Nothing

This blog is BORING.

Thanksgiving. The list.

Here we go.

1. Kicking off Thanksgiving prep with Maya's head full of bacon juice the night before and the subsequent bath she received.
2. More prep with Maya's head full of turkey grease right after the bacon incident and the second bath she received that night.
3. Jesse, Heather, Violet and Gavin in from Michigan the night before.
3. Karate in the mirror with Gavin.
4. Josh and Daniel in from the burbs the night before.
5. Thanksgiving morning mac n cheese in the over and salad ingredients on the counter.
6. A quick run to the store for flowers for the hostess.
7. Surprise, Bowen and Tony were there. Midge and Addison were resting far far away.
8. The Enrique Amezaga tribute video. It took Irma 20 seconds to cry.
9. Jake's late. Jan's not ready.
10. Jaleesa's "Save Your Sex t-shirt".
11. Indiana arrives with a lawyer, an eager Teenie and a birthday boy.
12. Football commences. Indiana Mike is playing, Dave, Heather and Lex are not.
13. Lex videotapes, her hands freeze.
14. Great footage of an exciting game, Adam and Josh continue to play favorites.
15. Jake comes, joins the game.
16. Mateo comes, joins the game, even when Lex told them Jan said he couldn't play.
17. "Mateo, whatever you do, don't fall!"
18. Jaleesa's post game rap.
19. Back to the house ready to eat.
20. The prayer. Al A. did a great job until he was interrupted by our nephew Johnny.
21. Grandpa's "bag".
22. The line for the food was long.
23. Lex's salad was on the end.
24. The diva counter (Lex, Teenie, Heather and Shar).
25. Sandra passing out jewelry.
26. Lex wearing hers immediately.
27. The chips made it this year. "We're not messing around this year" -Sam
28. Coffee made early.
29. Marty saying to Lex as she took a bite of artichoke dip, "Just more sit ups you'll have to do later."
30. "School projects are much easier after wine." -Shar
31. "Stop that Andrew!" -Mateo
32. "Why does Bowen get to drink dark pop?" -The other kids
33. Grandpa insists we play 31 with only three pennies. He is the first one na-na-na'ed.
34. A 31 by Eek or Al A. knocks out five of us.
35. Don't know who won.
36. Battle of the Sexes.
37. "That scarf thing." -Sam
38. "Power Rangers!" -Lex
39. "John Juan." -Uncle Jesse
40. "Circus Ole." -The men
41. Said the night wind to the little lamb.
42. "What a great song to our Lord." -Eek to Lex
43. Mike's birthday cake being the first dessert gobbled up.
44. The ricotta cheesecake.
45. Homemade pumpkin and apple pies thanks to the Michigan Amezagas.
46. Maya's fashionably late appearance.
47. Mikey exclaiming Maya's bad.
48. Jan's wiggly fingers, "want it with crackers?"
49. Leftover bags are heavy.
50. The wasted double crust.
51. Irma's rice, we missed you.
52. Another successful Thanksgiving at Poopie's...what would we do without her.

Love you all.
Lexi :)

Top 100 Novels

http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html

You guys better get started!

Jake's b-day list

1. Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 (ps2)
2. Smash Bros. Brawl(Wii)
3. Cool clothes(shirts-large pants-14 slim)
4. Up(movie)
5. 1 of the seasons of the Simpson
6. $$$CASH$$$
7. King size Payday
8. Wii classic controller

Andrew's B-day Wish List- by popular demand

-Call of Duty- Modern Warfare 2- PlayStation 3
-New Super Mario Bros- DS
-Ultimate Alliance II- PlayStation 2
-Nerf Gun- Berserker Blaster
-Nerf Gun- Tommy 20
-Nerf Gun Bullets
-Shoes size 6
-Shirts- 14-16
-Wii- Numchuck remote

50 Classics

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma-Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossein
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

The Blessing

Mateo!

A day in the life of my good friend MATEO...
"I haven't perfected my fake smile yet but I'm working on it. Chicks dig the balloon helmet."

"Why must we eat Mexican food every single night?"

"What is that over there? Is that... Is that... Is that PIZZA?"

"When you're Mateo, you can't be seen carrying a pizza box around...so I have my servant do it for me."

"That, my friends, is how you handle a pizza! Where's my balloon helmet? Time to party."

The End.

Testing testing 1, 2, 3...

Is everyone still alive out there?! I heard we're all having lunch at Connie's with grandpa. I'm excited. See you then!
Love,
Lexi

http://www.allseasonfarm.com/Orchard/orchard.htm

Apple Orchard Anyone?

Sorry to push the Mario video down but is anyone interested in apple picking this fall? I'm thinking a Sunday would be a good day and I know there is one in Woodstock (All Season Farm and Orchard) but it seems a bit too far. Does anyone know of another location? It might be fun to take the kids!!

A Day In The Life of Mario.

Sam & Sandra's Birthday Bash...the list according to Jane...

1. Progress...the cops only came twice.
2. The kids rockin' out to Rock Band and wanting Al A. to sing "Eye of the Tiger."
3. A surprise guest appearance by Bono aka Ariel.
4. The ever impressive frozen margaritas.
5. Mikey's fruit salad - perfection!
6. Brab's foot not an issue as she raced into the garage to get a shot.
7. Jane after 3 shots of tequila unable to say Mario and Marty and creating Marty-O.
8. Sue claiming "Booty Call" as her song.
9. As Sue sees how low she can go while dancing, stressing that she has to get ready for work in 2 hours.
10. City worker shots, Chicago's finest shots, really any excuse for shots.
11. Vinnie stating that his brother's dancing was very inappropriate.
12. Al A. trying to get warm by one of the candles.
13. Poopie not needing shots to be giddy.
14. Marty stealing the show with his Michael Jackson dance moves.
15. Marty moon walking home.
16. Jane super surprised and happy to see Johnny.
17. The Christmas lights decorating the mint bush...Kristine's clever idea.
18. Leftover brownies - Mateo wasn't there.
19. Mari and Bobby.
20. Good times! Good times!

As always great DJs, food and fun!
Thanks to Sam and Sandra once again for a great party!

The Farmer in the Dell

This is for you Lex!

The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell

Hi-ho the derry-o

The farmer in the dell

The farmer takes a wife, the farmer takes a wife

Hi-ho the derry-o

The farmer takes a wife

The wife takes a nurse, the wife takes a nurse

hi-ho the derry-0

The wife takes a nurse

The nurse takes a child, the nurse takes a child

Hi-ho the derry-0

The nurse takes a child

The child takes a dog, the child takes a dog

Hi-ho the derry-0

The child takes a dog

The dog takes a cat, the dog takes a cat

Hi-ho the derry-o

The dog takes a cat

The cat takes a rat, the cat takes a rat

Hi-ho, the derry-o

The cat takes a rat

The rat takes the cheese, the rat takes the cheese.

Hi-ho, the derry-o

The rat takes the cheese

The cheese stands alone, the cheese stands alone

Hi-ho, the derry-o

The cheese stands alone

So yes Lex, if you are the cheese, you do stand alone.

50th Birthday Bash. The list.

Ready??
1. The covert call from Jan while Lex, Laura and Lee Lee were looking at engagement rings for Lee Lee.
2. The surprise...everyone showed up!
3. The hostess calling out "Yee Yee" when our table was ready.
4. The chocolate bread.
5. Sandra ordering "the passion" iced tea and Lex saying, "Ooooo, I want the passion."
6. The appetizers.
7. The guac: mild, medium or hot. We chose medium.
8. The meat loaf.
9. Lex's new nickname, Fish Taco, because she ordered fish tacos.
10. Sam saying he'd travel anywhere...in the U.S. that is.
11. Sandra's heart being broken because food in Spain sucks.
12. Lee Lee's 20 lb. plate of chicken.
13. Lee Lee minus Adam. Who noticed?
14. Sharla's...oh wait, Charla wasn't there.
15. Jaime's...oh wait, GQ wasn't there either...
16. Jan and Lex being suspicious because Shar and GQ were missing.
17. Barb and Mateo's mountain of fries.
18. The Happy Birthday ice cream...with no cheesecake. ??
19. No one ordering dessert because we were all too full.
20. No one ordering coffee either. Weird.
21. The stroll around the mall after dinner.
22. Lex telling Sandra to "close down the shop".
23. Andrew's shirt. It was wet and we don't know what happened.
24. Jane's baja tacos.
25. Laura only eating the meat out of her tacos.
26. Sandra's birthday card that won the award for best card.
27. Sam's mojito, sweet, like it should be.
28. Leftovers for Chico. Yep, the meatloaf.
29. The awesome celebration of [insert one of the million names for Laura here]'s 50th birthday!
30. Um, did anyone invite grandpa?

Love you all!
Lexi

Facebook...the list.

You're not ready.

Reasons why Sam joined facebook...
1. Since the blog slowed down, Sam has no way of tracking us.
2. Shar joined a few months ago and Sam hates being "out of the loop".
3. He figured out that we take pictures merely to post them in our albums.
4. Sandra finally changed her password so he can't hack into her page anymore.
5. Jan made the move first.
6. There were already so many pictures of him on facebook, he had no choice.
7. He wants to declare his love for Sandra in more ways than Adam does for Jaleesa.
8. He wanted to beat Barb to the punch.
9. He realized that you cannot escape, no matter the social situation, that a facebook conversation always happens.
10. It really is a great way to network.
11. He was lured by the one million Lane Tech people he knows that will find him...good and bad.
12. He wouldn't miss an opportunity for making comments, cracking jokes and being all around awesome.
13. He wanted to use his "Sam Rivera: I got a Myspace finally" status.
14. He wanted to beat Laura to the punch.
15. Who could resist the "I have more friends than you" contest (I think Teenie is winning).

...and more reasons why Mikey won't join facebook...
1. Mikey didn't give a crap about the blog, why would he care about facebook?
2. Mikey prides himself in being "out of the loop".
3. Mikey doesn't pose for pictures as often as the rest of us...other than his bday party...
4. Mikey's not a hacker by nature.
5. Jan doesn't brag about facebook to Mikey, only Sam.
6. Mikey has all the friends he needs.
7. Daphne wouldn't approve.
8. Barb's not on Mikey's list of "people he wants/needs to impress".
9. When facebook comes into a conversation, Mikey checks the thermostat.
10. Mikey networks by throwing a good old house party.
11. Mikey didn't go to Lane Tech.
12. Mikey's awesome without having to overtly try.
13. Mikey's status: I have a great job, I love my two dogs, that's it.
14. Mikey loves Laura, she's his godmother so he wouldn't try to beat her at anything.
15. Mikey doesn't need anymore friends. Plus, Teenie lives too far away.

Love you Sam and Mikey!

Relay for Life

One beautifully decorated and deliciously sweet cookie - $1

Three stale cupcakes (sorry Jan) - $1

All the great participants and all the great loved ones we remembered - priceless

Mateo's Birthday Gifts - Part 2

The Birthday Boy

$ from Jaime


$ also from Zack, Ruthie and Ariel and of course Grandpa Paulie

?

Sorry we don't know who gave this gift - but he's playing with it right now :)

Mateo's Birthday Gifts

It's LuLu! $ from Barb, Al & Marty

Target Gift Card from Sam, Sandra, Andrew & Sophia
Target Gift Card, cool T shirt & Puzzle from Poopie & Al
(he was just kidding with the mad look)

Cool T shirt from Adam & Lee Lee

Another cool T shirt from Adam & Lee Lee

(he didn't know about the Spiderman underwear behind him)

4th of July Shenanigans @ Jaime's

1. Sam dancing under an umbrella while it was raining saying it's doable but we need an umbrella with a flap for Norma's leg.
2. Mateo's party diet...cookies, cake, soda, and a small side of rice.
3. Jan watching Vern, Vern watching Mikey.
4. Angel...enough said.
5. Shar's extensions.
6. The Spinach Dip that gave everyone the energy needed to wait for the real food.
7. The awesome homemade butter cookies.
8. Norma spilling her fruit salad on her foot and Sam telling Angel "you suck toes, don't you"?
9. Sandra's brother piping up with "heck yeah, I suck toes".
10. Jan unable to open the screen door and Vern asking if she was drunk and needed to be sprayed with water.
11. Sandra's brother interrupting his partying to play Barbies with Sophie...how cute!
12. Sandra's brother then telling Shar she needs to have a girl to play with Sophie.
13. One of the DJs secretly staring at Shar.
14. The freshest big cookie ever!
15. Thanks Jaime. 'Til next year?

Byron Block Party

Hi Onions,

You are all invited to the infamous Byron Block Party on Saturday, July 11. Come when you can. You know we party hearty. Hope to see you there.

Highlights of Mike's 30th

1. "The Birthday Song".
2. Jenny's random screams.
3. Ariel hanging in...repeatedly saying she wasn't tired.
4. Norma's tongue.
5. Frank's zipper back.
6. 1 scoop potato salad, 1 scoop tortellini that always left. Next year it's going on Norma's tongue.
7. Lee Lee finally cutting loose. It took 3 shots & 2 drinks.
8. The percolating librarians.
9. Sandra's cute shoes.
10.Sam & GQ. The best DJs in the world!

Mike's 30th b-day party pics!

Great party Mike!! Happy Birthday!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandralopera/sets/72157620563615793/

Connie's - Father's Day

Keeping the Peace

So if anyone has noticed, Yoyo and Blago have been very well behaved lately.

That's right.

They know my homies and I would have handled it.

You're welcome for restoring order.

Love you all!

:)

lol

Sophie's 6th Birthday Party

Save the date: Gymnastics party @ Peterson Park
August 8th, 2-3:30 PM

Sophia's Kindergarten Graduation

Brab's Birthday

I miss Cancun

Mateo's Graduation

Officially a first grader...

The Princess

Sophie's first ballet recital...

The other MC.

Why don't cool things like this happen when I'm out shopping?

Watch it.

Keep Guessing from The Basement Productions Chicago on Vimeo.

Isn't subtle racism the best? It's not a Kung-Fu movie but maybe it'll make you laugh. Maybe not.
Here to see it bigger or in HD on youtube...here

Starring: Jason "Denzel" Merritt-Moore
Written by: Me.
Directed by: Josh Henning

End of Semester

Celebrating the end of Cataloging 703. One of the top 5 most difficult classes I've taken in my life!!

Can'tcun 2009 by Jan and Sharla Marla

1. "Ay con Queso".

2. Poopie shamelessly flossing poolside.

3. Boo-ding.

4. "Nice"!!!

5. Adam substituting alcohol for Lee Lee.

6. Pina not Pico.

7. Jake finding Adam's minuscule earpiece on the floor of O'Hare International Airport after saying, "I think I remember stepping on it".

8. Right in the middle of a conversation with Jan, Alexis stating "it's iPod time."

9. Wednesday = our last day = balls out tanning.

10. Poopie yelling, "Adam save me!" in a foot of water.

11. Jan thinking she forgot her passport and Alexis saying, "we'll send you a postcard".

12. Asian Mateo.

13. Al's ongoing celebrity status in Cancun.

14. Shar having to buy Mateo a toothbrush 2 years in a row.

15. Shar throwing her beach read away.

16. Adam calling Jan's passport "Old School" and it's only a year old.

17. Poopie's ponytail shadow interfering with Alexis' tanning.

18. Shar determined to claim the first piece of luggage on our return and rubbing it in everyone's face...turns out it was ours.

19. Poopie asking Adam to stretch out her sandals.

20. The suggestion to find someone that looks like Brab for pictures.

21. Mexican Outlet 3 days in a row.

22. The bus escapades.

23. Bailey's and coffee.

24. Shar bartering for necklaces on the beach and the vendor saying, "You got me".

25. Mauricio Lennell cookies.

My trip to Colombia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandralopera/sets/72157615609562789/

Student of the Week

Maya says "What's up?"

Why Jake isn't blogging (Any more)

I know that after I put this on, people are going to push it down.

Dessert @ 3535 N. Newcastle

Onions,
You are invited to my house for dessert Sunday, March 1st, 5:30ish. GQ, Blog-O and yoyo are welcome too. Let's coordinate so we don't have too many!

Top 10 reasons "we people" aren't posting.

1. Marty tricked us into voting and still won't confess to being yoyo or even "reveal who yoyo is".
2. We're trying to come out of hibernation, but the weather is confusing us.
3. Those of us waiting for tax refunds are busy checking our bank balances every day.
4. Harley had to go to a new groomer and he looks like he has a big furry hat on...it's distracting.
5. We're all (except Blog-O) shopping for Marty's birthday gifts.
6. GQ has been laying low.
7. Alexis is too busy taking road trips.
8. Shar has discovered Facebook.
9. Sam and Sandra haven't had any parties.
10. We're still waiting for Brab to have Christmas Eve.

This Is Why You're Fat.

Since nobody seems to have anything interesting to say on here. I figured I'd keep posting until someone posts something, anything.

(Sausage and crispy bacon, wrapped with more bacon.)

A few weeks ago, right before the Super Bowl, this disgusting recipe in The New York Times had the internet going nuts. This is the American Dream.

(Deep-fried Mars bar.)

Someone in Scotland invented the deep-frier so they pretty much throw in anything you want and fry the hell out of it. I remember looking for one of these and when I finally found it, was so disgusted by the idea that I didn't dare try it. I wish I had.

(Bacon cheeseburger on a Krispy Kreme.)

(A big pile of disgustingness.)

So since my birthday is coming up in a little over a month, consider this my list. Feel free to improvise and throw in more bacon or Snickers bars or anything else, I won't mind. Please keep the onions out.

So check out this website and laugh at all the really fat people you see the next time you go out (please don't pay any attention to the sort of fat people).
This is why you're fat!