I stopped off at Best Buy on my way out of town to pick up one of those car convertor things that programs your IPOD to an FM radio station so you can listen to the songs from your IPOD while driving in your car. I thought I got a pretty good model, but that thing is not worth the money. It did not work well at all anywhere within an hour of Chicago. It did work ok in the areas of Indiana that are all cornfields, though. But since I really don't drive through cornfields that often, I don't think I'll be keeping the stupid transmitter.
And while I am on the subject of that transmitter... it totally made me miss my exit and get lost! The drive was going really smoothly, I got out of Chicago without much hassle and got to my first exit in good time. Then... somehow... I totally missed my next exit. I was trying to get the transmitter to work and could not, so I was reading the instruction booklet while also keeping my eyes totally fixated on the road (of course! ; ))... but apparently, that failed.
After a little while I realized that I was definitely not on the correct path. I hadn't seen a town in miles and I felt like I was WAY out in the country. On a side note, the transmitter started working really well, so at least I had some good tunes! Then, the highway I was on ended... a big sign said "Highway 49 Ends" and you have to go left or right. I knew that this was going nowhere good really fast, so I called Matt to get some revised directions. Luckily, he had a map of Indiana.
I made it to Peru about a half hour later than I had hoped. We had some Brunos pizza with the Bontragers and watched Vantage Point. Good movie! I thought for sure I would fall asleep (as I usually do during most movies I watch at home... plus I was wiped from the drive and not getting enough sleep the night before... damn karaoke), but I stayed awake until the end.
Saturday morning, we went to pick up all the ingredients so Matt could make his favorite peach BBQ sauce he learned to make at one of our cooking parties. We made a few stops around Peru and finally had all the things we needed. Matt did his best Julia Child impersonation in the Bontragers' kitchen and just about dirtied every bowl they owned! : ) But, the sauce turned out great as usual!
The Bontragers' got a couple new kitties and they were adorable!
After that, we grabbed lunch at the hot dog stand. As it turns out, Saturday was the last day it was open for the season. Lucky for Matt, he got one last fix of their spanish hot dogs and root beer.
We stopped off at a furniture store that was having a huge fire sale. I guess their store burned to the ground, but they had some stuff still left on a truck and they moved it to another building to sell. Matt was really just looking for a rug or some other small things to decorate at his condo, but we found a really nice bedroom set that he ended up buying (after Chris and Dale's stamp of approval!). He got the bed frame, dresser w/mirror, armoire and a nightstand... all for a really good price. The only bad thing is that it is still in Peru and is being delivered to the Bontragers' house on Wednesday. We have to work out a way to get it to Chicago.
I found a pic of the set online and I also took a pic at the store
After furniture shopping, we hit the golf course. I hit a few balls and got another quick lesson from Bob, the pro at the golf course. I actually did much better this time... well, at least I think so.
We played a few holes and I got a big blister on my thumb and lost a hunk of skin, so I sat out for the rest of the time until I could get a band-aid. Matt and Bob continued to play and I supervised. : )
Saturday night, Matt grilled out chicken breasts with his peach BBQ sauce. We also grilled asparagus the size of baseball bats (well, not really, but they were gigantic). Bob came over for dinner and we all ate tons! The food was really good!
I didn't last much past that because of all the running around during the day and the food coma I was in. I tried to stay awake to watch the Illinois game, but kept dozing off.
Sunday morning, Matt and I played a few more holes of golf. I drew a smiley face on my ball and I swear... that ball turned smiley face up almost every time. It was actually kind of scary!
Sunday was the day of the golf tournament we were in town for. It was Peru High School against Maconaquah High School and this was the 7th year of the tournament. Matt and Ryan (Macanoquah) played against Bob and Scott (Peru). Macaonaquah had won the past few years... there is a plaque in the pro shop which I forgot to get a picture of. I rode around with Scott's girlfriend and watched the guys play.
Matt and Ryan defeated Bob and Scott. But in the end, out of the 20 teams, there were 10 wins for Peru and 10 wins for Maconaquah... so the tie meant that Maconaquah retained their status as the champions.
Afterwards, we had a hog roast at the golf course. Good food!
Since we finished up pretty early with the hog roast, I went ahead and drove back to Chicago Sunday night. Hardly any traffic and a pretty easy drive and I didn't get lost this time!
I passed out pretty soon after I walked in the door... busy (but fun) weekend!
Now, I'm getting all packed again because we are heading to Utah for a long weekend to visit Matt's Dad and family out there. It sounds like they have lots of fun stuff planned for us!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Bowling + karaoke
Last night was week 2 of the Miller High Life bowling league... and also another good excuse to keep celebrating Erin's birthday. : )
I made cupcakes... yum!
We didn't do all that great and the team we played had like the best bowling night ever. Actually, their first game was so-so (we could have pulled off a win on that one... they had a sub, so we couldn't really tell what the final outcome was), but once they started playing 'poker bowling' with us, they did awesome. The same guy on the other team won both poker games.
Hany... with a mouthful of cupcake???
Erin with her birthday hat
Me and Hany
Yes, we did actually bowl, too!
Typical Erin
Erin in birthday hat #2
The team we played even wore our hats, too... I think it brought them luck!
Then we all headed to the bar for some karaoke. The team we played was great and hung out with us and sang some songs, too. The one girl on their team was a riot... she was all over the place, dancing and singing. One of the guys on their team said she had like 5 beers and was wasted and he's never seen her that drunk before. Since the karaoke is still picking up a following (i.e., it was kind of dead), we got to sing lots of songs! So much fun!
This random guy decided to sing Oh, Come All Ye Faithful... always a crowd favorite, right?
Brett sang a song about ditching your girlfriend to fish
Hany was singing Time After Time and Kat and I did the Romy & Michelle dance
My camera battery was dying, so some of the other pics didn't turn out so great. Probably a good thing! I'm thinking Thursday nights just got a little bit better... this is going to make my Friday mornings not so much fun.
Hany gave Erin a card on Tuesday night when we went out to dinner at VTK... she had altered it a little. : )
Nice abs, Ross!
I made cupcakes... yum!
We didn't do all that great and the team we played had like the best bowling night ever. Actually, their first game was so-so (we could have pulled off a win on that one... they had a sub, so we couldn't really tell what the final outcome was), but once they started playing 'poker bowling' with us, they did awesome. The same guy on the other team won both poker games.
Hany... with a mouthful of cupcake???
Erin with her birthday hat
Me and Hany
Yes, we did actually bowl, too!
Typical Erin
Erin in birthday hat #2
The team we played even wore our hats, too... I think it brought them luck!
Then we all headed to the bar for some karaoke. The team we played was great and hung out with us and sang some songs, too. The one girl on their team was a riot... she was all over the place, dancing and singing. One of the guys on their team said she had like 5 beers and was wasted and he's never seen her that drunk before. Since the karaoke is still picking up a following (i.e., it was kind of dead), we got to sing lots of songs! So much fun!
This random guy decided to sing Oh, Come All Ye Faithful... always a crowd favorite, right?
Brett sang a song about ditching your girlfriend to fish
Hany was singing Time After Time and Kat and I did the Romy & Michelle dance
My camera battery was dying, so some of the other pics didn't turn out so great. Probably a good thing! I'm thinking Thursday nights just got a little bit better... this is going to make my Friday mornings not so much fun.
So, I totally forgot to post this picture...
Hany gave Erin a card on Tuesday night when we went out to dinner at VTK... she had altered it a little. : )Nice abs, Ross!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
VTK
On Tuesday night, Hany, Erin and I went to dinner at Vong's Thai Kitchen to celebrate Erin's birthday. I had the chicken pad thai... I practically finished the whole thing... so good!
They brought out a birthday surprise for Erin... how cute is that!
They brought out a birthday surprise for Erin... how cute is that!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN!!!
HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY! : )
Does this girl ever take a normal picture????
Does this girl ever take a normal picture????
Monday, September 22, 2008
What a weekend!
Or should I say.. what an exhausting, but fun weekend!
Friday, my parents drove up to Chicago for a visit. We did some power shopping at the Lincolnwood Mall after work... my mom bought me a b-day present and Hany also got me another b-day present! It's feelin' a bit like Christmas these days! ; )
After the quick shopping trip, we headed over to Olive Garden for dinner. Matt met up with us (he's not much of a shopper... plus he had to work late). We were seated in our own private room... maybe they thought we were going to be loud or something. Lots of salad and breadsticks... and lots of food. Hello food coma!
Dad cheesing it up for the camera
Nice, Brett... did Matt teach you that one???
On Saturday, my mom, my sister and I went to Kaya Spa to use the gift certificate Matt got me for my birthday. Kaya is in the West Loop not far from Matt's place. We each got one of Kaya's signature massages. This was the first time I'd ever had a massage... my mom and Erin had been before. The massages were awesome. I felt like I could have fallen asleep at the end. I think my Dad was a little jealous that he didn't get to go! : )
After the massages, we stopped off for manicures (Erin and I did, my mom had just gotten one a few days ago). Then we went back to Erin's place to spruce up for our big night on the town... dinner at Red Light and the 8pm show of Jersey Boys.
Dinner at Red Light was amazing, as usual. The food is really good. We loved the sweet potato fries and asparagus... and everyone's entrees were HUGE and delicious!
Group pic... Brett, my mom, me, Rebecca (Brian's gf), Brian, Kevin, Dan, Amy, my dad, Erin and Ross
Afterwards, we watched Jersey Boys, which was really entertaining. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a very fun way to spend the evening. I didn't know the story behind the Four Seasons, but I recognized a lot of the songs.
On Sunday, we all met up at Mystic Celt for a few appetizers and to catch the beginning of the Bears game. Then we walked to Wrigley to catch the Cubs v. Cards game. My parents are big Cardinals fans being from the bottom half of the state. I grew up a Cards fan... when I was little I even got to go on the field at the stadium and meet Fredbird, very exciting for a 5 year old. Of course, I don't actually remember doing this. I think it was because I had won some contest for having the longest braids (aka Little Miss Piglet... awesome, right??? My town was big into pork.)
Anyway, the game on Sunday went by really fast and the Cubs won.
Ross and Erin
Yes, Dad you are in the picture
My mom and Hany
Me and Matt... his obligatory one pic (where he actually smiles) of the day
Me, Hany and my mom
The 7th inning stretch was sung by the grounds crew and Jim Belushi. Awesome!
We finished up the day with a bbq at Erin's place. Hot dogs and brats (marinated in beer/onions/peppers)... all soooooo good! To top it off, my mom bought my sister and I an ice cream cake to celebrate our birthdays (mine was a few weeks ago and Erin's is this Wednesday). I love ice cream cake!
I was so exhausted from this weekend, I think I fell asleep by 9:30 Sunday night.
Good times! : )
Friday, my parents drove up to Chicago for a visit. We did some power shopping at the Lincolnwood Mall after work... my mom bought me a b-day present and Hany also got me another b-day present! It's feelin' a bit like Christmas these days! ; )
After the quick shopping trip, we headed over to Olive Garden for dinner. Matt met up with us (he's not much of a shopper... plus he had to work late). We were seated in our own private room... maybe they thought we were going to be loud or something. Lots of salad and breadsticks... and lots of food. Hello food coma!
Dad cheesing it up for the camera
Nice, Brett... did Matt teach you that one???
On Saturday, my mom, my sister and I went to Kaya Spa to use the gift certificate Matt got me for my birthday. Kaya is in the West Loop not far from Matt's place. We each got one of Kaya's signature massages. This was the first time I'd ever had a massage... my mom and Erin had been before. The massages were awesome. I felt like I could have fallen asleep at the end. I think my Dad was a little jealous that he didn't get to go! : )
After the massages, we stopped off for manicures (Erin and I did, my mom had just gotten one a few days ago). Then we went back to Erin's place to spruce up for our big night on the town... dinner at Red Light and the 8pm show of Jersey Boys.
Dinner at Red Light was amazing, as usual. The food is really good. We loved the sweet potato fries and asparagus... and everyone's entrees were HUGE and delicious!
Group pic... Brett, my mom, me, Rebecca (Brian's gf), Brian, Kevin, Dan, Amy, my dad, Erin and Ross
Afterwards, we watched Jersey Boys, which was really entertaining. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a very fun way to spend the evening. I didn't know the story behind the Four Seasons, but I recognized a lot of the songs.
On Sunday, we all met up at Mystic Celt for a few appetizers and to catch the beginning of the Bears game. Then we walked to Wrigley to catch the Cubs v. Cards game. My parents are big Cardinals fans being from the bottom half of the state. I grew up a Cards fan... when I was little I even got to go on the field at the stadium and meet Fredbird, very exciting for a 5 year old. Of course, I don't actually remember doing this. I think it was because I had won some contest for having the longest braids (aka Little Miss Piglet... awesome, right??? My town was big into pork.)
Anyway, the game on Sunday went by really fast and the Cubs won.
Ross and Erin
Yes, Dad you are in the picture
My mom and Hany
Me and Matt... his obligatory one pic (where he actually smiles) of the day
Me, Hany and my mom
The 7th inning stretch was sung by the grounds crew and Jim Belushi. Awesome!
We finished up the day with a bbq at Erin's place. Hot dogs and brats (marinated in beer/onions/peppers)... all soooooo good! To top it off, my mom bought my sister and I an ice cream cake to celebrate our birthdays (mine was a few weeks ago and Erin's is this Wednesday). I love ice cream cake!
I was so exhausted from this weekend, I think I fell asleep by 9:30 Sunday night.
Good times! : )
Friday, September 19, 2008
New bowling league
DeezNuts is back again... this time in the Thursday night Miller High Life bowling league.
This league is for money prizes. We didn't actually know that when we signed up, though. We found out how it all works last night.
Jane subbed for Erin last night since she was in Minnesota. We all bowled decent, except the last game we kind of tanked.
This should be an interesting league to be in. I just hope we don't come in last place!
Hany and Jane
Check out the last guy's game... all 9-spares until the 10th frame! Crazy!
We saw that the bowling alley has karaoke on Thursday nights... we may be spending some extra time at the alley after the games get over in the upcoming weeks!
This league is for money prizes. We didn't actually know that when we signed up, though. We found out how it all works last night.
Jane subbed for Erin last night since she was in Minnesota. We all bowled decent, except the last game we kind of tanked.
This should be an interesting league to be in. I just hope we don't come in last place!
Hany and Jane
Check out the last guy's game... all 9-spares until the 10th frame! Crazy!
We saw that the bowling alley has karaoke on Thursday nights... we may be spending some extra time at the alley after the games get over in the upcoming weeks!
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