Back in the day

Ahh, it was the year 2000 (or maybe we were partying like it was 1999), Claudia was dating Jason, Patrick was actively pursuing other interests, yet this picture was taken in Sue's dorm room: This past weekend, this picture of Claudia and Patrick surfaced, probably taken sophomore or junior year at a dance at the Catholic Center...

Shocking, really, that it took us four years after graduating from Tufts to start dating! hahaha...

Shaun, thanks for digging up this picture - it had us laughing all weekend! :o)

Dinner with Friends

We had our friends Ari and Kim, their daughter Aviva, and Ari's parents Alice and Les over for dinner last week. It was great to see them (and the dinner wasn't half-bad, if I do say so myself!) haha... :o)

Finally All Settled In

We had friends over for dinner last week, and I took a few pictures before they came over to showcase our clean apartment with most of the boxes put away!

We hope you'll make it up to Chicago for a visit and see it all yourself! Lots of cheap flights these days - get 'em while they're hot!

Settling In

I tried a new approach to moving (for me) this time around. I sold quite a few of my bulkier items (bed, armchair, coffee table, etc), and whittled down my stuff enough so that I thought it would fit into my Subaru and a rental SUV. It almost worked (except for those 6 big boxes and 3 book boxes that we sent via USPS parcel post at the last minute).

The cars were packed. This was my view through the rearview mirror,

Ashley and Charlotte - this next picture is for you. Thanks for getting me that lamp many years ago! It's moved with me five - if not six - times, and I still love it!

This picture was taken an hour or so south of Chicago. You'll notice the first (of many) Chicagoland Dunkin Donuts coffees in my hand. The excitement on my face is probably because of the coffee, and not so much because of the driving we still had left.

Our dining room immediately upon unpacking. ::sigh:: I had a big job ahead of me!

We had also shipped three boxes from Pennsylvania and three boxes from Maine after Christmas, so they arrived along with the nine from Texas over the course of the next three weeks. The dining room went through many stages and often went from looking bad to looking WORSE.

But finally - a sit down dinner in our living room! Mission accomplished!

Chicagoland: How cold is it REALLY?

After making a somewhat ridiculously-poorly timed move from Austin to Chicago in January, I've been asked many times about how cold it is. Let me assure you it is COLD. Colder than I've probably ever experienced. The high one day was -6*F. That's cold. To prove my point, I'd like to share what Patrick wore on those extra cold days. I hardly believed it, so I took some pictures... Patrick wore a long sleeved shirt AND a sweater (although he only wore the sweater while he was outside). We've been dating for more than 2.5 years and the only long-sleeved shirts I've seen Pat wear have buttons up the front (most often, worn with his suit). So yes, Patrick's crazy and this was a notable occasion. Proof of the long-sleeved shirt:

Personally, I took to wearing two pairs of long underwear, several layers of shirts, two scarves, my favorite ski hat, a full-length coat that's rated up to -40*F, and I considered wearing goggles to protect my eyes when it was at its coldest. Casey, thanks for the gloves for Christmas - they definitely have been useful.

Let's hope the coldest weather is behind us for another year...

Lil Krugs: January 2009

Luca with Opa "Molen" (Lisette's Dad)

Good Eats: January 2009

January has come and gone -- I think we spent most of it settling in, unpacking, and braving the bitter cold. We did some cooking (as always) - here are some pictures of our creations!

Semolina bread (my favorite!)

Traditional Bavarian Schwammerl & Semmerlknoedel (mushroom stew with dumplings)

I found this recipe on a blog I follow and we (Patrick) decided (Claudia helped make the decision) to try our own hand at it. Brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Together. As one. SO good.

Yes, I think it's time to find me a gym.