Green Lake - Now and Then

Last year, Labor Day marked Ethan's first trip up to the lake. We took this family picture on the dock of Green Lake Marina one night before dinner. Ethan had been home from the hospital just a couple weeks and was just over 2 months old.
And here is our family picture from this year. It was actually quite hard to capture a picture because all Ethan wanted to do was get down and run around.

Every Friday night, we head over to Walker's for fish fry. Ethan let everyone enjoy their plateful last year by sleeping peacefully through dinner.

This year, he decided to partake in the fish fry. He has not quite acquired a taste for fried fish so it was unsuccessful, but he did enjoy a grilled cheese, some french fries and milk.
We are looking forward to capturing more family and Walker's pictures as we spend time at Green Lake over the years, as our family grows.

Labor Day

Matt, Ethan and I headed up north for Labor Day weekend to spend time with my parents in Green Lake. It was only our second time up there this year, but the weather was gorgeous all weekend and allowed us to spend some much needed time on the boat, along with relaxing and enjoying time outside! Since we had such a cool summer, the water was a little chilly, almost numbing, but we all took at least one dip. Had to get one swim in this season. Ethan wasn't too fond of the cold water, but loved splashing his feet off the edge of the boat. We also headed to the flea markets in Princeton, but came away empty handed and enjoyed a fabulous BBQ in a gorgeous setting at the Renwald's home.

As many of you know, Ethan has a slight obsession with wheels so he took advantage of any opportunity his papa gave him to drive the boat. He will be a great captain someday!

Such a great weekend with gorgeous weather, lots of relaxation, and spending time time with wonderful family and friends.

Grand Rapids

The weekend following our trip to Nebraska held a trip to Grand Rapids. We headed over there on Saturday morning for my cousin Nicole's HS Graduation Party and a surprise wedding shower for my cousin CJ and his fiance Molly. Almost the entire Hunt family made it to Grand Rapids, we were only missing Kelly, Jim and Addy and CJ. Yes, you read that correctly, we had a couples wedding shower and the groom didn't even have to be there. We did try to Skype him in, but he didn't have a mic on the computer he was using.

I should note that Kelly and family were not there because she was in Lake Tahoe doing a 100 mile bike ride for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - good job Kelly!

So it was great seeing everyone including meeting JB Moore for the first time. JB drug his mom and dad up from TN for the party.

See all of the pictures HERE. Below are some choice pictures from the weekend.

The guests of honor, Molly and Nicole with E-Man

Ethan and Nanny

Great Aunt Linda

Famly Pic - Nice Smile, E

Maybe the first time Dunk the Wieney has been played as a shower game

Nebraska

Over the last weekend in May, Ethan took his second plane ride - this time to Nebraska. We flew into Omaha on Friday afternoon and drove a couple of hours west to the metropolis known as York, NE. We were there for my cousin Stephanie's wedding to Joel. As we did not arrive in time for the rehearsal dinner, we ventured into York and ate a really good dinner at Chances R.

We met up with a lot of our family on Friday night when they got back from dinner. This was the first time Ethan has met a few of my aunts and uncles, so the standard holding and passing was performed. Ethan did not end up going to bed until roughly 10:30 which made for a pretty rough night for Ali and I. We fought through it and after a Runza run for lunch, we started getting ready for the wedding.

Ali and I have been to some country weddings around Indiana and Illinois, but this is the first time we remember seeing so many cowboy hats at a church. All in all it was a very nice ceremony that E-man did "ok" at and a very nice reception afterwards. (With roughly 400 of their closest friends.)

Ethan with the Bride and Groom

Matt and Pap-Pap

On Sunday we had an impromptu photo shoot with the four great-grandkids. I took approximately 50 pictures in the span of 3-4 minutes and this is the best I could come up with.

Addy, Caleb, Josh and Ethan

Not sure how JC Penny or other photo shops can get a group of kids to sit still and look straight.

We stopped in downtown Omaha for lunch before our flight back on Sunday and really enjoyed the little Old Market area. We ate a good lunch at Upstream Brewing Co. Lunch was the end of the fun on Sunday. Although only an hour flight back to Chicago, Ethan was "that kid" on the flight back. Crying, screaming, all of the sort. He finally fell asleep on Ali's shoulder approximately 3 seconds before touchdown at Midway. Great - nice timing big guy.

Preceding our trip to NE, my parents took our camera and drove out to Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. They had never been and highly recommend it. Here are a couple of pics:

A Buffalo - if you can't figure that out yourself

If you need a caption, please call me

For the rest of the Nebraska and South Dakota pictures, see the post below.

E-Man

Sorry everyone for the lack of posts lately. We have been on the road again, visiting with family, and just plain busy. We are heading to Michigan this weekend for Lindsay's (Doyle) shower and to visit with the Doyle's, Hunt's, and Kelly and Addy. It will be a long cold drive, but we are looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating Baby Gross. We have lots to catch everyone up on, but to tide all our loyal blog readers over for the next couple of days, here are some new pictures of Ethan.

Such a big boy in his high chair.

Always so happy!

His big buddah!

Also, congratulations to Matt's cousin, Amber and her husband, Adam on the birth of their little boy, John Benjamin (JB) Moore. JB was born on January 14th via c-section and weighed 6 lbs. 14 ounces. We are awaiting pictures of the little guy, but just wanted to congratulate the Moore and Tennessee Hunt families. Welcome to the luckiest family in the world, little guy!

Ho Ho Ho!

As Matt mentioned in a previous post, we took Ethan and Addy to see Santa while we were in Virigina after Thanksgiving. As you can see, both were indifferent to being on Santa's lap. Hmmm, let's see how much that changes by next year! Happy Holidays everyone!

Godfather the Third

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Ali, Ethan and I left Chiggy for DC as Addy's baptism was that Sunday. As Ali said before, E-Man did very well on the flight - although I think he was annoyed at the lady sitting next to me trying to talk to him.

We got in late on Friday night, so E-Man didn't get to see Addy until the next day. Saturday morning was spent by the guys in the front yard trimming a tree and swapping Autumn decorations for Xmas decorations. We watched a little football before all eight of us headed to the mall. Addy and E had their pictures taken with the big man to whom both kids were indifferent.

We also had a quick visit with my cousin Becky, her hubby and kids. They were on their way back to ATL from Pennsylvania.

Best story from the mall is when a high school girl came up to me and asks a question. Her: "Do you mind if I ask where you got your sweater?" Me: "Sure, it's from Lord and Taylor - Ben Sherman is the brand." Her: "Cool, we were looking for something like that for my dad."

I solemnly believe her dad is one the most hip guys around D.C.

The baptism went off without a hitch on Sunday morning. As I am a professional godfather, I am sure I was a great benefit to the process. It was great that I got to see my grandpa and my aunt Ruthie who came down from Pennsylvania. E-man enjoyed hanging out with them both. He told me.

My grandpa brought E and Addy a really cool gift that you can see in the pictures. It is a piggy bank that he made by building a wooden box (with nice dove-tail joints) around an old post office box door. E-man's door dates to 1956 (if I remember correctly as its posted on the inside of the door) and has a combination lock to get into the bank. Its just a really cool bank that E will get to enjoy being from his great-grandpa (Pap-Pap as I call him.)

We flew home at 6am on Monday morning and E did well on the flight again. He must like flying as much as his dad.

HERE ARE PICS FROM THE WEEKEND.

Flying High

Ethan enjoyed his first plane ride the Friday after Thanksgiving as we headed to Virginia to see Kelly, Jim, and Addy. He was a really good boy flying both ways. After a quick feeding, he went right to sleep and slept the entire way. Can't beat that! The flight was short, which was a perfect test for his first time on an airplane. We are looking forward to another trip as a family of 3!

St. Petersburg

Sorry for the delay in posting about my trip to St. Petersburg, but I have been a bit under the weather since Monday. Not really sure what it is, but it cause me to miss work on Tuesday and I only do that about every other year.

St. Petersburg was great. If you didn't know, I left Sat Oct 25 and returned Sat Nov 1. USG opened a plant there a couple of years ago and it was their time to be audited. So I took my five Russian words over and got the job done. I am happy to report I am now up to 12 Russian words.

St. Petersburg is a very vibrant and photogenic city. At least I think it would be in the summer. It rained every day I was there - I did not see the sun the entire week. That was unfortunate, because it really seemed to be an awesome place. I only snapped a few photos on the Sunday I arrived. All photos are of the Church of Spilled Blood because that's as far as I walked in the rain with wet feet.

I spent most of the week working at the plant which was a normally harrowing 45 minute ride from the hotel. The traffic in St Petersburg has to be seen to be believed. Think right hand turn lane going three-wide into a two lane road.

The city itself was awesome. Even in the rain, there were so many people out walking down the main street, Nevsky Prospekt. Cafes and resturants were everywhere and always full. Most people spoke some English so my lack of Russian did not preclude me from ordering food and the like. When in doubt in the cafe at lunch, I would just have them lift the tops to all of the food trays and point at what I wanted.

On my last night, the plant manager took me on a quick tour by car - quick is relative, due to traffic we went about 10 miles in an hour and a half. At night, just about every building on a main street is lit up due to the city putting the lights on the buildings a few years ago. It looks like there is always something going on. The main city attractions, The Hermitage, St Peter and Pauls Fortress, various other palaces and the sort looked awesome at night - I just wish I could have gotten the camera and tri-pod out. I guess next trip (which will have to be in a summer month next time.)

Overall, a highly recommended visit for anyone who has never been to Russia. Next time I will make sure I go in the summer and take an extra day or two to see everything.

By the way, Lufthansa's business class kicks United's business class' ass. It's not a competition. A couple of the pictures are from the Lufthansa business class lounge in Frankfurt.

See all the pics HERE.

Lafayette's Great Pumpkin

The next weekend Matt, Ethan, and I headed down to Lafayette to visit the Hunt's. Matt's sister was also going to be in Lafayette with Addy and since Ethan enjoyed his first pumpkin patch experience so much I thought it would be fun to share the experience with his cousin. This was their first meeting after all and what a fun way to spend some time together. While the boys were golfing on Saturday, Carol, Kelly and I drove about a half hour outside of Lafayette to Millennium Farms. While Ethan and Addy were still too young to partake in many of the farm's activities, we did get a chance to see some llamas, baby cows, baby lambs and chickens. We picked out some pumpkins and enjoyed spending the morning outside in some seasonably warm weather. It was a beautiful day, spending time with family and enjoying the kids. Click here to see more pictures from the weekend.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun

This past Saturday and Sunday, my sister and my mom treated me to a surprise "Girls Weekend." It was just a chance for the 3 of us to get away before the baby is born and to spend some quality time together.

My sister picked me up on Saturday morning and we headed to Lake Geneva, with a quick stop in CL to pick up my mom. We started with spa treatments at The Well Spa at the Grand Geneva Resort. My sister and I both had massages (Pre-Natal for me and Swedish for her), while my mom had a facial. It was the perfect way to kick off a great weekend because the 3 of us were so relaxed by the end of our appointments; I think we could have sat in the spa all day. We then headed into town for a quick bite to eat at Popeye's, some ice cream and a little bit of shopping. Since the weather seemed to be holding up, we decided to head back to the hotel for a little R & R by the pool. By the time we got back to the hotel and changed, the dark sky and huge clouds did not look promising for pool time. Instead we headed to the hotel bar for a few drinks. After some drinks and lots of chatting, we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. Our dinner reservations were at Ristorante Brissago at Grand Geneva, which was so nice because we didn't have to leave. We had a fabulous dinner; every one's food was delicious and the view was gorgeous. After a quick stop in the lobby for some good people watching, we decided to turn in for the night. Sunday, we woke up at our leisure and headed out for a walk. The walk was cut short because of the ever darkening sky, but we were able to enjoy a very nice breakfast buffet at the resort. After an unhurried breakfast, it was time to shower and head back to reality.

I can't thank my mom and my sister enough for planning such an incredible weekend. While we all missed the boys, it was so relaxing and more special than they will ever know. It was so good to spend some quality time with 2 remarkable women, who are so close to my heart. Honestly, it was probably one of the best weekends I have ever had. Love you both so much and thank you again for everything you have done!

Shower, Green Lake, Life

Just an update on some happenings in the Hunt household that we have yet to post about.....

A couple of weekends ago, two of my mom's dear friends hosted our first baby shower. The shower was beautiful and I had so much fun catching up with some old friends, family, and all the "Bunko" ladies. Everyone was extremely generous and spoiled Baby Hunt. It was a great way to spend Sunday afternoon and a huge thank you to Becky and Sharon for hosting such a perfect event.

Last weekend we made our first "summer" trip up to Green Lake. I think it was the first weekend that actually felt like summer and we were able to spend a lot of time outside. After a fairly easy trip up there, we met my mom and dad at the Friday night hang out, Walker's, for fish fry, lots of drinks, and the usual good time. It was great to see all the "locals" back in action at their favorite hang out. Saturday, my dad and Matt headed over to get the boat in hopes of the shore station being in when they got back so the boat could go in the water next to our new pier! Long story short, the shore station finally went in, about 5 days late and extremely crooked, requiring someone else to come over this week and correct it. Nevertheless, we went out on the boat for a couple hours and enjoyed the sunshine. We spent a couple hours soaking up the sun on Sunday before heading back to the city. Our weekends there are always way too short, but we do love to head up there and "get away from it all." We are looking forward to a nice extended trip up there over the 4th of July.

The summer seems to be upon us, finally, which means lots of busy weekends and only 11 weeks until Baby Hunt's arrival. I know time will fly as we have something to do every weekend between now and the 12th of July. It is going to be a fun month and a half, filled with concerts, trips, and showers. We will be sure to keep you posted!

Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Phoenix

Matt and I had an amazing time in Arizona! Despite some cold weather and a little rain, it was a wonderful little vacation filled with great food, great landscape, and great friends.

We flew into Phoenix last Wednesday and headed straight to the Grand Canyon. As Matt mentioned in a previous post, this was my first time there and it did not disappoint. The views are just magnificent and the Canyon itself, just gorgeous. We stopped at a couple different view points and just enjoyed the scenery. I definitely want to go back someday and hike down the Canyon, camp and hike back up. I highly recommend a visit if you have never been there; it is an incredible site.

From the Grand Canyon, we drove back down to Sedona. There are not enough words to describe the beauty of Sedona. The drive from the Grand Canyon to Sedona is pretty amazing, especially the last 15 minutes down side of the mountain along Oak Creek. After checking into the hotel and some freshening up, we headed to dinner at L'Auberge de Sedona. Even though it was a chilly evening, we decided to sit outside by the creek. I wish that I would have taken some pictures of the setting because it was beyond gorgeous. To have dinner down by the babbling creek was extremely romantic and the perfect way to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. Our dinner was fabulous, but nothing beats the setting of L'Auberge.

We woke up fairly early on Thursday to some sun and cool temperatures, perfect for a hike through the red rocks. We had gotten a recommendation from our waiter the night before for a 5.8 mile loop through Brins Mesa. Long story short, we ended up missing a turn somewhere because it ended up being an out and back hike. Regardless, the landscape is like nothing else and the hike ended up being very nice and about 2 hours long. The pictures we took do not do the beauty of the red rocks justice, but they will have to suffice for now.

From Sedona, we drove back to Phoenix to meet up with Craig, Vic, and the rest of the guests that were in town for the wedding. After a few beers (no, not for me) and a couple hands of Euchre, we headed to dinner at Oregano's, which was delicious. Friday we woke up to rain and clouds, but the guys headed out for some golf, while the girls enjoyed some relaxation at Copperwynd's spa. Craig and Vic planned an amazing rehearsal dinner at Cantina Laredo. We filled ourselves up with lots of chips, salsa, guac, and fajitas before heading to Barcelona for a night out. I absolutely loved Barcelona, it was such a cool club. I will have to admit that this was one of the few times during my pregnancy where I wish I could have had some cocktails. There was an amazing band and a huge dance floor, not to mention the the bottle service for everyone. A lot of fun was had by all!

Because there was so much partying on Friday night, Saturday turned out to be a very lazy day, until the wedding, of course. The sun decided to come out about 2 hours before the start of the wedding, which was perfect. The ceremony took place on the lawn outside of the resort, overlooking the valley; it was gorgeous. Both the bride and the groom looked beautiful and so happy. We then had drinks and appetizers on the patio before moving inside for dinner and dancing. The night was such a blast! Congratulations to Craig and Victoria, your wedding day was perfect. Thank you to both families for a great weekend; we had such a wonderful time with everyone! I am looking forward to another trip to Arizona, hopefully in the near future.

Here (Grand Canyon and Sedona) and here (Phoenix) are the links to all our pictures.

Last Sunday's Travels

Ali mentioned that I would write about our trip home from Baltimore last weekend. I have decided instead to post an excerpt from my letter to United detailing our travails.

I was informed at approximately 9am on Sunday May 11, 2008 that my flight scheduled from BWI to ORD at 7:30pm was canceled. (Using Easy Update) I promptly called Reservations to rebook a different flight and I was informed my only option to get to ORD that day was to fly from IAD at approximately 5:10pm. I called my rental car agency, Avis, on my way from Baltimore to IAD to inform them I would be dropping my rental car at a different airport. They informed me that my rate rose from approximately $46 for the two day rental to approximately $498. Before dropping the rental car off, I called United Reservations back to ask who I should contact regarding a refund of the increased rental car rate. I was told I must contact a Customer Service Agent at the airport. Unfortunately, this is not the problem. While on the phone, the Reservations Agent (whose name I did not record due to driving, but was female and my call was placed at approximately 1pm Eastern) informed me that flight #327 was reinstated leaving BWI at 7:42pm. I had my wife call Avis to ensure we could switch our rental car drop-off back to BWI (we were told our new charge would be approximately $72.) So, we decided to cancel the flight from IAD and drive back to BWI. When we arrived at BWI at approximately 5:30pm, we were told by the agent that flight #327 was never reinstated and is still canceled. Working with the agent, we decided against our best option out of BWI (a Monday May 12 evening flight) and instead were booked on flight #981 out of IAD at 7:57am. Instead of paying for another rental car, which Avis quoted at approximately $90, we had my 9-month pregnant sister drive an hour and a half from Ashburn, VA to pick us up at BWI. We then passed IAD for the third time that day on our way to her house. Luckily for us, and you, we were able to stay at her house for the evening and she was able to take us to IAD in the morning. In total on Sunday afternoon and evening we drove from Baltimore to IAD, back to BWI, then back past IAD to my sister’s home.

At the end of the letter, I said I did not want monetary or voucher compensation, but rather they fix the problem of mis-informing future customers. They of course did not heed my wish and sent me a whopping $100 voucher for future travel. Wow - $100 whole dollars? That will buy me one quarter of a flight to Indianapolis these days. Does $100 even cover the fuel surcharge anymore?

18 vs. 26 Weeks

After an amazing Saturday, it was time to start thinking about heading back to Chicago, but not before a little brunch with Kim and a trip to see Kelly and Jim.

We had a delicious brunch at this cute little restaurant in Fells Point, Todd Conner's. Although the weather was quite chilly, we did sit outside and enjoyed catching up some more with Kim. From there, we headed back to the hotel to say good-bye, grab our bags and the car and drive to Kelly and Jim's.

Even though we weren't visiting a family of 3 (tomorrow, hopefully), we had a great visit with Kelly and Jim. It was our first visit to their new house, which is really really nice. We just hung out for a couple of hours and talked. Kelly and I did take another belly picture (her 40 weeks to my 26) and it is amazing to see what happens in just 8 weeks (see picture below from Kelly's shower in March). While my face is definitely getting chubbier (I am attributing this to way too much salt the day before and not weight gain, he he), Kelly looks amazing. Can you believe she is going to have a baby tomorrow?

I will let Matt go into the details of what happened while we were at Kelly and Jim's on Sunday and after we left, but our flight was cancelled earlier that morning and we were re-booked on a flight out of Dulles that night. We thought this would end up being perfect since Kelly and Jim live about 10 minutes from Dulles. Little did we know!

All in all, it was such a great weekend. We were able to spend time with friends and family and get away for a couple of days. What a truly amazing birthday!!

Surprise Getaway!

Aside from the night of our engagement, Matt pulled off one of the greatest surprises for me this past weekend.

When I arrived home from work on Friday, there was an envelope waiting for me with a little note inside saying we would be leaving on an 8 a.m. flight the next morning and that I needed to pack for 2 days (which was very difficult considering I had no idea what was going on).

With great anticipation, we woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed to O'Hare. After checking in, I knew we were headed to Baltimore, but still had no clue why. We arrived in Baltimore to lots of rain and clouds and tons of text messaging between Matt and some unknown parties. At the time he had me convinced it was his boss; little did I know. After we got on the road, I was handed another envelope with menus to 3 different lunch places in a cute little Baltimore neighborhood. Hmmm! We arrived at the hotel, checked in, and made our way up to our room to freshen up and change. After about 20 minutes, there was a knock at the door. I checked the peep hole to see who was outside, thinking it was the hotel staff, but it was covered up. Suspiciously, I opened the door and there stood Shannon and Mike!!! I was shocked to see them, but extremely excited and thankful that they had made the trip out to Baltimore to celebrate my birthday. After a little chit chat and lots of smiles, the next part of the surprise came out.....Matt had gotten us tickets to see Kenny Chesney!!! What, is this really happening? There are no words to describe how excited and surprised I was. We then headed out to lunch to lunch at Max's Taphouse. After a delicious lunch and some drinks, we decided to head to another bar, One Eyed Mike's. That is a story for a different post, but we ended up meeting this great couple there and Mike, Shannon, and Matt shared a few shots of Grand Marnier with them. It was a blast. As it got closer to concert time, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up again. While we were waiting to check Shannon and Mike in, a familiar face came strolling through the hotel lobby. Again, another surprise.....Matt had arranged for our old friend Kim to join us. Kim and I have not seen each other since we met on our respective honeymoons 4 years ago, but have kept in touch and picked up right where we left off. Unfortunately Kim's husband, Randy, could not join us, he had to work. After several hugs and some catching up, it was time to head to the concert at M and T Bank Stadium. I will post some pictures below, but the concert was amazing. Not only did we get to see Kenny Chesney, but also Big and Rich and Brooks and Dunn. Awesome!!!

I will end this post now because it is starting to get long, but will continue with Sunday tomorrow. For now, a huge thank you goes out to Shannon, Mike, and Kim for making the trip to Baltimore for what was an extraordinary birthday surprise, one I will never forget. And to my amazing husband, Matt....thank you for making my birthday so special. I know how much thought and effort went into planning this spectacular weekend. I am forever grateful to you for everything you do for me. I love you so much!!

A few pictures to enjoy (and some videos Matt posted below)!

Long Time, No Post

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last week or so......I have been extremely busy at work. I know that is not a great excuse because it really only takes about 2 minutes to do a post, but honestly, there really has not been that much going on with us. To give a quick recap of the past couple of weeks....

• Matt and I spent most of Saturday cleaning out the garage and organizing/cleaning our second bedroom, which will eventually be the baby's room. The bed will stay for guests, but everything else needs to go!!! So far, we have eliminated the bookshelf; the desk and closet still need some work.
• We had a nice visit with both sets of parents last weekend. Matt's parents were kind enough to drive up on Sunday to pick up a carload of stuff for their neighborhood garage sale. A huge thanks to them for making the trip, they really helped the cleaning process by taking a lot home to be sold. We were able to have a nice lunch with them on what was a gorgeous Sunday. Carol and Larry joined us and my parents up north in Lincolnwood at Lazar's to look at baby furniture. I am so glad they were all there because like registering, it is quite overwhelming. While the dad's enjoyed lounging the rockers and offering their opinions every now and again, the ladies and Matt checked out the selection. I think we have a crib and changing table/dresser that we love, which is exciting. Now, it is on to finding the perfect bedding. After shopping, Matt's parents headed home while my mom and dad headed to the city for dinner with us at Piece. YUM!!!
• We are heading to the lake this weekend with the Kidder's, the Berndt's, and the Glynn's. I think we are all looking forward to a weekend away. Hopefully the weather holds out and we are able to enjoy some time outside.

And, of course, a quick Baby Hunt update...

We have our 24 week appointment next Thursday, which I am very excited about. I love going to the Dr. because that means I get to hear the baby's heartbeat, which is always amazing. I finally felt the baby move a couple of weeks ago, which was the most incredible feeling. He or she has been on the move ever since. I am looking forward to the day when Matt can feel him or her. It should be soon!!! The belly is continuing to grow everyday and I am starting to "feel" my pregnancy more and more. I have noticed it is a bit uncomfortable to bend down and I don't have quite the energy I used to. My feet are starting to swell a little bit, which I am not excited about, but will take over being sick any day! Other than those few minor things, I am still feeling great! I can't believe we only have a little over 3 1/2 months!

That is all for now....I will post pictures from the lake and maybe a belly picture or two next week. Have a great weekend!!!

Speed Racer

Even though we had a great weekend, a small damper was put on our trip home when I got pulled over on our way out of Carlinville. Ooops!!! I was really just keeping up with the car in front of me when a state trooper, coming from the other way (mind you), zapped both of us. I thought I had gotten off scott free because the trooper passed me by as I pulled over, but that was not the case. As I came up the road, he flagged me down, as well, to pull over. Hmmm, can we say trying to meet your quota at the ending of the month by killing two birds with one stone??? Anyway, I have not had a ticket in probably 6 years (as I so happened to mention to Sean Connolly this weekend, which probably jinxed me) so, the situation did not make me that angry; more frustrating than anything because it took forever. It was humorous, really.....only because Matt had driven into town along the same road going at least 10 miles an hour faster than I was (he wrote me up for 69 in a 55, but I honestly don't think I was going more than 65). Plus, it just meant that I had to drive slower the rest of the way home! UGH!!!! Oh well, I was about due!

Meet Me In St. Louis

Matt and I had a very busy, but fun weekend! We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed south to St. Louis for Matt Carlson and Curtis Sittenfeld's wedding. If you are thinking that Curtis' name sounds familiar, you are right...she is the author of 2 best sellers; Prep and Man of My Dreams (sorry, just had to throw that in because it is pretty cool). We had full intentions of spending some time exploring St. Louis, but ended up not having a lot of time to do so. We did have a chance to catch up with Matt's friend from college, Sean, at a great Irish Bar, the Dubliner. It was located in a pretty cool area with lots of cute shops and restaurants. If only we would have had more time to shop, but I wanted to get to the Arch since I had never been. I was really looking forward to taking a trip up the Arch, but because of time constraints, we only had the chance to walk around the park area. We forgot our camera, but were able to snap a quick, but not so great picture, on Matt's phone. From the Arch, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Curtis and Matt were married on the campus of St. Louis University in what had to be 2 of the most unique and beautiful rooms we have ever been in. The ceremony took place in the Pere Marquette Gallery, SLU's original school library. The room was filled with gorgeous stained glass, intricate pieces of art dating back to the 1800's, and this neat spiral staircase that lead to each floor of the library. After the ceremony, the guests headed upstairs for dinner in yet another stunning room. The wedding and reception were just lovely. I have to give props to Curtis' mom for creating the most beautiful flower arrangements, filled will the most stunning hydrangea. Thanks for a great weekend Curtis and Matt.....we hope to make it back to St. Louis sometime soon to explore the city a little bit more.

Sunday, we were up bright and early to head back to Chicago and make a quick stop in Carlinville to visit with my grandparents and Aunt Kate and Uncle Bob. Although, we arrived later than anticipated and made them miss church, it was so good to catch up with them since we don't get to see the Konneker's as often as we would like. All in all, a great weekend!!!