Earlier this month our friend Brian organized a group outing to the Brookfield Zoo just outside Chicago. There were about 30 guys and my friend JoAnn from Boston who was in town making her final arrangements for a condo purchase. She'll be out here in mid March and I am thrilled about that!

The Zoo was great! I didn't really know what to expect and it did not disappoint. The giraffes were awesome and so were the monkeys. The entire facility is really great and well maintained.

After the zoo a large group of us went out to a place called Danny's for pizza and beer. It was a really fun day!

So for Dermott Murphy's 60th birthday party Owen and I went back to Philly and participated in the big shin dig and we had a great time. As part of the festivities Owen's Mom bought all kinds of candy from when Dermott was a boy. This of course included candy cigarettes among other long defunct candies like lipstick, etc. I cannot believe that they used to give these to kids. I mean come on.

Let's forget about how wrong the encouragement is but also they just taste nasty. It reminded me of eating chaulk. But how fun were they to pose with? I mean we all know smoking is badass. Well badass until you get lung cancer.

So recently we went back to Philly for a wedding and also to go to the Jersey shore for some time with Owen's family. We had a great time! This is a picture of us from the wedding. We attended a wedding of Owen's old friend Adrianne. We also got a chance to reconnect with some of Owen's older friends from college. It was good to meet them and swap stories, etc. We partied and had an excellent time with them.

Also in this set are pictures from our trip after the wedding to the Jersey shore. More about that later in a separate post!

Doesn't she look mean in this photo? Like I will rip your arm off if you do not give me a treat right now. I mean I will cut your skin bitch!

So last month the condo association took on a new project and we ripped out all of the front garden landscaping and installed new plants and bushes. I am really happy with the way it turned out and it is much better than the shitty Evergreen bushes that were there.

We have creeping hydrangeas on either side of the entry way, lots of hostas, holly bushes, roses, ferns, etc. I think it turned out really well and it was a lot of work but it makes the place look much nicer.

Recently though the trees have totally shedded and those wings have landed EVERYWHERE! Anyone have any suggestions for how to get them off of mulch without raking away the actual mulch?

I'd like to tell you that I decided to wait until everyone else posted their pics of Bear Pride like 5 minutes after the event happened but really it is just that I am only getting around to downloading and then uploading these pics to Flickr now. :)

Bear Pride 2008 was a lot of fun despite my baby being laid up with a busted knee. We made the best of it and had some wonderful time at home and made some excellent breakfasts for like 8-10 guys each morning.

I did manage to make it out to the Block Party on Sat and the dance on Sunday and it was nice to see everyone. I wish I had more of a chance to see everyone and I am sorry if we missed each other.

It was great seeing all our friends again and I hope next year is even better than this one and Owen can come to all of the events and party like the rest of us.

It is hard to imagine that another year has passed by. This was a crazy year of really high highs and really low lows. It was a year of extremes for sure but one that I look back on and focus on all of the good that came to pass.

We bought our condo, got some great new furniture, got an awesome new dog, had some great trips including Portland which I have never been to and had lots and lots of great times with friends.

Ben and Matt hosted a rockin new years eve party. Their place is perfect for a party duplex style. We had a really good time and it was nice to see a lot of peeps we don't see very often.

I think this is a great pic of Owen, Nathan, and me. We had a good New Year surrounded by lots of friends.

I love this holiday. Mostly because you get to decorate your house with tons and tons of sparkly things. Well that and the presents both giving and getting! :)

Anyway I thought I would share some pics of the decorations at the condo. This is our first year in our new home and it feels special to have it decorated for the holidays.

This year was tough decorating for the holidays because a lot of what I have was not purchased for this specific home. I think most of it works well and we did get rid of a few things and added a couple. I plan to hit the pavement the days after Christmas and get more decorations for next year. Any smart shopper would do the same of course.

The best part is sitting on the couch and looking over and seeing Owen on the chaise with Sandy in between us and then the tree to my left. I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world.

So I've never really talked about my best friends kids but I think it is high time that I did. My best friend Bill lives in Boston where we grew up and I have known him since first grade. He is like a brother to me. In high school I introduced him to a friend of mine named Desiree who was friends with a friend of mine named Kelly.

They really hit it off and started dating and then kept dating through college and got married. I was the best man at the wedding. We were really close and still are. I miss them terribly now that I live in Chicago.

After they were married they started having children and Liam came first and I was asked to be his godfather. This is a really important and serious relationship in Italian and Greek culture and so I was honored to do it for them.

Soon after Desiree was pregnant again with another boy Andrew who has since been nicknamed Dewey. He is hilarious and definitely gregarious. They are so different from each other. Liam is athletic, intense, and rough and tumble. Dewey is much less intense, goofy, and sensitive.

Not too long after Dewey came along Desiree annouces that she is pregnant again. At this point I ask when someone is getting something tied. I mean seriously!! Vivienne, or Vivi was born less than a year ago and finally a girl. YAY!! She is so funny. She is so chunky and such an adorable baby.

Recently Desiree announced that she is pregnant again!! She is due in the spring around April. They will have four kids under five years old. Their house is insane. They are insane.

The kids are so well behaved which is not the norm these days. They are excellent parents and really even though I give them shit about having all these kids I really think that they should have more. Too many assholes have kids and good people are not having enough kids so I say keep going. What's one more to throw on the pile?

Well I finally got around to organizing the pics from our trip to Portland. It was a great time! Mostly because we got to spend some time with vwcub but also because mattycub and zombietruckstop came along as well. We really packed a lot into the short time we had and it was really nice to go somewhere that I have never been before.

Portland is really cool. The city is modern, hip, and has a lot to offer. Everyone seemed young and cool. The food was excellent! I was surprised by the offerings considering the size of the city.

The natural beauty was spectacular! The mountains and the Columbia River Gorge were breaktaking. We also had a nice time visiting the coast and going to Astoria. That picture of Owen and I was taken on the pier at Astoria. I think it is one of the best pictures ever taken of us.

I hope we get the chance to come out that way again soon as I would love to get back there and visit Seattle as well.

So I thought it was high time that I get some pictures of the condo up here now that we are getting settled in. I wanted to post these before I take some pictures next week when the place is decorated for the holidays. I will post those later.

We have made some great progress on the condo. We installed a new kitchen overhead light as well as dimmer switches in the kitchen and dining room. We also installed a new dining room light which you can see in the pics.

We got new furniture for the living room and half of the master bedroom when we moved in. Owen already had part of that set. I am hoping that by the spring we will be able to have a new dining room set and decorate that room. We have lots we want to hang up!

I couldn't be happier with the place just mostly because I get to share it with Owen and our new doggie!

Do memes have a time limit? I'm not sure becsause I rarely do them. This one sounds interesting so I thought I would give it a try.

Post anything that you want, and post it anonymously.

Anything.

A story, a secret, a confession, a fear, a love - anything. Be sure to post anonymously and honestly. Post twice if you'd like. Post as many times as you want. Post something you hate about me, post something you love about me. Post something that means something to you - or something you really wish would go away. But remember, anonymously!

Happy Commenting! :)

It has been a while since I made a post and thought it was high time for an update. The start of 2007 has been exciting to say the least. I don't have as much time during the day to post and read journal because work has really picked up a lot. I shouldn't complain since it makes the days go by more quickly but it is demanding and I need to make sure that I am getting enough sleep and getting to work early, etc. I like being busy so it is ok.

The holidays were fantastic and I was glad to have some downtime at New Years. I needed it after the hugely busy time in Boston for Christmas. It was nice to go home and spend some time with the family and get to see my grandmother who is still struggling to adjust to daily life. I think she is going to have to go into a nursing home soon though because she requires too much care at home. It has put a huge strain on the family and I just don't think it is going to be possible for her to stay with my grandfather.

Owen and I are doing really well and looking forward to finally getting the chance to make a home together in just a couple months. My lease is up in April and we will most definitely be moving in together as we have started the home buying process!! I am so excited!! This is a first home purchase for us both so it is really excited and super intimidating at the same time. I know we will come through it well though since we balance each other out so much. This is really it, the final move into adulthood. When the hell did that happen?

Several members of the Murphy clan were in town this weekend to celebrate the holidays with us and the weekend could not have gone any better. They arrived later on Friday evening so we really only had time for a late evening dinner and a couple beers to get them settled in to Chicago. We went to Gulliver's on Howard in the Far North of Chicago. Home of the "World Famous Pizza in the Pan" as well as home to what must be hundreds and hundreds of electric and gas lamps from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The place is a throwback in time. If you are looking for the "real deal Chicago style" then this place is a must see!

Saturday was a full day for sure. We were up early and then the fun began. We had breakfast at Orange, which is a totally fabulous place and then we went to the Lincoln Park Armitage area for some shopping. Stopped in at Minnie's for a beer or two and then went bowling for the afternoon. We played three games and I got THREE STRIKES IN A ROW!! It was awesome!

After all of that the entire crew came back to my place before we went to dinner. When I showed them around my apartment Owen's Dad was like "Well, now this looks like the house of a gay man for sure!". It was hilarous and the looks on people's faces were priceless. He definitely meant it as a compliment though and we all laughed about it. That night we all went out to dinner and then out for some beers afterward.

Sunday Owen and I got up early and put together a holiday feast. Everything I mentioned in my last post turned out so well. I think everyone was really impressed and we all had a lot of fun.

I am really looking forward to this week going by quickly so we can get to Boston on Friday and spend time with my family too.

Well, I wish I could say that things are going well with my grandmother but for the most part they are not. Each day brings a different set of challenges and she is really depressed about being paralyzed. I think it si so hard once yo get into your 70s and 80s to effectively change. Both my grandfather and grandmother are having a hard time accepting this. She has said t me many times that she just wants to go home so she can die.

I've tried to tell her that she has so many reasons to go on. She has a husband who is still alive and healthy, kids, grandkids, friends, etc. She has a lot to live for and she still has the use of her hands, arms, head, etc. I wish there was something more I could do from Chicago.

For a while we weren't sure that she was going to be able to come home at all. We are hoping that she can come home in October. My Mom and Uncle are making arrangements for that with ramps, furniture rearranging, etc. It is a lot of work and money. It really depends on her health and what kind of care she can get at home. If it doesn't work out then she will need to go to a nursing home. That thought is not a pleasant one for me to think about.

I'm still fundraising for the Easter Seals walk for people with disabilities in honor of Sophie. I am about 68% to my goal and the walk is in less than three weeks! If you have a minute and would like to make a donation please click on the link below. Any amount big or small will help to reach my goal.

http://www.easterseals.com/site/TR?px=1761857&pg=personal&fr_id=1711&s_tafId=9187

So, I wish I could say that my grandmother is doing well but mostly she is still struggling to accept her paralysis. She has some good days, especially when people come and visit and really bad days. She said that she just wants to get home so she can die. I have tried to remind her how lucky she is to be alive and how much we all need her. It is all that I can do from Chicago.

So much needs to be done at home to prepare for her arrival, which sounds like it might happen in early October. This would be great since I am going home for a wedding and will get to spend some time with her.

If you have read my journal you know that I am raising money for the Easter Seals Walk With Me in honor of my grandmother. I work for the organization and I am participating in the Chicago event that helps raise money for children and adults with disabilities.

I am about half way to my goal. I am thrilled with the progress but we still need to raise more money. If you would like to help, I would really appreciate it. Any gift big or small helps people with disabilities.

If you visit the link below, it will take you to my personal page for the walk, and I would appreciate it so much if you were able to make a donation to support people with disabilities, including my grandmother.

Here is the link:

http://www.easterseals.com/site/TR?px=1761857&pg=personal&fr_id=1711&s_tafId=9187

Thanks!

Well, I cannot believe it has been over a week since I made a post. It has been a really busy time since I last posted. Work is really starting to take off and I will post more about that later.

This post is really about asking you all for your help. As many of you know, my grandmother just went through some major surgery and as a result her life has been saved, but she is now paralyzed from the waist down. This includes her bowels. She is going to need to fight hard through rehab and will then require around the clock care once she gets home in early October.

Coincidentally, I work for Easter Seals, a major charity that helps both children and adults with disabilities. There is an Easter Seals walk here in Chicago in a month or so and I am raising money in honor of my grandmother.

If you visit the link below, it will take you to my personal page for the walk, and I would appreciate it so much if you were able to make a donation to support people with disabilities, including my grandmother.

Here is the link:

http://www.easterseals.com/site/TR?px=1761857&pg=personal&fr_id=1711&s_tafId=9187

Not exactly sure how to make it a live one, but I am sure you can cut and paste it into your favorite browser.

Thank you so much for your support!

I am super p-siked for tonight!! Later on, bigrock and I are going to the gym and then when we get back, I am going to cook some dinner for us and we are going to watch the first three episodes of Rome, that new series on HBO. I have heard really good things about it and I have also heard there are totally hot guys in it and lots of rauncy sex scenes! YAY!

I am also happy about Battlestar Galactica returning tonight, I missed it last week.

GO PATRIOTS!! I am loving the fact that they beat the Raiders last night. It was a good game though, and I loved when Wilfork got his hands on the ball. That was awesome!