Marzipan!

2010-05-08T10:39:00.001-05:00

My first post sent from my mobile device

Finally! 38 weeks along!

2009-08-29T14:54:00.006-05:00

Preggo Pics

2009-04-08T11:49:00.002-05:00

I was only able to find two photos that showed my belly. Tim has taken plenty of other pictures but none showed my belly and that's my fault. I was pretty good at hiding the slightest of weight gain or bulge. I will try to be more agreeable to having my pregnant belly photographed. Enjoy!

The Coolest Thing Ever!

2009-04-06T17:31:00.002-05:00

So much has happened but I can't think of anything to write except for one thing. THEEEE coolest thing ever is all I can think about. I felt the baby move for the first time yesterday!!!! So Cool!

Tim is completely thrilled but wishes he could feel the baby too. It is my understanding he won't be able to feel the baby kick until I'm further along, about 22 weeks or so! I'm currently 17 weeks and counting.

This is so COOL...feeling the baby move!!!

Frozen Tundra or Winter Wonderland?? You decide!!

2009-02-07T21:15:00.004-06:00

Once again it has been a very long time since I have lasted posted anything. As I attempt to write something profound and interesting, I'm at a loss for words. What do most people do when they are at a loss for words? They talk about the weather.

With this being my first winter in Madison, WI I have not done too much exploring. The main culprit to limiting my exploration of the city has been the freezing cold weather. Winter came pretty early in the frozen tundra! By early November, a winter coat was a daily addition to my wardrobe. By December, the snow arrived and it is still present. I have not seen green grass since Turkey Day! In addition to the snow, the temperature has been quite cold. Mostly, I have not left the house without a warm hat, gloves and my coat zipped all the way up! Most of January the temperature was in the single digits or below zero, which does not account for the wind chill. The following description may give you sense of how cold it has been. When my dog, Bailey, barely makes it two feet from the back door to "take care of business" before she wants to turn around to come back in. It is so cold her her, at times she needs to lift up one paw at a time while walking around just to give that paw a break from the cold. She will alternate each paw giving each one adequate time to "warm-up" enough before touching the ground again.

One could imagine that spending too much time outdoors in the winter doesn't happen too often. I thought I was pretty smart purchasing snow pants and a full coverage ski mask. I figured it would be easy to walk Bailey for 20-30 minutes while wearing warm bulky snow pants, ski mask, gloves, hat and boots...well, I was wrong. It was very hard to breath the cold winter air even through the ski mask. Any moisture that accumulated on the fabric froze instantly and my nose and lips would freeze to the fabric. In addition, Bailey would start with her alternating paw walk. I just had to give up the winter walks and be creative with my time.

I've always enjoyed the roar and warm glow of a wood-burning fireplace. Fortunately, the home Tim and I are renting has one in the living room. However, the inviting warmth of the fire could not bring me to build too many fires because that meant venturing outside in the cold for the firewood. Boy, don't I sound lazy and defeated by the cold. But wait, there is more to the story. I learned that keeping the chimney flue closed and having many blankets to snuggle under, to be very romantic. This is what a true Wisconsin winter is all about...snuggle time under a blanket! Enough said! Not quite!

All the snuggles lead to us having a baby!! That's right, I'm pregnant with our first child!! So, what do you think? Frozen Tundra or Winter Wonderland?

Jer and Char's wedding weekend.

2008-11-02T08:12:00.005-06:00

Last month Jer got hitched. The wedding was tons of fun and very elegant. All the events of the whole weekend from start to finish are well documented on Tim's blog. So, check out some the the following pictures here than head over to Tim's blog.

The following pictures are of the morning of the wedding at the salon.

This is the bride, Charlene. There were at least two ladies tending to her all morning. I believe she felt like a princess.

Here is a picture of Rachel having make-up applied.

Kate was the next seat over having her make-up applied too.

Charlene's sister, Pam in the mist of an up-do. She has really long hair and it took some extra time to pull all her hair up but the end result was beautiful.

This is Charlotte, I believe she was the first one to have everything complete. She looks like an Ann Taylor model to me. (Sorry the picture is a bit blurry, too many cups of coffee that morning).

Here is the Maid of Honor, Julie. That water bottle did not have water in it...she and Charlene started the drinking a bit earlier than the rest of us... Mimosa's.

Pam and Charlene's Mom gave her something old, blue and borrowed.

Check out Charlene's vail hanging on the cabinet door to avoid it form getting any dirt or dog hair on it before the ceremony.

Go to Tim's blog for all of the events. Enjoy.

Woo Hoo! I finally updated this thing!!

2008-09-22T14:50:00.011-05:00

The summer months have been very busy and joyous. I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of the great people. When Tim accepted the job offer at Raven Software we both knew that relocating to a different city would be difficult. However, we both feel very fortunate that we were able to tackle this adventure together!! That makes a world of difference. Also, some of Tim's friends from Chicago also accepted a position at Raven and this allowed a natural group of friends to develop. Tim's friendships with "the EA boys" has grown stronger. And, I have had the pleasure of getting to know the boys and all the wives and kids too.

"The wives" or "the girls" having been keeping each other busy throughout the summer. We go out to dinner to celebrate each of our birthdays. We have attended summer concerts, street fairs and the farmers market and we have had a BBQ at someone's house at least 5 times this summer. The group also meets for Sunday brunch on occasion. Also, we have started a book club. All these events have allowed us to develop a nice friendship. None of us have family in the area, so we are sort of a "surrogate family" for each other. In addition, we are all "gamer wives" and we understand what it is like to have our husbands working long hours for weeks on end. So, we tend to support each other through these times. It has been a great pleasure getting to know all the families. I feel very fortunate to have made such great friends.

This is a picture of Todd and KC. Tim and I had everyone over one night for dinner and drinks. It was fun just sitting around the dinner table talking and making joking. Todd looks so pleasant and KC his planning something devious. They are both tons of fun.

Adele and Dan, they are the newest members to our group of friends. They just relocated to Madison in July. There is one bone of contention with this couple....notice the Steelers hat on Dan's head. Yeah...we are working through this flaw.

Here is a picture of Matt (left), Tate (center) and KC (right). This was a BBQ night at KC's. Tate's wife is not pictured I believe she was out of town. Matt is still playing the field and has yet to settle down.

This is a picture of Meredith. I can't believe I don't have a picture of her with her newborn Gabby. Often, Gabby likes to hang-out in a "sling" around Meredith's shoulders. I believe Mere is enjoying her free time while it last. Below is Gustavo, Meredith's husband with their other daughter Maya.

Here is a crazy picture of RJ and his son Noah, two peas in a pod. Marisa (yes I have a friend named Marisa...sounds just like my name) is pictured below. Her and RJ are expecting, a baby girl, this December. Congrats!!

Mike with his daughter Iris blowing bubbles at one of the BBQ's. His wife Tracy is pictured below with their other daughter Sage. Every picture I had of Tracy this day she was laughing and having a good time.

A better picture of Sage (left) playing with Trevor. Trevor is the son of Mark and Kelly.

A close-up of Iris...too cute to pass up this photo.

Mark is holding his son Spencer. This day Spencer couldn't get enough of his Dad. Kelly is pictured below fixing a drink for one of her kids. The following picture is of their other son Trevor, digging a hole outside of the sand box.

That wraps up what I've been doing here in Madison with my new friends. There has been a couple of weekends were Tim and I traveled to Chicago to visit Josh, Rachel and Norah and vice versa. And a different weekend to visit Lisa, John, Jack and Will. It has been very nice having family 2 1/2 hours away versus 9 hours. Traveling the short distance is much more manageable for a two day weekend. I hope to post pictures of the family weekends for my next post. But, there is no telling when that may happen. So, just check out Tim's blog. That will keep you up to speed.

Family Time before my move to Madison!

2008-05-25T18:17:00.019-05:00

Spending time with family before I moved to Madison was tons of fun. Below are pictures of the time I spent with family. The first bunch of pictures are of the Latini side of the family. We gathered at my sister Monica's house for Easter and for a birthday celebration for Morgan and Madison...they are now 10 years old!!

Below is a photo of my brother-n-law Grant, my sister Alanna's husband. Later in this posting you will see pictures of their whole family at Bearon's Baptism.

My brother-n-law Scott, sister Monica's husband. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of Monica because she was sick for the Easter and birthday celebration =(.

Here is my nephew, Bearon...my second godchild after Morgan!!

My nephew, Major thinking about birthday cake!

Here is my nephew Joey, so serious in this photo!

My oh so cute niece, Casey.

Always happy and excited niece, Morgan my first godchild.

My beautiful niece, Madison...10 going on 16!

My brother, Dennis...unusually serous in this photo!

My spunky and free spirited sister Lora.

My loving and caring mother... She is looking upon her newest grandchild with those loving eyes and smile.

My Dad, looking for the best bargain in the newspaper ads...his speciality!

The next bunch of pictures are of my husband's side of the family. It was great spending time at my in-laws house...just relaxing and telling great stories. And of course, goofing around with Norah!

Brother-n-law, Joshua with daughter Norah...she is inside my purse!

Another picture of Joshua and Norah with Gizmo!

Picture of my father-n-law, Norah and Molly. Norah had found her voice and can scream very well. Dad and Molly are stunned by the sound from this little girl.

I'm not the most attentive person when it comes to taking pictures. I have failed to get a picture of my mother-n-law, Rachel and Jeremy ( and Charlene. She was at work).

The next grouping of pictures are of the baptism for Bearon. And at the very end, a good bye and farewell picture of my nieces and nephews (well 2 nephews are missing from the picture, Jack and Will. They live in Chicago and didn't make into Clevleand for the celebration).

Sister Alanna with husband Grant and their two sons, Major 2 1/2 years old and Bearon 5 months old!!

A picture of my two godchildren, Morgan and Bearon and me.

For my next post, I'm hoping to have some pictures of my new friends I met here in Madison.

Where does the time go: Spending time with friends before I move!!

2008-04-25T16:02:00.019-05:00

I know it has been quite awhile and I could mention a thousand and one excuses as to why I have not had time to blog, but I won't. If you read you will find out what I have been up-to. Currently my problem is deciding where to begin my story.

The time period of the below events occurred 3-4 weeks before I moved to Madison, WI..basically the month of March. I will begin with the weekend after the huge winter storm in Cleveland. I traveled North (were the winter weather is worse) to Madison, WI for a 4 day weekend visit with my husband. A whole month had passed since my last visit. Anyway, I cannot recall doing anything special that weekend. I do recall unpacking a bit...our household goods were moved to Wisconsin a few weeks earlier. I know both Tim and I had a lot on our minds. The closing of our home sale in Cleveland was coming to an end. Thank GOD!!! This is another story that will have to wait for a different posting. The sale of our home was not the only event coming to an end. I had about two more weeks of work with the Cleveland Clinic. There were a lot of loose ends to finish up there. In addition to the house sale and the end of my days with the Clinic, my life in Cleveland was coming to an end as well. My goal was to spend time with both sides of the family before leaving and attempting to fit some time-in with friends too. It was sad having "final" meals with each group. However, there was something exciting to look forward to...living with my husband again. Tim and I have worked hard to pursue our individual career goals and we have been successful. Now, it is time to focus on our couple goals. First on our list is travel. We have dreamed about returning to Jamaica for our 10-year anniversary. Unfortunately, we will have to postpone that dream for a while longer. I guess our 10-year creped-up faster than anticipated. However, we do have two trips planned for this summer. One, in early June... we are heading to Outer Banks, North Carolina for a family vacation. I can't wait to feel the warm ocean breeze on my face and the smell of salt water in the air. Our second trip we are heading to Seattle in July for a wedding. I have never been to Seattle so I don't know what to expect. I look forward to exploring in a new city.

Our house Sale...Couldn't find a picture of the house with this sign. Oh Well!

Some random photos:

Bailey loves playing with big chunks of ice.

I lost my train of thought.... back to spending time with family and friends before I officially move to Madison.

Spending time with friends was awesome. Tracee and I spent a 1/2 day at the spa together. We both received a gift certificate from our husbands as a Christmas gift. We both needed time to unwind from our busy lives. Then we met with Kelly at a bar for lunch. I had a wonderful time talking with both of them. We may not see each other often but we always pick-up where we left off, as if no time has passed. It was great spending time with them and very hard saying good-bye. Unfortunately, Jeanelle was unable to attend due to our last minute planning but she was there in spirit. I hope all is well with J-Dog. I think about these three friends in Cleveland often and I miss them all.

Another good friend, Debbie, was visiting Cleveland around Easter time. She lives in Denver so I jumped at the chance to see her while she was in-town. I had the chance to visit with Debbie, her mother and her 2 children. I had a wonderful time with her, the friendship we share is special and I will always cherish this. Again, Debbie is another friend I don't see too often but she is often in my thoughts. I find myself reminiscing about many summers working together at the city pools. We had so much fun together and we always looked out for each other. I miss Debbie too!!

My friends from grad school...Cindy, Brian, Elizabeth, Jen, Monica, Anna & Scott all met one evening after work to say goodbye. All of us became good friends during the 2.5 years in school together. We all helped each other through the tough and rough times with school and life events. I hope to see this crew again soon. I miss them a lot. I miss discussing anesthesia with them and all the crazy things that happened, or almost happened during our days as a student. This is not intended to scare anyone about anesthesia. The crazy things that happen are not necessary related to anesthesia. It could be simply miss speaking while giving report to the doctor and what ever you just said had a fun connotation to it. It's times like that I miss the most.

I have another friend Laura who lives near Columbus, Ohio. It has been too long since we last talked or saw each other. I think of her often and wish her the best. I know we can always talk to each other no matter how much time has passed.

Ah! Family.... I think I will write a different post about the time I spent with family. This one is getting too long. I will say this...I miss the fam!!! Living in Wisconsin with Tim has its perks. But, I miss the family. I'm slowly adopting "family" here. I have met some really kind people here that I believe I could rely on. I will write about my new friends another time.

This next picture is part of Bailey's morning routine. She wakes me up early and I'm thinking she needs to go outside to take care of business. Well, once I'm done putting on some warmer clothes to take her outside...she doesn't want to go. All she wanted was my warm spot in the bed. She literally will not move from this spot until she hears the back door open.

I saved the best picture for last, a picture with Norah, my niece.

Take care!!!

Pictures of Blizzard in Cleveland

2008-03-08T15:24:00.006-06:00

I took pictures early this morning of the snow accumulation. At that time the snow was just below my knees and some of the snow drifts were about 2 feet high. Now, about 6 hours later the snow is mid-thigh and the drifts closer to 3.5 feet. There is no way I'm shoveling that much snow. This was earlier in the morning, snow piled as high as the seats. Below, is the picture I took 6 hours later than the above picture. The snow has accumulated so much you can barely see the chairs.

The above picture early in the morning and below the car 6 hours later!

Some other pictures of the snow accumulation on the roof of my in-law's house.

Empty House, Celebration and Blizzard!

2008-03-08T10:16:00.013-06:00

Empty House

It has been awhile since my last post. I have been lazy and mooping around. It's been hard living without Tim. Mostly because I miss him and miss having someone else to live with. My brother comes and goes, but our paths seldom cross.

My house is nearly empty except for a few miscellaneous items. My voice echoes throughout the house. The empty living room and hardwood floors are a perfect sounding board. When I talk on the phone it is weird hearing my own voice resonating throughout the house and within the phone too. Its as if I'm saying every word more than once. I guess I just described what an echo is...so lame.

For some reason, I prefer "camping out" at my house with no refrigerator, washer or dryer. I have other options, either my parents house or my in-laws. Both places I'm very comfort with...I just don't want to leave my house yet. I like my house. And before too long I will have to leave it for good. There is a sale pending...so keep your fingers crossed that everything goes through okay. Sorry for the flight of ideas...I get carried away at times.

Here are some pictures of the house:

The basement with some of my brothers things.

A bed I borrowed from my parents.

Celebration

Last weekend, I got off my tukus to spend some time with family. We celebrated my grandma's 90th birthday!! The whole clan got together for a big Irish bash at a local Knight of Columbus hall. I'm not even sure how many family and friends attended but it was a lot of fun. And, our family definitely needs a "hall" when we get together.

My mother and her siblings wanting to do something very special for their mother (my grandma). After much time and energy, all 6 adult children of my grandma, 24 grandchildren and 17 great-grand children all contributed their thoughts, memories and photos of grandma to a book. There is a website called "Celebrate a Hero" that allows anyone to construct a book about someone who is special. Our goal was to capture the life of Rita Kearns. I had to opportunity of read most of the comments-I learned a lot about my grandma's life and what others thought of her.

My grandmother had never been much of a conversationalist.. however if you ask her a question she will always give an honest response. She has never held anything back from her children or grandchildren. Through her 90 years, she has shown her family the importance of family, community, faith and charity. She is a women that enjoys life to its fullest. I believe she is an accomplished woman, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, aunt, parishioner...the list goes on and on. This is a women who has never had a drivers license but was able to raise 6 children and be active with charity and church. She is an amazing women. I love my grandma. It was awesome to celebrate her birthday with her.

Blizzard

Now for this weekend....snow, snow and more snow!!! I left work on Friday evening, the

beginning of the blizzard. I stopped at home to gather my dirty laundry and headed to my in-laws house. The plan was to hang-out there during the blizzard and take care of the dogs and wash some clothes. Mom and Dad Elek went on a road trip to Wheeling to visit Joshua, Rachel and Norah. I will let one of them write about their travels and visit. Anyway, all of Friday night I indulged myself with TV...the movie channel. I watched 3 movies. It was tons of fun. I had company too...Jeremy, Jack, Ollie, Molly and Giz. Oh, and a nice tall glass of Bailey's on the rocks. It was a good night.

Morning time, I let the dogs out...well kinda!! The snow was so high these tiny little dogs could

not get out of the house. The snow is easily a foot and half high. And it's still snowing strong. I could not find a shovel in close proximity. Well, I haven't had my coffee yet...so finding anything is a challenge. Both Molly and Gizzy managed to scurry along the house where there is slightly less snow...and took care of business. Few!!!

Some photos of the snow accumulation overnight:

Looking out the front door. You can see the imprint of the door in the snow!

The snow is covering my car. Can't even see the bottom of my car.

The snow has piled-up to the seat of these chairs!!

Well, that's it for now. Take Care.

Sorry, the spacing of the text is all screwy!

Camera

2008-02-23T11:53:00.000-06:00

There are so many pictures on my husbands blog but not many that I would like to use on my blog. Therefore, I have decided I need a camera for myself so I can capture images that I would like to display on my blog. So, I'm off to the store!!

Why Marzipan??

2008-02-23T06:51:00.000-06:00

Well, this will be my first posting. I've had an account for awhile but never had the time to write anything. Also, I believe I'm not much of a writer so I have chosen not to participate in the past. Quick frankly, I don't know what to "say". Anyone who knows me, knows my life is an open book. There is not much that happens and if something does happen I usually share it with conversation. So, this blog-thing seems quiet usual and different for me. However, I have enjoyed reading my family's blogs. Their postings have been entertaining and informative of their lives. So, I thought I would give it a shot.

Why Marzipan?

One day my husband just started to call me Marzipan. I believe there was some influence from Joshua, my brother in-law. I vaguely remember a discussion about a cartoon character named Marzipan. I don't know if this character has any resemblance of me or not, but the name just seemed to fit, according to them. As for me, I intensely hated the name (at first). I never heard of the word before so it sounded strange to me to be called something I didn't understand or know. Now, I know what it means...and it's not too bad. I've grown accustom to the name and actually enjoy be called Marzipan or Marz. I often sign my emails "Love, Marz".

I have other nicknames that I enjoy too. The most popular among friends is Reese and with family it's both Reese and Marzipan. I've acquired another nickname from a group of friends that I played softball with. I've played softball with these girls most of my life, from the age of 7 until 32. These girls have been with me through many changes in my life. With that said you my be able to picture a young 13 year old girl out in left field yelling (or attempting to yell) a softball chant. One might describe my "yell" as a hight pitched squeak...so my nickname developed from that, as "Mickey" or "Mic" for short. Anytime I happen to run into anyone of the girls from the team they greet me as "Mic!".

That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this little tid-bit. I don't know when or if I will post again. And, I know I need to add some pictures etc...