I bought some new shoes

OMG where have I been?

My life has consisted of mostly babies and two year olds the past few months (which I love)

I'm currently getting over a cold I've had for about 4 days (which I don't love)

Megan & Beth were in town recently to visit. We had breakfast at the Heartland Cafe (totally love).

School starts back up for me next Tuesday (sort of love)

Matt is going to Dusseldorf and Amsterdam in a month. I am trying to figure out a way to join him (which may result in me loving my friend Kevin who works for United. "Love" in a "hey, thanks for working out some sort of deal where I can get a standby ticket for under $400!)

The end.

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3Day - Day 3

Apologies to my 2 loyal readers for the lapse between updates. A broken laptop and no internet will do that...

On to day 3 of the walk ...

Day 3, we were bussed to Lincolnwood, so we'd be walking mostly in the city. This meant that Matt & Claudia's husband Keith would be meeting us along the walk at one of the cheering stations. I cannot tell you how encouraging that was for me.

Sunday morning Claudia, Jen and I all bussed together (Dawn and Angie took the bus directly to lunch to ensure they'd be able to walk at some point during the day). Knowing that Jen and Claudia walked much faster than me, I anticipated spending a lot of the walk on my own. Because we were in the city, I really had little problem with that.

Turns out, I was able to keep up with them. I'm attributing that to being excited to see Matt at the cheering station along the lake and Addison. Interestingly enough though, it was mid to upper 90s, which meant hydration was key. Previous days I had set rules for myself for drinking (everytime I crossed a street, went under/over a bridge, crossed railroad tracks, made a turn, etc), this day, I made sure to enforce them.

8.5 miles were finally over and I could hear the people at the cheering station. My eyes were darting all over the crowd looking for Matt and Keith. I was a lot more excited than I anticipated, knowing they were there really helped my morning walk on sore and tired feet. I eventually spotted them and headed over to them. Matt offered me a beer (ha!), but I eventually took water. We hung out with them for a while, but not too long, as I didn't want to lose my pace.

We had a mile until lunch, and the walk was directly along the lake, so it was great. We made it to lunch, where we met Dawn and Angie and sat down to eat. This is where I realized I had hit a wall. I wasn't hungry, I started to get the chills, followed by the sweats, and eventually had to lay down with an ice filled bandanna on my face. I was exhausted and a bit nauseous. I tried to hydrate some more, assuming that was the problem, but it wasn't helping.

There was a sweep bus taking people to the next pit stop, which was about 2.5 miles away. I decided to get on it, if anything, to cool off. It wasn't leaving for another 20 minutes, so I figured I could change my mind if I wanted. I ended up staying on the bus and taking it to Navy Pier.

I was now on my own and making my way toward Soldier Field. I made it to the last pit stop before Jen and Claudia, so I texted them and let them know I'd be waiting there for them. This also helped me to cool off and not push myself too much.

We only had 2.5 miles to go, and we made our way. It seemed like it was more like 5 miles, probably due to the long walk and the heat combination, but we eventually made it toward Soldier Field. The last 1/4 of the walk was inside of Soldier Field, so that was sort of cool. I was a bit choked up when crossing the finish line, as on Friday during the rain, I figured there would never be a way that I'd be able to walk across the finish line.

Matt and Keith again met us at the finish line for closing ceremonies. This time Jen and I both happily took beers from Matt. I never really understood people drinking beer after races, but it looked and tasted delicious to me.

Closing ceremonies were quick & less emotional than I expected (opening ceremonies ended up being more emotional, but neither were as emotional as I was expecting). We eventually got into the car and headed home.

I was asleep in my own bed within an hour of being home.

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3Day - Day 2

After the awful day I had on Friday, I was looking forward to a better day on Saturday; and then Jen and I turned on the weather channel. Rain until midday expected. It wasn't raining as we left to head toward camp/breakfast, but as soon as we were under the tent with our breakfast, down came the rain. What a downer. If anything, I needed sunshine, or no rain, to be encouraged and energized to get out and walking on my tired, sore feet. I had brought along two of my larger ziplock bags I used to pack my clothing with, and put them over my shoes. I headed to the medical tent and asked for tape (to put around my ankles) - they kept asking me if I wanted sports medics to do the wrapping, and I had to keep explaining I simply needed two small pieces to go around my ankles.

As usual, Jen and Claudia took off in front of the team (they have a faster pace). I stuck back with Dawn and Angie for most of the morning. As I was walking, my right shoe bag wasn't staying as well as I had hoped. Luckily, I brought some extra twine in my fanny pack in case something like this happened. I was able to secure the bag to continue covering the top of my foot. My feet stayed dry.

The rain let up earlier than anticipated (yay!) and the humidity set in. Can't have it both ways, I suppose... and if the previous day is any indication, I'd much rather it be humid and hot than raining.

Saturday was spent walking through Mount Prospect. I don't know if it was due to it being a Saturday or that residents of Mount Prospect are great people (or a combo of both), but we had a LOT of support during our walk. There were many families, boy/girl scouts, cheerleading teams, etc out on the route handing out water, food, candy, and my favorite - popsicles! There were people set up with tents with music, there were people with misters offering to mist people off as they walked by. I never really knew how important having people to cheer you on was. It doesn't even matter that I didn't know them. The fact that they were there was so encouraging and made me want to keep going. The police and fire department were all wearing pink shirts as they helped direct traffic as we crossed busy streets - it was pretty neat!

Around lunchtime, we stopped at a pitstop for an extended period of time to tend to our blistered feet. Mine were worse than I wanted to admit... but throughout the morning, I refused to take off my bags on my feet, out of fear that they wouldn't go back on and continue to keep my feet dry. I was NOT going to go through what I did the previous day of walking through wet shoes all day. I'd rather be in pain and build blisters, apparently.

We ate lunch and started walking the 3 miles toward the next pitstop. About 2 miles into it, I decided I needed to stop walking. I was in just too much pain. I didn't rewrap my blisters as well as I should have and I couldn't take a step without feeling the pain.

I noticed one of the crew members on the side of the road standing with another walker. I immediately walked toward them and asked if they were waiting for a sweep van (these vans took you to the next pit stop). The van was on it's way, and I had no doubts that I wanted to get on it. My first goal of walking the entire day on Friday had already been realized, I was ok taking a van a couple of miles to tend to my feet. As mentioned in my previous post, this was the best decision I made all walk. Dawn and Angie continued to walk and mentioned that we'd meet up at the pit stop.

I arrived to the medic very quickly. I head over and ask them to take a look at my left foot. I remove my sock and the bandages I had on them and asked what they could do. The medic tending to me was shocked and mentioned that I had the worst blistered foot he'd seen all day. I had one large blister on the inside part of my heel and about 4-5 of them all on top of themselves near the ball of my foot under my big toe. I also had a couple of small blisters forming on the back of my 2 smallest toes.

The medic decided the blister on my heel was too big and needed to be lanced. An audience formed. Someone offered to take a picture of it. He stuck it with something pin-like and fluid came shooting out. It took a couple of gauze pads over the course of about 5 minutes to completely drain the blister. HOW GROSS.

He rewrapped the lanced blister area, decided to leave the 4-5 as is (as he'd have to poke me multiple times and couldn't be sure that he'd get them all, which would end up being more painful). I got up, walked around a bit, and felt immediately better. I was ready to go and walk the remaining 10 miles for the day.

Dawn and Angie returned before I was finished being bandaged up and wanted to take a break. This ended being good for me, because I needed to stretch after being on the medic bed for so long.

Dawn and Angie's families were at the last cheering station that day, so we made our way toward them. By the time we reached them (about 15 miles into the day), Jen and Claudia texted to let us know they were finished (the second day was 19 miles). We ended up hanging out at the cheering station for much longer than I was prepared for (45 minutes!!), so, once again, I got tight.

We took another sweep van to the final pit stop, which was only about 1/2 mile away. Once there, I was ready to walk the final 3.5 miles back to camp. Dawn and Angie were not. I wouldn't have minded walking myself at that point, but I was afraid I'd be the last walker to camp. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but they do this big cheering line and flag raising for the last walker when they walk into camp. I would have been way too embarrassed and didn't want to risk it... so, against my wishes, I boarded the final sweep van back to camp.

(Turns out the last walker arrived well after we had finished dinner, almost 3 hours after I would have gotten back had I walked it on my own).

I rationalized it to myself that I wanted to ensure that I'd be able to walk as much as possible on Sunday, since it'd be the best day of the walk, as we'd be walking along the lake down to Soldier Field. I had also talked to Angie (breast cancer survivor and walk veteran) and she told me there was no shame in taking a sweep van and more people should take advantage of the option.

We (Dawn, Angie and I) ended up hanging out at camp for a while on Saturday night after dinner, while Claudia and Jen went back to the hotel. I sort of wanted to get the feeling for the camaraderie of camp and it was a fun time sticking around...but was happy to get into the cab and head back to the hotel for a hot shower (without lines) and a bed all to myself.

Day 3 was coming, which meant seeing Matt at the first cheering station (8.5 miles in on Sunday) and the finish line looming in the distance...

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk

This is going to be a long entry, so grab a soda and something to munch on, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to consolidate this very well.

This past weekend, I completed the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. Thanks to many generous donors, I was able to raise almost $3200, while our team raised just under $18,000.

Anyway, I’m going to try and best describe my experience. I’m hoping my writing this just over 24 hours after returning home will mean the memories are still fresh in my mind. As it turns out, I will likely focus on one day per entry. Today, you get Day 1.

Day 1

So, the night before was my last class of the quarter at National Louis, and I didn’t pack prior to class. So this meant I’d be packing once I returned home from class around 9 or 9:30PM. I packed up and forced myself to bed around 11PM, setting my alarm for 3:45AM. I had to be to Claudia’s house by 4:30. Being new to my apartment and neighborhood, I wasn’t sure how long it’d take, so I reserved a cab for 4:20 (no, I did not smoke any pot while waiting).

The cab arrived early, but I didn’t head down until I was ready. 12 minutes later, I arrived at Claudia’s house, 15 minutes early. I waited outside, thinking about the weekend I was about to face.

We made our way up north to Northbrook Court Mall. Claudia’s husband Keith was kind enough to get up early and drive 4 of the 5 of us up there. Luckily, he had a vacation day on Friday, so he was able to drive back home and go immediately back to bed.

Driving into the mall, I was expecting chaos. I am happy to report that everything seemed quite organized, which gave me a good impression that most of the event would follow suit (it did, for the most part).

We filed in for opening ceremonies, making sure to stand near the circular satellite stage because our friend and teammate Angie was participating in the Inner Circle of Survivors. She, along with 7 other women, carried in flags to opening ceremonies reading different things (love, joy, commitment, etc). I lost it when the speaker started reading reasons why people were walking, as people walked out carrying flags for who they were walking for (mother, aunt, daughter, partner, best friend, husband, etc). Additionally, while I knew men were a part of this walk, I was still amazed and emotional when I’d see them. Walking with girlfriends, wives, friends, whoever, it was a pretty moving experience for me.

We got started walking around 7AM, everyone energized and enthused. Cars, vans, and trucks saw us walking and would give out an encouraging honk. “This won’t be so hard,” I thought. Having the encouragement of people driving by, or walking by, or living nearby seemed pretty nice.

We walked throughout many of the north suburbs on Friday, seeing many beautiful houses along Sheridan Rd (which butts up against Lake Michigan).

Around 11AM, it began to rain. It didn’t stop raining before we were finished. It continued to rain well into dinner and throughout the night. This led to less people being out, some dreary conditions, and some wet shoes. Sure, we had rain ponchos, but walking in wet shoes was simply awful. Knowing at 11AM that we had probably 15 more miles to go for the day was simply unbearable. I gave myself two goals for the walk – the first was to finish, the second was to make it through day one without being swept. (Sweeping involved walkers stopping and having a van pick them up and take them to the next pit stop or to the end of the day’s route. Pit stops were usually 3 miles apart from one another).

We had a surprise cheerer at the first cheering station, our friend Jill. I hadn’t expected to see anyone we knew until after lunch, so this was a nice surprise. We stopped and chatted for a bit, but kept going, as the rain was on the verge of showing up.

We skipped past the lunch stop to walk to the next cheering station about a mile away. There, Dawn’s family waited for us with lunch made by Dawn’s mom. Dawn’s nieces had made us all signs. It was great to see them, but at this point, it was raining and we were miserable. I was crabby and just wanted to continue moving. We ate quickly and made our way to the second half of our walk for the day.

The afternoon for me was just brutal. I wasn’t looking forward to the 12ish miles, I was sick of walking down Glenview Road, and the last thing I wanted to do that night was camp and worry about my wet shoes drying. As Dawn, Angie and I were walking (Jen and Claudia were simply too fast for me to keep up with), we talked about our alternative to camping – a hotel. I initially was against the idea, mostly because camping with the other walkers was a part of the experience, and a part I didn’t want to miss. But as I was walking in my wet shoes, hearing the water sop out of them with every step, I decided if anything, I could use the hotel hair dryer to dry them. At that point, I was in.

We eventually made it back to camp, where it took some convincing to Jen and Claudia to join us in the hotel. Technically, they didn’t have to, but we wanted to know everyone was invited. Eventually, they both relented, when we realized we had no idea when the rain would let up (as it had been raining for 7 hours already).

Angie’s husband made the reservations and drove us all to the closest hotel. This is probably the second best decision I made the whole trip. The first one will come in the next entry…

Long time, no posts

Work is busier, Matt and I moved to Rogers Park (perhaps pics once we're unpacked and set up), my last in-class (as opposed to online) class before a month-long break is tomorrow night, and this weekend is the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk (60 miles! WTF?)

This is all for now, despite wanting to write more...

...perhaps, when I have time.

Toddlers sure do toddle a lot

So, today I filled in for a vacationing teacher in the toddlers classroom. I was slated to work from 12:30-5:30, and made sure to down a couple of caffeinated beverages at lunch. I arrive to a room full of toddlers laying on their cots (room full = 7). Most were almost asleep. I was then told they sleep until 2:30PM. Um, wtf am I supposed to do for 2 hours? We were told cell phone usage wasn't really acceptable during off/naptime. All of the rooms have cameras in them, and I hadn't had a chance to figure out where the hiding spot in this room was, so I sat quietly while the kids slept.

One little bugger woke up at 1:30 and was all yelling and stuff. He didn't recognize me, so my attempt at soothing and calming him down was F- level performance. Luckily, the assistant director was covering for the adjacent room, and came over to help out. She had a tough time, but eventually got him to calm down.

By 2:30, they were all up and slowly warming up to me. One, in particular, assumed I was her best friend as soon as she opened her eyes. This was a nice reassurance, as I'm never sure how kids will take to me. Eventually, almost all of them decided I was their friend and someone worthy of their attention (err, someone worthy of getting the attention of) :)

The room was a disaster within minutes. I thought it was tough to keep the infant room neat and cleaned up. That said, you can order little tots around to pick things up and put them into their bins and shelves, unlike with the babies.

We eventually went outside, had bubble time, and the kids played on the awesome playground the center installed when they built the center (the playground itself cost about $60,000). I caught the director keeping an eye on me a couple of times throughout the playtime (the same one who was in the infant room with me last Friday). I don't mean to brag, but I find myself to be comfortable around kids, and therefore, I relate to and play with them really well... and, it all seems to come naturally, which is awesome. I feel like I have really great instincts when it comes to kids, which gives me the confidence I need to succeed in this field.

Anyway, as I was leaving, the assistant director pulled me aside and asked how my day went. She then went on to tell me that she, Sarah (director), and Linda (director) all loved me and loved how I am around the kids, and want to get me more hours. Duh, of course I'll take it. It'd be similar to today, but likely (hopefully), with a longer lunch break (or break between switching classes).

It's a really great confidence boost for me, and working with different ages is exactly the experience (and fun) I need. :)

Oh, we're moving in 3 days. I can't think about it because I'll start crying. The sacrifices I'm making for these kids is amazing.

Happy hump day, all.

Things I love about my apartment

It's close enough to Wrigley to hear the crowd cheering (this will always be near the top of my list)

The following are easily walkable from my front door:
grocery store
CVS
Justins, Messners, Guthries, Schoolyard, Toons, Langes, Newport
FedEx
Dry cleaners
Tango Sur (my favorite restaurant in the city)
D'Agostinos (the place where I decided thin crust pizza was good)
Flattop Grill (my favorite break-up place)
Two different train stops
multiple Zipcars
Music Box Theatre
Julius Meinl Coffee
The post office
Multiple fast food options


A sense of security (there are like 12 doors to get through before getting to our front door)
The woman who cares for the landscaping, whom I look forward to greeting in the morning
The huge storage closet (which currently houses a huge dresser, full sized bed, and about 35 boxes)
The hallway from the living room to the bedroom (makes the place seem bigger)
Gas stove
Back outdoor area
The window in the bathroom
The linen closet
Our huge bedroom (which admittedly, we do not need the amount of space we have)
The main living area (living/dining combined for a bigger space)
Being within a 2 miles from work, which allows me to walk to/from

It's where Matt and I started our lives together. And then we found Steve. This has been Steve's only indoor home.

It seems so silly, it's not like we own the place or anything, or that we've lived here all that long (3 years) - but these walls hold a lot of memories for me. I'm in a place in my life where I've never been happier, and most of those decisions toward a better life happened in this place, with the help of and encouragement from Matt.

I am looking forward to having more memories in our new home, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy leaving this place.

I had a great day at work today

The kids in our classroom are great. There is one who is a little high-maintenance and requires a lot of holding, cuddling, etc to be put to sleep, but for the most part, all of our kids are great sleepers, eaters and players. They interact with one another in a healthy and fun way.

Now onto the other classroom I help out on an as needed basis. The kids in there are not adjusting well at all. One mother insists on staying the entire day with her 11 month-old. We have an open door policy at the center, where parents are welcome to come and go as they please, but when transitioning a child to a center, particularly an older child, is a tough thing to do. Having the parents around really impedes on this transition.

Well, today, the mother decided to leave while her daughter was sleeping! Talk about the worst time to leave. What a frightening thing for her daughter to wake up and wonder where her mother was. She was in an unfamiliar place, all alone, and frightened beyond belief. I'm a strong proponent of parents not doing the "sneak out" when leaving their children. Why in the world would you want to trick your child into not paying attention when you leave? What a horrible fear to put into a child. It's important for children to know that if and when their parents leave, they will eventually return. It's important for children to see their parents leave, deal with it, and move on. Sure, this leads to a lot of upset, crying children initially, but then it becomes my job to comfort them and ensure they feel safe and secure with me, to the point of them waving to their parents, or having no reaction when they leave. This may seem cold toward the parents, but it's healthy for the children.

The teacher in the other classroom seems to struggle a bit with organization and confidence. I have no doubt she can do the job, but it seems she gets flustered quite a bit. I happily came into the room prior to leaving today to do what she needed me to do to help get her room in order. I rocked one child to sleep and played with the other two (as she tended to the child whose mother snuck out on her).

The two kids I played with are quite mobile and love climbing. They both have taken well to me and smile when I play with them. I play simple games (peek-a-boo and "Where's Maggie?" etc) that may seem boring, but they love it. They were having a great time climbing on me, the climbing toys in the room, and hiding from me. I didn't want to leave when my shift was up. This is probably the first time I've felt that way (normally, I'm beat, and normally I don't really like going into that classroom in the afternoons).

The director was also in the room, there in case a hand was needed. She sat back and let us run the room. I felt really good about my time spent in the room, and felt she was impressed with how I was able to interact with all of the children. It was a pretty cool feeling.

Moving day looms....(some language may not be SFW)

I hesitated in writing this entry because I know it'll only cause me to become incredibly sad. Matt and I are moving in 2 weeks. We're moving from the apartment where everything began. We're moving from the first place Steve called home. We're moving from a really great neighborhood that has everything we need within walking distance. We're moving from a place full of so many memories. I can't even begin to think about how it'll feel when we walk out of here for the last time. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle seeing this place empty, completely devoid of our ever living here. Because I'll still work close by here, it'll be pretty surreal to walk or take the bus by this place.

Our new place (*fingers crossed*) is in Roger's Park. We're still waiting to hear back from the landlord whether our application has been approved, but I'm optimistically hoping it will be. For those outside of Chicago, Roger's Park is pretty far north. It's actually the northernmost neighborhood before reaching the suburbs. Downtown Evanston is going to be closer to me than downtown Chicago.

It's going to be a big change, and please forgive me for any upcoming sad posts on my part.

I'm in an incredibly happy and exciting part of my life, so I need to keep my mind and heart focused on that.

I will miss Westview: A Gated Community.

First/Housewarming Party at Lunt's Cunt/Wooly Cunt - Mizzou/IL game in September. (The new apartment name is still under consideration)

Babies are hard work, water is wet and cats meow

I know saying that working with babies is hard work isn't ground-breaking or anything, but the fact that I'm beat tired at 9:20 on a Wednesday night speaks to something. Babies are hard work. I've never worked so hard at a job than I do at this one.

Unrelated, Matt and I are moving at the end of the month and have yet to secure an apartment. Starting to get a little stressed.

The 3-Day walk is also in 3 weeks and my training has been about as good as someone training to walk around the block. I can't wait until August 10th.

Going to my first Chicago Fire game this weekend. There's a pub in Chicago that has a round-trip shuttle service with booze. The tickets for the soccer game are free, in the Chicago Sun Times luxury box, and includes free booze and food. That should help with the stress.

I have a baby voice

I tried to fight it, I really did, but kids love the weird baby voice. Now, I don't use it all of the time (most), but it can be quite effective in evoking emotions out of the little tots.

I started working at Kids Work Chicago last Wednesday. I'm currently working part-time, so my day begins at 7:30 and ends around 1:00 (depending on where the kids are and what they need). I have to say, it's pretty great to have afternoons off in the summer. I've been working a bit on training for the 3-Day wak, but most of my time has been spent looking for an apartment and homework... but this post is about the babies...

So, I am currently working in a classroom with 4 infants, ranging in ages from 5ish months to 12 months. I am working with a really great lead teacher, who being only 26 years old, has a heck of a lot of experience, and someone I look to for guidance and help when working with the kids. She's great with knowing who needs what when, and I think we work well together. I'm also helping out in the classroom next door as needed - that room has an older lead teacher, and includes 3 infants.

I went into this new career with mixed expectations. I am quite excited about the change & love children; but I didn't want to get my hopes up for some magical reactions and feelings I'd experience.

Each day has been difficult. Each day has been great. Each day has had at least one small moment where I sit back and think, "this is exactly why I want to do this." And each of these moments are small and likely insignificant to many. For example, the first day, there was a moment where two of the boys were on one of the play mats, looking at each other, and suddenly one of them made the other one laugh. That's it. Kids are such interesting creatures. I love watching them interact with one another without talking. Well, without talking in a language anyone understands, at least. :)

The second day, the moment was when I was able to successfully put little Lauren to sleep. She's a tough one to deal with, and likely has been treated differently at home or with a nanny (in that, someone will hold her for the entirety of her nap, or pick her up as soon as she fusses in her crib). Unrelated, I've been trying to call her LP or Lo, simply as a tribute to Laguna Beach. I don't think she gets it.

Friday (the third day), Erika (my lead teacher) started to implement a schedule with the kids, in an attempt to get them at least eating at the same time each day. Kids are allowed to eat, sleep, play, poop, etc on their own schedule, nothing is forced. I think this is great. I also find some ease in getting the kids to eat breakfast or lunch at the same time. Friday, everyone ate together, slept together, and played together (for the most part). It was a really great day. It was a tough day leaving, because the new guy Max (12 months) seems to have a negative reaction anytime I leave the room. He reached out to hug me before I left. I almost lost it.

Today (Monday) was tough. Little Lo projectile vomited all over me, herself, the carpet and the tile. To boot, she giggled the entire time I changed her. That little punk!

The job is rewarding and tiring, and I am learning a heck of a lot on a daily basis. It's awesome.

1000 miles to see Wilco

I've recently returned from my trip out west. Matt, Jen, Jen's brother Kevin, Dan and I drove out to Boulder, Colorado to see Wilco perform at Red Rocks on July 3rd. We ended up heading out at the beginning of the week, and made a little vacation out of it.

Matt and I wanted to camp, the other three sissies wanted to sleep inside. Jen was able to find a campground/mountain lodge combo where we ended up staying.

We left Chicago around 5PM on Monday night, headed to Granville, IL to pick up Kevin. We went for taco night at the local cheap bar before departing for Boulder. We made the trip over night, in one shot. Luckily, with 5 drivers and a minivan, it wasn't too tough, and was quite a bit more comfortable than I anticipated.

We arrived around noon to beautiful weather in Boulder. As soon as Matt and I finished setting up the tent, Jen and I put our suits on, grabbed a couple of cold beers, and headed to the pool. Our first night, we met a couple of Kevin and Jen's local pals out on Pearl Street in downtown Boulder for drinks and dinner.

The first night, there was a bit of a storm. At this point, we also realized the zipper to our tent door no longer worked. Matt fashioned a new type of closure, which seemed to work for the entirety of the day.

Day 2 was spent in Fort Collins, CO touring breweries. We ended up stopping at: Coopersmith, New Belgium, ODells, Ft Collins, & Left Hand Brewery. This was fun, but also seemed like quite a bit of different beers that I didn't necessarily care for. Thankfully, the tour at New Belgium was free and the beer tastings were no more than $4/person at each place.

The evening of day 2, we spent our time around the campsite drinking and playing cards. Until the storm hit. Then, Matt and I cleared out the tent & ended up sleeping in the van for the night.

Day 3 - Jen, Dan and Kevin drove to Rocky Mountain National Park while Matt and I walked the 2.5 miles into Boulder to find some tarps for the tent. Luckily, Boulder is beautiful and they have some great walking paths, so the walk wasn't too bad. We ended up finding an Army-Navy Surplus Store and found everything we needed. We headed back to the campsite to fix our campsite. Thank goodness for Matt, I wouldn't have had any idea what I was doing otherwise. Tent fixed and the evening of day 3 was spent at Matt & Nikki's house in Longmont. It was a nice, low-key night, with delicious burgers and brats on the grill.

Day 4 was the day of the Wilco show. We all did our own things during the day, most of which I spent doing homework for school. My online class had begun, and luckily (and surprisingly) the campsite had free WI-FI (and free breakfast!). Matt and Nikki met us around 2, so we could head down toward Red Rocks early.

We stopped at a sweet bar on the side of the 2-lane highway - Rocky Flats Lounge - where the bartender was both tending bar and cooked. You could also buy du-rags at this particular bar for $12. It was a Packers bar, and we only stopped there with hopes of seeing the Cubs/Brewers game (we didn't).

We made our way to Red Rocks, were able to park just as a hail/rain storm broke out, leaving everyone in their cars (drinking). Apparently, in Colorado, rain comes and goes in the matter of minutes.... so, luckily, we only were stuck inside the car for about 15 minutes. We drank, we lined up, we ended up in the 10th row for the show. It was an absolutely stunning setting and a rocking concert. I know everyone doesn't get Wilco (in the sense of why they're popular), but if any of those people had attended this show, I would be willing to bet they'd change their tune.

Day 5 - Matt and I went to Chautauqua Park to "hike." I use quotes because I don't hike. Unless it's flat or close to flat terrain. We lasted there about 30 minutes before deciding we'd head up to Nederland. Jen and Kevin joined us for this trip - we stopped at a brewery in Nederland for some drinks and headed back to camp. We had planned on staying until Sunday (Day 6) - but everyone was tired & ready to head home. So, we decided to leave sometime later that evening.

Breaking down camp was sad :(

We ended up back in Chicago by noon the following Sunday, which gave everyone some time to relax before heading back to work the following day.

Overall, a very enjoyable time. The drive wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting - if anything, I suggest anyone who plans on driving that far in one shot, do it over night, and have multiple drivers.

All pics will slowly be added to Facebook...

A following post will focus on my first day at Kid's Work Chicago (which was today!)

2 week between jobs - First weekend

So, my last day at CSG was Thursday, June 18th. I had a happy hour with some coworkers, which ended up sort of weird, in that, much fewer people showed than I expected. Not that I expected everyone in the office to show up, but if someone I expected to show didn't stop by and tell me they couldn't make it, I assumed they'd be there. Either way, I should focus on those who did come, and be thankful for having their friendships... so, here's to them!

Friday, I went to the Cubs/Indians game. This was Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa's first game back at Wrigley. DeRosa batted second in the game and received a resounding standing ovation. It was pretty neat. Wood came into the game in the 9th, and unfortunately (well, fortunately for us Cub fans, I guess) gave up a game-tying homerun to D Lee in the bottom of the 9th. Wood did receive a similar standing ovation when he was announced as he was coming into the ballgame.

Saturday, I again had Cubs tickets, this time in the bleachers. My friend Jen joined me, as I treated her for her birthday (which was back in March, but whatever). It was the first nice day of the season, of which I received a slight sunburn despite wearing sunblock. She and I had a couple of frozen drinks, but ended up chugging water for the majority of the game. We were a little affected by the heat & even had to take breaks to be in the shade.

Saturday night, my friend Sean flew in from Phoenix, for a few days of vacation in Chicago prior to heading to Detroit for our friend Chris's's's's wedding. We ended up at a street fest around Southport and Fullerton. Luckily, we are liars and cheaters, and we snuck in our own beers (beers were somewhat reasonable at $5, but still). After having to pay $10 (suggested donation, which was being collected by people at the gate.... and didn't seem so suggested, as they asked everyone for it). We only stuck around for a few hours, as the band (Mike & Joe) wasn't really our style.

Sunday was spent in the beer garden at Justin's. One of my favorite places in the city during the summer. Cheap $12 pitchers of 312, surrounded by friends, sitting outside = good times.

Today, Sean and I went to Hot Doug's for lunch. I had never been, and apparently this place is the best hotdog/encased meats place in Chicago. The line is typically out the door and can take anywhere from 2o minutes (non-high traffic time middle of the week) to 3 hours (weekend, lunchtime). We ended up waiting about 40 minutes in line (which was out the door). I tried and enjoyed the bacon cheeseburger pork sausage.

I've got the rest of the week to start going through things in the apartment, to get laundry done, to find a sweater top for my dress for Chris's's's's wedding, and just do a general cleanup of our apartment (as they're likely going to start showing it to potential clients).

Sean is currently out on a mandate and Matt is at Moody Bible to watch some Illinois recruits play basketball. I will celebrate this small time alone by making a drink.

Cheers.

I don't care if Chicagoans are considered mean

Last night, I was a mean Chicagoan.

NeoCon was at the Merchandise Mart. NeoCon is a huge office furniture/technology convention that brings folks in by the droves. It's a really cool show, but crowds the city of Chicago with know-nothings.

The Merchandise Mart has a spot on their second floor where you can board a train across the river and into the Loop.

The entrance area directly in front of all of the turnstiles was mobbed with people, seemingly those who had never ridden public transportation before.

There were people crowded around, making little to no attempt to form a line in front of the two ticket machines.

Those who tried to board via the turnstiles were either trying to use money, tapping their card incorrectly, or fiddling with their card, not knowing which direction it goes into the slot (despite a very descriptive picture directly next to the slot).

Once I was able to push my way through one of the turnstiles, after many passive aggressive sighs, I was once again confronted by the idiots.

There are 2 revolving doors leading to the train platform.

I could hear a train coming as I was going through the turnstile, and was in a bit of a rush to board because I was on my way to class.

People stopped directly in front of both revolving doors.

I'm talking stopped.

One person actually stepped into one of the doors and stopped there.

Are you effing kidding me?!

I ended up pushing past more idiots, racing toward the quickly-closing doors on the train. I almost missed the train.

I can understand being new to the city and not understanding how the public transportation works. I don't expect people from out of town to be expert transit riders. I do expect them to at least take a bit of time to educate themselves on the trains prior to arriving at the train. Would people just start driving toward an unfamiliar destination without at least looking at a map? I'd find that hard to believe. The other thing that annoyed me was everyone's complete lack of understanding that they were creating an issue for other people. It was complete obliviousness. This maddens me any time it happens.

I have since calmed down.

I eat alone

Now, I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, but I eat lunch alone. I can count on my hand the number of times I've been invited to eat lunch with someone at my office (well, this isn't true. Teri and I used to go to lunch. Additionally, the IT guy and I usually go out and grab lunch, but usually bring it back and eat it at our respective desks).

In any case, I usually eat lunch at my desk, or outside during the summer. I actually prefer to be alone at times like lunch and riding the train to and from work. It's my time to relax and be away from the folks at work. Not that I mind them, I just like being alone I guess.

That said, it still bothers me that people didn't invite me to lunch more often. Even though my likely answer would have been "no," I would have liked to have been asked. Being that it's my last week at my current company, I'd assume it *might* happen now. So far, it hasn't.

I don't even know why I felt the need to write this post, other than running into people from my office at Millennium Park. I put forth effort to avoid them at all costs, even though I find them to be generally nice people. I just didn't want to see them, or for them to see me, and then think, "how sad, Amber's eating alone."

Today is also my last Friday in this office. Odd.

9 Days

I have 9 days left at CSG Systems. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't freaking out a little bit. My focus over the course of my decision-making was mostly on how beneficial the change will be for me. I haven't forgotten about that, but I'm starting to face reality. My new job does not provide health insurance. I'm meeting with our HR department sometime this week to discuss my options. I'm hoping COBRA will be financially feasible, as I can't afford to not have insurance. I may also look into getting individual coverage from a place like Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

I will be starting off working part-time, which will be excellent in the summer. It'll also help me better balance school with work. I'm going to give it a couple weeks before I make a decision on picking up a second part-time job. I think it'd be fun to work in a beer garden or restaurant, but I don't know how well that'll fit in with my school schedule.

Back to the topic of this post though, I'm almost finished at CSG. A place I've been going every day (for the most part) for the past 5 years. We moved buildings in February of 2008, but this new building lends as much memories as the old one. I'm going to miss the people I like. I'm going to miss the flexibility of the job. I'm going to miss the outings. I'm not going to miss being treated the way I was. I never felt like many of the people gave me the opportunity to show them who I was, and that I'm not some dumb girl who answers the phone. My job was so much more than that, and my skill set is so much more than I was ever able to use.

After listing the things above, I'm most going to miss being downtown. The ability to grab some food and eat outside shouldn't be taken for granted. I'll miss eating with Matt by the river. I'll miss eating at many places within Millennium Park. I'll miss being able to quickly head out and shop (and I'm not even much of a shopper). I know once I'm in the new position, I'll have other things that I didn't even know I'd miss.

Nine days.

Well, that was weird

After a forgotten resignation letter, a rewritten resignation letter & some nerves, I resigned from CSG yesterday, effective June 18th.

When I finally worked up the nerve to call my manager (she's in our Denver office), I was shaking and a little bit sweaty. It was really odd. When I called, she didn't answer, so I had to figure out how to leave a casual voice mail without sounding like I was resigning. She immediately called back, which was probably good for my nerves.

I explained why I was making the decision (school/career change), and it seemed to be ok from there. My manager told me that she thought I was overqualified for the position and that I was definitely under utilizing my skill set.

I've only told 2 people here so far - one who will be greatly affected by my departure, and one who I consider my closest friend here. If it were up to me, I wouldn't tell anyone until 4PM the day I left. I dislike enough people here (as a result of their treatment of me) that I'd like to see them run this place without me. That said, I lack the actual ability to leave people SOL. So, over the course of the next few weeks, I will work with my manager to create a transition plan, in hopes of making my departure as seamless as possible. (But it will be nice to hear if the slightest thing goes wrong, it'll at least show me that I meant something here).

Anyway, I've got about 12 1/2 days left here. Wow.

Friday night in Chicago

I spent the night in tonight. Matt is in Wisconsin with his dad, and I had homework to do. I decided I would also do a load of laundry while doing homework (mostly as a part of my procrastination - after fixing and rehanging a mirror and trying on different dresses for an upcoming wedding), but I digress.

As I walked through the alley to get to the laundry room door of my building (yes, I have to go outside) I noticed someone laying behind a couple of garbage cans. He moved a little and woke up when I walked by, looking a bit startled.

I decided to walk back into the apartment using the front door. Not because I was afraid of the guy, but because I wanted him to not feel threatened by someone walking by.

As I returned to homework, I sit at a desk in front of a window. The window faces the alley. I stood up and tried to see if I could see him from where I was sitting. I couldn't. But I also couldn't stop thinking about him. I decided when I walked back down to change my laundry over to the dryer I'd bring him something to eat and drink.

I found a Lean Cuisine chicken sandwich in the freezer, so I decided that'd be quick to make, even if it didn't taste the best. I made it, wrapped it in aluminum foil, grabbed a can of Old Style, and headed down through the alley.

The man was no longer there. I left the sandwich and the beer where he was, though, in case he came back. Or in case anyone came by needing a meal or a beer.

It really sucks that people have to sleep in alleys. It sucks that they don't feel safe, even if others are more afraid of them. I need to do something to help, more than just leaving a sandwich or buying a stranger with a sign a meal.

Well, I guess I should stop trying

So, I had been thinking about home and how my mom was doing, since I never heard back about the Mother's Day card that I sent. I went to AOL and wrote her an email, putting in both email addresses that I have for her. When I clicked send, this happened:

So, that was like a punch to the gut. But I didn't give up, I just went to my gmail account, copy and pasted the email, and sent it from there. No more than 30 seconds later, I received 2 bounce-back emails, stating the same error message about not accepting email from that account.

Well, I hope she's doing ok. I'm probably kidding myself in thinking that someone else put the blocks up, but you never know. Sort of sad, really.

In laws

Tonight, Matt's mom introduced me as "my future daughter-in-law, I hope"

I'm up north with Matt's family. After dinner, Matt and his dad wanted to go fishing for walleyes, but Matt's mom, sister and I were more interested in just hanging out. So, the 2 of them went back to the cabin to fish while Fran, Megs and I went out in town, in Minocqua.

We went to a place called Otto's - it's a local joint, with a really neat interior. Judging by the beers on tap and the size of the tables, we were in a German bar - well, at least Minocqua's version of one. Once we realized having 3 people sit at an 8-person table seemed odd, we were more than happy to welcome a family of 4 to sit at one end of our booth. Did I mention it was a booth?

As they sat down, they introduced themselves, as did we. Fran introduced me as her future daughter-in-law (she hoped) & it was a pretty cool feeling.

Tonight was probably the first night I was with Matt's family, but went out without him. Normally, I may have some qualms about it, but tonight, there was no hesitation. I knew he and his dad wanted to get some fishing in, and I knew I didn't & neither did his mom or sister. I had no problem going with them to have drinks while the boys went fishing.

Tonight was really cool & made me feel more a part of this family than I ever have before. (Even if that's scary and forward to say).

July 6th

So, that's my start date. Just found that out. I'm officially going to be changing careers.

Wow.

Further info to add to the confusion

So, I stopped by the center yesterday to pick up my New Hire/Company Handbook packet. All of the communication inside seems to indicate that it's expected that I will be working at the center when it opens. Yet, still no official offer. And by "official offer" I'm mainly speaking toward compensation. Perhaps its best for me to assume the worst, and expect to be offered the lowest possible salary. I can only be pleasantly surprised, right?

I reached out to the director again last night, just for final confirmation on start dates & compensation. I want to have that figured out, so I know when to write and deliver my letter of resignation to my manager. In addition, I want to have some time off between ending this job and starting the new one.

Looking around at my desk, it seems weird that I'll soon be leaving. No one at the office even knows I'm back in school. Not even those I consider good friends who I hang out with outside of work. It's amazing that it hasn't slipped out whilst enjoying some adult beverages. I can't wait for the day that I can tell my employer that I'm leaving. But I'm also expecting it to be bittersweet, after all, I've been here for five years.

Where the eff have I been?

First, I apologize for the lack of posts recently. To be honest, I've been holding my breath, hoping the next blog would be about accepting a new job. A job that I turned down another offer for. A job that I feel could be an awesome opportunity.

Well, I received an email on April 29th about this job that I'd gone through three rounds of interviews for.The email, in not so many words, mentioned that hours/salary/start date would be determined soon. So, essentially, a very cryptic offer letter.

Let me back track and fill you in on the job - I would be working as an assistant teacher in the infant room at a brand new early childhood center on the northside of Chicago. "Infant room teacher?" you're probably wondering - what do babies need a teacher for, right? My thoughts exactly before I did observations in an infant classroom last quarter. There is SO much an adult caretaker/teacher can do to foster the development of an infant. And babies don't just sit around and do nothing - they explore, they crawl, the look around, they are constantly adjusting to their environment, and constantly dealing with new & exciting things. In any case, this position would be a great starting point for me, in hopes of having my own classroom with them eventually. Overall, the center serves children from 6weeks - 3 years old.

Ok, so back to the email... After not hearing as quickly as I'd preferred, I got in contact with the center's director, expressing my interest and asking for further clarification of the offer. Back and forth the emails went. One thing I also forgot to note - because the center is brand new, it's currently being built... so, construction of the center has also been a reason for the delay.

So, over the weekend, I was told more about the position - I'd essentially be working part-time from 7:30 - 1:30. Now, I was preparing for a drastic pay cut - but this was also with the assumption that I'd be working full time. I suppose 6 hours is better than nothing, but it's still a bit of a downer for me. I'd likely have to get another part time gig, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. My start date would be sometime in July, hopefully.

Matt and I are moving in August to a more affordable/cheaper place. Where we live now is great, but it's just not feasible on a new, much lower salary. I have some savings too, so I don't think I'd be in *bad* shape, it's just not ideal.

I was really excited about this opportunity, and still am to a degree, it's just now reaching the point of being quite real & facing that is a little scary.

Mother's Day

I haven't seen or talked my mom since Christmas of 2007. My mom and I were never that close, never really had a real mother/daughter relationship. I think it took a turn for the worse when my sister passed away in February of 1993. In addition, neither of my brothers made life very easy for her. After many irresponsible and unforgivable offenses, she continued to take them in, after no one else would. She has put an incredible amount of herself into them, neglecting any needs I may have had. It always seemed that because I always received good grades, participated in sports and extra-curricular activities, didn't drink, kept myself out of trouble, that I wasn't in need of parenting. It would make more sense for me to be angry with my brothers for that, but I refuse to continue to give them any of my feelings.

I didn't receive anything from her for Christmas or for my birthday. Gifts aren't important, but a simple "Happy Birthday" or "Merry Christmas" would have sufficed. "It's the thought that counts" has never been more applicable, at least for me. I think I may have received a picture of a birthday cake via text message this year, however, I didn't recognize the number, just that it came from an 815 area code.

It's both tough and embarrassing for me to write and post this. There are far more reasons why I have trouble with my relationship with my mother, many of which only 2 or 3 people know of. This isn't the platform for it, and I don't think it'd be fair to my mom, but there are reasons to validate my feelings.

I started writing this post because I was on my way to send my mom a mother's day card via email and was struggling with it. I know if she ever received it, she would appreciate it. I'm just not sure she deserves it, from me.

weather is odd

So, today is probably the first truly nice day of the year in Chicago. It was roughly 68 degrees and sunny when I left for work today. As I was walking down State St toward work, I was thinking, "Man, it's really hard to go into work on such a nice day" which lead to me realizing I say the same thing on rainy days, only then, I just don't want to get out of bed.

We have happy hour planned at Justin's beer garden tonight. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that. Sitting outside with friends and drinking is one of my favorite things to do in the summer... whether in a beer garden, on someone's back deck, at a ballgame, wherever. I love it.

I walked home from work yesterday too, as yesterday, the warm weather was making an attempt to show up and cooperate with everyone. It was so much easier to walk home in nice weather. Not only because I didn't have the feeling of being cold, but because I was surrounded by others doing the exact same thing - but either on bikes, rollerblades, by running, etc. It was very encouraging, even if they were a bunch of strangers. On my walk home, I was walking west on Fullerton (I came off the lake shore drive path, to start heading home)...anyway, I see a coworker who had just gotten off the bus, heading toward his house. He looked surprised that I wasn't wearing the dress I had on earlier. When I explained I was walking home, he responded with, "all the way from work?" :) (At that point, I was probably about 4 miles into the walk).

This weekend we're heading out to the suburbs to see Matt's football-playing cousin perform in his high school's production of Les Mis. I have explained to him that I've never seen Les Mis, so he better not disappoint us.

Looking forward to that & getting some walks in this weekend. My friend Teri recently had a baby, but was also recently cleared to start working out again, so she will hopefully join me on one of my walks this weekend.

I'm skipping a baby shower this weekend as well. Not because I dislike baby showers (or any showers for that matter), but because I was invited to a shower for a friend of a friend. She's not someone I call or email with, nor is she someone I invite to things. I certainly wouldn't invite her to my wedding, at least not at this point in my life. She's a part of the group of friends that I hang out with, but not someone I ever talk to outside of those times. I didn't want to confront the hosts, so I politely declined, but will still send a couple of books for the kids.

Is it time for happy hour yet?

My name is Amber and I am a shopaholic

No, I'm really not, actually.


However, on my way back from lunch, if I pass Old Navy, NY&Co, Nordstrom Rack, Sears, H&M, and Forever 21, it's hard for me not to stop in. It's really weird. I don't shop. I shop when I know I need something specific. So, in my little head, I decide, "weather is getting warmer, I need some summer clothes!"


I initially stopped at Old Navy. Tried on a couple of tops and some shorts - none looked good. That was all the discouragement I needed there. I handed the discarded items to the fitting room lady and made my way back to the office.


"But, NY&Co is right there... they usually have sales upstairs..."


And so I go in.


I make a quick go walk around all parts of the store and saw nothing. As I was heading back downstairs, a long summer dress caught my eye. It had a cute half-sweater type of something over it, so, I was all, "hmmm, I could wear that." I look at the price tag and realize it's $52. $52 for a summer dress is tough for me to swallow. Not to mention, this half sweater thing-a-ma-bob was $35. $35 for half a sweater! I convince myself I should try them on and see how it looks (hoping it looked bad, so I wouldn't have to buy it).


The dress size I brought back was too big at weird parts. So, I assumed I'd have to tailor it, as there's no way to fit into a smaller size (especially since I've been doing awful at keeping up my workout schedule). I still went back and grabbed the next size down...you know, just to make sure it too looked awful.

It looked good. I felt comfortable in it. I decide I am allowed to buy it & the sweater (since I could figure out a couple other outfits to wear this half-sweater with). I needed a tank top to wear under it during the day, so I also grabbed one on my way to the cash register. $22? for a tank top? I went to put it back and realized the signage above the rack said "60% off!" - so, $12? Ok, still pricey, but not too bad.


I make it up to the register. The check out dude was all, "Do you have a coupon today?"


"Holy eff, don't make me think about how much I could save if I had one!" is what I wanted to say, instead, just as sighful "No"


His response made my day - "well, you're lucky I have an extra one!"


I didn't ask him what sort of coupon, or what I'd get off, I just let him ring it in. My dress ended up being $30, the half sweater was $24 and the tank top was $6! I spent $67 total, instead of the $110+ that I was anticipating.


I am currently experiencing the opposite of buyer's remorse. :)


and for those interested - here's the dress/sweater thing


Only in Navy Blue, not brown:

My hair is a bit shorter, less curly, and I'm not black.

Walking, Easter and Decisions

On Friday, I was offered a job at an early learning center where I'd been interviewing over the course of the past 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to take it & I'm not sure how to feel about it. I've made the decision to change careers, however, if and when I do, I want it to feel as right as possible. This place just didn't feel right. I am still in the interview process for another center, on the north side of Chicago, about 2 miles from my current apartment. I'm holding out hope that I'll be offered the job there, even though it doesn't currently offer insurance. It's a new center, starting from the ground up. They're currently working out of a basement of a 3-flat, soon to be moving into a new center being built. I think I'm excited to be a part of something starting from the beginning (if that makes any sense). All of that said, because of the drastic pay cut I will be taking, Matt and I have to move once our lease is up (July 31st). We're currently looking at Roscoe Village (a little further west from where we are) and even contemplating buying a place. That's just a pipe dream of mine though, I'm afraid.

I went on my first 7 mile walk on Saturday as a part of my training program. I've found that I need to map out a walk that includes walking by/to places I want to see. For example, this past Saturday, I mapped it out to walk by the new center to see the progress being made, to walk through Roscoe Village, to then walk to the lake, and back by Wrigley. It certainly helped, and the walk wasn't quite as tough as I was anticipating (outside of the cold wind, which got worse as I walked back toward the lake).

We spent Easter with Matt's mom's side of the family in Glendale Heights (a western burb). He's really lucky, in that he has many cousins that are around his age. We spent time catching up, playing bags, and sitting around the fire outside. His oldest cousin has 2 sons (including the one who accosted me at Thanksgiving) who I spent a lot of my time with. I just tend to gravitate toward kids if they're around. I always assumed this was normal and that everyone did this. Kids are awesome, afterall.

Today is opening day at Wrigley, however, the rainy weather will likely cause the game to be postponed. There were people at the bars on my way to the train this morning. I was jealous.

Walking sort of sucks

I decided to walk home from work today since I had to do a 5 miler today.

About a mile and a half in, I wanted to give up. I was tired, annoyed, my feet hurt, and my knee felt sore. Excuses, excuses.

I knew I needed to make it to the Lake Shore path (it's harder to walk to a bus/train from there). I almost hopped on a bus at least twice.

WTF is wrong with me? It's just walking. I think knowing that it'd take me 2 hours to get home was a huge obstacle I had to get past. Once on the path, I was much better. Next to the lake, seeing other people walking, running and biking certainly helped. I told myself I had to make it to at least Fullerton (roughly the 3.5 mile mark) before I could give up. I "exited" at Fullerton, but kept walking. As I kept walking, I realized I only had a little further to go, so it'd be silly of me to quit so late.

The walk door-to-door from work is about 6 miles, so I walked an extra mile. I feel ok about it.

I will now make myself a celebratory drink.

Detroit isn't so bad

I had low expectations going in, but they were exceeded by quite a bit. I've just returned from my trip to Detroit for my annual trip the Final Four. Here's a short recap:

Friday, 4.3.09
My flight left at 7:50, so I was able to celebrate my favorite part of any trip in the proper fashion. What's my favorite part, you ask? Sitting at the airport bar, enjoying an ice-cold beer prior to takeoff. There were some delays due to wind in Detroit so I had more than one ice-cold Stella. Regardless, they were delicious.

Jamie and I landed around the same time, so we met up to pick up the car. Because we didn't get in until about 10:30 Detroit time, we headed straight out to a bar. We met up with Jamie's co-worker Nick and his wife at a bar in Royal Oak (a burb of Detroit, since everyone lives in burbs, no one goes out in the city). We had a few beers there and made our way to my friend Chris's's's's place for the night.

Saturday, 4.4.09
Semi-finals game day. Jamie, Chris, Laurel and I made our way downtown around 12:30 PM to hang out with the college basketball riff raff. After wandering from crowded bar to crowded bar, we found a place (Coaches Corner) that had some space in their outside beer garden. We spent our afternoon here, meeting up with Teri & her mom/sister, as well as Nate and Nadine - our Minnesota fans whom we met at the Atlanta Final Four in 2007, who have since become friends.

Jamie and I were able to scalp tickets to the weekend games (2 on Saturday/1 on Monday) for $200 each. Face value for these tickets is $150 - and we've paid around $250-300 for the same tickets in the past (and friends were paying $400+ for tickets) so we were pretty pleased with ourselves. Michigan State beat UConn in a good game, UNC beat Villanova in a blowout from the beginning. On our way into the game, someone came up to us and said hello (because we were wearing some Illinois stuff. It was none other than Jerrance Howard. Love the guy. See him at the final four quite a bit - always the networker. We took a picture with him and thanked him for what he's brought to the program in the short period of time he's been here.

After the game, we decided to drive Nate and Nadine back to Windsor, ON and stay with them for the night. We finally made it back and were out at the Caesar's Hotel by 1:30AM. Not good for drinking or seeing coaches, but we managed. The hotel bar bartender had to cut us off since we ordered more than the allowed 3 drinks per person/per hour limit (that I think he made up). We ended up stopping at a burrito joint on the way back to the hotel. I only mention this because it had techno music playing, served our orders separately (one burrito came out, one quesadilla came out, another quesadilla came out, and the final quesadilla came out - all within about 5 minutes of one another. It was so odd). I forgot to mention - we had our first head coach siting of the weekend at the casino at Caesars. I know this will surprise most everyone, but we saw Billy Gillespie at 2:30AM stumbling around the casino. Apparently the night before, he had been playing craps with at least $5,000 worth of chips.

Sunday, 4.5.09
Sunday is usually the day spent relaxing and at the bar in the coaches hotel. We did not stray from tradition this year, and despite there not being an official coaches hotel (Detroit hotels don't have the capacity), we decided Caesar's would be the best place to spot coaches.

Jamie and I were up earlier than Nate and Nadine, so we headed over to the hotel around 11. As soon as we walk in, we see Bruce Weber stumbling across the lobby, getting ready to check out. He sees us, stops and asks, "What are you guys doing here?" - Um, watching college basketball? Oy vey, not a charismatic man at all. We chatted a little more, but let him get on his way.

Over the course of the day, we ended up seeing many coaches:
Wisconsin's Bo Ryan, Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt, KU’s Danny Manning, St. John’s Norm Roberts and Fred Quartlebaum, Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel, UCLA’s Matt Howland, Cregiton’s Dana Altman, and Minnesota's Tubby Smith, but none were as awesome as seeing Bill Self.

Now, because of the games we used to go to for Illinois, and always being at Final Four's, Bill has come to recognize us and always takes time to talk with us. This year was no exception. When we first saw him, he said his usual, "You girls are the only Illinois fans who still talk to me." Even though he was on his way to dinner, he continued the conversation with us, asking how Chicago was and how we were in general. He took his picture with us, gave us hugs, and asked if we'd still be around later. We congratulated him on his championship, he congratulated us on our season and complimented Bruce's coaching (sort of a slam at the talent level, but whatever, he's right).

I swear to goodness that I understand he has to be cordial and charismatic, but he's always been accessible and welcoming to us, and I think that's awesome. We ended up seeing him later at the sports bar in the casino, where he took time to talk with us again. He also mentioned that even though he was only at Illinois for 3 years, he thoroughly enjoyed himself while there. I wish he were still our coach, but I'm also happy for him and where he's gone in his career.

Ok, enough with the Bill slobberfest.

We ended up exploring more of Windsor on Sunday night - checking out other bars - my favorite stop was at the Pour House - food/drinks were good and cheap.

Monday, 4.6.09
Championship Monday. We drove back from Windsor to Chris's's's's place in Novi (another burb of Detroit). I was sick with a headache, so when we got back, I laid down in hopes of it going away. As I did, Jamie met her cousin and his wife out for drinks & catching up. I chilled out at Chris's's's's's for most of the day, before we headed downtown around 6PM.

We partied in a "bar" - which ended up being the ground floor of a parking garage. It was right across the street from Ford Field, free, had cheap beer, TVs and live music. Sold.

The game ended up being pretty yawn-worthy, which sort of stunk - but not without some cool guests - Larry Bird and Magic Johnson carried out the game ball, Michael Jordan, Jim Sloan, David Robinson & John Stockton were all honored at halftime for being nominated for the NBA Hall of Fame. That was pretty cool.

Since the game let out so late on Monday, and because we stay all the way until the playing of One Shining Moment, we didn't end up getting back to Chris's's's's until about 1:30AM. Headed to bed to get up at 7 for our flights home.

Overall, Detroit was pretty fun. It's not an ideal place for a Final Four (too spread out and sort of yucky), but we found fun. The weather was pretty crappy & I have to say, MSU being in the final game really saved this Final Four. Had they not been there, I can't say it'd be as successful.

One final observation: people in Detroit/Windsor are about the slowest human beings I've ever seen. I don't know how to explain it, but no one cared about timely service when it came to ordering food or drinks. It was very odd.

Nice people are encouraging

So I forced myself to go to Curves today after work, since I knew I wouldn't be able to go again this week. I was dreading it the entire train ride there. Mostly because I had to get my card re-calibrated.

For those who have no idea what I'm talking about - Curves is a circuit of strength training machines, separated by cardio boards. These strength training machines have a program associated with them, which can customize your workout to get the best out of you on each machine. Anyway, since I had to switch clubs, thanks to mine closing, I had to get my card re-calibrated - which basically meant that I had to go around all of the machines and do a few reps to get my speed and range of motion. This shouldn't be a big deal, but it was a little uncomfortable to do in front of a bunch of strangers (including the hardcore workout girl ((who I think works out incorrectly based on how fast and jerky she does some machines )).

The woman working tonight was really cool, laid back and encouraging without being annoying. She explained what each machine did (even though I already knew) and constantly asked if I was comfortable and without pain. After about 15 minutes of re-calibrating, I did my workout and felt great after.

This club seems to be full of a bunch of women who all know each other, and all talk during workouts. That's definitely not my thing, so, while I appreciate the camaraderie associated with the place, I don't want to feel pressured to become BFFs with everyone.

Finally, I get home and check my email & there's a monthly newsletter from the club. This place is so much different than my previous club, where I felt like a stranger most of the time. I'm a little more optimistic about this place, despite initial hesitation and pessimism.

Matt and I walked up to Cullen's for dinner tonight. I was good and had a chicken sandwich and steamed veggies, no beer. Pretty good for being at an Irish bar!

I'm leaving for Detroit on Friday night - still do not have tickets (Thanks MSU) - but I'm not concerned about it. If we get them, cool - if not, I know we'll be able to get some for Monday's championship game. Part of the fun of the Final Four is being in the atmosphere and hanging out with other college basketball fans.

School starts up again for me next Tuesday. I have one in-class class and one online class again. It'll be interesting to see how I do with a Tuesday class. I have to say, I liked having Thursday night classes, because once Sunday PM came, I knew I was finished with homework until Wednesday night. It'll be an interesting transition.

F.M.L.

I had an interview at 7:30AM this morning at an early learning center just south of the Loop.

I went to bed early because I was afraid of sleeping through my alarm. I had nightmares about sleeping through it, and missing the interview.

I woke up at 5:45, looked at the clock and knew I had 15 more minutes to sleep, so I did. I next wake up and the clock says 6:20, my alarm never went off, since i set it for 6:00PM.

So, I rush to shower and get ready and am still able to leave by 6:45.

I didn't really pay attention to what redline stop I needed to get off at, just that I needed to get to 800 S Wabash. I get off at Harrison (the stop I assumed was closest), and low and behold, it's 800S.

I walk a block over to Wabash, I'm a little early, so I grab a water at the Caribu on the corner.

I walk up and down Wabash looking for the center, it's not within 2 blocks on either side of 800 S Wabash.

I go back to the Caribu to ask if they know where it is. They hadn't heard of the name, but said there was a center about 3 blocks down. I hustle to get down there.

It's not the place. By this point, it's 7:35 and I'm 5 minutes late.

In my haste this morning, I didn't write down the woman's number, so I had no idea what to do.

I just got on the bus and went into work.

I open the email to get a hold of the woman I was supposed to meet with.

I notice the address is 800 S Wells, not 800 S Wabash. (Wells is on the other side of the Loop downtown).

FML

Ok, seriously

I went to the new Curves tonight. Part of starting at a new Curves involves getting measured, weighed, body fat taken, etc. Good lord. I didn't look closely enough at all of the measurements, but the body fat/scale dealiebob was quite an experience.

It involved standing barefoot on a couple of metal footprints, while you waited for something to spit out with your weight and body fat percentage. While I'm not at my heaviest, I'm certainly close. It's downright disgusting and something needs to be done about it.

The new Curves location isn't really all that convenient, but it's what I have and I need to suck it up.

And I need the weather to warm up al-freakin-ready!

/end rant.

Birthdays, Basketball and Soup

Knee-deep into college basketball, I celebrated my 31st birthday on Friday night. This year, I kept it pretty low-key (in the past I've done AYCD parties and Vegas) - so a bunch of friends showed up at the bar around the corner from our place, that we've sort of adopted for most non-Illini sporting events. My old friends from grade school, Becky and Amy drove in from the suburbs to celebrate with me, so that was pretty cool. I ended up making it out until about 1:30AM, which is a feat in itself, even more awesome that I was at the bar at 6PM. My tolerance and pacing were awesome.

The final four is coming up this weekend. After a blip in the tradition last year, I'm heading to Detroit for the final four, making it my 6th trip in 7 years. I started going to the final four with some girlfriends back in 2003. I enjoyed myself so much that I made it a priority to go every year, no matter who is playing. Now, I'm not particularly looking forward to Detroit itself, but I am looking forward to seeing my friend Chris (we're likely staying with him for at least one night), and I'm looking forward to the atmosphere. Detroit certainly isn't a place I'd go to on my own, and not what I'd call a big sports town - so it'll be interesting to see how the final four goes.

Finally, I woke up early on Sunday (well, early for me on a weekend), so I decided to look up a crock pot soup recipe and make it. I decided on a really easy beef/vegetable soup, wrote down the ingredients and made my way to the store. It cooked in the crock pot over the course of about 7 hours, and I have to say, it was pretty good. We really need to use our crock pot more often - it's an easy way to make a meal that'll last for a while.

I'm also heading to the new Curves location today after work, after finding out mine was closing for good. The location isn't quite as convenient (heck, it's not really convenient at all), but I'm hoping I'm able to stick it out there. I really need to get back into the swing of things. March is an awful month for me, work-out wise.

Trying something new

I dont know what to think of this change, but I've made it.

I apologize for those who are used to the old format. I may eventually go back. "Eventually" could mean anytime after I hit "PUBLISH POST"

Forever 21 isnt just for 21 year olds

At least that's what I kept telling myself in order to gather enough courage to walk into the store.

Every day when I get off the train, I walk by Forever 21 & see some cute stuff in the windows. I've always thought I was way too old to go inside, but always secretly wanted to go in. So, after liking a shirt our waitress wore this weekend, and finding out she bought it at Forever 21, I decided to check the place out this afternoon during lunch.

It wasn't so bad.

I didn't really allow myself to have eye-contact with anyone else, but still, not so bad.

I ended up with 3 tops (1 that I'm iffy on, but decided since it was only $17 that I'd give it a shot). - The first one is the iffy one.

SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!

I'm totally on spring break until April 7th or 9th!!!! Whatever happens in Cabo stays in Cabo!!!

Ok, just kidding. Well, sort of. I'm finished with my first quarter of classes at NLU. I'm pretty relieved about it, and sort of wish I would have finished everything prior to my 4-day weekend, but all-in-all, I'm happy.

I am heading to a second interview at an early childhood education center called Kids Work on Tuesday early evening. I hadn't heard back after my phone interview, so I reached out to the woman I spoke with and she asked me to come in for a second interview. I'm looking forward to it, and hoping things go well. As sad it may be to leave my current job, I need the change for my professional and personal happiness. The difference in pay isn't really prudent in this economy, and that's certainly something I need to take into account, but I'm also anxious to start making more steps toward my future.

I've spent the past 4 days at the bar watching college basketball. The first Thursday and Friday of the tournament are probably my two favorite days of the year. Friday I held a fund raiser for my 3 Day Walk where people sponsored me by the drink, and overall I ended up raising close to $500. This was an awesome relief for me, considering our minimum fundraising amount is $2300. I'm almost there and still have 5 months to raise the remainder.

I've recently located my passport. I will be using it again at the beginning of April for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, this time it's not for Paris or London - but instead for Windsor, ON. I'm getting back to my annual Final Four trip, only this year it's just Jamie and I. Fortunately, friends we've met at a previous Final Four (Atlanta) - Nadine and Nate will also be there, so we'll likely hang out with or stay with them in Windsor, since Jamie and I don't really have a hotel (we're planning on staying with friends and family like the hobos we are). I'm doing well so far in my brackets, so hopefully my luck continues.

This is my last Sunday as a 30 year old. My 31st birthday is on Friday. I may be old, but I sure act like I'm still in college some days (see: this weekend extended). That said, I think I'm going for a low-key happy hour birthday celebration this Friday.

Have a good week, everyone! (and by everyone, I mean all 4 of you)

Awesome parking spot fight I witnessed this evening

Girl standing in open, metered parking spot on a busier than usual Southport Avenue, directly across the street from Mystic Celt (which is packed full of drunks celebrating St Pats Day)

Car pulls up, puts car in reverse to pull in. Assuming girl standing is waiting to cross the street, she looks out the window and waves her on. Standing girl doesn't move.

Passenger gets out of the car to ask the girl to move. Standing girl refuses.

Passenger girl continues to talk to the standing girl, asking her to move.

Meanwhile, driver is semi-blocking traffic along Southport.

Passenger girl tries to talk more to the standing girl, explaining that they are blocking traffic, they are on a public street, etc etc. Standing girl's friend now comes from outside of the bar across the street, slowly walks over and stands in the spot with her friend.

The driver now puts her hazzards on, puts the car in park and gets out to ask the standers to move. Meanwhile, passenger girl now gets into the drivers side. As her friend is asking the girls to move, passenger girl (now driving) starts slowly backing up, into the spot.

Eventually, the car taps the standing girl, who still refuses to move. Her friend is behind her, but starts getting out of the spot. The car makes its way into the spot, after lightly tapping the standing girl a couple of times.

Along comes a drunk spinner, running out of the bar, across the busy street over to the situation. She gets into the face of the owner of the car (original driver) and starts shoving her, "You ####ing ran my friend over, b###h!"

People at the bar are clapping and encouraging.

The car people do nothing. The girl who parked put money into the meter and waved her friend over.

Spinner is still angry and continues to yell and flail about.

Standing girl takes multiple pictures of the car, and says, "Don't worry, when I fall down tonight and hurt myself, it's going to be because I was run over by your car. I'm just getting proof now"

End of story.

That car is going to get effed up.

The weather outside is not frightful

What a gorgeous morning. I walked outside to weather in the 50s. This probably sounds cold to those of you in warmer weather, but it's awesome for those of us who've been wearing winter coats, scarves and hats for 4 1/2 months. Temps are supposed to reach 70 today, which is downright perfect. Unfortunately for me, I have homework to finish up by tomorrow evening, and that means I'm doing it tonight and tomorrow evening.

I may sneak out with Matt for some corned beef (hold the cabbage) for dinner. It'd be a travesty to skip out on one, right?

Last night, we had a team meeting for our 3 Day Walk to talk about different fundraising ideas. I don't think much was accomplished at the meeting (besides eating delicious salsa from Trader Joes) and we could have easily used email or facebook to discuss ideas as we did last night. I'm appreciative that Jen had people over for the meeting, I just didn't have the time to set aside for it, and should have declined. On the bright side, I walked to and from her place and got in a 3-mile walk (since I'll be missing at least one this week).

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Good Will Hunting sort of helped

I went to the FFC Union Station last night to get my walk in. I was a bit anxious, because I assumed there'd be some sort of fight for open treadmills. While most of them were in use when I arrived, I was able to walk right up and get on one (where I proceeded to break the 30-minute rule).

Each treadmill has their own TV, so that sort of helps with the boring walking. I have a little trouble focusing on the picture, without it getting blurry and bumpy from walking, so I sometimes watch the bigger TVs above. As I was looking around, I noticed someone else watching Good Will Hunting, so I flipped through the 50 or so channels on my personal TV to find it on mine. I can't remember the last time I've seen that (college, probably) so I wasn't as familiar with the plot, etc. Watching a movie, TV show, or sporting event certainly helps the time pass, but still, walking on a treadmill is BORING.

As I was heading home from downtown, I received a call from the lady at Curves. They are definitely closing. I went to pick up my shoes and get whatever passes they had for the nearby Curves locations. We'll see how that works out. I think I'll stop by and check out the location closest to me on my way home from work today. Seeing that I couldn't always get myself to a place that was 148 steps away from my door, I have no idea how well I'd do at a new location. That said, I don't want to give up the workout Curves provides - so, we'll see.

"CLOSED"

"This location is considering closing. We are hopeful to find a buyer, but in the meantime, please visit these other nearby locations..."

This is the sign I was greeted with yesterday, and I was finally excited to work out. My shoes are in there! Only the ones I use to work out there, but still. Additionally, I wonder if I'll receive a discount for every day the place is closed. If not, I'm certainly going to seek one.

I'm going to the FFC gym downtown today after work to get my 3-mile training walk in. Walking on a treadmill is so boring, I need the weather to turn into Spring soon, so I can walk outside more. Walks go by so much faster when you have changing scenery.

I've got a few more things to finish up for my two classes. I'm hoping to get them finished before next week (end of the quarter) - as next week will be solely focused on basketball. It's bad enough that I will have to leave the bar to give a presentation in class on Thursday. Let's hope Illinois gets Fri/Sun games.

Week 2 - ALL FORMS OF FAIL

So, I called in sick to work on Monday so I could head to the childcare center I'm observing, and get a good chunk of observation hours in. I grab some breakfast & head to the center. There's a sign on the door, "Reminder, the center is closed on Monday, March 3rd for in-house faculty training" I wanted to bang my head against the wall. At this point, I had to decide what to do. I couldn't very well show up to work, so I went home & told myself I'd work out, clean the apartment and do homework. I ended up falling asleep on the couch for an hour, picked up a little bit & then forced myself to get out and do homework. Mostly a fail day.

Tuesday I woke up around 2AM with a bad headache. I took some advil and went back to bed. I woke up again around 6AM, still in pain. I took some more advil and laid back down. I went into work at 9, immediately tossed my cookies in the bathroom. I took care of time sensitive things, but left by 11 to head back home. I got home, closed all the blinds and went to sleep. For 3 hours. I finally felt better. That said, I didn't do my 3 mile training walk yesterday. FAIL. I figure, I have 24 weeks (well, 22 1/2 now) to train for this. Is missing a walk this early into training really that bad? (rhetorical, of course it's fine. Even if you tell me it's not).

Yesterday was also Matt's 30th birthday. He and I went to Tango Sur for dinner. Love that place. Love that it's within 3 blocks of our house. Both of us stuck to our typical orders, and we both had leftovers to take home. We arrived at home & realized we didn't have them with us (mostly because I had to usher Matt out of the place because the dude at the table next to us was going on some diatribe about how fearful he is that the US is turning socialist). Anyway, any other restaurant, I'd probably just say, "forget about it" - but, not Tango Sur. Matt called and asked if they still had the leftovers.... and they did! I don't want to think about whether they were tossed in the garbage and then fished out (even if they were, they were in a covered bowl, inside of a sealed plastic bag). So, Matt wandered back to collect our deliciousness.

Friday we're celebrating Matt's birthday, along with Jen and Janice, at happy hour extended at Messners (which is conveniently right around the corner from our place).

Saturday, Matt and I are going to the Chopping Block to take a cooking class (one of the gifts I got him for his birthday). I'm really looking forward to it... the class info is:


From Beer to Eternity
Saturday 03-07-2009, 7PM - 9:30PM

Be amazed as you experience the layers and nuances that beer can add to your cooking! Cheddar, Bacon and Beer Soup with Beer Thyme Biscuits; Sauteed Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Beer, Cherry and Mustard Glaze; Chocolate Stout Cake.

Work happy hour tonight, class tomorrow, and happy hour on Friday. I'm going to have to figure out how to get my butt to the gym.