December 31, 1998: New Years Eve

At work, Joe mentioned something about getting together for New Years Eve and going to Baja Beach Club.   My roommate, Dawn, from college was coming to visit me for the New Years, so I asked her if she would like to go.    I was glad when she said she would go.    Dawn and I went for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and then headed up to Vernon Hills to get Joe.    We visited with him for about an hour and then all of us went to the Baja Beach Club.   Joe and I did the grind dance to 'Touch It' and Will Smiths, 'Welcome to Miami'.    We counted down to 1999 and then all kinds of confetti and beer was thrown on us.    Then, we sang the Prince song, "1999".    We went back to his parents house and played cards.   When Dawn and I drove back to my apartment, she remarked at how flirtatious Joe was.      Little did I know that Dawn and Joe would fall in love and get married in 2001.     The friendship between Dawn and I was pretty much ruined after this.     They ended up getting divorced in 2006.

December 23-26, 1998: Home for Christmas

On Dec. 23rd, I took the Amtrak home for the Christmas holiday.     Joe carried my luggage to the train station which was nice.    

On December 24th,  we had the Thomas family Christmas party at Tony's Restaurant. The dinners there were expensive.  We all exchanged small gifts which was nice.    Then, Charlene, Steve, Matt, Kelsey, Devon, and Emma came to our house to exchange gifts.    Devon really liked my mom's Rock N Roll Santa.  We were all dancing around the living room with Santa.    Mom and I went with my grandparents to St. Francis for midnight mass.  

On December 25th, we had our usual dinner at our house and invited my Grandpa and Grandma Thomas over.    Then, we went for a drive around the area to see the light displays.   Grandpa had me do the driving this time, which was nice for him.    

Finally, on December 26, I got to go test drive the Ford Escort ZX2 that I was thinking about buying.  Sue and I test drove the car, but I thought the back seat was way too small.   I inquired about my 1997 Ford Escort, which they still had on the lot. I had turned it in as a lease car about a week ago.    So, I decided to buy my Escort back.   The car payment was going to be $263.49 a month.  

December 20, 1998: Christmas Party in Ann Arbor

This weekend, I went to the Christmas party with the Gonyos, Klees, and Lawvers.   The party this year was at Harold and Cheryl's house.    Kim was pregnant and just starting to show.  Her baby was due in June.   Adam's 16th birthday was on Dec. 19th, so she bought him a bunch of car related gifts.   Jase and Chad didn't come as they both had to work.   Adam told us about their hunting experience where Jase and him went out in the woods without a compass and got lost.  They were so scared.   I always have fun with the three families.

December 5, 1998: Real Christmas Tree

Katy and I drove up to the suburbs to get a real Christmas tree.  My parents never got a real tree, so this was quite a nice experience for me.     It seemed like a lot of work picking it out, putting it on top of the car, and dragging it into our apartment.     I have to say, though, the tree smelled so good.    Then, I helped Katy decorate the tree.    

November 26-29, 1998: Thanksgiving Weekend

As usual, we went to Steve and Charlenes house for Thanksgiving dinner.   I drove Grandpa's new Lincoln Town car over to Grand Rapids.  Charlene had made us ornaments with our pictures in them which were real cute.

On Friday,  Mom and I drove to Ann Arbor to see the Gonyos.   We went shopping and ran into Cheryl, Dawn, and Heather Klee in Hudsons.    We all had lunch together at Baker Square.   Then, we went to see Dawn's apartment.  

On Saturday, we went to Kensington apartments in South Lyon to help Wendy and Todd move into their new apartment.  

On Sunday, we drove to Grand Rapids to see Kelsey's new house and the kids.   Kelsey said she would call me 'Aunt Amy' which I was so excited about.   Had dinner with Grandpa and Grandma at Sam's Joint.  

November 14, 1998: Pow Wow

Beth, from my bible study, took me to see a pow wow down at the UIC Pavilion.   All of the different tribes did dances for a contest.   Their costumes were very colorful.     I got to try some authentic Native American food.   

November 3, 1998: Oprah Show

I was up early as I was going down to see a taping of the Oprah show.     I didn't find out until yesterday that I had the ticket to the show, so of course, I took off a half day of work.   It was hard to get a ticket to Oprah's show.    The studio wasn't far from my work, which was nice.  The topic of the show was about lying, which I thought was boring. 

Oprah was dressed in this grey pantsuit.  The production assistant told her to relax her breasts as they were sticking out and Oprah said they were just excited because of the audience. That was funny.   I sat in the 2nd row on the right side, facing the stage.  It was a fun experience.     I was disappointed that Oprah didn't come out to the audience to ask questions like she used to do.  The show was more focused on her.     

October 31, 1998: Halloween Party

I dressed up like Zorro for Halloween.  I had my mask and sword.   Took the 'El' to the North/Clybourn stop.   There were so many people in costumes on the subway which was funny.   I waited for Lilly to meet me at the station.   We went to Sedgwicks Bar in Lincoln Park where we met up with our co-workers, Josh Bulak, Alison Basista, Wayne Onak, and Tony Dragel.  Josh dressed up like the Chef on South Park. Tony was a Cubs player. Wayne dressed up like Clint Eastwood.    The guys were disappointed because many of the girls at the party were lesbians.   It was so funny.

October 23-25, 1998: Columbus, Ohio

After work on Friday, I took the orange line to Midway airport for my flight on Southwest airlines to Columbus, Ohio, to visit my friend Shawn Young.  This was the first time I had flown by myself, if you can believe that.     Shawn met me at the airport in Columbus.  She had bought a new Honda Civic, which was so nice.   She showed me around downtown Columbus, where she worked, and German village.    We ate at BW3.   We walked over to Banana Joes, which was a dance club.    

Her apartment was in the suburb, Pickerington.    We stayed up talking until 3 a.m.

On Saturday, Shawn and I drove around Pickerington and then to Columbus.    We stopped at this neat coffee shop and had hot chocolate.    We had lunch at this delicious Mexican restaurant.   We went shopping at the mall in downtown Columbus.   

On Sunday, we went to the same coffee shop. She took me for lunch at this delicious German shop. I had an Italian sandwich which was out of this world.    She drove me around Ohio State University to see what it looked like.     I flew out in the late afternoon back to Chicago, where my roommate, Katy, picked me up.  

 

October 3, 1998: Joe's Visit

It was a glorious day today.   I went to pick up Joe from Union Station.   He was dressed so fine.     He had on his black jean baggy pants and white Bosse polo shirt.   We walked along Canal St over the bridges.    We walked down Madison to State and over to Randolph St to the Garrett popcorn.  The popcorn machine caught on fire and one of the workers had to extinguish it out.    Then, we walked down Michigan Ave and I showed him my old apartment on Dearborn.  Then, we walked down Elm St to Lakeshore Dr, through Lincoln Park, and down Clark to my apartment on Cornelia.  He said he wanted to walk. He was exhausted when he got to my apartment. I was used to walking far distances, so it wasn't as big of a deal.    He got a kick out of my bunny slippers.

Showed him around my apartment.  We sat in my room and played double solitaire which was fun.   Then, we took the 'El' to the Chicago stop and had dinner at Joe's Crabshack.  On our 'El' ride, a couple got on at Fullerton and started fist fighting.  It scared me.  Joe said he felt like he was on the 'Cops' show.   

We went back to my apartment and he showed me tricks with my hands.   He remembered I was ticklish on my back.  I never laughed so hard.   We watched the movie 'Dark City' which confused us.   We watched Saturday Night Live and Abbott and Costello.  

Then, it was time for him to take the train back.  We took a cab back to Union Station.  

September 26 -28, 1998: Bible Study Retreat

Jennifer Lee, Katy Kiech, and Diana picked me up at work to go to Wisconsin for our weekend bible study retreat.    We stayed in Green Lake, Wisconsin, which was not too far from Oshkosh.   The house we stayed in was huge.  It slept 17 people, but only 9 gals were coming.    It had a huge living room with a fireplace and large kitchen.    Katie and I shared a room.   There were some wasps in our room so Diane killed them for us.  

On Saturday, we had eggs, pancakes and bacon for breakfast.  Then, we took a walk around the grounds and found this beautiful rose garden, a boat house, and this old train that had church services inside.    Jennifer and Amy talked about their marriages and how different it was than they expected.  

Beth, who was a great cook, made us a delicious lunch.   She made these fancy flat bread sandwiches, italian pasta salad, and chips.    Then, for dessert, we had chocolate mousse over meringue.  Then, we had our bible study.  
For dinner, we had pasta, garlic bread, salad, and brownies for dessert.
After dinner, we went through some more verses and talked about our concerns.

On Sunday, we had breakfast and prayer time and then headed back to Chicago.  

September 19, 1998: Visiting Joe in Vernon Hills

Joe had invited me to come visit him in Vernon Hills and show me around.  I was so excited.   I took Metra train to Lake Forest.  Joe was waiting for me at the train station.   He has a 1995 Firebird in excellent shape.   We went to the beach on Lake Michigan where he liked to come sit.    Then, we sat down and looked out at the lake.    Some people were walking their dogs. He told me he didn't like dogs as they gave him allergies.    Then, we went to this little park by his house where he liked to take walks.    He lived near the Hawthorne Mall on Onwentsia.     His bedroom was very neat which I thought was surprising for a man.    We had dinner at Chili's Restaurant and stopped at Best Buy.  

We went to the movie "Rush Hour" which was hilarious.    Then, we went back to his house and hung out.    I got to meet his parents. They were playing on the computer.    Then, he brought me back to the train station in Lake Forest.    He told me to give him a call when I got back to Chicago to make sure I was ok.    He gave me a hug and I took a chance and gave him a kiss before I got on the train.   

September 7, 1998: Labor Day Weekend in Ann Arbor

I took the Amtrak to Ann Arbor to visit with the Gonyos for Labor Day weekend.    Today, Joy and I met Nina Ganesh for breakfast in Ann Arbor.    Then, George, Marianne, Joy, and I went to Skip and Jo's house for lunch.   I showed them my slutty picture of me in Vegas, which they thought was so funny.    Then, George, Marianne, Joy, and I went to St. Pat's church for the church festival.    I helped out at the concession stand.    Then, Marianne took me to the Amtrak station for my ride home to Chicago.   

I was anxious to get home and read my emails from Joe.  Joe had gone to Western Illinois for the weekend to visit his friends. He said he wished he could have brought me down there.   

September 2, 1998: Union Station with Joe

Joe and I walked down to Union Station to get my Amtrak ticket for Ann Arbor.   We had lunch on Canal St and were laughing about how people were dressing.     Got back to work and got an email from Josh asking what was going on with Joe and I, as we had gone out for lunch 2 days in a row.   Neither Joe nor I cared what gossip was going on.   

August 31, 1998: Birthday Lunch at West Egg

My department at Information Resources used to take each other out for their birthday lunch which was always fun. It was another way for me to try out different restaurants in town.     Yolanda, Chris, Tony, Josh, Wayne, Joe, Jeanette, and Bryan took me for my birthday lunch at West Egg Cafe in our Monroe St. building.    Joe called me after work to say he would take me for my birthday dinner when I came to visit him in the suburbs.   

August 29, 1998: Shania Twain Concert

I still wasn't feeling too well, but got some extra rest before going to the Shania Twain concert in Tinley Park with Jennifer Lovato.    Jennifer picked me up from the train station in Tinley Park and we drove to the Shania Twain concert.    Shania had a 13 yr old she had met at an autograph session come on stage and sing for us. She was excellent.   

August 25, 1998: Bronchitus

I was still very sick today with Bronchitus.  I hated to call in sick to work, especially after being on vacation, but I had absolutely no energy.   My supervisor, Chris, was joking with me that I was going to skip work and go to the beach.   As I said, I had no energy, and not sure how I managed to walk myself down to Addison St. to hail a cab. There is nothing worse than being alone and sick and having to get yourself to your doctor.   I took the cab to my doctor office as I was so weak.    I had a temperature of 100.7.  I got 2 prescriptions and took the cab home and slept the rest of the day.     Joe had written to me to see how I was doing which was nice of him.

August 24, 1998: Las Vegas to Chicago

We flew back from Las Vegas to Phoenix, then to Chicago.    Kara's parents met us at the Chicago airport.    My mom rode back with Kara and her parents to Muskegon, while I took the "El" back to my apartment.   I had come down with a cold on the trip and was coughing alot.    It was such a pain carrying my luggage up and down the steps of the "El".   Then, I got on the red line north, which was crowded.  There was a Cubs game, so I had to stand on the "El".     The escalators didn't work at the Addison stop so had to carry my luggage down the steps which I hated.  I was so exhausted by the time I got back to my apartment.  

August 23, 1998: Downtown Las Vegas

We took the bus to downtown Vegas to see the other casinos.   Saw the "Golden Nugget", Union Plaza (where my mom, dad, and Pauline stayed years ago).    Then, Kara took the bus back herself.   Mom and I went to the Riviera Hotel and Circus Circus.  Mom won a t-shirt at the Riviera.   My mom and dad also stayed at the Riviera years ago.

Kara, my Mom, and I had a delicious $14 buffet at the Mirage.       Mom and I went to the "Sigfried and  Roy" show while Kara went to a different show.     This was my birthday gift from my mom.   The visual effects at the Sigfriend and Roy show were awesome.

August 22, 1998: Las Vegas

We had a delicious buffet at Harrah's.   The dining room was decorated with different fruits and vegetables.   I put 25 cents in a slot machine and won $15.   Of course, I gambled it away and lost.   We went through Barbary Coast, Ballys, MGM Casino/theme park, New York, New York, etc.  It was so hot outside.  Toured the Coca Cola World where we got samples of Coke from all over the world.   I didn't realize they made different sodas around the world.   Italy's soda tasted horrible.    Went through the M&M store.

It was pretty cool to go on the outdoor escalators across the street.  Our walk back to the hotel was miserable.  Kara looked like she was going to faint.   We walked through the Mirage.    "Sigfried and Roy" was cancelled tonight due to technical difficulties.   We had dinner at this authentic Japanese restaurant where you sit on the floor and eat and take your shoes off.    Then, we went to the New York, New York casino and I got this hilarious photo taken of me. I got to pick out the body and they put my head on it.  I picked the picture of a gal laying on a blackjack table with black lingerie, silk gloves, and a cigar.  We were all laughing so hard as there was a TV screen that faced out so others could see it. They were laughing, too.  

Walked through Monte Carlo and Caesars Palace.  

Went to the Pirate show outside our hotel, Treasure Island.    That was pretty cool.

August 21, 1998: Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Vegas

We got up early and went in our pajamas to see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.  The sunrise was beautiful.     Went to various points of the canyon and came back to the hotel and slept another 2 hours before breakfast.      Then, we went back to the canyon and stopped at all of the look-out points on the east rim.  Stopped by this point and walked up to the top of the tower.   Man, it took my breath away.     

We left the park and headed down highway 17 toward LA. The drive to Vegas was absolutely gorgeous with all of the mountains.    We drove around the Hoover Dam which was pretty impressive.   Then, we got into Vegas and into the heavy traffic.   Drove down the Vegas Blvd strip and saw the wedding chapels, casinos, and all.    Stayed at the Treasure Island Hotel at the Mirage.  Kara and I drove down the strip to the airport to drop off the rental car.     We lucked out and were able to get a limo ride back to our hotel for only $3.75. 

Walked along the strip. It was about 106 degrees outside.   It was so hot for Kara. She almost died walking in that heat.      We had sundaes at the Ghiradellis and went to an impersonator show at the Imperial Palace.   

August 20, 1998: Phoenix

Kara, Mom, and I flew out of Chicago for Phoenix, Arizona.    We got to Phoenix around 7:30 a.m. pacific time.   We rented a car and drove around downtown Phoenix. Then, we headed for Sedona.  Sedona was absolutely gorgeous. There were tons of red rock all over.  We went up to this small church where you could get an excellent view of the area.    Then, we went to Flagstaff, which was where Charlene and Steve lived for about a year when Kelsey was 1 yr old.   It's quite built up now.   Stopped at a Safeway store, as that was one of my clients at work.    It was a pretty nice store.    Had lunch at Fazolis.    Then, we drove around the University of Arizona.

Then, we drove to the Grand Canyon.   We stayed at the Quality Inn on the south entrance to the park.   The hotel was behind the IMAX theater. It cost us $20 per car to go into the park.   We got there at sunset. The Grand Canyon was absolutely gorgeous.  It was so peaceful there.   I saw a rainbow over the canyon.    It's something that everyone should see in their lifetime.    

We watched a film at the IMAX theater and went back to the hotel. 

August 19, 1998: Mom and Kara in Chicago

Mom, Kara, and I took Amtrak from Holland to Chicago.   We dragged all of our stuff to the green line 'El'  We were worn out from carrying all of our stuff.    
We had lunch at Ed Debeviks.  Showed Kara my old apartment at 1030 N. Dearborn.   Then, we went to the Sears Tower, as she hadn't been there before.    It was nice to look out and know where things were around the city.  It was a sunny and clear day, so we could see everything. I took plenty of pictures.    Then, I took them to my work to meet some of my co-workers.  They met Yolanda and Wayne.    Then, we went to Park Community Church for a service and had ice cream at Ben and Jerrys.  

August 18, 1998: Kim Daugherty & Matt Tomasiewicz

Kim Daugherty came over and we had a nice chat.   Then, Matthew came over.  I took both of them to the miniature golf on the Causeway.  Then, we went to Frosty Cove on Lakeshore Dr. for ice cream.   

Mom and I went to Grandpa and Grandma's house for homemade burgers.  Grandpa did a great job on the burgers.    He put mushrooms, ketchup, and seasonings in the patties.

August 17, 1998: Grandma Gonyo

Went to visit Grandma Gonyo. She made us up frozen pizza and some peaches. We watched "Young and the Restless".   Then, I took her to a movie at the Cinema and we got ice cream at Frosty Oasis.   Grandma was saying I was the most thoughtful person and it was so nice to get a card from me for her birthday.  

August 16, 1998: Blueberry Picking

Mom and I went to St. Francis de Sales for church service and sat next to Mrs. Kulikowski.  Went with Mom, Grandpa and Grandma Thomas to the chicken dinner at St. Thomas Church on Apple Ave.   It was only $6 for the meal.     Then, Grandpa and I went blueberry picking.    We hadn't done that in 2 yrs.  The weather was gorgeous.    It was a tradition every summer to go blueberry picking with Grandpa.    I was very picky about my blueberries. I only picked the big berries. Grandpa pulled the berries and all from the tree.  It took me alot longer than him to pick a bucket of blueberries, but mine looked the best.   We always laughed about that.

Got back to Grandpa's house and Grandma had made us blueberry pie for dessert.    When I got home, I went and visited with John Colella, who lived 2 doors from us on Lawnel. He said Chicago seemed to be agreeing with me.   I continued my walk over to Patty and Matthew's house. I learned that Patty's husband, Jeff, lived in Chicago for 3 years.   

August 15, 1998: Kara's Pool Party

I came home for a visit.   Today was supposed to be my 5 yr high school class reunion; however, it was cancelled due to lack of money and participation.     So, my friend Kara had a pool party at her house.     Jake Messinger came over.  He had moved to West Hollywood and really liked it.    He didn't have a car in California and just took the buses around.   

Sue and Ashley came by and we all sat by the pool watching Ashley do her tricks.   Kara fed us hot dogs, chips, and smores.     Then, Sue and I went to Laguna Beach Club in Grand Haven.   

August 9, 1998: AOL IM with Joe Idstein

Joe Idstein started working at IRI this year. He overheard me telling Chris Blackwell that I had AOL and wondered what my email address was.    In the evening, he sent me an instant message on AOL and we chatted for about 3 hours.   He said he liked to write poetry. 

When I look back, I should not have started chatting with Joe, as the outcome 2 yrs later was that he ended up marrying my roommate, Dawn, from Western Michigan University.  It became a drama for me for the next 2 years, which I wish I had avoided.  

August 5, 1998: RDS Cubs Game Outting

We had a half day of work due to our Cubs game outting for work.    We all took the red line 'El' to the Addison stop. Joe Idstein came with me.    We sat behind Wayne and next to Yolanda.    Then, we all went to Murphy's bar across the street on Sheffield/Waveland.  We stayed until 9 and drank.   We told the new guy, Bryan, about Wayne at the Halloween party.     Josh gave me his Cubs jersey to wear as it was raining outside.   I looked like a rapper.      

Josh came to my apartment and we watched wrestling and South Park.    He gave me a hug and left.     

August 2, 1998: St. Michael's Catholic Church

Grandpa, Mom, and I went to St. Michael's Catholic Church in Old Town.   This is where my mom's Aunt Elsie was baptized.     It was a gorgeous building.     We had ice cream at Ben and Jerry's on Armitage.

Then, we took the bus down to Graceland Cemetery to see where all of the famous people of Chicago were buried.  We finally found Marshall Field's stone.    My mom taught me the baseball song:  "Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd, give me some peanuts and cracker jack, I don't care if we ever get back, for its root, root, root, for the home teams, for its a shame if we don't win for its 1, 2, 3 strikes your out at the old ball game."  I will never forget my mom teaching me this song on our walk back from the cemetery.

We took the cab back to Union Station so my Mom and Grandpa could go home. It was hard to see them go.

August 1, 1998: Southside Tour

Mom, Grandpa, and I rented a car and drove down I-94 to 111th St to see the Pullman district.   Mr. Pullman was the man who invented the sleeper car.   I got to see the homes he made for his workers.    All of the homes were connected to each other.  It was definitely something to check out.

Then, we went to 63rd St. to where my Grandpa used to go dancing.  The building was now torn down.    Took a tour of the Robie House (Frank Lloyd Wright house) which was at the University of Chicago campus.   

Then, we went to 79th St/Stony Island where the Thomas family grocery store was located.   That building was also torn down.   Now, there was an old parts store next door to where our family grocery store was.

We went to see the church where he was baptized (St. Georges) on 32nd and Lithuanica.   The church was torn down, but there were new condos being built.    We drove through Marquette Park which used to be where many of the Lithuanians lived.   

Grandpa's house was on Wentworth/32nd St. It was also torn down.   Then, we drove to Oak Park.  We stopped by my co-worker, Yolanda's apartment, but she wasn't home.   

We had dinner at PS Bankok on Clark/Roscoe.  Then, we went to the play, "Hellcab".

July 31, 1998: Grandpa Thomas & Mom's Visit

I had a half day of work today.  Mom and Grandpa Thomas came to Chicago for a visit. We wanted to see where my Grandpa lived when he lived in Chicago from the age of 15-21.    
I met them at Union Station and we walked down to the Palmer House Hilton, where I got my hair highlighted. It cost me $85.    We had lunch at Berghoff's Restaurant on Adams Street.   It was a delicious German restaurant.    Showed Grandpa my first apartment on Dearborn.   We went to the top of my old apartment building to get a view of the city.   

Then, we went to Navy Pier and had dinner at Bubba Gumps.    We took a ride on the ferris wheel and were able to get a great view of the city at night.  

July 26, 1998: Venetian Festival

Shawn and I went to the movie 'There's Something About Mary'. It was hilarious!    Then, we went shopping at the Eddie Bauer store.    Shawn, Katy, and I went to the Venetian Festival to watch the boat parade and the fireworks.   It was sad for me as I just found out Shawn got a promotion and was going to be moving to Columbus, Ohio in 3 weeks.   I have been wanting to move somewhere warmer and hoping to move down to Orlando to be closer to my grandmother.   I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to move up the ladder at IRI, so thought this might be a good time to start exploring my options.

July 18, 1998: Lilly's Baby Shower

Went to the movie, "Mask of Zorro" with Diane from the bible study.    Then, I took the 'El' at 5:30 to the Berwyn stop and went to my friend, Lilly Martinez's baby shower for her son Issaiah.  It was also an engagement party for Lilly and Otis.     We had some traditional Mexican food.  Yolanda Thomas came to the party.  We had cake and everyone had sparklers. We danced in her parent's backyard to Hispanic music which was fun.   All of us at work chipped in and got her a stroller and some clothes.    Yolanda dropped me off at my apartment.

July 17, 1998: Ed Slivinska's Party

Ed Slivinskas invited all of us from work to his party.    Shawn and I took the Metra train to the southwest suburbs.   We had a beer on the train.   Ed picked us up at the Worth stop.      Jennifer Lovato was at the party.  She worked with us at IRI and was dating Ed.   She had had a brain tumor and had been getting radiation treatments since May.   I felt so bad for her. She was so young to be going through all of that.

Lisa Giles and Josh Bulak came to the party, too.     Ed had bought a new Corvette that he had always wanted.    We played a car race and Mr. Frogger game on Nintendo.  Then, we played darts and basketball.     We all had a good time hanging out at Ed's house.     Then, Ed brought us back to the train station in La Grange the next morning.

July 12, 1998: Lilly's Parents House

I talked to Lilly on the phone. She invited me to come see her and the baby at her parent's house at 1062 W. Berwyn, so I took the 'El' up there and visited for about 3 1/2 hours.   I met her niece Lauren and her friend, Julissa.   They had a very nice home there.        Issaiah was so cute.  

July 11, 1998: Oak Park

I decided that I wanted to take the 'El' to Oak Park to check it out.   I went to the movie 'Truman Show' there.     Then, I went to the Gap store on Harlem/Lake and got a baby baseball cap and t-shirt for Lilly's new son, Issaiah, who was born on July 9th.    Then, I decided to take the Orange line out to the Midway airport. I was wondering what it was like to go through that part of town.      I watched the planes lift off and walked along the moving escalators.        I really tried to make myself learn the areas around Chicago, so I would have an idea.     I believe that when I visit or live in a new place, that I need to drive all over town to get a better understanding.   

July 5, 1998: Lisa Giles

Mom brought me to the train station in Holland for my trip back to Chicago.   When I got home, I had a phone message from Wayne's friend, Lisa Giles.  We had a nice conversation.  She had gone to college at the University of Kentucky.   She was telling me about Wayne and what a nice fella he is.  

July 2-4, 1998: Amtrak

Work got out at 3 p.m for the July 4th holiday.   Wayne was going to Vegas tonight.    I sat in the Great Hall at Union Station waiting for my Amtrak to depart.   


On Friday, I went to visit Grandma Gonyo. She now has the Tom Selleck poster that Pauline liked on the back of her bathroom door.   Then, mom and I went to the Muskegon Art Fair.   Mom showed me her new office at CMH in the old Baker College campus on Apple Ave.    Then, we went to Frosty Oasis for ice cream.   

Then, I went to Lisa Micka Boersema's new house.  I went with her to Dukes Bar on Broadway and we visited with Crystal McWilliams.  Crystal was a bartender there.  

Talked to Patty on the phone.  Found out that Matthew and his half-brother were playing with a BB gun and one pellet hit the tree and bounced back and landed just below Matthew's right eye.   

On Saturday, July 4th, mom and I drove to Grand Rapids to see Kelsey and Matt's new daughter, Emma Denise Vanzanten.  She was born on June 30th, weighing 6 pounds, 8 oz.     Devon was holding Emma which was so cute.   Then, we went to visit Steve and Charlene.  They had gone to Vegas, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon.  

Got a phone call from Kara inviting me to her house to go swimming in their pool, so I went over there.   After that, we went with Grandpa & Grandma Thomas to Jack and Jill Ranch in Rothbury.   I thought the golf course was beautiful.    Grandpa showed us his favorite place to golf.   The owner let us each take a golf cart and drive it around.   That was so much fun!   I wanted to drive it forever.    Then, we all had dinner at this Italian restaurant in Montague.  

July 2, 1998: Josh & Yolanda-Taste of Chicago

Josh Bulak, Yolanda Thomas, and I went to the Taste of Chicago to see Chaka Khan sing.   We also got all of our food samples, too.   Then, Josh and I went to Charlie's Ale up in Lincoln Park to meet Tami and Theresa from bible study.  Josh liked both of them.   He saw their picture and wanted to meet them.   

June 28, 1998: Gay Pride Day Parade

After church, I thought I'd get an educational experience and go see the Gay Pride Day parade. There were tons of gay and heterosexuals at the parade.    I never saw so many weird people in my life. The men were muscular and wore leather outfits which were hilarious.  There were tons of drag queens waving this rainbow colored flag.   There were alot of floats sponsored by gay bars with gay men and women dancing on them.    It was funny watching them throw out condoms instead of candy at a parade.     I watched it for 2 hours and decided to leave.   It truly was educational to see this, as you never would have seen this back in Muskegon.

June 27, 1998: Jimmy Buffet Concert

It was so hard to sleep last night as I was so excited about going to the Jimmy Buffet concert.    Shawn Young and I wore our Hawaiian shirts.  We rented a car and drove out to Aurora to Naperville to one of Wayne's friends house for a pre-Buffet party.   Greg lived on Eagle Street near Washington St (Jewel Osco) in Naperville.     Greg's house had a pool so we put our feet in the water to cool off. It was 95 degrees today.   Wayne's friend, Lisa, was at the party. I had met her at the Halloween party in 1997.   She said it would be fun to live in the city, but hard to not have a car there.   She was working at Amoco, but that temporary job had finished, so she was looking for a new job.   Shawn and I jumped in the pool with our clothes on.   Then, we went to Jewel Osco to fill up the coolers with beer and ice.    The bus met us there.    There were 30 of us that went to the concert.   

The Jimmy Buffet concert was at the World Music Theater in Tinley Park.  There were about 100 buses there and 20,000 people.   I tried my first and my last cigarette experience there.    Shawn was laughing so hard at me, as I had no idea how to puff it right.  

I got on Wayne's shoulders so I could see more.    I tried 3 more cigarettes.   Wayne looked at me and smiled saying 'Gonyo is smoking'.  I had so much fun singing and dancing.   Shawn and I held onto Wayne's shirt so we wouldn't get lost from him.   We got back on the bus and got back to Naperville around 1:30 a.m.  Had to sit on Greg's lap on the car ride home. He seemed to enjoy that, but then again, he was drunk, too.   Got back into the city around 2:30 a.m.  

June 20, 1998: Lincoln Ave Festival

Met Shawn Young, Brandie Darr, Chris Gordon, and Natsumi at Jerry's Barr on Lincoln.   There was a festival this weekend.   It was very hot outside, so it was nice to be indoors with air conditioning.    We saw a guy walking around with a snake around his neck.   You see some weird people at the festivals.   Natsumi worked at a Korean bank downtown. It was fun to get together with my friends from Western Michigan University.

June 12-14, 1998: Mom's Visit

My mom was at home to greet me which was nice.  We went to the Lands End outlet and Pier 1 Imports on Clybourn.   Then, we walked to Leona's Italian Restaurant at Belmont/Sheffield.    I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful mother to hang out with.  

On Saturday, I made my mom this breakfast casserole and banana bread.    She liked my chocolate no-bake cookies, too.  

We walked over to the Old Town Art Fair. Then, I got my hair cut at Hair Cuttery on Diversey/Clark. It only cost me $10.    Then, we went to the Wells St. art fair and had lunch at Johnny Rockets. 
Went shopping at Water Tower Place.  

We went to Navy Pier and rode on the ferris wheel.  Of course, we got popcorn from the famous Garrett's popcorn and then went to the movie, '6 Days, 7 Nights' starring Anne Heche and Harrison Ford.    My bible study leader, Nancy Heche, was able to go to the premier, with her daughter, Anne Heche.

On Sunday, we went to Park Community Church. My mom finally got to meet Nancy Heche.  

In the afternoon, we took Metra out to Hinsdale.  My mom's friend, Mary Lou, had driven my mom to Chicago on Friday and then went out to Hinsdale to visit a friend for the weekend.   So, we were meeting Mary Lou in Hinsdale so my mom could ride back to Michigan with her. 

June 6, 1998: Soap Opera Fan Fair

I had four glorious hours of fun at the Planet Hollywood in Chicago.  I got in line at 11 a.m. in order to see 4 soap stars.   Shemar Moore (played Malcom on the Young and the Restless), Ian Buchanan (played James Warrick), Kelly Ripa, and Mark Consuelos (All My Children).    Shemar was so funny and down-to-earth.   I got my picture taken with all 4 of them.   

This was my weekend to monitor the system at work.    The timeshares hadn't run yet. Found out the system may crash tomorrow.   There were so many jobs in the queue.  

May 29-31, 1998: Retreat

Today I had a half day of work.    I took my overnight bag, sleeping bag, and pillow on the 'El' to the Chicago Ave stop.     It was such a pain carrying all of that on the subway and up and down the steps.    Went to Ashley Hall's condo at 77 W. Huron.      I rode with Ashley and Palma to the Napier exit near St. Joseph, Michigan.    We were going for a bible study retreat at the cabin that Tammy rented every summer.  

On Saturday, we woke up at 9 a.m. and went down to Lake Michigan. We sat on the dock and had a bible study.  Ashley announced that she was resigning as the leader of our group, as she had some personal issues to deal with in her life.    I got to sit in the hammock which was so nice.   Talked with Sonja, who reminded me of me.   She didn't date much and didn't drink until she was 30.  Well, I did go out drinking with my friends and co-workers.    I taught Ashley how to play 'Kings in the Corner'.   We ate very well this weekend. We had shrimp kabobs, spaghetti, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, fruit pie, etc.    Tammy told us some stories about growing up in West Virginia.   She said cousins would marry cousins and produce triangle shaped people. We all died laughing.   

We also took a pontoon boat on Magician lake.  Theresa gave us each necklaces that said 'Faith'.  

My hardest part about living in Chicago was being around people who acted so fake and didn't talk much. You would take the bus or the El and no one would talk.    I was not used to the fact that everyone seemed to keep to themselves.    I suppose they did that in the big city, as you never knew who was going to rob you.    I was always comparing myself to the people there who had good jobs and dressed very well.    I had a decent job, but didn't make the big incomes like so many of the people in the city.

May 22-25, 1998: Memorial Day weekend

We had alot of Safeway restatement problems at work today.   We were able to leave at 3 p.m., but I was going to take Amtrak home, so decided to work until 4:30.    There were two girls kissing each other on the train which grossed me out.

On Saturday, I visited Sue and Ashley.    I twirled Ashley around, as I knew she liked that.   I also visited with Mrs. Kulikowski, who lived across from us on Lawnel.   She had seen my grandparents at the Holland Tulip Festival.   

We drove up to Mount Pleasant to see Kara Filius.    She wanted to get her master's degree in forestry.   She showed us around the 22.5 million dollar music building.  She showed us her $5200 cello which was gorgeous.   We all stopped at the Soaring Eagle Casino. I came out $10 ahead so quit.     Then, we drove to the outlet mall in West Branch, Michigan.    I got a cute computer bag from Liz Claiborne.   It was too late by the time we got back to Mount Pleasant, so we ate back at the buffet at the casino.  

On Sunday, we took Grandma Gonyo by her old house at 1845 Manz. The neighborhood was starting to go down hill.  Thank goodness she had moved out of there.   She was now living in Maple Grove Apartments on the first floor in Roosevelt Park.   We planned to eat at Nickerson's Inn in Pentwater, but it was closed, so we had a lovely lunch at Gibb's Restaurant in Ludington.    We drove down US 10 East and saw this bar called Johnnys, which was where my dad and uncle George used to go to dances at when they were young.   We stopped at Peggy Katt's store in Baldwin.   Also, we stopped at the nursing home to see Pauline.  She was 89 yrs old.  We took a drive up to the cabin and it looked awful.  The new owners had old vehicles up in the woods and a wooden outhouse with a Reddog beer sign on the front.    I think it was sad for Grandma to see the cabin looking like that.  

We took back roads home.  We took 5 mile/Felch Rd and then Weisher Rd over to M-20.  Pauline used to have a gorgeous home on Baldwin St (off of M20).   Went by the house where Grandpa Gonyo grew up (near the Gerber factory) on Stone St.   It was a small white house on the left side.    Then, we stopped at the cemetery where my dad and grandpa's stone was.   

Then, I went to Grandma's apartment and played cards with her.   

On Monday, my mom dropped me off in Holland so I could take Amtrak back to Chicago.   When I got back to Chicago, the "El" wasn't in service, which really made me mad.   That was why I wanted to move out of the city.  

May 15, 1998: North Beach Club

It was busy at work today, so going to the North Beach Club with my co-workers was a nice way to wind down.  We took a school bus to the club for the annual charity auction.  I hadn't been on a school bus in years.    It only cost us $3 to go to it. It included beer, soft drinks, and food.   Plus, we got full use of the miniature golf, volleyball court, and bowling alley.    Lilly and I played miniature golf.   Then, Lilly, Josh, Chris, Wayne, and I went bowling.  Chris bet Tony $3 that I would try some of Josh's chewing tobacco, so I tried a little. It stings.  Everyone was laughing.   I spit it in a cup.   Chris said I was a good sport.    Then, I went to the bar with Tony and Wayne.  Tony bought us drinks.  Tony and I talked about work for about a half hour.    Talked with Wayne's friend, Eric, too.    Wayne made sure I got a cab ride home. He was such a gentleman.   

May 8, 1998: Phantom of the Opera

It was sad to see my co-worker, Jennifer Lovato, leave IRI today.    After work, Lilly and I had dinner at this Mexican restaurant inside Presidential Towers. Then, we went to the Lyric Opera House for "Phantom of the Opera".    There were 5 floors of seating and all were full.   We sat in the 2nd balcony.  It was a wonderful show.    The ceiling and walls were brass. It was gorgeous.   Lilly and I really liked the play.    We had to wait in the cold for her boyfriend, Otis, to pick us up.

May 4, 1998: Food Marketing Institute Conference

Chris Blackwell, Yolanda Thomas, and I took a cab to the McCormick Place for the Food Marketing Institute conference.   We got tons of free food, magazines, etc.      I found out today that my co-worker, Ed Slivinskas, got a job at Trans Union, so he was going to be quitting IRI.    Jennifer Lovato got offered a job there for $37,000 so her last day was going to be this coming Friday.   

May 3, 1998: Ann Sathers

Went to the 11 a.m. church service at Park Community Church.  My mom met Abby Heche, Ashley Hall, and Jill Sumpter who were my friends from the bible study.     We had breakfast at Ann Sathers Restaurant on Belmont.   Their cinnamon rolls were out of this world.    My mom's co-worker, Mary Lou, had rode with them to Chicago, but she stayed with friends out in the suburbs.    Mary Lou got to see my apartment.   

Charlene dropped me off at Uncle Fun's Store, which I had always wanted to go to.  They had all kinds of neat toys and gadgets.      It was Steve's favorite stores to check out in Chicago.   

May 2, 1998: Bike Ride at the Beach

Charlene wanted to ride bikes with Brandon Carpenter along the lake and my mom didn't.    So, I had my mom walk along Broadway Ave. while Charlene and I went on the bike ride.      We met Brandon at his house at 3251 Clifton St.   We rode on the bike trail at Belmont and went down to Oak Street beach.    There weren't many people down there, so it was enjoyable.    Then, we went to the North Avenue pedestrian bridge and rode through the Lincoln Park zoo.    We had a bite to eat down by the paddle wheel boats.   Then, we rode our bikes back to Brandon's house.

My mom had an interesting adventure. She didn't realize that Broadway was full of gay bars and such.    She had coffee at Starbucks.        My aunt and roommate, Katy, watched the Kentucky Derby, while my mom and I walked down to Graceland Cemetery.  Graceland Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Chicago.   Marshall Fields and Palmer were buried here.       It was peaceful here with tons of blooming trees and grass.    It was like a whole different city.  Once you left the cemetery, it was noisy again with the traffic and sounds of the big city.   

Then, we met Jenny, Eric, Brandon, and Brandon's girlfriend at PS Bangkok Restaurant on Clark/Roscoe.     The pad thai was delicious.      After dinner, Charlene, Mom, and I took a cab over to the Second City Comedy Club.   

May 1, 1998: Mom and Charlene's Visit

This week had been a rough week for me at work, so it was nice to know that my mom and Charlene were coming to visit me for the weekend. While I was at work, they went to a Cubs game.    I lived at 905 West Cornelia, Apt. 2E, which was only about 1 1/2 blocks away from Wrigley Field.    When they got to Chicago, they looked for the pink parking permits I had on my kitchen table for them.     All they saw were the free postcards I got at El Jardin Restaurant the night before that were in my bedroom, so they used one of them in their car window. We laughed so hard.

We took the 'El' from the Addison stop to the Fullerton stop and walked down Lincoln Ave to John Barleycorn's Restaurant.    We had an hour wait, so we walked around the block and talked.     The burgers and homemade chips at the restaurant were the best I ever had.  This restaurant was full of people my age, so my mom and aunt felt so old.    Then, we took the 'El' down to Chicago Ave and walked over to Navy Pier, as my mom wanted to ride the ferris wheel. Unfortunately, the ferris wheel didn't open until May 7th, so we just walked around the pier.  The cab ride home cost us $12.

April 12, 1998: Easter

It was sad to be away from family on Easter.   This was my first year that I hadn't celebrated with them.     I went to church and then to the brunch at Helen Kaminski's house on Waveland/Wilton.   It was only a 2 block walk from my apartment.    I met some nice people at the brunch which was really nice.  One was a flight attendant for United Airlines.   I stayed at the party from 1:30 to 5 p.m.

April 11, 1998: Adenike

My friend, Adenike, whom I met in my photography class at Harold Washington Community College, came over to my apartment.    We went to the movie 'City of Angels'.    She was planning to go to the University of Illinois in Champaign in the fall. I would be sad to see her go, as she was my movie buddy.    She's from Africa and had been here about 7 years. 

April 10, 1998: Good Friday

I got out of work at 3:30 p.m.   I couldn't find a bus so started walking towards Fullerton/Clark.   It was about a 12 block walk and took me about 35 minutes.   I sat next to Abby Heche, her husband, Joe, Linda, and Janelle.  After the service, we went to a couples loft on Ravenswood/Lincoln.  It was a gorgeous loft that overlooked the city.   Saw Helen Kaminski from church there. Peter Schumacher said she reminded him of me.     She went to the University of Michigan and was an attorney.    Helen invited me to her house for Easter.

April 6, 1998: Driving around the Suburbs

Mom and I went to get our car at the Elm St. garage. It cost me $15 to park it for 10 hours.    I wanted to drive around downtown and show my mom where the Oprah show was filmed. Then, we drove by Lane Technical, which was one of the largest high schools in Chicago. I had never seen anything so big in my life.    We drove through Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Palatine, and Schaumburg.    We went shopping at Woodfield mall.    We had pizza at Bertucci's which was delicious.  

Then, we drove around Downers Grove, Naperville, Lisle, Lockport, Tinley Park, Oak Forest, and then back to Michigan.   Neither of us cared for the suburbs as we didn't feel they had a focal point.   We had a nice conversation on the way home.   I decided I needed to stay at IRI to gain more work experience.  IRI was a great company to work for, but it was very specialized.      I knew that in the future, I would have to get some other experience.

April 5, 1998: Glenn Brian

Glenn Brian, who worked at Information Resources, helped me with most of my moves around Chicago.     He charged me $220.  His mom lived in Michigan, so he came to Muskegon to bring some of my things back to Chicago.       I had bought a TV from Jennifer Lee, whose condo was in Printers Row (Wells & Harrison).    It was on the edge of a decent neighborhood and a shady one.   I left my mom in the car to get the TV.  I probably shouldn't have done that, but I didn't want the car towed.     My mom and I went back to my apartment on Dearborn to get more things to move. She couldn't believe how much stuff I had.       We got to the new apartment on Cornelia and unloaded.   We couldn't find a parking spot so ended up driving back to the Elm St. parking garage and parking it there.    By then, it was 12:30 a.m.   We hadn't eaten dinner. We ended up getting donuts at Dunkin Donuts, as that was the only place open.   Then, we took the 'El' back to my apartment.  We saw so many weirdos on the 'El'.     I never liked walking out at night around the city.    Both my mom and I were glad to get back to my apartment.  

March 31, 1998: Subleasing & New Apartment

It was a hard day for me today, as I was so nervous about finding someone to sublease my apartment.    I paid the management of Dearborn Plaza $200 to help me find a tenant.  It was a cute apartment, but only 325 sq. feet.  I wanted to have a roommate to hang out with.     I learned so many lessons with making this decision to move.     I was worried about coming up with $1100 on the new apartment up near Wrigleyville.  I know that God didn't give me more than I could handle.   
I put in ads in the Chicago Reader and newspaper.   A guy named Matt Peters came to look at my apartment to sublease and said it would be perfect.   I was so relieved.

After work, I went to my old apartment on Dearborn to pick up some things to move to my new apartment at 905 W. Cornelia, Apt. E.   It was just 1 block south of the Addison 'El' stop.   My roommate was Katy Kiech, whom I met in my bible study. 

March 14, 1998: Metra & St. Partrics Day Parade

Deyoung took us around Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, and Schaumburg.   We stopped at this Japanese grocery store in Arlington Heights.    I never realized the books in Japanese opened up on the left side and you read from the back pages.    Then, we drove around the forest preserve and got to see where AC Nielsen was located. They were a competitor of Information Resources.  We stopped at a Dominicks store. It was beautiful inside.  It had a Starbucks with a fireplace and couches.    It wasn't your typical grocery store.

Took the Metra back to Union Station in Chicago.     On my walk home down Dearborn St, I got to see a good portion of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.   They dyed the Chicago River green, which was a tradition for St. Patrick's Day.  

Nina Ganesh invited me to her friend Betty's engagement party.    I took the El up to the Granville stop and walked over to Sheridan.  Betty lived at 6121 Sheridan Rd, Apt. 2E.    Betty had bought her fiance a 32 inch TV for an engagement present so all of their friends from Northwestern University were playing video games on it.   Betty and her fiance Steve dated for 6 years before becoming engaged.  I took the bus home at 1 a.m. There were some strange people on it.    I was nervous walking alone home that late.

March 13, 1998: Metra Train to Bensenville

I took my first Metra train to the suburb of Bensenville to visit my friend Deyoung.  He lived in Elk Grove Village.   I sat on the 2nd floor of the train. It only took about 30 minutes to get there.   Met Deyoung and his friend at the train station and we had dinner at this Chinese restaurant.    Deyoung tried to set me up with his friend, Sal, who was doing his residency for medical school through UIC.     My co-worker, Wayne, was turning 25 today and going to see the Megadeth concert at the Ballroom tonight.

February 14, 1998: Chicago Auto Show

Slept in until noon and then Shawn and I took the bus to the McCormick place to see the auto show.  We got to sit in the new Volkswagon Bug and the Lexus car which had built in GPS.   We got an autographed photo of one of the Bulls players.    After 5 hours at the auto show, we went to eat at PJ Clarks on State St.     We went for a beer at Kronie's Bar on Bellevue St/Rush.   We got popcorn at Garrett's popcorn and went to the movie 'Wedding Singer'.  

February 6, 1998: Brew N View & Polly & Esthers

Work was pretty cool today. I had plenty to do. LIlly walked with me to Marshall Fields and we split up while I got my haircut.   We had lunch at Burger King on Washington St.   Chris Blackwell, Alison Basista, and Yolanda Thomas had arm wrestling contests at work and we all watched.  Chris wanted to play rugby in the spring.   It would be the Safeway team against the Q-scan team.  Wayne asked what I was doing this weekend.  I said I was going to 'Brew N' View at the Vic' and may meet Lilly and Jennifer either at Polly Esthers or Convent.   Wayne said Polly Esthers was pretty fun.   

Shawn and I went to Brew N View for Chris Farley night. We sat in the balcony and saw 'Beverly Hills Ninja' and 'Billy Madison'.   Adam Sandler and Chris Farley were my favorite actors.    It was pretty interesting watching a movie with a bunch of drunk people.

Shawn and I went to Tizzie's bar up on Clark, just north of Fullerton.   Then, we went to 'Polly Esthers' up on Wells St.  near Chicago Ave.   It's a 70s/80s dance club.  It had two floors.  They had memorabilia from Brady Bunch, Dukes of Hazzard, etc.  There's a room with bean bags, couches and orange chairs.    Outside the place, there was one of those vans from Scooby Doo all painted with flowers.    A guy tried to hit on us.   Saw Amy Itoko and Jennifer from bible study there dancing with their husbands.   

Shawn and I left about 3 a.m.  and walked home on State St.   We were going to go in this sex shop called 'Frenchys' but it cost $1 to browse, so we didn't go in. Plus, there were some weird people outside. 

January 31, 1998: Ice Skating in Chicago

Diane, Amy, Kathy, Beth, and I went to Mitchell's Diner which was near Park Community Church.  It reminded me of the 'Seinfeld' show diner from the outside.   The weather was gorgeous.  Then, Shawn and I walked down Dearborn St over to the ice skating rink on State St.   I hadn't gone ice skating in years.   The last time I went ice skating was with Connie and  Kim Daugherty at L.C. Walker Arena.  

Rented skates for $3 and went out on the ice rink.  I was surprised I was doing pretty well at walking on the ground on skates.  Got on the ice and stayed near the wall as I was scared to skate.   There were tons of people skating fast and racing.    I got around the rink 3 times without holding on the wall.   It was pretty neat ice skating on State Street surrounded by all of the buildings.     Marshall Fields was across the street from the rink.   Then, Shawn and I went to the 'Brew N' View at the Vic' on the corner of Belmont and Sheffield.  We saw 'She's so Lovely'.  They served beer here so that was cool.   Next weekend, they were having Chris Farley night.

January 25, 1998: Superbowl

Went to the Superbowl party with Jill Sumpter and Marilyn from the bible study. Park Community Church was hosting it at the Como Inn on Milwaukee Ave.  It was a beautiful facility.    Played 'Scrabble' with Veronica and won.   The Denver Broncos beat Green Bay Packers.  There were about 400 people at this party.

January 23, 1998: Dennis Rodman's Restaurant, "Illusions"

Lilly Martinez Dunson found out the other day that someone had free passes to Dennis Rodman's restaurant called "Illusions" which was near Planet Hollywood.  So, I asked for several tickets, so a bunch of us from work went after work.

Jennifer Lovato and Ed Slivinskas went in Jennifer's car.  Tony Dragel, Wayne Onak, and I rode in Tony's new jeep.    We drove by America's Bar, which Wayne had gone to before.  

We were surprised at how classy Illusions was.  We sat at this round booth.   They served us free food from 6-9 p.m. We watched the Bulls game and talked about stupid things we've done.

Wayne rented a bus for his friends and charged them $20 for all you can drink beer.  Then, Wayne and I took a cab up to Fullerton/Halstead to this bar that had all you can drink for $20.  His roommate, Greg Castady, had found out about it.    We got one of the last tables.   By 1 a.m., we were pretty toasty and dancing to the band.   We saw some other IRI coworkers there.    Wayne and some others took me home in the cab.   When we got to my apartment, Wayne got out and asked if I needed him to stay at my apartment.   I liked the idea, but figured it was up to him.   Then, he said he thought I would be OK.  
That was hilarious.

January 9, 1998: Gunther Murphys

My friend Shawn Young and I met her co-workers at Gunther Murphys on Belmont St. near Ashland.   It was a neat place.  Then, we went to this other bar on Ashland called Ginger Snaps.

January 6, 1998: Back to Work

It was hard getting back to work.  Bought some Venezuelan rocks for everyone, as well as my photos for them to see.   Wayne Onak was real eager to see the pictures and hear about the trip.   After work, went to dinner with Shawn Young at Dublins Irish Pub, which was on Rush/State. It was around the corner from both of our apartments.

January 4, 1998: Eric, Jenny, and Brandon

Steve's brother, Eric, said he could give me a ride back to Chicago.    His wife, Jenny, was going to be retiring in June.   They just bought a new Ford Explorer.  They said I was lucky to have found a good job in Chicago and had such wonderful co-workers to hang out with.     Steve's brother, Eric, owned a bunch of buildings in Chicago and rented out apartments.  

January 3, 1998: Puerto Rico

We all had to get off the boat in the morning. Charlene and I did some more exploring in Puerto Rico and found this odd building that had old stuffed animals hanging all over it.    Went with Kelsey and Matt to the airport around noon.  I was hoping to get a $300 voucher by getting on stand-by, as the plane was completely full, but didn't get one.   Got to Grand Rapids around 7:30 p.m. Charlene was on a different flight.     Steve had gone to Chicago and stayed at his nephew, Brandon's house.    They went to Uncle Fun's Store and to the Graceland cemetery, which was where many of the famous Chicagoans were buried.

January 2, 1998: St. Thomas

Today, we were at port in St. Thomas Virgin Islands.  Grandpa, Mom, and I walked around the shops in town.   Mom got another Coach purse and I got a swimsuit coverup.   We took a tour of St. Thomas.  It was a beautiful island.   Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton were in St. Thomas on vacation.  We got to see the general area where they were staying.   Charlene, Matt, and Kelsey rented a jeep and went to St. Johns.  They said it was gorgeous.   Mom and I had another pizza for dinner at the pizzeria on the ship.

January 1, 1998: Dominica

Our ship stopped at the island of Dominica in the city of Roseau.  Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, and I took the tour of the island.   We took minivans and drove on the left side of the road.   We stopped at Trafalgar Falls and the Emerald Pool.   We had some delicious passion fruit juice and orange juice.  

Dominica is located between Guadeloupe and Martinique. It's capital is Roseau.  It is 29 miles long and 16 miles wide.   About 74,000 people lived on the island, with about 20,000 living in Roseau.  English is the official language. This island looked alot like Grenada with is lush tropical forests, but seemed to be richer than Grenada by the way the people dressed and their homes.  This island received about 360 inches of rain a year.   The warmest temperature is about 90 degrees.  The coolest it gets is around 75 degrees.

Grandpa asked our tour guide if she had gone to college. She said she gone to some college and studied business.  Grandpa misunderstood her and thought she said pizza.  Then, he said that we liked pizza.  We all thought that was so funny.

Charlene went kayaking today. Kelsey and Matt went snorkeling and Kelsey got sick and threw up in the water.  Told Matt about the kid who threw up in the Jammers Lounge. He got grossed out and said it must've looked like lobster sauce. That was hilarious.    Charlene and I saw the end of the Rosebowl.  Michigan won 21 to 16 against Washington State.

Charlene said I was a good traveler, as I liked both nature, as well as the cities.  I love to travel and hope I can continue to see new places for the rest of my life.