Update! Update!

It's been too long. But I've been busy! No, really! I will attempt to update more frequently, but here's what I've been up to the past month or so....

The end of summer came and went quickly, but we did get one last picnic in the park in before it turned cold. Taylor and I took our best friends Buckeye (chocolate lab on left) and Geoffrey (blue beta on right)with us! We ate sushi, had dessert, played Scrabble and soaked up the sun!




My roommate from this past year, Rachel, got married weekend before last. It was one of the most beautiful weddings I had ever been too and I know they will both be so happy together. They are wonderful *and beautiful* people and I'm blessed to be a part of their lives!




And this lovely lady is getting married in May. So we (we being Amanda, my mom and I) got together this past weekend and went dress shopping! She- of course- looked beautiful in everything she put on, thus making the shopping that much more difficult. But the perfect dress was found! And will not be revealed until the big day....



So besides that, as James would say, I'm living the dream* here in Chicago! Holding on to the last bits of fall before the cold comes and hoping the winter is as full of fun as the summer was!

*Note: Living the dream, as defined by my good friend James and I, is getting up early (sometimes even before the sun), commuting to work, working a full day, coming home to cook, unwind, go to bed early and wake up and to start over again.

83 years old at heart...

Today was a bit of a dreary fall day: cloudy, windy and rainy. SO- tonight instead of going out dancing or downtown with friends like a normal 23 year-old living in Chicago should do, I decided to stay home. I drank hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps, curled up with a blanket and watched this...

Happy Freaking Monday

Last night we had a series of Tornado watches throughout the city. Even though the weather has become more mild, I still have my A/C unit in my window. The unit isn't big enough for the entire window, so I have boards and pieces of plastic holding it all together. (Old school, I know) SO, when winds like last night occur, the space between the boards and the plastic and the window form a sort of tunnel, where screaming wind likes to gush through.

Point of story: I woke up every hour from the time I went to bed until 6, when I just couldn't take the pounding and got up.

Needless to say, I rolled into work this morning exhausted. As I walked up the stairs I was greeted by an intern and someone waiting for ESL to start. I proceeded to unlock my door and all of sudden LOUD, blaring sirens began. I didn't know what to do. I knew we had an alarm system, but the only thing I had heard about it was in reference to pop....so I called the number on the system and they asked me the password. Of course I didn't know it, but I started naming different kinds of soda and alas, it worked!

Highs in the 50s, rain, loud winds and alarms. What a way to begin the week!

Get excited!

For the few of you I haven't called screaming or laughing or crying from excitement, relief and nervousness.....

I GOT A JOB!!!!

That's right, I started about 1 1/2 weeks ago and am LOVING it. Granted, the first day was a bit overwhelming, especially when I discovered that my spanish vocabulary is very limited to everyday topics (not immigration). But things are getting easier everyday and I think I've finally found a job I enjoy.

I'm working for World Relief as their Bilingual Intake Coordinator. I do intake/make appointments for the Immigration and Citizenship program and do reception/administrative stuff for the rest of the 40-person staff office. There is always something exciting going on with clients from all over the world coming in every few minutes!

Thanks to everyone who's been SO supportive the past few months- this period of being so unsure would've been much more difficult with you all! :)

He's Baaaaaacccccckkkkk!

This is who I found at the airport.



That's right. The famous Boonjamin has returned! We talked a lot, he woke me up early every morning (which of course is relative to unemployed people) with a LOUD 'Good morning!', we went out, we stayed in, and just had a good time. He also makes some killer pancakes...



If you haven't yet, hit him up for some stories. Welcome back, friend!

Poor Puppy

Good ol Banjo needs to get out of that unhealthy relationship...

World Record Holder? Check.

We may have been at this viewing of Duck Soup...