Upgrades!

It has been an awfully long time since I last posted anything, and I am as dismayed and disappointed as some people have expressed to me that they are. Sorry. The truth is, on the home-improvement front, not a lot has really been going on since early November (when I last posted, though that was not a home improvement post). And on all other fronts, LOTS has been going on, and we've been busy. On top of that, the winter hours and lighting made it difficult to take photos, since it wasn't so bright and well-lit in the morning before work, nor was it light out at all by the time we got home at the end of the day. And our weekends have been busy. All of this is excuses, but also explanations. And that said, we have done some stuff, and it's all been in the upgrade department. So, here I am at long last with a little post regarding our recent upgrades.

First, in the fall we updated the second bedroom with a day bed, which serves as a couch during the day/when we have no guests, and which has a pull-out pop-up tucked below it so that two people can sleep comfortably when YOU visit!

(I also waited to photograph it until I'd done all my pillow shopping. I have one more pillow to buy - I have a pretty cover and just need the stuffer for it. It will go in the middle there, front row. It'll be worth it.)

Then we treated ourselves to a trip to the 21st century and got a new TV in our bedroom! Woot!

(It's a Bravo marathon kind of a day...)

So inspired by that purchase were we, that we also upgraded the TV in the living room. You can now enjoy a 55-inch movie experience thanks to the TV and new stereo system Dave installed:

(Millionaire Matchmaker Marathon Sunday. Forgive me. You can see two of the speakers for the stereo there in front of the screen - there are two more on the bookshelf on the back wall)

And then we rearranged the living room a bit, and moved the couch off the wall, pulling the living area closer together.

(cozy)

We're planning to get some taller bookshelves and to find a long console-like couch table (under which we'll have some storage something or other) to go on this back wall under the mirror where the couch used to be:

And finally, the most shocking upgrade of them all for anyone who's been in our home in the past five years... we have a microwave!

(what?!)

Look at us crazy folks go. We do have some more upgrading and actual work on the dock. Some more furniture updates are in the pipeline, and then a bathroom update (one, not both yet), and a balcony refresher are definitely lined up to go. And somehow we'll do all of that before our most dramatic HSS upgrade to date...

(I'll leave it at that for now!)

Birthday + Family + Summer = Good Times

This morning the Schwabs, etc. all descended on our little condo to celebrate Dave's dad's birthday, which was on Wednesday. Pool time first, followed by a delicious brunch/lunch, capped off by gifts, sweet treats, lots of smiles, silliness, and laughs... it was a great day!

Happy Birthday Joel!

(someone likes Chinese food... Lo Mein noodle-topped cupcakes!)

(close-up! with fondant chopsticks!)

 

Best Ever

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST ZADIE EVER TO LIVE ON THE FACE OF THE ENTIRE PLANET! WE BOTH LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

(May 2011)

 

Month in Review

Lots of stuff happened here within the last month, but as you know, we were having a variety of issues on the home front that impacted our ability to communicate it all. Unfortunately, too, we didn't photograph everything that went down effectively, so you'll have to take our word on some of it. That said, here's a quick round-up of the last month:

1. You know about the floors, so those were basically in a state of disrepair until Friday. In the meantime, that also meant that our furniture was all over the place, and our second bedroom/guest room/office was in a state of utter and total chaos. That's been resolved - more on that and the beautiful floors tomorrow.

2. For the weekend of the Fourth of July, we decided that in spite of the state of our home, we had a lot to enjoy here, and why not make use of it?! We had the beach, of course, but we got a surprise when after saying it would not be opened, our building opened its pool - and it's a great pool. So the holiday weekend at the beginning of the month basically involved a steady rotation of friends and family moving between apartment-to-pool-to-beach in some variation of that order. And it was delightful! Here are some shots of the family part of that weekend:

 

Good times.

3. Weather. We've had some weather in the past few weeks. Since we basically spend half the year in crappy winter, it only seems appropriate that Chicago have some of the best summer around! And it's summer-summer here this year, and it's great. With the heat and humidity, though, come the storms, and we have had some hum-dingers. One in particular was so intense that it looked like Armageddon outside when I took Lanie for her morning walk the next day. Okay, that's a little dramatic, but it was intense. It also knocked over some patio furniture on our balcony that ripped the screen door in our bedroom. Dave fixed it.

(torn screen)

(screen repair)

4. The next BIG projects we'll tackle will be the bathrooms. But we're not ready just yet to take them on. Until we are, we had some toilet issues that just had to be handled. In the guest bathroom in particular, the old toilet didn't flush easily and then would run for what seemed like forever. While I was co-hosting the best baby shower ever a few Saturdays ago, Dave decided he'd solve that problem by replacing the toilet. This story gets gruesome in a minute, and though I don't have photo documentation on this one, I'll still give those of you with weak stomachs the opportunity to step away from the computer. You gone? Okay, good. Let's continue. I'll spare you the worst of the details, but long story short (and I promise you this is the short version of the story!), Dave successfully uninstalled the old toilet and then went and bought a new one. After a series of incidents led to Dave's realizing that he had to redo the install on the new toilet, a crack in the base of the new toilet led to splintering porcelain, and the slicing of Dave's finger. It was... horribly bloody. But he was determined! So he put a Band-aid, a paper towel, and some electrical tape around his finger (it was the only way to keep it from bleeding out - seriously), and headed back to the store to buy another toilet. He got it home and apparently the box wasn't packaged well, and it fell out the bottom into our driveway where it shattered. You can imagine how well that went over. Back again, and they gave him the third toilet of the day for free. He got it home and was mostly finished putting it in when I got home, though I was distracted from noticing or appreciating that fact by the blood all over our home. Not a joke. After he completed the project (finally), and our after our bathtub was filled with toilets (I am kicking myself that we don't have a photo of our tub-o-toilets), the adrenaline wore off, and Dave realized both that he didn't feel so well and that his finger was still bleeding profusely (several hours later). We eventually made our way to the ER, where we were seated in the waiting area and told that it'd likely be at least six hours before we'd be seen. An hour and a half or so later, when Dave still hadn't been triaged even, and he realized his finger appeared to have stopped bleeding, we decided to leave. Silly us. The bleeder popped open again in the car, so we made our way to the next closest ER (that's a great thing about living in the city - ERs on every corner!), where we were next in line and Dave got six stitches in the "laceration" on the tip of his index finger. It was a long day/night. The take-away, though, is that for those of you who want to/will be coming to visit, you now will have a brand spankin' new toilet that works -- and you'd better appreciate it!

5. And for the last notes on this one, two lovely evenings on our beach. One for the celebration of our good friend KH's birthday... just because you're in Chicago and not California does not mean you can't toast your birthday on the beach, girl! Here's a shaky shot of what was really a beautiful moon-rising that night, which we enjoyed with a great group of friends, and a picnic of snacks and drinks on our little beach:

And last night, relieved to be home again, and have things looking like they might start moving in the right direction again at the ol' homestead, Dave and Lanie and I grabbed the blanket and stepped out back onto the beach to watch the light of day make way for night on the beach again... There was another huge storm last night and we could see the lightning in a big cloud over downtown while we were out there. I tried to get video, but the light was terrible, so believe me. Here's Lanie's pretty face from last night, though (who can resist this face?!):

And on that beautiful note, I'll bid you g'night. More tomorrow with photos -- I promise -- of the floor do-over and the massive organization overhaul that took place here today. This house feels once again like a home... yay!
 

Hooray!

Hooray! Hooray! Callooh! Callay! The Schwabs are going to Cape Cod!

I have said many many times that to me it's not summer if I haven't set foot on the Cape. It's now been two years in a row that my giant Heller foot hasn't made that step, so I'm beyond excited that we'll be able to breathe in that sweet salty air, eat some delicious fried seafood, play some cards, drink some (many?) G&Ts or Cape Codders or vino (depending on who's pouring), and generally engage in various occasions of relaxation, silliness, and excessive time in the sun with our amazing Heller family! I literally cannot wait for August!

And of course, important to note, the Annual Heller Cape Cod Takeover kicks off with the emotional and incredible Pan Mass Challenge, a two-day bike ride across most of Massachusetts raising critical research dollars for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. For many years now, my family has participated in any and every way possible, even going so far as to declare ourselves a bicycling club: Hellers on Wheels. This year my father, Eric, my brother, Adi, and my cousin, Nathaniel, will ride, while numerous Hellers (and Hellers with other last names!) will volunteer for the event. While we won't make it in time to reclaim our places on the volunteer roster, we will be loud and proud, cheering on the riders tackling the dunes at the end of the Cape as they make their way on Day 2 into Provincetown to cross the finish line. Of course, this event's over- and undertones give us all pause to reflect on the numerous ways in which cancer has touched our lives. We ride/volunteer/support/cheer in honor and in memory of those we love and lost, of those we love and encourage, and of those we love and celebrate. If you'd like to support our family's fundraising efforts, you can click here to visit my brother's PMC fundraising page. Every little bit helps. As my dad's fundraising letter often remarks, there are lots of simple cures for the sore muscles, aches and pains that come from riding a bike for 200 miles. Through your support, someday there will also be cures for all cancers. GO PMC!

(all photos my own; Nathaniel, I apologize that I don't have a group shot to include - I'll take care of that on the hill this year!)

Happy Anniversary to Our Parents!

You may or may not know that our parents (Dave's and mine) share a wedding anniversary! And it's today! It was really special to us to "share" a wedding weekend with both sets of parents... and it's equally special to be able to wish them both a big huge HAPPY ANNIVERSARY today. We love you all so much. Here's to many many more years together!

(Note: I did not request permission to publicly post these images... so enjoy them fast, in case I'm asked to pull them down!)

(The Parents Schwab)

(The Parents Heller)

 

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Two years ago today we got married!

Besides the obvious happiness around marrying your best friend, the best part of that whole weekend was how many of our most beloved friends and family were all in one place at the same time. I remember feeling like it went from zero to one thousand in seconds, and suddenly our whole lives were represented in one room! Amazing. Really, that's the only word to describe it. Literally, amazing.

And on top of that, it was pretty much the most fun party ever.

serious dance moves everywhere you turned...
 

 
my family can move!

My brother's awesome dance moves were on display all night...
 

A great tradition... celebrating that their third and last child is now married:
 

My parents pretty much had the time of their lives...

Friends and family from all points in our lives...
 

This is one of my very very favorite shots of the whole lot... we have it framed. I love all the little moments happening throughout...

My FIL in.his.element:
 

More friends and dancing fun...
 

Beautiful family...

Great friends...

What more could we ask for?

(all photographs by Danielle Aquiline)