tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315662902024-03-21T16:34:41.107-05:00Kellerowski BlogThis is the rantings of Tom & Alichia. We bought our first house in late '06 and just recently got engaged! The next year will be very exciting!!Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-17855440773593911042008-02-06T16:52:00.000-06:002008-02-06T16:54:36.705-06:00WEBSITE MOVINGSince Tom & I got our iMac for Christmas I've started a new blog through our dotmac account, it's just easier to use.<div><br /></div><div>So tag the new address: web.mac.com/Kellerowski/Blog</div><div><br /></div><div>Our wedding website is also hosted through the account and can be found at: web.mac.com/kellerowski</div><div><br /></div><div>:) Eventually I'll delete our blogger account all together, once I move all the posts that is which is taking a bit of time.</div>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-10396317619606818872007-12-27T15:27:00.001-06:002007-12-27T17:34:15.983-06:00We're getting hitched!!<span style="font-family:georgia;">Incase you haven't heard as of yet... on Saturday Dec 22nd Tom popped the question! He got down on one knee in down town Oak Park as we were on our way out to dinner. It was about 7:30pm and the Christmas lights were all up on the cobblestone street lined with shops. It really was a perfect moment. </span><br /><br /><div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">Below are some pictures of the gorgeous ring he picked out (completely by himself!)</span> </div><br /><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148770359451735506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrW1UlJKfbBOdGFcTHM7DbOm9j_qleD8G1w8e0DOWIC9qN1BGpZs6yhvr9G_8BJDm7QS_JhX-3lcOHS-kHuSGQWXowdu8e_7n6aqqnAKJC7mgaegonuhso2KK6serPoUOFXSb9w/s320/2007.12.27.5.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148800016200914418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQf-x4WbplscCafVn7fJZpokJ7LbYJ1Yn0FHKuWecUygDeiXw4WUCrxfra13IPAquRrs4YZs5uZRfUoFXxN_LOpQRQEfeXhzDZyeh72x7k4bqy4O9S1P6a2DR_rBlNhPOXDW1BdQ/s320/2007.12.23.5.JPG" border="0" /></div>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-39907419977484254452007-11-12T11:53:00.000-06:002007-11-12T11:54:19.878-06:001 Year AnniversaryWell I can't believe it's come (and gone) but Tom and I have officially been in our condo for 1 year! Things have been kind of busy, otherwise I would have posted this on Nov 3rd (instead of 9 days late!).<br /><br />It's crazy to think that we've been here, in Oak Park, for a year. As I'm sure all new home owners think, I don't have nearly as much accomplished to the house as I would have hoped at 1 year. But I think that is the beauty (?) of owning a house, the transformations are never complete. We got the kitchen painted the first week we were here (amazing and maybe a little insane), we painted the dining room after 2 months. Since then we haven't picked up a paint brush... but I'm dying to paint the bedroom. Finding time is the hardest part. Before we know it the holidays will have come and gone and 2008 will be here. :)Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-54628306059454640462007-08-13T14:24:00.000-05:002007-08-13T14:26:19.666-05:00Prague, Czech RepublicSo it’s been a while since we were actually in Europe on vacation, so it’s about time we told the world (or the 3 people who read this) how it was…<br /><br /><strong>Friday June 29 -> </strong>Day of departure. We didn’t really give ourselves enough time to get from Oak Park to O’Hare via the green/blue line trains. Plus it didn’t help that once we got off the blue line at O’Hare we were sent meandering around the airport as they were doing construction and getting to the International terminal took forever. Checking our luggage didn’t take but a few minutes, but that security line was about 2 miles long (or so, it seemed like there was no end). I, Alichia, almost had a panic attack in line because I was certain we were going to miss our flight. We eventually made it through security, but let me say that there aren’t enough metal detectors/x-ray machines for the international terminal, the whole thing becomes a giant funnel and there really isn’t a single file line that people use… it’s nearly a free for all. With probably about 20 minutes before departure we made it on the plane, but of course it didn’t take off on time anyway so we were good to go. <br /><br />The flight wasn’t nearly as bad as either of us expected, given we’ve never flown internationally before. We left around 6pm and arrived (local time) at 9:30am in Vienna. They served dinner, and then Tom and I were some of the only people to actually decide sleep was a good idea. While we didn’t sleep super sound, it was enough to feel fairly decent that next day. We unfortunately however woke up later than we anticipated and had missed breakfast. Luckily one of the stewardesses’ was kind enough to get us something to eat before landing.<br /><br /><strong>Saturday June 30 -></strong> After landing in Vienna we had a connecting flight to Prague, this flight also was delayed a little bit, but we weren’t complaining because after 8½ hours on a plane who wants to get on another immediately? The connecting flight though… man it was small! There is a picture of my view from the window… the propeller! Compared to the first flight, the connecting one felt like it was done and over in 10 minutes! <br /><br />Once in Prague we had to exchange dollars for crowns (Czech isn’t on the Euro), find a taxi and get to the hotel. Taxi drivers abroad are just as crazy drivers as they are here in Chicago. Our initial reaction to the city, especially the area our hotel was in, was that there was a lot of graffiti. Our hotel was really cute, not a very large hotel (number of rooms or room size), but it was definitely new and clean. We did nap for a while once we checked in, I think it was more the fact that we could sleep laying flat as opposed to just slightly leaning back on an airplane. <br /><br />We did get out that first day to see some of the city. We had to find an ATM and figure out the tram system. I’d say that Prague’s public transportation system is easy to use, once you get the hang of it. We just walked around the Old Town Square and grabbed a bite to eat in an out door café. A lesson was learned from our first meal however, the few outdoor cafes right in the center of the Old Town Square are a rip off… we paid nearly $40 for two sandwiches and two cokes! So you can imagine we only ate at that place once.<br /><br /><strong>Sunday July 1 -></strong> Day two in Prague. A lot of our time in Prague was spent in the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. In Old Town Square there were tons of small and winding streets just filled with touristy shops, ice cream stores and cafes. Wenceslas Square was a bit more modern in terms of shopping, seemed to be where department stores were located. <br /><br />This day was also our 5 year anniversary… the whole reason for our trip!<br /><br /><strong>Monday July 2 -> </strong><br />Day three in Prague was spent exploring more of the city. We started out in search of the National Gallery… but it turned out Tom didn’t exactly read the map correctly so we were WAY on the other side of the city. So instead we just explored what we were near. We started out at Petrin Hill, which one of the cities largest parks. It sits more than 1,000 feet above sea level. There were some really great views from the top, especially from the Observation Tower. Unfortunately the tower only had stairs and therefore only Tom went up (I wouldn’t have been able to walk the rest of the day after doing that many stairs, stupid bad knees). <br /><br />From there we wandered down the giant hill and over towards the Royal Palace and St. Vitus’s Cathedral. These two items are one of Prague’s must sees for tourists. The great thing about Prague is that there are so many locations in which you get amazing views of the city. We thought Petrin Hill had good views, but the Royal Palace had even better. We did the non-guided tour of the Royal Palace, which included the actual Royal Palace, Golden Lane (a row of old shops), an old torture chamber, and St. George’s Basilica (chapel). <br /><br /><strong>Tuesday July 3 -> </strong>As our last full day in Prague we had a few more items on our list we wanted to see. First up was the Charles Bridge. This is one of the major tourist spots, as every travel book pointed out it can get very crowded in the afternoon. What makes this bridge so attractive is that it has 30 statues that line both sides (obviously it is a pedestrian only bridge). The statues are all saints and other religious figures. Here we did pick up a 8x10 watercolor of Prague which we intend to hang, with other pictures from our trip, in our bedroom when we redecorate. <br /><br />We also tried to go to the National Museum, but it turned out that was closed the first Tuesday of every month. So we then tried to, again, find the National Gallery which we knew was going to be hard given it was on the outskirts of the city. However once in the general area we couldn’t figure out where it was at! We decided being our last day we didn’t want to waste time lost, so we headed back to our favorite part of town… Old Town Square. I did get my art fix in as there was a small gallery in the OTS that has a Salvador Dali exhibit (they also have Mucha, but we weren’t as interested). The Dali exhibit, I thought, was really fantastic. He had a whole series of small paintings about Dante’s Inferno. There were also a couple of larger pieces of his that I’ve never seen and are now my favorites.<br /><br />Our last day we also ended up doing something that was probably one of favorites, the Old Town Hall viewing gallery. So in the OTS there the Astronomical Clock, which is supposed to, on the hour, be quite the show (dancing statues, bells, etc)… but every time we were around for it nothing would happen. But what was really great, is you can go up in the clock tower to the viewing gallery. This had the ABSOLUTE most AMAZING view of the city. Tickets were cheap and you could spend all day just admiring the city and taking pictures.<br /><br />And that was Prague... I'm working on remembering what we did each day in Vienna and then I'll post about that. Pictures are linked to the left [on Webshots]!Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-15281273713510200802007-06-27T22:45:00.000-05:002007-06-27T22:54:44.308-05:00Passport is confirmed...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When Tom's passport didn't come yesterday or today I was really starting to freak out. I mean we're only 2 days away from when we're supposed to leave for Europe, how could it not have come?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Magically today when Tom called the passport office to try and get an appointment for tomorrow he was able to speak to a real person (normally you just get that awful automated system). This lady confirmed his passport was mailed out today and should arrive tomorrow via FedEx!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I was SO thrilled to hear this news. I am still very frustrated with the system, in that it takes over 3 months to get a passport and that they keep coming down to the wire with so many (I keep reading stories of them coming the day of trips and then even worse of them not coming at all). </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My biggest issue with this whole process is that the Passport agency keeps saying their main goal is to make sure no one misses a trip. YET there are so many ridiculous issues that could be easily fixed to help smooth out the process. Such as:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1) The website & phone # both say you can make an appointment at the passport office as long as you're traveling within 2 weeks... but that is WRONG information. You SHOULD (i don't say can, because it will let you, as it did Tom, but when you get there you'll be sent away) if you're leaving within 48 hours! --> This would be such a simple fix to the website and the phone message.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2) They aren't priortizing passports by travel date. My aunt applied for her passport the week before Tom did his, but her trip isn't until October... of course she got her passport like 2 weeks ago! They should start with all passports for the trips that are soonest (this is information you put on your passport application). </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3) Speaking to a live customer service rep shouldn't be that complicated. Most call centers have the option to press 0 for an operator for more assistance... Passport line doesn't have that.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4) When checking on the status of your passport online it just continually says 'processing'. Because that is very descriptive... It gives you no clue as to how far along it is in the process.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Those are my issues with getting a passport... so if you don't have one but are even considering international travel... APPLY NOW!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So as long as the lady from the passport office is correct, we will get his passport tomorrow... just in the nick of time. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This will probably be my last post until we get back from Europe... so until then...</span>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-17190738789268053832007-06-25T23:18:00.001-05:002007-06-25T23:30:13.847-05:00Can't Sleep<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's quarter after 11pm and I can't sleep. I should be tired given it's Monday and I worked a 10 hour day, but for some reason I'm just not. Tom went to bed a while ago so I decided to clean up the house a bit. Now I'm on the computer just browsing. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">According to Weather.com it's going to be quite the gloomy trip in both Prague & Vienna. Figures. Lots of rain in the forcast. But it has rained there all week so I can't see how it will continue to rain through next week too... doesn't that seem like too much? Guess I'm just not familiar with European weather patterns.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Read on one of the gossip blogs that the Brangelina (Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie) are back in Prague today, who knows maybe we'll have a celebrity citing while on vacation. Wouldn't that be something?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But that is IF we get to go on vacation. Tom's passport STILL hasn't come. It has been 3 months now. He tried going to the passport office in Chicago, but they wouldn't let him have a meeting because he wasn't leaving for his trip within 48 hours (this was last Friday). Apparently both the website and 800 # have the wrong information. You can only come in for an appointment withing 48 hours of your departure, not 2 weeks like it says. So he has to try and get an appointment for Thursday morning just incase he doesn't get it Tuesday or Wednesday. From what I hear everyones is coming down to the wire, so I'm not totally freaking out yet (just a little). I'm glad I already have mine, because what a pain this has become. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I really need to start packing and making sure I have everything on my list of things to buy/pack. Traveling is fun, but packing and unpacking is not.</span>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-65341243114320538022007-06-20T08:17:00.001-05:002007-06-20T08:19:53.857-05:00So close yet so far...So vacation is a week from Friday. Nine days away. I can't believe it is so close, it is finally becoming real. I've been wanting to go on this trip for so long (well any trip of this magnitude). We still have a ton of things to look into, buy and decide but I think we'll be fine. The biggest issue is Tom's pass port. My Aunt applied for hers on 3/15 and got it 3 months to the day later, so if that is the case with Tom's then he should get it on 3/24. Thats cutting it close, but to be on the safe side he is going to call about it tonight (he tried the other day but the automated system takes forever!).<br /><br />Prague & Vienna... here we come!Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-7144155505312910372007-05-28T13:19:00.000-05:002007-05-28T13:28:02.505-05:00European Vacation!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tom and I have officially booked our anniversary trip! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We will be flying out of Chicago on Friday June 29th and arriving in Prague on Saturday June 30th. We will stay in Prague for 4 nights. From there we are taking a 4 hour train ride from the Czech Republic to Austria. We will be staying in Vienna from Wednesday July 4th until Sunday July 8th. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We got our packet from the airline we booked through (Austrian Air) which has confirmations for hotel, rail and plane so we are all set!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have a major list of things to research and buy before we leave (in 31 days!). We're also still waiting on Tom's passport, I have to admit I am a little worried but confident because he gave it plenty of time. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If anyone has any tips on traveling abroad please feel free to share them!</span>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-43647164626384043442007-05-06T15:03:00.000-05:002007-05-06T15:22:03.344-05:00It's Been 6 Months!May marks our 6th month as being home owners in Oak Park. It's amazing because some days it feels like we have been here much longer but other days it still is weird to me that we own this condo. :)<br />To mark this occassion I wanted to share some Then and Now photos to show you how far the condo has come. Also to note we have 2 sets of neighbors now [in our 6 unit building].<br /><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">DURING CONSTRUCTION:</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnkkwf_1tBx6y0CDrIpn2YXZqeJ2kb4xY1jwiVXa9SzFKl0A3SlNY7B8zuIShq0FaET-Fe7LVVHplTKnesFY6yTdeYMiZwRDO9UP7eoAeduXye2aw4hp6AfkA2s9qNFXXbJd8uQ/s1600-h/2006.08.26.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061543679816387170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnkkwf_1tBx6y0CDrIpn2YXZqeJ2kb4xY1jwiVXa9SzFKl0A3SlNY7B8zuIShq0FaET-Fe7LVVHplTKnesFY6yTdeYMiZwRDO9UP7eoAeduXye2aw4hp6AfkA2s9qNFXXbJd8uQ/s320/2006.08.26.JPG" border="0" /></a> CLOSING WALK THROUGH:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061543688406321778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2jxxCIvB2JoBkAPmFje38b6o5M83eScoF4bTILhK_Qz3c2XzOivbyD3g7E3SvW7KmFumiLVDteFsvm1xcdcbCTPH-3GMluXEBOGxR19j3D_ALrcRkdYmDR0dhXg3I2tEMOxoaQ/s320/2006.11.01.JPG" border="0" /></div><div align="center">MOVING DAY:</div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061544534514879122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFOJy-GFvjx7AOCSDm5_0ndi6Fo-RcvZLSzEPwsiSPIXt8Ag0hyphenhyphentKvxpJvPXuDcPcv-rcfoGyCRO-uCIOUC2k7F6tjbYjnEzUvYuZNUOO9gIaH4gEIJaGE4GPSdvKqIJXYK1XCQ/s320/2006.11.05.JPG" border="0" /></div><div align="center"> TODAY:<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMd7U53xvi2H7GDPlhSEktv6WDBR_voUOx0UnDpZ104nIVb4MX9EiymdvfNGceOG4f12ul8QdpkjHUZDzQcUeHC9Vk96LsIElZ4z5pSU43xbkTc_mX0SX7y6Lbb8Y6icy3j3uqw/s1600-h/2007.05.06.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061543692701289090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMd7U53xvi2H7GDPlhSEktv6WDBR_voUOx0UnDpZ104nIVb4MX9EiymdvfNGceOG4f12ul8QdpkjHUZDzQcUeHC9Vk96LsIElZ4z5pSU43xbkTc_mX0SX7y6Lbb8Y6icy3j3uqw/s320/2007.05.06.JPG" border="0" /></a> And all that is just the living room! The last photo is kind of dark because it is SO sunny outside today. I really want to thank everyone who has been up to visit, I know our decision to move so far away from O-town was inconvienent, but I'm glad we're still seeing everyone so much!Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-64184224349776954822007-04-09T11:11:00.000-05:002007-04-09T11:32:32.493-05:00Easter Dinner - I did it!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For those of you who didn't know, I decided to host Easter Dinner at our house this past weekend. Obviously splitting holiday's between families can be a pain, so I decided that since neither family was doing anything major that we'd just have them all over to our house. Incase you're not aware, that is 9 people in total. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As the days got closer I was actually very worried that I wouldn't be able to pull off cooking a big meal (ham, potatoes, corn, rice, asparagus, bread, hawaiian salad + veggies for snacking). It's not that I can't cook, but I've never cooked for 9 people. I was mostly worried about everything not being done at the same time (which is usually my biggest problem when cooking). But I was very proud of myself as I did as much prep as I could on saturday and then everything turned out pretty good on Sunday!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I totally forgot to take pictures though... I wanted to but then I guess I just got side tracked. The table was extended and we had to get a folding table to accomidate everyone, but we packed them in (with 1 seat to spare!). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All in all I think it turned out very good for my first big dinner. :) But of course now everyone knows I can do it so I won't be able to say no... ha. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Happy Easter!</span>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-46128661871607733452007-03-23T23:25:00.000-05:002007-03-23T23:30:45.489-05:00Porch Pets<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvi2fgl_Xv0WFWdvLU3v8iJHz-IlAq5au6pV2swsJqJ6QFvCIE-ndqw3UTacdQSQ8lIHo2cW-NAXe7FC-TqRmUxvD_Pp41EDnY61pIE4VWjD1z-e5Uvm53gqEpJtD9AVtDx_oaQ/s1600-h/2007.03.11.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5045343696690522386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvi2fgl_Xv0WFWdvLU3v8iJHz-IlAq5au6pV2swsJqJ6QFvCIE-ndqw3UTacdQSQ8lIHo2cW-NAXe7FC-TqRmUxvD_Pp41EDnY61pIE4VWjD1z-e5Uvm53gqEpJtD9AVtDx_oaQ/s320/2007.03.11.1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Before we went on vacation last week we had started hearing these weird noises coming from our porch. Well Tom started hearing them, I hadn't noticed as much. So he went out there to investigate, meanwhile I was in the bathroom getting ready, when all of a sudden I hear him hollar and I see him run past the bathroom window. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Turns out there are two pigeons living in our back porch stair case. I don't really mind them because they are on the opposite end of our back door, so they don't get in the way really. This photo is of them (they moved hiding spots when they flew past Tom). For some reason I decided to call them Bert & Ernie (even though I assume it's a male and female). </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-49913645982377777012007-03-22T16:20:00.000-05:002007-03-23T23:50:29.755-05:00Vacation Photos<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Instead of loading all the phots on the blog I just dumped them into WebShots... the link is: <a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/album/558333505eLAztq">http://good-times.webshots.com/album/558333505eLAztq</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Enjoy!</span>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-73530912026690517392007-03-22T16:14:00.000-05:002007-03-22T16:20:18.649-05:00Our First Vacation<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I know this sounds crazy, but Tom and I have never really been on vacation together. Obviously because we were in college so our cash was not being used for vacation. We have gone on short weekend trips (such as going to Cleveland to see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), but never more than that.<br /><br />Well this past week we went to Orlando, FL. We were gone from Saturday - Wednesday. The trip was originally supposed to be just myself and a friend of mine from college, but then her husband wanted to go so Tom wanted to go, but then her husband backed out. So it turned out to be the three of us plus one of her friends. We did all the touristy Orlando stuff (Universal Studios and Walt Disney World).<br /><br />While we had some troubles (awful original hotel and delayed/cancelled flights) overall it was a great trip. The weather was warm but not too hot and we made it back safely with no lost luggage. :)<br /><br />I'll post some pictures once I get them all loaded off the camera. But I am now officially very excited to plan our summer trip (it's for our 5-year anniversary!). We're thinking about Europe, so if anyone has any suggestions/tips for international travel let us know!</span>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-79455838349558584672007-02-18T21:43:00.000-06:002007-02-18T21:59:03.899-06:00An Inconvient Truth<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This weekend Tom and I watched An Inconvenient Truth (you know, that Al Gore documentary) and I must say it was very enlightening. I’m not the biggest Gore fan, but the man has done his research. It really makes you stop and think about all the little things you do every day that can really make an impact on the global environment. It’s sad to realize what bad shape the planet has gotten in, in our lifetime alone.<br /><br />After watching this film I think we both felt compelled to want to make some changes. So we’re going to start recycling (this is awful, but at this moment in time our building doesn’t have recycling containers, so we’re going to find out why and get them ASAP). That’s our biggest goal, besides just remembering to turn things off when we’re not using them (computers, lights, etc). They even say lots of devices (tv’s, dvd players, stereo’s) use energy when they’re off or on standby. So we’re looking into power cords to make sure those devices are off as often as possible.<br /><br />There are however quite a few things we already do that were mentioned in the film:<br /><br /><span style="color:#666666;">*I take public transportation to work<br />*We only have one car (and a small fairly efficient one at that)<br />*We recently have been sealing up our house so our heater runs less often<br />*We own a programmable thermostat, which allows the heat to not run as high during the day and at night<br />*We own a small house which obviously doesn’t take as much energy to heat as a two story single family home (no offense to our friends/family members who live that way).</span><br /><br />All in all I feel like that’s a good start, considering that was all being done before we saw the film. If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it, it will definitely open your eyes up (and it’s really not as boring as it sounds, Gore does have a slight sense of humor!)<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.climatecrisis.net/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">www.climatecrisis.net</span></a>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-37356512765352840272007-02-08T17:04:00.001-06:002007-02-05T14:49:04.929-06:00Parllel Parking<p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After living in Oak Park for three months you all will be happy to know that i successfully parallel parked for the first time. I'm not saying I had un-successful attempts before I just wouldn't do it. I'd drive around until I found two open spots (or an end spot) that I could just pull into. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Cheers to me for conquering this... I think the reason it went so smoothly is because every time Tom does it I would pay super close attention.</span></p>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-12411230830708097332007-02-01T20:55:00.000-06:002007-02-01T21:20:11.110-06:00Housewarming + Tom's Bday PHOTOs<div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last weekend, as I mentioned, we had a party for Tom's 25th Bday + Housewarming. I think it turned out quite well, though at one point girls were all in the dining room and boys in the kitchen... at that point it seemed more like a jr. high dance, but whatever.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I think total we had 16 people here, which is pretty good considering with only 800 square feet it didn't seem over crowded!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Unfortunately we didn't get photos of everyone (sorry about that) but that might have been because of the camera hogs (you know who you are...) :) So I'll post what few good ones we have.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026767075107331650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KiQgC8JVeJdmyfL7d3myCLx9G3Q0pzNgiPhJ48bxqrOZJJVL_EOiUwHASwcPjf5x0IpzQlwRLFLMb3l6d_piLf-fHzWpC_C2zBLQbbGAZSmvJvyj2AZigAgedE8KDNwue9kAVw/s320/2007.01.27.39.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is Tom doing his Captain pose... it was his birthday so I guess we'll let him get away with it.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026767715057458770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxlZNcYwS4pETz0YtgOgguV1ULmc5XShN04gaQ2bsakXsoGZnupAOYDteq74DUUPVmykrzXvKDlILotjb_5PeqHRxCFJk0Ucpkil7ZVcPIHRF_sUBBrgM1uaUlIAY1TlClX8LrA/s320/2007.01.27.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Heather & Andrew and myself ... looks like I kind of snuck in there only to block Andrew. Woops..</span></div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026768595525754466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvnuEU6YJuREzw4iyPCSMBWw_38aCV2_GDc-ytinA1u0WlwmbqVm-5HeIHWVUTi6Rw5HSvc7CotNUhtVbZunxrhPDxU2yzLt3YKuG8CFDmXptbbD0VAznMeot2pG5XM6ekKTJLQ/s320/2007.01.27.40.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Crystal doing what she always does... forcing the cats to be held. But it is a super cute pictures, so I had to share.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026769866836074098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CN2F_u2vwFnYwhPhDrPN3i_Ur2-sYuXRZBi-Y6usJq7j-WdIw8gEtdmlMG39Z430NCphBh6SP1fdAsqhmd2ItmYGCO2zNgiPr36SvBbMvSwCtgc413-vlh_a2KsYGHUtzEKtUQ/s320/2007.01.27.33.JPG" border="0" /> <p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Amy and I ... yes this is towards the end of the night and yes I, apparently, make really strong whiskey sour's. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026770820318813826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5FKXD5iTO4_fHft_f_Af4G0dUaDwYJt_EAe7rMe7tDjcMQfmmP85GqM38fWIFp1yLSNeWejdPD5fJy-MIrbO_a_d6HDIzMJqhbgLW6VKUbQo7v5HJNoE4XVSoB51qGI1myM94g/s320/2007.01.27.5.JPG" border="0" /></span></p></div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Laura enjoying the sangria while Crystal decides it's photo time... again. </span>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-12241634452399863162007-01-30T11:25:00.000-06:002007-01-30T11:36:08.819-06:00New stuff...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Just a couple of pictures i've been trying to upload for DAYS. We finally purchased the 'audio towers' that go with our entertainment center. Though we're using them more as book shelves. Also after searching for quite some time I got curtains for the dining room (no more eating infront of the windows where our neighbors can see us!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYvqqo8uz625jXHSLy5ARO1CS37YqhQ3OQb9EcBMciPklIoXv87Kqrq0NFum680aM1W_OjA-ggFzIFZ_5bNBI6Pv8BSfrpdwgESBXRtJCKdXMdEmNkkS195e_w0u-T4Gc83og_g/s1600-h/2007.01.22.4.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025876775631511074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYvqqo8uz625jXHSLy5ARO1CS37YqhQ3OQb9EcBMciPklIoXv87Kqrq0NFum680aM1W_OjA-ggFzIFZ_5bNBI6Pv8BSfrpdwgESBXRtJCKdXMdEmNkkS195e_w0u-T4Gc83og_g/s400/2007.01.22.4.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrRZuFMYxZ3RHEhCNSptNJWZmbz6u2fmyyjOqr_1ZmAjvIBDpREEk4Hq8PjbeisHi23my101a9w0jOoo1-E_W0ovOiDTSJx1mmeD2gpIsyEUsc-wRIt1bAOShsMTr0ze5PXWslg/s1600-h/2007.01.22.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025876784221445682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrRZuFMYxZ3RHEhCNSptNJWZmbz6u2fmyyjOqr_1ZmAjvIBDpREEk4Hq8PjbeisHi23my101a9w0jOoo1-E_W0ovOiDTSJx1mmeD2gpIsyEUsc-wRIt1bAOShsMTr0ze5PXWslg/s400/2007.01.22.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> We also had our Housewarming/Tom's Bday party this past weekend, so I'll upload photos of that eventually. AND we are having our first house guests this coming weekend! Terra & Kate are coming to stay Thurs - Sun and I'm super excited!</span><br /><div></div>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-9604484720615038662007-01-13T10:02:00.000-06:002007-01-13T10:09:05.379-06:00It really ties the room togetherTo quote <em>The Big Lebowski </em>our new dining room rug 'really ties the room together.' :) Just wanted to show a photo. I am determined to get curtains for the dining room this weekend, because two and a half months with those giant windows being open is enough.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019547290917330450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbrb260whtvVzqNyrWcmkFVYKGUGCnaRQKCzvMHAMsuOQY9CLky5X8Dow7sSBBcKxCwb98pkxNdKo-8xqrtt5AZ522q6gKjwk4UZgf5l8jWepkhdOVntU0nm6yZMKak9pjAgr0g/s320/2007.01.12.1.JPG" border="0" />Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-1167796247085372112007-01-02T21:50:00.000-06:002007-01-02T22:03:25.111-06:00Pamukkale<p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today when I got to work there was this HUGE box at my desk, which was almost frightening because my first thought was 'how am i going to get this home?!'</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Turns out my sales rep from Trip Advisor sent this really cool framed poster/print. As you can see below it's for Pamukkale, Turkey (which has been named as one of Trip Advisor's 'Hotspots to Watch' for 2007). I love it because it totally matches our living room. Unfortunately it wasn't the right shape to go above the couch, but it looks great in the entry way. </span><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/640/2007.01.02.3.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 3px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 3px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 3px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 3px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/400/2007.01.02.3.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yay for free art!</span><br /><br /><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-1167774505695409162007-01-02T15:43:00.000-06:002007-01-02T15:48:25.723-06:00Kellerowski is catchy<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the midst of trying to save myself some time while address and writing Christmas cards this year I decided to just write Kellerowski as the name on the return address… figuring most people wouldn’t notice too much (I mean I never really do, I just open stuff if its got my name on it). I figured most of my friends knew about the Kellerowski name (being that I told them) but hadn’t mentioned it to much of my extended family. Well I was extremely amazed that many of my, and Tom’s, relatives noticed and thought it was HILAROUIS. They were all “it’s so clever.. I love it!” Made me feel good, b/c I mean If they had been “why in the world did you do that, I don’t know.” And what made me laugh was when some of them had gotten my card first and then sent theirs addressed to the Kellerowski’s.<br /><br />It really is the simple things in life that are the best… now if only no one would be offended if we legally changed are names to that (but if we’re not procreating then I guess we’ll be the only generation and its not worth it.)</span>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-1167358820833756322006-12-28T20:21:00.000-06:002006-12-28T20:23:25.360-06:00Fresh Pear<p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Well it’s been quite some time since I posted anything new [sorry about that!] Everyone knows, and should understand, that between Thanksgiving and Christmas is always super busy. Between shopping, wrapping, family events and work it’s hard to find time for yourself.<br /><br />The holidays were good this year, obviously it was our first in the new house [woo hoo!]. And being that as it is, we definitely got a lot of household stuff for Christmas. I guess that is part of growing up, you start to receive ‘joint presents’ instead of fun stuff for yourself [not that I didn’t get any, but the majority was house related.] With all the stuff we got the house is finally starting to come together. I no longer need to crush stuff with my giant ladle because we got a rolling pin. We finally got a hand mixer so I can stop wearing myself out while trying to blend/mix/combine/fold ingredients together. Plus we got a bunch of other stuff, mainly kitchen items it seems.<br /><br />Since my job is so cushy I have been off since last Friday 12/22 [and enjoying every minute of it]. Saturday, Sunday & Monday was all family-Christmas gatherings. Tuesday Tom and I were fairly productive, finally putting up our DVD shelves that we’ve had since day 1 but hadn’t gotten around to. This means our DVDs are finally out of boxes! All day yesterday was spent, by me mainly as Tom’s job isn’t as cushy and he had to go back to work, painting our dining room. Yep, in only two months we’ve painted 2 rooms of our condo [I’m ambitious what can I say?]<br /><br />I had decided on a pretty bright green a while ago when I fell in love with this rug [of course from Crate & Barrel… where else?] Well the color is called ‘Fresh Pear’ and as you can see from the pictures below… it’s BRIGHT. J I love it though; it really brightens up the room. Obviously it is sort of over whelming right now because the room is pretty bare. But once we have the rug, which I’m buying tomorrow, and some pictures for the walls and curtains it will really tie all together.<br /><br />Today I was going to touch up the paint [when I pulled off all the tape from the trim there are a few spots that need it] but my hands hurt pretty bad from all the painting yesterday that I instead decided to clean the house [like REALLY clean, tub and all!]<br /><br />Let me know what you think of the new color [photos are listed Before, During and After.]</span></p><p></p>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-1167358777453267732006-12-28T20:19:00.002-06:002006-12-28T20:19:37.460-06:00BEFORE <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/640/2006_11_26_Dining%20Room.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:3px solid #AAAAAA; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/400/2006_11_26_Dining%20Room.jpg'></a>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-1167358763302485772006-12-28T20:19:00.001-06:002006-12-28T20:19:23.306-06:00DURING <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/640/2006.12.27.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:3px solid #AAAAAA; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/400/2006.12.27.jpg'></a>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-1167358758486593702006-12-28T20:19:00.000-06:002006-12-28T20:19:18.493-06:00DURING <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/640/2006.12.27.3.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:3px solid #AAAAAA; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/400/2006.12.27.3.jpg'></a>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31566290.post-1167358839630721982006-12-28T20:18:00.001-06:002006-12-28T20:22:32.826-06:00AFTER <a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/640/2006.12.28.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #aaaaaa 3px solid; BORDER-TOP: #aaaaaa 3px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #aaaaaa 3px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaaaaa 3px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/hello/106/9320/400/2006.12.28.jpg" border="0" /></a>Alichiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939338073279936231noreply@blogger.com0