New Math

1 husband away for the weekend in MI playing softball
2 rolls of blue paint tape
1 gallon of "Natural, I don't stink" paint color Mountain trail (I highly recommend this paint)
1 bottle of wine
1 individual pizza with everything on it, delivered

= 1 painted family room plus 1 sore Karen

Place your Bets

My twin sister Sharen, her husband Dup, her daughter Carrie and husband Dave, her son Jon and even his girl Erica, love to place bets. Sometimes its for a dollar or two but most of the time it's a I Betcha ya....

Friday when I met up with Sharen and Dup we couldn't talk until Dup knew what I bowled Thursday night. 545 - he gets all excited - then he wants to know how many beers I had. Really?? - only 2.
He proceeds to do an abbreviated version of his happy dance only because he was sitting down (seriously if you haven't seen his happy dance - so lucky).

Apparently my bowling night has turned into a non-wager bet between Sharen and Dup.

Karen bowled a 545 - Dup's guess 525 - Sharen 435. Ouch!

Amount of beers 2 - Dup's guess 2 - Sharen 7 beers or 4 beers 3 shots (love her)

In Sharen's defense (BYW, I will always take her side and defend her till the day I die) She knew that I had seen my ART doc Tuesday. The sensitivity of the state of mind I was in and I how excited I was for Bowling to begin but Sorry Shar Shar!
Dup wins....

Bowling has Started

It's that time of year again and the team is back in place.
Call me crazy but I don't mind that the season is 33 weeks long. The 3 week break in the winter this year will be welcome though (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year all on Thursdays).

I love to bowl!
I like the fact that I'm getting some exercise - my shoulder held up for all three games and I bowled well. 545 - 199,171,175. I'm embarrassed to admit my starting average is only 158.

I like the fact that it's an individual game with a team goal. My team kicked major ass the first week too.

I like the sound of a bowling alley - pins falling, some cursing, and of course the laughter.

I like the socializing with the girls - partners Karen and Patty are expecting (Karen is the lucky one to give birth), Cheryl and her partner are getting divorced - and Ellen and her partner are moving in together hopefully. And with my team -Deanna got her daughter moved into the dorms and is playing soccer at Judson University. Cheryl has both her boys in the same school now wearing uniforms and Michelle is back to driving the big yellow school bus.

I like the taste of a cold beer while I bowl.

So as long as this body holds up I will be bowling!!!

More Solheim

I could never understand the male's need to have the TV on.
It seems that if they are home the TV HAS to be on. I have come home to find Mike reading a book with the TV on and most of the time he can follow both. I have been down to the Dupplers with Sharen not home, when Dup is mowing the lawn and the TV is on. Usually it's tuned into sports and he claims that he catches the scores thru the window as he mows on by. Really!

Today I was the one that had the TV on from 8:30am till 8:00pm tuned into just one channel - 218, The Golf Channel.

I never left the house. I did laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, swept the deck, started dinner and did everything that took me out of the family room, during commercials. Other than that I was watching the Solheim Cup golf tournament. In my defense the family room is now spotless.

It was exciting again and with the score tied I can not wait till tomorrow to see the finish.

Solheim Cup

When Jon gave Sharen 2 tickets to the Solheim Cup golf tourney at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove for Mother's Day it took her about 15 seconds to decide who was going with her.

That would be me!
Besides I look better in the matching shirts I bought. Sorry Dup.


Usually Sugar grove is a 40 minute drive down Rt. 47. It did take us 45 minutes to get home, but the trip there was a tad bit longer.
This fellow gave up on the traffic and started to walk. He soon realized that we were still several miles out.

When we DID get there it was well worth the effort - granted Sharen was driving and all I had to do is point out all the different license plates and comment about the a** holes who thought they needed to get 3 CARS AHEAD.

Parking was supposed to cost $5, but they were waving everybody through just to get us moving. Sweet..

It was a shame that cameras were not allowed on the grounds. It was beautiful.

We wanted to see all of this very private course so we just started walking.

We stopped at #10 to watch the morning group putt. We met some nice girls from Albany NY who were staying in St. Charles. We gave them the directions on taking the back roads. (they had 3 day passes and it took them over 2 1/2 hours to get there).

The morning round was taking FOREVER so we head on over to the Ping Pavilion (Jon got us passes for that too - Love you, Jon) and grab some lunch and watch the many big screens inside an air condition tent and discuss our afternoon game plan.

We decided to sit at the 2nd green to watch the afternoon 2 man alternate shot. The green was right outside the Pavilion and it was a par 5. All we had to do is stand up and turn around to watch the action on the par 3 - #3.

We sat and sat, but we met and visited with some really nice people.

We saw things you won't see on TV - Before the rounds the grounds workers rake all the traps and manicure the greens - the rules judge came through and paced off the green - tested the roll of the slope and then marked the green for tomorrows pin placements.

While the girls were putting, the caddies were scoping out the green and writing down in the little books where the holes will be tomorrow.

We had 3 out 4 groups chipping 10 to 15 feet in front of us and saw USA win 1 point with a birdie and Europe win a point with an eagle.

If you were a female looking to find a date. This was NOT the place to find a fella if you know what I mean.

We both were very disappointed in the wardrobe of the USA team - blue shorts that looked purple with lt blue tops Huh? Did they see our shirts? Now that's patriotic.

These girls were really supporting each other. It was special to watch this individual "all about me" sport turn into a "I got your back" team effort. Goosbumps!!

We chanted U-S-A and waved our little flags and had another great day on a beautiful golf course watching some amazing golfers.
You can bet that I will be waving that flag and cheering for the next 2 days - only sitting in my family room in front of the TV.

Sophia

One thing that Mike surely misses from the city is his Office Assistant Sophia.
Saturday Sophia got married.
I knew that Mike cares very much for Sophia by the way he talks to her and about her. I now realize that she loves him too. She asks him if she looks OK (clearly wanting his approval) and his reply was "Baby, you look beautiful!" and I would have to concur.

This was the first Mexican wedding that I had been to and let me tell ya.

Things I noticed at the church:
- Mexican women like to wear tight dresses with lots of cleavage. (the bridesmaids wore long, dresses, but the maid of honor (one of her sisters) wore a short, tight, I can see everything dress. Her mother had one of those on too
- All the younger women there had shoes on that would probably put me into the hospital. (I was going to try to get pictures of them, but backed off when I couldn't understand what they were saying)
- The catholic church allows Mariachi bands in their balconies.
- The whole service, including all the music was in Spanish and I had really no clue what was happening.

We had 2 1/2 hours to kill between wedding (St. Mary's in West Chicago) and the reception at Long Island Sound banquet hall in Aurora so we stopped at this awesome pub east of East Aurora that I spotted called Paulie's. They had a wide choice of draft beers. I asked for something pale and had a great beer called Long Hammer. YUM.

Things I noticed at the reception
Again everything was in Spanish so we had no clue what was going on - even though one lady kept trying to tell Mike what was happening. Apparently he was appointed "Tell the white people what is going on" person.
- I love Mexican food and this did not disappoint - A buffet of mouth watering food

- The money dance took almost an hour, but Sophia and Richard scored big time. The bills were not limited to $1 and they had to be pinned on her veil and his lapel.


Then Sophia and Richard got up on chairs and made an arch (like the London bridges falling down game) and first the women led by the Maid of Honor ran around and through the arch and around the room really fast holding hands and then the Men did it. I was afraid to get up to get a picture.
- Mexican men and women like to dance and they all know how. The dance floor was crazy and I like the Mexican music
- Mexican people in general are SHORT - I had on flats and I towered over this people
- When we finally called it a night the parking lot was dark - NO lights on what so ever! A little scary.

Julie & Julia

My husband was in dire need of a distraction from his week so I asked him on a date to take me to a movie.
He agreed to go see Julie & Julia with me. We decided on the 4:00 showing so it wouldn't be so crowded. Ha - the laugh was on us. Mike was taken aback by all the old people that were taking advantage of the senior rate of a matinee. There had to over 100 people there - all older than us.

We grab our popcorn and drinks and settle in and saw a GREAT movie.
It was very, very funny and I actually would pay to go see it again. I liked it that much.

We stopped at the Moose for their fish fry, drank a pitcher of beer, visited with friends and got away from life's responsibilities for just a few hours.

Miss the old People

Mom calls and wants me to take her grocery shopping "but we have to go early to miss all the old people."
Huh?! "Mom you do know that YOU are old?" asks Karen laughing.

I pick up Mom at 8:00 and we get over to the Jewel. (Bryan and Andy's old work place.) Not my choice of store - I could never warm up to that place.
She know the store and just where everything is and YES we are out of there before all the old people get there. :)

Dear Mom - I DID see you sneak that snickers bar on to the belt and smiled behind my back.


A long time ago back when Bryan was working at Jewel my usual grocery store had closed. I was really bummed and waited forever to get groceries. I had my list laying on the kitchen counter. One morning when I got up I noticed a note from Bryan laying next to it. "Mom just try it you might like it". He had taken my list and written all the isle numbers of all the items on my list. So I had to try it.

Helping Mothers

It's a very good thing that Mike is retired. He has been spending a big amount of his time hanging out with his Mother.

My Mom calls and wants me to take her to get a hair cut at the Regency school. I'm thinking maybe I should let them try cutting my hair too. ($9.00 - how can you go wrong).
This morning I take Mom over there, but they wouldn't give me a haircut. I didn't have an appointment and all the other girls were in classes, so I waited while Mom got hers. Maybe next time.

Afterwards I took her to the South Elgin Fire station to visit with Sharen - she certainly has taken me on many a fire station visits in her time.

We all got our blood pressure checked by a kid who's father was an Elgin Firefighter.
Mom's - 138/90 something (Mom was very happy with these numbers)
Mine - 136/80 something
Sharen 130/70 something

Nashville USA

BIRTHDAYS

Senior softball traveled to Nashville for a tourney last weekend and when I heard that Andy and Bryan would be there for their birthdays I was so happy to meet up with them on Friday night.
We met them at Rippys rooftop restaurant and had some good grub (pulled pork pizza - YUM)

Then we head down to a honky tonk - Second Fiddle
It was old - smokey - loud - cold draft beers - PURE country
and I loved it!!!


Let me tell ya the "Cougars" were out and when I got Bryan up on the dance floor they all stared at us and thought that I had scored.
The only thought that was going through my mind was if that is what my bowling team looks like when we went out and then I realized that I was the only one of cougar age.

We tried to get back down to Broadway on Saturday, their actual birthday, but softball interfered.

SENIOR SOFTBALL

The teams first game was scheduled for Friday morning at 9:00, but with the rain the night before all games were bumped to the afternoon. They ended up playing only one game against a team from Indy at 1:00 for their spot in the bracket. They won and were placed in the fourth slot out of 10 teams. Saturday morning they beat a team at 9:00 from TN.
The kids showed up for the afternoon game. (Some of them dragging from the night before). Mike was very excited to see them.


The people running the tourney thought it would be a good idea to get one more game in on Saturday because the weather called for rain that night. Our last game was scheduled for 5:15. OK - we still had time to play, get cleaned up and go down town to meet the boys for a birthday drink.
HAHA - Our game was against a team from Atlanta and we could of driven down there to play the game and made it in time. We started on one field that the lights were sparse and after one of our guys took a lined shot to the head we protested and they moved us to yet another field, but we had to wait for that game to get over.

Centerfield had only one light working

Their game got started at 9:45. Yeah - we sat around for 4 1/2 hours. And they were playing a Major team (we are in one lower division, Triple A) Needless to say the guys were NOT in to playing any more. They lost.
The first game on Sunday was against the last Triple A team in our bracket and they beat them soundly. We had to play the Kaysons from Atlanta again for the winning trophy. We game them a good run and lost by 2.

Chicago prime Team

One good thing came out of this weekend though, they beat all the Triple A teams and they gave us a bid (invite) to play in the world championship in Orlando. Six of the guys on the team had not ever been down there and were very jealous of the guys with rings from last year.

MORE WAITING

Bryan and Mary were traveling with us back to IL so I had this great idea to go and get gas between games so when it was time to hit the road for home we could get on the road. Turns out I was a genius. As we were heading into Louisville Mike's cell started ringing. It was his teammates all checking in. There was a bad accident that shut down 65 and they were all stuck behind the crash. They sat for almost 2 hours waiting for the clear. We were the only ones that got through. Thank You god!