i do's

This past weekend, my very good friend Miranda got married. It was a busy, busy weekend. Friday was the rehearsal and dinner. Not much to it, you walk here and stop, they get married, and then you walk over here and then out. Can do. Dinner followed at Maya Del Sol, where the food was fancy mexican and pretty delicious. A big thanks to Mrs. Konkol for hosting such a lovely dinner.

Saturday morning we were held captive at the hair salon and force fed goat cheese and bacon quiche and were made to drink pom-mosas (pomegranate juice and champagne). It was rough. The came a lot of bobby pins and hairspray. I'm pretty sure I haven't used hairspray since curling my bangs under and over in high school, which contrary to popular belief, looked awesome. Anyway, we were then whisked off to the hotel in a sweet Cadillac limo, where we then scampered into our dresses and panty hose, yes panty hose, which also haven't been worn since high school. Though, I must say there is something to be said for control top when you get past a certain age.

The bride looked nothing less then stunning. Truly the happiest that I have ever seen her. The dress was beautiful and fit perfectly. And the ceremony went without a hitch. Multiple photo sessions ensued. And then it was time to celebrate with a whole lot of drinking, eating and dancing. The reception site was gorgeous and the music was not your standard wedding fare. There was also a photobooth, which was genius. And as the night wound down and the Jameson bottle emptied itself, we toasted the bride and groom and wished them well.

I have known the bride for almost a decade now and knew that when she started talking about Andy, that this was it. They are one of those couples that are ridiculously well matched for one another and the love and bond between them is clear. To Mirandy, thanks for including us this weekend, we had a blast.

the weakerthans

On Friday, B and I went to see the Weakerthans at the Bottom Lounge and they were incredible, sometimes you get lucky enough to go to a show that is just about flawless and this was one of them. They are an indie rock band from Canada, that B introduced me to last year. They don't seem to have a lot of name recognition here but I have a feeling that is about to change. The crowd was enthusiastic and it was a sold out room.

The lead singer, John Samson, writes witty and interesting lyrics. For example, he writes songs from the perspective of his cat, its good stuff. You should check it out.

apple pickin'

Yesterday, a co-worker inquired if I liked being a mom, to which I didn't have an immediate answer. Becoming a mom has been to date, my greatest achievement and undertaking. Spending time with Ethan and watching him grow from tiny infant to the crazed 3 1/2 year old that he is now, has been nothing short of amazing. I hear that these feelings continue to grow. And for now I am enjoying the fact that he still cute and small and fits in my lap and that I am still the go to person in his life.

Ethan's personality continues to develop. I can't help but to see so much of myself in him both physically and in his need to have things in a particular way. His new school is much further away from his old one, and so there is a lot more time for chatting. He went on for quite sometime the other day, about the advantages of having a garage, and why we should get one. Upon reaching home, he pointed to our neighbor's garage and said "Look mommy, they have a garage, I want to go look at theirs." Curious.

Last weekend we headed out to the suburbs to do some apple picking. Sometimes a perk to having children is that you get to go do activities that would have seemed nearly impossible when you are single and have a crippling hangover. One point, child. I have never been apple picking before, well I take that back, I have never had to pay to go pick a bag of apples, but more on that in a sec. Where I grew up in Michigan, we had a bunch of apple trees, and every Fall it was a huge chore to pick the good apples and to discard of the bad ones. Which required hours of wretched physical labor followed by the whole arduous process of making applesauce.

So, yes, to the orchard we went to voluntarily go and pick the apples, while paying a small fortune to do so. But it was fun to watch B and Ethan run around, and B's parents joined us, so it was nice to catch up with them. It was also a bonus, that there were fresh donuts and a small petting zoo.

Next up, the pumpkin patch.

the bachelorette

This weekend I celebrated the final rite of passage for any blushing bride, the bachelorette party. My good friend M is getting married in a week and a half and like any friend would do, we threw her a party to try to get her as drunk and stupid as humanely possible. As luck would have it, she got a cold the day before and was not happy, but she announced that the show must go on and we did as we were told.

We met up at her friend's house for a cocktail hour and snacks and some pg-13 rated games and gifts. We then headed out to Cleo's, her favorite beer garden down the street and had some drinks. And then headed over to the six corners to hit up some bars for some dancing.

As luck would have it, the first bar we went to, Crocodile had an entire basement to dance in, it was a stark and concrete with a few tables and a bar, complete with only dance music from the early 90's. At one point "Ghetto Superstar" came on, as did a rush of memories of dancing at Rick's in Ann Arbor, begging the DJ to play it, because up until that time, no song had ever resonated with a bunch of suburban white girls quite like that one did. Man alive did that make me feel old, I mean that was over ten years ago. Ugh, does that make me one of those women that is past her prime with her bra strap hanging out of too tight of clothes talking about the olden days? Possibly. But one shot later, I felt better.

I stayed out till 2:30 am, which to my internal clock is equivalent to pulling an all nighter. But all and all, it was a fun night; I think the bachelorette had a fine time, we didn't have to pay cover anywhere, and I didn't get drunk (which was definitely a bonus the next day). I think her cold may have been a blessing in disguise, because I was worried all week as to how hungover I was going to be. But I suppose, I shouldn't get too ahead of myself, the wedding is next weekend and there is rumor of free booze, so I shouldn't start the back pats quite yet.

second annual family vacation

This past weekend we traveled to a far away place called, Lake Chautauqua, NY for the second annual family vacation. My brother and sister in law are proud part-owners of a single wide trailer out there. It's not quite as white trash as it may sound, just slightly rustic with a religious twist. It is perched next to a Lutheran day camp, where we stayed in the Retreat Center, which wasn't as bad as we feared but nothing more then a room with a bed and bathroom.

We arrived on Friday, after spending a night in Michigan to break up the drive and to have a quick visit with Mandy and Frank and their boys. It was nice to see them and Ethan was equally excited to hang out with Owen and have our traditional donuts together. The rest of the day was spent driving through Ohio and Pennsylvania and we finally got to our destination late in the afternoon.

All in all a good vacation. B and my oldest brother and his wife and family finally met and seemed to get on well. Emerson seemed to take a shine to him, I think it must be the beard, or maybe that's just me.

Highlights of the trip:
1. Having our own bathroom and shower
2. Trip to Midway State Park (sort of like a mini-Kiddieland)
3. Campfires every night and s'mores
4. All the kids playing together (except for Thoren, who was sleeping for most of it)
5. The Amish doughnuts
6. Cooler full of beer
7. Seeing familiar faces

Next year, is my year to plan our destination and I have yet to figure out where to go. Open to any suggestions, preferably in the midwest or slightly east.

labor day

Tonight we are driving to Michigan for the night and then off to NY tomorrow for our second annual family vacation. Pretty exciting stuff. The car is packed to capacity and I am afraid to move anything for fear that it may all esplode. Here's hoping that breaking up the drive into two days will calm the wild beast that is my son.

Looking forward to seeing my mom, brothers and sister in laws and especially my niece and nephews. I have yet to meet my brother's newest addition, and can't wait to hold him. Now that Ethan is a full blown little man, I kind of miss the whole baby phase. But judging from his cries that I hear over the phone, I am sure that I won't be nostalgic for too long.

In other baby news, Andrea gave birth to a beautiful red-headed boy on Monday. Welcome Asher Ramon Doberstein. I can't wait to meet you.

That's all I got. I am hoping for sunny days, no accidents, a nap or two (this is for both Ethan and mommy) and some good old fashioned bonding.

hello september

Last night, the temperature dipped down to 49 degrees. And to this I ask mother nature, wtf? Here in Chicago, we have experienced a fairly cool summer and I am fearful that it will now snow by the end of the month. I find this depressing and told B this morning that I am ready to move. Our grand plan is to figure out where we want to be in two years from now, which means we either choose where we want to move, get jobs and save up money or accept the challenges of living here and quit complaining.

Pro's of living in Chicago:
1. Familiarity. I have been here 7 years now, and though I don't know the grid by numbers, I do know my fair share of shortcuts and my way around
2. Summer in the city = beer on patios
3. Good market for design and creative endeavors
4. Found a good school for Ethan
5. Close to family
6. BYOB restaurants: probably one of the greatest concepts ever
7. Lakefront, skyline and downtown shopping
8. Music scene: lots of good places to see good music
9. Multi-cultural: it's nice not being the only person of different race in a room

Con's of living in Chicago:
1. 6 months of frigid temperatures
2. The hipsters are starting to make me feel old
3. Said good school for Ethan still costs money,
still believe in concept of good and free public schooling
4. Traffic
5. Cubs fans and the surrounding Wrigleyville area
6. Trash cyclones
7. Higher cost of living
8. Deep dish pizza: over-rated and puts us on all the unhealthiest city lists
9. High cost of real estate: 1,000 square feet should not cost $300,000

So far, it looks like a draw and for now we content living here. There is talk of Denver or the west coast. It would be nice to live in a less crowded and greener space. I daydream about opening a bakery wherever we land and leaving the land of design and marketing behind. But for now, we have jobs we both really like and a nice apartment and are happy. I just want it to stay warmer a little bit longer and not have to bust out my winter clothes just yet.