Second Hockey Game

Andrew played in his second hockey game on Sunday night. WHY must they have them on Sunday nights at 9:45 pm??

Anyway, this time I'm posting video. Andrew has improved remarkably.


This is a little more dangerous than I thought. The other guys stick hit him in the neck when he almost ran him over. I think I'm going to make the New Helmet Agenda our top priority.

Here is Andrew picking up his stick. Hey, at least he was aggressive right?
In the following video, you can see Andrew pulling a Chris Kramer in the game against Arizona...




He's still going to play even if he has to play laying down! :) Next week, Andrew is going to get the puck into the net by doing Kramer's Superman move!

Andrew is ready for action.

Watch out, Maroon and Yellow team! I don't think you know who you're dealing with!

The stands were again filled to the brim.  The girls in the top row were singing, "In the Arms of the Angel", that Sarah McLachlan song, LOUD.  Why? I don't know.  Couldn't they do that in the parking lot? I'm watching hockey ova' here!

The couple in front brought their own Budweiser Tallboys.  Now they know how to watch hockey!

They, again, shut the scoreboard off almost as soon as the final buzzer rang.  But the final score was 6-2. Andrew's team lost.  Bummer.

But it was a good game nonetheless!

Good game... good game... good game...

Andrew is getting better week by week.  Watch out Patrick Kane! Someone's coming to replace you! :)

Happy Birthday, Ya Old Farts!

This weekend was the long anticipated SURPRISE 30th birthday party for Andrew and Travis. Surprise parties are by far the most stressful thing on the planet and I don't want to plan one ever again. But this party turned into a great success even with all the major bumps along the way.

First Bump: Morgan Can't Read Numbers

So Katie and I had been planning this party for a couple of months. She sent me an email that said, "I'm thinking about the 25th for the boys' party." I wrote back, "The 26th sounds great." I did not realize until Katie sent out the Evite invitation to 80 people that I had read the wrong date. I told all of Andrew's family and mine that the party was the 26th. Holy moses. Yes I cried when this happened. For HOURS. How can I screw that up? Katie and I talked about switching it to Saturday but they were invited to a wedding that day and had invited the bride and groom. How awkward would that be? Um, we're not coming to your wedding anymore AND you're now invited to the same party and it's on your wedding day. Nope, not so much. So we kept it on the 25th and there were a lot of people who were able to make it because it was on Friday and not Saturday, (due to weddings or leaving for vacations that day) so that was good. Phew.

Second Bump: Trying to Keep it a Secret

There were several times when Andrew almost found out about the party. There was the time when we were talking to our neighbors, the Zmyslos, and they said, "Isn't your birthday party on the 25th?" I was standing behind Andrew furiously shaking my head no. Luckily it went right over Andrew's head.
Next, I had told Andrew several times that we were going out to dinner on Friday the 25th. He forgot and planned to take his clients out that night. I tried everything I could (including inviting his clients) but I couldn't convince him otherwise so I ended up telling him that we had planned a surprise party for him so he had to cancel on his clients. He was sad because he had never had a surprise party before but it was actually a good thing because...
The next day (the day of the party) Andrew got a call from one of his clients who said, "Hey aren't you having a birthday party tonight?" So I guess it's better to hear it from me than someone else, right?

Anyway, Travis was still surprised and both the boys had a wonderful time so the party was a great success!

Now on with the pictures!

The Cake for the 30 Year Old Farts

Me and the Birthday Boy

Kevin and Diane made it the night before they were leaving for vacation. Aww!

The members of Lost Days (Andrew's old band) showed up so they could have a mini-reunion. Let's walk down memory lane on that one, shall we??

Such great memories....
Now back to the party...

My lovely sister-in-law and I

The Thornburg Crew

The McCutcheon Crew: They were sitting in a circle singing songs. We never quite figured out what the songs were about but they were darn catchy!

I believe this is the point where Andrew had said something offensive and Kevin is referring to that statement with his hand. And well, so is Andrew. Nice.

My mom had taken over my camera at this point. She told me, "You'll be glad you have these pictures!" And then my battery died.

Brandon showed up after he got off work.

Can you imagine these two guys NOT having a good time together??

Hey there's me, sucking down some caffeine so I can try to stay awake for the remainder of the night.

The Keipers (thinking to themselves, please Wilma, stop taking pictures!)

Travis and Katie, looking cute

And of course the typical Andrew shot from the night. He definitely had a great time.

For more proof of his great time, check out this highly edited video (due to cusswords and the extraordinary amount of booing) of Andrew making fun of the Irish singer in the other room.




Speaking of the Irish singer in the other room...
My mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, Andrew and I were all outside Nine Irish saying bye while they closed down inside. We hear an odd sound behind us. WHAT was THAT? We turn around and it's the Irish singer barfing his brains out all over the parking lot. WHAT???? He was just performing for everyone. He was throwing up so bad, he stopped once to clear out his nostrils (using the old farmer's kleenex, if you will). How nasty is that?? We were appalled. Actually no, we ran to our cars hysterically laughing. That is kind of mean. But I promise, after all the barfing, he was perfectly fine.

Okay one more story and then this post is over, I promise.

Since I had to ruin the surprise for Andrew, I wanted to surprise him by giving him his birthday present early.  But since I ruined his surprise two days before his party, this was going to be difficult.  I wanted to get him an iPad.  Now you would think with Apple introducing the iPhone 4 that day, it wouldn't be that hard to find a product that had been on the shelf for a little while.  Turns out, yes, it is still difficult.  I looked everywhere.  There wasn't one in Michiana.  Dang.  So Brandon found one using www.milo.com (which is an amazing website) in Merrillville.  So I call Best Buy in Merrillville and ask if they still have the iPad.  She said Yes.  "SWEET!! Can you hold it?" I ask.  "Yes, for an hour," she replies.
Oh CRAP.  I'm an hour and 20 minutes away.  So I jump in my car and race over there.  I call Best Buy again when I've still got 20 minutes to drive ask if they can hold it longer.  She pleasantly agrees.  I'm like SWEET! This is actually going to happen.

I arrive at the Merrillville Best Buy and walk in the door.  Being preggo me, I decide going to the bathroom is way more important than going to customer service to pick up the iPad.  When I'm in the bathroom, the power goes out in Best Buy.  Are you kidding me???  I walk up to customer service and they promptly tell me that they cannot help me because they have to wait for the computer system to come back up.
NOOOOOOO!!!!!  So I decide I'm going to wait it out.  I drove all the way over here, I'm getting my stinkin' iPad.

This is my view from the floor of the Best Buy.  Yes, I sat on the floor.  Not only did I sit on the floor but...

I squeegeed the Jello out of a cup out of my purse.  I was hungry.  I didn't want to have another episode like I did at the Cubs game.  Katie wasn't available to be my medic at this time.

So there I was eating Jello while sitting on the floor of Best Buy while I watched the Best Buy blue shirts struggle with anything and everything. At one point, the blue shirt borrows a customer's cell phone because BB's phones were not working and she needed to call the help desk for a problem with the computer system.  Man, was I glad I didn't work at Best Buy on this day.  Wow.

But guess what???

Perseverance pays off!  I GOT IT!! (Haha, look at that nerd! Taking a picture of her iPad with her iPhone. GEEK!)

Anyway, I was able to buy the iPad, race home, sync it, put all the fun apps on it (like the birthday app above) and get back out of the house before Andrew got home.  I was pulling out of our neighborhood and I called Andrew. "Where are you?"  He said, "On Quince Road."  He was less than a mile away.  I'm THAT good. 
SUCK IT, INDIANA JONES!!

So, I guess to sum up the whole weekend... I'm exhausted.

And next year I turn 30.  Andrew, you better start planning now.  :)

16 weeks: Wait, you're pregnant?

Yep, pregnant and not too much change in two weeks.  Still very easily hidden.  No maternity pants.  No belly bands.  Just loose fitting shirts and baggy jeans.  Can't complain. 

Now that the word is out at work, I'm getting lots of comments from coworkers.  One person said, "Oh you used to be skinny."  Another said, "Congrats, you're finally pregnant."  And yet, another one said, "So this must be an oops baby?"  Seriously??? Do you think they wanted to put both feet in their mouths after saying this stuff? Nope, they were totally oblivious.  I mean, seriously??

Anyway, on to the weekly babycenter update... 
15 weeks: She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.
16 weeks: Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

We have an ultrasound appointment in 3 weeks.  So excited for that one! I can't believe I'm getting close to the half way point! Time is flying. 

As for how I'm feeling? This explains it. 

Last night, I'm sorry to admit, I teared up a little during the end of Mighty Ducks 2.  It's a problem. 

Did you know that Kenan Thompson was in that movie??

Well now ya do. 

So Mighty Ducks, Good Burger, Fat Albert and...
something else...
Whatever it was, it was tenacious...
It was audacious...
It was vivacious...
It was flirtatious...
Ooooooooo wwweeeeeeeeeeeee, what up wit dat? What up wit dat?

Don't worry, kept the tears in check for this skit.  :)

First Hockey Game

Andrew played his first league hockey game this weekend.  But first, we went to Open Skate again on Friday night while the storms were raging.  This is the only picture I took that night.

I love this picture.  It's Andrew vs. the ice.  (I believe the ice is up 1-0 at this point.)

So 9:45pm Sunday night rolls around and it's time for HOCKEY.

 This is Andrew's team.  He's the one with the all blue jersey with two yellow and white socks. 

Here are some manly action shots.

Put him in, coach! He's ready to play...

for all the cheering fans in the stands.  :)

Watching him climb over the wall with those giant hockey pants was my favorite part.

Since he's still learning to skate he had a few times where he fell down but he wasn't afraid to go after that puck!

I tried to get a close up shot of the team jerseys.  Their team name is Viagra Falls.

I knew I was going to enjoy watching these games when in the first minute, one player went down pretty hard.  The ref looks at him and goes, "BWAAAAHAHHAAHAHAAAA!!"  

They did the typical "Good game... good game... good game..." line up at the end of the game. 

They tied 2-2.

I have some videos but I'll have to post them later because I don't have time to upload them tonight.
I'm actually quite jealous.  I wish I could join the league.  There are girls that play and I can skate well enough.  Maybe next year.

Claire's Bachelorette Party Weekend

This weekend was Claire's bachelorette party in Chicago.  I was really looking forward to this weekend until the weekend arrived.  On Friday night, there was a crazy storm with 70 mph hurricane force winds.  When we got home, we were happy to find no damage but we had no power.  Other people in our neighborhood were not so lucky.

The other problem we had when we got home was that we could not get into our house because we depend on our stupid garage door and do not carry house keys (shut it, I know, DUMB).  We were thankful (and I guess not so thankful) that our basement door was unlocked (how long has that door been unlocked??).  So we were able to get in our house and go to bed.  We were also dumb in the fact that we did not open our windows that night.  So we woke up in our sauna bedroom the next morning still without power. 

On the way to the bachelorette party the next day, even the McDonalds on the toll road didn't have power. Finally united with the bachelorette crew, we make our way to Murphy's before the Cubs game.

See this picture? This is directly after I almost passed out.  For some reason, my body decided I could not wait more than 3 hours between eating.  I start to get nauseous so I decide I need to get something to eat.  Katie sees the look on my face and comes with me, thinking something might be wrong.  I stand in line (where the man is standing in the back of the picture) to get food.  All the sudden, it hits me- Hard.  I start to black out.  My eyes start to go dark where I can only see the peripheral.  I am standing there looking at the guy who is supposed to serve me food and I can't see his face.  I'm holding on to the counter for dear life and my entire ghostly pale face has broken out in sweat.  The guy looks at Katie with that typical bouncer look like, if this chick is drunk or on drugs, she is out of here.  Katie goes, "NOOOO!! She's knocked up. She just needs food."  Who knows what my pupils looked like at that point if I couldn't see the dudes face! I mumbled something about a brat and chips and run away from the counter.  Since I was still blacking out, I couldn't see as I shoved my way through the crowd so eventually I found a trash can and knelt down by it.  Katie brought me the brat and chips and I scarfed that down like it was going to save my life.  Well it did.  I immediately felt a hundred times better and was able to go on with the rest of the day.  But people were still staring uncomfortably at the freakish girl who, for a second there, looked like she might be about to die.  How incredibly embarrassing.  Thank goodness Katie was there to be my medic!! Phew!! Close one!

I told my mom about it and she said, "YOU NEED TO EAT! And you need to sit down and have someone wait on you."  I said, "Well yeah, I know that NOW."  I just didn't think it would hit me so hard and that quickly.

So anyway, shortly after that we headed to the Cubs game.  What a game to attend.  It was, I believe, the worst shut out loss since 1998 or something like that.  It was disastrous.  But we still had fun. 

Hey look! It's Piniella- ella- ella, ay.  Things did not improve after they changed pitchers.

Even the Cubbie Bear is saying "I wouldn't waste my money! Go back home!"

Tim Meadows sang the 7th Inning Stretch.  How perfect.  The Ladiesth Man sang for the Ladiesth Night.

To help fans deal with the devastating loss, a giant macaroni noodle was brought for some over-sized comfort food. 

After the game, Claire decided to hold her own against a group of dedicated Angels fans... 

We quickly became fast friends, one bachelor party and one bachelorette party. 

The Bride to Be was a dancing machine!


After the post-game celebration, we went out to eat at Bucca di Beppos.  Since we were such a large group, they placed us in our own separate room.  We got to sit in the Pope Room.

A little freaky right?

THIS was on our table.  Creepy!

Little naked cherubs adorned the ceiling. 

But Claire was able to sit in the Pope Throne which was pretty cool.  But then the Pope head stared at her all night.

Don't worry.  She's really good at staring contests. 

After Bucca, we went to The Underground.  The Underground is owned by local celebrity Billy Dec.  Apparently, while we were at the club, there were a few celebrities also in attendance.
From his twitter page:

Girls equally went nuts for Channing Tatum ("Step Up") & the Blackhawks team @UndergroundChi last nite! Wonder if Kane picked up some moves?

We missed them! I think they would have loved us!

 I mean, just look at us.  By the way, the rock 'n' rolla chick on the right is the Maid of Honor. She planned the bachelorette party weekend and did a fabulous job.  Go Roman!!

This picture was taken at about one in the morning. I was starting to fall asleep while dancing I was so tired.

Did I mention we had a Reserved Bottle Service table? 

How fun is that? I think it's the "expensive" type of fun, actually.  :)

Anyway, Claire continued to make friends with people all night long.  In the picture below, she told these men that she would be coming up to them all night to tell them random things.  Then she walked away.  She came back 30 seconds later and said, "I own a ladder" and walked away again.  The guy on the right said, "Girl, you funny." 

I also wanted to take a picture just to prove how tall these guys were.  I mean, seriously.  They were like 19 feet tall (Morganism).


On Sunday, we had Claire's Bridal Brunch in the Signature Room of the John Hancock. 

This was the view as we walked into the room...

Amazing!

This is Lake Shore Drive.  I'm so happy my pictures turned out so well.  It was such an amazing view.

I really like this one because of the sky.  It was a gorgeous day.

We could see everything, including the park where Travis and Katie got engaged.  Aww!

 Here is the group picture of everyone at the Brunch.  Too bad the view didn't show up in the picture.

After that, we got to take a Behind-the-Scenes tour of The Signature Room.  It was very cool.  Roman's family owns the Signature Room and Roman is the manager of operations so as we took the tour, employees would scatter like cockroaches when she came through.

The view from the Women's Restroom is amazing.  Scroll down to the 9th item on this list for a little proof.

 Or just look at my pictures.  Whatever you want.

 It was amazing.

Here's the view down from the room where the brunch was held.  Very cool, very scary.

 And finally another one of my favorite pictures from the day.  This is outside the John Hancock.  This is the typical tourist shot but I just loooooove the sky.  It was a perfect color that day.

Roman put together an amazing weekend for Claire.  A great time was had by all, I'm absolutely sure of it.

One final picture for the car lovers in my family...
We followed THIS back to our hotel on Sunday.

That car.  THAT car.  That's an expensive stinking car.  Our cab driver thought half a mil.  The guy was just cruising around Chicago.  Must be nice.  That was the best picture I could get from the back of a fast moving cab.  The price of that car makes my measly little monthly car payment look like nothing.