The Social Event of the Season

Earlier today, my father, John, held a party at the VFW Hall in Naperville. In June, he was married to Mary, and they now refer to themselves as the Marinjaks, combining their names.
I was supposed to bring a P.A. system and rig up my IPod to have some tunes playing as background to the events of the afternoon, but due to the dramatics of getting 6 people (3 who are younger than 5 years) ready, I brought all the heavy equipment but left the tunes on the counter at home. I also planned to have a microphone to hook up to the P.A. so people could stand up and say a few words. I also thought about saying a few words, myself, if the opportunity presented itself, and if I did, they'd probably go something like this:

I had a hard time when Mom passed away, as I am sure Dad, John, Dave, as well as every one of her family and friends did, too. I could not imagine life without my mother and father, married and in our lives. If I could not have the ideal situation, I wanted Dad to be "Papi" to my babies, living in his condo in Naperville, just down the street. I wanted this forever.

When my Dad began dating, I, again, had a hard time because I had not moved on, yet. I understood that what I felt was immature and selfish, but I could do nothing about it. I tried. When he began dating Mary exclusively, I pouted again. I struggled with what I was feeling, and felt horribly unfair to both Dad and Mary, even though I found it quite easy to be around them and genuinely enjoy their company. How could I not? Dad simply beams when he is with Mary. I could clearly see that they were happy, and after a short while, I was relieved to feel that I was warming to the idea. Mary's family had been wonderfully hospitable to our family. Jim and Patrice invited us into their home many times for St. Patrick's Day and Easter and other celebrations. Our children, especially Aidan, warmed to Mary, inviting her into his play world whenever she and Dad came by to visit. Soon, the excitement the kids expressed over "Papi and Mary" coming to visit (or having the boys over to spend the night) sounded much better to me than when I wanted it to be just "Papi" living lonely for my selfish wishes.

So today, we are all here celebrating this milestone in Dad's and Mary's life, but we are also celebrating our own good fortune. We've each gained an entire family of wonderful people. To Mary's family, welcome to the fray! Jump in! It's the only way to do it! I can't imagine a better way to spend this day! Raise your glasses.

May the roof above you never fall in,
And those gathered beneath it never fall out.
Sláinte!

Believe it or not, between chasing our little monkeys all over the VFW Hall, we were able to snap a few pictures of our family. Please, if anyone has more pictures from the event, SHARE THEM WITH ME: daniel.ridges@yahoo.com

Please enjoy ours:

All Points Bulletin!

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN?

She was last seen in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong, conducting what the employees of a local cell phone company can only describe as "shady business deals".

If you spot this woman, or can provide any details of her whereabouts, please notify Daniel Ridges. Her children miss her very much:

(Caitlin is crying on the inside)

For the love of God, bring her home, so her husband will stop doing things like this:

What the?

Bears 27, Packers 20

What a game! What a game! Al Michaels said that this could be a season-turning game, but I'm just glad the Bears won this one. I picked the Packers this week, only to preserve my lead in my pool, thinking they'd keep the momentum they'd gained in the first four games.

I'll take the loss though. Jacob, the ever faithful Bears fan, took first place for the week.

Shweet.

Yay! 10 Years!

Dan and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary last month. Contrary to all the negativity, I think marriage is amazing. We continue to enjoy each other as the craziness of our big family swirls about us.

We have a tradition every year where we take a picture together, go to dinner and fill out the wedding anniversary book that Mom Ridges gave us as a wedding gift. Here is the picture from this year:

We have filled it out for all the years we have been married except the year we had the Girls. Ah, well, to be expected. We plan to celebrate our anniversary when we take a cruise with some close friends and family in the Spring.

Just SHUT UP about it!

What a let down this whole past week has been, baseball-wise.

Plah!


AND... Jacob's soccer team, the Chicago Fire Jrs., succumbed to the heat yesterday and lost to the Hoffman United Rockets 4-3 in a game to determine first place in their league.

Poor guys didn't know what hit them. They were up by 3 during the first half, and the rockets kicked it up and overcame them.

It wasn't a good weekend for sports in our household.

Maybe things will change tonight.

Go Bears!

At least the Saints are winning at this moment. (Knock on wood.)

White Sox Fans...

"We'll root for anyone the Cubs are playing."

Come on, now, White Sox fans. Think outside of the box.

The Cubs tanking in the post season is about as surprising as the sun rising in the east every friggin' morning.

And, frankly, reveling in this loss is unnervingly Pavlovian.

Here are a few ways that you can channel your unfounded rage and spite:

1. You can take up quilting and make a large "We were wrong" quilt. It gets pretty cold in Chicago come World Series time. And, if things end early for the Cubs, you can put it away for your great grandchildren when this opportunity rolls around in the next 99 - 100 years.
2. Writing letters can be very therapeutic, and in this era of technology, emails can be just as effective. Email Jerry Reinsdorf and Ozzie Guillen a list of events going on around Chicago in October. The Chicago Fire are having a decent season, and they play through the end of the month... The Fire... No, they're a soccer team... Yes *sigh* Chicago has a soccer team! (You might want to forward a copy of that list to Lou Piniella & Jim Hendry [and me, for that matter!]).
3. You can start a petition to make Joan Cusack the Chicago White Sox mascot.
4. You can begin hiding the sharp objects and the blunt, television-damaging projectiles in preparation for the Bears game on Sunday. That's what I've occupied myself with for the better part of today.

It's late, but I'm sure I can think of more.

Now get a good night's sleep. This may all be over tomorrow.

OK. We're coming back home.

Where my hitters at?

What happened, Theodore?

Is Daryle Ward's butt really that big?



Come on Cubbies! This is becoming cliché.

Loooooooooooooooooouuu!

"Baseball Dreams"

In Little League I played right field
‘Cause no-one my age could hit the ball there
And my best friend led the team in hits
And I was lucky if I got to bat
Hitless through my childhood years
My baseball dreams all disappeared, but...

I always wished that I could be a Cubby
Wrigley Field, summer afternoon
In the top of the ninth I’d catch a long fly
To save the game like I could never do

And maybe someday I can be a Cubby
Even only for a day or two
I’ll sit on the bench, ‘cause that’s where I play the best
But my heart will be beating Cubby blue

But I always wished that I could be a Cubby
Wrigley Field, summer afternoon
From the bleachers to the stands
Every woman child and man
Will stand and sing with voices loud and true

And maybe someday we can watch the Cubbies
Win the World Series once again
Bases loaded in the ninth, I’ll step up to the plate
And hit the ball to Waveland Avenue
To win one for the Cubby blue

-Ralph Covert


Let's go, Cubbies!!

Hong Kong Zoo?

Karen was due to travel to Hong Kong for work this past week. The trip was postponed so we took advantage of the (global) warm weather and went to the zoo! Melissa, our new Au Pair, came with us. Melissa is from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The kids love her warm demeanor and we are thankful for her patience with our busy family.



Here are some of the pictures from Sunday's trip to Brookfield Zoo. It was a beautiful day, and the girls "got it" for the first time. It was great to hear them squeal with excitement.


Here are Caity & Isabel at the Hamill Family Play Zoo:




Jacob & Aidan, tending to the lemurs:



And Melissa, enjoying the great weather and seeing the Brookfield Zoo: