2008 Highlights

The Best and the Worst of 2008

• January 2008 - I turned 50! We had dinner with my brother, Al, and his family at a French bistro, Mon Ami Gabi, in Oak Brook. Low-key celebration but hugely meaningful to me.

• January 2008 - Our minivan, affectionately known as Moby Dick, gets a flat tire on the coldest day in January; then gets rear ended by the garage that was installing new tires. I drove a rental for two weeks while the van was being repaired. Another innocent victim was my purse, which was run over by a car while I was transferring "must-haves" from the van to the rental.

• March 6 - I fell during work hours while attending an off-site meeting and fractured my left wrist. I spent the evening at an immediate care center brooding that my son, John, was celebrating his 19th birthday sitting in the Waiting Room while his mom was being treated for her injury.



• April 2008 - My office moves to Elmhurst, Illinois, from Oak Brook, into the renovated factory formerly owned by Keebler (yes, the cookie factory). Now, whenever something goes wrong, we blame it on the elves.


• June 2008 - The Dining Room gets a fresh coat of paint. Nobody paints like my husband, Lee. No one is as patient and meticulous.



• July 2008 - John's room makeover. John's bedroom gets new laminate flooring, paint and bedding. John has put his personal touches in the room which now feels very Zen.


• August 2008 - David gets his first part-time job at Jewel, straightening shelves in the grocery store, and helping customers.



• September 2008 - John begins his second year at College of DuPage, he is hoping to transfer to NIU and complete his Education degree.



• September 2008 - David begins his senior year in high school. Yikes! Where has time gone?



• October 11, 2008 - Moby Dick was hit again, this time on the left side, while my husband, Lee, was backing it out of a parking space at our local supermarket two days before our trip to Italy. We filed a police report and decided to deal with the problem after our return.



• October 2008 - Lee and I, with Lee's brother, Robert, and his wife, Barb, travelled to Italy and stayed in Rome seven days. Lee and I arrived a day earlier than Robert and Barb, so we could attend a Papal audience at the Vatican. The trip was wonderful but exhausting. We visited countless sites, and enjoyed many delicious local wines with our meals. We found the Italian people absolutely warm and friendly and very interested in the upcoming American elections. We definitely want to go back.



• November 2008 - John gets accepted to NIU for next fall, and wins their Centennial Scholarship. Go Huskies!



• December 2008 - I get my very own computer and begin a blog!!!