hotel. But they couldn't find the package that was delivered for me. And half the television stations aren't working. And the room service is too expensive and not that good. (I ordered off the kids' menu -- just a grilled cheese -- because I couldn't stand spending $30 for quesadillas and I actually love grilled cheese. But even the undercooked grilled cheese was $30. Although presumably if I were a kid it'd be $14.) And then there are silly mishaps that are only a big deal in that they are forcing me to stay up late and do things that should already be done, which always stinks.

I'm sitting around yelling "Seriously!?!?!" in my own head at every turn.

Sorry to be so grumpy. I just... really, universe? Really??

Here's to next week.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Libby's Baby Shower

Resa, Rob and I went out to LA for the weekend so Resa and I could throw a baby shower for Libby. The shower was a lot of fun and it was so good to see Libby, who is just a few weeks away from having her baby girl! The shower was at Chado Tea Room, which is a great little space with delicious afternoon tea.


Resa, Libby (plus one) and me.

Me and Resa.


Me and Roxanna.



Libby opens presents. Apparently a saleswoman tried to talk Libby's friend out of this gift bag, saying, "You know it's a girl, right?" Apparently the saleswoman doesn't know the women in our family very well. :)



Libby chitchats.



En route to the shower, I'm stuck in the back seat with the balloons.





Sunday, May 03, 2009

Wisconsin Weekend - Post-race!

Post-race we hit the Jelly Belly HQ in Kenosha. We took a tour, nabbed some samples, and bought a whole bunch of Jelly Bellies.

I would lovelovelove to own this car. Seriously.

Hanging from the ceiling in the warehouse.


Rob with Superman made from Jelly Bellies... and apparently this Superman doesn't shave.



A Jelly Belly welcomes us.



Wisconsin Weekend - Rob's Half-Marathon

Rob ran his half-marathon in Kenosha on Saturday morning at the ungodly hour of 7:00am! We stayed up in Kenosha, woke up at 5:45am, and made our race to the starting point by 6:30am.

After I dropped Rob off, I parked and made my way to a spot a little before the two mile mark so Rob could toss me his long-sleeve shirt he'd no longer need by then.

Because the course ran in a couple loops, I was able to see Rob just before two miles, just before five miles, just before eleven miles and then (barely) at the end. I had to run to the finish line to beat him there!

Rob did amazingly well. He finished at about 1:56 which put him at an 8:54 minute/mile pace. Whoo hoo!


Post-race we went back to the hotel to change clothes. Rob fell asleep just after getting dressed. :)

Medal around his neck, Rob came in 381st out of about 1200 people.


Crossing the finish line. You can see that he came in with the official clock still under two hours!


Nearing five miles, Rob gave me a wave when he went by.




Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Greetings from Connecticut

I'm in CT for work until tomorrow night. Then in NYC for work from 11pm tomorrow night until 6pm -- so no time to say hi to anyone. Booo. I get back to Chi-town Friday night, jump in a car, meet Rob in Kenosha, WI for his mini-marathon Saturday.

Soooo... four states in three days. And here I thought I was going to be traveling less this year. And last weekend we were in Indiana for the Teb's Troops event, which I'll blog about soon hopefully! It was great.

States I've been to in 2009:
IL
IN
TX (airport stop, hardly counts)
CT
DC
MD

Countries I've been to in 2009:
USA
Canada
Mexico (pre-swine flu, whoo hoo!)

Other states I have plans to go to in 2009:
NY (this week)
WI (this week)
CA (next week)
VA (June)
OH (August)
ME (fall)

Hmmm. Maybe 2010 will be my non-travel year? Nobody else out there is allowed to get married or have a baby this year, okay?

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Random pics

Some old pics I don't think I've posted.

Emily, Tim and Rob rock out on Rock Band.

Rob and I ride the escalator at the United Center after a Blackhawks game.

Rob shows off his new Patrick Kane jersey.


Sunday, April 19, 2009

Sports Crazy Weekend!

This weekend we tried to hit every local sports game possible. Or so it seems. Saturday afternoon Rob and my cousin went off to the Cubs game against St. Louis. Saturday night Rob and I picked up Allison and Geoff and went to the Blackhawks playoff game. Then tonight Rob and I drove out to Toyota Park for the very first home game of the Chicago Red Stars -- the local women's pro soccer team in the new league that just launched this year.

The Blackhawks game was especially great as we saw the Hawks come back from a 2-0 deficit in the first period to win 3-2! The Cubs won their game too. And the Red Stars played to a 0-0 draw.

For any soccer fans out there, I can't recommend the new WPS enough. I saw dozens off WUSA games before it folded in 2003 and I think the quality of play is significantly improved. Lots more technique. Today we even saw a bicycle kick that the goalkeeper barely saved to keep the score 0-0. The weather was unfortunately terrible for a home opener. High 40s and pouring. But our season tickets happen to be in the very last row that's covered by the overhang, so we stayed fairly dry. I left my camera at home though.

Next weekend we're off to Indianapolis for the Teb's Troops event. Yea! If you're in Indy, you should go too!!!!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Hee hee

Rob is drumming along to random Radiohead and Weezer songs while I work.

Totally cool.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Happy Holidays

Happy belated Passover and Easter!!

We did more holiday celebrating than in years past. We had a fantastic Passover Seder last Wednesday at Jeff and Sara's house. I wish I'd remembered my camera because the food was as gorgeous as it was delicious. Eddie and Ali were also there, along with Sara's parents and another friend of Jeff and Sara's. The diversity at the table was a lot of fun.

This past weekend my dad came into town, so he and my sister spent most of Saturday at our place. In the morning, Ali came over to my 'hood and she, Resa and I got pedicures. Then Resa and I headed to pilates while Rob went golfing with Ali's husband Eddie. Resa and my dad later cooked dinner for me and Rob, which was probably a great joy for Rob since he does most (ahem, all) the cooking in our house.

Saturday night after Resa and my dad left, we wandered over to Eddie and Ali's to hang out. We're trying to squeeze in as much time as possible with them before they leave us for the greener pastures of Boston. Booo!!!

All that socializing on Saturday meant that Easter Sunday was one big, long work day for me. Sigh. I'm still not over vacation, which means I definitely have not warmed back up to working on weekends! Rob played his normal role of awesome husband all day long for me. From coffee in the morning through a risotto dinner!

Now it's the wee hours of Monday night/Tuesday morning. I'm fading after another long night of working. I can't wait to go off to sleep. So off I go. But I promised more blog updates -- and here they are. Incoherent ramblings though they may be.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Mexico 2009













Rob, Mark and Chris sitting in downtown Puerto Vallarta.


















Mark and Chris at dinner at Archie's Wok.


















The whole crew at dinner at Cafe Trio.



















Me and Rob enjoying a return visit to La Laguna -- our favorite restaurant from our honeymoon.

















Loved the tropical drinks all week long.

















And love the signs advertising giant margaritas "all day long."



Back from vacation

And newly inspired to get back to blogging, back to being in touch with people, back to working out regularly. And on and on. 

So I'm going to post some pics to catch up on everything I haven't been blogging about. I'm way behind on our mileage too. But Rob's past the century mark. Whoo hoo!

Monday, March 16, 2009

And even more stats

Rob's lead is significant, but at least in the past week I've come close to keeping up....

Katherine: 12.75 (34.95 total miles)
Rob: 13.2 (76.7 total miles)

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

More Stats

Rob is doing a little dance of joy because he's been running circles around me.

Katherine: 6.25 (22.2 total miles)
Rob: 20.2 (63.5 total miles)

At least my total exceeds all of Rob's running since my last update. Sheesh!!

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Lost in the Supreme Court

I was in DC briefly for work recently. One of my colleagues arranged for a short tour of the Supreme Court for a small group of us. All of you reading this know very well my affection for the high court, if not always its decisions. So I was thrilled to get a peak behind the curtain.

I don't have time to write the whole story now, so I am just throwing out a teaser to keep you reading.

I got lost in the Supreme Court. Seriously. Found myself standing alone in a hallway.

Alas, the story doesn't end with me having tea with Justice Ginsburg or anything like that. But I'll post it all later.

Monday, March 02, 2009

Rob is a running machine

It was another weekend full of work for me. There's something a little defeating about working all day Saturday and all day Sunday. Next weekend I am committed to some quality time with Rob!!

Rob churned out a lot more running. Me? There was a little running.

Katherine: 2.0 (15.95 total miles)
Rob: 9.3 (43.0 total miles)

Sooooo... I don't think I'll be catching up with Rob any time soon.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

There's more to life than mileage

We have been doing other things besides mileage, I promise. This past weekend my mom came to town to visit. My mom and I went to a fundraiser for Sara Feigenholtz, who is running for Rahm Emmanuel's old seat. Then Sunday night we went out to my great-uncle Joe's house for a great chili and apple pie dinner.

Monday I made it back to work. I actually made it back last Friday, but it was hard to keep my energy up. I hadn't been that sick in a long time. It suuuuucked. I'm glad it's over. This week has felt long though after so much time outside the office last week.

Last night I finally got back on the treadmill, but I couldn't quite run yet. So it was just walking. Tonight I ran a little though before we headed over to Jeff & Sara's to watch the Top Chef finale. One step at a time. There's still no catching Rob.

Latest mileage:
Katherine: 2.5 (13.95 total miles)
Rob: 2.1 (33.7 total miles)

She's back

Katherine is feeling much better, and as a result, she's returned to the treadmill. Hopefully she'll get some use out of the iPod Shuffle she recently received.

Latest mileage:
Katherine: 2.3 (11.45 total miles)
Rob: 8.4 (31.6 total miles)

Friday, February 20, 2009

Taking advantage during sickness? Maybe...

K has been sick all week. However, my Operation Mexico efforts continue unabated. Here are the latest numbers:

Katherine: 0 miles (9.15 total miles)
Rob: 9.4 miles (23.2 total miles)

K seems to be improving, so she'll be back in the swing of things shortly.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Derailed

I was looking forward to running today. Weird. I know. I think my subconscious secretly knew I wouldn't actually be running... so that my conscious could feel good about looking forward to running without having to endure actual running.

I am sick. I have a nasty cough coming from deep down in my chest that has been throwing me into some half-not-breathing coughing fits throughout the day. Plus a low fever. So the treadmill was out. As was most everything except television and a small amount of work that couldn't be ignored.

Obviously, now I'm way behind in the competition.

Kat: 0 miles (9.15 total)
Rob: 4.4 miles (13.8 total)

In other news, we went to Blackhawks game for Valentine's Day last night, which was a lot of fun. My coughing spells hadn't fully blossomed yet. I bought Rob a Kane jersey for Valentine's Day. He bought me an iPod shuffle and loaded it with some great workout music for me today. Awww. Good man.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy (belated) birthday Tim!

Last night we took Tim and Emily out to dinner for a belated birthday celebration for Tim. We went to The Gage, which was great as always. Then we went back to our place for an evening of Wii Rock Band. Total fun.

So happy belated birthday Tim!!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Operation Mexico - Rob is still winning

Rob found it pretty funny that I'm comparing our mileage in my Operation Mexico posts. I believe his exact words were, "Come on. We know I'm going to win."

I suppose it's true.

Yesterday I raced back from NY in time for my book club where we all discussed how much we disliked the book we read... while eating amazing enchiladas and drinking delicious sangria. I got home to find Rob on the treadmill. Damn! So even though running post-sangria is probably not ideal (and indeed, I had to stop and walk some of my mileage... good thing I only had one glass), I threw on my gym clothes to try to keep up.

New stats:
Kat: 3.5 miles (9.15 total)
Rob: 3.5 miles (9.4 total)

Today is our day off working out. Thank god. I am sooooo tired. Because after book club, and after working out, which all came after not getting much sleep at all the last two nights, I still had to finish a bunch of work. Awesome. TGIF.

(Sara, please don't stop reading! ;)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Operation Mexico - Rob takes the lead!

Despite work still looming and a wake up of 4:30am this morning, I raced to the gym in my hotel at 9:30pm to squeeze in some mileage before the gym closed at 10pm. We all know I'm not going to wake up early to work out. I ran nearly the whole last mile at or above 6.0 because I was so determined to get through my 2.25 miles before they kicked me out. Whoo hoo! I never run that fast, which is like sprinting for my little legs.

So here are the new stats:

Kat: 2.25 miles (5.65 total)
Rob: 2.5 miles (5.9 total)

And with that, Rob pulls ahead. Grrrr.

All I really accomplished in the gym though was burning off half the bread pudding I ate with dinner. I had a fantastic dinner with my second parents -- David and Nancy, aka Mark's parents. They happen to live down the road from where I'm staying for work tonight so they graciously came to meet me for dinner. There's nothing like dinner with loved ones when you're on the road. And awesome bread pudding to boot. :)

Now, back to work!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Operation Mexico

The last time I was in good shape feels like a long time ago, if ever. I probably felt the best (in recent years) during the summer of 2007 when Rob and I wrapped up "Operation Portugal." It was our get-in-shape plan aimed at making sure we looked fit (or at least fitter) on our vacation to Portugal in August 2007.

It worked. I dropped back down to my wedding weight. Still not my pre-law school weight and definitely not my NYC weight. But a weight I was very happy to be as a 30-something.

Today I'm not very far from that. But I don't want to be on that slippery slope where every year I gain just a couple pounds. A lifetime of that adds up. It already has.

So Rob and I have a new plan. Operation Mexico. We leave for a week in Puerto Vallarta in six and a half weeks. I'm aiming to turn back just a little a bit, just back to my Operation Portugal weight. We've been doing weekly pilates for almost a year now, so I hope the strength I've built will help as I pick up cardio again.

In keeping with Operation Portugal, I'll log my mileage on the blog again. Rob's too. Starting with tonight's treadmill runs.

Kat: 3.4 miles
Rob: 3.4 miles

So far it's a tie....

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Toronto

Rob and I were in Toronto this past weekend. (Not the past month, as you might suspect given my latest blogging hiatus. It's just work keeping me away. When I'm exhausted, I'm sad to say that blogging takes a backseat behind reality television. No better excuse than that.)

Anywho, we were in Toronto to make up for my traveling so much in January, including on our anniversary. And then I'd promised Rob the whole weekend following our anniversary, but I had to work the whole weekend. So I planned a trip to Toronto for our 3 years and 1 month-iversary to make up for it. Rob and I had never been to Canada before and got a great deal to Toronto in the dead of winter, probably because it's supposed to be insanely cold there these days.

Fortunately for us, the weather in Toronto was great (for Canada) just as it was in Chicago this past weekend. On Saturday it was a little drizzly, but the temperatures hit as high as 50 degrees. On Sunday it was colder, down to about 30, but it was sunny. Given the single digits we have had lately in Chicago, Toronto felt fantastic.

The weekend was great form start to finish. Rob found an amazing restaurant for us to go to on Friday night for a belated, posh anniversary dinner. If you go to Toronto, go to Lucien. And just get the tasting. Every bite we had was superb.

I will try to blog more about the rest of our weekend soon. Work beckons. For now, here's some pictures. :)

A bit of pilsner at Steam Whistle Brewery. Bummer this beer isn't in the States. It's really good.

Rob outside the CN Tower. We did not go up. It was too freaky just looking up at it.


Rob in the Montreal "locker room" in the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is a great hall of fame, even for hockey novices.

Me and my high school friend Maurissa. She moved to Toronto a week ago. She'd seen my Facebook status said I was in Canada and emailed me to see if I was in Toronto. So we met up for lunch on Saturday. Too fun!



Me in a public square on the way to St. Lawrence Market, which is phenomenal. I couldn't get over how many public spaces and public sculptures are all over Toronto. It gave a feeling to the city I can't quite explain, but that I absolutely loved. I could totally live in Toronto. Save the cold. But that's what I once said about Chicago....

Thursday, January 15, 2009

It's coooooold

It's freezing in Chicago. Actually well below freezing. When you go to the Trib's website, the headline is "Why DO you live here, anyway?" and it's clocking the time Chicago is spending under 0 degrees since we hit -1 last night. As our friend Georgia sadly discovered this morning, we are a solid 40 degrees colder than Fairbanks, Alaska right now. Not cool.

When it gets cold like this, Rob always says to me, "Why did you move me here???" So I was even more entertained that the subheading to the weather article on the Trib website is "'My wife makes me' and other excuses."

Hahahaha.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Happy birthday Ephram (a little belated)!

My friends Deborah and Josh gave birth to a baby boy on January 7. I have a million reasons to love this kid. First and foremost, Deborah is one of my absolute favorite people on the planet. She was my lone female companion in my college improv group during my junior year (her freshman year) and believe me, that companionship was desperately needed! Josh is also a veteran of that improv group. He came into the fold my senior year (his junior year) and the whole group quickly realized how much we'd wished we'd had the sense to drag him into our fold earlier. Not only is he hysterical, but he's also awesome. So this kid has niceness genes, awesomeness genes, and comedy genes galore! Bonus? He was born on Rob's and my anniversary. Apparently he wants me to remember his birthday, which I very happily will.

Congratulations Deborah and Josh! Welcome Ephram! I can't wait to meet you!!

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Happy Anniversary to Us!


Surely it's fitting that I'm typing this from a hotel room several states away from my husband. A quick work trip. I should be home for a late dinner tomorrow, Wednesday, our third anniversary. (Knocking on wood.)

I am too lazy read what I've written before to avoid being repetitive. I wonder if I've written that I'm too lazy to go back to old posts before... Hmmm. Anyway, so I'm just going to write what comes to my (likely unoriginal) mind given that I think the thoughts below all the time.

Three years ago, on January 7, 2006, Rob and I said the wedding vows we'd written together in front of many of our closest friends and family members. I remember lots of moments from that day. But most of all I remember how overjoyed I was from start to finish. Every time I think back on that day, I'm overwhelmed all over again.

I often say that getting married is the best thing I've ever done. The truth is, though, getting married to Rob is the best thing I've ever done. The nicest compliment someone can give me is to tell me that they admire what Rob and I have together. Frankly, I am in awe of it myself. That's not to say our life together is all smiles and rose petals. It's fantastic, yes, but we're still human beings. Often grumpy human beings. Sometimes we push, we nag, we mope, we fight. It's part of both our natures.

The trick -- or really the magic, I think -- is that never once, never even in the worst moment could I bear the thought of not having him as my partner. I am truer to myself because of Rob. I laugh more than I ever thought possible because of Rob. I almost cannot believe that this hysterical, kind-hearted, gorgeous man feels the same way about me. I only believe it because I see it in his face every day. And I am so grateful for it. To see his love reflected back at me, it makes me feel like everything is right with the world. It's my life preserver for life. It has given me more strength than I think anyone, even Rob, could understand. I am so lucky.

Oh sappiness. I know. I know. But I can't help it.

So here's to you, honey. My favorite person ever. My best friend. My soulmate. My other half. My whatever you want to call it. And here's to our imperfect yet perfect marriage and life together. I love you always.