We played nine holes... I lost one ball, but found a few more while looking for the one I lost. Guess that makes up for it.
After golfing, we met up at my Grandma's house (my mom's side this time) for lunch. We stopped off an picked up some sandwiches at a Quincy staple, The Maid-Rite. As I mentioned before, I love this place! Matt had yet to try a maid-rite, so we just had to make it there this time. We loaded up on maid-rites and crinkle-cut fries for everyone. : )
I think Matt liked the maid-rite, but he didn't love them nearly as much as I do. I guess you have to be born in Quincy to get how good they are!
Here's a pic of me, my grandma and my mom:
Family Reunion
Friday night, we all drove back to Springfield... which turned out to be a four-hour trip instead of three because of all the traffic. It was ridiculous getting out of Chicago and we had left at 3pm!
We went out for dinner at Cheddars in Spfld. The waitress was 'bizarro world' as Matt put it. She kept calling my wine pinto grigio instead of pinot.
We got up early on Saturday to head over to Quincy, IL for the big reunion. It was held at my dad's cousin's house, which is just outside of Quincy. This year, we got name tags. There were quite a few people there, so the name tags helped out a lot.
The weather was nice, a little warm in the sun, but nice in the shade. We played tons of games.
Some sort of ball-throwing game Erin bought... I was not so good at it.
The country version of "bags" - a box with a coffee can in it that you throw painted washers at. Matt beat me at this game. Just a little tip... don't leave the washers out in the sun - they get super hot! We had to ice them down so we could even hold them.
Bingo
Water-balloon toss - Matt & I came in third - I messed up and didn't throw it far enough so Matt couldn't catch it, the balloon hit the grass and POP! And then Matt pegged me with an extra water balloon right in the back.
Volleyball
We also played a game where everyone gets a name tag stuck on their back with a famous person's name. Then you have to do 20 questions to guess who the person is. Of course, my dad didn't quite hear the rules of the game and immediately says to Matt... hey Lance Armstrong. When my famous person name tag was put on my back, Matt started lauging and said it was perfect. So, I'm thinking it's like some dumb blonde actress or singer or something. Later, we played the 20 questions game and it turned out to be Helen Keller. Now, you may be asking why this is perfect for me... it's a long story (and probably would just embarass me considering it really just makes me seem like a complete idiot), which would not be nearly as good in words instead of live and in person. So, I'll just leave it at that.
There was a live turkey running around. Apparently, it was tame and belonged to the neighbors. It freaked me out because it would just start gobbling and coming at me for no reason. I stayed away, but Erin tried to make friends with it... always the vegetarian, I guess.
After the reunion, we all hung out at the hotel my family was staying at. We played a game of Oh Hell. Matt was winning up until the end, but he got too many "bags" and lost a bunch of points. So, I ended up winning! : ) We had a little Pizza Hut (awesome!) and then went to see Get Smart at the theater. Cute movie. According to Matt, I slept through some of it. Must have been all the wine I had at the hotel. Oops.
We went out for dinner at Cheddars in Spfld. The waitress was 'bizarro world' as Matt put it. She kept calling my wine pinto grigio instead of pinot.
We got up early on Saturday to head over to Quincy, IL for the big reunion. It was held at my dad's cousin's house, which is just outside of Quincy. This year, we got name tags. There were quite a few people there, so the name tags helped out a lot.
The weather was nice, a little warm in the sun, but nice in the shade. We played tons of games.
Some sort of ball-throwing game Erin bought... I was not so good at it.
The country version of "bags" - a box with a coffee can in it that you throw painted washers at. Matt beat me at this game. Just a little tip... don't leave the washers out in the sun - they get super hot! We had to ice them down so we could even hold them.
Bingo
Water-balloon toss - Matt & I came in third - I messed up and didn't throw it far enough so Matt couldn't catch it, the balloon hit the grass and POP! And then Matt pegged me with an extra water balloon right in the back.
Volleyball
We also played a game where everyone gets a name tag stuck on their back with a famous person's name. Then you have to do 20 questions to guess who the person is. Of course, my dad didn't quite hear the rules of the game and immediately says to Matt... hey Lance Armstrong. When my famous person name tag was put on my back, Matt started lauging and said it was perfect. So, I'm thinking it's like some dumb blonde actress or singer or something. Later, we played the 20 questions game and it turned out to be Helen Keller. Now, you may be asking why this is perfect for me... it's a long story (and probably would just embarass me considering it really just makes me seem like a complete idiot), which would not be nearly as good in words instead of live and in person. So, I'll just leave it at that.
There was a live turkey running around. Apparently, it was tame and belonged to the neighbors. It freaked me out because it would just start gobbling and coming at me for no reason. I stayed away, but Erin tried to make friends with it... always the vegetarian, I guess.
After the reunion, we all hung out at the hotel my family was staying at. We played a game of Oh Hell. Matt was winning up until the end, but he got too many "bags" and lost a bunch of points. So, I ended up winning! : ) We had a little Pizza Hut (awesome!) and then went to see Get Smart at the theater. Cute movie. According to Matt, I slept through some of it. Must have been all the wine I had at the hotel. Oops.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Time to go yet???
I'm having a hard time concentrating today. I'm totally ready to be outta here and it's only 10am. Nice... that oughta make the day go by fast, eh?
Yesterday, I took the afternoon off to meet up with Chino, the glass guy. He replaced the window of my car and was very nice and chatty. He was telling me all about the surprise party he's planning for his girlfriend of 9 years. It's amazing how much personal stuff people will divulge to complete strangers.
Now, I have a brand new window and nothing of value in my car. That's how it's going to stay. If anyone else wants to break in, they will be very disappointed.
After Chino finished up, I caught a few rays out on my top porch and it was awesome to be outside and not stuck in my cubicle. Of course, I was "working from home", so I had to check in on the computer a few times. : )
This weekend is the big family reunion in Quincy, IL. I have so many relatives on my Dad's side that I probably couldn't even name them all or pick them out of a line-up. Crazy. Last year was Matt's first year... we were in St. Louis and there were about 60 people at my aunt's house. I told him that if someone started talking to us and I didn't immediately introduce him, that meant I didn't know the person's name.
We had been hoping to fit a round of golf in while in Quincy, but now that I am golf-club-less, we'll see if that happens.
Yesterday, I took the afternoon off to meet up with Chino, the glass guy. He replaced the window of my car and was very nice and chatty. He was telling me all about the surprise party he's planning for his girlfriend of 9 years. It's amazing how much personal stuff people will divulge to complete strangers.
Now, I have a brand new window and nothing of value in my car. That's how it's going to stay. If anyone else wants to break in, they will be very disappointed.
After Chino finished up, I caught a few rays out on my top porch and it was awesome to be outside and not stuck in my cubicle. Of course, I was "working from home", so I had to check in on the computer a few times. : )
This weekend is the big family reunion in Quincy, IL. I have so many relatives on my Dad's side that I probably couldn't even name them all or pick them out of a line-up. Crazy. Last year was Matt's first year... we were in St. Louis and there were about 60 people at my aunt's house. I told him that if someone started talking to us and I didn't immediately introduce him, that meant I didn't know the person's name.
We had been hoping to fit a round of golf in while in Quincy, but now that I am golf-club-less, we'll see if that happens.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Skillet Cookie = yum
Matt & I went to the West End Bar for dinner Wednesday night. I had gone there for drinks for the bachelorette party and wanted to go back and try out the food. The menu is kind of small... more sandwiches than salad options, but the food was good. They have tater tots and mac-n-cheese as optional sides instead of fries, which is great. : )
And the best part is that they have the skillet cookie for dessert... a barely baked chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven covered in caramel, chocolate, ice cream and whipped cream... so awesome!
And the best part is that they have the skillet cookie for dessert... a barely baked chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven covered in caramel, chocolate, ice cream and whipped cream... so awesome!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Note to self... part 2
Never park your car on a street in Chicago and leave anything in there that you might want to see again... even if for just a day... even if you think it's a safe area.
I had a nice surprise back at my car last night when I got there after work. I was parked over in the West Loop by Matt's house, right off of Madison (which is a really busy street). I was hoping I didn't have a ticket on my car and was happy to see there wasn't one, until I realized something else was really wrong. When I opened the driver's side door to get in, I noticed there was stuff all over and I thought to myself, I didn't leave it like this. Then I looked across to the passenger side... which was full of glass. I was getting a nice breeze from the space where a window had once been. Someone had bashed in the passenger side window and broken into my car. Awesome.
They stole my relatively new golf clubs, a brand new tent I had just bought from Target, a car tool kit and who knows what else. They did leave me my pitchfork, though. Why wouldn't they want to steal this, too?!? It even lights up! : )
You may be asking... why was I driving around with a pitch fork in the back of my car... we had been keeping it in the golf bag in the garage (seems like an appropriate place, right?) and I hadn't taken it out when I threw the clubs in the car to go to Peru last weekend.
I think they also left the screwdriver they used to break the window with because there's one sitting in the front seat and it's nothing I remember owning. Stupid criminals.
They went through all of my compartments and threw stuff around. I doubt I had anything else of value in the car, though, which is good. The golf clubs were not expensive, the tent was about $60 and I have no idea how much the tool kit was. But, needless to say, the total is under my $500 deductible for stolen property. The window is supposed to cost $210 to replace, which is also under my $500 deductible for damage to my car. If they all fell under one deductible, then I'd be in business, but one is covered under my auto insurance and the other is covered under my renter's policy.
Tomorrow, the glass guy is coming to my place to put in the new window. Good times.
I had a nice surprise back at my car last night when I got there after work. I was parked over in the West Loop by Matt's house, right off of Madison (which is a really busy street). I was hoping I didn't have a ticket on my car and was happy to see there wasn't one, until I realized something else was really wrong. When I opened the driver's side door to get in, I noticed there was stuff all over and I thought to myself, I didn't leave it like this. Then I looked across to the passenger side... which was full of glass. I was getting a nice breeze from the space where a window had once been. Someone had bashed in the passenger side window and broken into my car. Awesome.
They stole my relatively new golf clubs, a brand new tent I had just bought from Target, a car tool kit and who knows what else. They did leave me my pitchfork, though. Why wouldn't they want to steal this, too?!? It even lights up! : )
You may be asking... why was I driving around with a pitch fork in the back of my car... we had been keeping it in the golf bag in the garage (seems like an appropriate place, right?) and I hadn't taken it out when I threw the clubs in the car to go to Peru last weekend.
I think they also left the screwdriver they used to break the window with because there's one sitting in the front seat and it's nothing I remember owning. Stupid criminals.
They went through all of my compartments and threw stuff around. I doubt I had anything else of value in the car, though, which is good. The golf clubs were not expensive, the tent was about $60 and I have no idea how much the tool kit was. But, needless to say, the total is under my $500 deductible for stolen property. The window is supposed to cost $210 to replace, which is also under my $500 deductible for damage to my car. If they all fell under one deductible, then I'd be in business, but one is covered under my auto insurance and the other is covered under my renter's policy.
Tomorrow, the glass guy is coming to my place to put in the new window. Good times.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Note to self
In the future, remove penis straw from purse immediately after returning home from a bachelorette party... so that it will not accidentally almost fall out while trying to pay for lunch. Although this does provide some entertainment for the cashier, it is quite embarrassing.
See ya Graham
Last night, we watched The Bachelorette. I set the reminder this time so I wouldn't miss any of it! I think I may have gotten a little teary-eyed a couple of times during that episode... hello, emotional!
Matt and I knew DeAnna was going to get rid of Graham, especially after that extremely awkward "talk" they had on the bench in the woods at his house. It was like... hello, Graham, are you there??? Crickets. What's surprising to me is that Graham signed up for this show in the first place. He just doesn't seem like the type to me.
So, now it's down to Jesse, Jeremy and Jason... if only Graham's name had started with a "J", he may have had a chance. jk. It's still surprising to me how far Jesse has made it, considering how crazy he started off. I was flipping through the channels the other day and Fast Times at Ridgemont High was on... and I think Jesse sort of reminds me of Spicoli. Maybe it's the hair or the goofy clothes... I don't know. Side by side, they don't look all that similar.
Til next week...
Matt and I knew DeAnna was going to get rid of Graham, especially after that extremely awkward "talk" they had on the bench in the woods at his house. It was like... hello, Graham, are you there??? Crickets. What's surprising to me is that Graham signed up for this show in the first place. He just doesn't seem like the type to me.
So, now it's down to Jesse, Jeremy and Jason... if only Graham's name had started with a "J", he may have had a chance. jk. It's still surprising to me how far Jesse has made it, considering how crazy he started off. I was flipping through the channels the other day and Fast Times at Ridgemont High was on... and I think Jesse sort of reminds me of Spicoli. Maybe it's the hair or the goofy clothes... I don't know. Side by side, they don't look all that similar.
Til next week...
Monday, June 23, 2008
Taste of Randolph
On Sunday, I was nursing a little bit of hangover in the morning from all the wine I drank the night before, so I slept in a little. I had big intentions of running some errands, but fell pretty short of those goals. I was moving around by about noon, though.
We all met up at Matt's house in the afternoon to head over to the Taste of Randolph.
The weather was ok... it kept raining off and on all day. But when the sun was out, it was steamy!
We made a lap around the place to check out all the different restaurants that had booths there to make sure we knew what we wanted to eat. We ran into Kelin and her sister... and also into Erin (the bachelorette) and her two cousins. They said they had a rough morning as well.
I love the restaurant Red Light, so I got the steak sandwich from their booth. It was really tasty. Erin (my sister) got the corn-on-the-cob from there. We also got chips-n-guacomole from DeCero. That place is decent, but the past couple of times Matt & I went there, the food wasn't that great and the service was bad. Brett tried some chicken tikka on flatbread from Veersaway, an Indian restaurant.
Then we all got chocolate covered goodies for dessert... strawberries, pretzels and rice-krispy treats. Yum! Matt finished his before I could get a pic, but he obliged and let me take this one:
After getting all full at the Taste, the Reuters and Matt & I headed back to his place for a few drinks and some Wii. We played Wii Olympics and then had a big Wii Bowl-a-thon. We played 7 games... for shots - loser does a shot, winner picks what that shot is. Last time this happened, tequila was warmed up in the microwave, so I was a little worried!
Michelle was out of the running for the shots because she had been partying for four days straight and was a little done with it by then. So, it was down to me, Matt and Andy.
I usually lose at bowling against Matt... like ALL the time. Even when he uses AJ (the Anti-Jabba, a left-handed Mii). Maybe it was the threat of doing a shot of gin or Jack Daniels or warm tequila... or maybe I just miraculously improved, but I bowled much better than I normally do and avoided being the big loser and doing a nasty shot for all but one game!!! I was so happy!
The one shot I had to do was Jack and it went down rough.
We all met up at Matt's house in the afternoon to head over to the Taste of Randolph.
The weather was ok... it kept raining off and on all day. But when the sun was out, it was steamy!
We made a lap around the place to check out all the different restaurants that had booths there to make sure we knew what we wanted to eat. We ran into Kelin and her sister... and also into Erin (the bachelorette) and her two cousins. They said they had a rough morning as well.
I love the restaurant Red Light, so I got the steak sandwich from their booth. It was really tasty. Erin (my sister) got the corn-on-the-cob from there. We also got chips-n-guacomole from DeCero. That place is decent, but the past couple of times Matt & I went there, the food wasn't that great and the service was bad. Brett tried some chicken tikka on flatbread from Veersaway, an Indian restaurant.
Then we all got chocolate covered goodies for dessert... strawberries, pretzels and rice-krispy treats. Yum! Matt finished his before I could get a pic, but he obliged and let me take this one:
After getting all full at the Taste, the Reuters and Matt & I headed back to his place for a few drinks and some Wii. We played Wii Olympics and then had a big Wii Bowl-a-thon. We played 7 games... for shots - loser does a shot, winner picks what that shot is. Last time this happened, tequila was warmed up in the microwave, so I was a little worried!
Michelle was out of the running for the shots because she had been partying for four days straight and was a little done with it by then. So, it was down to me, Matt and Andy.
I usually lose at bowling against Matt... like ALL the time. Even when he uses AJ (the Anti-Jabba, a left-handed Mii). Maybe it was the threat of doing a shot of gin or Jack Daniels or warm tequila... or maybe I just miraculously improved, but I bowled much better than I normally do and avoided being the big loser and doing a nasty shot for all but one game!!! I was so happy!
The one shot I had to do was Jack and it went down rough.
Cooking, lots of wine and belly dancers
Saturday night, I went to a bachelorette party for a girl that Matt & I work with (Erin). She is marrying a guy that we also work with (John). They moved into the West Loop right across the street from Matt's place. Erin was working over in the Netherlands with Matt three years ago and John was working over there with me two years ago. On to the festivities...
1st stop: Cooking class at Bespoke Cuisine
This place is normally a catering company, but they have parties for birthdays, bachelorettes, etc. It's set up with a kitchen in the back and a dining room in the front. It's BYOB, so we all brought wine and champagne to drink.
We started off with champagne with hibiscus flowers in the bottom of the glass. I've never seen this done before, but the hibiscus gave the champagne a nice pink color and a little bit of a tarter taste. Towards the bottom of the drink, it started tasting a little flowery, though.
The menu for the evening was the Tuscan Menu which was:
* Appetizers: (1) White bean rosemary bruschetta and (2) Asparagus & prosciutto in puff pastry
* Salad: Arugula with parmesano-reggiano, cracked pepper and honey
* Entree: Risotto with wild mushrooms and roasted chicken
* Desserts: (1) Chocolated dipped tiramisu balls and (2) Chocolate dipped strawberries
Since there were 11 of us, we broke into groups and each cooked a different part of the meal. I was in the 'Entrees' group... not the best choice considering we had to stand next to the hot stove in an already hot room. Plus, I had to shred cooked chicken... messy! I didn't get to do anything with the big knives (probably a good thing conisdering how klutzy I am and that I was drinking alcohol). But, Calvin was our group's chef and he was awesome. He even knew Stephanie (the winner from Top Chef).
After the cooking part of the evening was done, we sat in the dining area and drank wine and enjoyed all the delicious food.
For dessert, the bridesmaids had bought a special cake for Erin... this is the weirdest penis cake I've ever seen. Usually, they are just in the shape of a penis, not actually a regular cake with one protruding from the top. Too funny! The cake was soon demolished. After eating cake, Erin opened her gifts.
And then some random guy ran in from outside and took over the party for a few minutes. Weird to say the least. My favorite is the look on the girl's face to the right... she's like "what the heck is your problem?!?"
2nd stop: The Erotic Warehouse
What luck... we were on our way to our second stop of the night after leaving Bespoke and walked right past the Erotic Warehouse.
This was a bachelorette party after all, so of course, we all went in. We found a few cute things for the bride-to-be for the night (bright purple penis water bottle and penis drinking straws... how could we not buy those!) and we were on our way.
3rd stop: Alahmbra Palace
I had walked by this place a few times, but never been inside, so I had no idea what to expect. It's a Mediterranean restaurant/lounge, but inside is all decorated like a palace... pretty extravagantly. The place is absolutely huge inside and had a lounge when you first walk in and then a big two-story room in the back with a stage and dance floor and tables. The second floor was a balcony with a bunch of tables overlooking the stage and dance area. When we got there, they seated us at a table right by the stage and there was some guy singing in a foreign language and a girl in a purple costume was belly-dancing around the stage and dance floor. Within the first 5 minutes, she pulled one of the girls in our group up to dance with her. I'm glad I wasn't sitting at the end!
We danced and had a drink... the place was a lot of fun for a special (interesting) night out, but not somewhere I would go on a regular basis. For one, it's really expensive and another thing, the service was TERRIBLE. I would have thought that a waiter would be checking up on us quite regulary... seeing that we were a group of 11 girls all drinking, but nope. He got our first round of drinks and then he went MIA. One of the girls was able to track him down and they got a couple more drinks, but I only got one the whole time we were there. Then the bill came and it was $168 and the 20% gratuity was already added. No wonder the waiter was so awful, he knew he was already guaranteed a tip. I really hate that.
We stayed there for a few hours and then moved on to the next place.
4th stop: West End Bar
I had also never been to this bar before, but walked by it a few times. It always looks packed. The bar is owned by the same people that own School Yard, Brownstone, etc. The music was a lot of fun and we had another drink and hung out there for about an hour or so. I'd like to go back and try the food sometime to see if it's as good as Brownstone.
5th stop: Bed. Crash. So tired.
1st stop: Cooking class at Bespoke Cuisine
This place is normally a catering company, but they have parties for birthdays, bachelorettes, etc. It's set up with a kitchen in the back and a dining room in the front. It's BYOB, so we all brought wine and champagne to drink.
We started off with champagne with hibiscus flowers in the bottom of the glass. I've never seen this done before, but the hibiscus gave the champagne a nice pink color and a little bit of a tarter taste. Towards the bottom of the drink, it started tasting a little flowery, though.
The menu for the evening was the Tuscan Menu which was:
* Appetizers: (1) White bean rosemary bruschetta and (2) Asparagus & prosciutto in puff pastry
* Salad: Arugula with parmesano-reggiano, cracked pepper and honey
* Entree: Risotto with wild mushrooms and roasted chicken
* Desserts: (1) Chocolated dipped tiramisu balls and (2) Chocolate dipped strawberries
Since there were 11 of us, we broke into groups and each cooked a different part of the meal. I was in the 'Entrees' group... not the best choice considering we had to stand next to the hot stove in an already hot room. Plus, I had to shred cooked chicken... messy! I didn't get to do anything with the big knives (probably a good thing conisdering how klutzy I am and that I was drinking alcohol). But, Calvin was our group's chef and he was awesome. He even knew Stephanie (the winner from Top Chef).
After the cooking part of the evening was done, we sat in the dining area and drank wine and enjoyed all the delicious food.
For dessert, the bridesmaids had bought a special cake for Erin... this is the weirdest penis cake I've ever seen. Usually, they are just in the shape of a penis, not actually a regular cake with one protruding from the top. Too funny! The cake was soon demolished. After eating cake, Erin opened her gifts.
And then some random guy ran in from outside and took over the party for a few minutes. Weird to say the least. My favorite is the look on the girl's face to the right... she's like "what the heck is your problem?!?"
2nd stop: The Erotic Warehouse
What luck... we were on our way to our second stop of the night after leaving Bespoke and walked right past the Erotic Warehouse.
This was a bachelorette party after all, so of course, we all went in. We found a few cute things for the bride-to-be for the night (bright purple penis water bottle and penis drinking straws... how could we not buy those!) and we were on our way.
3rd stop: Alahmbra Palace
I had walked by this place a few times, but never been inside, so I had no idea what to expect. It's a Mediterranean restaurant/lounge, but inside is all decorated like a palace... pretty extravagantly. The place is absolutely huge inside and had a lounge when you first walk in and then a big two-story room in the back with a stage and dance floor and tables. The second floor was a balcony with a bunch of tables overlooking the stage and dance area. When we got there, they seated us at a table right by the stage and there was some guy singing in a foreign language and a girl in a purple costume was belly-dancing around the stage and dance floor. Within the first 5 minutes, she pulled one of the girls in our group up to dance with her. I'm glad I wasn't sitting at the end!
We danced and had a drink... the place was a lot of fun for a special (interesting) night out, but not somewhere I would go on a regular basis. For one, it's really expensive and another thing, the service was TERRIBLE. I would have thought that a waiter would be checking up on us quite regulary... seeing that we were a group of 11 girls all drinking, but nope. He got our first round of drinks and then he went MIA. One of the girls was able to track him down and they got a couple more drinks, but I only got one the whole time we were there. Then the bill came and it was $168 and the 20% gratuity was already added. No wonder the waiter was so awful, he knew he was already guaranteed a tip. I really hate that.
We stayed there for a few hours and then moved on to the next place.
4th stop: West End Bar
I had also never been to this bar before, but walked by it a few times. It always looks packed. The bar is owned by the same people that own School Yard, Brownstone, etc. The music was a lot of fun and we had another drink and hung out there for about an hour or so. I'd like to go back and try the food sometime to see if it's as good as Brownstone.
5th stop: Bed. Crash. So tired.
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