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)