Chicago Chick

Green Thumb

Okay, so maybe I won't be testing "The Secret" this weekend.  I worked late - till 11:00 pm - on Friday but the client has gone live on their project successfully.  Our normal schedule has been thrown off a bit and we even missed the boys' Gymboree class.  So, "The Secret" test will be postponed until Monday.

Yesterday the sun was shining and it was really nice outside.  I took a look at our balcony and it looked "grungy" and in need of some sprucing up.  So, I went to the Home Depot in search of some greenery.  After spending $125.00 (who thought plants were so expensive), our balcony now looks peppy.  Even the lights that we strung on the balcony years ago but rarely light help make the balcony look cozy. Pictures to come later.

I planted some New Guinea Impatiens, Sweet Potato Vines, and some ground cover whose name I cannot remember.  I also bought a potted strawberry plant which probably won't give us the huge strawberries that we seen in the market, but the pot was cute and I've always loved the dark green fuzzy leaves of the strawberry plant.  David's chive plant that he was trying to care for was a casualty in my gardening zeal, so he had to go out and get a new one.  It's just as well - I think that chive plant was really catnip.

Finished: The Secret

I finished listening to The Secret a day or so ago and have been trying to apply it little by little.  I know that the concept seems a little, well, hokey since I've been taught all my life that I should hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

It's difficult to let go of beliefs that you've held all your life, but I figured I would test this out.  After all, it's not like anyone has asked me to send them money nor do I have to take a pill, do some "new age" physical activity, or take time away from my family.  The concept is pretty simple: Ask, Believe, and Receive.  As in ASK for what you want, BELIEVE that you will get what you asked for, and act as though you've RECEIVED it (includes being thankful for what you've received).

I will be starting my Secret test on Saturday and I will be "testing" for the entire month of May.  Today we're going live on our implementation and there is a huge list of things that I need to get accomplished.  I will probably not get home until 11:00 this evening.  So, being that it's a crazy busy day it only makes sense (at least to me) to start tomorrow.

Can you imagine if this philosophy actually works!?!  It should be an interesting adventure.

Boobies! Save the Boobies!

I first met my friend Sue when I was assigned to an implementation project.  Sue and I have a lot in common - she has 2 boys (although they're grown men), she's in accounting, and she has a wicked sense of humor.  The one thing that I never hope that I will have in common with Sue is breast cancer.  She was very fortunate to survive, but there are others who have not.

Two of my aunts have had breast cancer - one died because she didn't take action soon enough and the other one beat it, but ended up dying of lung cancer.  Both women were remarkable and when they passed, they left a trail of tears and broken hearts.  Their deaths affect their daughters, sons, spouses, extended family members, and friends even though their passing happened years ago.

Sue was supposed to participate in the Chicago Avon Walk but because of a knee injury will not be participating.  Instead, Michelle (Sue's son's girlfriend) will be walking.  Michelle needs to raise $1,800 which may not seem like a lot but it is.  If you would like to support the Chicago Avon Walk, please help Michelle raise the $1,800.

For those of you who are lucky enough to work for companies that match, it would be terrific if you could donate.  When I worked for Sara Lee, one of the cool benefits they offered - besides 50% off of Coach product - was a 2 time match.  So, if I donated $100 to a qualifying charity, the would give an additional $200.

Sadly, I no longer work for Sara Lee and they no longer own Coach, but that's besides the point.  So, go help a worthy cause out - go save the Boobies, as they say, and help Michelle raise money for a truly worthwhile cause!

We Have a Deal

David and I decided that instead of fighting over $2,000.00 to fix the electric wiring, that we would take the house as is and pay to have the wiring done precisely how we want it.  We were going to ask our attorney to tell the sellers that we did not agree with their response and wanted to have the sellers fix the electric wiring.  We wanted our attorney to specify that the electrician would be one of our choosing and that he would obtain all permits at the seller's expense.

In the end, it seemed much more trouble than it was worth.  David and I do not trust the sellers to fix the electric issues to our satisfaction.  Apparently David and I have very high standards which include wanting the electric wiring to NOT burn down the house.  The way we see it, there may not even be a deal especially if we don't meet the contingency of selling and closing on our home.

So part of this journey is complete.  It's been tiring and quite a lesson.  In the future, I probably would not use a real estate agent.  David was solely responsible for negotiating the price and anyone can get a boiler plate contract and mark it up.  After all, we have an excellent attorney and he would be more than capable of marking up and reviewing the contract.

For what it's worth, we gained the name of an excellent home inspector and finance guy through the agent we used.  Maybe the experience was worth it, but it's not over yet and I will reserve my final judgment until after all this is over.  I am hoping that when this is over and when I'm sitting in our new house with plenty of room and a TALL Christmas tree, I will say that it was all worth it.

I Found CHEAP Inexpensive Furniture

I'm home all by myself since David took the boys to go hang out with my parents.  I know that i gripe about not having any time to myself, but the fact is that I do have LOTS of time to myself.  And, I don't particularly care for it.  When the boys are gone, it's really quiet - too quiet.

But, being on my own for a couple of hours means shameless posting and reading of websites.  Since we've put our place on the market, I've found that I am constantly cleaning it in case someone wants to see it.  I thought I'd hate the constant cleaning, but I'm finding that I actually like it.  I like coming home to a house that isn't cluttered with paper or dirty laundry.  I love that I always have clean laundry.  I don't mind breaking fingernails over cleaning agents like Windex that make my hands dry.  I  AM  SICK!

Last week I talked David into buying a coffee table.  It's an ottoman that's a coffee table and it's covered in a dark brown leather.  It even has a drawer for the remote controls - all 6 of them!  The best part is that it was really inexpensive - like $150 and the furniture store guys delivered it for FREE.  The pessimist in me is wondering if it's really pleather or if it's made from the skins of common household pets.  The optimist in me is thinking - "Hooray for cheap inexpensive furniture!"

The Secret Test

Lately I haven't had time to do what I love to do best - read.  It seems as though the only time I have any time to myself is the ride to and from work so it only makes sense that I would subscribe to Audibles.  For the most part, they have pretty good books to listen to but sometimes they are a bit behind.  You're not always going to get the latest book when it's first released, but that's okay.

A month or so ago, I was talking to one of my friends that I hadn't seen in a long time.  I told him he looked great - because he did (he was "glowing").  When I asked him what was up he talked about how happy he was and he owed it all to "The Secret".  He then sent me the link to download the book from Audibles.

Normally, I'm not really into that kind of stuff, but I thought I would give it a whirl and listen to it.  In the beginning it was a bit much, but the way I'm feeling lately (stressed beyond usual) I thought keeping an open mind was best.  I haven't listened to the whole thing yet.  But, when I do I figured I'd give it a whirl.

So, whenever I'm finished listening to "The Secret", I thought it would be interesting to put the whole idea to the test.  For 10 days, I will try it out and write about it.  Hell, it beats talking about the freakin' house and the other usual stuff.  And, it may actually work - I've been told by a lot of people who I've mentioned my idea to that it does work.  We'll see.

Annoyed and Befuddled

I've purposely NOT talked about what's going on with the house because I hate talking about one subject.  However, recent events have my panties in a twist.  This past Friday, the jackasses sellers denied our request for money at closing to fix the electric in the house.  The inspection revealed that the electric panel in the house has been known to cause fires.  Add to that the fact that the wiring in the house is old and there are no CFGI outlets in the house and it all adds up to the fact that the electrical wiring in the house needs to be fixed.

Earlier last week, I spent my lunch hour calling electricians to get a quote to correct the issue.  Sound familiar?  I called about 4 licensed electricians and got estimates anywhere from $2,000 to $3,500.  So, we asked for $2,000 at closing.  This past Friday, the request was DENIED by the jackasses sellers.  They believed we were "nickel and diming" them.

To be fair, our attorney did not specify what the money at closing was for in his letter.  However, the seller was present at the time of the home inspection and talked to our building inspector about the electrical system in the house.  The seller was told that the electrical panel was recalled due to the incidence of fires and that coupled with the old wiring that the sellers were living on borrowed time.  So, it's not like the seller DIDN'T know that there were issues - BIG issues.  And, any reasonable person would either (a) call an electrician to see how much it would cost to fix it or (b) expect that the potential buyers would ask that it be fixed or ask for money back.

The part that annoyed me the most was when I called our real estate agent to tell her that they rejected our contract, she made it sound like it was our attorney's fault for not specifying in the letter why we were asking for a credit at closing.  Nevermind that our attorney said that the money was due to findings of the home inspection and that he sent the home inspection report with the letter to the seller's attorney.  Nevermind that the seller KNEW that there was an issue with the electric wiring and panel and so did the seller's agent as well as our agent.  Nevermind that the seller's BROTHER is the attorney for the seller and was probably told about the issues.  Apparently, this whole thing was our attorney's fault.

The process of buying a place to live was never this difficult when we first bought our place.  The thing that I hate about this particular process is that the sellers are slimy and the agents (yes, even ours) are slimy.  Before the contract was reviewed by our attorney, the seller's agent called our agent and agreed that there were things that needed to be fixed.  When our agent told their agent that it was mainly the electrical, the seller's agent agreed.  So, it's not like SHE didn't know that there was an issue.  Plus, she called our attorney to see what was up.  So, if everyone knew about the electrical wiring issues and the letter from our attorney included the house inspection report, then why would our attorney have to specifically mention the electric wiring?  Why wasn't it good enough to say,"Due to issues listed in the enclosed home inspection report . . "

This whole real estate thing and dealing with agents is becoming more and more shady to me.  I suppose that is why there are more "For Sale by Owners" popping up.  Too bad we aren't buying one of those - David would love to nix the agents and negotiate a purchase on his own.

What's Going On

It's been a few days since I last posted an entry.  Things at work are busy so I haven't had much time to think much less post an entry.  Writing has always helped me relax and because this week has been so crazy busy, I really need to write something.

The easiest things for me to write about are the "loose ends" - stuff that I've talked about but haven't really wrapped up.  For example, a while ago I wrote about Nicholas getting evaluated by the Early Intervention program.  A developmental therapist and occupational therapist came to the house and evaluated Nick.

We had our meeting this afternoon where the "official" report was given.  Initially we thought that they said he was a little behind developmentally.  However, today they told us that he was right on track.  They did suggest that we take advantage of a developmental therapist because Nick will be going to preschool this fall.  Since Nick will make the cut off by a mere 2 days he will be the youngest in his class and the developmental therapist would be able to help Nick (and us as a family) get ready for preschool.  So, in the end Nick is NOT autistic and he isn't developmentally behind.

Yesterday, David and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.  David asked me what I wanted and I honestly didn't want anything.  It's taken me 10 years to appreciate what I have with David and all I really wanted was to sit and enjoy my little family.  In the end, David took the boys for an extended car ride and I was able to get to bed early - so early that I was asleep by 8:00.  But, I'm still tired today.

Today was the end of a very long week.  Next week will be even longer and I may end up having to work late nights.  I only have 2 weeks left on the project and after that I will be unassigned.  After the crazy 6 months on this project, I actually welcome a little time on the bench.  Not too much time, just a little time - like a couple of days.

Just Me and the Littlest Man

David hung out with the home inspector on Sunday.  The report came back with electrical issues, tuck pointing issues, and basement and roof seepage issues.  We expected some things to be pointed out because the house is over 50 years old and it seems that every house in this suburb has basement flooding issues.  I am sure that it will be another round of calling in contractors and getting estimates so that we can negotiate money at closing.

The house seems to be all that I talk about, but there are other things going on.  I'm happy that I have the house to obsess over in my journal because I'd rather not share the other stuff.  It's not major stuff, but believe it or not I've been obsessing over the other stuff more than the house.  You fine folks just don't get to read about it.

While David was at the home inspection, Nick was at my parent's house hanging out and I hung out with Alex at home.  He's a funny little guy - a different funny from Nick.  He loves to dance and has this electric smile and dimples.  Normally, Alex prefers David because he has this belly bump that Alex sits on when David is holding him.  But after Sunday, I think I've won him over.

Alex started walking last month and looks like a chubby guy crossing hot sand in bare feet when he walks.  You know what I'm talking about - hands all flailing and feet all unsteady.  It's pretty funny to watch.  At the end of the day, Alex and I had a terrific time and I taught him to shimmy, point to his ears, and blow kisses.  God, I'm a mom with a multitude of talents!

A Little Incentive

I was talking to one of my friends the other day and was asking her if she knew anyone who wanted to buy a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom in Bucktown.  She didn't know of anyone because, let's face it, she knows the same people I know.  But, she kiddingly said "Maybe you should offer a cash incentive on your website."

I know that she was kidding, but I've thought about it and it sounds like a good idea.  It certainly couldn't hurt.  So, here is an official offer - if anyone can find a buyer for our condo by May 15th, then we'll give you $2,000.00.

Here are the official rules:

• They must close on the house on or before July 15th.
• You have to e-mail me their names so I know that it was you who sent them our way.
• Their contract must be signed with us on or before May 15th.
• We will pay the $2,000.00 after the close on our condo.

I hope there is someone out there who can help.  It's a wonky idea, but like I said, it can't hurt.  Here is the link to the ad on Craigslist.  We're also in the Chicago Tribune, but the ad hasn't run yet.

Buy My Place

Here we go again.  We have a verbal agreement with the sellers of a house in the northern suburbs.  While I am not excited to leave Chicago, it's not like the suburb is at the ends of the earth.  David likes the place because it's across the street from a nice park, close to my sister and her family, and my parents.

Our place has been on the market for only 2 weeks and we've had a fair amount of people come by.  But, we don't have an offer just yet.  So, because I'm a control freak, I've posted our place on craigslist.  Here's a picture of it:

I noticed that our place isn't listed on the Chicago Tribune site and I was a bit surprised.  I thought that if it was in the MLS listings, that it would automatically be in the Chicago Tribune.  I guess I was wrong.

So, we're about to embark on the journey of a home inspection and I don't want to be disappointed.  This whole house hunting thing has been less than fun.  It's tiring and time consuming.  If I knew that it was going to be like this, I probably would never have started.   But, since we've gotten so far it's hard to just quit.

Somebody please buy my place!

A Cold Day in Hell?

I left for work this morning at 7:30 and by 8:45 I was nowhere near work.  What gives?  Well, let's see - there was a downpour of wet snow and people were driving very badly.  So wet snow and bad drivers equal traffic accidents.

Instead of driving all the way to work, I turned around and spent the next hour and 30 minutes getting back home.  I was so tired by the time I got home, it took every once of energy I had plus several cups of coffee to stay awake while I was completing the client's system documentation.  I finally did get it done, but it was hard to stay awake.

And the house thing?  We may have found something but it's in a nearby suburb.  And, while I'm not happy about the possibility of moving to the suburbs in the end it's the right thing for the boys.  I think I realized that David was right when he said, "If you lose your job, we should live in an area where the public schools are good."

While, I don't plan on losing my job he's right.  If something should happen with our finances, it would help to send the boys to a good public school.  Although, I'd live in a cardboard box and eat garbage out of people's garbage cans before I'd jeopardize my sons' education.

On Shifting Sand

I'm a nervous sort - anxious as they call it.  By "they" I mean the doctors and therapists that I've visited over the years.  While my anxiety doesn't keep me from doing (and accomplishing) various things, it does get in the way.

As I get older and have more responsibilities, my attention is pulled several different ways which makes me focus on one thing - the anxiety.  As long as I am busy and not completely stressed out, I can divert my attention AWAY from the anxiety.  So, with the house hunt, putting our place on the market, worrying about Nick, and trying to be a good parent, wife, person, co-worker, etc., I am under a lot of stress lately.

For those who see me at work everyday or deal with me during the house hunt, the stress doesn't really show.  I have a knack for hiding it with a smile and laugh.  But, if you're my husband or very close friend the stress is more apparent and that's because I rely so heavily on those that see the stress.

I think that this time the stress is more than usual and I wonder when it will let up.  It's not just one or two things like it usually is and it's not smaller things.  This time it's larger ticket items and maybe it's because I have more people counting on me. 

Do I think that I will buckle under the stress?  Nope - I have more people counting on me and I have a competent husband to count on.  But for once I'd like to have a moment where I didn't feel like I'm trying to build a fortress on shifting sand.  A little peace would be nice.

When We Get There, I Wanna . . .

As I hinted yesterday, the offer we put on yet another house was countered with some pretty ridiculous stuff.  What it boils down to is that we made an offer on a house in *EEEP* Niles.  We were told that the owners were building a new house and needed to sell.  They were willing to take a contingency and if we closed earlier than August that would be okay too because they had a place to go.

The owners turned around and said NO to our contingency and insisted that we close at the end of August.  Huh?  That's totally contrary to what we were told by the sellers.  In the meantime, I have this crazy habit of starting to furnish and decorate the house that we haven't yet found.

It's mostly stuff for Nick and Alex's room because little kids furniture is so fun.  I'm thinking of going with the boat/sea theme for the boys' room - if we ever find a place.  The toddler bed I found looks like this:

Pokkadots Boat Bed

I also found some cute mobiles:

Mobiles from Modern Nursery

Then there is color and bedding and wall decor to pick out.  Now if only we could find a freakin' house to live in!

More Real Estate Tales

If buying real estate were a movie, it would be a comedy-slash-horror-slash-drama.  We've only seriously been looking for less than a month - March 15th was the "official" start date.  But, in this time we've encountered and learned so much!

The Commedy: That would be the selling price that some people are asking for.  It isn't so much the asking price, because we know that the asking price is negotiable.  Instead, it's the asking price for the condition of a home.

We expect every bungalow to need some repair; either in the form of a new roof or maybe updating to the kitchen or even adding air conditioning.  We don't expect them to need a new roof, a new furnace and air conditioning, asbestos removal, and sewer pipes that need to be fixed (all told approximately $60K in repairs BEFORE you do any updating).

The Horror: That seller's agents can have personalities that liken them to Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.  Or that they're liars - bald faced liars.  First there was the seller's agent on the house that we put an offer on and found out that there would be $60K in repairs before we even did any updating to the place.  He insulted my husband (ahem the BUYER), was belligerent to our home inspector, lied to my agent, KEPT OUR EARNEST MONEY, and then when we decided not to buy that piece of crap house remarked that "oh, they didn't want to buy the house anyway!"

But wait, there's more.  Then there's the latest seller's agent.  We found a house in Niles and made a descent offer with a contingency and a closing date of June 30th.  Since we were told by the seller's agent that the couple in the house was building a new one and had a place to stay if we closed sooner than August, we thought we were okay.  We were also told that they would take a contingency.  The counter offer came back picking on the closing date, the contingency, and offering a selling price $4,000 less than the list price.

What I don't understand is why a couple with 2 children who is building a new home and needs to sell their current house, would be this ridiculous.  I mean, the closing could be extended and built into the final contract by the attorneys.  In this marketing, a BUYER's market, not taking a contingency usually wrecks a perfectly good deal.  When you look at the MLS inventory for Chicago and Niles, the average time that a condo or house is on the market has increased from what it was 2 years ago.  I don't think some people realize that.

The Drama: That would be the entire process.  You're dealing with real estate agent commissions and people's homes which often times is an extension of them.  If you don't offer the right price then they're offended.  If you want to do an inspection the seller's agent may get all nutso on you because you'll actually find things that are wrong with the house that you cannot live with.  Plus, you're dealing with money and that makes everyone a bit nutso.

We haven't been perfect angels in this whole thing either.  This experience - and it's not over yet - has caused a lot of upheaval in our normal lives.  The kids' nap times are affected and I'm stressed out which causes David to be stressed.  The thing is, we're not even half way through this adventure!

Get Over It!

When I left this morning, the sky was a happy shade of blue.  But, it was only a matter of time before the blue skies matched the color of my lips because it was so freakin' cold outside.  Normally, I love the cold weather, but since we've been hit with warmer weather lately I just wasn't prepared.

Things at work are just as cold.  I guess I'm having a tough day because it was written all over my face.  One of my clients asked me what was wrong and I did something stupid.  I broke one of the cardinal rules of consulting: When the client asks you if anything is wrong, you're supposed to put on a happy face and tell them no.  Of course, this only relates to personal issues and not project related issues.

Truth be told, there is someone that I have to work with on the client side that is less than accommodating.  In fact, I would say that she is a downright bitch.  You know the kind - all sweet and nice on the outside, but delivers an undeserved jab with a smile.  This woman is the reason why 2 of my deliverables are late.  After all, it is hard to get requirements to the developers when your business user accepts a meeting request but then decides not to show up.  So IRRITATING!

So, today someone at work noticed that I was not my sunshiny self and I made the comment that some people should honor their meeting schedule if they accept a meeting request.  It spiraled downhill from there.  I wasn't mean or condescending and I didn't let it all hang out.  But, it just so happened that the person I vented a little (and I mean a little) to hates the person I was irritated with.

He decided to take what I said to an HR person and the HR person spoke to the president of the company.  It's a small company so stuff like that isn't out of the ordinary.  What was a little irritation has now become ridiculous.  In the end, I holed myself up in my office and haven't spoken to anyone at all this afternoon.  How is it possible that grown ups can act like such children.  Yes, I know I broke the "Nothing is wrong la, la, la" rule but sometimes you just have a bad day.  I'm human - it happens.  Get over it!

Peep! Peep! Peep!

Yesterday, I realized that Easter was this Sunday.  Lent has gone by so quickly - I realized that I had not gone to church for Ash Wednesday as I was walking down the street and saw people with ash crosses on their foreheads.  I realized that Easter was this Sunday when I went to Walgreens and and saw the chocolate Easter bunnies.

I grabbed a bunch of packaged chocolate for Easter baskets and also some marshmallow peeps.  I am making some yummy chocolate peeps tomorrow for my nephew and the boys.  Basically, they are marshmallow peeps dipped in chocolate.  Very yummy!

Kissing Chicago Bye-Bye?

Today I looked at houses in Niles, a suburb of Chicago.  Yes, I said suburb and I have to take a deep breath when I say it.  I shudder to think that I could be moving with my family to Niles considering how much I love the city.

I know that people will say, "When you have children, you really should move out of the city." and to that I say - nonsense!  I grew up in the city, my cousins grew up in the city, and I think we're all okay.  Nobody's an axe murderer and everyones grown up to be pretty descent people.

A Hunting We Will Go

It's a perfect day to look at houses today in Chicago.  It's rainy and gloomy.  I guess at least I will be able to see if there are any roof leaks.  Sheesh!

As of today, our place has been listed for a week and my impatient nature is making me worry that we won't sell it.  I know that is completely irrational - we live in a great neighborhood and have a nice corner unit with 2 bedrooms and high ceilings.  We're close to the El and there is a park being constructed at the end of our block.

Last night I was hanging out with my neighbors - David and the boys were at his parents' house - and we were talking about house hunting.  My neighbors, A and S, are expecting their first child in 5 weeks and they were excited about us living next door.  I guess it's because we (mostly David) makes this parenting thing look really easy.

After hanging out with them and talking about some of the neighbors we've had (and HAVE), all of us came to the conclusion that we had a great building.  Actually, our condo association is made up of 4 separate buildings instead of one huge one which has been nice.  As I was leaving their place I thought, "Maybe we should just stay here."

There are so many pluses to staying - we can well afford to stay here; our neighbors are wonderful (we know almost everyone in the building by name); there's a park going up down the street; a new public library was just built a block and a half away; and on and on.  After talking with David we came to the sad conclusion that we need to move.  Our 2 bedroom isn't big enough for 2 growing boys; a wife who is a pack rat and loves to buy shoes; and a husband who has this burning desire to FIX something - an attic or a basement.

People say that they will stay in touch when they move and they very well may mean it when they say it, but it's seldom that they ever do.  In this fast paced, crazy world I think that maybe we still need a sense of community and that is what we have here.  I am hoping that wherever it is we move we will find that same sense of community.  I would love to have it for myself but more so for my family.

The Twos Have It

I wasn't exactly tagged by Eatmisery, but thought I'd take her up on her open offer.  Besides, I'm too lazy to think of anything to post tonight.

Two names I go by:
- Irene
- Mommy

Two things I am wearing right now:
- Black Sweater
- A Smile

Two things I want in a relationship:
- Love
- Trust

Two of my favorite things to do:
- Hang out with my boys
- Sleep

Two things I want very badly at the moment:
- To sell our place and find a new one
- Peace of mind
Okay, so that was 3 things, but hey the first 2 are related!

Two pets I have:
- Just cats - 3 of 'em

Two people who will fill this out:
- Any takers?

Two things I did last night:
- Made chicken nuggets - AGAIN!
- Kissed the boys goodnight

Two people who live in my house:
- Nick and Alex (they're small enough that together they make 1 person)
- David

Two things I’ve eaten today:
- Reese's Easter Eggs (mmmmm - candy)
- Half of a tuna sandwich

Two people I last talked to:
- Asima, my neighbor who's 7.5 months pregnant
- The guy from the management company of our condo (Don't ask)

Two things I’m doing tomorrow:
- Looking for a new house
- Showing our place to a potential buyer

Two longest car rides:
- Chicago to Florida (family roadtrip when I was 9)
- Chicago to Wisconsin Dells (another family roadtrip - I think I was 10 or 11)

My two favorite holidays:
- Halloween
- Christmas

My two favorite beverages:
- Water
- Tequila (no training wheels)

My two favorite movies:
- There are Way TOO many to mention

Two of my favorite places:
- Home (Chicago)
- Montreal in the winter