should i be concerned...

that i am addicted to the show "intervention"?
seriously, its an intervention marathon on A & E and I can't stop watching it
we have watched it all day long on tivo, so we can fast forward through the irritating commercials

we also had an hour long video conference with nancy. her and glennda and kim got us a web cam so that when we talk to each other on sundays, we can see each other. it's really nice but i get a bit caught up in looking at myself on the little box. anywho it was lots of fun and she got to see our cats and we got to see batu. i guess nala was busy sleeping downstairs on the berber carpeting.

so right before the holidays, i headed to chicago to see alyson, nicole, rowan, and meet their new baby boy finn. i also got to see azad and meet his new girlfriend sam. and i got to see erin (which was a nice surprise b/c i didn't know i would). so the first night i got there, nicole's mom had sent them this thing where she put pictures of their faces on these elves dancing. rowan was entranced by it. here she is on the computer. how adorable:



and here is one of the whole family:



that night we had a big dinner with everyone: aly, nik, ro, finn, erin, azad and sam. we had delicious salmon tacos and green beans. it was SO GOOD. and it was really fun to have everyone together, like a mini chicago family reunion. here is a picture of az, sam and ro:



and here is one of me, erin, finn & ro:



and here is one of just erin and me:



while i was there we hung out, played games (rowan taught me the game "princess and the squid"-- i was the squid, she was the princess), we even went sledding. it was so fucking cold while i was there. i mean i *know* its cold in chicago, but seriously it was bonkers cold and snowing, which of course, was great for sledding. rowan's was a total champ. i would wait at the top of the hill, she would come up and then we would get her situated and i would push her down the hill. when she got to the bottom, i would jump up and down cheering and she would give me a thumbs up and head back up the hill. it was a lot of fun.

Another night I made Italian wedding soup and we all just hung out and ate. Finn had on the cutest Illinois shirt ever. Check it out:



one morning, alyson and i drove out to a western suburb of chicago to see my gramma. she has gotten sicker and sicker over the past two years and my mom's siblings decided to put her into a nursing home. its run by some seriously catholic folks, so i was a little worried they were going to give me grief, but they didn't. i was real nervous and i didn't know what to expect b/c the last time i saw her was at my aunt dee dee's funeral and she was real out of it. it was real sad to see her, in a wheelchair, unable to speak. i didn't know if she would know who i was, but i think she recognized me. when i said who i was, and who my mom was, she started sort of laughing and shaking her head like "yes." we talked for a little while, well really i talked at her and i showed her pictures of my sister and her family and she seemed to like those too. i am not sure when i will see her again, so i took a picture of her. one thing that i loved is that she still had purple fingernail polish on. her favorite color is purple:



as sad as i was, i am glad i went. and even if she didn't really know exactly who i was, she at least got a visitor for a little while.

i spent one night at azad's house too. his apartment is so beautiful and he brings me platters with tea and little bowls of yummy things like candied ginger and nuts and i took a nap in the sunshine while he took a shower. on my last day we all went out to breakfast, which was wonderful and then we went back to azad's to just hang out until i had to catch my plane. az showed alyson and nicole his lovely jewelry that he makes and i think they bought a few of these rings:



we also did a little photo shoot. here is one of alyson, nicole and finn (ro was at school):



and here is one of az and me in front of his tree:



it was great to see all the folks i love and to meet finn and az's girlfriend sam. finn is a sweet baby and very happy and chunky. i loved just holding him or dancing with him. it took me my whole trip to figure out that he kept urping on me b/c of the way i was sitting with him. he doesn't have much of a waist right now so i would sit him up and it kind of put stress on his belly and it made him urp. once i got that he preferred to recline a little more (actually nicole suggested it) he seemed a lot happier. i miss all of them already and i am not sure when i will get back to chicago. i just hope its warmer when i visit next time.

ok more intervention is calling my name.
happy new year!