God Rest Ye Merry Trombonists

My 611 roommates and I got together last night to spread some Christmas cheer to all those finishing their shopping and dining in downtown Naperville. My friends, Chris and Mark, arranged about 10 Christmas tunes in a week and we met in Naperville for a burger and a beer. About 6:15 we headed out to play for anyone who would listen; we played on street corners, in bars, at restaurants (Lou Malnatis & Chipotle offered to feed us), in bookstores and where ever people needed to smile. We had such a blast and think we might make this a new tradition. Here are a few pictures of us playing outside Barnes & Noble. Check out my facebook for a video of us playing. We don't sound half bad considering two of us hadn't played trombone in two years and we played for over 2.5 hours (until 9pm). 

My 611 roommates and I got together last night to spread some Christmas cheer to all those finishing their shopping and dining in downtown Naperville. My friends, Chris and Mark, arranged about 10 Christmas tunes in a week and we met in Naperville for a burger and a beer. About 6:15 we headed out to play for

The Many Face(ial hairs) of Kevin

Alright voting time. Over the past couple of months I've sported a few types of facial hair looks. Let me know which you like best? We have
1.) The Clean Cut

2.) The Full Beard (which comes in red on my chin, blonde on my upper lip and brown in the sideburns)

3.) The Sweet (and Creepy) Mustache

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Happy liturgical new year that is. No you dont have to break out the Auld Lang Syne or the champane just yet, but this is still a cause for celebration. No only because it is a chance to begin again, to make resolutions of prayer and faithfulness but we begin advent (in latin, adventus) or "coming" again. We being the time of joyful patience where we await our Savior coming into our poor land, our lonely broken world to give us hope! (And as an extra bonus, us english speaking Catholics get a new translation of the mass - just enough of a change to perk our ears and make us pay attention to the words we say once again!)
A friend shared with me the words of Pope Benedict XVI during his homily last Saturday on the first First Sunday of Advent. Here are few lines that I thought were delightful.

"Man, in his life, is in constant waiting: When he is a child he wants to grow, as an adult he tends to his realization and success, growing in age, he aspires to his deserved rest. However the time comes in which he discovers that he has waited too little if, beyond his profession or social position, he has no choice but to wait. Hope marks the path of humanity, but for Christians it is animated by a certainty: The Lord is present in the course of our life, he accompanies us and one day he will also dry our tears...Dear brothers and sisters, let us live the present intensely, when we already have the gifts of the Lord, let us live it projected to the future, a future full of hope. The Christian Advent thus becomes an occasion to reawaken in ourselves the true meaning of waiting, returning to the heart of our faith which is the mystery of Christ, the Messiah awaited for long centuries and born in the poverty of Bethlehem. Coming among us, he has brought us and continues to offer us the gift of his love and of his salvation. Present among us, he speaks to us in many ways: in sacred Scripture, in the liturgical year, in the saints, in the events of daily life, in the whole of creation, which changes in aspect if he is behind it or if it is obfuscated by the mist of an uncertain origin and an uncertain future. In turn, we can speak to him, present to him the sufferings that afflict us, impatience, the questions that spring from the heart. We are certain that he always hears us!...Dear friends, Advent is the time of the presence and the expectation of the eternal. Precisely for this reason it is, in a particular way, the time of joy, of an internalized joy, that no suffering can erase. Joy because of the fact that God became a child. This joy, invisibly present in us, encourages us to walk with confidence. Model and support of this profound joy is the Virgin Mary, through whom the Child Jesus has been given to us. May she, faithful disciple of her Son, obtain for us the grace to live this liturgical time vigilant and diligent in waiting. Amen."

Megan's Bday!

So I realize this is way overdue, like a month, but these are some pictures from Megan's Birthday party. It was near Halloween so we had both our families over and made some crafts with the kids and had them wear their halloween costumes. The kids looked so cute and we had such a good time on her 26th birthday (as you can see by her picture with the Birthday sign and the Holy Father). 

A Perfect Dinner

Life Lessons

When one window closes another door opens. How true that is. I found out the literal meaning of that just 3 weeks ago when my dad came over to help us take out a window and put in a new door leading straight out to our patio. Prior to this door being installed we had to walk out the east side of our house and walk around to the west side to get to our patio to enjoy an outdoor dinner, grill, the chaise lounge and even our fire pit. But now we can walk right out to it all. Such a life saver. We were very fortunate that the 36" window which came out had the perfect opening for the 36" door that would replace it. Only some minor adjustments to the header of the door (the wood that goes above the door to help strengthen the wall around it so the ceiling above does not collapse) and we were able to slide the new door right in. Slap some trim on and BAM! we have a nice new entry way, a new opportunity to enjoy the blessings.
Megan and I have been trying to add to our family for quite some time and have been unsuccessful thus far (you can pray for us). And while we are reminded each month that we are unsuccessful we try to keep our hope knowing that the Lord won't keep taking windows out without putting in a new door. I believe that. While things may seem rough the Lord will fill the void with a more glorious blessing. Thanks for reading and for praying.

ILL...INI!

Megan and I ventured down to Champaign on October 1 for the UofI homecoming. We enjoyed an Illini football win, dinner with our friend and presider of our wedding Fr. John, and a beautiful day out at the apple orchard/pumpkin patch - where we got a whole lot of kettle corn and we saw a miniature horse which looked like lil' sabastian from the show Parks & Recreation!

I'm All Beef Baby!

Megan and I went shopping the other night. We bought everything except for beef, chicken, pork and more beef. So we stopped off at GFS (Gordon Food Service) who provides food to restaurants. aka: they have quality food in bulk. Well we took full advantage of the bulk getting this 9lb log of 85/15 beef for just $2.15/pound! Needless to say I had to take a picture with this massive chuck...and Megan wanted nothing to do with it.

Going All...Phillip Rivers!!!!

While doing the Walk for Life in Chicago today, which benefits the Women's Center, I heard about this article on Lifeteen. It's about an elite QB in the NFL, Phillip Rivers, who is outspokenly Catholic and seems to be in love with his faith - making Mass a priority on the one day he has a big test/meeting/examination during the fall & winter. Check this out. Our society needs more role models like him. It makes me even more happy I drafted him in my fantasy league.

Passing On

It is the end of a generation. My truck, which taught me the joy and practicality of the manual transmission in a time when I was most formidable and vulnerable (my high school & college years) has now passed on. Stanley, the '95 GMC Sonoma which was too reliable to be given a woman's name (no offense to women), reached 161000+ miles when his exhaust system became too rusted out to be worth repair. Several people thought I was silly to lament over the loss of "just a car" but a mans first truck is more than "just a car". I cannot explain how special it is - the memories of tailgating, moving down to college, attempting to race my 4 cylinder engine, and of course, sitting in the Wendy's parking lot sharing a frosty with a friend. A man does not forget his first truck and surely will not forget you Stan. Thanks for the memories.


That being said, WE GOT A NEW CAR! A sturdy, reliable, low mileage, four-door, 2009 Honda Civic. Hopefully we will get a long life from this car and it will provide us with many more great memories! Here's to our new car - we're open to names if you have suggestions.

What's More Manly?

So I had a couple of stumps in my backyard that needed taken out so last weekend I got out the trusty shovel and ax and went at it like a real man. But I ask you, what is more manly than digging out a stump in the backyard that you're paying the mortgage on?















Using a chainsaw to just cut the darn thing out! I love keeping my man card.


Boom. Manly.

Another Trip Out West

During our second year of marriage Megan and I wanted to enjoy the Mountainous United States once again. While we drove to Colorado then back through Kansas last year during Spring Break we took our westward trip just recently at the end of June, although this time we weren't just going to visit, we were going to be a part of the marital sacrament between our good friend Bridget Halvey & Teddy Ariniello (as seen here on the right side of the couch).
Before the wedding festivities began we took a day and a half to hike, visit my sister, stop by the Shrine of Mother Cabrini (Her birthday is the same as mine! How cool is that?!), enjoy the process of beer brewing - and the product itself and generally relish in the beauty of God via the Rocky Mountains.
So as you can see the trip included myself, my wife (Megan) and my mother-in-law (Liz). Our flight out of Chicago was at 6am, now normally 6am flights don't have very long lines for security so we got there at 4:50 but the night before Chitown was hit with some hard storms that delayed flights until the early morning light. Thanks be to Jesus, through another gentleman pushing through the security lines to make his early flight and another TSA agent opening a new x-ray, metal detecting line - seemingly just for us - we were able to run to our gate and make the plane with a whole five (5) minutes to spare. That must have been an omen to our mom as she was wearing sandals that nearly killed her just running through the airport - and we had yet to get into the mountains to do some real hiking!

We landed early on Wednesday morning and had the whole day to spend in the Denver area (check out those mountains in the distance! Sooooooo beautiful!)So we started at Red Rocks. It truely was a beatiful site, and I can only imagine the concerts there are a phenomenal experience, to say the least. As I understand it the amphitheater was created in 1941 as part of a Roosevelt CCC project to help kick start the economy with more jobs for people. The structure was kept the same but stairs and seats were blasted out with TNT to provide a seating area for the 9,000+ attendees. However, as it was the morning when we arrived the park was open to anyone who wanted to walk, hike, see the views or intensely workout. Needless to say we did not opt to part take in the last option, but we did see the views, walk the stairs and hike the trails - the latter nearly killed my mother-in-law. But seriously, some people were doing some intense workouts on the stairs. I was very impressed...especially with the high altitude and all.


After red rocks we moved onto the national Shrine of Mother Cabrini. The shrine included two chapels, a convent, a fountain which began to flow when she struck a rock with her staff (aka: a sweet miracle) and a large statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on top of the mountain (375 steps uphill - which nearly killed my mother-in-law again). Nevertheless, it was such a beautiful hike up the hill with the stations of the cross and mysteries of the rosary to meditate on as the steps increased. This is a photo of Megan atop the mountain at the foot of the Sacred Heart statue. I ended up buying a rosary at the shrine, to add it to my collection of rosaries from around the world.

We finished out our first day in Denver with a trip to the Coors Brewery and hanging out with my sister, Kristin (enjoying dinner, an episode of Psych and Yogurtland!). It was so wonderful to see her again. Family is pretty much the best thing in the world, next to Jesus of course.

More to come on the wedding soon...

A Patio for the Summer

We finally finished our patio just in time for the summer! Here are a couple of pictures of the patio, fire pit and our first guests to enjoy both.

SNL Humor

Megan and I flipped on SNL the other night and we were actually rewarded with a laugh. Nothing grotesque, crude, childish or half humorous. No we were genuinely laughing together as we watch the season finale hosted by Justin Timberlake. The laughs came right from the start with his monologue. From there the show went like all other SNL shows of the past 10 years, downhill. But enjoy this light hearted ditty from late night NBC (it doesnt hurt that the SNL band is beyond phenominal)

Oooooohhh Yeahhhh!!!

Oh yeah! We lost the icon wrestler-turned-Slim-Jim-apokesman this past week. It was a sad day for all those fans of bulky, shirtless men engaging in a semi-fake sport. It was the steroids that helped make him the celebrity he was and, most likely, it was the steroids that gave him the heart attack that led to his death. Here's to you Macho Man. Oh No!

Elementary School or Communist Regime?

There was a plethora of paper. There was a complete absence of paper. This is the tale of an educational institution which has seemed, to this blogger, blurred the lines of elementary school and communist regime. I'll tell you the story and you can make the decision.

In an elementary school far away (northwest chicago suburbs) the teachers could not seem to keep their printing levels to a reasonable minimum. It became so bad that by mid-April the school had run out of paper. No more paper, no more money in the budget to buy extra. Oh what to do, what to do? I'll tell you what the principal did. He bought a box of paper put it out and the teachers hoarded them in their classroom. So he bought another couple of boxes and kept them in his office and if teachers needed paper they would have to petition to him with how many sheets, what they would use them for and why they needed to print/copy something. And those who are in good graces with the dictat...er, principal would even be allowed a couple extra sheets every now and again.

So you make the decision. Is rationing out paper to teachers and giving them only what they need to properly educate - and in most cases, less than what they need - is more similar to a communist regime than a school? In either case, from a teachers persepctive, SCHOOL'S ALMOST OUT!!!!

Have a Great Summer!

Mother's Day for an MVP

While sitting at my childhood home in St. Charles reading one of the four Tribune's my mom gets each Sunday I found a delightful article by Chicago Bulls beat writer K.C. Johnson about where Derrick Rose gets his humble attitude and hard working ethic. Check it out here:


It's always Mother's Day for Rose

Death ≠ Justice

I just don't get it; the mass rejoicing in the death of a man who planned the death of thousands of people in the 9/11 attacks. Is it not just as sick to rejoice in the death of a human being (regardless of what they did in life) as using religion to for the purposes of spreading "hate and division among people" (as the vatican would put it). I'm glad he will not be planning any other attacks in the name of religion but as a christian I cannot rejoice in his death. Like the death penalty, a human's death does not equal justice.


Here is the Vatican's response to the death of Osama bin Laden:
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will have to answer to God for having killed many people and exploiting religion to spread hate, the Vatican said on Monday.

Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that while Christians "do not rejoice" over a death, it serves to remind them of "each person's responsibility before God and men."

"Osama bin Laden, as everyone knows, had the grave responsibility of having spread division and hate among people, causing the deaths of an innumerable number of people and exploiting religion for these purposes," he said.

The Vatican has often condemned the concept of violence in God's name.

Lombardi also said the Vatican hoped that the death of bin Laden "would not be an occasion for more hate, but for peace."

Meeting a 'Blessed'

The day has come. It's been roughly 3 years, 5 months and 3 days since I began reading "Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II" (by George Weigel) and meeting the man of the 20th century, the Pope like no other pontiff before him, one of the most influential men of international religious, political and cultural realms. But now the day has come when I've finished the 864 page one-way conversation with the man who has now, deservedly so by this bloggers standards, received the 'Blessed' title, on his way to full sainthood. My goal was to finish the book long ago and I continued to adjust my completion date but I finally made it my resolve a month ago to finish the book by JPII's beatification - and today I'm proud to say I finished. However, now that I'm finished with the book I feel as though my conversation about the life and actions of Pope John Paul II is finished, which brings both inspiration and sadness. Inspiration because of the life he led and the radical christian discipleship he portrayed yet sadness because my conversation has ended. Still I know I can open another book inspired by him or written by him and explore the mind and spirit of Blessed John Paul II. I underlined my lines and quotes in the book and I would like to share with you a paragraph from the last page of the book:
"Karol Wojtyla came to resemble G.K. Chesterton's description of Thomas More: 'he was above all things, historic: he respresented at once a type, a turning-point and an ultimate destiny. If there had not been that particular moment, the whole of history would have been different."
Amen to that. If God had not perfectly planned to have his young Polish servant stand up to lead His church the whole of history and the whole of the future would have been different. Thank god for the humble blessed servant we were given, and for me finally finishing his longest biography (at least the first part - now onto part II).

A New Addition

For those who have not heard my sister had her child a week ago today - on Holy Thursday. Madelyn Joy Korney was born at 11:58pm on 4/21/11 at 8lb 15oz and 21" long. She is my first neice and will most certainly be spoiled with cute skirts and girly toys. Here a photo of her and her older brother Jacob. Welcome to our world maddy; we're glad to have you! Enjoy!

Reflection on Easter

Here is a great relection on Easter by musician Matt Maher. He also reflects on all of Holy Week - check it out here - www.mattmahermusic.com

Quality Time

Spending some quality uncle/nephew time just hanging out and having a drink.