Today, We Went Beyond

Oh the wedding. We are about six months out and things are starting to fall into place. Today, we took a step that was supposed to be fun, but ended in two gigantic headaches, but more on that later. The day started innocently enough with a nice breakfast with both of our mothers. After talking shop and getting some things in order, we headed off to Bed, Bath and Beyond to begin the registration process, which is where the fun began.

We  were supposed to start registering last week, but our initial trip turned into more like a discovery session. This discovery session took place at the Naperville BB&B since it is closer to us. While I assumed that was the right place to go, Marilyn said she did not want to go there, favoring the Downers Grove location instead. Since we were in that area already, I won and we stayed in Naperville. After walking the aisles of the Naperville BB&B, we found things that we liked and compared notes to make sure we were on the same page. We both left feeling good about what we found and decided to dive in again the following Sunday.

Well, today was that Sunday and since we went to breakfast in Wheaton, we chose the BB&B in Downers. I will say this once, and one time only: Marilyn was right. The BB&B in Downer's was superior to the Naperville location. Not only did the story have a better layout, but they even have this handy dandy section that is dedicated to wedding registration.  They also had a huge section of fine China. 

Once we got there, we went to the registration area and set everything up, with a woman named Marilyn, who was excited to meet another Marilyn. After getting past the Marilyn excitement, we spent an hour activating our account and learning how to use the little gun scanner. The BB&B Marilyn explained what we should look for and how much to look for, so we were off. Our first stop was the fine China section, which took awhile. We both found stuff that we liked, but kept going back and forth about how whether or not we need fine china. One key factor is the fact that Mar is going to inherit her grandmother's China when the time is right. Any advice would be appreciated. 

After leaving the fine China section, we headed to cookware and started having some fun. We have found plenty of stuff that we like and gave the gun scanner a workout. Well, at this point we had be Beyond for going on three hours and we were both pretty tired, but we decided to hit up one for more section. We headed to the bath section and thought we knew what we were looking for. Unfortunately, the print we really like is being discontinued, so we looked around a little more. Usually this would not be problem, but we were exposed to the worst perfume I have ever smelled, apparently the poor woman that was wearing it has lost her sense of smell. It was so bad, that we both ended up developing the aforementioned headaches. 

At this point, we were done. While we still have a bit more to do, it was a productive. Feel free to take a look if you want to see what we picked. Just go to the Bed, Bath & Beyond website. 

1994: The Year That Rocked

This is coming a little late, but I still wanted to mention it. One thing of the things that I enjoyed most about my winter break was listening to Q101. Those that know me best are aware that I rarely listen to the radio station of my youth. Usually my radio is tuned to either NPR or WXRT. Well, one time of the year that I do listen to Q101 is during the final couple of the weeks of December. For the past few years, Q101 has played the top 101 songs for each year of their existence. After playing all of the years, there is a listener vote that determines the greatest year, which is replayed on New Year's Day. The winning year has been 1994 each time they have held this competition.

It was a total blast hearing the music from that year, my freshman year in high school. It seems like each song is a classic and has influenced today's music, even though modern musicians have yet to equal the creativity and excellence of their predecessors. The list included  such favorites as "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows, "Big Empty" by Stone Temple Pilots, "Stay" by Lisa Loeb, "About A Girl" by Nirvana and "Elderly Woman" by Pearl Jam to name a few. Anyways, here's a link to the list from 1994 if you want to take a trip down memory lane.

Ta Daaaaaaaaah!

My 2006 Ford Fusion!  Yup.  Keeping it in the good ol' US of A!  This is my first Ford purchase...

Clearly this one isn't mine, but it looks just like the one I bought!  Yes, the night of my emotional break down I got a car.  Rather impulse, I know, but I know it's a good quality car, and that's really what I needed.  AND, I used my little check list:

• ü  Two working wipers with blades
  
• ü  All four windows:  on track and usable
  
• ü   All four rims perfectly circular
  
• ü  Working A/C and heat
  

These four items were pretty big on my list in getting a new car. :)  I know they're fairly common on ALL cars... but you never know.  :)

I bought my car from Honda of Lisle and had honest and excellent services from George my salesman and Chris the manager.  George has sold my mom cars for years.  He's one of my uncles good friends and trusts him with his purchases as well as ours.  (In case your a tiny bit confused, my uncle works at the dealership but sells packages and what not, not cars any more).  If ANYBODY needs a car -- new or used, please give Honda of Lisle a gander while shopping.  

Before I made the decision on the Fusion I test drove a few cars:

• '08 Toyota Yaris -- Tons of fun! :)  Tiny two door! :(  Stick! :)  Just too tiny though.... :( 
• '04 Saturn Ion -- Liked this car a lot, but the engine made some crazy hesitation when I accelerated. :(
• '02 Honda Accord -- Liked it!  Totally had the most bells and whistles on it.  BUT, it was the oldest car, the most expensive car, and the people were smokers.  :(
• '08 Chevy Cobalt --  Liked this car too!  It really came down to this car and the Fusion.  The Fusion just drove better and I wound up just liking it a bit more.   :)

Just a little shout out to my lovely fiancee.  I had no desire to even test drive this car.  Don't really have a good reason...well actually my reason maybe was because Chris kept clamoring on and on about how he wanted a Fusion a few years ago.  So, when he started in on it I was like, 'nah....no thanks.'  But then my mom started chiming in with cars she wanted me to test drive, so then I was like, 'FINE!!   I'll try them all!'  Clearly, that was a smart move on my part.

So, that's the journey of my new car.... now all I need is a new job!  So far, 2009 keeps getting brighter and brighter.  Fingers crossed!

My Pontiac Grand Am ~ RIP ~

SO, the time has *finally* come.  I got a new car!!  Yay!  Here is a little synopsis of life with my 2000 Pontiac Grand Am...

*sappy award show music*

I bought my 2000 Pontiac Grand Am in March of 2001.  This was the first "new" car that I had ever really bought AND paid off.  We had a nice life together.  Traveled around the Midwest.  Toted me to plenty of Dave Matthews shows.  Drove up to a few Bears/Vikings games up at the Metrodome.  Took a total random road trip to Columbus, Ohio to the Columbus Crew Stadium to watch the World Cup game at...shoot, 3 am or something crazy like that!  We didn't get a hotel, we slept in the car!  My little Grand Am definitely carted all three of my lovely cats to and from the Vet.  Gracie loved to curl up in the front seat and then stand on her hind legs to look out the window and hiss whenever we were at the end of our journey.  She was *great* cat in the car!  It delivered us safely to Illinois State and home numerous times.  My car brought me to and from my Chili's openings around the Midwest.  OH...and lets not forget the amazing amount of balloons that I could shove into that thing.  Especially for Mindy's 30th birthday...I was impressed!  Overall, there were some GREAT times that my car and I have shared.    

AH, it was a nice little eight year life span with my car!

But then all good things come to an end.  Right?! 

Then while I was at ISU my car began not starting consistently.  There was this security thingy... I had to wait 10 minutes for my engine to reset.  Ugh!  It was annoying.  I remember after one of my doubles at the Bloomington Chili's I had tripped this security thing 3 times.  SO, I had to wait a total of 30 minutes to start my car!!  I got that fixed...thanks to some help from my madre.  Then there was the car not passing emissions because of an O2 censor.  That was a fiasco and a half!  During my student teaching the non-starting of my car continued.  My step-father side-swiped my car while in their driveway as well.  Hm...oh and more recently, last summer my hood decided it was done opening.  Hm, The Great Wiper Incident.  I was driving down Butterfield Road in the beginning of December, used my wipers to clean my windshield, and thought something hit my windshield!  NOPE.  I just had my passenger side wiper FLY off and land somewhere on Butterfield Road.  So, I was down to one wiper.  AH.  Let's not forget there is The Great Window Incident.  I went to the bank to deposit my cash and my window fell off the track.  THANKFULLY the window fell off the track, but it was still in the upright position.  There was about a quarter of an inch opened at the top.  Needless to say, I kept the heat on high, but it was still chilly for my left hand while driving.  This happened shortly thereafter the great wiper incident.  

I'm sure you're all curious to know what WAS the straw that broke the camels back, aren't you? :)

WELL...I was driving yesterday (for those that don't know it was a steady, wet, slippery snow) on West Loop Road in Wheaton.  West Loop connects Naperville Road to Butterfield Road and you bypass the Danada traffic--there are town homes and a church (big surprise) off of this road.  Well, I was on my way from Downtown Wheaton to Naperville to meet up with Chris, Megan and Caitlin for dinner at Carabbas.  So, as I'm driving down this residential street my car slips and I NAILED a curb and my window fell down.  I freaked out, because I really nailed this curb and the window fell down at the same time.  I pretty much immediately burst into tears.  I was done.  Just done with all of it.  I jumped out of the car and looked at my passenger side tire.  It looked awful...you could tell that the rim was bent.  SO, I jumped back in the car, and put some gloves on (...my window was all the way down) called Chris like twelve times, texted him twice and left some voicemails.  I then called my Auntie Jane.  Her husband, my uncle, works for Honda of Lisle.  So, I called her and told her I was on my way to the dealership--I was done with my car, I just wanted to get a new one (I got lucky he works late on Tuesdays).  She called him and filled him in on the emotional basket case that I was, and the state of my car.

Alas, this brings me to the title of this post...

RIP my 2000 black Pontiac Grand Am...you were a great car.  I absolutely loved my time with you!  It's sad to see you go and yet I'm *so* happy to let you go.  Our time has been well spent!

*smooches*

*some lovely closing credit music*

The Sweater Party

I alluded to the fact that we went to Mandy and Todd's sweater party a couple weeks ago, so here are the details. For the last four years, Mandy and Todd have thrown and ugly Christmas sweater party. We could not make the first two years because we were down in B/N and it was hard to get away. Anyhow, we went last year and were eagerly awaiting this years edition. 

Well, living back in Naperville has it's ups and downs, one of which is living in close proximity to Andrew. Mar and I were planning on leaving around 7:15 in order to maximize our Saturday night. Well, thanks to Andrew, we were delayed. The reason being, was Andrew's new girlfriend, Autumn. (For those keeping track, this has given Andrew a leg up on The Competition.) Anyways, Andrew called me and asked if we could leave at 8:30 instead, so we could go together. I said we would wait, then foolishly asked him if he would be the one to drive. There was silence on the other end as he did not anticipate that response and told me that he was hoping that I would drive so he could enjoy himself. Naturally, this is what I expected, so I told him that I was fine with driving. 

Well, 8:30 rolled around and Andrew was nowhere to be seen. After a few minutes, I called him and asked him what the delay was and he told me that Autumn had just arrived. I told him to get a move on because we wanted to leave. He kind of stumbled with his words as he tried to further delay his arrival and told me that Autumn was going to "eat a sandwich here so she wouldn't get your car dirty." This made me even more upset, because I could have cared less if she ate a sandwich in my car. Time continued to slip away, and at 9:15, Andrew and Autumn arrived, sandwich in hand. Mar and I looked at each other and said nothing as they got into my car and she ate the sandwich as we drove to the city. Draw your own conclusions.

Anyways, after pulling off the most badass parallel parking job ever, the sweater party was a smashing success. Mar got us a couple of awesome sweaters at a local resale shop and everyone loved them. Everyone at the party had pretty sweet sweaters, especially Todd's brother Brad and the dude that showed up dressed as a Christmas tree. It was great spending time with friends and kicking back for the holidays. I hope that Todd and Mandy maintain this tradition and more people can make it next year.

The Competition

A little while back, we were enjoying a nice meal with Todd, Meg, and Andrew at Quigley's. Our wedding happened to come up and Megan espoused how she was hoping to have a date to the Event of the Decade. We assured her that she would and expressed our concern for Andrew's odds of having a date. When this concern was mentioned, Andrew's ears perked up and he said with an air of confidence that he was not worried about having a date, because he was sure that he would. Upon saying this, the rest of us just looked at him as he casually ate his sandwich and appeared to be surprised that we were not as confident as he appeared to be in his ability to procure the arm of another. 

Well, in order to make things interesting, a little deal was struck between Andrew and Megan. Here are the details of what is now known as The Competition:

1. The wedding cannot be the first "date."
2. At least five dates must be in the record book in order for the person to qualify. 
3. The person cannot be paid.
4. The rules committee (Me, Mar and Todd) have the authority to strike a date from the books if it is deemed to be unacceptable. 
5. The loser will have to pay for the winner's hotel room.
6. In the event of a tie, the contestants will each receive five dollars to use at the casino the night of the wedding. 

I am sure that several of you have already heard about The Competition, but I just wanted to make it formal. 

Really?

Although I missed SNL last night for the sweater party, which I will post about soon, I saw this little segment today on the web and could not resist posting it for all of you to see. We all know about the current allegations that our esteemed governor is facing, but Seth Myers and Amy Poehler but a hilarious spin on it. Enjoy.

I Hate Snow

Let me correct that, I hate snow this early. It took me an hour and forty minutes to complete a commute today that normally takes between twenty-five to thirty minutes. It was horrible. Thank goodness I had NPR to listen to as they reported about nothing but our awesome governor.

Blokus

Jillian and Anthony exposed us to this game, and we just cannot quit. We went over to Anthony's house to have dinner while they were in town for Thanksgiving, and following dinner, they suggested that we play this game that his family had started playing last year. The only way that I can really describe this board game is a crude mix between Chinese checkers and Tetris. Without going into too much detail, the is a total blast. We liked it so much that we went out and bought it soon after playing for the first time. I even took it in to work and let some of my kids play. They too loved it and some of them have gone out and purchased it for themselves.

P.S.

Jillian has posted a very similar entry that just so happened to be put up today before I could finish my thoughts on the topic. I still believe that her and Anthony were cheating and conspired to defeat me.

Now On To The Jive Turkeys Of 2008

With out further ado, here are the year's Jive Turkeys:

• Gary the Troll- I still sleep with one eye open for fear that this demon will attack me while I sleep.
• No Airconditioning At Work- There where days that I literally thought I was going to melt away. 
• People Who Don't Know What Socialism Is- It got really old hearing people call President-Elect Obama a socialist. Look it up before you throw that word out.
• Blago- Words cannot even begin to describe. 
• McDonald's- Can someone please explain to me why the McRib is only around for a limited time?
• Fox News- The most heinous reporting on television. I love how people try to make it seem like these spinsters are unbiased.
• Chicago Tribune- I view enough web pages on my computer, I do not need one in paper form as well. Please go back to your old fomat.
• Prison Break- I do not know why we still watch this show. It is possibly the worst thing on television, but we cannot quit watching.
• Salerno- So far, they have chosen to deny me of my Santa's Favorites cookies. Please come back.

It Ain't Cool Being No Jive Turkey So Close to Thanksgiving 2008

So, I started this around Turkey Day, but have been really busy, so it is coming up a little late. (That's what she said.) This has been a year of ups and downs for most people I know. We have seen several new arrivals while saying goodbye to loved ones way too soon. While the world has been weaving it's web round us, I have to say that the people that have gotten me and others through it all have been the best friends and family that a person could ask for. The small amount of people that are devoted to reading my missives are more important to Mar and I than I can put into words. Thanks for being there and I hope you all know that we have the best friends EVER. Now on to the additional thanks and happy thoughts:

• Turkey Bowl- By my count, this was the the fourteenth edition of the annual affair. Although we were a little light this year in regards to participants, this is a tradition I hope never ends. LVP goes to Brian J. 
• The Chicago Cubs Playoff Run- For the second year in a row, we made a great run. I had the good fortune to go to the best regular season game that I have ever attended. Rami's grand slam to win the game in the bottom of the ninth was exhilarating. I have never experienced that type of electricity at a ballgame. In my heart of hearts, I know that 2009 will be the year. 
• Radiohead- Now that I think about it, I don't think I have told you guys that I went to go see Radiohead this summer at Lollapalooza. BEST CONCERT EVER. Radiohead is my favorite band and their music has been inspiring me since 1997. This year, I had the good fortune of finally attending one of their concerts. It was on a sunny, hot day in Grant Park, and I made the trip solo, as most people I know do not know how to appreciate the world's greatest band. To make a long story short, it was  a truly mesmerizing evening that I still think about. The show was perfect in every way and I am grateful that I just had the chance to experience the magic. 
• Frank the Gnome- Frankie has been a very welcome addition to our little family. He watches over us and the cats with his enchanting smile and showers us with good thoughts and feelings. 
• The Wisconsin Trip- Our little trip up to the Northwoods was a lot of fun. The cabin was beautiful and we had a lot of fun with the people that joined us. 
• The Battlestar Mid-Season Finale- Totally breathtaking. The best show on tv did not fail to deliver with a near perfect episode. I still cannot believe how it ended. 
• The Mist- As I have previously mentioned, this delicious beverage brings me joy every time I taste it.
• My New Team- I recently met my new water polo team and cannot wait to start the season next March.
• My Kids- My eyes are opened in new ways every day and show me why I chose to do what I do.
• The Bouncing New Additions- As I mentioned, we have has several new arrivals this year. Welcome to each and every one of you. You all have great parents that will shower you with love and attention. I can only hope that you will soon know the joy of a Cubs World Series Championship.
• Mr. President-Elect- We did it folks. By no means will he wave a magic wand that will fix the mess we are in, but I think he will give us a fighting chance.
• My Family- They have always been there and always will be. Thanks for putting up with me.
• Marilyn- Thank you for saying yes. We have been at this little game for quite awhile, and August 1st cannot come soon enough. You have made me the person that I am today and brought me nothing but joy and love. Seeing you walk down the aisle will make me the happiest man in the world. Our lives are just now beginning and you are the only person that I can imagine spending the rest of it with. 

The Person That Made Me A Cubs Fan

As most of us know, I am a fairly devout fan of the Chicago Cubs. I know I may not always make it obvious, but they are and always will be my favorite team in any sport. This comes to a surprise when people find out that I am the only Cubs fan in my family, the rest being die hard white sox fans. Well, there is one person that is responsible for the fact that I am a Cubs fan, my godfather Bob. 

Bob was my father's best friend and was like a second dad to me in my developing years, and he passed away nine days ago. My godfather was a jovial man with a thunderous laugh and a joy for life that was unmatched. He doted on me and made sure I was in the right corner of Chicago baseball fandom. I will never forget the smile that was always on his face as he manned the nearest grill while cooking up one of his patented delicious meals. Bob was always around for holidays when I was a kid and provided me with memories that will be with me till the next time we see each other.

Bob went through a messy divorce several years back and was never quite the same as the person that helped raise me. After losing custody of his kids, the twinkle was taken from his eyes and he grew distant to everyone, even my family. However, when we did happen to bump into each other, it was like no time had passed. A few years back, his health started to take a turn for the worse and he became even more difficult to reach. 

Bob suffered a debilitating stroke a three weeks ago and I went to visit him for the first time in about six years. It was the hardest thing I have had to do in some time. Thank goodness Marilyn was with me, because it was very emotional. I couldn't talk for several moments and just hunched over and sobbed into his bedside. After a couple of minutes, I was able to talk and just updated him on how my life has gone since we last spoke. He met Marilyn and I told him about our upcoming nuptials. Although he was not able to respond, I know he heard me and was very proud of who I have become. We talked for a while and I told him I would see him soon. Part of me had a feeling that this would be our last moment together, but I did not want him to lose hope or the spirit to recover. This was two weeks ago today, and I never got to see him again since he passed the following Friday.

As I mentioned, the visit was very emotional for me. In addition to this personal loss, this has been a particularly trying Fall for a lot of people that I know. I sort of had a personal epiphany the Thursday after seeing Bob and told myself that everything was going to be okay. While I desperately wish that things could have worked out differently for Bob, I will forever cherish our moments together and memories that I have of him. This post is dedicated to Bob. I love you and will miss you more than I can say. Thank you for everything you did for me and my family. Your memory will always be alive with me and when we finally win the Series, you will be the first person that I talk to.

Of Mist And Men

I guess you can say holiday season is upon us now that Halloween has passed and stores have started to break out he Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa merchandise. While it does seem early to me, I guess it's never too soon to find a deal. Well, along with holiday sales, stores seem to stock "special" holiday items, such as one of my favorite cookies, Jingles (Which have now been repackaged as Santa's Favorites. It is very important that you get Santa's Favorites, not the new Jingles. Santa's Favorites are made by Salerno and new Jingles are made by Keebler. Nothing against the little elves, but Salerno makes a superior product. Plus, any true Jingles loving consumer will not buy the new Keebler Jingles out of respect and loyalty. Here is an interesting post from a fellow blogger that shares my affinity for the true and original Jingle s.).

In addition to Jingles, I love the seasonal offering from Sierra Mist. It is called Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. This lovely concoction blends cranberry with the lemon-lime of the original Sierra Mist with delightful results. I was first turned on to this elixir two years ago while on my way home from Indiana. While I was gassing up, the label caught my eye and I decided to give it a whirl. Boy was I happy that I did. Consequently, during the last two holiday seasons, I have anxiously awaited the arrival of "The Mist" as it is lovingly referred to on our home. Last year, Mar's mom even bought me a case for Christmas. So, if you come across The Mist, I highly recommend picking up a sample. For those of you that drink diet, rest assured that a calorie free option is also produced. 

YES WE DID

Well folks, we did it. That is all I really have to say, because I think it has not quite sunk in. We did it.

May The Best (Barack Obama) Man Win

It's here!  It's here!  It's here!  It's finally here!  Happy Election Day "my friends!" :)  I hope that you all get out and VOTE!!!  

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