Wicker Park is swell, and so is my mom

Attention Chicago, you have a swell new store. It's in Wicker Park, and it's called The Boring Store. It sells various "spy gear" products and the proceeds go to fund new programs for an after-school tutoring and writing program called 826CHI. The products all have creative and funny explanations on the outside of the boxes, meant to amuse adult visitors and inspire writing in the workshop behind the storefront. See, swell.

I'll be back in town next weekend to marathon shop for my mother's wedding dress, but hopefully I'll have a few minutes to pop by and check the place out.

Oh yeah, my mom is engaged. Sorry to gloss right over that really big news. I seem to have forgotten to write about it because I was banned from doing so until she was able to get the word out to everyone herself. It took a while, and then I forgot. Whoops.

So the story goes... before breakfast on the morning of Superbowl Sunday, a day that was painfully disappointing to the rest of Chicago, Homer poked Cathy on the shoulder and asked "Wanna get married?" She replied, "Sure." His next question was, "Do you want an engagement ring?" Ladies, we all know what her answer was.

Within two weeks they nailed down the date of May 27th (yes, this year), picked a ring and a photographer and off she went to Australia to pet kangaroos. While she was down under Homer booked a church, looked into a bunch of reception options and picked up her shiny new ring. This has nearly redeemed him for asking her to marry him without a ring in the first place. I haven't decided yet what will fully redeem him, but treating my mom like a queen for the rest of her life is a solid place to start.

Here's a picture of the happy couple on her birthday in November:


When I was of a younger dating age my mom used to have fun threatening my boyfriends with a shotgun. She didn't have one, but was convincing even without it. Homer, I don't have a shotgun, but I do know taekwondo. I'm just sayin'.