The end of amoblog

Thank you to those of you who have visited this blog for the past four years. It has been a good place, and I have had a lot of fun. But life is constantly changing, and I feel it is time to move on. If you haven’t already, email me or drop me a note via Facebook or Twitter to let me know if I should email you the address to my new blog.

I wish you a happy and healthy new year. Peace.

Happy day before New Year's Eve!

We spent a lovely day with my side of the family at my aunt and uncle's house today. Delicious brunch, a viewing of the James Brown gospel scene from The Blues Brothers, tasty Christmas cookies, a brisk walk around the block, a game of Zigity with Isaak, and the St. Olaf Choir on DVR. What more could you ask for?

Oh, we also took a completely painless family photo, thanks to David and his spiffy remote-controlled camera (nice job on pressing the button at the perfect time, Isaak!). I love these people!

(click for a larger view)
Back row: Mom, Dad, Aaron, Peter, and Ann-Marie
Front row: Aunt Ruth, Uncle Rich, Isaak, Susanna, and David

Merry belated Christmas . . . or . . . happy early New Year!

The annual post-Christmas letdown

Christmas future is far away,
Christmas past is past.
Christmas present is here to stay,
Bringing joy that will last.
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" intro,
written by Hugh Martin for Frank Sinatra, 1957

Another Christmas has come and gone. David and I were especially glad that both of our families would be in the Chicago area this year, allowing us time with everyone for at least a few days. However, this is always a difficult time for me, as I anticipate saying, "See you later" to our siblings and their children, all of whom we love so dearly. It's hard to be so far away from our Michigan and Vermont families throughout the year, not to mention our Rockford, Winnetka, and Batavia family members, who we see so seldom despite our close proximity. For me, Christmas is as wonderful as it is heart-wrenching. So much so that I have spent most of today looking at housing prices in Michigan and Vermont. But that's not the solution. What that is, I do not know.

For those of you who need a good laugh (like I did today), please click on the photo at the right. You'll find David being piled on by his nieces and nephew, and a few glorious shots of Marc, Brad, and David's mom (yes, Mormor!) gettin' jiggy with the kids during the Christmas Day Dance Party.

In the bleak midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan.
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.
Snow had fallen, snow on snow.
Snow on snow.
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
- Christina Rossetti, 1872

Going to the gym is tough in this weather. Not only does it take longer to get the car to a drivable state, it's just plain COLD! I was not so good last week -- I only went twice -- so I decided to try to make up for it this week.

Then the temperatures went sub-zero on me. I thought about going on Sunday morning before church, but that didn't happen. And when I heard the temps were going to be pretty much the same yesterday, I didn't even entertain the notion. But I went today. Granted, it was 29 degrees when I woke up, which seems like a heat wave right now, but I went.

I picked up a couple of guest passes this morning, too, thinking that maybe Laurie (who works out at a gym that requires a two-bus trip) or my sister-in-law Susanna will want to join me at least once over the next week.

In the meantime, I can relax, knowing that, after one last trip to Borders today, where we have a gift on hold for one of our family members, we will be d.o.n.e. with our Christmas shopping.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

A new blog

Good morning, all! Thanks to everyone for their creative suggestions, both here and on Facebook, for what I should name my new blog. After thinking it over for a few days, I've decided on a new title. However, I'm going to keep it to myself for a while. Live with it a little. I'll continue posting here for the next week or so (if I find the time to in the midst of the Christmas festivities), but if you would like to read the new blog, please email me or drop me a note via Facebook or Twitter, and I'll give you the new address. Once I'm ready to reveal it, that is (think 2009).

Blessings on you and yours this season.

Christmastime and time to think

Today has been a good day. I went to the gym, I got some Christmas shopping done, and a light, fluffy snow is falling steadily outside our cozy apartment. Christmas is indeed coming, and we've already experienced some of our annual traditions of this season: our Christmas concert at church, picking out our tree and decorating our apartment, and hosting our second annual glögg party, which brought out 40-plus people throughout the evening. And last night I experienced something new -- a cookie exchange with some women from church -- though I don't know if it will become an annual event.

In the midst of the Christmas hustle and bustle, I am still contemplating a new name for my blog. I'm afraid this is where my creativity is lacking. I mean, look at the current name. So clever.

Thoughts of new beginnings swirl around in my head, brought about mostly by my decision to leave my job and set out to find work as a freelance copyeditor/personal organizer. But the idea of new beginnings also relates to the way in which I have chosen to take care of my health this year, and the results I have experienced, both physical and personal, because of it. So that's one idea I'm playing with.

I'd like to start this paragraph with "Other thoughts include . . ." but I haven't had any. So it's the one idea.

A little help here?

The plan, revised

Since writing my last post, I've done some thinking. A lot of thinking, actually. This has been a different year for me in many ways. It was my first full year as a married woman. It was the first year in which I set out to exercise, eat healthier, and just take better care of myself in general and actually stuck with it. It was the year in which I first realized that I don't have to work in an office setting to be successful -- or happy, for that matter. Granted, there's some more work to be done on this last one, but I'm making progress.

I'm a different Ann-Marie from the AMO who started this blog four years ago, and I'm grateful for that fact. I'm beyond pleased with the direction my life has taken and the ways I've handled the challenges this year has dealt me, and there have been a few.

It is for these reasons that I have decided to begin a new blog altogether. I don't know yet what it will be called or what the URL will be, but I'll be sure to keep you in the loop on that. So the plan, now, is to begin the new blog in January. I'll still post here a time or two before the end of the year, but I hope you'll stop by the new place, too.

To new beginnings!

The plan

Tomorrow is December 1. I can hardly believe it. Where this year has gone, I will never know. The last couple of months have been so busy, I haven't had much time to keep this blog updated. At least not as well as I would like.

With Christmas approaching, I already find myself with a laundry list of things to do, and "thinking of gifts" and "buying said gifts" are only two of them! In the midst of all of this, I'm finding that -- and this may sound silly to some, but -- I'm tired of having to check in with my Hotmail account once a month simply so that I can keep it alive. You see, I began this blog using that email address. It is no longer my primary address. In fact, I use it solely to keep this blog going.

Fortunately, I am married to The Computer Whisperer. If he does what he says he can do (and I believe he will), I may soon be able to convert my blog over to Blogger beta without losing four years of previous posts. You may not be able to see them, but David says we can save them for me to have and view whenever I wish. I like the sound of that.

So, that's the plan. I'm not sure when (or if), in all of the pre-Christmas craziness, it will actually happen, but I'm hopeful it will happen sooner than later. I'll be sure to keep you posted as changes progress.

I hope everyone had pleasant and relaxing Thanksgiving celebrations, and I wish you all joy as you enter into this Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa (or whatever other holiday you celebrate) season. Blessings on you!

Our cup runneth over

It's here! After nearly two years of waiting, our first wedding present has arrived! For the past few months, my dad has worked steadily on finishing the hutch he has been making for us. He actually finished it before we left for Connecticut last weekend, but there was no time to get it here (and it's probably just as well, seeing as I couldn't pull myself away from it once it found its home in our dining room).

I didn't have the foresight to take photos of it in progress, so here are a few shots of the final product:

The craftsman

Dovetailing

Molding detail

Filled and ready

Whenever David and I pass through the dining room, we have to stop to admire the hutch. It isn't something we do intentionally; we're just caught by the beauty of this piece and how much it means to us that Dad would devote so much time and energy to creating something so personal and lasting. This is something that will go with us wherever we go and will, I hope, be passed down to future generations.

Over the past few weeks, as the delivery of the hutch has neared, I have found myself thanking my dad repeatedly, probably to the point of annoying him, but it was hard for me to put to words how grateful I am -- how grateful we are -- for this gift. This hutch is something we will treasure for years to come.

Another gift we were given recently was the chance to fly to Connecticut to visit David's Grandpa J, who I had never had the pleasure of meeting. He will be 94 in a few months, and it wasn't possible for him to travel to Chicago for our wedding. David and I couldn't resist the opportunity (or the crazy-amazing deal we got from Travelocity) to take advantage of the fact that I don't have to ask anyone permission to take vacation time, and we spent three days with him last weekend.

We enjoyed every minute we spent with him, including four hours in the car on the way to and from Pilgrim Pines, where I worked for three summers in high school and college, where David camped, and just up the road from where David's Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Phil currently live. We spent a few hours at their home, eating lunch, sitting by the fire, and watching the snow flurries, and we got to see the campgrounds again for the first time in well over 10 years. We were also fortunate to hear hours of stories, in his own words, about Grandpa's life, his jobs, how he met David's grandma, and their life together raising their children. I wish we'd had a tape recorder with us!

After spending Sunday afternoon together, it was hard to leave. We took three photos the entire weekend. This one is my favorite:


On this Thanksgiving night, we have much to be grateful for. The love of family and friends, the history of our families, and history in the making through our own lives. We are blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Busy, busy, busy . . .

I know I haven't written much lately, but life has been busy and interesting. This weekend is going to be another busy one, but when it's over, I will return.

Happy weekends to all!

New feature

This past Saturday, before spending a delightful evening with delightful people, David and I devoted the day-time hours to each other in the form of a date day. We try to schedule one date night a month, but it's been a while since that's been possible. And since this past weekend found us with plans in place for each night, we decided to do something during the day on Saturday. I, in a rare moment of creativity and spontaneity, suggested we head north to the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

After taking care of some chores and errands (and checking in to see my dad's latest progress on our wedding gift!), we grabbed our cameras, picked up some Starbucks, and were on our way. It was a chilly day, and not as sunny as we would have liked, but we took advantage of the downtime together and walked the grounds.
















The esplanade

The husband

Starry leaves

I took many more photos, but since it's a bit time consuming to include them in a blog post, I added a new feature to my blog. Look over there, in the margin . . . see "My photos"? You can click on the image and it will take you to my Flickr page. Unfortunately, you can only view them if you have an account of your own, but I'm working on figuring out how to include a slideshow in place of the single image here (I fear I may need to switch over to Blogger beta for that).

If you would like to see them but don't have a Flickr account, drop me a note in the comments, and I'll email you my username and password. I obviously reserve this right for family, friends, and co-bloggers I have come to trust.

Happy fall, everyone!


Update: My friend and fellow blogger mdog showed me how to make my photos viewable for those without Flickr accounts. Thanks, mdog!

Payback time

If you are a regular reader, you will remember an earlier post in which I mentioned that Melissa and I did some bartering. In exchange for me organizing her workshop, she offered to cook dinner for me. Our handsome husbands were invited to join us, too, of course. We were all pleased (and a bit surprised, considering how busy all of us are these days) when the opportunity for said dinner presented itself sooner rather than later.

So, this past Saturday evening, David and I made our way over to Steve and Melissa's to partake of her famous white chili.

On the way, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a bottle of wine. Now, I have long understood the importance of being good to our earth (see my most recent post), but I must be turning into a full-blown tree hugger or something, because I was appalled at the length of the receipt we were given. For ONE item. The thing was 15 3/4" long (yes, I measured it). Plus, we forgot our neoprene bottle tote, so we had to use a paper bag to carry the bottle out of the store (I'm sure that exuded class to our lovely host and hostess). Oh well. At least they're both recyclable.

When we arrived at their apartment, we were greeted by our gracious hosts and a plate of roasted red peppers with balsamic vinegar resting in dainty parmesan cups. They were delicious, and even Steve, who dislikes the texture of roasted red peppers, ate his fair share.

As we waited for the chili, we chatted while David bonded with their six-month-old kitten, Cosette, who I thought was going to hide in his pocket so she could go home with him at the end of the night. And he says he doesn't like cats.

Dinnertime arrived, and Melissa (as always) did not disappoint. She told me I could have the recipe for this tasty dish, but only if I promised on my life that I would not share it. It's a recipe she uses for her new business, you see. But, since I'm honestly not sure I'm that strong, I might just have to invite myself over for another tasting at a later date.

Our time with these good friends is always pleasant, and we hope it won't be too long before we can see them again. But with the holidays coming up . . . who knows?

My favorite things: reBags

This past spring, David and I drove to Michigan to visit his sister Sarah and her family. We always love going to see them. We don't get to see them often enough, and when we do, the gatherings are often too short and filled with so much activity that we don't get much chance to relax together. So it's nice to visit them in their own home, where life is more normal and quiet. Plus, we love their small-town environs, complete with Main Street-like holiday parades (I say "like" because the parades don't actually happen on Main Street, though they do have one), walks to and from their neighborhood park, trips to the lighthouse, and friendly faces wherever you go.

On this most recent trip, I made a discovery. I discovered that, at the local grocery store with the familiar name, you can buy a recycled shopping bag, called a reBag, for half the price of the ones sold in Chicago, and you don't advertise the grocery store. David and I intended to pick up a few on our way out of town, but time didn't allow for it. So, I sent a check for $10 to my dear sister-in-law, who brought our 10 reBags to Chicago when she and her family were here a couple of weeks ago.

Since then, I can not get enough of my reBags! I've used them at the grocery store, Home Depot, and even Office Max. David used one yesterday to bring home his "collection" of travel mugs from the office. They're nice and strong, they have flat bottoms with reinforcement panels to keep them sturdy, and they're wide. Add in that they're environmentally friendly, and you've got a vast improvement over the plastic bags grocery stores use.

In keeping with the title of this post, here are some of my favorite pictures from that trip:

Emily and Laura on the church fence

Eyeing Uncle David's birthday rhubarb pie

Happy Nathan with an ice-cream moustache

Mmmm . . . ice cream . . .

A fancy farewell

If I can remember to, I'll try to make "My favorite things" a recurring theme on my blog. What's one of your favorite things these days?

Monday morning coffee

My husband loves coffee. I like coffee. But I love my husband, and I suggested recently that we spend a few minutes each Monday morning having a cup of coffee together; I thought it would be a nice way to start out our work week.

In fact, we've had the perfect mugs for this very thing for nearly two years. I just didn't know where they were until a month ago. My parents gave us these adorable Höganäs mugs -- two of them, complete with their own coasters -- as an engagement gift. It wasn't until I went through boxes left in my mom and dad's attic after our wedding that I found them.

So, for the past four weeks, that's what we've done. Sitting on our couch with the television off, we've sipped coffee as we've talked about what the day and week ahead held for us.

We did so even today, my first Monday since leaving my job. I wasn't without work today, though. Melissa and I bartered a bit: In exchange for me bringing my organizational eye to her new (and somewhat cluttered) work space, she has offered to cook a delectable dinner for David and me. The date and time are yet to be determined, but I'm holding her to it!

The project was a success, if I do say so myself, and I'm looking quite seriously at whether or not "personal organizer" could be the next phase in my work life. Whatever course life takes, I know that David and I will be talking about it over a cup of coffee each Monday morning.

Desperately seeking something

Today was my last day at my most recent job. It was a brief stay, more brief than I was expecting, but moving on is the right thing for me to do. I have a few prospects in the freelance realm, just so I can keep a paycheck coming in while I search for the job I really want.

The trouble is, I don’t know what I really want to do. There are plenty of things I can do, but I believe I am the type of person who has to truly love what I do during the day. I know a lot of people who do what they can do to make their living and do what they love to do in their free time. I’m not sure I’m wired that way.

Out of curiosity, I would like to solicit your thoughts. What can you see me doing? I’m tempted to add “within reason” to that question, but then I’m afraid I’ll only get safe suggestions. So, throw ’em out there!

Another visit to the world of movie-making

A few months ago, one of the actors from the movie David and I worked on in 2005 called to ask if I could do some voiceover work for a film he's making called Helena. For the teaser, actually. I happily agreed and made my way downtown to a studio one day after work. It took all of half an hour (and I had all of one sentence to say), but it was a pretty cool experience.

Well, the teaser is up on YouTube now, and I'm in there for three seconds. Take a look and listen for me from 0:23 to 0:26.

My very own plug

My dear friend Melissa is cooking up a whole new business! Check it out here.

And if you're in the market for her services, I highly recommend her.

Highly.

Four things

Melissa has tagged me to share a few things with you.

Four things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Working at PIL
2. Living in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago
3. Listening to the Backstreet Boys pretty much all the time
4. Getting myself into major credit card debt

Four things on my to-do list:
1. Find a job
2. Find a job
3. Find a job
4. Find a job

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Camp counselor
2. Receptionist
3. Production editor
4. Tour guide

Four movies I’ve watched more than once:
1. Any and all of the Harry Potter movies
2. That Thing You Do!
3. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
4. Singin’ In the Rain

Four places I’ve lived:
1. Chicago
2. Jönköping, Sweden
3. Sarasota, Florida
4. Chicago (again)

Four places I want to visit:
1. Alaska
2. New York City
3. Japan
4. Sweden (yes, again)

Four television shows I watch right now:
1. The Office
2. Lost
3. Cash Cab
4. Eli Stone

Four things you might not know about me:
1. One week from Tuesday will be the first time I have left a job without having another one to go to.
2. I’m 35 and have no idea of what I want to be when I grow up.
3. I keep forgetting to ask God for his help in this.
4. Numbers 1 through 3 scare the crap out of me.

Four things I like about being married:
1. I get to live with my best friend for the rest of my life.
2. I'm constantly learning new things about my husband.
3. I’ll always have someone to share every aspect of my life with.
4. I'll never have to wonder if that perfect guy will call me after our date -- I live with him!

I now tag . . .

Sarah
Laurie
Erikka
Megan

Fall is coming

This morning I was invited to a last-minute brunch with my friends Melissa and Kjersten. We went to Tre Kronor, where we caught each other up on the latest in our lives. On my walk home, I passed this tree. The few branches that have turned color -- along with the chill in the air on this otherwise sunny day -- are signs that fall is coming.


Hot apple cider, wearing sweaters and light jackets, brisk morning air, apple picking (which, I must admit, I did for the first time this year, and which I still need to blog about) . . . all are things I love about fall.

But soon enough, winter will come and ruin it all.

Hasta la vista, Honda

Nine and a half years ago, I bought my first car. It wasn't the first car I'd ever had, but it was the first one for which I paid everything. My 1999 Honda Civic HX has taken me safely from point A to point B -- even when those points were as far away as Florida, where I lived briefly -- and has given me very little trouble.

When David and I were married, we each brought a car into the mix. I was pretty sure we could get by with one car from the get-go; David needed some time to feel things out.

About a week and a half ago, David emailed me to say he'd called our mechanic, Brian, to ask if he had any recommendations of a place to sell our car. He admitted to only using the car once in the prior two weeks. To go get beer. At a convenience store three blocks away from our apartment. Brian had one recommendation, Wheels of Chicagoland in Northbrook. We called and made an appointment, but decided to go to Carmax first, just to get a comparison quote.

The quote we got from Carmax was quite a bit lower than we were expecting, but we weren't surprised, because it's Carmax, and we'd heard that their quotes are often low. But when we got to Wheels of Chicagoland, we were surprised to hear that their quote was identical. However, because the quote from Carmax was the same, Jeff at Wheels upped his quote by $100. Still not quite what we were hoping for, but better than a kick in the pants, as my mother says.

In addition, our mechanic will get $100 for referring us. And, should we ever refer anyone to Wheels of Chicagoland -- hint, hint -- we, too, will get $100.

I will not lie. When I walked away from my car, I got choked up. I laughed at myself for it, but I did. I looked over my shoulder a good four or five times to catch a few last glimpses as we walked toward what will now be known as "our car," David's Chevy Classic.


Another thing I was sad to say good-bye to was this:


I bought this sticker before North Park College made the change to North Park University, and I held onto it until I bought a new car, knowing it would have a longer life than if I were to affix it to the window of my old, used car.

I'm glad that we are now a one-car household, but it will be an adjustment. For one, I'll have to remember that I'm driving an automatic. And for another, I'll have to remember what the car looks like when I'm searching for it in a parking lot. I think I'll be okay, though.

Life is full of adjustments right now. I think getting rid of this car will be one of the easy ones.