Open Books is OPEN

You may have already read about the opening here, and here...
But I know that I need to also share some of my thoughts about the Grand Opening!


As I said in my little speech at the Friday night party....words are hard to come by in describing what this milestone means to me.

I have been working on Open Books for 3 1/2 years. It has been absolutely a labor of love.
I have watched it grow from 2 women in a basement, to where we are today! 9 full time staff members, an army of interns, 2,300 volunteers/supporters, over 300,000 books collected and this beautiful store, here NOW, not sometime, unknown. NOW. It's here. It has finally arrived.

I think Emily's description (while way too flattering) comparing me to the night of my wedding is very accurate. At many moments during the planning I compared the process to planning my wedding. The invites! The guests! The food! The moment your heart stops because you don't think the photo slideshow is going to work! The dress! (which it deserves to be mentioned, that I have ALWAYS said, that if and WHEN we open this damn store, I am going to Anthropologie, my favorite store of all time, and buying a brand new dress, not even on clearance. And that is exactly. what. I. did.)

But more than the dress, the food, the guests, what made it feel most like my wedding night was that I was marking a moment in my life that I will never forget, because it was a moment in time completely dedicated to things I LOVE! (Yes, just like my love for Nick...)

My love of books
My love for the journey and process of starting an organization.
My love of the amazing working relationship I've been fortunate to have with Stacy, our founder.
My love for all of the amazing people I've met along the way, partners, interns, some of them have become my closest friends!
My love for such an IMPORTANT cause.

I don't think I stopped smiling the entire night Friday night.
I will soon share some of my favorite photos from the evening (besides all the GORGEOUS one's emily took) that were taken by a lovely woman, who donated her talented eye for the evening.

To be surrounded by people you love, your friends, family, and something you've worked so hard for......it is difficult to top.

The weekend was also wonderful, marked SO special by a surprise visit from Nate & Greta who once again shocked me with their AMAZING gift of time and support. Having you both there means more than you'll ever know.


Another very special part of the weekend was sharing Open Books with my family. Nick and Finn.

I remember telling Stacy Ratner, about 3 or 4 months into the Open Books project that I was pregnant. I remember my belly swelling....and growing...and finally becoming a pretty handy place to rest a book. I remember thinking, my kids will grow up in this bookstore. My kids, hopefully, when they talk about their lives will say, "Yeah! So my mom helped start this bookstore, I spent a lot of time there growing up, it was awesome! And that is why I love reading so much and am a super successful (fill in the blank)" :)


Seeing Finn, red balloon attached at the hip...running through the store, yanking books off shelves, talking on the podcast, "how do we get there?!" witnessing our first puppet show, and author events, taking it all in....was very special. Sharing it with Nick, who has helped out in so many ways throughout the years, always LISTENING to the struggles, and triumphs, encouraging me, taking SUCH good care of Finn as I put in some REALLY long hours.....never once complaining. He has been so wonderful and supportive and I hope he knows how much I appreciate him.

I know I have read, heard, seen on TV/Movies, that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. Well....if that is the truth, this weekend is going to be in that flash.

Thank you to all of you that came, celebrated with me, have been there to listen, have donated books, have picked up books, volunteered, sent me a card, supported Open Books financially, stocked my house with food, sent flowers, helped out with Finn, care about literacy, THANK YOU!

I cannot WAIT to see what the next chapter of Open Books will be.

Our Little Drummer Boy

So I get home from work tonight....and THIS is what I find set up in our kitchen:


This story actually begins almost two years, when my Grandpa Ekern bought Finnegan a drum set for Christmas. It was so cute this gift. And I'll never forget hearing my Grandpa whisper to Finn as we left the room..."I probably won't be here to see you playing these, but I'll be listening."
.

Well Grandpa! These beats are for you! I know you're listening.

BIG Buck, BIG News!

I admit that I am little afraid that this blog is starting to look like the Cabela's web site.....
BUT!
In the spirit of all this talk about deer hunting.....
CHECK out the beauty my dad got.
(Yes, that's right the deer in the previous photos I believe was shot by my dad's FRIEND Todd)

Here is the prize my dad got last night. Biggest one he's ever shot apparently, weighing in at OVER 200 lbs. My dad said, and I quote:

"We could have REALLY used Nick, (to help with the dragging) the buck's last act of defiance was to of course head straight downhill into one of the nastiest spots Vernon County has to offer!!"

WAY TO GO DAD! ;)

Also in other BIG BIG news......(DRUM ROLL)
Nick got his letter from the Chicago Fire Department today!

After taking the test 3 YEARS ago, and passing with around 16,999 others, his number has been called up!
What does this mean?
It means that on Friday he will hand deliver a note card stating that he is still indeed interested in being a candidate.
Then the tests and hoop jumping begins!
He will have to take a physical fitness test.
A medical health exam, and submit a TON of paperwork.
The process takes about 4-6 months.
Once he flies over all of those hurdles, he'll start The Academy!
That's when he'll start getting PAID! :) and working full time, training to become a firefighter. That program takes 6 months.
And then once he graduates for the academy he'll be a real live Chicago Firemen.

This has been a LONG time coming, and I'm so excited (and nervous!) to see what this opportunity will bring.
I think Nick's brains, his slow to anger, calm presence and of course his BRAWN will make him the perfect fireman. CFD would be LUCKY to have him.

CHEESEBURGER!

Hello blog readers!
Trying to get back at it :)
Nick and I took Finnegan Trick or Treating and he loved it.
We went out to Beverly with Nana and Papa and Erin, and had a blast.
Here are a few pictures of our very own cheeseburger.


Why a cheeseburger?
Because it is Finn's FAVORITE food. If you ask him, really at any time of day, what he'd like to eat, he says, "Cheeseburger, French Fries, Milkshake". It typically sounds like one word.
So when we saw this adorable get-up in the Pottery Barn catalog, it was a must-get.

He LOVED all of the candy. He ate so much chocolate... he had Smarties, a Blow-Pop, SO so much. He even barfed a little bit at the end of the night. Poor guy. What a glutton :)



And then after a long trek through the neighborhood, gathering up candy, visiting friends and family, Finn was pooped. Here is a great shot I got of him relaxing.

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend.
More pictures and a new post coming TOMORROW!