US Open/New York City

This blog posting has been a long time coming but finally we have a few moments to work on it. Back in September over Labor Day weekend Kirby and I made our annual trip (second annual) to New York City to take in the US Open Tennis Tournament and enjoy New York City. We sightsee during the day and take in tennis at night. This year our sightseeing included the top of the Empire State Building at night, the USS Intrepid, Ground Zero and Serendipity 3 for some good ice cream. Besides all the sightseeing we did and the GREAT tennis we took in we went to a Cubs vs. Mets game one day. The game was a ton of fun and it was great to see the Cubs play some where other then the Great Wrigley Field!! We met a lovely couple from Brooklyn who shared with us all sorts of great places to go to eat and places to see. What was really handy is once the baseball game was over we just walked across the street to the tennis center to take in some tennis for the night.

We only had one small issue and that was when we came back to our hotel one night at 2:30 am the hotel was on FIRE, yes I said on FIRE. But it was all under control, there had been a small fire in the parking lot next door to the hotel which caused the hotel to fill up with smoke, no major issues it just made for a long night. All and all it was a great trip!!! We are hoping to be able to go back again this year however we will have to see with the wedding, honeymoon and all that is on the schedule for this summer.

Below is a slideshow of many of our NYC 2009 photos. You wont see any pictures of the WORLD FAMOUS lines at Empire State Building as we spent the extra money for Fast Passes! Definitely do it, you literally walk by thousands of people and right to the elevators, no waiting. We sort of feel bad for all those people that watched us walk by, hmmm, no not really!



And here is a slideshow of photos from our trip to see the U.S.S. Intrepid and a few shots from Ground Zero and of Ellis Island:

Engagement Photo Session

Kirby and I had the honor of doing our engagement photo session in November before the weather turned cold. Our wedding photographer Jen Badalementi - JK Photography was willing to come to Chicago to do our photo session outside in Lincoln Park. We had a great time!! We love our photos and love what Jen did. Here is a small sampling of the images from our session.

Jack Robert Rozema

On September 28, 2009 the Melchi family had a new member added to their family. My sister Erika had a son Jack Robert Rozema. Robert is a family name on both sides: my grandfather's name was Robert, my brother-in-law's name is Robert and my brother-in-law's father's name is Robert. That is a whole lot of Roberts. As you know if you ever look at this blog I already have a niece name Sydney now I have a nephew. All went well with Jack's arrival into the world and we are loving having him in our family.

Sydney (my niece and Jack's big sister, Jack, Auntie E, and Erika (my sister and mother of Jack & Sydney)

Kirby and I checking out Jack

Kirby (Uncle K) holding Jack

Monkeys and Baseball

Back when the weather was warmer and there was no snow on the ground, Kirby and I took his nephew Andrew and my niece Sydney to a White Caps Baseball game in Grand Rapids. It was a sunny, warm July day..oh to have those days back. We had a great day and can't wait to do it again hopefully this summer and maybe we can take them to a Cubs game this year.

Sydney, Kirby and Andrew waiting for the game to start.

Sydney and Andrew having a good time at the game (maybe because we bought them junk food).

The Monkeys doing the YMCA

Sydney and Andrew were able to run the bases after the game. Here they are waiting in line for their turn.

Visiting Hogwarts

When I heard that the Harry Potter's Exhibit was coming to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago I knew Kirby and I would want to go see it. I also thought it would be fun to take Kirby's nephew Andrew and my niece Sydney. So we headed out on a fun filled day to explore the Museum of Science and Industry!!!

When we first entered the exhibit, we were greeted by the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. A select few volunteers from the crowd were chosen to wear the Sorting Hat, and both Sydney and Andrew were chosen. Sydney went first and was placed into the House of Hufflepuff. Andrew was next up and the Sorting Hat decided he was best suited for the House of Ravenclaw! Unfortunately as Kirby found out, photos were not allowed in the exhibit, so no pictures of the kids being sorted.

Andrew & Sydney with their magic wands in front of the Magic Flying Car from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Sydney & Andrew performing a little magic of their own

While we were at the Harry Potter Exhibit we also explored the rest of the Museum. Here Sydney and Andrew are pretending they are a Fireman and an Engineer from 1893.

Andrew & Sydney riding on an old style train, don't they look like they are having fun?!

Cubs, Pirates, Oh My......

Yes, we know it has been a long, long, long time since our last blog update so this has been a long time coming. Back in August Kirby and I spent a weekend taking in some fun sites in Chicago.

First we went to the Field Museum and saw an exhibit on Pirates, AAARGH. It was very interesting, insightful, and not at all like Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Along with seeing the Pirates Exhibit we also took in the rest of the Field Museum. It is one of the most interesting museums around and I'm thankful it is my own back yard.

The front of the Field Museum with the Pirates Banners.

Here I am with my new pirate boyfriend, he is such a stud. Shhhhhh don't tell Kirby.

Kirby also found a new girlfriend while he was there, Sue the dinosaur. She looks mean I don't think I will mess with her.

After going to the Field Museum we walked around the great city of Chicago and end up at The Bean in Millennium Park.

The lovely city of Chicago.

Kirby in front of Buckingham Fountain.

The Bean.

The day after we went to the Field Museum and walked around the city of Chicago we did something I have wanted to do since I moved to Chicago 12 years ago. We took the behind the scenes tour of Wrigley Field where the Chicago Cubs play. I have been a Cubs fan since I moved to Chicago and currently live 10 blocks away from Wrigley Field. I have to say the behind the scenes tour of Wrigley Field is one of the neatest things I have done. During the tour we saw a short video about Wrigley Field and the Cubs, learned the history of how both Wrigley Field and the Cubs came to be. We also got a tour of visiting teams locker room, the Cubs locker room, the Press Box, the Club Boxes, the Cubs and visiting team dug outs and the most exciting part of the tour is we got to go out on the field!!!!! I have to say if you are ever in Chicago and can get tickets to this tour do it, it is well worth it!!!

Wrigley Field "The Home of the Chicago Cubs"

The Scoreboard in the Outfield at Wrigley Field, which is 73 years old.

The Cubs Locker Room

Here I am sitting in the Press Box

Kirby and I on the field at Wrigley Field

Wedding planning is moving along...

Call us uber-organized! We've got our wedding ceremony and reception sites picked, ministers scheduled, photographer booked, and Erin has already found her dress and bridesmaid's dresses! I've been assured I will like the dress, and that it does not resemble this picture in any way! Let's hope so! But even if Erin wore a burlap bag, I know she would look stunning in it!!! :)

Its hard to believe that we're already less than 11 months away from the BIG DAY! Time is really starting to fly by, it seems like just yesterday I was asking Erin to marry me, and here we are 2 months later already!

So to all of you reading, here's a little audience participation segment!!! Please recommend some good places to go for a honeymoon. We're thinking Caribbean, Florida Keys, Mexican coast, or someplace similar. Little thatch roofed bungalows on the beach would be awesome! Leave your comments below on good places to go for a week or two, so we can search them out! Thanks for your help and comments!