Dreading our Applebee's Future

Most weekends, we go out to dinner at our favorite family restaurant here in Chicago: The Port. We first discovered The Port (short for "Southport City Saloon") when we were first dating when I'd drive from Ann Arbor to Chicago for weekend visits. Being a block from Andy's first apartment on Southport, we went to their brunches and visited the beer garden on a few occasions. The Port is the coziest, least pretentious place I know in our neighborhood. It offers comfort food with a German flair (although the chef, Jose, is Mexican so they also have great guacamole and nachos), and the servers are so nice. They know us by name, and, Sal, the bus boy, LOVES Henry. The Port holds a special place in our hearts for a few reasons. We went there one week before I had Henry for a yummy Oktoberfest meal, we went there for our first family dinner when Henry was a few weeks old (and took turns swinging him around in his car seat so he'd fall asleep), and we continue to visit regularly because we never feel like they get annoyed with our 16-month-old. In short, we love it, and it's definitely one place we'll really miss when we move. We keep envisioning endless strip malls filled with Applebees, Chilis, etc. and it makes us cringe. The Port is what all those places strive to create, at which they fail miserably. The Port doesn't need "flair," memorabilia from local points of "Americana," or even a chic Chicago menu--It offers something beyond that, something that can't be reproduced, something we will miss dearly.

The New HAR.com

www.HAR.com is the ultimate resource for Houston house-hunters. Andy and I have been using it since we found out about the move, and we love searching with the maps, master-planned community finder, and more. For the past week or so, there has been a countdown on the HAR website, touting the new release of the "new & improved" site. Well, today was the day. I know this is so dorky, but I am so excited about it because they've added all kinds of new info. Just what I need: more stuff to research. Of course, the properties are all the same, but it's fun to have a little mix-up.

More Sub-Zero Temps...and it's 70 in Houston!

This weather is such a drag. I know that I may be cursing the heat and humidity in Houston eventually, but I'd take it over the snow, ice and negative wind chills we are having here in Chicago. It's so hard to get out of the house with Henry in weather like this. Yesterday afternoon I had finally had enough, so we bundled up and headed to open gym at Gymboree. Gymboree was definitely a great investment for this winter! I like the class, but it's the open gym that is really money. When we got back, however, I could barely park my car behind our house. Two large ice mounds had formed in the alley, and when I tried to turn to park, the car kept sliding. I finally managed to park, but on the way around the backside of the car to get Henry out of his carseat, I totally wiped out on the ice. Thank goodness I didn't have Henry in my arms! So, I guess that's a pro for Houston: warm weather -no ice involved!

No News is Bad News

I should have known better than to get all excited for a potential announcement. Both meetings on Thursday proved fruitless. We did learn that they are taking volunteers to go to Houston, which we may just do, if the move is inevitable. The next step is for Andy to discuss the volunteer option with his boss next week. We are thinking that volunteering would be better than being forced to go at a later date because we would (potentially) have more control over the situation. At this point, we just want some answers.

"Uh, yeah, Peter...did you get the memo?"

Andy did get the memo today. But, it was an esoteric, poorly written piece of acronym-laden mumbo-jumbo. The good news? It's prompted a conference call with Andy's boss and group tomorrow morning. (Or, for those in the industry-know, a "tele con.") So, we are really hoping we get some information tomorrow. The memo was global, so we shouldn't read into it too much, but the one part that really stood out to me was the line that they "hope everyone will have their plans set by the end of June." I really hope we know what's going on before then. June?! Because of the wide audience of the memo, I am really hoping that the idea was to spell out a sort of worst case scenario. After all, some people will be finding out they no longer have a job. (Andy's been assured that his job is fine.) I hope I will have some news tomorrow, and I really hope it's more than "We'll tell you in June!"

It's in the Stars

Here was my horoscope yesterday:

Changes in both location and outlook are probably on your agenda. More information about those (and their effect on your relationship and residential situation) is pending.

Hmm....

The Week Ahead

The rumors have really been swirling around Andy's office, so it's really looking like this is the week that we'll be getting some more information about our move. I really hope this is the case because I've already let myself get excited, so I will be disappointed if we learn nothing. The rumors are looking a bit more reliable, however, because the BP America big whig, Bob Malone, is scheduled to be in Chicago later this week. This is a good sign because he usually shows up after a big announcement. I must say there was a sense of excitement and relief around our house this weekend. I just hope that those feelings don't prove to be premature!