Cubs vs. Brewers

Nate and I went to Milwaukee this weekend with our friends Jon and Rachael. We went to the Cubs vs. Brewers game at Miller Park. The park is so nice, but I suppose anything is nice compared to Wrigley. The park has a retractable roof, which I thought was pretty cool. There are even gift shops, bars, and restaurants inside the stadium. The Cubs won the game 6-3. I really think there were more Cubs fans at the game than Brewers fans. After the Cubs won, we witnessed a serious fight between a Cub fan and a Brewers fan. Both people were arrested. Right now, I am watching the Cubs play the Brewers again and it looks like the Cubs will win today's game too! We can't wait for the playoffs to start. It's gonna happen!

Today is Nate's birthday. Our trip to Milwaukee was part of our brithday celebration for him. Happy 31st Birthday, Nate!

It's Gonna Happen.

Summer would not be complete without going to a Cubs game. This has become a sort of tradition for us. On Saturday, we went to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs vs. Phillies. Eventhough the Cubs lost (2-5), the game was a lot of fun. The weather was beautiful, although from our bleacher seats it was really HOT! I have a nice sunburn as a souvenir. Of course, we enjoyed all the great Wrigley Field food while watching the game. When the game finished we took the train back to our hotel, right off Michigan Avenue. We went out for a nice dinner and had a few drinks. Our mini Chicago trip was a lot of fun. We're looking forward to seeing the Cubs again when the play the Brewers in Milwaukee. We will be spending the night downtown after the game. I have only passed through Milwaukee a few times so I am excited about actually exploring Milwaukee's downtown. Go Cubs!

I just don't understand why I'm gaining weight.

Some street performers outside of Wrigley. The older guy was really talented. The little guy was just plain cute.

View from the roof of our hotel

The Super Sac Arrives!

For my 26th birthday, Nate got me a super sac! I saw a super sac last spring at a friend's house and have wanted one ever since! It's an oversized beanbag that can fit at least two people. We put it in our computer room to create a perfect reading spot or 'couch' for watching tv. It is so comfortable, I just love it! I think Zoe is convinced that we bought the super sac just for her. It is definitely her new favorite napping spot. Thanks for the best birthday present, Nate! :0)

My Early Birthday

The Birthday Girls

Kalli and Kelli

Last night I celebrated my 26th birthday with a group of friends from work. My friend Kelli's birthday was last week so we decided to have a joint party. It is also the last weekend before we all go back to work, so we decided to make the most of it! About 25 of us had dinner at Kiki B's. We reserved the patio and it was a perfect evening to eat outside. After dinner, we all came back to our house for drinks. It was such a nice night that we got the fire pit going and took our drinks outside. It was great to hang out with all my teacher friends, especially since I will be switching schools this year. I will not get to see them regularly and I will miss them. I can't believe that we are starting work again next week. It's somewhat depressing. I know, I know, no sympathy from the 12 month employees.

Dinner at Kiki B's

Anna, Brian, Jill, Regina
Melissa came!

My good friend, Stephanie, from work

Enjoying the fire pit... and a strawberry daquiri
Denise, Kelli, Anna, Kalli... the pre-k girls!

A Visit from the Hagens

Nate's sister, Sarah, and her family came to stay with us for a few days this week. Our nieces have really grown up! Alysa will be 3 next week and Brianna is 12! Tuesday night we all had a BBQ with my family, including my Uncle Nick who was in town from New Jersey. We also we went to Volcano Falls for some mini-putting. It was so cute seeing Alysa attemp to golf. She was persistant and eventually got the hang of it. On Wednesday we spent some time at the mall. Afterwords, we went to feed the ducks down by the river. I really wish I had taken my camera with us to the river. Alysa really enjoyed feeding the ducks, there were many picture perfect moments. Instead, I have the cute pictures below of Alysa and Zoe. Alysa says that Zoe is her "best friend." They like to chase eachother around the house until they get so tired that they have to take a nap together.

Greek Festival

After a 10-year hiatus, our church revived its Greek Festival. Today was the first day of the festival, it will also be open tomorrow. My brother John and I worked the ticket booth for most of the afternoon. It was a little hot and muggy, but at least it did not rain.... we were worried! Tomorrow Nate and I will be back again to sell tickets and eat some more Greek food. Today's festival had a great turn-out. I saw several old friends and fellow church members. There was excellent Greek food (I sampled a little bit of everything), Greek dancers, and even tours of the church. I'm glad that our church decided to work together and bring back the Greek Festival tradition.

John selling food tickets and handing out menus. It is interesting how many pronunciations we heard for the word 'gyro'.

Taking a break from ticket selling and enjoying a gyro. So good!

I saw one of my students from last year, Selena.

Greek dancers performed throughout the day. The above picture is of a Chicago dance troupe. Below is the dance troupe from our parish.

4th of July Weekend

The Fourth of July weekend this year was busy. We celebrated with my good friends, Dan and Renee. We went to Renee's parents' house for a BBQ by the pool. Afterwords, Nate and I went to the parade downtown. We took Zoe with us, but she did not appreciate the loud noises. Nate spent most of the parade inside the car, trying to console poor Zoe. We figured the fireworks would also be scary for her so we didn't go see them, but we heard every one from our house!

On Saturday we stayed around the house most of the day. We kept busy by printing and framing some of the pictures from our trip to Europe. While in Paris, we bought some artwork as souvenirs. We framed the paintings and put them up in our bedroom. Finally, we have some real artwork to decorate our bare walls!

On Sunday, June 6th we attended our third wedding of the summer. My godmother's sister got married in Olympia Fields, Illinois. It was another traditional Greek Orthodox wedding. Since we are also distant relatives of the bride's family, we saw many of our relatives and good friends at the wedding. The wedding was a lot of fun, I'm glad that we were back from Greece in time to attend!

James and Frangitsa, the happy couple

Cutting the cake...

We spent some time with my godmother, Calliope, and her huband, Kent, during the reception