The Chelius Family

Lets go Giants!

2011-11-07T08:45:00.003-05:00

Can you tell that someone is teething?

Happy Halloween! Love, Frosty

2011-11-02T12:18:00.003-04:00

One day is not enough. Saylor will be wearing this costume many times from now until summer!

This is Jacktastic!

2011-10-05T10:05:00.001-04:00

Saylor

2011-08-23T08:22:00.008-04:00

I love this little lady so much! I love how easily she will give you a smile. I love how she looks for me when she hears my voice. I love how she calms down the second I pick her up. I love how she will be crying in her cradle and the second Geremy or I appear she smiles as if to say "I knew you would come!" I love how she chugs her bottles, and belches like a sailor. I love how she bends backwards as far as she can to see what is going on behind her. I love her baby talk. Her giggles send me straight to Heaven! I love how she smiles in her sleep. I love how she loves her bunny and her ducky and hugs them close the minute we give them to her. I love how she loves being sung to and read to. I love reading my childhood books to her. I love taking a nap with her all snuggled up in my arms. I love watching Geremy with her. I love the way she makes me feel. I love how she makes my life more important.

I could go on and on for the rest of my life. She is so sweet and special to us and makes us happier everyday! Thank you, God, for giving her to us!

Spring Lake 2011

2011-08-01T09:45:00.017-04:00

The entire Chelius family got together this weekend at the Mallgraves beach house in Spring Lake, NJ. It was such an amazing weekend! I am so lucky to have married into such an amazing family! All 12 cousins.

Casey, Katarina, Megan, Christopher, Ciaran, Teddy, Andrew,
Ryan, Dylan, Lucy, Conall and Saylor

Geremy and Saylor with his Parents, Anne and Gary

This is our au pair, Marike. She is so wonderful and we are lucky to have found her.

Geremy's brothers and sisters with their parents.
Geneveive, Geronimo, Garrett, Ginette, Geremy, Anne and Gary

The Out Laws (aka in laws)

Can you find Saylor in there?

Geremy's sisters and mom.

Geremy's parents

Thank you, Matt and Geneveive for hosting such an amazing weekend!

For Annie

2011-06-01T15:57:00.011-04:00

First things first, Cutest Baby Ever!

Ok, Annie, here you go:)
This is the outside and the main level of our house:) I have a newborn so you cant judge me for the mess! Pictures of the upstairs and basement to come later.

Empty Guest Bedroom.

This yellow was painted on every square inch of every wall in the house. It wouldnt be so bad if there wasnt so much of it.

Messy Office

Ugliest bathroom in the history of bathrooms. This is our next project.

Hallway

Bathroom on the left, office straight ahead, first doors on the right lead to the basement, middle door is a pantry and the last door on the right is the guest bedroom.

Backyard

Introducing Saylor Elladee Chelius!

2011-04-28T14:36:00.007-04:00

Saylor was born on April12, 2011. She was 10.2 pounds and 21.5 inches long. She is such a sweet baby and has brought Geremy and I more happiness than we could have ever imagined!

Pregnancy Test

2010-10-13T07:51:00.000-04:00

Since my father in law is a wonderful and knowledgeable doctor and my wife is pregnant I have learned a lot about medicine. With this gained knowledge I have developed a fool proof pregnancy test. Please watch the below video. If you happen to cry during the commercial Congratulations! You are pregnant. If you do not cry but are overcome with emotion It may be too early to tell watch again in 3 days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsT9tzAVwh4&p=20B45762B4D5CF1F&playnext=1&index=8

Guess what Geremy and I did?

2010-10-01T09:29:00.012-04:00

WE MADE A BABY!!!

13 weeks and feeling great!
We are so excited and already love this baby so much!

How did I get so lucky?

2010-04-15T09:43:00.010-04:00

I had two terrible mornings in a row. Yesterday was awful, but this morning was even worse! Nothing seriously bad happened. Just a lot of little things that added up. Needless to say, I was in a foul mood when I got to work this morning.

That is until my sweet husband sent me these to cheer me up! It worked!

Geremy is always so thoughtful and romantic! I love him so much and am so lucky to have married to him!

Geremy,
Your the best man a girl could ask for! I love my flowers and thanks for turning this day around! I love you so much! Millions of kisses!
Love your adoring wife,
Allison

A Few Thoughts

2010-02-11T12:04:00.018-05:00

Whats wrong with this picture?

This picture was taken at my office. An hour away from my home. Maybe I should wake up earlier so I'm not so rushed and crazy in the morning...

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I am really missing these guys today!

Especially this little man!

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Puss n' Boots...

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Laundry is taking over my life! Where does it all come from?!? I think its time for a trip to Maryland. I may or may not sometimes drive 5 hours to my parents house to use their awesome laundry room...

Wait. Do you see something in there? Lets get a little closer...

At least someone is enjoying themselves!

___________________________________________________

"Whatchu lookin' at Willis?"

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Meet Henry, aka "Bunny rabbit":) He is DELICIOUS!

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I really love this man! He is perfect in every way.

I love you honey!

Because its just too cute not to post...

2009-11-03T08:30:00.004-05:00

Sorry that it is so blurry, I dont think the camera could handle the cuteness!

I am going to be sick...

2009-03-17T14:25:00.021-04:00

...if I see that "fat guy" picture one more time!

I am sorry that I have not posted in a while. I am also sorry that this is going to be such a short one, but I needed to get "Fattie" off of the front page. By the way, Geremy is lookin' mmm mmm Good! When he sets his mind to something, there is no stopping him. Keep your hands off, ladies, he is taken.

To ensure that "Fattie" is not in the screen, here are a few random pictures:

According to makemebabies.com, this is what G's and my baby will look like:)

I love this picture. The way Geremy has his hand on his dad's shoulder makes my heart melt!

This is our house and side yard. We live in a really amazing beach community and have the best neighbors ever! We love it here!

This is Hinckley, Geremy and I sailing away from our beach. Hinckley is so cute in his life jacket! Geremy ain't so bad himself:) How did I get so lucky!

This is a big boat tie-up we have every year with a bunch of our friends and family. Its really really fun. That is my hot sister-in-law standing on top of her boat, we went skiing with her this past weekend. I think she rocks!

I have a million random pictures like this and could go on and on forever. I will stop now, but I leave you with just two more...

This is our Kitty, Dory, the night we adopted her. She is the sweetest and quirkiest cat! She is five months now, and has very big day tomorrow- she is getting her hernia fixed AND getting neutered. We love her so much, so everyone cross your fingers that everything goes perfectly.

Fatty Goes to the gym

2009-01-14T09:05:00.003-05:00

(Before)

Ok so I am rather sick of everyone telling me how much weight I have gained. Or my favorite is when I hear “Wow you have filled out.” I get it! I have been eating too much and not going to the gym for the last couple of months. In my defense though I stopped working out when it became dark so early. I don’t want to get home and run in the dark cold. I would rather sit on the couch and eat cheetos, potato chips, Swedish fish ect…

So I am starting to “Fill In” a bit. I am by far the heaviest I have ever been in my life. So I started running last night. “Biggest mistake ever” I can barely lift my legs to walk this morning. Not a great feeling. But I have taken the first step as they say. Last night I also worked on my new menu a little. So I am going to work out, eat better and hopefully shed 20lbs by summer.
So my cyber-space friends, actually the only people in the world that waste there time reading this is our family. So family here is what I would love from you. I am looking for healthy recipes. Preferably cheap and easy to make. Also a big plus is something healthy that does not seem healthy this way I can trick my body into liking it. A couple of boundaries though No Broccoli (I would rather eat a dirty diaper) No Brussels sprouts (God was just in a bad mood when he created them)

All and any help in me losing weight would be sweet. I appreciate your help. I will keep you all posted if decide to read this boring blog again. I will try and make it entertaining. No promises.

Have Not posted in a While

2008-12-30T10:16:00.004-05:00

Hello All,

Well I have no real topic to post about. I just was kind of feeling guilty after being with Allison’s family, for my lack of posting. This is the reason I do not post very often. I have nothing to say. How about this, I will talk about my first Christmas away from my family- I can talk about that for a little while.

All family’s have different traditions that take getting used too. For example it has been a tradition in my family ever since I can remember that on Christmas eve we would sacrifice a pig and grill it in the back yard. Allison’s family did not do this so that was a little different for me and sad. Also Christmas eve is my brothers birthday and growing up my mother made it a point to make sure that Christmas Eve was about Geronimo since your birthday should be your day alone. So this was the first Christmas eve I have ever had without birthday cake. I love cake.

Christmas morning, the day I have been waiting for all year. I still love everything about Christmas. It is such a magical time of year. If you do not believe in Santa anymore, you should try it out again. It is an amazing thing to speak with a child that still believes. It makes you as an adult want to believe so badly that you kind start to. About ten years ago there was a cosmic shift in the Chelius household. It went from us begging to come downstairs to see if Santa came to my parents waking us up to open gifts before we headed out east for the day. Christmas was always our big dinner not the night before. This was a change for me. Ironically though my family simplified dinner this year. So not so bad that I missed out. I would appreciate if they get there act back together next year and get the full blown feast back on the table for me. I am a bit of a fatty. That about sums up Christmas night. Except for my family singing Christmas carols which for some reasons morph’s into Irish songs. I guess we are just psyched to be Irish.

December 26th by far the worst day of the year. The holiday season is ending. You are becoming weird for listening to Christmas Carols. New Year’s to me is always a colossal disappointment (Please don’t take offense Lizzie.)

Well all in all it was a wonderful time with my new family. Boy though there is a lot of them. Seriously like hundreds of people. I think there is a four child minimum to gain true acceptance. It was a great holiday and a time for me to actually reflect on what I have now become a part of. I am a lucky man not just because I have such a wonderful wife, but she comes from a wonderful family. New traditions were born for me. I am very interested to see what Thanksgiving brings.

Another pound on an elephant...

2008-12-23T09:08:00.004-05:00

I am proud to introduce to you the Chelius clan's newest member... The one, the only...
Drum roll please, maestro...

Dory!

The Fruit of My Labor

2008-10-24T12:44:00.009-04:00

What do you think?

Do you like the changes I made or should I go back to the original design? Be Honest, I can take it!

I had some yarn left over, so I made this too:) Their ear muffs and I love them. From the front it kind of looks like a flapper girl's head band, its really retro/artsy looking:) I don't think I will wear these two things together though - I'm afraid that would be overkill.

I think I can. I think I can.

2008-10-22T16:59:00.007-04:00

Tonight I am setting out to crochet something like this. It will be cream with a slightly smaller pale olive flower/ruffle. When I am finished I will either have a very pretty and unique alternative to a scarf or I will have crocheted myself a really soft rag. Wish me luck!

New York State of Mind - Part Duece

2008-09-25T08:37:00.035-04:00

Here is more of my day in NY. I will try to keep this short and sweet:)

This is where I go for lunch. Its called Grand Army Plaza. Its right on the outskirts of Central Park. I love this statue. Its of General William Tecumseh Sherman who was the Union general who led the "March to the Sea" in 1864 in which the city of Atlanta was destroyed by fire. That is the goddess Nike in front of him. This is the bench I sit on.
This is pigeon poop on my bench:( Its OK, Ill just sit on the other side. Unfortunately I run the risk of getting pooped on. I'm not too worried though, in two years its has only happened once. They say its good luck to get hit by bird poop? I still think it sucks!
These two could very well be the culprits!
Did you know that a pigeon will live its whole life in the exact area that it was born?

She looks nice. I don't think she would poop on me. This is a fountain on the opposite side of Grand Army Plaza. It looks small in this picture but its actually really big. It is incredibly beautiful.

On some days Grand Army Plaza sees alot of action. Its right next to The plaza Hotel, the huge Apple Store, FAO Schwartz, Tiffany & Co., and tons of other attractions. Because of this there can be quite a bit of tourist. And where there are tourist there is always...

This guy...

And these guys.

I am pretty sure that the following is not a tourism thing but more along the lines of a security/terrorism drill that is done all over NYC. Whatever it is, is absolutely wild! Once in a while you will all of the sudden hear hundreds of sirens and the next thing you know all of the side walks surrounding Grand Army Plaza are lined completely by NYPD police cars. Some people actually get quite frightened. It makes me feel safe knowing that they are there to protect me:) Check it out... Is that not so incredibly cool? I think it is such an amazing display of communication and unity as a team! This is across the street from my bench. Central Park is so beautiful. Its hard to believe that you are in the Center of NYC when your inside of it.Here is a closer look.

One day this summer I saw a woman in a business suit in here and all of the sudden she stripped down to a bikini. She proceeded to sun bathe and after 30 minutes or so, she put her suit back on and went back to the office. The things people do for a tan...

You might be wondering why I sit on a bench that is used as target practice for pigeons instead of inside this peaceful haven. I'll tell you why...

Its because of these beauties.

I love these horses! I love their carriages. I love listening to the driver's conversations. I love to watch the pigeons dodge the horses while trying to get some of their grain. I just cant get enough of them! Everyday horses and carriages line the street surrounding Grand Army Plaza. Romeo is my favorite. He is tall and slender with little grey dots all over his white coat. He is usually parked right in front of my bench. (don't you love how I refer to it as "my bench?") His driver is this kookie Irish guy who is always talking to the other carriage drivers about history or how much he hates the rickshaws and their drivers. I think its a turf thing?

Unfortunately they were on a job when I was taking these pictures. Romeo is kind of cranky but I think he just likes to mess with his driver. The relationship between them is actually very sweet. They really love each other:)

Here are a few other random pictures from my lunch hour...

Blurry picture of The Plaza Hotel entrance.

The Plaza's Rolls Royce. Snazzy!

View of my building from the Grand Army Plaza. That is the top of The Plaza Hotel in the corner.

This is where I get my lunch that I eat on "My Bench."

If I'm not in Grand Army Plaza for lunch that I am most likely out to lunch with One of my best friend, Nina. This is our favorite restaurant to go to.

I hope you guys enjoyed seeing my lunch hour! Sorry that its kind of long again:(

Vacation So long ago, I wanna go back:(

2008-08-06T09:35:00.005-04:00

Top Ten Things About Lake Winnipesaukee
10) Watching waiters and waitresses fear for there lives being caught in between Lauren and her food.

9) Mary’s dedication

8) The lack of sun so no real risk of sun burn

7) Now knowing what to get Jessica for Christmas (Ear Plugs)

6) Flying off a rope swing that is irresponsibly high (But awesome)

5) Surviving Aunt Marianne’s tube ride (Barely)

4) Seek and destroy (Oh my there is some interesting stuff there)

3) Moose Tracks

2) Realizing that the Good Dr. may be the most patient human being on the planet.

And The number one thing about Lake Winnipesaukee PUSHING MY MOTHER IN LAW IN THE WATER!
Wonderful vacation so sad it is over but loved every second of it.

heartache and loss

2008-07-30T09:09:00.014-04:00

Tina

I have been trying to write this post for a couple days now. I don't know how to start and I don't know how to put what I am feeling into words. I am still trying to work things out in my head and think that it may help to just write some things down.

My dear friend, Tina, passed away this week. It was so sudden and unexpected and my mind can’t stop turning over and over trying to make sense of it. I am leaving for her wake in a few hours and hope that I can give her parents and sisters some of the comfort and support that Tina always so willingly gave me. I hope that I can find the right words to describe all that I saw and felt in Tina. She was the kindest most loyal friend. She was the kind of friend you could always count on. She always knew when I need a pick me up and she rose to the task effortlessly with her hilarious wit. Holy cow was she funny, she could make you laugh for hours! Tina was such a strong woman who knew exactly who she was and was never afraid to stand up for what she believed. She was incredibly wise and always gave me such sound and comforting advice. She was great at letting me vent when I needed to just complain and I never felt judged by her when I later realize how immature I sounded. She always helped me see the clear picture and was great at helping find solutions and work through things. She was such an amazing listener. She would actually listen to you and would want to understand how you felt. She was so genuine and special.

Tina was a loving supporter of the ASPCA and similar organizations; she dedicated so much of herself to animals in need. She would have taken them all home with her at the drop of a dime. She cared about them with a Passion that was so admirable, sincere and profound.

Tina had the most beautiful relationship with her sweet sister, Julie. To hear Tina talk about Julie made you want to be closer with your own sisters. I can’t stop thinking about Julie and what she must be feeling right now. They really were best friends. They lived with each other and did almost everything together. I spent Monday night with her family and friends sharing memories and comforting each other. I hope I was able to express to Julie how clearly I saw Tina's adoration and love for her. I was also able to meet Tina’s parents, Karl and Karin, and her other sister Sonja. It was very special for me and bittersweet at the same time. Tina has such a wonderful family and is loved by so many. I hope I can be the type of friend and comfort to Julie and her parents right now as Tina was to me. Tina really was one of a kind and brought so much to the lives of her family and friends. I will miss Tina incredibly and she will always be in my thoughts. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Tina and I

Tina, me, and Billie

Im in a New York state of mind

2008-06-30T20:50:00.000-04:00

*** Edit: So I know that this post is as long as the Appalachian Trail, but I really didn't realize it until it was too late. I am a little upset that Annie is the only one who cares about me enough to suffer through it and make me feel loved and appreciated by commenting about it;( Even my own husband didn't say anything about it. This was hard work people and its only half way finished! Am I that boring?
I'm just teasing you! I cant believe how long it is! If I hadn't written it myself, I am not sure that I would have read the whole entire post/novel. I promise that part two (and maybe three and four) will definitely be shorter.***

Working in Manhattan has been such an amazing time for me. I have learned and experienced so much in the two years I have been working here. I work at a Fund of Hedge Funds, which is sort of like a mutual fund but instead of managing portfolios of stocks we manage portfolios of hedge funds. Now, for fear of putting you all into a coma, all I will say is that we invest Alot of other people's Moola.

Now because every story is better with pictures, I kept my camera with me all day and snapped some photos for your viewing pleasure:)

Geremy and I live on the north shore of Long Island and Monday thru Friday we commute into the city via the Long Island Railroad.

Geremy and I catch the 6:40am train to Penn Station. This is usually what we look like for most of the hour long train ride.

Today, however, I acted like a crazy person and took pictures of my sleeping husband. On a side note, I love it when he lets his stubble grow in like this, it is so manly and sexy! Ok Ok, sorry I got distracted, its easy to do that when your married to Geremy! Where was I? Oh thats right, the train.
This is what the train looks like with out the Hottie in the picture.

The LIRR (Long Island Railroad) is a huge asset for Long Islanders who work in The City. With out it we would have to drive into the city everyday and deal with traffic, gas prices and expensive and hard to find parking. No Thank You to that! However, because it is such a necessity it is often very crowded and the service and reliability is not always five star. Don't get me wrong, I do not blame LIRR for this, they have a HUGE railroad system to run and problems are inevitable. For the most part the conductors are friendly, the trains are clean and they are on time 80% of the time.

If you are to ever find yourself a passenger on the LIRR there are, however, a few things I must warn and advise you against. First thing, bring a ski suit because these locomotives are colder than an arctic mountain peak! I swear, every morning I risk catching pneumonia. Second thing to be aware of are large groups of Ranger fans (you can identify them by the over sized royal blue and red jerseys) leaving Madison Square Garden after a hockey game. If they are headed into Penn Station and towards your same train, there is only one thing you can do, STAY AWAY, STAY FAR FAR AWAY! I have nothing against the Rangers (except that the Islanders are a far superior hockey team) but my goodness when their fans are drunk and the excitement of a bloody and violent hockey game is fresh in their veins, they turn into wild, loud, and extremely unpredictable animals! My suggestion is to wait until just a few minutes before the train departs, and then choose the car with the least amount of royal blue and red in it. The last thing I will let you in on is that if you are riding on the LIRR (especially during rush hour) do not, I repeat do not, talk loudly on your cell phone, or to the group you are riding with, especially don't talk loud on your cell phone. This drives people bonkers! I am really working on managing my frustration with this issue . About a year ago, it was not uncommon for me to bring it to the attention of said Yappers, that they were making all the other quiet commuters on the train want to hang themselves with their ties or strappy heels! I was always very polite. I start these informational conversations with something like "excuse me, would you mind lowering your voice I can hear you from the other end of the car?" I would say it very nicely and my tone was similar to the tone that you would use to answer your phone when its your boss or someone important. You know which one I'm talking about, its usually and octave or two higher and it very nice and sweet. Well, even with my high pitched tone and sweetness, more often then not, the Yapper would not appreciate my request and proceed to say something snotty and talk even louder on his/her cellular device. OH NO YOU DI-IN'T!!! I'm not sure if many of you have witnessed my "don't-mess-with-me" side, but those of you who have, know what I am about to talk about. This side of myself very rarely comes out, but once in a while when the stars are aligned just so, and someone is really rude to me or my peeps, a transformation takes place. Suddenly, my name become Shaniqua, and my fingers start snapping in a "Z" formation. I then spew some witty comeback and walk away with the last word. The problem with Shaniqua (me) and the Yappers is that she (I) usually only makes it worst. Then after I (yes, Shaniqua is gone by this point) go back and sit down, I start feeling bad because I don't really like myself when Shaniqua is around. So I decided to evict her for good! I don't say anything to the Yappers, I just try to tune them out or move to another train car. But man, they sure still make Shaniqua want to move back in and sometimes all I can see are fingers snapping in the "Z" formation. So thats that.

Besides the above issues, the LIRR is great!

Next up, The Subway! I take the E or F trains to my office. The day I had my camera I took the E. (These pictures are actually from my afternoon commute home. I was running late that morning and didn't have time to take any.)

Here I am swiping my metro card. This is interesting stuff people, interesting stuff!

This is what you see once you get to the bottom of the escalator. By the way, those escalators are flipping long! Nothing is worst than getting off the subway to see that the escalator is broken and that you get to climb a mini Mount Everest in heels! Sorry for the blurry picture, I was walking. You get the idea though.

At this point you definitely want to remove the snow suit that you were wearing on the LIRR because, By George, it is hot in the Subway! It is kind of like a sauna. The big difference, however, is a sauna smells like hot coals, and because I want to keep this blog PG, I will not describe what smells you may encounter in the Subways of NYC, but I'll tell you one thing, they sure aren't hot coals!

I absolutely love all of the tiles in the Subways. The design and color of them are so retro and geometric. I think they're fabulous, in a gritty Subway station sort of way!

Waiting for light at the end of the tunnel.

While we wait for the light, let me introduce you to this guy. I didn't think an impromptu photo shoot with this guy was in my best interest, so the one shot I was brave enough to take is blurry. I don't know his name but he has been coming to this same Subway station forever. When I first started using this station, nearly two years ago, I had heard that he had been "preaching" here for 10 years. My reaction to that was "yea right, nobody can be homeless and that crazy, yet stay in the same place for such a long period of time!" Welcome to New York City! I was wrong. Everyday, with out fail, he is there. The thing is, he is really pretty funny. He doesn't preach in the way that you would think. He reads the newspaper everyday and bases his "speeches" on the headlines and stories of that day. They usually start with something like this "Women only marry Man in order to..." and then he somehow relates that sentence to the daily headlines. He is completely sexist and offensive but it is so hilarious to watch some of the rich and powerful people who take this subway (many of them women) try to act like they are offended but just end up giggling. He is just trying to get a rise out of people and some of the things he says are really funny because they are so absurd. On the good days, there is someone who will try to argue with him and, lord, please forgive me, but I think it is the funniest thing!

***DISCLAIMER- I do not support what the crazy homeless man preaches***

Whew, the train is here! I was a little nervous after taking the above picture.
There is always an uneasy moment when you cant quite tell if its the train that you need. I needed the E train and as you can see this is a V:( But because I suffer from what my IDOL, The Pioneer Woman, describes as "Middle Child Syndrome," I decided to rebel against conformity and hop on the V train. Well it was not so much an act of rebellion, but only because if I had waited for the E, I would have missed my LIRR train home. But don't tell Pioneer Woman that, because I support her "Middle Child Syndrome" theory, as I am sure all of you middle children out there do too.

I don't mind taking the V train though, look how much room there is. The E train is JAM PACKED! We are packed in there like sardines, literally. I feel like I need to call the person I am pressed up against the next day so they don't feel used. It is NO fun!

This is the entrance/exit that I use. It is on the corner of 53rd Street and 5th Avenue.

Once I exit the station, I conclude my commute by walking up 4 blocks to 57th street and over 1/2 and avenue to my building. It's called the "9 West building" or the "Solo building." As far as office buildings go, this one ain't too shabby! I totally scored with this building. Its modern, beautiful, clean, safe, and the views are unbelievable. It is so tall. 50 floors!

This is a funky sculpture that they have on the 58th street (back) Entrance. This a sitting/eating area in the back of the building.

Lets go inside!

My Office is on the 25th Floor. Shall we go up?

This is our elevator lobby. For some reason it looks really gold and gaudy in this picture. Its really just a nice creamy marble.
Here is our company sign.

Here is my desk. I don't have much room, so it gets a bit cluttered. Please don't judge me. These are my friends at work, Billie (left) and Candice (right). They sit next to me.

This is a mug of candy Billie keeps on her desk. Everyone LOVES this mug. I don't love it because I see how many people dig their grubby mitts in it during the day. But because Billie and I are homies, she gives me my own special cup of candy before anybody can contaminate it:) Isn't she so nice?

This is my screen saver. Again people, Interesting Stuff!And this my friends, is what you will see on at least one of my screens for 90% of the day. She is my hero and I want to be just like her when I grow up! Go check her out, but ONLY when your finished here.

This is our trading floor.This is our front kitchen. There is a back kitchen but I forgot to get a picture. My company is really great because they give us lots of snacks and drinks. On top of that we have fresh fruit and veggies everyday at lunch time and when there is a birthday we get either pizza or cupcakes! mmmThis is the women's bathroom. Sorry, no picture of the men's bathroom, I thought it would be a tad inappropriate to start snapping photos in there.
Here I am messing around in the bathroom. And no, I don't usually wear tank tops to work. I was about to go to lunch and it was five million degrees outside and I had a sweater on that day. Also, I don't usually "mess around" in the bathroom but I was getting a little carried away with the camera. What can I say, I get too enthusiastic about these blog post!

Now for the best thing about my office...

I mentioned earlier how this building had the most amazing views, well I was not joking!

This is taken next to my desk, outside of the main conference room.

This is from inside the conference room. Isn't it spectacular! The building that is in the way is the Plaza Hotel. They put up those awful air conditioners during their renovation and it obstructed our view a little, but its not as bad as this picture makes it seem.

I love how Central Park looks surrounded by all the grey of the buildings. It really is breathtaking, I wish you guys could see it for yourselves!

On that note, I think I need to give you guys a break. I just scrolled up and could not believe how long this has gotten! So stay tuned! Up next is lunch in Central Park, some of the shops and attractions in my area, and lots of other cool stuff!

In the mean time... Meet Crebbie!

2008-06-17T12:35:00.001-04:00

The post on NYC is taking much longer than I had anticipated! Its been really hard to choose which pictures to use and also to keep it interesting so you guys don't think I'm lame. So while I am definitely still going to post it in the VERY near future, I wanted to give you a little something to hold you over until the NYC post is ready. I wouldn't want you guys to think that i am neglecting this here blog again! (thats right i said "this here blog!" A little country twang always spices up a sentence, Ive always said that!)

So because I know you are all itching with anticipation...

I present to you the one, the only.....

Crebbie!

Crebbie is Craig and Debbie smooshed together! Craig and Debbie are two of my and Geremy's closest friends. They are the most loyal, caring and fun people, and Geremy and I just cant get enough of them! Craig and Geremy were on the Marist College crew team together and lived together during their wild and crazy bachelor days. Well actually they weren't that wild and crazy, but you didn't hear that from me. When Debbie and I met we instantly hit it off and very soon after a very close friendship developed.

Now, almost 4 years and 2 weddings later, Geremy and i couldnt imagine a life with out these guys. Crebbie got married one month before Geremy and I, and in the beginning of March they bought a house on Long Island, where they both grew up. The best part about their house, which is incredible by the way, is that it also happens to be a mere 3 miles away from mine and Geremy's! Before they lived in Jersey City (which is directly across the water from NYC and right next to the Statue of Liberty) and although we saw them often, we were beyond excitement when they found this house! We can now have all the escapades and cause all the mischief we want simply by picking up the phone, or better yet, just dropping by!

It has been so wonderful and we look forward to all of the wonderful memories yet to come! We are so grateful for your friendship and think you two are the coolest cats around!

This is from a trip to my parents house that the four of us had. We are at our farm in Fredricksberg, Maryland.
Mud + 4 Wheelers + Crebbie = Fun! Fun! Fun!

We spent New Years eve '08 with them in their old apartment.
In this picture Craig and Deb are duking it out in the boxing game.

Here Geremy is learning who wears the pants in this marriage! Hint: They are bright red:)

Three Cheers for Craig and Debbie! We love you guys!

Dear Blog, I am sorry for neglecting you. Do you think you could forgive me?

2008-06-09T10:58:00.001-04:00

Please Please Please don't give up on us! We (as in I) have been seriously slacking on this blog. But have no fear for I am taking pictures all day today for tomorrow's post where I will take you for a ride through my typical day of working in New York City.

Now some of you might roll your eyes and think "Wow, Allison's ego really needs to go on diet! Why does she think anybody cares about her work day?" Although my husband regularly fills my ego with compliments- (the most popular ones being "your so handy" "your ALWAYS right, I wish I could know everything too" "your so good at getting the laundry done" "I'm really impressed with all the blog posts you have made lately!" ha ha ha ha ha) - the reason I am posting about my day in NYC is not because I have a overfed ego. It is because being here everyday really makes you feel like you are a part of this city and also that it is a part of you. Until I started working in the city almost 2 years ago I had no clue what NYC was really like. Yea, I had hopped on the railroad for a night in the city and I had visited with my family, but only when I started spending everyday here did I see this whole other side of NYC. So because I love you guys and you aren't here to experience it for yourselves, I will attempt to impart to you NYC from the eyes of a "New Yorker."

So buckle your seat belt and hold on to your hats folks, because this ride is about to get bumpy!

It's Been a long time

2008-04-30T22:01:00.000-04:00

So this is my first post in a long time. It is kind of a lot of work to keep up with posting. Well actually no it is not. I am just kind of lazy with spring and all. Been more focused on work and getting boats ready for summer:) Things in the Chelius household are wonderful. Allison (poor girl) is working harder than ever with school and work and me. She is doing a great job and thank god she is almost done with the spring semester. Myself on the other hand, have been working a lot, and getting ready for summer. We are planning on having a great summer! (not that anyone would plan on having a bad one.) Our new neighborhood is a real beach community and we are really looking forward to the summer evenings together down by the water.
We are also excited because next week we are going to have an addition to our extended family. My sister Gen is about to give birth. We are so excited for her. She has been pregnant now for about 20 months. Well actually just nine but so much in my life has changed since she got prego that it feels like so much longer. We got married and moved in together, there is a bunch of other stuff but that has been the most life changing.
It is funny and interesting how time passes. We look back and reflect, I should say "I" since I look back and reflect on things more than anyone else in the world. Basically what I am saying is that we can always look back and see the changes that have occurred, so many little things happen every day in our lives. They seem so small but when you go back and examine them as time passes you see just how meaningful they really are. For example, I got to spend the weekend with my sister in laws. (Sorry that Lizzie and Jessica could not join us) It was a rather uneventful weekend lots of fun nonetheless. In that weekend I played golf with the Good Dr., another seemingly minimal affair. But looking back today as I reflect on that weekend and see how important each of those events actually were to my development in this family. I am now closer with all the Lady Barlow's and the Good Dr., more than I ever thought would have come out of a weekend. I am now so grateful for that weekend and the whole experience.
That is one example of many that I can think of. Another is a baseball game that I went to with my father and brothers. Allison got us tickets from work and we went to have a fun evening together. Now looking back on that moment in time I see how important that night actually was. A father with his 3 grown sons enjoying a baseball game all the worries or the world checked at the front gate. Just a night of pure fun.
This may seem like a silly rant to the reader, I am sure, but take a second to realize all those little events that have happened and how they have shaped your life. It is amazing how fast life moves and changes and it is the little things that truly steer the course of your life. I could have not gone to the game, it was a cold and rainy night and the warmth of my home and wife were both very appealing. I could have not played golf. (Actually that was not an option, the alternative to playing golf was going antiquing.) I could have stayed home that weekend and hung out with the guys back home. Whose to say what could have happened if I had made different choices with these events. I guess I am just urging you, and myself, to realize how important each day in our lives actually are. It is often with a persons passing or a drastic event that we reflect on the precious gifts that we are given each day.
I am not really sure how to end this post so I guess I will just say I hope everyone has a good day. Thanks for reading my little post.

My Sister Lauren

2008-04-14T12:43:00.000-04:00

This is my sister Lauren. She is so special and unbelievably beautiful! I have never known someone who is as nurturing and loving as she is. She was my Maid of Honor at my wedding and is one of my dearest friends. This girl could turn a twig into a gourmet meal, she loves to cook and is one of the best out there. In fact, she is a domestic goddess in all areas, only second best to our own mother, Amy. She and I are only two months apart in age so we have been able to grow and mature together through out our lives. She has been an amazing friend and role model to me and I am so grateful to her for that.

Now to the purpose of this post...

A couple weeks ago my sister Annie, who lives in Oregon, called to say that she was flying home to Maryland for a week and to see if I would be able to come home on the weekend to see her. I don't get to see her very often so I jumped at the opportunity! I was especially excited because my sister Lindsay is going to be home to! Just like Lauren and I, Lindsay and Annie (who are two years older than us) are also only a month apart in age.

Another added bonus to this trip is the fact that Annie and Lindsay just got new puppies and they were coming along for the trip. Hinckley can hardly wait to meet his new buddies!

As excited as I was, there was someone missing that was weighing on my mind.

You see Lauren also just got a new puppy and it is was simply unfair that they should be stuck in Utah and miss out on this sisterly/canine extravaganza.

Something just had to be done about this! There is only one acceptable solution to this problem.

So Lauren, you better go pack your bags and your puppy because thanks to the scheming of your Family and your dear husband, you have to be at the Salt Lake City airport on Thursday afternoon to catch your flight home to Maryland! There is no way you are missing out on this one!

I can hardly wait for this weekend, it is going to be so AMAZING!!!!

Watch out Maryland the Barlow Sisters and their canine companions are coming to town!

Love,

Allison

PS. Stay tuned because this weekend is sure to create some serious blog material!

Today is going to be a wonderful day

2008-04-05T09:36:00.000-04:00

Well today could not be a nicer day to ask for. The birds are out, its bright and sunny and the remnants of a cool spring rain are giving the air that distinct smell and feel. I am up with the dog having my morning coffee and waiting for my gourmet breakfast to toast. Then I am not sure what the day holds. Unfortunately I spend the beginning half of my Saturdays alone while Allison attends class. Secretly though I love this time. It is the only time in the whole week where I feel I really relax. I can do whatever it is that I want so long as it is ok with Allison. I am not sure what the deal is this morning but for some reason I am looking at it as a time for reflection. Maybe it is the freshness of the spring rain still in the air that makes me realize how all the simple things in life are really quite special. With that, even the things that are not so simple but we still take for granted. A good morning kiss, a call from an old friend, a glance from my wife across a crowded room. These are all the things in my life that truly make me the happy person that I am. Although in my day to day it is hard to always remember that as I walk through a parking lot and I see a really expensive car or a really big house. I one day would love to have those things and am working as is Allison very hard so those things can be a possibility. Right now though I am really happy with my morning kiss and my life that I have. We have everything we could ever need, way more than most. Above all though we still have that glance across a crowded room.

Sorry for the sappy, weird, be happy with what you got, post. I am just reflecting this morning on just how lucky I am. I will litter the next post with immature humor the way that I like it. Hope you all take a second and smell that fresh spring rain. It is going to be a wonderful day.

Hello my name is Maggie, and I'm an addict.

2008-04-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

Maggie is what you would call "high maintenance." She is constantly meowing at G and I for more food. She refuses to cover up her business in the litter box, forcing G or I to do it unless we want our house and all our belongings to stink to high heaven. She loves to play with plastic bags in our room when we are trying to sleep. She chews all card board, no matter what is being stored, protected or hidden inside. And when she lies down next to you there are only certain amounts and certain ways of petting her or else she will get up to go snuggle on your clean laundry leaving little black Maggie hairs behind as punishment. This is why we call her "Princess Maggie."

Despite all of this Geremy and I cant get enough of her. We love her very much!

I adopted Maggie in 2002 and since then she has moved with me from New York to New Jersey and then Back to New York. For a cat she handled these moves very well. Always becoming accustomed to her new surroundings and going on with life. At the end of 2006 I move to a new house in New York. This was the straw that broke the camels back. For some reason Maggie did not like our new home at all. She developed some stomach problems and became very lethargic and depressed. I was so worried about her that by the time I took her to the vet I was convinced that she HAD to start taking Kitty anti-depressants.

My vet had a few other things for me to try before I had my feline friend committed. First he gave her medicine to settle her stomach, then he suggested we get her a Kitty Condo (a jungle gym for cats.) And lastly he suggested that we give her Cat Nip to play with.

This is when my jaw hit the floor!

"WHAT?? I am not giving Maggie crack! What kind of vet are you?? I thought I knew you better than that??

Actually I'm too much of a wimp to say any of that stuff. I can promise you though, that in my head I was really letting my vet have it!

My vet assured me that Cat Nip was not, contrary to belief, a harmful drug for cats. Its not a drug at all, in fact its just a form of mint that cats react to in a funny way. She explained that Cat Nip helps indoor cats get some exercise and also to get rid of energy in a positive, fun way.

Within three weeks Maggie was back to her usual happy self. She loved (and still does) her Kitty Condo, in fact, in the picture of her to the right (in the side bar) she is sleeping peacefully on it's top perch. Maggie also loved Cat Nip!

After a while I forgot about the Cat Nip. Once in a while I would remember it and sprinkle a little of it on one of her toys.

Here is where we come to the point of this post.

On Saturday I was hanging out with Maggie and she seemed bored to me so I thought I would be nice and reunite her with her friend, Cat Nip.

I couldn't find any of her toys to put it on so i put a small handful inside of a nylon sock and tied the end.

A few minutes later Geremy walks in from the garage. He asks me to come see something and that he cant simply tell me what it is because words would not do justice to what he was witnessing. I go into the hallway thinking I'm going to see a huge bug or booger shaped like the Dali Lama. No, I was wrong.

This is what we witness........

She had emptied the sock and was rolling around in the Cat Nip.

Here she is making out with the sock while rolling in the Cat Nip.

mmm... Sock.

Ive got to give her this stuff more often, maybe she wont be so high maintenance. Any Suggestions on a better way of giving it to her? Clearly she had figured out how to get through nylons.

Love,

Allison

Ps. I promise all of my posts will not be about our animals.

Wanted Cleaning Lady (Must Clean)

2008-03-31T13:33:00.000-04:00

Cleaning Lady Wanted:
Ok so here is the situation. Allison and I are lazy. We need a cleaning lady so we can actually spend some quality time together on the weekends. So I start the conversation like this a couple of months ago. "Allison lets get a cleaning lady". She jumps with joy and we embark on our journey of finding a cleaning lady. So we naturally start with my sister in law Deana. You see Deana is the cleanest most anal retentive person I have ever met. When I go to their house I get really excited for me because just being in their house counts as taking a shower since you feel so clean when you leave. So she is the person to go to for cleaning advise. She hooks us up with her cleaning lady. We hear she is the best. She comes to the house and Allison falls in love with her. She starts cleaning the joint once a week and we could not be happier. She asks Allison to buy this special vacuum for dog and cat hair and dander and whatever. The cost of the vacuum assures us that she is a cleaning lady and not our financial adviser since when I saw the price tag I thought it was the phone number of the store. Life is good we have a really expensive vacuum a very clean house and a happy family.
Well what Deana did not tell me was this lady does not like to actually clean a house. Being Deana and Garrett’s cleaning lady, I would think, is the easiest job in the world: show up hang out with the kids and charge them a lot of monies. However being Allison and mine’s cleaning lady you are working your tail off. So she had enough and quit. Allison cried. I was happy since we now did not have to spend that money each week.
So my sister hears our tale of sadness and speaks to her cleaning lady. She has a friend who can help. "BRILLIANT" She cleanse, she irons, she dusts. Well she does everything that a cleaning lady does. So Allison meets her and as an extra bonus she is going to bring her kids. Ok…
So she starts on Tuesday at 2:00 last week. Well I get home from work at 7:00 she is still there. Yipee for me that’s just what I want when I get home. Well her kids have broken the tv. They are poking Hinckley in the eye. The dog looks up at me and says "Help me please I am dying here, these kids are the worst." So I grab my man and we split. I come home a couple of hours later, she is still there. So I park away from the house and walk Hinckley. We walk around the block once. She is still there. So we go for lap #2. Now I am border line psychopath. I go into the house and she is finishing up. She leaves. And happily we get to pay her more money since she takes too long to clean a house. Now you see the picture of our house. It is about the size of a mini van. It should take a professional about 35-40 minutes to clean it.
What we discover.
She sucks as a cleaning lady. It takes her a day to clean our house and she does a terrible job with the laundry and the tv is still broken with no hope of working in the near future. She vacuumed up a whole entire shirt. We are a little sensitive about the vacuum as I mentioned. So we get charged more now we have no tv, messy laundry and the house is a disaster again.
So there is no point to this story and I can not even believe you are still reading. Basically we have a messy house and it is going to stay messy. We should not be spending money on a cleaning lady anyway.
Sincerely
Messy House Northport

Alli-Cat and Maggie Cat

2008-03-27T13:50:00.000-04:00

We will let Maggie and Allison show their pretty faces.

March 26th Geremy's 1st Post

2008-03-26T13:48:00.000-04:00

So we are joining the blog world. Well this is a big step for Allison and I. Also for you the reader. Not sure how this will play out but hope you enjoy. I have never been much of a blog reader. Allison reads lots, Pioneer woman being her favorite. She is not my favorite since all her recipes make me sick. So for now there will be no cooking talked about. Unless it will be funny fart joke humor that will happen from time to time. Anyway back to my introduction to the blog world. I read some forums that are for sailing and that is good but this is the first for blogging (P.S. That is a terrible word blogging it makes me feel like a total loser even saying it. Call it something cooler like cyber documenting) So I hope that my cyber documenting is interesting. Our lives are not that exciting so I am pretty sure that there will be a lot of lying going on. And by lying I mean gross embellishments. For example:
This morning I woke up hot and sticky from the night spent scared and lonely deep in the forest away from my family alone and a little thirsty. I hear the roar of a lion off in the distance. It is feeding time for the large beasts. So I am in fear and great danger. I rise from my sleeping bag only to hear the raging sounds of a large beast running towards me. Quickly I duck into a cave and avoid the encounter. I find a spring in the cave and wash and prepare for the adventure at hand. I know that I am I going to have to trek a great way in order to reach my destination where I can eat and survive. The journey is going to be met with many great challenges. I embark on my journey already my feet hurt and spirits are low. The sun reaches mid day and I am now deep in the roots of survival mood. I am getting to the point where I need to start thinking about find shelter for the evening. Again I will have to embark on a long journey to find a suitable place to spend the night. My journey begins to find food and rest its about 2 hours from sun down and I go. Again my journey is met with many challenges. I arrive at a suitable place for food. I shot a wild bird with my arrow and return to a cave. The animals can smell my food and they want it. I grow weary of the dangers ahead. I eat my food and I nestle down into a cave till the next dawn. Another night spent in the wild. Until my love returns from her long and tiring journey. We are together again but danger is still great. We lay to sleep and wait for dawn in the wild.
OK So that is the post right. Let me translate that so you understand. I woke up hot in bed (fan was not on) Allison had already left for work. Maggie is screaming for food. I get out of bed and Hinckley is super psyched his tail is wagging and he is basically running circles around me. I go to the bathroom and shower. I leave the house get on train go to work. I come home from work stop by Waldbaums (That is a super market for all of you that don’t live on Long Island) I get some chicken go home make dinner. Hinckley wants some. Mainly because he is a dog and dogs like food. I wait for Allison to get home she comes home and we go to bed. That is the day.
So that is what your going to get. Welcome to the workings of the Chelius family. I assure you if you become a loyal reader which we hope you do than you will walk away every time wondering why Allison married such a psycho. Its because I am handsome that’s why so stop asking.

OH… and Shane one more thing to make Lauren crazy and unhappy. Every time she starts talking to you repeat everything she says. It will make her crazy, and upset and that will make the family closer. If you are not sure what I am talking about check out Lauren and Shane’s cyber documenting vessel for my earlier post.
That’s all for now.
Peace

May I present the Chelius'

2008-03-25T17:28:00.000-04:00

The Chelius Family has a blog! I love reading my family and friends blogs and knowing what they are up to and what their lives are like. I thought maybe some of you out there would want the juice on Geremy, Hinckley, our little princess Maggie and I. So without further adu I present to you our blog! I hope you enjoy.

Geremy and I will both be posting soon.

Until then I leave you with these pictures of my handsome husband, and our adorable Hinckley.

How hot is my husband??? Hinckley looks like he has had a very long day playing outside in the dirt! He needs a bath, pronto!

Hinckley at 5 weeks. All together now... AWWWWWWWWW!

This is Geremy's new toy. He got it Easter weekend and was so excited about it. I love seeing him this excited, he acts like a little boy on Christmas morning. It makes my heart flutter!

Here is Hinckley after another day of fun. Let me tell you, this dog has the life! Right here he is thinking "Geeze Woman, stop taking pictures of me! Im a dog not a baby!"

And here are my two favorite things in this world! I am so lucky to be a part of this little family!

I hope you guys enjoy our adventures!