Shawn's new toy

When we moved to Oak Park this past October I spoke with a banker at Chase and discovered that I can earn points when I use my debit as a credit.  Since then I have been doing that and I found recently that I had earned quite a lot of points!  I was trying to decide what to cash the points in for when I realized that I could get an Amazon.com giftcard and use that to buy Shawn something he has wanted for quite awhile.  So...I got him a gift that he loves!  He new friend, the Voice-Activated R2D2!

This is R2D2.  Personally, I am discovering that he is actually pretty annoying, but I can't make him listen to me.  He seems to prefer Shawn!  He has a pretty handy little cup holder (as you can see in the picture, he likes Keystone Light too!) and he has a bunch of preset commands that he is supposed to follow.  For me he just wanders around the room and makes a lot of noise.  The important thing is that Shawn likes him!

Blackhawks Game

As anyone who knows Shawn or I probably already knows, neither of us is really very keen on Valentine's Day.  We both think it is a fairly lame holiday and that people are lazy in their relationships if they think they need a special day set aside once a year to tell the person they love how they feel.  So, when it just so happened that there was a Blackhawk's game on Valentine's Day and I didn't have to work we decided to go!  We had so much fun!  The place was packed and they were celebrating Valentine's Day as you can tell from this picture!

The Hawk's were playing the Dallas Stars and it was a great game from the start!  The guys sitting next to us were pretty annoying and seemed like total jackasses, but we didn't let them ruin our fun.  Our seats were pretty shitty, way up at the top, but the view was still great.  We didn't have any trouble seeing any part of the game.  We are going to be going to another game in March and we have much better seats for that game...so excited!

We had never been to the United Center before, so we made sure to stop on the way in for our picture with Michael Jordan!

Overall we had a great night, but then again we always have a great time when we are together doing stuff we both enjoy. With me working nights and Shawn juggling 2 part-time jobs, anytime we can spend together doing something outside the house is a great time for us!

Engagement Pictures

Yesterday our photographers came up to Chicago to do our engagement photos. They will be making our save-the-dates from these pictures so we schedule this last month. The plans were made but unfortunately the Chicago weather decided not to cooperate. It was raining all day and it was cold! We still managed to take some pictures, but not as many as we would've liked too. I was pretty bummed about it. Hopefully the ones that we got will turn out well, but I think we're going to try to make some plans with the photographer to take some additional pictures next time we're in Indianapolis.

Stuff

The last couple of months have been so busy with wedding planning, the holidays, work, etc.  I feel like time is just flying by.  I don't like that anymore! I wish time would slow down and let me enjoy each day a little more.  I guess there's nothing I can do about that except make sure that I make everyday count.  I'm going to try to remember that I said that everytime I get offered an extra shift at work so maybe I won't take them all...

My wedding plans are coming along really well.  I am getting a lot accomplished and Shawn & I both are really looking forward to it.  We're still trying to decide if we're going to go on a honeymoon after the wedding or wait to do that later.  If you have any suggestions on places to go, let me know!  We are taking our engagement pictures on Wednesday.  Our photographer is coming up from Indianapolis to take the pictures here.  I really hope the weather cooperates!  I am really excited to do the pictures, plus they photographer is going to make our save-the-dates, and sending those out makes the wedding really official :)

I finally have medical and dental insurance again through work!  Now I have appointments with a ton of doctors!  My neck still bothers me quite a bit, so I think I'll go see the doc who will be my regular family doc.  That way she can be aware of what happens and maybe give me a referral for some physical therapy or some pain medication that works better than ibuprofen.  We'll see.  I also will be able to go to the dentist again...and I never thought I would see the day I was excited about the dentist!   I am though because it has been too long!  

Mimi will be coming to visit soon...yay!  She's going to come visit while Eric is on Spring Break that way Mom and Eric can come up to Chicago with her for a couple of days before we head back to Indianapolis to do wedding stuff.  We have to have a massive bridesmaid dress hunt and we're going to do the tasting for the reception :)  Yum!  I can't wait until she gets here!

Um....Christmas?

Shawn and I did manage to get the theater before Christmas to see "Four Christmases" with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn.  It was a cute movie but not at all like the four Christmases we had to manage in a matter of 2 days!  Christmas Eve Shawn had to work, so as soon as he got off work we packed up the car and started on our Christmas adventure!  First stop...My Dad's family.  Christmas Eve at the Murf's is a tradition and Mimi and I haven't been able to participate in years, so it was really great to be able to spend Christmas Eve there this year (plus I totally missed the perogi's!).  It is definitely a different experience than we were kids, now all my cousins have kids and they are so entertaining.

Caitlin the Christmas Elf :)

Fabian, Tommy and Tyler making toy guns out of huge Legos.  I think I have about 6 of these types of pictures!  haha

My cousin Kimberly and her sons, Fabian & Christian.

The bigger girls, Sammy, Tori and Brandy, think they're too cool to hang out with all of us dorky adults!

We headed out that night after dinner to Shawn's family at his grandparent's house in Wakarusa. The drive wasn't too bad, only a bit over two hours.  We had our gift exchange with Shawn's parents and brothers that night then the next day Aunts & Uncles arrived with more kids.  It was a really nice day with tasty food...but we weren't done with our Christmas yet!

Shawn's Dad, Bob, is opening his present with a little help from Shane.

Looks like Shawn is stuck with me as his Christmas present :)  hehe

After lunch we were on our way down to Parker City for Christmas with the Manning Family.  My Aunt Colleen & Uncle Michael were having Christmas at their house, so we headed over to open the presents from our Christmas drawing.  The younger kids are not included, but Shawn and I were in the drawing this year.  Dave also brought his presents for us since this the time we had to spend with him for Christmas as well.  We didn't hang around to eat because Mom was expecting us so we could have Christmas dinner with her and open our present there at her house.  Yikes!  Lots was accomplished, but after dinner at mom's we just go to relax and that was nice.

Holly loved her Bears jersey from her favorite cousin...ME!

"OMG!  Twilight!  So freakin' cool!"  I think Haley liked her presents too.  Again from the greatest cousin ever...ME!

My super cute Eeyore Precious Moment from Mom...Isn't it the cutest?!

'

Super sweet Superman shirt from Mom.  Probably the coolest Superman shirt Shawn has gotten in awhile!

Could I have gotten a more appropriate book for Sara?  I think not.

Family Guy of course...the only show Eric ever watches.  And he watches constantly!!

So overall it was a great Christmas.  Busy, but great.  Shawn only had 2 days off of work so we had to rush back to Chicago, but it was nice to get to come home for a few days at least.  Hopefully we'll have some more time next year.

So I realized as I was reading other people's blogs this morning that my blog completely skipped over Christmas!  I don't know why that happened...probably due to the post-engagement excitement :)  I have not been blogging much lately either because I have been so busy planning wedding stuff.  I am having a ball with the planning though.  Anyway, I wanted to share my Christmas so here it is.

Wedding Planning

Shawn and I have gotten full swing into wedding planning mode - or I guess I should say that I have! Shawn is helping, but he's not nearly as into the planning as I am :) We have set an offical date and set some deposits down, so it is now officially on! I have set up a wedding website with all the information our guests will need, so check it out to keep up with the wedding info!

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/LisaLach&ShawnMcGaughey

Goodbye 2008!

2008 is over!

Thank goodness this year is over. For a year that started out with such promise, this year really hasn't gone at all the way I planned. New Years 2008 I spent out with Shawn and my best friends. Then Shawn decided to tag along with me as I started my journey as a traveling nurse, with our first stop in D.C. Once we got to D.C. our relationship changed a bit and we realized how much we really cared about each other. A beautiful relationship began :) Neither of us really liked living in D.C. so we decided to come a little closer to home - Chicago!

Now is where the trouble begins. As you all know, Shawn, Theresa and I were in a car accident in May and it complete turned our lives upside down! We moved back to Muncie so my family could help care for me after my injuries, since I was unable to work. As a traveling nurse, if you can't work then you lose your apartment, your income, your benefits (including your health insurance). I learned a lot about how much our government cares about people who are injured and can't work...they don't care at all unless you're disabled permanently. Anyway, thanks to Shawn and my fabulous family I made it through and finally got back to work in November and moved back to Chicago. Shawn and I thought our year was looking up for the last couple of months. Little did I know, the worst shock of the year was still to come.

In November, one of my best friends and a person who has been a huge part of my life since I was 17 years old was killed in a car accident. Leif was a great friend and a wonderful, caring person. I don't know how to cope with this but I'm still trying. It will be a long time before I can understand and truly be at peace about Leif's death. Thanksgiving then was nice since I got to fly to visit Mimi and as an extra bonus this year, Mom and Eric came too!

I figured then that my birthday would be one last positive thing to bring this horrible year to a close...then my car got broken into on the eve of my birthday! Passenger side window shattered, but thankfully nothing was stolen (except 5 quarters, go figure!). Still...$330 dollars later my window was replaced, just in time for Shawn and I to go out for the birthday evening Shawn has planned for me. I knew we were going to dinner somewhere and to see Wicked at the Oriental Theatre. I was really excited about that. Then, my terrible birthday took at wonderful turn...Shawn proposed at dinner :) Even though we haven't been a couple all that long, we have been close for longer and a year like we had with the challenges we faced can really do a lot to bring people together. Almost losing someone can really make you realize how much you want to be together. It gives you a sense of what is truly important! So, I thought at least the year ended well!

Then...we got a flat tire, and it wasn't one that could be patched. My tire, which was only 3 months old seeing as I just got my car at the end of September, was litterally torn due to hitting a pot hole. Then I discovered that the tires on my car are kind of special, seeing as I have a little car but it has 16" tires, which is not standard. Anyway, more $ spent on my car for the stupid special tired (+ road hazard). So, after all that Shawn and I decided to spend New Years Eve at home where bad things aren't likely to happen! I made some snack foods, we got some beer and champagne, and I made a Welcome 2009 cake. We had a good night together and now it is 2009, which will be a great year and likely the year Shawn and I get married!