October in May

I had about 10 starting sentences for this blog:

1. October in May.

2. They know me well.

3. I'm a nerd.

4. It was heaven...on earth...in Chicago.

5. Once in a while, you get perfect nights...like this one.

6. I'd been waiting 7 months for this night.

7. I was 12 again.

8. Three men made my night...Rick, Donald, and Emmanuel. 

9. The food was perfection...the music, even better.

10. It redeemed my birthday.

So, let's try this again...

It was October in May...last Wednesday night.  It's become a known fact in our family that my favorite gift is an experience.  They ask me each year, "What do you want for your birthday?"...and each year, I answer the same, "An experience".  This has resulted in sleepovers, scavenger hunts in Target, going out to eat...The fact is: I love time spent with people I love.  I always have. Always will.  That's why, it doesn't matter if it's a walk or a night like last week...sharing an experience is my favorite gift I could get. 

Last October...it was a big birthday.  And I mean, big as in the number...yuck.  I was struggling a bit with it and still find myself getting a knot in my throat each-time I'm asked how old I am.  However, I told a friend that I was giving myself 1 month to poo-poo about it, and after that, she had permission to tell me to snap out of it.  It's now May...so you can consider me "snapped-out"...or maybe "still in progress"! :)

But as I opened my gift from my family, it took me minutes...actually, a couple days to really take in the gift I'd gotten from them.  They had bought me tickets to see the Chicago Symphony perform several piano concertos with Emmanuel Axe...with the main feature being Rhapsody in Blue.  It's okay if you don't know what or who that is...I was homeschooled (I blame all my nerdiness on that!)...and when other kids were going to movies and baseball games, we were going to Symphony concerts and musicals.  They were giving me a perfect night!  The plan was to go to Frontera Grill (one of Rick Bayless' restaurants...yes, remember that "nerd" factor?  He won Top Chef Masters...and yes, I own the season in my iTunes...And watch it WAY TOO MUCH.  The term "celebrity chef" was coined by my soulmate, I'm convinced...'cause to me, they really are ah-mazing!) In thinking of the evening, I just had to think, "They know me well"...I'm a nerd, but they kind of are too :)...which is why we are all kindred spirits.

It was heaven...on earth...in Chicago.  Jarod and Heidi had decided to stay at the Trump Hotel and invited us to stay with them! Um, just that in itself was an experience!! 

Jarod and Heidi let me bunk up with them for the night...Who says, "Three's a crowd"?! Not the single sister who gets a free stay...that's for sure! :)

 Even Donald took time to welcome us! :)

 You can never go wrong with Chocolates on a pillow...

 And just in case you ever wondered what a $25 bottle of water looks like...here it is! Pretty sure we drank tap. :)  The left picture is to prove that I was actually in one of these rooms!

 Their menus look a lot like one of my wedding albums!! Ugh, a little crazy, can we say?!

After checking in to the hotel, we walked to Frontera Grill, where I am telling you...MOST. AMAZING. MEXICAN. FOOD. E-VER!!!!!!  Rick, you did NOT disappoint!

 With my sisters...aren't they so pretty?

 Pinch! Pinch! Yep, I'm actually here!...now, with two bruises. :)

 Trying to decide what to order may have been the most difficult part of the evening...

Matt and Bek...

 Jarod and Heidi. I've just gotta say...my brother-in-laws don't have buggy eyes...not sure why I couldn't get a good one of them! :)

Heidi and Me...

And then came the Symphony!!!  We weren't allowed to take any pictures during the concert, so here's what I got before it started.

The architecture in that building was beautiful!!

Matt and Bek as we wait for the concert to start...

Jarod being a goof...

 Jarod and Heidi...

 Front row seats!

It was amazing...

I was excited (obviously) for the concert...but as soon as it started and the pianist hit that first note, an overwhelming flood of emotions hit me.  The duet piece they were playing were the very pieces I'd played with my teacher.  I remembered late night concerts at Wesleyan University, ISU, and U of I...sitting in those dark concert halls being inspired at times...trying to stay awake and getting a nudge from my mom, at others.  I remembered my mom saying that a dream of hers was to play a piano concerto with a symphony.  I suddenly missed my mom VERY much...I had tears (I was going to say rolling down my cheeks, but that makes it sounds controlled!) dripping off my chin!  I was a bit of a blubbering mess...but they were really happy tears; the best kind...that perfect moment of experiencing something wonderful and also being carried back to the sweetest memories...all in that dark concert hall.  

Once in a while, you get perfect nights...like this one.  I'd been waiting 7 months for this night, and it didn't disappoint.  Not one single bit.  The food was perfection...the music, even better.  Three men made my night...Rick Bayless, Donald Trump, and Emmanuel Axe. 

I got to be 12 again...and it redeemed the big number that my birthday brought.

But most of all...it was getting to be with my family...the very best of people that I know.  I don't take them or experiences I have with them for granted.  They go out of their way to encourage, direct, tease, and love me.  I'm honored to be one of them, and I love each of them so very much!!

 We rarely take the time to get a picture of us, so I'm glad we got a couple this weekend!

Taking a moment to update and just "chat"...

WARNING: This post is going to be random...because I've missed blogging just for the sake of blogging, and I'm taking liberties today to do just that.  Hence, all my thoughts are going to come pouring out in one big beautiful disaster. :) But it's all fair, 'cause I warned you, right? Yeah, let's go with that.

1. 30 Day Vlog Challenge: Several of you have asked why I didn't finish the vlog challenge.  And uh, most of you haven't noticed that I didn't! Haha! They were actually taped, but I didn't like them, so I held off on them, and now I'm just trying to muster up any kind of will power to willingly stand in front of a camera and talk.  If you know me at all, you know that cameras intimidate me. :) However, they were popular by enough people, that I'm going to keep vlogging on a somewhat consistent basis...with several "guests" lined up.  It should be fun! And yes, there will be more cooking demos by my sisters!

2. During my Vlog challenge, I challenged YOU to a 30 Day "Get 'er Done!" Challenge! Okay, so that's not what I called it, but that's what if felt like as a friend of mine and I accepted the challenge and have been keeping each other accountable for the past 30 days.  How'd it go?! Anyone care to share?! I have to say, ours went splendidly...I won't go into the details because it was asked to be kept a secret in the beginning...but let me just say, we both met our goal, and it was such a fun excuse to keep in contact with one of my very favorite people!! I may have to extend another challenge to her...you know, 'cause I like to force people into staying in touch with me, like that! ;)

3. While I'm on the topic of vlogging, I'm going to the answer the questions, "What did you learn from vlogging?" I learned that:

• I think I kind of lisp!  It's the strangest thing...I thought it was because I was wearing my retainer one day, but it turns out that I have a bit of a lisp.  Nothing like going your whole life never being told that and then saying to a friend, "Did you know I had a lisp?" and her just saying, "Yeah...but it's cute". ?!?!?!
• I prefer blogging.  My love language is blogging.  Well, technically, it's quality time...but blogging is kind of where I lay it all out there.  It's really difficult to do that and a bit awkward with a one-eyed lens staring back at you.  So, as good as vlogging was/is for me, I'll always come back to writing.
• ...there's no photoshop in videos...which is a good thing.  Like I said, being on the other side of the lens can make me sweat.  In fact, this past weekend, a group of us were at a zoo, and there was that moment when you first walk in and the photographer snaps a picture in order to sell you a print at the end.  You've all been there...not a big deal, right?  I'm not sure, but I suddenly got really nervous. I didn't even know why...so needless to say, the challenge was good in forcing me to just be and let go.  Apparently, from the zoo experience, that's still a lesson in progress.
• Little kids love videos.  I created more little fans with the vlogs than I did with adults! Sooo fun!! That was really an unexpected perk to the whole challenge!

4. "Someone" (who will remain nameless) said to me, "I think if people like you by your blog, they'd like you even better in person.  You're a lot more intelligent in person." Haha!! I thought it was hilarious!! And I realized, they are completely right...not that I'm super intelligent...AT ALL!!!  "Intelligent" isn't even probably the right word...but their point (which is very true) is that I write about all the funny and crazy areas of my life.  I rarely write about the more "serious" side of me...like the fact that I am very passionate about politics and was headed in the direction of working in the political realm, until my mom passed away and my goals kind of changed.  I never mention the side of me that I LOVE classical, jazz, and opera music...and if there's any form of art that touches me or inspires me the most, it's probably classical music.  In the past year or so, I've hesitated writing about spiritual lessons I'm learning, because it's not necessarily considered in good taste to mix that with business.  However, as she was pointing out (and I'm so glad she did!!!), is that there's freedom in sharing all those things, if they are such a large part of what makes me "me".  In college, I made a conscious effort to hide some of those things about me, because they set me apart and were areas in my life that my friends didn't really relate to...but being at a different place in my life, that's changing.  So, this may draw people in or repel...I don't know.  But she was giving me the permission to share all of me, not just the side I think people can relate to.  I have NO intentions of making my blog a controversial battleground...whatsoever!! I just wanted to share that side and that I will probably be showing the other side a little more now from time to time. :)

Wow! LONG post.  But since I know pictures make all posts more interesting, here's one from this past Tuesday where us girls went to a local Irish restaurant, Maggie Miley's...good night with great friends.

...Happy Weekend!

Hero of the Month: Kanch

It was about the moment when I looked over to see my little niece getting ready to toss him in the air, and finding myself running to catch him...somewhere around the lecture I gave her on kittens being delicate and how she needs to treat him like a little baby and her her saying, "Okay Tami...I'm sorry Tami"...that I realized, this little kitten had definitely earned his place as Hero of the Month.

A little while ago, my sister and brother-in-law's family's cat had 4 kittens;  two gray, 1 black, and 1 white, which they named, Kanch.  Of course, Kanch, being all white, has become their favorite...which also means he gets "loved on" (aka...squeezed, dropped, held, put in bicycle baskets for rides, smothered, and kissed) the most.

I'm definitely more of a "dog lover" than a cat person...but I find myself running to the aid of this little guy on a somewhat daily basis and have developed an odd sense of respect for his patience he's shown towards the kids.

Granted, he's still a kitten, so the PTSD that may come from all the handling he gets now may catch up to him at some point, but it actually seems that he's turning out to be a really laid back little guy.  It's been so fun getting to watch my little nieces and nephews with their little kittens...and so as an aunt who hopes Kanch never meets his psychological breaking point, but instead keeps letting the kids love on him, I couldn't help but name him hero of the month...Oh, to have the patience of Job...or uh, Kanch. :)