Housing Update

Just to keep everyone in the loop: Our most recent house under contract fell through last Saturday due to appraisal issues with the owner. Say goodbye to Menard!

We're going out with our real estate agent again and plan to expand our search to include a few more neighborhoods. Pray that we find the right place for us soon.

Richard's Birthday Feast

Richard Meyers is, perhaps, our favorite octogenarian. Not because he's one of the few we know, but because he is a fascinating, kind man who doesn't use getting older as an excuse to stop exploring the world.

We celebrated Richard's 80th birthday this past Saturday with a feast planned out by Heath and Lisa A. Since we are still living the nomad's life, Lisa and Dena hosted at their beautiful apartment and Dena's brother, Galen, in for the weekend was a huge help in all the set-up, prep and clean-up.

All in all we had around 17 people show up to honor Richard, including people who have known him since he moved to Chicago 40 years ago and those he's met in the last year. For those of you who don't know, Heath and Richard became friends through The Grind, one of Heath's favorite coffee shops in the city. The Grind's owner, Tara, actually provided the birthday cake you see pictured below.

There were toasts, delicious breads and cheeses, and an "autumnal" themed meal that included perfectly prepared prime rib, a root vegetable salad, green salad with pesto dressing, and a butternut squash risotto. It was amazing!







Most importantly, Richard had the opportunity to hear people share how much he means to them.

[all photos are courtesy of the very talented Lisa A., pictured with the birthday boy]

Hipsters

Don't let the title of this post fool you... This is not an entry on the 20 somethings taking over Chicago's Pilsen area as we speak.

Last night, Heath and I joined Keith and Micah for a screening of "Hipsters," one of the movies entered into Chicago's International Film Festival.



The official movie synopsis is this:
Moscow, 1955. Soviet uniformity is the order of the day, but incurring the wrath of all the grim-faced comrades in Russia isn't enough to stop a group of young "hipsters" from donning outrageous threads, puffing up their pompadours, pushing up their cleavage, throwing back martinis, and shakin' their hips. Could this romantic, infectiously fun musical be this year's Slumdog Millionaire?

I hate to admit it, but I was initially skeptical that this would be worth the $12 admission. I was wrong.

A little long and loose at the end, it was actually a lot of fun. The music was great, certain characters really leapt off the screen and it did leave us with something to think about and discuss at the end. Subtitles and all, it was great.

A second home at Swedish Cov

Let me preface this by saying that Heath is either the healthiest sick person I know or the sickest healthy person I know. Either way, it's amazing to me that this wonderful husband of mine who works out, eats right (unless we're visiting people somewhere or they're visiting us), and generally tries to take pretty good care of himself ended up in the ER at Swedish Covenant Hospital this week.

I know what you're thinking and no, this had nothing to do with his heart. Believe it or not, Heath had appendicitis. He'd been in "low-grade" abdominal pain for a week or so before going in, but once there an ultrasound and CAT scan revealed that his appendix was in trouble. They got him into surgery fairly quickly and everything went well. According to the doctor, his appendix was so inflamed it probably should have ruptured 48 hours later. Luckily, it hadn't, and he was able to have the surgery done laparoscopically, which is much less invasive.

After a couple loopy days on pain meds, Heath is slowly making his way back to normal, albeit a slower, less inclined to make sudden movements, kind of normal. Thanks for all your prayers!

[is this photo slightly embarrassing? perhaps. consider it motivation for heath to keep out of the hospital]

One way to celebrate...

One of the things I appreciate most about my friends at work is that they do some kooky stuff. Some of it makes me shake my head, some of it makes me glad I get to live vicariously through them.

This week I experience a bit of the latter. It was Tom's birthday, you see, and there was nothing he wanted more than to travel back to a little bakery called Three Tart. It's in a little strip mall near our old office and, since they have yummy sandwiches, salads and, yes, tarts, we'd eat there every so often. What they're best known for, though, is their beautiful cakes.

It has long been Tom's birthday wish to just face plant in one of those glorious cakes and then take in the shocked expressions of the Northfield ladies who lunch. This year, that wish was granted.

As you'll see from the pictures, the chocolate buttercream frosting did not have as much of a mess-factor as we had all hoped, but the act did lead to many a raised eyebrow. One woman even came up to our table to ask if Tom had lost a bet.

A little odd? Sure. But it was a lot of fun and an experience I was glad to be a part of since I can't ever imagine planting my own face in pastry. :-)


[before...the cake was plain looking but decadent]



[during...see the look on the guy's face in the back?]



[after...oh Tom!]



[also after...check out the imprint of his nose]

Aloha!

Heath and I recently returned from the American Dental Association's Annual Session in Honolulu. I would like to thank all of our Chi-town friends for guilt-tripping Heath into coming with and my wonderful father-in-law for bartering his well-earned frequent flyer miles. Having Heath along definitely made the trip that much more amazing.

With the exception of my conference responsibilities, it was a pretty chill trip. Just what the doctor ordered after kind of a kooky summer. The only day we really "did" anything was on Wednesday. We rented a car and drove to the windward side of Oahu. It was much less built up than Waikiki, which is where our hotel was. The beaches were absolutely stunning and the water was warm and clear. We rented a kayak and paddled our way between a couple small islands.

While we didn't have the chance to do any snorkeling we did get in some beach time and plenty of pina coladas.