Jackson School Carnival

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Fun Day at Six Flags Great America

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Catherine's First T-Ball Game

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Disney

We just returned from our exciting Walt Disney World vacation. We had a blast! The kids are at the perfect age for Disney. They like the rides and are still young enough that they are not too "cool" to visit with the characters. Catherine especially loved seeing all the princesses and the castle! We were able to visit the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (MGM). We got tickets to a special "Pirate and Princess Party" at the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday night. It was a lot of fun because it was from 7pm until Midnight so it was cooler and there were a lot less people there. We were able to ride lots of rides without any wait time at all! Here are some pictures from our trip!

Pirate and Princess Party


Jacob gets a "surprise" from Snow White


Check out the "Everest" ride in the back ground.


Donald Duck!


The Family!


A carousel ride!


Goofy and Pluto


The Mouse!

Easter

I got the dreaded question this year from Jacob..."Mom...is the Easter Bunny real or do you and Dad just fill the basket up? And what about Santa...do you and dad do that too?" As my heart sank, I knew it was time to tell him the truth. He had asked some questions at Christmas last year but I could tell he wasn't sure what to think. He is smart enough to figure out that a man in a red suit, nor a bunny rabbit, can make it to every house in one night. So, after I swore him to secrecy (for Catherine's sake), I told him everything. His first question was, "WOW MOM...how did you find the Wii???". After I told him that I paid extra for it on Ebay, I got a big hug and a genuine thank you. I guess that I traded the magic in for some appreciation, not a bad deal. After we got all the questions answered, he wanted to help fill Catherine's Easter basket.
Easter morning wasn't quite the same for sure but he did play along for Catherine so he kept his end of the deal. Here are some pictures from Easter (notice the snow in the back ground):

St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is a big deal here in Elmhurst. The Elmhurst St. Patrick's Day parade is more like a giant town party. We have some friends that live on the parade route that have a party every year. It was a little cold out, but we made the best of it. After the parade was over, we sent the kids home with the sitter and kept the party going till later that night. It was a fun day!

When I grow up, I want to be......

Here I am….working on my MBA…..sitting in class for hours, studying note cards on the train, stressing out about quizzes and final exams. What, they ask, are you going to do once you get your MBA? Will you get a raise at work? Funny you should ask…as I was asking myself that same thing this morning.

A butcher? A baker? A candlestick maker?

I don’t like the site of raw meat, I can barely boil water, but candlestick making…there’s something I might enjoy. Dip in hot wax, dip again, repeat, repeat again…..you get the picture….no one to manage, no one to hire or fire, no making “weather conversation” in the elevator when you don’t feel like it. Just sit, dip and watch the people as they stop by the window to watch me making candles. Candlestick making….hmmmm….something to think about. Maybe I can use my MBA and open a candlestick making shop in downtown Elmhurst. Maybe I can open a candlestick shop in one of those cute little, WARM tourist towns. What would I call it? Beth’s candle shop? Skinny Dips? (I kind of like that one!) What are your ideas?

If you don’t know what I should call my candle shop, maybe you have another idea of something that you think I would be good at when I grow up? I am open to suggestions.

What I do know is this….I don’t think that we end up anywhere by chance. I know that there is a reason that God brought me to a place that only has 65 days of sunshine a year and temperatures so cold that they turn fire into ice. I also know that one day I will look back and say: “oh….so that’s why I needed my MBA!”.

Strange things are happenin’!

A made my annual voyage to the southland for the holidays a few weeks ago. While I do enjoy going “home” for the holidays, it can prove to be rather stressful. There are always more people to see than humanly possible in one week. Unavoidably, someone gets their feelings hurt because I don’t see them or don’t spend enough time with them. I promise that it’s not intentional. It’s just impossible to visit all the people that I came to know and love in 35 years in Georgia in one week. To make matters worse, I got sick and spent two of my precious visitation days holed up in a house watching TV. So, if I didn’t see you or I didn’t spend enough time with you, I am sorry and I really do love you!

The really cool thing is that IF you come to see me…you get me all to yourself. Some of you need to think about that (you know who you are!). And, as an added travel bonus, you can see one of the coolest, most awesomist cities in the world!

The strange thing that happened on this last voyage was that I got homesick. It was the first time that I was in Georgia, but considered Illinois home. It was a strange feeling. Normally when I am there, I don’t want to “go back”. This time, I was ready to “go home”. So for my friends who moved to Chicago after me, who are still homesick (hmmm...hmmmm....no names....MR and LC)….the answer to "how long does it last?" is 3 years and 3 months……one thousand, one hundred eighty five days….no more, no less.