Chicago

....the musical that is.

For my birthday, Dave got us tickets to see "Chicago" on Sunday at the Ambassador Theater in NYC. It was fabulous! Of course, we both had seen the movie, but there is nothing like seeing it live.

And to our surprise, the lead actress who played Roxie Hart was Melora Hardin, who is perhaps best know for her role of Jan Levenson in NBC's "The Office."

That's not her on the Playbill, but as fans of "The Office" it was facinating to see "Jan" in a vastly different role.

It was a warmer day in the city, and we enjoyed a few slices at a place near Dave's work that he frequents before heading to the theater. Afterward, we enjoyed some decadent desserts from Dean & DeLuca near Rockefeller Center.

Baby Name

We have picked a baby name. We thought this would be perfect, especially since ESPN headquarters is in Connecticut.

see more pwn and owned pictures

Oh, how far we've come....

January is over?

January has just passed us by with only writing two blog entries. We are bad bloggers.

But we have lots to tell you all.

First, for those of you we have neglected to tell: Dave and I are expecting our first child! The baby is due at the end of July.

I have been feeling much better since the start of the new year, and we hope to learn the sex of the baby sometime in March.

I also started teaching my class on online journalism this past week at Southern Connecticut State University. It's going to be a challenge. I have 15 students, who are all juniors and seniors.

I rambled through the first class because of nerves -- only to find that I still had 30 minutes left after reaching the end of all of my material. I improvised and held a discussion about the future of newspapers.

The second class was cancelled due to ice! New Englanders aren't as tough as Midwesterns.

This past weekend, we celebrated my birthday -- the big 30! Nate and Kyle took the train up from Washington, D.C., to be a part of my birthday bash on Saturday night. Dave graciously hosted the party. About 20 friends, family and co-workers helped to usher me into my 30s.

Unfortunately, Dave and I didn't take many photos, but my brother did. Check them out here.

We both are looking forward to spring and to the further growth of my belly. Our little chick is doing well.

We hope all is well with all of you.

Mystery Solved ... Sorta

As you may recall, I puzzled last year over not one, but two mystery magazine subscriptions that no one came forward to claim credit for.

"Outside" started arriving followed shortly thereafter by "Men's Health." Now I'm up to my ears in magazines and asking, "Why me?"

Well, I finally called "Men's Health" this morning to find out. The real culprit: Reserve America.

It seems that when we made our reservations for camping last May at Mount Greylock the folks at Reserve America pegged us for a couple of gift subscriptions — or at least that's what the customer service woman at "Men's Health" suggested.

It still doesn't make a lot of sense. At any rate, I cancelled "Men's Health" but think I'll keep "Outside" until the subscription runs out.

The Year That Was/Is

What a year!

And what an end to that what-a-year!

We snuck away from our "real lives" for a week last month to journey back to the Midwest for some (Liz) family time. A red-eye train ride to Washington, D.C. A two-day drive with Nathan and Kyle to Wisconsin. A day trip to see the Bittner clan in Prairie du Chien. An overnight trip to Oregon, Ill., to spend Christmas with the Putnam clan. And finally a Mexican restaurant outing with the Sarahs and their families.

And don't forget to ask Liz and Nathan about their impromptu performances in the Christmas Eve service's bell choir.

The train ride home, from Chicago to New Haven, made us glad to finally see the apartment again. We're still trying to work off the holiday pounds. Meanwhile, I passed into the new year on a midnight train to New Haven after a New Year's Eve shift at Fox News. Liz worked from home and then fell asleep on the couch.

A barrel of fun we are.

End note: We checked out the new movie "Doubt" yesterday. Absolutely wonderful! Kind of a literary thriller, packed with ambiguity, parallelism, motifs, well-drawn characters and foreboding. The English major in me rejoiced.