Aiden is one year old today! We threw a party for him over the weekend and had some of our new neighbors and old friends over to celebrate with us. Sandi and Jess spent a lot of time teaching him how to blow out his candles on his cake and he came through in front of everyone.
We were able to get the house together just enough to have people over. We still have lots of work to do, but at least the kitchen is just about done.
We have spent the majority of July living at Jen's while our house gets done. Orlando has been painting and fixing all the walls, ripping out carpet and the entire kitchen. The floors will be the last thing done while the new cabinets go in. I'll post some pictures once everything is done. Meanwhile we're trying to enjoy the summer being closer to the lake. We bought a buggy to pull behind my bike for Aiden. He loves going for rides along the lake.
Mom flew in from AZ last week to fly to NJ with Jen, the kids and me. Sandi had to stay behind on this trip because we are closing on our house on Wed and she was coming off a trip for work. There is a ton going on right now with the move, but we really wanted to be there for Christine's graduation. We flew into LaGuardia and drove out to Frenchtown in a rented minivan. If I can help it, I will NEVER fly into LaGuardia again. Getting in was not too bad, but getting out was a real bear. The drive back to the airport was pretty stressful, but we made the flight - barely. The airport is not really well marked and finding the rental car return really sucked. Oh year...don't forget about the traffic - New York makes the eisenhower expressway look look like the traffic in Frenchtown.
Evan and I played some frisbee golf during the weekend. We also did some sight seeing and shopping. It was great to see everyone and spend some time out east. Check out the pics from the trip:
I celebrated my first Father's day today. We had a great afternoon with Sandi, Aiden and Su at Carmichaels Steak house in the west loop. This is typically a day I spend on the golf course with my Dad. We try and get an early tee time so we can get back in time to watch the back nine at the US Open. It's a day I always look forward to . This year Angel Cabrera won with a suprising +5 finish - I guess Oakmont was too much for even the pros to handle. I remember the stories my Dad told me about the greens at this place when he played it sometime in the late 90s.
Circumstances this year have changed my normal Father's Day. My Dad has begun his journey and I have a new Son. My hope is that I will be able to resume the Father's Day Tradition with both of them very soon.
After seeing about 30-40 properties around the south and west loop of Chicago we have decided to buy a 3 bedroom plus den walk up condo in the south loop. The place needs a ton of work, but it is right across the courtyard from the McCrea's so Aiden will be able to play with his cousins whenever he wants. Now, I said it needs a lot of work...and I mean it needs A LOT of work. We are going to rip out the entire kitchen, re-do the floors....carpet, paint and a lot of love and we should be able to move in. The plan is to close on the same day as the day we close on the sale of our place which is going to put us in a bind while we renovate. Jen has said we are welcome to stay with her for a few weeks, so it looks like it's going to be camp McCrea for the the first few weeks of July.
Check out the pics of our new project
We've been spending quite a bit of time looking for a new place to live. We have a closing date of 6/27/2007 for our Condo, so we need to find a place pretty quick. We are looking in the west loop, little italy and the south loop. We would prefer to be in the south loop so we can be close to Jen and her family, but we also want to find the amount of space we need. Ideally we will find a 3 bedroom plus a den so Sandi and I can have an office, Aiden can have his own room and a guest room. The big decision we have to make is whether we buy a place that is move in ready or we buy something that needs some work so we can renovate it the way we want it.
It's time to move out of our west loop condo. We have made do for the last 8 months by building out our office into a room for Aiden, but we really need more space. Sandi and I have been so happy here for the last 4 years, but now we need a place where Aiden and go out to play and be around more kids. We put the house on the market on Friday and got an offer Monday morning. I think people saw right away why we liked the place so much. We're going to take the offer and set a closing date as far away as possible..now we have to find a place to live!
Here are some pictures from our place that we have loved so much
This weekend marks the unofficial start of the golf season! The Masters reminds me of spring and the upcoming summer. This year, although we have not had great spring weather, is no different. After a truly brutal winter, I'm ready for some sunshine. This is my first summer with Aiden. Yes, he was born last August, but by the time we got used to him it was already fall. This year, I hope to get one of those little buggies to toe behind my bike. I really think Aiden will love a long afternoon bike ride at the lake front.
I'm also really excited about the golf season this year. I've gone through some swing changes over the winter to try and get my handicap to my goal of 5. Also, I added a new set of irons which should help me get some more consistency in my game.
Sandi and I got out last night to go to a party at Morrie Dezara's house. Morrie is one of those truly good guys. He has a great new place in River North. I always love going to his parties to re-connect with some old friends and make new ones. This was the first in hopefully a great summer party season.
I had a spring break this year! Although I have been out of college nearly 9 years (holy shit!) the stars aligned for me to take a quick 3 day spring break...we'll call it the "season opener 90'. I flew out late Thursday night for 3 days of golf with my fraternity brother Guy Levy. Guy and I have not seen each other a ton over the last 9 years, but we have stayed in touch on a regular basis and are too good of friends to not have a kick ass trip once a year. This year I confirmed what I had suspected a fact the last 2 years- I, as well as most of my house - have been pronouncing Levy's name wrong for the last 15 years or so. It is pronounced (leve) like Led Zepplin sang about in one of their songs... not (Leevy) which which all of us who knew Guy called him at ASU. Well, I'm glad I know now....I'm sure it will take me a while to get rid of old habits.
Anyway - Levy and I had a great 3 days of golf. 90 holes in 60 hours. We played a real dog track in Soule Park on Friday morning. Jared teed off with us in the morning, then Jessie joined us on the 8th hole for the rest of the first 18. I was not putting very well, but the swing did feel good for the most part. We made a quick turn after 18 with a burger and beer - apparently I offended the half way house lady when I asked her if she had any burgers ready. We played another 18 in no time but the golf really did not get any better for me. Levy shot 79 on the second 18 but could do no better than bogey golf.
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My good friends Aaron and Carrie Vantilburg had their first child Avery Anne 3 weeks ago and Sandi, Aiden and I took the afternoon to go out and meet her yesterday. It's always good to see Aaron - our lives don't permit us to see each other all the time, but we make an effort to get together when we can. Aaron and I have shared a lot of good times over the years and I value our friendship greatly. I can't believe both of us have children! Strangely, it seems to suit us both very well. Avery is a beautiful little girl. Aiden is only 7 months old, but both Sandi and I had forgotten just how Small and precious he was when he was just born. Check out the pics....Aiden made his move without hesitation.
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