MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

We did it!!!! After only 3 hours in Chicago we got what we never dreamed we'd get.....

an autograph by Dwayne Wade!!

As soon as we arrived at our hotel, we got off the elevator only to be surrounded by the entire Miami Heat basketball team! I was the coolest mom in the world for a few hours because I chose the hotel the team was staying in while in Chicago!! Who knew!!

Anyway, it was a moment Jake will never forget!

Not only did we see Dwayne, but Jake spotted this tv celebrity from across the room...This is Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. We watch his show ALOT, so Anna got his autograph. He was very nice and talked to Anna and Joe for a few minutes. I wrote him a note on his blog today, thanking him for being so kind to us. Hope he reads it!!

Anna meeting Andrew

We went to the game that night and had a great time!


I don't think Dwayne agreed with this ref's call

The next day I was sick and stayed in the room the entire day, but by Saturday...I was 99%! We went to The Field Museum and spent about 5 hours looking and learning about everything from dirt to Pirates!

From there it was straight to Juicy Couture for Anna!!

She had waited long enough and was determined to shop til she dropped!!! It started raining and eventually turned into freezing rain. We ate supper at Lawry's. Nothing like a good steak dinner when you are cold and soaked to the bone! Oh, did I forget to mention, we opted OUT of the taxi ride to eat....we walked/ ran 6 blocks to our destination. I have kidded Joe that we got a taxi for every excursion except the one when it was raining/snowing/freezing!!! That is the one we decided we didn't need a taxi!! Anyway, it made my shower that night feel that much better.

When we were leaving Chicago Sunday morning there were several inches of snow on the ground and we had to sit on the tarmack for over an hour while we were being "de-iced" for departure. It was comforting to know that the airline had taken all precautions to get us home safely.

Came home to sun and warmth...great feeling!! Here are a few of our pictures from the trip.

Hershey store

Navy Pier

We argued for several minutes over whose ancestor this was...Jake and Anna decided it was probably all of ours!!

This is Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears

Shedd Aquarium


We're glad to be home!!

Bye for now.

Time for Catch Up!

I feel like it has been FOREVER since I blogged. I have been pretty busy lately with several things, so I am here for an update. It's kinda long, so you may need to take a break in the middle...good luck.

It was finally warm and dry enough for Joe to plow the garden. Anna hopped on and learned a few tricks of her own.

I think they were proud of their work.

My cousin, Roy, from Washington, came for a visit on March 4th. We haven't seen him in so long and it was great to catch up. He recruited my Dad and Joe and they finished the blessed dog pen overhang!! I can't really tell who is in charge here, but it turned out wonderfully!!


Joe's son, David, and his wife Reecia brought Alexis and Nick for a short visit. They came to take Anna's old bedroom furniture to put in Alexis' room. I heard her room turned out great! Hope she enjoys it as much Anna did when she had it. They brought Joe's mother, Mary, with them to stay with us for a few days. We didn't do much, but it was good to have her for a visit.

Anna has had some pretty good things happen to her. First, she got cheerleader for the 8th grade squad. She was the last one to tryout...number 53!!! She had to wait about 2 1/2 hours to perform in front of the judges, but she was a trooper!! GO TEAM!!! Also, she finally got to see her new room!! I think it was better than she expected. Here are some pics.

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Got report cards! All A's for both Anna and Jake! Yeah! Only one more 9 weeks.

Jake and his crazy friends took the plunge Sunday...the first plunge of this year that is! The outside temperature was 70 degrees, but from Jake's point of view, it was freeeezzzzinnnngggg!

I told them they looked like the three amigos in their freshly warmed towels!

I got to make a little moola on Monday!

I worked at Memories By Design, our local scrapbook store. Anna and Jake stayed with me, so I think after we bought the things to scrap with, we may have made enough to pay our bill!! It was fun and I think the kids enjoyed being a little creative.

This is our present project.

We finished our driveway entrance gate and we are running the electric and water lines out to the gate. Our outdoor fireplace is still in progress, but should be finished this weekend or early next week.

We are leaving for Chicago on Thursday. We have tickets to watch Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls play Thursday night. Jake is beyond excited. We are staying at the Ritz-Carlton atop the Watertower Place for the three nights. Anna has already planned out all the stores she wants to visit!! I'm excited about getting away for awhile....just a change of scenery (no dirty dishes, dirty clothes, or dirty house for 3 whole days!!) I'll take lots of pictures to share! Gotta run. We are feeding our friend's dogs while they are on vacation!

Bye for now!

We Wii, Do You Wii

Joe and I gave in, finally, and got Anna and Jake a Wii game system. We have fought this for over a year, because we already have an X-Box and an X-Box 360. It is fun, I must quietly admit. I think I played at least one set of tennis today. (Shhhh...the kids may hear you laughing!) Anyway, as soon as I picked the kids up at the bus stop I asked which one wanted to play me! We don't have the famous "Wii Fit", yet, but within 6-10 days that little man in the brown truck will drop it at our front door...I just hope it comes in the morning while the kids are at school and I can spend the ENTIRE day entertaining myself with this devilish machine!!


Back to more serious thoughts...I had the most unexpected and wonderful phone call on Friday afternoon. It was one of my best friends from grade school. We started school together in 1st grade and were classmates through our senior year of high school. We went to different colleges, unfortunately, and had lost touch. I have missed Stephene so much over the years and am so glad that she took the time to reconnect with me. It was so much fun catching up with her and talk about motherhood and all the warm, fuzzy things we both share even though we live so far apart. She admitted that she reads my blog, so I hope she doesn' t get to upset when she sees her name and picture here......

This is Sarah Elizabeth, Stephene and Julia

Joe and I went out to eat with my parents Friday night. Ate fried catfish at the local Dairy Freeze. We left with full bellies and it was all good. We had snow on Saturday here. It didn't stick at all, but it was beautiful.

Anna ran out to catch a few on her tongue!

Joe has a new partner coming in August, so he and his wife came for a nice visit on Saturday. I cannot wait for them to get here so Joe can slow down a little. They found a home in town that they love, so that is a good thing! They have a little 3 year old boy. Things may liven up a little around here!!

Anna plays trombone in band, so I got a private concert today!

Gran is cooking Chicken Spaghetti for supper, so I'd better go and help her a little. Best wishes for a great week...Steph, if you're still reading this.....I miss you and you truly made my day by calling me!! Life is good... so good!

Bye for now.