Nieces, nieces, nieces

We had a wonderful time in California this weekend. The opportunity to spend time with Ash, Court, Maddie and Eva was a real gift. While short, it was all quality.

One particularly cute anecdote: When the gang picked me up at the airport, I ended up sitting behind Courtney and the girls. The Incredibles movie was playing on the car DVD when Maddie asked, "What's her name?" Courtney, thinking she was asking about a character in the movie answered, "Let's call her Wendy." This simple misunderstanding led to Aunt Thais being Wendy for the rest of the weekend. She wouldn't be corrected and, to tell you the truth, it was too cute to ask her to change.

Warning: There are A LOT of pictures!

[chilling at the house]







[playground]


[swimming]






[grown-ups go to the casino + midnight in-n-out run]




[maddie likes her blanket!]


[john's incredible pizza]

Sewing Project 4

I'm halfway through my baby shower gifts for Miss Lina. I borrowed this book from my friend, Sarah:



and then asked John and Susan to pick two projects they'd like to see for Lina. This empire waist top is the first thing I tried. I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out and can't wait to see it on her.

[i wish the pictures were better, but you get the idea]




(this is actually Project 5, but I don't have pictures of the dress I made for myself...soon and very soon..)

John Legend at Ravinia

I have a HUGE crush on John Legend. He has an amazingly soulful voice that can get anyone relaxed and romantic. Ravinia also happens to be a wonderful venue. Pack a picnic and a bottle of wine (in this evening's case, champagne) and you have a near-perfect evening.



[our picnic]




[the concert]






[a sample of one of my favorite songs]

Jess & Melinda's Visit

When we sat down to think about it, Jess and I figured out that the last time we'd seen each other was January of 2008 when I was in Boston for a dental conference. Too long, friends, too long.

What originally was supposed to be a pit stop for a wedding turned into a full girls weekend, with Jess' mom, Melinda, along for the fun.

[this picture has nothing to do with the narrative — I just love it]


Jess and Melinda arrived on a Wednesday afternoon. Heath picked them up and, after grabbing some coffee, brought them over to my office so they could check out the digs and meet some co-workers. That night, we went to Art Pizza Cafe which, for those in the know, has some of the best (and garlic-y) bruschetta in the city of Chicago.


Since I had to work Thursday and Friday, Jess and Melinda made the most of our fair city, spending one day downtown and the next day exploring the Lincolns (Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park).


Thursday night was, of course, Heath's birthday extravaganza at Moody's, which worked out well because they got to meet a lot of our Chicago friends. Friday, we enjoyed the flavorful and fantastic Opart Thai.



Saturday was our day about town. After breakfast we went up to 10,000 Villages in Evanston so the ladies could explore their one-of-a-kind merchandise. We then went on a driving tour of the neighborhoods that Heath and I have been scouting for future homes. We made our way back downtown to pick up our gear for Sunday's race (more info in a bit) and then traipsed over to Navy Pier. We had some wings at Riva on the pier and then went up the stairs to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the current home to "Rod Blagojevich Superstar," a Second City musical. It was a humorous take on our corrupt former governor and his crew, followed by a wonderful improv set, as usual.





Sunday morning, Jess and I got up early and headed over to Montrose Harbor for Fleet Feet's Women's 5 and 10K — we were running the 5. It was a nice, cool morning and we had a great time running along the lakeshore. It was neat to be able to do something like that together.



After showers, we all went to M.Henry in Andersonville for some "brunch as an art form" goodies. A little streetside shopping at the Lincoln Square block party and then we were off to the airport.

So great to have you guys in the city, even for a little while!

Heath Turns 28!

Rather than host a major soireé at the house, this year we celebrated Heath's birthday in the totally fantastic beer garden at Moody's pub on the northside. It was a warm night and the onion rings were, as usual, to die for. Pitchers were cheap as well, which — for a large group — is essential.

Best of all, we were surrounded by friends.

[not a ton of pics, but you get the drift...]