Amy & Steve strike a Pixar pose
Our Halloween costumes (just don't ask about the spandex!)
Archive for the ‘Adventures’ Category
Oct
0
Corn Maze at Jonamac Orchards
Last weekend we returned to Jonamac Orchards for some fall activity fun in their corn maze. You may recall that we first checked this place out last September.
Beautiful Fall Sky
Steve & Amy tackle the corn maze
Jonamac is located in Malta, IL, right off the Lincoln Highway near DeKalb. It just takes a bit of travel from the city. Hop on I-88 and keep driving for a while!
Sep
1
Camping at Rock Cut State Park
Recently Amy & I packed up the RAV4 with our tent and headed out to Rockford for a little camping and mountain biking. The weather couldn't have been more cooperative. We had an awesome time!
Steve conquers... the bridge!
Rock Cut State Park is located on the northeast edge of Rockford, approximately 1.5 hours from Chicago. We've camped here before with larger groups, but this time around it was just us. Having spent the summer of 1995 living in Rockford during my internship at WIFR-23, Rockford holds an "interesting" place in my heart. I think I'll leave it at that.
Our Campsite at Rock Cut State Park
Amy relaxes with a book
We didn't make advanced reservations, but had no problem getting a campsite. Thanks to some advanced notes my parents took on their last time at the park, we had a good idea which campsite would be best suited for our tastes. We ended up with a nice spot completely surrounded by trees, which made for a quieter, less chaotic experience.
Aug
0
Django, Gypsy Jazz, and Millennium Park
On Thursday night, Amy and I headed downtown to Millennium Park to catch some music as part of the "Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz 2010" series. We did this last year as well and really enjoyed the night of quality tunes under the stars.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion at night
In effect, taking part in something like this is a lot like going to Ravina, with the suburban "snootiness factor" dialed down considerably. Since there is a large lawn at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, you can bring along a blanket and chairs, dinner, and some wine, and just enjoy some great jazz.
Aug
1
Movies in the Park: "Clue"
Last night we headed over to Indian Boundary Park on the North Side to catch another one of the Chicago Park District's summer "Movies in the Park" showings. Over the years, we've experienced many of these free films, including Surf's Up, Kung Fu Panda, and The Bourne Ultimatum. This time around it was one of our favorites… Clue.
Eerie evening sky over "Clue"
We were joined by our friend Nick Rosario — as well as his sister Heather and her two daughters. We made some food and brought it with us to have a little picnic ahead of time, "poor man's Ravinia" style!
Amy & Steve
May
0
Eating at XOCO
Today Amy & I grabbed lunch at XOCO, which is chef Rick Bayless' "quick serve Mexican" place in Chicago that opened last year to much fanfare.
XOCO
It's located right next to his other two restaurants, Topolobampo and Frontera Grill (which we ate at a few years ago). Continue Reading…
Mar
0
An EPIC Leap
Last night I was down at Catalyst Ranch for an end-of-rally party for EPIC, a non-profit founded by our friend Erin Huizenga.
The organization brings together creative professionals to work on projects for select non-profit clients that focus on education, children, and families… all on a pro-bono basis. It's a way for folks to give back and contribute to an organization that is making a social impact, but may not have the resources to fund such projects on their own.
EPIC pulls together what are called "Creative Rally Teams" which focus on projects for an 8-week period. These teams have folks from different design firms and expertise, but often include copywriters, designers, art directors, and Web gurus.
At the end of each 8-week "Rally" period, there's a celebration event, where the teams showcase the work they performed for the 2-3 selected non-profits. Oh, and there's food, drink, and goofy stuff too! Last night the non-profits being highlighted were the American Nutrition Association, Arts of Life, and the Lincoln Park Community Shelter.
Which brings us to ActionBooth. They describe themselves as specializing in "dynamic event photography." They were at the party last night to shoot photos of attendees, donating their time in doing so.
They shot some photos of our friends Meredith Rollins, Tim & Emily Lapetino, and myself… jumping. Yup, that's what we did.
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It's good to know I haven't lost much in my vertical leap! 
Feb
0
It's our 8th Anniversary!
Hey, it's February 2, and besides being Groundhog Day, it's also our 8th wedding anniversary! That's right, on 02/02/02 at 2:02 p.m., we tied the knot!
Sure, we've changed at little…
… but it's been a fun ride. Love ya, Ames!
(Wait, does that mean this blog is 8 years old? Wow, I better work on a redesign soon!)
