Give Me a Shot at the Night

Hello friends of #notinmod! As most of you probably know, a lot has changed for Chad and me over the last few weeks. I have had many requests for story details, so I thought I would share with everyone across the World Wide Web. #goviral

To start off, Chad and I have been talking for some time about moving in together and finally seeing each other more than 2 days/week. We have been in a bit of a holding pattern because we both own our condos and selling was going to be difficult. So we have just been doing our usual commute back and forth, hoping we could figure out something out soon. 

Our friends, Katie and Chris, got married last month and they asked Chad if he would be willing to rent his place to them. Chad and Katie had a few conversations about it, and they decided they would move forward with renting, pending a walk-through of the place. Chad had asked me to join the walk-through, which I thought nothing of and agreed to.

That night, I went over to Chad's house and Katie and Chris came over to see the condo. We did a walk-through, and then I suggested we all go downstairs to see his garage (side note: Chad has a 1-car detached garage). Apparently, unknown to me, I wasn't supposed to do that….

So Chad quickly jumped in and said, "I mean, it is a garage…why don't the boys just go look and you girls can stay up here." And since I am lazy, I clearly thought that was a lovely idea. Plus, putting shoes on sounded like a lot of work. So the boys went downstairs, and Katie and I sat upstairs talking bout their wedding, and then suddenly there was a knock at the door…

My first reaction was saying, "ugh, what?!" but then I realized that Chad must have forgotten his keys. I didn't want to look like a brat to Katie and Chris, so I decided to get up and get the door despite the fact that I was quite comfy on the couch. 

When I opened it, Chad was standing there with a sign that read, "SAY IT'S CAROL SINGERS" and that is where the roller coaster of excitement and emotions kicked in. With the Killer's song, "Shot at the Night" playing in the background, Chad reenacted HIS version of my favorite scene from my favorite movie, "Love Actually." One by one, he went through each sign. They read:

SAY IT'S CAROL SINGERS

WITH ANY LUCK BY NEXT YEAR

WE WILL BE LIVING TOGETHER

BUT FOR NOW LET ME SAY

WILL ALL MY HOPE AND ALL MY LOVE

JUST BECAUSE IT’S WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25^TH

(AND ON RANDOM WEDNESDAYS IN JUNE YOU TELL THE TRUTH)

TO ME YOU ARE PERFECT

AND MY WASTED HEART WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU

CARRIE WILL YOU GIVE ME A SHOT AT THE NIGHT

CARRIE WILL YOU GIVE ME A SHOT AT YOUR LIFE

CARRIE WILL YOU

And then he got down on one knee, opened a little blue box, and asked me to marry him!

With every sign that he dropped, I became more and more hysterical. I was laughing, and smiling, and was DEF doing the ugly cry. When he was down on one knee, I just started jumping up and down, crying and screaming YES as many times as I possibly could! As we continued hugging and jumping (me) he looked at me and held up the ring and said, “Did you want to see this??” In the madness of it all, I never even looked at the gorgeous ring he had in his hands!

As he put it on my finger, I honestly couldn’t even really look at it because I was shaking so much. But when I calmed down (awhile later), I realized what an amazing job he did. It is GORGGGG. And even better, he went to Carreen’s uncle (a diamond seller on Jewelers Row) to get the ring, so it is from "family"!

After the proposal, I was in so much shock that I remember hugging Katie and Chris and awkwardly kicking them out (sorry!). I didn’t know what I was doing, all I knew is that my heart was racing and I had never been more excited in all my life. We popped the bubbly, toasted to our future, and of course started all the family calls.

I honestly had NO IDEA this coming – we had just decided to move in together, I didn’t want to overwhelm the guy too much! But apparently he was planning to propose even before the move-in started rolling. I always said I wanted to be surprised, and since I am super nosy, that is hard to do. But of course, Chad found a way! The whole “walk-through” was just a rouse, but obvi we are still moving in together and they are still taking Chad's place. Also, with Katie and Chris there, we have the whole thing on video!

I could not be more excited to get to spend my life with Chad. He has made me laugh and smile every day since we first met. I don’t really believe in soul mates, but I believe in finding the person that you want to be with every day, whether happy or sad, in good and tough times, and that for me is Chad. He makes me feel loved every day, and I just hope I can show him the same in return.

We have not started any wedding planning (although I have been a bit more active on Pinterest) but we are just getting ready for the big move! Look out, Chicago – Lovegren is moving in!

Be prepared for the hysteria you are about to witness: Click HERE for the proposal video

What's My Age Again?

This weekend I celebrated by 30th birthday. That's 3-0. And it was amazing. 

With all the Facebook posts and text messages, I realized how lucky and #blessed I am to have such amazing people in my life. Year after year, I bring in my birthday with some of my favorite people - near and far. Most of us have been friends with for over 10 years, and we somehow made it through our 20's together. 

This video is dedicated to all of you.

I was having issues posting this video (I don't think it will play from phones/tablets) so let me know if it does not work!!

 If you cannot play the video, try clicking HERE from an actual computer.

#dontworry #behappy

Hi friends,

Because it is Friday, and because I have had a few glasses of wine, I am posting about a few things that make me happy. 

This is my #100happydays for the day. 

• A new tube of mascara
• Driving with the windows down
• Bottomless mimosas 
• Booking a flight to see friends or family
• Lettuce when you are hungover
• Learning the real lyrics to a song and realizing you were always singing it wrong
• Napping on a Sunday (see post HERE)
• Looking at old pictures on the Facebook
• Nachos
• The smell of Florida when you first step outside the airport
• Coca-cola in a can
• Watching "Love Actually" in bed on a Saturday morning 
• Binge online shopping 
• Emails from my dad with an oddly professional tone 
• How you feel when a workout is over (not because you worked out, simply because its OVER)
• Pizza Rolls in the microwave 
• #hashtags 
• Getting a big meeting at work with a new client 
• Wine in the afternoon
• Anything Orange and Blue 
• Videos and pictures of my nieces and nephew
• Changing my monthly calendar 
• Unlimited Salad Bars 
• All amazingly embarassing videos of me prior to 2012: the skydive video, my ATL video, SPT internship video, and of course Cancun. 
• A hot toddy when you're sick - sweat it out! 
• All things SYTYCD – obvi. 

Weekends should never be spent in moderation. Go have a good one :) 

I've seen it all in a small town...Had myself a ball in a small town

You have read in my last few posts how much I love the summers in Chicago. The funny thing is that my favorite thing about summer actually has nothing to do with this great city. My favorite city during the summer is actually Rome: A well-known, historic and beautiful city in Italy Wisconsin.

Doesn't that look relaxing?

Yes – Rome, Wisconsin is truly one of my favorite cities in the world. Wait, who am I kidding – Rome isn’t a city at all! It is a small unincorporated town in Central Wisconsin (about 40 miles north of the Dells) where I have had more experiences and stories than I can even remember. The town doesn’t have a post-office or a zip code, but it is home to 3 man-made lakes (Sherwood, Camelot and Arrowhead), one corner store (Pritzel’s) and 4 bars. My family bought a house on Lake Sherwood in 1983, and this summer marked the 30^th anniversary of “The Lake.” 

Being about 3 ½ hours from where I grew up, we spent all of our summers up at the lake. We would pack up “The Beast” (our blue conversion van – complete with velvet curtains) and leave a few days after school ended, returning with only enough time to hit up Woodfield before the first day of school. We would spend all day out on the boat swimming, skiing and tubing, and nights would consist of ski practice, ski shows, bonfires and pontoon rides.

Ski Practice and Ski Shows? You probably all know this, but my sisters and I were on a waterski team growing up called Shermalot. People always think this is really strange (especially people from the South) but show-skiing is actually huge in the Midwest, and Wisconsin is the Show-Ski Capital of the World! Yes, Wisconsin, where you can only ski from Memorial Day to Labor Day is actually home to some of the best show-skiers on this great planet. Being on the ski team gave us life-long friendships and teenage romances, taught us that life is not always fair, and mostly gave us an outlet to be ourselves. 

An old Shermalot Video - Look for Pam and Kim!

A list of things I love about the lake house/interesting facts – in no particular order.

• I met my best friend in the whole world, Carreen, at the lake 21 years ago. Though we were very different in size, we were both on the ski team and both wanting desperately to be cool (let’s be honest, Carreen). When we found out that we lived within 20 minutes of each other back in Illinois, we knew that our friendship was meant to be! Another fun fact – Carreen was the top of the 4-high pyramid growing up. Isn’t awesome?!?!
• I was at the lake house for Princess Diana and Michael Jackson’s funerals and watched both on TV.
• The Schmelters would spend every summer with us at the lake, and fell so in love that they had a house of their own across the lake for a few years.
• In the winters, we (Kellers and Schmelters) would often go to the lake the week between Christmas and New Years and walk across the frozen lake when our parents were too busy snowmobiling to drive us to friends’ houses. “Busy snowmobiling” in that sentence could also be replaced with “way too sauced.”
• We were at the lake when the Bulls 3-Peated and painted “Go Bulls” on our butts and tee-peed our Wisconsin friends’ houses. Because the lake is classy like that.
• I had my first beer, my first cigarette and my first kiss at the lake.
• I broke my nose at the lake after Kim ran over me with a wave-runner. Those things are dangerous.
• Drunk tubing with Carreen is one of my favorite past-times.
• The stars at the lake are IN-SANE. Literally, there are thousands of stars and almost every night you can see constellations, the Milky Way, and often catch a shooting star (although I have never been able to put it in my pocket).
• For years, our hot water heater would only produce 5-10 minutes worth of hot water each day. In efforts to give everyone at least 1-2 minutes of a hot shower, we would often shave our legs in the lake, shower in two’s, and always try to get in the shower before Kim (water-hog).    
• Patriotism is not optional at the lake. The 4th of July is a 3-4 day celebration complete with hot dogs, fireworks, a ski show, and lots of flair. Exactly how the 4th of July should be.
• Bunk Beds are only comfortable until the age of 16…unless you’re Christy Kremer.
• Boozing at the lake is pretty much not optional. Even when you say you are going to have a relaxing weekend with no partying, somehow you always have at least a few glasses of wine.
• Pizza Fries are ah-maze, and you can only get them at the lake. You’re just going to have to trust me on this.  
• At the lake, Bob Keller turns into a musical genius, singing the words to every song and playing his guitar like a boss. Ok, so he THINKS he turns into a musical genius – Bud Light and red wine will do it to ya. But he always keeps the party going, especially when he sings our favorite song from when we were little. This gem brings back memories of dancing to my dad’s guitar at the age of 3. “Please don’t burn the shithouse down, we worked so goddamn hard. Please don’t burn the shithouse down, we’ll have to use the yard.” It’s practically a classic.
• You can go anywhere in town in a bathing suit or pajamas. It’s amazing.
• One thing about the lake house is that it puts a curse on Keller girl relationships. Every time that we have brought a boyfriend or husband to the lake, the relationship has ended within 2 months. No one can really explain why, but my guess is that guys see what the Kellers are really like, and they just can’t hang. Keith and Chad (so far) have been the only exceptions to this rule.
• Sleeping on a cot on the porch is a privilege – that’s where all the cool kids hang out.
• One of the 4 bars at the lake “Trails End” in the last few years has gone from our least favorite bar on the lake, to our most favorite. They went through a huge renovation about 5 years ago and now is a favorite for a few reasons (yes, this is a list within a list): 1) Huge outside bar with bags tournaments. 2) Live music who always welcomes me up on stage for crowd-hyping. 3) Their Bloody Mary has a SLIDER on top. I mean, come on. 4) The most important thing…they have a bus (“The Drunk Bus”) that will pick you up and take you home from anywhere in town. While the driver is usually about 15 years old and/or a little buzzed himself, it always makes for a good time.
• If you need to find Larry, he is always hanging out in the garage…or on the drunk bus.

I am sure many of you have that special place where you know the smells and sounds by heart, and they instantly bring back memories further back than you can imagine. To me, that is “The Lake.” 

Lots of anniversaries at the lake this year!
Mike and Jenny celebrating meeting at the lake 10 years ago!

Our 21st anniversary at the lake - watching the ski show where it all began!

Some of the Keller Fam - 30th anniversary of the lake!

Ok, not everyone gets to drink at the lake.
Pam and Pants boat-watching (exciting!)

Told you the Lake is very patriotic! The girls on the 4th of July

Papa, Na and Autumn cruising

Patriotism at its finest. 

Captain America has patriotism built right into his name. 

Kiss me, I'm Irish (and German and Portuguese)

St. Patrick’s Day makes me think of Lucky Charms cereal, Dropkick Murphy’s, Irish Car Bombs, Green Beer, Shamrock Shakes and light-up flair. All my faves.

It also makes me think of luck, and right now, I feel pretty lucky in life. Cue braggy blog post…



I am an aunt to two very smart kids.
Well - they would be smarter if they liked me back. 



I met this guy, and he is pretty great.



I have a very brave and nimble turtle.



I have had a very successful career...thus far.
I have only been in my new gig for a month.
There is still plenty of time for me to screw it up. 



I have an amazing family that all live within a 5hr drive.



I have been on some people's dream vacations.



I LOVE my friends. Period.


Happy St. Patrick's Day!!