The Youngers

Pre-dinner watering hole

2010-05-23T21:08:00.002-05:00

Pacificos are flowing freely at El Paseo prior to dinner - oh yes!!

Coyote cafe

2010-05-23T16:23:00.001-05:00

Last night we ate dinner at the chef's counter at Coyote Cafe in downtown Santa Fe. We ate great food and got to watch the chefs prepare not only our dinner but everyone elses! While there the owner was fileting a huge piece of ahi tuna and saw us eye balling it so he brought us over a plate of it. Yummy!

Lazy Saturday

2010-05-22T16:16:00.002-05:00

Lunch and sun poolside this afternoon. We were able to make spa appointments for tomorrow and Monday as well. We are planning to head into downtown Santa Fe tonight to walk around and have dinner. Not sure where yet, but we will figure it out.

Enjoying Santa Fe

2010-05-22T09:32:00.000-05:00

Just finished breakfast on our veranda after landing in Santa Fe last night. Had a great dinner at our resort's main restuarant, Terra, last night. We were even able to catch the Blackhawks at the bar before we were seated.

Today, we are looking to go to yoga class, then sit by the pool and maybe even hit the spa. Stay tuned for more updates.

We are going here.

2010-05-19T09:59:00.003-05:00

Friday we leave for Santa Fe, New Mexico. We have never been there but hear it is cool. A good mix of food, shopping, outdoors and relaxation. Hopefully we have good weather and can take time to sun, hike and spa.

We are staying at Encantado which is apparently an Auberge resort...although I'd never heard of it until a couple of months ago. I found it online and got a great deal on the room so we figured why not try it. It looks nice and they are supposed to have a great spa. We will see.

San Fran & Napa

2010-05-01T17:38:00.007-05:00

In April my Mom and I both headed to San Francisco to spend some time with Matt. We arrived on Thursday evening and met Matt downtown near our hotel. We went to a great local place for dinner called The Thirsty Bear. We shared several tapas dishes and had some great microbrews. On Friday Matty had to work so Mom and I set out to do some shopping. Although we didn't spend too much time in the stores we both walked away with several new items. I bought new sunglasses and a jacket and pants from lululemon. Mom got a shirt on sale from Banana and the same sunglasses I got but in a different color.

Friday night Matty picked us up from our hotel on Market Street and we headed towards the Warf for dinner at a local Chicago style pizza place. We enjoyed great pizza and got the chance to catch up. Saturday we headed up to Napa to do a few wine tours and to have lunch. Ben's client owns two wineries in Napa so we were able to get complementary tours and tastings while we were there. Chimney Rock was great and we were lucky enough to have a private tour where we saw the vineyards, where they make the wine and the warehouse where they store the wine before heading into the tasting room. We all ended up buying some wine and were able to get a great discount. Following Chimney Rock we headed to the famous Mustard's Resturant for lunch. When Ben and I were in Napa this time last year, we also ate at Mustard's and again, it didn't disappoint. The food was great and we left full. We headed to Rutherford Hill for our second tour and tasting. At Rutherford we were able to walk their man built caves where the barrels are stored and to taste while in the cave. Although we thought the tour at Chimney Rock was better we were able to do our tasting while in the caves so that was a pretty cool touch.

After a pretty long day in Napa we had to hit up the J Crew outlet on our way back to the city. I got some great deals at the outlet and then we headed back to Oakland for dinner. We ate at The Fat Lady which is a restaurant near Matt's house. We actually ate there when Mom and I first went to visit Matt in San Fran. Again the food didn't disappoint. After dinner we said goodbye to Matt and headed back to our hotel for a decent nights sleep before our flights the next day.

Overall we had a good visit with Matt and will have to try and get another trip planned out there soon. Here are a few pics from our visit.

Christmas Recap Part 2

2010-01-20T11:08:00.011-06:00

On the 26th we flew from DRC to Key West to meet up with Ben's family. We were lucky enough to be flying out of Detroit the day after that crazy guy decided to try and blow up a flight as it was headed to Detroit. We got to the airport early expecting a long delay to get through security. You wouldn't have even know there was a terrorist threat the day before. We breezed through security and made it to Key West with no issues.

We spent the next 10 days or so chilling in Key West. This year we stayed in the same house that we have had for the last several years. We spent our days laying in the sun, reading and relaxing and our nights enjoying the yummy food.

After some time in the Keys we picked up a rental car and hit the road headed to Miami. We got a great deal at the Four Seasons in Miami, 2 nights for the price of 3. The hotel is in a pretty urban environment but has a great outdoor pool area and gym. Side note - in the 3 days we were there, 2 difference pro basketball teams stayed there, the Hawks and the Celtics. It was pretty funny standing next to the whole Celtics team when I got out of the elevator. :)

While in Miami we were able to lay out by the pool (although it was a little cold), hit the gym and get a massage at the Spa. We also made it into South Beach for some great dinners. I've done a brief recap of the restaurants below.

Acqua (Four Seasons Miami) - The first night we arrived in Miami we decided to stick close to the hotel and had a lovely dinner at Acqua. The atmosphere was pretty bland but the food was great. I had bacon wrapped scallops and Ben had fish. We also had homemade raspberry sorbet and vanilla bean ice cream. Yummy!

Nobu Miami - On Monday night we headed into Miami Beach to try out Nobu. I've heard of Nobu for years and was so excited to finally try it out. Now I won't lie, a large portion of why I wanted to got to Nobu was the chance that we might see someone famous as Nobu in NYC, LA and Miami are known as celebrity haunts. But as much as they are known for being a celebrity hot spot, they are known for having great sushi. Nobu is located in The Shore Club hotel and I wished the weather was warmer because the outside environment at the Shore Club looked awesome. I would have liked to be able to hang out outside and soak in the atmosphere. Maybe next time! Ben and I shared a warm dish of spicy shrimp and rice to kick things off and then ate our faces off in sushi. The food tasted great and was so fresh. No celebrity sitings but still worth the trip.

Prime One Twelve - On Tuesday night we went down to South Beach again, this time to check out a steak place. When Ben and I were in South Beach years ago, we stayed in a hotel right across the street from Prime One Twelve but couldn't get in while we were there. This time we planned in advance and I'm so glad we did. This place was awesome. The portions are huge so it is best to go when you are hungry or with a group in order to share salads and sides. Ben and I ended up sharing a wedge salad, a ribeye for two and mac & cheese. It was a great meal all around. We topped dinner off with dessert or fried Oreo's. Yeah that's right, fried Oreos. Yummy! I also couldn't believe how busy the place was on a Tuesday night. We left around 10:00 and there was probably 60 people still waiting to be seated. If you are in Miami and looking for a good steak with great atmosphere I would highly recommend this place.

Finally we flew home to DRC on the night of the 6th. It was tough to come back but we had a great time recharging our batteries before heading back for busy season.

Christmas Recap Part 1

2010-01-17T13:23:00.006-06:00

As always we spent Christmas in Detroit with my family. This year we were lucky enough to see both my Mom and my Dad. My Dad and Linda sold their house in North Carolina and are in the process of building one in Atlanta. In the meantime they were staying in MI for a few weeks. On the 23rd Ben and I were able to celebrate Christmas with Dad, Linda and Linda's mom. We chatted, opened presents and had my favorite food for dinner, pizza! It was great to see them and catch up. Hopefully we will be able to visit once they are all settled in the new house.

On the 24th we hosted Christmas at Mom's house. As always the food was wonderful and the company even better. My aunt, uncle, cousins, grandma and some family friends were all there to celebrate. Rather than doing a gift exchange this year we did a gift card white elephant. Everyone had a great time and walked away with gift cards to spend. I think this will become an annual tradition!.

Usually we leave for Key West on the 25th, but this year we didn't leave until the 26th. As a result, we were actually able to open our gifts on Christmas this year. And in keeping with my Mom and J.W.'s tradition, we headed for dim sum for lunch. You wouldn't believe how busy this place was! Who knew so many people liked Chinese food on Christmas.

Tree Trimming

2009-12-14T22:02:00.006-06:00

Two weeks ago Ben and I made the trek to Home Depot to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. We happened to choose to get our tree on one of the coldest days of the year so far. Burr! We literally took all of 3 minutes to select our tree. $38 and 5 minutes later we were headed home with the tree strapped to the roof. We got the tree in and set up but waiting until last Tuesday night to decorate it. The theme for the tree is the same as last year. Simple!

Maybe next year I will bite the bullet and get new ornaments. A few pictures of the holiday decorations are below.

Animal!

2009-12-14T21:46:00.005-06:00

So Lucy's hair was so long that every time she scratched or got her hair wet from being outside, it matted. It got so bad that Ben and I ended up shaving her body. We wanted to do her face too but it she was too squirmy so we left her face alone. As a result she looks like Animal from the Muppet's. Can you see the resemblance?

Happy Birthday!

2009-12-09T12:45:00.003-06:00

A big shout out to Ben on his 35th birthday. Hope you have a great day!

Long Time No Post

2009-11-09T09:12:00.004-06:00

Well I guess you can say that things have been status quo here, hence no posts. We have just been moving along with nothing out of the ordinary to report. Over the last couple of weeks we picked up the new car, celebrated Bob's birthday, worked and hung with Lucy. Over the next couple of weeks we will be celebrating Lindsay's birthday, Thanksgiving and eventually Christmas. We still haven't figured out our plans for Thanksgiving or Christmas but we will have to soon.

Halloween came and went with little fanfare. No pumpkins, no costumes, no candy and no trick or treaters. I'm not going to lie...I really don't like Halloween so I didn't mind much. :)

It has been baby mania the last few weeks. Wade and Kristin welcomed twins, Henry and Millie. Brent and Maria welcomed their second baby, a boy named Harrison and Aimee and Tom welcomed a girl, Rosie. Congrats to all!

Other than that, I've still been doing yoga 3 times a week and I'm going to try and stick with it. It is hard but fun and I can tell I'm getting stronger. I am working to hold Crow longer - see pic below.

And maybe eventually I will be able to do this variation, Side Crow.

New Car - Kind of

2009-09-24T07:59:00.006-05:00

The lease on our car is up in a month so Ben and I headed to the dealership last night to discuss getting a new car. In about an hour we were able to agree on a deal where we are paying basically what we have been paying for the past 3 years, but we got a 3 year newer car.

What car did we get you ask? The same car we had of course - all the way down to the color inside and out. We should get the new car in 3 - 4 weeks.

Old car -

New car -

Just imagine they are both black.

Around the World and Back - Part 2 Acapulco to Detroit to The UP to Chicago

2009-07-05T10:02:00.012-05:00

After the wedding on Saturday we relaxed and hung by the pool on Sunday and then everyone headed home on Monday morning. Ben and I were Detroit bound through Houston again. Our flights were uneventful and we arrived in DTW on time. Tuesday through Thursday I worked in our Detroit office. I was able to get to know some of the members of my new group who are based in Detroit while getting through some work that had piled up while we were in Mexico. Ben worked from my parents house trying to get through files and emails from us being away.

Lucky for us the Cubs were in town playing the Tigers that week and Mom, Ben and I were able to get tickets to Tuesday nights game. It was a great game with the Cubs in the lead until a walk off home run in the 9th that allowed the Tigers to win. Needless to say Mom was happy and Ben was not. This was my first trip to the new Tigers Stadium and it was really nice. The stadium is huge, they have great things for kids and from what I could tell there wasn't a bad seat in the house.

Thursday morning Ben headed for Boyne for 5 days of golfing with his Dad and some buddies. This is one of several annual golf trips that Ben takes. This year there were 8 "old guys" and 8 "young guys" as Ben called it. They play two rounds of golf every day except for the first and last (travel days) where they only play one round. I know I couldn't play that much golf but the guys enjoy it and it is a great opportunity for Ben to hang out with some of his friends from back home.

I spent Friday preparing for our trip to the UP. Mom and I had to do some last minute shopping, I had to repack and also make meatballs for one of our two group dinners. I found a great Bobby Flay Italian Meatball recipe on the Food Network website and got to work. Saturday we packed up JW's new truck with all our stuff and Mom, JW, Lucy and I were off. We made it to Manistique in good time even with a stop for lunch and a stop to pick up pasties for dinner.

Saturday night through Friday night were spent at fish camp. We had the same cabins as last year and the same pontoon boat. Sunday was a great first day, sunny and warm. No one else had arrived yet so JW, Mom, Lucy and I headed out on the boat so JW could do a little fishing and Mom and I could read. Monday through Thursday were cold and cloudy and very windy. So much so that we spent most of our time inside reading, napping and even working on 2 1000 piece puzzles we bought in town to help us pass the time. Ben arrived on Monday afternoon as his last round of golf was rained out. Max, Nora and Karl arrived late Monday night and Donnie followed on Tuesday. Fred, Heather, Abby and Ethan arrived on Wednesday. We had two great group dinners, one with steaks and the other spaghetti and meatballs. Everyone pitched in and helped prepare and clean up so it made for a relatively easy event.

The sun finally returned on Friday mid-day and we were able to get out in the sun again. The boys were able to get some fishing in finally. Ethan won the trophy this year with a 10 Walleye caught on the last day. Saturday was a perfect day, warm and sunny but of course we had to jump in the car for the 7 hour drive back home. Ugh! Another great year at fish camp with lots of food, beverages and relaxing.

We are back in Chicago for the first time since June 17th and are trying to mentally prepare for the work week ahead. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Wedding Day

2009-07-05T09:36:00.010-05:00

Saturday was wedding day. During the day the girls headed to Casa Gina while the boys convened at Casa Mona. Both groups feasted on a great brunch including french toast, chiliquilies, fresh fruit, bacon, toast and mimosas. After brunch the girls had several ladies come buy to do manicures, pedicures and massages. It was perfect - they came to us and the price was right. $10 for a mani, $15 for a pedi and $35 for a 40 minute massage. With those prices most of us did all 3. :) After our services we hung by the pool, chatted, listened to music and read. It was a perfect way to start the wedding day and a great way for Lindsay to relax.

As far as what the boys did during the day...my guess is there was a lot of gambling and drinking given the several photos of boys wearing sombreros that were emailed to the girls throughout the day.

Around 4 pm we headed back to our respective villas to get ready for the wedding. Judy, Britt, Sandy, Audra and I worked through some last minute details for the wedding while Lindsay went to get ready. After we were sure everything was in the right place we followed Lindsay's lead and got ready for the big event.

The wedding ceremony was held in the garden on the grounds. Beautiful! We almost made it through the ceremony before the rain started. It is rainy season in Mexico so the rain wasn't totally unexpected, although we were all hoping we wouldn't have any.

The tables for the reception were set out around the pool, overlooking the bay. It was a beautiful setting, but due to the rain the tables had to be moved up to the main house. While the location was changed the group enjoyed appetizers and drinks. Dinner and dancing followed and everyone enjoyed themselves. I know Ben and I headed to bed around 1:30 am and the party was still rockin' when we left. The sign of a great event!

Congrats to Lindsay and Nate - we are so happy we could be there to celebrate with you.

Around the World and Back - Part 1 Chicago to MI to Acapulco

2009-07-04T22:29:00.010-05:00

On Wednesday, June 17th, after a full day of work Ben, Lucy and I hit the road and headed to MI. We were leaving the next morning on a 7:30 am flight out of DTW headed to Acapulco, Mexico for Linds and Nate's Wedding. After an uneventful 5 hour drive we landed at my parents house in DRC to drop off Lucy and get a good 5 hours of sleep. Thursday morning we hopped a flight to Acapulco via Houston. In Houston we hooked up with 2 other couples on their way to the wedding as well. The 6 of us were met at the airport in Acapulco by Lindsay and our house manager Santiago. Santiago had beers and cold towels waiting for us in the van...what a way to start the trip! We had 3 villas where the 22 people in town for the wedding would be staying. Casa Gina held Lindsay's girlfriends and their significant others while Casa Mona was reserved for Nate's guy friends and theirs. Casa Aranjuez was where the wedding would take place and where the family along with Lindsay's friends Audra and Chris would be staying. Audra's family owns two of the villas and were nice enough to let Lindsay and Nate hold their wedding there.

We stopped at Casa Gina to drop off Lauren and Dave and Rachel and Pete before heading to our villa. Although we never made it to Casa Mona both Casa Gina and Casa Aranjuez were beautiful. Most of Acapulco overlooks the bay and much of the houses, villas and resorts are build into the side of the cliffs above the water. This makes for multilevel residences, with very private grounds and beautiful views. Staying at Casa Aranjuez was Bob and Judy, Linds and Nate, Audra and Chris, Sandy and Brittney and Ben and I. We all had our own rooms and the layout of the house allows you to feel like you are each in your own home.

Thursday afternoon we hung by the pool and relaxed. We were able to have a light lunch, toss back a couple of cocktails and try and prevent a serious sunburn. Thursday night while each group had dinner at their villa's Ben and I headed out to a local restaurant to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. We had a great dinner of shrimp, tuna and red wine overlooking the water.

Again on Friday we hung out at the villa relaxing, getting some sun and trying to stay cool during in the Mexican summer heat. Friday night we had the rehearsal dinner at a local restaurant. After a brief rain shower and a bit of a leaky roof, we all settled in and had a great dinner. It was the perfect way to start off the wedding weekend while getting at the groups together.

Saturday was wedding day - more to come on this in the next post.

Acapulco Here We Come!

2009-06-15T21:59:00.004-05:00

Ben and I can't wait - on Wednesday we head to DRC (Detroit Rock City) to drop Lucy off at my Mom's and then fly out the next morning to Acapulco. Ben's sister, Lindsay and her fiance, Nate, are getting married on the 20th in Acapulco. Ben and I can't wait to get to Mexico to celebrate Lindsay and Nate's wedding. Early congratulations to Nate and Linds, we are so happy we can be there to celebrate with you!

Ben and I will be traveling to Mexico on our 4 year wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary Benj!

Napa

2009-06-09T09:33:00.004-05:00

A long overdue post on our trip to Napa....After SFO Ben and I drove up to Napa for the rest of the weekend and the week to follow. Lucy Ben has a new client that is in the wine business and was working at one of the wineries for the week. I was lucky enough to not have any jobs in the field and was able to tag along and work remotely. We arrived in Napa late Saturday night and checked into the hotel. Nothing fancy, just a Hilton Garden Inn, but the rooms had just been redone and they had a nice pool area too. Sunday Ben and I headed out to visit some of the wineries. Through the day we hit 3 wineries for tastings and one for a tour and tasting. The weather was perfect, 75 and sunny and we had a great time learning about the wine making process and trying the different types. I won't do a true review on the places we visited but here are a few thoughts.

Castello di Amorosa - huge castle recently built, but made to mirror historical Italian castles and completed with all materials brought over from Italy. Did a tour that allowed us to go through the caves and taste out of a barrel. Wine wasn't great but the info from the tour and access to the caves and the barrel tasting made it a great way to start the day.

Summers - small (I mean really small) family owned winery. The wines were really good and they make a specific wine called a Charbono that goes perfect with tomato and or garlic based foods. We really enjoyed this place and actually ended up buying 6 bottles.

Chateau Montelena - great grounds with a lake and Chinese gardens. Perfect place to take lunch and eat outside before heading in to taste some wines. This winery is the one that is featured in the movie Bottle Shock which tells the story of how the winery beat 4 french white wines and 5 other California whites when the French judges were convinced that the top white wine they tasted was a French wine. Wine was very good - we took a bottle home with us.

Chandon - huge operation but with great sparkling wine and a cool atmosphere. They do have other wines (Ben tried a Pinot flight) but I love their sparkling wines. The other great thing about this place is you can sit outside, inside, wherever and drink your flights. You don't need to just belly up at the bar and toss back 3 glasses and leave. The other bonus - their pours are basically full glasses. Well worth the $16 tasting fee!

After our 4 visits on Sunday we headed to dinner at Mustard's. A great place for laid back, good food. But keep in mind you will need reservations or risk a long wait.

Monday night we headed to a Giant's game and froze our butt's off. With the stadium right on the water and the coolness of SFO in general we were all under dressed for the night game. But even through we couldn't feel our toes we had a great time sitting right in front of the visiting pitchers throwing area and harassing them.

Tuesday night Ben and I headed to Auberge du Soleil for dinner. We had considered going to the French Laundry but when I compared the menu examples I thought for the price we would enjoy Auberge more. Now don't get me wrong, this wasn't a cheap meal (plan for $500 for two, with wines), but for the money we thought this would be a better choice than the French Laundry and it didn't dissapoint. We were seated on the back balcony overlooking the Auberge property and the valley. The evening cooled down and the restaurant was ready with heaters. The temp dropped to the mid-fifties and I was wearing a sundress and didn't even need to put a wrap on. Ben and I decided to do the 6 course tasting menu with wine pairings and had a great meal. I would highly recommend visiting if you are planning a visit to Napa. If you are interested in dining at Auberge but the price scares you away, consider eating at the less expensive Bistro for lunch. You can still enjoy the scenery and the wonderful food but not the huge price tag.

Wednesday Ben was able to get out of work a little early and scored us a private tour of Chimney Rock. Chimney Rock is one of the wineries owned by Ben's client. Tom gave us a great tour of the grounds the manufacturing area and then lead us through a customized tasting that was some of the best wine of the trip. We couldn't resist sending another 6 bottles home. :)

After a great week in Napa I headed home on Thursday morning to meet my Mom at the airport. She was coming in for the weekend. Ben headed home on Friday. Overall a great trip to SFO and Napa. Can't wait to return!

SFO

2009-05-12T20:43:00.003-05:00

Ben and I headed out to San Francisco on Friday afternoon. After a super long flight...damn headwinds...we finally landed, picked up the car and headed to Digg. My brother works there so we swung by and got to see their new offices. After a beer...yeah they keep beer in the fridge...we went for dinner and drinks in the Mission district.

After several beers and a long wait we finally sat down at the bar and ate at a place called Monk's Kettle. Matt and I had mac and cheese and Ben had the Chicken Pot Pie, both were awesome. After dinner we headed to Matt's for the night. Saturday after a light breakfast, courtesy of the coffee shop around the corner we hopped in the car and drove up the coast. We headed through the Presidio, over the Golden Gate Bridge and up the coast to Stinson Beach. Stinson Beach is a very small ( I think the sign said population 450) sleepy little surf town. We parked at the beach and walked through town and through a park, where we stumbled on a dog contest. The contest hadn't started yet so we kept going and headed to a cute little outside restaurant called the Silver Dollar. After a yummy lunch, the three of us walked back through town and caught part of the dog show. There were all kinds of dogs and the announcers kept trying to make them do tricks. All I could think about is what Lucy would do if we were there. She would be barking her head off and trying to eat the other dogs. Probably not what they would have wanted in a contestant. We headed back to San Francisco and Matt's house where were able to sit on the rooftop deck and enjoy the sunny weather. For dinner we ordered in pizza from a great place in Berkley called Zachary's Pizza. If you are in the Berkley area I would highly recommend this place. Delicious! Finally after dinner and a nice visit with Matty we hopped in the car and headed an hour north to Napa. More to come on the Napa visit.

"I'm Goin' Back to Cali"

2009-05-08T09:08:00.004-05:00

Ben and I head to California today. Ben has to work in Napa next week (rough, I know) and I'm tagging along too. We fly into San Francisco this evening and will get to spend some time with my brother who lives out there. Tomorrow we will hang out in the city a bit and in the afternoon head out to Napa. Next week while Ben is at the client I will be holed up in the Hilton Garden Inn in Napa working remotely. We can't wait to get out of Chicago and spend the weekend relaxing and visiting family.

Thanks to Bob and Judy for watching Lucy while we are gone. We'll miss her but I'm sure she will love being outside most of the day and spoiled with treats.

I just don't understand!

2009-04-22T18:28:00.007-05:00

I just don't get it. In the last 4 months 4 people I know personally or through someone else have been diagnosed with breast cancer. 2 of the 4 are my age. I'm only 32. This doesn't even consider that my aunt has been fighting this disease for the last year and that my grandma survived the disease several years ago. How is this possible? I know that as we get older we will all be touched by someone who has fought against cancer, but it just seems crazy to think that 4 people in 4 months all have the same kind of cancer. It just makes you wonder who is next and when will it happen.

I know there isn't much that I can do to help make the fight easier for those battling this disease, but know that you are in my thoughts.

You too can help fight by getting involved in the Network of Strength (formerly Y-Me). Grant Thornton is a national sponsor of the Walk to Empower being held in Chicago on Mother's Day. To sign up to walk please visit their website at https://walk.networkofstrength.org.
If you can't walk but still want to help please make a donation to the Network of Strength by donating to the Grant Thornton Chicago team at http://walk.networkofstrength.org/Page.aspx?pid=232&frtid=32

Finally!

2009-03-15T21:38:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow we finally get new carpet. For the last 3 weeks we have been living on a dirty concrete floor downstairs. The carpet guys are finally coming tomorrow to install the new carpet. I can't wait to put the house back together and to clean it from top to bottom.

Waterworld

2009-03-01T17:31:00.007-06:00

I woke up Friday morning, excited that it was finally Friday. Just like every other morning I got up, took a shower and came back out to wake up Ben. When I walked out of the bathroom I stepped on the carpet with bare feet for the first time. Squish! Ugh....the floor is wet.

I woke Ben up and we figured out that the sump pump was full and wasn't running and that water was coming up through the floor. Ugh! We called a plumber and he came out and figured out that the sump pump in the back had stopped working. We had a ton of rain on Thursday and when you put those two things together the water had no where to go except up through the floor. After the pump was fixed we had some water guys out to see if the carpet was salvageable. After they looked at it we determined that we couldn't save the carpet and in order to prevent mold we needed to get the carpet and pad up ASAP and then lay an anti-microbial wash.

After several hours of moving furniture and clothes from downstairs to upstairs the carpet and pad were out the spray was down and 6 blowers and 1 dehumidifier were in place.

We've filed a claim with insurance but they can't get out here until next Friday. Hopefully they will approve the claim and allow us to get new carpet ASAP. I've posted a couple of pictures of the damage. It doesn't look that bad but at the end of the day it will probably cost us about $6,500.

Yoga

2009-02-15T20:43:00.004-06:00

Ben and I have started taking a yoga class at 6:00 pm on Sunday nights. We have both been wanting to try yoga for quite some time but it seems that every class at our gym was and hour and a half class. I don't know about you, but doing something for an hour and half when you have no idea what you are doing and you don't know if you are going to like it is pretty tough to commit to. Finally the gym started a hour long beginners class. Except for the Super Bowl weekend, we have been since we got back from Key West. I love the feeling we have after class, relaxed but aware and I actually feel like I got a great workout in. Hopefully after a couple more weeks of this class I'll feel like I can do one of the hour and a half classes!

Weekend Update

2009-02-08T20:25:00.005-06:00

I've been neglecting our blog due to my new addiction - facebook. It seems as though all my free Internet time is spent on facebook, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with the blog. So an update

Ben, Lucy and i headed to MI for a few days before Christmas. We were able to hang out with my parents, grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Day Ben, Lucy and I flew from DTW to Miami and then made the drive to Key West. We met Ben's parents and his sister Lindsay and fiance Nate. We were gone a week and had a great time enjoying the warm weather, good food and good company.

After the holidays we headed back to work as we moved into our busy season. We are in full swing now, with mandatory Saturdays and Ben and I are working to alternate our schedules so we can get home to take Lucy out.

For Ben's birthday his parents got us tickets to Wicked. We had a great dinner at Catch 35 and then headed to the show. We really enjoyed the show, thanks to Bob and Judy for the tickets.

We headed to a pre-busy season party at Antony's house. We had a great time hanging out with people from work in a more relaxed setting.

We hosted our annual super bowl party and had around 25 people and 3 babies over to watch with us. Lucy loved the attention she received from all our guests and aside from losing out on a $10,000 pot when the Cardinals got the safety. Ugh! That would have been perfect vacation fund money.

This past weekend we celebrated my birthday. Technically my birthday isn't until tomorrow (Monday) but Ben took me out to dinner at Everest last night and then to Pops for Champagne for an after dinner drink. We had a great meal and really enjoyed good food and good wine.

Tomorrow starts the really crazy part of our busy season and both Ben and I have a bunch of jobs running the next few weeks so we are gearing up for some long stressful weeks. We can't wait to be on the other side of this season.

Ben and I have started taking a yoga class at our gym on Sunday nights that we really like and aside from missing class for the superbowl we are planning to make it a weekly habit.

Still Alive

2008-12-21T22:15:00.006-06:00

Yup - I'm still alive. I know that might be hard to believe considering the lack of posts but here I am. Things have been crazy at work and now with the holidays I just can't seem to find time to post. Also, with my new addition to facebook it seems that most of my "web" time is spent there.

So considering I haven't posted in awhile I'll give a brief update on what has been going on. I was working at ton traveling to STL almost every week. Good news is that, that is done and I'm in town. We also celebrated Ben's 34th birthday on December 9th. I treated him to a great dinner at Arun's and then we celebrated on the night of his birthday with his mom and sister with a home cooked dinner. Thanks to Lindsay for hosting and Judy for cooking. Since then we have both been working on our Christmas shopping and getting ready to be away from work for a few weeks over the holidays.

Tuesday we leave for MI where we will spent just about 2 days before heading down to FL to spent a week with Ben's parents. Lucy, Ben and and I will be making the annual pilgrimage to Key West on Christmas Day. I'm not sure who is more looking forward to it Ben and I or Lucy. Let's just say that Lucy is so over the cold weather.

Even after much nagging it looks like Matt (my brother) won't be coming home again for Christmas as the flights are way expensive $700+. So I guess my Mom and I will both be shipping his presents to Cali. Other than that I think both Ben and I are looking forward to the break before busy season hits. Hopefully we can rest up so that the 60+ hour weeks we return to aren't as brutal.

With that - time to get some sleep. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Deliquent

2008-11-23T09:32:00.001-06:00

I know I haven't posted anything recently. Ben and I have been traveling and then recently work has been crazy. Actually right now I am at the office - yes it is Sunday. Ugh! I hope to have a bit more time after Thanksgiving to get back to posting and my normal life.

Things I Love

2008-11-02T16:58:00.010-06:00

This is the time of year, right before Christmas, where all of the stores are coming out with their new stuff. I love looking at the catalogs and websites and marking what I like. Between Christmas and my birthday right after I get great clothes. Here are a few of my favorites right now. Benj, take note!

Congratulations are in Order

2008-11-02T12:48:00.002-06:00

Lindsay and Nate got engaged! Last night after a trip to Blue Man Group to celebrate Nate's birthday he surprised Lindsay with a ring. They were going out to dinner to celebrate and Nate had organized for all of their close friends to be there when they arrived. 20 of us were waiting at Las Palmas to celebrate with them. Lindsay was so surprised, the look on her face was priceless. We had a great dinner with everyone and then headed to Emmitt's for some drinks. Ben and I are so excited for Nate and Linds and we can't wait for the wedding. Congrats!

We're Back!

2008-10-05T16:01:00.007-05:00

That's right - we are back from our vacation to Hawaii. It was wonderful. We spent 10 nights on two different parts of Maui. First, we stayed at the Westin in Ka'anapali in West Maui.

The Westin was wonderful and we had a great view of the pools and the ocean from our room. The hotel is huge, which generally I am not a fan of. But even thought he hotel was so big we never felt like we were just a number. The staff was very nice and made the stay great. The lobby is incredible with a huge waterfall, the largest koi fish I've ever seen, white and black swans and even pink flamingos. While at the Westin, we worked out each morning (the time difference is a killer and had us up each morning by 7). Breakfast was included and they had a great outdoor buffet. After our workout and breakfast we would head to the adult pool. The weather was awesome, but really hot. Many days I had to stand in the pool and read because I just couldn't bear just laying out. The location of the adult pool was perfect, right by the bar, which had two big screen TV's. Ben was able to lay out and stay up to date on all the sports events he was missing while we were gone.

While staying at the Westin we did two activities. The first was sunrise at Haleakala and then biking back down it. Ben and I woke up at 2:00 am to get picked up at 2:30 for the drive to the top of the mountain. Once we arrived at the top we watched the sunrise and tried not to freeze our butts off. It was around 40 degrees but when you are used to 85 degrees in HI this is quite a shock. After the sunrise we went back down outside of the national park and got on our bikes. You coast down on a bike going between 15 and 25 mph. We made several stops to check out the sights and take pictures. Overall it was pretty cool. The second thing we did was go to the Old Lahaina Luau. This is supposed to be the most traditional luau on Maui and it didn't disappoint. There were both men and women hula dancers who performed and they were awesome. Before the show we were able to walk around and watch some of the performers doing some old school crafts including making lais and wood carvings. We had traditional seating on the floor on pillows and we were right next to the stage. I highly recommend this to anyone visiting Maui.

After six nights at the Westin we headed to South Maui for the Four Seasons. The grounds and the rooms at the Four Seasons were incredible. The place was just beautiful. Of course it isn't cheap, but the service and amenities are outstanding. While lying by the pool the staff brings cold towels, Evian spritzes, fresh fruit and icy pops through out the day. They even have free sunscreen. Everyday we would get up and work out in the open air gym and then lay between the pool and the beach on the lounge chairs. The sun was super hot and it was tough to stay outside all day but we tried our best. While at the Four Seasons we snorkeled, kayaked and got a massage. We snorkeled right off the beach in front of the hotel and were able to see a ton of fish and coral. We shared a two person sea kayak and were able to go up and down the coast in search of sea turtles. After some time we found several and were able to circle in the water with them. It was awesome!

Throughout the trip we had great weather and good food. We did a little bit of shopping and the above noted activities but most of all we did a lot of relaxing. It was a perfect vacation before we had to get back into the swing of things with busy season. I've posted a few pics for everyone to check it out.

Hawaii here we come

2008-09-14T23:45:00.000-05:00

In just one week's time Ben and I will be chillin' in Hawaii. I can't wait. This will be our first long vacation this year and anything related to the sun, beach and water I love. Last year we were in Europe for 3 weeks and although it was a great trip, we spent most of our time sight seeing. Except for the 4 days we spent in the Amalfi Coast, where we just lounged and sunned. I'm super excited to relax, see the island, lay by the pool and beach, read some books and eat some great food. There are a few must do's, surfing lessons, snorkaling, massage, luau, etc. but for the most part we are just relaxing. Ugh, I can't wait! I'll be sure to post a review and highlights when we return.

Addicted to facebook

2008-09-14T23:39:00.000-05:00

There - I admitt it. I'm addicted to facebook. I never thought I would ever say that and until a few months ago I had never even been on facebook before. I blame a coworker. While waiting for our delayed plane in the Evansville airport, he created a facebook account for me. I kept telling him that I didn't even know what to do with it and no one my age is even on it. Little did I know that EVERYONE is on it. I've been able to reconnect with high school friends, college friends and even my friends now. I love hearing about what everyone is up to and seeing their pictures. Now I only wish I could get on at work.

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T14:37:00.003-05:00

We have had a wonderful weather weekend here in Chicago. A little warm but better than the alternative. Ben and I had dinner with our friends Brent and Maria on Friday night at a new place in the city. Of course I can't remember the name of the place but it is where the old Tyme restaurant was. They have a great outdoor space which was perfect for this Friday night. Saturday we went to the Cubs game with a friend from work and his wife. She actually was a freshman in my house at IU when I was a senior although we didn't know each other. But it made for a fun game. Afterwards we headed to Sheffield with them for a friends birthday. We were able to have a few cocktails and still make it home by 11:30. Sunday we spent just hanging out and relaxing and today we are preparing for Ben's fantasy football draft. There soon will be 12 guys in my living room drafting their players. Hopefully it will be done before it is too late so we can all get a good nights sleep. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

New Shows!

2008-08-26T20:45:00.006-05:00

I can't wait for Fall TV to start. I love "my shows" and although the Olympics filled the gap of watching for a couple of weeks I am ready for all the new shows to start. It is kind of embarrassing but there are so many shows that I want to watch I don't know how I am going to find the time. Granted I won't watch anything in real time as we TIVO everything and watch it on our own time, but really I'm not sure how I'm going to fit it all in. Here is the list.

Gossip Girl (CW), 8 p.m.

One Tree Hill (CW), 9 p.m.

Prison Break (Fox), 8 p.m.

Entourage (HBO), 10 p.m.

CSI: Miami (CBS), 10 p.m.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS), 8:30 p.m.

Law & Order: SVU (NBC), 10 p.m.

NCIS (CBS), 8 p.m.

Without a Trace (CBS), 10 p.m.

Criminal Minds (CBS), 9 p.m.

CSI: NY (CBS), 10 p.m.

Lipstick Jungle (NBC), 10 p.m.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC), 9 p.m.

Amazing Race (CBS), 8 p.m.

Brothers & Sisters (ABC), 10 p.m.

Cold Case (CBS), 9 p.m.

The Unit (CBS), 10 p.m.

Private Practice (ABC), 9 p.m.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS), 9 p.m.

Yeah - that is a lot of TV. I love it!

2008-08-16T21:31:00.002-05:00

So as I eluded to in my previous post there is a list of places I want to visit in my lifetime. So in an effort to put pen to paper I'm going to list the places.

Bora Bora/Tahiti
Greece
Fiji
Thailand
Bali
Finland/Norway/Iceland/Sweden
St. Barts
Safari in Africa & South Africa
Whistler, British Columbia
Back to the Amalfi Coast

Vacation 2008

2008-08-16T20:58:00.008-05:00

It is official, after a significant amount of research and several location changes we have finally settled on where we are going for vacation this year. We started with Bora Bora, then moved to Greece, then to Thailand, then Bali and finally settled on Hawaii. I know it seems very different than the others listed, but when you consider that we couldn't go until September and we wanted someplace that wasn't on the Euro we were left with a much smaller window of locations.

We will be spending 10 days in Maui at two different resorts in two parts of the island. We will fly into Maui through Dallas Ft. Worth and head to the Westin Maui Resort and Spa, Ka'anapali for six nights and then on to the Four Seasons Wailea for four nights. Although I would have preferred to cross some places off of my list of places to see that were a little farther away and more difficult to get to, I'm really excited for Hawaii. So far I have a couple of ideas on what to do while we are there. A large portion of our trip will just be relaxing at the pool and the beach but in addition to that my list includes surfing lessons, a luau, maybe do the sunrise at the volcano and the bike trip down and then maybe drive the road to Hana. I'm still in the research stage but if anyone has ideas or recommendations please pass them along. I'll be sure to write a review when we get back in case anyone has Hawaii on their list of places to go.

If you want more information on the resorts see the following links http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1028

http://www.fourseasons.com/maui/

Dinner and a movie!

2008-08-16T20:43:00.003-05:00

There is nothing I like more when I am home alone for a night than to order in dinner and watch a movie. Ben is in Peoria golfing this weekend and I am holding down the fort with Lucy. After a day of naps and walks with Lucy, I ordered in pizza and salad and watched a movie. I love just laying on the coach and relaxing. Tonight it was Lou Malnati's (a personal favorite) and the movie No Reservations. Not something I normally would have chosen, but it was on HBO and therefore gave it a try. The movie was better than expected and a nice way to spend a Saturday night. It is funny....the older I get the more I prefer just to stay home rather than go out.

To Charlotte and Back

2008-08-12T10:24:00.005-05:00

So last week I was in Charlotte for work. I flew in on Sunday and my parents met me at the airport. Since they live relatively close they drove in and we were able to spend Sunday shopping and going to a yummy dinner. We were able to catch up and spend some time together which is nice. With them living so far away and my hectic schedule it is difficult to plan time in advance to get together. Monday we met for breakfast before I headed to work and they headed home.

Although I worked a lot that week here are a couple of observations from Charlotte.

The guys there are "very" southern - now this may seem like an obvious statement, but it stretches to more than just the accent...and yes they have one. Aside from accent and the manners, these guys dress better than most in Chicago. There is something very put together and traditional about how southern guys dress.

There is an extreme amount of construction going on in the city. Someone told me while I was there that there are some 30+ cranes currently working in the city. It seems like they are building something new on every block.

With how much growth the city is experiencing you would think American could pony up a larger plane to commute between Chicago and Charlotte. The only direct flights are on these regional jets that allow for no carry on space. Ugh! I mean this is the same size plane I take to Evansville, IN and that is only a 35 min. flight.

The taxi from the hotel to the airport on Friday was a pimped out black Suburban with tinted windows. Honestly, I felt like I should be someone famous having my driver drop me at the airport rather than just me "catching a cab".

Overall it was a long week but a good one - next time I'll have to actually get out a little more and see what the city has to offer.

New Do!

2008-07-29T20:41:00.004-05:00

I got a new do - finally! After weeks and weeks I finally made it in to see my favorite hair stylist, Michelle. I can never decide what to do with my hair and after going really short with "the Posh", as in Victoria Beckham, I was ready to grow it out again. What I hate about the in between stage is that I never seem to have a shape to my hair. This time Michelle and I decided on a longer version of "the Posh" and I love it. It is the perfect mix between trendy and work appropriate and although it is a bob - it doesn't look like everyone elses. Check out the photos!

Fish Camp Report

2008-07-06T22:04:00.010-05:00

We're back! Ben and I returned home last night from our trip to the UP of Michigan. We ended up not getting out of Chicago until after 7:00 pm on Monday night. After about 7 hours in the car, traffic jams in Chicago and Milwaukee and a rolled over U-Haul trailer in the middle of the road we arrived in Manistique Michigan. Because we arrived after 3:00 am MI time (damn time change) we headed straight to bed. We awoke on Tuesday morning to a beautiful warm and sunny day. The cabins are right on Indian Lake and our pontoon boat was on the dock right in front of the cabin. We had a total of 13 people plus Lucy at camp, taking up 3 cabins. The cabins are nothing fancy, better than a tent or a camper, but not close to 5 star accommodations. As my Mom kept saying...."very up north".

Tuesday we spent hanging out with the family, sunning and fishing on the boat and sitting by the fire. Tuesday night we had a great dinner that included huge shrimp for shrimp cocktail, steaks, asparagus, bread, potatoes, corn on the cob and s'mores for dessert. It was great food and great company. Wednesday was the only overcast day and we spent a chunk of it visiting the Big Spring a few miles away. The Big Spring is a natural spring that pumps 10 million gallons of water a minute through the floor of the pond. The water temp is a constant 45 degrees and the water is so clear you can see the 45 feet to the bottom of the spring like you are looking through a foot of water. There is a glass bottom boat that you maneuver across the spring that allows you to see the bubbling water and dirt at the bottom of the spring. After our trip to the spring we headed back to the cabins for some relaxation. Thursday and Friday allowed for more sun, boating, fishing and even a trip into town for dinner and ice cream. We headed to Marley's for burgers and then to Dairy Kream for dessert. Marley's is famous for their boiled burgers which sounds totally gross but were super yummy.

Everyone fished and actually caught a fish. We even had enough fish for a camp fish fry on Friday night. The fish caught ranged in sizes but the winner of the 1st annual Vestas Fishing Tournament was Fred with a huge northern pike. My 5 inch perch didn't stand a chance. Fred walks away with the trophy this year but Ben and I are hot on his tail and can't wait for next year!

We had a great time hanging out with the family, sitting by the fire, reading books and having a few cocktails...okay more than a few. Thanks to Mom and JW for inviting us. We can't wait until next year!

Fish Camp 2008

2008-06-30T12:31:00.005-05:00

So my mom and stepdad have rented several cottages in the UP of MI for the week. There will be a bunch of us there enjoying the weather (hopefully) and water. I think at last count there will be 15 of us including Lucy. We have rented a pontoon boat for the week and will be cruising Indian Lake fishing and laying out. We are hoping to leave today to start the 7 hour drive but it will all depend on Ben's work schedule. He needs to get a few things done before we can get on the road. I talked to my mom last night and the weather was wonderful and cool. I can't wait to lay around, read, sit in the sun and have no access to email or voicemail for at least 4 days. It is going to be awesome!

Each group was tasked with bringing something that represented where they were from - our contributions include Goose Island 312 (Chicago based beer) and smores. Okay so smores doesn't really yell Chicago - but I like them so that is good enough for me.

Rumor has it there are group t-shirts that have been made for us which could be pretty funny. More info and pictures to come when we get back.

Lucy's a Star

2008-06-22T20:42:00.005-05:00

I swung by PetCo with Lucy to pick up some dog food yesterday. When we arrived we were met by a group of people standing in front of a green screen with lights shining. They said they could take Lucy's picture for free. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Here is the result.

Mom's Weekend

2008-06-12T20:36:00.004-05:00

With Ben golfing last weekend in Cleveland, my Mom drove in from Michigan for a girls weekend. After a rough week of work I was able to leave a little early on Friday to meet her at home. The weekend was filled with "girls" things including window shopping on Division, great meals, shopping at all the little boutiques on Damen and a showing of Sex and the City. It was a great chance for us to spend some time together and tour the city. Thanks for making the trip Mom!

Graduation Update

2008-05-29T12:57:00.002-05:00

As promised - a picture of Lucy after graduation.

Running Site - USA Track & Field

2008-05-27T21:33:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite running sites that allows you to plot your running course almost anywhere in the USA and then tells you how far you are going to go. Love it!

http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/index.asp?

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-27T21:22:00.003-05:00

Ben and I had a nice weekend with plenty of activities. Friday night we hung out at Norm and Megan's for Acacia Dinner Club. It was great to spend time with all the guys and girls and a big thanks to Norm and Megan for hosting. Saturday followed with a Sox game with the CEO of my company and his girlfriend. Sunday was pretty relaxing and we capped the night with dinner at Las Palmas with Wade and Kristin and Lodge and Ben and I. Ben headed to the Cubs game on Monday while I recovered from Margarita overload. Overall it was a nice weekend to relax and not worry about work or anything else.

Graduation!

2008-05-27T21:20:00.001-05:00

It is official - Lucy graduated Dog School 101. I will post her diploma picture tomorrow.

Weekend Update with Katie Younger

2008-05-13T08:38:00.005-05:00

Ben and I had a busy weekend - I'll give you the brief overview. Dinner with Ben's parents and his sister on Friday night to celebrate Mother's Day. Lucy's training class on Saturday afternoon followed by the Rita Hayworth Gala for the Alzheimers Association on Saturday night. Sunday followed with the scheduled Y-Me Race for a Cure to support breast cancer.

A busy weekend, but filled with family and good causes.

No Time

2008-05-05T20:11:00.004-05:00

Yeah I know - I haven't been keeping up with the blog. I have been pretty busy at work trying to get through the last of my busy season jobs. I've finally starting to slow down a bit so hopefully I'll have more time to update everyone. For right now this is the quick and dirty update.

Lucy has been to two training classes and she is definitely not the worst dog in the bunch. What a relief!
Ben and I backed out of the San Diego Marathon. Too much work and not enough running. But we are still doing Chicago in October.
Still trying to figure out where to go on vacation - thinking Thailand or Bali.
Visited our friends Norm and Megan and their new chocolate lab puppy, Tootsie this weekend. She is adorable!
Going to a Sox game tomorrow with some friends at my old job. Should be fun to catch up with them.
Ben has started playing softball again.

More to come later.

Whirlyball

2008-04-14T12:20:00.004-05:00

Annually we have a work function at a local place where we play Whirlyball. For those of you who don't know what this is, it is a combo of bumper cars, basketball and lacrosse. Basically, you and the rest of your team of 9 ride around in bumper cars with a scoop and try to score by launching the ball using the scoop into the net on the basketball hoops at either end.

It sounds innocent, but this "game" is brutal. Just think - put 18 people in an enclosed court with weapons (scoops) who for the last 6 months have done nothing but work their butts off with each other and are so sick of being around "work people" and then add an open bar. This is the event that everyone looks forward to because it is essentially an approved way to just try and get back at those people that made you work late, work on the weekend, etc. Although there are seat belts in the cars - every year I walk away with bruises. This year my two games left me with bruises on both my knees, my ankles and a sore neck and even though I hate myself for the 3 days it takes me to recover I always end up coming back the next year. Ugh!

Delinquent Blogging

2008-04-14T12:03:00.005-05:00

Sorry I've just been busy at work and taking care of Lucy and haven't made time to blog. Nothing really new to report - same old, same old. Ben was on a golf trip down to the Master's two weekends ago and I was watching the Lucinator. Ben left for ATL a week ago Friday for a golf trip with his Dad and some family friends and then left straight from ATL to go to NYC for work. He made it home Thursday night and we are both out of town again this week. Me to beautiful Evansville, IN and Ben to Boston.

This weekend we caught up on Tivo, took Lucy for some long walks, worked on our picture wall downstairs and went to dinner with friends on Saturday night. Dinner was followed by a trip to the Cobra Lounge - yeah, you heard me right.....

Ben's friend Tim used to play in a band in college and after and two of the former members have continued with the band while Tim and his brother Tom have focused on their careers. Well the band was playing at the Cobra Lounge and we stopped by to check them out. Unfortunately, we arrived as they were wrapping their set. We stayed a bit to check out the band that followed them and then to chat with the guys. All I can say is I must be getting old because the band was so loud I should feel the beat of the music in my heart. I honestly thought I was going to freak out. So after two songs we called it a night.

The Count Down Begins

2008-03-31T21:43:00.002-05:00

UGH! I've been sick for 2 weeks. First it started with the flu and now I think I have a sinus infection. I had to get on a plane - well actually two yesterday, and will have to do the same on Wednesday. My ears plugged up on Sunday and have yet to pop. I honestly can't hear anything out of my left ear. I've been walking around attempting to read people's lips to understand what they have been saying. So we have officially reached day 1 of no hearing. Let the count down - or up begin.

Testing

2008-03-26T17:31:00.001-05:00

This is to test and see if I can post to my blog with my blackberry.

Virgin posting.....

2008-03-26T16:11:00.003-05:00

It is Ben. I am taking a shot at my first blog post ever. I really like reading Katie's posts because most of the time she puts her story on the blog before telling me about it, so I hope everyone likes reading my posts as well.

It is about 4:15pm at work today and if you couldn't tell, I don't feel like doing much work right now. After a full day of meeting, I am just finishing out the day so I can head back to home and make sure Lucy had a good day. As Katie said, she is in Fort Myers right now. It is just the Lucinator and I holding down the fort.

Talk to you soon and a Happy belated to Matty!!

Happy Birthday Shout Out!

2008-03-25T23:26:00.002-05:00

A big 29th birthday shout out to my brother Matt. He turned 29 on Monday. Sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate but I hope you had fun last night!

Why there is no such thing as spring break in public accounting

2008-03-25T23:19:00.002-05:00

The short answer - because we work too much. The slightly longer answer - because a lot of our work happens between January and May and therefore we can never take vacations during "spring break".

This was thrown in my face on Monday night when I boarded a plane from Chicago to Fort Myers, FL for work. There was not one empty seat in the place and probably 50 - 60% of the people were little people. And by little people I mean kids - lots of them. Ugh!

Not only is the plane 2 hours late, but there is a screaming 2 year old in front of me in first class that would not shut up the entire trip. As I turned my ipod up even further to try and drown out the crys all I could think about was when I "used" to be able to go on spring break, when any trip to FL was a bonus even if it was for work and why I hate being a grown up sometimes.

Lucy Update

2008-03-25T23:15:00.003-05:00

There has been a request for a Lucy update. We have enrolled her in training classes beginning in mid-April at the Anti-Cruelty Society. Even though she bites us, barks at people/dogs/bikes/cares/snowmen/etc and only listens when she wants to somehow they have decided to take us on. The class sizes are limited to 10 so there will be plenty of opportunity for Lucy to intimidate the other dogs. Wish us luck!

Last Weekend

2008-03-12T08:26:00.003-05:00

After Ben got stuck in Dallas on Thursday night and had to fly back Friday morning on the 6:00 am flight, we stayed home on Friday night and just caught up on TIVO. We woke early on Saturday and drove to New Buffalo, MI to spend the rest of the weekend at our friend Tom and Aimee's place on Lake Michigan. After a short hour and a half drive, we pulled up to Tom and Aimee's. The temps were in the 20's and being on the lake the wind was intense but it was a great break from "city" living. We went to lunch and the grocery store for dinner supplies. We spent the rest of the day playing games, drinking and just enjoying every one's company.

I learned two new games this weekend - some crazy horse racing betting game and then Rockband. For those of you that don't know, Rockband is just like Guitar Hero but with drums and singing. As much as I'm not musically inclined it was still pretty fun to try and play the guitar. Both are highly recommended!

Saturday night we made dinner at home and then checked out the local bars. After a yummy breakfast at the local diner we headed home. Thanks to Tom and Aimee for hosting us this weekend!

Life

2008-03-03T08:59:00.003-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately. Work is busy as always and we haven't really done anything to note lately. This weekend was filled with work, dinner at Peace, taking Lucy to the groomer, watching The Last King of Scotland and going to the gym. Hopefully, this week brings something more to write about...

My Luck Update

2008-02-21T16:04:00.002-06:00

So just as soon as I am done posting my travel issues does another one happen. I should have known when both my flight to Detroit and home from Toledo were on time that something else would go wrong.

On Friday I leave work to hop on the el to go to O'Hare. I assume, hey its Friday, traffic will be bad so the el is probably my best bet. Wrong! I wait almost 30 minutes for the train. It then takes an hour and 15 minutes to get to O'Hare...UGH! Of course I miss the 40 minute bag check cut off to get on my flight and the later flight (9:30) is oversold. GREAT! I ask the lady if there is anything they can do - nope, nothing. So I proceed to throw out my liquids smash my purse into my suitcase (to consolidate into 2 bags) and then get through security with a bag I know won't fit in the overhead. All I can think is great - now what...what if they give me a hard time about gate checking my bag.....double UGH! I finally make it to my gate - which of course is the about the last one in the airport and thankfully the people agree to gate check my bag and I get on the plane to Detroit.

After a great weekend at home with my Mom I drove to Toledo for work on Monday and Tuesday and caought a flight home on Tuesday night. Again - I should have know. Flight is on time even though it is snowing. A miricle when you are flying into O'Hare. I turn in my rental, check my bag and go to the gate. Then of course I realize somehow between filling up the rental car and getting through security I've lost my credit card. I mean really....how does this happen. I call and cancel my card - get on the plane - and arrive in Chicago only 30 minutes late. I go to the baggage claim to grab my bag and I'm thinking I'll be home by 7:30. No such luck. After waiting an hour for my bag....I've determined that somehow they have lost it. File a claim - get a Starbucks (because everything seems better when your holding a Starbucks) and then wait by the baggage claim as Ben drives from the city to pick me up. Honestly, I waited another 40 minutes and just when I'm about to leave my bag comes rolling out. Finally! All I can say is at least I went home with my bag - even if I had to wait almost 3 hours for it. And I wasn't the last one from my flight waiting for their bags.

Spring

2008-02-17T19:25:00.007-06:00

Some things I heart and make me think of spring/summer.

Busy Season

2008-02-17T08:49:00.007-06:00

As I was driving home from work on Thursday night I started to really remember what it is to be in the heart of our busy season. For those of you who don't know, I work for a large public accounting firm and from about September through May is usually our busiest times. Most people think this is a result of the required tax filings, but for me thats not true. I work on the audit side so my busy season is determined by the fiscal year-ends of my clients. I don't do taxes - I never have. Honestely, I don't even do my own taxes....my Dad has always done them and now Ben does them for me.

But anyways back to busy season. As I was driving home I was thinking about the good and the bad that busy season brings and came up with the list below.

The Good

Drives that usually take at least an hour with traffic are reduced to half the time becuase you leave so early in the morning and come home so late at night that you miss all the traffic.
You spend most of your time at clients and get to run through the milage it takes to get you there and back. This may seem like a small perk but when you have a client that is 40 miles away one way....that adds up.
Free lunch on Saturdays - this Saturday the Weber Grill. Yummy!
You don't have to dress up for work on Saturday. I don't know why, but I feel so much more productive in jeans and a sweater.

The Bad

You wake up when its dark - you drive to the client - and you don't emerge again until it is dark.
Your "to do" list never gets shorter. You think you are making progress and then all of a sudden something blows up and you add five more things to the list. UGH!
60 charge hour requirements each week, which means you work every Saturday. The sad part is that most weeks you don't struggle to work 60 charge hours and although Saturdays are required, most of us end up working Sunday too.
Your so tired at the end of the week that you can barely muster enough energy to stay awake to watch a movie on Friday night. Yeah - and you hardly ever go out on a Friday because you have to work on Saturday.
You work until midnight and then leave the office - the bad part, you worked until midnight - the good part, your not the last one to leave the office.

My Luck!

2008-02-10T19:10:00.000-06:00

I mean really - what is it about me and travel? There is not one trip where I fly that I don't encounter travel problems. Honestly there has been, weather, late planes, flat tires, hitting a bird, a weird noise coming from under the floor boards (that 3 hours later was determined to be a disconnected air duct) and a flight attendant who refused to fly.

Tuesday morning I was awoken by a call from American Airlines telling me that my 1:30 flight back from St. Louis was cancelled. This of course was at 5:00 am about 20 minutes before I had to get up to get ready fro my flight to St. Louis.

Then of course on Thursday I get to the airport at 6:00 am for a flight to beautiful Evansville, IN. After I've already checked in and 10 minutes before we were supposed too board they cancel the flight. UGH! I get rebooked on a 9:50 that is delayed for 2 hours. I finally take off for the 45 minute flight but by that time I could have driven from Chicago to Evansville. Why is it so difficult!

Sorry for the vent but word to the wise - don't travel with me... unless you want to spend hours in the airport sitting on uncomfortable seats while you attempt to stay entertained by watching all the crazy people there.

Lucy post cut

2008-02-06T15:35:00.001-06:00

The last post showed a good picture of Lucy before her hair cut - now see Lucy after! We try and keep it short, but who has the money to pay for a monthly haircut for a dog that basically costs as much as a person cut.

Lucy the Snowman

2008-02-06T15:28:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when Lucy goes outside in the snow. Yes - those are snowballs that have accumulated on her fur!

Super Bowl Weekend

2008-02-01T17:06:00.000-06:00

It's here - Super Bowl Weekend! Typically we have gone to someone elses house for the game, but this year we are hosting the first annual Akakia Fantasy Football League Super Bowl Party. Thats right, all the guys in the league and their significant others are invited. In preperation, Ben has purchased a new flat screen and media stand. Although we technically didn't need a new TV, he has been wanting one for quite some time. We originally said we wouldn't get a new TV until we sold our old one, but apparently the party was the excuse we needed to pull the trigger. So anyone interested in a 50 inch Toshiba? $800 or best offer....

Back to game - we are excited to have 20 plus people, one baby and at least one dog in the house for the game. I just need to figure out where they are all going to sit! Ugh! enjoy the game!

Meli

2008-01-28T20:34:00.000-06:00

This Sunday Ben and I met his parents, his sister and her boyfriend for brunch at Meli Cafe. I'll be honest, I had never heard of this place before and I didn't know quite what to expect from a brunch place in Greektown, but this place was great. They don't take reservations for parties of less than 6, but the 20 minutes we waited was worth it. They have a huge menu of breakfast and lunch options including a variety of fresh squeezed juice options. I had a Denver omelet and Ben had a breakfast sandwich. Although these are two pretty basic breakfast options the food was wonderful and the honey butter that went with my toast was a nice change. I would highly recommend this place for breakfast of lunch. Enjoy! http://www.melicafe.com/

Cone Head

2008-01-23T15:10:00.000-06:00

Our dog Lucy was spayed and had eye surgery last week to fix her cherry eye. Here is a quick pic of her when we brought her home.

We went back to the vet yesterday to get her stitches out and hopefully the cone off, but the doctor vetoed that. One more week of the cone for Lucy and more eye meds. She hates the cone and continues to try and eat the plastic so we are constantly trying to stop her from biting at it.

San Diego Marathon - June 1, 2008

2008-01-18T15:16:00.001-06:00

So after much thought and a brutal first marathon experience in Chicago this year, Ben and I have decided we are going to do the San Diego Marathon in June. As in prior years, the firm has agreed to sponsor one marathon for the year where they will pay our entry fee, airfare and hotel in order to participate in that chosen marathon. So we get a trip to San Diego and get to run the marathon for free. You can't beat that.

I guess now the biggest issue is getting back into shape. I can honestly say I have not run once since the Chicago marathon in October. Pretty soon we will be back to running three days a week with a long run on the weekend. Part of me can't wait and the other parts is already dreading it. For more information on the race go to http://www.rnrmarathon.com/home.html

US Weekly Pool

2008-01-16T22:40:00.000-06:00

Ugh - the final results are in on the US Weekly fantasy pool and lets just say I finished in the back of the pack. This is not the way I wanted to follow up my winning season from last year.

For those of you who don't know how this works it is pretty much just like fantasy football...you pick players (celebrities) and then you get the number of points that they earn based on how many times their photo appears in the magazine. Good thing is that I can study up with my new subscription to US Weekly. Annually, Ben's parents buy me my subscription for my birthday. It is the best gift because it is like getting a present every week. I love it! Thanks Bob and Judy!

New to the game

2008-01-16T22:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this is my first shot at a "blog". I see so many people doing this that I figured I should get into the game. With our family and friends located all over the country this might be the best way to keep everyone posted on what we are up to in Chicago. I'm not sure how I will take to this, but we'll give it a shot. Hopefully I'll be able to post with some regularity.