Happy Birthday Kelly! (the day after)

In honor of Kelly's birthday, I will provide some key facts and moments in our long sisterly life:

I really was trying to climb into your crib to smother you with a pillow when I separated my shoulder instead.

The Annie hair was fantastic - losing your eyelashes and eyebrows was even better.

Elena was the best dancer to ever grace the Dance Connection.

"You saw it! It was a foul!"

It was a sad day when the cardboard grocery store was destroyed in the flood.

Commodore 64 was the best. "Hey Taxi!"

I don't believe you when you say you didn't leave the headlights on in the Sundance that ultimately drained the battery.

I loved visiting the Hamiltons when they worked at Dairy Queen.

Andy didn't really call me to ask me out after you dumped him did he?

I absolutely won every fight we ever had - especially the one with the wooden spoons and pots.

Chocolate malted crunch ice cream - enough said.

I still think to this day that grandma was screaming "Ed" - I will go to my grave thinking that.

Disneyland trips were the best - especially repeating the spanish message on the Matterhorn.

Believe it or not, Uncle Greg was cool once in our lifetime.

The adventures to the junkyard with Beth, J.J. and their stepdad was the coolest.

Seeing Hootie and the Blowfish at Eastern.

Calling me to tell me about this new boy you met named Ryan and what oh what should you do?

I will always say you were the biggest torturer of our sisters but I was the meanest to Zach.

Garage sales and mini golf.

The memorable trip to St. Victor's to steal some very valuable stuff. Shannon just had to tattle.

Lemonade stands and getting our picture in the paper for one.

Wearing the flowers from the lilac bushes behind our ears (until Dad kept trimming the bushes!)

Living together at Northern.

Starting off as sisters, forced to spend time together, disliking each other in highschool, and becoming friends as adults. Love you sis.

Ghost in my House

I have long believed in spirits or ghosts or visitors from the other side. I religiously watch John Edward Cross Country and believe that our loved ones find a place on the other side and continue to be in our lives in some way. It is comforting to see people relieved to hear from their loved ones and to know they are OK. I am also addicted to the show Ghost Hunters and believe that there are presences that make themselves known and sometimes these presences are just looking for some direction - they are not there to harm anyone. I am intrigued and fascinated by the other side and am always wanting to learn more. It makes it even more interesting for me because I am convinced that some presence is making itself known in my house and having some fun with Mike and I. Numerous times we have come home to find the TV on and the alarm clock upstairs with the time completely changed. The first couple of times we tried to chalk it up to the cats walking on the remotes or stepping across the alarm clock. Highly unlikely but was how we thought to explain it. We moved the remote so that it could not be walked over and alas the TV happened to be on one day. I have also been awoken by the phone in our bedroom resetting itself and "speaking to me". In essence, it was an automated voice indicating what to do to change the settings. Around the same time that occurred, Mike was downstairs and he experienced the TV go on and off several times. Again we tried to explain it away by saying that there may have been a quick surge or a short circuit. However other items plugged into these same outlets did not reset. During a realtor walk through last week, one of the realtors called my realtor, Nancy, and asked if Mike and I happened to be home. Mike was at work and I was in Orlando. The realtor claimed that she heard snoring coming from upstairs. Again, we tried to explain it away somehow but could not come up with anything. So while none of this fully shows that there is some presence from the other side having its fun with us, it definitely provides a possibility. It does not scare me and in fact I look for other strange occurrences to further validate what I think is true. I have on several occasions had the distinct feeling that someone was there and in fact the cats have often looked out to a particular spot. Minnie has even come into our bedroom and barked at what to us appeared to be nothing. Maybe it is true that animals can really sense more than we can ever imagine to.

The most telling thing for me has been the couple of times I have walked upstairs and specifically smelled Grandma McDonald - whether it was her house or just her distinct smell. The first time it happened was scary and emotional because I couldn't quite grasp what I had encountered. It has happened a couple of times since and now I recognize it and say my little hello to grandma. It is comforting thinking that she really is "stopping by" and checking in. I sometimes think that she is the one messing with the TV and the clock having a good old time while doing so. And I realize that all of this could just be in my head but I find comfort and peace with the fact that though I still miss her, I know she is still with me in some way. I will continue to keep an open mind and look for other paranormal activity that occurs around me.

Quick House Update

The house is moving along faster than anyone expected. Mike went for the pre-drywall inspection yesterday and pointed out some flaws and missing tv jacks. He has already asked if he could make periodic stops over to check on the drywall work. I think the Town and Country guy is going to regret giving Mike his card. Final inspection is planned for January 8th. Extremely excited but excitement tempered by slow movement on the current house. We have been told we can move our closing on the new house to February which will help and we can likely manage for a couple of months with both houses (pending a decent bonus from work). The stress is creeping up on me but I am trying to be positive. I continue to hear horror stories from friends of mine who had their houses on the market for over a year and a half. But I also see houses in our subdivision moving so who knows.......I am waiting for Kelly to bring over the St. Joseph's statue now!!

I want to throw out there that if we are still in our house, I would like to still have Christmas Eve. Kind of like the last hurrah at my first house. The decorations will be drastically scaled down (which is sad) but you just wait for next year's Christmas Eve when I go to town big time since there will be more space to fill! Hopefully everyone is still up for my house and of course if anything changes as to our living arrangements, I will let you know.

Cooking Challenge

Last night Mike and I ventured into new territory together by going to a cooking class in Naperville. The theme was 'A Night in Italy' and Mike had gotten me this class as an anniversary gift. We had thought it was going to be a demonstration class (since that is was the title of the course said!!) but upon getting there (late of course because I cannot manage to get out of work at an early time ever) we discovered we would indeed be cooking some of the dishes ourselves. Now we really want to learn more cooking ideas especially with our excitement over the kitchen in the new house but the things we would be tackling were much more complicated than the mac and cheese and hot dog gourmet cooking we do now. On the menu was a roasted pepper and tomato sauce, polenta with wild mushrooms, parmesan gnocchi, and some sort of chicken (since we were late we didn't see what that was called). Mike and I were assigned to the polenta station with 2 older ladies who were content with letting us do all the work. So we charged ahead with Mike cleaning and slicing mushrooms and me taking on the polenta challenge (it was basically like making cream of wheat - milk and water and adding the polenta very slowly - glad I picked up how to make that Mom!!). While the old ladies continued to watch what we did and the others in the class were busily working on their own dishes, Mike and I were waiting for things to simmer and pots to get hot so the mushrooms and onions could be sauteed. We took in all the different personalities of those in the class and as usual with me in settings of people, I find myself annoyed with at least 1 person. In this situation, there was an older lady (most of the class was well over 60) who seemed to know everything about cooking and was extremely vocal about this. However she couldn't quite master the art of boiling water and cooking gnocchi. So I tried to ignore her incessant talking about nothing but of course that didn't work. So anyway, the pots were hot and Mike and I got to cooking. I received good comments on my stirring skills (I think the chef was just being nice or grasping for any positive thing to say to this poor excuse for a cook) and Mike sauteed away. Meanwhile, the little old ladies continued to hang out and chat and pretend to be useful. I should say that 1 of the ladies did spend a considerable amount of time buttering the baking sheet that the polenta would be placed on. We finished all our work and put the whole thing together only to find out that the chef already had made the polenta we would actually be eating - guess she didn't trust these inexperienced cooks to mess up the polenta! Everything that needed to be baked was baked and everything that needed to be warmed up was warmed up and then we got to feast on all of our hard labor. Everything was very tasty - the chicken was fabulous, the gnocchi was a little doughy though, and the polenta was extremely tasty (if you like mushrooms, you would love this dish). I even tried the asparagus - didn't really like it but glad I tried it. Overall it was a really fun experience and Mike and I are already looking into future classes to see what might be of interest. I know I will never be a great cook but I am hopeful that I can begin to master some more complicated dishes than the usual easy fare we make every day (stir fry is probably our most challenging dish). We came away from the class with new ideas and I really think the chicken dish may make an appearance at Christmas Eve (if I can still hold it with the whole house thing still in the air). I am also glad that Mike and I got our butts off the couch and did something different together (although we made sure to tape all the shows we were missing!)

Hola and Buenos Dias!!

Ok so that's about the best spanish I have but it is still a lot better than what Mike has in his arsenal!! The trip to Mexico was fun, relaxing, interesting, different, and rainy. I realized very late in the planning process for this trip that October-December is the rainy season in Mexico - and they don't lie. It rained at certain points every day and there were some pretty severe storms during the nights. But the sun still managed to come out from behind the clouds and burn our midwestern skin. Mike suffered the most our first day there while I got the brunt of the burn the last day there. So we had 1 long week of whining :)

I was most surprised by the beauty of the resort and its surroundings as well as how incredibly friendly everyone was. We made our sad attempts at speaking the language when we could and basically tried not to embarrass ourselves. (Good thing I know my numbers in spanish because ordering from the McDonald's near the airport could have been much worse!) Mike made friends with some of the guys working the pool bar (a swim up pool bar mind you! - Mike was in heaven). He seems to make friends everywhere he goes while I like to curl up and avoid any eye contact whatsoever. The pool was amazing. It has the distinction of the 2nd largest pool in the world and I can see why. We spent every day there in a different portion. And because it was the off season, we had prime choice of any chair in the place. The food left a lot to be desired but what we determined is not that it was bad food but definitely a lot of things taste different and it's about how you adapt to the different flavors. We had a couple of really good meals at the resort restaurants though - Mike even says he had the best meal of his life one night. Portion size was not even comparable to here in the States - and we wonder why we are considered such a fat country!! We had some interesting conversations with some of the employees who talked about how they had family who were American citizens but they themselves would never want to move there - they wouldn't want to give up the tropical paradise that they get to enjoy every day. It is definitely a different side of the whole immigration topic that we hear and see in the States every day.

I wish we would have ventured out more into Playa del Carmen or even Cancun but I was really glad to be able to relax and not have anywhere to be. I had people tell me yesterday that I actually looked more relaxed (which has changed today with work being chaotic!). I am glad that my experience in Mexico has expanded beyond just Tijuana - there are not too many good things to see or say about that place. I enjoyed my time there but was glad to be home - out of the fantasy world and back to reality.

Busy yet entertaining weekend

The Illinois game on Saturday was phenomenal. It is great to finally see them winning and playing exciting football. I so look forward to going to these games and always enjoyed the tradition we have kept (even if we missed the past couple of years for various reasons). I also love that Dad gets so excited to go to these games (48 and counting....) and point out all his stomping grounds while he roamed the very big campus many years ago. I wish I had that connection with my alma mater. While I loved going to Eastern, I don't feel the need or desire to return to the campus for a football game or even to just reminisce. I am glad that dad still feels proud of where he went to school and still enjoys returning to see what has changed and what has not for that matter. As our family continues to get bigger and bigger and bigger, I hope that we can keep this tradition alive and hopefully the younger members of the Fagan/Weidner/Nogradi/Lewis/Klima clan will enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks Dad for continuing to keep the Illini tradition alive!

I was glad we were all together yesterday as well to celebrate Mom, Bonnie, and Mike #2's birthdays. It has been quite awhile since we were all in one place (I think since Cedar Point). I know Mike enjoyed himself until he injured his foot playing football with the boys in the dark. Heading to urgent care shortly to have his foot looked at (he cannot walk or drive). So be careful all you kids!!

House update: Walls are starting to go up this week. House is on schedule for end of January completion. Now if we can get some more eager buyers in the door of the existing house I would definitely feel better (and maybe not so stressed out).

Mike and I leave for Mexico on Saturday. Doggies will be visiting Grandma Nogradi for the week. They are super excted (mostly because they get lots of attention and spoiling - not to mention eggs on Sunday morning!) I am looking forward to some sun, relaxation, and hopefully no hurricanes. I should try to brush up on my key spanish words before I leave!

Baby mania

Baby mania has crept into my circle of friends. My friend Stacie just had her baby girl, Camryn, my other friend Stacy is now pregnant after a long time of trying and fertility treatments, and I found out last night that my friend Nicole, who also has been trying for some time, is now pregnant and due in May. A friend of a friend is also pregnant with her second child and due in March. All 4 of these ladies live in the Gilberts/Elgin area (in fact 3 live in the same subdivision) so I am really thinking there is something in the water out there!!!

It is interesting how the dynamics in the circle have changed. We were a bunch of girls, some with boyfriends or husbands, hanging out at the bars or someone's house, and going on trips to Florida. Soon many of us girls were getting engaged or married and while we still went to the bars for some fun times, most times spent together were much more coordinated. Now many of the girls are having children and buying bigger houses and our time together is even fewer and farther between. We plan very specific times to see each other; we look forward to the annual Halloween bash; we make plans to go out to dinner and spend very little time hanging out at the bars. And so the times we see each other are that much more special as well as hectic as everyone is trying to catch everyone else up on their life's happenings. I guess I have always known I was getting older and priorities would continue to change. I am grateful that I have friends who understand the priority changes and cherish the times we do get to hang out together.

One that got away....

Well sometimes when you want something bad enough, it doesn't actually come through. The job I was pursuing at work fell through as they are looking to hire an external resource. Came down to a timing thing in the sense that I needed to complete other responsibilities before having serious conversations about a new position. I am down about it but hopeful something else will come along one of these days. In the meantime, I will continue in my current position and take on additional responsibilities with a promotion coming at the end of the year.

The First One

Since I find I have the time to read everyone's blogs every day, I also have time to create my own. There is a lot going on in the Nogradi clan so what better way to update everyone???? My first entry will really catch everyone up on the biggest happenings.

Our house is officially underway. The foundation has been poured and we have the sign on the lot indicating it is ours :) Current schedule shows our house being done at the end of January. We expect some delays so we are likely looking at early February. Our current house has been put up for sale and we will be battling about 15 other houses in our subdivision that are also for sale. I still think we have an advantage being an end unit and with the upgrades we have done. I am gettting very excited about the new house (already thinking of themes, colors, etc!!!) but also very sad to be moving from my first house. It will definitely be bittersweet when I walk out this door for the last time.

I am currently seeking out a new job within the bank. I was approached by another manager about an open position in his team as a Quality Assurance Manager. I came highly recommended by other folks I worked with and it is always a good feeling to know that your work is respected. The role would be a promotion but would also be a challenging position on a team that is currently struggling with poor design. I have always sought out challenging opportunities and I think I can make a huge difference with this new team. The struggle I have currently is that I do not have someone who can take my current position and that is posing some interesting challenges of their own. I will continue to pursue this new job and hope that everything works out. While I know that my job may not be that interesting to everyone, much less make much sense, and I certainly don't have all the great stories about my interactions with those I encounter in the workplace every day, quality assurance is my passion and is something I know I do well. I have worked very hard and it is so rewarding for me to be acknowledged by my peers and by management for the successes I have achieved.

To get some well deserved and much needed R&R, Mike and I will be heading to Mexico October 6th-12th. I am definitely looking forward to some relaxation and getting some time away from the stress of the houses and the jobs. I continue to bring on unnecessary stress at all times so it will be good for me to alleviate some of that (before I start all over again when I come back.....).