2008 Mayfest

Tonight my friends and I went to Mayfest, the Spring Germanfest, in Lincoln Square. (That's me with a work colleague - he bought me the hat!)

What a crazy night! Complete with German Bratwurst with potato salad and sauerkraut, German Beer and German Music - OY,OY,OY!!!! We finished the night at our favorite neighborhood spot The Huettenbar. Sister Heidi aka Bobsie was able to join us. It was too much fun. =)

Team Hot Dogs: Chicago Style!

Team Hot Dogs: Chicago Style wins the 2008 Team Challenge with over $18,000 in donations!!!

What a wonderful day! Together Madeleine and I raised $1,300. A great big thank you to everyone who donated. Rudy & Bridget are still sleeping.....it was a long walk.

Superdawg, Liver Function, Driving, Barking, Crushes

The Chicago Mini Motoring Club had an outing to Superdawg. Nephew Asconio and Bridget went with me. We had a great time. Over 30 Minis participated. On the way home, we drove by the Affy Tapple factory. We're hoping they do tours.


I took Bridget to the vet because of her frequent urinating. Her blood panel revealed elevated enzyme levels (normal = 10-100, she was 257). After several other tests, the vet referred us to Animal Emergency Referral Center in Northbrook. $900 later, the specialist found nothing wrong and gave me herbal supplements to boost her liver function. She took them for 2 weeks and today we had another blood panel done to see if they have helped. If so, I will keep her on the supplements. She seems to pee less but not significantly. Sigh. But I have peace of mind she is healthy which is priceless. And she is worth every penny.

May 4th I'll be in the Milwaukee Mile. I get to do 3 laps on the racetrack in the Mini with my newly painted leopard roof! I'm leaving the car in Kenosha tomorrow to have the work done.


Madeleine and I are totally ready for Bark in the Park on May 3. Together, we have raised over $1,100. Our team has raised over $13,000 and we have high hopes of winning the Team Challenge a second time.

p.s. Mad Hot Crush update: No second date. Story of my life. I get random e.mails like "Happy Friday" but I think I'd prefer no e.mails at all. Oh well.

Mad Hot Crush Update

I finally had dinner with my Mad Hot Crush and it was a perfect evening. I had a really nice time. I remain hopefully optimistic it is the start of something good.

Let's Motor!

Today was the Chicago Mini Motoring Club Spring Drive. ohmygod -- it was so much fun! Last night was daylight savings time "spring forward" which meant getting up at 7am was really 6am. My nephew Marcello agreed to be my co-pilot. I picked him up in Evanston at 8am and we headed up to Knauz Mini in Lake Bluff. As soon as we arrived, Francis (CMMC Board Member) came over and asked if I was in Glenview yesterday. He remembered my car because of the personalized plates and the Chicago Dachshund Lovers "Let Your Wiener Hangout" plate cover (lol!). Kevin (Knauz Sales Manager) hosted the morning meetup and arrived with Krispy Kreme donuts, coffee AND......two miniature Dachshunds named Rudolph and Comet! They were adorable! Of course I gave him a CDL card and invited him to our next Dachshund meetup.


35 Minis headed out on 41N at 9:40am and took a scenic route to Burlington, WI. We stopped at Firestone/Culvers where we met up with the Milwaukee Mini group, an additional 25 Minis. From there, we all drove to Galena through some fun, winding roads in the country. Some of the hills were like rollercoasters and Marcello & I both got butterflies. Our top speed was 95mph (don't tell Heidi!). In Galena, our group met for lunch at Houlihans. We were seated by a window with a view of the parking lot which had been reserved for our group. HATGRL1 got a nice front row spot.


We sat with two friends Evan & Mario (both into automobiles and racing) and Jon & Amanda, a young couple from Evanston. Amanda is a school teacher and she named their car Wini the Mini (after Winnie on The Wonder Years). In total over 100 people participated and 4 dogs. =)

It was great fun and everyone was so nice. I love my Mini and waited a long time to have one. Being with fellow Mini owners was a celebration of the spirit of this awesome little car. I am planning to have my roof and dash painted in Snow Leopard. It would have been fun to sport my custom Mini today but there is always next time. In the meantime, I am totally ordering a sticker that says: "Actual Size!" I can't wait for the next event: The Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, May 4th.

~My special girl~

Today was Claudia's 11th birthday. It is our tradition for just the two of us to go out to dinner and celebrate her birthday together. And I was so honored to get her on her birth date. This year we went to Wildfire in Glenview. Her birthday gift was ice skating lessons from Heidi and I (and she asked me to knit her leg warmers).

I remember the day Heidi called to tell me she was pregnant with Claudia. I felt a grip of fear in my chest because I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to love another child more than I already loved Madeleine. Then the day I met Claudia for the first time, I understood love is not measurable. That love multiplies and you have more than enough love for everyone. It is beautiful and amazing. I am so proud to have Claudia as my niece and godchild. I love you Claudia.

Hearts and Flowers month

It is almost the end of February which means we are closer to Spring then Summer! Winter 2008 in Chicago has been miserable. I question my own sanity for choosing to live here. I am so sick of digging my car out on the street. Only to have someone take the space forcing me to dig out a new space to park.


Every winter, I go with friends Lili and Molly to visit our crazy friend Kari in Florida. This years trip was pretty much perfect! (Aside from waking up the day before with a sore throat, fever and congestion. But it was far better to be sick in 85* Naples than in -18* Chicago). These pictures were taken at the Beach Club where we watched the sunset and drank Pina Coladas. So beautiful!


My favorite shopping is at the Best of Everything. This year I found a gorgeous Marcosite ring with a matching pendant. Later I found a second Marcosite ring at Steinmart. They are so pretty! We all liked Lili's ring so much, it was decided we would all buy the same ring and make it a tradition every year.


The ELFs and I are participating in the 2008 Bark in the Park for the Anti-Cruelty Society. Our fundraising is going really well. Our team hopes to raise more than $10K this year. My fundraising page is www.firstgiving.com/tamarahatten. Here are the dogs "training" on the couch.


Nothing new to report at work. It has been two long years of uncertainty which feels like the story of my life at this point. In spite of everything, I will continue to keep the faith and believe good things are going to happen for me this year in all areas of my life. =)

p.s. Mad Hot Crush update: we didn't have our dinner date at Carnival due to scheduling conflicts and me not feeling well. Nothing has been rescheduled yet but I got big hugs and kisses when I gave him the socks. Who knew! I actually enjoyed knitting these socks because I found a 3x1 seed stitch rib pattern which was easy to do. (Must....not....knit....sweater....) LOL!