Barry Gibb!

This past Tuesday,  Christy and Steve invited Jack and me to attend the Barry Gibb  concert at the United Center.  Barry Gibb was one of the BeeGees, whose music is legendary. I loved the movie Saturday Night Fever and even though I was never a big disco dancer, I loved that whole soundtrack. Jack is not a concert goer as a rule, so I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to go. It helped that the seats were in a VIP area. All good. Our own bathroom, drinks, food, great seats. And great company. In addition to our hosts, Christy and Steve, Carol, Bill, Chuck and Teri were also there.
Barry Gibb is the only surviving brother of the Brothers Gibb.  Andy, the youngest brother, died of a drug overdose in 1988. Robin and Maurice (pronounced Morris, just like Jack's grandfather) died of cancer in the past decade. Barry sang some of Andy, Robin and Maurice's most famous songs and did short tributes to each one. It was touching. Music evokes great memories.
I loved sharing this night...a Tuesday night! (out of the rut) with wonderful friends.

Memorial Day weekend already?

One of my favorite analogies (that I made up!) is Memorial Day:school year :: Queen Frostine:Candyland.  In the board game Candyland, once you make it to Queen Frostine, you are almost done. Same with Memorial Day and the school year. Still TONS to do, but we are almost there.

I loved the weekend. Got lots of schoolwork done and spent time with family. 

We ended our sleepover on Saturday with a special delivery to Suz. Abbie and Nina were so excited to see Sue and her fur babies! 

In the evening, Jack and I had an impromptu pizza party with Bucky and Downtown Sue at Bucky's house. Lots of  good conversation. 

On Sunday, Jack and I went to mass, then spent the rest of the day getting things done. So productive. Best part was going to bed at 8:30. 

Today was more about getting work done. It is a luxury to have had an extra to get ready for the busy week ahead. 

sweet pictures of sweet girls

Abbie and Nina slept over last night. We walked over to the Mini Mart, the second generation to do that fun trek. I took some pictures along the way (of course I did. I can't help myself).
Check out this sequence. It melts my heart. Love these sweet girls so much!

May Days

I apologize for my lack of posts lately. It's that time of the school year. I have so many reports to write, data to report and other end of year busyness that my blog takes a back seat. Not that it's that huge of a deal, but I do feel accountable to my faithful readers.  All four of them.

I took a break from schoolwork this weekend to have some family time. On Friday, Sally and I did a mother-daughter sleepover at Lauren's with Sue and Lauren. Sam, Brendan's girlfriend, popped in for a while too. Great time to bond and hang out and be together. We didn't even leave Lauren's condo. No need to! Lauren was an incredible hostess and had everything we needed for the night. The evening flew by. There were lots of laughs and there were tears as well. It was a fun and meaningful night.

There was dancing. Of course!

It looks like Lauren's giraffe is having some Chandon

check out this view from Lauren's living room window!

We had a busy Saturday, too. We were invited to Julie's nephew's baptism. Julie's sister and brother-in-law asked Julie and Wayne to be godparents, which was super meaningful to them. We were thrilled to be a part of Ty's baptism day and enjoyed the chance to catch up with Julie's parents and meet Tim's parents. 

Tim, Wayne, Ty, Julie and Sarah

Marie and Gordo with Ty

We ended the day with a trip to the ballpark to watch Kjell play. His birthday was Sunday and we wanted the chance to wish him a happy birthday in person. We got there kind of late and got a chance to say a quick hello to Jen, Arne, Beth and the girls before they had to leave. But we did get to see Kjell and give him a birthday kiss and cheer him on for the last two innings.

nice catch

happy birthday, Kjell!

Mother's Day

It was our first Mother's Day without Marie. On Facebook and social media, folks post tributes to their mothers and especially for those moms who are no longer here on Earth. I asked Jack if he was going to post something about his mom. He had already thought about it. Jack thought it honored Marie more to not put anything on Facebook, out of respect for her preference for privacy. Clearly, we all missed Marie today as we do every day. 

I had such a lovely Mother's Day. Any day that I get to spend time with my kids, it's a great day. Matt and Sally hosted a brunch for Matt's mom, Mary and Wayne, Julie, Jack and me. Matt's dad, Bob, was on call (he is a pediatrician) so he could not attend. We missed him. It was a great time. Matt and Sally are amazing party throwers, not to mention they are awesome cooks. They served lamb, quiche, yogurt and granola and mimosas and bloody marys. We only stayed for 5 hours :). 

Here is what it is all about:

how blessed am I?

April 28th

I am so darn glad that it is May! Psychologically it is a big boost that it is light in the morning when I walk and light in the evening when I get home from work. Light is good.
This week was the 17th anniversary of my dad's death. Yet another anniversary of a death in our family. We hesitate to say anything about our angels on social media, but the fact is that we don't ever want any of them to be forgotten. We love to keep their memories alive, so we post about them on blogs and facebook and talk about them whenever we can. My dad's death was my first up close and personal encounter with death. Knowing he had a terminal illness (colon cancer that had already gone to the liver when it was diagnosed), Pawp set a powerful example of acceptance of what is. He always told us that he had lived a long full life and it was the circle of life (I think that is why I never have liked The Lion King!!). The time around Pawp's death was a very formative experience in my life and one that prepared me for all sorts of future challenges in life. I thank God for my father, who gave me unconditional love and support. And added fun and humor to everything he did.

In honor of my dad, I am working hard to enjoy my life and the people in it. That might sound funny, almost an oxymoron, but I know that often it is easier to just stay in my little rut, go to work, come home, get ready for next day, go to bed and start over again. And I am way too young for that. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway. To that end, I had a great weekend with family and friends.
On Friday, Jack and I had a spur of the moment dinner at Ken's (where else??) with Jack's dad. It was the perfect way to start the weekend. It was good to sit and talk about Marie and share memories and thoughts and feelings. And the food was great, too!

strolling down Western Avenue           

On Saturday, I had a mini shopping spree with Jean. When I say shopping spree, I mean that we had a coupon to a store in town and used this coupon to buy ourselves two very cool dresses. Afterwards, we went across the street for a glass of wine. On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Jean and I sat at the bar of an upscale restaurant and toasted our (bargain!) purchases. Absolutely out of the rut.

Today my sisters and I had lunch together. We have fallen into this new tradition of meeting for lunch on Sundays, about every five weeks or so, at TGIFridays. It works out perfectly. I look so forward to seeing Susie and Jen and catching up with them. I can't imagine where I would be without my sisters.

love my sisters. so much

Easter

We were blessed with an amazing Easter Sunday this year. We were able to celebrate the resurrection with pretty much everyone on both sides of the family. The only ones we didn't get to see were Kjell and Paul.
Jack, Wayne, Julie, Jenny, Arne, Beth, Abbie, Nina and I went to church with Susie. It was cool to be there together again, of course thinking about my mom the whole time. There was even a bagpiper! Totally Marmar. Susie donated flowers for the altar  "in memory of Marie (Jack's mom) and all her saints who reign in glory; in honor of her sisters and in celebration of the upcoming wedding of Wayne and Julie". So thoughtful! And I was so impressed by how Pastor Nancy and their church included the kids. Abbie and Nina were given a tote bag with goodies to keep them interested (but all Christ centered goodies). The best part was the wand with ribbons that they were told to wave every time they heard the word "Alleluia". So effective! After church, we went to Panera for a quick lunch. How simple and how special. Loved it!

We went to dinner at 3 at Franconello's with Jack's side of the family. It was fun to be together, though we were all missing Marie and Mike. Franconello's has been our go-to  spot for the past few years. For many years, Easter was spent at the Union League Club with the petting zoo and Easter Bunny and dessert buffet in a separate room. Those were fun times, but Nello's (as the folks in the neighborhood call it) is the perfect spot for us now. 

Franconello's with the family