Merry Christmas!!!


Yep, the card is late…sorry, it seems to get later every year.
Next year’s Christmas card will come around August (right after I send out our 4th of July invitations.)

Hopefully this letter finds you in pre, present or post holiday merriment and joy! We are doing our best here to keep the meaning of Christmas above the stress and craziness that goes with it all.

We all started the year out with a trip to see the Grand Canyon and catch a pre-season Cub game in Arizona. If you have not yet seen the Grand Canyon, it should be high on the list…”amazing” just doesn’t cut it.

Luke and Bridget are rocking in the report card department, and Mary has graduated to “Destroyer” earning her black belt in ROOM TRASHING and BOOK RIPPING. We are keeping an eye on that development.

This year’s card is a little different. I wanted to share with you one of my favorite things to do, and because of that, this card comes with specific instructions. Before turning this page over, please prepare by completing the following steps.

1. Get a nice hot cup of coffee or tea. (For those of you on the North shore or West coast, you may substitute a Grande double decaffeinated alfalfa mocha latte half-caf or whatever the current popular coffee house nonsense makes ya happy!)

2. Gather the current newspaper, find your favorite place to sit on a quiet afternoon, spread the paper all around your feet and read the funnies. Include these funnies. This is a collection of some memories and moments from the past year, in funny pages format. I always hear we should be in the funny pages…so be it!

3. Fall asleep.

(EXTRA CREDIT) When you’re done, and it’s time to clean up the Christmas clutter-give this to the kids to color, fold into Christmas origami, start a Yule log… hey it’s your card, make something up!

4. Have a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year. Our wish for you is that you always find ways to smile, and laugh at yourself. (We will continue to laugh at you. Laugh…and point.)

Love…Ken, Jill, Luke, Bridget, Mary and…no that’s it…ANDERSON!

R.I.P. Mr. Santo

Today the Chicago Cubs lost thier biggest fan, and Cubs fans lost the best ally they ever had to ward off the 100+ year blues.
Thanks Ron, for your charity, your selfless work for JDRF, and for your inspiration.
Thank you mostly...for the laughs!

From one die hard to another...

A New Brew Review: Saint Bridgets Porter

I guess it's time to take my beer snobbery to a new level...Brew Reviews. Why the hell not? Afterall, most reviewers have not the first, slightest clue about what they are reviewing. (Okay, thats MY opinion, and this being MY blog, my opinion is all that matters. Deal.) That being said, since I have no expertise in all matters beer, (aside from a family history of over indulgers and a spanking beer belly starter kit,) I'd say I'm perfectly within my rights to give you a well balanced review. And let's be real, if what I type can get you to TRY a nice IPA instead of a case of MGD 64 or some other GOD AWFUL SWILL...then my work here is done. Until another beer comes my way.

SO HERE GOES KIDS...MY FIRST BREW REVIEW!
NAME:SAINT BRIDGET'S PORTER
TYPE:(ROBUST)PORTER
BREWER:GREAT DIVIDE BREWING COMPANY
DOM/IMP:DOMESTIC,DENVER
COLD/WARM:COLD
BOTTLE/CAN/GLASS/OTHER:GLASS
WEBSITE: http://www.greatdivide.com/

SNOB REVIEW: Porter's , or stout beers, are not my favorites for a few reasons. Dark, peppery or chocolaty notes are hard to pair with anything for me, especially cold which is how we Yanks drink 'em. Secondly, porters are heavy, slow beers that don't lend well to pounding, and have a hard time following each other at all. (Okay unless you are a soccer hooligan. I'm not.) Most porter's I have tried have a flat finish and dead weight along with the dark root beer coloring. This beer did however stand out just a little. Very little head, dark body and open airy aroma on pour were all present, but the harsher notes were not at first sip. A pleasant, clean, malty finish that almost disappears after a sip or a slug. Most beers with that nature are watery or cheap, but this was not in the least. It simply has a full body with little left to say afterwards. I'd pair this with BBQ ribs or a nice steak and taters, or maybe a swordfish. I'd be careful with chicken, despite what the label suggests.
Overall rating: 7 out of 10
REGULAR GUY REVIEW.
This is one of those "black" beers, like Guinness. It smells kinda skunky and taste's like licorice a little bit. Big chugs taste bitter, so you should sip it until you get used to the taste. You'll want to look like you know what your doing if you order one up, so get it in a glass, because no matter how cold the damn thing is it'll taste warm in a bottle. Tilt the glass slightly and pour quick, the foam wont pop up too much.
SHOT PAIRINGS: Jagermeister. Chugability: 1 out of 5


OTHER/SPECIALS:According to the label, St. Bridget was the patron Saint of Ireland known for transforming her bathwater into beer for thirsty clerics. This may explain the silhouette of a curvy girl dancing on the label. Why, I have no idea.

The Luke and Billy show!

WHAT A GAME!!! WHAT A GAME!!! WHAT A GAME!!! DATELINE; JUNE 29TH, PALATINE IL
WHITE SOX VS. ORIOLES
Memories are sometimes made from moments that appear in the blink of an eye. The video below is only 30 seconds long, but it shows 30 seconds that will stay with us for a lifetime. It's a grainy, shaky video of a baseball game played June 29th during the Palatine "World Series" game. Billy, Lukes best friend, had reached first base on a walk and proceeded to steal second, then third!. "Thats a start!" we called...one run was all we needed! It was the bottom of the eighth, extra innings for little leage. A few seconds before the video was shot, I was scrambling to get the phone from my pocket and turn on the recorder. "LUKE HAS ANOTHER CHANCE!" his aunt reminded me. ANOTHER! It suddenly hit me...I turned to reply, and noticed the crowd had doubled. The other baseball games had ended, curious coaches and parents strolled over to see the end of the big game. Some of Luke's past coaches were there, "What's the score? Who's at the plate? Tied? Wow, exciting game!..." Exciting was an understatement. The sox had taken and lost an early lead, and watched the other team steadily add runs. But in the 5th Billy made an awesome double play at third, and in the 6th they started a comeback. With bases loaded and 2 strikes, Luke had plinked one up the middle. Two were in, the score was tied, and I strutted over to Jill..."He did it! He tied the game!" I was beaming. Nothing else could have made me more proud, afterall he had told me he was nervous before he got to the plate. I suppose he had reason to be nervous, his Grandpa was watching, too. Grandpa,or 'Coach' as his kids still call him, had been working with Luke on his swing. He had put what he had learned to good use. If nothing else happened, I couldn't have been happier for him. Now all we hoped for was an extra innings win! LUKE HAS ANOTHER CHANCE!" was ringing in my ears. I scrambled for my cell phone, there at Home plate was my son, watching a kid fire fastballs at him like a pitching machine. "VOOM! BALL ONE! VOOM! STRIKE ONE!" It had become very quiet, I clicked record. 'VOOM..STRIKE TWO!"- "Yer swingin' early Luke! Yer swingin' early! his teammates chanted. "EYE ON THE BALL BUDDY! KEEP YER EYE ON THE BALL...

MAYHEM!!!! "THAT'S MY BOY!!!" I called... I don't remember how far the ball went, or where it landed...30 feet, 430 feet...it didn't matter. A sweet "PING" and the ball dropped before it was touched somewhere up the middle... Billy chugged across home plate and turned to mob Luke with the rest of the team. One of Lukes coaches slapped me on the back "GET OUT THERE!" he said... I met him at the fence, wanting to grab him and hug him and squeeze him and embarass him...but settled for a hair ruffle and slap on the butt. His smile said everything, and he saved his big hug for his Grandpa, "Coach", sitting in the front bleachers. A few moments later, the Ump handed Jill the game winning ball. "Mrs. Anderson, this belongs to you." Tears all around. 30 seconds are on the video...but the moments I never captured will stay with us forever. Luke was over it by the next day, there was a summer of fun out there, and he and Billy had plans, and both of them were done answering questions, but I suppose that's how it's supposed to work. Every time I bring up the hit, Luke reminds me of the run...It was Billy who got crossed the plate, afterall. Congrat's to the Palatine 5th grade White Sox! You ALL made us proud!

Faboo

Down with the Flu...boo hoo.
Luke and I both got whalloped. So much for not being sick all year.

I have the urge to start bloggin' again, and once I think of something to say I will. Until then, chicken noodle soup, sleep, and NyQuil dreams await...