Macchu Picchu or bust

Hello from the mountains of Peru. We just stopped in an internet cafe - three soles for one hour - and thought we'd add a quick post. Our three days in Cuzco were fun. We did some shopping, went to museums - then petted, fed and ate alpaca. Yum. Tomorrow or the next day we try guinea pig. (Yum?) People have hordes of the cute, tasty little guys running around their houses.
Today we hiked up to Machu Piccu. We'd seen many, many pictures of the place before we got there because it's everywhere here. In person, 10 million times better. You should all go there. Seriously, put it on your life list. It even beat having the monkeys hang off our arms and sit on Matt's head. It's almost incomprehensibly large and well preserved. Tomorrow morning we're going back at 5:30 a.m. for more hiking.

We're having a blast, taking tons of pictures and making plenty of memories. Can´t wait to see you guys and tell you all about it.

Honeymoon on Monkey Island!

Just a very quick note now that we're back in Lima, where there's internet access. (Actually, if you can believe this -- there was wireless access at the lodge in the middle of the Amazon, but neither of us thought to bring a laptop to the jungle, for some reason.)
We spent five days and four nights in the jungle. We caught piranhas, visited Monkey Island, went to a jungle community school, rode a plane and a wooden bus and a boat and a three wheel motorcycle rickshaw that crashed (no damages), danced with the Yagua, saw pink dolphins, and were checked out by a shaman. He gave us a cream to make us 10 years younger, but it's tough to tell whether it stuck.
In two days, we're off to Machu Picchu and Cusco for about a week, where there will not likely be Internet again.
We're having a great time and thinking of all of you. Sort of. At least, every day we say: I think this beats anything our friends did today. (Unless Teri had the baby!)
See you soon!

Pencils down!

OK, you've had enough time. A few people were looking for the answers to the wedding program puzzles. So here you go:
(Oh and, yes, Lynne made the dot-to-dot herself. She's amazing.)

ACROSS
1. Matt and Lynne's favorite sport is BASEBALL.
3. Lynne and Matt like to play GAMES, all sorts. (Get it? It's like the line from the Mary Poppins song.)
5. Matt finished the MARATHON seven times--all seven in Chicago.
7. Lynne studied at NCHS (Naperville Central High School) and now is a teacher there.
9. The party was at the HOLIDAY INN.
10. Lynne was born in WEST VA.
11. JACK is Lynne's yippy little buddy.
12. JOHNNY DEPP could have caused a Lynne-and-Matt break-up (Because Matt - not Lynne - is obsessed with Johnny).
14. A CANOE brought Lynne and Matt together.
15. Lynne teaches HISTORY (and Geography and Government).
17. Lynne prefers BROCCOLI to candy (Weird, right?).
20. Although Matt can never remember the name, he loves to order a DIP CONE from Dairy Queen. (He typically gives the Dairy Queen worker a confused look and asks if they have the "regular ice cream with the hard chocolate shell on it.")
22. Lynne collects CASTLES.
24. Lynne's alma mater is IWU (Illinois Wesleyan University).
26. Roman wedding date is XII (July 12).
27. Lynne and Matt joke that they'll name their first son STANLEY (try it out with Hanley as a last name--sounds great!)

DOWN
2. Matt is one of the BEACON's brightest lights (At least according to Lynne). The Beacon is the newspaper where Matt works as the crime reporter.
4. Leslie's word to describe Laura and Lynne is SISSIES.
5. MARY BETH introduced Lynne and Matt.
6. Matt saw the METS play a home game at Shea Stadium.
8. In high school, Alex, Mo and Matt ran CROSS COUNTRY.
13. PERU is a honeymoon hot spot.
16. ILL is the first half of Matt's favorite chant
18. Lynne's favorite ball player is Joe CREDE
19. The second half of Matt's favorite chant is INI!
21. Michael is Matt's COUSIN.
23. The best man in the room was ALEX (So why'd Lynne marry Matt?)
25. JULY is a hot month for a white wedding.

Can't tell the players without a scorecard!

Scoooooorecards! Getch yur scoooorecards here!

A few people mentioned they couldn't get to all the tables to see all the centerpieces, so we'll post the line-up cards here.

Lynne and Matt chose players they had some connection to - like a favorite player, or a player who excelled in a game they attended. And, as often as possible, they tried to connect that player to someone sitting at the table - sometimes more directly than others, as you'll see.
(All the cards on the centerpieces were from Matt's collection, except for Ryan Theriot because Matt burns every Cubs card he gets.)

TABLE 1 - Pee Wee Reese: The captain played in 10 All-Star games and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984, by the Veteran’s Committee. Reese was one Matt’s grandpa’s favorite players on his fave team, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

TABLE 2 - Ryan Theriot: Since his debut with the Chicago Cubs in 2005, Theriot has found a way to keep himself in the lineup. He’s having one his best season’s yet, batting over .300. He’s Lynne’s favorite Cubbie. She’s often heard saying, “Can’t quiet The Riot.”

TABLE 5 - David Wright: This Gold Glove slugger is one of Matt’s favorites. On July 16, 2006, Matt and his dad enjoyed watching the Mets score 11 runs in the sixth inning against the Cubs, capped by David Wright’s long two-run homer.

TABLE 9 - Ted Williams: Teddy Ballgame has nearly the best offensive numbers ever, despite two stints in the Marines as a fighter pilot. Of the 900 pictures Matt took before seeing a game at Fenway, at least one was in front of the Splendid Splinter’s statue.

Table 12 - Shawon Dunston: The Cubs shortstop with the rocket arm became famous when the "Shawn-o-meter" appeared at Wrigley Field, tracking his batting average. Shawon was one of Megan Hanley's favorite players.

TABLE 14 - Ernie Banks: The slugging shortstop nicknamed Mr. Cub was twice the National League Most Valuable Player, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977. He was also one of Mrs. Hanley’s favorite players on that ill-fated 1969 Cubbies squad.
TABLE 14 - Gil Hodges: After a great career with the Dodgers, Hodges took over as Mets manager. On Sept. 10, when his team passed the Cubs in that fateful 1969 season, Mark Hanley was at the game in Shea and Diane Majewski was at Wrigley. It’s fate!
This was the only split table. With Matt's mom (the Cubs fan) and Matt's Dad (the Mets fan) both seated at Table 14, they couldn't risk a riot.

TABLE 16 - Jack Perconte: The slick-fielding infielder wore #16 in his one season with the Indians. He was twice MVP at Murray State. He’s married to The Rev. Linda Misewicz-Perconte, who officiated Lynne and Matt’s wedding. He also enjoys reading.
Yep, it's true and Mr. Perconte was seated at his own table. Incidentally, that note about his love for reading came from the back of his 1985 Topps card. You can't make stuff like that up!

TABLE 18 - Darryl Strawberry: As a kid, Matt worshipped this lean Mets slugger. In a game against the Cubs, while the crowd chanted ‘Daaa-ryl’, Matt saw him hit one out of Wrigley. Sadly, ‘The Straw’ turned out not to be the best role model for young men.

TABLE 21 - Roberto Clemente: Growing up in West Virginia, the Pirates were the closest baseball team. Barry Seago got to watch Clemente fly around the bases and make rifle throws at Forbes Field. The four-time batting champ finished with exactly 3,000 hits.

TABLE 24 - Joe Crede: This power-hitting, smooth-fielding third baseman is at his best in the clutch, winning the 2005 ALCS MVP for the Chicago White Sox. Joe Crede also happens to be the favorite player of Mrs. Lynne Hanley.

TABLE 25 - Jim Thome: When Thome hit his 500th home run to win the game Sept. 16, 2007, Lynne and Matt were there. Matt was so excited he nearly cried. On an unrelated note, the Peoria native looks remarkably like Buzz Lightyear.

TABLE 27 - Vlad Guerrero: Matt can't find this one, but the fact was something about how this hard-hitting Angel hit a home run at Matt's bachelor party and Lynne's bachelorette party.

TABLE 28 - Matt Hanley: This very light-hitting and average fielding second baseman hit a robust .308 in 1991 with 7 hits, 4 RBIs and no homers. Sadly, the Big League offers never materialized and he retired to life of obscure writing.

TABLE 30 - Ken Griffey Jr.: Matt, Dave, Angela and Adam were in the first row behind home plate when Griffey and Sammy Sosa - both with 500 homers - faced off at Wrigley Field. Sosa went deep to become the Cubs all-time home run leader.

TABLE 31 - Greg Maddux: In 2006, Alex invited Matt to Wrigley to watch Maddux face fellow 300-game winner Roger Clemens, the first time in 106 years that 300-game winners faced off against each other.

TABLE 32 - Manny Sanguillen: This likable catcher was a mainstay on the ‘We Are Family’ Pirates teams of the early 1970s. When Matt visited PNC Park in 2006, Sanguillen was sitting in centerfield greeting fans. Because he apparently had nothing else to do.

TABLE 41 - Tom Seaver: ‘Tom Terrific’ was Mark Hanley’s favorite. When Seaver was traded, Mark wrote the Mets a letter, vowing to never come back. He didn’t break the promise until 2007, when his son took him. Matt later got to interview Seaver.

TABLE 42 - Curtis Granderson: This University of Illinois graduate was patrolling centerfield when Matt and his dad visited Comerica Park on Father’s Day, 2008. Granderson, who was not fazed by actor Gene Hackman sitting in the stands that day, hit a single and a triple.
TABLE 45 - Bobby Jenks: In 2005, the burly righty became the first rookie to save the clinching game of a World Series. Lynne, Matt and Barry love to see big ‘ole Bobby Jenks coming in to the song: ‘Here comes the boom!’ A Sox win is sure to follow.

TABLE 47 - Tom Glavine: On Aug. 5, 2007, while with the New York Mets, the lefty won his 300th game, vs. 197 losses. While he beat the Cubs 8-3 that day Lynne, Matt, Mr. Seago and Laura Seago cheered him on.

TABLE 53 - Moose Skowron: When he came up in 1953, Moose wore #53. He went on to hit eight World Series homers, won five rings and was inducted to the Polish-American Hall of Fame. Later, Matt, his dad and grandpa met him in a Hoffman Estates video store.

TABLE 72 - Carlton Fisk: Fisk wore 72 while with the White Sox, reversing his Red Sox number. Matt has more than 100 of the Hall of Fame catcher’s cards. Matt got to interview “Pudge” when the Field Museum opened a new Hall of Fame exhibit.

Jose Reyes, Ichirio, Jonathan Papelbon and Todd Helton just missed the cut. Should have hustled a little more!

Hello from (the real) Peru

Matt worked for a few years in Peru, Ill., but it was nothing like this.
We just arrived in South America - a new continent! Lynne and Matt are very tired after a flight that left Miami at 1:45 a.m.
The city looks interesting - very unusual driving habits. Well, we're going to catch a nap, then take a walking tour of Lima, the capital city with 9 million residents. That's even bigger than Aurora!
Tomorrow, we leave for the Amazon at 2 a.m. for canopy walks and river rides. It should be great!

Party in the city where the heat is on

Lynne and Matt didn't want to abandon their faithful readers, so we're posting a very short hello. We're in very rainy Miami and so far we've eaten at a Bennigans and slept for three hours.
Now, it's time to watch the All-Star game!
We're thinking of all of you. Wait, not really. We're having a great time on our honeymoon!

See you soon. We'd write more, but Matt thinks he just saw Will Smith!

Kevin Bacon ain't nothing.

Here's what Lynne and Matt learned during a wonderful wedding weekend:

- Bobsledding can happen anywhere, anytime.
- Time travel, apparently, does not exist.

- Sugar has been poured upon Matt. Similarly, Matt finds that it is good to drink beer with his harrumph arggh friends. Furthermore, if you can make it in New York, it may be possible to make it anywhere.

- Matt's dad knows what a "shout out" is.

- Matt for sure, yes, will take care of Lynne.

- Kalli can dance like a superstar. LJ is a wonderful guy.
- Laura, Megan and Alex give great speeches, even though Laura's was completely improvised. Mr. Seago gave a wonderful blessing.

- Friends and family traveled from 15 states and 3 countries to be at the wedding. Wow.

- Ties are also good headbands.

- Chicken fingers are irresistible.

- A lot of people have never seen the Numa Numa kid before.

- When people say: "Your wedding is going to be so crazy, you're not going to have time to enjoy it", they're wrong.

- There was a lot of people at that wedding. Maybe even more than it seemed at first.

- Pastor Linda and Father Rizzo are generous with their time and spirit.

- With just a little nail polish remover, Clorox, a sponge and Goo Gone, you can get White-Out off the bottom of your rented shoes.
- Kevin Bacon has nothing on Matt's dancing feet.
- Sinkholes exist.

- Nathaniel's garage is empty.

- Lynne and Matt weren't the only ones having an amazing week! Congrats!
- Peru and Africa? The same thing.

- Ultimate football weekend: Oct. 18, Illinois vs. Indiana.

- Two faiths and two families can come together in one place to celebrate an important day.

- Lynne and Matt are blessed to have wonderful, generous friends and a fantastic family. They are truly lucky.

Hope everyone had as great a time as Lynne and Matt. We love you all. See you soon!

Last-minute reminders

Well, here we are, one day away from The Big Day - finally! Zero months left. A goose egg. 0. Nada. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. No more monkeys jumping in the bed.
I'm getting married in the morning.
Going to the chapel, and I'm gonna get married.

Who knows what's in store, but we do know this: The most important people in Lynne and Matt's life will be there to watch Matt get the girl of his dreams. What else matters?

Here's some last minute details, in case you forgot. Don't worry, there's no changes, just repeating the basics.




Click here to see the schedule for the entire weekend.


The ceremony starts at 4 p.m. in Woodridge United Methodist Church, 2700 West 75th Street, Woodridge. Here's a map. Guests could begin arriving around 3:30 p.m. Wedding party, readers, etc., should be in the church by 2:30 p.m.
Click here for more information on the church.


The reception begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Select, 1801 North Naper Boulevard, Naperville. Here's a map.
Click here for more information on the reception.


On Sunday, you're invited to come back to Lynne's house for subs and gift opening. Call if you need directions.

If you need any help, you can call Matt at eight one five, two two eight, ninety two seventy seven.
Travel safe - see you there! (And bring your party shoes!)

Meet the readers!

By now, you've met most of the wedding players, but Lynne and Matt wanted to be sure to introduce two people who be doing one of the most intimidating jobs at the wedding.

Lynne's Aunt Carol will be doing The First Reading. Carol is Lynne's mom's sister, seen here on the far right. (Lynne is shown practicing her pose for when Matt tells one of his famous jokes.) Aunt Carol has been a really important person in Lynne's life, because even though she lives far away - with her husband, Rick, in Raleigh, North Carolina - she has always made a huge effort to spend time with Lynne and her sisters. She usually visits at least twice a year, with one of those visits falling on either Christmas or Thanksgiving. In fact, the Seago girls often comment that Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas if Aunt Carol isn't there. Typically, Aunt Carol is known for snapping her fingers a lot, singing the old "Milk for Mom" commercial whenever she looks in the refrigerator, and (one of Lynne's Dad's favorite moments) talking in a tiny voice from the back of her throat. She's also very sweet and super helpful - she even flew in five days early to help Lynne and her mom get ready for The Big Day. Lynne and Matt are very excited to have her participate in the wedding, despite her worries that everyone will see her reading glasses. ;)

The Second Reading will be done by Matt's friend Nathaniel or, as some of you have come to know him, Kramer. Nathaniel and Matt have been great friends since the first week of college. Nathaniel lived in the dorm next to Matt, but it wasn't long before he busted through the door without knocking (hence, the nickname) trying to see if anybody had any sody. Since then, Matt and Nathaniel have created all sorts of mischief, including traveling to the MicronPC.com Bowl, building a haunted house in their basement, dying their hair blond and trying out for the Amazing Race - twice. Plus, Nathaniel - a biomedical engineer - lived with Matt for three years, which should qualify Nathaniel for sainthood, at least. Nathaniel and Matt have kept in close contact since college. Matt was honored to be in Nathaniel's wedding two years ago, when he married the lovely and talented Karrie. They recently moved to Indianapolis. You can be sure whatever zaniness goes on Saturday, Nathaniel will be in the middle of it. It wouldn't be the same if he wasn't.

(And were you aware that today, July 7, is Nathaniel's 30th birthday? It is. Wow, he is an old, old man.)

The Gospel Reading will be done by Rev. Robert Rizzo from St. Hubert's Catholic Church.

Now, of course, you're wondering: what readings did they chose? Well, Lynne and Matt want to keep some surprises for the big day, to make sure you show up at the church.

Did you know that Mr. Hanley will be quizzing everyone when they get to the reception, making sure they were at the ceremony? So pay attention or no soup for you!

All-Star voting and All-Star seating?

Lynne and Matt have a few more wedding posts to get up before The Big Day, but meanwhile they thought they'd use this opportunity to make a public service announcement.
Through Thursday, you can vote to add one more player to the All-Star roster of the National and American leagues. This is a very important decision because the league that wins the All-Star game gets home field in the World Series, which could be key when the Mets face off against the White Sox for all the marbles in October.
So, go here and vote. You can vote up to 25 times. And, you know, Matt would never tell you who to vote for (Nader) and how to live your life (quietly) but if you wanted to vote for Jermaine Dye and David Wright 25 times, then Matt would have to consider giving you priority seating at the church.
You know, no promises, but it would happen for sure.