Hibachi!!!

Yesterday was absolutely perfect! I woke up and hung out with Jack in the morning - playing PIG on his little basketball hoop and then we all went to lunch in downtown Burlington. Unfortunately lunch wasn't that great, so I won't be mentioning the restaurant, but after lunch we all walked around downtown which was a blast. So festive. So fun. After lunch Rickey and I hung out with the two kids at home and then for dinner we all went out to a Hibachi dinner. Yes, this is the type of dinner when the chef cooks the meal right in front of you. Hilarious. The kids loved it. The chef we had was very funny and he kept using a squeeze bottle of saki and shooting shots into my mouth. The first one went all over me, which made everyone laugh. Good times. Great food. Love seeing the kids so happy and having a fun time...not to mention the adults as well. All in all a fantastic family day :)

Jack playing basketball with me. We played PIG all day yesterday. And yes, he doesn't like putting on clothes if he doesn't need to.  

Graffiti in downtown Burlington 

Aunt Jane and Jack at lunch 

Rickey got me a bracelet

Post-lunch hanging on the couch

Hibachi dinner!!

Last-Minute Vermont Trip!!

So I was hanging out in Chicago Friday afternoon, getting ready to hit some holiday parties, when my cousin Ashley texted me the below picture. Apparently my godson Jack responded to a school Christmas questionnaire and included me in the last and most important question on the document: "If you could make one wish come true this holiday season, what would it be?". Jack responded very simply: "Roman come". So cute. It kinda broke my heart to read it, so I immediately looked up flights to Vermont to surprise him. Luckily I had enough miles on United for a free one-way flight, however the only day I could fly is Saturday (less than 24 hours from when I got this text). I spoke with Dan, Ashley's husband, and we decided to make it happen. They had a holiday party at their country club, but luckily the airport is only about 10 minutes from the country club, so Dan knew he could make it happen without anyone knowing. So I landed around 5pm and quickly got in Dan's car and we hustled back. Dan had told Addie, his daughter, that he was going to the bathroom, so by the time we got back Ashley, his wife / my cousin, was a bit worried. When she saw me she laughed and was so excited. YES!!! Love doing surprises, and this was a great one. Jack came over and didn't notice me at first, and then he was in too much shock to realize who I was - too cute. Addie loved it and was so happy right away. We danced and laughed and had an absolutely fantastic night!! Such a great way to get out here with family and just enjoy the holidays. 

The next day (Sunday) I went to see Jack's hockey practice, where Dan is an assistant coach, and I loved every second. So cute. Jack scored a bunch of goals in the end-of-practice scrimmage. We rushed home after practice because my sister Rickey and my aunt Jane were about to arrive from NYC. Neither knew I was coming, so Jack, Addie, and I decided to wait out on the street and pretend like we were hitchhiking. It worked amazingly! Rickey was driving my aunt's car, and they noticed us from afar but didn't realize it was me until they got very close. When Rickey saw it was me she stopped the car and jumped out and we had a huge hug. I definitely surprised her :) Feels amazing to put joy in people's lives (not to mention it felt great for me to be around my sister and aunt). We had a great dinner last night and now we are hanging out with the kids and just enjoying family time. So excited to be here. 

My mom arrives late tomorrow night, and I can't wait for her to be in the mix. Going to be a perfect Christmas here in Vermont. I hope everyone is doing well and off to a great holiday week. 

Note that my godson Jack wrote in his class

The country club holiday party that I crashed in Charlotte, Vermont

Addie enjoying the chocolate fountain 

Jack, my godson, doing the fountain right!!

Addie!

Jack LOVES breakdancing. He literally never dances normal to songs. Always on the floor doing breakdance moves

Dan rocking the dance floor like a pro 

My cousin Ashley and her friend Liz - always fun watching the kids on the dance floor

Watching Dan and Jack at hockey practice

My sister Rickey curling Addie's hair

My Aunt Jane playing football with Jack

Jack!!

This morning's view from the hot tub

Holiday Parties and Job Opportunities

So I've decided to open a Bocce Lounge. Yes, I said that right. I want to open a bar/lounge where there are 4-8 bocce ball courts, a stage for live music, pac-man tables, self-serving beer stations, and daily activities. Initially I wanted to open an art gallery, where I could showcase my art and also play music as well, but during my road trip around the US I kept seeing bars that had games...and they were always packed! This got my mind working, and I thought it would be great to combine my favorite game - Bocce - with all the other things I wanted to include: music and art. So I narrowed my locations to Denver, Philadelphia, and Chicago, but when I was back in Chicago it just made the most sense to start my venture there - my hometown where I have the most connections. There are a few bars in Chicago where you can sit at a table that has its own tap and you can pour your own beers. This style of bar has become more and more popular, and so I definitely want it in my establishment. Even better, I want to have a wall-unit where people can walk up and pour their own beer. I had never seen this done, but I contacted the top company that does this self-serve-tap system, Pour My Beer, and talked to the founder Josh. We immediately hit it off, and I then setup a time with him to meet in person to discuss things further. I met with him the day after my birthday and we dove into my business idea and he really thinks it has legs. No one is using his technology the way I want to, so I'm excited to get it up and running. Even better, Josh mentioned a possibly opportunity to work with him on growing his company. So...I could possibly be working on selling this system to other bars and restaurants while I simultaneously get my bar/lounge up and running. Exciting!! I'm not dead set on working with Josh yet, but I'm very excited about the opportunity so we are going to continue talking. 

Of course I hit up some amazing Christmas parties while I was home. Friends of my parents, Len and Beth Richards, throw an annual party at their home in Old Town, so of course I joined. Luckily my friends the O'Leary's, who I stayed with in Ridgway Colorado a few times, were in town and so it was great to see them at the party. So fun. Pics below. I hit up a few other parties when home, and it was just so nice to see everyone and catch up with such great friends. I'm happy to be in Chicago. It's a great place and more importantly, it's where I'm from. 

A fun Christmas party with Mr Richards and Mr O'Leary

The O'Leary's were in town from Colorado for the week - was GREAT to see them