The first wedding I can remember was for my dad’s cousin Ken and his wife Alice. I don’t remember much except the big wooden pews. There are some great pictures of me (the ring bearer) and the flower girl and a few stories of the echoing effect produced by farting on said big wooden pews, but those are mainly reserved for rehashing each year when we get together at Christmas.

Then there was my cousin Mary Ellen. I think I was in high school and I remember arguing with my mom about wearing shorts to the wedding. My mom, as usual, was probably right. I think my brother and I both wore shorts anyway, which surprisingly enough turned out not to be a big deal.

I remember Sally Spencer, a friend from high school, getting married while I was in college. I made it back and felt a little out of place because it was the first time I was giving a card to a newly married couple and I had no idea what to write. I imagined them reading my well thought out nugget of wisdom and forever changing their outlook on life. Instead, I got nervous and scribbled something about a path always rising to meet the sun shining on their backs and thought about not signing my name at all. I got a thank you card in the mail several weeks later with a note from Sally thanking me for coming and I just assumed she was moved beyond words by my card inscription. Looking back, it’s probably more likely that whatever I wrote was complete jiberish and unreadable.

Since college, I’ve had the chance to attend and participate in some amazing weddings. Geoff and Becca encouraging me to start the slow clap before her procession down the aisle will forever be one of the greatest memories and stories recorded in wedding lore. I remember saying to Geoff, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if right before Becca comes down the aisle, someone stands up and starts the slow clap, and then a few other people stand up and join in until the entire church is clapping like crazy?!” Next thing I know, Becca has completely bought into the idea and, well, there was no way of stopping it.

I’ve been lucky enough to stand up as a groomsmen for two brides – my friend Rachel and my cousin Melissa. It was tough to explain how I knew the groom when folks asked, but pretty cool at the same time. Rachel’s brother-in-law’s speech at the reception is seared into my brain. If you’re curious, you can ask me about it sometime.

Then there was Joel and Jen’s wedding, all located on the W family farm. There were moments when we worried about a runaway golf cart possibly killing attendees, but the entire event managed to go off without a single fatality! There was even karaoke with a version of “You Give Love a Bad Name” that pretty much rocked… mainly because Joel’s air guitar was so amazing it actually made grown men weep. If it was not Joel’s wedding, there is no doubt he could have taken any single woman in attendance for his own.

Since moving to Chicago, it seems like every other Saturday in the summer has been taken up by the celebration of nuptials. Each ceremony has so perfectly matched the couple – from outdoor weddings in the park with cornhole and volleyball to candle lit sanctuaries.

I think it was through a combination of all of these ceremonies that I began to truly understand the importance of marriage. Through a sacrificial submission to one another, two people stand in front of loved ones and express an emotion and commitment to one another that is the closest they will ever get to the love God has for us. In a fallen world that at times is overwhelmingly pessimistic, a man and woman decide to buck the trend and join together in a holy union that is only possible because of the death and resurrection of Christ.

The past couple of months have been heavy on my heart and soul. I’ve been wrestling with the idea of what it means to be one part of that union. What do I have to sacrifice? What do I have to gain? Will I ever be able to play Halo again? These are just a few of the questions that ran through my head.

But each time I would take these thoughts to God or to one of my close friends, I would hear the same things. My married guy friends confirmed that yes, you do sacrifice a lot. You probably will have to give up a large chunk of Halo time, they confessed. But they assured me that somehow it all is worth it.

So, being the mature person I am, I shake my head and give them a wink. I know what makes it worth it.

Apparently though, much to my surprise, it’s not just the sex that makes it worth it. I’m not sure what else it could be, but apparently there’s much more to experience.

That being said, what became so clear to me in the past couple of weeks was that I have found a person that I want to experience all of the new pieces of life that my friends referred to. I found the girl that I want to sacrifice for and love and even do her laundry (occasionally). So, on Sunday, after a walk through the park near my house, I asked Sarah to make that commitment to me. And she accepted.

This is a surreal feeling and the page is just starting to be turned. What awaits us in the coming months and years is completely unpredictable, but thankfully there are many who have gone ahead of us and seem to speak highly of the adventure.

Plus, she said we can register for a Wii. This girl is awesome.

A little over a week ago, Sarah and I took another step towards adulthood. No longer satiated by the typical grocery store, we signed up for memberships at Costco.

Yeah, we’re that awesome.

Our friends Jud and Biz introduced us to the awesomeness of Costco. They took us a few times to help us find our way around the place, so when Sarah and I joined it was like we met up with an old friend. We had the basic layout down, but there was so much more to experience.

Up and down each row, we gazed upon giant boxes of microwave popcorn and shampoo sold by the gallon. We greeted each turn with a sense of purpose, visually recording the locations of various goods we would be searching for on later trips. Sarah got lost in the produce area, while I drooled over the wide selection of meats and beer. If there is a better representation of our relationship out there, I would be completely surprised.

I think a lot of Costco’s appeal goes into how they treat their employees and their customers. Employees get health benefits and are paid much higher than their warehouse rival, Sam’s Club. Unions are allowed and Costco even contributes to their employees’ 401(k) plans. They guarantee that nothing is marked up more than 15%, which is always a bargain when compared to the typical 25% mark up you see in most grocery stores.

Plus, they give out awesome free samples.

I think Costco is going to be our regular hangout from now on. When we can’t decide on what to do on a Friday night, it’s going to be a little Costco browsing and a slice of pizza from their in-store restaurant. Who says romance is dead?

I’m even coming up with Costco scavenger hunts we can play with our friends (only those with memberships of course… we can’t just let anybody in). My current favorite is going to be called, “Name That Wound.” We’ll play it on Saturdays when the best free samples are being brought out. Basically, the goal is to be as aggressive as possible at each sample station. When we get back together as a group, we’ll compare battle wounds and try to guess the improvised weapon that was used and the free sample the person was going after (ie: “Wow – nice black eye… it looks perfectly round, so I’m going to guess a large can of peaches while going for the last pizza roll sample”).

Or, maybe we’ll just shop for basic essentials. Who knows?! The possibilities are endless!

Well, Super-Amazing-Fantastic-Tsunami-Fat-Duper-Tuesday is finally here. It’s such a weird feeling to know that at the end of the day, the race for party nominations will be a lot closer to a final decision. I don’t think it’s hard to guess which candidate earned my vote this morning. Much to my surprise, my polling location was a half of a block away and had no lines this morning as I was given a marker, a long sheet of paper, and instructions to basically play a matching game. I am officially a Chicago voter.

A cold and knee-deep snow gave me a reason to work from home on Friday and Monday, allowing me to take in all of the beauty that is the 24-hour news cycle. For the most part, I was treated to a loop of sound bites and in-depth analysis of what each candidate had for breakfast that morning. I’ve heard that the primary and general presidential election have become nothing more than a beauty or popularity contest, and if you pay attention to what these pundits have to say, you’re probably right. There’s no coverage of their actual positions or proposals, but instead we get to hear crap that doesn’t matter but somehow has been classified as news.

Somewhere in the garbage that’s fed to us, someone can actually dig a little and find real news and important coverage of the ideas and strategies that each candidate is talking about. The thing is, I am still waiting for a Hillary Clinton supporter to show any sign of understanding what her proposals are. I’m just left dumbfounded. I hear a lot of criticism thrown at Obama about how great his speeches are, but how little substance there is in the form of actual policy and proposals. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading his books and campaign literature and listening to his speeches for the past year, but I just don’t see how anyone that has invested time into researching the candidates could say that.

But maybe that’s the problem.

I have a lot of hope for today’s results. Across the country, my age demographic is finally starting to pay attention and follow through by heading to the polls. There is a deep desire to have a president that inspires and leads in a positive way for the greater good, not a shill of war-mongering corporations.

I feel like there’s something better that we should be striving for, and to me, there’s only one candidate that can lead us in that direction.

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Well folks, here it is. The introspective, reflective, cliché sap-fest of a list of lessons learned over the past year. It might be interesting to look at previous versions of this list to see if I’m still learning the same lessons over multiple years, but that would most likely be slightly depressing. That being said, I’ll pretend this is the first such list and deny any part in the creation of previous similar writings.

A serious relationship with a great girl who luckily doesn’t take me too seriously, my brother officially graduating from my alma mater, and a complete change in careers after almost two years at DePaul were probably the big three developments of 2007. While my brother’s graduation was expected, the other two were surprises to even me. Who knew a friendly dinner with a girl could turn into… well… something much bigger? I know she reads this blog and is going to tell me I’m a sappy nerd after reading this, but she’ll get over it. I’ve never been the quickest when it comes to reading signs of interest from the opposite sex, which I suppose could explain my struggles in sending appropriate signs as well. Sarah was no different. Our stories differ quite a bit, but suffice it to say, somewhere around early February I had a couple dates with the girl and realized she was interesting and laughed at my jokes. I was hooked.

Somewhere in the first half of 2007, I realized that my personal life wasn’t the only part of me that needed to stretch and grow. A conversation with the VP of my department at DePaul, where I was basically told the main reason I accepted the job and moved to Chicago was not really something he considered part of the long-term plan, had me casually glancing at the idealist.org job list. Before I knew it, I was wrapped up in an interview process and accepting an offer to head back into the non-profit world. The first few months had me questioning my decision to leave the friendly confines of a role I understood to find myself overwhelmed and underqualified. Somehow things have worked out and the moments of feeling overwhelmed come less frequently, but I can say that the move was a smart one. I do miss my admissions family and the always-entertaining conversations with high schoolers, but there’s a lot of growth and potential that are keeping me on track in my current role.

As for my brother, well, it’s pretty cool to watch a younger sibling walk across the same stage I did four years earlier. There were a few new faces, but it was great to catch up with faculty and staff and feel confident that my brother’s education was in good hands. I still didn’t know the words to the alma mater, but to see the whole day in a new light and spend it with my family was a welcome trip back to the Hill. Now in his first year of teaching, it’s going to be great watching him develop and adjust to adulthood.

Other lessons from 2007:

• If Jud tells me something is potent… say, his egg nog… I will listen to the guy and cap myself somewhere around the 2-3 cups range;
• Also – if Jud is bbqing, I’m there;
• One more about Jud – the guy is a safe bet when crazy things happen, like car windows falling into the door frame;
• Managing a rec league team takes up way too much time and causes a lot of stress;
• Adjusting plans to see Over the Rhine’s Christmas concert is always a good idea;
• Speaking of concerts – when your favorite band is doing a farewell tour, it’s OK to put out of a few extra bucks to see them from decent seats… even if they appear emotionally drained;
• One more about concerts – taking the chance that Ryan Adams is going to have a good show is worth it;
• Driving a couple of hours out of my way to play golf with my dad and brother is never a bad idea;
• Never turn down a free ticket to a baseball game;
• When a car starts making any noises that aren’t normal, get it looked at sooner rather than later;
• Always appreciate someone who buys Bell’s for you;
• Michigan has a few redeeming qualities;
• People come and go, so make sure to enjoy having them around while you can;
• Bickering and complaining doesn’t accomplish much;
• My church family is full of surprises and apparently knows how to put on a good potluck;
• Watching so many friends take on adulthood is… kind of cool… and makes me think I might have a shot… someday;
• <sap alert> Roadtrips are a lot cooler with a girl who falls asleep on your shoulder</sap alert>;
• If you have the chance to take a long weekend and get out of the city, do it;
• Leaving the city reminds you how much you miss stars;
• The American Girl store is a creepy, creepy place;
• When friends are in Chicago, make time for them;
• Always appreciate people who contribute greatly to your life and make sure they know it while you can;
• and… some people in Chicago take kickball way too seriously.

That’s it for 2007… I’m guessing 2008 will have some pretty great highlights. Here’s hoping I can remember some of these lessons over the next year.

I’m thinking about starting a couple new hobbies.  I know, exciting, right?

What’s your new hobby, Dave?

Good question!  No, I’m not going to start knitting… or crocheting… or quilting… more like lame-ing, lamer-ing, and lamest-ing.

I’m thinking of things that are much, much closer to me.  Beer and BBQ.

My friend Jud has some of the skills I envy the most.  He can take a nice pork shoulder and some basic ingredients and turn it into a mouth-watering basket of awesomeness.  He makes his own sauce.  He makes his own marinade.  He works a Weber grill with the skill of a surgeon.  He is… the greatest BBQ genius to ever wield tongs and an apron.

Jud, though, wants to break my heart and move to Boston… or his wife wants him to… or something like that.  What does that mean?  That Jud won’t be around to make me BBQ forever.  I need to learn.  Teach a man how to eat fish, or something like that.

What do I need?

• Weber grill of the 22.5″ variety
• A nice hinged grate to allow fresh coals to be dumped into grill
• A charcoal starter
• Friends willing to try my BBQ

Once I acquire the top 3 items from that list, I will assume the role of Jud’s BBQ padawan, beg him to teach me his ways, and most likely burn myself and create really crappy food.

The other potential hobby of the moment is homebrewing.  I like beer.  I like being at home.  It’s a win-win.  Apparently, homebrewing isn’t that hard if you don’t mind beer that tastes horrible.  In fact, I could probably try to make that tonight if I can find some hops.

But no, the rules of the universe say that if you want to make good beer, you have to invest in the right tools and ingredients, which once again means an initial investment I should probably save up for.

Or I could just go blow a paycheck on these two hobbies and live off of burnt BBQ and bad beer until next payday.

Stay tuned!  Bets will be taken on how many stomach-pumping trips to the ER I cause in the first few months of my new hobbies.  I believe the over/under is +10.

For the past 3 months or so, I’ve been playing rec league 12″ slow pitch softball three days a week (weather permitting). Two weekday evening leagues and a Saturday morning league to be precise. Chicago rec league softball is an interesting phenomenon… enough so that I don’t think I could do it justice with a small blog post. I will, however, try to build a snapshot of the type of players I’ve come across during this time. In other words, I’m going to make a lame attempt at humor by exaggerating the faults and idiosyncrasies of others. Good times.

First off…

The Roid-Raging 120% 24/7 Guy

When it comes down to it, almost every team has one of these guys. Somehow he missed the memo that this is REC LEAGUE SOFTBALL. He plays with the intensity of a kamikaze pilot and usually has the skill of a 4th grade little leaguer. You wouldn’t know it by the way he throws his bat after a strike out or grunts as he stretches to make the catch at 1st base (they almost always play 1st base). Typical uniform includes multiple sweat bands, a brace somewhere due to a high school football (or marching band) injury, and a well-worn baseball hat. Batting gloves? Only the top of the line pair that could be found at Target. Softball bat? At least one with a sticker price over $100 that he uses regardless of how well he hits with it. I have yet to see a player like this on either of my weekday teams, which makes me worry that I may be the leading candidate.

The Loud Mouth

No, they’re probably not playing the game… and no, they have no real knowledge of effective strategies or rules in slow pitch softball. Yes, they do have a lung capacity and a voice that will be heard, regardless of relevancy to the game itself. Bang-bang play at 1st base? Oh you know you’ll hear this voice being supportive if the call goes their way (“GOOD HUSTLE! LOUD NOISES!!”), or worse yet, even louder if it favors the other team (“I WILL SLASH YOUR TIRES AND KICK YOUR FACE IN, BLUE!”). Most of their teammates will shake their heads, but suck it up and accept this player on their team. They still represent a share of the team fee and probably won’t demand a share of playing time. Usually they also bring the beer.

The Player So Good He Makes You Feel Like Less of a Man

This is the player you hope and pray is coming up to bat when a game is close and there are runners on base. You know they are good for a big hit 4 out of every 5 at-bats and will most likely catch other teammates on the base path. You can identify this person the 2nd time they are up to bat if the opposing team’s outfielders move backwards 25 feet and hope the ball doesn’t get hit in their direction. Every successful team needs one of these players, and championship teams usually have 2 or 3. There should probably be a cap on players like this, thereby giving equal access to all teams. You can sometimes pick up a player like this by trading 2 wheats, 2 woods, and 3 bricks (sorry, nerd reference).

I’ll try to think of more later… maybe I’ll take notes during fall softball.

So apparently there’s this amazing aquarium here in the city that draws visitors from across the world to our tiny little village. People brings packs of children in 4-seat strollers to marvel at huge tanks of fish and caged penguins, all while getting pillaged by a non-profit charging almost $30 to enter and another $2 for a bottle of water. The place is filled with about a billion gallons of water, and they charge $2 for room temperature tap water in a plastic bottle? Quirky, huh?

Anyway, the visit begins with a long line that heads into a giant inflatable Komodo Dragon that smells just like what you would imagine the inside of a Komodo Dragon would smell like. Purposeful move by Shedd to make it more realistic, or result of a thousand people inside a giant, rubber inflatable on a 95 degree day with 95% humidity?

The line is cramped and people are grumpy because they are in a line and the line happens to be underneath a giant, smelly Komodo Dragon, and pretty soon your start hearing exasperated sighs and entitled suburbanites complaining about how they shouldn’t have to stand in line. Kids are jumping on the inflatable underneath a sign that says, “Please Do Not Jump on the Dragon” and parents are too busy complaining about the heat to care that their kids might pop the thing, leading to mass hysteria and a couple hundred injuries. All the while, those 4-seat strollers and their contents are being pushed to a secret “stroller-only” entrance, making me wonder why anyone would ever come to the Shedd without a stroller.

Once you finally make it into the Shedd, an entire world of salt and fresh water creatures awaits you… right after you pass the aquarium store and popcorn stand. But, once you pass the overpriced vendors, you find hundreds of species of creatures from the deep. Sadly, no Sarcastic Fringehead to be found. I mean, what kind of aquarium exists that doesn’t have a Sarcastic Fringehead? They would probably bring one out if you paid them, like, $15 dollars.

Now, while this may seem like a negative review of one of Chicago’s most important landmarks, it should be noted that there are some bright spots. For instance, watching the young beluga pup Bella swim with her family was pretty cool and heartwarming. If there was ever a “Saved By the Bell” audience “awww” moment, that was it. The penguins exhibit, featuring a constant squeegee attendant, was fun to watch simply because penguins pooping is one of the funniest sights in nature. I mean, their projectile defecation was not only humorous, but awe-inspiring.

There was, of course, a dolphin show complete with back flips and the like. I haven’t looked at dolphins the same since The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. What if dolphins really are from another planet and plan on leaving before we all get blown up to make room for an inter-galactic expressway? Also, Sarah saw a dolphin’s penis in an exhibit about how the staff cares for the dolphins. Fun times were had by all.

• Time spent waiting for the dolphin show – 45 minutes.
• Dolphin show, complete with introduction from friendly staff member asking people to not sit on the stairs and to scoot closer – 20 minutes.
• Number of times the guy next to me scooted closer to me – an uncomfortable amount.

In the end, I did end up getting to spend time with my girlfriend and her mom. I also snacked on some Swedish Fish and somehow ended up with a bag of free Garrett’s Popcorn.

That’s what we in Chicago refer to as a “jackpot.”

Work has been crazy busy the past couple of weeks, so blog posting has taken a back seat to data analyzing and conversations with big words. The level of organization speak here is mind boggling. It takes me a few seconds to break down a phrase or term, and by the time I mentally rejoin the conversation, I’m a little late. Thankfully there are slower days with somewhat mindless tasks that I can take care of while letting my brain recuperate and prepare for the next big project.

The brief hiatus of brain strain also allows my thoughts to wander. As such, here’s a quick snapshot into what’s bouncing around…

The Chicago Polish Consulate moved into my office building and now there are people with Polish accents everywhere. Sometimes they speak to me in Polish with a very confused and lost tone to their voice. I feel bad and point them toward the consulate office, but who knows what they’re really looking for? Maybe they just want to know where the bathroom is? Maybe I should learn Polish. I had a really good grilled Polish sausage the other day. It had spicy brown mustard on it. Spicy brown mustard is my second favorite mustard after Cleveland Stadium Mustard. I’m going to be in Cleveland in August for Rachel’s wedding! Sarah is coming with me too! I wonder if we should drive or fly. My Jeep has a lot of miles and eats a lot of gas and has no air conditioning. I need to get the AC fixed. I need money to do that.

My office hallway smells like fried chicken right now. My grandma used to make really good fried chicken. I miss my grandma. She turned 80 on June 4th. I wonder if I will make it to 80… probably not if I keep eating fried chicken.

Sarah is a great girl and I’m lucky she puts up with me. I know a lot of people named Sarah. I guess the odds were in my favor that one of them would work out. Sarah is one of the few products of that waste of space state up north that seems to be somewhat tolerable. Bell’s is another. The rest of the list could fit on a small post-it. Chicago’s beer distributing dictatorship no longer distributes Bell’s in Chicago so I have to depend on Sarah’s mom to bring me Bell’s when she visits. Sarah’s mom and dad are on the list.

I still really want a dog.

Honestly, how did it take a company this long to tap into this product name potential? It’s really good stuff, and this is from a guy that doesn’t really like tea that much.

There’s a huge crane on a job site near my office. I’m guessing it’s probably about 15 stories high. After seeing recent news stories about cranes collapsing and wrecking balls careening down city streets, I’m a bit nervous. I think it’s being used to build a parking ramp. A parking ramp, really? That would be boring. Probably not cheap, either. Jerks.

That’s about it right now. Stay tuned for more random, useless, lame excuses for blog posts.

Three years ago, I watched in awe as the Junior Senator from Illinois delivered a speech at the Democratic National Convention that connected with me unlike any politician or national leader has ever done before. I remember flipping channels and catching C-SPAN’s coverage of the convention, most likely during a commercial break for something much more entertaining. I had heard the name Barack Obama, but I was living in camp-world with Minnesota on the brain – not Illinois.

I remember being challenged to have hope – the audacity to believe that we should be optimistic and that we should take on overbearing issues like unemployment, health care, education, and every other pressing issue that had been ignored for far too long. Watching Obama speak, I felt like I was watching John or Robert Kennedy and became a little jealous of my grandparents. It must be at that point in the cycle when an entire generation needs a leader that can inspire hope, and I remember thinking that Obama may be the man to do it.

I became a Barack Obama fanboy.

Now, as I read through his recent speech at a Ministers’ Conference, I feel more than ever that this is the time for a leader like Barack – someone who can inspire an entire generation and lead our nation into a progressive future.

Here is the speech he recently gave – give it a read when you get a chance. If it brings you into the Obama fanboy fold, let me know.

Also – do your part. Get involved. Make sure you are registered to vote now so when the primaries roll around, you can decide who your party puts on the ticket!

A few excerpts that gave me goosebumps…

If we have more black men in prison than are in our colleges and universities, then it’s time to take the bullet out. If we have millions of people going to the emergency room for treatable illnesses like asthma; it’s time to take the bullet out. If too many of our kids don’t have health insurance; it’s time to take the bullet out. If we keep sending our kids to dilapidated school buildings, if we keep fighting this war in Iraq, a war that never should have been authorized and waged, a war that’s costing us $275 million dollars a day and a war that is taking too many innocent lives — if we have all these challenges and nothing’s changing, then every minister in America needs to come together — form our own surgery teams — and take the bullets out.

—————-

We have been told that our mounting debts don’t matter, that the economy is doing great, and that people’s anxieties about rising health care costs and disappearing pensions aren’t a big deal. We’ve been told that climate change is a hoax, that our broken schools cannot be fixed, and that we are destined to send millions of dollars a day to Mideast dictators for their oil.

And when it comes to faith, we’ve been told that all that matters is what divides us – Evangelicals from Mainline Protestants, the Black church from the White church, Catholics from Protestants from Muslims from Jews.

And when we try to have an honest debate about the crises we face, whether it’s from the pulpit or the campaign trail, the pundits don’t want us to find common ground, they want us to find someone to blame. They want to divide us into Red States and Blue States, and tell us to always point the finger at somebody else – the other party, or gay people, or people of faith, or immigrants.

I wish I could find the energy and time to write relevant and provocative essays, but instead I’m just going to blabber on a little about life. Yesterday, as I celebrated the beginning of my 26th trip around the sun, I learned quite a bit. Here’s a short list:

1. Grease catches fire. Cheap ground beef creates lots of grease. Therefore – grilling cheap ground beef can lead to large flames all over the grill and charred burgers with rare insides. This is not ideal.

2. Although .99 cents a pound for ground beef sounds like an awesome deal, suck it up and just pay the extra $2 a pound to prevent grease fires.

3. Bucket mixing is ok. Repeat it with me… bucket mixing is ok. Having friends from multiple circles is ok. In fact, I’d recommend it.

4. Enjoying a couple of beers on a warm June evening is great. Adding a glass of red wine right before bed sounds like a good idea. It’s not.

5. A girlfriend that, despite her love for the Pistons, creates my favorite cake with a Cavs theme is a great girlfriend, fo sho.

6. Thursday night softball this summer is going to be awesome. More bucket mixing, but I think the mixture is a good one.

7. When a ton of people descend on the house, there are always a few that end up cleaning the mess that is left – and somehow it looks better than it did before. I’m not sure how this happens, but I’m really not going to question it.

8. How do I always overestimate the amount of hot dogs people want? I have like 5 packages of hot dogs sitting in my fridge right now.

9. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are amazing. I discovered this at Potbelly’s a while ago, but last night I had my first homemade version. Simply amazing.

10. I need a squirt bottle of some kind when I’m grilling. Jud is so smart.

11. Nobody really thinks I’m 26. I think the average guess people had for my age was 30. I’m not sure what to think about that.

12. I’m blessed more than I imagined with an amazing group of friends here in Chicago. Two years ago I knew 1 person, and now I have more than I can grill for.

…and thanks to Naomi for snapping some pics and uploading them already! Check them out here.
I think this one is my favorite -