Destination revealed...

I know that some of you have been waiting all week for this...lol. Drum roll please... This morning we are headed to San Francisco...after lunching somewhere in San Francisco near the financial district(see next paragraph for why I have no idea where we are going to lunch).... we will drive north for some wine-tasting in the Napa Valley area for a few days and then on to Healdsburg for some more wine tasting. We will be staying here and here. We have some yummy dinners planned and some great places mapped out for wine picnic lunches.

The other part of the surprise is that my sister and her husband will be meeting us at the airport. Braxton is in charge of planning our lunch in S.F.....he has some favorites--so we are handing the reigns over to him in S.F. We have not traveled with Sara and Braxton just as a couple since before children....so this is an extra special treat....Chris' parents are in Roscoe and my parents are in Wichita Falls (Chris thinks they are in Canada visiting friends!).

This is a vacation geared toward indulgence....good wine, good food, relaxation and celebrating 10 years of marriage (S & B will celebrate 10 years in May of '09). We have a night planned for each couple to enjoy dinner just as a couple....we are headed here--interesting choice you might say...but Chris loves beer and we have spent the last 10 years going on brewery tours in the states and abroad...thus making going to a brewery in wine country the perfect choice for us.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise....

said in my very best Gomer Pyle impersonation....this Friday we set out for the big surprise 10th anniversary vacation. It is not a surprise for me...I have been planning for the last year....for Chris on the other hand he only knows what to bring and what the temps are forecasted to be...some of you know where we are going, some of you have been guessing and of course there probably are a few of you that really could careless ;-)...I will post early Friday a.m. the surprise destination. Chris' parents are coming in Thursday night for the 6 day Roscoe kid fest....for this we appreciate beyond words--say a little pray that our children are the well behaved little girls we know and have witnessed they can be...when of course they aren't fighting over a random princess or like in this a.m's case a pink pen, with pink spiky things coming out of the top that lights up. Stay tuned...

10 years ago today...

Chris and I got married...10 years...wow! In some ways 10 years has gone by at light speed as we have made the journey that is living, growing and learning about another person--in other ways though when looking back we have packed a lot of things in to 10 years. Ten years ago I said "I do" to Chris because he made me laugh and made me feel safe, was easy going to my anal self, he shared the same family values, he liked and wanted children some day down the road and shared in and supported what I wanted to do in life. Skip ahead 10 years and I still love him for all those same reasons and in reality I love him more because I have seen him follow through with the above time and time again...of course in any marriage we have learned not to sweat the small stuff...like me constantly nagging about his driving in Chicago (solution...I drive through the city), his "pokey puppy" mode as we get ready to go somewhere, how he never, NEVER shares desserts and how I don't rinse out my diet coke cans before recycling :-). I think that is what years give you...time to focus on the good stuff in marriage and to realize that some of the little things that can get to you are simply that...little. So Happy Anniversary Chris--I love you!

In 10 years we have:

• had 2 beautiful little girls




• Bought 2 houses and sold one




• Became Aunt Ann and Uncle Chris to 3 nephews and 1 niece




• We have lost 5 grandparents




• I have worked for 2 YMCA's




• Chris has gone from staff photographer to the Photo Editor for the Fox Valley




• Attended U2 concerts, James Taylor, Shawn Colvin, Indigo Girls, DMB, The Wiggles and Laurie Berkner!




• Chris has covered...1 Democratic Convention (L.A. 2000), Michael Jordan and the NBA playoffs, 1 World Series '06, 1 Super Bowl '07 and traveled to Mexico and AZ for 3 weeks to photograph immigrants and their families.




• We have attended the Tour de France (with a 17 month old) to see Lance win #6




• We have attended the Indy 500




• We have made trips together to Ireland, France, Mexico, Colorado, Canada, Florida, Boston, Seattle, New Orleans and Texas.




• Completed Triathlons, 5k's and adventure races.




• Shared many, many good times with family and friends at home and away--thank you all for being a part of our life!

Fall is upon us...

While I love most everything about fall...there is one thing that takes a little getting used to....it was dark when I went to workout today....and one hour later....it was still dark....okay...maybe not totally dark....but dark enough.  Thankfully everything else that is "fall"...cider donuts, leaves changing color, pretty much pumpkin anything (this includes decorating and treats) will help me get over the dark issue.  Plus...if I want to enjoy said treats...then I must drag myself out of bed to get it done despite many voices in my head to "skip it".  Have a great day! 

All you have to do is ask...

Clare has never been shy...today she told us that the principal was in the library the same time they were today--I asked her if she talked to him....to which she replied..."yep"..."I asked him if he would read a story to me"....thinking that his answer was probably no....I asked "did he?"  "Yep." So whenever you think someone might be too busy to listen or sit down with you, I guess we all need to remember that all you need to do is ask and you might just be surprised!

Picture day-

Yesterday was picture day at Clare's school.  If you remember picture day like I do, you remember wanting to wear a cute outfit, trying to make your hair look good and being given a short black plastic comb and then using it on your hair and consequently messing it up. 

Well--for those of you with school age children already this is not news to you....but for all you parents out there still waiting for the first day of kindergarten just wait.  The age of digital pictures now allows for children to choose their "own" background.  I think Clare had at least 12 she could choose from.  Out of the 12 mostly ridiculous backgrounds you could choose from, Clare chose...drum roll please--the cactus background....because you know....we live so close to the desert.  Chris and I (trying to hide our giggles) were like...ummm no!  So she then decided that if she couldn't do the cactus background that the "fall scene" would be the one that we would remember her kindergarten year by....ummmm sorry Clare we are the meanest parents on earth....but no.  

 I finally had her convinced that the grey background would work perfect because it would make her new hot pink shirt look great... she gets to school and the background the kids see is green (so they can alter in the computer later).  So the first words out of her mouth Wednesday afternoon---mom you TOLD me that I was going to have the grey background and they gave me green.  So after a brief lesson in Photoshop I think she has it figured out....now we just have to get through Spring pictures where I'm sure we will get to choose from a big Easter Egg and some pastoral green field background....wish us luck.

For all you reality junkies out there...

As if I needed another reality show to watch/Tivo...I try to limit myself to only a few, but once I watch I am usually hooked--The Amazing Race, Survivor, The Real Housewives of both L.A. and New York,etc., etc.,  but I have to admit that I had never really watched America's Next Top Model (ANTM)...until this season...the girl below Analeigh Tipton is my cousin.   Her grandmother and my grandmother were first cousins--Analeigh lives in California--I have not met her but I have spent the day with her mother in Napa sipping wine and going to dinner and her Aunt and now late grandmother live(d) in Rockford, so distant but not so distant.  So far she has done well and it has been fun to have a link to someone on the show.  If you are at all interested tune in at 7:00p.m. central on the CW network on Wednesday evenings.  Obviously I was not blessed with the long lengthy leg genes :-)

I tri'd it this a.m.!

Will post more later about the whole event but wanted to blog for those checking in on results....you can check it out here or if you want a quick recap...here it goes...

• 989 People finished
• I was 560 out of 989
• Out of 323 women I came in 120th
• Out of 63 women in my age I was 24th
• Chris beat me by LESS than a minute--to his credit...his bike was much quicker...but his swim, transitions and run were just a little slower.
• Looking forward to a night out in Grand Rapids--the babysitter comes soon---here's to a great glass of wine and not falling asleep during dinner!

Thanks summer...you were good to us!

It is hard to believe that this summer has come and gone...of course the real end of summer has yet to come and today it was 93 degrees (uggh)...but Labor Day always is the signal that things are changing and that I have to put my cute white purse from NYC on the shelf and haul out the black one. I love fall and I'm looking forward to crisp, cool fall mornings, the leaves changing and apple donuts....but the summer of 2008 was a great summer...so I just wanted to capture a few things that were either accomplished or just simply occurred during the summer of 2008 to make it great...

• Addie learned (i.e. got brave enough) to go down the slide and jump off the diving board.
• Clare started mastering the art of rotary breathing while swimming.
• New York City with my best girlfriends.
• Clare went ice skating for the first time.
• Vacation Bible School.
• A relaxing 4th of July and Labor Day weekend in Door County--with beautiful sunsets and lots of wine...see above picture.
• An extended weekend in Grand Rapids.
• DMB concert.
• Clare learned to ride a bike with no training wheels!!!
• Play time at the pool--nothing better than tired kiddos and the smell of chlorine.
• Visits from the Richards, Chiers and Donahues.
• I'm sure I'm forgetting lots of other wonderful memories--here's to a stupendous fall--we have the East Grand Rapids Triathlon coming up this weekend....and then Chris and I leave for our surprise trip at the end of September....I know where we are going...he does not...Nana and Papa are lined up for 6 days of fun in Roscoe...I will keep you posted!