So far we are off to a great start! Aaron and I went to the first ever Boomer’s baseball game in Schaumburg and while there were long lines and oversold tickets, since we were prepared it didn’t matter. It’s all about eating first with kids! And of course the Dippin Dots line was empty so we were able to eat fantastic rainbow sherbet and watch baseball, escaping in the seventh inning just before the rain! Great thing about really local events like that is they’re low cost, you see people you know (hi Deb!) and they’re fun! Perfect for his first baseball game and any while he’s under … Oh I don’t know … 5? 10 a ticket is way better than 30.

Today we were going to start off at the farmers market and then head to breakfast with a friend but outside my window is a viciously grey day and I think we may just skip right to breakfast.

Pictures and more to come!!

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all who have served our Great Nation!!
K

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Ps we now have t shirts saying we were there for opening night of Boomers baseball. Fun!!

Somehow this has turned into the blog I post to - more than my fitness blog. Which is to say I post to this about once a week and the other not at all. Hmmmm. Lately it has been sunny and warm and then yuck and cold here in Chicago. Today is a yuck day, a day when my son didn’t want to let go of me to go to daycare and a day when I would have preferred to stay in bed, but work beckoned and so here I am. I’m fortunate though - I really truly enjoy what I do. I’m one of those weird people who - if I stayed home - would go a little bonkers. Oh sure, my son is amazing and I love him, taking him places, doing things with him, but I believe it’s good for him to get out and me to have intellectual stimulation so that when I’m singing the Wheels on the Bus for the fortieth time I can be okay with it. Because I know I just solved something more challenging (mind wise). Although there is NOTHING better than my son holding my face, saying Mommy, and kissing me. That’s the stuff man. and that’s the best stuff.

So who knows.

This weekend was NATO. And that meants police in the city streets. It meant protestors in the streets taking out their angsty God only knows what on the poor police, and me looking at them, wondering when I became of the of the “Them” instead of one of the “us”. Because at one point I would have liked to be down there, all smoke ‘em up johnny and let’s yell about things we haven’t got a clue about. Not that I think the people in suits really understand either, but … let’s put it this way - the two reasons I wanted to go into Chicago this weekend (aka the city for those of us in the Know) were to hear Madeline Albright speak on Women in Leadership and to to to a Children’s Kite Festival. Yeah, my rebel days may be behind me.

One was sold out and the other just seemed like a stupid thing to do.

So we stayed home, had breakfast and an early afternoon with friends Sunday, and Bruce barbecued Sunday night. We layed in the grass and watched the clouds. Played with chalk and watched Aaron stomp on ants and pick some up (ewww) … and now, here I am, sitting in Panera, drinking coffee and working on a VMWare Virtualization Case Study.

This weekend was a weekend. It was beautiful and wonderful and full of what ifs.

Maybe I’ll share them sometime. But for now, back to the case study.

MUAH

K

Happy Mother’s Day!!

I am RACKING my BRAIN for what we did last weekend. I THINK we just had Evan and went to a get together at our friend Amy and Jon’s house with other good friends. Yep, that’s it. Nothing outlandish - just hours spent with good people.

It’s so awesome to see your kid socializing with other kids outside of a pre determined scenario. Oh I know we brought him there, but Aaron doesn’t see those kids every day and he still is friends with them. He knows them. They know him. They’re buds. They all went off into a corner of the field where we ended up (near a park by the house where we were) and he was in the middle. That’s a good feeling. Knowing you are raising someone other people want to be near. Awesome.

THIS weekend is a different story.

THIS weekend Bruce is at the P90X certification (Aaron just leaned over to give me a kiss while I am writing this - how cool is that? He is watching Mickey Mouse until we go - it’s just about over, so I’ll write fast). in Champaign. I’ll let him write about that.

WE went to an open community Art show in Bridgeport @ Benton House. Parka the Hutt (created by one Jon Belonio) and able to be seen on Fox News and Chicago Magazine was on display, as well as trading cards being sold by the Belonio Boys. It was great to be able to go and see what our super talented friends were putting into the world. We missed the parade (naptimes and such) but got to see what people were displaying as well as a mini petting zoo before Aaron, exhausted from a midnight foray to pick up Bruce from the Milwaukee airport, lost it and we went out to the swings to play.

While we were there we did get to pen a chinchilla, a pig, and some baby chicks. Aaron was very gentle and only tried to chase the pig :-)

Then this morning we ran the 5k Y-Me race for the cure (Breast Cancer) in downtown Chicago with Matt Tuttle. We ran in honor of his sister, Nanette Tuttle. Aaron was so excited with the shirts that he insisted we both put ours on at once.

Despite not having run for a while (I’ve been doing insanity), I finished in about 37 minutes, even pushing the stroller, which adds 40 pounds for the stroller and 34 for my boy.

Now we’re headed to Grandma and Grandpa’s to see everyone for Mother’s Day.

All in all, absolutely a weekend of amazing.

So … what are you up to?

Thanks for reading!
K

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Week before last we did nothing … Really. It was all about work and life and this training that I’m in, the new job Bruce is doing, talking to Evan, and still spending time with Aaron. Evan came to us over the weekend and we did the most amazing thing for us - nothing. A whomever weekend of just hanging out. Our biggest event was Easter egg coloring Saturday night with my parents, the boy’s grandparents. And it was really great. Thre is peace to be found in stillness, for sure. Also in the chaos of two fantastic boys.

Easter Day we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s (Mom and Dad’s) and celebrated Jesus’ resurrection. It is so important to pass on that message to our kids. And maybe that was our Easter amazing. It was simply quiet, personal, and ours. I could do more of those.

Last weekend and this past weekend were all about comic books, and they played bookend to ma business trip for me to Boston. It was the first time I went away since Aaron’s birth. The gift Bruce and Aaron gave me was hearing them having fun without me. It enabled me to focus on what I needed tI study and get done.

But … Comic con. It was Aaron’s third, so if you have never been, you have some catching up to do! It’s one of those things I was always curious about but never expected to actively attend, let alone follow up the next weekend with seven comic book shops. But hey - it was a beautiful day to drive around, talk to interesting people, find new books, and drink root beer floats.

And that’s what we’ve been up to. In between the working, working out and day to dayness of … Life. And that day to dayness - that’s what makes it good.

Thanks for reading!
K

My first lesson was last night. I learned about proper posture and how to hold the bow. I love love love love the Music Room in Palatine (shout out!) and my fantastic and funny instructor David, who was as slap happy as me and promised to teach me - MUCH further down the line - Pink Floyd for the cello.

I think I will continue.

I’m in love with a cello. Awesome.

K

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I cannot believe it’s April 2nd as I write this. Our DSA for this week was to take in Filipino culture with some friends. While we ended up enjoying burgers from the Billy Goat tavern, drinking Amstel Lights (well, some of them did!), and eating delicious Pralines and Cream ice cream from Haagen Daas, we also did see some cool things. This is at Navy Pier in Chicago and is one of the many free things Chicago offers during the year. Of course the food (and ice cream) are far from free! So be prepared when you arrive. They were definately worth it and a fun time was had by all.

Hello my friends it’s been awhile!  Big Props to Kat for keeping this going in my 6 weeks of silence but I have been doing some amazing things.

Let’s go back to Feb-  I started teaching Turbo-kick classes at work during lunch!  When I started I had a class of 8 people, 3 weeks in through word of mouth, I had a class of 30 people!!!  I inspired 30 people to get sweat during lunch and take and active role in their future fitness.

Unfortunately I left my job in March for a new Job but I had to opportunity to teach a turbo-kick class for a friend that has recently opened a gym and now i’m considering opening my own gym.

I have been running and training for a 1/2 marathon and a full marathon since the end of January.  Now I realize I “run all the time” but most of the training had been done in freezing temps so when the 1/2 marathon came around on March 18th and it was 80 degrees out, I was none to pleased.

So what was my amazing for this run?  I finished!  Sure sure I’ve run and finished 2 1/2 marathon’s before but this time I finished LAST!  Yes, I have the amazing honor of being a person to finish last in a race.  You know how people always tell you that you probably won’t finish last?  HA!

In my defense, I had literally just gotten over the Flu two days before but I was not expecting to finish last…but I finished, light headed and hurting and all.  

So that’s a quick update and i’ll be better and continuing on in the future.  Not everything is big but everyday i’m sure you..

Do something amazing!