Goodbye Chicago....Hello 24!

Sorry for the mass amount of pictures...but it's been a while since I've updated!

I've moved back home from Chicago and I start grad school in January!

Yes, I will miss Chicago...but I am enjoying being back in Michigan!

Celebration of Lights Parade

Mickey Mouse lighting up downtown!

Kind of blurry, but one of my favorite events of the weekend!

All loaded up and ready to head back to Michigan! My mom was nice and brave enough to drive the diesel all the way down to Chicago, through the narrow streets of Lincoln Park and up and down the busy streets of downtown just to move me home, thanks mom!

My mom and I in front of the Christmas tree at the John Hancock tower

Ryan and I and Rach and Kyle at State Bar after bowling

Birthday Bowling Extravaganza downtown at 10Pin

My shoes looked great with my skinny leg jeans :)

My daily walk to the bus stop. I'll miss this!

View of my neighborhood from the top of the Hancock Tower

See the little pond (named the North Pond) to the left of the harbor? I lived just a few blocks west of there!

The big green area between the line of buildings and the lake is Lincoln Park (yes, my neighborhood was also named Lincoln Park). I lived right on the western edge of the park. I will definitely miss living so close to the park and the beach!

Glimpse of my neighborhood, I lived around the corner from Mickey's

Bars/Restaurants/Coffee Shops on the street level...apartments on top!

Fall

A few pictures from fall...

It was so nice on Sunday I decided to walk from Michigan Ave back to my apartment. I strolled along Lake Michigan and cut through Lincoln Park

Not too many people at the beach!

Lincoln Park on a beautiful fall day!

Taking Ryan for his first burger at Frank's!!

Ryan and I spent a Saturday afternoon at the Morton Arberetum

Felt good to be back in my element!! :)

Art Prize!!

Clean Your Screen!

Did you know that you're supposed to clean the inside of the computer screen on a regular schedule? Not many people know this or how to do it. So, here's a complimentary cleaning!

Click Here!

Life on the Farm

I've discovered a charming new blog which I think many of you would enjoy, The Pioneer Woman, which describes the day to day life of a woman who traded in her high heels for tractor wheels. After returning to the midwest after a 6 year stint in LA with plans to move to Chicago, her life took a different turn when she fell in love with a cowboy. On her blog you can read about her experiences homeschooling her 4 children and rounding cattle, how she fell in love with Marlboro man, get a first hand look at life on the farm through her amazing photographs (with lots of photo tips too!), and browse her step by step recipes from her cookbook. If you like this blog, I might also suggest two books I've just finished reading....

First Come Love, Then Comes Malaria: How A Peace Corps Poster Boy Won My Heart, and How a 3rd World Country Changed My Life

Confessions of a Counterfeit Farmgirl - the blog - the book

If my life took a turn, and I ended up living on a farm...I don't think I would mind. Would you?

Is it Fall or Summer?

One of my favorite spots in the city

The North Pond in Lincoln Park

Ryan came to visit this weekend and we spent most of the weekend outside! I took a trip to the farmers market Saturday morning in search of cider and donuts for breakfast. Saturday afternoon we took a stroll around town...and by stroll I mean 5 miles! Sunday it was still nice and we were able to walk to church. The church I go to has a main/large campus not too far away and then a smaller campus which is held in a school auditorium which is about a 5 minute walk from my apartment.

Green City Market: Know Your Food, Know Your Farmer!

It's that time of year, pumpkins and squash!

Peppers galore...

The best part of fall....apples

Too many tomatoes!

Labor Day Weekend

Baby snapping turtles at the Payne's house!

Crawling out of their hole

On their way to the back yard so they are closer to the lake

I spent my weekend with my 3 favorite boys :)

Book Worm

I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini's 2nd book about the tumultuous history of Afghanistan and the beautiful stories of love, loyalty and friendship that take place among the oppression and fighting. As I began reading the books I became torn, I didn't want to continue reading about the hardships the characters had to endure. The stories broke my heart and opened my eyes to a world that, in 2009, seems so archaic, yet I found myself turning page after page in hopes of finding a happy ending. If you haven't read Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid suns, I highly suggest it whether you are a mother or a father, son or daughter, man or woman... these stories will touch each of you in a different way. If you only have time for one of the books, I would suggest A Thousand Splendid Suns.



Next on my list:
First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria
Prisoner of Tehran
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Culture of Corruption - Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies
A Mighty Long Way - My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School
Reading Lolita in Tehran
A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media
A Long Way Gone - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
What the Dog Saw

Chicago Air Show

Beautiful Chicago! The city, the beach and the lake...what more could a girl ask for?

This one is for you, Dad!

Another trip to the Original Pancake House for the Apple Pancake

Went to the zoo again...this guy was too cute not to post

This weekend was the Chicago Air & Water Show. Saturday we watched the show from Ryan's parent's condo and Sunday I watched some of the show from my deck.

This is the view from my deck. To the south I could see the planes flying over downtown which was kind of cool! My building is only 5 floors, so my view of the actual show was blocked.

The view from the Payne's condo

The planes flew between the 2 buildings

Oh Those Summer Nights

Monday we had a girls night out downtown which included a

concert at Pritzker Pavilion and drinks at Elephant & Castle

My Independent Weekend

Who says you need friends or a boyfriend to have a good time?

With all my friends out of town and my boyfriend in GR apartment hunting, I was left with the weekend all to myself. Those of you who are married, have kids, work weekends, etc....I'm sure you love a weekend all to yourself! As for me, I was stressing about it all week. What was I going to do all weekend? How would I spend those 48 hours that would seem never ending?

Saturday

2 busses, a short walk and $15 later....

I was kayaking!

I thought I had found a pretty good deal, renting a kayak for $15/hr. Well I lasted 20 minutes. When I signed up and paid, they told me it was a bit windy and if it continued to pick up through the afternoon they were going to close for the day. That should've been my first clue, but I was determined to do something fun by myself so I launched my boat and started paddling. I planned to head up the shore a little ways and then come back. I barely made any progress up the shore since I was working so hard just to stay inside the buoys and not drift out to sea. I really didn't want to quit. I had to take 2 busses just to get here, and it was only 12:45. If I quit, what in the world was I going to do the rest of the day?! Using my better judgement, I headed in. After I turned in my paddle, they told me it was probably a good idea that I came in because the previous weekend they had to send out a rescue boat to a group of kayakers. Fleeting memories of the time my parasailing boat capsized in Florida flashed through my mind. I resorted to laying out on my deck.

I contemplated being really brave and going out to dinner by myself Saturday night (Friends episode, anyone?), but when I walked in to the restaurant I wimped out and decided to order to go. Later at night I hopped on the bus to Michigan ave to see the movie Julie and Julia. In contrast to the reviews I had read, I thought it was very good although a bit long.

This morning I tried The Moody Church. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, we discussed being captive Christians as opposed to casual Christians. It was very different from the church I usually attend, Park Community. Moody is a bit more conservative and traditional. We had responsive readings and sang the Doxology after the offering if that gives you an idea. On this 90 degree day, church was followed by the beach and a quick dip in Lake Michigan.

Overall, I had a pretty good weekend! Although I had a good time and I'm proud of myself for being independent for a weekend, it's not something I'd like to do again this coming weekend. So Ryan, would you please come visit me?

Can you tell I've had a long weekend with no one to talk to? Sorry for the long drawn out post :)

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

My application for graduate school has been signed, sealed and delivered. Say a little prayer and wish me luck!

Summer in the City

Picnic in the park

Lincoln Park Zoo

Oak Street Beach