G-Park Con

One of my favorite places to return to time-and-time-again is the Garfield Park Conservatory, on the west side of Chicago. It's located just a block or so away from where Papa first lived when he arrived in the 1950s from Latvia. Papa joined me, daddy, Gigi, Uncle Dave, Casey and our friends the O'Conors for a quick visit just prior to the holidays. We were all in need of some green colors, warm temperatures, and room to run.

He's Back

The big guy showed up at Bullfrogs & Butterflies again this year. At first I was a bit hesitant to sit on his lap, but I broke the ice by letting Santa know that when I got home I was gonna poop. He replied, "Better at home, than on my lap." The whole store laughed at the back 'n' forth, including my Daddy, who snapped this photo of me asking people to stop laughing.

Merry Christmas!

Zoo Lights

Thousands of lights, huggable polar bears, the polar express train, a carousel AND Santa? Is it Christmas morning already? This was my first year at Lincoln Park Zoo Lights and it was breathtaking. We didn't let freezing temperatures stop us from strolling around the park enjoying the light displays. Fortunately the animal houses provided some warmth and a chance to tell Santa that I want a drumset for Christmas. Mom says I better be good or else Santa won't bring the drums, but I'm not buying that reverse psychology bit.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!

Honestly? The title, photos and video say more than I ever could.

Yes, that is Biz Markie.

Thanksgiving Buttery Goodness

This year we spent Thanksgiving on Bell Street with the Mazzei's. Uncle Vino, Aunt Megan, Uncle Matt and Mom started prepping the turkey 24 hours in advance. First they put it in a mop bucket with something called a brine which they put in the fridge overnight. Then they used a syringe and filled it full of my favorite food, butter and after that they roasted it for almost 5 hours. The resulting bird was oohed and ahhed over by the grownups, but I was just waiting for them to leave the table so I could have at the butter plate.

Check. 1, 2, 3.

My dad has been immersed in the opening of Lincoln Hall, the new music venue he is somewhat in charge of. While I have been there a couple of times, I finally got to attend a sound check last Friday.

The Walkmen were in town to play three shows, one at Schubas and two at LH. I got to know a couple of the guys in the band last year at a wedding in Cape Cod and saw them again at the Pitchfork festival this year, so dad thought this would be a good first sound check for me. Plus Pete- the bassist/keyboardist- had his son Otis in town, so I got to watch the sound check and play with him. And once the band was done Otis and I jumped on stage to jam. Otis took the keys and I- of course- hit the drums.

My First Visit With The Dentist

I'm told you gotta make sure the pearly whites are staying clean and coming in straight, even though they'll all be scooped up by the Tooth Fairy. Therefore, Dad took me to Pine Dental Care for my very first trip to the dentist's office.

The waiting room was well stocked with books, toys and some cool LED lights, but I soon heard my name and headed into the examination room, where the very friendly Dr. Richardson waited. Mr. Bear and I climbed into the comfy chair and were shown all the cool instruments that the Dr. was gonna use on my teeth. I wasn't scared at all and soon found myself pushing my nose to make the chair rise-up and lean back.

It was all over in a flash and the Dr. said I had beautiful, straight teeth. However, I was warned to back off the apple juice a bit and not to eat fruit snacks, but I can deal, cause cookies got a thumbs-up.

A.N. Pritzker Elementary School

The U.S. education is in such a fine state that even a lil ole three-year-old like me has to hope and pray I'll get into a good pre-k class. Yes, that's right. Pre-k, not high school or college. Luckily for me I have a Mommy who dedicated herself to volunteering for Friends Of Pritzker, an organization that raises funds for the continued improvement of A.N. Pritzker Elementary's pre-k facilities.

As it turns out, Mom's hard work and maybe Dad's political rants paid off, when my first day of school arrived on Tuesday, September 29. Ever since, I have enjoyed my weekday mornings with Miss Russel and Miss O'Conner, until either Uncle Vino or Gigi & Papa arrive to pick me up for the afternoon.

I imagine I'll continue at Pritzker until it comes time for me to win a lottery, pass a test, or God knows what in order to- hopefully- go to a safe and good high school.

Harvest Time

I may live in a big city, but I still know how to pick tomatoes. I filled my dumptruck with plump fruit and my Aunt Megan used them to make a caprese salad. Afterward I chilled out in the grass.

Aina's 90th Birthday

My Great-Grandma, Aina, turned 90-years-old in September, which meant yet another visit to one of my Dad's- and by default my- favorite cities, Toronto.

It was my fourth time there and the best yet, as the entire family was along and we stayed in the historic Royal York. The place was huge, had a great little kids pool with a fountain, and a toy store in the basement. Plus, on the day we left they were filming a TV show, complete with gun shots. Awesome.

Some things were the same though. We flew Porter, visited Centreville- where luckily the workers were no longer on strike, so all the rides were running- and as usual the CN Tower seemed to follow me everywhere.

We ended the wekend with Aina's party. It was a beautiful sunny day that really complemented the smile on Aina's face, when her friends and family sang her Happy Birthday.

Little Drummer Boy

I've played drums a few times at Schubas, but the latest was by far the best. Old Fake, my babysitter Megan's boyfriend Colin's band, was supporting Free Energy and he let me have at them for a while after their sound check. Village opened the show and since that was a solo act there was no change over, so Mo- Old Fake's drummer- said I could go play his drums again. I performed in front an audience for the first time. They seemed to enjoy my cymbal dominated version of Twinkle.

Why We Live In Chicago

Dad is a huge fan of Chicago and even more so in September, when the temperatures are ideal and the sun shines the most. This September he or I were away three of the four weekends, so when the second weekend arrived and we were both in town, we made the best of it.

On the Friday night we met Gigi and Papa for a snack and a Lyric Opera performance in Millennium Park. Dad and I liked the greatest hits set and it ended early, so we got to walk around a bit.

Saturday night we headed to Belmont Harbor to check out Redmoon Theater's production of Last of My Species: The Fearless Songs of Laarna Cortaan. I had seen a Redmoon production before and this one had their great contraptions and interesting music, but it was on a much larger scale.

Finally, on Sunday we headed back to the Lakefront for a trip to the Shedd Aquarium. I hadn't been since they unveiled their remodeled Oceanarium and it's Polar Play Zone. I spent a good twenty minutes acting like a penguin and another twenty manning a submarine. I was none too happy when Dad said we had to leave and I gave the fish one heck of a show before I was finally dragged out of there. I passed out before we got back to the car and when I woke from my nap, Dad made sure to remind me that this weekend was why we live in Chicago.

Who Is That Tall Guy?

Dad saw Chrissy and Doug Rathbun, two of his cousins from California, for the first time in many years. They came to Chicago for a visit with their dad Hal, who is Gigi's brother and my dad's uncle. Family can be confusing. Needless to say my dad's cousins- my second cousins- have grown-up. Especially Doug, who is 6 feet 9 inches tall. I didn't even reach his waist.

Not Sure Why Dad Wouldn't Let Me Wear This To School

Oh. Hi. Oh.

My Midwestern Summer tour continued in late-July with my first ever visit to the somewhat great state of Ohio, where dad, Papa, Gigi and I crashed The Ribble Family Reunion in Vermillion. As a little girl, Gigi visited her grandparents often in Vermillion and says not much has changed, although her Grandfather's grocery store is now Rick's Cafe.

The Ribble's are an interesting and talented lot. Midwestern born and bread, but now strewn about the country, their current leader is Bill, is my dad's uncle because he is married to Gigi's sister Claire. The family meets on a fairly consistent basis and extend an invite to the Rucins, when it's in our extended back yard.

But enough of the back-story. The key points are: Lake Erie, what my dad called an "old school" playground, an ice cream shop, and Eli- the only other little boy. The perfect formula for a few days of fun.

Pitchfork 2009

Dad took me to my fourth Pitchfork Music Fest this year and it was the best yet thanks to The Flaming Lips and their balloons. On the other hand, MF Doom, was as bad as the Lips were good, so I decided to provide my own entertainment during his set by teaming up with my friend Alvaro for a festival rendition of Twinkle. Enjoy.

Is It Michigan? Is It Indiana? It's Michiana!

Our annual summer trip to Michigan, which usually lands in South Haven, moved a bit south to Michiana this year and I am still not quite sure if the little village is in Michigan, Indiana, or both. I do know it's close to Michigan City- which is actually in Indiana, had an amazing fireworks display and poor jailers, who allowed four men to escape while we were nearby. One of the convicts was caught just a little bit down the road at Chicago Mayor Daley's beach home in Grand Beach, Michigan. This lead to my daddy's trunk being searched on the way to the dunes and we enjoyed the rest of the few days there awash in beautiful weather and the sounds of police helicopters and boats.

The King Of Pop Lived Here

On the way to Michiana this July, Uncle Dave insisted we stop in Gary, Indiana to check out Michael Jackson's childhood home and am I glad we did cause it was pretty nuts. Michael died suddenly a few weeks prior to our visit and people immediately started flocking to his Gary home, where in tribute they started leaving insane amounts of miscellaneous crap, trampling the poor grass in the process. Check out the photos for the proof. The scene surrounding the tiny house, which miraculously held 10 people, was bananas. Police, t-shirt vendors, creepy super fans and little kids dragged by their gawking parents. Thanks dad!