WTF

Yesterday was Sophia's 6th birthday and since I will not be with my family for Christmas, I went to visit her yesterday with birthday gifts in tow. Actually only one gift. It was a bit more than I usually spend but she really wanted the Barbie Pet Vet Care Center. She was thrilled upon opening it but not me. I had to put it together. Not too difficult a task except for all the decals that need to be applied. Side bar - I thought my days of putting toys together were over then along comes Sophia and Audball. Oh well, so much for that! Once I finished the assembly process I began to put all the little accessories in their proper spots in the Care Center only to discover that we were missing the plastic scissors and the dental mirror. I promptly phoned the hotline where I was immediately connected to a live human being. SHOCKING! But even more shocking was what I was told regarding the missing items. The conversation went something like this:

Me: I am missing a couple of items from the Barbie Pet Vet Care Center.
Carlos: Oh, yes, we are aware of that.
Me: What?
Carlos: Because this is a new item this year, production has been slow on certain accessories. So many of the Centers are missing items.
Me: You mean to tell me that Mattel knowingly put this product on the shelf without these accessories?
Carlos: Yes, sir (he did actually call me sir which I corrected immediately! I realize I have a deep voice - thanks mom - but c'mon!) but if you give me your name and address we will ship them to you, free of charge, (oh thanks) as soon as they become available.
Me: And when might that be?
Carlos: Well, we just ordered them yesterday.
Me: OK, but when might that be?
Carlos: I have no idea, but as soon as we get them we will ship them to you.

What the fuck. That's a crock of shit if I ever heard one.

IllinoiSkating Takes the Bronze at Porter Synchro Classic

These girls just keep getting better. A bronze medal for the Collegiate team (Lauren's team) and a pewter for Open Collegiate at the 14th Annual Dr. Porter Synchronized Skating Classic in Ann Arbor. Pretty impressive and the season is young. I cannot begin to tell you how hard these girls work and how dedicated they are. It's inspiring to say the least. Here's to many good things for IllinoiSkating this year! Cheers!

OUCH!

As if my Dad dying wasn't enough. The night before his funeral as Lauren was driving home from U. of I., she hit a deer on the highway going 70mph. This is the result. $6800 in damage, but my baby was fine, not a scratch. The only casualty aside from the Jeep was her cell phone. When Rick and I showed up at the accident scene I just about collapsed. Apparently when she hit the deer her hood flew up and blocked her visibility, at which point she ran off the road just missing a slew of trees and a huge guard rail. It had been such an emotional week but when I saw that Lauren was OK, I lost it. In her effort to calm me down, Lauren simply said, "It's OK Mom. Grandpa was watching out for me." At that point, I realized that my Dad will always be with us, in the best of times and the worst. Thanks Dad. I miss you.

She Be Wild Wins BC Juvenile Fillies

While I realize that this post may have been more exciting had you seen it sooner, it has taken me this long to recover from the most exciting weekend of my life. She Be Wild won! What a race. And the parties......each one was better than the one before. Rick and I have been to some great parties in our time but this was the ultimate. And, I have to admit, having the guys around for a Girl's Weekend was fun, for a change. Not that we want to make a habit of it. And while the race is over, it is all just beginning for Nancy. Cangrats to my BFF!

Check out the pics:

Breeders Cup 2009

And the race.

The Blog Lives!

Today we're off to the Breeders Cup Challenge in Pasadena. It's cool enough to go to any race track, being the track junkies that we are. But going to the Breeders Cup as a friend of an owner is going to be crazy. This is Nancy's horse, She Be Wild. She is racing in the Juvenile Fillies race tomorrow, race 4, post position 8. There will be 12 of us there celebrating the fantastic year She Be has had. Win or lose she is a winner in our hearts. The race will be broadcast live on ESPN2 starting at 2:30pm tomorrow. I think post time for She Be's race is 3:45pm. Currently her odds are 8-1. Look for us in the Winner's Circle shortly after!

Future posts:

Dad's weekend at U. of I.

IllinioSkating

Audball

Dos Dos Dos

Sorry for being gone so long. It was a much needed hiatus. But I'm back and have more to say than ever!

My Italian Heritage

I can't help it. I just want to feed Audrey. And feed her some real food. This girl loves her groceries. So on Sunday I made Audrey her first sweet potato. Clearly it was a big hit. Next up: butternut squash. YUM!

Like No Other

That's all I can say about New Orleans. What an interesting place. We had a spectacular time this past weekend. Lots of fun on Bourbon Street, lots of yummy food including char grilled oysters and the best beignets ever. One thing I learned for certain is Lauren is never going to New Orleans without me. It is no place for a cute young blond. And it's a good thing it took me until this point in my life to make it to New Orleans. I think if I was young like Lauren I may not have come home.

We arrived in NOLA late Friday night and immediately upon checking in our hotel we headed straight across the street to Chuck's Bar and the party began. We only stayed out until 4 that night. Saturday was graduation day. I cannot begin to express the pride we felt for Marc. He has worked so hard for the last 7 years. First undergrad at UCLA then off to Tulane for law school less that a year after hurricane Katrina when no sane person wanted to live in such a devastated city. No sane person but Marc. Here we are 3 years later and he has a Juris Doctor degree and a place he finally calls home. That's right. He and Ashley are staying in New Orleans, they love it there and Marc has a job. Something that many of his fellow graduates do not have. We enjoyed a fantastic celebratory dinner at Desire Oyster Bar with the entire family including all both of Ashley's parents and their spouses, Marc's mom, J&J and Audrey. Rick made a lovely toast to the newest lawyer in the family that brought tears to my eyes and his. He is so proud of his son. But I have to tell you Lauren and I were done with all the lawyer talk between Marc and Rick this weekend! Then it was time to experience Bourbon Street. I am speechless when it comes to Bourbon Street. It is like no other place in the world. Nowhere else in the world can you get a "Huge Ass Beer" to go. Bar after bar after bar, most with live music and all with crazy drunk ass people (not us of course). Ashley told us of a game that her and Marc frequently play when they're on Bourbon Street. It's called "Costume or Not." I have to say that most times it's not!

On Sunday we enjoyed a lovely brunch at Lil' Dizzy's. $20 all you can eat and all the mimosas and champagne you can drink. My kind of place but it would have been better had we all not stayed out so late the night before! Then it was off to a traditional New Orleans craw fish boil that was hosted by a friend and fellow Tulane Law graduate of Marc's. Marc described their craw fish boils as being akin to out bonfires. Nothing but a keg of beer and all the craw fish you can eat. No napkins, just a hose. Very interesting to experience the local culture on this level. After a brief rest we were off to dinner, again with the whole gang, at Acme Oyster House and then on to Bourbon Street again. After three consecutive nights of partying til the wee hours we decided on Monday night that none of us, including Lauren (go figure that we could have worn out the college kid) needed another night on Bourbon Street. There was a point on Sunday night that Lauren and I were in a bar and Rick was waiting outside for Marc to show up. Lauren had a clear view of Rick outside and leaned over to me and said, "I don't know what's going on out there but Dad has a bunch of beads!" Turns out he was being pelted by some drunks up in a balcony! Time to move on before somebody gets hurt! Another fun filled day on Monday including lunch with J&J&A, a cocktail at the Carousel Lounge (The bar actually rotates like a carousel. Lauren and I agreed that we were only good for one drink at this place! I'm not good with the round and round thing. When I would watch Lauren practice her spins for skating, sometimes I had to leave because just watching would make me dizzy.) and finally some shopping for all that touristy stuff. Dinner Monday night at Drago in the Hilton. Probably one of the best lobsters I've ever had. Not to mention the shrimp fondue and more char grilled oysters. You can't go too far in NOLA without having char grilled oysters. Tuesday was time for a muffletta. Not any muffletta, the original muffletta from the Central Grocery. Turns out the Central Grocery and the muffletta are both Italian. Who knew? After stuffing ourselves once again Marc and Ash took us for a scenic (I say this sarcastically) drive of the ravaged lower 9th ward. Absolutely devastating to see the damage from hurricane Katrina even four years later. My prayers go out to those people. And yours should too. Then it was off to the airport and home to the HG. Our time with the kids is always too short but 4 days in NOLA is about all I could handle without going to rehab!

Some highlights from our Cajun adventure:

Audrey-she is the best travelling baby EVER! Never heard her cry all weekend and we put her through the wringer.
HUGE ASS BEERS to go-no explanation needed.
The trail of powdered sugar from the beignets that went from our elevator straight to our hotel room door. Not to hard to figure out who made the mess in the hotel hallway!
The drag queens on the seedy party of Bourbon Street, now there's a sight!
The guy in Chuck's bar with the fake mustache that at one point in the night was actually on the guys cheek.
The old broad on Bourbon Street who showed her "stuff" and scarred us all for life!
The craw fish boil-gotta love an afternoon of cold beer and head sucking!
Riding the streetcar-a first for me and Lauren.
And last but certainly not least-seeing Marc get his diploma. A proud, proud moment.

Deck update:
While in NOLA work continued until the building inspector showed up and shut us down. No more work until I go to the Health Department and get them to "sign off" on our septic system. That's on my list first thing today. My builder said there are all old men at the health department so I'm going to wear something a little low cut and smile pretty and hope for the best this morning. If all goes well the earliest they will be back at work will be next Thursday. What a pain in my ass. What really makes it a pain is the fact that the building inspector showed up because a neighbor called in to complain. Complain about what? That my deck will be better than yours? Get a life and mind your own fucking business.

Heading to Cadiz later today for a sun filled weekend on the boat. We are missing a celebration at my brother Ken's house this weekend for my niece Allison's college graduation. She graduated from University of Missouri in just three years and is moving to Denver with the BF in 2 weeks. We are so proud of her too, and since we love Denver I know it won't be long until we visit. I know I'm getting old when the nieces and nephews start graduating from college!

To view pics from our trip click here.

The first two pics are of the bullfrog that is living on the edge of Karla's pond. They got mixed in with the grad pics. The bullfrog is probably about 6" round. He (or she) is HUGE!

I'm Over It

I have seen Bruce Springsteen somewhere around a dozen times, I've lost track. Maybe that is why I thought he was not that good on Tuesday. Yesterday I had a hair appointment and when I got to the salon another woman was talking about the concert and how great it was, yada, yada, yada. Well, it was her first time seeing him that's why she thought it was so great. When Bruce opened with Badlands and led right into Spirit in the Night I turned to Rick and said, "If he doesn't play anything else, I'm happy." Well, he pretty much didn't. Here's what I have to say about the concert:

Bruce could take Rock-a-Bye-Baby and turn it into a 20 minute rock anthem. While he played for almost three hours he only played three songs!

I'm glad we did not pay full price for the tickets.

I didn't come to hear some little kid in the front row sing instead of Bruce. That kid will be scarred later on in life when he realizes he can't see everyone from the front row.

Bruce did not play Thunder Road. How dare he.

Bruce and the E Street Band are all getting old. So am I except I am not asking you for $125 per ticket to see me.

Deck Update:

Things are progressing albeit slowly. Hopefully by the time we get back from New Orleans next week we will be able to walk out of our kitchen door again. The yard is such a mess. I will post some pics sometime soon. But there really isn't much to look at, just a lot of destruction. You saw the hot tub, well, the rest of it looks a lot like that.

Tramps Like Us

Baby we were born to run!

Last minute plans to go see "The Boss" tonight. We tried to get tix when they went on sale several weeks ago to no avail. Today I thought I would check out Craigslist for the heck of it. Not only did I score but the guy who had the tickets worked in Sears Tower and was able to meet Rick in the lobby and do the deal. Bonus! My full review tomorrow along with a deck/porch update.

So Sad

In 1999 when we bought our hot tub we had a patio poured outside of the basement to place the hot tub on. The day the cement was poured Megan was only 7 months old. Lauren wrote Megan's name, Sammi's name and her own in the cement and we took Meg's foot and hand and made prints. I remember Lauren saying she was too old to make prints in the cement. We did the same for our dog Charlie. We thought that would be there forever. As of yesterday, they cut out part of it to make room for a new post for the new deck and screen porch. I had them save the part they cut out in hopes of putting it somewhere else. But I have to say that watching them do that yesterday brought me to tears. Those are my girls. All of them. Lauren, of course, because she is my daughter; Sammi because she is like my second daughter; and Meg because she is the best niece an aunt could ask for. And then there's my Chuck. He was the best dog. He never ate lamb chops off the counter!

No More Hot Tub

Part of our deal with Crockett Construction was they had to get rid of our hot tub. I have been trying to get rid of it for 2 years with no success. Yesterday they sawed the hot tub into about a dozen pieces and tossed it in the dumpster. Yeeehaaa! When I went out to take some pictures I noticed the workers were using a broom that was identical to the push broom I own. Sure enough. When confronted they confessed that it was indeed my broom. I told them I was paying Todd Crockett enough money that I was pretty sure he could afford a broom. By the end of the day my broom was back in my garage all clean and pretty. Monday we will have the discussion that what is in my garage is mine and there will be no more helping yourself to whatever you need.

You Can't Make This Shit Up

Demolition on our existing deck began this morning. It is taking no time at all for three men to tear our deck to pieces. I took Ozzy out back to take a look at the process and snap a few pictures. As we are walking back to the house along the 30 year old spruce trees that line our property, Ozzy stops to do his business. I turn and look only to discover that he is peeing on one of the worker's sweatshirt! I'm not one to ever act sheepishly but I called out to the guys and asked whose shirt it was. When the one replied that it was his I told him what just happened. Of course everyone got a huge laugh out of it. Then the other guy said the dog peed on his shirt because he's a Sox fan. I can't argue with that. Said sweatshirt is currently in the washing machine.

Grettings From Cabo

Rick makes everyday seem like paradise but the man has some serious competition with Cabo. This place is absolutely amazing. The resort has 7 pools each with its own swim-up bar, key to any good vacation. There are several restaurants and each one that we've tried is outstanding. One of them has the most delicious shrimp tacos that I'm totally addicted to. We finally ventured into town yesterday only to discover that there is no real reason to leave our resort. What a life, thanks to the big man. As my Italian Grandma Rose used to say, "She sure fell into a pile of shit when she married him!"

In other news:
While here in Cabo we able to successfully negotiate a price for the new deck and screened porch we're about to build back home in the HG. Demolition should begin by the end of next week and the project should be complete in about 4 weeks. We seriously considered taking down the pool before building the new deck but decided that Audrey needed the pool. What fun it will be to have another little one floating around this summer.No more slivers for my nieces and nephews! I know they'll be happy to learn that. I look forward to posting before, during and after pictures.But I have to say that having workers at the house everday for a month does not appeal to me. At least they won't actually be in the house.

BUENOS DIAS!

Tax Day

Never a good day in our house. And yesterday looked as if it would be no exception. But wait......not so fast......For reasons which I won't get into, we ended up having to drive downtown at 8:30 last night to mail our taxes at the main post office. As we exited the Dan Ryan into the loop, the traffic was a nightmare with a thousand other idiots like ourselves waiting to mail their returns. Then there was Berto. Berto is the man. There he was in his orange vest and Cubs hat walking up and down Canal Street collecting returns from all the losers like us who waited until the last minute. In years past we have always waited until the last minute because we always owe, and owe big. But this year we are actually getting a REFUND! Only because we overpaid. Not because of anything else. But a REFUND is a REFUND!

After dumping our returns in the reliable hands of Berto we headed into the loop for dinner and ended up at the Rosebud Steakhouse, one of our favorite restaurants. It occurred to us as we sat down that the last time we were there was the day Audrey was born. The restaurant is only two blocks from Northwestern Hospital so we hunkered down and waited for the call from Justin. And when it finally came we could not haul ass fast enough to meet Audrey. So not only do we have the wonderful memory of Audrey being born to associate the restaurant with but now tax REFUND day. This may become an April 15th tradition.

What a Gem!

While in KY, Bonnie and I took a few side trips. One was to Nashville for the night. Nashville is about an hour and fifteen minutes away so whenever Rick and I have gone in the past we have never been able to experience the "honky tonks" because we always have to drive home. Not this time. Bonnie and I set out early one day and made our first stop The Hermitage, which was Andrew Jackson's home. We spent almost five hours there. Very interesting. Excellent guides. I highly recommend it if you're ever in the Nashville area. According to Bonnie's AAA guide, it's a gem. I definitely agree.
A few facts about Andrew Jackson: He was an orphan at age 14; He was the largest single slave owner in American history, estimated to have owned as many as 140+ slaves at one time; He and his wife, Rachel Donelson, did not have any biological children. They had one son who was an adopted nephew.

After leaving the Hermitage it was time to check into the hotel and begin cocktail hour. Very important business. We enjoyed some libations and were off to dinner. Dinner was at one of those Tex-Mex places where you can throw your peanut shells on the floor. I kid you not when I tell you I had one of the best pork chops ever at this joint. Sante Fe is the name of the place. They also had 32 ounce margaritas for $4! You can't beat that with a stick.

One of the main reasons for spending the night in Nashville was to be able to go to the honky tonk bars and drink and have a good time and not have to worry about driving home. All along our intention was to take a cab from the hotel to the strip of honky tonks, party and dance like fools til the wee hours, and cab it back to the hotel. But after talking with a hotel employee who told us of a benefit concert that was taking place that evening at the Troubadour Theatre adjacent to the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, right behind our hotel, we just had to change our mind and go with the concert instead. For $15 we saw 3 hours of live music from the 4th row of a 400 seat theater. It was amazing and we both agreed it was the best $15 either of us has spent in a long time. Acts included Crystal Gayle, Stu Philips, James Intveld, Stonewall Jackson, Jim Ed Brown, David Ball, Jesse McReynolds and George Hamilton IV.

The next morning we took our time rising and then headed to downtown Nashville to check out some of the honky tonks, including the famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, another gem.

Our other side trip was to the Museum of the American Quilter's Society in Paducah. The quilts in this museum are nothing short of breathtaking. There were old quilts and new, hand stitched and machine sewn, miniature and large. Absolutely worth the trip. And another gem. Three gems in three days. Top that!

I didn't take many pics but if you're so inclined, take a look.

Cadiz Spring 2009

Kings of the Boat

Sunrise in Cadiz

I am always up early. Maybe it was the years of 5am (sometimes earlier) skating lessons or maybe it's just in my genes since the rest of my family has the same problem. But days like today I am glad to be an early riser. Before I took this shot of the sunrise over the lake this morning, I washed all my kitchen cabinets. My mom and sisters will appreciate that.

Today is our last day here. We had planned on staying until Saturday but the weather forecast for Thursday and Friday are foul at best. So we'll head out tomorrow and stop at U. of I. on the way home to take Lauren out for dinner. Then Rick will go back to work on Friday. Probably a good thing for him since we leave for Cabo on the 19th and he'll be out another week this month. The man still has to bill you know. Everyday can't be vacation.

What a glorious two weeks this has been.

He Can't Help It

The man must burn. I need him to burn here at the lake. The garbage pick up here is a situation. Since the majority of the people who have homes on the lake do not live here full time the sanitation company has a terrific policy of "pay as you throw." You don't have any kind of service contract with them you simply leave your money (cash or check) in an envelope taped to the garbage can and they haul your crap away. $3 per can, $2 per hefty bag. Simple, right? Except that Monday is garbage day and most everyone, including us, almost always heads back home on Sunday. You can't leave your garbage at the street when you leave on Sunday because there is no one to bring the cans back to the house. Some say, "No problem. Just put the garbage in big ol' hefty bags and and leave it." They have never experienced the wrath of raccoons. Inevitably we often travel home with garbage in my truck looking for a dumpster somewhere. Then we do the dump and run. Lene is very good at this. We also burn anything that is paper when we are here. Totally legal to burn unlike the dump and run. So Rick burns. And he burns well.

But since we were here this past Monday I happened to observe the garbage man actually bringing my neighbor's (who do not live here full time either) garbage cans back up to her house. I immediately grabbed a few bottles of cold water and ran out to the street. I handed him the water and asked if he did that for everyone or just my neighbor and would he do it for me if I made it worth his while. He said he would and I'm going to give him a little something on Monday for his trouble. Why didn't I think of this before? Our garbage woes are over at last. Six years but no more. Brilliant.

So how much do you think I should give this guy? There are two of them. One drives, one rides on the back and does the deed. Keep in mind this is Kentucky.

Side note: There was a terrific ice storm in western KY in February. Rick is burning the tree limbs that fell on our property. We were luckier than most. There were parts of KY that were without power for 12 days, including Cadiz. As I drove in on I-24 last week there were piles of trees every 100 yards or so along the interstate and much more that stills needs to be done. There were no deaths related to the storm which is remarkable. And it has put many people here to work. So those are good things. But man, don't mess with Mother Nature. She is oh so powerful.

Today's Catch

Actually this is only half of today's catch. Rick caught the most but I held my own. Growing up with four older brothers one would think that I would have fished at some point in my life before hooking up with Rick. But that is not the case. Not one of my brothers is a fisherman. So I think I finally have found something that I can beat them at. Or at least a sport I can beat them at. Because I am pretty sure I can whoop any one of them at the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle or a game of Scrabble but the sports, not a chance. They always kicked my ass and never let me win at anything growing up. That's OK though, for that has made me the tough ass that I am and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Watchoo Talkin' Bout Willis?

In my lifetime it will always be Sears Tower. Always. Plain and simple. But I cannot boycott Willis Tower since my hubby works in the building. I'm wondering if Willis has stock in some kind of printing business since everyone in Rick's office (and I'm sure all other companies in Sears) have to get new business cards and letterhead printed with Willis Tower instead of Sears Tower on them.
What are they trying to do to our great city? First they take away our beloved Marshall Fields, then in comes that nasty ass Trump and his mostly vacant tower, and now Willis. What's next? Renaming Chicago to Oprahland?! ARGH!

In My Next Life

My father has always said that if there is a "life after" he wants to come back as my mother's dog. I want to come back as Lauren. Right now she has arrived safely in Florida for the week with 5 college friends. They are using our time share and staying in a 2 bedroom condo on the beach. Lauren just called to say that the master bedroom is HUGE with a HUGE walk-in closet and a HUGE master bath with separate shower and Jacuzzi tub. Nice. Good for her. We just hope we don't see her on one of those Girl's Gone Wild commercials!

Truth be told, I want to come back as me because my life ROCKS! Rick spoils both Lauren and me. And he does it quite well. I just got a brand new whopping diamond ring for my birthday. And it's not even my birthday for 4 more days. I love that man for so many reasons not just the great "prezzies" he gives me. But it makes the birthdays far more tolerable. In fact, it makes me want to have a birthday a month.

The girls are coming to Chitown this week for my birthday. Look out. Always a crazy time with them.

Then it's off to Cadiz for some good fishing I hope. I love fishing. It is so relaxing. Not to mention I tie a mean knot. Johnson taught me. He is the ultimate fisherman. I could learn lots from him and I have. Johnson and Kyle are heading down with Rick on Friday then Bonnie, Ozzy and I will join them on Monday. Ozzy is crazy for the lake. Really just the beach. He loves the beach. He especially loves to roll in the sand on dead fish that have washed ashore. Nasty. So so nasty. But I have good odor removing dog shampoo, thank God.

I Love Free Corona!

And so does Colleen. Or at least she will when she visits for my birthday.

The new Kenwood Liquors has finally opened in the HG. Those of you from the Chicago area know that Kenwood has the cheapest prices in town. Cheaper than Binny's Beverage Depot, Sam's Club and all the grocery chains. Needless to say our excitement over the opening can hardly be contained given the amount of alcohol we consume. (Note to self: give recycling guy bigger Christmas tip.) My first trip to Kenwood was aggravating at best. After a several minute long argument with the cashier that the case of wine that was $7.99 per bottle should ring up cheaper that the case of wine that was $8.49 per bottle, I finally asked to speak with a manager who also had a difficult time grasping this. Turns out, I gave up and did not purchase the case of wine that was $7.99 per bottle. In the meantime the cashier rings everything up and boxes it up and a nice young guy aids in the carryout. As this guy is loading my car he apologizes for the cashier's mistake saying they just opened and are working out some kinks. I realize at this point that the cashier has boxed up two handles (that's what the college kids call them) of liquor that I did not purchase. I kindly and honestly point this out to the guy and he takes them back and apologizes again. I tell him that the cashier was DUMB AS A ROCK! And in today's economy when so many people are out of work it shouldn't be that difficult to find someone with half a brain to work as cashier. Not knowing how to respond he simply agrees with me. Smart move.

Yesterday I venture into Kenwood for another stock up. I buy a few cases of of wine, a few individual bottles of wine and a case of Corona. While I'm waiting for them to bring up my cases of wine many things ensue that make me realize that this cashier is also DUMB AS A ROCK! Sure enough, I get to my car and pull out my receipt only to realize that she charged me for just one 12 pack of the Corona. Normally I am an honest soul but this was just too much. I gladly drove home with my free beer.

Everyone should shop at the new Kenwood. If you purchase more that 3 items you're sure to get one free!

University of Illinois Synchronized Skating Team

This was taken just after their Silver Medal skate. I love this shot. GO ILLINI!

Illinoiskating Takes Silver at Nationals!

That's right.........Silver medal at Nationals! That would be 2nd in the country!!!! (I really hate when exclamation points are overused but I can't help myself in this situation!) Nobody expected it. Except, maybe, just maybe, the girls. They work so hard all year long to travel all over the country to prove themselves in a four minute skate. Four minutes. That's it. Not 9 innings, not a half, not 3 periods, not 4 quarters, not 18, 36 or 72 holes. 4 minutes. There is no coming back in the second half. It's now or never. You have to be on and they were in every sense. The Collegiate division is changing. Here comes University of Illinois Illinoiskating! It was such a close competition. Close between second and fourth place. Miami Ohio took first, they always do. Hard to compete with the Redhawks. But this is the first time ever the University of Illinois has medaled at Nationals and the first time they have ever beaten Michigan State and Delaware, both skating powerhouses. The Illini's skating program has only been around since 2001 and is already making the skating community take notice. They certainly did this weekend. Illinoiskating was the talk of Collegiate division. This victory may even help Illinoiskating's argument for Varsity status. Let's cross our fingers. That's Lauren, front row, second from right.

We are so proud of our daughter. Not only this but straight As last semester and on track for more of the same this semester. Lauren works so hard at everything she does and she deserves this so much. What great fun to be a proud parent.



In other news (as if there really is any! Ok, ok, I'll quit with the exclamation points.):

Dad is hanging in there with the chemo, etc. It has been rough recently but I'm hoping we are on a better path now.

Going down to Cadiz soon for a few weeks. Looking forward to spending some time with family and with my honey. We have lots of visitors coming and going so it should be a good time. Rick and I also got a fishing guide for one day. Then we are sure to catch some fishies.

The Girl's are coming in for my bday. Always a crazy ass time with them. On the agenda so far are limos and lobster and champagne, Corona for Col, and Hawthorne. Can't have a Girl's weekend without a little horsey action.

Marc is graduating from Tulane University's School of Law on May 16th. Wow. Three years, gone already. I'm sure Marc would argue the swiftness of those years.

Ozzy survived the lamb chop episode. Darn.

We miss Audrey. Maybe I can sneak over for a visit this week.

I Should Know Better

This morning I took some lamb chops out of the freezer to cook for dinner. Rick loves lamb chops. One could say that I am Queen Shit in Rick's eyes when I cook lamb chops. I hate lamb chops but I love my husband, therefore I cook him all the nasty meat he wants. While I was digging through the freezer I found a package that was unmarked. I unwrapped it and it was a little piece of sirloin. I thought I would take that out as well and make The Man steak and eggs for breakfast tomorrow. Again, Queen Shit. Rick went to visit Poppie this afternoon and I headed out to the grocery store. When I arrived home I discovered that Ozzy ate the lamb chops and the sirloin that had been thawing on the kitchen counter. BAD DOG! Plan B is homemade pizza for dinner.

Ozzy was a year and a half old when we adopted him from the shelter. He weighed 42 pounds. He is now 9 years old and weighs 72 pounds and our vet says that he is the perfect weight. But somewhere along the road of his life he was not fed well. This is why you can never leave lamb chops on the counter. Or any other kind of food. Silly me.

A First for IllinoiSkating

It was a very successful weekend for IllinioSkating. As always, the competition was tough but they skated a very clean program. Clean enough to earn them 4th place and a pewter medal. The first ever medal for IllinoiSkating at Midwestern Sectionals. And, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place were only 2.14 points apart. One month until Nationals in Maine. The girls certainly have their work cut out for them.

In other HG news:
-We got to spend the evening with Audrey last night. She is smiling and cooing and doing all the cute things little babies do. She's perfect.
-Happy birthday to Jeanne, tomorrow. We love you JLA!
-Got a new car, a Beemer. Maybe I'll post a pic soon. Then again, maybe not. I have been driving a truck for 12 years so Rick promised that if I didn't like driving a car that he would give me back my beloved Escalade. I'll keep you posted.
-We're supposed to go to KY next week, but no power there due to ice storms. They have been without power for a week already and expect it to be at least another week, maybe several weeks. We'll just play it by ear.
-My Dad got a good check up last week. His tumor has shrunk by 20%! That's huge! Why can't he be the one that lives for years with Stage 4 lung cancer?
-Blowjobavich is finally outta here! No one is happier about this than Rick and I. Apparently his daughter skates for Chicago Skates and had her security detail pulled last Thursday night from the hotel at Mids. That poor girl.

Classic

The Jaguar has pissed us off for the last time so we are in search of a new car. Not new, but used. Much cheaper that way. Last night we headed out to look at a few vehicles. The first was another Jaguar. For the life of me I cannot understand Rick's fascination with these cars, but whatever. He works hard, he can have whatever car he wants, except the shitty Jag he has now. After we get the whole spiel from the salesman he sends us out to the lot with keys in hand for a test drive. The car would not start. Didn't buy that one! We promptly headed to the next dealer across the street to look at BMWs. The particular Beemer we looked at only had rear wheel drive. Not a fan of the rear wheel drive in Chicago. When the snow is coming down it is not the car you want to be travelling in. The salesman insists that because of how BMW "balances" the engine that the rear wheel drive is just as effective as a front wheel drive vehicle. To prove his theory he hands us the keys and tells us to drive across the street to a parking lot that has not been plowed and is covered in about 10" of snow. After he goes on and on about how great it handles in the snow Rick and I finally set out across the street. We immediately got stuck in the snow! Not buying that car either. The search continues today.

So sorry for not posting forever. I'm hoping to improve on that.