Still Hot After All This Time (AKA known as Happy 45th Birthday LDL!!)

March has gone by in a whirlwind. Work is busy, busy...happy good busy with lots of interesting things to do and people to see....still busy busy.

In the midst of the business insanity I decided to use my new Non Rev status and fly to New York for my friend Lisa DeGreif Lauterbach's birthday. I mean she turned 45 and my godson Jake is 12 and I haven't seen any of them in forever. So on Saturday the 7th I got up at 4 a.m .and began.....a journey to hell......

I won't bother anyone with the long details except to say the first flight was cancelled and then I got on an a 9a.m. flight to LaGuardia and we were barely in the air before we were put in a holding pattern and then landed in Albany,NY for supposedly 30 minutes which turned into 3.5 hours. Eventually we landed and I found a nice cabdriver who gave me a $120 cab drive to Lisa's lovely little house in Glen Ridge, NJ.

The evening was great...awesome food (champagne, fondue, crackers, cheese, bread, champagne. oh and did I mention champagne.) I wore my kick-butt Sam and Libby sequined heels and we had a great time! We stayed up till 12:30 (including the time change) laughed and talked and hugged. The boys came home and entertained us and well it was a great time.

The return trip Sunday did not involve a diversion to Albany but did involve about 8 hours in Newark airport. I made it home at midnight on Sunday night....my baby Rita was happy to see me. All told...it was a wild weekend...but made great seeing two of my wildest, long term friends....The best quote of the weekend was when LCB called daughter Sarah Elizabeth in Florida to say hi. SEB asked her mom..."You sound like you are having too much fun...do I have to come and bail you all out of jail?" ....no baby, those were the days past. We 3 hot chicks discovered how much fun you can have in your own living room...no driving needed.

Three cheers for LDL, Veuv Cliquot and 45 years on this earth. Here's to you ladies!

Two weeks of Firsts

So moving is one of those things which I have done alot of. And moving means starting a life in a new place. Which means starting all over on those essential life things. Essential life things to me are things like Hobby Lobby, a grocery store, Target, a good gas station, a gym, possibly a Wal-Mart.
Unbelieveably all of those things are literally within a mile of our new place. Making adjustment to life in Elgin going pretty well.
Last weekend we made another first: the first time to navigate our way to Bloomington from Elgin. Thanks to the navigational skills and internet access of my frineds Mark and Mike (thank you Revere Group!) we made it okay.
It was fun to see everyone and it was a whirlwind! We saw Shella and Christie and Dewey, and Dad and Ann, and Kate, and Linda and her family. We did not see Mary C or Biscuits and Gravy...but we will see them next time. Rita spent the weekend with her pals at Deenies. And we finished the weekend hanging with Dan and Andrea and their kids and our respective families and celebrating Emily's new life as an adult in the Catholic faith. (Always a good excuse to sample Andrea's cooking including that amazing coffee cake, raspberry cream cheese jello dessert, jello cake and egg casserole! Yippee - leftovers!)
Now...back to the packing!

Super Saturday

For those of you who do not live in Chicago nor read the news, Chicago set another record recently. It was for the most grey, overcast, non-sunny days in a row. Who knew that Seattle did not hold the lease on that kind of thing.

So what an awesome thing to wake up to this morning.....a bright, almost warm, sunny Saturday...a Super Saturday. On this super day we:

- found a new health club which includes a climbing wall and things for my nieces and nephews to do (walked two miles around the track while I was there)

- finished unpacking all of the downstairs books

- purchased some dark chocolate truffles and dove hearts at 50 percent off

- snuck in a few pads of scrapbook papers and valentines stuff also at 50 percent off

- took a nice long walk with Rita around our neighborhood

- made a great mexican dinner of taquitos, refried beans and some yummy tortilla chips

- curled up in bed with Rita and a nice glass of wine to finish the day

Lots more packing and cleaning and organizing is needed but I'd say it was a Super Saturday all around!

300 Boxes, 40 pieces of furniture, a dog, 8 wardrobe boxes....

So Graebel Van Lines drove off with a big load..though not as big as previous loads I had shipped. Mary Cluskey came over and vaccumed and cleaned and mom and I packed the car....just enough room for me!

Then, after waiting for the fog to clear, Rita and I started the first part of our journey to our home for the week - the Palace de la Quinta! Rita settled in on the bed with her pink leopard blankie and mom went to work.

Life at the La Quinta was pretty okay. We walked every night and every morning, sniffed all of the snow and ice and trees......barked at other people in the parking lot and pranced through the lobby every night so people could admire us.

Then, Wednesday we had the big snow storm. Mom even got to come home early from work -- even though she got on the phone and still made lots of phone calls. I slept on her lap.....it was great fun.

Finally Friday morning came and we got back in the car and drove to what Mom said is our new home. There are ALOT of boxes...I mean they are everywhere. And these guys keep coming in and out of the truck carrying our stuff. I thought our stuff was stolen but it turns out these guys found it and maybe more!!

Mom says I will like this place but I am not sure. She seems happy and all but I slip and slide alot on the hardwoods. I am really happy our bed is here and my couch....but I'm not sure about the neighborhood. I bark and bark and it echoes in here!! We did take a walk and mom showed me a fun park...there is a LOT OF SNOW. I ran around in the snow...that was fun.

Mom is all excited...she made coffee in our little red coffee pot and she even made breakfast and chili today. She says we have only unpacked 75 boxes and there are lots more to go.

Well I have to go and take a nap now. Mom says there will be more snow tonight...I have to rest up in order to play in it tomorrow....who knew??!

Moving On

Five years ago I drove a jeep with a bad transmission and a U Haul containing a cat in a box (literally), two dogs (who ate the top off of a cooler), a cactus from Houston, Texas to Bloomington. I was coming home with my tail between my legs, or so I felt. I lost my house, my job, the boy I loved, and I had to come back to my (COLD!) hometown to take a job.

Five years later...I left with a new SUV, one of the two dogs and a great job in Chicago. But this time I was actually....not so much sad but definitely not so excited to be leaving Bloomington. I enjoyed my time back in town, reconnecting with friends and family. I enjoyed my time at State Farm and the new friends I made. I'm leaving Shella and Dewey and Christie and Dad and Anne and Matt and Teri and Daphne and Nicholas, Dan, and his family, Cheryl and Elaine and Mary and so many others.

What I gained during my time was more self confidence, invaluable work experience, and a whole new set of people who will always be with me.

We're moving on.....but our hearts will never leave.

This is what.....10 inches looks like

Happy Snow Day to all!!

7 hours

Starting point: Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Stopped for gas and diet coke at 3:45 p.m. From Bussee Road to I-355: One hour and 10 minutes. From I-355-to I-55 (about 30 miles) - 3 hours. From I-55 at Weber Road to Veterans Parkway (including one pitstop and dinner): 3 hours. Sigh of relief at pulling in driveway, not getting stuck and getting in warm and dry snowflake pajamas: priceless.