Hawaii was AWESOME!!!

Owen and I are back from the the most beautiful place that I've ever been too. We had such a great time it was hard to come back. If it was not for Charlie and Artu we might have stayed out there!

Day One - We started out with a 9.5 hour flight from Chicago to Honolulu. Since we were traveling during the day it was hard to take a nap to pass the time. Luckily once we got to Honolulu our flight to Kauai was only about 25 minutes. When we stepped off the plane in Lihue we knew that the whole day of traveling was worth it. We saw colors everywhere! It was such a difference from the snow at home. Bright blue ocean, green palm trees, green grass, and a rainbow of flowers. Absolute paradise!

We got to the resort and checked in with the hospitality desk provided by Owen's company. We immediately went to our room and changed into flip-flops and went down to the Welcome Reception that Novell provided. Since we hadn't really eaten all day we devoured God-only-knows how many sandwiches and chips. After a couple hours it was back to the room to get some well needed rest.

Day Two - Unfortunately, our bodies were still on Chicago time. We both woke up around 4am but couldn't fall back asleep so around 6am we decided to get up to watch the sun rise. You can't beat watching the sun rise while listening to the sound of the ocean. It was so peaceful.

This is the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Kauai


















Looking out from the lobby to the ocean


















Owen's company sure knows how to treat their employees. They provided breakfast every morning which was extremely good. The eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and fresh juices were awesome every morning. Owen will agree that I ate more bacon in 5 days than I probably have eaten in the whole time that I've known him. It was so yummy!

Day Three - Novell offered different "adventures" for everyone so Owen and I choose the ATV tour. It was a guided tour through the old sugar cane fields and jungle. It was a lot of fun! Even though it was a guided tour we got to go as fast as we could.. Once we got used to the ATV's they didn't go quick enough for us. Once we came back we had to shower off all of the dust and bug juice before we hit the pool. After relaxing for a bit we got ready for a cocktail hour that Owen's boss had planned for his division. Once that was over we went out to dinner with two other couples to a local seafood restaurant. After that it was back to the hotel for some after dinner drinks with Owen's company.

Just a taste of the tour. More pictures to come...























Day Four - Owen went golfing with some of his bosses in the morning while I slept in a little then went to the pool. Owen shot an 82 but I'll let him tell you all of the details. I don't think I can do justice to the birdies, eagles and whatever other fowl happens in golf.

Comment by Owen - Owen here, and yes you read correct, an 82. Now that is a legit 82, no mulligans, winter rules, etc. And that is with a 4 putt and a triple bogey. It's not often I'm on fire but I picked the right time as I beat my old Director, my VP and one of our CTO's. This could be a career killer by beating my bosses but man it felt great! I love this game!!!

Poipu Bay Golf Course























That night was the big Awards Gala at the resort. Again, Novel knows how to do it right. Luckily we had great weather the entire trip (80s and sunny every day) without a drop of rain. The gala was outside and was wonderful. There were junior hula girls that welcomed everyone and also performed later after dinner. The dinner was buffet style and there was more food than I can remember. There was tons of salads, meat of every kind, pretty much anything you could think of. The best for me was the fresh shrimp and crab legs. I tried my first and last mussel - yuck! After the gala everyone headed down to the club/bar on premise. Needless to say, the drinks were flowin' and everyone had a great time!

Looking down from the lobby at the Gala


















Hula girls





After we came in and received our lei's from the hula girls


















Day Five - This was our last full day in Hawaii. We decided to get up early and climb up to the top of a local cliff to see the sun rise. I use the word climb very loosely as there's been a path cut out from so many other people doing the exact same thing. People also go up there for cliff diving but we decided to pass on that - we're not crazy! The sun rise was just as beautiful as we expected it to be. No matter what the scenery is in Kauai, it is gorgeous!































































































After the meal that we ate at the Awards Gala the night before, Owen and I decided to go for a walk to the local shopping area. I was a little over a mile away but it felt so good to walk. We did a little shopping then it was back to the resort to get some more sun by the pool. We took it easy the rest of the night just taking in as much as we could knowing that we'd be going home soon.

Back of the hotel lobby



















Day Six - Vacation is over. Luckily our flight wasn't until the afternoon so we had time for one last awesome breakfast. Our flight from Kauai to Honolulu was a little rough since the winds were kind of strong. Some of Owen's friends were on another flight which missed the runway due to wind gusts. Our flight from Honolulu to Chicago was much better than going out. We had a pretty decent tail wind so the flight was only about 7.5 hours. We were able to sleep for a little bit since we were traveling over night and got back to Chicago at 5am. We were very happy to see that my car was not covered in snow since we drove to the airport.

We were happy to come back to see Charlie and Artu but since we knew they were well taken care of while we were gone I wouldn't have minded staying out there for a while longer. Thanks to all of our family that helped with both of kids. It made our vacation truly enjoyable knowing that we didn't have to worry about our little ones!

EIU Pride

So, the New Orleans Saints won the Superbowl last night. No, I'm not a Saints fan but I enjoyed the game like many of you and the eating and drinking that goes along with it. But I did want to point out a fact that many of you may not know. Sean Payton, Saint's Head Coach, is an alumni from Eastern Illinois University! Now, us EIU alum don't usually have much to brag about in regards to EIU Athletics, so when something happens worth noting, it has to be pointed out. Sean Payton was an All-American quarterback at Eastern Illinois at which he set and still holds many of EIU’s school passing records. He also helped lead the 1986 EIU team to the NCAA FCS playoff quarterfinal round. Payton passed for 10,655 yards completing 756-of-1,408 passes in his career. He had the school mark for touchdowns with 75 until Tony Romo broke that record in 2002. Also, the Saints special teams coach also comes from EIU as Greg McMahon was a defensive back on the Panthers 1978 NCAA Division II National Championship team.

So there it is, EIU's place in the big day!!

Spring Training Update:
Chicago White Sox pitchers and catchers report on February 20 and all position players report on February 25!!

Things have been a little hectic around our house for the past couple of months. Due to the kitchen remodel everything has been thrown off just a bit. The kitchen was finished last week and we are finally back to normal.

Here is what the kitchen used to look like:















And now:














Now that the kitchen is finished we can starting looking forward to our next "project"...vacation in Hawaii! Yay!!

Catching up

It has been a while since we've updated the blog so I thought I would give you a few pictures and let you know what is going on.

Charlotte is still going to OT and PT but her PT has been cut down to once a month since she is doing so well. She has started walking and once she gains a little more confidence in her ability she'll be running all over!














I couldn't wait to get Charlotte out in the snow on her sled that Auntie Teri and Uncle Kyle gave her for her birthday. We've pulled her around the basement on it but I think she had a little bit more fun in the snow!




















She also has been staying active riding zebras.



















The big news for Owen and me is that we have started our kitchen remodel project. Actually, the contractor has started the project but we are still excited. They are making it as painless as possible for us by leaving the dishwasher, range, and sink in place for now. So far they have taking the wall cabinets down and installed all the recessed lighting. Only about 4 more weeks to go and they should be done.














Here are a few pictures of Charlotte tonight during and after bath time. Nothing too exciting, I just thought they were cute.










































And we can't forget about Artu. Since Owen is out of town, he is standing guard making sure we are safe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Melanie and Michael hosted Thanksgiving this year and we had an amazing time! Charlotte had her first try of turkey and stuffing and she seemed to like it.

We can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone already. Now it is time to get out the Christmas decorations and get ready for Santa!

NICU Reunion Party

On Sunday, the NICU had a reunion party for all of their "graduates". They had food, live music, cookie decorating and some other activities for the kids. Since Charlotte is still a little too young to really take advantage of everything there we listened to music and talked with friends the majority of the 2 hour party. Since it is so close to Halloween they encourage people to dress up. Owen and I didn't wear a costume but Charlotte went as a pirate princess. It was nice to go back to the hospital for a happy occasion and show how well Charlotte is doing.

The end of the baseball season

Today starts an exciting day for some baseball fans but unfortunately, my White Sox didn't make the playoffs this year. Being a big baseball fanatic, I enjoy watching the playoffs that start today but it is bittersweet since my Sox aren't in the race for a championship this year. So for those who want my opinion, it was great to see the Sox almost knock the Tigers out of the division race and than they blew it against the Twins. So now those pesky Twins take on the Yankees and that offensive machine. Surprisingly, I'm rooting for the Twins as I think Joe Mauer is one of the best players in the game today and he plays the game the way it's meant to be played. In the NL, we see Pujols and the Cards, as probably the best team in the league right now. Again, I like Pujols and how he approaches and plays the game so I'll root for the Cards in the NL. Plus, given that they are a big Cubs rival, you know I have to pull for them!

So, here are my picks for this year's playoffs. And as you'll see, it burns me to pick the World Series winner as we'll hear about it for the next 6 months but I'm sure ESPN and their East Coast bias will love it.

ALDS
Twins vs. Yankees - Yankees wins in 4
Boston vs. Angels - Boston wins in 5

NLDS
Colorado vs. Philadelphia - Philly wins in 5
St. Louis vs. Dodgers - St. Louis in 4

ALCS
Yankees in 6

NLCS
St. Louis in 6

World Series
Yankees in 6

Spring Training starts in 6 months and I look forward to the 2010 White Sox!!

Charlotte Turns 1

This past Saturday, October 3rd, we celebrated Charlotte's first birthday. For those of you have been following this blog for the past year know that it was quite a rough and surprising start for her so we were so happy to celebrate the big day. We had a small party for her with family at our house and she was able to try cake for the first time. She received some great gifts too but as I'm sure with all one year olds, was more interested in the wrapping paper and even with that, lost interest after a few minutes. Donna and I were just so happy for her and how much she has grown over the past year.Charlotte is just waiting to dive in!

Cake is good and Great Grandma offering a little help in the background!

METALLICA!!!

While I was in Indianapolis last week for customer meetings, I worked in a little fun. Thursday night Metallica was in Indianapolis and of course, I had tickets. My fellow Metallica compatriots Clint, Halverson and Mr. H came into town to catch the show too. Before the show, we found a bar close to the Conseco Fieldhouse and enjoyed some pre-concert cocktails to wet our appetitie for 2 straight hours of hard rockin' fun! It was, as usual, a great show! I've seen Metallica too many times to count now and every time, I leave the show wanting more and looking forward to the next time I can catch them.

Food, Glorious Food!

Owen and I went on a food tasting and cultural walking tour on Saturday in the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhoods in Chicago with our friends Jason and Terry. Mother Nature cooperated and we had a beautiful day! We met our guide, Ben, at George's Hot Dogs around noon to start the tour. As could be expected our first food item was a Chicago style hot dog. I have to admit this was the first Chicago style hot dog I ever had. I'm a ketchup kinda girl so I never have the true Chicago style dog.

After George's we went to Hot Chocolate (http://www.hotchocolatechicago.com/) and had one of the best chocolate drinks I've ever tasted. I don't remember what it was called or what was in it but it was fabulous! It was served with a house made marshmallow that was pretty good too. As if we weren't stuffed already we went to the third stop, Goddess & Grocer. We had a taste of a antipasto salad that was really good too. Luckily after that stop we did quite a bit of walking to work up our appetite again. We were already pretty stuffed and we had three more places to go. The fourth stop was Piece (http://www.piecechicago.com/flash/index.html) which is a restaurant and brewery. We had a taste of pizza and some of their own brewed beer. The next stop was Sultan's Market (http://chicagofalafel.com/) which is a Middle Eastern food store and deli. Owen had his first falafel sandwhich! The last place was iCream (http://www.icreamcafe.com/). This isn't your typical ice cream store. They make your ice cream on the spot using liquid nitrogen. Pretty cool to watch them make it and it was yummy!

After three hours of eating and walking we weren't ready to go home yet. We stayed in the Bucktown area and found a bar where we sat outside and enjoyed great weather and good friends. It was a great time people watching too! :-)

Home Improvement / Boat Ride / NICU Follow-up

HOME IMPROVEMENT
Well, I haven't been good at keeping the blog updated so we have a whole bunch of stuff wrapped into one entry. As all you homeowners know there is always something that needs to be done around the house. Whether it is a small project or a big one it is always something. Unfortunately, it seems like the majority of our projects are the big ones. We have been talking about getting our fence replaced because the one that we inherited with the house wasn't exactly maintained well. As you can see it was falling down...















if not already down!!















We decided that it was time for a new fence. One home improvement project down - God only knows how many to go.





























BOAT RIDE
We went up to the lake this weekend to enjoy some well deserved summer weather. "Captain" Kyle was nice enough to drive us around the whole weekend in Kyle & Teri's boat. Charlotte wasn't overly excited about the life vest that was almost as big as she was.















Kyri got driving lessons from her Dad.















Charlotte loved to feel the wind in her hair...














So did Teri















NICU FOLLOW-UP
Charlotte had her 9 month (corrected age) follow up visit today. She is now 20 lbs 1.9 oz and 29 1/3" inches. Since Charlotte already goes for physical and occupational therapy I wasn't too concerned about that part of the follow up but there was still the speech therapist to talk to. Charlotte does have some hesitation with new foods and the speech therapist gave us some tips on how to get Charlotte more curious with food. She also gave us tips on how to help encourage Charlotte to talk a little more. Maybe by our next visit in December we'll have a little chatter box!

Charlotte has been going to PT for a little over a month now and we are starting to see some big progress. She has decided that waiting for us to give her the toys that she wants takes to long so she'll just crawl and get them herself. Yep, CRAWLING!!! We're so proud of her! We were able to get a little of her crawling on video. She seems to like to play in Artu's water bowl so that was her target on this crawling mission.

Relaxing...

Well, we have been taking advantage of the nice weather that we have been having. On Tuesday, Owen took the day off and we all went downtown. Charlotte took her first train ride and seemed to enjoy it. We stopped at a small park and fed Charlotte before we wandered around and found a place for Owen and me to eat. We ended up
eating at The Green Door Tavern (www.greendoorchicago.com), it was a really nice restaurant and we had a really nice time. If you are ever in the area I suggest checking it out.



Since we can't go downtown all the time we have to find other ways to relax around the house. What's better than getting in the pool again?? Charlotte and I took a little dip today and enjoyed the sun. Charlotte had a good time...



















until I got bored and started messing with her hair. She seemed to get a little ticked off. What do you think?

The DuPage County Fair

OK, who doesn't love a good county fair?!?! Well, we made our annual visit to the DuPage County Fair to enjoy the animals, corn dogs and everything else the fair brings. Heck, I had my first corndog at the Boone County Fair that I used to go to every year with my Grandma and Grandpa Burritt. My Dad is a Director for the fair board so we know people on the inside....and get us a discount on admission! Charlotte was introduced to racing pigs, bunnies, cows and horses for the first time. She wasn't overly thrilled at first but started to like the animals. By the end of the night, Charlotte made it clear that it was time to go and end her first fair visit. I think she'll enjoy it more when she can walk and enjoy a corndog for herself!

Lake Summerset

We spent this past weekend at the house in Lake Summerset to relax for a long weekend. While it was relaxing, apparently mother nature didn't get the "TPS Report" that the Burritt's requested some warm and sunny weather. Instead, it was mainly cloudy, rainy with the sun shining only now and then. Even with the weather, we were able to visit the beach shortly, Charlotte got her first boat ride (on a friend's boat since Kyle's boat a.k.a. The Anchorman is in the shop) and we were able to play golf. Well, Kyle and I actually played 15 holes before a monsoon came and washed out the rest of our round. Even though the weather was less than ideal, it was a good time as always.

Charlotte here...

Hi everyone! It has been awhile since you have heard from me and I need to fill you in on what's going on. I went to the doctor today for my 9 month check up. I KNOW! I'm 9 months old...how crazy is that?!?!? I can't believe it either. It has gone by so quick and I'm loving every minute of it. I know you are all wondering so I'll tell you, I'm 18 lbs. 2.5 oz and 28 1/4 " long. Long way from 3 lbs. 15.5", huh? The visit was great until some horrible women came in, smiled and then stuck my leg with something sharp. I don't know what the heck it was but it hurt really bad! Luckily I don't have to go back there until after my first birthday.

As some of you may or may not know, I went for a follow up visit with my friends (doctors and therapists) at the NICU last month. They thought I was doing good but they said my muscles were a little tight. They suggested that I get a physical therapy evaluation. Mom took me a few weeks ago for that and Nancy, the PT, agreed that I could use some regular PT. My Mom took me to my first PT session last week and I rocked! I've all ready started to roll over because of the therapy and I'm sure I'll be crawling in no time. I can't wait to start crawling! My doggy, Artu, just teases me by walking by but once I start to crawl I'll be able to catch and pet him! I'm pretty good at giving kisses too so I'm sure he'll be the recipient of a few of those.

Besides the PT I'm having a pretty laid back summer but I also want to tell you about my parents. I think that they mostly write about me so I'll tell you about them. First of all, my Daddy is AWESOME!! I lucked out in the Daddy department. He plays with me and is so silly...I LOVE IT!!! He makes me laugh all the time! Daddy has already taught me about baseball...he talks about his Sox and they seem to be doing okay. I guess they are on some kind of break at the moment so he won't teach me anymore for a few days. He also talks about some weird game called golf...I don't understand that too much. He seems so excited to go and play and when he comes back he doesn't seem like he enjoyed it too much. Oh well, I just get excited because he is home!

Now for Mommy. I love her a whole bunch but man, she needs to relax a little bit when it comes to me! Daddy just lets me play and have fun but Mommy is all about tummy time. I heard Nancy tell her that I should have 90 minutes of tummy time a day and I swear, Mommy has a stop watch going to make sure that I do all 90 minutes. I guess it is good for me but when I'm President are they really going to care how much tummy time I did??? ;-) Mommy and I do get to play a lot. Hopefully the weather warms up again and I get to go back in my pool. I didn't like it at first but now I love it!

Thanks to everyone who keeps reading about my family. I can't wait to see everyone soon.

Love,
Charlotte Faith

4th of July weekend

Even though the weather was not what I envisioned for July, we had a nice holiday weekend. We started on Thursday night by going to Bartlett's fest and enjoying some fair food and then Friday we went to the Taste of Lombard with Grandma and Grandpa Burritt for some more fun and "fine dining."

Since the weather was not as warm and as dry as we would have liked we didn't do too much on Saturday. We relaxed around the house and then went over to some friends' house for a barbecue. We decided to watch the fireworks from our front yard as Charlotte decided it was bed time.

Today was Bartlett's parade and Charlotte took it all in.



















She seemed to have a good time, even blowing kisses at the parade participants


















But after a while the excitement was too much for her to handle and it was nap time once again.

Golf Trip

This past weekend, it was time for my annual golf trip with the boyz. Each year we head out for a long weekend to hit the links and create some havoc by chasing that little white ball around. This was our fourth year and Fox Hills Golf Resort in Mishicot, WI was happy to host this year's pool of talented golfers. We arrived on Friday to play our afternoon 18, followed by 36 on Saturday and the final 18 on Sunday. During the length of the 72 holes we saw some Tiger-esque shots and some well...on the opposite end. Kyle ended up taking the weekend's individual title (the first day's score of 77 did not hurt) while Clint and Riebe (a.k.a. Okie Doke) took the team trophy. This is the fourth year in a row Kyle has taken the individual title but I have a feeling some of us will try to pull a Mickelson and knock him off the top tier next year.

Golf is my one main addictions and a weekend of golf with my good friends (and a few cocktails to dull the pain of the bad shots) is just an awesome time! I'm already looking forward to next year!

Double Trouble

Owen was out of town this past weekend on his annual golf trip (he'll fill you in later) so I was on my own with Charlotte. Teri and Kyri came over on Saturday and the girls got to play together. Teri had to leave for a little bit so I was in charge of both Kyri and Charlotte. As you can see they played really well together. I put on an educational video for them to watch which kept them occupied for a little bit. Kyri and Charlotte would tap each other every once in a while to make sure the other was paying attention.


Once the video was over and it was up to me to "entertain" them things did not go so smooth. I think they just wanted to watch me sweat so they both started to cry. I know that I shouldn't have been recording but rather trying to comfort them...but as you can see, it was too cute not to record. Don't worry Kyri and Charlotte calmed down once I picked them up.

Father's Day and Pool Time

Owen got to celebrate his first Father's Day, but we didn't let him relax too much. He pulled some weeds, cut the grass, changed one of Charlotte's dirtiest diapers to date, ran over to my Dad's for a quick visit, came home where he made fruit salad for dinner, then grilled (some really good) chicken and FINALLY got to sit and relax and enjoy his day. We had Larry, Laurel, Kyle, Teri, and Kyri over to celebrate the day too.




















Owen and I have been promising warm weather to Charlotte for a very long time. I'm sure that she thinks she was living in Alaska for the first 6 months she was home. Luckily the warm/hot weather is here and we can enjoy it. Since we don't have a air pump I blew up the pool on my own and got everything set for Charlotte to enjoy it. I made sure there were toys in the pool, the water was warm, she had her sunblock on...we were all set. I put her big toe in the water and she let out a scream that I've never heard before! This can't be my daughter...not wanting to lounge in the pool?!??! Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful!