Eventful Weekend

Luke's 4th Birthday Gift:
Green Train from Granny & Baca

This weekend was hectic! I worked a double event – a reception for fifty people on Friday night at Johnny’s Steakhouse and an open house on Sunday afternoon for the same couple. I have helped this family in the past for the eldest daughter’s wedding reception, so I think it’s a good sign that they hired me again. They will definitely be a good reference in the future!

In addition, it was Luke’s birthday extravaganza, so Sarah was in town. We started Saturday by volunteering at the Holy Family Parish Bazaar. Mom, Sarah and I decorated Christmas ornaments for two hours. With our good deed out of the way, we headed over to our house for Sarah to check out all of the updates. She approves! That afternoon, we went to an antique store in the East Village and I found a couch for the living room.  We got a good deal, and although it will need to be reupholstered at some point, I think it's a chic starting point for the space. It will be picked up this week by Carpenter. We also stopped at an auction in Rock Island in hopes of finding a church pew for the front entry. We’ve always had a church pew or two at my parent’s house and I thought it appropriate to get one for our house. The pews at the auction were about five feet too long, so we'll have to keep looking.

Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast pizza at my parents’ house to celebrate Luke’s 4th. We have all been anxiously awaiting this day to watch him receive his gift – a Luke-sized train that my dad found at an auction, then painted the perfect shade of green by Sarah. The painting took place in our Oak Park apartment and has been hiding in our basement since the move, so it’s been about seven weeks in the making. My mom has been prepping the room for the last few weeks with other train paraphernalia, and Luke has excitedly noticed each addition to the room. His reaction when he saw the train wasn't what I thought it would be, but I think he was in shock. Sarah let Jord and I go in on her gift to him – a Radio Flyer deluxe wagon. It has all the bells and whistles, so Luke will be riding in style.