The Start of Chicago Summer!

Summer in Chicago is exciting with a lot of activities, concerts, festivals, movies, and the great outdoors. We've all been sequestered inside our homes all winter and we really need to get out and enjoy the time that we have to get outside.

On Sunday, two members of my church congregation were playing in a free outdoor concert at Millennium Park. The concert was Mahler's Resurrection and it was pretty fabulous. 

We grabbed our picnic blanket, some cookies, and some games to hit the grass and experience some amazing music at the same time. 

Happy to be outside and not freezing!

Working on our goofy faces

Visitors!

I love it when I get visitors! Especially when the visitor is Lynn! We were counting back to see when the last time we saw each other and we lamented that it had been SIX MONTHS since we'd seen each other around Thanksgiving. That is just unacceptable. Also, she hadn't been to Chicago since I bought my condo, so we had to remedy the situation.

Lynn came to hang out. Normally, when people come, I plan a lot of touristy-type things, an architecture tour, etc. However, Lynn and I just wanted to hang out, watch tv and catch up. That's when you know you're with your BFF! You just want to hang out and eat ice cream rather than see the sights!

A new hatless photo to add to our collection

Since it was gorgeous the entire weekend, we went to Montrose beach to take in Lake Michigan. Lynn crushed it at Skip-Bo like she is wont to do. I'll get her next time. ;)

We had to rep the homeland D! And add another hatted photo to our photo roll.

It wouldn't be time with Lynn without sports. So we went to a White Sox game. They weren't playing Detroit or anything, but we wore our Detroit hats anyway. 

Another successful weekend in the books. And we have plans to see each other several times over the next few months. So there won't be a 6 month void any time soon. 

The King and I

My friend Kristen and I went to see the King and I at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago. It was a beautiful production.

I wasn't super familiar with the musical, so I read a quick synopsis beforehand. I had no idea it was going to be so funny, etc., etc.!

Although we didn't get great photos, we had a great time!

Art Institute of Chicago

One of my favorite places in Chicago is the Art Institute. Luckily, this girl came back in town to visit. We snapped a quick shot in front of an Andy Warhol exhibit, I think.

I'm pretty lucky for getting to live in a city with great museums and culture. And I especially love the free nights!

Rachel and I enjoying the Art Institute

                                         

The Lion King

I've been wanting to see The Lion King since Rosie O'Donnell reviewed it on her show in like 2000. I thought it looked amazing, and I loved everything that Rosie recommended. (Harry Potter, hello!).

I am lucky enough to live in a city with The Lion King traveling this Broadway season. Nick's family was kind enough to give me tickets for Christmas. (I was shocked when I saw them!) 

It was as magical as everyone had said it would be. I love it! So much fun! The costumes and the dancing was amazing! I am one happy camper.

Nick and I trying to get a good selfie

You should notice the jacket that I'm wearing goes to -20 degrees F. Nick is wearing a sweater and has his sleeves rolled up... 

I love the Cadillac Palace Theater! So amazing!

My Love of Harry Potter

I got pretty excited about a Harry Potter spoof that was playing in Chicago. It was a two-man show where they sorta went through all 7 books in 70 minutes. It had a lot of pop culture and Harry Potter humor. I was laughing pretty hard. Definitely an enjoyable evening!

Growing my collection of playbills

Nick and I at Potted Potter

Winter philosophy

Winter is looming. I dislike the cold. I know that I'm from Michigan. I often explain that in Michigan, we don't go outside in the cold. We heat up our cars in our garages, go from our house to the car to our office. We are literally outside for a parking lot walk. We do not hang out outside.

In Chicago, I have to walk to the train, wait outside for the train (the bad part of the "elevated" train rather than the subway), walk to work, walk a lot of places, walk outside to see the free stuff that is supposedly fun to do in the winter. 

At least the trains have heat lamps that you can stand by. When I saw this pigeon curled up by the heat lamp, I knew it was my spirit animal. 

A satisfying winter day is when I'm curled up in a ball next to a heater. 

I hope you're all staying warm. And if you live in California, I don't want to hear about it.

My spirit animal - this pigeon knows how to do winter

Car Accident

Well, I got into my first car accident in November. It was the snowiest day of November that Chicago's ever seen. I decided to travel to Indianapolis for the day. (Not my brightest idea). I ended up skidding on the freeway, losing control of the car, spinning out, and hitting a guardrail. 

Luckily the car was still driveable. Also, no one was hurt. There were two other passengers in my car, and we were all fine. Also, we did not hit any other cars (miraculously!). 

In the case of icy car accidents on the freeway, it was really the best case scenario. 

My poor Chrysler Sebring has served me well over the past 8.5 years, but this was the event that solidified that I should not longer be putting money into it.

I donated it to Kars 4 Kids and I will hopefully get a tax deduction. At the very least, I may be getting a hotel voucher. We'll see how this all pans out.

RIP

Taking my trusty car away

October Adventures

October has been a very busy month! There has definitely always been something going on. Sometimes you just need to spend some quality time with your oldest friends. It's kinda crazy to think that I've been friends with these girls for 15-20+ years! (We're getting old!)

Hanging with Katie and Kristen at the train

Looks like someone needs to clean the bean!

 Sometimes, you just have to take in the city at night. It can be pretty majestic!

Taking in the river walk at night

 We've had some nice fall days to spend outside. Although, we can all feel that winter is coming and we've got to brace ourselves!

That skyline

Gorgeous fall

 I love free days at the museums. The Field Museum had a free day yesterday, so I took the afternoon off and spent some time exploring history, culture, animals, and gems.

Hanging with Sue at the Field Museum

 Fall isn't complete without carving pumpkins! I hope you all have a happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Fall Fun

I really enjoy fall. The air is crisp and cool, but it's still so nice to go outside. I've really been enjoying a lot of different things lately.

Hanging out in the city as a newly minted 29 year old

I went on a ghost tour of Chicago. It was pretty fun. There is a woman that haunts the upper right bedroom of the Hull House.

Can you see her in this photo? 

 I have a wasps nest in my window. My window is 3+ stories off of the ground. Hopefully I can get a ladder from my friend this week to take care of it...

Boo wasps... People keep telling me to tell my landlord to do stuff. Unfortunately, she doesn't listen. Homeownership has some downsides. But I'm still mostly enjoying the good things.

 I went to Starved Rock. It is a state park about 2 hours away from Chicago. I think it's pretty beautiful. For Illinois, it's about as good as it gets.

 I went to my first Chicago Fire game. The game was pretty fun. Even though they lost at the last minute.

We get pretty sunsets in the fall.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. I went to a candle lighting ceremony on the lake front to recognize and bring awareness to the victims of domestic violence. It was a good evening.

Life is full and I'm enjoying it. I hope you are too!

Time Flies

It's already September! We are just moving right along this year. I'm a little reluctant to see cooler temperatures in the forecast, but I do love fall. I thought I should recap some things from the past month.

I was looking forward to the Air and Water Show for a bit of time. I invited myself to a "friend's" apartment so I could check out an amazing view! He lives in Lake Shore Towers, which is the only building east of Michigan Ave because it's not technically on "land" (it's on a landfill) so it doesn't violate a pretty old city ordinance.

View from Lake Shore Towers

 Blue Angels not breaking formation.

Blue Angels

I had planned to go to one of the Cubs v. Tigers baseball games since April. Unfortunately, the game I picked had a pretty extensive rain delay. After an hour of rain delay and no signs of stopping, we decided to leave. The game ended up lasting until 1:00am. Since it was a weeknight, I'm glad we called it a night when we did. We were able to see the Tigers take an early lead. Several home runs in the first 2.5 innings. Kinda strange to have that be my only baseball game this summer, but I won't lose sleep over it. (clearly!)

Kristen and I at the Tigers v. Cubs game

Gearing up for the rain

I took a long weekend to visit my family in Southeast Michigan. One of my favorite places is Kensington Metro Park. We were able to enjoy the beach and do some kayaking. 

Kensington

The reason for the visit was that my mom's two brothers that live out of Michigan wanted to get everyone together. I think this was the first time the four siblings were in the same place in 5 years.

Reverse age order

 This was the first time that my brothers and I have been together since Ed's wedding in 2007, I think. I could be wrong. But it's definitely been at least 5 years.

Reverse age order - this is a pretty terrible photo of me...

 I'm not sure why, but it had been 9ish years since I'd seen my best friend from high school. Sometimes life just takes you to different places. I'm glad we've been more in touch lately and we were able to spend an hour catching up.

Looking pretty good 17ish years since we've become friends!

10th grade... We've come a long way! (circa 2002)

The Happenings

May has been a good month for me. I haven't taken a ton of photos though.

I was sworn in to the Illinois Bar this month. So I'm a full fledged Illinois attorney now. 

The weather has improved substantially although we still have bouts of 45 degree weather. I finally walked around Maggie Daley Park. If I were 8 years old, I would be in heaven because it is an amazing playground. Although, I did enjoy going down the giant slides.

I hope you're all gearing up for summer. I sure am!

Prepping for Summer in Chicago

I kinda like that I'm able to find a lot of random events and activities to participate in. For example, I saw an advertisement on the street for Chicago Dance Month and looked up the website and went to a couple performances so far and hope to go to another this week. 

Aerial Modern Dance Performance (it was crazy in a good way)

Saw a preview of this performance in the front row of the studio. Definitely was in even more awe of the dancer's strength, control, and grace.

Other things I've found are local theater, music, documentaries, nature, museums, etc. I'm all about expanding my cultural experiences. Sometimes it's a hit, and sometimes it's a miss. But most of the activities I go to are $0-$10, so it's not a big loss if King Claudius forgot his lines (true story). 

Many people often ask me about where I find things to do. The simple answer is that I look for them. I Google "Free things to do in Chicago" and find a lot through that. There are compilations of calendars out there to help organize all the events that are happening with movies in the park, free concerts, free museum days, and festivals. I used this calendar to find a "Full Moon Fire Jam" last summer and ended up having a blast. (The calendar does not currently have a lot of stuff on it. I expect it to be updated as we get closer to summer.) I just want you to know that there is a lot out there, if you're willing to look for it. 

I definitely think that with a little research and planning, your social calendar can be a lot more than movies, mini golf, and deep dish pizza. And a lot cheaper! (Although I do love the summer movies in the park series!) 

Some free things that I've added to my summer calendar already:

• Chicago Shakespeare in the Park (A medley of Shakespeare plays set to modern music)
• Tales from Around the World (global folk tales, songs, and dances)
• Macbeth

Another thing that I've been wanting to do is take some sort of class or learn a new skill. I found a ten week drawing and painting class for $21 + canvas through the Chicago Park District. I'm not a drawer or painter, but I'm excited about this adventure. And if it ends up not being what I want to do with my Thursday evenings this summer, it was only $21. 

If you ever want a buddy to check out something random, chances are, I'm your girl!

Good News; Bad News

I've been a lazy blogger. April has been pretty good so far.

First, I passed the Illinois Bar Exam! Woot Woot! The reason I had to take the exam is because I didn't have five years of practice which is required for reciprocity in Illinois. I have been working under a limited admission to the bar. I have been getting several questions since passing the bar:

1. Are you relieved?

     Yes. (What kind of question is this? If you ask me this question, I will think you are stupid.)

2. Do you get a raise?

     No. I don't get fired.

3. How did you celebrate?

    That day, I went out to eat with friends from my church congregation. That weekend, I went to Michigan and I made my mom make me cake. It was chocolate with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles. It was delicious.

Now I can get on with my life.

The first weekend in April was a doozy! I drove to Michigan to spend time with my family for the weekend. I grossly misjudged the weather thinking that it was spring and did not have warm enough outer gear, so I did not go outside. 

We celebrated Passover.

Passover dinner

 My family celebrates Passover as well as Easter. I celebrated Easter with my parents on Sunday while we watched "General Conference." It was wonderful.

Niece selfie

 Chicago is moving toward spring. I can feel it. We probably still have a late April snowstorm or something. But I'll take the 60 degree weather! Even if it is a little foggy.

The bad news is that my car may have breathed it's last breath on Saturday. As I was driving, it just completely shut down. Luckily, I was able to coast into a parking lot. I tried jumping it, and it would turn on and work fine. However, as soon as I removed the jumper cables, it just completely shut off.

Maybe I just need a new alternator and all will be well. Maybe it's something more serious than that. The question is, do I just retire the car, or do I plug one hole while waiting for the next to burst? I bought this car in 2007 as a salvage car. It has served me well. Within the last year, it has been struggling. I had to replace the wheel ball well, new tires, new brake pads and rotors, and now, whatever is wrong. It is a 2006, so it's lived a pretty decent life, especially for being a salvage car, I think. (But I really don't know what I'm talking about). I will have to wait the verdict from the shop that I towed it to, but it just might be time.

I'm just grateful that I have AAA since I've towed my car 3 times in the past 8 months. Also, living in a city with public transportation doesn't hurt. I don't have to make any decisions today.

The Dangers of City Living

When you walk past skyscrapers every day it becomes easy to ignore their grandeur. In the winter, you see caution sign everywhere to warn of the danger of falling ice.

Today, the danger became a little too real. As I turned a corner a huge piece of ice fell from the building in front of me. As it hit the ground and broke into a million pieces, some ice chunks definitely bounced up and hit me. I can't even imagine the force that the entire ice block would have been...

I contemplate the legal significance and the duty of the building owners and think a sidewalk warning is definitely not enough.

I really think the bears have the answer... Let's hibernate for the winter! Isn't that something we can all get behind?

Procrastination

As it's 1:38pm and I have yet to start studying today, I figured now would be a perfect time to blog.

My life has not been interesting the past month. I go to work. I go to the gym. And I study. That's about it.

I thought I'd share some photos of my home as it's now becoming more decorated. I'd still like to get a chair with ottoman for the living room and some additional "things" for the built in book shelves.

I just bought the grey/yellow ottoman 

It's feeling like home. I'd like to buy a nice chair to go on the empty wall.

Kitchen. I could probably decorate a little more.

Kitchen from the other angle. I love the little table and chairs.

Dining room (Sun room)

Looking from dining room to living room.

I rented out one of the bedrooms and have a roommate. My bedroom is a bit messy right now. Otherwise, I'd post a photo. Although I get the most cleaning done while I should be studying, I don't really feel like cleaning it right now. The third bedroom is basically empty right now. It has the air mattress and the card table and chairs just hanging out.

I'm loving having a home and place to call my own. Definitely one the best decisions I made in 2014.

On to a productive 2015!