nobody likes a dumb bride, not even consumers

mannequins gone wild

At first glance, it appears that this clothing store was caught off guard by the cold weather. Then after taking a closer look at the dummy with the ripped abs in the Miami Beach setting, I think it was on purpose.

tommy has a new sidekick

Congratulations to Doug and Naoko on their healthy baby boy Kenji. With new legos to play with, Tommy seems happily unaware that Kenji is here to stay. He did stop playing for a few minutes for this photo op, but then was off again to build a lego train.

hawks say '3 is the magic number' to retire

In front of a standing-room-only crowd at the United Center, Chicago Blackhawks retired #3, the sweater worn by both Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson. While they ran through stats of both players, there were two career highlights that stood out in my mind. One, Pilote brought home the Stanley Cup. And, two, Magnuson earned 1442 minutes, roughly 24 hours, in the penalty box. Unbelivable.

An awkward stroll

On a gorgeous Indian summer afternoon, I came across this buzz-kill of a girl spewing harsh words at unsuspecting people. Honestly, what would Jesus do?

field museum

murphy's remains

how do you spell relief? $2.35 a gallon

did you vote yet? the billboard is waiting

long live the chief

While we will miss Chief Illiniwek perform at half time, we were glad to have a drink with him beforehand.

the boy who cried wolf spider

On a rainy, fall day, there is nothing better than lounging on the couch with fellow loungers. Suddenly, my lounging was harshly interrupted by a shriek from the other room. I went to check it out and found this uninvited lounger lounging on Zoe's bed.

After a bit of web research and several wrong guesses, it appeared to be the venomous, yet non-aggressive, wolf spider. Non-agressive or not, he was kicked to the curb. Literally.

elkhart lake in autumn

mall weddings, like totally

historic urbana

The Historic Lincoln Hotel in Urbana, IL. Built in 1924 by the local architect, Joseph W. Royer, where the original funding for the hotel came from stock subscription of Urbana's prominent citizens.

billy goat gruff?

At first glance it looks like the petting zoo had to place this poor 'ole goat in the stocks in order to get him to play nicely with the kids. Then, I realized, after watching for a while, that this wise billy goat jenga'd his way into this spot to get in prime position for feed from dirty little hands.

grave danger

Camping in Door County, a mysterious grave marker was found on one of the sites. It seemed to come alive at night, as it would snag the foot of those that attempt to trespass. Or, you could just chalk it up to some crafty kids and a lack of coordination.

colors of fall

vote early, not but not often or late.

Did you know that 34 states allow people to vote in person before the election day? Majority of them have a don't ask, don't tell attitude towards early voters. Only 3 states & DC want a reason.

Here in Illinois, they didn't ask me anything and I didn't tell them anything. To find early voting locations in Illinois, click here.

colin knows how to pick 'em

Pumpkin picking is an art. Colin walks us through the steps to finding the great pumpkin.








First, check the dirt. Good soil is the first indicator of a good crop.

Next, inspect the pumpkin.


Finally, call in the laborers to carry your bounty home for you.

soldier field

oliver plays with fire

Last weekend, Oliver discovered one of the reasons people take a trip to Wisconsin - firecrackers.













We gathered at the water's edge of a beautiful, serene lake that was surrounded by the fall colors. The serene moment lasted only a moment. It changed as the inventory of fireworks was laid out on the pier. Then the moment was lost. Bottle rockets streaked through the air and skipped on water.

Congratulations to Lauren and Jimmy

lauren, jimmy and aunt toni's cake

We headed up to Wisconsin to see Lauren and Jimmy tie the knot. The weather threatened with rain early in the weekend, but was shooed away by the bonfire after the rehearsal dinner. Apparently fire and water don't mix. The elements aside, we had a fabulous weekend filled with family, friends and food.

For more pictures of the wedding and rehearsal dinner click here.

Doug & Andrea's Announcement

We headed over the Nacional 27 to celebrate the recent marriage of Doug and Andrea. When I think of Doug and Andrea, I think of food and wine. It seemed only natural that there trays of delectable apps and mixologist-inspired drinks samba-ing around the party for all to enjoy. My favorite was the blueberry infused cocktail.

traditional registry gifts

brandy's

A fast food place that is the home of the gyros, salad on a pita and a parking lot full of cops. must be good. It was.

chicago botanic gardens