All Clear

Little Feisty and I want nothing more than to build our family. Earlier this month, she stopped taking Tamoxifen after five years and we now have the "all-clear" from her oncologist to work on expanding our family. It's really an amazing thing to think about - the idea of a baby who might look like one of us and who one day will probably act like one of us. The very thought of a mini her or me or us just cracks us up.

Funny though, at 38 I'm still not clear about how people manage having a little one given all the commitments in life. Well, I know the baby - and marriage of course - take priority. The other stuff - home, jobs, daycare, commute, quality of life - will fall into line. I think we worry too much. We shouldn't - because I know we'll do fine and be great parents too and one day, unless we stop it, we'll look back and wonder why we got caught up worrying about silly things.

Anyway, I'm very proud of Feisty. She's faithfully taken the Tamoxifen and now she's done. It's a long time to have to take a pill but she got through it. I think the world of her.

A New Year

2006. Hard to believe it's here already. I look for great things.

2005 certainly flew past - as years are wont to do. We sold our condo and found peace in 2005 and are in a good place on Oakley for us to plan our next move - whenever it may come.

Tomorrow we return to work after nearly two weeks off. That will be rough - but one thing to be said for it is it returns a sense of order to life. I will certainly miss lounging about with Little Feisty. While we visited family a few days over the holidays, we came back and have mostly been relaxing with each other. We saw "King Kong" one day - not bad at all. We relaxed with appetizers and some drinks afterwards at the Grafton Pub in Lincoln Square. We went out to eat downtown with Ryan and Joanna one night - as they were visiting in town. We spent another nice evening at our favorite neighborhood spot, Jury's.

We also had a nice Christmas with family - first with her parents and sister's family - then with Mom and Alan, where we saw Luke, Katie and Leah - and also, of course, at Ma and Pa's with the gang over there. We had a great time.

Tomorrow, by the way, is Ma's 80th birthday. We sent her a card. I guess she didn't want any fanfare like the surprise party for Pa's 80th, three years ago. Happy Birthday Ma!

I must be settling down soon. No more staying up until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. just because I can. *sigh*

Back Home Again

Me and Little Feisty spent the weekend in H-Town visiting family for an early Christmas. On Friday we went to Ma & Pa's and had dinner with them. Ma made a delicious meal, per usual, and then we stayed up late chatting with them - always a pleasure. The next morning, Ma whipped up one of my favorite things - a Ma breakfast (which means biscuits and chocolate gravy.) That brings me back to my childhood. Dad & Donna came in for breakfast as well and we all had a nice visit before they left so Dad could go in to work.

Around mid-afternoon, Feisty and I went early to Pam & Ron's to help them set up for the Gregory family Christmas. This is one I haven't been to in years and Feisty, of course, never has attended. It started, for me at least, at Sugar's every Christmas Eve when a few dozen of us would pack in to her tiny little house on Sherman Street. Sugar always gave me a jar of her specially made dill pickles that night. I loved those pickles.

We had a great time visiting everyone (I think attendance was just over 40) and it was nice for Feisty to meet some of the fringe relatives - including Darryl Gregory and Tim Inman - but it was also nice to see some of the kids, such as David Ray's three boys. David couldn't make the party but his wife was there. We both were able to spend a bit of time chatting to Stella, Evelyn and Beryl and I'm very pleased that Feisty enjoys that as much as I do. The Great Aunts love her to death. Of course, another big highlight of the night was playing with little Hailey. She's a real doll and we're already looking forward to seeing her on Christmas.

We went back to Ma and Pa's that night. In the morning we headed to Mom and Alan's and also had a good time chatting for a couple of hours before the extended family Christmas started. It was a smaller crowd this year with Gary's crew unable to make it in - but it was good to visit with Grandma. Last week she had a spell where she apparently passed out and hit her head. She was still sore Sunday. We're not sure what caused this and, of course, it's worrisome. She's having an MRI in a few days, I think. Grandma is 86 and has done remarkably well in the years since Gramps passed away. I just hope perhaps everyone can get her moved in to a place that's not so isolated - ideally an assisted living place where she can be sure to get a good meal each day and not be in a place so fraught with dangers for her (such as steep stairs to the laundry.)

In any case, seeing Grandma is always a pleasure for me. And again, I know Feisty feels that way too.

I can't explain how happy I am that Feisty has embraced my family as her family too. It makes me happy that she has grandparents to enjoy again.

Next week: Christmas Round Two. We'll start in Lowell for Christmas Eve - where we'll see the whole gang there and I'm already looking forward to seeing the little ones. Later, we'll head back to Ma's for the regular Christmas noon meal and presents. Christmas at Mom's will either be Christmas Eve night or Christmas night.

Feisty and I have a couple of days off before Christmas and the entire week off afterwards. Hallelujah!

'Tis the Season

It's early December but feels like mid-January out there. But, this weekend, that was okay because we huddled inside and kept comfortable. The nest is extra nice as we decorated for the holidays a little with some lights, garland, Gramp's music box church, the new Christmas stockings Kathy & Rajer gave us for our first anniversary and some other things.

We also sorted through our ornaments, which was great because we remembered what we had been given last year and also looked through some from our childhood. We didn't do that last year because our home at the time was a pretty uncomfortable place to be so we just didn't get in the mood for it. The difference being in this home is amazing. It's a warm, cozy and always clean space thanks to Feisty. She's made a wonderful home for us and I know, after we move, we'll look back fondly at our time here.

Back to work tomorrow, and the frigid weather (teens, I guess) seems to make it a little tougher - but weekends with Feisty, just doing our thing, is really great fuel to get through the work week. Knowing I get to hang out with her when work is over really is the best feeling.

Happy Anniversary

Little Feisty and I got married a year ago today. That day, our closest friends and our families gathered at the Orchard Ridge Country Club in Fort Wayne to watch us exchange our vows in a very cool, country setting - with a pristine golf course view. It was a unseasonably warm day - but also quite windy. Since we were inside, that didn't much matter - although I heard Feisty had some challenges with her hair-do while making her way from the car to the front door when her parents dropped her off.

We had a great time. I wish we could throw a party like that every year. It was particularly nice having our parents spend a little more time getting to know each other and also being fortunate enough to have Ma & Pa and Grandma all able to attend. And, of course, it meant the world to me as well to have Dad as my best man. He's a very quiet man, of course, but gave a short toast that meant the world to us.

And, of course, after Feisty the prettiest girl there had to be little Hailey - who was really adorable in her dress, dropping flowers and picking them up to drop them in a more orderly fashion as she quietly spoke to herself. You can't get much cuter than that. Another treat was being able to have Justin come along for the reception as Rajer's parents brought him from the hotel. He had a little tux outfit.

The night was somewhat of a blur but I remember it pretty well even still. I know I couldn't believe I was fortunate enough to land such a beautiful woman and someone who really relates to me and certainly has the same type of dreams out of life. I couldn't wait that day to just be with her and enjoy our lives together. I still can't of course - the feeling really has only grown with time and I know it always will even as "life happens" and the inevitable challenges pop up. She's a good soul.

Yesterday we returned from five days in Door County, where we rented a new cabin/house overlooking a woods with a pond next to it. We saw wild turkeys and watched two deer eating grass next to the house one night. It was very peaceful.

The cabin was just great and we took some time to read, do crossword puzzles and - oh yes - watch the White Sox win the World Series. We couldn't miss that! It had everything we needed - including a nice kitchen and two fireplaces, a nice whirlpool tub in the bedroom that we made good use of and a very large standing, open, rain shower.

Essentially, it had what we needed to help us celebrate our first year and relax away from the daily routine. That's what we did for our honeymoon too, of course, renting the home between Saugatuck and South Haven in Michigan - when we really need time to relax and sleep given our living situation at the time. That type of trip suits us well. I'm already looking forward to another.

White Sox in the World Series! You Heard Me...

Two nights ago, the Chicago White Sox - the team I adopted seven years ago after moving here - clinched a berth in the World Series. It's been 46 years - 1959 - since they last appeared. It's been 88 years - 1917 - since they won it all.

As a lifelong baseball fan, I can appreciate the history. My grandfather, Pa, watches the Cubs religiously and remembers the 1945 World Series, the last time the Cubs made it. They lost. They last won it all a few years before the White Sox last won it all. Together, the two teams are known as the biggest hard luck baseball franchises around. Even the Red Sox, a team that ended its own 88-year championship drought last year, had at least appeared in the World Series several times since then.

But back to the White Sox. They dominated the Red Sox in the first round, winning three games to zero. They then played the Los Angeles Angels and smoked them as well - four games to none. Not only that, their starting pitchers turned in the most dominating performances likely in baseball history. In Game One, the only loss, Jose Contreras pitched 8 2/3 innings. In the next four games, all four starters pitched complete games - from Mark Buehrle to Jon Garland to Freddy Garcia to Contreras again. It's mind-boggling in the annals of baseball history.

My point: Expectations for the World Series are high. It's not known right now whether the Sox will meet the Houston Astros or St. Louis Cardinals. Can the pitching staff keep it rolling after a six-day rest? Chances are they can match the AL pennant winning domination - because beating near-perfection isn't easy - but they'll surely match the level of intensity. This pitching staff is amazing.

I sure hope they can win it all. Just in case they don't make it this far again, it would be nice to be living in Chicago the year they did. On another note, Feisty and I were shut out in our quest for tickets online and via the phone. She's a doll for giving it a shot with me and increasing our chances. Alas, tickets sold out to all games in 18 minutes. It would have been cool of course, but part of me will be just as happy to sit at home and watch in peace with Feisty, or maybe we'll hit a nearby bar with a friend or two and watch with other true fans.

For now, it's just nice to see a Chicago team win when it counts - and convincingly so. The attitude for both the Cubs and Sox has been one of being cursed or some such nonsense. I got to go to a playoff game in 2000, when the Sox last made the playoffs. They stunk in that game - and the whole series. The Seattle Mariners swept them. It was a weak performance and all too typical - coming up small when it matters.

This year's version of the Sox are different. Win or lose in the next round, they've shaken loose that image. Now, here's hoping they've got four more wins in them.

Then next year, for Pa, would it kill the Cubs to follow suit?

Running

A weekend ago, we went to Grant Park and took part in "Race for the Cure" - a 5K run/walk that raises money for breast cancer research. This, of course, is our favorite charity. It was a fun day with beautiful fall weather - an ideal day for a run. They also gave away nice little gifts for survivors and Little Feisty took home a few things - including a nice t-shirt (besides our race shirts) and a little necklace. We bought a cool watch for her too.

I ran the race. Feisty walked the first part and then ran the rest. I was very proud of her. We had a great time.

Sticking with the theme, this past weekend was the Chicago Marathon - essentially the race I ran in Grant Park times nine. We went out to catch my friend Roger and just missed him twice as he ran a much faster pace than he indicated he'd run. Still, we had a good time cheering on the runners - there were some 40,000 - and I keep marveling at how some of these people can do it. I mean, I started running in 2001 and I can't really imagine not collapsing after about 10 miles maximum - let alone 26.2. But watching many of them certainly gets you thinking.

I'll admit, running a marathon is an interesting thought. And seeing how well Roger did - 4 hours, 20 minutes (and that's walking for 10 minutes every six miles or so) - was inspiring, especially since I'm one of two friends that got him into the sport. That said, I'd be pretty happy to continue running the way I do - perhaps stepping it up at times and running an organized 10K. I've always thought a marathon would be awesome, but a half-marathon (long e-freakin'-nough at 13.1 miles) is more feasible. That one would be challenging enough, no question, but I think I'd get a similar high from it. We'll see. If not, running some 5Ks and 10Ks is awfully fun.

I run for the great feeling I get - often during the run, but certainly afterwards. And I run for health. I started it as a stress relief and have continued it because it's such a great solitary pursuit for me. I couldn't stand to run as a kid and on through school - probably in large part because someone was forcing me to do it (gym class) - but now I'd be pretty bummed if I couldn't do it.