Los Porchs

It started last year within our group from work as a result of our shared love for Step Brothers.  We spent so much time walking around asking if we had just become best friends, if we could put our bunk beds together, and asking when Shark Week was that we realized that we needed to have our very own Catalina Wine Mixer.  Behold.... Because summer gets to be a bit hectic with scheduling, we found a date and went with it.  It was a bit sad for us that some people couldn't be here this year, but we're sure that we'll catch them for the 3rd annual wine mixer!  This year's theme was "Boats & Hoes."  Costumes were encouraged:  I was a bit disappointed by the lack of creativity, though there was some interesting explanations!  Spent the morning cleaning up and preparing the scene; spent this morning nursing what can only be described as the worst hangover ever.  More on that later.  While I was getting ready, I put on some old-school vinyl ...

I was sick of the clutter on top of the fridge, which included several boxes of cereal and other junk.  I got so fed up today that I simply took all of the cookbooks from the countertop and moved them to the side table and then began to wonder why I hadn't thought of it before!  Suddenly there's all this room!   Look at that countertop!  Amazing!!   At least this area looks nice.... thanks to baby B!  The top of the fridge suddenly has other random crap... we went grocery shopping and it is apparently the new dumping ground.  Sigh.... better luck next time! Less than an hour after it being cleared off, Porch has successfully dumped more crap on the fridge!!!!   I'm sorry, I have to share our kitchen gnome... he's a college treasure & he just makes me smile. 

With gas prices as they are (and tend to be during holiday weekends), we decided to stay in the city this year for Memorial Day and enjoy some of the things Chicago has to offer... Saturday, May 28 We definitely spent the [entire] day doing nothing and watched all three Lord of the Rings (extended cut) box sets while the rain came down in the city.  The thunder and lightening was fun and made it feel extra cozy.  We were glad to have this down time. Sunday, May 29 Auntie Amy & Lindsey came down to the city to visit.  We were hoping to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo and maybe grill out but our plans quickly changed when the weather took a dive and we ended up caught in some pretty severe storms.  Some shopping downtown and lunch at Ed Debevick's were followed by Despicable Me at the house.  We hit up some of the boutiques in our neighborhood (Fig Tree, Smitten, and Tribeca) before walking to the train station.  Of course, on our walk home, the sun star...

While preparing to grill this evening, Porch slid open the glass door and mid-sentence, walked smack into the screen door and bounced back -- head first.  If only my reflexes had allowed me to snap a picture before he washed his forehead, you could better visualize.  But there was a perfect circle of dirt on the top of his head from where he ricocheted off the screen. "I didn't even break it." Ryan said. "Uhhhh, yea, you did.  Look, you tore the screen out of the door." I snort, giggle, and roll on the floor. "Well I can put it back in!!!" Needless to say, at the end of the day, what I really needed was a good laugh and my fabulous husband helped provide it.  :)  He's not the first to bounce off our screen door (that would be Roxa) nor will he be the last (I'm about due, stupid Karma).  Love you Ryan!!

Many thanks to those who supported me in the 2011 Lake Walk in Oconomowoc, WI.  We had a great turn out and although the sun wasn't the warmest, we were thankful to stay dry!  Fresh air did us well and after the walk, we celebrated Mother's Day and grandma's birthday at my mom & dad's house.  After a fantastic brunch with my parents, Los Porchs rolled out of Ashippun and made several pit stops on the path back to Chicago.  We stopped at the Kohls and Wal-Mart in Delafield before making our way to the Mars Cheese Castle... yes, the much-anticipated visit to the new location that actually resembles a castle.  We've been chatting about it for a while & had the time (and desire) to lallygag around the castle to check it out. All the excitement we had this weekend has us buzzing with the idea of relocating back to Wisconsin.  I mean, Chicago doesn't have a cheese castle or family.... now don't get to panicking, we aren't thinking about ...

Let's be honest, Whole Foods should just be called Whole Paycheck.  And Aldi's conjures images of dented cans and the like.  But Trader Joe's?  Hellllloooooo fabulous! Los Porchs had their first experience this weekend in Madison, home of the hippy-dippy granola crunchy kind of people... it was cool.  We like organic foods and acknowledge that they're good for us.  Heck, I can sometimes even convince Porch to eat veggies!  Back to Trader Joe's... I enjoyed the Madison store and knew that there are three locations in Chicago but had never been and found it hard to believe it could be the same kind of experience.  Overwhelming only in the fact that there were many people in the store tonight, it was a pretty great experience!  Lots of goodies!  But let's not get carried away, some items are still cheaper & better from Dominicks.  Porch has been making lunches (and might want to consider making dinners if his schedule continues as i...

We've watched every special on HBO about the making of and the sneak peeks of Game of Thrones.  I'm excited about a new show, but Ryan has taken this to the next level.  He quickly got up off the couch and flipped off the lights in the living room, both perplexing and startling me, and I said "I guess I didn't realize this is a 'lights out' kind of show."  His response? "Yup!" He is as excited as a kid on Christmas; I sure hope HBO doesn't let him down!!! "You realize you've seen most of this episode, right?" I say (still confused by the darkness) "If 15 minutes of an hour long show is most, then yes." "Well it's a quarter." I retort. "Which is.... less than half." [ silence ] "I guess I didn't realize that half is most." "You have a gift for effing w/ me...." while chuckling.