Birthday bash

It's march (birthday) madness around here. Kathleen on the 17th, Dad on the 20th, Mom on the 25th, and Carl and I on the 28th! I always say it's like Christmas part II. If you add in all my friends who have birthdays around this time too and well... you can imagine.

While my big brother was celebrating his half of our birthday on a plane home from San Diego last night, I was out celebrating with friends. I decided on a bowling party (one of the only ways I can ever get my friends to go bowling with me!), but it didn't turn out exactly as planned.

We went to a swanky bowling alley (10-pin). One of these Cosmo lounge/plush chair/mood lighting bowling places - supposedly the new craze! It was pretty fun. And I absolutely love that bowling alleys are now no smoking in Chicago!

Anyway, we couldn't get a lane until much later in the evening so there were only a few of us who ended up bowling (my real friends.... - just kidding!) It was a great time!

Here are some pics...

Apartment searching

For the past two weeks I've been avidly hunting for a new apartment. For all you house-owners out there... let me just tell you - no fun. I have seen so many places that have so many problems. And all of them are at least $100 more than my current place. Just crazy. It definitely makes me think about the pros and cons of this place. Part of me just keeps looking around and saying... how can I fix the things that bother me about this place? There's really lots of room for improvement. But there are those things that I can't control - like my ceiling falling in. Though my good ol' landlord did say that he'd be working on re-doing the apartment upstairs which should help that problem.

Moving is just such a pain. I'd like to know I'm doing it for a great place. There's always more apartments tomorrow. Meanwhile if anyone knows of a great place... let me know! :-)

Ice Skating in Millennium Park

Kristi showing off her skills - standing up...



The view from the rink.



This is "the bean" at night.

New photos of recent IMAX fun

Crazy 3D glasses!

Star Power

As I was doing some cleaning out of the files last week at work I came across the following picture. I glanced at it and passed it over to one of my co-workers saying, "This guy looks like Charlie from Party of Five."

Low and behold - it actually was Matthew Fox (aka Charlie) and the woman who played his girlfriend on the show.

Just something you don't come across every day. Now we just have to get him to come back and do something new with us.

Pictures from Lily's Naming Ceremony

Lily's Aunt Susanne doing a reading.

Check out the cute bunny slippers!

Cousin Courtney

Look at this angel-face!

My very own Mount Rushmore

In honor of President's Day, today at work we were asked to create our own Mount Rushmore and explain why we had chosen the people on it. (Yes, I work at a very silly place.) I thought I would share my creation with all of you.



From left to right:

Jon Bon Jovi - He has rocked my world since I was 6.

Harry Potter - I wish I was this cool.

Lily Deetz - She's taken over my world.

Gary Allan - I love his voice and he's hot!

Then and Now

In an effort to cheer-up my work environment I made a little change to my desktop settings today.

This used to be the picture on my desktop:



While it is very funny and makes me giggle a little everytime I see it - this one makes me smile even more:

Breaking up is hard to do

OK - so "breaking up" may be too strong of a term, but I did just call it quits with a guy I've been semi-dating for the last few months. Once the nausea from working up the nerve to tell him passes, I'm sure I'll be fine!

He's a super nice guy, we've had some good times, but ultimately the heart wants what the heart wants (or doesn't want what it doesn't want, in this case). It's been coming for awhile and it finally hit me this week while I was in Austin for work. I was telling my friend Nicole about the situation and she finally said, "I still don't get what the issue is." I began to explain again and she said, "Ingrid - you're not into him. You never bring him up. You're not excited to spend time with him or talk to him. Just end it." Ah, the truth can be hard.

Dating is just no fun sometimes. I'm not sure there's anything worse than telling someone you're just not into them. (Actually - there are lots of things that I'm quite sure are worse, but it's still a sucky feeling.)

Luckily Maverick still thinks I'm a pretty nice girl, so it'll all be just fine. :-)

Pics from Florida

Sarah and Allyson getting ready to go on the glass-bottom boat tour (before the motion-sickness set in!)

The view from the Tiki Bar in Key Largo.

Sarah and Allyson underneath the giant lobster!

Back from the Keys

I'm just back from a long weekend excursion down to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. My friend Allyson lives in Hollywood, FL so she put me and Sarah up for the weekend. We spent the weekend checking out the sites, hanging out on the beach, and just catching up. Here are some highlights (and maybe a few low-lights)....

1) The guy sitting next to Sarah and I on the plane stood up about halfway through the flight and blacked out. I immediately offered Sarah's services for CPR (which she was very happy with me for telling everyone...). There were no doctors on the plane, but there was an EMT and a dentist so between the two of them they managed to get the guy's vitals. He laid in the aisle of the plane for the rest of the trip and kept everyone excited and on their toes. He turned out to be fine - not sure why he blacked out, but he walked off the plane with the EMT (admittedly a little shakily.) Now - the best part of this story... he was on our flight home too! Sarah and I just looked at each other like, "Here we go again!" But thankfully it was an uneventful trip back.

2) There was a New York pizza stand on the beach in Hollywood and I just have to say - closest thing to the pizza we used to get back in New Jersey that I've had in years! It was awesome! That alone would have made my weekend! (I know - I'm easy to please! - there's just nothing quite like looking out over the ocean with a slice of NY style pizza!)

3) We spent Saturday and Sunday in Key Largo. Word to the wise - there aren't many beaches in Key Largo. But we had a great time in the hotel's pool and just checking out all the little shops and views. Best part - we found a little village area that had a world-famous Tiki bar and a great little beach area. We spent awhile sipping on keylime drinks and catching some rays. Worst part - the three of us discovered that glass bottom boat rides are not all that cool. It took me exactly 30 seconds to start feeling the motion-sickness set in after we went below deck to look through the glass bottom of the boat. Sarah and Allyson were about 1 minute behind me. Another word to the wise - when the sales people tell you it's going to be rough out on the water - DON'T GO!

4) And my favorite... Sunday night we were a little wiped and we decided we just wanted to go rent a movie and relax. As we were checking out at Blockbuster we had the distinct pleasure of being behind a guy who had his blue-tooth phone on and was yelling questions to the clerk about Rocky I, II, and III. He wanted to know which one was the best. He wanted to know which one Rocky works out in the most. He wanted to know which one Rocky's muscles were the biggest in... etc, etc, etc. Meanwhile he's also talking to his friend on the phone. The last question? What's the difference between the special edition and the original? Sarah looks over at him and totally deadpan says, "Rocky's way more buff in the special edition. That's the difference." His response, "Really? OK." Allyson and I couldn't stop laughing. Ah, making fun of the locals.... Maybe you had to be there, but really - there was an extreme lack of brain-power everywhere we went. Just amusing.

I'll post some pictures later....

Good news

Despite my apartment issues (which, by the way, the workers deny all my claims - go figure!), life has been going pretty well. Here are two exciting things that have happened lately....

1) I've accepted a promotion at my job, so begining March 1st I will be the Director of Chapter Relations. This will be a new department for me so instead of planning conferences and other educational programs, I'll be recruiting new chapters and support groups, starting up state organizations and improving the quality of our chapters including leadership and facilitation training. It also means I'll be supervising two people which will be new for me. I'm really excited to be moving in a new direction. Hopefully it will turn out to be a good move for me.

2) Earlier this week I made the last payment on my student loans. That's right - student loans are DONE!

Favorite Lily pics

Apartment blues

Many of you have heard me talk about my apartment... how I love the location, love the lay-out, love the size... and how it's an absolute pain in the ***.

The ceiling of my kitchen has fallen in three times in the 6 months I've lived there. My neighbors smoke incessantly in the basement and just outside my door. And when the heat goes on there's a funky smell that fills the apartment.

When I came home from my 2-week vacation, my kitchen ceiling was covered (and yes, I do mean covered) in mold. Gross. I immediately called my landlord who said he'd be by in the next few days to look at it. When he finally came, he looked at it and said, "Wow - it really is covered in mold." (No, I just said that for fun....) Apparently he thought he was just going to be able to paint over it, but thought better when he actually saw it. (Hint - mold doesn't go away just because you paint over it.)

So anyway, last night I got home around 8:30pm to find the following:

- my blinds open in my living room (which I never leave open because I live on the 1st floor)

- my kitchen light on

- all of my things moved into strange places (stuff that I have no idea why they needed to move)

- two sheets of drywall in my kitchen

- a large hole in my ceiling

- my freshly washed dishes in the drying rack covered in smut from the ceiling

- my cat locked in my bedroom (without his food, water, or liter box)

- muddy footprints through the apartment, including on my newly washed bath mat in the bathroom

- the toilet seat up

- a half-drank can of seltzer water (MY seltzer water from MY fridge)

- one of my bowls with crumbs of some kind of food (probably mine) on the kitchen counter

I was slightly livid. Today I get to call my landlord and tell him all about the great workers he's hired. Yay! Think it's time to find a new place....

Thanks for listening!

Home again, home again (jiggity-jig)

Things I've learned:

- Cracker Barrel's audio-book rentals are "da bomb" for long car trips
- a 27" TV screen seems really small and strange when you've been watching one twice as large for 2 weeks
- no length of time is enough when a little baby is involved
- cats do not forget how much they hate their car carrier in 2 weeks (and when they don't want to go in, there's nothing you can do about it.)
- I kind of enjoy being woken up by doggy kisses.

Adventures in babysitting

Lily and I survived our first babysitting adventure last night while Carl and Kathleen took in a musical. She really behaved like a champ, chowing down on a bottle and then proceeding to sleep for the next 4 hours. Can't ask for much more than that. Terra, on the other hand, was not happy about the whole family not being around - every car door that shut, every dog that barked, every voice she heard set her off. It is truly amazing to me that Terra can be right next to a sleeping Lily and be barking up a storm and Lily doesn't even move. I'd be worried about her hearing except that she does wake up whenever Terra shakes and her collar jingles. Selected listening.... Anyway, by 10pm Terra had worn herself out and she slept quite peacefully as well.

Christmas (part I)

Christmas (part I) took place Tuesday night here in Baltimore. It was a lovely evening of chicken and dumplings, unwrapping presents and enjoying some quality family time. Here are some pictures to get those of you who only celebrate one Christmas (I can't even begin to tell you what you're missing out on!) in the mood!

Naughty and Nice

Nice
Snow plow man who saw me shoveling away on Saturday morning and went out of his way to take a good 2 feet of snow away for me.

Naughty
The passenger on the bus who started a fight with the bus driver other whether the bus driver was on a cell phone which she wanted to make sure everyone on the bus knew is "ILLEGAL!"

Ever notice that all my stories of irritation involve the bus? I wonder if I'd be a generally happier person if I didn't take the bus every day. Happier maybe, but also much less entertained!

Side note - I saw RENT last night. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. I absolutely loved it. I know some people will be disappointed with this rendition, but not me. (Maybe that's because I've only seen the play from the nose-bleed section - it was awesome to see everything so upclose!) I'm not usually a crier at movies, but this one definitely broke me down.

More pictures

Lily and Terra comparisons

Terra chews on her bone.

Lily chews on her play mat.

Both Terra and Lily love cuddling with Kathleen.

Lily withdrawal

I'm back home after spending five days in Baltimore with the fam. In some ways it's nice to be back in the swing of my normal day-to-day life and it was great to see Maverick last night, but I'm definitely exhibiting some withdrawal symptoms. Maverick doesn't play catch nearly as well as Terra does nor does he like to be rocked like Lily. :-) I'm glad I'll be going back out there soon. Big props to Kathleen for being able to manage both the baby and the dog during the day. It takes a lot of hands!

Some fun pictures of Lucy-goosey

This is my little cousin, second cousin, whatever, this is Lucy.

I love this little lopsided grin!

Body image distortian

I've known for a long time now that my cat has a body image problem. He weighs near 20 pounds and he thinks he can fit in a 6" by 12" box. Just not gonna happen, Mav.

However, on the bus this morning I realized that this problem is not just limited to my cat. In general, I think people have no idea how much space they take up. (Either that or they just don't give a damn about anyone else - I prefer to believe the first.) It absolutely floors me to watch people get on to a relatively empty bus (AKA no one standing in the aisle) and stop two feet in from the door while there are still about 70 people trying to get on the bus. It's seriously as if they believe that they are not taking up the aisle. In addition, bus seats are not really that big. When you add in winter coats... there's definite limitations. Yet, day after day I watch people who are much too large for the given seat squeeze themselves in. I really think this must be a body image issue. People just need to believe they don't take up as much space as they do.

Weird.

On a separate note - I leave to see Carl, Kathleen, and Lily first thing tomorrow morning! I can't wait! I know the new parents are absolutely exhausted, but I can't wait to see them anyway!

Calla Lily

I've decided for the time being, I will be calling my little niece Calla Lily. It serves as a nice transition between Calabasa and Lily. (And I think it's cute.)

I'm sure Kathleen will be posting a bunch of pics to Pumpkin News soon, but I wanted to share one of the happy parents and little Calla Lilly.

She's here! She's here!

Lilian (or maybe Lillian - didn't clarify the spelling) Meyer Deetz made her way into the world today. Carl says she has dark curly hair and very dark blue eyes - and he says, "She's really cute." Understatement, I'm sure! 8 pounds, 20.75 inches (if I'm remembering correctly.) She'll be called Lily for short.

I can't wait to see pictures - and I really can't wait to meet her in person! Only 14 more days....

Congratulations Carl and Kathleen!

Some of the animals of the Grand Canyon

These squirrels were crazy! And also very smart. I've never seen squirrels climb all over people, but I sure did on Wednesday. I also watched two team up and while people were busy watching the one approaching on their right, another came up the wall behind them and stole their bag of chips. Hehehe. I also saw two people get bit - so be ware. Don't tease the squirrels.

Did you know mules are pretty much the same size as horses? For some reason I was picturing them as more donkey sized.

Check that one off the list

10 things I want to do by the time I'm 40

See the Grand Canyon
See the Mayan Ruins
Own a house (or at least be making payments on it)
Get a dog
Find a career that really, really fits me well
Go Scuba diving
Get new living room furniture
Take my neices/nephews on a special trip just for us
See the Northern Lights with Mom
Make a tradition out of going to the ocean at least once a year

Things to be thankful for...

I was reading an article in a cheesy magazine the other day at my grandma's house and it said that one of the keys to a happy life is to spend a little time each day thinking about things you're thankful for. Here's a few things I came up with today.

-Having a mom who's a lot like a best friend, that I can confide anything in - including the things I don't even like to admit to myself.

-Working at a place where people actively seek out my opinions and openly tell me I'm a big asset to the organization.

-Having the flexibility in my day to day life to do things that are important to me, like visiting family, volunteering and doing things just for me - all at more or less a moment's notice.

There are of course thousands of others things I'm thankful for (including getting Bon Jovi tickets this weekend, electronic hand-held Yahtzee, and auto-saves on computer programs), but these are a few that are at the forefront of my mind right now.

My inner child...

Your Inner Child Is Happy

You see life as simple, and simple is a very good thing. You're cheerful and upbeat, taking everything as it comes. And you decide not to worry, even when things look bad. You figure there's just so many great things to look forward to.

How Is Your Inner Child?

My superhero profile...

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Composite Prodigy Your Superpower is X-Ray Vision Your Weakness is Bacteria Your Weapon is Your Air Shield Your Mode of Transportation is Chariot

What's your Superhero Name?

Hooray for Labor Day!

I just got back from a great weekend up at my friends' cabin on the lake in good ol' Mauston, WI. This labor day excursion has been an annual trip for the last several years and I'm so glad I have friends with this sort of setup at their disposal!

We spent all day Friday at Noah's Ark, which for those of you who don't know, is the biggest water park in the U.S. - or so they claim. Whether or not it is, it's a great time! There's little I love more than spending a day at the water park! Even better - the place was almost completely deserted which meant no waiting in lines for the slides! We rode the log flume 5 times in a row without even having to get off. How can you beat that? The only low-light of the day came as I was riding the Black Anaconda for the third time. While getting into the raft I put my hand down on a bee. I think that might be my first bee sting - or at least the first one I can remember. At any rate - ouch! My wrist is still a little swollen and itchy three days later. I'll be keeping away from bees from here on out. Incidentally, I just finished a book called, The Secret Life of Bees in which they tell you to NEVER swat at bees, which has always been my policy. So, keep that in mind the next time you're approached!

Saturday and Sunday we spent all day out on Sarah and Michael's new boat (very nice, guys!) Just cruising around, enjoying the sun, swimming and hanging out on the beach. It takes a close second to spending the day at the waterpark!

Maverick has just commandeered my lap, making it very difficult to type, so I guess I will put an end to this entry. Hope everyone had a great long weekend!

Question of the day

Round two...

Question: Which would you prefer: a wild turbulent life filled with joy, sorrow, passion and adventure - intoxicating successes and stunning setbacks; or a happy, secure, predictable life surrounded by friends and family without such wide swings of fortune and mood?

Answer: It may just be my mood today, but I think I'd choose the happy, secure and predictable life. Part of me (like most people, I imagine) would like to feel that they experienced life to the fullest and that in the end, it was a fabulous life. Sometimes I get really caught up in that idea of "living life to the fullest." It sounds like a good plan. And no doubt - I envy people that can pick up and leave the comfort and security of day-to-day life for a new adventure, but I'm just not sure I'm one of them. I have several friends who do just that. They fall in love and move across the country (or world) to be with the object of their affection, they study abroad for a year or so, they quit their jobs and move around with no real idea of where they'll live or how they'll pay the bills. Such a refreshing concept to me - yet absolutely terrifying. Does that mean I'm not living life to the fullest? I'm not sure. I guess part of me does, but part of me is quite content to keep going the way I'm going. I like knowing what's coming next, where I'm spending the night, how much money will be deposited into my account on payday. What gives me real joy is actually the simple stuff. Spending time with friends and family, getting the job done, arts and crafts on my coffee table (just looking at the mess I've made tonight...), and knowing that I'm living independently.

That being said - I think it would definitely do me some good to incorporate some spontaneity into my life. (Hehe - even that sounded like planning it in...) Last time I was reading a personality book (yes, I do that from time to time - I love gaining more insight to my personality) it said that I should just go to the airport one day and hop on a plane. No pre-purchased ticket, no definite destination in mind. Just hop a flight. The idea exhilarates me and seems foolish at the same time. Would I do it? Probably. Though I think I'd enjoy it more with a friend.

Maybe that'll be my next adventure - once these freaking conferences are over for work.

In the meantime - what do you guys think? Better to be a free spirit and go anyway the wind blows or are you happier to live the day-to-day? Ideas for ways to keep from thinking that you're not living life to the fullest?

Noah-Noah-Balboa

This is my buddy, Noah (aka Noah-Noah-Balboa).

Pic 1: Noah just after his baptism yesterday with his doting aunts.

Pic 2: Getting ready for the big party with his god-mother, Renee!

Pic 3: About ten minutes into the party (12 hours without a nap will do that to a kid!)

A question from the Book of Questions

In an effort to spend at least a little time writing each week (as I feel I'm quickly losing my ability to write coherent sentences), I'm going to try to answer a few questions from my handy "Book of Questions." Feel free to let me know your answers as well.

Today's question: If you could have free, unlimited service for five years from an extremely good cook, chauffeur, housekeeper, masseuse, or personal secretary, which would you choose?

My answer: I can truly see the benefits of each, but I guess that's the point, right?

As I just finished my dinner of frozen tortellini with prego sauce and a bud light - I can definitely see having a personal cook. It would probably be a lot healthier for me anyway. :-) That being said, I really enjoy cooking (well maybe more baking), so that might be hard for me to turn over to someone else. Plus they'd have to cook things I like and as my big brother would be quick to point out - I'm a bit picky.

A chauffeur... hmmm, I wasn't immediately attracted to this one - but then I thought - if I had a personal chauffeur does that mean I could get rid of my car (and therefore my car payments?) If so, that might make it worth it. Add in not having to deal with finding a parking spot in the city and, yeah, I'm liking that one more and more....

As for housekeepers - I live in a small, one bedroom apartment. Keeping it clean should not be a problem in the slightest. But, alas, I just don't keep after it the way I should. I keep a cleaner place than I could when I lived with two boys - but there's still much more that could be done. And I do LOVE a clean place. If someone would just clean up all the cat hair my dear Maverick leaves around that would probably be a wonderful help.

Masseuse? I do get a nasty-tight neck and back when I get stressed out. And this is probably the only one that I actually pay for now and again currently. When life has you down - there's nothing quite like a good massage...

One thing I'm sure I don't need is a personal secretary. My life is just not that hectic. Now, if someone wants to come to work with me and do all the stuff I don't want to do or don't have time to do - well that's a different story - but in my personal life - just not an issue.

So, which to choose??? Guess you really can't go wrong - any would be a step-up for me, right?

Why can't I just find a guy that fulfills many of these roles? There's gotta be a guy out there who would be happy to drive me around, cook me a decent meal now and again and give me a massage in the evenings.... C'mon all you people out there - you must know someone.... :-)

No? Well, then I guess I'll take the cook.

Did everyone see my boy Barrett kick ass?

Here's how I spent my Friday...

So you want to know what I'm listening to...

So, my cousin has tagged me. From what I gather in the blogging world, this means it's my turn to respond to a question that's been put out there.

I'm not a believer in chain letters (and I just don't know that many people who blog) so I'm not going to continue the chain, but I'll give in to telling you what's frequenting my CD players these days. (That's right - I haven't moved into the MP3 thing yet.)

1. Still the Night- BoDeans

2. Best I've Ever Had - Gary Allan

3. Right Where I Need to Be - Gary Allan

4. When Will I Be Loved - Linda Ronstadt (?)

5. Go Where You Want to Go

6. Eight Days a Week - Beatles

7. Welcome to My Life - Simple Plan

8. All You Need is Love - Beatles

9. You Don't Know a Thing About Me - Gary Allan

10. Can't Do It Today - Gary Allan

The clear winner - Gary Allan of course. I must admit, I can listen to his CDs over and over again. And with work going the way it is these days - I can use the serene, happy effect it has on me.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Today's annoyances...

1. Some friend of my neighbors hitting on me just outside my front door as I went to retrieve my laundry.
2. The guy who sat down in the middle seat between me and someone else on the bus and proceeded to slouch down and spread his legs apart as far as he could - making me and the guy on his other side be even more crunched.
3. The people who refuse to climb those apparently scary steps to the back of the bus. C'mon people - you see the 70 people waiting at the bus stop - could you MOVE TO THE BACK?!!!
4. Watching the Cubs lose... again.
5. Neighbors smoking outside my windows so I don't want to open them up.
6. The Navy Pier band that only did Dave Matthews Band covers. BORING.


Today's joys...

1. Being able to walk to the corner store for milk this morning instead of having to get in the car.
2. The little girl sitting near me on the bus who was having a great time with her mini-magnadoodle.
3. Enjoying the Navy Pier Fireworks with friends.
4. Eating dinner at Giordanos.
5. Having my check book balance perfectly on the first try.
6. Getting an email from my graphic designer at work to let me know that the print piece that has to be at the printer's first thing monday morning is ready to go.
7. Hearing that my sister-in-law accepted a new job that she's really excited about.
8. Sleeping in until 9:30am.
9. The beautiful weather.
10. My cat curling up on my lap for a nice nap.

And once again - the good outweighs the bad! Helps to keep things in perspective.

Oh, the great Garden State

It just amazes me how rude people truely are in New Jersey. And, yes, of course that's a huge generalization and not everyone in New Jersey sucks, but I sure met my fair share in the 2.5 days I was there. Doesn't make me very happy that I'm holding one of my work conferences there, but what are you going to do.... I can't even count the number of times I had to swerve to miss idiots that decided stop signs didn't apply to them at intersections. And even then did I get an apologetic hand-wave or even a slightly stunned look of "what was I thinking?" Nope - just nasty glares and some nice hand gestures.

While I had a great time at the beach and spending time with Carl and Kathleen, I can't say I was sad to be leaving the great Garden State. And after waiting through several delays I was definitely more than ready to get out there. So once we finally got up in the air I decided popping a movie into the computer was a must. It cracks me up to watch movies on planes because it just seems like the person sitting next to you can absolutely not help the fact that they're watching the movie over your shoulder. Not that I mind in the slightest, but everytime I'd get the feeling the guy next to me was looking at the screen, I'd glance over and he'd jerk his head the other direction. Hehehe.

Ahhh, glad to be home!