M.I.A.

Long time, no post - we know. We have lots to catch up on, that's for sure. For one, it's been totally freezing around here. It was lovely this week when we were lucky enough to hit 32 degrees - it felt like a day in the tropics.

Speaking of the tropics, we just returned from a nice weekend in the sunny oasis that is Scottsdale. John played lots of golf with his dad, and I ran a half marathon with my mom and her friend, Luanne. Note to self: you should probably train for half marathons. I was sort of in denial about this race. And although the running itself wasn't bad, the pain I was in after (and still am experiencing, thank you very much) was unbearable. I have a wicked case of shin splints and officially have cankles because of all the swelling in my shins. Lovely. I have to say, it was fun, and I'm planning on doing another half in Seattle in June and here in Chicago in August.

We promise to do better about posting. But really, until relatively recently, we didn't have much to say.

Luanne, Me, and Mom - yay, we finished!

Probably the grossest picture ever taken of me. To my credit, I was suffering.
And in major need of a tan.

Pretty Good Drummer

Congratulations Lisa and Niel!!!

Last night we got some really great news -- John's sister, Lisa, got engaged to her boyfriend, Niel!! Apparently he proposed while cruising down London's Thames River, with the London Eye in the background. Very romantic and cute! Lisa and Niel will be visiting the states for the fall and Christmas, and they are making a stop in Chicago, so we can't wait to celebrate this momentous occasion with them in person! Congrats you two - we are so happy for you!

Goodbye 2008!

2008 was pretty kind to us, but we're happy to ring in 2009. Some highlights from the past year:

• I got a great new job at Berger Schatz and am loving it! I'm a lot busier than before, but it's nice to be in such a professional environment.
• John's job is still going really well - his huge catalog brought in lots of sales, despite the economic situation.
• We continue to love living in Chicago. We love our work and our condo, and are fortunate to have lots of great friends here!

We haven't really made any resolutions this year, but rather are focusing more on goals (that way we won't feel bad about not reaching them - ha!). One of our huge goals for 2009 is to have as much fun as possible, being that this is our last bit of our 20's (John turns 30 in July, I in September). We plan on doing some traveling and making the most of all the activities Chicago has to offer. One of my goals is to finish a half-marathon. I'm actually running one in Phoenix in a couple of weeks, and I would be excited about it except for the fact that I haven't really been training. If my posts cease after January 18th, it's because I literally died while running this race. Hope not.
Happy New Year!