Not being in Chicago for Christmas this year didn’t stop us from getting our own tree.  And thanks to our parents who collected and kept safe all of the ornaments from our childhood, we were able to decorate the tree with great memories.

Hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas.

Dave and I spent Christmas in Indiana with my family.  All six siblings, plus their respective significant others were in town, which is a rare occurrence.  As you can see, my parents purchased a very large tree to celebrate the occasion.  Having everyone together was crazy, and lots of fun.  We maintained our sanity by staying at a hotel.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve in Chicago with my sister Amy and her husband, my sister Maggie who is staying with us for a while, and my brother Michael.  Maggie helped me make cabbage rolls for dinner, and Michael hosted the party with champagne toasts and everything.  We actually spent most of the evening in a very heated game of Settlers of Catan.  We did, however, take a break to properly ring in the midnight hour.

All told, the holidays were busy and great.  It was really wonderful to visit with my whole family.  Insults were flying the whole week, of course, but no one ended with a black eye,  so I’m going to call the holidays a success overall.

Happy New Year!

When I was a kid, this was one of my Christmas presents one year.  From my 7 year old perspective, it was just about the coolest thing ever.  And while I lost track of the original gift a long time ago, I have often wished that I still had it.

So you can imagine my surprise last Thursday when I came home from work to find this present on my doorstep.  My sister Amy found the penguin toy online and ordered it for me.  Awesome!

You’re the best Amy.  Thanks for the great gift.  Those sliding penguins still make me just as happy as they did in the ’80s!

#22 – Return to Whitewater, WI for our one year anniversary.

We have been married for a year.

Wait, what?  We have been married for a year???  But, when and HOW EXACTLY did that happen?  No, honestly, we don’t know what we’re doing!  I have nothing profound to say here.  Dave is a patient man.

But not yet mastering the art of married life did not stop us from a good celebration.  We celebrated both Dave’s 31st birthday and our first wedding anniversary this past weekend in style.  We returned to the place in Wisconsin where we got engaged over two years ago.

We stayed at the same B&B.

We took the same five mile hike where Dave proposed to me.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that the exact bench on which Dave asked me to marry him has since been appropriately graffitied.

We won the Wisconsin state lottery.  And then blew our winnings on another lottery ticket.

We enjoyed the nature.

And of course, I got Dave a remote controlled helicopter for his birthday, the only appropriate gift for a 31 year old man and his cat.

And we relaxed.  It was wonderful.

I has been a whirlwind first year of marriage, Dave.  Here’s to the second year being half as hectic and exactly as enjoyable!

#12 – Give up alcohol for Lent.

Last year, in the midst of planning a wedding, I gave up alcohol for Lent.

CRAZY, I soon found out!  Don’t worry, my fast from alcohol did not last long.  My mental stability and our wedding were both made possible by a slow, but steady supply of wine in the months leading up to the big day.

So, this year I gave up alcohol again.  With a few notable exceptions along the way (everyone knows that St. Patrick’s Day is not Lent), Dave and I both sobered up this year.

And now that Lent is over, I have a question for you.

Whatever you gave up for Lent, did you observe your fast on the Sundays during Lent?

Happy Easter!

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“Old” by Paul Simon

I celebrated my 31′st birthday last week.

Only a few very short years ago I would have counted a birthday a true success if it was celebrated with lots of friends and family, a few people I had never met before nor have seen since, prerequisite St. Patrick’s Day green on everyone invited to the party, lots of loud music and a smashing lot of Irish quality drinking.  I am being honest, here.  I did get to ride on a float in the Chicago South Side St. Patrick’s Day parade, you know?

This year was celebrated with a quiet evening out with Dave.  We had a wonderful preview of spring on my birthday.  And I couldn’t wait to spend a nice night out with my husband.

So, this is the 30′s, huh?  Celebrating good weather and a chance to talk with your spouse over a fancy dinner?  It’s pretty great actually.

I remember a few naysayers mentioning that in high school and college I should enjoy things while they lasted because “these are the best days of your life”.  Not so, my friends, not so.  The truth is that I am happier now than I ever remember being.  These days of being 30+ are pretty damn good so far.

#96 – Spend a lazy weekend day at the Art Institute of Chicago with Dave.

Is it still a Valentine’s Day date when you have to drag your husband (and yourself, for that matter!) out of bed early on a Saturday morning?

Well, that is exactly what we did.

We are members of the Art Institute.  This means that we can show up an hour before opening time and get into the Art Institute and all of the special exhibits free of charge.  We thought that we would be able to casually view the current Edvard Munch exhibit, taking our time and enjoying the exhibit as members.  Well, it turns out that there are a lot of other members.  We enjoyed the exhibit, but had to push our way through the crowds.

And much to my disappointment, they did not have The Scream - the painting, but only The Scream - the black and white lithograph.  I turned every corner in the exhibit looking for the painting, holding out hope until the end.  Dave gave up hope as soon as we saw the tiny little black and white lithograph.  Different versions of the painting have been stolen, damaged, put up for ransom and recovered by the Norwegian police.  So what?  I still thought it would be there.  And I had my expectations set pretty darn high after admiring The Scream – the 8 ft. tall inflatable doll at the touristy gift shop across the street.

The “lazy” part of this goal came after the Munch exhibit when we wandered around the museum, ate lunch and admired all of the great works of art that were closest to benches.

I was cleaning out old boxes a couple of weeks ago and I found this Valentine’s Day card that Dave gave me in college, a very long time ago.  It’s too bad that I had no idea that Artoo-Detoo equaled love way back then.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

#1 – Make a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days.

Dave and I went out for a great dinner on New Year’s Eve at our favorite BYOB Thai restaurant.  Dave surprised me on Christmas with a bottle of wine in my stocking that was from the same vineyard as a great bottle of wine we had had on our honeymoon.  We shared the bottle over dinner last night.  It was wonderful!

And my official Thai fortune for the new year can be seen above.  Should help me out with the list, no?

I have finished my 101 in 1001 list and started the clock.  I have until Thursday, September 28, 2011.  You can read all of my goals and follow my progress on the new 101 in 1001 page I created.  I promise to blog along the way.

I better get started.

Do you have any resolutions this year?

Last year my sister, Amy, put together a list of 101 things that she would accomplish in 1001 days.  I loved it!  What a great way to work towards all those things in life that you want to do or know that you should do, but often get distracted from as life happens.

Here is the idea:

• The Mission – Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
• The Criteria – Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable, or clearly defined.  Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. representing some amount of effort on your part).
• Why 1001 Days? – Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions.  The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic.  1001 days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing such tasks as overseas travel or outdoor activities.

As my New Year’s resolution this year, I am writing down my own list of 101 things to do in 1001 days.  I have been working on the list for about a week, and am just putting the finishing touches on it today.  I will post it tomorrow and set the 1001 day countdown clock.

Happy New Year everyone!