Yes, it happened.

It's been a surreal week. Around this time last Friday, Colleen and I were racing to finish place-cards, pick up shirts from the dry cleaners, finish flower arrangements, and re-calibrate our minds. We were fortunate and grateful that timely reinforcements had arrived that Thursday with our domestic and international family.

Last Saturday we got married and threw down a joyously unrestrained party that surpassed all expectations for the ramshackle gathering we thought we had planned. From the moment we walked into the Stan Mansion, the reception no longer felt like it was ours. This was a good thing. Colleen and I may have provided the skeleton: location, food, and decorations; but it was our family, friends, and the community they make that gave it life. We couldn't have been happier with our Frankenstein Party.

We're going to continue updates here, as there are so many little details and memories that we want to relive in words and pictures. First, we've started a Flickr Pool: www.flickr.com/groups/colleenandrodrigo/. We added some pictures to start and we'll be adding more as we get back photos from the various family digital cameras. Flickr is easy and free to join, and anyone can upload photos and add them to the pool. If you've got photos or video, add it! Let's Go Technology!

Second, our photographer John Christian Adams has linked us the first batch of photos that he and his wife Lindy took from the ceremony and the reception: www.goforjohn.com/rod&col/. John is an extraordinary photo ninja. He and Lindy were willing and ready to get weird with us; they even made the security camera at a Walmart look cool. There will be more to follow, and we're excited.

Last, we're compiling little nuggets and things that we want remember: poems read, speeches spoken, accounts of people falling, dancing, crying, and singing. We'll post those here, so stay tuned!

xoxo
street-legal rodrigo y colleen.

Rodrigo and Colleen vs. The Olympics

It's interesting to be counting down to an event that will effect about 150 people, to take place one day after an event that will potentially effect 2,842,518.

On October 3, 2009, Rodrigo and I get married (yay!).

On October 2, 2009, the city of Chicago finds out whether they have been chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

One event is obviously more personally significant than another, but I can't help but be excited about both. Because, despite some of the controversy surrounding the Olympic bid - the flawed financial projections, land use disputes, and the general hassle of having thousands more people in our fair city - I'm excited about the prospects of the Olympics coming to Chicago.

And if they do, you can bet I'll be the first aboard the sweet new trains we'll get out of the deal, and that I will also weasel my way in to the opening ceremonies some way or another.

Plus, it's interesting to think ahead to the year 2016 - What will we be doing? Will we still be living in Chicago? Will we all travel around on hover boards?

xoxo
C

Favorite Place: CTA Brown Line

My next favorite place moves around the city on elevated tracks.

It offers a surprisingly nice (and seated!) tour of the city, for much less than the double-decker bus tours. Although I hear those are nice, too.

It's the CTA Brown Line.

Here's the plan: If you're downtown, a little fatigued, and looking for a place to sit down for a half hour, skip the cafe and jump on the Brown Line instead. Or better yet, grab something to drink and then get on. You can board the Brown Line from lots of Loop locations - I recommend getting on at Washington and Wells, then riding the line around the Loop and north of the river.

(click here for a larger version of the map)

Then you can hop off at Fullerton or Belmont, both good neighborhood stops for food, shopping, etc.

On the way, get up-close views of downtown building facades, the Chicago River, and more.



I realize that not everyone gets as excited about public transportation as I do, but after a couple of years driving five minutes to a job because of discontinuous sidewalks and non-existent bus lines, it's a treat for me.

Just avoid rush hour on a weekday. Unless you really, really love humanity...

Enjoy!

xoxo
C

So, what's with the artichoke?

In lieu of wedding bands, Rodrigo and I decided a while ago to get tattoos. I'll pause here for a collective shudder from those who:

a) like my mom, consider tattoos to be inappropriate in any occasion (even as an expression of love or pride)
b) are picturing tattooed portraits of each other on body parts that don't normally see the sunshine

Okay, have we recollected ourselves? Good.

Walking down the street one day, we settled on identical artichokes. It went something like this:

R: So I was thinking some more about tattoo ideas.
C: Yeah? What are you thinkin', Palma?
R: Artichokes.
C: Yes!

We discussed the idea further, made our appointment, and the rest is (permanently applied) history. Here is some photo-documentation:

Baby's first tattoo. Awe...

Rodrigo smiling through the pain. Actually, it barely phased him. I was the one wincing and clutching his hand like a lifeline.

His

Hers

Thanks to Zach Stuka at Deluxe Tattoo here in Chicago for his rendition of a very complex vegetable.

We've gotten the question "Why artichokes?" a lot since then, and the answer is... there really is no firm answer. We like the way they look. We find them delicious. We wanted something that we would each get and wear (a la a wedding band, except there's no losing these babies down the drain when we wash our hands) and enjoy looking at every day.

We heart artichoke (hearts)!

xoxo
C

Friendly reminders

(yay)!

Or, you will not... (boo!)

But either way, please let us know - you can RSVP online here, or send in those smart little postcards provided just for the occasion.

Also - if you are somebody who adores the limelight and cannot wait to regale us with your special, samba version of "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (or whatever) at the reception, please don't forget to drop us a line in advance. You needn't reveal too much (in order to heighten anticipation) - just your chosen stage name (if any), the instruments you'll require, and about how long your time in the spotlight will be.

Thanks, everyone! Can't wait to see you all soon!

xoxo
c+r

A celebration with laser beams!

I received this is the mail last week:


(click on the image to make it bigger and hence, actually legible)

While the color scheme is fairly lovely, there are several things amiss here:

1) Wedding date: September 17, 2009? Fail.
2) Offering Lasik to a groom with 20/20 vision? Fail.
3) Sending me this card a mere week before my supposed wedding date? Fail.
4) Calling my wedding date the most important day of my life? Fail.
5) Offering discounted corrective vision surgery to upcoming brides and grooms? Weird.
6) The jerk who passed my name and address along to these people? In trouble.

xoxo,
C

Favorite Place: Chicago Architecture River Cruise

Okay, so today's favorite place isn't technically a place, so much as an experience. But it's a great experience. The Chicago Architecture Foundation offers a multitude of tours around the city, highlighting the great architectural tradition of Chicago. But my favorite by far is the Architecture River Cruise.



You'll board one of three boats at a river dock at Michigan Ave. and Wacker Dr., and an experienced and entertaining CAF docent will give you a narrated tour of Chicago.



You'll travel the Chicago River heading west bound, then travel north, then south where the river forks. Lastly, you'll venture out to the mouth of the river where it meets Lake Michigan. All the while, you'll hear about architects and city planning for a city built upon a swamp, some interesting stories about the Great Fire of 1871, and some details about what it was like to live along the river before any anti-pollution measures were taken (hint: it was very stinky). It's an hour-and-a-half of relaxation and information, where you can rest your feet from all of the exploring you've already done, and learn a little bit more about our fair city.

I've done the tour about five times, with different combinations of family and friends, and I would definitely do it again. So get your tickets and get on board!



xoxo,
C