Birthday girl

While pictures of Su's birthday party -- belatedly held on July 19th, after moving into the new place -- are to come at some date in the near future, I felt compelled to share this one picture taken today while she wore her brand new dress, compliments of Grandma and Papa Peltier.

To my birthday girl: You've been through so much in recent weeks. And you've tried your hardest to help us, even when it was difficult to do much to help with packing and cleaning. You've rolled with the compromises to your actual birthday (see previous post of pre- and post-move activities) and didn't moan at all when told that your actual party would have to be held off a bit until we moved into the new house.

Your patience (for a 6-year old) has helped us to put the chaotic past behind, settle into our new digs, and put together the proper party together for you, free of the stress and uncertainty that filled the last 4 months.

Now we're all home and happy. And we had one heck of a great bash for you on Saturday, didn't we?

Happy Birthday. We love you so much.

- Dad and Mom (and Max...)

Leaving Geneva

It's been a while between posts and I do apologize for the lack of details in recent weeks. As many of you know, we've been in the midst of a family relocation, returning to Winfield after about 4.5 years away.

The official move and "close" was on July 9th. The days before and after have been nothing short of exhausting. The days leading up to the move were spent packing, packing, cleaning, and packing. In between, we managed to squeeze in a bit of packing.

July 7th (Monday) was a workday -- and also Su's birthday. She was shortchanged a bit on her actual birthday, but we did make it all work out. We turned the 6th (Sunday) into her day, devoting the time to her that we knew wouldn't happen that following day. A morning trip to see KUNG FU PANDA was a special treat for her. We had a lot of fun throughout the day and capped it later with presents and her choice of dinner. For this, she kept the venue close and we walked to our local Applebee's location. All told, it was a very good day.

But by the next day, it was the start of what would become about 1.5 weeks of whirlwind activity. A hectic work day kicked off Monday, followed by the pickup of the U-haul trailer. No, we weren't moving ourselves. We had what proved to be a very hardworking and personable crew doing the dirty work. But what I insist on during every move (and there have been a few...) is moving my own music studio and office. And anyone who has seen the pile of clutter knows that this is no small feat.

So Monday night was spent loading up the U-haul. Tuesday morning, bright and early, the movers arrived. And by 1:30 or so p.m., the house was mostly empty, save for essentials (food, clothing), blow up mattresses, a couple of folding chairs, and a smaller TV to pick up the evening White Sox game. Yes, priorities.

We ate dinner on the family room floor, devouring up veggie dogs, a couple of beers (we had to lighten the load in the U-haul!), and some post-meal treats. Later in the evening, we retreated to our mattresses, completely exhausted and still knowing that there was so much more ahead.

Wednesday started early with the last of the cleaning, packing, and sealing up the house for good. We managed to squeeze items into every last remaining space in the U-haul, the Santa Fe, and the Camry. We pulled away from Geneva for good at approximately 10:15 a.m. We stopped by Mom's house and dropped off Max (the dog) for a while, stopped at a friend's place to drop off Su for a while (no fun for any 6-year old at a house closing) and headed into Winfield. There, we dropped off the trailer in front of the new place and headed for the closing.

By 1:30 p.m., we were finished, with keys in hand and piles of paperwork that basically said that we owe the bank lots and lots of money that I have to pay until I'm about 72 years old. Yikes. That hurt just typing it.

When we arrived back at the house, the movers were there with all of our belongings and promptly started unloading. By about 5:10 p.m., we were officially "in" the house. It was ours. And nothing but piles of boxes and furniture surrounded us.

And we couldn't be happier about the decision.

I took off Thursday to really try to make a serious dent in the unpacking process. Slowly, the place started to truly feel like HOME. By Friday morning, as I prepared for work again, I felt like we had truly reached our destination.

Oh, and the commute was a meager 25 minutes. What a treat!

I will follow up with pix of the house once we have it more presentable for viewing. In the meantime, I'm just sharing a few from the first days of the move process. Some from the loading and the first shots from the outside, as well as looking out into the driveway from the garage on the first rainy morning that followed.

You're the Swedish thing...

Hard to believe it's already been a year since I wrote my last little summary of Geneva's Swedish Days weekend. My gosh, so much has happened since then. And oddly enough, my overall feelings about these events and the city of Geneva haven't really changed that much. It's a beautiful area and there is certainly a charm about the location. But unless you really get into that whole Third Street shopping and have the extra cash just begging to spring out of your wallet or purse (I prefer the wallet), there really isn't that much to do.

Well, unless you have a kid. Then you can turn it into a little bit of fun. And this year's fun was almost a carbon copy of last year's fun. Face painting. A chance to climb the fire engine. Some live music. Even a demonstration by the fire department for kids detailing how to react in the event of fire.

This year, we even saw a couple of people we knew. Su's kindergarten teacher and a school friend of hers. Otherwise, no familiar faces. A few dogs being walked. Lots of school kids enjoying a brief amount of freedom sans parents.

Aside from the fire department demo, Su also went on her first small roller coaster. I tried my best to take a photo, but the delay on my camera made that an impossible task. I did manage to get part of the front of her body in one shot. But nothing else to show the joy on her face. The first moments, as the coaster jerked from its stopped position, brought about a sense of worry and anxiety. You could see it in Su's eyes. But after a trip around the tracks, suddenly the expression was one filled with absolute joy. The screams ("those were GOOD screams, mommy") were an indicator that this little girl was going to handle fast-moving rides much better than her parents!

Otherwise, not much else. It just made for a nice evening and a chance to walk off a little bit of dinner, mingle in the crowd, and wear down the little gal just in time for bed.

Next up: Good Old Days in Winfield. And by then, we'll be in walking distance. Two more weeks to go until moving day!

A day for dad

[There are 3 posts for the price of 1 today... read on!]

Over the last nearly 5 years, the term "dad" has taken on much greater significance for me. Each and every day, I get to hear that word escaping from the lips of a special little girl. And most days, it still leaves me a little speechless. Me? Dad? Coming home from work and hearing someone shriek out "Daddy!" as I'm entering the house. Does it get much better than that? Oh, sure. Max barks continually and spends the next 3-5 minutes whining. But it's not really the same thing, is it? And Anita stopped shrieking upon my arrival many years ago. Guess the thrill is gone. :-)

This particular Father's Day was especially nice from almost the first moments of the day. I started out with a leisurely morning run and got caught out in a storm for a bit. But it quickly passed and the day did nothing but look up from there. Su woke up in a great mood and greeted me with "Happy Father's Day!" Then Su presented me with her special gift -- a White Sox balloon to float proudly around the house! And that was capped by a wonderful White Sox sweatshirt, which will be worn with much pride during cool evenings in the fall -- as we cheer on another World Series run (Sorry, Cub fans, but your pitching isn't going to hold in the 2nd half. Lilly? Marquis? Ha!).

We went out for late breakfast/early lunch at our favorite local diner -- called The Geneva Diner (surprise). Some of the best casual dining in the area, though. Breakfast and lunch only. The place was packed when we arrived. Probably a lot of dad's getting honored at this point in the day. But we were able to sit down at the counter -- a new experience for us. There was something rather neighborly about the whole experience. Overall, it was a very pleasant lunch.

We then took a little drive into Winfield to glance at the new house for a tiny bit. Saw the current owners and chatted for a while. All parties are quite excited right now. In 3 weeks, we'll be in the house and neighborhood we've been seeking (since we left back in '04) and the current family will be heading off to Phoenix to return to family, as well. We drove around, looked at the parks, the schools, and then daydreamed about the very near future.

We capped the afternoon with a top at Graham's in Geneva for some world-class ice cream. We finished up just moments before the rains hit again and headed home. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying some free time before the next work day would follow.

It really can't get much more special than this.

Going home again

Returning to the neighborhood we love. Back in Winfield. Closer to work. Closer to Barone's. Closer to Ashoka. Closing July 9th. More details to follow.

What's all the racket?

Earlier in the spring, Su surprised us with the following declaration:

"I want to play tennis. Can I take lessons?"

What? You've never shown any interest in tennis. We don't watch tennis. None of your friends play tennis. Oh, sure. Why not? But here's the deal: If we sign you up, you've got to finish it out. If you don't like it, you have to see it through.

OK. That's fair.

So Su is playing tennis now through the Geneva Park District. And she's actually having a lot of fun. I had the opportunity to see her on her very first day. Unfortunately, the camera was not with me. The day pretty much went like this:

Swing and a miss. Swing and a miss. Swing and a miss. Oooh. A tip! Swing and a miss. Then the instructor worked on her 2-handed form. Swing and a miss. Oh, a hit! Cool! Swing and a miss. And then another hit! Sure, not far or fast. But she's making contact. Now THIS is getting excited. And where is my damn camera? Oh, yeah. On the kitchen table. Another hit! Whoo-hoo!

So we're in week no. 2 now. And we even picked up a used kid's racket for $1.50 at a garage sale over the weekend. So now she has a racket with her own name on it. And she's having fun. Not Bjorn Borg just yet. She's not Bjorn Ulvaeus, either (ABBA).

And she's not quite Bjorn to run... Ooooh. Sorry. That was really bad.

What? No "Danishes for Dad" Day?

This past Thursday, Su's kindergarten class had a special "Muffins for Mom" day in celebration of Mother's Day. Of course, Anita was thrilled to be able to spend some time with Su during one of her school days. But what was even more fun were the events lined up to pay tribute to "mom."

Miss Lefevre and the kids all worked hard to put together quite the production for their moms. There were several songs sung and even a very touching story read by a couple of the students, complete with on-screen photo support. Anita was able to bring along the video camera and capture some very special footage. And if I had any kind of free time, I'd convert some of the video and post it here.

Considering how little I've been able to contribute to this blog of late, just be content with what I can provide tonight. Su and mom are fast asleep and dad now has an opportunity to sort through the photos and place a bit of narrative alongside.

All in all, a very fun day for Anita. Su also prepared little gifts: a flower, a little piece of jewelry, and a beautifully colored butterfly. And, of course, there were the goodies. My understanding is that there were more than just muffins there. Sounds like many tasty treats were offered.

Note to Su: I'm expecting donuts on Father's Day!