And the Winner is...

Hannah Banana from All is Well In My World!

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you either through your blog or through GoodReads to get your info.

I'll also post some Christmas updates tomorrow as well.

Last Call

So the ornament giveaway wasn't the runaway hit I hoped it would be. I only got three entries. So I'm giving it another couple of days. The winner will be selected Christmas eve. C'mon, it's cute! Leave a comment, I'll draw a name Christmas Eve, and announce the winner the day after Christmas.

Some Updates

I've made it pretty far on my Christmas to do list. But we had a couple of sad interuptions to the usual Christmas joy.

My beloved Busia passed away a week ago Monday. I didn't post a whole lot about it because I didn't know what to say and I wasn't looking for a flurry of sympathy. But she was very important to me, and I'm going to miss her a whole lot! She turned 90 this past May. I made her a beautiful pink blanket. She loved it. Thankfully, she passed in her sleep.

We headed to Indiana between snow storms for the funeral. I was selected by everyone to deliver a eulogy, so I summoned everything I learned in 4 years of college and 2 of grad school to attempt to do her 90 years justice. Then, as we were leaving the cemetery... we got the call that Craig's grandmother had also passed away. Double whammy. I feel awful that I can't go and be there for Craig... I really liked his grandmother. She was such a sweet woman and always had smiles and hugs for Alex. So pray for more safe travels for us the next week or so.

Raising the Bar

I feel like I've raised my own intellectual bar the last couple of weeks. In my old job, I had to scan many local news websites, including the small community newspapers here, looking for stories of relevance to the non-profit organization I worked for... either about us or about our industry. It helped feed my need for news while keeping me informed about the industry in which I worked. Over lunch, I would then peruse People.com or UsMagazine.com. Guilty pleasures, but not exactly stimulating.

Now that I've changed jobs I've had to adjust my reading material. Once or twice a week I will have to prepare headline reports for executives, which means I REALLY need to understand my new industry (retail) and what would interest these executives. So now I'm reading the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Women's Wear Daily, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, LA Times... all online of course. But I'm absolutely wallowing in these publications like a pig in mud. It feels so good to be on top of current events again and be reading these hallowed publications. I feel smarter reading these.

The new job is challenging me on an intellectual level. I want to learn everything about my new company so I can represent it well. I need to be an expert on it, after all. I'll be representing the company in media interviews eventually, so I need to know my stuff (er... their stuff). I'm getting more excited the more comfortable I'm getting with my team. I still have a long way to go in terms of getting up to speed, but I'm definitely off to a good start!

Need Music Suggestions

Does anyone have any good suggestions for songs about friendship? If so post them here. I'm not going to go too far into detail, lest I ruin what I want to be a surprise. Just post your ideas for friendship songs. No questions asked. Any genre will do, even country. I can't believe I just posted that. (shiver) Thanks in advance!

Sydney's Christmas Left To Do List

1. Christmas Cards.

2. Send Christmas Card photo to Walgreen's to print.

3. Finish getting out Christmas decorations (ceramic Christmas tree that lights up, Grinch lava lamp, Nativity Scene)

4. Wash Christmas dishes recieved 3 years ago as a gift so you can finally use them.

5. Finish buying Christmas presents.

6. Wrap Christmas presents.

7. Make Christmas cookies.

8. Start searching for your sanity, because if you make it this far down the list in the next week, you will certainly have misplaced your sanity.

The Joy of Giving

While hanging up my ornaments this year, I came across one that I think needs to find a new home. So I'm going to host my first giveaway. If you would like to win this ornament, leave a comment on my blog.

There's nothing wrong with the ornament. I think it's very cute. It's made of Fimo-type clay. It is dated and has my name on the back, but whoever wins it will always know where it came from. I just picked an ornament I wasn't hugely emotionally attached to and this is the one.

If you post this contest on your blog, and link back to mine, you'll get one extra entry (just be sure to let me know that you've put up a link on your blog.

The contest closes at 10PM (Central Time) Friday, December 19. It probably won't get there by Christmas, but it's the thought that counts, right?? Good luck!

Christmas is Coming

Last weekend we started decking the halls at our house. I finally put away all my pumpkins and Halloween decorations. Now, I don't normally leave the Halloween stuff up till AFTER Thanksgiving. This year it was just too crazy with changing jobs and life in general. I simply didn't get to it till last week. We took Alex to see Santa, bought a Christmas tree, built a fire in the fireplace and started decorating.

Let me preface this by saying I LOVE Christmas. I love decorating for it. I love sending and receiving cards (especially ones with letters or notes updating me on people's lives). I love going to church this time of year. The songs, the symbolism, the preparation for the birth of Jesus. I love the how Alex is starting to get it... that if he's really good Santa will bring him presents. When I was little I loved getting presents. Now that I'm older, I have truly discovered the joy of giving.

Starting from the year we were born, my parents bought us Christmas ornaments. We could look at our Christmas tree and trace our path in life, our interests, activities, what was important to us each year based on the ornaments on the tree. I'm not talking just one ornament a year here. At least two ornaments or more each year, every year (3+ ornaments a year x 33 years= hundreds of ornaments). Some were homemade, some are from catalogs, mostly though, they are Hallmark ornaments. After my brother, my sister and I each moved out, we each got GIANT boxes containing our ornaments. So we never had naked Christmas trees. It's actually fun to pull the ornaments out each year and tell the stories behind them, because each one truly has a story! (for those of you already reading this... I hit publish too soon... so I'm finishing this now!!)

I have ornaments I made as a child. Ornaments that say "Daughter," "Sister," "Granddaughter," and now "Mom." I've carried on the tradition with Alex. He has a handful of ornaments as well, but I limit it to two a year from us, because of course, my mom gets him 2 ornaments too.

Here are some ornament close-ups:

This picture shows a penguin I bought for Alex last year, a glass ball hand painted by one of Craig's former co-workesr, a bear on a swing that is mine, a shell ornament we picked up in St. Thomas on our honeymoom, and snowman that was just cute and needed to live on our tree.

This is one of my favorites! I took French for 6+ years, starting with my freshman year of high school. So there are a few Eiffel Towers ornaments on my tree, as well as some "Pere Noel" ornaments.

This one is also special... a gift the year we found out we were pregnant with Alex. If you notice the crayola ornament too, I collect the series of Crayola ornaments from Hallmark.

Oh heck, they're all special! This was another gift for Craig and I. My mom and I have this long running thing with Pink Flamingoes. It's a long story.

I'm quite certain this was my first ornament, though it might have been my second. It's a glass Santa covered in that sugar-type glitter. This one has to hang on an interior branch, so if it slips it might be cushioned from falling. The baseball is from Craig's trip to cover Bob Uecker's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This one got misplaced one year... put in the wrong box. We thought we threw it out with the tree. It resurfaced last year.

This Bob the Builder is Alex's. Bob is still a favorite of his.
As you can see every ornament has a story. There are hundreds of ornaments on my tree right now and each one has a story. I have a box and a half of ornaments that didn't even make it on the tree this year that also have stories. Christmas is all about memories... new and old. I think that's why it always make me feel so warm.

Readjusting

So the new job is amazing. I'm learning so much about my new company and what my new responsibilities will be. It's a HUGE change from working for the local arm of a major non-profit to a major national business. But it's very cool too.

It's taken some adjustments. I realize now that I was very spoiled in my last job. I was able to exercise at work. I haven't worked out all week and I'm getting cranky. I'll be heading to the gym first thing tomorrow morning. I'll now join the ranks of everyone else trying to plan time to workout into their day. I'm just going to have to pick a day or two during the week and either go before work or after work.

I parked in a ramp at my old job. It was covered. And it took me maybe a minute and a half to walk into the building. Now, I park in a giant parking lot. It snowed twice this week and now it's bitterly cold. I believe that parking ramp fee was worth every penny.

My time in the evening is even more valuable. While I'm working the same hours, I'm still not even close to being in a routine. I had to run errands nearly every night this week, after being out of town last weekend. Groceries were needed and I had to get some Christmas shopping done. I haven't had any time to blog. And I'm not allowing myself to check personal email or surf my favorite websites at work anymore. (Trying to cure myself of some bad habits.) So I am so behind on reading blogs and checking my other favorite sites.

I also learned that my internal alarm is set for 6:30 a.m. Twice this week my alarm didn't go off. I flung back the covers at 6:30 a.m. screaming "What???" I need to be more careful when setting my alarm. I had to go into work early today and when I went to reset my alarm... it was set for 5:30 p.m.

So bear with me as I adjust to this new job (which so far, I LOVE!!!). I'm sure I'll get into some sort of rhythm and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with all my friends in real life and online.

Great Weekend, Big Week Ahead

Had an amazing weekend. Went back to Illinois, hit the in-laws Wed-Friday. Ate lots of really good food, saw our cute new nephew (and his cute parents), got to see a lot of relatives for Thanksgiving. Friday morning headed back to Galesburg. Hit some Black Friday sales and got some shopping done. Ate too much. Got to see my parents, my brother Mike and his wife Jen, my grandma, my awesome friend Sangeeta. Convinced Sangeeta to go to our 15 year high school reunion. Had a BLAST at the reunion (will try to post pictures later). We headed home Saturday evening because Craig had to work.

Except for church, was housebound all day because of snow. Church was funny because Alex saw one of our bishops for the first time today. We were late, and our parish was celebrating a mass with three other parishes and Bishop Callahan was presiding over the service. So we walked in five minutes late and nearly walked right into the Bishop. Alex said, "That man is dressed like a queen." I snorted, then quickly tried to get us a seat.

Watched "Peter Pan" with Alex... read a little... got caught up on the DVR shows. Now I need to get to bed. I start my new job Monday... and I need to be well-rested. Gotta be there by 7:30 (UGH!!!) just for tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you out there in bloggyland and in the real world have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I have a lot to be thankful for this year. A wonderful husband and awesome son (and a sometimes rotten, mostly sweet dog). Great extended families who love and support us. Amazing friends both near and far whom I love and cherish. A great job for the past year, and the prospect of a great new job starting next week. Good health for me and my family. A roof over my head, clothes on my back (and front), food in my belly. I wish all of you safe travels, splendid times with friends and families, love and peace. See you next week!

Sidelined

I haven't been running much lately. Mainly because I have a really disgusting plantar wart on my left foot. It's near the outside of my foot, not quite as far over as the pinky toe, but close. Right where all the pressure from running just aggravates it. I will not post a picture because it's gross. But it's actually hurt to run on it the past few weeks. Oh, and two little baby warts surfaced and I didn't want them to get bad either. After trying to get rid of it with the typical over the counter junk, I finally called my doctor. She hacked most of it off and now we're trying the duct tape experiment. Have you heard of this? Apparently there are studies that show it works. You cut a piece of duct tape to fit over the plantar wart(s)... leave it on for three days, then let it air out over night. Repeat until the sucker is gone. So I'm giving it a shot. My foot is still pretty sore, so I ran on the elliptical first, but will be back on the track in no time.

This might be gross, but honestly I found the whole thing fascinating. I'm weird like that.

In other running news, I'm now going to have to figure out when to fit running/working out into my day like a normal person. I've had the luxury of being able to work out at work for the last year, but I start a new job next week. I'm determined to make it work, because I want to keep running. I'm sure that will provide plenty of blog fodder in the weeks and months to come.

Still Feeling Wicked

It's been two weeks since I went to see "Wicked" in Chicago, but I can't

seem to get this show out of my head. My friend Michelle burned us all CDs of the soundtrack before we went to Chicago and I have to admit I've listened to mine nearly every day since then. Alex even asks to listen to it in the car now.

It's such a great story about friendship... about how things and people appear one way but really are different when you look below the surface.

I also think I had such a great time in Chicago with a great group of friends that I don't want the feeling to end. Maybe if I listen to the soundtrack a little everyday, it will keep that exhilirating feeling of the show and of being in the city alive for me just a little bit. Cheesey, I know, but that's me!

I've actually encouraged one of my good friends who live far away to go see it. I wish we could see it together... because it really is the kind of show you should see with your girlfriends, but that won't happen anytime soon. I'm also trying to find a way to get to go see it again in Chicago with my mom before it closes in January. And I have vowed that if it comes to Milwaukee, I'm going to see it. The music and the story just struck a chord in me and I'm not going to let it go!

Why? Why? Why?

I'm all for unique names. Trust me... in my immediate family are some of the most common names... except for mine. Sydney. (brother=Mike, sister=Jennifer, mom=Pat, dad=Bill)
How did I luck out and get a unique one that isn't completely off the wall? I thank God my parents had good taste!

But on this I cannot stay silent. What the hell kind of name is Bronx Mowgli? Why do people do this to their children?

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/ashlee-simpson-welcomes-baby-boy

Granted, the kid has famous parents and other famous relatives. But can you imagine this kid all grown up and going into a job interview with a name like that???

My New Favorite Lipstick

DISCLAIMER: This is a completely frivoulous post. I apologize in advance.

I needed a new eye-pencil and I work near a Boston Store (in the Bergners/Younkers family for all you Midwesterners) so I decided to go hit the Clinique counter over my lunch on Tuesday. I don't normally splurge on makeup. I'm a Cover Girl/Maybelline kinda gal normally. The only time I really splurged was when I bought makeup before my wedding. I had a Clinique makeover and got hooked on a couple of items. Their eyeliner for one... and I really enjoy their lipstick. And I will always use their 3-step skin-care stuff. But it's not always budget-friendly.

There was supposed to be a promotion where if you bought lipstick you got three free mini lipsticks, so I headed over there thinking I'd get the eyeliner, and see if there was a new lipstick color that worked for me. I got the eye liner first, then mentioned I was in the market for a new lipstick. The saleswoman asked what shade, I said, "pinkish brown." And voila!

Apparently I've found the Holy Grail of lipsticks! Long Last Matte Shine in Pink Chocolate. It's more pink than brown, but I love it! I've worn it every day for the last three days and all three days people have commented or complemented me on the lipstick. I'm not used to this. I'm usually a natural kind of girl. I often lipstick, or mascara and don't think anything of it until I see a picture where I look like a ghost. I don't know how good this picture of my lips will turn out, but here you go:

It actually doesn't dry my lips out and stayed put while drinking coffee! I got the pink truffle lip liner to go with it too. While I love that I got a new lipstick, I love all the extra I got too! They ran out of the promotional mini-lipsticks, so the woman essentially built me a special Clinique bonus from samples she had! SCORE! Makeup remover, the three step skin care minis (with liquid and bar soap). I feel a little better about splurging on the makeup. Plus if you look good, you feel good, right?

More Chicago Pictures

Macy's On State St. (Formerly and Forever in my heart, Marshall Field's)

All decked out for the Holidays

Christmas window... this one was my favorite

A close up of the very cool Santa

Ford Oriental Theatre, home of "Wicked"

Therese, Me, Lisa, Michelle outside our hotel Sunday morning.

Michelle,Therese, Me, Lisa

Outside American Girl Place in Water Tower Place

Good Luck, Jess!

I'm not the only one leaving my current employer. My friend and co-worker Jess is also leaving. She starts her new job today. Jess is a lot younger than I am and she's a rock star! I wouldn't have been able to make it through all the big events we worked on this year without her. And honestly, once she said she was leaving, I didn't want to think about doing all the event planning without her! It made me take the job opportunity I was faced with even more seriously and now we're both headed on to bigger and better things. So best of luck Jess! This last week is going to drag without you!

Decisions, Decisions!

So a little over a week ago, I blogged that I had some big news... but it had nothing to do with expanding the family in any way. So I'm finally ready to spill.

I have a new job! It happened purely by chance and it happened so fast I was a little bit afraid that it was going to be too good to be true. I don't like to mention too many specific details, but I'll be working in public relations for a major department store chain. And I won't have to move in order to do this. If you're really smart, you'll be able to figure it out. I'll be working in store grand openings and charity. No travel, mostly PR and media relations over the phone.

I was contacted by a recruiter from this company through I website I'm on called LinkedIn. That led to phone interviews, an in person interview, and eventually a job offer. So I'll be starting this new position Dec. 1.

Now to my semi-frivolous decision... one of my nephews is selling magazines to raise money for his school. I want to start boning up on fashion, so that at some point maybe I can jump to the fashion department (Hello? Dream job!!). So do I subscribe to Vogue or Elle? Suggestions please!

Finally Posting about Wicked!

It's been almost a week since my weekend trip to Chicago to see "Wicked" with my friends Therese, Lisa, and Michelle. If I had to pick one word to describe the trip it would be FABULOUS!

We stayed at the Dana Hotel and Spa. We shopped at Water Tower Place. We went to mass at Holy Name Cathedral. We ate at Cafe Iberico dining on tapas of all sorts, enjoying dessert, and two pitchers of sangria! We stayed up late (okay, late for a bunch of moms... 11:30PM) and slept in. We shopped on State St., taking in the Macy's windows and hitting Nordstrom's Rack. I have to admit I got a little choked up at the Macy's Christmas windows. It's not quite the same as when it was Marshall Fields, but I haven't been in Chicago around the holiday since I was a kid. There's something magical about seeing all the decorations. There's just something magical about Chicago. It's hard for me to express it sometimes, but I genuinely love the city. I would love to get a job down there and live in one of those fantastic high-rise condos. But I don't think that will ever happen, and that's okay. I can dream and I can visit. That will be enough for now.


I have to say it was also nice to walk around Chicago and see all the orange and navy blue. It's not easy being a Bears fan in Wisconsin! But we still sport our team colors and merchandise with pride, even if people say rude things about it! (I'm not making this up. There are some Packers fans who think it's okay to just rip into you for supporting your team. It has happened to me personally and to friends of mine. I don't engage in bashing of other teams, I just stick to supporting my team.)


We ate at the Emerald Loop bar for lunch. Then we went to Wicked. I honestly cannot say enough about this wonderful show. I started listening to the CD before we left. I just about had the music memorized... then getting into the gorgeous Ford-Oriental Theatre and actually seeing it just about blew me away. The staging was amazing. The story is amazing. I'm so glad I saw it with my girlfriends. I'm telling you, when the song "Because I Knew You, I Have Been Changed For Good" came around, the four of us were grabbing for our tissues and holding hands. The actress who played Glinda was hysterical! She actually had the actress who played Elphaba cracking up and trying not to break character during the song "Popular." The original Broadway cast may get all the accolades for launching the show, but I'm telling you... the Chicago cast was amazing! I think this is definitely in my top 3 Broadway Shows of all time. (I would say "Wicked," "Les Mis" and "42nd Street" are top three, with "Lion King," "Aida," and "Chicago" making up the top 6. )


It took us over a year to plan the trip. We almost cancelled it once or twice. But I'm so glad it worked out! I hope we're able to do another trip again soon!

A Truly Wicked Weekend

My friend Michelle is celebrating a milestone birthday this year. She turned 40 and wanted nothing more than a weekend in Chicago with her girlfriends, shopping and seeing "Wicked."

We are finally making it happen! We leave this morning for the Windy City (one of my 5 favorite cities in the world!). We'll spend much of the day shopping and sightseeing. Then Sunday we go to see "Wicked." It's Michelle's favorite musical. She picked the book for one of our bookclub picks and even made each of us CDs of the soundtrack. So we're all super excited about the trip!

I have to say, I'm so grateful to Craig for allowing and encouraging me to spend so much time with my girlfriends. I truly have an awesome husband! I have bookclub once a month, plus I get together with some of the girls from my old job at the tv station to watch "Grey's Anatomy" at least once a month if not more. I'm telling you this girl-time is what keeps me sane and I'm so lucky to have a husband who is cool with some solo Daddy time. Hopefully things will calm down on the activity front and we'll be able to do another date night soon!

Proud of My State, and My Country!

Voter turnout was amazing this year! And can I say IT'S ABOUT TIME!
Wisconsin in particular had a great voter turnout rate... the second highest in the country.
As I said, this was probably one of the most important elections of my lifetime. The economy is in the dumps and we're involved in a war with no end in sight. Those were the two biggest issues I was concerned with this election.

I'm still not coming out telling you who I voted for. I'm just going to leave it at the fact that I think politically this is a very interesting time. Our country has elected it's first President that belongs to a minority group. I think that's pretty amazing! I think the whole election process this year as reignited an interest in politics and government that this nation has been sorely lacking. My greatest hope is that this passion (on both sides) doesn't flicker out.

This country was built with Democracy as a foundation. We are able to have our say in the political process and that ROCKS. But because there are multiple parties, that means there will always be one party that comes out on top. Embrace the process. If you're not happy with this year's results, try that much harder to promote your candidate the next go-round!

The Big Day is Finally Here

This may be one of the most important elections of my lifetime. I hope that everyone gets out and votes today. As always, I don't care who you vote for, just so long as you get out there and cast a ballot. I'm amazed by the number of people who have already cast ballots through early/absentee voting. Maybe this time the election won't be decided before all the polls close.

While I'm tired of all the ads, tired of the negative campaigning, and really annoyed by all the campaign phone calls that have clogged our answering machine, I realize how important this election is. I've ranted about voter turnout before. I think there are few excuses for not making it to the polls. In Wisconsin, you can register AT THE POLLS! Remind your friend, family, neighbors, acquantances, everyone to vote! Make sure you allow extra time when you head out there today... the lines will be long. Be patient with the poll workers, cast your vote, and wear your "I Voted" sticker with pride. I know I will.

Let me know that you voted... leave me a comment, and remember, I'm a journalist. Keep those comments non-partisan!

I'm Flattered!

I've recieved two awards from bloggers I've only recently discovered, and I must say I'm flattered.


The first one comes from Meaghan at I Kicked Cancer's Ass. The description is "This blog invests and believes, in ‘proximity’ [meaning, that blogging makes us 'close' - being close through proxy]. These blogs are all charming and they aim to show the marvels of friendship. Let’s give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to eight bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text."


So here's my list of 8:


1. Therese at Musings of a Mom - This blog is her fault and she's my friend in real life. She's probably annoyed that I keep giving her awards.

2. Ellen at Two Little Ladybugs- Kindred Spirit

3. Holli at Three Wishes - a kindred spirit from Goodreads

4. Tera at Days of Us- another kindred spirit from Goodreads

5. Alison at Hairline Fracture - a friend I met through SITS

6. Kristy at Two People, Two Dogs, and a Cat - we've been friends in real life since we were kids

7. Terri at Wee Bit Irish - friend from high school with whom I recently reconnected through the magic of the internet.

8. Sarah at Spelman Scoop - another friend from high school. That internet... it's a pretty cool thing!




The second comes from Jess at Momma Cooks Cooking.

I have to list 6 things about me.


1. I have brown eyes and brown hair. The blonde stuff is highlights.

2. I forgot to put my carton of eggs on the conveyor belt at the grocery store today, and walked out of the store without paying for them. But I paid for the $77 dollars worth of other stuff.

3. I feel bad about item 2.

4. I have some big news to share, but am waiting till later in the week to post it. And no, I'm not pregnant. Why is it that anytime you mention you are sick or that you have big news that everyone assumes you're pregnant? At what age does this start happening? And why do people think it's okay to ask you that?

5. I'm going to see "Wicked" in Chicago with three of my friends this weekend and I CAN'T WAIT!

6. I went to Paris after I graduated from college. Someday I'll go back...




Then pass it on to six more bloggers:


1. Amber at The McIllece Spot

2. Amy at Escape Into My Thoughts

3. Teri at Let Me Think On It

4. Katy Lin at Honest and Lasting

5. Katie at Ritch in Love

6. Judy at Coffee Jitters

Costume Time

Alex had two costumes this year. Above is his trick-or-treat costume. He was "Cinco," the Chorizo from the Klements Famous Racing Sausages. True Brewers fans got his costume. He wasn't shy about telling others who he was. At least he had Mom and Dad along to explain!

We had to come up with a different costume for school, because the sombrero was pretty flimsy (I mean, we got it for free at Mexican Fiesta, it wasn't meant for extended use!) and already was falling apart. We were afraid if we sent it to school that it wouldn't survive a room full of toddlers. So Alex wore his pirate dress up costume for school. Argh, matey!

Happy Halloween!

I love this picture! Craig took it! I'm particularly proud of my little pumpkin in the middle!

I love my white pumpkin. Craig did a great job on the other two, as well.

Alex isn't confused, he just refused to smile for the camera.

Shadow didn't feel so good last night. She ate 16 granola bars while we were at work. Seriously. Her tummy was a little bit upset. I think the lady at the vet is still laughing. Thank goodness she didn't get really sick from it!

Tonight is our neighborhood trick-or-treat. We're looking forward to it. I will post pictures of Alex in his costume (hopefully) tomorrow. Happy Halloween!

Book Love

I love to read. I learned how to read at age 4, and have read pretty much anything I can get my hands on ever since. Several weeks ago, Amber posted a list of the top 100 books selected by "The Big Read." "The Big Read" is a National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives. Of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six. Now, having majored in English, I have a distinct advantage with this list. I had fun going over it, and adding new books to my "to read" list over on Goodreads.

Here’s what you are supposed to do:

*Look at the list and bold those you have read.
*Italicize those you intend to read.
*Star the books you LOVE.



*1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

*3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6. The Bible

7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

*10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

*11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14. Complete Works of Shakespeare

15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20. Middlemarch - George Eliot

21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

*22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

*29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

*34. Emma - Jane Austen

35. Persuasion - Jane Austen

36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

*37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41. Animal Farm - George Orwell

*42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

*44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

*46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50. Atonement - Ian McEwan

51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52. Dune - Frank Herbert

53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

*54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt

*64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

*68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72. Dracula - Bram Stoker

*73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75. Ulysses - James Joyce

76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78. Germinal - Emile Zola

79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80. Possession - AS Byatt

*81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

*87. Charlotte's Web - EB White

88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

*92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94. Watership Down - Richard Adams

95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

*98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare

*99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

*100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo



So, how many have you read?

Amen, Father Joe!

At church this weekend, I was excited to see that it was Father Joe who had mass. Father Joe retired over a year ago because of serious health problems. (At one point, both of our priests were on sick leave. One was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer; Father Joe nearly died from a combination of an asthma attack and diabetes.) He’s my favorite priest at my parish. He’s spunky. He’s got this great, gravelly voice that makes you laugh but also makes you think. No matter how tired I am or how much Alex is distracting me, I always get something out of his sermons. He also usually tells some sort of funny story at the beginning of mass, as well.

This past Sunday, Father Joe said something that made me want to stand up and applaud. He started off talking about how politics and religion can’t mix. It’s okay to support one candidate or the other because of your religious convictions, but you should check your campaign materials at the door. Because the Church is a house of God. And God and Jesus don’t care who you’re going to vote for. He said priests are not allowed to divulge their political leanings because it’s inappropriate (you know, separation of church and state). And if it’s inappropriate for a priest to publicly support one candidate, he thinks it’s inappropriate for God’s children to show their political colors in church. So he asked everyone to remove any campaign buttons from their jackets or blouses and put them away while they were in church. Because in church, there should be one focus.

Election time is very exciting for me as a journalist. Well, it used to be anyway. Being out of the news game has been particularly hard for me this year. I love to watch how the political process unfolds. From the lame, completely scripted and rehearsed debates, to the impassioned speeches of candidates. I love driving down my street and seeing one neighbor with a McCain sign and then next house down with an Obama sign. Freedom of speech ROCKS! And I love that we, the people, get to elect our leaders. I mean, democracy is awesome!

But many of you also know that for me, politics is intensely personal. I don’t like discussing politics. I don’t like the media being bashed for doing its job. (And for those of you confused, there is a huge difference between JOURNALISTS who report the news and COMMENTATORS who blather on and are clearly partisan. If you need me to explain the difference, I’ll put it in another post.) I do my best to keep my political opinions to myself. I don’t often broach the subject, because I don’t want to have to say who I support. It’s my business and no one else’s.

I almost hesitate to post this, because I know some of my friends enjoy discussing politics. They put their politics right out there for everyone to see. I admire you for that, just as I hope you admire me for feeling just as strong that I keep my political leanings to myself.

So to hear Father Joe up there telling everyone to leave politics at the door did my heart some good. I wanted to jump up and shout “Amen, Father Joe!” Because he’s right on. I realize that a lot of political issues are influenced by religion. I have no problem with that. Support who you want to support and do so with conviction and passion. Just remember, I don’t want talk about it.

Pay It Forward Giveaway

So I just discovered a great new blog. Meaghan left a comment on my site, I checked hers out, and now I'm hooked. She's having a giveaway... go check it out! She's giving away a pound of gourmet coffee from her new online coffee shop. YUM! The girl is a cervical cancer survivor with an amazing story. I can't wait to get caught up on her blog.

Weddings are so much fun!

I love a good wedding. I had a blast at my own wedding, and I've been in five weddings to date. I still have a few friends to marry off, so I look forward to many more weddings. Last weekend Craig and I had the honor of going back to our neck of the woods in Illinois to see our friends Lacey and Pat tie the knot. Lacey grew up Toulon, IL, not too far from my hometown, Galesburg. We worked together at the TV station here and have become running buddies. Craig and Pat work together at their TV station. Pat and Lacey live in the same apartment complex Craig and I did when we got married. They are both Bears fans. The parallels are almost scary. So we headed to beautiful Wildlife Prairie Park on a gorgeous fall afternoon for the ceremony. The weather was perfect... 73 degrees and sunny. The fall colors framed the background perfectly. The pavillion they were married in overlooked a field where buffalo currently roam. (for real!) The reception was held in Peoria at the Gateway Building... at the foot of the I-74 bridge overlooking the Illinois River. It was really fun.It was also fun to see my friends from up here hanging out in the area near where I grew up. (Pictured are Steph, Me, Lacey, Amy, and Diane.) Worlds collided and we had a blast! So congrats, Patrick and Lacey! I'm sure you guys will have a wonderful life together! And if the parallels continue, 8 years from now you'll be at someone's wedding and end up with a picture like this:

Birthday Flashback

I can't believe it, but I let Craig's birthday pass without acknowledging it on the blog here. His birthday was earlier this month, so for the next 9 months, he'll be older than me. Hee hee. His birthday fell in the middle of the week, so we didn't do a huge celebration. But I ordered up some really good pizza (it wasn't Happy Joes, but still good). I baked a German Chocolate Cake, which wasn't ready for eating until after 9 p.m. but that didn't stop us from eating it. His present was a poster-sized photo print taken by a friend of his (we bought it a couple months back at a benefit). It was a great day!

Craig is a great dad and a wonderful husband. He's the perfect compliment to my quirkiness. He's patient when I'm impatient. He jokes when I'm crabby. He always finds a way to cheer me up when I'm down. He sits through chick flicks and pretends to be impressed when I act like I know a lot about baseball. So a belated Happy Birthday to a fantastic guy! Love You!

No More Stitches

Alex got his stitches out yesterday afternoon. Didn't even flinch when the doctor snipped the little threads. Didn't whimper when those little threads were yanked out. What a trooper!

I'm starting to feel a little under the weather. My throat is sore, my sinuses are filled, then they drain. Then they fill, then they drain. Repeat ad nauseum. I'm a little achey. I'm fighting it though. Loading up on fruits and vitamin C. Sipping some herbal tea as I type. Going to get some good sleep the rest of the week. I can't be sick. We have a wedding that I'm looking forward to this weekend! My friend Lacey is getting hitched... and her wedding is going to be fabulous! So cold, BE GONE!

SITS Blogathon

So I'm a SITS girl. If you don't know what that means, I invite you to check out The Secret Is In The Sauce. It's a community of bloggers who understand the importance of support in the form of comments and exposing readers to new bloggers. Monday through Friday a blogger is featured. The members of this site then flood that blogger with comment love. I've discovered some really great bloggers this way, made some new friends, and even dragged some old friends along for the ride. I was the featured blogger back in August, and it was so much fun. I got a bunch of new readers. I was commenting like crazy (I've slacked off a bit, admittedly) but it was a great opportunity. If you're new to blogging, I highly recommend connecting with this site so you can boost your readership and discover other bloggers you might never have found otherwise!

As part of the blogathon, I'm supposed to list 5 blogs I've discovered thanks to SITS... so here goes. And this was HARD because I've found some great ones.

1. American in Norway - Tressa's hilarious... and she knows my neck of the woods (Illinois). Plus her kids are cute and she posts pictures of Norway. Where else in my life would I be able to be friends with someone who is actually living in Norway?

2. Ritch in Love- Katie just has such a unique perspective. She's still got that newlywed glow, she's a step mom, she's really funny. She tells a good story. She's full of faith and hope. I just love reading her blog.

3. The Perlman Update- Again... I enjoy this blog for a number of reasons. It's a family from the U.S. living in India. Their life is nothing like mine, but I love following their journey. It's fascinating. My best friend's family is originally from India, so sometimes Jill will post something that reminds me of my friend and her family.

4. And Baby Will Make 4- Melisa is just so darn cute! She commented on my blog, I commented on her blog, we've been blog buddies ever since. She's expecting her first baby and is documenting the whole thing, from breaking the news to family to the latest doctors appointments. It's a very readable blog.

5. The Musings of a Mom- Therese is a friend in real life... and if you read her blog it's a good insight as to her true thoughts. She's authentic, honest, fun, a great mom, spiritual, political... she's a little bit of everything all rolled into one. I'm so proud of her for putting her real thoughts and feelings out there for everyone to see.

Okay... I had to add one more...

SIDNEY and I share the same name, though off by just one letter and she has an awesome blog. She is one amazing gal.

There are so many other great blogs I've connected to thanks to SITS I actually feel bad limiting it to five. But seriously, check out this site.
Heather and Tiffany do a really great job with it. They have created an incredibly fun community, you'll meet some great people and find some really great blogs.

The Joy of Boys

Thursday afternoon I got a call at my office. "Sydney, it's Miss Jessica. Alex fell off the playground equipment and cut his head pretty bad. We've stopped the bleeding, but he'll probably need stitches."

So I flew out the door and made it from Downtown Milwaukee to the Northwest Side in about 17 minutes flat. I got there, and my little guy wasn't even crying anymore. He was just very clingy, which was fine by me! So I got him strapped into the car seat and headed to the pediatrician's office. They put some numbing gel on it, waited 30 minutes, cleaned it out, and stitched him up. There are four stitches that will come out next Tuesday. I held his hands while he was getting the stitches. He was such a trooper! He didn't even flinch with the first two... but it was taking a long time, the office was warm, and they put a surgical drape over his face so he could see me so the last two he got a little weepy.

We took him home and made his favorite dinner... chicken nuggets. And he got frozen custard for a treat. It was quite an exciting evening... one I hope we don't have to repeat anytime soon!

No More Pull-ups!

For two weeks now, Alex has been wearing underpants at home and at school. He had a dry week at school, and the teachers requested that we send underwear and extra pants to school so they could do a test-run in underpants. It has been a huge success! After two days with accidents, he is now telling us when he has to go potty. We're not dry at night yet, but he's even had to wake up to go potty a couple of times in the evening (thankfully before Craig and I have gone to bed). So it's going really well. It's like someone flicked a switch and now Alex understands that he needs to go to the bathroom to go potty. Although periodically he still wants a fresh pair of underpants after he goes to the bathroom, even if he hasn't had an accident.

So far, the Cars underpants are his favorites, with Bob the Builder a close second. It's been about 2 weeks since I've had to purchase Pull-ups, so Alex is doing his part to help streamline the family budget! Hooray!

Remodeling Update

I posted back in June about our bathroom remodel, and our attempt to DIY. Well, it's about 99% done. It's been at about 90% for months I just haven't gotten around to posting pictures.
If you want to see the before pictures, click here. I also charted the progression, if you click on the Home Improvement tag you can see those.

Here are some pictures of the nearly finished project:

It hard to see, but the color on the walls is a dark navy blue. I like the blue and white MUCH better than the pink and cream. Huge improvement right there. All we have left is some trim work, crown moulding, hanging the valence, and some paint touch-ups.

Out With the Old, In With the New

We got the RAV 4, here it is... let the car payments begin! I love it! It drives really well. The extra cargo space is nice... as I'm sure we'll find out on our next trip home. We'll be heading back for a wedding in a couple of weeks, so that will be a true test. (Dog + Kid + luggage=lots of stuff)

I keep forgetting to take CDs to put into it. I've been so accustomed to *not* having a CD player, that CDs are usually the furthest thing from my mind when I head out someplace. It also has an MP3 port, we just have to get a cable. Well worth the $5 or so it will cost. The only downside? Alex keeps calling it a van... oh well!

Farewell, Old Blue!

I said goodbye to yet another trusted friend recently: my 2000 Grand Am.

We finally decided to go with the RAV4 (that will be another post) and so the time came to say goodbye to the newest car I had ever owned. We got the Grand Am in 2001. Craig and I had been married a little over a year at that point, I was driving a ’91 Beretta and Craig was driving a LeBaron that looked like it had been through the war. We needed to upgrade in a serious way, so we finally settled on the Grand Am. We were so excited! It had automatic locks and power windows, a sunroof, a CD player. Between the two of us, it was the nicest car we had ever owned. In fact when we drove to the dealership to finally pick it up, I made Craig drive it home because I was afraid I would get into an accident.

That car saw us through a lot. Countless trips to and from Illinois to visit our parents, countless trips to Indiana to visit my sister and brother-in-law and their kids and my grandma, a few trips to Minneapolis for job interviews for both of us. (Thank goodness none of those ever panned out. I really like Milwaukee!) It was part of the move to our first house. I drove it to Baraboo when I found Shadow online at a private animal rescue’s website. It was the car we drove to the hospital when I went into labor, and was the car that we brought Alex home from the hospital in. It’s shuttled me back and forth to work at two different jobs. We took our first family vacation to St. Louis in that car. It made several trips to Des Moines to visit my brother. I think it’s more than served its purpose, and served it well.

But sadly, the car started to show it’s age. I was in an accident with it about 3 years ago, an accident that left the car’s front end pretty banged up. We of course got it repaired, but things started going wrong. Indicator lights came on for no reason… the “service engine soon” light was on intermittently for about the last year. Every time we take it to get checked, they say nothing’s wrong. The CD player doesn’t work, and the back-light on the clock went out… so the only way you can tell the time is if direct sunlight hits the LED display just right. There are a few dings and scratches on the bumper. And as Alex get’s bigger and we start thinking about the possibility of expanding the family, we realize we will need more room.

And so, we’re got a RAV4. This is great news, but I can’t help feeling a little bit nostalgic. So, I will miss my first, newest car. I will miss driving with the sunroof open, especially downtown after dark. There’s nothing like looking up through the sunroof at night and seeing those tall, tall buildings and lights. I will miss feeling Alex kick the back of my seat while driving, and even while a passenger. And I’m looking forward to all the great new memories we’ll make with the new car.

I just want to sleep in!

When I was in college I would sleep in till 10am or later on Saturdays. Usually this was a result of staying out late with friends, staying up late watching movies, or a late shift at the Residence Hall desk or RA duty. But I LOVED lazy weekends. I would even go to church on Saturday night, just so I could sleep in the next day.

Then I got a job where I had to work early morning. BLECH! If I slept in on my days off, it completely threw off my sleep schedule, and getting into work by 3:30 in the morning was hard enough. Then grad school came along, another job working weird hours, married life, and now one child later, and sleeping in means sleeping till at least 7 a.m. on a weekend.

I try to sleep longer, but usually Alex doesn’t let me. Other times, my body just wakes up by 7 because it thinks something is wrong, that I’ve overslept for work or hit “snooze” on my alarm about 5 times too many. Even this weekend I was hoping to sleep in a little. But we’ll likely be picking up the new car Saturday, plus I have to pick up a food club order at church. And Sunday morning is Race for the Cure, so that’s another early morning.

I guess it’s all just a part of growing up… but man do I miss sleeping in!

Finally an Event Photo

It only took me two weeks, but finally, here's a photo of me and co-worker/friend Jess at our big, fancy event. I'm proud to say I bought this dress 5 years ago for my high school reunion, and it STILL FITS! Even after having Alex!