Kat & Rob

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

2010-11-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

As in years past, today I am reminded that I have so much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for my amazing, ridiculously crazy husband, who is the best life partner ever.

I am thankful to be an aunt to so many awesome kids. I'm thankful my oldest nephew and niece are spending Thanksgiving with us and that they are old enough to do random favors for me and young enough not to say no when I ask. I'm thankful to have spent so much more time this year than ever before with our middle three nephews and niece. I'm thankful for my two littlest nieces, my sisters' girls, who have added a whole new level of happiness to our family.

I am thankful for my sisters and the fact that they have great husbands in their lives. I am thankful for my parents and for their health. I am thankful to have in-laws that rock.

I am thankful to have a challenging and stable job. And I'm thankful Rob has the same.

I'm thankful that I've gotten a wee bit stronger and can now rock out an 11 minute mile pace in a 5K... 10 minute mile, here I come!

I am thankful that I count the most fantastic people among my closest friends. Even though most of you aren't local (grumble, grumble), I am thankful that geographical distance is the only distance between us.

I am thankful to have read some new books this year.

I am thankful to have started the New Year on a different continent!

I am thankful to have rocked out wedding after wedding of fabulous people this year and thankful for the weddings of fabulous people already lined up for next year.

Life is good, people. And it's due in large part to all of you!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We're back!

2010-08-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry we've been missing so long. There is lots to catch up on. Trips to San Antonio, Michigan, London, Atlanta, Vegas, Cleveland and Wisconsin, to name a few. Fortunately some of the trips have included lots of time with our nieces and nephews. Yea! We also had some friends show up in Chicago to visit us as well. Way cool.

Some catch up pics below. More soon!

A Must Read

2010-04-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

We should be back to blogging in just a couple more weeks. In the mean time, a great read about a great judge.

Baby nieces definitely know how to make you smile!

2010-03-09T12:07:00.001-08:00

Could our littlest nieces be any cuter? Whenever I'm feeling stressed, I track down pictures of my nieces and nephews. Never fails to cheer me up!

Tess looking up at her dad, I think.

Rhone settled in for her first road trip -- to Indy.

Yet another cute niece wearing Hawks gear

2010-03-07T21:37:00.001-08:00

Tess was wearing Hawks gear for the gold medal game too. Here she is with Grandpa.

USA Settles for Silver

2010-02-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

Major bummer to see the US lose the gold medal match. Resa put Rhone in hockey gear right before the US tied the game to head to OT. Sadly, it was not enough to get the victory. But if the US had to lose, at least Rhone got to see three Blackhawks earn gold medals.

Maaaaaaaaan, I am tired

2010-02-18T15:08:00.001-08:00

So much for being a better blogger in 2010!

Hmmm.

I am working too much per usual. It's pretty rough.

But there are some silver linings:

1. We spent a recent weekend in Boston. The impetus for the weekend was a Penn Law Wives Club reunion ... aka three Penn Law alums (me, Ali, Sophia) and our "wives" (Rob, Eddie, Fritz) gathered in Boston where Ali and Eddie live. We chilled out (with Sophia, Eddie and I squeezing in way more work than we should have over the weekend too). But wow. I needed that. The chill part anyway. Good friends make life so much better.

2. Since we were in Boston, we snuck over to Bill & Claire's to catch up and meet their 18-month-old daughter Maggie. So wonderful to finally meet her in person!!

3. And we snuck over to Deborah & Josh's to see them for the first time in years and meet their little guy Ephraim, who is destined to be the funniest kid ever given his parents comedic talents.

More to come on Chile and the rest of our lives. For now just know we're hanging in there. We love you all for checking in.

Go Colts!

2010-01-26T22:08:00.003-08:00

Our second youngest niece Tess has great taste in football teams....

Welcome to the world our new niece Rhone!

2010-01-24T21:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (Saturday), our newest niece was born at 8:03pm. Her name is Rhone Parker (last name not included because she doesn't need an internet presence just yet, but it's Nick's last name for the curious).

Resa went into labor on Friday, probably in the morning some time. Her water broke around 2:30pm on Friday. She went to hospital at 8pm. And then... the marathon really began, culminating in a three hours pushing session before Rhone arrived into the world. We were sooooo happy to see her.

Resa was beyond amazing through such a long and hard labor. She was so strong and so fierce, I was just in awe. And I was so happy to be with her and Nick for the experience. It was very special to see the moment Resa and Nick first met their baby girl.

When all was said and done, the adrenaline began fading. Rob and I left the hospital a little after 10pm and I logged a solid 11 hours sleep last night. Definitely needed it. Rob was also a rock star -- essentially running non-stop errands for me, Resa and Nick the whole time we were at the hospital.

Without further adieu, here's little Rhone!

Uncle Rob and Rhone. She's about 1 hour old. Naturally Rob is wearing his Blackhawks hat.

And here's Aunt Kathy with little Rhone. She looks so much like her mom in this picture. I can't believe how happy I look in this picture given my sleepless and unshowered state!

Chile - part 1

2010-01-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am having some serious annoyances uploading pictures on this blog lately. Booo. So for today's post about our first leg in Chile, the pictures are in reverse order. Naturally.

We left for the airport in Chicago early in the afternoon on the 22nd. We landed in Miami a few hours later. We were infuriated by LAN Airlines' check-in system for our flight to Santiago -- which basically involved not checking anyone in for an hour. Our plane left a little late, but our 10-hour LAN flight wasn't too terrible as far as 10-hour flights in coach go. (Not that I've ever experienced a 10-hour flight anywhere but coach.)

Finally we arrived in Chile on the 23rd around 9am... which is 6am Chicago time, I believe. We picked up a rental car and hit the road for Colchagua Valley, one of Chile's wine regions. Just a couple hours later we arrived at Casa Silva. We had a lovely lunch - including our first tastes of Chilean wine in Chile! - while we waited for our room to be ready. We ate in a gorgeous courtyard in perfect weather. It was a fantastic beginning to our vacation!

We grabbed a quick nap after lunch and then raced out the door to Lolol, which we thought was about 30 minutes away but which was in fact 60 minutes away. We were meeting Andres, the man who runs our friend Erica's vineyard. Our miscalculation and some other misadventures (including our inability to find a phone - there is a single public phone in the small town of Lolol - and our inability to figure out how to use that phone) got us to Andres much belatedly. But he took us to Erica's vines and showed us some gorgeous views of one of Chile's many wine valleys. (Picture below.)

We left him around 7pm but still had to kill an hour before anything would be open for dinner. Most Chilean restaurants begin dinner service at 8 or 9pm. We landed at Pan Pan Vino Vino for dinner right as their doors opened at 8pm, where we got our next delicious sips of Chilean wine and laughed at the friendly dog wandering around the restaurant.

On the 24th we visited two fantastic wineries. We started at Montes where we got a private tour of their vineyards and winemaking facilities and then had a wine tasting of some of their best wines. (A picture of us in front of the vineyards is below.)

Then we went a couple doors down the road to Clos Apalta, which is the high end part of the larger Lapostolle. We were joined on our tour by a very friendly American couple who had just come from Patagonia, our next leg in Chile. They gave us the helpful hint of buying ski caps for our hiking in Patagona. I'm so glad we did!

We didn't think wine facilities could top Montes, but Clos Apalta did. We got to see a giant wall of granite across from the barrel room, which is the granite they blasted through to build their facility. They left some of the granite untouched and exposed to serve as a natural, temperature-regulating wall. We also got to feel a wine barrel made from 500-year-old French oak. No word on when the wine cooking in there is coming out.

Our wine tasting at Clos Apalta was on top of a giant stone table in their small barrel room. And, surprise, the table actually opens up and you can descend a staircase into a hidden, gigantic wine cellar - the personal wine cellar of the owner! Alas, the table didn't open for us, we only got to look through the table top into the cellar below us. We left Clos Apalta with a bottle of their Borobo, since it's unavailable in the US. We tasted their 2009 Clos Apalta as well, which we loved. The 2005 Clos Apalta won Wine Spectator's wine of the year award. Not a surprise given how great the wines were that we tasted. We picked up a bottle of their 2007 upon our return to the States! (A picture of the gorgeous Clos Apalta facilities is below.)

As it was Christmas Eve, everything was shutting down after we finished our tour at Clos Apalta. We made our way to our next hotel, Hotel Santa Cruz. We did a quick wander through the town of Santa Cruz, one of the larger towns in Colchagua Valley, but still not very large at all. We found a small restaurant where we had a gigantic pile of grilled meats for lunch. We tried to go to the town museum, but it was already closed for the day. So we relaxed until dinner time at the hotel.

We splurged on the Christmas Eve special dinner and it was excellent! At the end of the meal we ordered tea... and our waitress brought a gigantic vase of herbs to our table. She had to explain to us that we needed to pluck a variety of herbs, throw them into our tea cups, and then pour hot water over them. The tea was delicious! (You can see the herbs and us in our summery Christmas eve attire in a picture below.)

Christmas Day was for sleeping in. The hotel gave us a small stocking full of candy. Awwww. Then we made our way to Vina Santa Cruz - the only place open that day. We were joined by the same American couple we met at Clos Apalta. They were also staying at Hotel Santa Cruz. Small world. The vineyard has a cable car that takes you to the top of their hills where we had gorgeous views of the land. (A picture of the views is below.) Also hilltop were a few model buildings based on different Chilean cultures, so we got a nice history lesson as part of the tour. While the wines we tasted at Clos Apalta were the most exquisite of our trip, the wines at Santa Cruz were the best everyday drinking wines. Sadly, they're not available in the US, but we've already informed our local wine store that they need to make this Chilean connection for us!

We took the long way back to Santiago after our tour. We wound our way up the coast, stopping in a small village for some empanadas and then stopping just outside the beach town of Pichilemu to take in some gorgeous ocean views. (A picture of the windy clifftop near Pichilemu is below.) We loved winding through valleys and catching glimpses of the ocean and small rivers. Eventually we made it to the highway leading into Santiago, where the Andes greeted us from the horizon. We stayed at the airport that night to make it easier to catch our 8am flight to Patagonia. I'll blog the Patagonia leg next!

Pichilemu is in the background behind me and the Pacific waves.

The views from the top of the hills at Vina Santa Cruz -- one of our favorite views in Colchagua Valley.

At the end of our Christmas Eve dinner at Hotel Santa Cruz. Note the vase of tea herbs to my right. And note our summery clothes courtesy of Christmas in South America.

The top of the Clos Apalta winemaking facility peeks out of the hilltop... but it actually extends four stories deeper into the ground. The granite they had to blast through now composes walls, stairs and other features in the building.

In front of the vineyards at Montes. We got to ride up the hill behind us as part of our tour.

The view at Erica's farm. Her grape vines are at the bottom of the hill in the center.

Next up: Patagonia!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2010-01-07T11:42:00.001-08:00

Our Chile blogging will begin this weekend. We had an amazing time!!!

For today, happy anniversary to us!

This year -- unlike last year -- we are in the same city. Yea! But we've postponed our celebratory plans because of a stomach bug that's been bugging me the last couple days. Boo!

Still, there's much to celebrate today. We are a sickeningly happy twosome. We are two peas in a pod. We are best friends. We laugh all the time, even through stomach bugs. Our marriage is grand and we can't wait for more of it!

It's almost the new year...

2009-12-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

... 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.

Wow

2009-12-08T09:36:00.001-08:00

What my google reader taught me today:

1. I'm just a hysterical feminist that gets too offended by advertising.

2. Khakis will make men into real men -- you know, the kind that "wear the pants" and protect us from our "genderless society" where "cities crumble."

Awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T15:00:00.001-08:00

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!

My wise niece

2009-11-15T23:19:00.001-08:00

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."

I'm Such a One-Trick Pony

2009-11-12T22:40:00.001-08:00

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.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

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.

Email from my sister

2009-10-07T11:53:00.001-07:00

Subject: dude

Message:

you must have a baby.

why? http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2324327

:)

Happy birthdays!

2009-10-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

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!!)

Our Ridiculously Cute Baby Niece!

2009-09-29T14:03:00.001-07:00

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

Sunday brunching

2009-09-20T20:27:00.001-07:00

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.

New York Giants

2009-09-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Sex and the City

2009-09-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Bipartisanship?

2009-09-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

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.

The Greatest Video Ever? Perhaps.

2009-09-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

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

Best Advice Column Ever

2009-09-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

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

Vegas Crew

2009-08-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

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

Quote of the day

2009-08-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

"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.

Vegas and Other Stories

2009-08-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

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!

Doctors and Patients

2009-08-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

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

Family Reunion

2009-08-13T20:09:00.001-07:00

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.

Three-legged race.

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

Wheelbarrow race.

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

I'm Not Ignoring You, I Swear

2009-07-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

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!

Two weekends in a row in Chicago!

2009-06-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Our new niece Tess!!!

2009-06-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

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!

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

2009-06-15T22:31:00.001-07:00

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. :)

Post-Wedding Brunch

2009-06-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-14T18:42:00.001-07:00

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!!!!

Hellooooo

2009-06-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Scooter News

2009-06-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

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. :)

Grumpfocious

2009-05-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Libby's Baby Shower

2009-05-10T20:06:00.001-07:00

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.

Wisconsin Weekend - Post-race!

2009-05-03T12:35:00.001-07:00

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

2009-05-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Greetings from Connecticut

2009-04-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

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?

Random pics

2009-04-21T14:48:00.001-07:00

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.

Sports Crazy Weekend!

2009-04-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

Hee hee

2009-04-15T21:59:00.001-07:00

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

Totally cool.

Happy Holidays

2009-04-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Mexico 2009

2009-04-05T17:07:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-05T17:06:00.001-07:00

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!

And even more stats

2009-03-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

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)

More Stats

2009-03-10T20:12:00.001-07:00

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!!

Lost in the Supreme Court

2009-03-05T06:10:00.001-08:00

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.

Rob is a running machine

2009-03-02T05:43:00.000-08:00

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.

There's more to life than mileage

2009-02-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-25T08:32:00.000-08:00

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)

Taking advantage during sickness? Maybe...

2009-02-20T10:41:00.001-08:00

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.

Derailed

2009-02-15T21:35:00.000-08:00

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.

Happy (belated) birthday Tim!

2009-02-14T12:07:00.001-08:00

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!!

Operation Mexico - Rob is still winning

2009-02-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

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! ;)

Operation Mexico - Rob takes the lead!

2009-02-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

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!

Operation Mexico

2009-02-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

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....

Toronto

2009-02-08T21:36:00.001-08:00

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....

It's coooooold

2009-01-15T08:52:00.001-08:00

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.

Happy birthday Ephram (a little belated)!

2009-01-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

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!!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2009-01-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

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.

Happy holidays!!!

2008-12-30T20:59:00.000-08:00

We are back from Christmas in Seattle with Mom, Lib and Colin. Now Lib and Colin are in Chi-town through New Year's. Yea!

I have to steal some Seattle pics from Libby. So in the mean time, here's a recent one of Rob that I think is hysterical. He was sick last week for the first time in ages, so he was sitting around with a hat on. Awww.

What I'm reading

2008-12-18T22:28:00.001-08:00

Sara suggested I try to post here the items that I tag for sharing on Google reader. (I loved shared items on Google reader!)

So here's what I've tagged lately. Probably reflects my great appreciation for all things Melissa McEwan.

-- This sums up my disappointment from earlier today. I particularly like the line, "Obama is playing the same game that anti-choicers and homobigots have been playing for decades, which is pretending that both sides of the abortion issue and the same-sex marriage issue are equivalent, and they are not."

-- I love when sexism is just "silly" little stuff we shouldn't get worked up about.

-- Ah, Bush v. Gore.

-- An Alderman with some sense. Whoa.

-- One of my heroes.

And here's one I starred for my own re-reviewing pleasure, but haven't shared.

-- A book review.

Enjoy!

On a side note, I think I have decided to make my blog password-protected. I'm not sure exactly how that will work yet. I'm sad to do it. But I think I need to either keep my blog more on the innocuous side (read: no political thoughts) or I need to make it private. Details to follow. I hope you'll all still keep reading. I'll be sure to make sure you know how.

Oh Lordie

2008-12-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

Suddenly I feel like it's a good thing we decided not to go to DC for the inauguration. I would probably cry. Not just because I'll be happy to have a new president. Also because of this.

What a disappointment. Reaching out and setting a new tone does not include endorsing those who spew hate, let alone giving those hate-spewers a platform. I keep shaking my head hoping this will go away.

Colts pics

2008-12-15T20:00:00.001-08:00

Indy Weekend

2008-12-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

We had a very fun weekend in Indy. We hit the road on Saturday afternoon for Nadine & Roger's house. We arrived in time for a little bit of chill time before the four of us headed out for dinner with Liane & Michael and Sara & Jon. Dinner was remarkably good sushi... especially given that we were in, uh, Indianapolis. After dinner we all headed to a party at a friend's place in Carmel. (Emphasis on the first syllable, for all you non-Indy folks.)

Sunday morning we got to spend some time watching Nadine & Roger's little girls frolic, read books, and other good things. They might be the cutest kids ever except for our nieces and nephews.

Then it was off to a COLTS GAME at the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium. Thankfully the Colts won. Phew!! Our seats were fantastic. We were right next to the tunnel where the players run on and off the field. Awesome. I was jumping up and down like a little kid when the Colts first took the field. We saw three touchdowns in the endzone right in front of us. I have no idea when I last saw the Colts play live. What a treat.

I'm working like a crazy person

2008-12-08T01:18:00.000-08:00

Which is why I am MIA.

Lots of work travel too.

I should be back by the end of this week though. I'm also looking forward to Indy next weekend. Whoo hoo!!

Yea for Thanksgiving with Family

2008-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend in Delaware at Rob's sister and brother-in-law's house. On Thursday, we feasted with Rob's sister Kyle, brother-in-law Taber, nephew Daniel, niece Lauren, sister Gena, brother-in-law Jay, dad Bob, dad's wife Teri and Grandma Lois.

On Friday morning, Kyle, Gena, Lauren and I hit Old Navy for some doorbusters (although we arrived tardily at 7:30am -- two hours after the store opened -- we still found lots of great deals).

On Saturday, Kyle, Taber, Daniel, Lauren, Rob and I took a brewery tour of Dogfish Head brewery and then feasted on seafood for dinner.

Sunday morning we headed home, beating the storm that hit Chicago by just a couple hours. Phew!

Rob and Daniel toss a football.

Rob and Daniel slouch on the couch the same way. Barkley joins them.

Me and Rob on Friday night. Note my doorbuster $10 sweater!

Daniel loves Barkley.

Rob shows Daniel his Guitar Hero moves.

Lauren loves hanging out with Aunt Gena. Uncle Jay is behind them.

Rob and Taber insisted on drinking Aquavit after Thanksgiving dinner. I can't say it was good.

Kyle did not enjoy it either.

Lauren is a mama's girl.

Rob loves hanging out with Barkley.

Worth the whole 9 minute viewing time

2008-11-26T12:08:00.000-08:00

This is so fun. You must watch it.

And if you're a fan of The Price is Right, you'll appreciate even more how damn hard Lucky Sevens is!!

Thankfulness 2

2008-11-25T20:23:00.000-08:00

I’ve decided to turn last year’s Thanksgiving post into an annual thankfulness post. It’s tough to figure out what to write about this year though. I could just write “ditto” to last year’s post because all of that is still absolutely true. So consider this post a “ditto” plus an attempt at a little more.

I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for who he is; I am thankful for his unwavering loyalty to me even at costs to himself; I am thankful for the never-ending laughter in our life together; I am thankful that I am still blown away with joy by the fact that he loves me.

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful that no matter what drama life brings I still know my sisters are my best friends. I am thankful to have two healthy parents invested in my happiness.

I am thankful for in-laws who are both my family and my friends. I am thankful for every second I get to spend with my nephews and nieces because they are amazing. I am thankful for the running hugs Daniel and Lauren gave me at the airport in July and for Bryson's interest in learning my dance moves.

I am thankful that 2008 brought me two new brothers-in-law and now both of my sisters and all of Rob’s sisters have settled into their lives with excellent life partners.

I am thankful that my faith in politics and my hope for the world have recently been renewed and then some. I am thankful to live in a country that seems to be marching (deliberately, if slowly) towards equality.

I am thankful for lattes because I am not thankful enough for mornings without them.

I am thankful for the tiny bit of muscle that I’ve gained from the tiny bit of pilates I’ve done this year.

I am thankful Rob tolerates (barely) my taste in television shows, which is admittedly rapidly deteriorating. I am thankful not to have picked up too many new television shows to follow this year.

I am thankful for my job and my job security (knocking on wood). I am thankful for my unbelievably dedicated mentor at work.

I am thankful for Facebook, the Colts' winning record, my (lopsided) glasses, and fortune cookies.

I am thankful to see so many fantastic people around me becoming parents.

I am thankful for the time, the means and the reasons to travel, no matter how tiring it may be, because I'm always better off for having visited a friend or family member.

And obviously, I am thankful for the Giants' Super Bowl victory.

Our Christmas Decorations

2008-11-23T20:56:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned below, we put up some Christmas decorations this weekend. We're not that artistic. You all know that. But we do enjoy a little festiveness.

We bought a real wreath, some bells for the front door, a ceramic penguin and a fake Charlie Brown-esque tree for outside. Of course, since our front door opens to a courtyard that only a handful of neighbors walk by, it's really just for our own amusement. We also have fake candles in the windows that automatically turn on when it gets dark out.

So you can see a bit more of the fiber optic awesomeness, here's a blurry no-flash picture. A couple years ago I bought a fake tree a couple days before Christmas that was so cool. SO COOL. Because it had fiber optics. At first Rob hated it. Then he realized how great it was in all its tacky glory. This morning we saw a tiny tree with fiber optics was on sale at Target. How could we resist!

The tree in its more subdued glory.

Maybe we need to put some more trimming on our mantle? For now we've got an advent calendar to the left, a tree in the middle, a funky Santa to the right. Plus some lovely stockings right in front.

Last but not least, Rob set up some of our Christmas buddies along the top of our television.

We really tried not to leave the state this weekend...

2008-11-23T20:41:00.000-08:00

But we failed.

It's my fault. Or Maybe it's my cousin Alan's fault. Alan asked me if Rob and I wanted to go to a magic show on Saturday with Alan and his wife Jen. Sure, I said.

Turns out the magic show was just over the border in Wisconsin. And we were so determined not to leave Illinois this weekend!!! The magic show was a lot of fun though. We also drove by a Jelly Belly factory that we had no idea was so close, so we'll be returning there for a visit.

This weekend was a cousin extravaganza. In addition to Saturday's magic show with Al & Jen, on Friday night we had dinner with my cousin Paul and his girlfriend Whitney, along with Resa & Nick. Paul recently relocated to Chi-town, and we're happy to have him here.

Sunday we squeezed in some quality couch potato time. We enjoyed the Giants' and Colts' victories. But we also got inspired and put up some Christmas decor. And we had a fun dinner out with Jeff & Sara.

Wednesday we are off to Delaware for Thanksgiving with Rob's family. As always, we can't wait to see our oldest nephew and niece (and we'll miss the younger three who are staying in Texas for the holiday).

And last but not least, speaking of awesome kids, I got to meet Erica & Feroz's baby girl this week. I had a quick work trip to NYC, so I snuck over to their place before I left the city. Needless to say, Sofia is awesome. She couldn't be sweeter, she rocks out to her mobile in the coolest way, and she's adorable. Yea!!

Yup, another weekend trip

2008-11-16T20:21:00.001-08:00

Surely it surprises no one that we were traveling again this weekend. Not another wedding this time though. I don't think we have any more weddings in 2008! Instead it was off to Harrisonburg, Virginia, home of Rob's alma mater. Rob and his best friends from college plus significant others and kids all headed back to James Madison University for a ten-year reunion.

The original gang is Rob, Jason, Christian, Heather and Jake. Jason seems to be the linchpin in the group. Rob and Jason went to high school together. Jason and Christian were freshman year roommates in college. Heather and Jason were in the JMU marching band together. Jake transferred to JMU and roomed with Christian. And that is how the crew formed.

Heather is now married to Blair, also a JMU alum, who was a good friend of Christian during their semester abroad. Heather and Blair met at Christian's Halloween party in DC a few years after college.

And of course, Rob and I are married thanks to the pairing of Jason and Christian as freshman year roommates as well. Christian's brother Dave went to grad school at College of Charleston where he became friends with Carly who later became my roommate and kindred spirit in DC. Carly met Christian and later Rob through Dave, which eventually led me to meet Rob.

Ah, fate. :)

Jason is also married to a JMU alum -- Beth -- but they met after college as well. And Jake is married to a non-JMU-er, Catherine.

Now that I've explained everyone.... The ten adults and four kids rented a big house near JMU for the weekend. We toured campus on Saturday for a football game. The campus was gorgeous. The game was excellent. (JMU won!) Then we grilled out an reminisced on Saturday night.

The four kids -- Sophie (Heather and Blair's), Katie (Jake and Catherine's), Calvin & Casey (Jason and Beth's) -- were so much fun. Calvin is very spirited and enjoys smashing his face up against yours and all sorts of tackling games. He and Katie had particular fun joint tackling me on repeatedly on Sunday morning.

Rob and I drove Christian and his girlfriend Maria back to DC on Sunday afternoon. On the way we stopped at a winery with what seemed to be the world's longest wine-tasting. I think we tasted 20 wines. Whoa. We also had a spirited round of the cow game on the ride back, which Christian and Rob won with an astounding 6002 points to Maria's and my, um, nothing. Ouch.

All in all, it was a really great weekend. It's always fun spending time with old friends and making new friends. (I'd never met Maria, Jake or Catherine before.)

Here are some pictures.

Casey, Katie, Sophie, and Calvin.

Catherine, Katie, Calvin, Jason, Rob, me, Casey, Beth, Blair, Sophie, Heather, Christian, Maria. (Jake was off parking their car.)

Jason, Calvin, me, Casey, Beth, Rob, (the back of) Sophie('s head), Heather, Blair, Christian, Katie, Catherine, Jake. (Maria was in the library.)

Another weekend, another wedding

2008-11-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

We had a jam packed weekend again. This time, happily, the wedding of the week was in our hometown. Rob's friend Ben from DC got married to Rachel on Saturday night in downtown Chicago. We realized that we are in the post-law school run of weddings right now. Every wedding we've been invited to this year (excepting our sisters' weddings) has involved one if not two lawyers!

We had a great time at Ben and Rachel's wedding. Everything was gorgeous. The food was delicious and never-ending. The band absolutely rocked. And most importantly, the couple looked happy beyond words.

We also got to see a whole crowd of Rob's law school friends, two of whom stayed with us for the weekend. So that was a very fun bonus.

Since I haven't blogged for a while, I should also comment a bit on last week's events, eh? Well, we're jubilant. To put it succinctly.

I spent Sunday through Tuesday in Indiana helping to turn the state to the Dems for the first time in my lifetime. I got to stay with Nadine while in Indy (yea!), even though I didn't get to hang with her nearly enough because I was so busy! Then I raced back to Chicago after the Indy polls closed on Tuesday to make it back to meet up with Rob, Resa, Nick and Stephanie and head to Grant Park.

I'm not sure I can do justice to my sense of relief. Relief that I realized I have been waiting to feel for eight years now.

I am so glad I made it back for Obama's speech in Grant Park. But honestly more for the historical moment than anything else. I felt almost numb Tuesday night. There was a moment when I got off the highway and onto the streets of downtown Chicago, when Pennsylvania and Ohio had already been called for Obama, when I knew it was inevitable... my eyes welled up, my hands started shaking. But I shook it off. I was driving after all. And exhausted.

So when we finally got to Grant Park, when Obama finally spoke, it was this strange, teary-eyed calm that I felt. It wasn't until Wednesday. Waking up and knowing our new reality that I spent the day crying every time I was reminded of the good news.

Still, Tuesday was magical. Chicago was ecstatic. The excitement was overflowing in the most unifying and peaceful way I've ever seen. I doubt I'll ever see anything like it again.

So good job to all the states I've ever lived in -- Indiana, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, DC, and Illinois. Good job America. Thank you for giving me hope back. Thank you for giving me long-needed relief.

Yawn!

2008-11-03T18:54:00.001-08:00

I'm sooooooo tired.

Exhausting day in the Indy campaign office mainly just telling people where to vote.

Gotta go to bed so I can wake up at 4am.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Please VOTE!!!!!!!!!!

Miami pics

2008-10-28T21:12:00.001-07:00

A couple pics from the wedding... details are in the post below.

Me and Rob chillin' at the reception. Yes, you may have seen this dress at a previous wedding this year. I don't have the budget for six weddings a year!

The happy couple shares their first dance to a really awesome song.

Rob does a reading during the ceremony.

Lots of catching up to do

2008-10-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

We have lots of catching up to do for all our readers. Sorry we've been missing lately. First, I've been down in the dumps because of recent events I've already mentioned. Second, I've been really busy with life, work, travelling, etc. Third, I've been pondering the future of this blog -- given that I have a professional life outside this blog. (No decisions yet, but for now I'm committed to continuing.) Fourth, well, I've been down in the dumps.

Thankfully I have a supportive husband and some awesome friends who are willing to let me wallow when I need to. You all rock! So it's time to work my way back into regular life.

This past weekend we went to Miami for the wedding of my law school classmates Adam and Valerie. Yes, I know. Another wedding? We can't believe it either. If you map the locations of the weddings we've been to this year, I think we've done quite the national tour -- midwest, west coast, east coast, northwest, south... and we've got one more midwest in a couple weeks.

We were so happy to head to Miami for Adam and Valerie's wedding though. Adam was my 1L study buddy. Valerie and I braved Wax's Civ Pro side by side. They are awesome, and even more awesome together. Rob was very honored to do a reading at the wedding. (Rob was great!!) We sat with some of Valerie's co-workers from last year's clerkship and had a blast. And it turned out that one guy at our table went to high school with me. Small world!

On Sunday we were lucky enough to have time to meet up with Rob's aunt and grandmother, who live in Ft. Lauderdale, for lunch. We made it to the airport in time to catch the last half of the Giants' victory. Then it was back to Chicago. Another weekend. Another roundtrip flight.

Tonight we had another fun excursion. The Chicago Red Stars -- the local team in the newly formed Women's Professional Soccer league -- hosted an event to benefit the team's charitable foundation. National team veteran Kate Markgraf was on hand. (We were too shy to say hi.) But we did have a great time chatting with some of the team's staff members. Rob and I have already put down a deposit on season tickets for the Red Stars. You can get a season ticket for just $99, so there's really no excuse not to, right? Less than $10 a ticket to see a great team full of great role models play a great sport in a great way.

Back to work I go before I head to bed. But I'll be a better blogger now. We've got a Halloween party on Friday, a party on Saturday, a 5K on Sunday, and an election to win next Tuesday! So much to do and blog about!

Oh, and speaking of elections, we took a trip with Resa back to Apple Holler two weekends ago to go apple picking. The brunch was good. The apple picking was okay (not a lot of apples left on the trees). The McCain-Palin sign only visible on the way out was not cool. We're looking for a new apple orchard for next year.

Welcome Maggie!

2008-10-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Bill and Claire, our Cape Cod buddies, welcomed their daughter Margaret Rose to the world last week. We can't wait to meet her, even if it does appear that she's bringing a bit too much luck to the unworthy Red Sox.

Congratulations Bill and Claire!!

My friend John

2008-10-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

PS Thanks for all the emails following this post. :)

This morning was terrible. I learned that an old friend of mine passed away a couple weeks ago. I've got all these thoughts bumping around in my head, so I'm going to pour them out here.

John and I went to Penn together, but we didn't meet until late winter of my senior year at the interview day for the Thouron Award. I can't remember how we started talking, but it was right after we arrived, waiting for the long day to begin. It came up that he was from Arkansas and I was from Indiana. We bonded over being from such "strange" states for Penn students. Throughout the day, my favorite conversations were with John and another student Shahzad. Needless to say, I was thrilled when all three of us were among the five students given Thouron Awards that year.

John went to Oxford. I went to LSE. (Shahzad went to Cambridge.) During my first week in London, before classes had even begun, I was wandering from LSE back towards my dorm and I ran into John on the street. His classes hadn't started either, so he'd come to London for the day. He wanted to track me down to join his sightseeing, but he only had my address. He went there, didn't find me, and then started walking towards LSE. Feeling rather overwhelmed to be alone in a foreign country, I was so happy to see him. Beyond happy.

Throughout the year, John and I developed an excellent friendship and John came to London often. John and I had so much fun together. I remember cracking up with him during an audio tour of Kensington Palace, although I can't remember at all what was so funny. Another visit, we were wandering the London streets and for some reason we both found the name "WokWok" hysterical -- it was a restaurant, I think. To this day I smile and think of John every time I see a wok. And I will never forget going clubbing in downtown London in formal Thouron event clothes, dancing like the crazy Americans we were.

John and I also talked about all the serious things in our lives. I went to Oxford for a day to visit him and we walked and talked nonstop from morning until after midnight when I caught a bus back to London. We talked about relationships, family, careers. Everything. He talked about an old girlfriend through the lens of what he wanted for his life -- and what he wanted was always focused on family. He wanted a gaggle of kids. He wanted to work for a while in a big city. Then he wanted to raise his family in Arkansas farm country. He worried a lot about how he would find a great woman to marry who was also willing to move to Arkansas with him. He praised his mom all the time.

We had a lot of political discussions. My liberal politics were not fully formed back then, but I was already pretty far to the left. John was on the right. We disagreed a lot. We had long talks about greed and corruption, and shared the same worries about the state of politics and politicians in America. We were both very concerned about how the rest of the world saw America. John was drawn to the Catholic Church and eventually was confirmed in the Church during his two years in Oxford.

John was one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I'd ever met. He was old school chivalrous. The day I visited him at Oxford, every time we'd cross to a different sidewalk, he'd reposition himself to be closer to the road than me. He never had an unkind word for anyone.

Sometime during his second year at Oxford (I just had one year at LSE), John met Sara, who he would eventually marry. John was amazed by her. It was clear he'd met his match. He told me happily that she might even be the type of woman who'd move to Arkansas some day.

John also gave me some great friends. John introduced me to my best friend at LSE -- Philip -- who John met in the bar in the basement of my dorm (seriously) when visiting me one time that fall. In the summer of John's second year at Oxford, I had been working at McKinsey a year when I got sent to London for a training. I got there a day early and went to Oxford to visit John. A McKinsey coworker, Sandip, went on the same training had the same plan to visit a friend at Oxford, and it turned out that Sandip's friend and John were the best of friends. So we all spent an awesome day together, including football and a bonfire in their backyard until the wee hours of the morning. Sandip became a great friend to me from that day on.

But life marches forward. When I left NYC in 2001, I didn't get to see a lot more of John except at Thouron events. It's probably one of my greatest frustrations about the nomadic life I've led. I've found so many amazing friends along the way, and then distance and adventures push you out of touch for far too long stretches.

The last time I saw John was in the fall of 2005. Rob and I were visiting NYC for the weekend, in large part to visit John and Sara. We met their two oldest kids. (Now there are three kids.) Rob and I had been at a Thouron event that summer and I'd been surprised John wasn't there, so I'd dropped him a line after. John hadn't heard about it and was sad to have missed it. When we finally saw each other that fall, we promised each other to be in much better touch and to always call each other when a new Thouron event was on the horizon -- and to always go. That way, we said, we would always be in touch.

John called me in the fall of 2006. He'd been at the memorial service for a member of the Thouron family in Philly. I hadn't heard about the service until too late to go as I was in Chicago. John and I traded voicemails afterwards. I owed him a call back. And I kept meaning to call.

A few weeks ago, I got a Thouron mailing. A save the date for the 50th reunion in June 2010. I immediately thought about John. I made a mental note to call him. To promise one another we'd both be there no matter what.

Not too long ago, John and Sara moved to Arkansas, just as he'd always wanted. Now I know that when I got that Thouron mailing, John had been in an Arkansas hospital for some time, recovering from a terrible accident. Now I know that right around the time I got that mailing, John died from complications from his accident. I don't even know how to process it.

Why was I so bad at being in touch that I didn't even know when he moved? How could I have not known about his accident? I'm just devastated. I'm sad to have lost such a special friend. A friendship that I took for granted would be always be there for me to return to. I'm appalled that a person so important to me was going through so much pain and I was completely unaware.

I'm at a loss. In every way.

So to John: I can't believe you're gone. Our friendship gave me such strength. I hope you knew that somehow. I never said it. I should have said it. I will always miss you. I will always always remember you. I am so glad you got the life you dreamed of, even if it was cut far too short.

Another Chicago Weekend

2008-10-14T06:44:00.001-07:00

We had a great weekend in Chicago. We got treated to some bizarre warm weather. Something about marathon weekend in Chicago brings out the sun, although it wasn't as hot as last year.

Saturday afternoon our friends Ali & Eddie had a bbq at their place, which was exactly what the weekend called for. Then Saturday night Georgia had a few folks over for an official housewarming. We are so excited Georgia lives on our block now!

Sunday we spent the day catching up on errands. Then Sunday night we popped over to Resa and Nick's for a bbq dinner.

Below are a couple pictures from Georgia.

Me & Rob at Georgia's place.

Me & Susie at Georgia's place. (I love Susie's glasses.) Susie is trying to talk me into training for a half marathon. Hmm. She obviously has never seen me (try to) exercise.

Did you get purged from the registered voter rolls?

2008-10-10T08:02:00.001-07:00

In light of recent events, it may be essential for some or all of you to make certain you are still able to vote. This website should assist you in determining whether you will be able to vote on election day if you have already registered. Pass this information along to anyone in a swing state, it could determine the outcome of this election.

http://www.canivote.org/

Definitely moving to Canada...

2008-10-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

... if Obama doesn't win.

Definitely.

This is beyond embarrassing.

Go Indiana!

2008-10-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Rob and I were originally hoping to go to Madison this weekend with Jeff & Sara, but since my dad decided to come to town, we've pushed back our Wisconsin plan. With a partly free Saturday, we touched base with the Obama campaign and got orders to go canvass in Valparaiso, Indiana -- about an hour and fifteen minutes from Chicago.

Valpo is a pretty Republican area. Heck, Indiana as a whole is a pretty Republican area. I was in the distinct minority growing up in Indianapolis as a Dem, and that's the most Democratic part of the state.

Needless to say, Rob and I were pretty surprised and excited by the Obama support we found. Sure, there were a few McCain supporters who were less than enthusiastic about us showing up at their doorstep. We were also intrigued to find that the divided households were generally mom plus adults kid for Obama, dad for McCain. Although more of the dads were undecided than for McCain, which is also pretty encouraging. On the less surprising end, there were a heck of a lot more Obama supporters in apartments than in houses. Hmmm. The economy was definitely the big issue. Although one gentleman said he was leaning McCain because of abortion. Still, even he was just leaning towards McCain but hadn't decided yet.

We got back to Chicago late afternoon after hours and hours on our feet, but it was worth it. And not just because of the frozen custard place we found in Valpo. Oh, and our work even made the news. Kindof. :)

If you've got some free time and you're in or within driving distance of a swing state, you should head out and canvass for a weekend. We were in a Republican neighborhood where the Dems we found seemed truly grateful and encouraged that we were there. (We also had a nice long talk with a Vietnam veteran, lifelong Republican who is voting Obama.) Little things make a difference. And even where we found McCain supporters, I am optimistic that it will leave an impression that two seemingly nice and normal Obama supporters gave them a friendly hello.

REGISTER TO VOTE!

2008-10-01T18:44:00.001-07:00

Seriously.

And pass this video around to anyone who needs some fun motivation.

You may only have a couple days left to register. So go.

CongratulationsCongratulationsCongratulations...

2008-10-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

What is it about September 2008? Marriages and (girl) babies everywhere.

I want to welcome to the world the new daughter of my friends Emily & Jeff and the new daughter of my friend Carolyn, both born in the last two weeks. Now I'm just counting down the days until Bill & Claire's daughter comes along. That will make five baby girls of people I love in less than a month's time!

And I also want to say my most excited and overwhelmed with joy congratulations not just to Hugh & Jenny (see pics below), but also our friends Bishop & Karen and our friends Liane & Michael. All three couples got married the SAME day -- this past Saturday. Yup. That meant we had to miss TWO of the big days. I'm still completely bummed out about that. But I am really happy to say a big welcome to the world of wedded bliss to all six of you! :)

Seattle pics -- Saturday/Sunday

2008-09-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

At Hugh and Jenny's gorgeous wedding site -- Kiana Lodge. (And yes, if my outfit looks familiar, it's the same dress from Gena's wedding. Too many weddings this year!)

A sailboat on the water just before the wedding.

Jenny and Hugh look amazing as they listen to a reading during their ceremony.

Jenny and Hugh -- super happy after the ceremony.

Mt. Rainier in the distance from Bainbridge Island, down the road from my mom's house.

Seattle pics - Friday/Saturday morning

2008-09-30T21:12:00.001-07:00

Me and my friend Hugh the night before his big day!

Rob rockin' out -- BB Island ferry style.

Rob and my mom in my mom's bountiful garden.

Some of the flowers in my mom's yard.

The Saturday bounty from Mom's garden.

Suburban jury duty

2008-09-23T21:06:00.001-07:00

I am very pro-jury duty. But (you knew this was coming) I think if you live in a city, you should not have to travel to the suburbs for jury duty. That's why you live in the city. So you don't have to go anywhere else. I suppose that means I think suburban folks should have to come into the city for jury duty. Hmmm.

I digress. Yes, I have jury duty in the suburbs tomorrow. I can't imagine anyone wants an attorney on their jury. Knock on wood. So hopefully I'll get to head home before rush hour.

Weekend Pics

2008-09-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend. Belated birthday celebration for Rob on Friday (with Ali & Eddie putting together an AMAZING happy hour for us all at their place). More appliance delivery on Saturday. (Dishwasher still not installed. Oy.) Pilates. Catch up lunch with Jeff & Sara post-pilates. U.S. Women's National Team game in Bridgeview on Saturday night. Rob and Eddie golfing on Sunday morning. Cubs game with Tim & Emily on Sunday afternoon. Errands and work before bedtime on Sunday. Whew!

Here's a few quick shots.

Rob and Sara chat on the couch at Ali & Eddie's. (Oops, I wrote Jeff instead of Rob before!)

Eddie (my flash is making him look like he's prematurely graying -- sorry Eddie), Ali, Adolfo, Rob at Cullen's post-birthday dinner at Tango Sur.

Me & Rob at 1:30am.

Post-game on Saturday night just after interviewing the players. (Ok, I only asked one question, but it was a good one.) First live game I've covered in a long time. It was awesome.

Dance lessons

2008-09-19T07:29:00.001-07:00

I will probably take this post down eventually because, well, I like to live in my own delusional world in which I know how to dance. But our nephew Bryson is so damn cute, that this deserves at least a temporary audience. (Linda, I just know that you in particular are going to love this.)

At Gena's wedding this past weekend, our four-year-old nephew Bryson really wanted to learn some actual dance moves. So he would join me on the dance floor and mimic whatever I was doing. I even named some of the dance moves I was teaching him so Bryson could follow along better. Turns out Bryson's dad, our brother-in-law Gary, took a short video of one of our dance sessions. The first move he captured is "the wiggle" and the last is "the crazy." For obvious reasons.

The song choice is pretty fantastic. As Rob pointed out, Bryson was absolutely the only male on the dance floor. At the end of the video, I'm sending Bryson into the center of the dance circle that had formed on the floor to dance with his great-grandma. Too bad the video doesn't continue! :)

Anyway, enjoy this while you can!

Happy Birthday Sofia!

2008-09-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

It's baby fever, I tell you.

Happy birthday (yesterday) to Sofia! The new baby daughter of our amazing friends Erica and Feroz. I can't wait to meet her.

Happy Birthday Dad and Adele!

2008-09-18T08:14:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we got to have a celebratory dinner with my Dad (and Sharon, Resa, and Nick) for my Dad's 59th birthday.

This morning we got the news that my cousin Angela had her baby girl -- Adele -- last night while we were celebrating. Good timing. Good birthday.

Happy birthday Dad and Adele!

Gena's Wedding

2008-09-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

I'll blog more a bit later, but we had a wonderful time at Rob's sister Gena's wedding this past weekend. We also celebrated Rob's and his twin sister Kyle's birthday the same day! :)

Gena and Jay say their vows.

Taber and Rob make faces at the cocktail hour.

Gena dances with her dad.

Gena and Jay's first dance.

The P*zold siblings and their spouses pose after the reception at Aunt Mary Lynn's house. Fittingly, the newlyweds are making out.

Liberal and Proud

2008-09-10T12:41:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this blog, then you know me and you know I'm very liberal. Unashamedly so. The husband is too.

Today I got a nice, succinct reminder of some of the reasons why I'm a liberal and why I'm proud to be a liberal. Although I was confused to see it. I didn't know the media was allowed to publish anything of political substance until after November.