Weiner Poopie?

Looks like Brian grew up in a scary, dangerous place! This happened just outside of Grand Rapids, MI...

Oh goody! Oh goody!

OK, I admit it - I have a weakness... (just ONE of course! ;)

This time of year, I absolutely MUST have these:

Sadly, the Target I visited today at lunch had not put these out on the shelf yet, ... but I think I spotted the placeholder for them!

If you've never tried these divine treats, you have to promise me that you'll try them this year. Hurry though, because you're only going to be able to find them for about the next 45 days!!

Our 100th post!

Hard to believe, but this marks our 100th post here on Sprik Space since September 2006!! While I doubt we've kept y'all as entertained as we've been by blogging, I sincerely hope that something here has interested you over the past 18 months.

With this being a historical post here on Sprik Space, we want to pay tribute to a very significant lady, Auntie Dee. Last weekend, we had a lot of fun helping her family and friends pay tribute to her for her 75th birthday. Her son & daughters did a wonderful job putting together a special evening for such a remarkable woman.

Brian wrote the following piece that was included in a book of memories presented to her on that night:

To many, she is Mom, Grandma, Great-Grandma or simply Dolores… to me she has always been Auntie Dee. By generational order, she is my Great Aunt; great is a word rarely used to designate her, more a term to describe her. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of trips to Auntie Dee’s in Chicago… reading the Sun Times on Sunday morning while snacking on Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins, watching Cubs games with Harry Caray’s unmistakable commentary, or spending Christmases as a young boy with family in Chicago. And who could forget the year that all I wanted was a “caskle” for Christmas, and the overjoyed amazement and pronouncement of receiving that very gift. A “caskle” was a Fisher Price Castle to those of you older than 4 years.

Spending time at Auntie Dee’s or Corey Lake with extended family during the summers shaped my perception of what family means. Time shared with her family also shaped boyhood dreams of living in Chicago, especially after seeing the Sears Tower for the first time at the age of 13. Those dreams later became reality after graduating college. It was reassuring to know that family was so close, having moved to the big city away from the only place I had known as home. Not many people have the closeness of extended family we have; Auntie Dee would not have it any other way. A woman who has been the closest thing I have to a grandmother since the passing of my own grandparents. Her love has no limit nor knows no boundaries. That generosity was no more felt while Aimee and I were making plans for our life together. She provided a warm, loving place to stay during a stressful, transitional time in our lives while we looked for a place we could call home after our wedding.

Traveling all the way to Denver to be with Aimee and I on a brisk, sunny day in December for our wedding meant so much to us. On a day that vows were shared and a new branch of family was formed, her presence reminded us of the love and sanctity of family… something for which we will be eternally grateful.

We love you, Auntie Dee!

How to get there from here

We loved the in-dash navigation system in our old car so much, we affectionately called her K.I.T.T. So, when we ended up getting a new car this past fall, we went out and purchased a portable GPS unit. We very happy with it so far, and usually only really need it when we go out exploring and don't really feel like getting lost. (Like yesterday, when we drove from Northbrook to Skokie to downtown Chicago to home, and passed by this little gem... an unfortunate name for a home improvement store, don't 'ya think?)

Anyway, I recently saw a new product written up online that has to be the coolest GPS device ever.

Virtual Cable is a "heads-up dashboard display that virtually ‘paints’ a highly visible line above the road ahead. The line curves precisely where a driver using an in-car navigation device would normally be instructed to turn. Follow the line till you reach your destination. It’s that simple."

SIGN ME UP!