More Family and Fabulous Food

We continued Steph's 21st birthday celebration this weekend with John's mom and stepdad. Last night we all went for an AMAZING dinner at Joe's Stone Crab. Of course it was a huge hit for the seafood eaters, but I had one of the best fillets I've ever had. After eating one of the best meals ever, we headed to our old favorite, Trader Todd's, for some karaoke. As usual, it was a total freakshow, except for Stephanie, who sang an amazing rendition of "Don't Stop Believing." We spent today recovering from all of last night's eating and drinking and will be ready to start a new, less gluttonous week tomorrow.

Stephie with one of our five shared desserts. This will be a huge detox week!

The fam after dinner

Stephanie and Pancho at their inaugural visit to Trader Todd's

Jim joined us for drinks and karaoke

Stephie Turns 21!

Today is John's little sister's 21st birthday! Lisa came in to celebrate with Steph and surprised her on Friday - a day earlier than expected. Lisa, Scott, and the birthday girl went to what we heard was a fabulous dinner at Moto last night before Steph and Lisa hit the dance floor in Boystown. We met up for a late lunch today at RJ Grunts, followed by cake at Steph's place. We're set to do it all again (except the dancing part) next weekend when John's parents come into town for a belated celebration. Happy Birthday, Stephie! We can't believe you're 21!

Just after the surprise!

Mimosas the morning after.

Yummy cake! Steph has a lot of work ahead of her to finish that big cake!

Weekend Happenings and Grammy Party

We had a busy weekend - it might take all week for us to recover. On Saturday night I went out for dinner and drinks with some girlfriends at Old Town Social. The food was excellent! I had a really delicious (gasp!) hamburger, something I rarely eat from restaurants. They also have an extensive wine and beer list as well as a large selection of smoked meats (no thanks). We will have to go back so that John can give it a try.

On Sunday I tried my first CorePower Yoga class. Groupon was having a special for 66% a five week pass, so I thought I would give it a try. Man is it hot in those classes. It felt hotter and more challenging than any Bikram class I've ever attended. I'm going to stick with it, though, if I want to be beach-ready for our upcoming trip to Mexico.

John was recently inducted as a voting member of the Grammys (but too late to vote this year). Since he works for a music label, he is eligible to become a member. So on Sunday night we went to the official Grammy Watch Party at Lincoln Hall. It was a really neat experience. Only other Grammy members and their guests were invited, and we got the same program that the attendees at the actual Grammys received. They broadcasted the show on a big screen while everyone chatted and drank cocktails. A big bonus for the evening was John winning the raffle -- he got a bag full of lots of Grammy swag. I'm surprised he didn't don all of it for work today. It was such a fun experience - I can't wait to do it again next year, when John actually gets to vote for all the nominees!

Live music before the show

On the "red carpet"

The Great Storm of 2011!

Snowmaggedon, Snowpocalypse, and my personal favorite, Chronicles of Snownia (stole that one from Steph). It has been one snowy week in Chicago. I think our total snowfall this week, including what we got today, is around 24 inches. Thank goodness this city knows how to deal with crazy weather, because we were working on a serious case of cabin fever. On a positive note, my mom was here for 12 whole days! She was supposed to be here for just a week, but between our storm and Tulsa's storm she was delayed another five days. It was awesome having her here for so long - I'm going to miss her!

This will be a huge catch-up post. First of all, where did January go? It's been almost a month since our last post, and time has really flown. We have been nice and busy at work and have had some pretty fun weekends. Last Friday we went to dinner at Volare with some of my work friends - the food was AMAZING, and we will definitely be going back. And last night we took my mom for dinner at Glenn's Diner to thank her for all she did for us while she was here. Tonight Jim came over and joined us for some chili and Super Bowl watching.

We have a busy few weeks coming up. Next weekend is John's big Grammy event (post to come), and we will have family in town the two weekends after that. Then it will be March! Where is 2011 going?

Hope everyone is staying warm! Below are some pictures of the crazy snow in our neighborhood.

People skiing down Lincoln - not something you see every day!

Our street and lots of buried cars. We have yet to see how

badly John's car is buried.

Our building

Another skier on our street.

What greeted John at the front door when he made a Starbucks run for us.