Happy Easter!

Hey everybody, we're still alive! Hope you all had a nice Easter weekend. Ours was a whirlwind of driving, but we had a great time. We started one weekend early by dyeing eggs and eating a huge dinner. Blake even got me an Easter basket with lots of candy!












We headed to Blake's sister's house in Indiana on Friday afternoon. It was going pretty good until we got stuck in a huge hail storm on the highway in Indiana. It got really dark, began to pour, and then...golf ball-sized hail! It was covering the roads and fields, and everyone was pulling off the road. Needless to say, Blake's new car is covered in dents! Oh well, we did get there safely.











The next morning, we went out to breakfast with the family, dyed eggs, and hid them for the kids. Then, we had fondue, salad, dessert, and lots of other great foods. It was almost hot during the day, so we got some sun sitting outside all day. In the evening, we headed to my sister's house in Ohio.











On Sunday morning, we watched my nephew, Kolby, hunt Easter eggs and open his Easter basket. Then, we went to my parent's house for Easter dinner. The grandkids got baskets, and again, hunted for Easter eggs in the yard. Courtney and Kevin hid scratch-off lottery tickets for the adults. That was really fun, but we only had a few winners.











Some of us went out to the field to look for arrowheads after that. We all found lots of flint and neat rocks and slate. After lots of looking, I found the bottom half of a pink one, and the top half of a white one. We stayed in Ohio until Monday, and then we drove back home. As you can see, Rita is still trying to recover from all of the excitement. Hope you are all doing well. We miss you already!

Home again in Indiana

Rita always loves to travel, but she especially loves it when we go t o see my sister and her family in Lafayette, IN. This was just one of those weekends when it was a good time to see family. Doesn't Rita looks so happy?

Here is a picture of Jessica playing hide and go seek. She always loves to play childrens games when she visits historical monuments. It helps her to relax and think of her childhood. Doesn't Jess look so happy?

Look it is a group of crazed natives planning our demise at Prophet's Rock. Ok, not really that is my sister her husband Samy and the tiny one in the back with the evil grin that is my mom. Doesn't my mom look so happy?

All together this was a very fun weekend. We did a lot more than just go to historical monuments. We visited my old stompin' grounds at Purdue, and it was also the first time I ever talked my mom into going to a karaoke bar. One day maybe I could get her to sing. Trust me that would be a blog.

I AM an American Idol...

In my opinion, it is important to celebrate the good things that happen to you as long as you are not bragging. It is also important to share them with your friends. So, on that note...I got a new car, I got a new car, oh yeah, who's the man. I mean look, isn't it pretty? Sorry about the obvious bragging, but my old car needed to go to car heaven. He automatically failed the emissions test here without even taking it, and after three months of looking, we finally found Emee. She is a Honda C-RV. She doesn't get great gas mileage, but she has a lot of room, and gets really great ratings according to our research. She is like a station wagon with high heels on.


Not to mention that I am a contestant in a karaoke singing contest. I made it through the first round, and in a few weeks I'll compete in the second round. It is a lot like American Idol, but without the really great singers. Actually, it is at a bar called Harry's of Arlington in a suburb called Arlington Heights. The winner gets $300 in cash and prizes. I'll keep you updated. I have a couple more posts lined up and ready to go, but I think you should take this in right now and enjoy it for a bit. I'll open the window to our exciting lives again, soon enough.

Our Humble Abode

So we have lived here for nearly a year, and we have never given you a tour. Without further procastination, here it is...971 Charlela Lane...an unoriginal idea brought to you from the person who brought you all those cool pictures from Malaysia, mad props to Zach. Please hold your applause until the end of the tour.
















Here is the front of our building. The awning makes it seem all fancy. The truth, however, is that just to the left is the garbage bin and the area where most people take their pets to do their business.
















Speaking of pets doing their business. Here is the poster child for why pit bulls are banned in cities all over America. The fearsome, ferocious RITA. I'm sorry Rit-rit. I was just kidding. Don't cry.
















Here, we have the right wing of our spacious apartment where we have been known to hold grand affairs and dinners with heads of state. Ok, I'm a liar. But, Jess's sister did bring her dog last time, and she's pretty important. Bonus game: Try to guess what furniture we rescued from the dumpster, and what we got from old lady next door...all for free. Oh yeah.
















The left wing holds more recent additions to our humble estate. In fact, there are several one-of-a-kind items on display. In other words, not all of them are from the dumpster.





















Here in the kitchen, you can see we have all the major appliances readily available in what the french call la cuchina petite.
















Here is my favorite room, le chambre d'amore. Kings and queens have remarked on the finesse with which we have attached the bikes to the wall and raised the bed to make room for storage.















To be honest, I am really proud of this picture because it features the bookshelf I made for Jess at graduation. AWWWW. I built the raised bed frame too. I am so handy, like a lumberjack.

DRUMROLL PLEASE:
We saved the best picture for last...the bathroom. We are working on another idea that we got from Zack. Next week, we are installing an orange hose.

Sorry...Dull & Boring

As you may know in knowing me, the title of this post is two fold. One is a slam on our current dictator, and well the other is the truth. Jess and I have a dull and boring life here in the Chi-town suburbs. Actually, I would not say that it is truthfuly dull or boring. It is just immensely overwhelming. Trying to stay above water and save money and build a fun and exciting life here in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. is hard. My job has a lot of new demands and Jess keeps getting new things piled on her. Ok, I sound like I am complaining and making an excuse for not posting. Well, I am. We have a lot of ideas for posts like Mac & Hamburger Dinner Obsession, Our Zachian Apt. Tour, D&D Wednesday Update, and even A Look at Davinci Academy.We just don't have the time or the energy. Look forward to these posts, and new ones about car and apartment searches and a new weekend with the Casebolts. So get of our backs, we'll do what we want to...Gosh.

Wafflepalooza

Good morning everybody. I would like to make a very special post. This is our salute, to breakfast. So keep your Pj's on and your robes closed. It's early in the morning and I'm making waffles. It was a Sunday not unlike other Sundays when Jess said to me, "Let's make waffles." I said in a cheery voice, "Yes, Dear." It was more than just a wonderful idea to me because one of our favorite fams had recently gifted to us a waffle-maker. Hooray!!
Then the waffle making ensued. Using ancient techniques taught to me by an ancient waffle master, I began stirring and mixing the batter. Sometime during the dance of a thousand stirs, Jess rested the the batter from me and began creating her own waffle. Can you tell which one I made? I thought you could.

The real winner, though, was this cross-breed of style and form that we named the waffle-star.
Sure this post may seem weird; sure it may seem a little silly, but the most important thing is, we made waffles.
Thank you, Casebolt family.

Why I am not an American Idol...

Well, the truth of the matter is I have never tried out. That is right, it was here in Chicago, but I had a cough, yeah that's it. Well, that and according to the requirements for American Idol you have to be ages 16-28, and I, well I am 29 years of age. It hurts, it really hurts. What hurts even more are the reasons Jessica thinks I would never be an American Idol. Don't get me wrong, she loves that I can sing she just doesn't like the grimaces of passion in my face as I belt out ACDC or G-N-R. She looks at me and doesn't know if I am hurt, or trying to frighten my adoring public. Another reason she gave, before I could get the question out was, "you are very loud."Look I may be loud, but I am ROCKIN'!! You can't sing "Dirty Deeds" or "Sweet Child" without projecting from the diaphragm. Ok, seriously, we can't let this injustice continue. I am asking all of you to sit at your computers, pick up your pens and write. Write and e-mail, write a frippin' letter, but do something to extend the age limit of American Idol. If not to support me, but to proove Jess and others like her wrong. Because Rock-n-Roll ain't noise pollution and it is my time to shine. Paula abduhl ain't got nothing on me. I am an American idol.