More Birthday Celebrations!

This past weekend was my real birthday and it was full of celebrations.

First we headed into downtown Chicago on Friday to meet up with my sister and brother in law who flew in from Rochester.  I was SO happy to see them, especially since we know we won't be together for Christmas this year.
We went straight to the American Girl Place for Tia's big birthday present.  Her birthday is a month away but we promised her an American Girl doll this year, and since we were already downtown, we figured we'd get that out of the way (I told you we celebrate for weeks at a time!).

That's the one!

She couldn't have been more thrilled.  She kept saying "I'm a very lucky girl to be able to have one of these".  I'm glad she realizes that because more than one is out of the question unless she gets a part time job!

Then on Saturday was the BIG RACE.  I haven't written much about it but this year the Chicago Lung Run 5K, to benefit lung cancer treatment and research, was being held on my 40th birthday.  To me, that was a sure sign that I was meant to run that thing!  What better way to celebrate a milestone birthday.

Mommy's Cheerleaders!

I've been training for a few months and was determined to beat my time from 2 years ago when I first ran this race (that time was 45 minutes).  I'm pleased to announce that I blew that time right out of the water.
I  must say, turning 40 feels GREAT!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day...

My team!

#1 Sister

One last good luck kiss

One last good luck hug

Yup, I wore the birthday sash for the whole race!

We finished it together!

The girls were so excited to cross the finish line with me.  Gia kept saying "We won, we won!".
Don't pay attention to that clock on the right, that was for the 10K racers...my clock said 38 minutes but since it took me a minute to get to the starting line, my finish time was 37 minutes.  WAY better than the time from 2 years ago!
What a great day for a run, for a good cause.  I had a blast and couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday.
Later in the day we went on an architectural river boat tour.  That was a nice way to see our favorite city.  Here are a couple pictures from that...

Navy Pier

Hanging with Aunt Kimmie

Look Dad, Look!

My bestest sister!

Gotta' love Marilyn

I think I can now safely say that all the birthday celebrations have finally come to an end.  It's been one heck of a week!
Thanks to everyone who participated in helping me ring in this milestone year with a bang!

And the Birthday Celebrations Begin!

I've mentioned before that in my husbands family, birthdays are a big deal and are celebrated for extended periods of time.

When D.R. asked me a while back how I'd like to celebrate my 40th birthday, I told him I wanted to go into downtown Chicago for a weekend and run the annual Chicago Lung Run.  That's it, no party, no fancy dinner, just some family time in the city.
We've been planning the Chicago weekend for months now, even my sister is flying in for the occasion.  So imagine my surprise when I walked into our friends house and was greeted by a boisterous "SURPRISE!".

Apparently my friend Nilu and my adorable hubby have been secretly corresponding for a month, and planning a party.

Here are a few shots from the evening...

Tia chose the cake and design

adult drinky time!

That's the sneaky friend Nilu on the right!

Me and the secret-keeping hubby

It was a great time with lots of fun, laughter, and even games.  They did a fantastic job in all the planning and of course, keeping the secret.  I sure do have a great group of friends and a very thoughtful husband.

Turning 40 feels great!

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

Probably the best birthday present I've ever gotten.
Priceless!

25 Books!

It was last year around this time that I proudly posted I had just read my 10th book of the year. Well, I don't know what got into me this year but I just finished book #25! You can see the complete reading list in the right hand column of this blog.
Some of the selections were fantastic. Some kept me turning pages, on the edge of my seat, well into the night. Others weren't so great.

My new found love of reading has affected other things in my life as well. It has gotten us, as a family, to the library a lot more often. The library has become a favorite place for my kids. Mom gets a book, the girls get a book and a movie. They love it. We are well known by the library staff now.
Reading has also gotten me to sit down. I realized that throughout the course of my day, I seldom sit down. However, if I have a really good book, I sit and read while the kids eat breakfast. I cuddle with them on the couch and read while they watch their favorite cartoons. It's amazing how I am able to sneak in a paragraph here and there throughout the day.

This year I discovered Janet Evanovich. She wrote the Stephanie Plum novels. I never read fiction before, and now I'm pretty sure I'm addicted! The first set of 3 books in the series was to my Mom from our friend in Germany. Mom gave them to me, then I passed them on to my friend Sheila. She has finished them and passed them on to our friend Michele. I am perpetuating the addiction, and happy to do so!

I already have my next 3 books picked out. My Mom gave me a huge box of books on one of my trips home to see her. I'm happy to have them.

Happy Reading!

Hi, My name is Ronda and I'm an addict!

I think I'm totally addicted to reading. My current 'drug' of choice is Janet Evanovich. The funny thing is that I NEVER used to read fiction. I figured if I was going to read something, I might as well learn something factual.
My friend Emily send the first 3 books in the Evanovich series to my Mom to read while going through chemo. She passed them on to me. I read all 3 in just 4 days! I was thrilled to discover there are lots and lots more.
Last year I wrote a post about wanting to read more and that I had read 10 books by July. That's 6 months to read 10 books. I thought that was pretty good at the time. Today I am proud to say that I have finished my 11th book, and this time it only took me 3 months! It's not that I am a faster reader. It helps that my kids no longer take bottles, one of them is totally potty trained, and they both still nap nicely every afternoon. Talk about free time! I'm carving out some "me time" each day and I love it. It's so quiet in the house when the girls go to bed. I turn off the TV, curl up on the couch, and get totally lost in the latest adventure.
I guess I could be addicted to much worse things. So, here's to the next 11 books!

A Life List

I'm just about finished reading "No Opportunity Wasted, 8 Ways to Create a List for The Life You Want", written by Phil Keoghan. He's the host of The Amazing Race, one of my favorite shows.

The life list isn't a new idea. Some people call this a 'Bucket List' or a 'Things to do Before I Die' list. I like the idea of calling it a life list because it focuses on enhancing your life now, and not hurrying to do something before you die. In fact there was a part of Andy Rooney's book that focused on the list as well.

I've had lists for life before. I write them down, lose the paper, and forget what's on the list. D.R. suggested that I keep the list here on my blog so that doesn't happen this time. He also thought readers of my blog may be inspired to start a list of their own.

So, in the right column of this blog I will keep a running list of things I really want to do in life. We'll see how big the list gets, and how many I get to check off. This could be fun!

My Birthday...Part 2

Well, in true Angotti/Salerno tradition, the birthday celebrations keep going and going and going.

My wonderful husband took 2 days off work. That in itself is a heroic undertaking. We had a leisurely morning at home and then hopped a train to downtown Chicago. We made our way to Wrigley Field, where we saw a phenomenal Cubs game. I am not exactly a sports fan but I really enjoy going to professional baseball games. This, D.R. tells me, makes me a cool wife. I understand the basics of the sport, and I do pay attention, but I enjoy it for different reasons.
I love the excitement in the air, the fans, the kids, the perfectly manicured field, and of course the smell of cooking hot dogs and onion rings. It's the whole experience, not just the game.
Now that I have been to a Cubs game, and a taping of the Oprah Show, I think I am officially a "Chicagoan".
We left the game a little early to go out to dinner. We took the "L" train and went to a fantastic sushi restaurant. It was a hip "yuppie" place. We were probably the oldest people in there, but the food was great so we tried not to notice. We even had some Sake for the first time. Let me just say Wooh! Not an every day kind of drink.

After dinner, we headed over to our hotel. OK, I am sure most people have heard of the Drake. You can't really imagine its elegance, you have to experience it. It's a classic, historic hotel (ie. Hoity Toity) right in the heart of Michigan Avenue. We used Hilton points to get the room, and then were upgraded to an executive room because of D.R.'s Hilton status. We love traveling with the rich and famous, and not having to pay for it! It's also amusing to be walking around this place that charges $400 a night, in shorts and a T-shirt. Works for me.

Here is a really bad picture of the hotel. We obviously didn't bring the new camera.

I slept like a baby on Tylenol at this hotel. The bed was a dream come true. When I become rich and/or famous, I will buy one of those beds for sure. This morning we got up and worked out in the hotels state of the art gym. It was nice to be able to work out together again. We haven't done that in years.

So, this morning we checked out of luxury and decided to head back home. D.R.'s parents stayed at our house with the kids which was also an awesome gift. When we got outside and stood at the bus stop, I asked D.R. how far it was to the train station. He said it was about 2 1/2 miles. I said "Let's walk it". After making sure I was serious, he said "OK, but we have to go really fast in order to make our train. We made it with 15 minutes to spare! I know the Ronda he met 5 years ago would never have suggested walking 2 blocks, let alone 2 miles. It felt great.

We are back home now with our beautiful angels. It was a great trip, one I will remember for many years to come.
The only problem now is trying to figure out what to do for D.R.'s birthday next year. I will never top this!

My Mother's Day gift, at last

Around Mother's Day D.R. searched for a lilac bush for me. He knew I was a bit home sick and that I love lilacs, which Rochester is pretty famous for. He had no luck. In our area we have Japanese Dwarf Lilacs, which just look like a regular round shrub most of the year, then all of a sudden they get beautiful blossoms for about a week. I have some in the front and didn't want that kind again. So, on Mother's Day, he told me of his good intentions and gave me an I.O.U. We have both been looking for them since then. I really don't know why we can't find one, I have seen them in yards of neighbors. Maybe this was just a bad year for Lilac growers.

Anyway, I went to Home Depot today to get some mums, and found this beautiful Butterfly Bush! She was calling to me, saying "take me home". So I did. I know the season is almost over but I look forward to seeing how big and beautiful she will be next summer. It's not exactly a Lilac but it's still beautiful. I was tired of looking at the big empty spot in my garden that was waiting for something pretty and blossoming.

Another thing we have here in the Midwest is the "Midwestern Ash Borer". It's a beetle that has a voracious appetite for trees and some shrubs. Literally 30 seconds after I planted my new Butterfly Bush, it was covered with 10 Borers, and one lonely butterfly. I sprayed the heck out of them, said a few unkind words, and am now hoping we have seen the last of the Ash Borers in our yard!

Four years

August 6, 2004. That's the day we promised to love each other forever. We can't believe how much we have done in just 4 short years! I dare say we have endured more changes than most couples do in a lifetime. Phew.

Every year we do something big for our anniversary:
The first year we took a trip to Savannah, Ga. and Amelia Island, Fl. I was pregnant for Tia.
For our second we went to Hawaii, and I was pregnant with Giuliana but didn't really know it for sure yet!
The third year we went to Seattle, WA. with both kids. It's a great time of year to go to Seattle, we had wonderful weather. Even better than that, I WASN'T pregnant that year!
This year, we went out to dinner. We had our big family vacation earlier this year to Mexico so we really couldn't justify another trip.
We had plans to go out for Japanese. When we arrived, the restaurant was not open yet, and we were all really hungry. We decided to go to Sweet Tomatoes. I have to laugh. Our 'romantic' dinner out was a buffet, with both kids! I wouldn't want it any other way. D.R. put it best when he said "It doesn't matter where we go, as long as we're all together".

We are already planning where we are going next year though. D.R. says it's up to me. I'll have to give this one lots of thought.
I suppose the location isn't that important as long as we remain as in love as we are now.

10 Books, WOW!

I had a love of books when I was younger. Once I became a mom, I never seemed to find the time to read more than the newspaper headlines. This year I decided to make some time for ME and start reading again. It also helped that Tia loves to visit our local library. When she wants to go pick out new books, I get some for me too. D.R. is also reading again! I still don't really know how either of us find the time but in the midst of our very busy lives, I have managed to read 10 books already this year! Some have been OK, and some have been fantastic, like "The Testament" by John Grisham. D.R. says I become obsessed with a new book, and he is right. I had a dream the other night about some of the characters in the Grisham book. That's going a bit too far, I admit. With my new found love of literature I hope 2 things happen. First I hope that reading will keep me sharp, imaginitive, and well versed. I also hope that our children will grow up with an appetite for literature. I truly believe that education continues throughout life. Just because we stop going to a classroom, doesn't have to mean we stop learning.