goodbye "1415"

well, here we are right now......sitting and waiting for the movers to get here to load up the truck! we're so glad that someone else is doing the lifting this time - take a look at the mounds of boxes that we've been maneuvering around. they seem endless, and looking at them, its hard to believe that we actually had room to move around in this space!


after getting over her fear of all the noise that packing makes, even kate was able to come out from hiding to enjoy her new jungle gym for a little bit!

christmas 2006 - see...it was livable at one point!

over the course of our 12 year relationship, we have moved more times than we'd like to remember. nonetheless, here's the list of the places we've lived, to date:

mark's list:

• summer of 1995 - 9716 s. beverly, chicago - with mom and dad
• 1995 to 1998 - university of north florida, jacksonville, fl
• 1998 to 2000 - back to "9716"
• october 2000 - first apartment at 1263 w. pratt, chicago
• may 2001 - 1111 lexington ave, flower mound, texas

audrey's list:

• 1995 to 1997 - 4956 n. hamlin, chicago - with mom and dad
• 1997 to 2001 - various dorms and apartments at northwestern university, evanston, il
• summer of 2001 - back to "4956"

our list:

• 2001 to 2002 - 9025 capitol drive, des plaines, il
• 2002 to 2003 - 1912 night song court, schaumburg, il
• 2003 to 2006 - 814 mulford st, evanston, il
• 2006 to 2007 - 1415 w. lunt, chicago, il
• summer 2007 - moving to vallejo, california

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3:00 pm......ok, seriously. we've been sitting here for the past SEVEN hours (since 8 am)waiting for the movers to show up. this is getting to be BEYOND ridiculous.

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4:30 pm......they're finally here. thank the Lord! i have a feeling its going to be a LONG afternoon.

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8:00 pm......why are we still here? shouldn't we be done by now? SERIOUSLY.

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11:40 pm.....you're kidding, right? nope. wish i was. still here, moving. yep. moving.

despedida

thanks, mom and dad, for the wonderful send-off party last weekend (and the super-cute postcard invitation)!

it was so enjoyable for mark and i to spend time with both of our families before the big move. aunts, uncles and cousins traveled from as far as indianapolis to see us off - some of whom we hadn't seen since my mom's entire family got together at father's day last year.

saturday afternoon was full of great conversations, laughter and words of encouragement to help carry us through our move. there were a few tears, lots of hugs, and an abundance of love. we have been blessed with wonderful families, and we are going to miss living near them when we move.

audrey, dad malone, burton, leslie, reggie, wylene, josh and mark

(back) tom, dad cruz, vickie, jerry, mark, maria, trisha, mom cruz, jonathan (front) pat, mollie with carlie, jon with abbie, audrey, brena, paul, brandon, daniel

then on sunday morning, we were part of another big event as our praise ensemble at church lead summer worship at covenant harbor bible camp in lake geneva, wisconsin. mark and i have been so blessed to sing with this group and have felt God's hand in our lives through it. although it wasn't really our good-bye at church, it was the last time we'd sing with this group that we'll miss dearly.

jeff, buzz, lynn, randy, mark and audrey

quality friday: happy hour!

over the six years i've worked at abbott, i have made some wonderful friends. it is the only company that i have worked at since college, and in the positions that i have held there, i have had the pleasure of working for, and with, some extremely talented, bright, and kind individuals.
over the years, i have truly enjoyed getting to know many of them, and be a part of their lives. i've attended some of their weddings, seen them in the hospital after their babies were born, and spent countless hours, lunches and dinners sharing life experiences with each other.

i have made some dear friend that i will miss seeing on a regular basis once we move. i'm thankful for how they've helped me grow, both in my career and as a person.

some of my work buddies at my happy hour at lalo's last night

quality friday: there is no friend like a sister

"many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."

~ eleanor roosevelt

this weekend was filled with wonderful quality time with my dearest and oldest friend, melissa. for those of you who don't know the story, melissa and i met at her 6th birthday party, over twenty years ago, when i came with my parents to pick my brother up from the party. shortly after, i transferred to the same school that she and my brother were attending, and in the years that have followed our friendship has grown, strengthened, and we have shared a closeness that i can only image would be like that of sisters. we have remained dear friends through time and distance, and in the past eight years, have been blessed to live close enough to each other to get together often. from dinner dates to brunch club, attending church together to taking road trips, spending evenings together with our husbands to time at "4133", we rarely go longer than a week ( two at the most) without seeing each other.

one of the most difficult things about moving 2,000 miles away, is that i know i will be giving up the luxury of face-to-face time together. i know that i'll miss out on many future memories, but am thankful for the myriad that we've already created.

on friday, we spent the day playing in chicago. we began with brunch at tre k, got manicures and pedicures together, and then melissa surprised me when we arrived at navy pier for a afternoon to enjoying parts of the city we love that we often overlook. we rode the ferris wheel, enjoying (for the most part:) the view of both the skyline and the lake, walked through the shops, had margaritas to toast our friendship and our new jobs, and took pictures all along the way!

then on saturday evening, mark and i enjoyed an wonderful evening with melissa and steven, orlando and esther. in addition to the friendship that melissa and i share, mark and steven have been fast friends since the moment they met (much to the excitement of us girls). and in addition to that, mark and i have had the wonderful privelage of calling melissa's father a friend for many, many years. orlando has showered us with endless love and kindess for as long as we can remember, and in the few years that we have know esther, she has done just the same.

we have been so richly blessed by the times that we have spent with this group, and saturday evening was exceptionally special. melissa asked that we pray together for the journey ahead, and i will never forget sitting together with our heads bowed (and with tears flowing, at times) as we thanked God for giving us each other, asked for His blessings on our friendships and our futures, for His hand in our decisions, and for His strength in this transition.

thank you, precious friends. we love you dearly.

after brunch at tre kronor

enjoying the sunshine at navy pier

steven, melissa, audrey and mark - on the beach in erie, pa

esther and orlando - at ravinia where we celebrated orlando's birthday 2006

are we there yet?

its amazing how desperately i want to get home as i approach the end of a trip. something about the knowledge that the comforts of home are just within reach always makes that last day difficult. it doesn't matter if i'm gone for three days or for five, i'm always restless and ready to leave as soon as that last day begins.

take today, for instance.

i could barely focus during my last hours of training, as i wondered if there was an earlier flight that i could be on, how great it was going to be to see mark and kate tonight, and about how much i'm going to enjoy my melissa-audrey day tomorrow. the only thing on my mind from the moment i woke up, was getting home.

i got to the airport at about 5pm for my 7pm flight, and happened to see on the departures monitor that there was a 5:30 flight to chicago that was boarding right then, that i just might be able to catch if i hurried. my hopes began to rise as i rushed through security in a mere 10 minutes, and had barely put my shoes back on as i ran to the gate.

i was sweating by the time i got there, and hopefully waited in line as the gate agent attended to the travelers in front of me. 5:15, and the plane was still boarding. maybe i could get home a whole hour-and-a-half early! i soon found out that the flight was scheduled through los angeles, and that the reason i hadn't seen it as an option when i originally booked was because it got in later than my flight.

so instead, i'm sitting here typing, enjoying a bbq-chicken pizza, and hoping that the next five hours will come and go quickly. hopefully the book i bought will keep me entertained or i'll be able to catch some z's.

can't wait to get home.

to the promised land....

yesterday, our dear friends vicky and vlad headed to jerusalem, for the first part of a new adventure in their lives!

in the recent years, vicky's talent for music has been centered in her jewish faith, and has developed from an interest into a passion. she has performed in a coed jewish a capella vocal ensemble and through teaching at a synagogue in the chicago area, has worked closely with, and been mentored by, cantors who have encouraged her in her art.

recently, vicky was accepted into the only cantorial degree program in the country, where she will be studying to receive a master of sacred music. the program begins with a "year-in-israel", followed by four years of study in new york at the hebrew union college. what an amazing opportunity for her, and the cause for the family's new adventure!

we are going to miss these friends of ours, who have been such an integral part of our lives here in chicago. the times we have spent together since graduating college have produced an abundance of wonderful memories. here are a few of my favorites:

• vicky and vlad got pulled over on the way to our wedding for speeding. when vicky explained she was running late for a wedding, and the officer, thinking she was a bridesmaid, let her go without issuing a ticket!

• hanging out together when vlada would come back to chicago to visit:

• being at vlad's graduation party when he surprised vicky by proposing with all her family and friends present
• at thier wedding, we sat at the "american table". the vodka bottle on our table was the talk of the night - we just couldn't seem to keep up with the consumption of the rest of the guests:) here we are with the lovely bride and groom:

• rushing to the hospital as soon as we heard that their first child, adam, had just been born. we were the first friends to meet him! adam has grown into a remarkably smart boy, who we just love being around! here's a picture of big brother adam, with his baby sister, michelle:
  

vicky, vlad, adam and michelle - we love you, will miss you, and are wishing you all the best!

congratulations to the new mr. and mrs. frisk!

on saturday night we had the pleasure of attending the wedding of our friends, ann-marie and david. from the music at the ceremony, to the delicious food at the reception, the event was absolutely beautiful!

the stunning bride and handsome groom were beaming all evening long - their love for each other perfectly evident. it was especially touching to see the involvement of their families in the ceremony - from their parts in performing the marriage ceremony, to sharing their musical and speaking gifts throughout the evening, the olson and frisk families exuded support and love for this couple.

the lovely bride and groom
brunch club ladies sharing another special moment!

we are so happy for you two! congratulations ann-marie and david - we wish you all the best!

quality friday: let the training begin!

this week marked the official start to my marathon training!

and so another countdown begins......




my challenge throughout these 18 weeks will be to actually do the runs with no excuses. whether i'm at home or traveling, i need to make time to hit the pavement and log in those miles!

this week was a decent start, and although i didn't follow the plan exactly, i feel confident that i'm off to a good start. i enjoyed my first run in the rain on monday (they are surprisingly nice - the rain can be refreshing, and does a great job of keeping you cool), and got up nice and early on thursday for a sunrise jog, which i have a feeling is what will work best for me during the weeks ahead.

i've asked a number of marathon-veterans for training tips, and without fail, they've said "make sure to get those long runs in". wish me luck as i go for 6 miles tomorrow!

quality friday: family time

over this past week, i have had some wonderful opportunities to spend time with my family on my dad's side. it began last weekend with my cousin sharlina's wedding and continued though a wonderful memorial day gathering. then on thursday, i had a chance to take a break from my ridiculously crazy work week in los angeles, to visit my titas and titos (aunts and uncles) that live there, and on friday night, i had dinner with my cousin leilani before taking a red-eye home to chicago.

i've always enjoyed spending time with my parents, brothers, and the entire cruz family in the past, and this week proved to be no different. it was just a little more special to me, probably because as our move to san francisco draws closer, i'm finding myself a little (okay, a lot) more sentimental, and am feel myself clinging to the moments i spend with those i love all that much harder.

last saturday, when we gathered for sharlina and todd's wedding, i found that i couldn't stop telling my brothers how much i love them and how much i'm going to miss them - and couldn't help but beam inside when my sentiments were reciprocated. i felt closer to them have at any other point in my life, and just yesterday, mark referred to them as "my brothers", which made me just that much happier that we've built a strong and solid relationship with each of them over the past years. both mark and i agreed that this wedding was one of the best we've ever been to with my family. the whole entire family had such fun laughing and talking and dancing, and i don't think a single one of us was ready to leave before it was over! one of my favorite moments from that night was to see my mom and dad on the dance floor together, something i'm not sure i've ever seen in the past!

my family - mark, me, dad, mom, brandon, daniel and jonathan tita julie, my dad, tito nestor, tita dory and tita aurora -

five of the ten siblings at the wedding

handsome brothers

gorgeous bride and groom

as great as the wedding was, my true quality friday moment of the week was spending time with my tita bebe - my dad's sister aurora - on thursday night. as we chatted over dinner, and as i listened to story after story about her life, i realized that as much times as we have spent together in the past, i have never really had the opportunity to get to know her. generally, when the family gathers, the aunts and uncles generally spend time together, and the cousins do the same, so this opportunity to connect across generations was one that i cherish deeply. i learned so many things about this woman that i've known all my life - about how she and her husband, my tito boy, met many years ago when she was in college in the phillipines, and after spending over 40 years of her life as a single woman, just recently got married just two years ago - and was touched by her generosity, kindness, and love for to me that evening.

i am blessed to have such a wonderful family, and this week reminded me, once again, that family time is to be cherished, never taken for granted.

p.s. - happy 26th birthday today to my brother, brandon:)