north carolina

so, tomorrow.. which is thursday as i type this on wednesday.. i will fly into the beloved RDU international airport. i'll be spending my time while there working on a a catalog for the old agency... i might be able to have time to see some folks.. if you want to hang.. let me know.. or.. holla at a brotha... :)

u know my digits.. if you don't.. well.. i probably don't want to see you anyway.. :) haha.. jk..

peace.
love.
d

why hello all

so.. update on teddy (my dad)..

he is doing very well. he goes back to work on the 29th.. speedy recovery teddy...

we've been out to hang out with him pretty much at least once a week..

not much else too new... just school work for dan and work work work work for mary..

if anyone wants to read a 9 page paper on Garamond the typeface, let me know.. haha.. i'm sure i don't have any friends that are that nerdy..

ok, i'm out..
d

dad

so my dad had a quadruple (sp?) bypass today... he is in the ICU now, they tell us the surgery went well...

thx to all our friends that have prayed and we ask your continued prayer for healing...

i'll keep updated on here as we go...

dan

something new

i really envy andy... is it so wrong for me to want to envy a man that can write a great blog so often? i really am quite deficient in my blog writing abilities... along with my lack of proteins that allow me to write the but once a month it seems...

anywho.. andy, you truly are my hero.. have i ever told you? that you're my hero?

so, i'll give an update school has started.. crazy busy with that.. taking 18 (i think) hours of classes and teaching a class as well.. oh, and taking another class at another college for the fun of it.. just incase my 2 hours of sleep was too much.. haha...

and i'm not the busy one out of the chicago elliott fam.. mary has been working her already small heiner off.. she's doing great things over at the shop and they are loving her more and more every day.. i also envy her...

so it looks like God is telling me i have a problem with envy.. haha.. we'll see if we can fix that..

the weather in chicago has been pretty crazy as of late.. beautiful 70's one day, balmy upper 90's the next (i know, that's not too balmy is it).. we had a tree across the street break in two, and it was a huge friggin tree.. must've been 100 yrs old.. friggin huge... covered the whole street.. see pic attached.. luckily mary had the car at work, no where near any trees...

this is a nice long post, so i'll keep it going.. i'll start my 10 reasons why chicago is amazing and why you should consider it for your next place to visit/relocate...

10. our hotdogs don't come with coleslaw..

9. we have all 4 seasons.. even if winter is the longest (cold builds character.. when you're old you can tell stories about walking to school in the snow.. not walking to school in the nice crisp 50 degree january day)

8. heavy coats look so cool

7. 2016 olympics baby

6. ever had pizza so thick you have to eat it with a crane? you will in chicago

5. goose island

4. you can never get lost.. the streets are a grid.. and the streets have a special lane for bicycles

3. illinois kicks all of it's neighboring states butts.. seriously.. who can compete? iowa? ha...

2. mike ditka and michael jordan.. come on...

1. the elliotts? and did i mention mike ditka?




ok.. i'm out.. do you like the pink type? i had to, i used arial and it only deserves silly colors such as pink...

love to all.....

d&m

1 yr anni

well, it has been 1 year since we moved back to illinois.. (please, when reading along in your head, do not pronounce the "s" in illinois, it just hurts thinking that you may say it that way.. it burns..)

so any whoooo...

not too much to update.. i have about 3 weeks before school starts back up. i think.. hopefully i won't show up a week early, or late..

and i just remembered i never did the top 10 for illinois.. i'll get on that andy.. u deserve it after making a wonderful top 10 for nc...

well, i better go.

for giggles, here is a pic of mary, tracey and i the day before our wedding.. tracey's bday was 2 days before the wedding so we were giving here a bday kiss.. :) look how young we were, and how skinny i was.. :)

the trip

here are some pix.. we went almost 2000 miles in 3 days.. 12 hours a day.. over 600 miles a day.. we had a great time and saw some great landscapes across the north-mid-west united states..

road trip

well, my buddy chuck and i are off for mt rushmore.. there and back in 4 days.. yes, our behinds will probably hurt when we get back (actually, by tomorrow night i'm sure they'll be tender)

pray for us while we're out having a good time on the motorcycles.. they can be dangerous

love to all
rd

sand typography

enough said..

rd

in the city

woo.. summer in the city... love it... here are a few more pix.. sorry some are sideways..

summer time

well, mary and i have had quite a summer so far... we started it off with our 6 year anniversary, which we spent in the obx with my family... it was wild, we had i think 24 peopleincluding kids (7 kids under the age of 7)

we were able to spend some time with my family and our friends the furry's.. a ton of body boarding, card playing and plenty of eating..

on july 3rd, mary and i went downtown to the taste of chicago and enjoyed some of chicago's great food... sweet baby ray's bbq sauce had their own stand, it was GREAT!! i love me some sweet baby rays.. after spending enough money for more than enough food, we went down and saw a movie to pass time before the fireworks. we spent the last few hours at navy pier eating more and watching the fire works. we had a great time doing the "city thing" to celebrate the independence of our country.

been awhile (is that 2 words?, a while)

so it's been a, bit... since last time i've posted.. busy with school and all i guess will be my excuse... school went well this semester, it's good to be done for a bit, but at the same time i'm excited for next semester to start.. i get to teach incoming freshmen graphic design all by my lonesome.. should be fun, and a great experience..

this pic has really nothing to do with anything.. i just like it.. i took it from the blue line stop near our place.. no digital inhancing either, this is just how good i am.. haha.. jk..

so, all my nc friends, i'll prob be seeing you in june, i'll be working for a week and a half for rivers agency in chapel hill, so i'll be around.. let me know if you wanna hang..

cool.. i'm out

love hugs and kisses
d

lost phone

hey everyone.. if anyone has tried to call me in the last week, i haven't gotten a message or missed call notification because my phone is lost.. i ordered a new one online today, so hopefully i'll get it tomorrow or monday..

this raises another issue... i don't have any of your numbers anymore... so please, if you think i had, or should have had, or your number, email me or message me with your digits and i'll add them to my new phone once i get it...

thanks and hope to talk to you all on my new phone soon...

dan

let's try this one

frustrated

this dang thing won't let me post a wicked-cool image... dag nabbit... i'll try again later...

love hugs and especially kisses
dan

ok, seriously

this is getting quite ridiculous.. 2 times now, TWO, TWICE... i have tried to go snowboarding and the weather is tooooo warm... i mean, i'm back in the midwest aren't i? i'm not in the south, january should NOT be 50 degrees... that's it, i'm moving back to the south.. haha, jk... i still love the north/midwest... just frustrating when you want to go snowboarding and can't... TWICE dangit

ok, well.. enough ranting for now...

to my southern friends, see you in a few days.. cheerio

Merry Christmas

to all and to all a good night...


May the good news of great joy for all people be with you today...

Jesus loves you

JAN 6-9

for all who live in the capital city of NC (or neighboring cities, ie. morrisville, cary, wake forest, chapel hill, durham), mary and i will be in town... we're coming just for a visit... no business, just pleasure...

on another matter, 1st semester of grad school is down and 3 to go... then i'll be a master.. haha

in other news, the church we have been attending (www.thenewcom.com) has been absolutely wonderful.. pastor peter has a true gift of speaking Gods word and it has been wonderful to hear convicting and inspiring messages at the same time.. God is good...

ok, i'm out..

love to everyone who reads this... and those who don't :)

you know you're a chicagoan

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Chicago


If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Chicago


If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Chicago.


If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Chicago


If "Vacation" means going anywhere south of I - 80 for the weekend, you live in Chicago.


If you measure distance in hours, you live in Chicago .


If you have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again, you live in Chicago


If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Chicago.


If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you live in Chicago


If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Chicago


If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you live in Chicago


If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Chicago


If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Chicago.


If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in Chicago


If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly", you live in Chicago

If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your friends & others, you live in Chicago

wooo SNOW!!!

ok folks... i've been busy with school and the likes, but today i must post... whew... SNOW!!! i remember it now.. how fun it is... throwing snowballs at.. trees :) driving in it.. walking in it.. looking at it.. there, for me, is no negative aspect of snow... and to show you what i mean, here are a few pix... enjoy..

oh, and one other thing i find rather amusing... i was watching the news this morning and looking for the "closers".. not thinking my school was going to be shut down, but i was just curious... i saw one school that said, "SCHOOL NOT CANCELLED, BUSES NOT RUNNING" so really... get your butts to school... haha.. i remember, and i'm not poking fun, raleigh... for all you raleigh, cary, wake forest readers out there... you guys would have the next WEEK off.. :)

wish you were here!
dan

sorry for the delay

wow!!!! school is crazy! very hard, but fun and a great experience...

so, i STILL have not finished my top 10... but, i have taken some RAD pix of the city... here are a few...

mary and i are good, mary is working a ton and really enjoying her job. mary's sister got hitched this last weekend, so we saw a bunch of family, even a few we haven't seen for a long time, so that was fun.. rosie got to play out in the country and run around free with a large german shepard... it's so funny to see those two chasing around the yard... one bite and rosie is gone, luckily, mossy (the german shepard) is a VERY well trained dog... luckily rosie is not in heat anymore so that is good too...

let's see here, i don't think there is much else to say, i'm tired and still have work to do tonight but i thought it had been tooooo long since i posted on here... so... here you go...

oh... and thx to everyone that text'd me on "national speak like a pirate day" that was awesome... you brought a smile to my face... YAR!!!!






this is the view walking from one class to the next on wednesday night...












waiting for a bus, the city still moves












view from my school... my building is the one on the left... doesn't the sears tower almost look fake back there, i probably could have faked a building in there and it would've looked better, but this is real... promise