Pffeww! and a high five and a wahoo! and a huh? and a giggle

After 2 different trips, 7 hours waiting, 12 lines stood in, 5 forms filled out, 65.88 miles driven and $284.00 paid Nathan and I are now licensed, stickered and plated Chicago residents!  Hopefully the second background check won't take as long and we can still apply for that grant...the deadline is next Friday.

Insurance stuff is coming along...the rental place said they never got the payment, the insurance company swore they sent it...and we were caught in the middle.  I finally got mean and yesterday morning got a phone call from the manager at the rental place telling me the money would be refunded by the end of the day.

As a completely unrelated aside...my next post will be my 500th post!  I think I might just have to give something away...so stay tuned. :)

Oh, yesterday evening I was mopping the floor in the kitchen (preparing for our big weekend!!) and the phone rang.  I saw it was the number for our condo which meant someone was trying to be buzzed into the building.  I knew we weren't accepting company, but sometimes a neighbor will get locked out.  I answered and it went like this:

Hello?

Can you let me in?

Who is this?

Come on, I locked myself out.

What apartment do you live in?
### (which is our apartment number)
Uh huh...What's your name?

Nathan.

Right, {smug laugh} nice try buddy.

I hung up and turned to tell Nathan the funny story about how someone was trying to use his name to get into our building and saw he was no longer sitting on the couch...and that Besta wasn't on the rug.

Have I mentioned that the condo intercom distorts voices?


I am not a bad wife.

Land of a Thousand Lakes

Nathan had a three day weekend (which NEVER happens in the Navy Band in the summer) so we decided to pack up the dog and head up to see his sister in Minnesota. The drive was six hours and isn't too bad, but it isn't something I would want to do often! One of Nathan's other brothers was also visiting so we got a nice double dose of family. We hung out, talked, ate, played games, gave Nathan a mani/pedi, went to church and went to the Spam Museum. Yep, I did say Spam Museum...I swear I did not throw that in to just see if you were paying attention. Overall a great time was had by all...and most importantly, many calories were burned laughing.

Here is a plethera of pictures. If you want to see more, (because lets face it, I am freaking adorable and so is my family...not to mention there are lots of pictures of the Spam Museum should your curiosity be peaked by what magical mysteries might be hidden behind those Hormel walls) you'll have to check out my album on facebook. Not my facebook friend?? Well, whose fault is that?!?

Besta. So happy to be out of the concrete jungle. I know he doesn't look happy...in fact he looks like he could jump up and bite my face off. Maybe he's just feeling a little anxiety over doing this to me:

To tell you the truth, I am not exactly sure what happened. I was throwing the frisbee for him to fetch and one time when he brought it back to me he misjudged where I was standing and ran into/bit my leg right on the back of my knee. I am pretty sure it was on accident. Only one semi-puncture wound...my pants didn't even get a hole in them. But man oh man does it hurt! The flash washed it out a bit, so you'll just have to take my word that it is WAY more purple in person.

The girls and I took Besta on a nice long walk to a park. I was mean and made them pose for lots of pictures.

Nathan getting the full spa treatment.

Pedi. Right

Pedi. Left. I think the hairy feet and toes add to the look, no?

Uncle Nathan and all the nieces...pretty sure he clenched the favorite uncle title with this.

Showing off the mani.

Horse face. It is funny, I promise. I guess you just had to be there.

Grant hoisting away to get Spam to the troops.

Michael and Andrew packing Spam.

The whole crew at the Spam Museum. (I hope Cindy or Janus' picture turned out better, I think the tour guide lady sneezed or something when she took this one)

Lard. Yummy.

Hormel's newest Spam Recruits.

Spam Head.

More adventures with Brad

Brad wanted to see the city...who wouldn't? We made a quick stop off at the lake and snapped a few photos as proof of our visit. Please ignore how white my legs look in this picture.


Isn't this one awesome?


While Brad was here we had our first Chicago Deep Dish Pizza experience. It was awesome. There was enough cheese in one slice of this sucker to feed an army of mice for a week! (Not that I would feed an army of mice, I'm just sayin')


We then headed on over to Millenium Park. It was so much prettier than when we went the first time. All the flowers were in bloom...and as you can see the tulips were beautiful.


Here's a shot of us (well, technically our reflection) in The Bean. Are you astounded at my fantastic photographer skills? I know I am. :)



Then we shopped the Magnificent Mile...well, window shopped. I got to drool over shoes and clothes and the boys drooled over iphones. I swear I didn't retouch this photo at all...the river really is that color. Doesn't it make you want to jump in for a swim?
Here's a shot looking North up the Magnificent Mile. More tulips.
We hiked up to the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building for a little look-see. Pretty good view, eh?

Jelly Belly

Our friend Brad is out here visiting and we decided to head on up to the Jelly Belly Factory.

We got to wear spiffy paper hats for the tour.
Our tour guide was MENTAL. Seriously. He had to be on some serious mood-elevators to be as chipper as he was.


Jelly Beans...yum

After the tour you can sample any flavor you want. Nathan and Brad were brave and sampled some of the weirder ones. Brad tried Vomit...and promptly spit it out. Nathan tried and loved Black Pepper, then tried Booger...
...and didn't love it.
In the end we came home with over 10lbs of jelly beans and guts hurting from all the laughing.

Close encounter of the homeless kind

I had my first real encounter with a (well I assumed him to be) homeless person last week. Yep...first of probably many I'm sure.

Nathan and I walked the 10 minutes or so the the Metra stop and when we got to the top of the platform I noticed there was a guy sitting on the other end of the long bench. I do get spooked easy when it comes to being safe (Remember Seattle?... My OCD manifests itself in all things safety related) so I picked a spot on the other end of the bench from the mysterious guy. We sit down and then it gets wierd: (I tried to spell out some of his funky pronounciations and slurs...an audio version of this would be WAY more entertaining, but this will have to do)

Wierd Homeless Guy: Hay, what's your name?
Holly: Holly (oh crap...did I just give him my real name??!?)
WHG: What's your frieeend's name?
Nathan: (leaning out in front...shouts in a gruff voice) NATE.
WHG: Whatcha doin?
H: Waitin for the train
WHG: You got kids?
H: Nope
WHG: Want one?
H: Someday
WHG: I tell you where you can get 'un reeeaal cheap. One dollar.
(It is about now that I get a whiff of what sweet smoke and realize this guy is baked.)
H: silence
WHG: See ov'a there, that grey buildin'?
H: Yep
WHG: No, see the grey one? ...Look... See the red one then white one then red one then tan then grey. Right?
H: Right
WHG: With all the ads, right?
H: Right
WHG: Lotsa babies. One dollar will feed them.
H: Oh
WHG: Sssshhhh!
H: silence
WHG: We gotsta be quiet. Know why?
H: Why?
WHG: Baaad people. They tried to kill my sistuh.
H: That's not good.
WHG: Nope. They spit in her cheeseburger. So I gave her twenty dollas. Know why?
H: Why?
WHG: Cause I'm her big brother.
H: silence
WHG: I tell you what. I like you. I tell you whata do. Go to the check cashing place. Give them twenty-five dollas. They give you three back and a pass. Good for all of it.
H: Oh.
WHG: You know where that's at?
H: Nope
WHG: Ov'a there. Under that sign.
H: Oh, ok
WHG: Sshhhhhh! Quiet!
H: Oh, sorry.
WHG: Know why?
H: Why?
WHG: They listenin.
H: silence
WHG: Know who I am?
H: Nope
WHG: The powleece. Backups comin.
H: silence
WHG: I gotsa job. You prouda me Holly?
H: Yep
WHG: Know where I work? AA giggles. For real. You prouda me Holly?
H: Sure, that's great.
WHG: You can get it there. Under that sign. See the sign? We meet there ev'ry night at six o'clock til nine. Coffee with nine sugars and three creams.
H: That's a lot of sugar.
WHG: giggles. Yep. You can meet us. You know how ta get there...turn 'round and go down tha stairs and go left. See the street lamps? Over there, the fancy lookin ones?
H: Yep
WHG: Over there. Go. Six o'clock. mumbles
H: Ok
WHG: Know who I am?
H: The police?
WHG: No. I'm Peter Pan. giggles
H: Oh (man this guy is psycho...he's on his second joint by this time)
WHG: I gots me some Reeeeeeces. I'm good with Reeeeeeces, huh?
H: Yep
WHG: You know the babies? In that grey buildin? I gots mine.
H: Oh. You got yours there?
WHG: Yep. Lexus. Porsha.
H: Like the cars
WHG: ...and Elizabeth
H: That's not a car.
WHG: Nope. Royalty.
WHG: Know who I am?
H: Nope
WHG: Stevie Wonder. He's like Michael Jackson and Prince. mumbles
H: silence
WHG: Where you goin on the train? Don't go to the city.
H: Why?
WHG: Baaaaaad people. They're listenin.
H: Ya, isn't backup coming?
WHG: giggles. Yep.
(Nathan has been trying to get me up to walk away for the past few minutes. We can see the train pulling up in the distance I finally give in and get up to walk away. Our little homeless buddy gets up too)
WHG: You read papers?
H: Sometimes
WHG: Here. Have this 'un.
H: No, that's ok. Don't you want it?
WHG: Nah. Here. (walks towards us...he hands me the Chicago Sun Times) See ya. (He smiles and I notice he has only a handful of teeth. He is carrying a bag of Vitamin Water and smells of sweet smoke.)

We got on the train and had a good chuckle over the whole thing.