Hey-ooooo

Hello, world. Remember me? I'm the guy that used to write these hilarious antidotes on a weekly or monthly basis. Well it seemed I've slipped over the past 8 or so months, but I'm back by popular demand (thanks, Bridget). I guess the reason for my prolonged absence can be attributed to facebook... thanks a lot, Mark Fuckerberg! Those bastards have made it so easy to just jump on (even from your mobile phone!!) and say "hi" to the world... and your friends and family can see it immediately and respond instantaneously! It's actually pretty cool, but I do miss this opportunity to express myself in writing - and of course give the world the benefit of my excellent story-telling. So, since my last post I would say a lot has happened... probably the most life-changing milestones you can imagine in one span of less than a year. Here's a rundown. First, I turned 30. Thanks for everyone that came out bowling... it was a blast and nice to be surrounded by good friends. I moved to Darien, IL - where we purchased our first single-family home. My first escapade in home ownership was a townhouse in St. Louis where I lost my ass selling it, You may remember that story. I love suburb living, even though some of my pals make fun and accuse me of moving to Iowa... it's just a tad further east than that, but I won't lie, it's a hike back into the City. I do make my way back to Chicago for work and play at least once a week so I really do enjoy the best of both worlds. The conveniences of living near so many of my regular needs (stores, restaurants, etc) and being able to park in my garage when I get home is priceless. Not to mention that Jake (65lb furry baby) LOVES playing in his big grassy backyard. I also get to work out of my house because in addition to the 4 bedrooms, there is a large office where I can work peacefully and maintain self-employment. So overall it's been a pretty solid move. I've also gotten some home improvements done to the house - updating some of the decor from the early 80s to modern tastes. I've ripped out some paneling and replaced drywall, replaced the garage door and mailbox, and added some new furnishings. I have also redesigned the very updated kitchen and am in the process of obtaining all of the pieces to undergo that rather large project. I'm really looking forward to the finished product and will be posted photos along the way (on facebook, of course). After that, next on the agenda is outdoor upgrades including a new paver patio and wood deck - but those will wait until next year. We did also have a mini-vacation scattered in there. For the superbowl, we took a 4-day trip out to Las Vegas. It was a blast and we're so glad we committed to it. We got to watch the Giants beat the Patriots again and we did it int he environs of the greatest casinos and nightlife in the US. I suppose the biggest bit of news is that we found out we're expecting our first child - on or around Oct. 24 this year. I think everyone knows this so it's not really news, but it's important enough that it bears repeating. Of course we're super excited and eagerly anticipate the arrival of our new bundle of joy and a little brother or sister for Jake. At the time of this writing we're just shy of 20 weeks. We'll have an ultrasound appointment soon and at that time we have the option to find out the gender of our baby. After much deliberation I think we've decided to keep this first one a surprise. I think it will not only be a fun surprise but will also help Kristen throughout the birthing process. So now that we're at this point, we're just now getting started with preparing our nursery. We've got another big challenge ahead of us with regard to design and furnishing of another room in the house - this time for our androgynous little package. Obviously we'll be keeping it neutral and I'm thinking ducks and frogs will be a major theme at the beginning. That's just phase 1 and we've got such a long road ahead before Baby Jackson arrives, so we're taking it all in stride, one step at a time. With all of this going on, please forgive the blog posts being few and far between, as you've grown accustomed. Also, please excuse me if this turns into a baby update blog, which if anything that is most likely to happen. At least this gives me an avenue for writing and updating at a longer clip than is practical for a facebook status update. Also a big deterrent for updating this blog has been my work schedule. Things picked up a little bit for a while there and I remain steady with work and hope to continue on a good pace to keep the doors open at cj architect, inc. So that's all for now, folks. I hope you've enjoyed the update and I hope you missed me and are excited to see a post after such a long sabbatical. I'll be back in touch just as soon as I find the time and the inspiration. Bye.