LAO's page

2012-02-06T09:05:00.001-06:00

it's a good thing they aren't old enough to know their teams wasn't in the super bowl. but what fun we had any way!
:)

2012-01-23T09:26:00.001-06:00

So far Dillan is happy with both teams. Will that last?

and now we are three..

2012-01-19T09:19:00.000-06:00

Dillan Paul

2012-01-19T09:16:00.002-06:00

After 20 hours a labor, I was sliced open to get Dillan Paul out at 2:07 in the morning, Friday, January 6, 2012.
Daddy tended to Dillan while mommy was tied down waiting to be sown back together.

week 39

2012-01-19T09:15:00.001-06:00

This was the last belly picture taken just over 39 weeks. a day later i was in the hospital with labor starting.

God Jul and Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T11:54:00.000-06:00

Week 36

2011-12-12T21:29:00.001-06:00

Still getting bigger...

Reposting...

2011-12-01T15:04:00.001-06:00

I wrote this post almost five years ago. it is very fitting now as I await my own baby to come into this world in January

Anticipate

to look forward to; expect... basically waiting for something. Have you ever thought about how much of our lives we are waiting for something? Waiting for a bus, waiting for a light to change, waiting for supper to be cooked, waiting for a bill to arrive in the mail, waiting for a card or letter from a friend, waiting for a cup of coffee in a coffee house, waiting for an engagement to be announced, waiting for a phone call whether it's someone you talk to every day or someone you've never spoken to before... it's all waiting and who really likes to wait? This Christmas season i did feel like i experienced advent in a whole new way. Not only was i waiting to celebrate the birth of Christ, I was waiting for my new nephew to be born. Even though there's a due date you really don't know when he's actually going to come. Fortunately for us and my sister, he arrived two days early. Oh the joy! oh the excitement when he finally came. A little less fanfare than angels singing but he made our hearts sing for joy.
The season of waiting, the season of advent, the counting down for the birth of a baby.
Remember in all the waiting and anticipation when it finally comes enjoy the moment, remember it, and keep it with you.

Shower

2011-11-21T15:28:00.002-06:00

I didn't take any pictures at sweet pea's shower but here are a few with what we got. Good stuff!

32 Week...

2011-11-21T15:26:00.003-06:00

Clothes are starting to get smaller at 32 weeks.

2011-11-14T15:11:00.002-06:00

A few Halloween pictures...

Axel as Spiderman

Anders as Anakin

Band-Aids for dessert. yum!

Three cousins. Got to love them. :)

behind

2011-11-05T17:27:00.003-06:00

Ok here are my two latest pictures. I thought I had posted 24 weeks but I guess I didn't.

24 Weeks

28 weeks
I'm getting quite big in the belly. Lots of room for sweet pea to fill-up.

21 weeks...

2011-09-20T09:01:00.001-06:00

Stormy lake vistors...

2011-09-12T09:19:00.004-06:00

Who do we have here....

Bald Eagle

Flying Squirrel

Cricket

Chipmunk

Loon

Bullhead catfish (which shouldn't be in the lake)

my husband, Steve

inside of me...

2011-08-30T13:39:00.003-06:00

Steve says sweet pea is not going to be a quarterback, but more like a linebacker or a NASCAR driver would be ok too, or a hockey goalie...

20 weeks

2011-08-25T16:09:00.004-06:00

The Sweet Pea belly is growing fast. It has really popped out in the last few days even. I can't believe it's already half way. Hopefully we'll have a new place to live before Sweet Pea arrives.

half way there...

2011-08-22T15:05:00.000-06:00

belly

2011-08-16T14:09:00.002-06:00

It's a little bit late but here's my 13 week belly shot. I'll have my latest shot taken soon. They say it's good to take these pictures because I'll treasure them later in life. Right now not a fan of profile pictures.

Season Ticket Family day at Wrigley Field

2011-06-06T08:21:00.002-06:00

A few pictures from our day at Wrigley field. Steve was able to go with me for the first time. We walked through the locker room, took a couple swings at the batting cages. me...

and Steve...

We baked in the sun but it was too hot to spend too much time in the sun. For lunch we sat in the shade.

birds

2011-06-02T11:56:00.002-06:00

Nuthatch

yellow finch

Purple finch

Robin

Hairy woodpecker

size...

2011-05-06T07:08:00.004-06:00

a few things I have been working on this year...

2011-04-25T13:35:00.003-06:00

I made these for Ann-Marie, i had already given her a matching hat and scarf.

I saw someone in church wearing a fun headband like this and started looking for a similar pattern. this is just one I found. I have two more to make.

I got some yarn from Joan and made two sweaters for the boys. there were a bit small, even though I made larger sizes and followed the pattern.

Now my job is to make the sweaters bigger. yikes! i've never done that before.

This is a variety of egg cozies and dish cloths that I made one week in February.

I'm also working on a couple other "top secret" projects. Details and pictures to follow...

mittens

2011-01-26T14:04:00.004-06:00

A few years ago I made a scarf for Ann-Marie.

A couple years after that I made a hat to match.

So this year I adventured into mittens. i knit fingerless mittens but this was my first try with full-coverage mittens. I used two different patterns. Not bad for my first try.

knitting

2010-12-28T12:51:00.002-06:00

Here's what I knitted for the boys from Christmas. A few "sock" poppets and a couple viking hats.
:)

Saturday

2010-12-06T10:16:00.009-06:00

A few of my favorite pictures from my favorite day, (well almost, I think the day Steve proposed is my favorite day).

Friday

2010-11-29T13:01:00.008-06:00

Friday, November 12 was the rehearsal dinner. Anna, Krista, Ann-Marie, and I started the day with manicures and lunch with Amy and Jack.

We stopped at Costco to pick-up dessert for dinner and flowers. We headed to church to build our own bouquets for the wedding.

The day of course ended with rehearsing for Saturday.

picture...

2010-11-22T10:24:00.002-06:00

Just a couple of pictures while I catch up on everything.
:)

Married...

2010-11-22T10:21:00.002-06:00

whee! I've been married for more than one week now and it can definitely only get better. I was sick Monday and Tuesday. Steve got sick Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I got sick Saturday, however Steve was better. Sunday was a different story... I was better, Steve was worse. Today we are both just trying to get through the day.

8 days.

2010-11-05T13:14:00.004-06:00

8 days. 8 days. 8 days. WOW!

I can't believe it. It's coming so fast. I have a seating chart. It's not perfect but I think I have a seat for everyone. I need to print it out and compare it to my list. A little hard to do on my small computer screen. I just have a few details to finish for the reception. A few things for the kids coming. I need to print out the program for the ceremony. It's pretty much done just need to get to a printer. (If anyone wants to give me a new computer and printer, I would gladly take them.) Lastly I want to write a couple of lists to make sure that everything gets packed. I won't be home Friday or Saturday night. We are putting a last couple touches on our "get-away" plan. :)
whee! I can't wait.
I am on weather watch. Not that is makes that much of a difference but it would be nice to have a few outside pictures that day. It will be dark after the ceremony but that's ok.
According to weather.com, right now it will be - 51 degrees with a 30% chance for showers. That's not what I ordered but chances are it will change.

Cake Testing...

2010-10-28T17:25:00.007-06:00

We went cake testing to two difference bakeries. We had two very different experiences. The first bakery had great cake but we took the cake home and to choose the decorations will work with the catering lady at the hotel. The second place was more what you think about when you think cake taste testing. We walked into a small conference room with a variety of sample cakes placed around the room. The lady assigned to us walked us through pictures as we picked and talked about how we would like the cake to look. Then brought out two plates. WOW! this is cake tasting. yum!

The first three rows are mousses for the middle of the cakes, then comes three jams and two custards, finally followed by the fruit/butter cream choices, white butter cream, chocolate butter cream, mocha butter cream, hazelnut butter cream, cream cheese butter cream, and lemon butter cream.

From the top of the plate is banana cake, devils food cake, chocolate chiffon. Directly below that is vanilla chiffon, yellow cake, and almond pound cake. The last row is carrot cake without raisins and red velvet.

We had a great time taking a little cake and a little bit of various middles. Oh the options we came up with were amazing. Steve's favorite was carrot cake with cream cheese butter cream. My favorite was a toss up between banana cake with white butter cream and devils food with raspberry jam and mocha butter cream. So we went with devils food and strawberry butter cream. :)

weather outlook

2010-10-28T07:53:00.000-06:00

Past Weather for November 13
Here's a look at past weather in your area for the past three years.
Year Weather Hi/Lo (°F) Rain (in.) Details:

2009 Cloudy - Cloudy 56/39 - 0.00
2008 Cloudy/Wind - Cloudy/Wind 54/44 - 0.10
2007 Mostly Cloudy - Mostly Cloudy 60/37 - 0.00

16 days...

2010-10-28T07:30:00.002-06:00

Things are really coming together well. It's great. I don't think I'm forgetting something but I feel like there should be something I'm forgetting so then I get a bit worried.
Table setting is the next big thing. There's needs to be 10 people per table, maybe a few with 8 plus a spot for the DJ and photographer.
I tried on my dress last week. It's a big snug... OK it's a bit tight. I guess I don't need to breath on my wedding day. ;) A wonderful neighbor is helping with the bustle. I'm still deciding about nylons or not. Still thinking about earrings. Discussed emergency kit and snacks with Mrs. Frisk last night. I also let her in on the "get away" secret. It's slowly not so much a secret because we've told a few people and it's becoming more and more but we can't do it without help. I'm so excited about it.
Steve and I met with the Priest on Tuesday. I think it will be a challenge to keep the service short and on schedule. We didn't leave a lot of breathing room for the wedding party with pictures after the service and getting to appetizers. We'll have some snacks at the church if people get hungry. No one will pass out from hunger. Always a good thing. :)
Rehearsal dinner is done. Sunday morning brunch sounds like it's coming together. Honeymoon plan is ready to spring into action. Whee! We've also gotten a few wedding presents already and have opened and enjoyed a few of them. *sigh* it's so much fun. Like Christmas coming early.
:) side note - only 58 days until Christmas... 16 days for Steve and me.

30 days...

2010-10-14T15:07:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was one month. How fitting that I had my hairstyle tested. It was fun. I was warned that this was a "quick" test and the stylist only put "light" hairspray in my hair. you get the idea.
:)
I like the curls.

44 days

2010-09-30T10:03:00.002-06:00

44 days
44 days
44 days

holy cow! what a week.
It started last week on Monday when everything I touched fell apart. Steve's computer died - at my hand, well not really but i turned it on to discover it was on it's last leg. My load of laundry was off balanced, the first time I've done that in Steve's washer. It didn't help that once i got the load finished I put it in the dryer and forgot to turn on the dryer. It kind of went downhill from there. Tuesday was slightly better. Wednesday (the day we were leaving for Stormy Lake) I tried to print some nice labels for the invitations. First I battled my parent's computer to finally win and get the addresses all ready on to print them. The printing begins and we discovered i bought the wrong labels. Then I couldn't find the right labels. After coming back from a long weekend at Stormy Lake, Steve and I sat down to stuff the invitation to discover we were 20 invitations short. We have the right number of envelopes and response cards but not invitations. Groan! First thing Tuesday morning I was trying to contact the company. They are not on early starting company. By 11:00 everything was resolved and apologized for with a promise that the 20 short invitations will be in the mail Wednesday. whew! This morning I was watching the news and saw a short clip about an increase in stamp prices. They said the announcement will be tomorrow but nothing about when the increase would take effect. Groan! Fortunately Ann-Marie did some quick Internet searching and we believe the new price goes into effect Jan. 2, 2011. whew! This is more stress than I want.
On another note we met with Paula, North Park's wedding coordinator, on Tuesday. She was full of helpful knowledge. I think Steve walked out rather overwhelmed. There were several small details he didn't even think about and they were swimming through his head. I did make a decision on the flowers and decorations for the church. Simple flowers and candles. I think the church will glow. Tuesday I also managed to fine the right labels for the right computer and got the labels printed.

Did I mention in the middle of the week last week I started thinking I should pick up yoga?

weather

2010-09-13T06:04:00.001-06:00

According to Weather.com here's what the day could look like...

My Wedding

Location:

Chicago, IL (60625)

Date:

November 13, 2010
(61 days to go!)

Time:

4:30 PM

Sunset:

4:31 PM

Moon Phase:

First Quarter

Typical Weather for November 13
Here are average weather conditions for the day of your wedding:

Average High Temp:50°F	Record High Temp:66°F (2007)
Average Low Temp: 33°F	Record Low Temp: 6°F (1986)

64 days...

2010-09-10T08:51:00.002-06:00

wow! time is really flying by. Next week is a really busy week.

Monday meeting with Pastor Judy.
Tuesday meeting with Paula the wedding coordinator.
Wednesday taste testing at the reception hall.
Thursday meeting with Sharon the wonderful organist.
Friday - SLEEP!
Saturday cake testing in the morning and 4 year old birthday party in the afternoon. OK that's not wedding related but it's adding to the busyness of the week.

I'm still working on flowers. I have a couple of fun ideas for the decorations in the church. Simple but hopefully striking. Boutonnieres and corsages should be decided today or next week. Jewelry is in the works by two talented people. whee!

88 Miles An Hour...

2010-08-17T15:22:00.005-06:00

88 days until the wedding.

So much is going on and yet so we are waiting for so much. Waiting for invitations. Collecting addresses. Next Monday we have an appointment with our Photographer. so excited. hopefully he will be just what we want. Mid-September bring our food tasting at the North Shore Holiday Inn on Touhy. Yeah! time to eat. Next week, we'll schedule our cake tasting too. YUM! this is definitely the best part. I guess that also means putting in extra time at the gym.

Other than thinking about food, I have flowers on my mind. Not only for the bouquets but also the boutonnieres, church, and the tables for the reception. The nice things about the reception is the flowers are included. I just have to tell them what I want. I talked last week with the lady at the Holiday Inn. She gave me an idea about centerpieces, colors, candles, vases. So many decisions. Here are a few of my inspirations:

144 days and counting

2010-06-22T07:33:00.003-06:00

Ok. here's the bridesmaid dress. i didn't post it a couple weeks ago when they came in.
:)

145 days and counting....

2010-06-22T07:19:00.003-06:00

Ok yesterday was 145 but yesterday we bought my wedding band. woowho!
:)

how exciting! we were at the AT&T store since my phone wasn't working, again. Steve said oh look there's a Jared's, want to stop? so we did. I tired on several but kept coming back to one about the same width as my engagement ring with 5 diamond chips in it. SO beautiful! Steve says if you like it let's buy it. yeah! It had to be re-sized to 7 3/4 . how weird. i have always been sized at 9 but she checked this size of my engagement ring and it's also a 7 3/4 and once it's over my knuckle it's the perfect fit... go figure. Steve tired on more rings than I did but didn't find "the one" for him. We'll keep looking.

150

2010-06-16T08:36:00.002-06:00

150 days from today is our wedding.
:)

We signed a contract with the DJ. We're still waiting for the list from my mom. She was supposed to send it before they left for the lake... too late. We need to order the invitations soon. In the mean time we'll work on the wording for the invitation and start to plan an order for the ceremony, well the whole day.

169 days and counting...

2010-05-28T12:20:00.001-06:00

The dresses are in. Got a message from David's Bridal saying the bridesmaids gown are in. Back out to Schaumburg.
:)

180 days...

2010-05-17T12:05:00.004-06:00

Steve had Friday off. After running a few errands and changing the locks of the condo on me, he drove over to Tag's Bakery in Evanston. this is one of the bakery choices that the Skokie Holiday Inn works with for the wedding cakes. Steve walks in, while he's checking out the selection a lady comes up behind the counter and asks if he needs some help. Steve explains a little bit why he is there and the lady says, "oh i wish i knew you were coming. i literally would have baked you a cake."

Steve explained that he wasn't there for a cake testing, just checking out the selection and using it as an excuse to buy some sweets. He spends about 30 minutes chatting with the lady, who turns out to be one of the owners. Steve picks out a few things for us to taste and gets the phone number to arrange a cake testing for us in the next couple of weeks. This really is the best part so far. it's probably good that we only have two bakery to choose from, other wise I might not fit into my dress in six months. These were wonderful options that Steve picked out. Our favorite were the two totally chocolate looking ones. the most plain one, just covered in chocolate frosting had yellow cake and a smooth white layer. The other one with the piece of chocolate on top with the swirls and jimmies on the side had three smooth chocolate mouse type layers with chocolate cake. Steve had a much better, warmer experience at Tag's Bakery than I did at Rolf's Patisserie.

I went to Rolf's a few weeks ago at lunch time. First of all it was located next to the dreaded car dealership. That should have been the first clue. Next I walked into a very plain store, this is not a cute cafe bakery where you go to meet and eat goodies. This is a place where you call to order your cakes and goodies to be picked up. I was greeted by the only person in the place. I walked around for a minute checking out the selection. When i came upon the fun looking cakes, I asked what each of them contained. The lady spoke so quickly, I choose by looks since I didn't catch her fast explanation of each one. They were as yummy as they looked but were not cakes at all. We still enjoyed tasting them but I was turned off by the appearance and the reviews of the bakery. The cakes were good but the cake tasting experiences were not good, very cold and rushed.

I think it won't be hard to choose between the two for our wedding cake.

6

2010-05-13T14:35:00.000-06:00

6 months to go. WOW! the time is really flying by.

200

2010-04-27T07:07:00.003-06:00

200 days from today is our wedding. How fitting that I received a message that my dress is in. Yeah! how exciting. :) All of the big items are done.
Saturday Ann-Marie and I had a productive day of bridesmaid dress shopping. The nice thing about David's Bridal is they have every dress in every size. So you find a dress you like the style and fit, then pick a color. Most dresses come in as many as 40 colors but they don't have every color in every style. Ann-Marie and I grabbed a bunch of dresses in her size of various styles and headed to the fitting rooms. Ann-Marie tried on dresses, I asked questions, I took pictures, we looked at colors. I brought some flowers in colors that I want for my bouquet for inspiration. After trying on a few dresses another group of bridesmaids moved in to the area. They had a dress in the color I wanted. So Ann-Marie hung the dress over her head for a picture.

This is the color I want with the flowers.

This is the dress style that Ann-Marie and Anna will wear. I like the straps in the back.

I like how it comes with a wrap. Nice for November. It was interesting as Ann-Marie tried on dresses. She said I think I like the longer ones better. Me too! Another good point for a November wedding.
Now the little details and ordering the invitations will happen over the summer.

204...

2010-04-23T10:39:00.004-06:00

The reception hall contract is signed - check! I went with my dad yesterday. Taste testing and table arrangements will be discussed late in the summer. Feels good to have that checked off. The reception hall includes a cake (choice of two bakery which we will sample this summer on our own) and centerpieces (flowers and candles). I won't need to worry about that when I'm thinking about my bouquet and talking to florists. Just need to pick out a couple arrangements for the church.

A picture of the waterfall and staircase in the lobby of the Skokie Holiday Inn.

A picture inside the hall. This is not the exact room we will use but it's next to the room. The room we will be using was split in half and being used the night we were there.

Saturday afternoon Ann-Marie and I will head out to David's bridal so she can try on a few dresses, and take lots of pictures to send to Anna in Sweden for her opinion. Saturday morning Women Ministries is hosting a flower arranging session, with coffee and treats. I love flowers so that will be a good time. :)

207...

2010-04-20T07:37:00.002-06:00

I was listening to the radio on the way into work this morning. they mentioned someone from the show is getting married in 39 days. she had taken to wearing hockey masks and catchers masks around the station. the hosts of the show put her on and asked why was she wearing these around the station. "I'm afraid I'm going to break my nose or get a black eye before my wedding. so I'm wearing protective face masks." (i rolled my eyes at this point.) They proceeded to take calls from women who got black eyes, etc. before the wedding. One woman called in saying she had poison ivy so bad that her eyes were practically swollen shut so she could barely see and had to be lead around on her wedding day. Right now I can think how silly is this woman, wearing a catcher mask around the office. She's practically asking for someone to hit her in the face. I can laugh at this now... who knows what I'll be like 39 days before my wedding. will panic set in? will i worry about getting hit in the face? will i decide i hate the color blue? will i sleep at night? probably all of these things will happen. I just won't worry about it now.
:)

We did sign with a photographer last night... check!

208 days...

2010-04-19T10:34:00.003-06:00

I found an official wedding count down to add to my blog. cute, isn't it?

Last night was our first (and only) engagement party. Our extended "family" of the OOS (Olson, Olson, Schiller) group hosted us at one of the Olson's house. It was so much fun to have everyone there, well all local people. Two families are not in the area, Minneapolis and Vermont. We talked about them so they were there in spirit. We had the best strawberries for appetizers with cheese and crackers. Delicious vegetable lasagna with two salads and two kinds of bread. For dessert, a favorite of the kids, a cake from the Swedish Bakery. YUM! my favorite. We received a gift from the group, an entertaining book and square serving bowl, which matches our dishes very well. It was a good time for conversation. I'm the last of the kids to get engaged. We'll have to find something else to bring us together other than Korv making for my dad's birthday in December. Thanks to all. It was a wonderful evening. :)

countdown...

2010-04-19T10:32:00.000-06:00

212 days and counting...

2010-04-15T10:02:00.002-06:00

Tuesday I opened my yahoo mailbox to several emails declaring "7 months to go". I had to read a few before it set in that yes, seven months from Tuesday, April 13, 2010 is our wedding. Once my head stopped spinning I took at look at what we've accomplished and have scheduled.

date - check
church - check
dress - check
best man and groomsman - check
maid of honor and bridesmaid - check
register (at least three places) - check
reception site #1 - check
reception site #2 - scheduled appointment
reception site 3# - pending
DJ - check
photography #1 - scheduled appointment
guest book - check
invitations - check (picked out but not ordered)

I've started looking at flowers. We've looking at rings. We're working on transportation from the church. I think we are well on our way, so I'm feeling pretty ok right now. Things are moving along and it will happen.

222 days...

2010-04-05T09:08:00.002-06:00

What a full Easter! What a wonderful Easter. Steve and I were able to spend time with both families for Easter. It's so nice how that works out. We are very lucky.

Wednesday is our first appointment with a possible reception hall. Saturday is my appointment at David's Bridal. I'm a little nervous. I don't like trying on clothes. oh well. I'll have to get over it. I just hope that I find something I like. I have no idea where else to look. Monday April 19th is our first appointment with a possible photographer. I'm also hoping that week we can squeeze in another reception hall appointment. We have our invitations picked out, as long as they come in the color we want. The DJ is set. We looked at wedding bands the other day. Steve found one he liked and we saw a couple possibilities for me. We wanted to try them on but service was not great at the store. things are slowly coming together. Steve is lucky that he doesn't have to get measured for a tux for another couple of months. He'll get in a lot of working out by that time. So lucky. ;)

229 days...

2010-03-29T14:07:00.002-06:00

Steve and I got a few things purchased this weekend for our wedding. We decided not to go with the traditional guest book. how often are we going to look at it? exactly! So we purchased a large picture frame with a small picture format with lots of room around it for people to sign their names. We'll enjoy hanging that on the wall. I think we decided on our invitations if we can get the coloring we like in the design. We continue to work on our guest list, or we wait on my parents to make their final decisions on who made the cut.
:)

235... 236 days and counting...

2010-03-23T10:03:00.002-06:00

I've signed up with two wedding web-sites for tips and information. One says 235 days until the "big day" and one says 236 days... hmm?

237 days...

2010-03-22T08:59:00.002-06:00

What a lovely wedding on Saturday. Cathy looked beautiful in cream, Jeff wore a matching tie and vest under his tux coat. The women wore lapis (dark purple) long dresses and it snowed.
The reception was at Colletti's. A great place to eat. I wish they had a room big enough for my wedding. The food was just great.

Steve and I registered at Crate and Barrel yesterday. They have a new stand-alone building outside of the Woodfield mall complex. It's very nice. Large enough that they are able to have lots of furniture. Steve and I haven't been able to agree on stemware but we found the perfect coffee table at the right price. Crate and Barrel has some amazing furniture but the high price comes with it. I was really amazed at the price of this coffee table. I hope someone buys it for us.

239 days (part two)...

2010-03-19T11:38:00.003-06:00

I've heard so often that the wedding is based on the bride's dress. I've even passed that on a few times but it's really setting in right now how true that is....
I look at flowers for bouquets and centerpieces... but can't choose them yet. I flip through pages and pages of shoes... but can't buy anything yet. I look at bridesmaid gowns and colors I think I like... can't pick one. I look at bride's dresses... but can't pick one. Well I could but you never know how something looks on you looking at a picture. I do have a date set to try-on dresses. Hopefully I will find something I like or find out if white or ivory is better for me. even knowing a little detail like that will help things fall into place. We are also scheduling appointments for receptions halls. can't make any food or flower decisions until the hall is booked. Some halls provide flowers or centerpieces as part of package they offer, so maybe that's a decision I won't even have to make.
*sigh*
I'm kind of glad I can't make any desicions right now, because my heading is swirling around too much.

239 days...

2010-03-19T11:11:00.002-06:00

This weekend we are taking time away from our wedding to attend the wedding of Steve's brother and sister-in-law. A lot of Steve's relatives are coming in for the weekend and I get to meet them. How perfect, now I'll be able to talk to people and get to know them before they come for our wedding.
Thursday night we went to Steve's mom's house for dinner because one aunt and husband had already arrived. it is fun to meet people you've only heard about. I liked her. She's the middle daughter in the family. She gave me a hug and a rose when we were introduce. How can you not like that? plus they were in Sweden this year. I'll need to talk to them about where they went and what they did. Such fun people. An extra bonus to stopping by for dinner, cousin Larry, his wife, and children also stopped by.
We're all old friends now and soon we'll be family.
I like it.
:)

242 days....

2010-03-16T12:02:00.003-06:00

Today I am making a spread sheet of reception hall options. I'm looking right now at price range, parking, and location/easy of getting there. it's interesting to see what each one includes... or doesn't. Some of them include everything in the price; hall rental, flowers for every table, champagne for the head table, wedding cake... and cutting it. Some of them include nothing... soft drinks are available for an extra charge. It's rather amazing. Seeing as how I don't know what I want for a centerpiece choosing a reception hall that provides flowers for the table might be the way to go. I'm also wondering if any of them know how to make marzipan wedding cakes. yum! most of them say no outside cake or we'll charge you an arm and a leg to cut and serve them. Steve and I will try to narrow the list down to three or four options to call first to get a few more details. Then the fun part of setting up an appointment to go tasting. I think I'll like this part of the planning. Did I mention that Steve and I started working out again this week? We'll be able to do lots of taste tests.

243 days and counting...

2010-03-15T08:52:00.004-06:00

Steve and I did some registering this weekend. Steve was a bit reluctant but once he got scanning things, it became more fun for him. I just planned on registering at one place but he was ready for a second. We started at Target and moved to Bed, Bath, and Beyond after a lunch break. It was not easy to find things. We both had so much stuff that we didn't need the typical things you register for... silverware, plates, bathroom towels... it added a challenge but we found a few fun things to put on each list. We are in discussions right now for which wine and water goblets we want. That is something that neither of us had. We're going to check Crate and Barrel and hopefully find some there that will fit our style.
Registering was an easy (although energy draining) thing to check off our list of "to-dos". Now we are looking at reception halls. We have a short list to research, call, ask a few questions, and hopefully make appointments to visit.

246 days...

2010-03-12T14:03:00.003-06:00

Ok. so much is going on... there's so much to do... Groan!
The list of reception halls is rather short, that's good and bad. We'll soon have to start making appointments to talk budget and food with a few of the places. I did book my appointment for trying on wedding dresses. yikes! it's April 10th at 10:00 in the morning. I picked out some wonderful women to come with me for support and to have a good time. :)

countdown...

2010-03-11T15:41:00.001-06:00

248 Days

2010

2010-03-11T08:26:00.005-06:00

We are will into the new year but I feel like it's just beginning.
So much has happened in our family both real and community.
It started at the end of last year with me losing my job in December. Nine and a half years.
Jack Donald (Olson) Foley was born on February 11, 2010.
Dear friend, Leslee Schiller, passed away February 13. She will be missed.
It's been a real testament to the circle of life, a life beginning as one is ending.

My most exciting news is my engagement. Steve proposed to me on my birthday. So how did it happen...

Saturday we went ice skating at the fireman's built rink in Eagle River. Steve "fell down". I asked him if he was ok. He replied yes and made a waving motion with his hands. I didn't know he was calling me over. I skated in another circle before seeing that he was still down on the ice. I skated over, asking if he was ok. He said, "come here." He took my hands and ask in broken Swedish if i would marry him. I didn't know what was going on. I said, "what?" He repeated it and then asked me if i understood him. I wasn't sure I had, so I said so. He asked again in English. I said, "OK" and kissed him. He said "please say yes so i can get up." So I said, "Yes!"

and the rest is history...

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Long Grove and Pumpkins

2009-10-19T11:06:00.006-06:00

Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful fall day. Perfect for walking around Long Grove and hitting a pumpkin patch in Lincolnshire. As you can see by the pictures. I was a rather sunny day. Almost too bright to not squint while smiling.

Long Grove was a little bit busier than normal due to OktoberFest. We checked it out but did not participate. We just enjoyed lunch at the Village Tavern and checking out a few stores. Even started Christmas shopping. It's never too early to start shopping for presents, especially when you see something and inspiration hits. After enough time walking around Long Grove we piled into the car and headed over to the pumpkin patch.

Man! was it crowed but like i said it was a beautiful day. Ready for a snack we decided first to check out the apple cider donuts. As we got in line the rumor hit us that they were out of donuts but never fear more were being made. About a half hour later we were finally sitting down enjoying hot apple cider and fresh apple cider donuts. yes! they were worth the wait.

Even had a few leftover to take home for dessert and breakfast this morning. Once we were refueled we headed out to check out the new pigs, the corn maze (we didn't do it), the hayrides (didn't do it either), and decided to head to the pumpkins. They were pretty picked through by the time we got there but after careful considerations we found just the right ones for our needs.

All in all a very beautiful fall day to be outside and with good friends.

Labor Day - part one

2009-10-15T11:28:00.009-06:00

Steve and I were fortunate enough to not only have an extra long weekend for Labor Day but we both got the rest of the week off from work. So we packed up the car and headed to the northwoods to get away from the city. Of course you couldn't leave Chicago this summer without hitting traffic on the highways so it was a slow start. Once we got up there is was worth the trip. We had the best weather all summer, literally. It was a cool summer up north. We got up Friday in enough time to open the house and pick up pizza before my parents arrived from the city. Saturday my dad and Steve joined a neighbor for a round of golf while the ladies went in town for coffee and shopping. We cruised through Eagle River to St. Germain and stopped at our favorite place for pancakes - Wolf Pack.
Yum! it has the best plate size pancakes in the north woods. Saturday night we ended with sitting around the camp fire. It was a beautiful evening with mostly clear skies and no bugs. We even had a variety of marshmellows to choose from - original, caramel swirl, and toasted coconut. each one had to be sampled s'more style. My favorite was the original. My mom favored the toasted coconut and Steve preferred the caramel swirl. My dad at whatever you put on the end of the stick.

Sunday was another day of relaxing and boat riding. We even rescued a couple of neighbors who went out for a sail and lost their wind.

We did make it over to the farm for a couple of rides on the golf carts. Carol and Rich took us across the road to the old railroad tracks and drove us to Torch Lake. With water levels so low this year you could almost ride the carts all the way around the lake. Our golf cart was running on battery, once it got low we headed back to the farm, switched carts and Steve and I headed out again, after stopping by the apple trees for a sample and the plums trees to see if they were ready... not yet. Had another few weeks to go.

warning - objects may appear smaller than they actually are...

2009-10-13T12:50:00.003-06:00

imagine a nice fall day. maybe a little bit cloudy. you decide to go down to the lake for a walk. you put your coat on, grab a camera just in case there is a nice view of the fall colors. You get down to the shore, turn to the left and see....

yes. this is a moose on the shores of Stormy Lake. Moose aren't known for hanging around the east part of Wisconsin. A rare site but maybe he'll hang around for a while. He may not look it but this guy weights several hundred pounds. You would not want to meet him in your car on the road. He would win.

biking and picture taking

2009-09-15T11:09:00.008-06:00

I've found a new extreme sport for someone like me... taking pictures while biking riding. I don't mean carrying your camera and stopping to take a picture... i mean snapping pictures while you're peddling or in my case most of the time while i'm coasting. It takes a lot of balance especially if you are on a non-paved surface. It's a lot of fun and some times you get some interesting results. I took pictures on both trails last week. Here's what i got.

These are from the Three Eagles trail which runs between Eagle River and Three Lakes about 8.4 miles long.

These next pictures are from the Land o' Lakes trail which also runs about 8.6 miles.
This is a picture that Steve took. I'm not sure I'm ready to try an over the shoulder shot.

Taste of Chicago

2009-07-21T13:34:00.013-06:00

Steve and I went to the taste of Chicago this year. I haven't been in a few years, the crowd kind of gets to me. It's amazing how many people they pack in to the street. Both of us had July 3rd off. I said if we're going let's go early. it opens at 11:00. We were there by 11:05 and the crowd was already huge. it was a perfect day. warm with partly sunny skies. We started the day by walking the length of the taste. With only so many tickets in our pockets we wanted to know what was offered before we dove in. The thing that the taste has been working on bring back is the "taste portion". This is just a taste portion of the most popular dish for about half the number of tickets. We decided to only order the "taste portion" so we could get more things to eat.
The first thing we tried was onion fried green beans at O'Briens. This is one way to ruin a perfectly healthy vegetable. Cover it in flour with chopped up onion and deep fry it. Come on it's the taste, forget about eating healthy. Boy! were they good. we had to take a picture to help us remember where we bought them so we could visit that restaurant again.
We also tried some glass noodles, ice cream, grilled corn, sweet baby ray's rib sandwich (which i confess I have never had before), and two more things that i forgot because i waited so long to write this down. It was a great day. We had full stomachs and sun-burned noses to prove it.

technology

2009-07-14T12:54:00.003-06:00

Technology is so amazing. These pictures were taken under water with a camera. A regular point-and-shoot camera. not one of those plastic covered or disposable ones. A plain old cannon digital camera that said it's water-proof up to 5 feet. of course this had to be tested...

Test site - Stormy Lake Wisconsin. I had my contact lenses in so i couldn't open my eyes, but not bad, huh?

Bike the Drive

2009-05-28T12:30:00.008-06:00

This past Sunday was the city of Chicago's Bike the Drive. Lakeshore Drive is shut down to vehicle traffic for 6 hours and open to bicycles. You start at Grant Park and head either north or south. Steve and i entered LSD and headed south for approximately 7.5 miles to the Museum of Science and Industry to the turn around point and headed back to Grant park. The whole south route was just over 15 miles. Since I haven't been on my new bike much we stopped after 15 miles. we could have continued north to Berwyn and back for an additional 15 miles but decided to not push it. It was a perfect day to be out for a bike ride. Nice, bright, and for the trip down it wasn't very windy. We both had long sleeves on and almost didn't need them. It was quite the experience to be riding on LSD on a bike with not a car in sight. It was also an experience to be on the Red line train with 15 other bikes and riders coming into the city. i wish i had taken a picture of that. After the ride we wandered around to the various bike-related vendors to see what they were peddling. Since we started the ride at 5:45 in the morning, we were ready for breakfast. We stopped by a place on Michigan Ave and then headed home. We're already planning on doing the entire 30 miles next year.

Here we are standing in front of the museum taking a mid-ride break. enjoying a banana, mini-granola bars, and a blue energy drink.

A view looking back at the field museum. See how blue the sky was?

We stopped by McCormick Place to blow my nose and take a picture of the city. It was a good thing we stopped, when we went to take off Steve's chain fell off.

BIke

2009-05-21T11:40:00.004-06:00

Well here it finally is my new bike.

beautiful, isn't she?

She can be a road bike or a mountain bike.

this weekend is the "Bike the Drive". A 30 or 15 miles ride on LakeShore Drive. don't worry, they kick the cars off. we'll be ok.

i'm sure i'll get some pictures of me actually on the bike.

so far my monkey butt hasn't been too bad.

Easter

2009-04-30T12:09:00.003-06:00

A couple more Easter pictures.

Searching for Easter treats.

A couple of boys entertaining us before lunch.

Easter

2009-04-21T11:46:00.003-06:00

It's always good to start preparing for Easter with the coloring of Easter eggs. I gave my camera to Axel to capture our coloring of the eggs.

He needs a little bit of work but not a bad photographer.

After the church service it's time to collect the eggs. It was a great day to be outside for the egg trees.

Did i take a picture of the table? Did i take a picture of the inside egg hunt? Did i take a picture of the lamb cake? actually i did but on my other camera. I just have to remember to bring in the pictures.

Happy Easter!

Shedd

2009-04-21T11:33:00.007-06:00

A few weeks ago Steve and I went to the aquarium. We originally went the week before but the line was way too long and the weather was too nice. We ended up just walking around the museums and Navy Pier that day. The next week we tried again, this time getting their bright and early when the aquarium opened. That was the way to do it. We were almost first in line and it filled up fast. We had a great day. Watching two different feedings. Experienced a 4-D movie. Fought the crowds. It was a perfect day to be inside.

Piranha

Northern Pike

Steve fishing for lunch.

Swordfish

The main tank.

He's looking right at me. Thank Goodness for six inches of glass.

of course a few birds.
Definitely a good day to be inside.

our 3-D glasses for the 4-D movie experience.

birthday

2009-02-23T15:50:00.007-06:00

February is birthday month for my mom and me. we always have a celebration together. this year we had some extra help preparing the birthday cake.

first you frost the cake...
then you lick the knife...

ta da! happy birthday! check out the candles with the cool glasses.

cheers

2009-02-19T09:49:00.002-06:00

To Harry!

reading

2009-02-17T10:22:00.001-06:00

so i'm reading an article about the health benefits (or not so benefits) of coffee in the Chicago Tribune. I found this following paragraph rather interesting. it does make sense.

"Every day, we sip a steady stream of health news about something we could eat or drink and how it will help save us from Health Nightmare X—or help cause it. Avoid refined sugar. Take fish oil pills. Drink coffee. Don't.
So here's the good news, according to experts who study disease and risk: You can pretty much ignore almost all of these health bulletins, with a few exceptions: Exercise, eat a balanced diet, don't be fat, drink only in moderation and, whatever you do, don't smoke."

counting down...

2009-02-17T10:21:00.000-06:00

Spring has begun.

pitchers and catchers are warming up.

counting down...

2009-02-12T14:15:00.000-06:00

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow. You're only a day away..."

melt down

2009-02-03T09:22:00.002-06:00

the melt down is supposed to happen this weekend.

I wouldn't mind not being greeted by this every morning...

Yesterday it was reported the several groundhogs across the country saw their shadows... six more weeks of winter.

counting down...

2009-02-02T11:43:00.001-06:00

11 days until pitchers and catcher report.

can you feel spring in the air?

picture

2009-01-15T13:01:00.001-06:00

i just love this picture.

Winter Classic

2009-01-06T14:38:00.009-06:00

The Winter Classic. Red Wings vs Blackhawks. January 1, 2009. Noon at Wrigley Field.

talk about cool... and i don't mean cold, although it was rather chilly.

Sharon and I were dressed for it. Prepared for the cold. after all we had been to sub-zero Lambeau Field so we knew how to dress.

We got down around Wrigley about 10:00 am to check-out the pre-game Fan Fest. it was packed. people all over the place. The fan fest was nice, simple but nice. a few, or several trailers selling Winter Classic gear were mostly sold out. There was a band playing all sorts of cover music. Hockey jerseys and hockey sticks were all over the place.

Inside Wrigley almost all signs of baseball were taken down and replaced with hockey or Winter Classic.

Hockey players were even trying to warm-up in the concourse area of Wrigley field.

A few pictures from the actual game. the first period was great. won't comment on the second two.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T14:40:00.007-06:00

Ok before I cover Christmas and all that fun stuff from the last couple of weeks I have to talk about yesterday. Ice Skating on Wrigley field. yes. Ice Skating on Wrigley field. Wrigley Field hosted the Winter Classic game on January 1st. Red Wings vs Blackhawks. I'll get to the game later but what do you do with an ice rink that's constructed for one game? open it to the neighbors. It was awesome. Had one hour to skate. I hadn't skated in two years. the first 25 minutes something hurt. my feet, my legs, my ankles. after that i either went numb or it went away. I'm not sure. It doesn't matter, pain or no pain I was ice skating on Wrigley Field.

Very Cool!

Midwest Recruiting

2008-12-17T13:37:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

from KPMG's Midwest Recruiting Group

(plus a couple extras)

but thanks....

2008-12-11T14:07:00.004-06:00

A few pictures from the northwoods winter wonderland and the trip up.

"Don, have you been noticing funny looks from people in the cars passing us?
"No, I haven't. i wonder why they would look at us funny."

but thanks....

2008-11-17T14:55:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

one week from Thursday is Thanksgiving. I was listening to a radio station the other day and they were referring to Thanksgiving as the "forgotten holiday." They said people take down their Halloween decorations and hang up the Christmas ones. Thinking back over the past week I was thinking about the errands I was running. Most of the stores had their Halloween decorations on sale and right next to it was a few Thanksgiving things with the Christmas decorations taking over most of the store. The Thanksgiving stuff really was pushed to the side and if you weren't looking for it you could easily miss it. Walking around downtown, Christmas decorations are going up. This weekend is the Festival of Lights parade, basically a start of Christmas celebration. Christmas music has started taking over the airwaves. Now I did learn over the weekend that Thanksgiving was not the peaceful happy-go-lucky dinner between the Pilgrims and Indians that we were taught in school. We've come along way from 1621 to be truly thankful for what we have. Don't let Thanksgiving become the "forgotten holiday". We have a lot to be thankful for these days.

I'm thankful for my family and their health, my friends, my job, the time i can spend with other people, and my church.

What are you thankful for?

Halloween

2008-11-03T11:53:00.008-06:00

Friday night my mom threw quite the Halloween bash for the grandsons. Anders was a Minnesota Viking football player and Axel was Tigger.

For dinner we ate mummy dogs and ghost jell-o along with other boring food like green beans.

The boys especially enjoyed eating the mummy dogs.

The dinner ended, after a piece of candy for each boy, with Anders coming over to Axel for a hug and counted to 10 together. Aren't they great brothers?

Winter wonderland

2008-10-28T11:25:00.002-06:00

Monday morning i woke up and looked outside. This is what greeted me.

Ok I was in Northern Wisconsin for the weekend but still it's October and I was joking when I said i was hoping to get snowed in over the weekend.

how cute am i?

2008-10-20T08:20:00.002-06:00

isn't she cute?

how cute am i?

2008-10-20T08:20:00.000-06:00

isn't she cute?

i've been tagged...

2008-10-17T14:43:00.004-06:00

Four things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Working at a law firm
2. Living in the North Park neighborhood
3. Owning a car
4. Not dating anyone (hmm? something haven't changed after ten year. sad.)

Four things on my to-do list:
1. Find a condo
2. Find a better paying job
3. See the Cubs win a World Series
4. Go on a date

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Accounts payable/Receivable
2. Jane of all trade3. Baker’s assistant4. Lifeguard

Four movies I’ve watched more than once:
1. Star Wars (all six of them)
2. All of the Harry Potter Movies
3. Major League
4. Indiana Jones (again all of them)

Four places I’ve lived:
1. Chicago
2. Chicago
3. Jonkoping
4. Chicago

Four places I want to visit:
1. New Zealand
2. Sweden
3. Scotland
4. Prince Edward Island

Four television shows I watch right now:
1. Gray's anatomy
2. two and a half men
3. Sportscenter
4. Lost

Four things you might not know about me:
1. I’m living with my parents while I’m looking for a condo
2. The Cubs make me cry
3. I like Kid Rock (well some of his stuff)
4. I wear the same pair of shoes almost every day at work during the cold months

Four things I like about being married:

(no comment)

Eddie Vedder

2008-10-03T11:29:00.002-06:00

Don't let anyone say that it's just a game

For I've seen other teams and it's never the same

When you're born in Chicago you're blessed and you're healed

The first time you walk into Wrigley Field

Our heroes wear pinstripe, heroes in blue

Give us the chance to feel like heroes too

Whether we'll win and if we should lose

We know someday we'll go all the way

Yeah

Someday we'll go all the way

We are one with the Cubs

With the Cubs we're in love

Yeah, hold our head high as the underdogs

We are not fair-weather but foul-weather fans

We're like brothers in arms in the streets and the stands

There's magic in the ivy and the old scoreboard

The same one I stared at as a kid keeping score

In a world full of greed, I could never want more

Than someday we'll go all the way

Yeah

Someday we'll go all the way

Yeah

Someday we'll go all the way

And here's to the men and the legends we've known

Teaching us faith and giving us hope

United we stand and united we'll fall

Down to our knees the day we win it all

Ernie Banks said "Oh, let's play two"

Or did he mean 200 years

In the same ball park, our diamond, our jewel

The home of our joy and our tears

Keeping traditions and wishes made new

A place where our grandfathers, fathers they grew

A spiritual feeling if I ever knew

And if you ain't been I am sorry for you

And when the day comes with that last winning run

And I'm crying and covered in beer

I'll look to the sky and know I was right

To think someday we'll go all the way

Yeah

Someday we'll go all the way

Yeah

Someday we'll go all the way

Yeah

written by Eddie Vedder

A Cubs Fan

Rally Day

2008-09-30T12:51:00.003-06:00

It's Post Season Rally Day 2008 today. It's beginning to be an annual event for the Cubs. I could handle that. It's a nice fall day, cool but good for standing in a large crowd of people for 45 minutes. Jim Belushi was the emcee for the festivities today. He did a great job. He has to do it every year. Our favorite governor Rod-B spoke, always campaigning, and sounding like the Cubs won the World Series. Mayor "White Sox" Daley spoke too. Of course Ron, Billy, and Ernie were there and a couple of the players popped up at the end. Harry Caray sang the 7th inning stretch and Jim ended the day with a new version of "Go Cubs Go".

"Hey Chicago what do you say... The Cubs are going all the way!"

Post Season. :)

When your short this is how you view the world... Can you see Jim Belushi?

A little bit of confetti to end the rally.

What a great upgrade to the Picasso, don't you think?

Clinch

2008-09-22T09:10:00.006-06:00

Go Cubs Go!

Here are a few pictures from the celebration on Saturday.

The "W" flag is flying high over Wrigley.

The final score.

Singing along to "Go Cubs Go!"

the celebration spilled out of the dugout on to the field.

flood

2008-09-22T08:06:00.003-06:00

Last weekend the city was drenched in rain. It must have rained for 48 hours straight. Filled the North branch fuller than I've ever seen it. Here are a couple picture (thanks Mrs. Frisk) of the NPU campus, which Burgh and Anderson had to be evacuated Saturday night due to flooding. The students were allowed back into the dorms on Monday. Foster Avenue was closed for four days because of the flooding around the park about a half mile east of Kimball. Crazy!

The foot bridge usually sits several feet about the river, which is about knee to mid-thigh depth at that point.

Chocolate Mug Cake

2008-09-10T08:45:00.001-06:00

MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

1 Coffee Mug
4 tablespoons flour (that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
(1 tablespoon of instant coffee as well gives you a Mocha cake!)
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well . Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share!)

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

magic

2008-09-03T14:18:00.001-06:00

Now down to:

Julia

2008-09-03T14:16:00.001-06:00

Hi! Aren't I cute?

magic

2008-08-27T07:40:00.002-06:00

Today is August 27. The Cubs have a magic number. 26 Let the count down begin.

happy!

2008-08-22T10:37:00.002-06:00

I got the invoice for my postseason tickets today.

yeah!
:)

This really needs to be the year I get to use all of them. I don't like having a stash of unused World Series tickets lying around.
:(

above the rest...

2008-08-20T15:53:00.001-06:00

Derrick Lee is literally a head above the rest.

:)

RBI

2008-08-04T12:18:00.008-06:00

Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities

I have been working this year with the Chicago chapter of RBI, which is now a "proud sponsor" of KPMG. it's been a lot of fun. We started out the year with keeping score for the games. There were two a night, one for the junior league and one for the senior league. Sunday, August 3rd RBI was invited to participate in a clinic held at Wrigley field prior to the game versus Pittsburgh. The program invited the winning senior team and the junior all-stars. Of course they needed some extra chaperons from KPMG. A few of us scorekeepers were invited to help out and spend the day with them. It started out early by meeting at the park at 9:00 in the morning. The same time the Cubs were starting to arrive.

The players started out with workouting on the field lead by three of the Cubs coaches; Larry Rothschild, Alan Trammell, and Ivan DeJesus. I sat and watched the pitchers with Larry. It was very interesting to hear him speak to the boys. Then a few of them took turns pitching. I liked how he found good and bad things to tell each boy as they took their turn. Another group practice snagging fly balls up against the ivy and the third group caught grounders and throwing to first base.

All the boys looked like the were enjoying themselves and taking in all in, even a few of the chaperons had big smiles. After 45 minutes of field work, the team settled in to watch Kerry Wood throw two simulated innings, part of his recovery from the nasty blister plaguing him for the last month. The next stop was moving everyone closer to the on-deck circle for pictures and autographs. This was the most exciting part, not just for the team. They sat us down in aisle 116 right next to the dugout. In groups of 3 to 5, they stepped on the field to the on-deck circle for a picture then into the dugout for another picture. Once the team was done, the KPMGers took our spot in line. One overheard comment... "i think they are smiling bigger than the boys." that just made us smile even more. As we sat and waited a few of the players came over to say Hi! and sign autographs.

Derrick Lee

Mark DeRosa
Jim Edmonds
Ryan Theriot

We were even treated to a game a catch... with a football, lead by former quarterback Mark DeRosa. Even Zambrano got in the middle with a stunning intercetion.

After watching batting practice, stretching, and some running drills, we were ready to go in for lunch. We were lead around the park to the Stadium Club. Inside we had a small room to ourselves. I looked at the person next to me and said, "I am ready for a hotdogs." then a Cubs personal stood up and welcomed us to the Stadium Club, he also announced that you will not find the normal stadium food in the club but that we were being treated to a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch buffet. I have to admit i was a bit sad. I was looking forward to a hotdog and nachos. It was good food. The boys ate their fill, received t-shirts and caps from KPMG, then we escorted them to the final destination to watch the game. What a game it was! They won, even though for a moment things didn't look good when the game was tied in the late innings. But that's what the Cubs do these days, come back from behind. Go Cubs!