Kris and Cindy's Blog

We Bought a Mac!

2009-08-02T19:20:00.002-05:00

Yes, our household did get another computer, and that’s just one of the many things that have been going on since the last time either one of us posted 2 months ago. I’d like to say I was writing this blog post on our new Mac, but Cindy’s using it. :)

Although the weather hasn’t been summerlike for most of this year, we’ve almost been too busy to really notice. I won’t even begin to mention everything that’s happened lately, but I’ve been working a second job that has really started to pay off now. In what little free time we’ve had outside of that, we had to leave town twice for a family emergency, had one closer to home, went downtown to see the fireworks at Grant Park, and went to the 2nd annual Chicago Blackhawks convention at the Hyatt. I wasn’t kidding, busy, busy, busy.

On top of all of that, I managed to find time to launch a new website, Maui by Photo. If you know how much we love Maui, you’ll certainly want to check it out.

Upcoming Stuff
We have sort of a little break right now, but we’re hoping things will pick up again shortly. Cindy’s birthday is in 2 weeks, so we figuring out what we wanna do for that (I’ll let her fill you in). After that, we’re targeting a trip to Maui in September for the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops. It’s a 4-day event, but the super low rate on the rooms at the Hyatt are available up to 3 days before and 3 days after, so we’re going to try and stretch it out into a longer trip. It will be great if we can meet up with some of the folks we met last time, and if airfare dropped a little bit more, we’d be all set.

We’re hoping to have that booked in about 2 weeks, so be sure to see a post here with us kicking our heels in excitement (at least figuratively).

The good news with that trip is that we’ll be spending another anniversary (our 6th) on Maui. The first anniversary we celebrated there was in ‘07, and there isn’t a better place we’d want to be for it.

More Stuff
After our September trip to Maui, we want to go back to Door County for at least 4 days (more if possible) sometime in October when the leaves are changing their colors in full force. On the getaway front, we’re also trying to save for a trip back to the Door in December as well. As we learned last winter, there really isn’t much to do when it’s that cold outside and half of the peninsula is the closed, but also as we learned, that’s the point.

I’m also on a new kick to get back to selling my photos again. That’s part of the reason we’re trying to go to the photo festival in September and why I’ve been starting to look into some of the local arts shows in the area. I’ll need to carve out more time to make all that happen, but from what I’ve seen so far, it won’t make me rich but it is definitely doable.

New Blog, Someday
Back to the new website, Maui by Photo, for a second. That was my first blog/website created with WordPress, which is totally awesome. This blog, and my other existing blogs, are all managed with Blogger, which has it’s pros and cons. At some point (soon I hope) I’m hoping to migrate over my Maui blog over to WP because it’s getting too big for Blogger, and I want to move this blog over so that I can … well, make it look much better using one of the awesome templates out there. All I need now is time.

That’s about it for now, since I have other work to do. Sorry for a lot of text without any photos, but one of us will get back into the habit of blogging here and sharing photos, too.

Thanks,
- Kris

weekend review 6/1/09

2009-06-02T22:10:00.001-05:00

It may be the beginning of June, but it doesn’t feel that way by the looks of the weather…

I had a three day weekend… but it’s been a good and a bad weekend for me..

Friday….

Friday morning I had my nail appointment. My husband had meeting downtown ( John Hancock Building), while he was in the meeting, I took the opportunity, to walk downtown, and enjoy the beautiful sites, and landscapes of downtown.

The evening consisted of dinner out and relaxing.

Saturday….

During the early afternoon we ran some errands, then we went over to my Aunt and Uncles house, to visit, and answer any computer questions that my Uncle had. We had dinner at Curragh it’s a small Irish restaurant. ( this is where the bad part of my weekend comes in) while having dinner, I received a phone call from my mom, telling me my sister is in the hospital.

after dinner we went home and relaxed for the evening

Sunday…..

We ran the rest of our errands, did some more computer tech work, with my uncles computer. Found out my Mother in law wasn’t feeling good( bad news number two), and sister is still in critical condition.

We had a family birthday party that we attended in the evening.

Finally we came home, and relaxed before I had to go to work..

Like I mentioned it was a good and bad three day weekend. hopefully next weekend will be better, but the week isn’t starting out that way.

Downtown 5/29/09

2009-06-01T19:26:00.002-05:00

My kind of town Chicago is..............

I live 15 minutes from downtown Chicago, and don't get downtown as often as I like. If you ever come visit Illinois, I recommend you going downtown. You have miles and miles of and miles of shops, restaurants, great landscapes, great architecture, for example Victoria Secret, Nine West, Coach, New York & Company.. If y0u like indoor shopping , Water Tower Place is the place to go. It has 7 floors of your favorite shops from, Macy's Forever 21, Limited, White and Black.. and for the kids American Girl Place..

While my husband (Kris), had a meeting at the John Hancock Building, on Michigan Avenue, I took the opportunity to enjoy the sites of Downtown.. It was nice to walk around and take pictures of our beautiful city.. I walked around Water tower Place. , then headed south along Michigan ave and kept walking and walking, you get beautiful picture perfect views of the River, WGN Studio, the Chicago Tribune Building, and couple of my personal favorites, Blackhawks head quarters, Chipotle, and Millennium Park

Beautiful scenery + nice day= great time downtown:):)

thanks Cindy

weekend highlights 5/25/2009

2009-05-25T19:10:00.002-05:00

" Wishing everyone a happy Memorial Day......

Another weekend that has come and gone, but this time it was a three day weekend.. (pretty soon I"m going to have a series of three day weekends, but that is a story for a different time.)

Weekend consisted of enjoying the weather, babaysitting. running errands etc, but it was a nice weekend..

Friday... Consisted of me working till 3:00pm I love Friday's because they are my short days. After work going to get my oil changed. came home and did laundry, before we met up with Kris's mom at Buffalo Wild Wings. where we cheered the Blackhawks to victory. Well that victory was short lived.. More details to come later..

After the game we came home and relaxed..

Saturday!!........

Kris worked... and I babysat the cutest 2 year old in the world.. The weather was nice, so we played and played and played (well you get the idea) outside.. Then we walked around Streets of Woodfield.. which is located in Schaumburg by Woodfield Mall.. It is outdoor strip mall that consistes of stores From Dicks Sporting goods to Carsons, Gameworks and of course Starbucks.. If you like to be outside, walk around and shop, Streets of Woodfield is a place to go...

We came home and relaxed, before we went out to dinner and ran some of our errands ( Target).

Sunday>>>>>>

We started off by putting out my patio furniture.. and staying home to watch the hockey game, well that was a mistake and short lived:( I ended up watching the rest of The Indy 500... Helio Castronevas won the race. and Danika Patrick came in 3rd... I couldn't watch the game anymore so Kris and I decided to go bike riding. We headed North on the trails, passing Dempster, Beckwith, Golf Rd, I got as far as Glenview Rd and had to turn around, but I rode a total of 12 miles.:):):)

The evening consisted of dinner at Panera Bread, and had to stop at Jewel. Who would have thought going to Jewel on a Sunday night would be an adventure. As we were walking in one of my pharmacy customers were checking out, and instead of just saying," hello," she made a big production. she said," Is that your husband," he's so cute, and she said to one of the cashiers, she works for your competition, " Dominick's," normally I would be surprised, but I wasn't..

We came home and Kris and I spent a nice romantic night together, before we turned in for the night.

Monday (Memorial Day)...........

Traditionally on Memorial Day we go by Kris"s aunts house for a BBQ.. This year we still went by his aunts house, but the weather didn't corporate for the BBQ. We stilled grilled, but since it was, cold, cloudy, and rainy the BBQ went from outdoors, to indoors. It was still nice to get together. Finally we came home and relaxed, before we have to go back to work.

Till next week, have a good week everyone:)

my weekend highlights 5/16/09

2009-05-17T18:46:00.004-05:00

Another weekend that has come and gone... where do the weekends go???

Friday... I work till 3:45
had a nail appointment
came home did the laundry.

for dinner Kris and I went to GIGIO'S for dinner... it is this small little family owned Italian
restaurant on Oakton in Des Plains, IL they have everything from pizza, pasta dishes, to meatball
sandwiches.. They used to be for years in the shopping center in Niles by Home Depot, on the corner of Oakton and Waukegan.

After dinner we went to Jewel and did our grocery shopping. then we came home.

Saturday...
Saturday was a productive day.... I had a hair appointment at 10;00am
lunch at Potbelly
followed by dessert at Jamba Juice ( my first time having anything there:))
yes I'm a Jamba Juice virgin.
then we drove to Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee IL, it was time to get my wedding ring inspected and that's where my jeweler is.

went to Woodfield mall.. able to find my gym shoes.. ( Sketchers Shape Ups) great shoes for people who love to walk.. when you are walking the form of the shoe is suppose to help you with your posture,and your leg and stomach muscles.. When walking you are suppose to feel like you are walking on sand..

Kris was misssing Hawaii so he got a little taste of Hawaii.. He has been looking for a bracelet and he found one at Na Hoku.:)

Got to enjoy the sun before it set. Kris and I went walking. We parked at one of the groves along Harms and walked North just passed Lake Cook Rd. It was a nice walk.

After we went walking we went to dinner followed by going to Target. Finally we came home for the evening.

Sunday....

We watched game one of the Western Conference Finals Hawks vs Redwings at BWW in Skokie.
An old friend joined us.. Even though we didn't like the outcome of the game, it was nice to see her. Side note It wasn't a good day in sports for the people of Chicago. the Cubs,Sox's and Hawks all lost.. AS far as the hawks Redwings series it's only game one and we will get them on Tuesday..

Tomorrow starts the Eastern Conference finals. The Pittsburgh Penguins vs The Carolina Hurricanes.. this should be a good series.. Divide and conquer in The Nelson household and who is going to come out on top.. that is TBA:):)

Overall it was a productive weekend for me... Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend which means a 3 day weekend:) Till then have a good week:)

Weekend Highlights In Review ……. 4/25-4/26

2009-04-26T21:51:00.001-05:00

It was a busy weekend for the Nelson family…..

Friday night, Kris and I went dancing, with friends of his from work. The Dance Club of choice was The Level Nightclub on Rush. It is a small nightclub which featured dance and top 40. We had a good time. (It’s been along time since we been out that late)

Saturday….. Since we new it was going to be nice out.. our plan was to go to Busee Woods, go skating, then go to Woodfield, but the weather put a damper on that plan, , therefore we went to Potbelly and Jamba Juice for lunch, and then Woodfield. After Woodfield we went to the grocery store where it poured and the temp dropped 40 degrees within a half hours time. In the evening we picked up Kris’s mom and Went to Buffalo Wild Wings dinner and watched the Blackhawks become victorious over the Calgary Flames. It was a great playoff game to watch.

Sunday….. Today was a day of running errands, and a family dinner… Temp wise it went from 40 lows to rainy cloudy morning… to temps in the lower 70’s in the afternoon. In the afternoon we ran our errands, then we picked up Kris’s mom, and went to Maggiano’s for a family dinner. After dinner we came home and relaxed before we have to get ready for the work week.

Till next week, have a good week………..Cindy

Rainy Lazy Sunday Morning

2009-04-26T11:51:00.001-05:00

Good morning from Niles, IL where the sun isn’t shining, there isn’t blue sky’s , not nice outside, but it is damp and rainy…. A day where you want to stay inside and do nothing, or you could try out new software for your computer like I’m doing…

Door County 04/16/09- 04/19/09

2009-04-24T09:35:00.000-05:00

First off I can't believe the last time I blogged about something was this very same trip to Door County in December of 2008...... I do apologize for the Cindy, in Kris and Cindy's blog to have neglected the site......

4/16/09

" First of want to send birthday wishes to Kris," We're heading back up to Door County, WI this afternoon for an extended weekend, so I thought I would kick off this mini blog, by saying we're staying at Edge water Resort, in Ephraim this trip, and although we never stayed there before we've driven passed it numerous times...

The town of Ephraim is a picture of classic Door County elegance... While you are staying in Ephraim or driving through, you get a great view of the bay.. Ephraim is a wonderful place to walk along the shoreline, check out the sunset, lady's if you want to pamper yourself has great spa to go to....Spa at Sacred grounds, it's minutes from Peninsula state park.. were you could walk, bike.. or enjoy just enjoy the scenery.

So it is a 4 hour drive from Niles IL to Door County... Drive included bright sunshine, nice weather, listening to the cubs game on the radio.. Kris and I made our traditional stop in Sheybogan, where we stopped at the Starbucks, and even Cold Stone Creamery... We continued on with our journey.. We knew we were going to have a late check in, but we didn't know the lobby closes at 5pm Mon -Thurs.. we arrive at The Edgewater Resort, to find an envelope taped to the lobby door with our last name, on it.. it had our room key and what room we are staying in..

We had a beautiful view overlooking the bay..

Our plan was to get settled in then to go to, Jo Joe's Pizzeria and gelato bar, for dinner, they have awesome, pizza and awesome gelato, drive up to find it closed.. the owners are on vacation from 4/16-4/22, we were going to go eat at the Old English Inn, but it was to formal, so we ended up at Husby's bar& grill. After dinner we came back to the room and, believe it or not we were able to watch the Blackhawks game.

4/17/09...

Good morning, from the beautiful Edgewater Resport, where the sun is shining, blue Sky's, this is were i would say have beautiful view of the bay.. this morning little set back.. work is being done on the resort, aka outside our room so we have a nice view of the trucks and a ladder outside our window....

First thing we did was check in, because we couldn't check in yesterday.. After we checked in our plan was to go into Fish Creek, stop at this deli, pick up some deli sandwiches, then go Peninsula State park. We drive down there and the deli shop is closed, and will re-open on 4/24Th, we would try this other small deli, place we know, the sign said closed, but turns out they are closed for good.. We ended up at the Main Street Market, to pick up deli sandwiches, then we drove to Peninsula State Park...

Peninsula State Park, was established in 1909, it's Wisconsin's most popular camping destination, 8 miles of green bay shoreline, wrap around Northern hardwood forests, wetlands, meadows, and 150ft cliffs.

There were numerous stops, and picture opportunities.. Kris and I climbed 70ft Eagle Tower.. you have great views of the shoreline, and other areas of the park. We stopped and ate lunch at Nicolette Beach. It was a nice day.... nice weather+ nice pictures= able to enjoy the view..

We stopped at Eagle Bluff lighthouse, I sat and enjoyed the view while Kris took some pictures. We spent a good 2 hours in the park.. It was a beautiful day, beautiful day to be walking around the park.

After we left the park, we drove into fish creek, there is this coffee shop I like to go to, we stopped there, then we drove back to our resort.

We went to Moja Rosa's for dinner... little diner with a Hispanic feel to it, but we had Hawaiian Pizza, for dinner, and chips& salsa along with cheesy garlic bread for an appetizer,

After dinner we walked north along the shoreline in front of our resort, took pictures of the beautiful sunset, even though it was little chilly, I still enjoyed the view.

4/18/09.......

Good morning from the Edgewater Resort, where the sun is shining, blue sky's and temps going to be in the upper 60"s It is a beautiful day to go to the spa, and go site seeing..

Going to the spa is how I started my day.. I had a spa session , this morning at The Spa at Sacred Grounds in Ephraim. This is the first time going to there spa. I first heard about the spa when we came in Sept, I even booked the session, then I cancelled, I booked a spa session when we came in December, but I canceled it for a second time. I don't know why I cancelled the sessions but I did... I booked the appointment two weeks before we were going up to Door County, therefore if I wanted to cancel the appointment ( again) it would give me plenty of time. I would definitely go there again, staff is friendly, small and quaint.. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed my one hour facial, and one hour Sundari facial, and I will definitely incorporate in my weekend stays up to Door County, but something was off, I don't know if it was because my last two spa experiences were in Maui... (need I say more))...

After I pampered and embarrassed myself at the spa. Wondering how a person could embarrass themselves at the spa. long story short, my BOA card wouldn't work so Kris had to come in and pay for my spa session. We drove into the town by Bailey's Harbor, and had lunch at Espresso bar, it's a small cafe that overlooks Lake Michigan and other small shops. We sat and enjoyed the nice weather.. although along the Lake Michigan side of Door County it was little cooler..

After Lunch we drove along the harbor.. did some site seeing, drove by Kangaroo Lake, We walked to the Cana Island Lighthouse and enjoyed the view of the light house and scenery along Lake Michigan.. If you like to sit and enjoy the view of the lake, there are some great rocks you can sit on and enjoy the view..

Cana Island Lighthouse... Walk the 50o' rock walk way to Cana Island and its 1869 light house.. The gr0unds are maintained much as the 19th century. The waters surrounding the island were once the scene of numerous shipwreckers'

After spending time in Bailey's harbor' we drove south toward Sturgeon bay, where ate dinner in Downtown Sturgeon bay, even though the shops were closed , and not to many people visiting, because it is still early in the season, things won't open until may 1st it was still nice to walk around. We had dinner at Pudgy Seagull After dinner we drove to our resort.

The best way to cap off a good day, and great weekend is by watching hockey, aka Stanley Cup Conference finals. Boston Bruins Vs Montreal Canadians on TV and listening to the Blackhawks game via Internet. Tomorrow we are leaving it's been a great weekend. the weather was great.

Another Great Weekend in Door County, it was quiet, but we knew that before we planned the weekend getaway. , Most of the shops and restaurant s are closed until may 1st, but the weather has been great. Temps in the upper 60's, great weather for us to go site seeing. Till we come to Door County again.

Round One Updates

2009-04-21T13:23:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend, I posted the picks Cindy and I made for the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now that all 8 matchups have at least played 2 games in their respective series, I thought I’d recap how well we’re doing with our teams and highlight a few surprises.

Surprise in the West
The Western Conference has perhaps the biggest surprise of this year’s playoffs so far, with the Ducks winning the first 2 games on the road in San Jose. Remember that the Sharks are not only the top team in the West, but they won the Presidents Cup trophy for the best record in the league during the regular season. They also managed only 5 regulation losses at home during the season, so how could they be down the first two games at the Shark Tank, to the Ducks no less, with the lowest season point total of all 16 teams in the post season? Everyone seems to be giving kudos to the young Anaheim netminder Jonas Hiller, but whatever the reason, the Sharks are in the precarious position of becoming the next victim of the Presidents Cup curse that bit the Red Wings in recent memory.

While both Cindy and I chose SJ to come out on top of ANA in round one, we’re not at all against the latest Duck, and most recent ex-Hawk, James Wisniewski advancing to the second round. Our hearts go out to Jeremy Roenick, a childhood idle of mine, as his post season hopes grow dim in the process. From a Hawks perspective, should we advance to the next round, we’d wanna see the Ducks advance over the Sharks anyway.

Rest of the West
The rest of the Western Conference seems about par with what we expected. Our hometown Hawks pulled off two HUGE wins at the UC, although the series turned more interesting after a loss in Calgary. One more game (Game 5) at the UC couldn’t hurt. :)

Detroit makes the trip down south to Columbus for game 3 tonight leading the series 2-0. Not the start that the Blue Jackets wanted for their franchise post season debut, but it is what it is. Vancouver also looks to be the first team to advance in this first round, and can do so with a W over the Blues tonight in St. Louis.

The East
We’ve always been more focused on the Western Conference, but I’ll run down the East for completeness. Boston and Montreal have been slugging it out in the only Original Six matchup in Round One. Boston has not surprised anyone by jumping to a 3-0 series lead at the expense of the Canadiens’ young goaltender Carey Price. They shoot for the sweep tomorrow at the Forum.

We picked the Capitals in their race against the Rangers, who in turn had their own plans. Whether we like it or not, Sean Avery has been making an impact for NYR as well as playoff veteran Scott Gomez. The Caps lost both of their home games, but took one back from the Rangers last night to cut the series deficit in half. Pittsburgh has the advantage against Philly in the battle of Pennsylvania, which is probably the best first round rivalry (next to BOS and MON). We just wish we’d been able to see more of those games thus far.

Wrapping up the Eastern Conference is the one series that Cindy and I didn’t agree on, the Devils and the Hurricanes. So far, Cindy’s Devils are up 2 games to 1 over my Canes, but there’s plenty of hockey left in this one. Of all the matchups, I think this one has the best chance of going to a game 7. Although, if Carolina doesn’t even the series tonight, I think they’re in a heap of trouble.

5 Games Tonight
While our Hawks regroup in Calgary for Game 4 tomorrow, there are 5 other games tonight. Only the Canucks have a chance to sweep tonight, but both San Jose and Columbus are in virtual must-win situations if they want to keep their post season hopes alive. It should be a great night of hockey, and will be interesting to see where everyone stands this time tomorrow.

Enjoy the games tonight, and GO HAWKS!!!

Our 1st Round Playoff Picks

2009-04-18T13:58:00.001-05:00

It doesn’t take the fact that our hometown Blackhawks finally made the post season for the first time in seven years to get us excited about the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It doesn’t hurt, though, either. Cindy and I have been tracking the playoffs for the last few seasons now, making our own picks as to who’s going to win in each round. We each have our own ways of picking our favorites, and they don’t necessarily match up against who’s the better team. We also don’t always see eye-to-eye in our choices, so that makes following the games that much more entertaining.

Seeing that we now have our blog more active than in years past, I thought I’d share our picks for the 2009 playoffs. Unlike last year, our picks for the first round were pretty much the same except for one match-up.

Western Conference

San Jose vs. Anaheim – As much as we’re happy that the Ducks ended up with the 8th seed in the West, mostly for the sake of former Hawk James Wisniewski, Cindy and I both are picking San Jose to take the first round.

Detroit vs. Columbus – It’s painful for us as die-hard Hawks fans to choose Detroit over Columbus in this series, but neither one of us thinks the Blue Jackets can pull off the upset.

Vancouver vs. St. Louis – I think we’ll be secretly cheering for the Blues, but ultimately Cindy and I are sure that the Canucks will make it through to Round 2. Luongo is just too good of a goalie to tank it against a #6 seed.

Chicago vs. Calgary – Duh! Cindy and I are pulling for the Hawks, of course. Not sure they can do it in four games, even though we swept the season series against the Flames, but we’ll be happy with a series win in 5 or 6 games.

Eastern Conference

Boston vs. Montreal – We both became fans of the Bruins right around the All-Star break. If not for our Blackhawks making the charge in the West, we probably would be routing for the Bruins more. Montreal just isn’t the team they used to be.

Washington vs. New York – Cindy isn’t a big Ovechkin fan, but neither one of us likes to see Avery in an NHL sweater. We’d rather see the Capitals take it into the second round.

New Jersey vs. Carolina – Alas, we can’t agree on everything. Cindy is pulling for Brouder and the Devils, and I think she has a crush on Parise (shhh, don’t tell her I’m on to it). I, on the other hand, want to see the Hurricanes get closer to the finals after they missed out on the playoffs last year.

Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia – Cindy and I are pulling for the Pens in this first round rematch from last year’s playoffs. Other than the finals last year with Pittsburgh and Detroit, their series against Philly was the best one to watch last year. This year aims to more of the same.

So those are our picks for round one. I think we’ve played it safe on most of them, but that just means if there are any major upsets, we’ll be happy with their outcomes. Be sure to share your thoughts as well as tag along here for updates as Round One progresses.

Thanks,
- Kris

What The Heck’s New?

2009-04-13T12:36:00.001-05:00

Boy, this blog has really been neglected lately.

I’d say we’ve been very busy, but that’s sort of a given and sounds too much like a cop out anyway. It was certainly a full-schedule weekend, though, with little Zach man’s 2nd birthday party on Saturday and Easter dinner with Cindy’s family yesterday. In fact, other than getting a haircut, I can’t even remember what we did Friday. :) I’ll let Cindy fill in the blanks about the family stuff this past weekend.

Short Week
We’re pretty much set for a short week, seeing that we’re leaving Thursday afternoon and heading up to Door County for my b-day. We’re pretty much taking it slow this time, and other than stopping at Jo Joe’s for pizza and gelato on Thursday and Cindy’s spa session Saturday morning, I think things are pretty much wide open. The kicker is that we’re finally expecting to see some nicer weather here in Chicago this weekend (it’s cold and rainy right now), and we’ll be up north another 250 miles and about 10 degrees cooler. Oh well, it will be nice to have a fireplace at least.

Random Stuff
As long as it’s been since the last post, there hasn’t been really anything major that would normally be mentioned here. Our favorite Blackhawks made it to the playoffs for the first time in way too many years, so we’re all hyped about that. Baseball season started again, and so far it’s been very underwhelming. I picked up a new digital camera during the latest Dell Days of Deals promotion, but haven’t really had too many chances to play around with it. And not only did Cindy get sole possession of my previous camera (the Canon SD890), she also picked up a Sony Webbie camcorder to play around with. With as fast as she’s getting the hang of Facebook and uploading photos from her Mini, I don’t think it will be long before you’re seeing more here at the blog rather than reading.

After our Door County trip, we’re hoping to break out the bike and skates again and get back out on the bike trails. Other than the weather no cooperating, we haven’t had much holding us back from getting out there and shaking off some of these winter pounds (at least the ones I put on). Not only skating at lunch out by the office, but also after work and on the weekends, too. Seeing as though we didn’t get started last year until around June, getting out there in April is going to be a big head start.

As far as everything else, I’m probably leaving out a few other minor things. That’s okay, though. Should we eventually get back in the swing of things and keeping this blog updated, there will be nothing that falls through the cracks.

Thanks

Where Did March Go?

2009-03-29T11:40:00.001-06:00

It’s kind of ironic that I’m starting a blog post with a title saying March is over and we’re getting hit with a snowstorm today. Oh well.

The last time Cindy or I posted here, we were still freshly relaxed from our trip to Maui and busy getting into the spring feeling by doing some cleaning at home. Now, 4 weekends later, so much has gone on that it’s really too much to cover in detail. In the last few weeks, we’ve:

Been to a few Hawks games,
printed out photos from our Maui trip,
ordered and received our vacation portraits (which we absolutely love),
another cavity-free trip to the dentist,
Cindy’s first visit to her new eye doctor,
celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with some grub at Hackney’s,
booked our next long weekend in Door County for my birthday in April,
rocked out (badly) at our second Rockband Nite party,
budgeted our next trip to Maui for September’s Maui Photo Festival (details soon),
made it back to Woodfield (aka Swarovski) for the first time since January so Cindy could get her annual member pieces,
and probably a dozen other things that I’m forgetting right now.

Hawks Games
As mentioned, we did manage to check out a few Hawks game this month. Two, to be exact, and both on the opposite sides of the spectrum. The first was a matinee game against the New York Islanders, a team which has the distinct honor of having the worst record in the league. And the Hawks played like garbage. There were actually people in the rows in front of us that decided to leave early, something we hadn’t seen in the handful of games we’ve been to this year.

The second game, however, was absolutely amazing. It was this past Wednesday against the Western Conference leading San Jose Sharks, and the rematch to the game we saw last year. Not only did we have incredible seats down in section 111, the Hawks played out of their you-know-whats to keep us on the edge of our seats the entire game. When the dust had settled, the Hawks were victorious by a score of 6-5 after needing a shootout to determine the outcome.

Since we were setting closer for this game, I brought along some of my camera gear and took advantage of the view we had. I think I scored some pretty decent shots, and you can see them for yourself. We currently don’t have tickets for any more regular season games, but there’s always a chance we might grab some last minute. Potential playoff tickets go on sale Tuesday (they haven’t officially clinched anything yet), and we’re also planning on going to the upcoming Bud Light Hockey Night event at Buffalo Wild Wings the following week.

Door County
Well, seeing that it’s already been 4 weeks since our last vacation, we need to get away again. :) Kidding aside, we’re going to spending my birthday up in Door County this year, as I celebrate turning 25 for the 4th time. This trip, we’re staying in Ephraim, which is just south of where we stayed in Sister Bay last December. We’re sticking with the 4 days weekend plan, leaving on Thursday (after a half-day at the office) and coming home Sunday night. Other than scouting out a few lighthouses, one of the state parks, and a spa day for Cindy, we’re planning to take it pretty slow and enjoy the peace and quiet.

It’s still a little bit chilly this time of year up in northern Wisconsin, but no where near the single digit temps and snow we encountered 4 months ago. From what we’ve been reading, we’re looking at mid-40’s during the day, which isn’t great, but still cool enough to switch on the fireplace and whip up the hot cocoa. May is supposed to be the time of year when everything starts blooming, so we’ll have to keep that in mind for next year.

Maui is Calling
As productive as March has been for everything else, I’m still pretty behind on my photos and website updates from our last trip to Maui. While I’m still working on getting caught up there, we’re already hoping to go back in September for the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops. It’s the first of what is shaping to be an annual event on the Valley Isle where novice and experienced photographers alike can attend workshops and hands-on instruction from professional photographers from around the world. Early registration ends on Tuesday, and I’m hoping to score the discount for that today or tomorrow and then start figuring out the rest of the details.

It’s a four day festival from Sept. 16th-20th, and we’re hoping to make a week out of it by leaving that Tuesday and ultimately arriving home the following Monday. While I’m off shooting and filling my brain (and my memory cards) with all new tips and skills, Cindy should have no problem finding things to do. It’s being held at the Hyatt Regency Maui, which has a HUGE spa and a quaint little stretch of sand along Ka’anapali Beach. It’s still walking distance from Whalers Village, where we always spend time during our annual trips, so it looks like a win-win for both of us. Plus, the 20th is our anniversary, and what better way to spend our anniversary than on Maui (again).

More Updates Soon
Seeing that it’s been almost four weeks in between this and our last post, we’re going to try and do a better job of keeping things updated here. March was such a busy month, but April doesn’t appear to be any less hectic, and once the weather (finally) starts warming up, we’ll be outdoors again and doing all sorts of fun things.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to head out and grab some lunch. Where’s my winter coat?

Our Cleaning Weekend

2009-03-09T20:16:00.001-06:00

We new by around Wednesday last week that it was gonna be raining pretty much all weekend. With that, and given the fact that we were recently back from two weeks in Maui, there wasn’t going to be much we’d be able to do to have one of those great weekends to talk about come Monday.

So, after staring at a disaster of an office at home last week, we decided to kick off spring with a little cleaning. As you can see from the shot below, we had our work cut out for us.

Well, after a little shopping, a few trips to the dumpster and recycling drop off, here was the result 36 hours later.

Maybe it’s not as drastic in these photos as it is in person, but believe me, it feels like a whole new office. There still a few changes to be made, and some things to sort through store more permanently. For now, I’m just happy we’re done.

Now, the real question some of you (or at least Cindy) might be asking is… How long will it stay clean this time?

What’s on tap for next weekend? Cindy’s closet! (please send help)

Warmer Days

2009-03-07T08:02:00.001-06:00

Wow, still catching up on a lot of things after another great trip to Maui. After being greeted last Sunday with frigid temps and eventually some lake effect snow for a few days, we’ve finally thawed out and made it to over 60° F for a change. I event went rollerblading during lunch on Thursday, which was great.

It looks like we’re about to get some drenching rain this weekend, followed by a smaller cold snap, but that’s cool. We’re not letting the rain bother us today because we’re planning to get all of our spring cleaning done, or at least started. Honestly, my home office here looks like it was hit by a tornado. Yikes! We did a little impromptu shopping last night after dinner to get a few room organizers that I hope will straighten things up a little (okay, a lot).

Trip Details

We’re still going through a lot of our post-trip activities as well. Seeing that this was our 4th trip to Maui, we’ve done this a few times already. Cindy started uploading some photos to her Facebook, but never finished. I was writing journal entries for our trip on our Maui blog, but I still have a week left with that, too. We still haven’t gone through all the photos we took to get some of them printed, we have new paintings we picked up while on Maui, and photos in frames from last year’s trip still waiting to be hung. :)

Hopefully, once everything gets back to normal around here, we’ll be posting more regularly again. At this point, travel wise, we’re thinking of going up to Door County for my birthday in April (6 weeks away) and possibly going back to Maui for a week in September for a photo festival and workshop. More on that soon.

One Year Ago

2009-03-01T20:09:00.002-06:00

One year ago today, I was leaving the dentist office in a lot of pain. I had just finished a visit in which I had 3 cavities filled at once, which took about 90 minutes. I still cringe thinking about it.

It was then and there that I decided to give up my then cherished Mountain Dew. And cold turkey, at that. For fact or not, I blamed my little Dew addiction on rotting out my teeth for all those years. From what I remember, I was chugging about 2-3 24oz bottles a day between work, home, dinner, etc. I had thought dropping the habit would have been pretty hard, but it actually wasn't that terrible of an adjustment.

That's when it ended, and when it started. That habit ended, and a new part of my life started.

After about 2 weeks of giving up all soda, I honestly impressed myself. I thought, why not more? I decided to give up things like french fries, potato chips, and other forms up junk food. I dusted off the exercise bike in my office at home that was being used as a coat rack. Once the weather got warmer, I broke out the rollerblades and hit the bike trails. Everyone started to notice a small(er) difference.

The Result

Skipping to the results, here's a photo that Cindy and I took just last week during our trip annual trip to Maui.

Taken on February 25th, 2009.

Like our trips to Maui, this photo is an annual tradition for us, too. Our last trip was in April, which was just after I started my little life altering experience. Here's the same photo from last year.

Taken on April 23rd, 2008.

Kind of a difference, can't you tell?

All told, I was about 260 lbs at the most when I started this last year. Last check, before we left for this most recent trip to Maui, I was weighing in at 185 lbs. That's a pretty big change for over the course of a year. It's taken a lot of commitment and tons of support from friends and family, but it's all been worth it.

Now that the weather (any day now, I hope) is gonna be turning warm again, I'm really looking forward to getting back out on the blades again. My initial goal was 180 lbs, but is 160 out of the question this summer? We'll have to see, won't we.

Some Weather We're Having, Eh?

2009-02-10T12:32:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting here at Starbucks during lunch, like I have been doing for almost every workday since October. With the unseasonable, and possibly record-tying, warmth today, I switched up my drink order to a Passion Tea Lemonade, and started reflecting on how long it's been since I've had one of these guys.

Of course, it will be my (non-alcoholic) drink of choice starting next week when we're back on Maui. But wouldn't you know it, we book a tropical vacation in the middle of winter to escape all this cold and snow, and the week before we leave, we get a heat wave and the snow all melts! I guess my threat to not come back from Maui until all the snow is melted is pretty much useless now. :)

I also wanted to leave you with just one last image for when you get back inside from being outdoors enjoying weather. This was taken back on December 1st, before all the major snow hit us. Doesn't that seem like it was soooo long ago?

Final Week: Game Over

2009-02-08T10:04:00.002-06:00

As I had feared, things are just too crazy right now in the final two weeks before our trip. I haven't been on the bike in about 2 weeks now, and other than just watching what I eat, I have down little much else to get closer to my goal weight of 180lb.

I'm still very happy with where I am though, especially compared to this time last year and the fact that I've been able to sustain this diet for just as long. March 1st will be the official anniversary to when this whole thing started. And while that's the day we come back from Maui (diet on vacation, too), I'm looking forwad to posting photos of before and after to show what the difference a year can make.

Looking for some Hawks Deja Vu Tonight

2009-02-03T12:28:00.004-06:00

We're heading out to our second Bud Light Hockey Night out at Buffalo Wild Wings this evening, hoping the Hawks can repeat the spanking they gave Edmonton last time. Despite the nasty weather and equally worse commute last December, the turnout at BWW was pretty impressive, as was the 9-2 win the Hawks had over the Oilers.

The weather doesn't figure into the commute this time, but we are planning to arrive earlier than before to make sure we get a better table. I don't think we'll be bringing as big of a work crowd this time either, but folks that do show up will be sure to have a good time. There are even a few running jokes here and there around the office about the last get together. Who knows.

The Hawks are in the midst of an 8-game West coast road trip, which has pushed the game times out into the 9:30pm realm here in Chicago. Not bad if the Hawks are able to jump on their opponents early and often (right Phoenix?), but those nail biter finishes late into the 3rd make getting up the next morning a little tougher. The puck drops at 8pm tonight, though, which should be a welcome change this week.

Our Next Hawks Game

You might remember we won Hawks tickets last time we went to one of these events, and we wouldn't mind repeating that, too. The Hawks don't return home until the 14th, which is the night before we leave for Maui. We do have really great seats for the Sharks game in March (the 25th, I think), and I'm really looking forward to that, too. Should be able to get some more really great shots like I did last year.

Aside from that game, we haven't looked passed our upcoming vacation much to see if there any other home games we want to see. I remember looking at one of those 6-game packs briefly, and noticed our regular seats were getting a little harder to come by. We'll have to wait and see.

Go Hawks!!!

Week Four - Almost Game Over

2009-02-01T13:43:00.002-06:00

Two weeks left before we leave for our trip, and I'm still at 184 lbs. This was a pretty stressful week for me, making it rather difficult to be motivated and focused on dropping those last few pounds before we leave. As of a few days ago, I was ready to call it quits with this little challenge, but now I'm thinking I might see it through.

Still a lot going on right now and a lot left to do before we leave. The majority of everything is booked, paid for, and ready to go, with only a few minor details left to cover. Thinks like what to pack, how to pack, what toys come with and what stay home, etc. It looks like it's going to be another gadget-happy adventure for me this trip, so I'll be travelling even more like a pack-mule than last year.

We'll see if this week is any better than the last, and I really can't imagine it getting any worse.

The Cold Getting To Me

2009-01-29T20:27:00.002-06:00

Hard to believe it's only the end of January and I'm already saying enough with this weather. Me, the one who grew up in a hockey rink 10 months out of the year. Me, the one that was rollerblading in 30 degree weather before Thanksgiving and ice skating outside with temps in the teens. Me, of all people.

I don't know whether it has anything to do with the record low temps, the fact that it was way cold, way early, or what. I've never felt this way about the cold. I don't remember ever having a problem with it, after all these years. I just remember toughing it out. I mean, in when I played hockey in high school, I was tough. It was my job to knock peoples' teeth out. Okay, that only happened once, but like I told the suspension board, it was a clean hit. :)

Kidding aside, I've been having an unusually harder time this year. I think my fingernails are permanently blue, and I wake up each morning completely frozen from the back of my spine to the front of my chest. My entire core, bitter cold. Day in and day out for the past 4 weeks or so. It's so odd, and no fun at all.

But why this year? Why now? Cindy thinks it because I've lost so much weight and not as insulated as previous years. I guess, but this was might weight in high school, when I had to walk home from school in this weather. You know, barefoot and uphill, both ways. :)

Not that complaining about it is going to help, just needed to get it off my chest. In two weeks time, we be back on Maui and this cold will be a forgotten memory. And when we get back in March, I want all this snow gone, you hear me?

Week Three, The Off Week

2009-01-25T11:15:00.003-06:00

As mentioned last week, I've been sort of ahead of schedule with my goal of getting down to 180 lb by our Maui trip, so this week was sort of an off week. While I didn't spend nearly any time on the bike, I wasn't able to fit in any of my toning exercises either (unfortunately). I just can't seem to get back into my early morning schedule that I was keeping over the summer, but trying again this week.

Despite no time on the bike this week, I managed to stay around the 184lb mark, so that's good news. It's all work and no play from here until our trip in 3 weeks, so I hope to have good news again next Sunday. In somewhat unrelated news, we booked a portrait photography session while we're on Maui for our trip, so that's an added incentive (and bonus) to finish what I've started back in March of last year. It will be fun to see the difference a year makes, and I'll have new photos to share before too long.

iTunes wants $120 from me

2009-01-23T12:05:00.002-06:00

This popped on the iTunes Store under my account this week, and I got a chuckle out of it.

It has to do with upgrading my old iTunes purchases from the standard format to the iTunes Plus format, which doesn't include DRM features. It wasn't so much that they made this offer (which I of course shot down), it was my chuckle at how much music, and money, I've actually purchased from iTunes in the passed year or so. Honestly, it was almost sort of depressing at the same time.

The Before

First, a little history before I go into the fact that I've purchased over 1,500 songs from iTunes (yikes!). Like many people, my music interests have changed over the years, but as far back as junior high, I always remember being plugged into some form of walkman, CD player, etc. Sparing all the long details, my most recent interests over the past few years have been various forms of electronic dance music, and mostly from overseas.

The Problem

The problem with liking this type of music is that there is so many categories out there, but so little selection around here in your mainstream stores. I won't even begin to try and describe some of the flavors of electronic music that are out there and the ones that I enjoy the most because it's ultimately very subjective. But back to the fact that I have had all sorts of trouble getting my hands on new music, which I've grown to accept.

Past Solutions

My solutions to this problem has been ever changing. Gone were the days where Tower Records was still open in Schaumburg, where much to Cindy's dismay, I could spend 30-60 minutes browsing through their selection of electronic music. It was by far the most expansive selection I was able to find in a store without leaving the country.

Next up, Amazon. This was back in the day before Amazon launched their own MP3 store, and where the majority of my now dusty CD collection originated from. For awhile there, I was pretty addicted to Amazon, for everything from Music to techie stuff, to books, well, you get the idea. Mostly, those days are behind me.

The CD game from Amazon started to dry up and having to fuss with CDs all the time was starting to get really old. At this point, I still hadn't bought an iPod yet.

So, in lieu of CDs, I went looking for music of the digital variety via the Internet. I stumbled across Digitally Imported (di.fm), which was really an electronic music lover's dream. I subscribed to them and for awhile, I was even (somewhat illegally, a gray area) recording some of their streams for my own private use. I ended up in the scenario which is the same reason we don't have a DVR, I had too much music downloaded and no time to listen to it.

The iPod Cometh

I finally jumped on the iPod bandwagon a few years ago and picked up one. They had already been very popular, and I went with the 30GB Video iPod. Thus began my history with iTunes and shopping for music online there. Overall, I'd say it's been the most successful solution I've come across for finding my types of music. For awhile there (back to the 1,500 song number), I was just as addicted, if not more, to buying music on iTunes than I was with ordering CDs from Amazon. Luckily, that has died down significantly in the past year.

Now, don't rush to judgment yet (I'm sure it's too late for that). Many of my early purchases from iTunes was via the almight iTunes Gift Card, which became my most received gift for about 2 years. That was the hook, though, that got me into the habit that started to take over. I can't say for certain how many of the 1,500 songs I've purchased from iTunes since March '07 have been with gift cards or my own disposable income, but I'm not in any real hurry to find out. :)

One Minor Drawback

I did have one minor drawback with my iPod listening habit last year, and it was with the purchase of my new car. You see, I had grown quite accustomed to the AUX input jack right on the front of my after market car stereo that went into my old Dodge. But when it came time to take that car out and shoot it, I was amiss to realize that the stereo in my Pontiac G6 did not have such an option. Bummer. And trust me, I do NOT like those FM transmitters.

I have been eyeing the new iPods lately, with all their iPhone-like features and WiFi capabilities. While the majority of my music resides on my PC and only the smaller selection make it to my iPod, I think being able to buy music right from my iPod would just as well do me in. :)

But it's all about priorities, and since I've already seemed to have invested quite a bit of coin in new toys for our upcoming Maui trip, this one is going to have to wait. My birthday is in April, however, so in case anyone is reading this (wink, wink) and is not sure what to buy me (wink, wink), this would probably be right up there on the list.

Oh, who am I kidding. Everyone stopped reading this after the iTunes graphic. :)

Difference a Week Makes

2009-01-21T17:03:00.002-06:00

Boy what a difference a week can make here in Chicago, at least as the weather's concerned.

Today, it was a very pleasant 30° F for a good portion of the afternoon, something that I don't think it has done much since Xmas. As we're getting ready to back out to the United Center for the Hawks game tonight, I can't help but think of how darn cold it was just 7 days ago when were at the UC last.

Contrast today's 30° weather with last Wednesday's -30° wind chills and 2 straight days below 0 air temps, and you get a good understanding of what I'm talking about. Tomorrow, in fact, we're forecast to be above freezing as well, making it a great chance to get back out to the outdoor rink for a Thursday night skate (plans still pending).

But alas, these temps won't last. Come Saturday, we're back into the frigid cold and single digits for a high on Sunday. Sigh. There's talk of snow on Monday, so that should be fun. Hopefully, there's only a few more of these winter weather posts left before we leave for Maui next month. And then, after that, it will be March. Sweet.

Hawks Tomorrow

2009-01-20T21:07:00.002-06:00

Just a short note that we'll be heading out to the last Hawks home game before the All-Star break. After this home game, the Blackhawks won't be returning to the UC until Valentines Day, which is night before we leave for Maui.

To help hold us over, we're planning another visit to Buffalo Wild Wings for the Bud Light Hockey Night on February 3rd. We had a blast last time, and while this one is sort of a drive out to Vernon Hills, we hope we'll have the same turnout.

After our trip, we have tickets for yet another game against the Sharks (who the Hawks haven't beat in forever). And the Sharks game (not until March 25th) will be the good 100 level seats, which mean I can finally bring my camera gear and get shots like I did last year. Sweet.

On a somewhat related note, the Hawks announced they are currently taking deposits for season tickets next season. I thought about it for few minutes, but we're not sure if we're ready to lay out that kind of cash just yet. We'll see, though.

Go Hawks!!!

Week Two, Even Closer

2009-01-18T19:52:00.002-06:00

Another week in the books on my weight challenge and I'm now down to 184 lbs. I was actually flirting with 183 both yesterday and today, but I'll go with 184 for the official tally today. After all, I don't want to come off seeming anerixous or anything, that is if a 6' tall male in his late 20's can be considered anerixous at 180 lbs.

Anyway, thinking about cutting out the bike time this week and focusing on my core exercises to help with toning my mid-section, which is pretty much the only thing left that needs attention. I know I mentioned some before and after photos a few weeks ago, and we spent some time this evening looking for vacation portrait photographers on Maui to help capture our upcoming trip. The way I see it, it is still unknown how much longer after this trip I'll be able to stay in this shape, so I might as well have it captured professionally while I still can. :)

Those that know me, and probably the only ones that might be reading this, know that I'm not typically that self-centered or vain. I don't want to say that this past 10 months have been somewhat of a coming out for me, but I do know that working toward this goal and losing 80 lbs has really changed almost all aspects of my life for the better. While it has come with some sacrifices, it really is something I wish I would have started years ago.

That's all for now. See you again for next week's update.