After the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour outside by the lake... the guys all started drinking gin gimlets (more gin than gimlet). They looked sort of flourescent. Matt cleans up nicely! : )
The dinner/reception was inside in a ballroom. We were all seated at a table right by the dance floor. Andy made friends with Martha, our server, and she kept his glass full of champagne for most of the night. They served mushroom ravioli, a salad, lemon sorbet and steak with risotto and asparagus for dinner... I thought it was very good.
Here are a few random pics from the reception...
This little girl was one of the flower girls and she was such a cutie!
They had a live band and we all did a little dancing... well, except for Michelle who's ankle was all purple and sore from her fall the day before. : ( Colin was busting quite a few moves on the dance floor!
At midnight, they brought out McDonald's cheeseburgers for everyone... I think this saved quite a few people from a hangover the next morning! It was awesome! : )
As I was looking through my pictures today, I realized I did not get any pics of Eric & Jolynne from the wedding... I'm terrible! Maybe Michelle did...
This morning, we drove back to the West Loop and had brunch at Le Peep with the Reuters. I think I'll be doing some serious veggin' out on the couch this afternoon!
Visit from the p's
My parents drove up from Rochester this weekend to stay a few days in Chicago. On Friday night, we all went out to Pizza D.O.C., a restaurant in Lincoln Square on Lawrence Ave. The food was really good, the service not so much.
I am such a klutz. I managed to get a big stain on my sleeve from the calamari sauce... this was only minutes after I spilled the oil and dropped the lid in my plate of oil. My mom said she always knew what I had eaten for lunch when I got home from school because there were remnants leftover on my shirt.
Back at Erin's place, we taught my dad how to play Wii... we played a quick game of bowling and I think he's hooked!
On Saturday morning, the girls all went to get our nails done while my dad and brother hung out at his house. My brother taught my dad how to play Guitar Hero, but I don't think it went over as well as the Wii bowling game. : )
Afterwards, my mom and I went shopping downtown and Erin went with the guys to pick out a new grill. My parents had brought her some awesome new patio furniture, so all she needed for a perfect bbq was a grill. We all had successful days... they found a great grill and my mom and I found some cute clothes on sale. : )
We had a bbq at Erin's place Saturday night. She did the shopping and came home with about half of Dominick's! We had salmon, tilapia, mahi-mahi, chicken and pork kebabs and turkey italian sausages... plus all the sides - potatoes, potato salad, corn on the cob, etc. and dessert - angel food cake with berries and ice cream! I had to be rolled outta there!
Since the weather was nice, we ate out on the patio... awesome!
On Sunday, we grilled out steaks and more turkey sausages and had the leftovers from the night before. I think we'll get a lot of use out of the new patio furniture and grill!
Matt and I had to head out early for Big E's wedding, so we left after lunch. I think the rest of them were going to see the new Indiana Jones movie.
I am such a klutz. I managed to get a big stain on my sleeve from the calamari sauce... this was only minutes after I spilled the oil and dropped the lid in my plate of oil. My mom said she always knew what I had eaten for lunch when I got home from school because there were remnants leftover on my shirt.
Back at Erin's place, we taught my dad how to play Wii... we played a quick game of bowling and I think he's hooked!
On Saturday morning, the girls all went to get our nails done while my dad and brother hung out at his house. My brother taught my dad how to play Guitar Hero, but I don't think it went over as well as the Wii bowling game. : )
Afterwards, my mom and I went shopping downtown and Erin went with the guys to pick out a new grill. My parents had brought her some awesome new patio furniture, so all she needed for a perfect bbq was a grill. We all had successful days... they found a great grill and my mom and I found some cute clothes on sale. : )
We had a bbq at Erin's place Saturday night. She did the shopping and came home with about half of Dominick's! We had salmon, tilapia, mahi-mahi, chicken and pork kebabs and turkey italian sausages... plus all the sides - potatoes, potato salad, corn on the cob, etc. and dessert - angel food cake with berries and ice cream! I had to be rolled outta there!
Since the weather was nice, we ate out on the patio... awesome!
On Sunday, we grilled out steaks and more turkey sausages and had the leftovers from the night before. I think we'll get a lot of use out of the new patio furniture and grill!
Matt and I had to head out early for Big E's wedding, so we left after lunch. I think the rest of them were going to see the new Indiana Jones movie.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Chase Corporate Challenge
Wow... what a debacle of a "race". I think the "challenge" is managing to run the whole thing without tripping or running into someone! Besides the fact that it was freezing, I forgot to charge my IPOD, so I had no tunes to keep me entertained.
I started back by where I thought people would be running the same pace as me, but turns out more people walk this thing than run it... and they just start off walking, they don't even attempt to run. So, for the first mile, I was totally dodging people, slowing down, speeding up, trying to get around people, running up on sidewalks, grass... whatever I could do. It was like an obstacle course of people. Being that I am not in good shape, this totally wore me out. And after I realized I could walk faster than I was running, I just gave up and walked the rest of it. When I was walking, I actually passed people who were running. They were short, I have a long stride... but I thought it was funny nonetheless.
The best part of the race was afterwards... my company had a tent set up and we grilled out hot dogs, brats and burgers (and a few cookies ended up on the grill, as well). We had beer and water and snacks... all very good. It would have been better if it was warmer and we could have stayed there longer, but we were pretty cold and took off after we ate.
I started back by where I thought people would be running the same pace as me, but turns out more people walk this thing than run it... and they just start off walking, they don't even attempt to run. So, for the first mile, I was totally dodging people, slowing down, speeding up, trying to get around people, running up on sidewalks, grass... whatever I could do. It was like an obstacle course of people. Being that I am not in good shape, this totally wore me out. And after I realized I could walk faster than I was running, I just gave up and walked the rest of it. When I was walking, I actually passed people who were running. They were short, I have a long stride... but I thought it was funny nonetheless.
The best part of the race was afterwards... my company had a tent set up and we grilled out hot dogs, brats and burgers (and a few cookies ended up on the grill, as well). We had beer and water and snacks... all very good. It would have been better if it was warmer and we could have stayed there longer, but we were pretty cold and took off after we ate.
Dear Mother Nature...
WTF??? Do you realize we are coming up on the end of May now? What was the deal with making it so freaking cold last night that we were freezin' our butts off at the Chase Corporate Challenge? We are still wearing winter coats, for goodness sakes! I am not amused. Get it together!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Kebabs... yum!
Tonight, while I was out shopping for some last minute essentials for the outfit I'm wearing to Big E's wedding this weekend, Matt made the best kebabs! I'm so full right now! I'm a big fan of this new grill! : )
Before... all ready to go!
And after... makes your mouth water!
As I did last time, I made the rice and Matt thought it was important take a pic of that...
Before... all ready to go!
And after... makes your mouth water!
As I did last time, I made the rice and Matt thought it was important take a pic of that...
Surprise cake
To celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Big E (which Matt & I and a few others will be attending this Sunday), John Allen invited a few of us into a conference room and surprised Big E with an awesomely deelish cake!
I normally wouldn't take pics of this stuff at work, but no one else had a camera and I always carry mine with me (of course!)... so I told them I would take a couple of pics so Eric could show Jolynne.
And since the cake was so pretty, I just had to post a pic of it here!
I normally wouldn't take pics of this stuff at work, but no one else had a camera and I always carry mine with me (of course!)... so I told them I would take a couple of pics so Eric could show Jolynne.
And since the cake was so pretty, I just had to post a pic of it here!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Girls weekend
As I posted before, two of my friends from high school were in town this weekend. We still get together about once or twice a year for a weekend. Last September, we all went to Omaha to visit JJ and her husband and two kids. Matt came along then and we had a fun time at JJ's house grilling out, playing cards and a very naughty version of Jenga. : )
This past weekend, we got together in the Windy City... and we managed to fit in quite a bit of fun stuff! Friday afternoon, I met up with Crystal at Union Station (she took the Amtrak up from St. Louis). On a side note, lots of interesting people watching can be done in the Amtrak waiting room. Crystal's train was a half-hour behind schedule, but I had plenty of entertainment around me to pass the time.
Since it was sooooo nice on Friday, Crystal and I grabbed a quick lunch at Cafe Baci and sat outside enjoying the weather. After lunch, we headed out to Midway to pick JJ up. We made it back to town and to the nail place right on time. After our relaxing mani/pedis, we stopped off at Matt's place to get fixed up for the night.
We were in the mood for Greek food, so we walked down to Athena and ate outside in their garden area.
Great food and wine... Crystal kept saying how much she loved the wine, so I took a pic so we could remember what it was called! We went through two bottles of wine and caught up with what's been going on in our lives.
After dinner, we went to see Wicked... such a great show!
On Saturday, we had a quick breakfast and then headed over to the Wrigley area. We were mainly trying to find a Cubs shirt for Crystal's sister, but decided to buy a few tickets and go into the game. My brother and sister were already at the game because my brother got 3 tickets from work... so we had one extra from him and bought two more. It worked out really well, because the tickets we bought off the street were only two sections away from Brett's tickets... we could see each other. We were in the shade so it was chilly, but still super sunny and beautiful outside.
We were sitting right by the press boxes, so we got a close-up of Lance Briggs singing the 7th inning stretch... but he barely sang and kept holding the mic out for the crowd to sing. Interesting.
After the game, we went out for dinner at Garcia's in Lincoln Square. I must say that place gives you a ton of food and the prices are really decent. You also get quite a bit to drink... we ordered a pitcher of margaritas and they brought us a pitcher plus three full glasses to start with. Needless to say, we were all feeling a little happy after dinner! So, what do three drunk girls do after a bunch of margaritas... karaoke battle! : ) We busted out the PS2 at Erin's place and the karaoke games and sang and sang and sang... it was a ton of fun.
Once we were all hoarse from singing (and the rain had let up just a little), we caught a cab and went to the Mayfest to see Sixteen Candles band play. We were soaked from walking in the rain and waiting in the beer line (which later we realized that beer was being sold inside the tent right behind where we were standing). It was definitely gross, but the band was really good, as usual.
We hung out at Mayfest and then went to Celtic Crown for a little real-live-karaoake. Hany and Grant met us out. The place was pretty crowded and we turned in a few songs... but for some reason, we weren't getting called up to sing. They called JJ, Crystal and I to sing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (one of Erin's picks for us to sing). But, after that I think we only got called up once more and Erin never even got called up. We're not sure what was going on, maybe other people were tipping big or something. Who knows. It was fun to listen to other people butcher songs we all know and love, though. : )
On Sunday, we decided to veg out for a little bit and ordered some Giordano's pizza. We watched the last half of Little Miss Sunshine, the part where they get to the pageant and she does the strip tease dance... I love that movie! Then, we watched the movie Juno, which is also very good.
Then, just like that, the weekend was over... I dropped JJ back off at the airport and Crystal off at the Amtrak station. The weekend seemed to fly by way too fast! But it was definitely a good time and I can't wait until the next time we all get together again! : )
This past weekend, we got together in the Windy City... and we managed to fit in quite a bit of fun stuff! Friday afternoon, I met up with Crystal at Union Station (she took the Amtrak up from St. Louis). On a side note, lots of interesting people watching can be done in the Amtrak waiting room. Crystal's train was a half-hour behind schedule, but I had plenty of entertainment around me to pass the time.
Since it was sooooo nice on Friday, Crystal and I grabbed a quick lunch at Cafe Baci and sat outside enjoying the weather. After lunch, we headed out to Midway to pick JJ up. We made it back to town and to the nail place right on time. After our relaxing mani/pedis, we stopped off at Matt's place to get fixed up for the night.
We were in the mood for Greek food, so we walked down to Athena and ate outside in their garden area.
Great food and wine... Crystal kept saying how much she loved the wine, so I took a pic so we could remember what it was called! We went through two bottles of wine and caught up with what's been going on in our lives.
After dinner, we went to see Wicked... such a great show!
On Saturday, we had a quick breakfast and then headed over to the Wrigley area. We were mainly trying to find a Cubs shirt for Crystal's sister, but decided to buy a few tickets and go into the game. My brother and sister were already at the game because my brother got 3 tickets from work... so we had one extra from him and bought two more. It worked out really well, because the tickets we bought off the street were only two sections away from Brett's tickets... we could see each other. We were in the shade so it was chilly, but still super sunny and beautiful outside.
We were sitting right by the press boxes, so we got a close-up of Lance Briggs singing the 7th inning stretch... but he barely sang and kept holding the mic out for the crowd to sing. Interesting.
After the game, we went out for dinner at Garcia's in Lincoln Square. I must say that place gives you a ton of food and the prices are really decent. You also get quite a bit to drink... we ordered a pitcher of margaritas and they brought us a pitcher plus three full glasses to start with. Needless to say, we were all feeling a little happy after dinner! So, what do three drunk girls do after a bunch of margaritas... karaoke battle! : ) We busted out the PS2 at Erin's place and the karaoke games and sang and sang and sang... it was a ton of fun.
Once we were all hoarse from singing (and the rain had let up just a little), we caught a cab and went to the Mayfest to see Sixteen Candles band play. We were soaked from walking in the rain and waiting in the beer line (which later we realized that beer was being sold inside the tent right behind where we were standing). It was definitely gross, but the band was really good, as usual.
We hung out at Mayfest and then went to Celtic Crown for a little real-live-karaoake. Hany and Grant met us out. The place was pretty crowded and we turned in a few songs... but for some reason, we weren't getting called up to sing. They called JJ, Crystal and I to sing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (one of Erin's picks for us to sing). But, after that I think we only got called up once more and Erin never even got called up. We're not sure what was going on, maybe other people were tipping big or something. Who knows. It was fun to listen to other people butcher songs we all know and love, though. : )
On Sunday, we decided to veg out for a little bit and ordered some Giordano's pizza. We watched the last half of Little Miss Sunshine, the part where they get to the pageant and she does the strip tease dance... I love that movie! Then, we watched the movie Juno, which is also very good.
Then, just like that, the weekend was over... I dropped JJ back off at the airport and Crystal off at the Amtrak station. The weekend seemed to fly by way too fast! But it was definitely a good time and I can't wait until the next time we all get together again! : )
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