Brother Watch: Day Three

Not that big of a day. Brother was up until 5 am - and didn't get up until about 1:30. Oh, to be 19.

We went downtown to the North Side Summerfest - which was SOOOO much smaller than advertised. Still, we stayed for a band, laughed our asses off, and then want cruising around the city. I forgot how much I love the neighborhoods, cafe society, the fantastic buildings, and just, well, Chicago in general. it's home - and always will be.

i freed him from hanging with 'boring older sis' last night and sent him on his way. surprise, surprise... he made his 1 am curfew.

Brother Watch: Day Two

A slow and lazy day, here in the NW suburbs of Chicago. Little Bro had over a friend and they were up until 5:00 am playing video games and killing Nazis. (Sounds oddly familiar…)

So, I was up a little later than normal and slept a little later than normal. I was hard pressed to do much with the two 19 year olds snoring away, so it turned into not much more than a hangout day at home. I don't mind that - I mind the lack of fresh air. A/C on given the 90 degree weather. So, I hung out with the young men and had some very interesting conversations. Very impressed.

I did spend a lot of time today thinking about my Dad - and how much he has changed. He has been doing things that reveal more than I had expected given his recent Prostate Cancer diagnosis. I remember one person said to me that they had not seen my Dad in 20 years (this was about ten years ago) and in that time he had not changed. My immediate thought was that my Dad had never struck me as the 'evolutionary' type in his lifetime. That, however, has changed.

This is a man who is speaking to support groups. Entering chat rooms and finding others who have had experience with his surgeon. Talking to those with other treatment plans. Having lunch or dinner with these other cancer survivors he met online while on vacation. I couldn't be more prouder of his reaction to his diagnosis. Granted, my dad's cancer was caught very early, but he still could have gone the other way.

I'm so grateful to be at a point in my life where I can say I have probably had a good ten years of a good relationship with my Dad. That is a long time coming - and I know there is still a long time to go.

brother watch: day one

I am in the Greater Chicagoland Area for a week spending time with my little brother while my parents retirement home shop in The Villages.

The day started VERY early with a drive to the airport to drop off my parents. It is not a long drive, per se. However, it was long due to the Republican anti-health care legislation. My eyes were completely glazed over - and not from the early hour. I survived the lecture and the parents were - and safely arrived in Florida and the glorious Florida steamy weather.

My little (okay, so 19 is not sooo little) brother and I had a late start. He slept in and I had laundry to do. Then we went to the driving range. A three story driving range. That was a quick $20 of the $100 the parents left two adults for seven days. I have a feeling I'll be spending money I don't have so that we are not bored in the house the entire week. Oh, well.

My brother is a good kid. A very kid. I'm interested to watch him more and talk to him more this week. I think, in some ways, we are alike in that we both like our alone time to mull things over a bit. Interesting. Stay tuned for more…


Looking forward to a bike ride around the lake in the morning.

pinky watch 2007.

so i come home today to find kdh (my step-mom) and dan (my little bro) a buzz in the house with all kinds of news. turns out that pinky the turtle, a red ear slider, had found a comfy corner in which to have a clutch of eggs. twelve to be exact. odd thing is everyone thought pinky was boy up until now, although i had serious doubts after doing some online research.

sad thing is that none of the eggs are fertilized. sadder still, pinky the domesticated turtle, broke them all. she has something to learn by way of grace and gentleness when moving around her clutch. it is possible she may have more; most turtles have 20 or more. so, now begins pinky watch 2007.

up until this summer i never really "bonded" with pinky. she is about seven and dan has had her since she was a hatchling. since, however, we have been sharing a room, pinky and i have made a connection. pinky crawls to me when i call her; she comes out of hiding when i call her. and i am not embarrassed, but, rather, proud to share this information.

will keep you posted on the egg situation.

on a final note, it is no small wonder that a turtle about a foot long produced 12 eggs that were 1.5 to 2 inches in length.

visual fun with the fam

best wedding dance tunes, ever.

hands down. emmi & tim picked out the best wedding tunes ever. i danced all night - and only sat out three songs. what follows is just one reason why. do you remember this tune? pictures and more to follow, but for now, the gal with the sinus infection from hell is off to sleep.

the zoo!

haven't been to brookfield zoo since, well... i don't know when. here are a few pics from the day.

prom photos are in.

and dan looks good in pink!

how cute is this?

It's Brandon Bunny!

vdp on people.com!

as you all may know, my fabulous cousin vanessa designs women's accessories and distributes them exclusively to her best friends, the owners of Jake. yesterday, at the recommendation of john mayer, ms. jessica simpson dropped into Jake in chicago and bought one of vanessa's obi belts and wore it out of the store. people.com is reporting it now, and mentions vanessa by name. it seems us and the chicago sun-times will also be carrying the story.

take a peak here.

go vanessa!