Flurries in February

February was a pretty busy and exciting month for the Hoods. Megan submitted a long-in-preparation grant application early in the month. As part of celebrating, she went to Second City for her friend Mary Conte's 30th birthday, where she found out that Mary is pregnant (and due around Megan's birthday)! Ryan and Megan then spent nearly a week testing out their old ski/snowboard skills in Colorado (Breckenridge, Keystone, and Vail) with some Loyola friends/colleagues. All around a great time, without an injuries. We also got a chance to catch up with Megan's cousin Michelle (and her adorable daughter Lily) while they were in Denver. To wrap up the month, Megan and Ryan went to Chicago's Wingfest 2012, where they sampled various hot wings before Megan hosted an Oscar watch party with her dinner club group. Ryan has continued to enhance his beer knowledge, with the help of his good friend Dan Winter. This Chicago winter has been a good one!

Welcome 2012!

We started 2012 with a casual family night (the dogs did not make it til midnight). Much of January involved watching bowl games and enjoying the less-cold-than-usual Chicago winter weather. Megan enjoyed a much anticipated trip to Park City, Utah to surprise her friend Katelyn O'Reilly for her 30th birthday at Sundance Film Festival (!). They had an amazing time, with lots of random celebrity sightings. While she was gone, Ryan also celebrated a friend's birthday in box seats at a Chicago Blackhawks game. In addition, Ryan used a gift from his lovely wife and got to take a flying lesson. A little worried we may have an expensive hobby starting here... Work was busy for both of us, but overall a great start to the year!