My new hat!

I purchased a new hat this winter. This inspired me to find pictures of me in different hats. I should wear hats more often.

Here are some pictures!

Technically, this isn't a hat, but whatever:

Also, not a hat:

Christmas decorations!

We finally picked up a tree on Saturday. Here are a couple of pictures of decorations at Westview. (We actually made the basket & wreaths ourselves! Hooray us!)

Yes, Steve has a stocking. Let's not forget, I'm a creepy cat lady.

and finally, our tree:

ROSE BOWL!!!!

So, it was announced yesterday that Illinois will be facing USC in the Rose Bowl on January 1st. What awesome news for a program that was so dismally bad just two years ago. While I don't expect to come out of Pasadena with a win, I certainly hope Illinois is able to be competitive and keep it close.

Sadly, because of the high costs of flights ($500+), I will not be making the trip out west for the game. It's just not something I'm able to rationalize as worthy of such a large amount of money, for one game. Besides, I also have 2 trips in March to plan for - My 30th birthday in Vegas (March 19th - 23rd, mark your calendars now!) as well as the annual trip to the Final Four (this year in San Antonio). Why this can't be the year the Final Four is in Detroit is a bit frustrating. I'd easily skip that trip to take this one out west.

Anyway, that's the update for now... currently planning our trip to St Louis for the Braggin' Rights game on the 22nd!

holler.

I am a creepy cat lady

I really like this picture

Biggest Loser Challenge - Halfway point...

So, it's the halfway point of the diet I posted about at the end of September- the diet where 7 of us all tossed in $50 to see who could lose the highest percentage of body weight by the end of the year.

Well - my progress so far - I've lost 11.5 pounds! It's been tough, and I probably could be down more than that if I were more dedicated to the working out portion of the plan. I've generally kept on track with my new diet, only having a couple of bad days over the course of the past 7 weeks.

Anyway, my goal is to lose 20 by the end of the year, and the ultimate goal is 30 by 30 (30 lbs by my 30th birthday - which is 3.27). I know I'll hit a plateau at about the 18-20lb mark (I always do)... so it could be tough. If I can keep up with losing 1.5 - 2lbs/week, I'll be in great shape.

Thanks to all who have encouraged me, even if it was a simple, "you look like you've lost weight" (and for the record, it's ALWAYS good to hear that, and not something anyone should feel bad saying).

Oh, Illinois beat #1 Ohio State on Saturday 28-21, in case anyone missed it!

Nylons

I wore nylons to work for the first time this fall season yesterday.

There are pros & cons to nylons.

Pro: Keeps your legs a little bit warmer than going without
Con: Putting them on can be dangerous for the stability challenged

Pro: You don't necessarily have to shave that day
Con: The squat and yank maneuver necessary in order to pull them back up after using the facility can also be dangerous for those of us who stumble a lot.

I'm still not sure where I fall when it comes to wearing dresses/skirts in the winter. I'm going to need to invest in some boots if I plan on wearing dresses or skirts.

Random entry.

Catching up...

So, what's been going on in my life recently?

Not a whole lot really, but I figured I'd update my blog.

Illinois football made itself bowl eligible with its win over Ball State last weekend, during Homecoming weekend. I stayed in Chicago for the weekend, as I hosted Teri's bachelorette party.

Speaking of, after the date was already picked, we realized that it would be Halloween weekend in Chicago, so the girls attending were asked to wear an old bridesmaid dress, while Teri wore something that resembled a wedding dress. We went on a barcrawl down Southport and then over to Sheffield, where we ended up singing kareoke at Trader Todd's. (Correction: Teri and her mom ended up singing kareoke). Trader Todd's was the site of Teri and Kieffer's first date, so we figured it'd be a fun way to end the evening. At one of the bars, employees of the bar took our picture & plan on uploading it to their website. Awesome. As soon as it becomes available, I won't let anyone know. :)

Back to Illinois football - so, we're bowl eligible - and the following bowls are where we might end up:

• Champs Sports Bowl - Orlando - 12/28/07 - Big Ten #4/5
• Alamo Bowl - San Antonio - 12/31/07 - Big Ten #4/5
• Insight Bowl - Tempe - 12/31/07 - Big Ten #6
• Outback Bowl - Tampa - 1/1/08 - Big Ten #3
• Capitol One Bowl - Orlando - 1/1/08 - Big Ten #2

Right now, it's looking as if we'll be somewhere in Florida or in San Antonio. Not that I wish the Illini to finish 6th in the Big Ten, but I certainly wouldnt complain if we ended up in Tempe. We'd have a free place to stay in Sean's place, plus it's doubtful that I'd go to San Antonio, should we end up there (which I think is most likely) - I'll be in San Antonio for the Final Four in April 08, there's no reason to go to Texas twice within a 6-month span if I can help it.

So, that's Illini football.

Illini basketball kicks off it's season with an exhibition game against Quincy this Wednesday in Champaign. It'd be awesome if we'd be able to see it on TV without having to leave our house - Thanks Big Ten Network & Comcast. Effers. We're having our IBDA draft at Teri's & Kieffer's wedding...

This weekend is Teri & Kieffer's wedding. I'm pretty excited for it. Hopefully I'll have my dress sooner rather than later. I know it'll end up looking great, I'm just a wee bit anxious to get it, to make sure it fits, looks good with my shoes, etc.

That's all for now.

Yesterday was Steve's 3rd birthday

His birthday is the day we brought him home. We decided he turned 3 yesterday too. Here's a picture of his celebration:

The marathon was brutal

So, yesterday was the 30th running of the Chicago Marathon.

The weather was absolutely brutal. So much so, that the city decided to cancel the marathon 3.5 hours into it, mainly due to the ill-preparedness of the marathon organizers (they ran out of water & Gatorade). Of the approximately 36,000 people who started the race, approximately 25,000 of those runners completed the race. Those that were running at a slower pace were instructed to walk & also forced to board a bus to make their way to the finish line.

My friend Jen and I were out cheering our friends on, around the 8-mile marker. I had a huge Cookie Monster balloon, to make it easier for the runners to spot us, at a very crowded part of the race. All of our friends running were able to locate us, with the last being Teri & Tyler. It was Teri's first marathon (a mere 2 years after proclaiming, "you have to be clinically insane to think running 26.2 miles would be enjoyable) - they stopped at our location, Teri needed to the phone to contact her mom to alert her to the fact that they were about 30 minutes behind her scheduled pace. Luckily, Jen brought bottled water & we were able to give each one of them a bottle (as the last water/aid station was nearly out of water, they weren't sure what to expect going forward). Teri and Tyler weren't allowed to finish, so I feel awful for Teri - she'll never have a "first marathon experience" again, and this was a crappy way for her to start.

Another friend of mine was interviewed by CBS 2 in Chicago - the video is in the link provided. Don't feel bad laughing that they interviewed him as he was laying on the ground, as he's ok now. At the time, notsomuch. He's one of the first interviews - http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=36205@wbbm.dayport.com

Hooray for football season!

And kudos to my teams beating up on the state of Wisconsin this weekend!

Hey Chicago, whaddya say?

Playoffs start tonight.

Giddy up.

I went to McDonalds and didn't order fries!

So, as I've started paying close attention to what I'm consuming this week, and while searching for alternatives in the area around my office, I decided to check McDonalds, just to see how bad their salads are for you. I was pleasantly surprised at the choices and the nutritional value of them.

So, I ordered a Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken. I opted against the ranch dressing, instead, I ordered the low-fat Italian dressing. I pay and patiently wait to the side for my salad, thinking this could be great or it could be a disaster. As I'm handed my salad, I notice it's in a different bag than the normal red & white bag the regular, bad-for-you McDonald's food is served in. I take this as a sign that I should show it off as I'm making my way outside to find a seat. Sort like, "Hey guys, I did go to McDonalds, but look! I bought a salad!"

As I'm toting my salad bag around, I find my seat at a table outside. I look around to make sure everyone knows that while I did get McDonald's, I ordered a salad (I probably should have made a sign). I opened it up, it didnt look half bad. I drizzled a bit of my dressing on the salad and had my first bite of the chicken. "Ooh, it's warm!" I surprisingly thought to myself. I fiddle my way through the contents of the salad to notice that there are bacon bits AND cheese included. "This is the best not-bad-for you salad I've ever had!" I almost exclaimed out loud (which would also help to alert those around me that I ordered a salad from McDonald's. I really don't know what it is, or why I feel the need to make sure others know what I'm eating. I think it's probably partially due to trying everything to hold myself accountable. As if strangers seeing what I eat will help, but whatever).

I finish up my salad, chug down the rest of my water & get up to take a walk. I figure I should get walks in at lunch while the weather still permits. I don't plan out my walks prior to lunch, I just head a direction & walk. I eventually reach a point to turn around or start heading back to the office. This week, I've ended up taking 1.2 and 1.3 mile walks. Pretty cool.

Anyway, the moral of the story, err, of this post: McDonald's offers other items that aren't so bad for you! Give them a try someday, you might be surprised.

Ok, so I guess the diet starts today?

So, Teri's boyfriend Kieffer started an online Illini Biggest Loser competition Located here - a bunch of my interets friends and I are competing to win $350 by losing the highest percentage of body weight. The end date for the contest will be December 31st, 2007 - making it especially challenging at the end (being that it's during the holidays and all).

In any case, we're all taking pictures & weighing ourselves today & sending them to one non-participant who has been picked to be the judge (Thanks, Philo!). He'll track our progress on a weekly basis & keep the website udated in terms of who's ahead etc.

Kieffer has already done a great job at providing infomation for contestants as well. Others have provided websites to track your weightloss, to monitor what you eat, etc.

Last time I did the whole weight loss thing, I ended up losing 22 pounds in 4 months. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds by the end of the year, but will continue to try and lose 30 by my 30th birthday (March 27th).

Wish me luck, because I've never been very good at sticking to a weight loss program. I'll stick to it for 3-6 months and as soon as I plateau, I usually give up. Hopefully this won't happen again.

Look at meez!

Poor Steve looks like a statue.

They also didnt have any options with "burb hair" so I settled for an older hairstyle. :)

Tailgating in the Paign

So, this past weekend was the first home game in Champaign. The weather could have been better (it rained the majority of the prime tailgating hours) - but overall, it was a fun day & always great to get back down to Champaign.

Thanks to our friend Ryan, we were able to park for free in the Ass Hall lot & we all got into the game free. (Hope it was ok to sell those extra 10 tickets you gave us!) :D

After the game, Brad's girlfriend ousted me as the last person to join the mug club at the Illini Inn. I can't believe I never joined in college. Chugging beer just isn't my thing. After about an hour being in the smoke-filled bar, I'd had enough, so I Freedom Cabbed it back to the hotel, while the others headed to Legends/Murphys. Kind of stinks, since I love those two bars (particularly Murphys) - but I was ready to wind down for the evening.

Made it all the way back to the hotel for $8 (although I think I gave him a 50% tip since he was originally from Chicago & somehow that meant he deserved more...). As soon as I got back, I found the phone book & ordered Pokey. I have no idea why I looked up their number, it's pretty obvious I knew the number was still 355-FAST. I enjoyed about 5 of the stix & then passed out for the evening.

Here are some pictures from the weekend (Illinois won 21-0, by the way. Defense looked great, the offense, notsomuch)--

The new North End Zone - all of the students, along with the band, now sit here. Looked pretty cool, in my opinion

Carly powns all the boys in flag football

I liked this video. The girl is probably 30 now. I dont know what that has to do with anything.

Hasbrook

I went up north this weekend. Here is my favorite picture. I will upload more as I get the chance.

Burb hair

I think I have burb hair. Now, I'm sure some of you might be thinking, "What the heck is 'burb hair?' " - well, see, I don't really have a good definition for it. I think I'm just basing it on the fact that I'm the owner of bangs. I've had longer bangs in the past, but nothing this short (well, not since 1987 or so). I'm still trying to figure out what to do with them, because I'm not usually a fan of hair on my forehead. (I probably should have said something other than, "sure, do what you want" in response to my stylist's question, "Do you want to try something new?" last week at my hair appointment).

In any case, I snapped a picture as I was leaving the salon, knowing that she probably styled them the best they would ever look again & here it is.

Burbalicious.

I'm going to turn to cheese!

So, there's a lot going on the next couple of weeks for me (most of which involve Wisconsin) - and for those that read my blog for those updates, this one's for you (I'm looking at you, Ginger).

This weekend Matt & I head up to some place near Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a wedding of a high school friend of Matt's. I've never met the groom or the bride, but have met most of the friends that will be there, so I won't feel like a complete outcast. Plus, I like weddings (mostly for the free booze) - plus, we'll have some time away from home & that's always nice. I have an unnatural enjoyment of staying in hotels... probably because I'm allowed to leave whatever mess I want & it'll get picked up by someone else. I usually don't leave much of a mess though, other than an unmade bed.

Next weekend, plans are still up in the air, but currently penciled into my calendar is a trip up near Twin Lakes, WI for Teri's 30th birthday celebration. I'm still waiting on whether or not the cabin is available that weekend, but if it is, I'll be there. It's an annual thing that we started doing 3 or 4 years ago in celebration of both Teri & Kieffer's birthday. Should be a fun time, if we end up going.

The last weekend in August will be an extended weekend, spent WAY up north, at Matt's parent's cabin in Northern Wisconsin. After looking up the lake on google (Lake Hasbrook), it appears that it's near the towns of Minocqua & Lake Tomahawk, way the heck up there in Wisconsin. I'm looking forward to my first visit to the cabin, although I'm not too sure how I'll do in the boat. Matt loves to fish. I would love to like to fish, but I'm not sure it's my thing. I'm going to give it a shot & just bring a book or magazine with me when we're out on the lake, and I should be fine. We're spending 4 days up there, so it'll be a nice little retreat/mini-vacation for the two of us. We haven't gone on one alone yet, as far as I can remember. Most trips are usually Illini related, and shared with a big group. Should be a really good time & I'm definitely looking forward to it, sort of a farewell to summer, I suppose. Now, if I could just convince Matt that Steve should come, I'd be happy.

Other than that, nothing much is new. I did receive abnormal results from my recent doc's visit & am scheduled to head back in next week for further testing. I've been put on antibiotics for a week, which means no drinky at the happy hour for Teri's birthday on Friday. Boo that garbage.

It's too early to be excited

But I am.

Final health update for a while

So I went to the specialist (OBGYN) last Thursday for a follow-up visit to my stint in the ER.

All went well, and from the exams given, everything seemed normal to the doctor. I have to get another ultrasound in 6-8 weeks to make sure everything is cleared up & to make sure I don't have anything else going on down there. I've got 2 weeks for results of the lab tests taken while I was at the doctor. I'll hear back in the mail (if the test shows nothing) or on the phone (if it's something serious). Let's hope for some mail!

I'm feeling better, which isn't saying much, as I don't think I've been in as much pain since my last knee accident/injury in 2002. I played softball yesterday without pain, so I'm well on my way to being back to normal.

Thanks for all the well wishes and notes, it's appreciated. :)

Movies in the Park

So, the Chicago Outdoor Film festival officially kicked off it's 2007 season last night at Butler Field in Grant Park. Each summer, the Chicago Park District sets up a huge movie screen & shows old movies every Tuesday night at sun down.

This year's kick-off movie was "Young Frankenstein" directed by Mel Brooks & starring Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle. Now, maybe it was the build-up that ruined it for me, or the fact that I had caught glimpses of it on television a couple of times & didn't like it, but I didn't really care for the movie, nor did I appreciate it's humor. This makes me a little mad, as if I'm missing out on something great or something. "One of the funniest movies ever made," Richard Roeper said as he was introducing the movie. "It's still funny because the humor is timeless. Funny is funny, that doesn't change over time." Oh great, even more build up, thanks Dick.

In any case, here are the few issues I had with the film:

--Peter Boyle plays the monster that Dr. Frankenstein creates, using an abnormal brain (thanks to Igor). For whatever reason, I couldn't get past thinking that the monster was similar to someone with a disability. Unable to speak, he was yelled at for not responding to people. Once he was captured by the townspeople after the variety act put on by he and Dr. Frankenstein, he was chained up like an animal. I can understand the people being afraid of this 7 1/2 foot monster, but chaining him up (in what appeared to be pretty weak chains, as he immediately broke out of them after choking the guard).

--Although it seemed inevitable, it still angered me a bit to see that Dr. Frankenstein got it on with his female assistant Inga (played by Teri Garr). Dr. Frankenstein left behind, his financier, errr, his fiancée when he came to Transylvania.

--Finally, when Dr. Frankenstein's fiancée came to visit him, a very awkward scene quickly emerged. The mosnter had gotten loose & was drawn to the sound of music, either being played or sung. Well, wouldn't you know it, the fiancée lady was singing & the monster heard it, so he followed the sound. Eventually, he made his way into wherever she was, and while I know it wasn't meant to appear this way, it seemed as if the monster had forcefully taken advantage of her. You can even hear her struggling a bit, but then all of a sudden she breaks into song. Hooray! She's not being raped, she likes it! (A similar scene ends the movie, only between Dr. Frankenstein & Inga. Not quite as bad, but still made me a little uncomfortable).

All of that aside, I really appreciate that this is something different to do in Chicago. I love being able to sit in a park in downtown Chicago and watch a movie. With the skyline on one side, the lake on another & stars up above - it's a pretty neat sight. The movies are free, people are allowed to bring lawn chairs, blankets, food, tables, and adult beverages (so long as they're served once the sun goes down & the police don't spot you). If you don't have chairs, they're available for rent for $5. If you don't have food, they usually have a couple of booths set up in the park.

Health update

As I assume most of you know, I recently had a stint in the local ER. Last Tuesday morning (7/10), I finished showering & getting ready for work to find myself crippled over in pain. There was something severely wrong with my abdomen/pelvic region & I had no idea what it was. It rendered me immobile & scared the crap out of me.

To back up a bit, I had planned on taking a half day on Tuesday, to head home to Rockford for my dad's 55th birthday/retirement party. That said, Matt had taken public transportation to work in the burbs (read: double the commute) so I could drive his car home.

Back to the story -he had already left for work, and was pretty much almost to work when I called him and suggested that I needed to go to the ER. He agreed to turn around and head home to get me to the hospital. Knowing this would take a long time, I did my best to position myself in a way on the couch that was somewhat comfortable & might allow me to sleep. Once Matt called his boss to let her know what was going on, his boss told him to remain at the train station he was calling from, and that she'd pick him up & drive him back to the city. Awesomely cool on her part.

So, anyway, Matt makes it home, we head to the ER. I can't even being to explain what Matt being there meant. I probably wouldn't have made the trip to the ER without him, rather, I'd be at home, wishing the pain away.

Seems I made it to the ER just in time (around 10AM), as later in the morning, there were folks lying in beds in the hallway. I was lucky enough to secure a room for the entire day.

In an attempt to keep this short (won't happen)... here's my day:

• Arrive.
• Submit a urine test.
• Have blood drawn, get hooked up to an IV. (My vein collapsed on the initial attempt to draw blood, leaving an awesome bruise. I also sucked up the fluids in the IV, as I had been out drinking the previous night. Oops).
• Meet with doctor, who performs a pelvic exam. stop reading if you're grossed out by girly tests/problems. You can begin reading a little later . Since they were out of "gyn-y beds" they had to create one out of the bed I was in. This consisted of covering a small bucket and sliding under my backside. Sweet.

Those who stopped reading, can continue reading here

• Pelvic test came back inconclusive, so an ultrasound was ordered.
• The ultrasound was one of the most uncomfortable tests I've ever had in my entire life. I was in a lot of pain, and the second part of the ultrasound sucked. I'll leave it at that, to spare any more gross-out moments.
• The ultrasound produced some evidence of a problem, but to be sure of them, a CTScan was ordered.
• Between the ultra sound and CTScan, I was in a lot of pain. In an attempt to dull the pain, the nurse gave me morphine. That was an experience in itself.
• In an attempt to not have to push me around the hospital in a bed for the 3rd time, the patient escort dude asked if I was able to go via wheelchair. Not wanting to be pushed around in the bed, for all to see me (I was pushed through the main lobby, and seemingly halfway across the hospital), I decided to take the wheelchair route.
• The wheelchair route wasn't the best idea. As I arrived at the CTScan room, I was parked outside the room, behind another patient also waiting for a scan. At this point, the morphine was kicking in quite a bit - I was a bit dazed, started sweating, and all I wanted to do was crawl into a little ball & lay down.
• Eventually it was my turn for a scan. This was very easy. I'd have a billion CTScans before I ever want another ultrasound.

After all of this, the doctor concludes that I have ovarian cysts. It appeared that I had 2 of them on my left ovary, with one of them rupturing recently. I was also diagnosed with a UTI, which would make the pain in my pelvis a lot more understandable/explainable (if that makes any sense).

I was scheduled to see an OBGYN in the hospital that night before I was discharged, but due to others needing attention before me, there was a 3 hour window that one might be able to come down to see me. Instead of making us wait, the ER doc scheduled an appointment for me the following day & discharged me with scripts in hand for the pain & the UTI.

The following day was awful. The OBGYN wasn't covered by my insurance, so I wasnt able to see her. I'm currently trying to locate a doc that can, so I can get this taken care of and further diagnosed (hopefully with a clean bill of health).

I've been back at work for a few days, in minimal pain & almost back to 100%. Thanks to everyone who's sent emails, notes, calls, etc the past few days. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on the outcome of my next doctor's visit.

Puzzle update #2

We rock. Now we're down to the sucky yellow pieces that will take forever to place.

Another exciting update

Jeebus, I'm old.

Puzzle update!!!

The extra exclamation points indicate my level of excitement (in case that wasn't apparent). Below is a picture of our progress as of a couple days ago. We've gotten a little bit more since then, but we're on the difficult part of the puzzle at this point.

Steve has helped in as much as while he's been on the table, he hasnt moved/eaten any of the pieces. Hooray Steve! Speaking of Steve - http://www.imstevethecat.blogspot.com/

Puzzle mania!!

So, over the past weekend, Matt & I decided that it'd be fun to do a puzzle (yes, we realize this is one of the first steps to becoming an old couple). On Sunday, we went to Target in search of a puzzle. As is the norm with most Target trips, both of us spent at least $50 & we didnt end up finding what we went for - a puzzle. Most of the puzzles were kid puzzles or ugly landscapes.



We then remembered seeing a Chicago skyline puzzle at a place called Electicity up in Lincoln Square, where we had spent part of our Saturday. We drove up that way, the store ended up being closed. We were bummed, but figrued we tried our best.



Monday rolls around and I head home early from work due to some odd stiffness/pain in my neck, due likely to oddball sleeping. Whatever it was, it made it impossible for me to look up & very difficult to look straight ahead or turn my head in either direction, but I digress. I hop on the Clark bus home, and remember there was a game store on the way, so I pull the string and get off at Diversey, in hopes of finding an awesome puzzle.



The game store is pretty much made for dorks who play those weird fantasy games. I mean, everytime I've been in it, or past it, there's a card table set up with 2 dorks playing some dorky game. Once again, the dorks were playing, but I saw a large wall full of puzzles. Most looked to be really difficult (we had determined that we should start with something with 300-500 pieces) - most at this dorky game store had at least 1500 pieces... and most were, well, dorky. Unsatisfied with the selection, I headed home.



Matt had stopped on the way home to pick up a heating pad for me. During his venture into the KMarts, he also decided to look for puzzles. He came home with this:

I was all about the sweet gesture, but was also all, "WTF? This is a Harley-Davidson puzzle" - but after emptying all of the pieces and attempting to turn them all right side up, group them together, I found myself putting the puzzle together. Hey, this isn't so bad after all. I headed to bed early, but Matt stayed up and also started to put the puzzle together. Last night, we both sat around it for at least an hour or so, just listening to music & attempting to make sense of the 12 or 13 pieces that were not a part of the 4 billion yellow pieces. We made a good chunk of progress on it. And I'm somewhat embarassed to admit that I'm looking forward to getting home so I can work on my Harley-Davidson puzzle.

A pictoral summary of my trip out west