Monday, September 29, 2008

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.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

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."

Thursday, September 25, 2008

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.

Monday, September 22, 2008

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.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

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 !

Friday, September 19, 2008

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!!!!!!!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

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.