Chicago 2010 Transformed!

Tom and I went to Chicago for the weekend to attend a Books Are Fun Conference. Leanne and I took a walk around town while our men were at the meetings. We walked the river, peered into windows of bakeries and 5 star restaurants, and found the set of Transformers 3! She was responsible for finding our way around and (more importantly) the way BACK!


Later, after meetings and before dinner, Tom mentioned that he would like to go out to see the city. I told him that we went to the set of Transformers, and he wanted to go! Problem... can you say NO sense of direction and not paying attention to the first walk since I had given the job to Leanne! And when I give the job, I really give it - - I do not have a care in the world about GETTING BACK!!! HER JOB, NOT MINE!


To Tom's utter amazement AND MINE, we found it! We were stopped on the sidewalk for a time while the helicopter scene was shot. This guy really got in tight to the buildings, flew really low, and stirred up all kinds of papers on the ground! See the camera on the front? Gave me new appreciation for the flying scenes in TRUE LIES!



Look at the letters on the building on the right...
They are on the ground in this photo! Bad angle, but from the other direction you could tell what they were!!! The R is on the right side of Tom's cheek!




Notice the architecture on the building, same as on the ground! How fun would that be to create that structure for the movie!

Thought it was funny that we weren't allowed to use flash during this scene... what????? flash goes for about 5 feet and it was so bright out it was blinding!

Tom asked if I saw the bus... no, didn't... but I did get a picture of it! If you click on the pics, this blogger enlarges them!

Asked my favorite boy what the best part of Chicago was... and as expected, he said,

"The boats!"

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, summer!

Another Snow Day!!!

Haven't been to school yet this week!!! Could it be that they cannot find anywhere to put all this stuff? If you look closely, you can see Dave out shoveling, right before he snow blows his driveway! Louis and Dave love this stuff!! And for the record... the snowiest February ever, and there are still a bunch of those days to go - - and the next storm is due in on Sunday Night... here's the updated snow depth on the deck!

If you look closely at this picture, I am knitting on the bench!

Yea, I wish!!!

Still Snowing!!!

But it didn't stop us from going to WL for dinner!!! : )

Ashley and Steven, come and get it! You can have all of it!

No end in sight!

Birthday, Snow, and Signs of Spring

Happy 79th Birthday, Dad!!!!

Valentine's Day brought with it a birthday get-together. Leanne made the I-ate-way-more-than-I-ever-should-have-but-I-am-glad-I-did cake! It was really scrumptious! We all had a great time, but at the same time wished that Brittannie and Manny, Ashley and Steven, and Laura and Greg could have been here.

Dad seemed to enjoy the day with lunch at Mulligan's! But best of all, I think dad LOVED that Hannah ran up to him and hugged and kissed him at church... that was what he spoke of in the car as being "worth waiting for!" Mason gave Dad a Baby Ruth and said, "Birthday, Papa!"

It was a great birthday - and we wish you all the best, Dad. You certainly deserve it! Thanks for being my FAVORITE DAD! ; )

If you look closely in the upper middle of the picture, you will see a great big fat robin! I was really excited to see this, especially in our record breaking snowfall winter - - right after that fat groundhog saw his shadow. (He will remain nameless since he gave us six more weeks of this white global warming!)

And since Ashley is really sad that WE are getting all the snow, and she is not, I shall send her some! There,

and it is still snowing!











I got the snow day!!!

Yes, we can all dream about the Caribbean warm!!!

This is sad because:

this is the view from my office window... at home... and Tom had to go to work this morning. Got the 4-wheel drive in gear, floored it, and plowed down the driveway as fast as he could. Probably didn't need that much drama, but I was really hoping for him to get stuck so he could stay home! We have about a foot of snow; still snowing!

and

today is the day that Manny and Brittannie head toward Atlanta, into the arms of Greg and Laura. That is not the sad part. . . this is - Weather stations are reporting record snowfalls. They will have a gorgeous drive, AND, I PRAY, A VERY SAFE ONE! We will keep you warmly in our thoughts and prayers for your traveling mercies, and that this time for training and schooling goes fabulously and fast!

and

today is Saturday - not bad in itself, but if this were a Thursday or Friday, hhhhmmmmmm, can you say, "Snow Day?" But God has a sense of humor and all will be back to normal on Monday.







Until then, I will stay cozy and warm in my office doing school work!

Happy New Year!

Tom and I got a wonderful invitation to the Cestari New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Festivities. The family greeted us with open arms and the fun began!

Tom, Felix Dad, and Manny were ready to get the party going with warmth and cheer!

Rosie Mom, Rosie, Brittannie, and baby Yrene were looking forward to ringing in the New Year!

We got there about 9 pm, and little did we know that the rehearsals had already taken place and the performances were to come! Everyone did a fabulous job on their parts: the playing of the instruments, the singing, the translations, the solos, and the laughter! Traditional songs were kept alive with jovial spirits and great harmonies! Encores were also requested and fulfilled!

An amazing dinner of lamb stew, pork roast, and all the trimmings (YUM!) and fabulous desserts were served before midnight. Then, we all donned our party hats in anticipation. Each of us was given a cup with twelve grapes. On the last twelve seconds of the year, as it was counted down, you had to pop a grape into your mouth, make a wish, and do it again... I could only do six grapes (that choking thing) but gave it a good try.

In the morning, we had a light breakfast of eggs, onions, and peppers, toast, and juice... light only as defined by the hosts! It was delicious!

Right after breakfast - - RIGHT AFTER - - preparations were made for the fantastic lunch! The dedication to the process was a show in itself! Everyone had a part in it - - yes, I did, too!

I watched and took pictures!

Felix, Tati, and Yrene were the cutie patootie family of the day! Notice that everyone was in the kitchen!

This is serious business!

About that dedication part - - -the men, the cooks and the audience, were trying to keep warm with temperatures hovering around freezing.


I could be a bit off, but I think that the men were outside for about 45 minutes! The dance of the hands adding the ingredients was quites a sight to behold. The choreography could not have been matched!




One word: Divine!

Thank you for the unforgettable time with those you love! It was greatly appreciated and enjoyed!

Oh, and the Bucks won!

Married a Week Already!!!

The wedding was wonderful!


The marriage is underway!


God's blessings on your adventure together!


We love you both morethanyouknow!