It's a Girl!

Finally. Meet Audrey Jane Anderson. I'm not really sure of the spelling but I'm taking a wild guess. And since J&J are relatively normal I'm thinking so is the spelling of the baby's name. 8lbs. 15oz. 21 and 1/2 inches long. And while I did not witness this for myself, I am told she has huge feet! Born sometime around 8pm after 21 hours of labor. Mama, Papa and baby are all well. Tired but well. So long Wyatt, Hello Audrey!

Yeah!!!!!!

Jeanne's having a baby! Hopefully by the end of today there will be the first of many pictures of the new baby. I have to stop calling it Wyatt!

I Have Issues

Many. But today we will only be discussing my issues with Christmas stuff. Decorations, recipes, music. And especially Christmas wrappings and all the lovely paraphernalia that ends up in that category. Name tags, bows, ribbons, red ribbons, gold ribbons, snowflake ribbons. Paper. Silver paper, Santa paper, toile paper, snowman paper, red paper, green paper. Oh, and gift bags. Cellophane gift bags, Sesame Street gift bags (those will come in handy if Wyatt ever arrives!!!!), big bags, little bags, booze bags, silk bags. And then there's the skating crap. Tags, paper, bags, boxes. Anything with a skate as long as it isn't a hockey skate. I really need help. Oh, if there seems to be a shortage of Christmas salt and pepper shakers, sorry. I own them all.

J&J were due on the 3rd. Still no baby. We are all anxious but none as anxious as Jeanne, I'm sure. I think their blog is proof. Check it out. We can't talk on the phone anymore because whenever the phone rings we are on total Wyatt alert. So Jeanne and I have taken to texting and emailing only. I think she's milking it! Just have the baby already!

And Happy Birthday to my cousin Helen. I think she's 27 today. Aren't we all.

Again, Are You Serious?!!!!!

The CEOs of the Big 3 automakers were in Washington yesterday to beg for $25 billion to bail them out. They all flew to Washington on private jets. GET REAL MOTHER FUCKERS!

I want to know who is going to bail my ass out when I can't pay my bills anymore?

Are You Serious?

My days start pretty much the same each day. Coffee and Tribune. I love my Tribune. But today on the cover of the "Live!" section is a picture of, who else, Oprah leaning on that guy from the Obama rally in Grant Park. Apparently he is going to be or has been a guest on her show. I'm not sure which since I did not read the article nor will I ever watch Oprah. This guys is getting his 15 minutes of fame because Oprah leaned on him at the rally?! C'mon. If I am in a large crowd, or anywhere for that matter, and some stranger leans his/her head on my shoulder I am sure it won't turn out well for that stranger. My reply could be any of these:

Get your fucking head off my shoulder asshole!
What the fuck is your problem?
Or maybe just a quick elbow to the Adam's apple!

Here's a topic for Oprah's next show: How to minimize your risk of catching cold or the flu by not letting strangers drool on you. Maybe Barack can give Oprah a position in his administration and take her to Washington. I can dream, can't I?

Holy Crap

Today is Rick's birthday. I never think of him as his age unless it's his birthday. It must be because he seldom acts his age. That's a good thing. I'm always telling him that he's not fifteen anymore. He refuses to believe me, thank God. We wanted to go into the city tonight for a nice dinner and perhaps even Hotwire a hotel room in the Loop for the night. But nooooooooo............. It is strictly Obama night in Chicago. There are so many reasons I don't like him and this didn't help. Instead we will head to Ditka's in the burbs. Not nearly as exciting as downtown but I'm hoping all the Dems will be in the city making the burbs where I want to be. Whatever the outcome of this election I will be elated when it's finally over. I'm wondering how many recounts and claims of voter fraud will occur. And to my HG readers: Please, please, please vote for the high school referendum. Your house is not worth a shit if your school sucks. There are kids literally sitting on the floor because there is no room at LTHS. Not to mention the trailers in the front of the school that house classrooms. If Frankfort and Mokena can build 47 Lincoln Way schools, why can't we?

Anyway...A super happy birthday to my man. I love you baby.

A New Record

I have had 12 trick-or-treaters so far this afternoon including a costumed mom complete with treat bag. I am sure this is a new HG high. Ozzy is loving it. Except for the three girls who were dressed as "celebrities" and each had their own real toy chihuahua dog. Cute costumes though.

One For the Books

Jeanne always jokes that Rick's bonfires could burn your face off if you let them. You cannot get too close when the fire is first lit. We have been known to build "subfires" to roast our hot dogs. But last night was a first. The lenses on Rick's glasses melted. That's right, melted. What the fuck. For what those glasses cost they should survive the nuclear holocaust. While I need to get on a plane this morning for New Mexico, you can bet I will be making a call or two from the airport to the eye doctor.

And, yes, it is the same eye doctor that is not convinced I am blind in my right eye. http://bishand.blogspot.com/2006/10/can-you-see-me-now.html

Super Fan Eddie In His Glory

The picture is a little blurry but you get the idea. Eddie is super cut this year. I'm a little envious. What a game yesterday. It was one of those "last one with the ball wins" game. 48-41 Bears. The most points the Bears have scored in a game since 1986. A much needed win. Tailgate and post game tailgate rocked as usual. Kristin and Jake joined us along with Kyle and Jare. Kris, Jake and Jare were all Bears game virgins. I think we broke them in well. Rick is walking a little funny today since he thought he was 16 when he was tossing around the football after the game. He'll never learn. Not too many pics but fun to see all the same.

Vikings v. Bears October 19, 2008

In other news:

Jeanne's shower was perfect. Small, intimate, lovely. Lots of the usual Ooohs and Aaahs. This was Lauren's first baby shower that she remembers. She informed me that at her baby shower (not for several years!!!) she wants drinking games. She is still in college. Someday she'll figure it out.

My ass is so sore from working out. Ouch. It's amazing how easily your muscles turn to Jello. Soon I'll be buff like Eddie. Maybe not that buff.

Off to New Mexico this weekend with Special K (Karla) to visit Colleen. And meet Dexter the new puppy. Can't wait to spend some time with Col. She rocks.

Cruisin'

Nothing like a week in the Caribbean to clear your head. What a fabulous vacation. Not as fab as the cruise we took with all the kids years ago, but still excellent. Our favorite port was Grand Turk. While we have been to many beaches in our travels the beach on Grand Turk was unbelievable. So soft and the water so clear. Just perfect. Grand Turk is on our list of places to go in the future. That list is getting so long.

One perk from the cruise is getting your picture professionally taken on "formal night." It is not often, almost never, that we get dressed up for a portrait. The last time was the last cruise six years ago. If you've ever been on a cruise, you know the routine. You have your picture taken and the next day you go to the "photo room" and try to locate your picture among the 3000 pictures posted. Actually, the cruise ships have it figured out pretty well, labelling each photo board with where the picture was taken making it easier to find the picture you're looking for. Rick and I searched long and hard and could not locate our picture. It must have been so good that someone else bought it. Oh well, maybe next cruise.

While we were gone.......

The Bears won one and lost one. The loss against the Falcons really hurt. They gave that game away.

The Cubs took a huge post season dump. End of story.

Lauren is finally back on the ice after her knee surgery. Taking it slowly. (IllinoiSkating is skating to an Aerosmith medley this year. The music rocks. I wanted to post it on my site but I can't figure out how to do it.) Hopefully she will be ready for their first competition on November 22, her 20th birthday. I can't believe she is going to be 20! She is also the newest member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. The sorority thing is right up her alley. She has already committed to living in the sorority house next year. And hopefully her senior year as well. I am getting too old to be moving her every year. Just stay put for 5 minutes!

Today is a New Day

Ryan Dumpster (Andersonese for Dempster) took a dump last night. 7 walks in 5 innings is not playoff pitching. In comes the Big Z tonight. I'm counting on Carlos. I told Debbie not to go. She never listens.

A Very Important Win

It was close. But in the end the Bears had a goal line stand to stop the Eagles in the 4th quarter. That was HUGE! The Bears needed this win in a major way after blowing the last two games. Now at 2-2, they are at least respectable. Maybe.

Super Fan Eddie was in rare form last night. He had all of his signature moves including "the sprinkler." No pictures of Eddie, I didn't want to bring my camera into the game. Perhaps when we play Minnesota in October.

Just the parents and kids last night. Rick, me, Justin, Bonnie, Kyle and Ron. Good times.

The Bad Saturday Morning Movie

One of our favorite things to do is spend a lazy Saturday morning watching a bad movie. We'll get up and have coffee and read the Tribune just like any other day. Then, and only if we have no other commitments, we will crawl back into bed (stop right there with those dirty thoughts) and watch a bad movie. The crappier the movie the better. Makes for more commentary. And you know how I love commentary.

This morning was one of the worst movies yet. "Deep Impact" from 1999. Packed with stars: Morgan Freeman as POTUS, Robert Duvall as the astronaut who saves the Earth, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Leelee Sobieski, Laura Innes, Blair Underwood, Jon Favreau. The list goes on. Basically the premise is the Earth is about to be hit by not one, but two giant asteroids that will destroy civilization as we know it. Thankfully we tuned in with only about 30 minutes left.

We have seen some terrible movies over the years on Saturday morning but this ranks right up there with "Earth Girls Are Easy."

I Should Know Better

What an interesting two days with Mom and Dad at Karla's Michigan house. We arrived around noon on Monday. After a delicious lunch Mom and Dad were off to Meier. Any store that we do not have near us at home my mother must visit on her vacation. We went out for a delicious dinner at a nearby restaurant during which I spilled a whole glass of red wine on my father. He looked like some sort of victim. On the pocket of his shirt said "I'm the Boss." I'm glad I wrecked that shirt!

Day two we made Dad drive us to Shipshewana. This place is enormous. We gave my Dad my Mom's cell phone so that we could call him later to pick us up. We then should have put a leash on my mother. It wasn't but an hour later that we lost Shirl. 1000 booths at Shipshewana and we lost my mother. At first, I was not that concerned. But after an hour or so I began to worry. I called my sister Denise for advice. I knew she would have some. She said, "I would try parking it at a food booth and waiting, it shouldn't be long." So true. Shirl needs to be fed frequently. As our last resort, Karla and I headed to the INFO booth to have Shirl paged. I had no other ideas. "Shirley Ubeerocco, please meet your party at the information booth. Shirley Ubee, ummm, Shirley U., please meet your party at the information booth." Karla and I could not stop laughing. In just a few short minutes along came Shirl. We should have come up with a meeting spot when we arrived in case anyone got lost. Like I used to do with the kids when they were small. I won't forget if there is a next time.

For whatever reason, Bailey (Karla's dog) took an extreme liking to Shirl. Every time Shirl would nap (which you all know is quite often) Bailey would nap right along side of her. They became fast friends. I'm sure Bailey is lonely today looking for her Nana.

Click on the photo below to view all the pics of our adventure with Bob and Shirl.

Karla's house with Mom and Dad

Actually, the first pic was taken at my house before we left for Michigan.

Nothing Worse Than a Rotten Peanut

While in Las Vegas last week, Rick and I met Charles Tillman's parents. We chatted for about 10 minutes or so and ended up inviting Mr. Tillman to join us for tailgating at the Bears/Minnesota game in October. We gave him all the pertinent information; where we park, what kind of vehicle we drive, etc. Now I wonder. I wonder if he will show up after his son got called for a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty in overtime of yesterday's game against the Bucs. That penalty allowed the Bucs drive to stay alive and, ultimately, allowed the Bucs to win. Bad, bad Peanut.

On another note, I love to play roulette. It is the worst odds game in Vegas and I try very hard to stay away. But when you add a bunch of cocktails into the mix it makes it virtually impossible for me. Some numbers I always play:
10 - for Ron Santo
17 - for Mark Grace (and Colleen)
23 - for Ryne Sandberg and Michael Jordan
22 - for Lauren's birthday and maybe now for Matt Forte
Matt has had a couple of impressive games already. I think he's going to be huge. Buy the jersey NOW!

Off to Karla's Michigan house with Mom and Dad for a few days. Should be a good time.

Cubs Clinch

The Cubs are the National League Central Division Champions! Two years in a row. Too bad me and Mom had to see such a shitty game on Friday. But Shirl was happy just be at Wrigley. We arrived early enough that she was able to walk around the entire stadium, twice. And we got a free t-shirt. Debbie and I both agreed that no one from our family can attend any playoff games since the Cubs lose 95% of the time we go to a game.

I'm off to the Bears home opener against the Bucs today. You all know I am a huge Cubs and Bears fan but I heard this joke the other day and couldn't help but laugh.

Do you know why the Bears suck?

They used to be Cubs!

B E A R D O W N !

Lucky Me

Rick and I spent the early part of this week in Las Vegas. But that is not what I am referring to when I call myself lucky. Today I am taking Shirl to the Cubs/Cardinals game at Wrigley. That's lucky. Even luckier is the tickets aren't costing me a thing thanks to Debbie. If the Cubs win today and the Brewers lose, the Cubs clinch the division title. GO CUBBIES!!!!!!!

Another Glorious Vacation in Cadiz

It seems that's all we did this summer is go to the lake. Actually, that's all I did. My husband, who recently said that he was going to die at his desk, only vacationed twice at the lake this summer. I was fortunate enough to spend a bit more time in Cadiz. This particular trip was a blast. Our good friends and neighbors, Mike and Sue, finally made the trip down. Lots of food, drinks, fishing and boating ensued. And a little Wii action. We also had unexpected visitors. Marc and Ashley drove up from New Orleans along with their two cats and two bunnies. I would like to say they just wanted to spend some quality time with us but unfortunately they were forced out of their home by hurricane Gustav. I can only imagine what it is like to have to evacuate your home and city. They are now back in The Big Easy trying to dodge hurricane Ike.

There are a ton of pictures from this trip as Sue is non-stop with the camera. Thanks Sue. Without Sue's pics there would not be many. You can tell from these pics that Ozzy hates the lake and especially despises fish!



In other HG news: Lauren again made the IllinoiSkating team. She was unable to actually tryout this year due to her recent knee surgery. Since she was not an alternate last year and had a "spot" all year, her coach gave her a pass. While the rehab of her knee is going well, she has had a setback. Her skates were stolen. To come off an injury and have to break in new skates at the same time will be very challenging. For those of you who have never seen a pair of real figure skates, the leather is about an inch thick and it takes several hours of skating (and bad blisters and bleeding ankles) to break them in. If I find the fuckhead who stole her skates, I will beat them in the head with the toe pick of her new skates! Not a threat, more like a warning.

IllinoiSkating was recently featured in a spot on The Big Ten Network.Click here to see all the skaters except Lauren.

One More Day

Lauren goes back to school tomorrow. The summer just flew by. For her. Just kidding. Life has been crazy in the HG. Lauren finally had her much needed knee surgery in July and is just now starting to walk on it again. With one crutch. Hopefully it won't be long until she won't need any crutches. No skating for 3 months though. Thankfully her spot on Illinoiskating is safe and is being held for her. Because she is somewhat incapacitated, I have been doing all the packing etc. for the move back to U. of I. She sure has accumulated a lot of shit since going away to college. This year she shares an apartment with three other girls. Should be interesting.

I was fortunate to spend an entire week at the lake with Debbie and Sophia with no trips to the emergency room. (Deb thinks me and Fifi play too rough.) We discovered a great water park near the lake house. Pretty sure it was only about the third time I have ever left the lake house to go anywhere but out on the boat. We missed Dad since he is always willing to go get ice at the corner store. Here are the pictures from our week in Cadiz. Just click on the picture to see them all.

Cadiz w/Deb and Sophia

Busy weekend coming up. Tomorrow the big move, Thursday is Bears preseason with Kyle Orton as our starting quarterback (we wan Favre!!), Friday we see Jay Leno at the casino in Indiana, Saturday is dinner with the Roseland gang and Sunday Cubs game. I'm a little hesitant about going to the Cubs game. Rick and I have not seen a winning game in about 15 years. And the tickets were not cheap. But the beer will be cold!

Everything Is Better With Flames

Yesterday Megan and Scott had opportunity to take a ride in Lauren's Jeep. I told Scottie when he was old enough to drive perhaps he would want a Jeep. He replied excitedly, "Yeah, with flames on it!"

Truth be told, I love the Jeep when the top is off. If any of you have ever had a Wrangler or known anyone who has, there is this odd Wrangler wave that fellow Wrangler drivers give you when you pass them on the road. It's a culture all its own. Very cool.

West Nile Pond

This is my neighbor Lenny's pond. If you want to call it that. It is more like a giant mud puddle. He can aerate it all he wants but he needs to dig it deeper. The center of the pond is only about a foot deep. The dark patch on the left is the only part of the pond's surface that is not green with algae. And mosquito nests, I'm sure. I give it 2 days and the entire surface will be green. There must be some kind of ordinance in the HG for this. Fortunately for us, the landscape has matured so much in our 15 years here that we can barely see the pond from our house. But in the morning light it seems to glow an alien green.

I wonder if Lenny saw me early this morning taking this picture from my yard in my red and black moose night shirt, barefoot. Hmmm. I don't care.

Today we celebrate Poppie's (aka Ken, Rick's dad) 90th birthday! Go Poppie!

Mom's Fridge

While my mother loves all her grandchildren very much, she may love Kerry Wood more as evidenced by the size of his picture on her refrigerator. However, Lauren pointed out that there are two pictures of her, in her skates of course. Interesting.

It's Been Waaaaaaaay Too Long

I know, I know. But I am about to make up for it. BIG TIME. Good thing I don't get paid for blogging, I'd starve.

I'll start with Alex's wedding. What a fabulous evening. Perfect weather for an outdoor ceremony. Alex and Will both looked smashing as did their parents. Rick was super hot in his purple shirt. I still can't believe I convinced him to wear it. I found the perfect fat dress (and full body girdle). Thank goodness all the styles are made to look like your pregnant and therefore hide many things. Oh, and just in case a wedding isn't fun enough, Al's (the bride's father) Lexus got smashed by the hotel shuttle bus just before the wedding. Here is Melissa and Alex karaoking (is that a word?) to "You Shook Me All Night Long." Perfect music for a wedding!

I spent a fun filled afternoon at Brookfield Zoo with Sophia, Mom and Deb. Gotta love a kid at the zoo. If life could always be so simple..........

While I love my parents very much a week at the lake may have been a bit too much. Just kidding Mom. Shirley is a lot like a toddler in that she needs constant attention. You have to feed her every few hours or she gets extremely crabby. She also needs frequent naps and constant supervision. I have to admit that I could not have survived if Mikey and Karla didn't show up for a few days. We had the best weather but after a solid week of sunny and 90 degrees we were all ready to come home. I don't think I can get any browner than I am right now. And we even got Big Bob out on the boat one day! And we discovered that beer is good food. That's right, food.

Last year I got salmonella from some hummus at Taste of Chicago but I was not going to let that keep me away this year. I have gone every single year and a little food poisoning will not deter me. Actually, the salmonella incident last year was the first time there was ever any problem at Taste. In my opinion that's a pretty outstanding record for more than 20 years. We had the usual crowd this year. Left to right are Officer Jake, Kristin, Karla, Sammi, Steph, Lauren, Joe and myself in front of Buckingham fountain, one of my favorite Chicago landmarks. (sidebar: Kristin and Sammi are Karla's daughters, Sammi is also Lauren's BFF. Officer Jake is Kristin's BF, Steph is Sammi and Lauren's BFF and Joe is Lauren's BF. Confused yet?)There is always lots going on at Taste on any given day. Concerts, giveaways, demonstrations, appearances, etc. While we did not see any concerts this year we were lucky enough to see the Budweiser Clydesdales in all their magnificent glory.Some of my favorite Taste memories from years gone by:

• Taking Shirl to see Lynyrd Skynyrd and having her ask throughout the concert when they were going to play "that song." Freebird is always, always their 20 minute encore!


• Seeing Dwight Yoakam from about the 20th row and having Rick and Mikey laugh continuously through the concert because you could see Dwight's "thing" hanging down his leg ala Tom Jones!
  
• Having Rick meet us for lunch each and every year. This year was a quick one since he had a big project he was working on and couldn't escape for longer than a sausage sangwich and a brew.


• Lauren and Sammi sharing a Hefty bag "raincoat" when they were about 6 or 7 years old. That didn't work out too well.


• Losing, and then finding, my prescription sunglasses on the water ride. This year was the first time they did not have the water ride. Someone must have gotten hurt last year and sued. End of the water ride.

There were a ton of volunteers passing out stickers, literature, etc. regarding Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. That would be so awesome if we got them. I think Chicago is one of the greatest cities in the world and if ever there was a mayor who could get the Olympics here it's Richard M. Daley. Go Daley!

July 4th. It always starts July 3rd with watching the fireworks along the lakefront from Rick's office on the 63rd floor of Sears Tower. It is so perfect. No crowds (this year they estimated a million people at the lakefront), air conditioning, no mosquitoes, lots of good food and drink and my family. This was the first year that J & J joined us. Just think, next year Wyatt will be here. Very exciting. Here's the gang at Rick's office. Left to right are Justin, Jeanne (with Wyatt) me, Rick, Sammi, Sammi's BF Jeff, Lauren and Joe. Then it's "Party in the Street" for the 4th. We have this crazy neighbor who lives in Hawaii most of the year but comes in for the 4th just to have this huge fireworks display. I swear it is just like downtown. Anyone who has ever come to Party in the Street will vouch for me on this one. About 6pm all the neighbors (along with friends and family) gather in the street. Heavy drinking ensues until Al comes out to invite us all into his yard. This is just a sampling of what we see every year.

While this video is just shy of one minute long the actual display goes on for about an hour, nonstop. This guy may be a bigger pyromaniac than my husband! Shocking, I know.

To end this post I would like to talk a bit about my lazy ass dog. When we were at the lake Ozzy was so tired after a few days on the beach I thought he would collapse. But each morning when we would pack our lunch and boat bag he would be right there waiting to go. And each evening when we would arrive home he would pass out, usually on the couch. This particular couch picture is in my bedroom here in the HG but you get the idea. Once we got back to the HG I think Ozzy slept solid for three days. There were knocks at the door that didn't even rouse him. Life is hard for the Ozman. And so much for my nice leather couch that stays covered with an old comforter so Ozzy doesn't wreck it. There's some money well spent.

Again, my apologies for not posting for a month. I promise to try and be better. Don't give up on me.

Yeehaa!

I should blog about shit that bothers me more often. The Bears released Cedric Benson today. Tooooooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. He's a moron. The Bears didn't even let him into their facility in Lake Forest today. Teach that asshole a lesson.

Stupid Fuck of the Week Award

That would go to Cedric Benson. This guy makes a bazillion dollars a year and just got arrested again over the weekend for DUI. Rent a limo you dumb fuck! And if he throws that race card out like he did after his last arrest I'm going to hunt him down and slap him hard. Look how he's smiling, in his mug shot no less. What a jag. I hope they take his license away for good but I'm sure that won't happen. When he runs onto Soldier Field for the first home game this year, I for one will be booing the fuck out of him. I am sick and tired of these athletes and celebrities thinking they are above the law. It is out of control. Lock them all up, take away their fast cars and pit bulls and give their money to more deserving people. (Better yet, put them in a room and cover them with beef gravy and then let the pit bulls at 'em!) At the very least quit raising my ticket price to pay these assholes. There, I feel better.

In other HG news:
The storms came and went with fury this weekend. Mom and Dad were without power for more than 24 hours but thanks to their good neighbor who hooked them up to a generator it wasn't so bad. Our woods are so flooded and the ground is so saturated that it will be days before the water recedes back to the creek. This morning I took an amateur video of some poor fishes that got lost. I had hoped to post it here but I cannot get it to upload to youtube.

I'm off to the mall to look for a "fat dress" for Alex's wedding this weekend. Fifteen years ago when I lost more than 65 pounds I swore I would never go back. I also thought I would be smoking forever. All that has changed. It will be 5 months on Father's Day since I have smoked. 5 months and 20 pounds. It's crazy. I don't feel like I have been eating any more than usual but the 20 pounds came so fast. One battle at a time. Once I get over the smoking thing I will work on losing the weight. Never an easy task. One thing is certain, this is the only fat dress I am buying. Until the weight is off this is the only dress you will see on me.

I think I finally fixed the pictures from the "Wii"kend post. If you are still interested and haven't given up on me you should try to view them again. If you still can't view them, I give up!

Sorry

K-Ho and Bobby both pointed out to me that my pictures from the "Wii"kend post were not loading properly. They are now. That HTML code crap still confuses the shit out of me at times. So if you've tried to view them with the same results as Karla and Bobby, you should try again.

A Great "Wii"kend

When J & J moved out they bought us a Wii for the rent free months they lived in our basement. Then for my birthday they bought me a Wii carrying case that looks exactly like a bag for a bowling ball and is ironically made by Brunswick. We spent a good portion of the weekend playing Wii, that is when we weren't on the lake. If you've never played before, you should. Talk about fun for the whole family. My favorite games are bowling, golf and Rayman. I rock the most at golf. No one has beaten me yet. I am the golf master. Bowling is fun too but Rick kicks my ass every single time. Rayman just works me up. You have to shoot these rabbits that are coming at you and my heart starts pumping so fast that someday I will keel over playing that game. But the new Rayman 2 has other rabbit games aside from shooting and I have to say I could easily turn into a teenager with the Wii. No wonder the kids can play these video games night and day. They are very addictive. Lauren is very good at all the games, a prerequisite for college, I've learned.

It was so great to spend time with the kids. Not too often we are all together in one place. And with J & J now expecting what we have affectionately named "baby Wyatt" (which has morphed into so many names but our favorite being Wynotta!) made it even more special. Great to see Marc and Ashley too. Someday we will actually go to New Orleans to visit them. Definitely for Marc's graduation from Tulane law school next year. We are so proud of him. And he probably won't like that I'm blogging about this but in two weeks he turns 30. Tough duty to be 30 and be in law school full time.

Rick caught us lots of catfish that we ate on two different occasions and lost his glasses in the lake while cleaning the catfish on the dock. Lauren even tried some and liked it. Crazy, I know. I didn't catch shit. Just one sheep's head or something like that that nobody wants to eat. But it was a decent sized fish nonetheless. To view all the pictures from our week at the lake click here.

Every Picture Tells A Story

For some the story is easy to decipher. For Rick, not so easy. After being presented with this t-shirt by J & J he turned to me and said "Check it out. Justin got me this cool shirt." It wasn't until I slapped him upside the head that he finally got it. Congratulations to Andersons North. Job well done, even if it wasn't in our basement. Can't wait to meet the little one in early December!

Memories

Eddy Arnold died today. When I was growing up in Calumet City, my mother taught me how to waltz to Eddy Arnold. I love that music. Eddy, Ray Price, Perry Como, Tony Bennett. I can't help it. They are all regulars on the ipod playlist. Such great memories dancing with my mother in the kitchen on Jeffery with my grandmother watching and usually hollering at us to turn the music down. It just dawned on me that my love of loud music must come from Shirl. Shirl rocks.


Happy Mother's Day, three days early, to all the Moms out there. We're having the Ubriaco clan over on Sunday for some Mom's Day cheer. Off to Peoria to see IllinoiSkating on Saturday. The last skate of the season. Always sad to lay a program to rest. Lauren comes home late Saturday after the ice show. That freshman year flew by. Then down to the lake with all the kids for Memorial Day weekend. I can't wait to be on the lake again. Last time was last August, too, too long.

Contraband

According to Merriam-Webster contraband is "goods or merchandise whose importation, exportation, or possession is forbidden." Possession being the key word. In my life contraband is many things. Contraband is a bottle of water in my carry on bag at O'Hare, an umbrella at Soldier Field or a camera at a Bruce Springsteen concert. In a kindergartner's world contraband might be bubble gum, candy, permanent markers or a bottle of glue instead of a glue stick. In a teenager's world it might be cigarettes, a cell phone in class or porn. But for a senior citizen............it's salt. That's right, salt. Tonight, as Rick was visiting his Dad in the rehab center, he witnessed his Dad sneaking not one, but two packets of salt to another rehab resident, who we're pretty sure, is not supposed to have salt. Gotta love the old folks sticking together.

Is this what it boils down to? I don't even like salt but my girls better be sneaking me some in my golden years!

May Flowers

Since there is "severe weather" predicted for today I wanted to share my flowering trees with my readers. They are so beautiful now. But once the rains come there will be no more flowers. Good thing rabbits don't climb trees!

GW '08

Hard to believe that we survived another Girl's Weekend. Nancy was the "Hostess with the Mostest" this time around and I must say she rocked ass. We all arrived in Lexington on Thursday night and serious eating and drinking ensued. Shocking, I know. Spent the day Friday taking a tour of Darley Farms where last year's Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense, is now a serious stud. No kidding, three times a day, everyday for six months. Then they ship him off to Australia for the other six months, again, three times a day. That's the kind of stud I'm talkin' about! From Darley we were off to Keeneland for the last day of Spring Thoroughbred Racing. After a fabulous tailgate we headed in to bet on the ponies. Sad to say there were no big winners that day. Back to Nancy's Lost Creek Farm for cocktails and dinner. Pasta night, YUM! Saturday was the Rolex Three Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park where we scored the most awesome parking spot. Crazy shit that eventing. It takes an average of 11 minutes to complete the course with the horses running an average of 21 mph jumping over jumps almost as big as my house. There were two horses that were injured in Saturday's competition that ultimately had to be put down. Very sad. Once the bloody mary booth closed for the day we split and headed back to Nancy's for shrimp on the barbie. We've learned over the years that as much as we love each other, we really can't take more than three days together. Sunday rolled around and it was time to head home. We dropped Colleen off at the Louisville airport and Nancy, Lene and I headed to Churchill Downs where I hit the exacta in the 2nd race for some serious cash. We could have stayed there all day but needed to get home. Long drive back to Chicago but we arrived safe and sound. To view all the pictures from Girl's Weekend, click here.

There is nothing better than spending some quality time with my girls. I've known Nancy and Colleen since 7th grade and Lene since I was 17. I would go to the ends of the earth for these women and they would do the same for me. Many people never have a "best friend" but I have three (4 counting K-Ho!) who I wouldn't trade for wine anything.

In other news:

Still not smoking but getting fatter by the second.

Justin turned 35 yesterday, even he is getting old! Happy belated bday dude.

Lauren finishes up her first year of college next week. That went fast.

The rabbits ate all my tulips again this year. Bastards!

My new camera sucks. I'm going to try and take it back to Best Buy. Wish me luck.

This Is Not Right

For someone who hates bugs and creepy crawlers as much as I do, this is just not right. To many people spring means blooming flowers, grass turning green, birds singing, allergies kicking in, etc. Not for me. Spring means time to wash the windows. Not a fun chore in any house but especially mine. Why, you ask? Take a look at this.This is the kind of shit that I find every spring when I open up my windows to clean them. It is not so simple as to only require some Windex and paper towel. Noooooooooo! For me it requires the vaccuum and a strong stomach not to be completely repulsed by the creatures that make my windows their home. It is so utterly fucking gross I could scream. Rick tells me not to sweat the small stuff. This is so not fucking small. There is some sort of creature out there that makes these nests in my windows. I have never seen an actual bug but there are remnants. There are "shells" and "coccoons" and even some small worms. What the fuck are these and why can't they be happy living in the woods? Does anyone know? Does anyone else have this shit nesting in their windows or am I the only freak who still even cleans windows? Neighbors? New York cousins who have lived in the woods forever? Anyone? There will be something special in it for anyone who can tell me what makes this "nest" and how to get rid of it and prevent it from ever returning.

But wait, there's more!

Help! Please help!

Meet Meier Lady

Meier Lady is one of Lauren's new friends at U. of I. She lives with Lauren's friends Mark and Wade. Kind of odd for such an old lady to live with two young men. Go Meier Lady! She's a little quiet but seems to get along with everyone. It doesn't seem to bother anyone that she occasionally dresses up as washed up celebrities like Val Kilmer. Whatever turns you on I guess.

I did survive my first Mom's Weekend at U. of I. It wasn't easy, I won't lie. They tried in vain to take me down. Don't they know the experience I have and the conditioning I have gone through? Silly college kids. After a long night of partying on Friday I felt the overwhelming urge to regress to my younger days and proudly displayed my "dead soldiers" along with those from wars gone by. Long live the Rolling Rock Army!

It was sad that some of the kid's moms didn't show for Mom's Weekend. Lauren was fortunate to have not only me but Karla as well. And so she lent Karla out to anyone who needed a mom and Karla happily obliged.

Crazy shit goes on in college. Crazy shit that I cannot post. Crazy shit that you would not want a future employer to see if your name was Googled. Need I say more?

Happy Birthday to my big (and I mean this literally) brother Michael!

My Bad

This post is the result of being up way too early and thinking anybody even cares about half this crap.

KAUAI - Just our kind of vaca. A different beautiful beach each day. Lots of amazing Mother Earth attractions. One of my favorites was Wailua Falls. Just a short easy drive from our condo leaving plenty of time for one of those beaches later in the day. The warning sign posted at the falls was truly a no brainer. Someone must have sued at some point for them to have to post this sign. You have to be a complete moron if you choose to go beyond this fence. And what's with the bullet holes?

And there was Waimea Canyon which was just freaky. Not a big fan of heights. Struggled at a few of the "scenic overlooks."

And then there was the helicopter tour that I was never, ever, ever going on. After a few drinks one night Rick finally talked me into it with a little long distance help from my brother Bob who told me it would be "life changing." Bob has always been dramatic and the accident has only made him worse. (I say that with only love in my heart.) I wouldn't call it life changing but I am glad I did it. Once. Don't need to do it again. I just kept telling myself that thousands of people do this shit every single day. So can I.
That is my life jacket around my waist. Not a fanny pack. I don't do fanny packs. Not a good look for me! This photo was taken after the tour. We went straight to the bar from here. I sooooooo needed a drink!

We took a ton of pictures and if you really want to see them all click here. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Lauren returned to U. of I. on Easter Sunday after a week long spring break. She didn't go away for spring break, poor baby. Maybe next year. When Lauren is home I can never find my cell phone charger or my Burt's Bees lip balm. I suppose there are worse things in life but my next cell phone will not be identical to hers.

After 4 months J & J finally moved out of our basement and into their newly renovated digs. While Rick and I really love living alone and having our space back, we do miss the kids. Happy hour is a little less happy. And I was just starting to get some weight on Justin. Ozzy is certain that each time he goes down the basement stairs he will find those bad kitties. It's hysterical to watch him, nose to the ground, frantically casing the perimeter of the basement. I miss the kitties too.

We are still a nicotine free household. I have lost track of the number of days but it's since Jan. 15. I remember the date only because it's tax day. Never a good day in our house. Some days are tougher than others but we trudge along.

Off to Puerto Vallarta on Saturday. A bit uneasy leaving all the ailing parents but we think we have it covered. This is our last trip of Lauren's freshmen year. What a year. Colorado, Italy, Mexico, Kauai and Mexico again, all for fun. Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, Nashville and Providence for IllinoiSkating and more fun. Time to chill at home for awhile. I know Ozzy thinks so. He had it made when we were gone and J & J were living here. Not this trip Oz. Back to Sammi coming three times a day. Ozzy loves Sammi and vice versa but Ozzy would love Sammi more if she lived with him.

In The News

Bobby Brown, the loser druggy husband, or maybe ex-husband by now, of Whitney Houston was recently arrested somewhere out east and charged with possession of a small amount of cocaine. He was found guilty at his trial and the judge actually sentenced him to be a mentor. Are you fucking kidding me? A mentor to who? I don't know about you but I think that is effed up.

Also in the Chicago news, they have taken away Drew Peterson's gun permit. Now there's a concept. Ya think?! What took them so long?

I have too many things to rant about regarding Governor Blowjobavich and not enough time. Some other day.

Anderson family news update:

• Hawaii was absolutely fabulous and I will post more about that soon, I promise.
• IllinoiSkating took 5th place at Nationals. Their best showing ever. Maybe a medal next year.
• Today is day 49 and still no cigs. Rick has been off the chew for 42 days. I've been off the meds for the last 7 days and feel great. So far we have saved $350 on cigs and chew! We're setting that dough aside for one of our sun-filled vacations. Much better spent on that.

This Could Be My Family

My friend Sue sent this to me today and I must share. Except for nobody getting one upside the head with a wooden spoon I think this could be me and my siblings. Enjoy!

Our Travels Continue

After a blissful week of sun, beaches, good food, lots of cool refreshing cocktails and some much needed "alone time" with my hubby, we are off to Providence for the Synchro Nationals. For the next 18 hours or so we will be flying from Lihue, Kauai to Providence via Honolulu and Chicago. What a bitch to have a layover in your home city. Oh the cost of being a world traveller.

I don't know a whole lot about Providence except that they have good lobsters for cheap. Is there anything else a girl needs to know? Lauren is already there preparing (along with her team) for competition on Saturday. Then it's an early flight home to the Windy City on Sunday morning. Once home I promise to blog all about our great Hawaiian Adventure.

COCK-a-doodle-doo

We had read about the wild roosters on the island of Kauai and we were told/warned of them by our timeshare, but quite honestly, you cannot believe how annoying they are! Not only do they "COCK-a-doodle-doo" in the wee hours of the morning, it goes on pretty much all day and night. I think they know exactly when your head hits the pillow then the party really starts. It is 4am now and since I got out of bed I have not heard a single rooster. As for Rick, he can sleep through anything. God bless that man. Perhaps a nap on the beach is in order today. Or by the pool. For now I'm just going to kick back, try to enjoy the wildlife and have a mimosa! Aloha!

Day 31

That's right. 31 days and no cigs. I can't even believe it myself. There are so many things that I have noticed/realized since quitting smoking.

• I can now purchase sweat pants and pajama pants without pockets.
  
• My cute little "dress" bags have much more room in them without the cigs.


• I don't smell like an ashtray anymore and neither does my car or house.


• There is more to most restaurants than just the bar area.


• My purses no longer have to have an inside pocket.


• My sense of smell is incredible.

These are just a few. Today when we fly to Kauai (woooohoooooooo!!!!!!) I won't have to rush outside to smoke while Rick waits for our luggage. And I won't have to worry about stashing my lighter before going through security. This non-smoking thing gets easier and easier. I think vacation will be a challenge. Cocktails, beach, good food. All of those things used to include my cigs. Should be interesting.

Off to Kauai then on to Providence to see IllinoiSkating whoop some ass at Nationals. And to eat some yummy lobsters. Thanks to Al and Mary Ann for the lobster recommendations!

OOPS!

After entering our subdivision (I hate calling it that because unlike most subdivisions the houses are all different and our lot sizes are quite large, ours being over 3 acres) one must travel down a big hill (like the one near Grandma's house in Jay, for the NY readers) before turning left at the bottom of the hill to get to our house. For years we have joked with the neighbors about the fact that nobody has ever run into the guy's house at the bottom of the hill when the roads are snow covered. Until a few years back when our good friend and neighbor Sue took out the guy's mailbox with her Explorer. Needless to say some good-natured teasing ensued.

Well Sue, you are no longer alone. The kids came home from work last night to inform me that there was a car stuck on the berm of this home. Turns out the car belongs to another of the neighbors. When will they learn?

I, for one, will always drive an Escalade, or the like, as long as I live here. I will also go slow down the hill in the snow!

Going to Nationals

Tough competition this weekend but they pulled it out. Fifth place finish for IllinoiSkating. Enough to make it to Providence for Nationals in three weeks. We have gone to many skating competitions over the years but this one was quite bizarre. The venue was actually an Agricultural Expo Center that they brought an ice rink into. The locker rooms were trailers. It was in Tennessee after all. But what a difference college makes. We were able to spend some quality time with Lauren (and the other girls) in Nashville before they competed. This was absolutely forbidden with the Chicago Jazz. There would be no fun on the Jazz trips. Just skating 24/7. I like this much better. Keep up the great work girls!

Go IllinoiSkating!

We're off to Nashville for Mids. Out of the nine teams in the Collegiate division we have beat 7. Of the two we have not beat, we have never competed against one. Illinois skates second of the nine teams on Saturday at 6:46pm. The girls have been working very hard and so have the other teams. The program has been made more difficult in order to hopefully get a higher point score from the judges. So have the programs of the other schools. Should be an interesting competition. The top six teams will go to Nationals in Providence on Feb. 21. Let's hope Illinois is one of them.

P.S. Lauren is in the back row, far right. :)

Paper or Plastic?

Anyone who has ever been grocery shopping (this would not include Rick) has been asked this question. In the past few years most stores have gone to using only plastic bags but paper is always available upon request. I choose paper. Every single time. The plastic bags spill all over the back of my truck requiring me to rebag everything before I can unload. Plus, they are SUPER bad for the environment. So what is so difficult to understand about wanting paper bags? Why must the bagger always give me at least one plastic bag? No, I want fucking paper. End of story. It's not that hard. Yesterday, I actually spoke to the manager about this. I spend a ton of money in that store and I want paper, all paper, every fucking time. We'll see if that happens. Stay tuned.

I'm thinking my going off on the Jewel manager, a Home Goods employee and poor Alan Jones from Cingular (excuse me, the new AT&T) yesterday may have something to do with the nicotine withdrawal. Not sure. Only six cigs since January 15 and none since Monday morning. This is the longest I think I have ever gone without smoking, aside from the pregnancies. So far, so good. I haven't been on the 10 o'clock news yet. Bonus.

A Good Read

Check this out. http://southsidejournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/01/15/sports/sj2tn20080115-0116fen_ubriaco1.ii1.txt

It's Time

I'm finally going to do it. That's right. I'm quitting that dirty, filthy, expensive habit that is also killing me. Today is Day One. One day at a time. I'm not going cold turkey. I got me some drugs. There's a concept, take drugs to quit drugs. Kind of crazy. There is a new drug called Chantix that has shown great results. But I must also do my part. I cannot expect to simply pop a pill and never want to smoke again. I know this will be the battle of my life but I am so ready. I refuse to let the cigs control my life any longer. And the money I will be saving in the coming year will be more than enough for a fabulous vacation. That's what I call incentive.

Last night Rick and I went to the casino. They have this neat little heated tent outside for the smokers since Illinois is now smoke free. As I stood in this smoke filled tent having my Marlboro, there was an older gentleman with a very gruff voice and a wicked cough complaining about having to be in this tent to smoke. He went on and on about his grandfather who smoked lived to be 105, how alcohol is more dangerous than smoking (I don't know the stats on that and I'm pretty sure this guy didn't either,) and all the additives they put in food that will kill you. In between his coughs he sounded utterly ridiculous. As much as I have enjoyed my smoking over the years I have never argued the medical facts that smoking kills. This guy was an idiot. I do not want to be an idiot. End of story. Wish me luck.

Today's Agenda

Since I finally got all of my Christmas decorations taken down and put away yesterday, I had planned on getting to a long list of menial chores today. No chance. I must start building my ark. It has been raining steadily since about 5pm yesterday and much more rain is in the forecast for today. Having the creek run through our woods is quite lovely most of the time, but when the heavy rains come the creek swells quite rapidly. While we have never had water in the house due to a storm, it does put us on edge each time. Thank God for our sloping land. The rains would have to come for 40 days and 40 nights before the flooding would ever make it to the house.

Ozzy is not too fond of the flooding. He almost always does his "business" in the woods. Very thoughtful of him since we don't pick up after him in the woods. On the rare occasion he does go in the yard, we don't pick up after him then either! Each time we walk him when there is flooding, he gets to the edge of the yard and stares longingly into the woods for a few moments. With the saddest face ever he then squats and does his business. Poor dog. Life is hard for him.

After ten long weeks...

...Bob is finally home. Still a long road ahead but I know he can do it. Debbie, Sophia and I went down to St. Louis to welcome him home on Thursday. We actually arrived at his house before Bob and Teresa made it home from the hospital. As we were sitting in the kitchen waiting for them, it occurred to Debbie and I that perhaps we should have stopped somewhere for a "Welcome Home" balloon, or something. Nah. Instead, I quickly took a piece of paper from the printer and improvised. Not quite the welcome he deserved but c'est la vie. We were fortunate to share his first meal at home with him and his family. Best damn meal I've had in a long time. As Debbie, Sophia and I headed downtown to our hotel for the night, I was pointing out the St. Louis Arch for Sophia to see. When we finally got close enough, Sophia asked, "What do you do with that?" I explained how you could take an elevator to the top of the Arch to get a view of the city. After a short moment of silence, my 4 year old niece said, "Excuse me. I'm not doing that!" Don't you just love kids? Especially when they're not yours?!

Happy Birthday to my brother Joe who turns 48 tomorrow. Damn, we're all getting old!