What happened to pottery class?

I've been thinking a lot lately about hobbies and identity. When you are a child, your life is consumed with extracurricular activities. When I wasn't playing with friends or whatever, I was at a million dance classes, art classes, singing lessons, acting classes, you name it. Except sports. Don't name that (I was not and will never be the athletic prototype).

So recently I have felt this longing for a piece of my childhood, or not to feel like such an adult with the weight of the world on my shoulders. I couldn't put my finger on what would make me feel better... more like "me" before I lost myself to the daily grind of working full time and spending the weekends being a foodie.

A friend of mine told me that she was signing up for a ceramics class on Monday nights, and it got my thinking how amazing that was. Amazing, yet I couldn't see the logic in me spending the money to do it. It made me sad. I took every single art class my high school had to offer. I used to sing, dance, act... the whole enchilada. What happened to that part of me? Did I lose it somewhere between studying for college finals and going to frat parties? Maybe. But I'm determined to get it back now.

In college I took two semesters of Italian and loved it. After the first week I decided I wanted to be fluent and have my future children be bilingual. But because of other scheduling conflicts I had to stop taking it. For some reason, I thought I would actually sign up for some kind of community center class or buy Rosetta Stone. Yeah, that didn't happen. Once I moved to Chicago I thought I would take these courses that meet every Saturday morning, but it was so expensive, and there was a conflict every few Saturdays for me to do that so I sort of gave up on the whole idea. Until recently. I kept realizing this void in my life, and finally stumbled across these language course podcasts. As soon as I started listening to them I felt like a different person. It was like some part of me had been trapped for four years.

But how many of us just give up these things that made us so happy for no reason at all? Maybe you played a sport in high school but "can't find a rec league." Or you used to sing all the time and perform in the musicals but haven't actually searched for a local chorus to join. Why do we freely drop these things that make us happy, that makes you you? How come our activities of choice now are not the ones that really make us happy, like going to the gym? Who says you can't do whatever you loved growing up.

I now realize that it's these little things that keep us going, that make you feel like a kid again, that make you feel that your identity doesn't have to be compromised just because you're getting older.

I don't know about you, but I'm finding an art class.

So thankful

Thanksgiving in Maryland was amazing. Hands down. It is also my all time favorite holiday.

Mark and I left for the east coast Wednesday afternoon, with Bella in tow. After 11 hours, we made it to my parents' house. It was so nice to reunite with the family, and be back on home turf. The next morning we got to meet up with our other family (Mark's family) and spend some time with them. We did the double dipping Thanksgiving this year, meaning we went to both families. Don't think that will be a reoccurring thing because it was just too much.

We were literally going all day every day we were home. Trying to squeeze in seeing our friends, while seeing all the family is really difficult.No one tells you that when you move away, coming home is like a marathon. You are literally racing all over the place, and passing out from exhaustion every night. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE being home. I miss it already in fact. This was the first trip home that I was really like "I miss DC" not just my family/friends. I guess we have really developed a connection in Chicago because things are becoming unfamiliar in DC, and I actually referred to the metro as the El. Fail.

Unfortunately, we had to race home on Sunday because I had a huge work event Monday. Luckily, this month will be a great one for us. This coming weekend, one of my besties Hillary will be visiting! Then next weekend we will be in New York for a family bnai mitzvah. Then, a week and a half after that, we are on our whirlwind Eurotrip. Can. Not. Wait.

In the meantime, I have been buying into the holiday sale craziness, and had a wonderful time buying lots of fun clothes. My fave purchases are probably a cashmere long sleeve tee from J. Crew, and leopard scarf. Loveee.

I am so incredibly thankful for all my family and friends. Thanksgiving would not have been the same without everyone.

It's my birthday!

(Tomorrow)

So it has been a little while since I have posted to the blog. I guess I have been pretty busy. This past week alone, I had an auxiliary board meeting for the American Lung Association, work has picked up a little since we have an event coming up, and I am now involved with the UMD alumni chapter in Chicago, which is keeping me busy. It is definitely a great way to keep myself busy with events from a different perspective. Last night we had a Maryland game watching event in Lincoln Park, and we had a pretty good turnout. Met lots of interesting people. Afterwards, me, Mark, and our friends Deanna, Brett, Kaitlin, and Matt went to dinner at Dos Diablos. It was really yummy, but the free tequila shots were not exactly life-changing. I was also super jealous of the tables that had sombreros and fake mustaches... not really sure what that was about, but it looked fun!

Today, I spent a good amount of time shopping, then Emily took me to tea at The Drake for my birthday. For those that do not know, The Drake is a very iconic, beautiful hotel in Chicago. Very delish.

Tomorrow is my 24th birthday... not exactly a big number. Birthdays definitely don't mean that much to me anymore, but none-the-less, I refuse to spend it at the office. So Mark and I are both taking the day off and running around the city doing fun stuff. :)  Can't complain.

This week, the stars have aligned and not only is Breaking Dawn coming out, but The Hunger Games trailer will be out (insert major thirteen-year-old-girl-squealing). Yes, I am a huge dork.

I am really looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving next week, even if it requires a ten hour drive each way. It feels like we haven't been home in so long, even though it was only two months ago. I'm worried that the longer I'm here the more often I want to go home. I don't like to feel like I am missing out on things, and since all our family is there, I definitely feel like that a lot. However, I do love Chicago, and not being here anymore would be really sad. (Please note that I made this statement before winter). It's hard to believe we have been here ten months and will look for a new place soon. Time does fly when you're having fun!

Hallo-weiner circle (yeah - only Chi people will get that)

After a particularly mind-numbing week and a half I am trying to be positive and hope that I can be... for at least the rest of the week.

Last week was just a slow week in general, and my flare-up with my back did not help things much. Plus I have some sort of weird insomnia going on where I can't fall asleep til at least 1am, and wake up inexplicably at 5 or 6am. I am running on fumes at the moment.

I spent Friday night and part of Saturday laying down and getting some rest. Also got to catch up on my reading list. I cranked out "the Wedding Girl" and "The hunger games" all by last night. Woo. So Saturday night, instead of being the cool kids like we used to be (sort of), Mark and I didn't do anything Halloweeny, and opted for a nice dinner at an intimate restaurant. To be honest, that was better in a lot of ways. Dressing up and going to bars kind of takes me back to my college days, and somehow I feel like I'm too old for it, or over it, or something. Of course I did get sad that I didn't dress up and go out when I saw all my friends cute pictures.

The next morning, we drove around Lincoln Park in a semi house-hunting kind of way, and then met up with Emily and Mike for brunch. It was nice because we went to one of the Original Pancake Houses here, and that was a nice reminder of home. Even though the decor looked absolutely nothing like the ones back in Maryland, it made me feel a little less homesick.

So I was kind of a party pooper this Halloween, but on the bright side- Bella did dress up. And she was the cutest Chicago-style-hotdog ever.

It was fun last night handing out candy to the adorable trick-or-treaters... even if we only got fifteen of them. They were all in love with Bella and her outfit, and one cute little four-year-old kept saying "I love his hot dog!" which was really cute/funny. I love the kiddies.

Certified D.V.M.?

I had another very short work week this past week...only three days cause of the Jewish holidays. Win.

Unfortunately, my poor little Bell has been sick for over a week, and I spent a lot of the time back and forth from the vet's office. She has/had pancreatitis, which is not the same as it is for humans, just a more intensified stomach bug that basically is caused from the pancreas. I feel like I've been to vet school with all my new-found knowledge on the canine digestive system. Mark and I had been planning on taking a mini trip to Madison, WI this weekend, but we decided to postpone til Bella gets better. Luckily, she seems to be doing better now. Here she is playing Twister...

C'mon... how cute is that?

Anyway, Mark and I spent most of the weekend in relaxation mode; we watched some good TV, went to dinner and saw some friends. The place we went to dinner is called Bridge House Tavern, and it's one of my new favorite spots in Chicago. It is so cute and intimate, and right on the river. Plus, the food/drinks were good. Definitely going back there soon.

This week should be pretty busy with work stuff, but hopefully we can do something Halloween-ish over the weekend. I am going to be Sookie from Trueblood, Bella is going to be a Chicago-dog (hotdog), and Mark, well, he probably won't dress up. We may only be wearing these costumes for a little while, but the pictures are totally worth it.

Happy Halloween!

I'm-a-pumpkin-pickin

Well the last week or so has been quite eventful. I had a three day week last week since I work for a religious organization, and buh-da-da-dum... I have another three day week this week! This has given me some fun extra time to relax and try to get better from my millions of ailments. This past weekend, I did some good shopping, went to a girls' night wine and dinner party, and was all over Chicago seeing people. Not to mention, Mark and I drove out to a pumpkin patch. That is one of my favorite fall activities, so I was really glad we were able to go this year.

I love being able to act like a kid, while watching millions of kids. Yes, it is slightly weird for a grown woman to love the pumpkin patch, but that's me. Unfortunately I dropped the ball this year on going to the Renaissance Fair, so that will have to wait til 2012.

Poor Bella has been sick for the past week, she has some kind of stomach bug. So sad. It just so happened that my back, and Mark's ear infection decided to make a relapse at the same time. Awesome week for the fam. Anyway, we are probably going to go to Madison this weekend, for at least one day, since Mark and I have an extra day off from work. I'll keep you updated if we make the road trip.

Three things I'm excited about this week:
1. The lovely fall weather
2. My pretty new purchases from J. Crew
3. I only have two more days of work this week!

Not a vacation, but home

Last week Mark and I got to go home for the second time since being in Chicago. We had a late night flight back to DC on Wednesday, and it was way more complicated than I would have imagined. For those of you who do not know, I have been very fearful of flying in the past. Over the last two months I have been working on curing my phobia and I really think it is working well. My stress for the flight actually stemmed more from the fact that Bella was flying with us. It was her first time flying, and she did NOT like being zipped in that carrier. Luckily, unless we were being yelled at, we let her head peek out from the bag, and she was okay with that.

The few days home were completely exhausting. Thursday, we went to Rosh Hashanah services, saw some friends, and went to dinner with Mark's family. The next day we saw more friends and my mother-in-law hosted a giant dinner of extended family. Sorry fam, but we will not be doing that every time we go home, it is just too stressful.

 Bella was very excited to see her best friend Lily again!

Saturday, Mark and I spent the entire day driving to and from Harrisburg, PA for a high school friend's wedding. The wedding was beautiful, the bride and groom are very cute together, and we got to see friends, so that made it worth the trek.

Sunday, we saw more friends and had some more family time, then flew back to Chicago at night. Busiest four days ever (or at least I say that until we are home for Thanksgiving). Still, there is something to be said about being at home.

But for now... back to the grind!

Jam-packed weekend

What an awesome weekend!

Friday night we went to dinner at Carmichael's which was really great and then went to the Caps v. Hawks game with another couple. We had a great time minus the fact that the Caps lost. Boo. Somehow out of all the people in Chicago, we ran into Mark's cousin Nick at the game who was there for a bachelor party. Small world.

Saturday was crazy busy. Michigan Avenue was a mess and I somehow deemed that the appropriate time to run around returning things. From there, Mark and I went to Lakeview and Lincoln Park to look at houses for a few hours. We found two in the same building that we really love and are hoping one works out. It's hard to buy a house with four months left in your lease. From looking at homes we ran to our apartment, walked the dog, and went right back to Lincoln Park to Emily and Mike's place. We had a delicious dinner party with them and Deanna and Brett. Yummy food and lots of fun!

Love these girls!

Yesterday was my lazy Sunday and I got to re-watch Bridesmaids, which was just as funny as ever. My back was so sore after running around all weekend so I'm so happy to go to PT today.

Highlight of this week has to be that I am going home in a few days!!!! Can't wait to see people and go to Josh and Sam's wedding!

Bear Down

Sorry I have been neglecting the blog. This has been a crazy few weeks. I am like a 90 year old woman and hurt my back. Ironically, the doctors seem to think it was from my attempt at running again (see C25K blog post). So I am back in PT for a few weeks, but it seems to be helping. My interpretation of this injury and my past knee injury is that God just doesn't want me to be athletic. Never was, and maybe never should be. I think I'll stick to yoga and pilates when I recover.

Since NFL season started again I decided to (at least try to) be more into football. With that, I am now a Chicago Bears fan, as well as a Redskins fan. But being a Bears fan is kind of more fun while living in Chicago. I even sort of learned some rules! Sort of. The one sport I do enjoy watching is hockey, and am super excited to go to the Caps vs. Blackhawks preseason game Friday night. Go Caps!!!!!

My family came this past weekend, plus one set of grandparents, minus my brother. Dan: you were missed. Being here makes me miss my family, but seeing them reminds me even more how much I miss them. We had a gorgeous weekend here in Chicago- probably one of the last. Luckily, we are going home in a week and I get to see everyone again, including Mark's family. Super exciting!

Right after these pictures were taken I changed my hair back to my natural color- dark brown. Other people seem to like it, but it's still growing on me and is hard to get used to. I'll take some pictures soon and post them with the next blog post.

And suddenly... it's Fall!

After a week of both Mark and I being sick, we were back with a vengeance.

On Saturday we went with a bunch of our friends to see Guster at Ravinia. The concert was amazing, and they were even better than I remembered them being five years ago. It was such a fun night. Good music, good company, good snacks/drinks.

On Sunday Mark and I walked around all of Lincoln Park to get a better idea of where we would like to look for homes. We definitely know what area we like, and are hoping we can find something in that area sometime soon! Later that night, my friend Shira came to visit while on her crazy tour across the country, working. It was so nice to see her. I love being with high school friends, and anyone I've known that long; it brings you back to reality having someone who knew you when.

Monday was Labor Day and we did the brunch thing. We had originally planned on being at the beach that day, however, Mother Nature decided that Chicago only functions between hot and cold...not in between. So it was 65 degrees and the beach was a no-go. We relaxed, then went to The Whiskey Bar, then to dinner at Tavern on Rush, where the lovely (just kidding) Reverend Jesse Jackson was at the table next to us. I'm not a big fan, so it wasn't exactly a celebrity sighting.

Later this week, Mark's oldest friend Danny is visiting on his way to California. He is moving there and we are the stopping point. It's always so nice to see everyone.

Have a great week!

The Sky's the Limit

This past weekend was very relaxing, yet busy. Mark's aunt and uncle were in town and we got to spend some time with them, which was really nice. Saturday we took it easy during the day, and ran errands. This weekend was also the Air and Water Show, which for those of us who live here = hell. For the entire week, my office was shaking during the practice as the planes kept flying by, and it really freaked me out. Our apartment, also was very loud all week from the practices and the actual show. Take that, and add 1.5 million tourists, and you are not happy.

At night we went to dinner and then to Second City to see the show "The Sky's the Limit: Weather Permitting." I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. The show was SO funny, and definitely kept your attention the whole time. All of the actors were very talented, but a few were amazing. One, Brendan Jennings, is (in my opinion) the next Chris Farley. If you live in Chicago and haven't seen the show, you really need to. Definitely the best comedy show I have seen.

Sunday was interesting. It took me half an hour to walk to the movie theatre, which usually takes me ten minutes. This was due to the thousands of tourists who apparently have never been in a city, and don't know how to walk. Fun times. Emily, who was meeting me there, had to take a bus, walk, and take the el just to get there in time. Awful. On a good note, we saw The Help, and it was amazing. It was very close to the book, and really well adapted to a movie. I really hope all of the actresses are nominated for awards, because they really deserve it. After the movie we grabbed some sushi while our men were off galavanting finding the White Castle in Chicago. Apparently, this White Castle excursion will be an annual event.

Yesterday Mark left for a business trip, and I embarked on my second C25K run... with Bella. She is usually such a good runner when she goes with Mark, but with me she was dragging. She was not having it after the first ten minutes. However, we did complete the second day. I really like it so far. Hopefully, I can keep up the program!

Craziest week ever!

I am sitting here writing this a half hour after my first running experience in many, many years. After reading one of my favorite blogs, Samstermommy, I was convinced to attempt running for what would be the millionth time in my life. But this time, I was feeling pretty confident.

Natasha (aka Samstermommy) blogged about this program called C25K or Couch to a 5k. The concept is really simple: take someone who is not a runner, and ease them into it. Who'da thought?

Well I was so inspired by her blog of success, that I bought an iphone armband, downloaded the app, and went through my first workout. I'm not going to lie, it was rough. But for the first time probably EVER, I completed a workout the way I wanted to. I am feeling really good right now, and highly suggest trying this program if you've always wanted to be a "runner," but aren't.

So this past week was insane. Primarily it was because Mark and I were running around nonstop. We had my friend Danielle arrive Thursday, leave Sunday, and our friend Matt arrive Monday and leave yesterday. Then later last night Mark's aunt and uncle arrived. I truly love having all the visitors, but having them all in a row is a little bit draining. Thankfully, tonight Mike and Emily will be coming over for a low key booze/game night. :)

On a random note: thing that scared the $#^! out of me this week (as if there was only one thing- ha)... the brain eating amoebas in the Potomac River. So. Scary.

Crazy stupid... life?

I just realized it's been a while since I wrote a blog post! Sorry!

These past few days have been really hectic. Even though we are approaching the weekend, here's a recap:
- Friday night we hung out with our friends Emily and Scott. They took us to this really cute part of Lincoln Park called North Pond, which was beautiful. Only problem is that somehow, wherever I am, mosquitoes find me and attack me. The bigger part of that is I am "very allergic" to mosquito bites. More on that in a sec.
- Saturday we went to Hub51's amazing sushi happy hour, where all their delicious sushi is half priced. Afterwards we went to see Crazy Stupid Love, which was SO GOOD. Not predictable at all. I don't think I can oversell this movie, it was that good. Go see it- the perfect date movie. Also, fun fact, if you watch America's Next Top Model, Annaleigh (who was one of my faves) stars in the movie!
- Sunday we went to brunch with Matthew and Stef at West Egg, and by then my feet were disgusting and swollen to the size of footballs.

This week we have been so busy with random things. I had to go to the doctor to deal with my bug bites since they were getting to the point where benadryl had zero effect. My ridiculous doctor told me he "couldn't call anything in without seeing me" while I'm crying from the pain. So I went to see another doctor because I was so mad. Thankfully I got meds and they are much better(aside from the fact that I look like a Leper).

I am also super happy that one of my dearest friends in the world, Emily Spector, moved to the city on Monday with her boyfriend Mike, and it is so nice to have them here!

On a random note, I made three purchases this week that I am in LOVEEEEE with...
First, are fleece lined tights by Plush. Apparantly they are a necessity in winter here. Literally, they are fleeced-lined.
Second, I had been eyeing the Tory Burch "clines" flats for weeks, and they are the cutest, most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. Totally worth the money.

Third, from a recommendation from my mother-in-law (whose birthday is today- Happy Birthday!!!) I bought Bella a Thundershirt. This is the smartest and simplest concept ever, yet I never heard about it before. It's a lightweight jacket for the dog, that essentially works like swaddling does for a baby. Bella is like a completely different dog. So calm and not barking. Insane... and only $36! Worth every penny if you ask me.

So if you take anything from this post, go see Crazy Stupid Love, and buy your dog a Thundershirt! :)

Holy Heat Wave

This past week or so we have had a very strong heat wave. Several days were having an index of around 115 degrees. It is awful coming outside of your building and not being able to breathe because the air is so thick.

We got to do a lot of fun things this past week and weekend. Wednesday night, Mark's Aunt Sheri was in town and took us out to dinner at Hub 51. Always yummy. Then Friday we walked around Lincoln Park a few hours, and got dinner in Old Town at Wells on Wells.

Saturday was the most fun part of our weekend. During the day, it was overcast, and the weatherman was calling for on and off thunderstorms all day. Luckily he was wrong and it just drizzled. We went to the beach and since it was supposed to be crummy out, it was pretty deserted. That made it nicer. Until we found out another reason it was deserted... an outbreak of E-Coli at all the beaches. Um, EW. I just about scrubbed my skin off after I heard that. Being on the beach for a few hours let me start reading The Help finally. It is such a great book and I'm not even halfway in. Read it if you have not yet done so. Later that night we had our neighbors Matthew and Stef over for drinks and then we went with them to Francesca's. This restaurant is very authentic Italian, so pretty, and only a block from our building. Cannot wait for wintertime because that will be our go-to restaurant. After dinner we went downstairs, to meet some of their friends at the restaurant's Enoteca (wine bar) which was incredibly cool.  It has the ambiance of actual Italy and with it's stone walls and castle-like chandeliers, it's amazing. We had such a great time.

Today, in typical Sunday fashion, we vegged out and grocery shopped. I'm still exhausted from last night, but it was worth it. Hope everyone had a great weekend and no one collapsed from heat exhaustion!

(Bella is always a good way to end a post)

Days go by

This weekend went be SO fast! Why does that always happen?

Friday was fun simply because it was the start of Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale, and both Mark and I got a bunch of good, practical stuff. I got a giant North Face parka that I will apparently need, come December. Friday evening Mark and I went to this place called Epic Burger, with my co-worker Jon and his wife. Yum. It's like a little nicer version of fiveguys, with amazing smoothies. Unfortunately for Mark, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 had just come out, and he was my date. The movie was amazing- almost as good as the book (like usual). I was sad when it ended. It was sort of like an end of an era when the final movie came to an end. Bummer.

Saturday we spent kind of vegging out. We trekked out to the suburbs to get our car serviced. Apparently the Volvo dealerships in the city aren't really trustworthy. However, a salesman tried to trick us into getting all this extra service done on our car, and this was at the Northfield location. That was not really attractive. So Mark and I decided to skip out to the showroom and look at all the pretty new volvos. The new version of our car, the S60, is absolutely beautiful. And here is a picture of me and what Mark and deemed my "future mom-mobile," a Volvo SUV.  Love.

Later that night, we went to Luxbar with Deanna and Brett. Again, yum.

Today I spent being a wifey. Mark went to the Cubs game and I went to HomeGoods and got a bunch of cute stuff. Spent way too much money, but it was totally worth it. Afterward, I went with my friend Jess to see Horrible Bosses. And in typical Bonnie fashion, I smuggled in some goodies. For those that don't know- I like to push the boundaries in terms of what foods I sneak in to movie theatres. This time it was a frappuccino and sushi. Yeah, I'm weird. Anyway, it was good and the movie was so funny. Definitely go see it if you haven't yet.

I can't believe it's Sunday already. I hate that weekends go by so quickly. Mondays are no fun.

The stars and stripes

This past week, my friends Emily and Mike came to stay with us before their move to the city. We had lots of fun going to restaurants and such.

We also had dinner on Sunday night with some neighbors of ours. They went above and beyond making dinner for us, and their apartment is so nice. I was like "how are these units in the same building?" I had a bit of apartment envy.

For July 4th, Mark and I went to Oak Street Beach and the restaurant there, which was so much fun. It felt just like Ocean City, and gave me that much-needed beach feeling.

So pretty.

Then we got to watch the fireworks that night that took place over Navy Pier. It was so nice to see them over the water.

I went from loving-my-country Independence Day, to hating-our-legal-system Casey Anthony verdict day.

I got pretty invested in the Casey Anthony trial, and was soooo sure that after all the circumstantial evidence, she would be charged with murder, and at the very least manslaughter. So imagine my surprise as I'm watching the live feed on my computer, and they say not guilty for the two most important charges against her. I literally was sick to my stomach. Were these the twelve dumbest people from the state of Florida? I understand the whole concept of reasonable doubt, but I also believe that only goes to an extent. When someone (especially an innocent child) is CLEARLY murdered, it should not matter how or why. Ultimately, what should matter, is that the person committing the crime is brought to justice, and that is not what happened. If Casey Anthony did not murder Caylee, then who did? Who else had any motive? Who else was partying and got a tattoo and made up fake information to law enforcement during the time she was "missing"? It shouldn't matter that the prosecution cannot be 100% sure what the cause of Caylee's death was, because they were certain it was a homicide. Her body was dumped in a bag, with duct tape over her nose and mouth. Explain that people. Now they are going on a man hunt to find a person that does not exist: a killer that isn't Casey.

There shouldn't have been a huge celebration in the courtroom by the defense, because even if they won the case, a little girl was killed. People go to jail for DUIs and other much more minor infractions for longer than Casey Anthony will. Sorry, but there is no way in hell that she was not involved in her daughter's death.

Sorry to vent- it's just so heart-breaking. One can only hope that like OJ, karma will catch up with her.

Foodie Fun

I am so glad the weather has been nice lately. It has let us be outside way more often, which is so nice. One thing that is not so nice... our smoke detectors beeping for hours even when we changed the batteries. Poor Bella was hiding in our front closet when I got home from work yesterday.

Anyway, a new thing I'm going to add to this blog is food reviews around Chicago. I just feel like Mark and I have been to so many great restaurants, they need some recognition.

Last weekend, we went to Hub 51, on the ever-popular Hubbard Street. Let me preface this review with the fact that we had to make a reservation a week and a half in advance because it is so popular. In Chicago, all the best restaurants (and some so-so ones) have very long waiting periods to get in to eat.

Anyway, we made a reservation, and it was the best meal I have had in a long time! I tried two of their signature cocktails, which were amazing. Both were very refreshing and not too watery. We also got an appetizer to start, the sweet potato sushi roll. One word: amazing. Mark doesn't even like sushi and he loved it. And our waitress was super attentive and told us after we had eaten a few pieces "something is wrong. let me bring this back." We were confused, but then she brought it back and it had this delicious barbeque glaze that was supposed to be on it originally, and that made it even better. The cool thing about Hub51, other than its posh atmosphere, is that the menu is very diverse. Mark got a burger and I got tacos, and both were very appetizing. If you live here and have not tried Hub51... you are really missing out.

I am super excited because one of my BEST friends in the world, Emily, is here with her boyfriend Mike! They are moving here in a month and I am so excited. I will write an update with pictures of wherever we end up going this weekend. Thank god for three day weekends.

Happy Fourth of July! Hope you have as great long weekend!

Bling-Bling

First thing: what I am excited about today... my amaaazingly cute flats I got at Bloomingdales for a fourth of the original price. I also got a cashmere cardigan that I had been eye-ing at J. Crew for three months for about 50% off. Winning.

Also, since my knee is still haunting me with its jankity-ness my PT suggested I get better shoes for work. IE: more arch support.  IE: FUGLY.  IE: I think I'd rather take the pain. I caved slightly and found some semi-non-ugly Cole Haan shoes that have a bit of support. I really don't want to be 87 yet.

I am starting to get sick of all those online sites that send you emails every day with clothing items on sale. Not once, EVER, have I found something off of "Shop it to me" and the like. I should probably unsubscribe.

Anyway. Last weekend was quite eventful. The weather was pretty nice and we spent a lot of time outside and going to meals. Meals are like the center of my universe. If I can get out to dinner, or even better, brunch, I am a happy camper. So Saturday night we went to dinner with our friends Deanna and Brett and then went out to celebrate Jess, a sorority sister's birthday/engagement.

Party animals.

Apparently, the bar we went to actually has a retractable roof, which will DEFINITELY come in handy during... what? November through May? Given this past year's weather, I'm gonna go with that.

I know it is only Wednesday, but it feels like Friday, so have a great weekend everyone!

Home is where the heart is

This past week, Mark and I drove down to Maryland for our first trip back home! It was truly wonderful being able to see our families and a lot of our friends. Bella was once again a trooper for the ten hour car ride, but it felt very long to me. It was very weird being back at home, and it really felt more nostalgic than anything else. It made me realize how much I love Chicago, and how hard it would be to move back to MD... at least right now. It also made both Mark and I realize how much we cannot remember about roads and things there. Navigating around was weird. And, I was also told while I was home, that my "a" in words had become like a Mid-westerner's. For example, I say "back" as "bayk"... Can you saw 'ew'? I would like to keep my original accent por favor.

Here is a picture of Bella and my family's dog Lily on their way with us to my grandma's pool (They know what "MomMom's house" means). It is just too cute for words, so I had to include it in the post.

So, it was a great couple days at home, but for now, Chicago is the place to be.  :)

Memorial Weekend madness

This past weekend had a lotttt going on.

Friday after work, Mark and I decided to use a Groupon we had for drinks/dinner at a mexican bar. It was really overpriced, and the food was just okay, so thank god we had a groupon and didn't have to spend real money there. Plus, the place was practically empty and pretty awkward because of that.

Saturday we went to brunch at an Irish place, and watched the Barcelona vs. Manchester United game. Fun times.

Sunday was quite the unique experience. We decided ahead of time to go on a food tour of Chicago. Sunday was the day that Mother Nature decided we needed yet another rainy/thunderstormy day... and this was the worst yet. We met our group and leader at a Jewish deli and then proceeded to a tea place, fudge shop, oil shop, spice shop, bakery, and pizza place, all the while trekking through the storm. Because of the weather, our three hour tour ended up being five. It was all good in the end, but we were completely exhausted afterwards.

Monday was Mark and my one year wedding anniversary! It is so hard to believe we're not Newlyweds anymore, and that it has already been a year. We woke up early to ninety degrees, and sunny weather. Woo! So we decided to take Bella down to the pier park like we usually do, and when we finally got there, I was burnt and getting attacked by flies (everyone was), and Bella was panting like crazy.  We kept giving her water and putting water on her, but after twenty minutes we'd all had enough. So we spent the afternoon relaxing and watching our wedding video for the first time. I started crying within two seconds of watching it. We capped the night off by going to dinner at Shula's steakhouse, which was pretty good. All in all, an excellent Memorial Day weekend. (And thank you to our troops!)

Three things I am excited about right now:
1. My work event I am planning is on Monday, and is almost OVER
2. I get to go home a week from today!
3. Did I mention I get to go home a week from today?

Chillin and Grillin

Despite the bad weather warnings that threatened our weekend, we had gorgeous 80 degree weather on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning I got my butt up early and went to yoga. It was definitely a workout since they had the HEAT on. Yeah, it got kind of gross. The rest of the afternoon was just laid back, and Mark and I decided to go see a show at Second City. We went up to Old Town over an hour early, because the tickets said to arrive 50 minutes early. We get there, and they are like, "oh, the doors don't open til ten minutes before the show." Why then, would they write that on the tickets? So stupid. Well, Mark and I decided to reap the benefits from this 45 minute interlude, and went next door to Adobo, an awesome tequila bar/restaurant.  The appetizer we got was DELICIOUS, and the drink I got, was (no joke) the best cocktail I ever had. It had watermelon chunks in it, and even though that sounds weird, it was amazing!

After our snacks, we went back to the theatre and saw "Better off Wed." The show was hilarious, and one of the performers went to UMD! Bonus. Definitely go see it if you can.

Sunday was beautiful out, and Mark and I decided to go to the Chill and Grill Festival. The set up was really good- lots of restaurant booths around the perimeter with cooking shows and challenges from the Food Network. We sampled mini bbq burgers, mini fillet burgers, some Goose Island beers, and sorbet.  We also got free massages from Massage Envy. That was the perfect end to the festival.

Wall poses, bridesmaids, and more.

Following a particularly stressful week, this weekend was very relaxing so far. I guess relaxing is necessary though when it is 50 degrees and raining all weekend. Mark was gone through late Thursday night on a business trip, and it was nice having him back. Friday was pretty relaxed after we got home from work, and we just made dinner, popped a bottle of wine, and watched No Strings Attached. I had seen it in the theatres and loved it, so naturally I forced Mark to watch it with me.

Yesterday, I got up early and decided to go to Trader Joes. Choosing to do this is very different when you live in a city. You have to: get your car, drive there, find parking, etc.  Our parking garage in our building is "valet" style, which sounds great in theory, but it's not. You have to call down twenty minutes ahead of when you want to get your car, and have them bring it up. Nine times out of ten they have brought me the wrong car... even though I specifically say "the only car with Maryland plates." Apparently that's very confusing. So after waiting for the car twenty minutes in the garage, I try to drive to the store, but miss the turnoff. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Chicago, there are several one way streets, and once you get so far, it can be very hard to get back to that spot. It's pretty comical actually, when I'm rushing to get to the store and have to cross the river and re-cross the river and make all these last minute turns. I probably looked like a drunk driver.

Then later that night, we went to this restauarnt supposedly owned by Jeremy Piven called Rockit. It was really good,they decor was really pretty, and the menus were made of old vinyl records. Really cool. And since it was pouring when we got out, we hopped over to the movies and saw Bridesmaids, which was hilarious. Props Kristen Wiig and Judd Apatow! I am such a movie and tv nerd.

This morning I got up early again to go to yoga. I got an amazing Groupon for ten yoga classes for $39. Talk about a steal! I usually just do yoga in the apartment, but this was too good to pass up. I really enjoyed my first class there, as I got to learn some new poses and try "forrest" yoga. Very relaxing. The rest of the day we are just hanging out. I have a big work event tomorrow that I've been working on, and am ready to get it over with. Really wish the weekend wasn't ending though!

Getting our sun on

This weekend... the sun finally decided to make a lasting appearance! (And vacated the premises today, but let's focus on the positive).

Mark and I have been doing our own version of an eating tour across Chicago. There are SO many amazing restaurants here, we just can't get enough. Plus, I am a horrible cook, so ... bonus. Thursday night (Cinco de Mayo) we brought in Chipotle and made margaritas. We both ate too much that night. Damn Chipotle for being so filling.

Saturday, it was a little hazy out and I dragged Mark to see "Something Borrowed." Emily Giffin is one of my all-time favorite authors, and Something Borrowed and Something Blue are my two favorite books of all time (Not sure if I'm including Twilight in that...). But anyway, the movie was really good. Not as good as the book, since a few great parts were eliminated, but overall a good movie. You would probably like it more if you did not read the books. I am a huge Kate Hudson fan, and she got the role of Darcy down pat. Now, I like Ginnifer Goodwin also, but I kind of didn't like her in this role. Maybe I'm being harsh since I love the book so much, but that's my opinion on that. Later Saturday night, we tried a new Thai place near our apartment, which was delish. I get the same thing every time, but it was pretty good.

Sunday was Mother's Day, and since our mothers are not in the area, we spent it ourselves. We decided to venture to Evanston since neither of us had been there before. We got some brunch in the cute little town area (very downtown Silver Spring-esque) at "le Peep." Very yummy. Then we walked around Northwestern's campus. I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the campus. I always pictured Northwestern being very cute and pretty like Indiana University. The campus was just blah to me.

Later that night, we went out to dinner with my Uncle Michael who was in town for a convention. Always nice to see family and have a good meal.

Mark left early this morning for a business trip in Vegas and Reno for four days. Wish I could have gone with him.

Let the sun shine

This weekend the weather finally kicked into gear for Spring. It was gorgeous starting on Friday and hasn't stopped yet! (knock on wood)

Friday after work I walked Bella to Navy Pier, which was fun as always. It's such a lovely/bizarre thing being right next to Lake Michigan. And yesterday, Mark and I spent the day at Lincoln Park Zoo. The zoo was fun, and I hadn't been to one in years, but this one is definitely much smaller than the National Zoo in DC. We came home to relax for a few hours after the zoo before heading out again to Glenview. We were meeting our friends Deanna and Brett who live in the burbs, at a restaurant called YardHouse. Glenview is a Chicago suburb that is about 45 minutes north of the city. When we got off the highway for Glenview, Mark and I were both like "what the f?" because it was just flat, farm land. Thankfully, ten minutes down the road, some shopping centers appeared out of nowhere, and then pops up a cute town center that was pretty hustling for a Saturday night. If you're a MD reader, this area looked a lot like Rockville Town Center, but in the middle of Howard County.

Anyway, YardHouse was delishhhhh. I got this mac'n'cheese dish with mushrooms, chicken, and bacon. I could eat it every day. The funny thing about going to the YardHouse was that Mark and I have been saying for years how we wanted to go to one, and that we want to open one in DC. For those of you who do not know, "yards" are beer glasses that are literally a yard long. More commonly, you can find half-yards, which is still a ton of beer. Really a great idea.

We also got to go see Deanna and Brett's house after dinner, which was so cute! It's crazy how many of our friends are buying homes. And speaking of big milestones, CONGRATULATIONS Meg and Rich on your engagement- we are so happy for you guys!

We capped off the wonderful weekend today with a walk/picnic at the park at navy pier. Hopefully the nice weather will stick and we will have some fun adventures to report on next week!

Strike

Well Mark and I had a pretty entertaining weekend. And I still have two days left of mine (yes, I do suck).

Last night we went with my co-worker, her fiance, and their two friends to dinner and bowling.  We had a great time, and got to drive through some neighborhoods we hadn't seen yet. We are now really into the neighborhood known as "Lakeview." It is kind of a mini hipster version of Lincoln Park, with a million cute hole-in-the-wall places. We ate dinner there at this place called Wishbone, which was okay. After a really fun dinner, we drove to Ravenswood, a neighborhood that is far North and really neighborhood-y (if that makes any sense).

There we went bowling. Or tried. This bowling alley was bought in the 1960s and probably hasn't been touched since 1970. We had manual written scoring and a reggae band performing. Super funny/ghetto/70s flashback. I was by far the worst bowler of the group, and maybe even the entire alley. I went between throwing the ball in the air to throwing it granny-style, and both ways did not work well for me. Mark on the other hand had good form, but would kick his leg into the ball machine every time he bowled... and that was pretty funny. Somehow I had remembered bowling as being more fun in general, but then again I haven't bowled in years.

On a different note, I have been spring shopping, and selling my stuff on ebay like crazy. Because THIS is what my closet currently looks like:

Not cool. And this is what it looks like with half of it in the laundry and/or being sold. Guess I need a bigger closet!

Oh, and today Mark and I went to this well-known brunch spot, "yolk" and then went to see Water for Elephants. Both the food and the movie were great. Mark even liked it. I loved the book, so I loved the movie even more with some R-Patz to look at. I highly recommend going to see the movie. More to come after part two of my 4 1/2 day weekend!

Drama Queen

Okay, so my last post was super mopey and dramatic- my apologies. Passover actually went really well for Mark and I. We had our own goofy version complete with reading an online haggadah and our faux seder plate. If you are wondering, the faux seder plate had: a piece of matzo, an apple (our charoset), srirachya sauce (maror), asparagus with salt on it (like the salt water w/ parsley) , an egg, and one of bella's bones (paschal lamb bone). We actually had a blast and I spent an HOUR cooking. Yes, that was record breaking for me, and I don't think I will be doing it again for a long time. And, Mark put out a wine glass for Elijah that someone actually drank. Messiah perhaps?

On another note, three things I am happy about right now:
1. Seeing Water for Elephants on Sunday
2. Emily and Mike moving to Chicago!
3. Bowling with Co-worker Emily and her fiance Scott on Saturday night

A quick snippet of my stupidity of the day... I have to take several medicines to treat my (six months late diagnosis of) sinusitis. Two of which say "take with food." None of which I saw this until my stomach was killing me and I grabbed the containers to check. Now who's winning?

Clicking my heels

Today is just one of those days that I want to be home.  Tonight is the first night of Passover, and while I am really not a religious person, I am really sad about it all of a sudden. Mark and I were invited to attend a seder with one of my co-workers, but I was afraid it would be a bit forced and uncomfortable. In the end, I am happy with that decision not to go, because I realize now that it's the family aspect I am upset about. Mark and I will be making a Passover Dinner per se, but I am no cook, and it will definitely not be the real deal. Not to mention that I did the shopping for this dinner only a few hours ago.

Additionally, I have two and a half days off work for the holiday since I work for a Jewish organization. You would think I would be thrilled about this, but I am realizing (three hours into my days off) that I am going to be so bored and lonely.

Today, I also finally went to the orthopedist about my jankity left knee. Apparently they couldn't just give me a cortisone shot to stop the pain, but I have to go to physical therapy twice a week. I've never done PT before, but fitting it into my lunch hour really wasn't ideal. I know I'm complaining a lot and people deal with much more than this all the time, but it's just one of those days that makes me miss home and my family. I'm wishing that I could click my heels as many times as it takes to there- even if it makes my knees more jankity.

A little weather tease

Last weekend was a really great time. Mark's parents were in town to visit, and we got to do some touristy things and go to a bunch of amazing restaurants. Saturday we went to the famous Oak Park, about a half hour drive from the city, where Frank Lloyd Wright has nearly fifty of his amazing homes and buildings. We went on his personal home and studio tour, which was incredibly interesting (particularly for Mark, the architecture buff). FLW had such an interesting story behind him, and I am finally reading this book about his life that is supposed to be great: "Loving Frank."

Speaking of reading, I finally finished Water For Elephants this week, and it was really a good book-- especially because I was picturing Robert Pattinson as the lead character since the movie comes out soon. ;)

On Sunday, after we dropped Mark's parents at the airport, Mark and I walked Bella to lake front trail again since it was in the EIGHTIES. Talk about amazing weather.

So I'm not sure what happened to that groundhog this year, but his shadow or non-shadow was completely wrong. Following a week of amazing weather, today was about 45 degrees and raining/windy. Thanks a lot Mother Nature.

Trust me, I am NOT a Doctor.

As I sit here writing this- I am trying not to throw up.  This is directly connected with how I am the worst wife ever. (You will understand this connection in a second)

Last night, Mark really wanted to go to this event thrown uptown that showcased a lot of DogFishHead beers that we haven't tried yet. So, we went. My knee and ankle have both been killing me, so I was being a bit of a baby and complained that we'd have to walk all the way to the Brown line for the El, and take it 40 minutes to this random bar. But, I thought that it would be nice to go, and I wanted to be nice to Mark since he has been in a lot of pain since his surgery. So we walk there, and take the el, and my foot is killing me so I insist that for the way back we take a cab. Mark protested because he said it would hurt him to sit for the fifteen minute cab ride (which I basically snubbed).  It hurts him to sit because he had a deep cyst removed a week and a half ago from his lower back. Well, we ended up taking the cab and I felt SO bad because Mark was in a TON of pain the entire time. 

But... I am the worst person ever and wanted him to explain to me why it hurt to sit, yet it didn't hurt when the El jerks left and right. So Mark was rightfully pissed at me because he thought I was accusing him of making up his pain (which I was not intentionally). Which brings us to today...

Today is the first day that I have to "change his wound" as instructed by his doctor. This I have to do once a day for at least two weeks. So I thought, you know, no biggie, just some gauze here, hydrogen peroxide there, baddabing-baddaboom. Done. Uh... no.

For those of you who don't know me well- I am VERY squeamish. And this "wound" I was picturing in my head was like a one inch long little incision. In actuality, this wound is a three inch CAVERNOUS hole. I almost died. And by died, I mean puked. I feel like such an awful human being for thinking he had less of an intense surgical procedure. But like I said, trust me, I am not a doctor.

Explosion of Stress

Well, the title for this post is just about the biggest understatement ever for this past week and a half.


First, my husband had a minor surgery and has been incapacitated and on some nice pain pills. Thus, I have had twice the household responsibilities. I'm not complaining- I wouldn't want him to further hurt himself and/or delay his recovery. All I mean is that I have twice the cleaning and dog walking, and I'm being a poor sport about it all.


Second, my first big event at work is TOMORROW night and yesterday and today at work have been probably my two least favorite work days ever. Ever. Yes, there has been a lot of stress, like the normal kind that comes from planning any event. But... let's just say someone I work with has been incredibly horrible to work with, and everyone in the office wants to kill them. I will keep it at that to cover my butt. So today was definitely the worst day I've ever had at any work establishment. And that includes my very first job as a thirteen-year-old holiday greeter at Montgomery Mall when the Santa Clause made a pass at me. But yes, today was worse.


Third, I found out this morning (while at work dealing with the difficult individual) that an old camp friend passed away earlier in the day from essentially natural causes. Then I started to break down at my desk. Like hyperventilating break-down. I think it was the shock of another person my age dying (and someone so sweet), the horror that I heard it amidst everything going on right then in my office, and the knowledge of all the things I still needed to accomplish today that caused me to shut down. So let's just say it was a two-anxiety-pill day. I probably should have upped it to five. 


Anyway, I have had a very love-hate relationship with my life in Chicago these past two days... mostly due to stress. Hopefully I will have less on my shoulders after our event tomorrow night.

Lo Sientos

Sorry for being the worst blogger EVER! I have totally neglected my blog about moving to Chicago in my first few weeks moving to Chicago. Oops. 

However, the reason I haven't written is that I have been insanely busy with my new life. I am really starting to get used to our life here, and it is feeling homey-ish. I don't know if it will ever feel like "home." I definitely miss my family and friends, but otherwise, I am really loving Chicago. My job is really great and there's a girl in her twenties that I work really close with. Mark has been working from home until his new office is ready in a month. He isn't really loving the working-from-home thing- especially since we have little to no human interaction outside of each other here.

The location we live in is fantastic. We live a block from the Hancock building and Michigan Ave. Almost everything we need is a short walk away. Bella had a culture shock moment here when a horse and buggy walked down the street and she had a panic attack. She was probably thinking: "What-the-HELL-is-that-beast?!?!?!?!" Horse and buggies are pretty uncommon in DC suburbs.

One of the best things about living somewhere new is that Mark and I are finding all sorts of new fun bars, restaurants, and hole-in-the-wall places. My personal fave is the Redhead Piano Bar. SO much fun! You get to sing oldies with some oldies and really yummy drinks. We will be hitting up the redhead sometime soon.

We are getting used to our new apartment even though it was having a lot of problems at first. The only thing that would make living here better would be to have our loved ones here. Come visit us!

We made it!

Wow, the last few days have been hectic. Tuesday morning (if you can even call it that since we left our house at 3am) we drove to pick up our friend Jason who would drive our UHaul. On the way there, I got pulled over for completely missing a flashing red light. My bad. But the officer was nice and let me off with a warning. 

So then we go to Jason's house, he got in the UHaul, Mark got in the car with me and Bella, and off we drove for 11 hours.We got to Chicago around 2pm and got everything unloaded after about an hour. Two days later, and we are just finishing unpacking. First off, there is NO closet space. We had to go to the container store and get tons of shelving units to stash in every nook and cranny of our apartment, primarily just to hold all my clothes. What the heck am I supposed to do now? I live a block from Michigan Avenue, and have no closet or dresser space... FML.

I feel change a'comin

I am sorry I haven't written lately! Life has been exceptionally crazy dealing with the move. We have our lease secured, our place here rented out, and have arranged for our stuff to get there. Thank goodness. I also just got an iPhone, so I have been totally preoccupied with playing with my new gadget. I am so insanely excited for our move - one week from this Tuesday! One fun thing I also did was print a list of fun things to do on our 11.5 hour car ride. Most of the activities on the list are some variation of 20 questions, but I think Mark and I will find a way to make them interesting. I probably won't have a chance to post til we get there. So... adventures in Chicago to be continued...

All in a few days' work!

Wow. I have so much to update on. Where to start? ...

So Mark and I had our whirlwind few days in Chicago. All day Thursday was spent running around the city with Mark's cousin who is our Realtor, looking at apartments. To say this was a stressful day is a major understatement. First off, Chicago was dumped with two feet of snow only ten hours prior to our arrival. While that city is amazing at cleanup, there were random mountains of snow everywhere and every few blocks you got a boot full of ice. 

So anyway, after day one we were not sold on any apartment in particular. That night I had a panic attack about the move and about how we had no where to live, and essentially very few people to lean on there. After several tears on my part, a trip to Nordstrom on Michigan Ave., and a phone call to my mom, I was a little more at ease.

Friday morning Mark went to meet with his new office-mates and I had my interview at The Ritz. The job is not to work at the Ritz, just the interview was there, but I thought that was pretty cool. Apparently they have a lot of their events there. Ironically, after the interview, Mark and I found our apartment, one block away.

So... now we are closing our lease on an 11th floor teeny (for us) apartment (but we aren't used to city living). And I just accepted a job offer from the one I interviewed for on Friday!

Needless to say, we are knee-deep in paperwork of all kinds, and I am about to be crazy from all the things I need to do for our move in THREE WEEKS. It seems like we were in Chicago weeks ago when in fact we only got back 2 days ago. Weird.


p.s. I saw the mom from "Little People Big World" at O'Hare! I think it's cool.

And we're off! ... We Hope.

So we have officially picked the worst week of the year for our final/venture trip up to Chicago. Not only were they just dumped with two feet of snow, but had 75mph winds, and public schools were cancelled due to snow for the first time in TWELVE YEARS. Yeah. I am feeling really good about my future living conditions.

Originally, our flight was supposed to leave tomorrow morning from BWI at 9:30am, but for some reason that flight was cancelled and we were put on an earlier flight. I am completely confused at the logic there. Mark was the one who spoke with the person at the airline and they said it was because our original flight was coming in from Chi. Uhh... why would they cancel flights leaving Chi, but not ones coming into it earlier in the morning? Maybe there is some secret airport code to this, but I am not following, and not thrilled that I have a 4am wake-up.

Anyone who knows me will also know that not only am I an anxiety-ridden lunatic, but my one particular phobia is flying. I hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE flying. To me, stepping onto an airplane is the equivalent of the olden days when pirates tied people's hands with chains and told them to "walk the plank." I feel as though I am looking death in the face when I am getting on a plane. So far (aka in my life) the only short-term cure to this is to combine anxiety meds and alcohol... which is definitely not medically recommended. But you know what? I don't really care if I am the drugged up alchie because otherwise I would be the person crying and gasping and gripping the chair the entire flight. Unfortunately, my flight is so early tomorrow, I don't think I will be able to find booze at the airport. Is it ok to BYOB as long as it comes in 3oz bottles?

Counting the days

We are starting to get to the point where we are counting down the days... at least to our trip up before the move- and that is 9 days. Right now, Mark is on a 6 day guys ski trip in Montana.  I hate it when he's gone. It feels like I have so much more time on my hands, and I get lonely. However, I use this as an excuse to see some friends, order in food he doesn't like (ie: sushi), and watch a ton of chick flicks.

Someone has applied for our apartment, so keep your fingers crossed that they actually sign the lease and everything goes smoothly.

Awards Season

There's something about awards season that turns me into an emotional idiot. I think it has to do with seeing people's dreams come true. There's just something so touching about seeing someone who is an award virgin receive an award. Tonight kicked off the season with the Golden Globes. I blubbered for five minutes when Chris Colfer from Glee won- but I am a total sap.

Not much progress on the move as of yet. We have had several people "tour"our apartment, to tell us they are interested, and then back out. It makes no sense to me since we are in a brand new building in a very rare Montgomery County subsidized rent program, but whatev. People are strange.

TGFK

TGFK (Thank God for Krystal)

Krystal is Mark's cousin's wife, who happens to live in the Chicago suburbs, and is a realtor. She has been a huge life saver for us, since she helps people find homes for a living.

Being so far away has been a huge burden for us in finding a place. Thankfully, Krystal has been working her magic and finding us potential apartments to rent. Words cannot describe how grateful I am. Without her, we would probably end up in one of the one bedroom shacks we found on Craigslist.

Luckily, the moving process has moved along a little, and we have had people coming by to look at our apartment, to maybe takeover our lease. We have also booked our trip up to Chicago in a few weeks to secure everything.

Keep your fingers crossed that everything else goes smoothly.

p.s. Follow me on Twitter: BonnieLessans  :)

Utter Chaos

This week has been absolutely crazy. Within a week, we got an approximate moving date, and about 400 things to do.

Unfortunately, Mark and I cannot get ourselves to Chicago for a visit/ to pick out an apartment until February 3rd due to scheduling conflicts. Which will give us about 3 weeks to get EVERYTHING set up. To say I am stressed would be an understatement.

On top of that, we need to find someone to sublease our current apartment within the next five days.

Why is moving so insane?

If anyone has tips for moving cross-country- please share!

Seize the day

When I got married, I had that cliche feeling of "today is the first day of the rest of my life." Today, that feeling came back, albeit not as much. Today, we got the good news that Mark could transfer his job out to Chicago. So, we will be leaving the East Coast in March! Yay!!!!

This was such a great start to the New Year, and hopefully everyone else is taking this opportunity to live, and seize the day.