The holidays

We were definitely busy this holiday season...but were fortunate to be able to spend time with both of our families.  We stopped in Madison for dinner with my aunt, uncle, and cousin on our way to Cochrane.  It was so great to see them again...and the place they took us to was so neat!

Quivey's Grove, Madison WI

We spent the day before Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve with my family.  Mom and I played lots of Scrabble and cribbage...and we all played a little four-handed cribbage and sheepshead.  Grandma came down to celebrate Christmas Eve with us...and Mom, John, and I went to Midnight Mass.  Such a great holiday!

Hoping for a white Christmas...but it didn't happen.

A neighbor carved this in another neighbor's yard.  Pretty legit.

Table all set.

Mom and Em

Dad and Mom

Grandma and Em

Em and John

The Rohrer's: John, Em, Grandma, Mom, and Dad

We left Cochrane on Christmas morning and drove to Oshkosh to celebrate with John's family.  It was the first time that we had absolutely perfect roads...which made for a very non-stressful drive!  The day was topped off with a Packer win over the Bears...and some Words with Friends with Natalie and friends.  While in Oshkosh we were able to have breakfast with Mark and KJ.  It was great to see them again too!  We stuck around to celebrate Kathy's 59th birthday the day after Christmas and enjoyed a yummy beef stroganoff dinner.

An absolutely gorgeous Christmas morning.

End of 2011 recap

Well, I didn't get to catch up on this blog the other week...but I will try to do so tonight/this week...and then post more regularly in 2012!  Here's what I missed from the end of 2011:

1.  I ran the Monster Dash Half Marathon with my friend Angie on October 29th.  It was a fun race but didn't go as well as I had hoped...but definitely not too poorly either.  I finished in 2:09:23 and averaged a 9:53 pace.  I was 1299/3030 overall, 681/1965 females, and 165/433 females age 25-29.  I definitely didn't train as completely as I had for my first one in April...and I had some technical difficulties during the run as well.  While I was a little disappointed, it was definitely a great accomplishment!

Ang and I in our Badgers cheerleader costumes before the race.

Ang and I with our cheerleaders, Angie's aunts and mom...thanks for coming, ladies!

2.  John and I traveled back home to Cochrane on the weekend of November 5th for my childhood friend Shara's wedding.  It was fun to see old friends again...and to be home for a weekend.  The photo booth was especially hilarious!  Congratulations, Shara and George!

The table decorations...and Dad and John.

Angie, Jamine, and Emily...three great friends since 4th grade!

John, Jamine, and Brandon...Jamine had to jump in so it wasn't just a man picture.

Mom and Dad

John and I

John, Brandon, Jamine, and I in the photo booth...such fun!

3.  I celebrated my 28th birthday!  John surprised me with a bouquet of flowers...so sweet!  He said he wanted to get me a giant cookie but they didn't have any birthday ones so he settled on flowers.  We also went out to The Italian Village restaurant...so yummy!  I just love the ambiance at that place...it's like you're in a little village...so cute.

My birthday dinner at The Italian Village

My lovely husband

The flowers John gave me for my birthday.

Such beautiful flowers!

A gorgeous rose

All my birthday cards...so much love!

4.  We went to the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival parade and fireworks.  The parade was cute (Mickey, Minnie and friends were there!) but it was a little slow (not quite like Disney parades).  The fireworks were really awesome though.  They were right down by the river so the reverberations off the buildings were very intense.  Later that night there were fireworks off Navy Pier too...bonus!

There were SO many people!

5.  John suggested that we try to eat at the Walnut Room at Macy's on State Street.  We went on a Monday night in late November and walked right in.  They don't take reservations and on the weekends, the waits can be up to 4 hours long!  It was so pretty and festive...a great evening!

The trees in the Walnut Room.

Lakeshore East trees all lit up.

The decorations on our street.

6.  The first weekend in December I met my aunts and (some of) my girl cousins on my mom's side for a shopping weekend...but first I spent a night with my best friend Jamine and her husband.  We had a great time chatting...and a delicious dinner at the Great Dane.  I had a great time shopping and spending time with my aunts and cousins too...and I finally got to meet the newest (at that time) addition to the family, Audrey Larissa, who was born in September.  Such a sweet little girl!  It was so fun to reconnect with the family again.

Mom and her sisters, Joy, Bev, Jeri, and Joan

Aunts Bev, Joan, and Jer sharing an umbrella.

Jamie, Jill, Chelsey, Krystal, Aunt Joy, and Mom

7.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas decorations throughout the city...and my own too!  I made a couple of batches of Christmas cookies too...and now have student requests for more at other times of the year. 

The Wrigley Building, my favorite this year!

The first snowfall.

Christmas trees at Water Tower Place.

Baking cookies

John's favorite, peanut butter kisses

My favorite to decorate and eat!

8.  I went to my first work holiday party...and first ugly Christmas sweater party!  I'm so to have found Chamberlain.  I truly love my job and work with a fabulous team of people!

9.  John's family came to visit and to celebrate Natalie's 18th birthday...and her acceptance at UW-Madison!  For the last few years, we've all met in Chicago for Natalie's birthday...and to visit the Christkindlmarket.  This year they all came to us and we had a great weekend!  We walked a TON on Saturday...to Macy's, the Christkindlmarket, up Michigan Ave to Water Tower Place, to dinner at Wildfire, and back to Macy's and our apartment.  Sunday we had a delicious breakfast at Wildberry (yup, all about the "wilds") and then spent the day at the Shedd Aquarium.

The "kids" at Macy's: Ben, Annie, Natalie, John, and Em

Annie and I at the Christkindlmarket

Holiday Fantasea show at the Shedd

Interesting thought...

If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need.

~Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman military leader and author

Happy holidays!

Happy holidays, everybody.  I'm way behind on this blog...but hopefully will be able to catch up next week.  For now, here's a copy of the card and letter we mailed out this year.  Enjoy the holidays!

 

2011 was another eventful year for us...though not quite as busy at 2010.  We rang in the New Year with friends we hadn’t seen in awhile...and hoped for a Rose Bowl win for the Badgers.  Maybe we’ll have better luck in this year’s Rose Bowl!  Continuing the trend of seeing old friends, I traveled to Colorado to spend the weekend with my mom and our former exchange students, Ale and Laura.  I had seen Laura in July 2010 when we traveled to Costa Rica but I hadn’t seen Ale since the summer of 2004.  It was crazy how we were able to pick up right where we had left off almost 7 years before.  My relationship with those two girls is just so special!

In early April, John successfully completed his thesis defense.  We celebrated with champagne in his advisor’s office.  He graduated with his PhD on May 15, 2011.  I was (and am) such a proud wife!  We had a great (though chilly) day with both of our families.  John’s family drove down very early on Sunday morning so Natalie could attend her junior prom on Saturday night.  Early last spring, John accepted a job as a research assistant professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC).  The Friday before graduation, we signed the lease on our new home in Chicago.  Finding an apartment was a stressful experience but we ended up with a great place!  After much drama (lots of interviews, starting a job and quitting it two weeks later), I found a job that I absolutely love.  I am the academic success coach at Chamberlain College of Nursing.

At the end of May, we headed down to Disney World with the Lenz Family.  The weather was nice and hot...and it only rained once!  Once again, Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada (Epcot) was our favorite meal.  We’re already looking forward to next time.

We moved to Chicago on June 22nd.  Thanks to my parents who helped us pack up the old apartment and to John’s parents who helped us unpack the new apartment.  The moving in part was the easiest ever!  We’ve explored a little since moving in...went to Taste of Chicago twice, saw the Broadway productions of Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan, experienced Taste of Greece in Greektown, went to Jazzin’ at the Shedd, ate at Girl and the Goat after a two month wait, and checked out the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade.  I’ve also done yoga at Millennium Park and thoroughly enjoyed having the Lakeshore Path for my running route.

This year I ran my first and second half marathons, the Illinois Marathon Half Marathon in Urbana and the Monster Dash in Chicago.  Next up: the Crazylegs Classic 8K in Madison in April and the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K in Chicago in November.  My mom and I also completed the Challenge Walk MS in Door County in September.  Thanks again to all who donated!

We’ve had quite a few visitors since moving to the big city as well.  We love visitors!  John’s sister Annie and a friend came in September to go to the Wisconsin vs. NIU game at Soldier Field.  It was so good to be at a Badger game again!  We also thoroughly enjoyed watching the Brewers in the playoffs this year.  We were able to go to a game at Miller Park with John’s dad and Natalie and another one at Wrigley Field during the last week of the season.

We hope this letter finds you all well and that 2012 will bring much happiness to you and your families.  Our 2012 plans: skiing in Idaho in January, Tampa in March, celebrating the marriage of Annie and Ben in October, and hopefully lots of great other memories too.  Go Badgers!