While I was at the Ann Frank House in Amsterdam in the restroom a woman started asking me about Venice. Her voice was so pretty with her accent I was embarrassed by the tone of the words coming from my mouth!
The only solution I see is for me to adapt a British Accent.
This weekend was the Southside Irish Parade. After a few years hiatus and my cousins and I returned to my Aunt and Uncle's house to celebrate my uncle's birthday and enjoy the green within. My mom is 100% Irish, but my kids are 1/4 Irish. To me it's less about celebrating my heritage, it's about enjoying Chicago's neighborhoods. My cousins grew up in this brick georgian where everyone on the block seems to have been there forever. I don't know how it wa growing up, but my impression was of them going to school wearing uniforms, having actual trees around (we lived in a sprawling suburb in a newer treeless neighborhood after I turned 8), just doing things differently because they were in the city.
Go figure it made an impression on me because we have a brick Georgian. I didn't put this house on our list to see, Jorge wanted to see it. Turned out to be a great idea and when I "met" this house I saw past the gold all over the walls and nasty ceiling tiles to a good layout to grow a family. And that we did!
The parade was fun, it was a good memory to see everyone so grown up and I kept flashing to some silly memories of my childhood and my aunt and uncle's house.
-We have a video of all of us in snowsuits sitting on the curb. Awwww
-My dad was in charge of buying us hot dogs and he got them with everything on it, including hot peppers, sauerkraut, such a dad thing to do. So dad got to scrape away the "Good stuff" for us:0
-Uncle Paul had a melting snowman Christmas decoration. Coolest thing ever.
-He had vines on the side of his house. When I was older he got rid of them and I was horrified. He explained how bad this could be for the brick. A bit of knowledge I'll carry along and attribute to him as my teacher.
-We stayed at their house the year of the addition. I can totally picture being itty bitty (maybe age 5 for my sister being born?) and the furniture they had and the kitchen cabinetry and the plastic to the kitchen addition. I remember walking through to the new addition and going over it in floor plan in my head. Go figure!
You gotta love memories. Thanks Aunt Pat and Uncle Paul for the memories, for inviting us back and for the wonderful way to celebrate our heritage.
Can I be sad for a moment looking at newborn pictures knowing we will NOT be having another newborn in this house.
Yes, yes I can.
My husband doesn't read this blog often so I call it.
Newborn Pity Party of 1.
Waaaaaaahhhh. My baby is so big already!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Sylvie has outgrown yet another pair of shoes which means she's catching up to Logan in shoe size. SO NOT FAIR.
the TV! Oh boy! She is 14 weeks old. She is taking breaks from nursing to find the tv, sitting content in her bouncer because she can see it..... oh my!
I'm just an average Chicagoan making her way in the world. I spent 7 years living in Seattle and it profoundly formed who I am. I spent 15 years of my life married to my soulmate, who has made my days full and bright and stood alongside me through thick and thin. I have three wonderful beautiful children who are my greatest creation yet. Logan is my 8-year-old quiet realist who has recently found his voice and has us laughing at all that is pouring out of his head. Sylvie is my 6-year-old Fairy Tale Princess who lives in the clouds and comes down to tell us we are "so funny" and make sure we know she is the center of our universe. My day job is a residential architect. I spent 7 years in college and about 12 years in the working world learning and I feel like I have about another 50 years worth of knowledge to gain on the subject. I was working part-time, though I am on a leave of absence to enjoy this third bundle of joy- Venice. The past years have led me down a crazy path of SAHM to working mom and I'm not quite sure where I'll end up. For now...I think I'll just write about it as it all happens.
