Too Tired

Hello Blog World. I'm too tired to blog. I want to get you caught up on my last few days in Chicago and my weekend but I don't have the energy! I went back to work full time on Monday and it's kicking my ass. I got to sleep in til 8 or 8:30 for two months and so now 6 is horrible! I promise to catch you up soon. In the mean time I'm shopping around for an external flash for my camera. Those suckers are expensive! I'm taking pictures at my friend's wedding this weekend and want them to look a little nicer than amateur. So we'll see what I end up with. That's all for now. More later.

Last few days...

True to vacation style I'm not sure what day it is or in what order things have happened lol. Let's think here. Wednesday we ventured to Janesville, Wisconsin. We went to a mall there where I pondered exactly how menopausal women shop in shopping malls. Haha. I got so overheated that I had to buy a new shirt and flip flops to change into. I also bought a souvineer for my hubby at the Badger store. When I say I bought I usually mean my mom funded. :) Anyway. Then we had lunch at Perkin's. Then we headed back toward home. On the way, Fritz got pulled over on the state line! The cop said she couldn't see his seatbelt. Which is silly cause he had it on the whole time. But she gave him a warning and said she was giving him the benefit of the doubt. Silly. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the car behind Fritz's truck.

That night we had a thunder storm! I was less thrilled with the tornado watch also issued with the storm. The storm wasn't nearly as powerful as the news said it would be but it was still impressive. I took a video of it. I stood out in the pouring rain and strong winds to get this!

That brings us to Thursday. We got off to a lazy start. Mom and I sat around and did our nails and did a face peel. Then we had a big breakfast. Then we went shopping some more. We went to the Springhill Mall which is where we shopped when I was little. It's kinda neat to revisit places like that just for the memories. On our way home we stopped at the Polish store to pick up some cabbage rolls and had those for dinner with mashed potatoes. Yum! So good! After dinner we went back out and found this store called Archiver's. It's an amazing scrapbooking store. We dug through the bargain bins and got some cute stuff for cheap. I am definitely going to save up for my next visit! Fritz mowed the lawn while we were gone and I had to take a picture of his red socks. Fritz and his red socks!

We are now waiting for my brother Alex to get home from work so we can go meet him for dinner. I think we're going out to pizza. I am hoping to get together with a friend from when I was little tonight. Her name is Carrie. My mom is good friends with her mom, we used to live in the same apartment buildind when we were little. So anyway, hoping to see Carrie tonight.

Oh, I almost forgot! I finally took a picture of the quilt I made for my mom for Mother's Day. Here it is:

Tomorrow it's on the plane for me. I fly out of here at 2:00 (noon Pacific) but don't get home til 7:30 (Pacific) which means I have a looong day of travel tomorrow. My layover is in Phoenix. Just enough time to pee and grab a bite, then back on the plane. Then my dad and Geoff will be waiting for me at the airport and we'll go to Chipotle for dinner. Yay!

I'm excited to see Geoff. I have really enjoyed my visit with my mom, don't get me wrong, but I'm hopelessly attached to my husband so it'll be good to be in his arms again. And I'm not nearly as sad about leaving my mom this time because Geoff and I will be back in a month and a half. That's like no time at all! Hopefully by then the weather will shape up and the pool will be in place.

Okay... that's all for now. Probably won't blog tomorrow cause I'll be on the plane.

Adios!

What a crazy couple of days. Well, actually, yesterday was crazy, today was chill. Yesterday morning we left the house to go see my Aunt Claudi. She lives about 45 min away in West Chicago. My mom didn't tell her I was in town so that we could surprise her and she was pretty shocked to see me. We played with my cousin's baby, Jayce. He's very cute and very entertaining. He didn't like the food he was fed and he didn't like the water either. My mom kept giving him more and every time his opened his mouth and let it fall out like a fountain. Needless to say we were very entertained by this.

After my cousins came home and Claudi was off babysitting duty we decided to go get pedicures. Claudi was a pedicure virgin. We decided that a beer would calm her nerves but she didn't want to have one before we left the house cause she had to drive there so I joked we should bring some and drink it in the parking lot when we get there. Well I guess you don't joke about beer with Claudi cause next thing I know my purse was weighed down with three beers and we were out the door. Claudi and I downed ours like champs and my mom took a few sips and was done. Claudi was giggling like a little girl when we went in. Can't take that lady anywhere! :) It was so fun and relaxing. And amusing because it was Claudi's first time and she got stuck with a guy to do her feet.

After that we ran around town to find the color I picked for my mom's toes cause she loved it. And of course with two German ladies this is no ordinary feat. It was a crazy, loud, all over the place, fun feat. :)

Today my mom had to work so I stayed home with Fritz. I worked on a video in the morning, I'll post it below. It's really more for Geoff than for anyone. As of today we have been together for 4 years. I can't believe it's been that long but at the same time it feels longer... in a good way! In a comfortable, happy way. So anyway, I worked on that and then Fritz and I went and got some stuff for dinner. We ended up with Bratwurst and my potato salad. After running around we came home and I layed on the lawn chair in the lawn. My mama and Fritz have the best backyard in the world (it'll be better when the pool is up). It's green and lush and perfect for running around without shoes. Love it. I took my book outside to read and ended up taking a two hour nap. Whoops. I didn't think I was burned at first but now my arms are nice and red and I have a funky tan line cause I fell asleep with my arms folded over my book. Nice.

This evening after dinner I went and got my hair trimmed. It was starting to get really tangled. And then after that I made a chocolate pudding pie. Delish. She told me to put cool whip on it but she didn't say what "it" was so I took my liberties and put some on her hand. She's going to kill me for putting this picture on here. Haha.

Well anyway, now you're caught up on my last two days. Here's that video I mentioned earlier:

(Hope you enjoyed the video baby, thank you for 4 amazing years so far)

Mother's Day

Hello from Chicago (Crystal Lake to be more exact). I flew home yesterday to surprise my mom for Mother's Day. This is a picture of her face when she saw me. I am happy to be home and I think she's pretty happy too! I made her a quilt and she loves it. I gave it to her last night though cause I was to excited to wait! I will take pictures of it tomorrow and post.

This morning we went to brunch at a place called Warsaw Inn. The food was ok. Then my mom and I went to an outdoor mall in Barriongton. One of the stores we went to is called Soft Surroundings where everything is, well, soft. They have bedding, clothing, robes, and beatuy products. I bought this delicious smelling lotion (the Ore scent). I can't get over how good it smells. I'm a big fan. :) For dinner Mama, Fritz, and I went to a drive-in in Huntley called the Dairy Market. They have everything you can think of in terms of hot sandwiches, burgers, corn dogs, fish, ice cream, etc. We had burgers and fries and the prices are unbelievably cheap! The three of us got burgers and fries and drinks for $15! I am surprised the McDonalds across the street is still in business. Fritz said when he was 16 he used to drive there on the tractor. This does not surprise me. :)

Tomorrow we are going to my aunt Claudi's. She doesn't know I'm in town. Later this week we'll see my brother Alex too. That's all for tonight, I'm so drained. More tomorrow!

PS
This is my Kuzco before I left for Chicago. He has his little paws crossed and his ears back while laying on my suitcase. He doesn't like when I leave home...

Anniversary at the beach

So we're back from the beach, we actually got back Friday afternoon. We had an amazing time. We have our little traditions which I love and this time we ventured to Astoria. Her are some pictures from our time at the beach:

View from our room

Says: I Love Your Mrs. Brown :)

Astoria Bridge

After only 3 hrs of sleep lol

So my fav parts of our trip is first all of our little traditions. We wrote letters to each other on our wedding day and did so again on our first anniversary and this year and we'll continue to every year and when we're old we'll have our love story on paper. :) We also watch our wedding video and dance to the song we danced to at our wedding. I love these things. And I love the tub. I always watch Big Fish from the tub and we always have country fried steak delivered our first night there.

My second fav part this time was Astoria. It's a pretty little town. I hate the bridge and I hate that the speed limit on the bridge is 55. But I fell in love with this store called Ambiance. This store was made for me! The front half of the store was filled with things that would fit in perfectly with my living and dining room, I wanted it all! And then the second half of the store was filled with things that would fit in perfectly with my bathroom and I wanted to buy all of that too! I want to live in that store!! I wish they had a website so that you could see how beautiful the store is. I can't wait to go back and I hope I have some spending money so I can bring home some treasures!

So anyway, we had an amazing time. :)

Going to the Beach...

I am going to the beach to enjoy this...

And this...

And this...

Happy 2 Years, My Love!

Nothing Special

Nothing worth blogging about today. Pretty ordinary. Went to work. Worked. Watched the rain fall so fast you could barely see it. Ran errands after work. Worked on project, almost done. Started packing for the beach. Took a shower. Now I'm here.

The End. :)

New Day

Today is a new day...The sun is shining, the air is warm. I dragged my rocking chair outside onto the paito to enjoy it. I should be inside working on my project but today I need the sunshine. I have a horrible headache and he glare doesn't really help that matter but eh, I'm content anyway. The birds are eating from the feeder and a squirrel just came along. The blossoms are blowing off the tree, making it look like pink snow. I love it. :)

So I didn't really focus on the positives of yesterday. Earlier in the day Brooklyn, my niece, called asking to hang out. Miss 13 going on 21 doesn't usually call unless she needs a ride somewhere. And don't get me wrong, I'm happy she calls when she needs something, but my goodness was it nice to get a call just asking to hang out! I told her we just had some boring errands to run but she was more than welcome to join us. So we picked her up and went to Kohls so I could spend my $10 coupon. I intended on buying some khaki capris but ended up buying more soft towels. We were laughing at Brooklyn cause she's glued to her cell phone texting and when she lost reception she was raising her phone toward the roof and hopping, trying to get reception. Aah teenagers. :) After that we took her to Big Tom's where she saw a guy who was "beast" and his look was "scene". Um yeah. Way to make me feel OLD! I'm only 12 years older than Brooklyn but she's already talking another language, lol. Anyhow, she's a vegetarian these days because she watched a horrific video on You Tube called Meet your Meat. I've not watched it, but Brookly has described it in full detail several times. So she ordered a Boca burger and ended up with a double Boca and wolfed the thing down, goop all over her face and all. Then we went to the mall so Geoff could get his hair cut and Brooklyn and I walked around while we waited. She showed me all of the things she's into. Mostly Neon and 80's-esk. I used to live in neon when I was little, haha. It felt so good to hang out with her. We then dropped her off at her friends house and went to Waddel Creek Rustics. I love their stuff. I bought my desk and chair there last summer for $15. Yesterday I bought a sign for my laundry room that says: LAUNDRY drop your drawers here. Very cute. They had an old rocking chair painted black and scuffed up like my desk and so I think I might do that with my rocking chair. It needs refinished one way or another. After all of our running around we both took a nap and then went to Caroline and Brendan's where we enjoyed cupcakes and watched Yes Man while loving on Lucy and JoJo.

Today I need to get a lot done. I have to make some serious progress on my project and a million other things. Fluff (Geoff's mom) said she might bring over Bride Wars to watch. I hope she does, that would be nice. After having a sad day hanging out with a parent is comforting. Thank goodness for parents. Funny how when we're growing up we do everything we can to distance ourselves from them but when it comes down to the tough stuff in adult life they're the ones we want to be around.

Hard Stuff

We received sad and shocking news today. A friend of a family member took his life. While Geoff and I didn't know him well, we met him a few times, we are both still shocked and sobered this evening. We don't know anything other than he is no longer with us. I feel so sad because I know what it is like to have feelings of hopelessness and to have no desire for life. I've been there. There was a point in my late teens, early twenties where honestly didn't care to see 25 nor did I think I would be alive to see it. I am so grateful today that I made it and that something inside of me kept me alive. Subconsciously there was something in there strong enough to let me now I had a future waiting for me. I feel sad because I am reminded of those desperate feelings and my heart breaks to know that someone else felt those feelings so strongly that they acted on them. I realize people take their lives every day and my life never changes because of it. So many of us go untouched by this kind of tragedy. But I guess maybe because this individual is someone I've met and seemed happy and successful, it hits closer to home. I feel so sorry for those around him who are affected. I feel sorry that they will at some point drift off to sleep tonight only to wake and re-live the pain again tomorrow. Suicide is so selfish. I feel helpless because though we know those close to him, we're not in the circle and so there's nothing we really can do to help. Though, really, is there anything that helps?

Paid to Play, May Day BBQ

Oh what a day. I feel so wiped but probably just because I spent my workday in the sunshine. And I made good, home-cooked food for dinner (three more recipes below).

This was my office today. Rough huh? My only complaint is that my right arm is now more tan than the left arm. But really, I enjoyed working the show today. I like to talk to customers and we don't usually get too many in the office. Didn't sell anything but talked to a few people who are interested. Sometimes that's as good as it gets. :)

Geoff wanted me to share this video. He was playing with Piper this morning before work and she got really into it. I swear I'm not choosing favorites, she's just more entertaining lately. As you can see Kuzco doesn't really care what's going on. I think he just wants to know why the office is such a mess. I wonder the same.

And now dinner. We had my dad and his friend over for a barbecue tonight. I made burgers from scratch, my delish potato salad, and corn on the cob. Here are my recipes:

First the corn cause it's the easiest: Peel your corn, place on a piece of foil. Smear with butter, sprinkle pepper, garlic salt, and paprika. Wrap it up with the foil and put it on the grill as the grill is heating, usually takes a little longer than meat to cook.

"Best Ever" Potato Salad (3 people said so):

12 small red potatoes

3 stalks celery

1/2 large or 1 small onion

1 green bell pepper

4 strips bacon

6 Eggs

Mayo

Mustard

Fresh dill

Pepper

Salt

Paprika

What to do: Clean the potatoes and cut into 1/4" disks, boil until soft but not mushy. Also hard-boil the 6 eggs. Cook the bacon in a frying pan. Dice onion and celery. Once bacon is done cooking remove only the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leave the grease in the pan. Saute the onion and celery in the bacon grease (I know, SO bad for you but SO yummy!). Let the onion and celery cook down until they are soft and translucent. Dice the green pepper and toss in with the other veggies once they are done. Let sit while you drain potatoes. Put the potatoes in a bowl and cut the peeled eggs into the potatoes. Add veggies. Cut bacon into small bits and add that as well. Add 3-4 tablespoons of mayo and a squirt of mustard and mix. Add more mayo if needed, but be sure to mix as you go so you don't end up with mayo salad. Add the dill at the end and season to taste. Ennnjoy!

I've been told by 3 people that this is the best potato salad they've ever had. I'll take it! Even Geoff who doesn't do veggies had seconds tonight. Love it!

Burgers (makes 12):
2 lb Ground beef
1/2 C finely diced onion
Bread crumbs
2 eggs
Caribbean Jerk Sauce
Pepper
Garlic Salt
What to do: Mix together all of the ingredients. Form large meat balls and squish into patties. Remember to make them on the large side because they'll shrink on the grill. Refrigerate until you're ready to grill. Don't forget the cheese!

And here is the result! A not so healthy, but very tasty home cooked meal. I also wanted to show off my flowers. Both Geoff and my dad bought me flowers for May Day. So pretty!
Oof! Kuzco is now on my chest, giving my face kisses. And now he's curled up on my chest, very annoyed that I'm still typing. He's kinda hard to see through. I better get going anyway. I'm
going to take my last two ounces of enerygy and get a shower and then off to bed. Goodnight!

PS I apologize if the formatting is off tonight. It's giving me a hard time with my pics tonight and I am WAY too tired to fight it. :)