God Complex

Ever since we brought Clark home in September, I've noticed how many people love to pat themselves on the back for rescuing a dog. Not that this isn't a great thing to do, and there are so many dogs out there that need a loving home, but sometimes I'm pretty sure people just adopted their dog so they can tell you all about it!

Typically, when I'm walking Clark and we meet another dog owner the conversations go something like this:

Rescuer: "You're dogs so cute, what's his name"
Me: "His name is Clark, what about yours? What kind is he?"
Rescuer:  "HER name is (insert some thought provoking dog name) and we have no idea what kind of dog she is. We rescued her."

This is the point where I can't help by roll my eyes. We got Clark from a shelter in Lincoln Park, when we got him they give us tons of paper work letting us know that he'd been chipped and fixed and what they think (based on a vet evaluation) the type of dog he is. This isn't an exact science or 100% true, but they can tell you what kind of mix your pet most likely is. So the people who always making a point of saying, "we have NO idea" are lying.

I can't help but chuckle at the people who think it's totally necessary to point out within five seconds that they selflessly rescued their sweet, innocent pet! Berf.

Before I go on, I want to say that I am a million percent aware that dogs are nothing like children and having children is a billion times harder and more complicated than a hairy little animal. That being said, I feel like having Clark is, in a VERY small way, prepping us for some of the annoying things that go on when you have children; ie: the annoying parents. Some of the dog owners we meet not only have a God complex, but they seem to forget that our little bundles of joy romping around together are just dogs. They bite, they wrestle, they bark (or in Clark's case, howl), they may even cry, but they are, in fact, dogs.

End Rant.

By the way, when I went to google to find a picture or video that complimented this rant, I came across this picture.

                                                            I mean, really? We get it.

Long Weekend Wrap Up

God Bless America!

I love Memorial Day Weekend! It's always so warm and sunny, filled with BBQ's and relaxing in the yard. Wait, that didn't happen this weekend, it was 50 degrees, cold and overcast. Regardless, it was a very fun and lazy long weekend!

Friday ended up like most Fridays do; ordering in and relaxing with our pet.

Saturday we woke up to this:

I guess Clark was so excited for the long weekend that he ate his pillow in the middle of the night. Shameful.

Neil and his friend Nick went to an Asian market in Arlington Heights to purchase some food to make for dinner while Megan and I went out to lunch. It was a very gloomy and chilly day and I just couldn't wake up! When I came home Neil and Nick made an amazing Asian feast!

                                                                        Asian pancake

                                                                     Salmon rolls 

                                                                    Shrimp tempura 

                                                                                     Toro. Best Thing Ever!!! 

                                                                      Neil and Nick working their magic 

Sunday we did a little Old Town bar crawl with my sister and friends George, Brian, Nick and Bill. It was so much fun!

                                                              Group shot at Corcorans. 

                                               Neil and I outside of Wells on Wells, where we met! 

                                                                                          Megan, Nick and I

Sunday morning required a greasy breakfast at a diner near us and lots of couch and Arrested Development time! Later on in the day we went to Neil's parents house for a Memorial Day BBQ, which was awesome! By the end of the weekend we were all pooped!

 

                                                              Love his American themed scarf! Thanks, Mom!! 

Amazing Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was PERFECT!! It was fun, sunny and relaxing!!

Friday night we started off by meeting Neil's cousins Dawn and Michael at Three Aces in Little Italy. It was a great dinner (and I remember the food a bit more than New Year's)! I had such a great time getting to know them both a bit more! We chatted about restaurants, traveling, their adorable boys and so much more. I can't wait to hang out with them again!

Saturday Neil and I woke up bright and early so we decided to go to Little Goat for brunch. Lately, we've been trying a bunch of new places for an early morning meal and in my eyes it's hard to find a place that beats Publican, but I do have to say Little Goat was very good! Especially their hash browns; they were shredded with some cheese (couldn't put my finger on what kinda it was). So great!

Afterwards we picked up Clark and headed up to the dog beach for a few hours. It was a very big day at the beach because Clark finally swam!! It was adorable and he did such a good job!

After we left the beach we walked around the Lake path for awhile because it was an amazingly beautiful day outside. I even bumped into someone I went to middle school with in Naperville! As Neil and I walked more we decided it was the perfect day to have a beer somewhere, so we drove home, ditched the car and went across the street to have a drink. 

                                                 Cheap Watermelon shot that I'm pretty sure had no alcohol in it! 

One of the many things I love about the South Loop is how dog friendly out area is! We have about three or four bars that all have outside eating areas that allow dogs, so we brought the pup with us as we popped around to a few of the bars in Printers Row. 

As the day passed we sipped on craft beers and worked on our first farmers tans of the summer. Before too long, the beers and early morning caught up to us and we called it a night pretty early. It was the perfect Saturday! 

Sunday morning we went to a park down the street and had a picnic of lox and bagels and mimosas! It was super relaxing and a great way to kick start a Sunday. I love finding areas in the city that make you forget you're actually in the city! The park was very quiet, surrounded by nice houses and there were plenty of children and families out playing. 

After running some quick errand, we came home to clean and hang out. Neil cooked some amazing brats on the grill and we just relaxed and watched a movie. I wish every weekend could be this amazing! 

Flee to the Cleve

This past weekend Megan, Neil and I headed off to Cleveland, Ohio to celebrate my Grandma's 95th birthday! It was a great weekend and the first time Neil was able to meet a lot of my extended family. We got there around dinner time on Friday and Neil and I went to dinner with my mom and dad while Megan met up with one of her college friends.

Saturday morning we headed out to my cousins (and Godparents) house. While there my aunts and uncles and a bunch of cousins all came over to meet Neil for the first time. It was so much fun and reminded me how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family! Everyone gave Neil great reviews and he handled it all like a champ!

We then went to pick up my grandma and take her to church and dinner. When she met him, my Grandma, who only reaches to Neil's hip bone, grabbed his face and gave him a little pat on his cheek and said "welcome to the family." It was all very Godfather!

Sunday we all cooked breakfast at my Grandma's and hung out with her to celebrate the big 9 5. It's unbelievable to me that she is 95! On the way home Megan, Neil and I were talking about all the things she (and Neil's grandparents, who are also 95) have all seen in their lives. My grandma is truly an amazing women and has seen and been through a lot. She was smiling all weekend and saying how she was really going to stick it to her friends that she had her family in town this weekend! She told us stories about my dad growing up and about her childhood, which were all so crazy to hear!

I'm so happy Neil was able to meet a lot of my cousins and aunts and uncles before our wedding! I am so lucky to have them all in my life and couldn't ask for a better group of people to call family!

6 MORE MONTHS UNTIL THIS IS NEIL AND I!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                   (Take notes, Berm)

Friday

It's rainy, cold and windy outside right now. I didn't sleep last night and have been grumpy all day.

This is all I want for tonight (or for the whole weekend)