Patrick...Master of Arts

Well Patrick's graduation finally fell upon us.  After 3 quarters countless hours of paper writing and book reading and a big beautiful A on his thesis, he was qualified to graduate with his Masters.  The weekend of festivities began with my family coming into town Thursday night.  Friday morning we got started bright and early at the Shedd Aquarium.  Friday afternoon Patrick's parents arrived and we went to a social for Patrick's program and then headed over to see my work and kiddos.  Saturday the graduation filled day took up most of our time.  Then Sunday we ended the fun weekend with the Museum of Science and Industry.  We had a wonderful time and I was completely exhausted and bummed when the alarm went off, but reality called.  Now for what you all really want....PICS!

Chicago couple

the kids

Local Newspapers..."Mom gets eaten by giant fish!"

Green frogs

Matthew doesn't fit in the Amazon!

Hey you're a clown fish...so you're funny right?

The picture doesn't even begin to show the size of this monster balloon fish

Possibly my favorite little guy all day!

These never came completely out of the sand, they just moved up and down like they were dancing...yes it blew my mind!

If I was a fish, I would want to look like this!

Belugas! So beautiful and fun to watch we thought we could stay all day!

Mama and her calf.  We got to see it nursing.  So cute! It never left her side.

The lady and her city

Otters.  I swear they acted like clowns.  They were so entertaining!

This alligator snapping turtle weighed 100 lbs.  I actually never saw its feet leave the bottom of the tank...not sure if it could!

Ultimate staring contest.  Who do you think won?

Now, as you view this graduation photos I would like to point out that as Dan and I found seats we had no idea where Patrick would be.  I found him among the 20,000 people there and thanks to the help of my camera got some amazing pics!

Mother Daughter pic! Friday at the social hour

Family Photo Opportunity!

Graduation Ceremony #1...those were just the chairs for the graduates 

Led into the ceremony with bagpipes...yup that what you get when you pay their tuition. 

This was our first clue he was close by!

I see him I see him!!!  The guy in front of him is another one of his buddies.

He spotted me...perhaps because I was standing on a chair in a bright colorful dress.

Page 52!

University President declaring that he could graduate

Ceremony #2 Location

Once again...led in by bagpipes

And 7 hours later we finally hear his name!!!

Thanking his friends, family, and ....ME!

Photo with the graduate!

Picture for grandma...Check!

Opening cards.  What's that from Amanda?  Amazing Twins/White Sox tickets in Chicago. YES!

9 Months later we have become true Chicago dwellers. 

U-505 Submarine.  We also went a tour inside. You won't find me doing this job!

Matthew practicing his "hot bunking"

Model train set

I'm milking a cow in case this teaching thing doesn't work out

The men working on their farming

Dan attempting to show us what he does every day

Matthew towering over all the little kids in the tornado volunteer demonstration

Matthew and Patrick were in here.  Patrick was flying.  They spent most of the time upside down.  And to think I let him drive everywhere we go....

They did make it out alive however we heard Matthew screamed like a girl the whole time

Dad landing a space shuttle

A very accurate picture

Goodbye Museum of Science and Industry.  Thanks for all the knowledge you shared with us!  We do not thank you for how exhausted you made us though!

What an awesome weekend am I right?  Congrats babe!  All this hard work may actually be paying off.  I'm so proud of you and I could never have gotten through that program you just finished with perfection! Way to go!!!! Now, GO TWINS!!!

Attempt 2...Fail

Friday rolled around again this week.  As it always does.  We decided that since it's been getting warmer we would try the whole baby duck thing again.  Just like last time, I had the camera loaded and plan in place.  4:30 hits and I'm out of work on time.  Of course Friday ended up being kind of gloomy and a little cold, but we still thought we would give it a shot.  We waited and waited and waited some more.  We looked and looked and looked some more.  No baby ducks.  So, I present to you my picture album titled:

Everything But Baby Ducks

Turtle basking in what little sunlight there was

Duck Diving

I'm pretty sure that one plopped down was the mom but we still couldn't find any babies!

Beautiful Flowers

I'm pretty sure this bird was posing for me.  He didn't move till after I got the picture!

So we made the best of it, but I would really like to grab some pics of those cuties.  I promised pictures, these just probably aren't the ones you were hoping to see! Have a great week!

Failed Attempt

On Wednesday this past week, my preschool class all grabbed onto our walking rope and made our walk a couple blocks down the street to a nearby pond.  We had heard that baby ducks had just hatched and we of course wanted all our little ones to share in this learning experience.  When we first got to the pond, we couldn't find them.  Oh No!  All I could think was I just got 15 preschoolers extremely wound up and now they aren't going to see them! This is now going to be THE LONGEST DAY EVER! But, after some patience and watchful eyes, WE FOUND THEM!  We spent nearly an hour at the pond because the kiddos were so entertained...yes I said it.  We had 15 three and four year olds entertained for an hour!

So, naturally I come home and tell Patrick all about them.  We decided he would meet me after work Friday to go see them again.  Especially since I no longer would find myself there with a bunch of kids whose parents believed I was responsible for.  Friday morning I had myself put together before leaving for work, if you can believe that, and I actually remembered my camera. 4:30 hits and I'm out the door.  Patrick meets me and we walk to the pond.  We look.  And look.  And look some more.  There were no ducks.  We are pretty sure it was too cold and windy for them to be out.  Fail! :(

Am I glad this failure happened with the hubs rather than the kiddos...Yes!
Do I feel bad you read this and get to see no pics....Yes!
Are we going to try again on a warmer day so I can share the cuteness...For sure!

Have a good weekend!

Sorry, I have no life

Well, let me explain.  I have no life because all I do is work.  Working between 50-55 hours a weeks doesn't leave much time for blogging.

Just in case you were wondering...Yes, I'm now enjoying my new job with all my kiddos but I can't tell a lie there were quite a few days when my whole room was crying and all I wanted to do was sit down and cry with them.  I've heard my fair share of "MAMA" wails over the past 4 weeks.  Friday we made chocolate covered bananas and that was probably a very big turning point with our class.  All the kids were on their best behavior and had so much fun doing it together.  My co-teacher and I were also able to share some pretty good laughs as we cleaned every surface and face that was covered in chocolate.

The banana pop event was the start to a very good weekend.  We made a quick trip (besides the hours of Chicago traffic) home for our friends Amy and Matt to celebrate the start of their forever.  The wedding was beautiful in the Kasson Catholic Church and the reception that followed was a blast in the Mayowood Stone Barn.  Of course I took way too many pictures and whittled it down to 89 good ones and 1 sweet video (Yes Amy, I'm going to make sure you get them all!)  So now, without further ado, I give you Amy and Matt Badzinski. (And a few cute ones of us ;)

Ready to rock out our first wedding as a MARRIED couple!

She had beautiful baby's breath all over

The Program

The Groom and his dad all ready to go.  What you don't see...the little wave he gave his bride before walking down the aisle

The matron of honor (Anna - Amy's friend) and best man (Thomas - 12 yr old brother of the groom and super cute!)

Flower girls and ring bearer

The BRIDE and her parents.

Giving away the bride to her soon-to-be hubby...Look at that beautiful dress!

Let's get down to business! 

Groom giving his bride her ring...She had to help get it on which probably explains her laughter.

Bride giving the groom his ring

I now pronounce you husband and wife!!!

Seating Chart

Our Table

Our cute favors...before I shook in attempt to get the bride and groom to kiss...yeah glass went everywhere.

Cupcakes look familiar? They're from Daube's too!  Copycats, but I'm definitely okay with this because they are so delicious!

Wedding Party's Cake

The Reception Area...Beautiful!

Clink, Clink, Clink...and cue Amanda's jar breaking

Best Man giving his speech...I'd put him in my pocket if I could...so cute!

Let them eat cake

Bride and Groom!

First dance as husband and wife!

I convinced them for one more pic even though I know they were sick of pictures...THANKS GUYS!

Dollar Dance - Patrick with the Bride

Toss the Bouquet

Now, someone just had to get video of this hilarious moment when they were doing the garter toss.  The first couple seconds are a little crazy but bear with it!

We are so lucky to have shared this special day with them!  We're so happy for you Amy and Matt!

I hope you enjoyed!  Have a great rest of your week!

Easter Weekend

Well Easter weekend has come and gone once again.  Although most of our weekend was filled with driving it sure was fun and special with the time we had.  Friday at 3 Patrick and I hit the road and had the GPS set for Novotny Rd in Charlevoix, MI.  My family was already there and awaiting our arrival.  After a few hundred miles and pit stop at the Steak and Shake we rolled into town at 10:15.  Saturday was filled with showing Patrick all of Charlevoix and trying to see as much family as possible.  As Easter morning came around so did more family.  My tiny grandma's house was filled with 11 people, a hungry dog, and lots of food.  Special time was shared and before we knew it, it was 4:00 and time for us to roll out of town. 

As we walked back into our apartment and dropped the suitcase and  many gifts we came home with on the floor, we were quickly reminded of reality where everything is not sunshine and glitter.  Patrick went to turn off our living room radiator as it was summer inside and felt a drip, drip, drip on his head.  Yup,  the radiator in the apartment above was leaking into our living room.  May I please take the time to remind you of our kitchen having the same experience? Well the sky is falling once again.  The late night security guard went to tell the (not so) kind woman above to please turn it off, but she wouldn't answer.  A drip pan was quickly placed and prayers were said so we would not have her radiator falling through our ceiling.

Yes, that is plaster in that pan as well.

This problem quickly became the least of my worries today as I started day 1 with my new little ones.  We had so much fun and very little tears.  We even had a fit when it was time to go (the girl was clinging to my leg even though I promised she could come back).  Pretty good day I would say. Now I'm home ready to start dinner and settle down for some good t.v. so I can be ready with a smiling face once again tomorrow at 5:30am

Week 1...In the books

Well it's Saturday which means my first week with Bright Horizons is officially done...and I'm still alive.  Even though I did feel exhausted by the time I got done working at Sylvan this afternoon, I feel more energized than ever in a way.

"If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." -Marc Anthony

I received a ton of information , but while doing so I had so much fun getting to know all my new co-workers and hearing about what my days to come will be filled with. I will be surrounded with more experience than I ever imagined.  I found myself thinking many times, how on Earth did I get this job?!  I'm counting down the days and will soon be counting down the hours till little ones bring their energy into my classroom.  It looks like Thursday and Friday will be open house time to meet some families!!  

While so much excitement happened in my life this week, my heart is also heavy for a family I call my own.  My mom's best friend, Shelley (aka my second mom), lost her sister Thursday evening to cancer.  A mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a coffee group lady that was taken so soon in our eyes.  As many of us prayed that Lori would experience peace as she went to be with her Father in Heaven, I now ask that you pray for peace and comfort to fill her loved ones left behind in a way that only Christ can make possible as they celebrate her life and say goodbyes over the next two days. You are loved Shelley and family, and we are always here for you!

Saint Patrick's Day Chicago Style

If you're a regular on following my blog, I do apologize for it being so long.  Nothing has been happening, well expect for me running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get done with all the paperwork for my new job.  Conclusions: I don't have TB, I'm not a criminal, and I'm sane enough to work with children.  I literally have spent the last month doing paperwork and running it into work, then more paperwork and running it into work.  It will make this job all the more sweet once I start...TOMORROW! (kinda) Training will all that will be in store for me the next two weeks, but i'm thankful for the ease into working full-time once again.

So it's Saint Patrick's Day, in case you were not aware.  I don't get into this holiday.  Maybe it has something to do with the day being centered around red hair, wearing green, being pale, and the name "Sullivan"...all of which I'm currently associated with (yes, even I pulled a green shirt out of the back of my closet). But there is a big deal that happens in Chicago if you weren't aware. Ready for this?

THEY TURN THE RIVER GREEN!

Knowing we aren't sure how much longer we'll be in Chicago, I wasn't going to pass this up.  No matter how stinkin cold it was today, I convinced myself this was a must.  So, after church we made our way to the river.  Was it worth it?  Well, see for yourself.

TOOT TOOT!  Hello Chicago visitors!

Please excuse the hair...it was quite windy as the waves show

My Vanna White moment.  Patrick decided to take it from far away to show off the boots.

Quite green! It was cloudy mostly but when the sun tried to peek through it made it look even greener.  So that was my excitement for today.  Hopefully I'll have some more blogs soon about my new job and maybe even some pics of my classroom too!! Until next time...cross your fingers for some warmer weather.  This girl is itching to pull back out those summer dresses and flip flops!!!