I'm struggling with the concept of new year's resolutions, not to mention actually making one. I think I would rather have a fresh start than try to change some percieved bad habit. Resolutions usually mean discipline and/or routine. I think I am already pretty rigid with my routine. I get up before 5 to be at the gym before 6 every day and I never miss a day. One of my co-workers says he will start the new year with a new attitude. In his case it's not meant as a good thing. He wants to change his attitude to one of compliance and apathy. He thinks caring less means less frustration. The thing is, he does excellent work because he does care and he won't be able to let that go. I think I will heed his example and stick to my plan of no resolutions.
Every year we take a day trip to Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It's a great deal. For ten bucks a person we get a luxury bus ride including mixed drinks and bagels during the ride. The bus trip is sponsored by my employer so the down side is traveling with my co-workers. It's not that I don't like my co-workers, for the most part I do. It's just nice to be away from them considering all the time spent with them during the week.
We sat in the sixth row of the bus. Coolers carrying the drinks were in the first seat on our side, followed by the couple who were going to serve, then a few rows of some of my closest co-workers. One the other side of the aisle, was a seat full of more coolers, a seat with some of the executive staff, and a seat with the bagels, paper plates, and plastic cups. All the rest of the seats were occupied with people, it was a full bus. It's a popular trip.
Jeff's eyes were instantly drawn to the people across the aisle. They were extremely large - I mean the people not his eyes. I know I secretly wondered how they could be comfortable since they probably had to squeeze into the seats to fit. Jeff didn't say anything but I could guess what he was thinking. By the time we got to Kenosha, we were half-way through a bloody mary and a bagel with cream cheese. As we hit the toll booth, we had a second drink and that would be enough of that.
Jeff leaned close to me to ask if I knew those people stuffed into the seats. I told him I did, the guy worked in my department so I knew him pretty well. "I can't believe it, he's eaten two bagels and now he's eating not one, but two egg mcmuffins." Yes, I did see the McDonald's bag but I didn't pay that close attention to anything else. After the mcmuffins were downed, he went back for another bagel. Jeff couldn't believe it. "He's eating another one! - Geez" I answered, "You don't get to be that size without trying." He was just disgusted.
We got off the bus and spent the morning shopping. We started out at Christkindlemarket. Even though it was pretty cold out, we like the atmosphere of the little shops and it's really neat to look at all the European wares for sale. Jeff bought me some Irish cashmere scarfs. They were so pretty it was tough to decide which ones to choose. After that, we walked across the street to Macy's. It felt good to get indoors and warm up. Macy's was just crazy busy. We walked through the first floor where there was plenty of security people dressed in black. They looked like Secret Service. It seemed a little odd. We shopped all the other floors when the store announced that Jessica Simpson would be giving autographs in a few minutes. There was a catch, the autograph was only given to the first 300 people who purchased $90 worth of her perfume. That explained all those security guards dressed in black. I had to get a glimpse. Jeff mildly complained uttering something about Tony Romo. Secretly, I don't think he was too disappointed once he got to see her beauty. In standard touristy fashion, I stopped and took a picture of her much to the dismay of the Secret Service - like dudes.
After that we worked our way down Michigan Avenue where Niketown had a sale. That was a first so we made out on the deals. We went through all the malls and got Lauren's Christmas present at Bloomingdale's. While we were there we ran into Jean, a friend who lives in the Lake Geneva area.
We did our traditional stop to get a drink on the 95th floor of the Hancock building. The view was incredible as always and we were happy to be off our feet for the first time since we got off the bus. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the ambiance and toasted the start of our holiday season. It is a nice tradition. When we got to the bar we had a 20 minute wait and by the time we left people in line had an hour wait just to get into the bar. We timed our visit perfectly. It was 4:00 when we left which gave us just enough time to get some early dinner before getting back to the bus.
Another tradition we have is dinner at China Big Bowl. It's next to Chicago Harley and across from the bus stop so it's the perfect place to end the day. Dinner is excellent. It's authentic, the ingredients are fresh, and the wait staff is wonderful. We really like it there. After dinner we walked over to the bus stop and even though we were 10 minutes early, the bus was already there so we went right in and took our seats. Everyone got on the bus on time or earlier so attendance was taken and we headed out 5 minutes before we were scheduled to leave. It was nicer than waiting for someone who is late, expecially when everyone is tired and a little cranky from the long day. A bunch of people spent the day bar hopping through Chicago so it's funny to see them stumble onto the bus and into their seats. Usually they're sleeping before we get to the expressway.
We settled in for the ride back when the guy across from us started making requests. Can his wife have the seat that contains the box of bagels in front of him so they can stretch out? Can he have more bagels? That's when Jeff noticed them drinking their ice cream drinks they carried on and eating yet more bagels! He was appalled. I was amused. Thank goodness Jeff napped part of the way home! It's funny the things we notice when there's nothing else to do. This was our seventh year on this trip and it won't be our last.
We sat in the sixth row of the bus. Coolers carrying the drinks were in the first seat on our side, followed by the couple who were going to serve, then a few rows of some of my closest co-workers. One the other side of the aisle, was a seat full of more coolers, a seat with some of the executive staff, and a seat with the bagels, paper plates, and plastic cups. All the rest of the seats were occupied with people, it was a full bus. It's a popular trip.
Jeff's eyes were instantly drawn to the people across the aisle. They were extremely large - I mean the people not his eyes. I know I secretly wondered how they could be comfortable since they probably had to squeeze into the seats to fit. Jeff didn't say anything but I could guess what he was thinking. By the time we got to Kenosha, we were half-way through a bloody mary and a bagel with cream cheese. As we hit the toll booth, we had a second drink and that would be enough of that.
Jeff leaned close to me to ask if I knew those people stuffed into the seats. I told him I did, the guy worked in my department so I knew him pretty well. "I can't believe it, he's eaten two bagels and now he's eating not one, but two egg mcmuffins." Yes, I did see the McDonald's bag but I didn't pay that close attention to anything else. After the mcmuffins were downed, he went back for another bagel. Jeff couldn't believe it. "He's eating another one! - Geez" I answered, "You don't get to be that size without trying." He was just disgusted.
We got off the bus and spent the morning shopping. We started out at Christkindlemarket. Even though it was pretty cold out, we like the atmosphere of the little shops and it's really neat to look at all the European wares for sale. Jeff bought me some Irish cashmere scarfs. They were so pretty it was tough to decide which ones to choose. After that, we walked across the street to Macy's. It felt good to get indoors and warm up. Macy's was just crazy busy. We walked through the first floor where there was plenty of security people dressed in black. They looked like Secret Service. It seemed a little odd. We shopped all the other floors when the store announced that Jessica Simpson would be giving autographs in a few minutes. There was a catch, the autograph was only given to the first 300 people who purchased $90 worth of her perfume. That explained all those security guards dressed in black. I had to get a glimpse. Jeff mildly complained uttering something about Tony Romo. Secretly, I don't think he was too disappointed once he got to see her beauty. In standard touristy fashion, I stopped and took a picture of her much to the dismay of the Secret Service - like dudes.
After that we worked our way down Michigan Avenue where Niketown had a sale. That was a first so we made out on the deals. We went through all the malls and got Lauren's Christmas present at Bloomingdale's. While we were there we ran into Jean, a friend who lives in the Lake Geneva area.
We did our traditional stop to get a drink on the 95th floor of the Hancock building. The view was incredible as always and we were happy to be off our feet for the first time since we got off the bus. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the ambiance and toasted the start of our holiday season. It is a nice tradition. When we got to the bar we had a 20 minute wait and by the time we left people in line had an hour wait just to get into the bar. We timed our visit perfectly. It was 4:00 when we left which gave us just enough time to get some early dinner before getting back to the bus.
Another tradition we have is dinner at China Big Bowl. It's next to Chicago Harley and across from the bus stop so it's the perfect place to end the day. Dinner is excellent. It's authentic, the ingredients are fresh, and the wait staff is wonderful. We really like it there. After dinner we walked over to the bus stop and even though we were 10 minutes early, the bus was already there so we went right in and took our seats. Everyone got on the bus on time or earlier so attendance was taken and we headed out 5 minutes before we were scheduled to leave. It was nicer than waiting for someone who is late, expecially when everyone is tired and a little cranky from the long day. A bunch of people spent the day bar hopping through Chicago so it's funny to see them stumble onto the bus and into their seats. Usually they're sleeping before we get to the expressway.
We settled in for the ride back when the guy across from us started making requests. Can his wife have the seat that contains the box of bagels in front of him so they can stretch out? Can he have more bagels? That's when Jeff noticed them drinking their ice cream drinks they carried on and eating yet more bagels! He was appalled. I was amused. Thank goodness Jeff napped part of the way home! It's funny the things we notice when there's nothing else to do. This was our seventh year on this trip and it won't be our last.
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It's hard to believe but it's true. I am a grandma today. Bailee gave birth to an 8-pound 21-inch long baby boy. He was a month early and he arrived on the day of her baby shower. The whole family was here, we fed them, visited with them, and had a wonderful afternoon together. My friend, Carol even brought me a gift. It was a wonderful day but I'm sure it was disappointing to our guests. It was hard to cancel with such short notice so we had no choice but to wait for everyone to show up. We asked the guests what we should do about the gifts they decided as a group that anyone who wants to come back next Sunday should and Bailee could open them at that time. Getting to see the baby this evening was the best thing ever. I tried not to cry, Bailee was doing enough of that for all of us. The baby seems big but babies of diabetic moms are usually large so the doctors expected a 10-pound baby at full term. Since he was early, he spent his first day on oxygen in the ICU but we still got to spend time holding and rocking him. He is 16 hours old in this photo. We have photos of him hooked up in to all the wires in the ICU but Bailee hates those photos so I won't post them. He is beautiful.
I started a quilting class a few weeks ago and for some reason I really took the whole 'class' thing way too seriously. After finishing my degree not too terribly long ago, I just thought I would have to buckle down. As it turns out, I don't have to show up, keep up, or read up on anything in particular. It's a go at your own pace, work on a project of my own choosing type of atmosphere. The instructor brings in samples and suggestions for new projects but otherwise it's learn what you don't know when you want to learn it. And here I was worried about missing the first class and getting behind. The beauty of this class is that it has given me incentive to finish things and to schedule a sewing day besides the class time.
A really cool extra is that the instructor, Sallie Jo was my daughter's sewing instructor when she was in high school. I mentioned that Bailee was my daughter and she remembered her and asked me to bring her along. The two of them caught up like old friends. Bailee brought samples of her work along and it was like she was a natural assistant to Sallie Jo. I felt like the underachiever in a group of great artists. That's OK though, it was inspiring to be around such good talent.
I think I will be taking this class next semester and I think Bailee will be back to visit.
A really cool extra is that the instructor, Sallie Jo was my daughter's sewing instructor when she was in high school. I mentioned that Bailee was my daughter and she remembered her and asked me to bring her along. The two of them caught up like old friends. Bailee brought samples of her work along and it was like she was a natural assistant to Sallie Jo. I felt like the underachiever in a group of great artists. That's OK though, it was inspiring to be around such good talent.
I think I will be taking this class next semester and I think Bailee will be back to visit.
Adam's mom threw Bailee a baby shower yesterday. She invited all their relatives, all her friends, and some of Bailee and Adam's co-workers. I was really apprehensive about attending it, seeing as I really didn't know anyone except Bailee and Adam. It didn't help that the shower was being held in a bar. I'm not fond of filling my lungs with second-hand smoke all afternoon to then have to go home and totally change and shower to remove the stink. But I have to go, Bailee needs me there.
The bar is not an ordinary bar, Adam's mom happens to bartend there on a part-time basis. It's a nice thing to have access to something like that for events like this. But this wasn't your average corner, neighborhood bar - this was an average corner, neighborhood gay bar. There were artistic photos of very good looking half-dressed men with other half-dressed men hanging on the walls. Not that it's a bad thing, I don't mind the gay bar thing, I still don't like the smoke and stink of bars. But on the other hand, I do like the beer so I was in for the afternoon.
Adam's family was very nice, his brother and sister were really cool and his mother was very outgoing. There were so many people there, they were all truly blessed to have such a large extended family and many friends. I was happy to see that BJ's girlfriend, Lauren came. It was so good to see her since we haven't seen her since BJ left for Yuma.
The gift opening took a long time with so many generous people. Even the gay bar clientele brought gifts. Nice designer baby clothing. How cool. I don't know what I was expecting but whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised by the kindness and generosity of all these people. Bailee is very lucky to be entering in such a nice family.
The bar is not an ordinary bar, Adam's mom happens to bartend there on a part-time basis. It's a nice thing to have access to something like that for events like this. But this wasn't your average corner, neighborhood bar - this was an average corner, neighborhood gay bar. There were artistic photos of very good looking half-dressed men with other half-dressed men hanging on the walls. Not that it's a bad thing, I don't mind the gay bar thing, I still don't like the smoke and stink of bars. But on the other hand, I do like the beer so I was in for the afternoon.
Adam's family was very nice, his brother and sister were really cool and his mother was very outgoing. There were so many people there, they were all truly blessed to have such a large extended family and many friends. I was happy to see that BJ's girlfriend, Lauren came. It was so good to see her since we haven't seen her since BJ left for Yuma.
The gift opening took a long time with so many generous people. Even the gay bar clientele brought gifts. Nice designer baby clothing. How cool. I don't know what I was expecting but whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised by the kindness and generosity of all these people. Bailee is very lucky to be entering in such a nice family.
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