Christmas Break blog

Hello! It's about 3:00 on Sunday night, well I guess Monday morning, and I'm up. I love Christmas break. As I've written about before, naturally I'm a very noctural creature so I love when I can stay up late:)

The rest of our trip was pretty good. It was nice to be able to spend time with my in-laws... we did a lot of relaxing and talking... some Christmas shopping and went out with Evan and his girlfriend one night, played a board game all together, watched Wall-E (which I LOVED), etc. Unfortunately, we spent a good deal of the week at the hospital as well because Seth's cousin Kent was in a very bad car accident. His car slid on some ice and ran into a telephone pole... He has major head trauma... unfortunately his condition worsened on Christmas Eve and to save his life, they had to remove a small section of his brain. Thankfully, the swelling and pressure on his brain has gone down since the surgery, but he has developed pnuemonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, so now his lungs and respiratory system are the major concern. He has been in an induced coma for almost 2 weeks now (since the accident). For anyone reading this, please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. His parents and brother are increbily distraut, as is his girlfrind. He also has a 2 year old daughter, and although she doesn't understand or know the situation, she desperately misses her dad. So although we saw most of Seth's aunts, uncles, and cousins at the hospital, we would have much rather been in different circumstances. We did have a pretty nice Christmas Day, however. Christmas morning we found out the surgery was successful and his pressure was down, so we were able to celebrate opening gifts and had a nice dinner with Seth's parents, brothers, and grandparents.

One piece of very good news that happened over the week was that my dad and I were able to get tickets to the Blackhawks Winter Classic... the outdoor game on New Years Day!!! I am so excited:) I wanted to go so badly but tickets were sold out... well on Tuesday, they put some new ones (limitted view but who cares) on sale and we got some! I can't wait!

The drive home was somewhat uneventful, except for some rain. And we had a mini-Christmas with my dad and then with my mom and grandma, aunt, and great aunt, so that was nice. But I am so glad to be home... nothing like sleeping in your own bed after being away.

Tonight we went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Jen and Andy, so that was fun. Tomorrow we're planning on seeing Milk.

Anyway, I am starting to get tired and I don't want to get completely off my sleep schedule. 4:00 AM is about as late as I want to be up:)

NYC Blog

Hello! I am blogging from NYC. Jen says hi. And come to New York you always have a bed.

Ok, now that that's out of the way.... I'm in NYC on Sunday night -- my normal Sunday night blog except instead of sitting on my couch in my condo in Chicago I'm sitting in the dining room in a very posh upper West side apartment across from Central Park in NYC. Seth and I are on our way to Mass. to spend Christmas with my in-laws. Originally, we were planning on driving with Jen and Andy and so I got tickets to Broadway. Long story short, Jen and Andy decided to fly but Seth and I still decided to drive so we're spending this day in New York. Our drive on Saturday was long but good. There was no weather or traffic problems, which was great. We made it from Chicago to New Jersey in a total of 13 hours, with several stops. Surprisingly, I'm pretty good in the car so I didn't really have any "antsy" issues. We stopped in New Jersey and stayed at a Best Western and went out for dinner and a few drinks at a New Jersey bar/restauant.

Then today we drove into the city which was a bit trecherous since there was snow and rain. But we made it in fine. So Jen and her mom were out and about, but Seth, Andy, and I went down to Times Square and got some lunch and drinks while Andy and Seth watched football. I love NYC, especially Broadway. There's so much energy and it's BROADWAY which is like one of my favorite things ever. I mean showtunes galore! Anyway, I sat with them for awhile then I went to my show!!!!!! I was so super excited to see LIZA MINELLI. I mean she's a living legend, seriously. Anyway, I don't mind going to the theatre by myself, ever, especially this time because I was sitting next to another singleton so we bonded. Anyway, she was amazing. She still has an absolutely incredible, amazing voice. I cried twice ... mostly during Cabaret because Sally Bowles is pretty much my favorite character ever and she IS Sally Bowles. It was just incredible to see her.

Anyway after that we went back up to the apartment with Jen and Andy and Jane and JP (Jen's mom and step-father). They have this incredible posh dinner situation with cocktails and appetizers starting at 6:30... then we had a lovely dinner and now we're hanging out and having some wine. Anyway, Jen and I want to hang out a bit more so I'm going to be done blogging now!

A quick Monday night entry

Nothing too new and exciting to report... just work and looking very forward to Christmas break! We'll be driving to the East Coast starting on Saturday morning... hopefully we'll have good weather! We certainly don't have good weather in Chicago right now... it's FREEZING and extremely icy. :(

This weekend was good --- we had Jen & Andy's 2nd Annual Holiday Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange. Like last year, it was a LOT of fun:) Good friends, good food, good times. Now we're just trying to get New Years Eve plans in order. We had a plan but then we learned the place had closed. So now we're scrambling for a new plan and it's next to impossible to get everyone to respond/do anything on it. Frustrating.

Anyway, if you'd like to see pictures from the holiday party here's a link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=6824&l=79880&id=731491386

Weekend in WI

Hello. This week has been good, but cold! Every winter, I always seem to forget just how cold things are... I've lived in Chicago my whole life but somehow I still can't completely remember the cold.

Anyway, this weekend was pretty busy... Friday we had a girls' movie night at Julie's that was a lot of fun. Then Saturday - Sunday I went up to Jamie's in Wisconsin with Elisa and Katie... well first Seth, Elisa and I went to see Katie's Second City show and then we went up afterwards. We had a great time and it was great to spend time with some really old friends... plus Jamie's kids are awesome. They are so adorable and hilarious:) The only problem was I think I ate or drank something yuck at Second City (I think it was the hot cholocate) cuz at Jamie's my belly started to feel really upset and I ended up throwing up a few times. Plus Elisa was sick with a sore throat and Katie got sick to her stomach too. But it was still a good time...

Other than that, not too much is going on. Two more weeks of work then winter break, so I'm looking forward to that and to going to Massachusetts.

Saturday evening

Hello! I'm just waiting for dinner and then we're going out with some friends for not-Seth's-birthday (I wanted to have a little birthday party for Seth but he said he didn't need one so we're still getting together with friends for "not Seth's birthday":)

This weekend has been great... a five day weekend! Seth also had off so that was great. We did the majority of our Christmas shopping on Wednesday and then hung out with Jen and Andy. Then Thanksgiving was nice... good time to spend with family. After we got home I took a wonderful turkey-coma nap and then Seth and I played Scrabble. On Friday we went to the Four Winds Casino with Julie and mom and Gary. We had a lot of fun... between Seth and I we won ... I won at roulette at first, then lost pretty badly at blackjack, then stayed the same at three-card poker, then lost terribly at pai gow poker, and then won a lot of it back at blackjack again. But it was a lot of fun:) Then today I got a haircut and cleaned the house. Tomorrow we're putting up our Christmas decorations so that will be fun....

Anyway, that's about it! Just been relaxing around the house ... Toby's so happy to have us home so many days. He loves to snuggle in the morning when we first wake up... he comes and lays right in between and gives lots of kisses and wants lots of scratches. He's such a great dog:)

Monday Afternoon

Hello... blogging on a Monday afternoon:) We got out of work early because it was Awareness Day and a half day today... I stayed because I had work to do but I got home about 3:00 and it was such a nice change... I have tap class tonight at 6:00 and it was so nice to have a little more than 2 1/2 hours before class as opposed to my usual 1 hour. And tomorrow is also a short day and then I'm done until next week... so nice!:)



Not too much going on... this past week was just pretty normal ... and we didn't do too much on the weekend --- Rachel, my cousin, came over on Saturday evening and we sang with the Magic Mic kareoke thing and it was so much fun. Then we went out to dinner and drinks with Glenn at the restaurant/bar where Julie works so she joined us for drinks after. And Sunday we had my cousin Julia's birthday party and it was nice to see the fam.



The only irritation was this whole problem with our Mexico trip... I blogged about it last week and in the end we ended up staying the extra day, which is nice, but still makes me mad we have to pay for the extra night. And another travel irritation is we have it all planned out to drive to the east coast with Jen and Andy for Christmas. And now, suddenly, last night they now think they want to fly because prices have come down... but we already have our train tickets from NYC to Springfield on Monday morning and I have Broadway tickets on Sunday (I'm seeing LIZA! I'm so excited:). So we'd have to fly into NYC and then either fly out of Hartford, which two one-way tickets are expensive, or take the train back to NYC and fly out of there. Either way it ends up being like $400 more than driving, which makes me unhappy. So we're supposed to talk again tonight and we'll see what happens.

Well, I'd like to take a nap before tap class! More next week

Monday night

I realized I'm in much the same state as I was last time I blogged... Seth's out of town (Seattle this time) and I'm listening to showtunes and blogging:)

Last week was pretty uneventful except I was sick Wednesday evening into Thursday. I got some weird stomach thing --- I guess there's a flu going around and it seems like that's what I had. It was not fun. I ended up going into work late and leaving early on Thursday. Overall work has been good -- I'm enjoying helping the seniors with their college stuff!

This weekend was pretty relaxing. On Saturday we got up relatively early and I did some chores around the house and then we went to dad's house for a nice dinner. Then Saturday night we didn't do anything, which was kinda nice. On Sunday, Seth left for Seattle and I went shopping downtown with Mom. I rarely get downtown (well, except in the summer with movies in the park I guess) which is kinda funny since I live so close. But it's kind of a pain to get to... it's about 45 minutes by El or bus, and driving is quicker but then costs a ton to park. Then today I had work and my tap class:)

However, on Sunday I had a major irritation with Delta/Expedia. We're going to Cozumel, Mexico in February with Chris and Lauren... it'll be great just as a vacation but my main purpose is to go scuba diving since Lauren is scuba certified and Cozumel is one of the best places to dive. I'm super excited for it. So anyway, on Sunday I got a call that our flight home was cancelled. And the options they gave us were to change to the flight a day later (but Delta won't pay for the extra night at the hotel), cancel the return flight and get a refund (but then the flight going there becomes a one-way which majorly increases the price), or wait and see if a new flight is added on the 17th. The whole thing is incredibly annoying and I spent hours Sunday night on the phone trying to figure something out. Basically whatever we do, we're going to end up spending more money which is totally ridiculous. So for now, we're not doing anything until Seth gets back from Seattle. Grrrrrrrrr.

But on a positive note --- I lost 2 more lbs this week - that brings my total to 6 for 5 weeks!:) I'm pretty happy with that!

Well now I'm wondering where the evening has gone.. it's already 10:20!

Tuesday... showtunes and blogging:)

Hello... Tuesday evening. Seth's in Iowa for the next few days --- I miss him lots but I also like having the house to myself sometimes as well. I'm currently listening (and of course singing along) to showtunes on accuradio.com/broadway (best ever!) But it would be nice to know he was coming home later as well.

This past Friday was Seth's birthday and we went out for a great sushi dinner...a different place than we usually go and it was yummy. Then Saturday we went shopping at Old Orchard and then I had girls' night at Shawna's. It was a lot of fun... we watched the Sex & the City DVD and although we all saw it in the theatre it was still great to watch it again.

And this past week (although it feels like ages ago now!) was the election. I always get pretty excited around elections and Seth especially is a big election junky but this one was like Christmas or something. So exciting... I've voted in every election since I turned 18... I take a lot of pride in voting and realize very much that I'm lucky to have this wonderful right. But watching the election coverage was so exciting and tense at times... we were so excited about Obama... I still am in a little disbelief, it's so cool. Thank God we as a country can finally change the way our lives are going. But I'm really regretful that Seth and I didn't go to the rally in Grant Park. We were concerned it would be extremely crowded and chaotic and then it was so well controlled and organized. I know several people who went and everyone said it was one of the most amazing things they've ever experienced. Our city certainly had a great showing for the nation! However, I am diappointed in one thing about the elections ... although I don't live in California, I am so disappointed about Prop 8 passing. Actually, I'm disappointed whenever I hear a state has voted to prevent gay marriage. I just can't understand the argument against it from a civil stand-point, or even a religious stand-point for that matter. The whole basis of the argument is that gay marriage will undermine the sanctity of marriage, but if we're so concerned with the sanctity of marriage, why not outlaw divorce? Or infidelity? Those certainly undermine marriage more than the union of two people who love each other. I just don't get it, and I'm usually good at seeing the other side.

Other than that, not too much is going on... just work and life. It's been cold lately, but that's November in Chicago. Also, so far I've lost 4 pounds on Weight Watchers. 4 pounds in 4 weeks... that's pretty good!:) I'm happy about it and finally getting used to the smaller amount that I'm eating and the idea that I can't have "treats" whenever I want. I've also been exercising more which always makes me feel better.

Well that's about it for now... more next week!

Monday night blogging

I'm blogging on Monday night this week... I had not such a great weekend because I had some stomach thing all weekend. Well, it started Friday after Halloween and I thought maybe it was because I had a little too much fun at the bar (which as a side note... we had a lot of fun. It was the first Halloween in awhile that Seth was able to go out because his exam was before Halloween... we were Hugh Heffner and a Playboy bunny :) Pictures can be seen here: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=64031225764025362/l=436575230/g=99697777/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB We went out with Julie, Brooke, and Val and just had a really great time). Anyway, I thought it was sick cuz of that and then by Saturday night I felt better and we went over to Jen and Andy's to play some board games. And I was hungry after we got home and I had half of a Subway sandwich left from eating the other half Friday night before we went out. So I ate that... and when I woke up Sunday my stomach was extremely upset again. I kept throwing up and feeling dizzy. So I think it didn't have much to do with going on on Friday and more to do with something wrong with the sandwich. I felt so terrible all day Sunday... Seth was so nice helping with some housework and everything. And I ended up taking Monday off work to recover a bit more. I'm glad I did... I feel much, much better now on Monday evening.

And the worst part is the weather was incredibly unseasonably warm this weekend and I wish I could have enjoyed it :(

Seth and I are very excited about the election tomorrow... we're kinda nerds like that and it really looks like Obama is going to win... I don't want to jinx anything though. It's just that this election is so important for our country and I really, really hope America gets it right.

Well dinner is ready and it's the first time in awhile I've had an appetite so I want to eat!

Back to Sunday Blogging

My normal blog time... Sunday night, waiting for dinner to be ready. I had a nice, productive day today... got a facial, ran some errands, got a flu shot, took a nap, went swimming and went to the grocery store. This weekend has been good --- Friday was just relaxing, then Saturday I did chores around the house and went out for a few drinks with Julie. This week at work was pretty good --- things calmed down once finals happened. But I'm a little apprehensive about the next few days cuz it's the first time sending report cards with our new software and I'm concerned about glitches and whatnot. We'll see what happens...

Seth is deep into studying again -- his exam is Thursday -- which means I'm, for all practical purposes -- single. I'm so glad this round of studying is almost over... I hate when Seth is studying. It gets so lonely, and even when he is home he's stressed or tired or studying here so I can't talk to him. I mean, he usually doesn't get home until 11:00 because he studies after work and then he studies all day Saturday and Sunday. This week actually won't be as bad because he's not working... he'll just be studying... which means he'll probably be home earlier.

The weight loss has been going well.. I don't weigh in until Monday morning, but I've been sticking to my diet (for the most part) and exercising. The more I get into it, the easier it gets. It's just a different way to think about food and putting limits on myself. I realized I'm not so much an emotional eater (once in a great while, but not really). I like food, and I eat when I'm hungry which is really often. The whole thing I need to reframe my thinking around is when I'm hungry, I need to choose healthier things to eat and limit portions.

Alright, well dinner is almost ready. Till next week...

A long time between blogs...

I realized it's Wednesday and I didn't blog like normal on Sunday. I guess it's because nothing much interesting has been going on. This weekend Julie had people over to watch a movie and chat on Friday and that was fun. But other than that, I didn't do much all weekend except clean and run some errands. Oh an go swimming on Sunday.

Work has been a bit hectic. It's finals week and the students always kinds "freak out"... and they'll never say it's test anxiety or nerves about finals... they'll always just act out or something else will come up, but it ends up being about feeling nervous with finals... they feel worried and out of control... so they might as well act out so that they can control something. Plus getting kicked out of class and missing the review and then failing the final is easier to deal with mentally than failing because you didn't know the material.

Right now Toby is the cutest dog ever. He's up on the couch with me and he's laying on some pillows, with his head resting on one... and he's looking at me, but his eyes keep almost closing... and then he's like a little kid and he wakes himself up. He never wants to miss anything!:)


Last time I wrote about starting Weight Watchers (again). It's going well overall, especially because I lost a pound. The first week I stuck well within my points... even at Julie's party I made sure to eat a good dinner right before going so I wouldn't be tempted by snackies. And I also budgeted some of my weekly flex points for that evening. And I worked out quite a bit (every week I have tap class, yoga and swimming all at least once... and then I'll also do ab/pilates/toning things at home, or walking, biking, or other exercise videos). This week has gotten a bit tougher... I've had some cravings I've had to work through ... and the hunger for snacks is still there. I've been having lighter snacks (fruit or veggies usually) and fewer snacks. Overall, though, I feel good about it still.

Sunday night... but a day off tomorrow!!!

I was reading the last week's blog about the Sox and they're now out of the playoffs... they were earlier this week. It was kinda sad but also ok because they did pretty well and really just got outplayed by a better team. Plus the Cubs got swept out of the playoffs so that made everything ok... at least we won one game:)

This week was ok except I was kinda sick... there's been an awful virus going around work and I was bound to get something. Wednesday night my throat was scratchy and I was coughing .. then Thursday it got worse, and Friday I had terrible stuffy sinuses and a running nose all day - very frustrating. By Saturday I was a little better and today I was completely better. I was able to sleep a lot so that was good... that's basically what cures me anytime I'm sick.

Last night Jen and Andy came over for dinner and that was a lot of fun. Then today Julie was running in the marathon so a bunch of us followed her around at several stops and then hung out and helped her out afterwards. I'm so proud of her... she's awesome!

Anyway, I'm so happy I have a day off tomorrow... it's a little packed with a dentist appointment, tap class, and show tunes but I still get to sleep in. I love a Monday off cuz it truly makes Sunday a weekend... usually on Sundays it's like most of me is relaxed and enjoying the day, but there's always that thing... especially by the evening... in my mind reminding me that work is the next day. So it's so nice not having that!

Also, I don't want to write too much about it now until I get into it and make sure I'm committed but I'm going to start doing Weight Watchers again tomorrow. I need to lose weight. I'm sick of being fat and I'm sick of only gaining weight, not losing. I'll be writing about it more in the future as I progress with it. It's going to be a major undertaking in that I need to have a change in my thinking and total mindframe about food and about weight. Like I said, I don't want to write about it too much at this point until I fully process what I need to do and change. But I'm hopeful, and that's the most important factor.

Sunday...

As a follow up from the Tuesday blog... the Sox are still in the playoffs. They're down 2 games to 1, but I'm hopeful they can pull it out. Especially because we have tickets to home games 2 & 3 of the ALCS! Seth got chosen for the ticket lottery and we got them. I really, really want to go so hopefully they can make it:)

This weekend was a lot of fun, well mostly Saturday. Maria, Julie and I went to the New Kids on the Block concert!!! A bit about this --- I LOVED, I mean LLLOOOVVVEEEDDD NKOTB when I was younger (about 11 and 12) and they were popular. My walls were pretty much wallpapered with posters (even the ceiling!) and I had tons of other merchandise... sheets, earring, pins, t-shirt, dolls, etc. I wanted so badly to marry Joe McIntyre. I didn't know Julie yet (she transferred to our school in 8th grade, after their popularity faded) but Maria and I were friends and both loved them. So anyway, this year they got back together and were touring. Of course, we HAD to go. So the concert was yesterday and it was such a trip:) The entire crowd was women our age all reliving youth. We had such a great time hanging out and seeing the concert... so much fun singing along and screaming. And Joe McIntyre is still really, really hot :) After the concert, Maria's sister Angela was having a house warming party at DePaul so we went to that, which actually was a lot of fun. It was the most bizarre evening cuz it was like my life accelerated... first a NKOTB concert, then a college party, then I go home to my husband.

Anyway, dinner is ready and I'm really hungry. Have a good week:)

Lets go go go White Sox!

Hey... a quick Tuesday night blog... So the last week for the White Sox playoff race has been an emotional roller-coaster. First they went on a horrible losing streak and it was heartbreaking. And then on Sunday and Monday they had two must win games... if they lost they would not win the division and wouldn't make it to the playoffs. And they won both games, which was suoer exciting. But if they won on Sunday and Monday, that would force a tie with the Twins and a one-game tiebreaker playoff on Tuesday. So on Sunday Seth mentioned if the Sox won on Monday would I want to go to the game on Tuesday (we knew it was an evening game). Of course I said yes. So on Monday as soon as the Sox won, we got on the phone and computer trying to get tickets.... finally we were able to get through to the Ticketmaster web site and get two seats! And pretty good seats too... upper deck, first base line, 5th row. It was incredibly exciting.

So I was all antsy at work today and couldn't wait to get home and go to the game. (Seth got home early because he had a seminar downtown.) So we drove, which ended up being quite the mistake. We were stuck in a line for parking, and I thought the line to pick up tickets might be really long, so I got out of the car to go get the tickets. Well, it ended up Seth had a horrible time with parking... they were directing people all over the place and lots that are normally cash lots weren;t and it supposedly was just a mess (after I left the car it took him almost 50 minutes to get to a parking lot that would let him in, when it should have taken maybe 10). So we ended up missing the first inning but nothing that exciting ended up happening anyway. One of the coolest things about the game was that the Sox had wanted a "blackout" and for all the fans to wear black... it looked so cool with pretty much the entire crowd in black.

So we got to our seats and not much happened offensively in the game for a long time, but there were some really great defensive moves (like the play at the plate). Finally, finally Jim Thome hit a home run, which ended up being the only run of the game, and really the only run needed. It was amazing, really amazing when they won. The players all jumping around and spraying champagne, everyone cheering and screaming.... I'm so grateful that I got to be at a game like that. One never to forget.

Blog:)

Sunday night again... Seth is watching football and I'm, clearly, blogging.

This week at work continued to be busy but, like last week, a good busy. Other than that nothing much interesting happened this week or weekend. On Saturday Elisa and I went walking in the afternoon because it was a gorgeous day. And then Seth and I went out for dinner on Saturday night and sat outside and then after dinner took a little walk. Then today I went out to lunch with my cousin Rachel who's at DePaul now and it really made me miss college. I just missed that idea of literally being surrounded with friends and spending all my time with friends. It was so relaxing and fun.

One thing I've been paying close attention to (with mostly sad results) is the White Sox push for the playoffs. It's be really heart-breaking as a fan. They were set up to do so well and they have just imploded the past week. But there still is a chance so I still have hope... nothing like down to the wire:)

And I'm so super excited for a really dorky reason... this weekend Maria, Julie and I (and possibly Shawna and another friend) are going to the New Kids on the Block concert!!! I am such a big nerd... when I was, like, 11-13 I was IN LOVE with NKOTB and especially Joe McIntyre. And when I heard earlier this year that they were reuniting and going on tour of COURSE I had to go. I am so, so super excited. It's going to be so fun and silly.

So that's about it for this week, more to come!

The Emmys

I love awards shows. I really do. It's a well known fact about me that I adore celeb gossip. I used to call it a guilty pleasure but I decided that's not true... I'm not guilty about it. I love the red carpet, looking at the dresses, I love seeing who wins, seeing what people say, the glamour, etc. So I'm having a lovely Sunday evening sitting here watching the Emmys and I will be having a glass of wine while doing a mini spa-night -- giving myself a mani- and pedi- and doing a face mask in a bit.

And overall I've had a good day - this morning I had to go out to the burbs to get fitted for Maria's bridesmaid dress and then we had brunch. So I came home and took a lovely nap and then went for a swim. This weekend we went out on Friday night for a few drinks with Val and Julie and Jonny to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day. Then Saturday I did chores and some errands and we laid low Saturday night, which was nice and restful.

This week was pretty good. Work has still been crazy busy but I also am doing a lot of counseling with the kids which I really enjoy (as opposed to paper work, planning stuff or registrar work). It's rewarding knowing that I'm helping them get to college and get more of an education to make their lives better. So many of my students are first generation college students and/or come from a low income background. I truly believe education is the key to getting out of the poverty cycle so I'm glad I can play a role in that.

Anyway, Seth just got home with our sushi for dinner so it's time to eat:)

Rain rain go away

It has finally stopped raining for the first time pretty much all weekend. From Saturday morning until about 5:00 on Sunday it only stopped raining for about 10-15 minutes at a time. We've got something like 8 in. of rain this weekend. It was so dreary... but the perfect weather for a lazy weekend, which I needed. On Saturday I did nothing. It was wonderful... I'm generally so busy and I'm not a big fan of sitting still ot laying on the couch watching TV for long periods of time, but sometimes it's just so great. This week at work was hectic so doing nothing was just what was needed. And Seth is back to studying (ug :( ) so he wasn't around. We did go out on Saturday night... to Potbellys for dinner, and then to see the movie Burn After Reading (which we both really enjoyed) and then to Webster's Wine Bar for a few glasses of wine. Jen, Andy and Charlie were seeing another movie at Webster Place so they met us at the wine bar after there movie.

And today, since I did nothing yesterday. I had to do all my weekend cleaning today. But that's ok... I also went swimming this evening, which was nice.

Other than that, aside from work being hectic, not much is going on. My tap class started up again and I'm really happy about that:) I've been trying to exercise more too and I think it's paying off... I wore a skirt this week that was uncomfortable tight a few weeks ago and this past week it fit fine. So yay for that!:)

Alright, it's time for dinner (Seth made veggie soup and some sandwiches) and I'm hungry. More next week!

Sunday night

I think this Sunday night blogging has officially become a habit:) It's a good time to reflect and gear up for the week ahead.

This week has been good. Some of the things I don't like don't at work (mostly the registrar-type work) have lessened and I've been able to more of the things I enjoy (the actual counseling and talking with kids). So that's good and makes me feel more positive.

The weekend was nice. On Saturday I slept in and did some cleaning and then we went out with Glenn and his friend Keith who was in town and also Rich and Jason. We grilled over at Glenn's and then went to Second City... the etc. show which we've seen before but was again hilarious:) Then we went out for a few drinks afterwards and then headed home. Today we went out for brunch with my mom and Gary (her birthday is Tuesday) and that was yum. Then I lazed around while Seth watched football and this evening I had a facial. I've been so impressed with the regiment Daniela (my facial person) and I have come up with for my skin. It has been so clear lately ... hardly any breakouts and when I have breakouts, they're small and short-lived. I am so happy about this because acne has been something that I've been dealing with -- to varying levels of severity -- since I've been about 11 years old. Then this evening we had the yummy soup and salad from Pompei and took a walk with Toby. All in all a relaxing, good weekend.

Bloggin'

Hello. Monday night, but like a Sunday night since it's Labor Day and a long weekend... it was really nice to have a relaxing weekend because work has been kinda crazy the first week. Just a lot with transfer students and new students and schedules and all that. Plus entering this historic transcript data and everything. And it doesn't show any sign of letting up, either, because as soon as this lets up, the college application craziness starts. It just gets frustrating sometimes since I have to be director of counseling and registrar so it feels like a lot of time I get lost in all the paperwork of schedules and transcripts, etc. and I just feel like sometimes I can't be as effective of a counselor because I have to spend so much time with administrative tasks instead of connecting with students.

Anyway, this weekend was good since it was relaxing. Beautiful weather too.. we've been so incredibly lucky this summer weather-wise. Anyway, we didn't do too much this weekend --- on Saturday night we went out to Coast for sushi (yum!:) and then came home and sat on our deck and played Rummy and had some wine (we're dorks like that:) Then on Sunday, we had people over for our Labor Day BBQ and that was lots of fun... good people, good food, etc. I was so proud of myself cuz I made a fruit salad bowl in a watermelon half and I've always wanted to do that... it's the little things:) Plus we had yummy sangria and mojitos and played bags and just had a general fabulous time! Plus it was nice that we did it on Sunday because no one had to work today and Seth and I didn't have to worry about cleaning last night, or think about having to clean after work or something... we just left all the cleaning to this afternoon, after we slept in. Today was a VERY lazy day which was great and restorative for another week:)

Sunday evening....

I haven't posted in awhile... I guess I've just been pretty busy, but it hasn't been with anything too exciting. Mostly work. Work has been crazy getting everything ready for the school year -- schedules and everything else. I continue to be amazed at how many people wait until the extreme last minute (i.e. Friday at 4:30, when school starts Monday morning) to enroll their child in high school. I mean, did you not think of this all summer? Did you not realize they had to go to school somewhere?! I don't get it... anyway, it leave me and a handful of other people at work to deal with it.

Other than that, I've been watching a lot of Olympics. The first week or so was by far the better week... the swimming was really, really amazing. Made me want tp swim more often:) Also, I enjoyed watching all the "odd" sports.

Last weekend, we had Brooke & Val's birthday party on Saturday, which was a lot of fun... we went to a cool place that was really laid back, but fun at the same time. And this weekend, I had girls' night at Elisa's on Friday and it was tons and tons of fun... lots of drinking and talking and sharing. It actually was a bit too much fun, since I was kinda laid up the next day:) We were up really late talking and stuff and plus there was a lot to drink. So Saturday was a very lazy day, which I kinda needed regardless with all the work stress lately. And Saturday night Seth and I saw The Dark Knight which was enjoyable. Heath Ledger as the Joker was pretty amazing... And today I did a lot of house-cleaning and relaxed a little and Seth and I went for a nice bike ride because it was beautiful weather. Now Seth is cooking dinner and we're getting ready to eat.

That's about it!

I love the Olympics

I really do. I wish they were on every year. It's great because Seth and I both are totally addicted to the Olympics (as we always are). I just like seeing all the different sports that you generally don't get to see... for example, currently I'm watching the 20KM Men's Walk on TV (which just made me so happy. I love the race walking. It's hilarious. And I had no idea it was on tonight; I just happened to turn the station and it was just starting) and watching sailing online (during the previous Olympics, I got absolutely sucked in to a sailing competition - which I now know is called Yngling, which makes it even better cuz that's a great word - so I now I want to keep watching it!) Also, I've watched shooting, archery, fencing, heptathalon, team handball, table tennis, field hockey, water polo, badminton, equestrian, canoe/kayak... and then of course the more popular sports like gymnastics, diving, basketball, soccer, volleyball, beach volleyball, and swimming. I absolutely love canoe/kayak... that's really cool with the whitewater portion. Equestrian is also very cool. And I still want to take fencing lessons one of these days. And of course I love the swimming since I was a swimmer and it takes me back. Also it's been very exciting with Michael Phelps. Plus what straight woman or gay man doesn't have a GIANT crush on and hasn't been ogling over every male swimmer?!

Anyway, I love the Olympics. So I needed to blog about that.

General blogging

So this weekend was a lot of fun because we had the White Sox/Red Sox series... which is always a heated rivalry in our home:) We went to the games on Friday and Saturday... it was absolutely perfect weather this weekend so it was so wonderful being outside. In fact, on Friday, Jen and I took Toby to the park and relaxed in the nice weather, which was wonderful. Anyway, the games were fun mostly because we both got to see our teams win. Unfortunately, I lost our bet because even though the series was split 2-2, the Red Sox ended up with more runs, which was our tie breaker.

Anyway, other than that not much has been going on aside from work, which has been busy... gettign geared up for the beginning of the year and all. And I had to go to traffic court today because a few weeks ago I got pulled over for having a broken taillight and my up-to-date insurance card wasn't in my car so I got a ticket. Traffic court was certainly an observation of society... but it wasn't that bad. I had to wait awhile to be called, but then when I was I just showed the insurance card and receipt from getting the light fixed everything was dismissed.

Anyway, it's time for dinner now and I'm hungry:)

One quick blog addition

I forgot to write... on the flight back, to the side of our plane were some clouds with an absolutely amazing lightening storm going on inside. It was so beautiful... all these flashes of light - constantly. Just one of those amazing nature things that make you sit back in awe of the world or God or whatever created all of this...

Vegas, baby!

Got back from Vegas yesterday (Monday... well I guess technically Tuesday morning - more on that in a bit) and we had an absolutely fabulous time.

Started on Thursday -- Seth and I and Val were all on the same flight ... which was delayed 2 hours :( It was sad but what can you do. We played some Rummy and had a few drinks. And the flight actually felt as if it went pretty fast. So when we got there, even though it was about 1:00 AM it was still time to go out and have some fun. We met up with Julie and then gambled a bit and had a few drinks. We finally got to sleep about 4:00 AM. Then we were abruptly woken up at 10:00 AM by drilling and hammering and sawing. Turns out they were doing construction
which sucked, but in a way it was good because I wanted to have time at the pool and I wouldn't have gotten up that early without the noise.

And the pool was great. It was hot out, of course, but not horrible... mostly because the pool was nice and cool and the girls found a shady spot. Any time it got even a little hot, you could just jump in the pool and then you were nice and cool for awhile. But of course I had to load up with 85 SPF sunscreen and a sunhat. And luckily I didn't burn all trip. After the pool, I took a quick shower and Seth and I met up with Karen and Jason and gambled for awhile. Then we ended up meeting up with the other girls and all of us played some Three Card Poker... and Val won a lot of money! It was tons of fun:) That night we all went out to dinner at a Brazilian Steakhouse, Samba and it was yummy. Lots and lots and lots of meat. After that, we went to Ghostbar, which was also pretty great. We got there just before it got really crowded and we were able to get some seats on the outside balcony part. We had a lot of fun hanging out... then we went to MGM Grand and had a drink at another bar. Then we all played some blackjack and promptly lost a lot of money. Eventually, we headed back to the hotel and went to sleep.

On Saturday, we hung out at the pool again, then gambled a bit in the afternoon with Brooke. We had fun playing Craps, which I'd only played once before. That evening we went to dinner at an Asian Fusion place with Karen and Jason and then met up with the girls and went to the club LAX. Luckily, LAX is right in the Luxor and also I had made a reservation to put us on the guest list so we were able to get in relatively quickly. Of course, getting a table is extremely expensive so we didn't do that. The club was actually a lot of fun... the music was actually good, fun music instead of annoying techno stuff. And the best part was there was this balcony area and there was this little bench that Val found so we had a place to rest between dancing... (I was less than impressed with the bathrooms though... as many of you know, I like to truly rate a place by its bathrooms. Mix, Pure, and Revolution are still WAY above LAX and Ghostbar in this catagory). Also, although I really don't care about either of these celebs, Chris Angel and CarrotTop were there. It was still pretty fun to have a celeb sighting, even though I realize since they both have shows at the Luxor, it's probably part of their contract. After the club, we grabbed a bite to eat and then went to bed.

Sunday was spa day, which was so, so wonderful. We all got massages (well Brooke got a scrub too) and it was so relaxing and blissful. After the massages we relaxed in the steamroom and jacuzzi for awhile and just sat around on the comfy chairs talking, which was hilarious. We were all so rubbed and steamed and heated so much, our brains were just mush so our conversation was pretty damn hilarious (especially Julie's Greek Chorus comment... Brooke was telling a story and Val and Julie kept making side comments about it and Julie goes, "We're like the damn Greek Chorus over here" Oh that and Karen with the banana). After that, we napped and then the girls went to dinner and Seth and I went to see Wayne Newton! It was so much fun and cheesy and classic Vegas... he did a good show and we had a great time. After that, we met up with the girls and did some gambling at Planet Hollywood and then returned to the Luxor. Julie won a bunch of money at Three Care Poker! And Seth won quite a bit too. Eventually, after gambling a bit, we ended up going to sleep.

On Monday we were leaving, so we grabbed some brunch and then gambled with the girls (Karen and Jason had an early flight). I didn't gamble very much since I had been having such bad luck. We ended up going over to New York New York and playing there for a bit... Seth had a very exciting final blackjack hand. Then we all headed to the airport. One of the funniest things happened here... there were these little stickers on our luggage to label them while they were being stored by the hotel and when we were getting out of the cab, Brooke out the sticker on Val's back and she had NO idea. Anyway, we all checked in and found out all of our flights were delayed cuz of bad storms in Chicago... so we grabbed a bite to eat and finally, after like an hour, Val goes "My hair is sticking to something on my back" and we all just died of laughter. SO funny. Anyway, our flight ended up being delayed 3 hours cuz of the bad weather, but obviously we finally got in.... we ended up getting home--- like in the house -- around 2:30 :P

Overall it was an absolutely wonderful trip. I had so much fun hanging out with Seth and my friends. We relaxed, laughed, ate yummy food, gambled, drank, danced, etc. Seth is always so relaxed and so much fun in Vegas too... and so much more affectionate, which is fun. It was great going with this many people -- of course we didn't do everything together, but we all had loads and loads of fun, and there were enough people to do different things with, so that was good.
As you could see, I didn't talk about me winning money. That's cuz I didn't. I had terrible luck all trip. But I was due, because I won a lot last trip and it doesn't matter cuz I had a lot of fun (and got lots of free drinks:) Seth ended up winning a little though, so that's good.


And here are some of the quotes of the trip:

"I'm so happy I want to turn cartwheels and do snow-angels on the carpet" - Julie after winning and a great dinner

"Can't pronounce Delaware" - Julie - when she and Val were making catty comments about all the guys that walked by at Ghostbar - about a particularly dumb-looking "dude"

"My uterus doesn't understand about time zones" - Me, when "that time of the month" came earlier than expected

Here's a link to my photos
http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=96251217965048867/l=413993760/g=99697777/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

And to my friend's photos
http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=97451217955424440/l=408569412/g=113126886/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

More on the Baseball Road Trip

I'm having a bit of a tough time falling asleep so I thought I'd write a little more in detail about the trip.

So we left Friday morning and had a pleasant drive. We played the ABC game (our favorite car game... where you have to be the first to find words that begin with each letter of the alphabet in order and the first one to Z wins) twice and Seth won both times! We saw some of the Ohio big arrows:) We got into Cleveland early so we just went to a bar by the field and had a few drinks and a snack. Then we met up with Kristi and Josh... I was so good to see them! It's been too long... the game was a lot of fun. Nice to get to talk to them, and it was fun to get to walk around and see a new park. Plus it was a good game and there were really good fireworks after. Then we drove back to Kristi and Josh's house in Canton, OH and sat up for awhile visitting, talking, playing with the dogs, etc. It was great since it's been so long since we've seen them.

On Saturday, we slept in and went to get some lunch at a little place by their house. It was a nice day, so we decided to walk to the Football Hall of Fame since it's so close to their house. It was a really nice walk through this cute park. Like I said before, I'm not that into football but it was still interesting just to see all the exhibits and stuff. Seth, Kristi and Josh really loved it though since they're big football fans. While we were there, there was a crazy hail storm... the hail was HUGE! (Later when we got home, we found Seth's car had lots of little dents in it. It's not too bad cuz you can barely see them but still...) Anyway, after we were done there we walked back to their house, relaxed for a little while. Then Kristi and Josh BBQed us some yummy chicken and sides and we had a great dinner. Then we went for ice cream, which was fun. After that, we played with their Wii... we played Wii bowling and Wii Olympics. The Olympics game was so funny. I scored a World Record in javelin the first time! I had no idea what I was doing but it was, like, perfect. So funny. And Seth doing the fencing was especially hilarious:) We ended up being up quite late playing:) But, like I said before, it was great because it's been so long since we've hung out. But it's funny because it was honestly like no time had passed. We went right to the comfort level of when we saw each other ever day. It's good to have friends like that. And good, after all our guy drama in college, that we both are happily married to great guys.

On Sunday, we got up early and drove to Pittsburgh. The drive to Pittsburgh was a really great drive since it wasn't on the highway... it was mostly on US Rt. 30 so it went through some great small towns. The landscape was nice too since it went from flat Midwestern cornfields to some low, rolling foothills of the Appalachians. But the best part of the drive was through this little slice of West Viriginia... there were all bars and clubs and it was hilarious...there was one called the Hillbilly Cafe! Anyway, eventually we got to Pittsburgh and to the game. The stadium in Pittsburgh was really, really nice. Food was yummy, and the park is on the Allegheny River and part of the stadium is back right on the river... like a river walk. It was a really hot day, though, sitting in the sun. And the game wasn't the greatest. But there were lots of fun things during the game.. like they had this crazy hot dog thing where the mascots shot hot dogs into the crowd and there was this little silly song on the scoreboard about it. And they have a pierogi race (like the Milwaukee sausage race) which was fun. The other funny thing was the give-away was this little stuffed animal pierogi guy. But they were only giving it to kids and I was so sad... I wanted one SO BADLY. And at the end of the game we were walking out and there was one sitting on some seats just left... so I took it and I got one!:) I was so happy. So afetr the game we went to a bar and had a few drinks while waiting for the traffic to clear. Then we drove a little bit to our hotel in West Virginia. We went out to dinner, but we were so sleepy we ended up just crashing.

And on Monday we woke up, got some brunch at Bob Evans and were on our way for our long drive. We had an ABC game to finish and I won!:) I took a nap... and then we played the game again and I won again! Very exciting... we were then tied two-two. We played a third game and Seth was winning and then I made a come-back and we were stuck on Z... eventually we saw a truck that said ZeroZone (or something like that) and we both said it at the same time... it was a big dispute and eventually we decided to just keep it as a tie. Anyway, we made it home around 8:00. The house seems so lonely though without Toby (he's staying at my Dad's). We really miss him.

Now we're looking forward to Vegas!!!!! The next blog should be about that!:)

Baseball Road Trip '08

Seth and I got back earlier tonight from our Baseball Roadtrip. I have a bunch more things to do tonight so I'll write more details later... but here's a little bit... and a link to pictures. http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=502281217299407351/l=413776791/g=99697777/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

We had a great time. Good weather, easy driving, lots of fun, and got to visit with Kristi and Josh.

The game in Cleveland was good... the Indians won, it was a nice ballpark, a beautiful summer night, and some good fireworks. The we went back to Kristi and Josh's house in Canton, OH and visitted for awhile. Then the next day, we got some lunch, and then walked to the Football Hall of Fame. Although I'm not a huge football fan, I did enjoy it. Seth really loved it. Then that evening we had dinner with Kristi and Josh and played Wii Olympics... that was so much fun and so funny. Then the next day we drove to Pittsburgh (which was actually a really great drive... it wasn't on the Interstate so there was lots to see. The little stretch of West Viriginia was the funniest cuz there were all these crazy bars!) Then the game in Pittsburgh was nice... hot but fun. The Pirates lost, but the ballpark was wonderful and they had lots of fun things at the game. The we spent the night in West Viriginia and drove home today.

We officially had a draw for the Alphabet game for the trip... it was 2-2 and then on the last game we were both at Z and had a tie. And we had been playing forever and were almost home and we declared a tie.

Sunday....

Sunday night blogging again. This weekend was nice - very relaxing. It's the one weekend for awhile that we didn't have anything going on. We ended up going to a neighborhood fest on Saturday night with friends and then having people back to our place for a few drinks after. It was very chill and fun. Other than that, we just did a few things around the house and ran some errands.

We're getting ready for our back-to-back out of town weekends. This weekend coming up we'll be seeing baseball games in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and visitting with Kristi and Josh in Canton. Then the weekend following we'll be in Vegas! I'm getting so excited for it cuz it's a big group going this time and it's going to be awesome:)

Anyway, that's about it for now.

Scuba Certification 2

Hello! I'm now an officially certified scuba diver! I'm proud of myself for doing it all! Today was easier physically, and pretty relaxing overall. I had trouble with one skill but it was more of a mental block than a physical problem (in case of an out-of-air emergency, you can safely swim to the surface slowly and by taking one big breath and then breathing out the whole way up --- for some reason I kept feeling like I was going to run out of breath and not be able to breathe so I kept stopping, like, halfway up. I finally did it on the 3rd try). But overall I'm proud of myself for wanting to do something for a long, long time and finally doing it. I'm so excited to be able to scuba dive somewhere exciting now:)

Anyway, I'm exhausted so I'm going to take a shower and go to bed not long after...

Scuba Certification 1

So today I had my first day of scuba certification... we did the first two of the four dives today. It went well... I mean I did everything, but it was exhausting. Very physically demanding, more so than I expected. We go diving in a quarry that was flooded... and the water is somewhat cold, we have to wear very thick wet suits which make us very buoyant, therefore we have to use a lot of weight, which is on a weight belt. So swimming at the surface was tiring because my muscles aren't used to kicking for 34+ more lbs. Plus, one of the skills is to remove the weight belt and put it back on and that was the most difficult thing since it was so heavy. It was actually really difficult... I had a very tough time. I mean I did it, but not without a major struggle. Also, the visability was very poor on the 1st dive (it was a little better on the 2nd) so that made it tough. At one point I couldn't see anyone or anything... it's very disorienting not to know what's up or down or front or back. But I didn't really panic, so that's good. And in the end one of the dive masters found me and everything was good. But diving in the adverse conditions is somewhat good because if we can do it here, most other dive sites will seem so easy in comparison!

The best part was when we were on the bottom (which was 23 ft.) doing some of the skills there was down time while other people were doing their thing... so we were just kneeling around and there were all these bluegills all over the place. They were very curious ... they were so funny gathering around and watching the people who were doing their skills. And they got very close... one was looking at me right in my face so I stayed very still and then he swam right up and poked my mask! Then a big fish (which I later learned was a bass) came over and all the little bluegills scattered. It was pretty funny. It was so relaxing and watching the fish. It was like how watching an aquarium is very calming, but instead of watching the aquarium I was in it:)

So tomorrow the skills seem to be somewhat easier... or at least less physically demanding. Then by tomorrow evening, unless something goes really weird, I should be a certified scuba diver!:)

Once again... Sunday night...

So it seems that the Sunday night blogging is becoming a weekly thing:) Things have been good... work is going well. The summer hours have been great (except for Wednesday ... it felt so long after getting out at 12:30 Monday and Tuesday).

And I'm now done with my classes for scuba! I'm so excited:) I really enjoyed it and it's looking more and more like going to Cozumel with Chris and Lauren will happen, so that's cool.

For the Fourth of July, we had some friends over and BBQed and played some bags.. it was fun and relaxing. Then on Saturday Seth and I played tennis, which was lots of fun (we've had beautiful weather this weekend - it was great:)

I know last time I blogged I mentioned wanting to get back to doing Weight Watchers more seriously. Yeah, that hasn't happened yet. I still want to, it's just been tough to get it going and stay motivated. It seems like every time I get started some event seems to get me off-track (i.e. vacation coming up, 4th of July, etc.) It's frustrating, so I have to find the motivation to keep things going even if I get off track one or two days.

Anyway, that's about it for now...

Sunday late night

Hello... Sunday night. I can't really sleep.. I've been busy all weekend since my in-laws have been in town. We had a lot of fun and did a lot of great things. Showing Chicago to other people always makes me realize how much I love my city. I have crazy civic pride --- I think Chicago and the people who live here are pretty much the best ever. We're just awesome. We have everything you could want, but still the feel of a smaller town with all the neighborhoods. I'll have to remember to read this entry come January:) I definitely fall more in love with the city in the summer... everyone loves being outdoors and everyone is so happy and anxious to enjoy the few nice weather months we have that we do everything we can in the summer months. Plus the city itself offers so much... I don't fully appreciate it until I share it with others.

Other than that... just work and scuba lessons have been keeping me busy. Scuba has been great - I love it, but I am afraid I'll never get to use it. Cuz it's not like Seth and I can just go on vacation and hope there's another single scuba person going on the same trip we are. And I definitely need a buddy to go with. I'm hoping maybe Chris and Lauren will want to do a trip with us since Lauren has done Scuba before. I just really want to be able to use it. And maybe there is some sort of single scuba thing I can find.... I'll have to look into it.

Also, I realized I really need to/want to get back to seriously doing weight watchers. I'm tired of gaining weight. I really want to lose some weight... I don't want to be really thin or anything - I love having curves and Seth loves me having curves. But I want to be healthier and look better and have my clothes fit better. I will blog more about this when I get into it. I have to figure out a plan for myself.

Ok... well I think I'll attempt sleep.

Monday night

Hello! It's Monday evening... Seth is working late and I am going to start reading more of my scuba book (more on that in a bit) but I have a face mask thingy on and I didn't want to get started reading and then have to go wash it off...



So I start scuba lessons tomorrow! I'm really excited -- mostly because it's something I've always wanted to do and I'm happy to be doing it (and proud that I didn't keep putting it off) -- but also a bit nervous because I'm doing it by myself. It's such a thing where you need a "buddy" and I'm worried that everyone else in the class will be there with someone else. I highly doubt that, though. And even so, maybe I'll make some new friends! I sound like a kid on the first day of a new school or something!



Speaking of school, work is good. We've been working on the schedule - which is always difficult - but other than that things are ok.



Not too much else has been going on -- this weekend was kind of laid-back. We went to a neighborhood fest on Saturday night and it was a lot of fun - the weather was great and there was some good music and it was just relaxing. Then on Sunday I did some gardening in the front yard, went swimming, and just kind of relaxed. Oh. And baseball sucked this weekend. The stupid Cubs swept the Sox and I am NOT happy about it. It made me pout :( So that's about it... Oh, my in-laws come in to visit on Wednesday so I've also been doing some cleaning to prep for that. And it will be busy while they're in town -- we have a lot planned.



I decided I'm going to start adding images in my blog. I hope this works right:

Ok, obviously it didn't. There's some weird error situation going on with this blogger thing right now. Anyway, it's time to rinse this face mask off so I'll try some other time.

Sunday Night blogging

Sunday night blogging... I think I'll have a hard time falling asleep tonight because I slept in today and then ended up (inadvertantly) taking a nap! It'll be ok, though. I have a software training at work tomorrow so it shouldn't be that tough of a day....

Yesterday Seth and I celebrated our anniversary ... our anniversary is actually Tuesday (6/17) but Seth will be out of town for work in Nashville. I'm kinda sad about that but there's not much we can do. Anyway, we had a really nice day yesterday... we ran some errands in the afternoon and then we watched the wedding DVD and had some champagne and reminisced which was great. Then we went out to dinner at Green Dolphin Street... they had a band with some dancing, but then evidently (and this is new) at 11:00 it turns into, like, a CLUB. It was crazy. So we left and then as we were waiting for a cab, we ran into the naed bike ride protest. It was pretty awesome --- I love seeing people take action and protesting things like that. Makes me happy that people take a stand and do something about it. And although I'm sure there are plenty of people who were just like, "Hey I want to ride my bike naked!" and don't have any political convictions, it's still good to see people doing something. Also, the fact that so many more people have been voting and politically active is awesome.

Anyway, today we went to a late lunch/early dinner with my dad for Father's Day and also took Toby cuz it was his birthday (he's 9 :) Toby got so excited by his birthday gifts... he's so cute cuz he'll use his paws and teeth to rip paper off his gifts. And then Seth and I were thinking of going to the Andersonville Midsommer Fest but then we both fell asleep and and when we woke up our bellies were kind of upset so we just hung out and I watched the Tony's which were fun as always. Made me happy that Jen and I made plans to go to Showtunes tomorrow. I love showtunes:)

Anyway, I'm going to try and see if I can go to sleep...

Nothing much Blog

Haven't blogged in awhile... there's just not been much going on aside from work. After my exciting week a few weeks ago, I had a pretty normal week. A few fun things ... we went out after graduation on Friday and had a good time -- then on Sunday I went to rib fest with Julie. Just enjoying life in general, even without anything big.

The one thing that we did last week that was such fun was went to the Dog Day Sox game. This is Toby's 4th game and we always have a great time... he gets to walk around the field and then sit and watch the game with us. He just loves getting to go places that we go. He had a great time watching everyone and "talking" to some of the other dogs (he was really friendly with the other dogs... he made a little girlfriend in the row in front of us). Plus is was awesome weather ...

Another fun thing is that I got my scuba stuff today. I'm so excited about taking the scuba lessons... and proud of myself for doing something I've always wanted to do.

Anyway, that's about all for now!

More on the Good Week

So the week was so good, I forgot about some other great parts!:)

I was calling this The Best Entertainment Week of my Life --- I had good theatre, good TV, a good movie. I mentioned the movie in the previous blog, but here are the other parts....

On Tuesday we (we being Jen, Julie, Rachel and me) saw Avenue Q!!! For those of you who don't know, I love this musical. LOVE IT. It's hilarious... Jen and and I were soooo excited to see it together (we had both seen it before, but seperately) and it didn't disappoint. We had a wonderful time:) So funny.

AND then on Thursday, it was the season finale of LOST. Seth and I started watching Lost just back in January... it was cold, we really wanted to be hermitted, and there was no new TV with the Writers' Strike. So we decided to get the DVDs of past seasons of Lost. And we were hooked. Absolutely hooked. It was mostly fun because (and this was the same as when we got into 24) it was like a project for us to be together. (on a side note.... It's funny because I don't know if my friend Katie reads this blog, but last year she and her boyfriend were working for Second City on a cruise ship. And they love Lost too... and around this time they were in the Meditteranean and she blogged about how it was a project and bonding thing for them to try and find internet cafes throughout Europe so they could watch Lost online). But it was great... it was perfect for the time of year and us not wanting to do anything huge, but we could easily be quite happy spending a Saturday night watching 3 or 4 episodes of Lost. And it's the type of show that warrants lots of discussion and looking on websites, etc. So it was (and continues to be) something for us to do together and really enjoy together. And the season finale was really good.

So that's it. Now it's Sunday afternoon and we've just been lazing around thus far. Now we're off to Target and probably either a walk with Toby by the lake or a bike ride later. It's another beautiful day:)

Good week

Hey everyone! So we have beautiful weather here this weekend... I love when it's beautiful weather like this! I've had a good week --- Monday was Memorial Day and we had the 2nd Annual Goodchild Memorial Day BBQ. They kept predicting rain and I was worried, but it ended up being a beautiful warm day. We drank mojitos and sangria, at lots of BBQ, played bags and just had a great time.

Then on Thursday I had some good work news... I found out that my immediate boss, the Director of Counseling, is going to be moving home to California and therefore I'm promoted to Director of Counseling! It's pretty exciting, and a little scary. I move to a 12 month contract instead of a 10-month, which means I work through the summer but summer hours are really easy. And I'm so happy because now we don't have to worry about me not having a paycheck this summer. Plus, with the promotion means more money. But it's a little scary because it's a lot more responsibility. But I'm still really proud and excited.

Then on Friday, I went to the Sex & the City movie with 7 friends (the girls and Ray). We had an incredibly fabulous time... we went to Webster Wine Bar for dinner and drinks before and then to the movie... we had wanted to go to an earlier show (like 8) and then out after, but when we went to get tickets on Monday (on Fandango) most of the shows were already sold out! So we decided to do it the other way around. And all week there were email discussions of what we were going to do as a Plan B because we thought we'd never get a table at 8 right across from the theatre. But Val got there early and put her name in and we would have gotten a table about 8:15 inside, but as we were waiting, they started setting up the outside tables so we grabbed one of those and were seated pretty much exactly at 8:00. And it worked out so much better being outside because inside was hot and crowded and loud, while outside was warm and breezy. And we had yummy food and wine and then headed over to the theatre around 9:45 (for the 10:45) show and we were able to get seats together (not all in the same row but right in front of and behind each other so it was fine). And the movie was great! But the whole event was incredible to me because the movie theatre was taken over by women. And everyone was dressed up and there were SO MANY women all in one huge crowd. It was crazy but tons of fun!

I'm starting to get sleepy so I think I'll head to bed.

A crazy slice of society

Hello... I'm happy because of the long weekend. We're having a BBQ tomorrow and I hope the weather holds out. I'm a little nervous because they keep predicting rain... so we'll see.

I'm also happy my tap performance on Friday went really well! It was so much fun to be on stage, and also to be backstage and everything. I only wish I could have seen the show too because I guess the rest of it was really good... it was nice to have my friends and family there. I was proud of myself... and I think everyone enjoyed it -- people were saying it wasn't what they expected cuz I guess people don't expect professional tap "concerts." But that's what it was. Anyway, one of the women in my class's husband videotaped it and she said she'd put it on YouTube so when I get the link, I'll post it here.

But what I really wanted to blog about what the adventure of humanity I had on Saturday. So Seth and I decided to go to the new-ish Four Winds Indian Reservation casino in Michigan on Saturday... mom and Gary had gone and had a really good time there and so we thought it would be fun to go with them. Anyway, they took a free casino bus so we thought we'd do the same. Mom found out that actually there is a bus that leaves from Chinatown which was much closer to us so we decided to take that. Well, it was kind of an adventure from that start. There were some lane closures on lake Shore Drive (why on earth they would be doing roadwork on Memorial Day weekend is beyond me. Someone is dumb) so we barely got there in time and then when we got there we learned that the "reservation" Seth had left a message about was non-existant and we probably weren't going to be able to get on the bus. Then at the last second, they said they had two more seats. So we got on and right away everyone was mad at us cuz they NEEDED to get to the casino ASAP. It's kinda sad when you go to these casinos... you can tell these people don't have much to begin with and then they're going to the casino with such hope that this will be their "big break" so to speak. And there's this sense of urgency like I HAVE to get there or I won't have the luck. And most of them play slots which is just pure luck. It's interesting to me (I just kind of thought of this) to think about the psychology behind which games people choose to play, or how much faith they put in gambling, and their locus of control -- most of these people play slots which is such an external locus of control (thinking that your fate and your life is determined by luck or by outside sources), whereas Seth or I play table games where we have some sort of control (although that is an illusion to some degree) because we really have an internal locus of control (thinking we control and have responsibility for our lives). And it's interesting because a lot of these people (and now I'm making assumptions) who go and do slots regularly are the same people who live in poverty and truly think that it's someone else's fault or that something has to happen TO them so they can get out of poverty. Hmmm.

Anyway, that's not really where I was going with this. I was going more to a humorous turn. So Seth and I get on the bus and everyone's already mad and I get stuck sitting next to this guy who is taking up 1 1/2 seats, so I'm perched with, like, one butt cheek hanging off the seat and the arm rest digging into my hip. Seth got in a window seat a few rows behind me. Anyway, this guy next to me is sleeping and he has put a paper napkin like a bib in his shirt, presumably to catch the drool as he sleeps. And if this isn't bad enough, as he sleeps, he continually falls over onto me everytime the bus hits a bump or anything. Finally about halfway through the trip he realized maybe he should lean toward the window instead of towards me and then it was a little better. And I got a chance to watch some of the other people. Like the woman who kept taking snacks out of her bag, but it was the weirdest stuff. Like a potato. She took a small, cooked potato out of her bag and ate it as if it were an apple. Fun stuff.

Anyway, at the casino Seth did well and I did terribly so it kind of evened out. But this blog is getting long so I'll cut this a little short because I have to write about something else too... so we got home and relaxed for a little bit and then went out to dinner. And we took the Clark bus... so as we're waiting for it after dinner and it pulls up I notice right in the front are two AMAZING mullets. I mean these things were MULLETS. So we get on and there are these two people (I thought they were two guys but later another girl who was amazed by the mullets got on and thought it was a guy and a girl) who are just awesome. The one guy (possibly girl) had a big greasy, stringy mullet and glasses that took up half his face and were about 1/4 inch thick. But the other guy. Wow. His mullet was not only a mullet, but it was also a fro. It was a frullet. And it was amazing. He also had a little porn star moustache and was wearing neon orange and green high-top gym shoes. And, like, a track suit.

So all in all on Saturday I had quite a day with society. Anyway, now it's Sunday and I have to get cleaning and doing something outside to enjoy this beautiful weather.

Good day...

So today is a good day for a few reasons... the biggest one is Seth's exam was today so that means I have him back! Yay!:) He feels like it was ok and he's kinda "on the border" of if he passed or not. He won't find out until July :P

Another good thing is one of my condo building neighbors works at a bug suburban HS and they have a horticulture class (!) that has a flower sale ... well she offered to get things for people and plants were SO CHEAP I had to have her get me some things. So I got a ton of plants today for not a ton of money. I can't wait until Saturday to get some more plants and then plant everything and create my container garden. I probably won't do the container water garden this weekend, that will have to wait a bit.

Another good thing is the Performing Arts Club show is tomorrow and it looks really good. I'm excited for it.

And last but not least... Toby:) On Friday is the Learning Resource Program picnic and I was going to go from 9-12... and I was going to go home and get Toby and bring him to the park. But Olivia was like, "Why not just bring him to work?" So I have to clear it with Erika, but I'm pretty sure it will be ok. And Toby will get to come to work with me for part of the day and then the park! He will be SOOOO happy about it:) I can't wait!

Oh, plus I'm super excited for my tap show next week!!!

Tap Class

So I'm excited because my tap class will be performing in a show on Friday, May 23!!!! It's, like, a professional show and my tap teacher is the one kind of coordinating everything and so he asked our class to be part of it. I love performing and I haven't gotten to perform in any capacity in years so I'm happy:)

Other than that, things are good. Things are less busy at work... Seth's exam is next week and I cannot wait for it to be over. Right after his exam Seth is always so relaxed and happy... I just want my husband back!

I'm chaperoning prom tonight which should be fun... however, now I'm going to take a snooze!

Overwhelmed, kinda

So I'm feeling kinda overwhelmed and so I'm just shutting down.... I guess I know how my students feel sometimes:) I think sometimes their schoolwork is so overwhelming, they just shut down instead of doing it.

Here's a list of things I should be doing now: exercising, getting my clothes ready for tomorrow, getting my lunch/breakfast ready for tomorrow, cleaning my house since my brother-in-law is coming in town tomorrow, making dinner for myself, going to Walgreens, taking a shower. And here's a list of what I am doing: sitting on the couch, blogging and watching The Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular.

I just feel like I've been so busy... work has been super busy with scheduling kids, and kids being, well teenagers, and failing classes and just doing stupid stuff.... and then there was this whole issue with the awards today. When we had to order the awards in February, Olivia and I decided on the award catagories for each department, so to make things (I thought) easier, I filled in the catagories on the award sheets. And today at the award committee meeting, people were all upset that they couldn't decide which classes to give awards in and they just went on and on and on about it and Olivia (my boss) was upset I did that without running it by her first. And it's not just work - I've been so busy at home too. On Monday Seth and I had to go help Julie jump her car battery and we were there in the cold for an hour or so and it never worked. So there went my whole Monday night. And last night Jen, Lauren, Chris and I went to see Sweeney Todd as part of our Broadway in Chicago package (it was pretty good -- a bit too symbolic at times), but that was the whole evening. And this evening I had to take Toby to the vet cuz (this is kinda gross, sorry) he needed his anal glands drained. And then tomorrow I have to tutor and Josh (my brother-in-law) is coming into town to stay with us until Sunday cuz he has some seminar thing for work.

Oh my god. I just realized what I need to do. I need to sing kareoke. I'm going to go use the Magic Mic RIGHT NOW. That will make me feel better and then I can actually be productive instead of sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself. Ok, I'm going to do that now.

Spring Friday

I love spring. It's well known that it's my favorite season... mostly because it's always so nice to come out of this cold hibernation feeling into this warm happy new-life world. And I've recently come to realize I really love Fridays... it's so nice once I come home from work and don't really have to do anything cuz I have the whole weekend to do stuff. Today is a beautiful day... they've predicted terrible thunderstorms but we haven't seen them yet (although it looks like it will storm any time soon). But right now it's warm -- 79 according to accuweather.com, but it's probably a bit cooler where I am cuz we're close enough to the lake to get the "natural air conditioning" effect (I should get a cute thermometer for our deck!) -- and very breezy, but it feels good and cooling. Toby and I just went for a great walk... lots of people out having fun and lots of people stopped to say hi and pet Toby, which he loves. We got to look at all the flowers bursting with color too. Now we're sitting on our deck (Toby and I... Seth is, of course, still at work) -- yay for wireless internet! -- and I'm having a refreshing glass of white wine and Toby is laying by the stairs watching any and all activity in the alley (that was a great sentence for alliteration!:) I love being barefoot and having the warm breeze on my toes. Can you tell I'm just generally contented with the day?!:)

Springtime

I'm in a much better frame of mind since the last blog:) The weather was beautiful this week and I love when it's spring. It's the idea of finally coming out of this hibernation coccoon like state and finally being free. The best way I can describe it is it feels like grass under bare feet and it smells like right after a rainstorm. Plants are starting to come up in the yard which is always nice.... life renewing and beginning.

So work has still been really busy but it's ok. Other than that not much going on. Today is Seth studying and me cleaning... and this evening we're going out to dinner and a movie with Jen and Andy.

Ranting Blog

So I'm pissed off about something and I have no one to talk to about it at the moment so I decided to blog about it.

First, you have to know I rarely get pissed off about things at work. I really love my job and although some things can be annoying, I generally go with the flow and don't get angry. So for me to get angry about something is a big deal.

Well two things. First I have to be at work in, oh, about 5 1/2 hours to run the ACT. I'm not happy about that. I don't want to run to ACT but I kinda got stuck in that situation. The only thing I can think is that is pays good money. So I'm pissed about having to go to work on a Saturday.

But the bigger thing I'm pissed off about is at 2:30 today (school ends at 3:10) .. while I'm trying to get everything ready for the ACT....I get a call from the admissions director that two new students are starting Monday morning and we have to scramble and get them schedules and get emails to their teachers, etc. So that's annoying enough but one of the students is a student who was expelled in October! I am completely and totally willing to work with any student - difficult or not - but this is a student who needed more than we could provide. He had behavior issues that needed serious therapy and caused an unsafe and chaotic learning environment. So I said to the admissions director that I was fine doing the schedule, but asked if him or the Dean woudl write the email notifying the teacher. He said sure. Well then about 20 minutes later he says, "Oh can you do it?" so I did because I think it's unfair to the teachers if they don't know in advance about new students. ... but now I'm getting all these teachers coming to me and emailing me about how upset they are and why is this student being allowed back. And I don't blame that at all.... but I can't be like, 'Well I agree with you, I wish he wasn't coming either." So basically I was completely scapegoated because the admissions director and dean (who allowed this student to return) know this would be unpopular so they made me take the heat for it.

So anyway, I'm ticked. And tonight we had a Girl's Night at Julie's and it was lots and lots of fun. But I'm kinda also pissed cuz I was trying to vent about this situation at work in the car on the way down and it was like, "Amy don't be negative. Just have fun" and literally everyone else gets to vent about their problems constantly and I try to vent about one thing and I get completely shut down.

So anyway. There's my vent. I feel kinda better. But not really. I think I need to talk with the Admissions Director and Dean about why I'm upset and how I feel completely scapegoated. A lot of times in these situations I try to think of the advice I'd give my students and that's what I would tell them. I'd tell them to communicate clearly, and not to be rude or accusatory. So I guess that's what I need to do. I also would ask them what they usually do to relieve stress. My answers would be sing, swim, do yoga, sleep, walk, but I can't do any of those things right now besides sleep. I wish I could sing but it's too late since I live in a condo. I'd like to say talk with friends but I don't think that's true. Cuz I don't talk to my friends when I'm stressed. Every time I try somehow the situation gets either shot down or turned back to them. I did talk to Seth somewhat tonight before I left. He's good to talk to. Maybe I'll talk more to him, or maybe to mom, tomorrow.

Happy weekend

I had a great weekend! The weather was beautiful -- 60s and sunny. I love the first warm day of the spring. Everyone is just so happy... there's this vibe about the city that positive and renewed. Like people are just shrugging off the cold and slush and coming out to play. On Saturday afternoon I was so happy to be out in the sunshine... I cleaned our deck for awhile... swept, cleaned the table, and mostly got my containers ready for gardening! I had dirt left from last year, but I wanted to redistribute some of it into other pots and just refresh it in general. I'm so excited for my container garden! I can't wait til it's warm enough to plant everything! Toby sat out with me and it was so nice. Then Toby and I went to the lakefront and took a long walk in the park, which both Toby and I love:) Then Saturday night was the big birthday party!! Since I just turned 30, and Julie turns 30 this week, and Maria turns 30 in a few weeks we decided to have one big party. It was loads of fun... we reserved space at Waterhouse (that was the only snafu... the tables we reserved weren't available, well one out of three was, and the staff wasn't really willing to do anything to make them available) and all our friends came and it was just in general a lot of fun. We were silly and drinking and laughing. Oh, and it was also fun cuz Maria just got engaged!!! So that was exciting!:) After awhile some of us went on to another bar which was probably a mistake... lol:) I wasn't that bad but some of the other girls were... but overall it was an extremely fun party.

Then today I wasn't hung-over at all and I think it's cuz I wasn't smoking. Normally, I would have been smoking like a chimney, but since I quit, I was fine. No headache, no feeling like my throat was on fire still, etc. It was nice. Then Elisa and I went shopping and that was fun too. I can't remember the last time I went shopping with a friend --- I almost always just go by myself. But I've decided, especially with Seth studying, I need to reach out to friends more and hang out instead of just doing things by myself. Cuz it was nice today.

So that's about it... more soon!

Tuesday night

Hey. I'm watching American Idol and just hanging out with Seth. Spring Break has been pretty good so far... lots of sleeping late, which I love. Monday I went shopping which was fun --- got to spend some of my birthday gift cards and got some cute outfits and things to pair with some of the clothes I got from Mom. And today I had to take Toby to the vet for his shots... he was such a good boy -- but he's so funny at the vet's office. He'll walk in the door and then he realizes where he is and he won't move any further so I have to carry him. Then in the office he gets so scared, poor little guy... then when we're done he gets so excited to leave and he doesn't want to wait to pay! Later on in the day, since it was nice weather, Toby and I went for a walk in the park by the lakefront path which was great. And then I went to my tap class and that was great... I found out we're performing in May! I'm not sure when exactly ... the 22, 23, or 24. I'm so excited --- I never get to perform and I'm super excited to do it again:)

So overall things are good... some family drama --- I was really hurt because my grandma, aunt, and great aunt (who all live together) never called on my birthday to say happy birthday. I know, it shouldn't be such a big deal, but it was my 30th birthday and they've always called and everyone else in the family always gets a birthday party and I didn't even get a call. Then on Easter no one even mentioned that I had a birthday... no one asked how it was or anything. And we were supposed to celebrate my birthday on Easter and mom brought a pie and everything and people sang happy birthday to me... well kinda. They really sang happy birthday to me and my cousin and my mom's cousin and his son. And that was it. Not that I need some huge party with a million presents or whatever but it just hurt that no one even acknowledged it.

And then tonight when I mentioned to my mom and I had a huge argument about ... well I don't even know what. She was making up things I never even said and saying all these terrible things. Of course today (Wednesday... I'm editting from yesterday) she was totally remorseful and sorry, but I thought maybe these times were over... she'd been so much better lately. And now I feel like things are going back to where they were before with the drinking and her getting so mean. I can't go through it again, I just can't. I'm just only starting to get over some of the verbally and emotionally abusive things she said and did to me, because like I said, things have been really good lately and I just can't go back to that place again. Anyway, things were better today so maybe they won't go back. I hope not...

Late Night Blogging

Sorry this blog is so rambly... I've had a few glasses of wine and I feel like just expressing.

So my spring break started today... I love being able to stay up late and sleep in. I wouldn't want to be without work all the time, since, as I've blogged about before, I love my job. Plus I'd get bored. But having the breaks is so nice. Just to be lazy and get things done around the house and errands run during the week, etc. Anyway, that's why I'm up late --- I love being able to actually follow my own sleep rhythms, which say to sleep from about 3 AM until noon. Obviously, I'm able to modify that to survive in the real world (10 grams of melatonin around 9:00 PM is the greatest thing. It allows me to actually be sleepy by 11:30 instead of getting a "second wind" at that time. After doing some research on sleep disorders, I've self-diagnosed myself as having Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome
Basically meaning I sleep normally (i.e. I don't have trouble falling or staying asleep. The only thing that makes me think maybe something else is going on is I am almost always still tired upon waking, no matter how long I sleep, and I almost always wake up in the middle of the night (but I use the bathroom and go right back to sleep. Maybe that's a bladder thing?? I'm old.) I've thought about going to a sleep clinic) but my circadian rhythms are all out of whack and I'm not sleepy until late at night/early morning. The interesting thing about it is it runs in families (and my mom has always been a "night owl" too) and it's related to the secretion of melatonin. "Normal" people's pineal gland starts secreting melatonin (the hormone that makes you sleepy) around 8 or 9 at night. But for people with DSPS, their pineal gland is all crazy and doesn't start with the melatonin until about midnight or 1 AM. So artificial melatonin helps me out because it mimics what my body should be doing naturally. What's also interesting is that the pineal gland is also responsible for the secretion of seratonin, and since I have depression (well, Dystheymic Disorder to be precise http://www.psychcentral.com/disorders/sx14.htm) which results from a decrease in seratonin, and since the meds that work with seratonin work well to "cure" most symptoms of my depression it makes sense that something's wrong with my pineal gland. In fact the DSPS shows extreme comorbidity (I hate that term) with depression. Anyway, enough about my disorders:)

So my birthday was fabulous. For my "last night in my 20s" Seth and I went out with Jen and Andy. Well, Elisa came out but left because the bar was too loud/crowded (it was St. Pats weekend!) and my other friends all made other plans (which kinda made me sad cuz I had mentioned this ages ago). We had a lot of fun and I drank a lot (but not enough to be hung over!:) The on my birthd, I literally did all my favorite things (down to the CD I had in the car... Beatles from the Cirque de Soleiel LOVE show... I don't really like Cirque de Soleiel, but that CD is amazing) and I didn't do anything I didn't want to! Well, all my favorite things without the ability to time-travel or fly:) I had brunch with my girlfriends.... good food (mimosas, tea, eggs benedict (but with a cornbread thing instead of an English muffin), hashbrowns and applewood smoked bacon) and lots of laughs. Then I went to get a hot stone massage and that was amazing... the massuse I had was awesome and I LOVE hot stone massages (BTW.. the money for that was part of my money I would have spent on cigarettes. I am allowing myself $325 since that's what I would have spent over 3 months. I still have a mani/pedi coming and $135 left.... I have to decide what to spend that on - either another massage, two more mani/pedis or gardening stuff:). The hot stone massage is so great because they massage you with a large (or small depending on the area) flat stone... so you have the pressure of a normal massage but also the heat from the stone, which relaxes the muscles. It's awesome. Then I went home and although I had intended to take Toby for a nice long walk by the lake, it was pretty chilly and closer to the lake would have only been worse so Seth and I took Toby on a short walk. Then I sang a few songs with the kareoke "Magic Mic" thing I have (it's a whole kareoke system in a microphone that you hook up to the TV), then I took an hour nap. After that, Seth and I went to Chicago Pizza and Oven Griners Co. which is my favorite resaurant. They have "pizza pot pies" and I don't know how else to describe them. They're delicious. And they have this Meditteranean Bread which is a giant flatbread with the most amaxing seasonings. And then when they bring you the bill they bring these little dark-chocolate-filled-with-caramel/honey things. We asked for more and got a bunch:) Then Seth and I went to DOC wine bar and got a wonderful bottle of Malbec and sat on a little couch and enjoyed. Then before bed I read US magazine (so you can deduce my favorite things - laughing with friends, eating good food, getting a massage, singing, napping, walking my dog, drinking good wine, reading celeb gossip magazine, spending time with my husband... also on the list would be gambling in Vegas, seeing a Broadway show, reading on the beach, snokeling, eating lobster in Maine... but like I said - no ability to fly). But I really didn't have a problem turning 30 (until now a few days later when I think about it and it's like... wow I'm 30). The only things that made it unperfect (and I know - I shouldn't dwell but I'm going to) were the weather was too chilly, Julie wasn't at brunch, we had to wait extra long at dinner, my grandma/great aunt/aunt didn't call (I know that sounds silly but they all live together and it really hurt that they didn't call), at the wine bar Seth kept bringing up things that annoyed me (talking about money management, me keeping with quitting smoking, etc.) and doing his whole passive-agressive thing, and Seth didn't give me the present I asked for (he gave me great things.. seriously. They were extremely thoughtful and fitting and really great.... but the thing I asked for, and what I really wanted, was for him to clean up all is dirty clothes laying around the bedroom and more importantly for him to clean up the guest bedroom/office. It's a HUGE mess with all his stuff and he's been saying he'll clean it up since the beginning of January... all his old junk mail and things he doesn't file and boxes of stuff are laying all over the place. I was gone all Sunday afternoon and I really, really though I'd come home and he would have done it. But it's still a HUGE mess). But anyway, it was a fabulous, wonderful birthday:)

Well I had a few more thoughts but I'm getting sleepy and I think I've written enough. I'll write about gardening and my biological clock later:)

Reflection on my 20s

Since it's my last day of being in my 20s, I thought I'd reflect on (or at least list) some of the accomplishments from my 20s:

- I got my bachelors degree
- I got my first "real" job (teaching)
- I got my masters degree
- I got a job I love (counseling)
- I lost my virginity (had to include it:)
- I fell in love
- I got engaged
- I planned a wedding
- I got married
- I got a dog
- I bought a home
- I lived on my own in an apartment
- I had fabulous friends
- I traveled to Toronto, New York City, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Texas (Houston and Dallas), Delaware (Wilmington), Rhode Island, Vermont (Burlington), Maine, New Hampshire, Key West, San Francisco, San Diego, Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Madison, Door County, Lake Geneva), Ohio (Cleveland, Columbus), Michigan (Kalamazoo), Boston (and many other Massachusettes locales), Italy (Venice, Florence, Bari, Rome), and Aruba.
- I went snorkeling
- I went surfing
- I saw several Broadways shows (one with the original cast)
- I went wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma Valley, and in Chianti
- I ate lots of new foods
- I went to bars in Chicago A-Z
- I went to many fabulous restaurants
- Many more....

Overall, I had a good decade. The most important thing was I really found who I was and learned to be comfortable with myself, and learned to be happy. I grew up and became an adult.

Looking forward to my 30s, I'm hoping that I'll have just as good of a decade! Lots of new accomplishments to look forward to.

Cute Toby story and work...

So I decided that I want to start adding pictures in my blog. I'll figure that out over spring break:)

And I also decided I don't write enough Toby stories in here. Toby, as I'm sure you know, is my wonderful dachshund. He is the cutest dog ever and does about a thousand funny things so I thought I'd share them here. Yes, I am one of "those" dog people, but no I do not dress my dog in clothes, and no I do not refer to Seth and I as Toby's mom and dad. We're his Seth and his Amy. Anyway, the story is (and I realize there's a lot of background for the one cute thing but it doesn't make sense without it)....this morning, my phone rang at 6:15 (it was a school I subbed at last year asking if I could come sub!) I usually don't get up until 7:00 (takes me 20 minutes to get ready, 10 minutes to get to work) but this morning I had a meeting and had to be at work at 7:20, so I planned to get up at 6:50.... I think I must have still been off with the time change or half asleep or something cuz when the phone rang at 6:15 I jumped out of bed in a panic before answering the phone and said, "I have to be at work in 5 minutes!!!" Seth then said, "I though you had to be there at 7:20. It's 6:15" Of course, I got back into bed but since we set the thermostat down at night and it isn't programmed to go back up until 6:30, it was really cold in the house... under the covers asleep was fine, but awake and out of bed was COLD. When I got back into bed I said, "Oooh I'm freezing, Seth come cuddle"but before Seth could even roll over, Toby climbed up (yes, he sleeps in the bed with us-- this was NOT my decision.. Seth is the one who started putting him in the bed) and laid half on top of me... not to bug me or anything, because after he climbed up he just laid his head down and went back to sleep, but because he doesn't want to be left out of any cuddle and I think he wanted to help keep me warm!!! What other animal would do that?! He's the best:)

And I thought I'd blog a little about the Performing Arts Club at work. Theatre, especially musical theatre is probably my biggest "love." If I could do anything, I would be an actress on Broadway (or an actress on Sesame Street. Seriously). This year the music teacher, Sara, and I began a Performing Arts Club (the school I work at is very small and we don't have a whole lot of resources). This spring we are doing a Broadway Revue. Since it's only the two of us, we only get about 12 kids max., we have an extremely small budget, and it's like pulling teeth to get these kids to stay 2 days a week, for an hour after school, let alone commit to 5 or 6 three- or four- hour rehearsals a week, we decided an entire show was out of the question. But the students we have are good and they want to perform and it gives them a place to shine. So the revue is perfect. Well, anyway, Sara had a baby at the end of February and will be on maternity leave until the beginning of May leaving me to pretty much mount the whole show by myself. I have sporadic help from some of the other teachers (which is GREAT), but it's basically just me. Anyway, things are going really well. We have an awesome version of Seasons of Love from Rent, Ease on Down the Road from The Wiz, a scene from A Raisin in the Sun, I'm Not That Girl from Wicked, and today we worked on Listen from Dreamgirls... that may change a bit to incorporate the song and scene in the movie. We still need to work on Hard Knock Life from Annie and You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray. I am really excited for the show because we still have a month and a half to polish and already I'd be ok mounting Seasons of Love, Ease on Down the Road and the scene from A Raisin in the Sun. Except for memorization, they're great. That makes me happy. The students love it and I love seeing them excited about showtunes! Plus, like I said, they're good. So I love doing it, it makes me happy:)