It's a winter wonderland!

Well, winter has finally arrived in Chicago. The windy city is living up to its name and then some! However, the cold snowy weather did not stop us from having a wonderful holiday weekend. We had two fun filled days of holiday cheer, including shopping on Michigan Avenue, zoo lights., and wrapping presents. While we had to remind ourselves several times what the real reason for the season is, we managed to make it through the experience with smiles on our faces (despite the crowds, rude people, traffic, and soggy feet!)

We've been Elved!

Ok, I'm sure you've seen this new holiday craze. Well, we jumped on the bandwagon and elved ourselves. Check it out at this link: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1345966640 .

(Try not to be freightened by Fiona's elf...It's a little scary!)

Egolf's Christmas Tree video...

Sorry this one wouldn't fit into the last blog...enjoy!

Oh Christmas Tree...Oh Christmas Tree

...how lovely are thine branches. The Sunday after Thanksgiving and on our way back home Chandi-er set up to find their Christmas tree. If you are a loyal blog reader you'll remember the troubles we had last year. Chandi-er purchased a Christmas tree from an urban Christmas tree farm/lot. This year we were determined to have the tree last until Christmas!

There were a few differences this year however that were to some extent going to limit our options. First the car we had to put the tree on was small so we had to keep that in mind as well as having to drive it from Indiana back to Chicago. The first place we stopped was selling tree for only $10! We thought we had hit the jackpot as last year we paid over $70. However our joy was short lived as they were closed. So we got back on the road and pushed on. About an hour later 'er' yelled out that she had spotted a sign for trees. So we turned the car around and headed out into the unknown.

About three miles off the road we ran into a quaint little establishment called Egolf's Christmas Trees Inc.. I have to tell you that they were the friendliest bunch of tree farmers I've ever met; which doesn't do them justice because I don't typically meet a lot of tree farmers. Regardless they were great! They handed us a saw and a cart and pointed us toward the trees.
Well as you can imagine three girls and a saw can't lead to anything but laughter. Just so you, the Chandi-er consumer, can enjoy what we did on Sunday we have posted a short video of the cutting down of the tree. I hope you enjoy it...we did. And the last thing is our finished tree. We can't say enough about how much we love it and how much fun the experience was. I highly recommend to anyone putting up a tree to find your local friendly tree farmer and cut your own. It's a ton of fun!

Turkey Bowl '07

It was that time of year again...time to visit with family and friends to catch up on old times and to get some great deals on Christmas presents; if you were brave enough to face the crowds.
A day when most normal families are sleeping in late and thinking fondly of a big Thanksgiving Day lunch or dinner or both. But not the Haring Family and Friends. We headed to the field!
Not the corn or bean fields surrounding Sweet Aunt D2's and Uncle Glenn's estate...the field being referenced is the south 40... or the Turkey Bowl field.
Some call it the Field of Dreams (mostly the Blackaneers) while others don't have such fond memories. This was the fifth year of that the Haring Turkey Bowl has been played and to date it's Blackaneers 4-1 and Greenskins 1-4.
Andrea did some pretty heavy recruiting this year for the Greenskins picking up four key players. A special thanks to Jason, Jerrod, Jesse and Toby! While the four new additions to the Greenskin roster were key players and came up BIG when called upon the Blackaneers still outplayed the Greenskins; but not by much.
With the game out of the way there was nothing left to do but eat and enjoy one anothers company...so that's what we did. We ate and laughed and ate some more. Then we watched the real games. The Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and Indianapolis Colts all won there Thanksgiving Day games...and next year the Greenskins will enjoy a Turkey Day VICTORY as well!

The Greenskins are currently recruiting for next year's game...should you find yourself available on Thanksgiving morning in 2008 around 9:00am please contact us soon! (8:30am if you want to tailgate)

Andi's Dream Come True...Almost!

Do you see what I see? Can you believe it? Yes, it is a crazy stripe Vespa! I don't know how they did it, but Gap created a Vespa that captures the essence of Andi. How can she not have this fabulous vehicle? What can we do to make her dreams come true??? Can't you just picture her in one of her many crazy stripe sweaters riding on this with a side car on each side totting me and Fiona (with her doggles on, of course, because once you loose an eye it's gone forever!) Man oh man....how can such a wonderous thing not be enjoyed by it's true owner?

Blast from the Past....

This is going to be an on-going feature on the Adventures of Chandi-er...

If you had a favorite childhood toy let us know what it was we'll research it and then blog about it. Follow this link http://www.ladyrebecca.com/quiz/carebears.html to find out which Care Bear you are. Other links for useless Care Bear knowledge can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_Bears or at http://www.agkidzone.com/carebears.action. This last link is an interactive site and has the more modern Care Bears but it's fun!

Andrea is Funshine Bear...n0t a big shock...but interesting...no one will be surprised that Andrea is stubborn or that she's resourceful!

Funshine Bear You are filled with unlimited energy and extremely resourceful. You like to tackle problems and tasks head-on and you gladly accept any jobs that come along the way. However, you often take on too much and your stubbornness won't allow you to accept help from others. But you're always willing to have a good time!

Chelsea is Cheer Bear! No suprises there as we all know that Chelsea used to be a Cheerleader and is quite the team player!


Cheer BearYou're the Care Bear cheerleader! Your spunky personality and optimisim lifts everyone's spirit. Though you want everyone to be happy, you stand your ground on issues you feel strongly about and this can bring disunity among your friends. Despite this, you are a true believer in working together. * Sorry but I can't seem to get an image to paste! I'll keep working on it!

We are still waiting for Erin's quiz results...there seems to be a little discrepence over the results. We'll post it as soon as the results are in.

As a Chandi consumer you are not only asked to take the quiz but the share the results. Ready...CARE BEAR STARE!

GO CUBBIES!

It's an exciting time here in Chicago with the Cubs in the playoffs. To keep the momentum high, here are some lyrics that every Cubs fan must know and sing (trust me, once you hear it you will never get it out of your head!)

Listen to it on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dQPiCi38po

Go Cubs Go (by Steve Goodman)

Baseball season’s underway
Well you better get ready for a brand new day
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.
They’re singing …
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.
They got the power, they got the speed
To be the best in the National League
Well this is the year and the Cubs are real
So come on down to Wrigley Field.
We’re singing now …
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.
Baseball time is here again
You can catch it all on WGN
So stamp your feet and clap your hands
Chicago Cubs got the greatest fans.
You’re singing now …
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.

The Crowning of a Princess.....

Introducing Princess Fiona Smarty Pantelones Huerrero (a.k.a. Fiona)!

Born: Unknown

Age: Approximately 3.5 months

Gender: Female

Coloring: Brown & Black

Breed: Shepherd Mix

Fiona is the newest addition to the Chandi-er household. We are just in love with her, and so is the whole neighborhood! She has more friends than all three of us combined and she loves it! Jynx is thrilled to have a new buddy, but Jasper is still deciding....we hope he will decide in her favor soon!

We are in the process of crate training and potty training Ms. Fiona. She is doing very well in her crate and with the potty-thing, for the most part. If you have any tips or tricks to help us get through the puppy training stage, please feel free to share!

Re-introducing our blog and a few other things....

Ok, we know that we have done a poor job of keeping up our blog. We apologize and are going to try to do better. So, with that said, we are re-introducing The Adventures of Chandi-er.

Since our last posting, lots has happened for us. We have moved, started new jobs, started school and adopted a puppy! Here is the latest information:

• We are now proud homeowners. We have a beautiful, vintage condo in the Uptown neighborhood. Our new address is 925 W. Margate Terrace Chicago, IL 60640.
• Andi began a new job at Aquent in downtown Chicago. Her new office is located right on Michigan Avenue just north of the river.
• Chelsea began a new job at Governors State University in University Park, IL, just south of the city. She is teaching in the Political & Justice Studies program.
• Erin has started taking classes. She completed her summer term in August and got all A's. She is now working and taking a class in Developmental Psychology.
• We have a new edition to our family. Her name is Princess Fiona Smarty Pantelones Huerrero. She is an adorable shephard mix and is three months old. (Pictures will follow shortly.)

We have all been very busy, but is has been a very good busy. We will continue to keep you posted on things here. More later.........

Take me out to the ball game.....(a.k.a Cubs Fight Song)

It finally felt like summer last night as we enjoyed our first Cubs game of the season. The Cubs played the Astros in a make up game and won 2-1, which means the Chandi curse has finally expired! (Long story short, last summer every game we went to, the Cubs lost. We really began to believe that we were somehow jynxing them. However, a new season brings a new string of luck!) So, thanks to Beth & Scott for tickets, Mother Nature for a glorious evening, and the Cubs for a win, Chandi-er got to spend a perfect evening at the ballpark! GO CUBBIES!

Re-introducing....the Adventures of Chandi-er

We're back!!!!
Okay, so we have been absolutely terrible bloggers...We are so sorry! With that, we are going to revitalize the Adventures of Chandi and re-introduce it by adding Erin to the mix...hence,

"THE ADVENTURES OF CHANDI-ER."

So, who is Chandi-er?

Here are some things about each of us.

How do you drink your coffee? (A) hazelnut cream and sugar, (C) hazelnut, (E) black w/ a little sugar

What is your favorite breakfast? (A) Ann Sathers omelet w/ cinnamon roles, (C) homemade huevos rancheros, (E) potatoes, omelet with red pepper, tomato, goat cheese, and mozerella

If you could be any Carebear, who would you be? (A) Funshine, (C) Laugh a lot, (E) Tenderheart

If colors could represent you, what color would you be? (A) Pinks, (C) Greens, (E) Reds

We would like to know the same things about you, so please post your responses.

Also, please let us know what kinds of things you would like us to do to improve the blog. What do you want to know? Hear about? Chat about?

We appreciate any and all feedback......



Sincerely,

Chandi-er

Help us Plan Chandi's Summer 2007

It's time to make some summer plans before time gets away from us. The following events are already in place or in need of being scheduled, so please sign up! (Listed are all the home weekend Cubs games....let's schedule some!)

MAY

4th-6th Chelsea and Erin in Michigan, Andi in Kentucky for the Derby

5th- Happy Cinco de Mayo

13th- El Dia de Madre (Mother's Day)

14th- Damien Rice Civic Opera House

18th-20th- "Crosstown Rivalry" Chicago Cubs v. Sox*

28th- Canoe Trip w/ Cousins!!!! Toby's party!

*There is slim to no chance that we will actually be able to get tickets to this game, but we could enjoy it somewhere else!

JUNE

1st- Chelsea's 31st b-day, Brodi's 1st b-day

1st-3rd- Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves

8th-10th-Andi in Lafayette

17th- El Dia de Padre (Father's Day)

21st- First day of Summer!!!

22nd-24th- Taylor's b-day party

29th- Taste of Chicago begins

JULY

3rd- Chicago fireworks in Grant Park

4th- Independence Day

7th-8th- Tami & Eric in town!

9th- Nic, Michelle, Marcos in town

13th-15th- Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros

- Andi goes to New York

20th-22nd- Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

27th-29th- Moving!!!!!

AUGUST

3rd-5th- Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets

10th-12th- (Open weekend)

17th-18th- Dave Matthews Band in Indy

24th- Chelsea submits dissertation!!!!! Yippee!!!!

24th-26th- (Open weekend)

"Can you tell me how, how you get to....."

"... Seasame Street." We just LOVE Elmo, Oscar, and Cookie Monster!

What Do Star Wars and Easter Have in Common?

Well let's see....I guess creativity and egg coloring. So, it is the second year that we Harings have taken our egg coloring to a new level. Last year's egg-sellent egg went to Sue for her Mike Wizowski egg. This year cousin Travis set the stage with his brilliant egg-pression of Yoda (featured). Well done Travis, well done! However, we rose to the challenge and created an out of this galaxy supporting cast that included a beautiful Princess Lia, a 3-D hairy Chewy, a dead on RD2D (featured), a freightenly realistic Lord Vader, and (not pictured) a glittery renedition of C3PO and a French-ish looking Storm Trooper. It was quite the year for creativity and memories. Do you guys remember that we did all go see the premire of the original Star Wars together in the late 1970's with Uncle Ed? I believe we took up a whole movie theater row in Monticello!!!! Ah..memories! How great is it that the next generation has accepted the torch and kept the Star Wars spirit alive!!!!

Credits: Princess Lia created by Tammy, Yoda created by Travis, R2D2 created by Andrea, C3PO created by Bryce, Storm Trooper created by Dustin, Chewy created by Chelsea, and Darth created by Jordan!

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALL AND HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Come one, come all

The count down has begun....only a few weeks 'til St. Patty's Day in Chicago. Outside of Boston, Chicago has the biggest and best St. Patrick's celebration in the country. We will be enjoying a weekend of river dying, parades, and green beverages! We invite you to partake in the festivities too, and please feel free to share your plans and adventures with us!!!! We will be sharing our's with you, so stay tuned.....

Learn more about St. Patrick's Day events in Chicago at the following links:

http://www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/chicago/index.htm

http://www.southsideirishparade.org/

UPDATE: So this year's St.Patty's celebration was pretty low key. We went to the South Side Parade the weekend before, which is insanity and something everyone who lives in Chicago should do at least once! On St. Patty's Day we enjoyed the dying of the river, and city parade, and a small dose of bar fun at Mystic Celt. It was freezing this year though, so the festivities weren't quite as enjoyable. While still a favorite Chicago holiday, this year we swallowed it in moderation.

It's a winter wonderland.....

Meet Herman, our snowman! Herman was born on February 25th, 2007 in the late afternoon. His place of birth was the rooftop of our apartment building. Although Herman's lifespan may be short, he has given a lot! In his little time, he has brought us an afternoon of great joy and laughter! Thanks Herman!

Happy 26th Birthday "E"

Happy 26th Birthday Erin! (2/25/07)

First of all, we are so happy to have Erin home to celebrate her birthday with us!

Second, we had the most fantabulous dinner ever, thanks to Erin's birthday. If you have never heard of or been to Japanois you are missing out. It is expensive so it calls for a special occassion, but it is totally worth it. Ymmm.....it is absolutely delicious! Can I just say "Crazy Veggie Tempura, Spicy Scallops, and Lobster spring rolls!" If you want your mouth to water, check it out! http://www.japonaischicago.com/

Third, we had a wonderful time celebrating with some of our favorite peeps. Thanks for coming everyone! Cousin John and Susan even hung at the "after party" at Harrigans Pub! Although we may be getting a little old for the college bar scene (some of us older than others), a good time was had by all. Erin got a fee free b-day beverages, which is always a bonus!

Finally, we wrapped it all up on Sunday with "bread day"! At Erin's request, we had bagels for brunch, snacks, deep dish pizza for dinner, birthday cake, and brownies. Could we have eaten any more carbs????

Happy Valentine's Day 2007!

February 14th comes around but once a year...sigh...
Here at Chandi Adventures we've been a bit reminiscent of Valentines gone by...here are just a few of our fondest memories of romantic gestures both small and large. But we still want to be inspired...so share with us something that you have done for love or something that someone did for you in the name of LOVE, LIKE or just CRUSHING! (we love crushes...they are so much fun!) ***It didn't have to happen on Valentine's Day.***

The following happened to us in the name of love:

• single rose left on a car windshield in the middle of the night so when she went to her car it would be waiting for her first thing
• poem read to them
• on the way to a volleyball tournament super early in the morning (think before the sun rises) boyfriend game her a diamond necklace just before she got on the bus
• surprise packages in the mail from loved ones
• giant teddy bear found in the front seat of my car (it actually was a little scary as I thought someone was in my car)
• been taken care of when we were sick

These are a few of the funnest/craziest things we've done for love:

• go completely out of our way just to walk by someone we liked in the hopes that they might see us and maybe talk to us (think Jr. high here)
• drunk/tipsy dial...this really doesn't need more explanation does it?
• flirt with someone else to get the person we really liked jealous...this usually backfires...and you typically end up on a date with someone you don't really like
• follow someone around the county...Dave Matthews...did you notice me?!?!
• making and sending/giving mixed Cd's
• watching hours upon hours of a TV programs/sporting events that we don't even like
• took care of someone when they were sick

2006 The Year in Review

Since this is The Adventures of Chandi blog I will keep the review to what we have experienced together. Looking back over this past year I have to say it holds very fond memories; some that I hope to never forget and a few that I wish I could! Let's re-cap...the interactive part of this blog is that you can fill in the blanks if you happened to be on one of the Adventures with us!

January 27, 2006

• Chels and I moved in together! We should have known what a good year it was going to be when the move was an Adventure in and of itself. To make a long hilarious story short; the movers had to move us along with our furniture!

February

• The Adventures of Chandi Blog officially started...thanks Pete for all the help!
• Andi's car towed for the second time
• Chandi experienced our first un-welcomed yet invited extended guest
• Celebrated our move to Chicago with a friend filled house warming party
• Erin's birthday...she was still in Romania...we missed her!

March

• Witnessing the dying of the Chicago River green for St. Pat's day & following parade
• Actively participated in our first St. Patrick's Day as Chicagonians...with our fellow Chicagonians!
• March Madness...Andi always has a friendly competition with Michelle...this year Andi won!!!
• Went to see the play Wicked...it was great...but I advise not going to see a show the day after St.
• 1st v-incident

April

• Best & worst April fools day joke ever!
• 1st Cubs game of the 2006 season
• Went home for Easter weekend...the Waka-Waka dance is a direct results of gifts from this weekend
• 2nd v-incident

May

• Bring on the babies...baby shower for several cousins that we expecting.
• Early birthday party for Chels turning 30! Several new words were invited at this party...and the cousins found out that Andi cannot kick as high as she thinks she can.
• Memorial Day weekend...nice extra long weekend with another Cubs game.
• 3rd and final v-incident

June

• Chels officially turns 30~ and gets the best birthday present ever...she becomes an aunt on her birthday!
• Went to see Spamalot...super duper funny! Picture fun in downtown Chicago!!!
• Dave Matthews concert in Indianapolis
• Chels met the Lafayette crew...Toby, Jacquie, Marti, Josh, Katie and more...
• Blue Man Group w/ Aunts Sue and Peg

July

• Taste of Chicago
• Cousins come into town for 4th of July weekend celebration.
• 1st Annual Cousins Canoe trip
• Operation Free Mind II

August

• Ch in NY for Dave concert
• andi in TX for Marcos's 3rd birthday
• Dirty Curty visits for interview and apartment shopping

September

• 1st Annual Labor Day Olympics! RV Village a huge success!!!
• Sister/cousin Erin in town for Nic & Tiff's wedding :)
• Erin leaves :(

October

• Pumpkin shopping for the perfect jack-o-lanterns
• Pumpkin carving
• Erin moves back and to Chicago with US!!!
• Halloween at Joe's on Weed St.

November

• Andi's first trip to East Lansing...another adventure...to see Purdue vs. Michigan State football game...Boilers are victorious...but not proudly! Andi is still waiting for her cheesecake winnings!
• Andi's b-day
• Annual Girls Weekend in Marshall, MI
• 4th Annual Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day. Go Greenskins! We'll get 'em next year!

December

• Andi promoted to DM for Schaumburg Office
• Cookie bake weekend in the ville
• Christmas parties galore!
• Off to the Florida Keys to wrap up the year and ring in the new one!!!

Typically I would not speak for the both of us but I can say with complete certainty that we cannot wait for what's around the corner for the 2007! Hope to see you there!!!

Take me down to paradise city......

After a hectic year, at least for Andi and "E", a much needed vacation came our way. Following Christmas with our fam's, the three of us headed down to sunny, beautiful Florida. (We will not discuss the travel nightmares we went through to get there, but none-the-less we arrived!)

What an amazing escape from life.....seriously, how can anyone who lives here worry about anything (except maybe during hurricane season!) We woke up every morning to bright sunshine and 80 degree weather. Our daily routine consisted of coffee, visiting the crabs off the pier, sunbathing on the beach, searching for washed up jellyfish, lunch, mancala hour with our crabby friends, swimming in the pool, some sort of delicious seafood dinner, mancala hour part deux, and falling asleep to the waves outside.

Does anyone want to just say "to heck with it all" and go live in Florida on the beach?

What an amazing way to start the new year.....relaxed and refreshed!!!!

The Progression of a Chicago Christmas Tree

We know it's been a while, and we are sorry for our long absence. We will try to improve!

With that said, we thought we would share with you our first Christmas tree experience in the Windy City. It was definitely a learning experience :)

So, as you may guess, the first tree is a picture of the great Chicago tree in Daley Plaza. It is stunning! The second picture is our Christmas tree that we bought down the street at an urban tree lot for $60. Yes, I said $60. We purchased it mid-December and about 10 days later is looked like the last tree pictured. It literally dropped all of its needles....it sounded like a rainstorm in our apartment each day as branches and branches of dead needles fell to the ground unprovoked.

Did you water it, you ask? Of course we did....and it didn't drink!
Why would such a thing happen, you ask? Well, according to several people it must have been cut in September.

Lesson learned: next year we will either cut our own or go fake!!!!

Funny update: the tress carcus is still sitting in our ally waiting to be taken to the recyclying place.