Entries Tagged as 'horse'

Logan Square Farmers Market, Roscoe Village Garden Walk, Burger Fest & Soccer

July 12th, 2010 · No Comments

On Sunday morning I met up with Jess for a quick run through the Logan Square Farmers Market. I was having problems finding a parking spot for my bike, when I ran into my coworker Jeff and his wife Khloe. They had a booth and let me lock my bike there, so problem solved! At the Farmers Market I knew what I needed: tomatoes, lettuce and berries, so I pretty much got it and left. I was also keeping my eye out for Rare Bird Preserves, but I don’t think they had a stand this week. Oh well. Maybe next week. I purchased their rhubarb/strawberry preserves at the market a few weeks ago and we just cracked them open. So good!

I rode by The Rocking Horse, around the corner from the market, and noticed they now have a pole sticking out of the building, and the pole basically is up the arse of a rocking horse. Do not like! You’re telling me the huge sign that says “The Rocking Horse” was not enough? They literally had to attach a big rocking horse to the building?

After the farmers market I headed to Roscoe Village. Jen and Quinn and I went to a few houses on the Roscoe Village Garden Walk and went to Roscoe Village Burger Fest, which was just a few blocks from their house on Belmont between Damen and Leavitt.

Burger Fest had a large kids section that we took Quinn to. Unicoi Art Studio, a children’s art school located on Belmont and Hoyne, had a booth where kids could do free art projects. Quinn made a beard & mustache on a stick!

Quinn also went on a few inflatable bouncy things.. a pirate ship and a kind of maze one with a climbing wall and slide at the end. They probably had like 6 of these structures set up, but they were charging $3 to do on each one, which is a total rip off. There were a bunch of kids having melt downs because they wanted to go on every thing and you had to buy a $3 ticket for each one, which a lot of parents, including Jen, were not going to do!

After this we decided to get lunch. We tried sliders from The Bad Apple and Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro. The Bad Apple definitely had the better burger, but Mrs. Murphy’s won us over with Guinness ice cream! Since we were having lunch by the ponies, Quinn wanted to take a ride after lunch. I always feel a bit sorry for ponies that just walk in circles all day. I don’t think they have a good life, but they sure do make kids happy.

I walked around the circle with Quinn. We talked about which pony was his favorite and how soft the pony’s hair is. Quinn asked “What is that smell?” (poop) and “Why did we stop?” (pony pooped). We talked about what a Buzz Lightyear obsessed boy might name a pony (Buzz Ponyyear or Pony Lightyear or Buzz Lightpony). I tried to avoid questions like “what is that down there?!?!” (while pointed between the boy pony’s legs).

On the way home we stopped off at a few houses to check out their gardens. When we got back to Jen and Chad’s there were 10 or 12 friends gathered in the outside living room to watch the soccer game. Jen and Chad’s house was part of the Roscoe Village Garden Walk so all afternoon they had visitors coming in to look at the yard and then asking what the score of the game was! Spain won, which I guess is good because Brian had put money on them for Dallas when he is in Vegas so he should be getting some kind of pay out. Later on we went back to the fest til it rained, then played cards in Jen and Chad’s garage til it stopped raining, and then went back to the fest to see the Gin Blossoms until it thunderstormed and then we left, thoroughly soaked.

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Free Nintendo DSi

August 13th, 2009 · 3 Comments

Last month Nintendo had a dinner for all of the Nintendo Enthusiasts who were attending the BlogHer conference. I wasn’t at the conference, but since it was local, I was still invited to the dinner. I was able to bring one person with me and didn’t think that Dallas would appreciate all of the blogging ladies, so I brought Jess.

We went over to the Sheraton, where BlogHer was being held. From there we were taken in horse-drawn carriages up Michigan Avenue to the Hancock Building.

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Carriages to pick us up at the Sheraton

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This is our driver. Can you tell how dashing he is?

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Arriving at the Hancock Building

At the Hancock, we were taken up to the Signature Room for hors d’vours and wine. Lots of wine.

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Justine, on the left, is who I have had the most contact with in the Nintendo program.

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Rachelle & Jess

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Wine!

Then we all sat down for dinner and more wine.

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Getting ready for dinner

After dinner we all got surprise gifts: Nintendo DSi!

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Jess and her Nintendo DSI

Had a great time at the party. This Nintendo program has been awesome. Remember the Nintendo DS Lite party and the Nintendo WII party and giveaway? How could this all not be a blast!?

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Nintendo Enthusiasts

All photos, with the exception of our dashing driver, are courtesy of the Nintendo event photographer, Jamie Kelter of West Loop Studio. More photos here.

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New Orleans Randomness

June 6th, 2008 · No Comments

While archiving older photos I came across these that I’d taken in New Orleans and never posted. Kind of a random assortment of photographs.


Horse-drawn carriage tours


The Chewable Toothbrush


Saw these in the New Orleans airport. Has anyone tried them?


Secret public bathroom is by this courtyard at the French Quarter Visitor Center.


Ahem. Three years ago Sam proclaimed the correct word to be vagitarian.


Mother Cluckers


Reminded me of Lolcats. (sorry for the crappy cell photo)

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Weekend With Jessica

July 9th, 2006 · 8 Comments

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Erin & Snickers, Roscoe Village, Chicago

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Bongo Room, Wicker Park, Chicago

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Bongo Room, Wicker Park, Chicago

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Old & New, Grant Park, Chicago

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Rachelle & Jessica, Monroe Marina, Chicago

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Watching World Cup @ Pizza Metro, Wicker Park, Chicago

Jess was in town this weekend for a visit. She’s had bad luck coming out in the past, where she has had to cancel trips. The first time she helped me move here but had to rush back home the next morning for a family emergency and the second time she had her plane tickets all purchased and everything then another emergency came up and she had to cancel. This time, finally, it was all good. Good weather, great times.

Quick rundown of what we did – Thursday night we went out for dinner at El Tapatio. Note: If the waiter asks you if you want a JUMBO sized margarita, say “no” even if he says it’s a great value, which it is. Those things are both big and strong.

On Friday we went to dinner at Kitsch’n then went to a party at Erin’s house. There were more photos, but that snickers one is the only one that can be shared. Sorry. What happens at Erin’s house stays at Erin’s house.

Saturday we went to the Bongo Room for breakfast. Jess had a breakfast burrito, but I’m always tempted by the crazy pancake/french toast creations. Pictured above is the Chocolate Tower French Toast, which is composed of bittersweet chocolate chunk bread, maple marscapone, banana creme brulee sauce, bananas, and shaved chocolate. Afterwards we dragged our bloated stuffed bellies to Akira to try on clothes and shoes, which I wouldn’t recommend after binging like that unless you want to just stand there in an ill-fitting halter top going “oh, im so fat!” like we did. We headed home to rest since we only got a couple hours of sleep, got a pedicure and then went out to dinner with Dallas, my brother, and my sister-in-law.

On Sunday we tried to burn off all those calories by walking through Millennium Park, through Grant Park, down to Buckingham Fountain, then all the way up the lake to Navy Pier. Hopefully it helped a little! It was a nice relaxing last day.

We miss having Jess around already, but hopefully this trip convinced her she’s got to visit more!

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Memorial Day at Arlington Park

May 31st, 2005 · No Comments

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Yesterday I went with Amy, Scott, Jen, and Adam to see the horses race at Arlington Park. I hadn’t been to a horse racing park for about 5 years when I went to Del Mar in California so it was cool to check it out again. Most everything was the same but at Del Mar I don’t remember betting at all and this time I placed $2 bets on several different horses in different races throughout the day.

One race I picked who I thought would win but then was tracking down an ATM and lunch so I missed placing my bet. Of course, the horse I wanted placed 2nd. Then once I said who I thought but just didn’t bet and that horse won. Finally I got a payout on the last race of the day. I placed two separate $2 bets on that race on one of the horses I picked came in first. I won $8.80.

Overall, I came out only slightly ahead, but at least I wasn’t in the hole!

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