When it rains, it pours.

So, one rainy night Larry hydroplaned into a barricade - luckily no one was hurt, but it caused about $1500 in damages to his car. We started having problems with our vacuum. It isn't that big of a deal, but I want to get this really awesome vacuum that is about $1,000 - well, just under. In the midst of the research and talking with the sales woman, the dryer went caput. Then, my transmission went out at work requiring a costly rebuild of over $2,300 not to mention the rental while it was being rebuilt, followed by the garbage disposal. It's not like any one thing is a big deal, but it really adds up and as the cliche goes... when it rains, it pours, and boy does it!

Voila!

More during

See that putty/seal... I may be the cause for default. Let's blame it on my OCD... I thought it was just crud, so I obsessively scraped it all out. Apparently, you're not suppose to because it causes a seal to prevent leaks... Oops.

During...

Before...

Just ONE of the many things that has crapped out on us this month. Luckily, I have a very handy man that can install a garbage disposal.

Taking advantage of the gorgeous day!

Monday I received a text from a friend of mine telling me to check my email. There, I found this link to one of the City's papers: http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/11/lincoln-park-homicide-shooting.html. A good friend of mine whom I worked with for several years had just died. He is memoralized today with a wake and funeral services tomorrow: http://www.mem.com/ContentDisplay.aspx?ID=17729256. This is upsetting because he was a good person with a good heart and a good friend. I lost touch over the past few years and only recently reconnected via Facebook. One thing that came to mind was the relationships. We take for granted so many things and people. It's unfortunate that death has to remind me of the importance of friends and family.

Why can't Ethan have the pen?

I wondered why Larry wouldn't give Ethan the pen...

Trick-or-Treat!

This year I took Ethan to the Geneva Commons Halloween fest. Some of you may know how this works - if the shops have a sign in the window, the kids are welcome to come in and trick-or-treat. There are so many restrictions in the neighborhoods now, and our neighborhood is not very Halloween friendly that I thought this was a good idea. I was right. Ethan had a blast. Every time he got a piece of candy, he'd say 'we need more tick-or-treats, Mom'. And so we did. My Mom sent Ethan this cute Thomas costume for his birthday. I was afraid he wouldn't be too excited to wear it since he has been wearing it since. I left my camera in the car and didn't realize it till it was too late. There was no way Ethan was going to let me go back. So, I dressed him up again afterwards and took some pics. After the Commons, we went to my girlfriends house where I witnessed the excitement of her husband - boy, does he love Halloween! Julie gave him this rubber bat, which he loves! What a treat.