Winter Break in Wisconsin

Makai spent almost a week of winter break with Mom and Dad and Aunt Connie in Wisconsin.

They made cookies.

Dad helped Makai make his pinewood derby car.

Played with Lola, mom and dad’s new dog (that makai named!). Also, Jess stayed over one night on the way home from college.

And learned to play World of Warcraft with Aunt Connie.

Uncle Richard and Jill gave Makai an Advent Calendar again this year and Makai brought it with him and opened a door each morning. This year was a Marvel Lego theme and it was really cute.

Mom and Dad’s neighbors made tamales and Makai loved them!!! And of course, a lot of time playing with and taking care of Lola!

Black Friday in Chicago

 On Black Friday, mom, dad, Jess, Makai and I took the Blue Line downtown. The first thing we did was look at the Macy’s holiday windows. They were cool, but I think they’re more impressive at night when they’re all lit up and the light shines out from the windows.

Jess and Makai inside Block 37.

 In Block 37 we saw the movie Coco, which I loved. We ate a ton of popcorn and I had a couple glasses of wine.

 Th weather was really nice, so we decided to check out the Christkindlmarket. On the way there, right on the outskirt of the market, we came across the puppet bike. Makai has seen it before, but maybe he wasn’t old enough. This time he absolutely loved it.

The Christkindlmarket was really fun but really packed. Mom and dad and I got alcoholic drinks in our mugs and Jess and Makai got hot chocolate. I LOVE the gluhwein.

At this stand I got a cool Christmas ornament where you pull a string and the toy soldier’s arms go up and down and make him do a jumping jack.

At the honey stand, I bought some German honey that is in a bear-shaped jar.

 Back at Block 37 we got something to eat in the lower level, where there are several quick restaurants. My dad and I tried Dia de Los Tamales, the newest restaurant down there.

Isobar Summer Event at Bub City

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Last week we had an all-day Isobar company meeting, as we do every year. The annual t-shirt contest was reinstated and everyone got the winner’s shirt, which featured a skeleton astronaut(?). At about 2:00 or 2:30, we headed over to Bub City, where we had the whole place rented out to ourselves. I’d never been to Bub City and I really liked the space. There was a band playing that was really good and after a while, when the drinks started kicking in, they let people come up and sing songs like live band karaoke. There was a barbecue buffet that people said was good, but there were also a ton of passed appetizers and I mostly ate those.

I made Romi do his first shot of Malort and now he thinks he can call himself a true Chicagoan. Little did I know that would come back to bite me later on when Mike made me do a shot of Malort! Karma.

FullSizeRender.jpg-3 Bub City (View Larger)

FullSizeRender.jpg-1 Good ol’ American sliders

FullSizeRender.jpg-4 AJ + Mike

FullSizeRender.jpg-2 Adam + AJ

FullSizeRender.jpg-5 Lobster Roll

img_7918Becky, Michelle, Rachelle, Katie, Megan

FullSizeRender-2-1Bryan, Ujval + Me

IMG_7911Michelle, Bryan + Me

IMG_7910Romi, George + Me

FullSizeRender-1Egor + Sam line dancing

FullSizeRender-4 Sheriff George

FullSizeRender.jpg-6 Vinay

FullSizeRender-6 Ronak

IMG_7831 Sam + Me

IMG_7917Romi’s first shot of Malort. (I had Fireball.)

FullSizeRender.jpg-7 This mannequin is the first thing you see when you open the women’s bathroom door. Aimee actually screamed and slammed the door shut. I cautiously reopened it and we realized the joke.

FullSizeRender.jpg-8 Dancing!

FullSizeRender.jpg-10 Detroit girls came to party.

FullSizeRender.jpg-11 Detroit Isobar.

FullSizeRender-5 I think they sang some Back Street Boys.

FullSizeRender.jpg-9I can’t remember what these guys sang.

FullSizeRender-16 Brian from the Denver office started to sing Purple Rain and everyone was like “no way… ” And then he killed it!

FullSizeRender-13 Jen nailled it too, with her rendition of Bobby McGee.

FullSizeRender-12 I drunkenly walked past these Dayo and Jeff, saw they both were wearing blueish shirts, and called them twins. Then they joked for a long time how they look SO MUCH alike (not at all).

FullSizeRender-11 AJ + Ann

FullSizeRender-15AJ + Sam

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The Dance Floor!!

FullSizeRender-17 Cowboy Mike

FullSizeRender-10 FullSizeRender-14Back in the Bathroom!

After the official party was over, we went to Sportsman’s Club. They have an awesome patio and the weather was finally perfect. Things got a bit sloppy and we practically attacked the tamale guy, but it was nice to hang out with all my work friends, not in the work setting. Super fun time!

FullSizeRender-21 Julia + Rudy

FullSizeRender-22 Julia + Rudy

FullSizeRender-20 Chris + Me

FullSizeRender-19 AJ photobombing Anne + Me

FullSizeRender-23Rudy + AJ

Oh, and one photo that I have from the meeting. Saurab moderated a panel of all of last year’s value award winners. Becky, Chris and Romi are on my old project that I just switched away from a few months ago. Sloane and Kevin are on my new project team.

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Past Roundarch/Roundarch Isobar/Isobar Summer Events:
2015: ROOF on theWit
2014: American Junkie (rain backup to Oak Street Beach)
2013: The Rooftop at Market
2011: Millennium Park (daytime photos, nighttime photos)
2011: Paris Club
2010: Shedd Aquarium (Also celebrating Roundarch’s 10 year anniversary)
2009: Party at the River East Arts Center
2008: Wendella Architectural Boat Tour and dinner/drinks at the Adler Planetarium

Celebrating Birthdays at Estrella Negra

estrella_negra_menu

Estrella Negra is located almost exactly one mile from our house and for some reason, we have not been there in the 5 years we’ve lived here. We’ve driven past it a million times, but never have gone in. Until last night. Brian and Mike picked it as a place to celebrate their birthdays. Brian’s birthday was earlier this week and Mike’s is next week (on my due date!).

estrella_negra_empanadas_sampler

I liked this place. The Dia de los Muertos decor was really unique and I liked that they had some things on the menu that were unique to the other local taquerias we frequent. Dallas and I shared an empanada sampler for an appetizer. There were three – goat cheese jalapeno, spinach and artichoke, and chorizo with corn. These were dressed up and a little fancy (compared to something like the empanadas at El Nandu), but we really liked them.

estrella_negra_el_diablito_camarones

Dallas also had to try an appetizer called El Diablito Camarones, which was
“nine plutonium-grade spicy grilled shrimp balanced over the edge of a martini glass. No wimps allowed.” Actually, though, everyone said they weren’t really hot at all.

estrella_negra_tamales

For his meal, Dallas got the ceviche tostadas. I had a few bites and it was really light and fresh tasting. For my entree I got the tamales, which is a house specialty, and something you can’t usually get at a lot of taquerias (along with empanadas and ceviche, too!). I got one of each of the three tamales available: 1. Cheese (parmesan, romano, & muenster) spinach and artichoke stuffed tamales, topped with salsa verde, muenster cheese, chives, tomatoes and sour cream, 2. Fresh corn kernel tamales topped with the elote man’s favorite toppings: parmesan cheese, mayo, butter and chili, and 3. traditional spicy pork tamales, topped with salsa verde, muenster cheese, chives, tomatoes and sour cream. That’s the order they were listed on the menu and probably the order that I liked them too! I know spinach and artichoke is not traditional in a tamale, but it was soooo good.

estrella_negra_bean_dip

Oh, and for my side I got the house-made bean dip, which was served in a little tortilla cup and garnished with a tortilla star. Loved it.

estrella_negra_dallas

We didn’t try dessert, although my coworker Karen said it is good. I baked cookies earlier in the day and gifted them to Brian and Mike for their birthdays and everyone enjoyed them as a sweet treat afterwards. Some at Estrella Negra and some at Quenchers and The Beetle, where people headed afterwards, when I headed home.

estrella_negra

Overall, Dallas and I liked Estrella Negra. I think we’d go back, given its so close to our house too. When we were there for the birthdays, the kitchen seemed to have a bit of a hard time keeping up, but we had 17 (Me, Dallas, Rita, JP, Kelly, Todd, Sara, Brian, Christine, Adam, Vanessa, Damien, Arun, Mike, Todd, Marty, Larry!!) people in our party and it was pretty much like trying to deliver food to half of the entire restaurant all at once. The tables around us seemed to have more consistent food coming out. Also, I really liked our waitress, who was super personable to Dallas and I, since we were the first ones to arrive. Oh, and Estrella Negra is BYOB, so everyone brought their own wine and beer and it helped keep the cost down.

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Fun night. Maybe the last night I’ll see these guys for a while?