Thankful for...Las Vegas?

We recently took our annual trip to Las Vegas with the Accenture crew from Syracuse.  Aimee and I stayed at the newly-renovated Planet Hollywood which was very nice.  They gave us an upgrade room with a view (see left.  seriously, that was our view).  I'll post some more pictures soon once I get them.  As usual, we gambled into the night and lost our fair share of funds on the tables.  Aimee has developed a new love of blackjack however.  I see a trip to the Horseshoe in our future (likely with Mark B)....

Thanksgiving this year started with a beautiful mass at Old St. Pat's.  Aimee was asked to sing "Thankful" (a Josh Groban tune) after communion.  I accompanied her along with string trio -- it was amazing!  We truly have much to be thankful for.   After mass we headed back to Munster for Thanksgiving dinner.  We had a nice day catching up with family and of course relaxing while watching Christmas Vacation.  "You really think it matters Eddie?"

On Saturday the 29th, we went to my sister-in-law's Sing-a-long Messiah concert at the Rialto Theatre in Joliet, IL.   Never been to Joliet before.  It was an interesting experience.  Aimee was in her element though because, while singing full voice along with the choir and symphony is not typical etiquette, the sing-a-long forum  was perfect!

Pictured somewhere in the above picture, Katelyn Szewka

Weekend Update

On Saturday night we took part in a surprise 30th birthday party for Aimee's friend from Rush, Laura.  Her husband, Paul, did a great job planning for the event, including inviting several out of town family and friends.  We are gathered at India House for a phenomenal meal!  Laura's entrance is pictured to the left.

On Friday we had a nice dinner with our newly-engaged friends Sara and Adam at Franconello's near UIC.  We were honored to be asked to be part of their wedding day.  Aimee and I will provide music for the ceremony and Aimee will be a bridesmaid for Sara.  That'll be October 3rd, 2009.  I hear that's a good weekend to get married...

Time for some plugs...

• Rick's Appliance Service - this is the business that Aimee's dad owns.  He's nearly cornered the market on trustworthy, loyal appliance repair in the Northwest Indiana area.
• Embracing Parenthood - this is a business conceived and run by one of our friends from Old St. Pat's offering a unique approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting preparation for the busy expectant parent.  Oh, let's clear one thing up:  Aimee and I, while "busy", are not "expectant".  Nice job on this Barbara!
  

Aimee's Birthday Brunch

Happy 28th Birthday to Aimee!!  Aimee wanted to have a brunch with friends & family to celebrate her birthday.  I scoured the city for brunch places that were unique and also accepted reservations for a large group.  Turns out, that's not a simple task.  We ended up going to a place called Cafe 28 in the Irving Park area.  Their brunch menu was amazing and they did a pretty good job of handling a group of 20.  My first experience with evite was quite a success:  nearly everyone was able to attend.  Aimee's school friends, work friends, church friends, and family all gathered for a nice celebration.

Here are some pictures...