39 and Counting....

We celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary by doing a day trip into Chicago -- train (only way to go into Chicago on a Saturday when it is the Taste AND the Cubs and Sox are playing -- each other!!). Walked from the train station to where we were going to see Jersey Boys and then wandered around looking for a restaurant that was open for lunch. Decided on the Italian Village which was only about a block away. It was wonderful -- incredibly cute and quaint. It actually has three restaurants: Saturdays, Sundays and holidays you are sent upstairs to "The Village." We were put in a little booth that actually was a BOOTH -- little door, tiny window, and almost completely cut off from the rest of the restaurant. If it wasn't for little Johanna in the other half of the booth who screamed most of the way through her lunch -- she did want pasta, she didn't want pasta, she didn't want to share her pasta, she wanted pizza....it would have been terribly romantic. The building was built in 1927, and I didn't have any trouble imagining Al Capone and his cronies brokering deals in that same little booth.

Then we went to Jersey Boys. The theater was amazing. Built 102 years ago, it seats 2400. As soon as I found out it used to be called the Schubert, I remembered I had been there before -- as a freshman (?) student nurse, we were given tickets to see Carol Channing in "Hello Dolly." Same nosebleed section -- but oh, it was fantastic!

We really enjoyed this musical. Warning: the language is a bit rough....but the music is SO our era! The story is about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons -- just one of the more than 10 or so names that the group was called. Remember songs such as: "Oh What a Night", "Silhouettes", "Earth Angel", "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "My Boyfriend's Back", "Dawn", "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", and "Rag Doll." ?? They were all there, and more.

Standing ovation -- the roar of the crowd -- great way to celebrate!!

What are the chances???

Linda and I did it again. This is the second time -- hoping it will be the last.

Carole's son Soren got married this past Tuesday. It was a lovely beach wedding which requires slightly different attire from your normal evening church wedding -- especially since we had to scramble down the dunes to get to where the waves were lapping dangerously close to the wedding party. In fact, the guitarist had to make a hasty move to dry ground when his loudspeaker got a bit damp. But I digress.

Needless to say, there was lots of discussion about clothes, and exactly what DOES one wear to a beach wedding, shoes and so on.

You might remember, back in the days of yore when I really was the MOB, I had chosen a MOB dress from one of the zillion catalogues that keep the post office in business. It was a lovely evening gown, long, beaded, and eggplant. Linda's son Adam got married two weeks ahead of Torrey, and for her MOG dress, she chose -- yes, the same one.

She bought the purse which we both carried. OK, so it wasn't the same day, and we weren't wearing it at the same time, and only Linda's and Carole's families overlapped the two weddings. But it was a but humorous, none the less. Linda is about 5-2 if she stands on her tiptoes, and I am close to 5-9. One would not think we would choose the same dress.

But we did then, 3 1/2 years ago -- and we did it again. This time we were both guests at the wedding, sitting next to each other. It would simply Not Do to appear in the same sage green, crinkle cotton lace dress. Since she got hers first, I perused the catalogues and found something that would be very nice -- and not at all like Linda's.

Good thing I did get something different. Her's arrived.

Mine is still wherever they carry stuff that is on "back order."

If it comes in time, I think I may wear it for Andy's wedding (Linda's other son) which is in Seattle on August 1.

Weddings are SO fun!!