Blazin Challenge

Sorry it has been a while who would have thought that I'm even somewhat busy in the summer?  Summer is not what it used to be thats for sure!  I am, however, off for a week because the family I nanny for is on vacation.  So, yesterday, Nolan and I completed the Blazin Challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings.  12 of the hottest wings in 6 minutes.  We won t-shirts and our picture will be on TV (on a reel in the restaurant but we'll take it) well worth the blood, sweat, and tears (not to mention our swollen lips.)  I felt great yesterday but today I'm not feelin so hot... Grace came out to support us all the way in Lombard (one of the only locations that offers the challenge) and I went back to Lombard to have a sushi dinner with Emily and Courtney.  We were seated late and missed the happy hour special (you all know I love a good deal) but it was still fun and delicious.  The day before that Grace and I spent the day downtown at the taste and staring longingly at the people on their boats because it was absolutely gorgeous outside that day!  My dad met us for lunch and we tried a little bit of everything.  The Taste of Chicago is really my thing I mean people watching, food, and sun, I was really in my element.  Later that day I saw the movie Bad Teacher which features my middle school three different times and none of you should be surprised that every time it came on the screen I made sure everyone in the theater knew I graduated from that fine establishment.  The day before that I observed at my mom's office which I always love to do (not to mention I'm racking up a ton of hours.)  When we left for lunch my mom went into Whole Foods and I went to Starbucks (being efficient is a top priority of mine.)  I ordered our green tea at Starbucks (it's actually not bad) and asked them to put it in a bigger cup with extra ice (apparently thats all the rage these days..) the girl behind the counter said sorry they couldn't do that.  Obviously I stammered a little and said it was fine but she just laughed saying just kidding, I've always wanted to say that to someone!  This little scenario just solidifies the fact that I am an easy target and have been my entire life, luckily I'm totally fine with it and just thought this girl was hilarious.  The weekend before that I went to Champaign and it was fun as always, love that little town in the middle of the cornfields.  I told you not long ago that I was starting to read a lot but it is coming to a standstill because this one book took a nasty turn and is all about horses now.. I HATE HORSES.  In fifth grade we took a field trip to White Pines (great times) although when it was time for us to go horseback riding, I got the bad horse that rolled over in the middle of the ride causing me to jump off.  Being the string bean I was, I could have easily died that day but they made me get right back on it and ride it in.. How else were we supposed to get the troubled horse back home?  Needless to say I was a celebrity in the fifth grade that day but it didn't last long.  The only remaining piece of that trip is that I hate horses and will never get on another in my life and you can hold me to that.  I'm headed to the capitol (almost spelled it the wrong way) of this fine state for the holiday weekend to visit my favorite SHG friends!  I'm pretty excited and will fill you all in on the details when I return.  Until then, have a great time celebrating America's independence and remember freedom isn't free.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the best dads out there!  I feel a little bad that the most exciting thing we've done all day for my dad is a trip to Dick's (sporting goods.)  We made a couple quality purchases and while I personally think my shorts take the cake, we are now proud owners of a badminton set.  I will be setting up  tournaments in the near future to benefit charity (and by charity I mean a fund for a new computer for me.) But in all seriousness, feel free to come over and play we always appreciate some friendly competition.  I hope all of your weekends have been exciting.  On Friday night I went to Alyssa's to celebrate her birthday (wooo for being 20!) and I had a blast.  Although a big discovery was made.  I always thought that the song from The Goofy Movie was called 121(one two one) but its I2I (eye to eye).. it was quite embarrassing that I have been calling it the wrong thing for 20 years but now I know the truth and it's still a great song to check out.  Today is Claire's birthday, Max's birthday is tomorrow and then I'm pretty sure all of my friends will finally be 20.. no more living the teenage dream for anyone.  Earlier this week I went to the library and got four books, determined to start reading more.  So far it has worked quite well and while I'm still not done with my first one, I'm getting there.  I think reading is the best way to expand my vocabulary and I also think that an expansive vocabulary is really impressive (transitive property in action) so I've taken to reading more.  Other than that not too much is new around here.  I purchased my one day Dave Matthews ticket for Saturday (hope to see you all there) and I'm looking to go to a couple other concerts this summer so keep me posted if you hear anything.  It stinks that tomorrow is Monday and to make matters worse, it is supposed to rain all week but Brian is home from Afghanistan safe and sound so nothing as insignificant as the weather really matters, have a great rest of your Sunday and don't forget to hug your dad :)

Locked Out

Yesterday was the first Monday of Michael and Laura's camps.  I went and picked up Michael and when we came home, we came to the sudden realization that we were locked out.  We made a feeble attempt at trying to see if any windows would open but no luck.  We decided to wait and see if Laura had a key so we played basketball for almost three hours.  We played almost every basketball game known to man and I felt pretty bad for him because all we wanted to do was get inside and let Sophie (their dog) out of her misery.  When we got in touch with Laura we found out that she did not have a key either.. buzzkill.  To soften the blow we walked to Subway (thank goodness for the awesome weather) and we all felt much better once we all had some food in our stomachs.  Their dad saved us by opening the door while we were out so we were finally allowed back inside.  We played cards and Wii Sports Resort (I'm getting much better) and then we headed back outside (we couldn't get enough of it.)  Laura got her shoe stuck on the roof but it was easily retrieved (a team effort.. Michael gave directions, Laura held the chair, and I used a rake to knock it off.)  By the end of the day, we were all pretty pooped.  We tend to get locked out of my house sometimes because no one ever puts the spare key back in the hiding spot so my advice for the day is always put the spare key back.. you never know the next time you're going to need it!  

The Knot Has Been Tied

We are home from the wedding, sadly.  I've said it once and I'll say it again, if I could pick one activity to do for the rest of my life it would be dancing at weddings.  Last night has inspired my newest summer hobby, crashing weddings.  You all know me well enough to know that I would never actually do this because if anyone ever did that at my wedding I would be beyond mad.  I would be way too scared of getting caught but its fun to think that I could go to a wedding every weekend for the rest of my life (a girl can dream)!  On Friday we got there and went to eat at Avanti's (a must in the city of Peoria.)  We also had to go to the mall (conveniently located directly across the street from our hotel) to get Olivia a new dress because we washed and dried a dry clean only dress causing it to look a little more like a shirt than a dress on her.  The trip to the mall ended up being a success because we got 2 dresses for $75 out of the deal (quite the steal.)  To see pics of the new dress I'm sure they'll be up on Facebook before we know it.  The second dress is black and ruffly and apparently had my name written all over it because my mom pulled it and said I would love it, which, I did!  After that little escapade, dinner, and some cousinly bonding, we headed to bed and woke up in time for the questionable hotel breakfast.  Friday night I did not sleep at all really.  Why you ask?  Because sharing a bed with Olivia is like sharing a bed with a fish out of water.  I have never met someone that flops around in their sleep more than she does.  Usually she just ends up hogging all the covers (she still did that) or laying basically on top of me to the point where I have to punch her off (she still did that too) but this was not a pleasant experience.  Saturday night I was demoted to the floor (yeah, note to self: 6 people in a hotel room is rough.)  I did however survive the night and got up pretty early on Saturday morning.  Over the course of the morning we did virtually nothing and by the time we realized how late it was we were all scrambling to get ready on time.  We made it to church with a little time to spare and got to sit right up in the front.  Everything about the ceremony was beautiful (especially Erin) and the bridesmaids wore navy blue dresses (which I have already decided is the theme of my wedding.)  When the ceremony was over we sent them off ringing bells wishing we could be in the wedding party!  We headed back to the hotel and then a nice man named Jim shuttled us over to the reception.  There I ate about 12 too many crab cakes and put way too much wasabi on the sushi, so, if I had a winced look on my face during the cocktail hour, I was just trying to compensate for the burning sensation in my nose that took forever to go away.  I got to sit at a cousins table with Catie, Emily, Mandy, Nolan, Jason, Matthew, Grace, and Olivia.  I would have to say we had one of the best tables at the wedding (table 30 represent.)  And yes you may be surprised at the fact that there were 30+ tables but it was a massive wedding (I had no idea) but like I always say, the more the merrier.  A pleasant surprise during dinner was that the beef was wrapped in bacon!  Mark and Rose did an excellent job with the speeches and overall it was just a beautiful event.  We managed to get a Christmas card out of the ordeal and the best family photo we've taken since the 90's.  Then came the best part, dancing!  We danced for hours and hours with the family and Christopher's friends and had the time of our lives.  Sounds lame but dancing at weddings is up there in moments in your life when you just want to press pause and stay there for a little while because they are just way too fun.  Around 1:00 AM they forced us to leave and the after party went to Steak and Shake.. I made the executive decision to eat my Kettle Cooked Chips (another Peoria specialty) and hit the hay.  This morning we got up and laughed about the night at breakfast and then we hit the road.  The drive went pretty fast (as fast as that drive can go) and we passed Raussmasen College (which is exactly where Nolan will be in 2 years.)  I was so proud that Nolan and Grace and Jason and Matthew actually danced last night because everyone knows its just more fun when you dance!  Congrats Erin and Christopher, the wedding was a blast!

Working Woman

Today was my first day back on the job and I forgot how awesome it was.  We watched Full House as we played Monopoly (I actually hate Monopoly but only because it is a never ending game.)  We then played Wii (I've gotta brush up on my Wii sports) but I redeemed myself in Just Dance 2.  We also played Rock Band.  I sang and I told them not to make fun of me but obviously that didn't happen because lets face it my singing voice is not exactly angelic.  But after today I decided that our apartment for next year NEEDS Rock Band and Just Dance.. a fund to buy them will start shortly.  I'm sure I've mentioned it before but I am ridiculously competitive.  I have a hard time letting the kids win anything.. I actually get angry at myself when they beat me but I'm starting to get better.  After that we ate a nutritious meal of potstickers, Pringles, and Chips Ahoy.  We ran it all off during a game of running bases and then exercised our brains by playing a game of cards (to music picked by the two of them - I was very impressed) and before we knew it the day was over!  I missed them and was very glad to be back.  I'm still sore all over (my first week of P90X is over) and tomorrow we head to Peoria to watch Christopher and Erin tie the knot.  Weddings are my favorite so I'm super excited!  A play by play will be coming shortly, have a great weekend!

City Living

Our night out on the town was a complete success!  Meredith and Jed's place looks like it could be in a magazine it is so cute, I can only hope that I have some of that decorating sense in my blood too (doubtful.)  We went out to eat at a Costa Rican place that I could not pronounce no matter how hard I tried and it was absolutely delicious, even more so because I didn't pay for it (thanks guys) I mean talk about hospitality.  When our food came we talked about mature things like bills and trips to Europe so now I think I am officially ready to become an adult, almost that is.  I was the last one to finish eating (shocker) so Pat and I got our stuff wrapped up to go and ended up forgetting it on the table (I swear we are smarter than that scenario makes us seem..)  We took a mini tour around the city and ended up back at their place.  We were going to go see Bridesmaids but took a rain check (all part of the plan to see Meredith as many times as possible this summer!)  Instead we did facials which we desperately needed (I have a tool of my own if anyone wants to be my first victim) and went to sleep because we were pooped.  In the morning we went to mass at Old St. Pat's which is absolutely beautiful and we ended up knowing multiple people there.. such a small world we live in.  We drove back to Glenview with Pat and Wrigley and seeing Wrigley solidified the fact that my first dog (and any from there on out) will be a yellow lab.. it just doesn't get any cuter (or more American).  In case you haven't picked up by now, I have the most awesome cousins around.  They tell the funniest jokes, know the coolest spots, and are the most easy going people I know.  Lots of them to look up to (always a plus) but seriously I love hanging out with them and I would be willing to bet money that all of you would too.  Since so many of them are in the military it seems appropriate to mention that today is the anniversary of D-Day, (and Abby's birthday) so just remember that freedom isn't free.

Deathly Hot Out

Today is deathly hot out.  As was yesterday, although both of them had a lot to do with humidity which does not work for my hair let me tell you!  Many of you may not be aware but not long ago I cut my lusciously long golden-brown locks off and I have hair that is a little less than shoulder length I would guess?  Lately it has been too hot to even wear it down (I can usually be spotted sporting a low bun and recently I even added a braid to the mix--really stepping up my game.)  Today I started (for the second time) p90x.  It was a killer and my legs still feel like jelly but I feel better that I have finally started to work out consistently (and by consistently I mean today.)  As a senior in high school I did win the P.E. award so I guess I have to live up to the name and start this regimen again.  A couple weeks ago, Alyssa, Tyler, Zach, and I ran a marathon as a team.  We each ran about 6 miles give or take some - I had the shortest leg and don't know what I would have done if I hadn't!  I got to be the last leg and although I somewhat struggled (as embarrassing as it is to admit, I threw up every drop of water and/or Gatorade I had the entire race at the finish line) we still managed to run across the finish as a team and came in at a time of 3 hours and 42 mins!  Totally worth the pain but I gave myself an unhealthy amount of time off, so I'm back on that workout grind as of right now.  Tonight, Olivia and I are headed downtown to Meredith and Jed's house and are very pumped!  The whole night is a surprise so if for some reason we end up in the slammer don't hesitate to bail us out (obviously kidding but that offer stands forever.)   This past week I have been observing at a physical therapy office (the one my mom works at) and it has offically solidified the fact that I want to be a P.T.  It has been really fun and I actually think I have the aptitude for it (FINALLY SOMETHING!)  I have to go shower for my big night out on the town but I hope you're all enjoying the weekend as much as I am!

Guess Who's Back

I've had my time to relax and couldn't keep you waiting any longer.  This summer has not exactly been eventful (I would venture to guess that I've slept 70% of it) but this break from school and work has been quite pleasant.  Tuesday I headed back to Champaign for the second time already this summer.. I just can't stay away.  But yesterday Olivia officially registered as a U of I student so next time you see her, welcome her to the big leagues.  We're still trying to recruit Nolan; once we get him almost all of us will be bleeding orange and blue, we're just waiting to snag Grace.  While we were in Champaign we took care of some business (I am not a hit man or drug dealer) Olivia and I simply measured rooms in Phil's apartment to make sure we knew what we were getting.  After spending some quality time with Phil in his apartment, I could not be more excited to move in and everyone is welcome to come visit any time, only if bearing gifts that is (just kidding, but seriously I think we're still looking for a desk for my room...)  I plan on cooking often and have been getting in some quality practice here at home seeing as that my mom is back to being a working woman.  Any of you are welcome to dinner any day, we love company over here although don't mind my leftover college remnants in the living room because frankly I don't know where to put the stuff that won't fit in my room (I have yet to try putting it in my room but judging by the looks of it, I just know it won't fit.)  Maybe later this week I'll raffle off all my books and some laundry that I don't feel like doing.  Truthfully I think laundry is the worst, I would rather scrub a toilet than do laundry because just when you think you're done, you have to fold it all and put it away, buzzkill.  My family is on this p90x craze right now.  I am a little behind because I had a sinus infection (somewhat self diagnosed but the doctors believed me and gave me nasal spray, worked wonders.)  Now, I think I am a lot better and am going to take the plunge.  I actually did the first day but I've heard the second day is much worse so I'm taking some time to mentally (and physically) prepare for the worst.  This past weekend (Memorial Day, thanks to all the soldiers out there both active and veterans) Park Ridge hosted a soccer tournament and I worked it for a longgg time, aside from Sunday, that is, because of the torrential down pour so I made some decent money.  I'm thinking about taking the plunge and buying a pair of Sperry's.  I'm a tad nervous that the second I buy them they're going to go out of style and a new craze will take over but at least I know I will have worked hard (in the rain) for those shoes.  As of today that is pretty much all that's new with me.  I cleaned the bathroom (following up on my aspirations as a five year old to be a cleaning lady) and I actually still enjoy it sometimes (savor it roomies.)  I think I'm going to take my dog (Eleanor-shes getting gray and even white so with her old lady name comes old lady status) if anyone wants to join me they are more than welcome.  I've got to go enjoy this weather, long sleeves and shorts is the greatest outfit out there and it is perfect weather for it!  Good to be back and if you read all of this I commend you, have an awesome day my friends!