I hate wallpaper

Seriously, I really hate wallpaper. What were our parents thinking?

Proud of my Family

I was just thinking today...........I am very lucky. I married an amazing woman who comes from an amazing family. I have 4 great brothers, and amazing parents also.

My brothers are great guys and I am so proud of them all.

Gary has really made great strides in the last year to become the Gary I always expected him to be. We disagree on a million points, but leaving that aside, I am so proud of him. He just moved into a great house in Northbrook with his wife Angie, he has taken his hobby and his interests and been able to turn it into a career, and he seems as happy and composed as I have ever seen him.

Dominic finally popped the question to Jami, and they have so many great things to look forward to.

Patrick has been working his tail off at Enterprise in Elmhurst, and bought a place in Schaumburg.

Christopher is studying and doing great at Illinois State (despite his late night text messaging habit where he tells me how much he likes Oreo Cakesters). He's working while in school, which many of us know is challenging.

My parents have been working very hard through a tough time in the mortgage industry, but somehow they are bulletproof and keep making it happen without blinking, all the while making sure to keep their family close by and help out when needed. They are not only great parents, but great siblings to their siblings, and great children to their parents. and to think they are doing all of this despite some recent health scares.

And on top of it all, Maureen and I are going to be parents. We're so excited. We'll have the opportunity to be parents, raise a family, and watch it grow over the years. If we are half as lucky as both of our families have been, we've been blessed...

Chicago Sports

The Cubs lost. That hurt. And it looks like the World Series is going to be the Rockies and the Indians? Really? Yeah. I'll be watching. No wait, I would rather set my eyeballs on fire.

Then the Bears lose a heart breaker to the......wait for it....Vikings. Ouch. Andy Bigane and I were drinking Coors Light all day scratching out heads on how on Earth that happened.

Chicago Sports gets a big phat......thumbs down.

Half Way There...

Maureen and I are heading to our 20 week doctor appointment this afternoon. I have to say, time is really flying. We've started looking at some baby names, which is fun and new, but don't ask........we're not telling what our favorites are.

We're excited, and I think we're going to get some new pictures, so we'll make sure to post them for you all!

And on a side note...we're tentatively planning a housewarming party for December 1st. Hope you can make it!

Been a while...

It's been a while since we posted anything...so here is a quick summary of the last few weeks.

Maureen is doing very well. She's as tired as a Kenyan after running the Boston marathon, and she's as sick as an Irishman on March 18th, but all in all its very normal pregnancy issues she is experiencing. Somehow she manages not to complain about it all, and she is very focused and excited about being as mother. I am beside myself at this point. I am so excited I can't really put it into words. We're both waiting to feel the baby kick. We've been told that's should be coming up shortly. Also, we have our 20 wk ultrasound in about 10 days, so we're halfway there. And for all of those who are curious...we are not going to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I'll never forget the look on Joe Bigane's face when he announced to the room they had just had their daughter Mae. I wouldn't rob myself or all of you that excitement...!

Shawn and Ingrid got married. What a blast. The reception was at this great Dego joint in Elmhurst, Angelo's, and it went off perfectly. Ingrid looked amazing, Shawn was sober (at Church), and it was a great time. If you see Shawn, ask him about being stabbed in the foot by a huge piece of glass right before the ceremony. hey just got back from Mexico, so we're waiting for stories and pictures.

Summer softball ended. We made it to the Championship game and couldn't pull it off. Fall softball has just started and we're 3-1, tied for second place.

The Cubs are in the playoffs!!! Game 1 vs Arizona is tonight. We're hoping for a resounding victory with Z on the mound. Fingers crossed for no cramping. I'm hoping somewhere up in heaven Papa Rogers can put in a good word for our Cubbies.

The Bears are terrible. 1-3 right now against teams I thought they would crush. They have no offense to speak of, and the defense is on the field so much they look average at best right now. If we can beat the Packers @ Green bay this weekend, then we're back in the saddle. If we lose, the season is over. I am just glad I didn't bet Shawn on the Lions this year.

Work is good. No complaints there.

Family is health. No complaints there.

Lots of work still to be done at the house, but we're getting there. We should have carpet in to replace what we lost in the flood in about a week. After that we're almost fully operational.

Anyways....sorry to ramble. Be well everyone and GO CUBS!!!