Trips, Weddings and a new baby!

And so the excitement continues...

We welcomed our very first nephew into the world on May 4! Ryker James was born that afternoon to everybody's surprise. He came 5 weeks early but is happy and healthy as can be. Cara and Dan are learning all of the joys of parenting their new son and seem to be settled into their new routines with Ryker around. Ryker is so adorable and it has been too fun to watch him grow in just this first month! Congratulations to Dan and Cara...we can't wait for Ryker to meet his very first cousin!



The day after (05.05) we drove down to Springfield where my mom, dad, brother and Lehala were in from Colorado staying at Grandpas house. We arrived that evening and stayed up chatting and catching up with the family. There is no better feeling than having us all under one roof! We knew it would be a short trip but we made the most of our time and enjoyed the visit. Friday we roamed the farm, played with Stewie, hung out with Grandpa and then headed into "town" for some more tours and a Mexican lunch with Uncle John, Aunt Gale, JP and Kristina. Dinner that night was at the favorite Capone's and reunited us with some old friends and brought lots of good laughs and reminiscing! Mom and Dad even got to feel R2B2 kick a little! We had to head back Saturday morning but it was worth every minute of the drive!





Saturday 05.07 we joined in the celebration as cousin Melissa married her now husand Jason. It was a fun wedding in a cool venue in the northern suburns...Byron Colby Barn. The bar was in an actual silo! They had an authentic Croatian meal and one heck of a dance party. Melissa was on cloud 9 all night...every time we saw her she was bouncing up and down with the biggest smile on her face. Congratulations to them both!

The following weekend we headed in Indianapolis for Loren and Maureen Schneider's wedding weekend celebration. The weekend kicked off with a cocktail party on Friday where we were able to catch-up with friends from near and far. Saturday we spent the day relaxing and roaming around Indy and getting ready for the wedding that evening. The ceremony and reception took place in a gorgeous club downtown. The band had the entire crowd from the beginning and the dance floor was certainly the place to be! The following morning we joined a brunch and headed home to see baby Ryker who was at home. We had a great time celebrating Loren and Maureen's first hours as husband and wife and wish them all of the best!

Why stop there?! Well we did for one weekend at home. The last weekend of May we packed up and headed to another opening weekend in Pelican Lake. It was nice to get back to the north woods and relax in the fresh air. The boys worked hard to get the dock in, I helped plant flowers, we ate like kings and slept like queens and just enjoyed a few days away. I was slacking on the photo taking that weekend though! Sometime it is nice to put the electronics way or never even get them out of your bag.

That is all she wrote for now!

XO,

EAT

R2B2

Oh Baby we are half way there! Literally, we are half way through the pregnancy and 15 weeks (give or take) away from meeting this little wonder of ours! It has been a truly amazing experience from the moment we found out could it be; yes it might be; holy cow it is! I have been lucky to have felt well so far and am thoroughly enjoying the pregnancy life. We had our mid-way appointment about a month ago and got to see the baby in all of his/her glory...not to mention glimpses of all the organs and inner works. Chills ran through us both as we held hands tightly while the Dr. performed his duties and explained all of the measurements along the way. We chose not to find out the sex of the baby prior to birth. No true reason other than the additional magnitude of surprise on the actual birthday!

The baby has taken on several nicknames but the one that has stuck is R2B2...insinuating the name will be Rick II or Beth II. I can assure you while we both love our names, the name R2B2 takes on will be different from both. Naming aside, this little wonder has developed quite the personality inside and even hosts daily kickboxing classes! We are thrilled at the thoughts and daily discussions about the life this child will lead, the traits they will take on and the experiences we will have as new parents. In the meantime, we are in full "nesting" mode. The new carpet was installed as part of home remodel version 3.0, the nursery projects are underway and boxes and bins of goods we once thought we could not live without are being sent to the Goodwill. Stewie even senses a movement of change but him just isn't quite certain what that change will be yet! Now we just need the weather to start cooperating as we know the most amazing miracle will be arriving at the end of the summer!

XO,
EAT

Here we go, where we have been

March is upon us and signs of Spring are popping up everywhere. We certainly did not hunker down for the Winter, stock up on firewood and indulge in crock pot meals. I was looking back at the journeys since November and have no choice but to smile on the memories we have to move forward with.

We kicked off the holidays with a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate Chris's 21st birthday and Thanksgiving, sprinkle in some at home fun and then headed to Colorado for a week for Christmas and the New Year. January kept us grounded with Karly's 30th birthday, Blackhawks and Bulls games, kart racing and dinners with friends and family. February started with the blizzard of the century mentioned in the previous post. On February 14th our good friends Michele and Ben welcomed a baby boy - Jacob Dane Helmers! I celebrated my annual work party - the Housties and capped off the month with the much anticipated trip to Florida for barefooting and sunshine with Dan and Cara! Returning on a Monday, booking a flight on Thursday and flying out on Friday sent me to Colorado again to see Erik propose to Lehala!! We have come full circle as I made a trip to Cincinnati last weekend to meet baby Jacob and Rick returns today from Vegas for Loren's Bachelor weekend! Below are some recaps and photos of all of the fun!

Vegas was a surprise trip for Chris's 21st birthday and a first for Rick and I both. There was just so much to do, eat, see, drink, share and explore in this large desert oasis. We did a good job at making the most of our time and had a blast roaming the city. Some of my favorite memories are: the man spilling red wine on me during the flight there and giving us $100 to bet on red; the fountain show at the Bellagio; traveling back in time to Old Las Vegas and getting a second wind that carried us to the wee hours; waking up fo breakfast at Paris and then back to take a nap; finding the boys at the same seats in the sports book as the girls left all afternoon; crammed into the suburban for Thanksgiving at the Aria; overall decor of the Aria; LOVE show; Phat Cats penny slots; learning (sorta) to play Craps; running around with the whole Tiltges clan!

Christmas was certainly one to remember for us. We celebrated Christmas Eve at Dan and Candy's new house where we had dinner, exchanged gifts and laughs and enjoyed being together with that side of the family. Christmas day we hit the road about 4am and drove to Colorado to spend the week with my family! We made it just in time for a late Christmas dinner and boy were we all (including Stewie) happy to be out of the car. We actually did gifts with them the next day and enjoyed lots of maxin and relaxin. The weather was so pleasant so we spent the first part of the week taking bike rides and hikes with Stewie in the sun. We even got a game of badminton in on the volleyball court! My mom's Christmas gift was a girls day where I treated her to a day at the bead lounge where we made our own jewelry, lunch at the cutest little cafe and then a private mother/daughter yoga lesson! We had a blast together! We also got my parents a membership to the Denver Science Museum so we scoped out the first iMax on the Hubble Telescope. We then met Erik and Lehala for a yummy mexican dinner at Lime in Denver. Thursday we headed up to Breckenridge to get a day of skiing in and a relaxing night at the lodge. New Years eve was a quiet night in where we played Rock Band and actually did make it up until midnight! New Years day we headed back home after a great week in Colorado!

Here is a shot from Karly's 30th birthday celebration at Medieval Times! It was fun to act like a kid again and cheer for our red knight!

The theme for Christmas gifts this year was the gift of experience. That theme continued when Cara and I presented Dan and Rick with their gift this year - a trip to Florida for barefoot lessons from a pro! Of course we got to go with but being on a lake barefooting for 2 straight days was the highlight for the boys. They absolutely made the most of the lessons and improved drastically from start to finish. They started with backwards barefooting and learned new tricks such as one-foot and backwards to forwards. It was so much fun to watch their faces and reactions as they would conquer new skills in this already difficult sport. The proof is in the hours of video footage we have which will provide as their references until it is time to get back on the lake. We headed from Winter Haven, FL to Clearwater for the second leg of the vacay. We spent lots of time enjoying the amazing 80 and sunny weather. We hit up the pool and the beach, ate lots of yummy food, went to the sunset festival on the pier, took a trolley tour up and down the sound, shopped and even caught a Tigers/Yankees spring training game. What a fun trip!!

I had a spontaneous moment when we returned from Florida and decided I wanted to be in Colorado to witness my brother propose to his girlfriend during a surprise party. I booked a very last minute flight out and surprised the surpriser himself! He convinced Lehala's friend Brittany to throw him a surprise birthday party...where he would propose to her in front of family and friends. It was the perfect plan and was executed without a hitch! I hid in a fake tree at the bar this took place at and watched as Erik delivered his speech and got down on one knee. Lehala was in complete shock as she thought she was on the inside of this! A BIG congratulations goes out to them both - we can't wait for the wedding celebration! It was a great weekend and I enjoyed seeing the family for a weekend!

A very special congratulations goes out to our friends Michele and Ben on the birth of their son - Jacob Dane! He was born on February 14, 2011 and is the most precious little baby. Christy, Karly and I got to make the trip to visit him last weekend and see his mommy and daddy. I have enjoyed hearing about him and seeing the photos but nothing is quite like meeting him in person and holding him. He is a good baby with curious eyes, puppy dog squeaks and a face that you can't resist! It was a great weekend of playing with Jacob, catching-up, shopping, dining and laying in the yard enjoying the spring sunshine! I can't wait to hear about more and more firsts about this new buddy and the future visists we will have!

Well that is all for now. More to come as life offers us more and more excitement and treats!

XO,

EAT

Snow Country

I haven't posted about Thanksgiving or Christmas but please allow me to digress. Yesterday and today we were the lucky recipients of a recorded 20+ inches of snow in the Chicagoland area! They are calling it the Blizzard of 2011 or Snowmagedeon to some. To us it means a day at home watching the snow pile up, working at home, digging out and playtime! Yesterday it was mass exodus to get out of the city as the snow started falling at the rate of 2-3 inches per hour. I headed to the train station only to find trains packed floor to ceiling with commuters wanting to head home. Luckily, Metra implemented a fill and go policy and I was home in no time. We had soup in the crock pot so no need to leave. As a matter of fact, we haven't left house/driveway/backyard other than a walk with Stewie since! It was my first "snow day" in my 6 year professional career and I am certain it won't happen again anytime soon. Chicago is notorious for being rather resilient when it comes to the weather but it was simply not safe nor possible to get far from home. I always say if it is going to be cold; it might as well snow and that it did! Take a look at some of the photos we snapped around the hood.

XO,
EAT

Free Fallin!

Well the months we call October and November have come and gone. Boy did we have some fun....here is a recap!

We kicked things off by heading to the lake for the first weekend of October. It was a beautiful crisp fall weekend and even though it was a working weekend we still enjoyed being up there. The fall colors were just gorgeous with the brighgt blue sky as the backdrop. Congrats to Kim and Steve on their new Pelican lake home. We were able to see them, the house and the hear about the new plans they are working up. I even got to get some waders on and helped with the shore station!

Dock is out, color is gorgeous and sun in shining!


Stewie says "Hey, this isn't my dock!"

The following weekend was one reserved for celebration of our first anniversary. It is hard to believe one year has already passed! We celebrated in a private suite at Lynfred Winery in Roselle IL. See previous post!

October 30 we took part in a very special celebration of our two friends...Christy and Todd! They were married at the Indian Lakes resort in Bloomingdale, IL. I was so proud to be the Matron of Honor standing up with them to witness the event. Friday before we got our nails done and got ready for the rehearsal dinner that evening. It was a intimate evening and set the tone for the rest of the wedding weekend celebrations. The ceremony music and words spoken were the perfect summary of their marriage. Christy had been planning this day since February and thought of every last detail...she was organized, calm, collected and had a radiance about her all day! We know Todd is a lucky man. The reception afterwards provided a way to party and toast to the newlyweds. We danced, drank, sung and jumped around to "Send me on my Way!" Rick rarely left the dance floor regardless of what song was on! I have said it before and will say it again....we knew Christy and we knew Todd, but knowing Christy and Todd together just seems right! Congratulations!

November is typically a month where we find ourselves preparing for the holidays and upcoming winter months. For the second year, this no longer seems to be the case. Last year we were unpacking from the wedding and preparing for our honeymoon. This year life's little celebrations continue in so many ways. It is a reason Hallmark is still in business as we do have so many blessings to be thankful for and of course cards are needed!

We started the weekends of November with a double celebration. The Sturm family gathered Saturday the 6th for an early Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner, gift opening, wine drinking, Oh-Hell playing, dessert eating party. It was fun to get in the holiday spirit early and of course see that side of the family. The ladies got together the next day to celebreate cousin Kelly's baby shower. She is expecting a little boy, Jaxson Leo, in January!

The next weekend brought Rick, Stewie and I to Springfield where my mom was visiting for a week. It also happened to be my 29th birthday on Saturday the 13th! We hung out at Grandpa's where Rick learned he can get into a Western flick. His new favorite happens to be a John Wayne classic called McLintock. My mom and I made cinnamon apples along with other kitchen creations. We helped get some bulbs in the ground before heading to Capone's for a bday celebration. It was great to see Anna and her parents, Shareen and her family, Auntie JoAnn and of course the Jeff Richardson family did not disappoint on the food and drink front. I even got a Brandy Alexander with a birthday candle in it! That Sunday we gathered to celebrate Grandpa's 87th birthday with the best chicken in town. I will give you a hint, it is fried! We jumped back in the car to head home with a tuckered dog from chasing the golf cart up and down the runway.

Anna and I!!

Mom, Rick and I at Capones - note the Brandy Alexander..mmm!

The ultimate dog run!


The next weekend gave me the opportunity to visit Michele for her baby shower. She is in her final weeks of pregnancy and is looking great!! Christy and I assisted with paint selections for the baby's room and attended the shower on Saturday the 20th. The shower was such a fun afternoon. The hostesses had plenty of food and games planned. Michele got some great gifts that she will be putting to use very soon! Christy was my co-pilot on the trip and was fresh from her honeymoon. We also had the chance to visit with Ben, Erin and Jo while we were there. We had dinner at this new Asian Bistro, watched wedding videos and just had a fun relaxing weekend together! I can hardly wait for the next visit when their house is bustling with a new baby!

I came home that Sunday and headed to Dan and Candy's to celebrate Chris's 21st birthday. Not in true 21st bday style as the boys took care of that the night before. Instead of shots, we had soup and mac n cheese and broke the big news to Chris that we were leaving for VEGAS in 3 days!!! That will be the next post. Until then....

XO,

EAT

Miners Rescued in Chile!

This is by no means an update on the life of Treats but it is certainly a story worth documenting. 69 days ago...on August 5th 2010, 700,000 tons of rock collapsed at the San Jose Mine near Copiapo Chile trapping 33 miners a half mile in the earth. The rescue teams didn't find the miners until 17 days later and began a long plan to bring the miners up safely. They delivered supplies, food and medicine to the miners through a small shaft as they began drilling a rescue shaft. The leader of the crew guided the miners through rationing their resources and setting up work, sleep and sanitary stations.

Beginning yesterday, the miners came up one by one on via a special capsule. It was truly amazing to see them come back to surface...all so unique and with their individual personal stories. One man even arose to a new baby girl named "Hope." They will be bombarded with book deals, TV appearances, free trips and other media offers as nobody has ever been trapped for so long and survived. It was awesome to see the news headlines filled with joy and triumph as they pulled these miners up over the last day. The positive news is spreading throughout! It is a personal reminder of patience. I can't imagine being trapped in my office for 69 days...with my coworkers...sharing cans of tuna. I also will think twice when I am in small spaces and feel my personal space is being invaded. But today in Chile an amazing operation took place and restored some hope in humanity across the world!

XO,
EAT

A year of TREATS!

Where does the time go? I hear people say that more and more but seriously; where does it go?! I know we have accomplished a lot in year 1 of marriage but it sure did go quickly. Rick and I celebrated our 1st year anniversary a couple of weekends ago at the cutest litlle suburban winery/bed and breakfast: Lynfred Winery in Roselle, IL. The weather was perfect with clear skies and temps in the 80's. We did wine tastings, had a private tour of the place, had dinner and breakfast delivered to our room and just enjoyed an evening maxing and relaxing in our Italian Suite. The winery closes at 7pm so once the innkeeper left we were the only room rented so we truly had the place to ourselves! The Oktoberfest wine was our favorite so we even got some bottles to take home. The staff there treated us like royalty so it will definitely be a place we will return to. Here are a few photos from our anniversary celebration!

XO,

EAT