happy birthday jamie!
sweet 16!
i love you!
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~kim~
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
An Ettleson Weekend (part II)
Quite an elaborate post, Leah- but I can't help but feel the need to fill in some of the holes when we weren't with Leah and Sara. After we left Leah's, we went to McCormick Place- where the auto show is hosted. For those who have never been to an auto show, it is an event for car junkies and moms alike. Of course, we get to enjoy some perks because Dad is on the board that runs the Chicago auto show. One of those perks includes snacking in a special director's lounge overlooking the show. Also, we get these neat badges that allow us to leave and get into the show whenever we want. (Actually, a week earlier, Jake, Dad, and I got into the auto show before it opened to the public--with the badges--and rode this Jeep ride that goes around this track in the show that simulates rugged terrain)-But I digress.
Before going into the auto show on Sunday, we had breakfast at the Hyatt, a hotel that is connected to McCormick Place. We had a table with pseudo-highchairs- my feet were like 2 feet of the ground while I was sitting on the chair. After we enjoyed the breakfast buffet and spent about 3 hours at the show (Dad had a board meeting), we went back to our sham of a hotel: the four seasons. I mean, when we got back to our room, all that was sitting there was a bowl of popcorn, 3 glass bottles Coke and cookie and chocolate milk for Jake. New towels are nice, but complimentary Coke is quite memorable. Then, Dad and the sibs went to the pool while I stayed and worked on a paper in the room. (doing homework- shocker, I know). But when you are overlooking Lake Michigan from 30 stories up, homework is slightly less miserable. That night, we had dinner at Mity Nice- an American style restaurant near the hotel. For dessert, we went to the Ghiradelli's (which is right next Hershey's). I had hot chocolate again, but this time I was prepared. I used a spoon for the first five minutes. That's key- I would know. That night, I slept without fear of being spied on... and the next morning we ate breakfast at this quaint restaurant called Oak Tree Cafe. We wrapped up our vacation downtown with a visit to the Chicago Art Institute. Here's an update from the ever-fascinating world of art: nothing's changed. But, then again, you can't beat the classics.
This is Matt Matt "The Slippery Cat" reporting- giving you plain talk about the art issues you need to know... just in time...;)
A few pics:
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Before going into the auto show on Sunday, we had breakfast at the Hyatt, a hotel that is connected to McCormick Place. We had a table with pseudo-highchairs- my feet were like 2 feet of the ground while I was sitting on the chair. After we enjoyed the breakfast buffet and spent about 3 hours at the show (Dad had a board meeting), we went back to our sham of a hotel: the four seasons. I mean, when we got back to our room, all that was sitting there was a bowl of popcorn, 3 glass bottles Coke and cookie and chocolate milk for Jake. New towels are nice, but complimentary Coke is quite memorable. Then, Dad and the sibs went to the pool while I stayed and worked on a paper in the room. (doing homework- shocker, I know). But when you are overlooking Lake Michigan from 30 stories up, homework is slightly less miserable. That night, we had dinner at Mity Nice- an American style restaurant near the hotel. For dessert, we went to the Ghiradelli's (which is right next Hershey's). I had hot chocolate again, but this time I was prepared. I used a spoon for the first five minutes. That's key- I would know. That night, I slept without fear of being spied on... and the next morning we ate breakfast at this quaint restaurant called Oak Tree Cafe. We wrapped up our vacation downtown with a visit to the Chicago Art Institute. Here's an update from the ever-fascinating world of art: nothing's changed. But, then again, you can't beat the classics.
This is Matt Matt "The Slippery Cat" reporting- giving you plain talk about the art issues you need to know... just in time...;)
A few pics:
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
An Ettleson Weekend
Hi All!
Although my life in general can be described as relatively sucky, I would like to share some details about my amazing weekend with the Ettleson tots. Sara and I had so much fun "babysitting"!! For those of you who do not know, Mike and Jeri had some auto show obligations on Saturday, so we gladly took the Slippery Cat, the Birthday Man, the Beathen, and the ManChild under our wing. I should start by saying that all 6 Ettlesons came by mine and Sara's building to take a look at our apartments. I'm assuming their favorite part was either the tour of the laundry room or the glimpse into the creepy storage locker area; I forgot to take an official vote. So after M & J left the kids in our custody, we went to Lucky Strike, a bowling establishment of sorts. We started the evening off with dinner, sponsored by our dim-witted waitress. Let's just say that when I ask for another bottle of ketchup, I expect that bottle to be at least 3/4's full. Do not bring me a bottle that is already turned over on its top just so I can painstakingly squeeze out the remaining 5 droplets; I had to save my strength for the bowling, after all. Oh, and Matt also taught us the valuable lesson of waiting to order your beverage until AFTER the original order is in: that way, it's likely that it will be left off the bill. So after Matt "Moneybags" Ettleson treated us to dinner, we had to wait a bit for our lane to be ready, but when our buzzer thing finally went off, we were ready to rock. However, my rocking was slightly postponed due to a devastating shoe mix up: I had been given 2 right shoes. Upon my return to the shoe counter, I was then given in exchange for the extra right shoe another right shoe, followed by another, followed by another. This young man finally had to ask the dude next to him, "Man, where the @#$! are all the left shoes?" By the time I came back, Matt had already entered our names and it was, of course, my turn. I'm pretty sure I dominated that first frame with a commanding 6 pins. A tough act to follow, no doubt. The bowling fun continued and all the kids were awesome. Sara and I were pleasently surprised to find a plethora of 9/10 lb balls with big finger holes... what a concept! You hear that Hawthorne Lanes? I was less than pleased with the size of the water glasses. It was like at our Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant all over again: we were forced to ration the water. Daniel was on full alert, notifying me whenever an ice cube had appeared to melt a smidge in my glass, enabling me to enjoy 2 more precious sips. Good times. Upon the completion of bowling (where Daniel took home the gold), there was an unfortunate "hand-wipe" scene amidst the pool tables that embarassed Matt to his very core. We then walked down Michigan Avenue to the Hershey's store, a.k.a: total twilight zone. While paroosing the merchandise, I was unable to convince Matthew to buy a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup purse. I don't think he cared too much for the style. We got Jakey settled at the table with a chocolate chip cookie, with Matt arriving soon after with a cup of hot chocolate. Meanwhile, Sara, Lizzy, and I were sharing an experience that I'm pretty sure had Sara peeing in her pants with laughter. At the "Make Your Own Cupcake" center, Sara insisted that she did not want frosting on her chocolate cupcake, just Reese's Pieces. Although she clearly told the lady just to place the candy on the side, she still took the liberty to smash as many of those pieces of candy as she could into the cupcake itself with all of her body weight, resulting in a not-so-appealing finished product. Lizzy then asked for chocolate frosting on her cupcake, and I kid you not when I say the lady came back with 6 inches of frosting on top of it. I believe it was Daniel that said, "Whoa, did you want some cupcake with that frosting?" Although I could not see Lizzy's face directly, I later heard from Sara that she had never seen her look so terrified. So after telling the lady to lose about 4 and 1/2 inches of the frosting, we were all ready to sit and enjoy our goodies. Daniel partook in some of Sara Reese's Pieces and I unwillingly forced down part of her cupcake. All the meanwhile, Matt was caring for the third degree burn on his tongue, an unfortunate result of the the hot chocolate. On our way out, Matt offered me the rest of said hot chocolate, of which I took 2 good sips before promptly receiving a surplus of cocoa chunks in my teeth. Daniel then scolded Matt, telling him that he had not followed good "beverage sharing" etiquette. I had no choice but to concur. Upon returning to the hotel to drop off Lizzy and J.K., Jeri and Mike force-fed me popcorn which Mike had received as a gift. We stayed and kibbitzed for a bit while enjoying an intense episode of Deal or No Deal. Sara, Matt, Daniel, and I then cabbed it back to my crib where the boys would be staying on my luxurious pull-out bed. While Daniel watched ESPN, I was apparently engaging Matthew in what Sara referred to as "child labor" by having him take a look at my iPod and printer. After the abuse had terminated and Matt had worked his magic (seriously, there was no skill involved whatsoever) the boys went to bed while I stared at them thru my glass doors all night. I'm just kidding about that, by the way, so don't be scared boys. (I'm pretty confident that both Matt and Daniel are now making a mental note to self: DO NOT STAY AT LEAH'S EVER AGAIN.) Then the next day they were up and gone by 10:00 am :(So long story short, Sara and I had the most amazing weekend and I hope the kids agree.)
Lots of Love,
Leah Marie
Although my life in general can be described as relatively sucky, I would like to share some details about my amazing weekend with the Ettleson tots. Sara and I had so much fun "babysitting"!! For those of you who do not know, Mike and Jeri had some auto show obligations on Saturday, so we gladly took the Slippery Cat, the Birthday Man, the Beathen, and the ManChild under our wing. I should start by saying that all 6 Ettlesons came by mine and Sara's building to take a look at our apartments. I'm assuming their favorite part was either the tour of the laundry room or the glimpse into the creepy storage locker area; I forgot to take an official vote. So after M & J left the kids in our custody, we went to Lucky Strike, a bowling establishment of sorts. We started the evening off with dinner, sponsored by our dim-witted waitress. Let's just say that when I ask for another bottle of ketchup, I expect that bottle to be at least 3/4's full. Do not bring me a bottle that is already turned over on its top just so I can painstakingly squeeze out the remaining 5 droplets; I had to save my strength for the bowling, after all. Oh, and Matt also taught us the valuable lesson of waiting to order your beverage until AFTER the original order is in: that way, it's likely that it will be left off the bill. So after Matt "Moneybags" Ettleson treated us to dinner, we had to wait a bit for our lane to be ready, but when our buzzer thing finally went off, we were ready to rock. However, my rocking was slightly postponed due to a devastating shoe mix up: I had been given 2 right shoes. Upon my return to the shoe counter, I was then given in exchange for the extra right shoe another right shoe, followed by another, followed by another. This young man finally had to ask the dude next to him, "Man, where the @#$! are all the left shoes?" By the time I came back, Matt had already entered our names and it was, of course, my turn. I'm pretty sure I dominated that first frame with a commanding 6 pins. A tough act to follow, no doubt. The bowling fun continued and all the kids were awesome. Sara and I were pleasently surprised to find a plethora of 9/10 lb balls with big finger holes... what a concept! You hear that Hawthorne Lanes? I was less than pleased with the size of the water glasses. It was like at our Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant all over again: we were forced to ration the water. Daniel was on full alert, notifying me whenever an ice cube had appeared to melt a smidge in my glass, enabling me to enjoy 2 more precious sips. Good times. Upon the completion of bowling (where Daniel took home the gold), there was an unfortunate "hand-wipe" scene amidst the pool tables that embarassed Matt to his very core. We then walked down Michigan Avenue to the Hershey's store, a.k.a: total twilight zone. While paroosing the merchandise, I was unable to convince Matthew to buy a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup purse. I don't think he cared too much for the style. We got Jakey settled at the table with a chocolate chip cookie, with Matt arriving soon after with a cup of hot chocolate. Meanwhile, Sara, Lizzy, and I were sharing an experience that I'm pretty sure had Sara peeing in her pants with laughter. At the "Make Your Own Cupcake" center, Sara insisted that she did not want frosting on her chocolate cupcake, just Reese's Pieces. Although she clearly told the lady just to place the candy on the side, she still took the liberty to smash as many of those pieces of candy as she could into the cupcake itself with all of her body weight, resulting in a not-so-appealing finished product. Lizzy then asked for chocolate frosting on her cupcake, and I kid you not when I say the lady came back with 6 inches of frosting on top of it. I believe it was Daniel that said, "Whoa, did you want some cupcake with that frosting?" Although I could not see Lizzy's face directly, I later heard from Sara that she had never seen her look so terrified. So after telling the lady to lose about 4 and 1/2 inches of the frosting, we were all ready to sit and enjoy our goodies. Daniel partook in some of Sara Reese's Pieces and I unwillingly forced down part of her cupcake. All the meanwhile, Matt was caring for the third degree burn on his tongue, an unfortunate result of the the hot chocolate. On our way out, Matt offered me the rest of said hot chocolate, of which I took 2 good sips before promptly receiving a surplus of cocoa chunks in my teeth. Daniel then scolded Matt, telling him that he had not followed good "beverage sharing" etiquette. I had no choice but to concur. Upon returning to the hotel to drop off Lizzy and J.K., Jeri and Mike force-fed me popcorn which Mike had received as a gift. We stayed and kibbitzed for a bit while enjoying an intense episode of Deal or No Deal. Sara, Matt, Daniel, and I then cabbed it back to my crib where the boys would be staying on my luxurious pull-out bed. While Daniel watched ESPN, I was apparently engaging Matthew in what Sara referred to as "child labor" by having him take a look at my iPod and printer. After the abuse had terminated and Matt had worked his magic (seriously, there was no skill involved whatsoever) the boys went to bed while I stared at them thru my glass doors all night. I'm just kidding about that, by the way, so don't be scared boys. (I'm pretty confident that both Matt and Daniel are now making a mental note to self: DO NOT STAY AT LEAH'S EVER AGAIN.) Then the next day they were up and gone by 10:00 am :(So long story short, Sara and I had the most amazing weekend and I hope the kids agree.)
Lots of Love,
Leah Marie
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
Happy valentine's day everyone!
I thought this would be as good of a day as any to make a post.... i also wanted to show you some more pictures! You know how I love to share them!
For those of you who don't know, Devin and I just went to New Orleans this weekend (and our mom met us on Sunday), so i thought you might like to see a few pictures. I don't have many of my mom since she started doing the picture-taking once she arrived (aren't you all shocked?).
We had a lot of fun and it's a little sad to be back and stressing again already. I had a test this morning! Ah! So... enjoy, I miss you all, and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!
love,
kim
http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175747&l=e85a9&id=4901793
I thought this would be as good of a day as any to make a post.... i also wanted to show you some more pictures! You know how I love to share them!
For those of you who don't know, Devin and I just went to New Orleans this weekend (and our mom met us on Sunday), so i thought you might like to see a few pictures. I don't have many of my mom since she started doing the picture-taking once she arrived (aren't you all shocked?).
We had a lot of fun and it's a little sad to be back and stressing again already. I had a test this morning! Ah! So... enjoy, I miss you all, and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!
love,
kim
http://uga.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175747&l=e85a9&id=4901793
Sunday, February 11, 2007
All is well in NYC
Now that I found the link to this website, I figured I'd post and say hello! Just wanted to say all is well here in NYC. This is the busiest time of year at work, but I'm hanging in there. I'm expected to get my promotion on Thursday, so that's good. I'm in a new apartment with Rob, which is fun. It's a beautiful apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and I hope you all can get the chance to come visit! Anyway, I think about all of you often. Miss you very much. Love, Jeni
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Outdoor Education
This doesn't involve the family to much but I thought you may be interested to know I am going on outdoor ed. next week on Wednesday the 14, Valentine's Day! I am very excited but it will be extremely cold! Has anybody had an interesting outdoor ed. experience? Anyway, have wonderful day!~Lizzy
the aoto show
the aoto show is the 9th and it ends on the 18th I am going this and next week this sunday I am going with my dad and next week I am going with my famle
jakey
jakey
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Relay for Life!
As some of you may remember from last year, I participate in Relay for Life every spring. Relay for Life is an event that is held across the country to raise money for the American Cancer Society. I am part of a team that will raise funds and participate in the all-night event in order to promote and help the ACS as much as we can.
If you would like to make a donation of any amount, please visit my webpage:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=189710&lis=1&kntae189710=ED11EAF2F4FE4174BA7B500B63748247&supId=152806472
(you may need to copy and paste each line separately)
Cancer is an extremely serious problem for everybody and every dollar goes towards research to save lives. I would appreciate your donations immensely!
Thank you so much!
i love you!
If you would like to make a donation of any amount, please visit my webpage:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=189710&lis=1&kntae189710=ED11EAF2F4FE4174BA7B500B63748247&supId=152806472
(you may need to copy and paste each line separately)
Cancer is an extremely serious problem for everybody and every dollar goes towards research to save lives. I would appreciate your donations immensely!
Thank you so much!
i love you!
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