Sweet Home Chicago

I've Been a Bad Blogger

2012-01-29T10:16:00.007-06:00

So sorry to all of you who check in on us regularly to see what we've been up to. I promise we are still here... I've just been neglecting our little blog.

So, to make the past 2 months short and sweet, here are some bullet points:

Christmas- We went back to Indiana for the holidays. Like always, it was super busy, but we got to see most of our family and friends as well. I even got to spend some quality time with Brandy and sweet Baby Kayleigh, I miss those girls!
NYE- We rang in the New Year with our dear friends the Standefords (all 3 of them). A few pictures below.
Kirsten turns 5! January 7th was Kirsten's (our soon to be niece) birthday. I can't believe she is already 5! When we first met her she was about to turn 2.... its been so neat getting to see her grow into the wonderful little person she is.
Bulls Game- Alex and I went to our first Bulls game! It was so fun! I've been to 1 Pacers game in the past, but NBA games are really fun! I like that they have a faster pace (last about 2 hours) and there is a lot of entertainment during the entire thing- especially by Benny the Bull.
Extended Day- When we returned to school about 3 weeks ago we started our extended day schedule. We've added 30 minutes to our school day. This has been a big deal in Chicago because CPS has the shortest school day in the country. Now, I don't work for a CPS school, so our school day was the typical 7 hours (with kids), but they were offering all schools, even charters an incentive to add time to their day... so we took it. It was an adjustment at first, but I'm used to it now. However, when the kids get home I'm sure they are exhausted... I know I am!
That's about it for us. We really don't have too much going on in the near future, its been nice being able to relax a little more on the weekends and not running around everywhere!

Picture Time!

Visiting the Standefords!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Bulls Game

Nashville

2011-12-04T14:44:00.004-06:00

The Friday after Thanksgiving Alex and I took a short trip down to Nashville with our friends Stacey and Nick. Stacey teaches with me, and Alex has become good friends with her husband, Nick over the three years that we've worked together.

We had a blast checking out different parts of Nashville and spending our evenings at the honky tonks.

It definitely makes me hope these next four years go by quickly so we can HOPEFULLY make a move from the Windy City to the Music City. (Alex has to practice law in Illinois for 5 years to gain recriprocity with other states... aka not have to retake the Bar in another state). So basically, I have a mental countdown going on until we can leave Illinois. #1 on my list of places I would like to move to... Nashville. I like how it is much more easy going, affordable, milder climate, still a drivable distance to Lafayette, and the list goes on...

Here are some pictures from our trip.

Nick got an awesome deal on two rooms at the Indigo. We stayed at one in San Diego too. I highly recommend them... very nice rooms!! Alex and I got a suite.... not sure how that happened, but we'll take it!

Our view

Night #1 at the Cadillac Ranch

Nick was the brave one in our group... karaoke singing and mechanical bull riding! He sang "Queen of My Double Wide Trailer" haha Stacey was touched I'm sure.... :)

Waiting for our tour at Belle Meade Plantation

Our boots!! We love, love, love our boots! Alex has already worn them here in Chicago... and to take the trash out in. The trend will catch on here...

Night #2 at Robert's... the guy behind Stacey was there with his 9 year old son. Low and behold... they are from Chicago and the little boy goes to a school right by Stacey's parents' house! haha Small world!

I know... kids at a honky tonk?? Apparently this is allowed at some of them, we saw kids at quite a few of them.

They were really taking the whole cowboy thing seriously....

Busy Week

2011-11-19T17:41:00.003-06:00

This has been quite the week for us! I know I posted about our happenings last weekend (the play and Bears game), but our busy schedules continued....

Monday, Alex and I got to go to an awards banquet for my school network because I was chosen as the teacher of the year at my school. :) Can you believe it? haha I feel super honored to be chosen, especially because I think I work with some amazing teachers! But none the less, I am very appreciative of being recognized for my hard work. The awards banquet was held at the Fairmont Hotel downtown. There was a cocktail hour and dinner. We even got to meet the mayor of Chicago. It was a pretty cool night.

I've been staying late all week at school because of early parent/ teacher conferences and our monthly Family Literacy Night. Then, today I was there again all day (yes, on my Saturday) doing conferences. I have conferences Monday night (b/c Monday during the day we have meetings/ professional development all day), then all day on Tuesday. However, I do get Wednesday off because I went in today.

We are hoping to head home Wednesday for Thanksgiving, but it depends on Alex's work schedule. He may have to do a trial out of our county, so if this happens we'll already be on the road and will just head home right after that. I'm hoping this is the case.

The holidays are always busy for us now that we get to celebrate 2 of everything. We are doing a lunch Thanksgiving with my family, and then we are heading over to Camden to do dinner with Alex's family. I see a lot of laughs and board games in our future! :)

Then, Friday morning we are heading down to Nashville, TN! Yes, one week from right now.... I will be sitting in a honky tonk on Broadway St. wearing my new boots (hopefully), with a rum and coke belting out country tunes! haha Can't wait!! I just need to survive this long week I've had and will continue to have until Tuesday.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sorry Dad.... the Bears really laid the hammer down on your Lions.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel

That's me getting my award from our "superintendent" type position and our CEO.

November Fun

2011-11-07T19:26:00.004-06:00

On the 29th of October I participated in my first 5K.... well sort of.... Each year the school network I work for has a 5K for el dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead). I've volunteered in the past, but this year I walked it with a few of my teacher friends from work. Other than getting up at 5:45 on a Saturday (yay a I got to sleep in 20 minutes!) it was a really good time. The picture below is just some neat decorations they decorated the school yard with.

This past weekend we hosted game night with our friends Stacey and Nick. We always have a blast getting to hang out with the Stinson's. I would say Alex and I are fairly big game people. It all started back in the day with Jake and Rox..... they got us hooked. Then while we lived up in Wrigley with Lucas and Allison we would have frequent euchre battles at Murphy's Bleachers on Monday nights (it used to be wing night). Now, it seems like this is how we spend our family get togethers on the holidays as well. haha I guess there is a good chance that we will be those old people who always show up for the weekly card games. :)
This week our game of choice was Balderdash. Sooo fun, especially if you play with some funny people. The crazy things you can come up with....

My parents are coming up to stay the night with us tomorrow. Mom is on vacation, so they have decided to come and visit. Since Alex and I both have to work Wednesday, it will be short visit, but we'll go out to dinner and chat for the evening.

We have a busy weekend coming up, actually most of them for the rest of the month are like that. This weekend one of my students is participating in a play at a children's theater here in the city, so we are going on Saturday to watch that. Then Sunday, thanks to the Butera family we are going to the Bears/ Lions game at Soldier Field. Very excited about this! I've been to a few pre-season games before, but never to an actual game that counts during the season.

The weekend after all of these fun things is Parent/ Teacher Conferences. I have them Saturday, Monday evening, and Tuesday. Since I am coming in Saturday I get the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off. We'll be home for a quick trip for Turkey Day, but then we are off to Nashville, TN for the rest of that weekend with Stacey and Nick. I'm super pumped about this! I've got my eyes on the buy 1 get 2 free cowboy boot deal. :) Its going to be a weekend full of country music and honky tonks! Awesome!

Like I said, our weekends are looking pretty busy. That always seems to happen this time of year, but I'm looking forward to it all!

Pablo

2011-10-12T16:42:00.002-05:00

I realized a while ago I've never done a post about our one and only pet, Pablo. For those of you who have ever visited us in Chicago or ever visited one of Alex's apartments/ houses while in college- you know Pablo. If not, he's our bearded dragon of 9 years. I meant to post about him a long time ago, but forgot- sorry about that Pab!

Anyways, Pablo has been with Alex for nine years now- since Alex was a senior in high school. When he first got him he was about 5 inches (head to tail) long. Now, I'd say he's about 15 or so inches long.

This is basically what Pablo does on a daily basis.... lay around on his rock or log, eat lettuce, and poop all over his cage. Alex really hates it when he does that on his rock- not as easy to clean. On occasion, we'll get him crickets. But, we don't live near a Petsmart or anything like that, so his diet is mainly lettuce.

Every once in a while we will get him out of his cage, but not too often- he's pretty skittish.

He does shed his skin a few times a year, and this is probably the most active (other than chasing crickets) you will see Pablo. I think it itches him, so he kind of goes crazy- scratching at his cage non-stop.

As the weather gets cooler, he does some sort of a hibernation. He never did this until Alex changed the rocks in his cage to sand. I think the cool sand makes his natural instincts kick in. But, I'm not an expert- its just a guess.

However, one interesting fact about bearded dragons- they are attracted to the color yellow. Specifically neon yellow, like in hi-liters. If you hold a yellow hi-liter to his cage he will follow it around- its awesome!

On the first day of school this year (teacher meetings) we had to introduce ourselves and say an interesting fact about ourselves as well... well I don't think I have too many interesting facts, so I decided to share that my husband and I have a pet bearded dragon. It got a good laugh... :)

Here are some pictures of our beloved pet...

You know.... just hanging around.

He looks intimidating... don't let it fool you!

I guess its been awhile...

2011-10-10T11:21:00.003-05:00

I don't know how I let this blog go so long with being ignored.... sorry about that!

Here's what we've been up to:

Back to school- I've been back at work for about 10 weeks now. I guess you can put part of the blame of not blogging on that. Things are going good this year. I have 32 students in my class, just like last year. We just finished our first quarter of school, so now I am on Fall Break for the week. :) Still in 2nd grade, this is my 3rd year teaching that age level.
Ryan's Birthday- Over Labor Day weekend my mom, Shannon (Ryan's fiancé), and I planned a surprise birthday party for my brother. We had a great time at the party! Lots of family and friends, and Ryan was totally surprised! I made a picture slideshow for him that, as always, made my mom cry! :) I love making those slideshows! I have an EASY program on my Mac called iMovie, which makes it super simple. If you are in need of a picture slideshow and need some help... let me know! I have a blast making them!
Purdue Football- We've been able to go home twice for Purdue football games. We love going back to cheer on our Boilermakers. Over October 1 we played Notre Dame (unfortunately, we lost BAD), but we had a great time tailgating with my family and seeing some friends like the Wither's and Jay's parents, Jeanne and Alec.
San Diego- During the last weekend in September Alex was coaching a negotiation competition for his old law school, John Marshall. Well, I decided to tag along as an inexpensive weekend get away. The first day we were there, Alex was busy with his competition, so I spent my day walking around San Diego and checking everything out. That night we had dinner and went out with a small group from Alex's team. On Sunday, we went over to Coronado Island and rode a ferry back over to San Diego. We had a really great time, just wish we could have spent a little more time there to see it all. Oh well, I was just excited to get away for a few days and see something new.
Mad Men- Do you watch this show?? If not, you MUST check it out! We love it!! They've had it on Netflix instant stream, and it took us about 2 months to watch the first four seasons. The fifth season will be on AMC in March. For those that are unfamiliar with the show, its basically about Don Draper, who is an ad man (works in advertisement) on Madison Ave in New York City and it takes place in the early 60's. I love all the references to the 60's, fashion, and it cracks me up how scandalous his life is. Not exactly a role model, but you can't help but love him! Maybe because he's such a stud! haha
Bears football- Well, our Sundays and for this week, Monday nights are now dedicated to the Bears. I'm not overly as excited about it this year as much as I have been in the past... not sure why. However, I must give a huge shout out to the Detroit Lions... WHAT?! My dad grew up outside of Detroit, and this is also where Ryan and I were born.. so being a Detroit sport fan has been instilled in us from a very early age. The Lions play the Bears tonight for Monday Night Football, so I told Alex I was playing it neutral tonight- just call me Switzerland. Plus the Tigers are in the playoffs.... way to go Detroit! My 93 year old grandmother is probably one of the biggest Tigers fans I know. :)

So, that's the latest with us. Hopefully I'll be better at keeping up with this.

Working for the Weekends

2011-08-19T17:31:00.003-05:00

Apparently I am in the habit now of blogging about things a week after they happen. What can I do? The weeks are pretty busy now!

Last weekend we had probably one of the most touristy/ sight seeing weekends we have ever had living here in Chicago.

Saturday night we went to the Bear's pre-season game vs. the Buffalo Bills. Alex's good friend Lucas got 4 tickets from his boss and he generously offered two of those to Alex and I. So, it was me and the boys at the Bear's game. No complaints here... it was a blast!!

Sunday, my parents came in to town to visit. We all went out to breakfast at a restaurant called Yolk near our apartment. This place was AWESOME! Great food, big portions, and well priced! We will definitely be going back! After breakfast we walked down to Michigan Avenue to buy tickets to go on an architecture boat tour on the Chicago River. This is something I have been wanting to do for awhile now, and I am so glad we did. It was AWESOME as well! I highly recommend this to anyone visiting the city. It was $26 a person (maybe a little pricey, but the original one I looked at was $35, so I was happier with this price). The tour guide was entertaining and gave us a lot of info about the city. The tour was 75 minutes, and you go north and south on the river, then they take you out toward Lake Michigan where the river basically begins. Below are a bunch of pictures from the day.

Marilyn has a new home on Michigan Avenue now.

Trump Tower from the river below.

Willis (Sears Tower)

Dad, Mom, and I

Alex and his in-laws

Skyline view

Mom and Dad

Great weekend! This weekend won't be as exciting... tomorrow I am doing a few home visits with my student's families and that pretty much sums up all of my plans. This weekend is the air and water show, so we may catch a glimpse of that.

Our Anniversary

2011-08-07T09:48:00.005-05:00

I'm a little late on this, but its been a busy week.

Last Sunday was our first anniversary. We went out to dinner the Friday before to a little Italian restaurant on Wells St. near our apartment. Then we spent our anniversary weekend on the road to Southern Indiana (near Cincinnati) to go to my friend from college, Sarah's wedding.

We had a great time at the wedding and it definitely brought back a lot of wedding memories for us.

Here are some pictures of our day a year ago...

I tried uploading more, but blogger was giving me a hard time!

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Now, I'm back at school and have survived my first week of classes. I have 31 students (will most likely get one more in the next few weeks) and I am teaching second grade again now for the third year. Its hard to believe this is the start of my fourth year of teaching! I remember being soooo nervous for my first year, and I still get "The First Day Jitters" some, but I definitely feel more comfortable. Because we have switched to the year round schedule, I will get a week off in October, 3 weeks at Christmas, and 2 weeks for Spring Break. It will be nice when those dates come around.

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Some exciting news was shared with us last weekend as well, my brother Ryan proposed to his girlfriend of 3 years Shannon! We are sooo excited! Alex and I got the call from them on Sunday and it was Shannon's two kids, Hunter and Kirsten and they were calling me Aunt Jackie... they've never done this before so I was a little confused. Then Shannon finally got on the phone and told us the news! No plans are set in stone yet, but we are very excited for this event and to add a few more to the Slucter name!

That's all for now. I'm sitting around hoping that the sun comes out so I can go up and enjoy the pool while Alex is out golfing with Fife. Why does it have to rain on my weekends??!! Boo!

Have a great week!

The Standefords Visit Chicago

2011-07-19T15:18:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Jake, Rox, and Baby Nora came to visit us in Chicago and we had an amazing time!

Friday morning I took a train to the Indiana Dunes to meet up with them for a day at the beach (Nora's first trip to the beach). It was so much fun! All of their nieces, Jake's sister, brother, and two sisters-in-law were there for the day as well. Going to the beach with a bunch of little ones is a riot! The girls are all about 3 years old and had a blast running up the dunes and playing in the sand.

Later that day I rode back with Jake, Rox, and Nora to Chicago. We met up with Alex at the apt and went to a Chicago style pizza place for dinner.

Saturday, we hung around the apt for a while then made our way up to Lincoln Park. We got Chicago style hotdogs for lunch then took Nora to the zoo. I love the Lincoln Park Zoo for many reasons, but especially because it is free! And... its a pretty awesome free zoo. Nora got to see rhinos, fish, lions, and some very interesting monkeys....

That night we walked downtown to P.F. Changs for dinner... as Jake said "We ate Chicago style pizza, Chicago style hotdogs, and Chicago style Chinese"... we didn't want the Chinese food to feel left out I guess. haha

Like I said before, we had an awesome time and wish these get togethers could happen more often. Nora is such a sweet baby! She is absolutely beautiful and very happy! She only gets a little fussy when she is hungry, tired, or needs changed... and I don't blame her! We had her schedule a little goofed up for the weekend, but she was a trooper and hung in there with us.

I can't wait for our next visit with the Standefords!

I mean seriously... How cute is she??

The Standefords

Mommy and Nora at the zoo

Look at those smiles! She has Daddy's smile and Mommy's eyes

Uncle Alex and Baby Nora

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I think I'm all caught up on my blogs now. Not too much else on the agenda until school starts August 1. Back to the grind.... summer always goes by too fast. :( But, I've tried my best to live it up and soak up plenty of rays. I do love having a pool here.

Nashville

2011-07-18T16:58:00.004-05:00

The first leg of our trip was in Nashville and I loved it! For those of you who may not know, this is the place we may end up after our time in Chicago (hopefully!!). Believe it or not... I'm not really a BIG city person for many reasons that I won't get into now. haha So, Nashville is a great size where there are still things to go to and see, yet its not quite as busy, crazy, or expensive as Chicago. We were there for three days including the 4th of July... which was awesome! We spent a lot of our time walking around, stopping in honky tonks and listening to live country music (again... loved it!), and we spent a little time driving around the burbs of Nashville to check things out.... just in case we end up there. :)

Lots of pictures below...

Cumberland River

Alex enjoying a drink at a honky tonk on Broadway... Whiskey Bend

A group we listened to our first night there. It was so awesome to walk into any bar (and there are about 100) and have live music all day everyday!

City view... much, much, much smaller than Chicago (I'm fine with this).. closer to the size of Indy.

Country Music Hall of Fame

Taylor's dress and Brad Paisley's suit- two of my favs!

The Cleverlys- a folk music group meets The Office. They were hilarious! Basically, they take popular music and put a folk twist on it. They performed songs like: "Single Ladies", "Tonight's Going to be a Good Night", "Forget You", etc. Youtube them for a good laugh!

Waiting for the shows along the river on the 4th. Definitely one of the best 4th's I've ever had!

Main event- Darius Rucker. All of the shows along the river were free that night, plus an awesome fireworks show.

Happy 4th!

I can't wait to go back! We're thinking over New Year's because they do a big thing, similar to the 4th I think for that. Apparently they drop a large guitar, rather than a ball at midnight. haha Plus I need to get myself a pair of boots- there is a store where you can buy one and get 2 free!

Daytona

2011-07-18T16:32:00.003-05:00

I've been a bad blogger because we have been super busy! I feel that I'm about 3 blogs behind so here it goes...

We got back about a week ago from our trip to Nashville and Daytona Beach. We had a great time escaping the midwest, seeing new things, and enjoying the summer weather.

While in Daytona we spent most of our time on the beach. When it would rain we went and saw movies: Transformers 3 and Horrible Bosses. It was just great being in Florida- I love Florida. I haven't been there since college and having to leave made me really sad. :(

Here are some picts from our stay in Florida.

View of the ocean from our balcony. There was a storm coming in so they began clearing the beach.

Alex out on the boogie board.

Me out jumping waves.

The hotel we stayed at

The crowd on the beach when Atlantis took off. We were about 40 minutes away from Cape Canaveral, but we were still able to see the flames from it. Which was really cool! About two minutes later we could hear it, sounded a little like thunder, but I'm pretty sure it was the sound finally reaching us. We tried taking pictures, but it disappeared into the clouds too fast.

Woo Hoo Wooster!

2011-06-27T18:15:00.002-05:00

Friday night we took off for Toledo, actually Maumee to see Alex's good friends Jay and Brad. Brad lives in Maumee and was an excellent host for the night. We didn't do too much while we were there except visit the local watering hole- Dale's. It was so fun to be back in a small town- we're not used to this. The boys had a good time though hanging out and listening to their favorite tunes.

Saturday morning we made our way out to Wooster where Jay and his family live. Its about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Toledo so we got there in the early afternoon. Jeanne (Jay's mom) welcomed us with cold beverages and lunch! Got to love it! Jeanne and I spent our day lounging by the pool and sipping on our sangrias... yummmm! The boys were very invested in their corn hole games for most of the day.

This was our first trip to Wooster and it was about 6 hours away from Chicago, unfortunately too far to make it out there all the time- otherwise we would be there a lot!

I didn't really see too much of the town, but I had a blast at the Williams' residents! Their house is awesome! They have an in ground pool with awesome decks, as well as a sauna in the basement. WOW! Don't worry, we enjoyed every part of it. :) I really hope we can make it out there again soon.

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Their neighbors take care of this pond right behind their house. Its so nice! We don't see too many of these in the city. haha Their other neighbors... the bull frogs that live in the pond were crazy loud!

Brad crooning us with his guitar skills. Jeanne and I were also trying to convince Brad to try out for the Bachelorette haha! He wasn't too familiar with the show, but I think we had him thinking about it.

Alec and Amy

Best pals

On our way home on the Indiana Toll Road we passed the Weiner Mobile!! Ahhh! This was the best I could do... but you get the point.. its O-S-C-A-R.

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Our next adventure starts Friday when we head out toward Nashville and Daytona! I am so pumped- especially for the Nashville part. Apparently, they do a big July 4th celebration downtown and Darius Rucker is opening! I'm so there!

Kayleigh Marie

2011-06-21T18:28:00.004-05:00

On Friday, June 17 my bestie gave birth to her and her husband's first child, Kayleigh Marie. I was ecstatic and extremely emotional. haha Kayleigh was a few days early, so Alex and I were not intending on going home over the weekend, but since she arrived... we had to make the trip.

Little Kayleigh was having a tough time at first, but seems to be doing soooo much better. Brandy was running a temperature during labor which caused Kayleigh to get an infection of some sort. They kept her in the NICU and she will be there until Thursday (last report I heard). It was incredibly sad that no one could really hold her (especially for her mom and dad), but I am so relieved that she is doing so well now and will soon be home. I can't wait to see her again when she is out of the hospital and living at home with her parents... exactly where she should be.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. I am one very proud and excited Auntie! :)

The beautiful momma! She looks so great after the past few days she has had!!

Here's our girl!

She was so alert when we were visiting her in the NICU.

Little hands...

Little feet... with loooong toes! :)

Welcome to the world Baby Kayleigh! I am so excited for all of the memories yet to come!

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For the past few weeks at school we have been doing an "ABC Countdown". Each day has had a theme that goes with a letter of the alphabet. A- Art Day, B- Book Day.... you get the point. Well, today was U- University Day. So of course, I had to represent and force my 32 students to as well. I sported a Purdue t-shirt and the kids all made hats. Here are some pictures of what they made...

Just imagine this x 32.... awesome! I think we have some future Boilers in the making. I even got them doing the "Boiler Up!" cheer. haha

We're off to O-HI-O for the weekend to visit Brad in Toledo and then to Wooster to see the Williams! Super excited about the trip and all of the shananigans that will happen. haha Great way to start my summer vacation!!

Camping Fun

2011-06-09T17:40:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we went up to Northern Illinois near the Wisconsin border to go camping with our good friends Stacey and Nick for Nick's birthday. We went up Friday after work and stayed until Sunday. We had perfect weather and had a blast! It was our first time to be outside and catch a small tan to start our summer.

Friday, like I said we headed up there after work, so we didn't get up there until about 7:30 p.m. Which means, we still had to go to the grocery store and set up parts of "camp", so we didn't end up eating until well after dark. And what happens when you have any food out when its dark?? Oh yes... raccoons! Well... raccoon.

I heard him or her (luckily never got close enough to figure that out) sneaking around, and when I said this to everyone else they replied "Oh, its just the wind"... then I heard it squeaking (probably calling all its pals over) and we shined the flashlight in that direction. Sure enough, its two little bright eyes were staring back at us.

Well, I screamed and ran into Stacey's jeep when she quickly followed me. The boys went over to scare it away. We stayed in the car for about 5 minutes just to make sure it was safe. We all got settled again around the fire... and then... "He's baaaaack". And basically repeat everything that happened the first time. Except, this time I had had enough and was pretty tired. So, Alex got me a blanket (and Nick for Stacey) and we (Stacey and I) slept in the car- until her alarm woke us up at 5 and then we got in our tents. haha I guess I'm not really one for nature.

However, the next night I DID sleep in the tent the whole time.

But, other than our visitor- we had a great time! This might even turn into an annual event.

As for this weekend, not too many plans. I took tomorrow off because I had one more day to use before the end of the year.. and its use em' or lose em'... so I used em'!

9 more days left of school and then back at it August 1st because we are switching to a year round calendar.

The week of the 4th we are planning to take a vacation to Nashville for a few days and then down to Florida. I'm excited to visit Nashville and then hang on the beach for a few days.

That's pretty much all for now! Happy weekend!

The Big 2-6

2011-05-21T10:57:00.002-05:00

Today is Alex's 26th birthday and he is happily off golfing with his buddies Lucas, Fife, and Nick for the day. We went to dinner last night to an Italian restaurant on Michigan Avenue that sent us not one, but two $25 off coupons for living in the neighborhood. Wahoo! It was really good too! Alex got a special that night, risotto with scallops, and I got a the chicken parmesan. Mmmmm... Both were very tasty. Scallops are pretty much my favorite thing ever, so of course I had to sample what he got. Our appetizer was tasty too, fried calamari with hot cherry peppers, plus we enjoyed a few beverages as well. We'll definitely be heading back there sometime before the end of June (when they expire) to enjoy again.

Not too sure what the exact plans are tonight, but I think we are getting together with everybody again to go out... not sure where... but I think that's what he has in mind.

Wednesday, we made a trip to GolfSmith to get him a new golf bag. He has had his eye on it for awhile. Below is a picture of him this morning before he left, posing with his new bag.

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The weather this past week has been nice, but strange... I've left work several times with the sun out and warm, then as I drive home (closer to the lake) the temps drop and this thick fog is blanketing the city. Below are some picts of my drive down Lake Shore.

Going over the Chicago River, looking into the city.

I promise, Navy Pier is there somewhere....

Normally, you would see several tall buildings, but this just looks like a drive down 231 back at home.

2011-05-16T16:58:00.002-05:00

We were invited to our first skating birthday party in several years this past weekend. Hunter turned 9 and we couldn't miss the festivities! We had a great time and even learned a valuable lesson for our futures.... if and when we ever have kids (especially boys) they will NEVER have a skating party! haha Now, I know not all boys are as.... rambunctious as Hunter, but holy cow, its amazing no one broke an arm. They were doing the "train" while skating and knocking each other over... I was a nervous wreck! Alex and I even dusted off our skating skills, took a moment but I got in the swing of it again. The hardest part was dodging the crazy kids. But, Alex and I were able to remain our feet... my mom and Shannon.. not so much! haha

Yes, that is a flashing earring he is wearing (magnetic of course). haha He's trying to cover up the Bears symbol.... die hard Lions fan (insert laugh), but it was chilly in LaPorte, so he had to borrow Ryan's coat.

_________________________________________________

In other news.... although we had a good time at the party this past weekend, we definitely had other things on our minds.

Friday morning, a close friend of Alex's, Paul passed away from a long and hard battle with cancer, he was only 24. He is donating his body to science, and his family will be holding a memorial next Thursday, the 26th back at home.

Our hearts are broken and it is hard to believe this has happened.

Needless to say, he will be incredibly missed.

Wedding Album

2011-05-06T17:07:00.004-05:00

We recently received our official wedding album. I know, I know... its been a little over 9 months- but it is all my fault. They sent us the proofs to okay... and it took me about 3 months to actually get to it. I'm not sure why... I just kept forgetting. haha But, it was all worth the wait because we absolutely love it!

Our photographers were AMAZING! They are a twenty-something year old couple from Indy. They are sooo sweet and incredibly creative. I truly can't wait until a time comes when we will need professional photographs taken again. They do all sorts of things, obviously weddings, engagement, family picts, maternity, infants, kids, senior picts, etc.

Their business is called SB Childs- and seriously check them out if you are in the market for any pictures or you like to look at photography websites.... Love them!

Here are some pictures I took of the album... doesn't do any justice to the real thing though.

Cover picture is done in an etched metal. This book seriously weighs about 8 lbs.

In all, the actual book is a little over 30 pages. Definitely a keepsake we will cherish forever.

Special Deliveries

2011-05-04T18:30:00.002-05:00

We have a new addition to our family, my grandma's new puppy, Natasha AKA Tasha. Mom and Grams drove down to Southern Indiana to get her and lucky for me... we were home for the weekend to meet her! She is a Welch Terrier, which is very similar to my grandma's dog Toby, who was an Airdale Terrier. She will grow to be about Josie's size.... smaller/medium sized.

We all enjoyed playing with the new puppy, but poor Josie was not a fan! Tasha would try to get close to her... you know, just to check her out. Josie... was NOT having it! Every time Tasha would get close, Josie would take off in a sprint to get away from her. She was terrified! It got so bad that Josie was sitting on the couch when she decided she wanted to go and sit with my mom, who was in a chair. Instead of jumping down on the floor, Josie crawled over the couch, onto an end table, and then got in the chair with my mom. HAHA She did that twice. Poor girl... she had a rough weekend.

Meet Tasha (that's Josie in the background)

All tuckered out... it was an eventful day for her.

The real reason we went home this past weekend was for Brandy's baby-shower. I was co-hosting with her Godmother and sister-in-laws. We held it in the Rush Pavilion at Columbian Park. It went really well and she got a lot of neat stuff. Baby Kayleigh is due June 22 and I am so excited to be "Auntie Jackie".

The cupcakes were one of my jobs for the day. I bought them from the bakery that my student's parents own. They turned out great!

Spring Break

2011-04-21T16:28:00.004-05:00

This hasn't been the most productive spring break ever, but that's okay with me.

So far I have managed to:

1. Visit Michigan City, IN twice (lake house visit with Jay's family and outlet shopping with a friend that I work with).

2. Watch A LOT of HGTV and it always makes me want to buy and decorate a house (Alex doesn't like it when I watch HGTV for this exact reason haha)

3. Check e-mail and facebook waaaaaay too often

4. Sleep in past 5:20 a.m.

5. Go to bed past 9:00 p.m.

6. Work out in the morning

7. Talk lease stuff with our apartment building... looks like we might be staying put for now, moving is such a pain- so if we can avoid it.. I think I'm good with that!

8. Go on a sushi date with the hubby- thank you Living Social deal!

9. Grade none of the papers I brought home (there's always tomorrow... that's what I keep telling myself).

10. Clean out my closet and drawers for things to get rid of in the garage sale mom and I are having this summer.

Yeah... it was good! And those are definitely butterflies made out of carrots.

The weather has been less than favorable. Today has been the nicest day so far. However, its supposed to rain again tomorrow.

We're heading home tomorrow night for Easter and then again next weekend for Brandy and Baby Kayleigh's shower. :)

I can't believe how fast this year is going... almost May- WOW!

♫ They Say Its Your Birthday... ♫

2011-04-11T17:27:00.002-05:00

April means birthdays to me.... and lots of them!

Last weekend my family threw my grandma a surprise 80th birthday party, we had a blast! This past December her beloved little teacup poodle, Mariah passed away. So, we all decided to chip in towards "the puppy fund" as her present; she will soon have a four legged addition to her house. :)

Shannon made her this awesome DVD of pictures... she actually uploaded them to Walgreens, and they did an awesome job if anyone is ever in need of a picture slideshow/ movie.

Below are some pictures from the day.

Another fabulous cake. This is from the same place that did the baby shower. Again, all they took in was a napkin.... so cool!

Posing with her mega-wine glass. haha

It literally took 4 tries to get a picture- I was cracking up!

Oh yes, and that is definitely boxed wine in our cups!

After the party Al and I decided to take a stroll over to the lake. We don't take advantage of our location enough. This is a picture from the North Avenue Beach. I managed to get all three of the big ones: Hancock, Trump, and Willis (Sears).

My lovely "Little Mermaid" themed cake from my student's mother. She is sooo sweet to me. It was chocolate, vanilla, with a strawberry center. Yum-O!!

To celebrate my day, Alex took me out to dinner and he got me a fancy bottle of perfume. Ooh, la, la. I got a lot of phone calls, cards in the mail, and my students really made a big deal out of it at school. It was a great way to welcome in the other half of my twenties.

Happy early birthday to both Brandy and Rox! It is definitely a full month.

Spring break is in one more week.... I'm really in need of a little R and R.

Here She Is...

2011-04-01T15:15:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Alex and I went home to meet Baby Nora. We are so happy and excited for Jake and Rox and the journey they have just begun. Nora is absolutely precious and we can't wait until the next time we can visit.

We were definitely broken in to the daily occurrences of a new born. Jake and Rox were incredibly patient and laughed through every little (or not so little) thing she threw at them. They were great!

At one point Nora was having a little bit of break down over something and Jake was holding her and trying to calm her down. The way she looked at him and was immediately soothed... I seriously almost cried! They're definitely getting the hang of their new role.

They've already nicknamed her "Squeak" because of all of the little noises she makes.

Sleeping

Passing her off.

She stayed here for over an hour. I started to get a little jealous and had to ask for her back! haha :)

Thanks for having us down Standefords! We cannot wait to do it again!

My latest obsessions...

2011-03-20T13:44:00.004-05:00

Oatmeal! Weird right? I have never been much of an oatmeal person, but I guess I am now. And... its a super food, right Rox? So, I guess its a good food to be obsessed with. I make it at home a lot, I like to mix different fruits in (apple, banana, blueberries, and dried cranberries so far). I've also gotten it at McDonald's a few times, and its pretty good there. I know they sweeten it, but I figure its better than eating an egg McMuffin.

Glee, yes I've jumped on that bandwagon, but it really is a funny and entertaining show. Alex even watches it with me each week. I don't know if he'll ever admit it, but I think he likes it too.

Resistance bands, I've had these for awhile, but have just recently gotten back into using them. We are starting a "Biggest Loser" competition at work, so I'm trying to exercise more. Not necessarily looking to lose weight, just tone up more. haha Plus, with summer coming up that's always good motivation. Now with the Biggest Loser thing at work, monetary motivation is in it now too. Everyone chips in $20 at the beginning, and the winning team will share the jackpot.

Looking at apartments, which is definitely the most frustrating on the list so far. We know we want a bigger place (2 bedroom, in unit washer/ dryer, patio would be nice, parking spot, and allows dogs- since this is something we are seriously considering) all for less than we are paying now for our one bedroom. So, since we know these things are not possible in our current neighborhood, we are looking in other parts of the city. Mainly west of where we are and a little further south. We really like the West Loop, but this can be pricey, River West, Noble Square perhaps... I really like where we are now, convenient to the highway/ LSD, the train, downtown, restaurants, shops, etc. But, that's also why its a bit pricey. I don't want to go any further north because of my commute to work, so we aren't really looking at any of those areas. So we will see! Our lease isn't up until July 1, but the closer we get the more anxious I get not knowing where we will end up.

Next week we are heading home for the first time since mid- January. We're going down to Plainfield to meet Miss Nora! Sooo excited!

Hope everyone has a great week.

Just a bunch of Randomness

2011-03-12T09:24:00.005-06:00

Today is the day when all of Chicago dresses in green and basically goes crazy. The St. Patrick's Day parade will be starting here soon and I believe they are dyeing the river around 10:00 am. However, the weather is... less than favorable- so I think we are going to stick around the apt. I know lame... but I am such a homebody, I'm perfectly content with it. So, instead of joining in the festivities, we are going to... do our taxes! How fun!! (Enter sarcastic voice here). However, its all worth it if and when you get that refund check!

I guess we really haven't been up to much- just work and work. I have parent teacher conferences in the next few weeks, but spring break is still pretty far off, not until the week of April 18. No real plans for that though.

We haven't been home since January, so we are planning a trip back the last weekend in March to see our parents and meet Baby Nora... who has yet to make her debut into the world... hopefully tomorrow/ early Monday though!!

We have been thinking about wanting to take a vacation this summer to Florida or around that area. We were planning on doing this with our families (renting a house and everything, but that had to be pushed back to next summer). We're thinking sometime in July.

Well, I guess that's enough random info for everyone.

Enjoy your week!

Cousin Kaitlyn

2011-03-04T17:45:00.003-06:00

This past weekend I went to LaPorte to meet my new cousin Kaitlyn. It was so great getting to see the fam and of course our newest addition. She is sooo cute and such a good baby. Barely made a peep. Below are some pictures from the day...

Yummy and totally awesome cake! Isn't that amazing?? All they did was take in the napkin, and this is what they did.

Proud parents

I was a little nervous.... little ones scare me! haha

Sooo cute!

Mom helping out

And of course, Little Miss. She showed up looking like Pippi Longstocking. haha

Always great getting to see her and Shan.

3 days until Rox's due date! Ahhhh!! Soooo excited for her and Jake. We CAN'T wait to meet Nora! (I'm sure they're pretty excited too). :)

So glad its the weekend- I need a few days to re-coop. I feel like its been a long week.

Enjoy your weekend.

We've Got Talent

2011-02-27T09:24:00.002-06:00

Well, at least my co-workers and I do.

Friday night, my school network had their annual talent show. Each school sends two student acts, plus a faculty act. Being a team player.... I volunteered to be a part of the faculty act. We did a variety type act with speaking and dancing. Basically our theme was patriotism because my school is known as the Veterans Memorial Campus. So, our speaking parts told the history of our mascot (the wildcat)... not the animal, but the 81st Infantry from WWII. Then three of my colleagues did a tap dance to "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B", and then the rest of us did a military type dance to the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army".

We had practice after school a few times each week since the beginning of January, so needless to say.... we were kind of dedicated. haha

I was pretty impressed with the talent some of the kids and teachers had! Our biggest competition was from the network's newest school. Their music teacher and a few others took Justin Bieber's "Baby" and re-wrote all of the lyrics to be about their school.... it was really good... and really funny!

But, they ended up getting 3rd place.... and WE WON!!! Ahhhh!! haha I think we won because our act was a little educational, school spirited, and we had about 15 faculty members in it (they like that). On top of that, one of our student acts won as well! My school cleaned up pretty well that night. We had a lot of fun!! (Sorry I don't have any picts yet, I fully expect to get an e-mail with several attached here soon.)

Here in a few minutes I'm heading to LaPorte for my cousin's baby shower. Kaitlyn was born about 2 months ago, but we decided to do it afterwards so everyone can meet her. I'm excited b/c I haven't been able to see her yet, and my mom is always bragging about how often she sees her. haha

Speaking of babies though... I seriously know about 11 babies that are going to be born this year! Craziness! But, the most recent was our dear friend Rachael (who lives in Texas) she just gave birth to her son Noah. We are soooo excited for them. AND... Rox is about to go any day now, we are so pumped to meet baby Nora! Brandy is due in June, Alex's cousin is due in July, Ellen is due in Sept.... I'm on baby overload! haha But, its fun and I haven't ever really been around a lot of babies, other than the 32 I'm with all day, but that's a little different-so I'm excited!

Well, I'm off to the shower. Hope everyone enjoys the last few days of February. Spring is on its way... soon I hope!

UPDATE!

2011-02-02T12:02:00.002-06:00

My school network just cancelled school for the rest of the week! This is pure craziness!! And so begins my looong weekend! :) Not going to complain.... haha

Surviving the Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-02T08:31:00.004-06:00

Surviving is the key word there because its still not over! For the first time since 1999 CPS (Chicago Public Schools) cancelled school today... wahoo! I have no idea how I was going to get there.... train it I guess, but that would have been AWFUL. My school let us know first thing yesterday morning that school would be cancelled today, so planning ahead I brought home with me some extra grading to keep me occupied.

Last night they let us leave a little early, 3:00. So I headed out right away on my usual path of Lake Shore Drive. Things were going pretty well until I got to the Field Museum, then it slowed down quite a bit. We crawled the entire way, until I got right around the two sharp curves (my exit is about 1/4 of mile from there) and then it was a STAND STILL. At this point I had been in the car for a little over 2 hours. I finally made it into the exit lane and it was slow. It took me about an hour and a half to get from those sharp curves to home. Alex was watching the news and communicating to me what was going on. Basically, cars couldn't make it up a hill on LSD and were sliding backward, causing the stand still. I finally made it home after a 3 1/2 hour drive. (Usually it takes me 30 min.) About an hour after I got home they officially closed down LSD. I am sooooooo thankful they let us leave at 3:00, if it would have been our usual time of 4:00, I would have slept in my car on the road. The road still isn't open and they are towing all of the cars that were stranded last night.

However, my wonderful hubby was preparing for this. He called me just as I was exiting and said he was getting ready to pack a bag (food, blankets, etc) so he could walk and meet up with me as I was stranded on the road, he knew I wouldn't want to leave my car. haha Awwww! Luckily, it didn't get to that. It continued to snow all night, and this is what we woke up to this morning.

I think we might be here for a while.

My car is 2nd front the right in the first row.

In other news.... we went back a few times this month for exciting events. First was Rox and Baby Nora's shower. Below are some pictures of that.

Lindsey and her baby Adeline. Poor Adeline was not feeling so well this day and tuckered out on mom. :) How precious!

Mama Rox!

The Standeford's first baby... Jersey. She is such a good pup!

We made it back the week after the shower for the Purdue vs. Michigan State game with two of our friends from Chicago that went to State.

Way to make us proud Boilers!

And.... before all of our hopes and dreams were crushed the view of a more pleasant drive down Lake Shore.

The next round of snow has just begun. I hope everyone is staying warm and inside out there. Alex made the trip to work late this morning, but he had a fairly easy commute since the trains are running pretty good today. Hopefully, he takes off early this afternoon.

February sure knows how to make an entrance!

NYE in NYC and other fun

2011-01-10T17:19:00.005-06:00

Our trip to Connecticut/ New York was great, quick, but still great. It was so nice getting to see my long lost pal Meredith and getting to spend some actual time with her!

We got in to Connecticut Thursday (Dec. 30) night. Friday, we drove to Stamford (where we stayed) and caught the train into the city. We spent a lot of time walking around and getting ourselves oriented. We had lunch a Carnegie Deli (biggest sandwiches I have ever seen, I would most def go back), then walked by Central Park, and made our way to the area where the concert was. We stopped by a bar called McGee's, which for those of you who are tv people, like myself, is the bar in "How I Met Your Mother"... well its "based" off of this bar. They had pictures of the cast, but honestly I didn't think it looked much like it.... disappointing.

Saturday, Alex and I came back to the city earlier to meet up with my cousin Adriane and her boyfriend Kevin for brunch. Adriane is a New Yorker, so I definitely wanted to meet up her while we were there. We went to a cute place in her neighborhood that had a great brunch.

Later that afternoon we met back up with Mere and Miles to take a double decker bus tour of the city. It was unseasonably warm that weekend (lucked out!) so we rode on the upper level. It was really neat. We got to see different areas of the city we otherwise would not have seen. We rode by the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Little Italy, and Ground Zero. It was a good time- Alex and I are already talking about wanting to go back for a longer amount of time- so we can see and do it all!

But, now its back to work mode. :( The first week back went well, I think everyone was pretty exhausted. We took a field trip to the Shedd on Friday, the kids had a great time and I was again... exhausted! haha

This past weekend we had "game night" with the Stinson's and then traveled to LaPorte Sunday for Kirsten's 4th birthday party. It was a princess theme and she was dressed up as Snow White- too cute!

We're really looking forward to this coming weekend because we'll be heading back home for the Standeford's baby shower and then we are going to Plainfield to spend some more time with them. We haven't seen them since October and I am dying to see that preggo belly in person! Two more months... ahh I can't believe it!!

Also, speaking of babies BRANDY IS PREGNANT!!!! WAHOO!! By two besties are both preggo.... oh man! She's due in June (and finds out if its a boy or girl later this month). We are so excited for her and Kyle!!

And last, but definitely not least... my cousin's baby Kaitlyn Virginia was born last Wednesday, January 5. I haven't met her yet, but have seen lots and lots of picts (thank you Facebook). She is sooo tiny, lots of hair, and without a doubt adorable! We haven't had a baby in the family for awhile, so she will be getting lots and lots of attention! I hope to make a stop by their house when we're back this weekend.

Wo- long blog, sorry guys! Enjoy the picts below!

"Tiles for America"

Empire State Building

Miles and Mere in Times Square

Alex and I in Times Square

Way up at the top is the New Year's ball.. Happy 2011!

Apparently, the northeast got a huge blizzard... that's a lot of snow! They closed down an entire street for this mound.

Freedom Tower

Grand Central Station... any Gossip Girl fans out there? Opening scene in each episode! :)

Princess Kirsten.... I mean Snow White

Baby Kaitlyn- she does a great Pop-Eye impersonation.

Alex took a lot more picts of NYC, hopefully I can get those up here as well.

Jam Packed Christmas!

2010-12-28T15:09:00.003-06:00

We're back from our busy weekend at home for Christmas! I think by the time we were all said and done, we attended five different Christmas'. Again, the reason I said busy weekend!

Friday night my parent's hosted Christmas Eve, Saturday morning we went straight over to Alex's mom's house for breakfast and to open presents. Later that day we went back to my parent's house to do presents with them and Christmas lunch/ dinner= linner. That night we went to Alex's uncle's house for the George family Christmas. Then Sunday morning we met up with Alex's dad and had breakfast with him and exchanged presents. Wow..... holidays when you are married are quite busy! But, we were able to manage and were really happy that all of our traveling back and forth totaled about 1 mile on 231. Yay! Below are some pictures from the weekend.

This is how we keep Josie occupied while we open presents... she gets her own present! Dingo bones, her absolute favorite!!

The game off we had with Alex's family to determine who would choose giftcards in our gift exchange first. We played 4 rounds of games: Uno, Candy Land, Sorry, and Trouble. It was really fun and everyone got in to it! Alex's mom even made it to the finals.... Jenga!

The board we used to keep track of the points.

The giftcard poster. I scored a giftcard to The Cheesecake Factory and Al got one to Best Buy. Major props to his cousin Whitney for planning out everything! It was really fun!

OMG what a surprise!! When we got back to my parent's house Saturday night after his family's Christmas we were greeted by a lovely 3 year old screaming at the top of her lungs..... Ryan, Shannon, Hunter, and Kirsten made a surprise visit!! This is Kirsty showing off her presents from Santa.

Rock Star Hunter showing off his guitar game he got from Santa. That kid has some moves!

Pops trying to be as cool as Hunter, with Kirsty and mom dancing!

The wine cooler Alex's mom got us for X-mas... along with the 6 bottles she bought us too! :) We're thinking about hosting a wine tasting party now.

New towels for our bathroom that mom and dad got us from our wedding registry.

New shower curtain.

Before we headed back on Sunday we spent some time at my cousin Chad's house and we were able to see a lot of my family on my mom's side. It was so great getting to chat and catch up with everyone. Chad and his wife Alisha are expecting their first baby (a girl) anytime now. She's technically due on Jan. 14, but we all think she's going to be here early. I know 5 babies that are expected by the end of June.... WOW!! So exciting and I can't wait to meet them all.

Thursday we are off to Connecticut and NYC. Our friend Miles, who flew out yesterday had some major issues with his flight, so I am hoping all of those things are taken care of by the time we leave. It makes me a little nervous! We're super excited to see Mere (we haven't seen her since Sept) and all of the sights of New York. Once we get back from that.... its back to school time. Its been a great break, unfortunately they always go by soooo fast!

Its Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas...

2010-12-20T09:03:00.005-06:00

I am officially on Winter Break!! WAHOO! Two weeks of vacation that was desperately needed!

We had a busy weekend getting ready for Christmas and traveling to LaPorte to do Christmas with Ryan, Shan, Hunter, and Kirsten.

Saturday we went to Schaumburg to basically start and finish our Christmas shopping. Of course we had to make a stop at our favorite store IKEA. I think Alex is starting to love this store even more than me. He was insisting we get a new chair. We've had a desk chair in our living room since we moved here and he was tired of it, so we got a new chair as well.

Sunday, we went to LaPorte for our early Christmas with Ryan, Shan, and the kiddos. We had a good time chatting and catching up.

This week I plan on crossing off some things on my to do list such as: cleaning, doing a few things for school, wrapping the rest of the presents, making banana bread, and watching the first season of Glee! haha A lot of people I work with watch it and are always talking about it, so I am intrigued. We've watched a few of the latest episodes, but because I don't know their back stories, I feel slightly lost. I also plan on starting the 4th and final book of the Twilight series. I still haven't seen Eclipse, so hopefully that will make it off of my list as well.

Currently, I am watching Oprah's Favorite Things show.... and definitely wishing I was in that audience. Coach purses, Ugg boots, iPads..... yes please!

Anyways, we are heading back home on Thursday for Christmas, but we have to come back to the city on Sunday since Alex works again on Monday. We leave for the east coast next Thursday and are really looking forward to getting away for a few days with some good friends. Then its back to the grind! Hopefully this break goes by slowly so I can enjoy my break because there won't be another long one until the end of April.

I really love having a kid in my class who's parents own a bakery!! :) YUMMO!

The new chair. This would make a great chair for a nursery, just a little tip for all my friends who are mamas to be. (It comes in many different colors. )

Winter Wonderland created by Hunter and Kirsten.

Mr. Hunter opening up his gifts. Go Boilers!

Dad and his new Calvin Johnson jersey.

Kirsten opening up her Disney princess dolls from Alex and I. (I think this pose means she liked them.)

Josie Girl hanging out with her favorite guy!

The awesome snowman Shan got for us. She orders it from a ceramic store, then she goes in and paints it! She made one last year for my parents and I loved it, this year we got one!

All lit up!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

"Oh Christmas Tree"

2010-12-04T11:00:00.003-06:00

For those of you who have seen our apartment know that we don't have a whole lot of storage, just the necessities that we need throughout the year. We would love to have a Christmas tree, but again because of lack of storage.... not possible, and trying to get a real tree and everything for that in the city... yikes! Not something I really want to venture out to do! So, Alex's mom went out and got us the perfect little Christmas tree for our little apt. This is our official "first Christmas tree" together and our very first ornament as a married couple. It looks great and we love it! Definitely something we will bring out for every Christmas to come. It reminds me of the Charlie Brown tree, which we love and is very fitting for a newlywed couple with student loans! haha

A little hard to read in this picture, but it says "Our First Christmas 2010"... and its even in red!

The first snowfall of the year. It seems a little earlier than most years. I'm just glad it happened on a day that I don't have to go out and scrape it off at 6:15 am. :)

Happy first snowfall to everyone in the midwest. There's no point in hating it.... that's something that is just out of our control! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of snow, but its something I am working on accepting. :)

We're off to CostCo and the grocery store!

Oh, the joys of adulthood!!

Catch Up

2010-11-28T15:36:00.004-06:00

Today we returned from our trip back home for Thanksgiving. It was nice to go back and have more than just a day to spend with everyone. Thursday we stuffed ourselves with two Thanksgivings (one w/ my family and one w/ Alex's) and a lot of laughs- particularly during the board games we played with Alex's cousins. We had no idea his cousin and his wife were board game people as well. They even had one of our favorite games, Ticket to Ride. Finally, after several attempts and one major fit Alex finally won the game! It only took him about 2 years. haha He was so excited he took a picture of the game board. Yeah, I know...... a little silly.

Friday, I got up at 3:00 am (Alex did as well to be my chauffeur) to go Black Friday shopping with Brandy and her mom. (Also, a little silly, but totally worth it!) We had a good time going around the mall and grabbing a few deals.

Currently, Alex is at the Bears game with Fife thanks to Tom who offered his season tickets to the boys for today. Let me just tell you..... it was better than Christmas morning for them. They were pumped! Alex is even rocking my brother's old Bears winter coat, circa 1994. haha

Last week I had parent teacher conferences and I survived! Wahoo! They weren't really bad at all, just a little overwhelming to think I did 32 of them. Yikes!

Alex has been working for the past 3 weeks now. He enjoys his job and is learning a lot each day. He travels a lot to the suburbs during the week, on those days he gets up with me around 5:30, so he can take me to work and then drive out to the burbs. So far, so good. He started going into the courtrooms by himself his first week, and has been trucking away at it ever since.

Well, its hard to believe Thanksgiving is over and Christmas will be here so soon. I have 3 weeks of school until break, however this year will be different since Alex is a working man now and doesn't get all of that time off as well.

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day and you are enjoying the beginning of the holiday season!

You Can Contact My Lawyer

2010-11-05T19:35:00.005-05:00

Because as of yesterday, Alex is officially licensed to practice law in Illinois! And on top of that........ he is an EMPLOYED licensed lawyer! Yes, that's right- three hours after he was sworn in he received a job offer and he happily accepted! He will be working for a smaller firm in the city that does commercial litigation. Basically, he said they deal with a lot of collections. His job will require him to be in the courtroom more than he ever thought he would, but it will be great experience for him!

Clearly, we are soooo excited and incredibly relieved! We were expecting the worse, but hoping for the best when it came to the job hunt- and we are extremely grateful that everything turned out so well.

Below are some pictures from the day. Alex's mom and grandpa both came up for the ceremony. We went to lunch with them afterwards at a great little Italian place near our apartment, and that was where he received the e-mail about meeting with the firm again. His mom and I were both about to jump out of our seats with excitement! haha

It meant so much to Alex (and I) that his grandpa was able to make the trip up here as well. He said that he hasn't been up here in about 60 years. He told us a story about when he was last here, they came up to go see a show at the 6th Street Theater. Afterwards, they went to find a hotel room for the night. They went up to a guy working at the front desk of the hotel and asked how much the room would be for the night, the man replied it would be $19. Alex's grandpa then replies to the man, "We don't want to buy the place, we just want to stay the night!" haha!! Al and I got the biggest kick out of that! Obviously, from his reaction they didn't stay there. They found another place where they paid $6 for the night. What a bargain!!

Congratulations Counselor Dimitt!

We are all so proud of you and all of your accomplishments!

Visitors

2010-11-01T17:44:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we had some very special visitors. The Withers came to the big city, and I HOPE we convinced Kyle that this place really isn't all that big and scary. But, then again maybe not.

We spent the weekend eating at some of our favorite places like Flat Top, Cali Pizza Kitchen, and dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. Other than eating (haha-which is what we do best), we went to the Shedd Aquarium. Alex and I haven't been there in several years, so it was nice to go back. Plus, one more perk of being a teacher.... I got in free with my school ID. Wahoo! That saved us $26. (Which is pretty steep).

I have a very short week of "days w/ kids" at school this week. Tomorrow is a professional development day, so my 32 little kiddos get the day off and I get to go sit in meetings (sooo not fair). Then on Thursday I took the day off because Alex gets sworn in. It will be Friday before I even know it, wahoo! Not that I am wishing away days, but I do enjoy the weekends. :)

October was definitely a busy month for us, and November seems to be a little more relaxed, which we are OK with!

The job hunt is still in full swing, even though he has had a couple of interviews-which makes the process a little better. The worst is when you apply, and apply, and apply and get no response. Our fingers are crossed and we would appreciate any positive thoughts you could send our way. Its definitely tough out there!

Congrats to all of the mothers, who either just delivered or are anxiously awaiting the big day, out in our blogging world. We are so excited for you and your growing families!!

2010-10-22T17:34:00.002-05:00

Its Friday again, my favorite day of the week. I love the feeling of having the whole weekend ahead of me. On Fridays I usually feel so exhausted from the week, so I spend the whole evening just hanging around the apt. I love this! Its not something I get to experience much during the school year.

School is going well this year, busy and always stressful, but I am beginning to feel more comfortable with things. I have more confidence in what I am doing and enjoying the ability to think a little more outside of the box. I also don't feel nearly as overwhelmed as I have the past two years. Part of it being because this is my second year in the same grade level and my school no longer requires us to do an after school program. Which means I have more time for planning, grading, and all of the other millions of things we teachers do.

Halloween is fast approaching. I miss not being able to have trick-or-treaters come and ring the doorbell. I always liked passing out the candy (and even more receiving it, but that ship sailed a while ago). We get to dress up at school though on Friday, which is always really fun. I am going as Pippi Longstocking. I've always wanted to be her and I started reading it to my kids, so it works out well. I'm keeping it a secret from them, I think they'll be pretty excited. :) I got the red braided wig with wires and all! Hopefully it turns out good, I'll post pictures.

Alex gets sworn in on November 4, so he will officially be a licensed lawyer. I took that day off of work to attend the ceremony. His mom and grandpa are coming up for the event as well. He's busy applying to jobs! He's had two interviews so far, and he just received an e-mail for a second interview with a firm next week. We're very excited!!

We're also really looking forward to a trip we just booked to NYC over New Year's. Not to see the ball drop, but to spend time with my good friend Meredith (who lives in CT) and Miles (our friend from high school). We're going to see a concert with them on NYE in the city, and spending two days in the city. Alex has never been, and I've only been once for an over night trip with Meredith and my cousin Adriane, who lives in the city. I'm really excited to go back and hopefully see a lot more of the sights. We booked our hotel and flight, so we're ready! Thank you reward points because one of our flights was practically free.

Enjoy the last few days of October. I can't believe how fast this month has gone! Turkey Day will be here before we know it!

Happy Halloween!!

Oh My!

2010-10-08T16:14:00.002-05:00

How did I let this poor blog go neglected for soooo long! Yikes!

Well, life is definitely busy again (hence the reason why I haven't blogged). School is obviously back in session, so there goes 95% of my time. Plus, it seems like we have had something going on each weekend. Lots of visitors lately and to come- which we love and are super excited about! At this moment we are waiting for the Standefords to arrive for the weekend. We are going to the Purdue/ Northwestern game tomorrow night with them, and just hanging out and spending the weekend together. We haven't seen them since the wedding, so this is a long over due visit.

Last weekend Alex's buddies were in town, so we had an apartment full! Then.... at the end of the month Brandy and Kyle are spending the weekend up here. Kyle hasn't been up here since 5th grade, so this visit is long over due as well. haha

In other news, Alex finally received his Bar results. After a loooooong day of extreme nervousness he found out that......... HE PASSED!!!! WAHOO!!!! He was sooooo relieved. I have never seen him so worked up about something, and he was a mess! Which I don't blame him b/c I would have been much worse, but it was interesting to see him like this. Generally, he is the calm one out of the two of us. haha So, now the fun task of finding a job comes. Wish us luck!

That's about all for now. Hopefully it won't be a month and a half before I update again.

We have furniture!

2010-08-22T17:10:00.004-05:00

Yay!!!!

Our furniture was delivered on Friday, and we love it!! After a slight ordeal (oil/ grease from the elevator dripped on one piece, so we sent it back w/ the delivery guys, and then we decided we like the furniture how it is w/o that one piece so... we just returned it and got some money back- all in all a blessing in disguise) So now, its all in place.

On our way back up to Schaumburg (to get our money back from the couch piece) we stopped at Super Dawg for lunch. Its similar to Dog N' Suds in L-town, except this place is obviously known for its Chicago style hotdogs. We saw it on Rachel Ray and since we knew we were going in that direction anyways, we decided to stop. Plus... I wanted to see the giant hotdogs on the roof in person! :)

Mom and Dad came up for a visit today b/c they haven't seen our new apartment yet. We had lunch with them and walked around for a bit. They did us a huge favor by bringing up Kelsi's old couch, that I am going to put in my classroom, and taking back the futon so Kelsi can use it in her next place. Enjoy it Kels!!

I go back to school tomorrow for teacher days... so this is officially my last day of summer. :( I hope all of my teacher friends out there had a great start to their school year, I can' t wait to hear all about it!

More Costa Pics

2010-08-21T15:17:00.005-05:00

This is the link to the rest of our Costa Rican pictures. Our furniture is here and in place. I will post pictures soon!

http://gallery.me.com/alexdimitt

p.s. The pictures are in reverse order- sorry!

Back to School, Back to School

2010-08-19T16:33:00.004-05:00

Well... not quite yet, but its getting close. Yesterday, Alex and I moved all of my school things from the storage unit into my classroom. Then today, I went back and started unpacking it all- BOO! I'm glad I've gotten a head start on it, but there is still a lot left to do. Teachers go back on Monday, but the kids don't come back until Sept. 7. So, I still have some time to get things exactly how I want them, if that's even possible.

Since we have returned from Costa, its been nice just to hang out with each other in our apartment, we really haven't had this opportunity since we moved in (you know with the Bar and wedding and all).

Last Friday, my good friend Stacey (who I taught kinder w/ my first year up here) got married, so we went to her wedding which was out in the suburbs. It was soooooo nice! It was our first "Chicago wedding". The church was more Indiana-ish, it was super cute and out in the country. Then we get to the reception and that was definitely more Chicago-ish- very swanky and super nice! We had a blast talking with some of my other co-workers and dancing to her new husband's fav... Garth Brooks! :) No complaints from this girl!

On Sunday we made a trip to our... or maybe just my, favorite suburb Schaumburg. We went living room furniture shopping, returned some duplicate gifts at BB&B, bought our pots and pans, and got a few other things from our registry we were needing, and of course visited IKEA. Well, we found a sectional we really liked, but weren't quite ready to make the plunge for yet. So we thought about it for a few days then went back on Tuesday to buy it. We are soooo excited. It will be delivered tomorrow (b/c they luckily had it in stock). We can't wait. And while we were at IKEA we purchased a coffee table, which we love! Our little place is definitely starting to come together.

Mr. and Mrs. Stinson lighting the unity candle.

The reception sight.

Me and the stunning bride.

Our new duvet cover courtesy of Alex's aunt, uncle, and cousins. This was waiting for us when we got back from Costa, and I recall jumping up and down when we opened it up. :)

Our amazing pots and pans. We love them!! Its not often a newlywed couple will have an argument over who gets to cook dinner, but we do now that we have these awesome pots and pans, plus its one argument I don't mind "letting" him win. :)

I'll post pictures of our new furniture once its here and arranged. Plus, more Costa picts- Alex keeps putting off making the Mobile Me album of all of our picts.

Costa Rica Costa Rica

2010-08-11T16:08:00.005-05:00

We are back from our wedding and honeymoon! We had a GREAT time this past week and a half and we are sooo grateful for everything everyone did to make the whole experience perfect for us.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the wedding, but I do have LOTS and LOTS of pictures from Costa Rica! When I get the pictures from the wedding I will definitely post them!

So here is a little taste of our trip. Alex is going to create a photo album link on here soon so you will be able to see all of the pictures we took.

We just wanted to let all of Costa know that we had arrived. :)

Part of the hotel from the pool area. The hotel we stayed at was awesome! It definitely had the neatest pool I've ever seen. We made sure to stay in the area by these little loungers in the pool, as well as the swim up bar. Mmmm.... Miami Vices and Pina Coladas!

Me on the zip line.

Sunset on the beach.

Posing by a fountain in the hotel lobby.

Our favorite spot.... swim up bar!

Snorkeling in the Pacific.

A lizard climbing the rubber tree.

Streets in Playa de Coco

Waiting for the boat to take us back to the hotel from Playa de Coco.

I'll be sure to post the link to the album once we get it created. If you have any wedding pictures out there, please send them my way if you get a chance!!

Before you go....

A couple of big announcements in our close circle of friends.

First of all, our very close friends the Standefords are expecting their first baby in March and we are sooooo thrilled for them!!! Rox told me the big news the night before the wedding and I still can't believe it. We can't wait to see her prego tummy and meet Baby Standeford in the spring. Cruise SB..... 2012???

Secondly, my BFF Brandy is now teaching 1st grade for the West Side School Corp and she officially begins next week. I'm am so excited for her and I know this is such a huge weight off of her shoulders. Way to go B- I knew it would all work out for you!!

Lots of big and exciting things going on around us and we are so glad to be a part of it!

The latest and upcoming events

2010-07-24T10:46:00.005-05:00

Last weekend my cousin Jennifer and I went down to Tinley Park for the Brad Paisley H2O tour. We had a GREAT time! I told Brandy, next to NSync in the 8th grade.... this was one of the best shows I've been to. :) The following day was my bachelorette party, so I had quite the eventful weekend. We had a blast going out around my new neighborhood!

Jennifer and I waiting for the show to begin.

Darius Rucker aka Hootie was one of the opening acts.

Brad... we were about 2o rows back.

Well, the big event is one week from today. I'm definitely starting to feel nervous, just because of all the planning and prep that goes into it. I am sooo excited and I can't believe that it is finally here.

Alex takes the biggest test of his life on Tuesday and Wednesday- we would definitely appreciate any good thoughts while he goes to tackle the Bar. I am so impressed with how dedicated to studying he has been. He will, with out a doubt, deserve a week of rest and relaxation in Costa Rica- we're both super excited for that! We plan on doing a zip line tour, kayaking, and whatever else is available while we are down there.

I'm not too sure I'll be doing any blogging for the rest of the week. I head down to L-town on Monday to put the final touches on everything.

Its going to be a busy week, but I'm ready for it!

One Month??!!

2010-07-01T14:13:00.002-05:00

Where did the time go?? I got so comfortable with saying "oh.... there is still plenty of time to do that." Not so much anymore! I can't believe we are only one month from our wedding day. I'm definitely starting to feel the crunch. Confirming everything, ordering things, yikes! Its a good thing I am out of school and have a little more time to concentrate on things.

Alex is feeling the crunch as well, just not as much over wedding, instead over the Bar. The countdown to that is basically the same as the wedding. He has been on a pretty strict schedule for studying and he is doing a much better job than I would.

We are settling into our new apartment. Still need to put away a few odds and ends... not really sure where to put the random things, but it will come together.

Let the countdown begin!!

The New Place

2010-06-28T19:40:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of our new apartment. Open invitation to all of our friends and family out there, we would love for you to visit and see it in person!! :)

**These pictures were taken before we moved all of our stuff in... as of now there are a lot of boxes lying around.**

Entry way.

The living room is to the left and the bedroom and bathroom are to the right. That is a coat closet immediately to the left.

Kitchen

Bedroom- my closet is on the right and Alex's is on the left. He is a little jealous that I got the larger one.... even though he definitely has more clothes than me. Depressing to admit that...

View from the bedroom looking west.

View of the living room from the kitchen (sorry its a little dark).

So that is pretty much the place. Maybe I'll update it again once we get "real furniture" aka no more futon!! haha

Quick Update

2010-06-27T08:05:00.002-05:00

We're in our new place!! After a long moving day and some wonderful friends (Fife and Brad) that helped us ALL day... we made it!! I'll put some picts on here later. Right now we are off to Meijer in the burbs for some much needed supplies. Then we are meeting up w/ Lucas and Allison to put the final touches on "the old place".

We are both super excited to be moved in.... now let the unpacking begin!

Bridal Shower and Moving

2010-06-15T18:44:00.002-05:00

We officially get the keys to our new place on Thursday, so I took the day off to start getting things prepared.

I'm going to go down there that morning, sign all the necessary paperwork and then get to work on the place. I plan on doing some cleaning and getting shelf paper in until Al gets out of class and then we will start taking over the things we can live w/o for a week.

I'm excited for the move, I just need to make it through tomorrow. My school is having their annual Summer Reading Kickoff, which is basically an outdoor field day that is based around literacy activities- this year we are holding it at Toyota Park, which is where the Chicago Fire play.

The kids are really excited, and it should be a lot of fun.... very exhausting though. The weather is supposed to be 80 and sunny... hopefully this rain we have been experiencing these past few days is over.

My bridal shower was this past weekend, and I had a great time! My mom, Brandy, Als' mom and sister, aunts, cousins, grandma all put in a ton of work- and I truly appreciate every ounce of it!! It was a great day, and I got to see a lot of family and friends I haven't seen in awhile.

The day is approaching faster and faster and I am ready for it. Still a few minor things to take care of, but I plan on tackling all of those in July when I am officially on vacation. I am definitely ready for my 7 weeks of summer- only 7 more days w/ the kiddos.

14 School Days and Counting

2010-06-04T19:41:00.002-05:00

Which doesn't seem like a lot..... but its taking a long time to get here! I'm so ready for my summer break, I guess its because so much is happening this summer I need school be done and over so I can focus on all that is coming. I know, I know what a late date to get out of school... to all of those who are already done with school and have started your summer break... I'm totally jealous!

My bridal shower is next weekend.

I'm really excited for it- it makes everything real and super close. Ahhh!

I can't remember if I blogged about this in the the past, but we found a place to live! Wahoo

We are moving to the Gold Coast neighborhood. We are really excited about it. We'll be living in a high-rise, which will be quite interesting. There's a work-out facility, roof top deck and pool, and a door man. Weird... it feels a little like a hotel- so it could be an interesting experience. The real plus is we will be much closer (as in walking distance) to downtown, the beach, and the trains. I'll definitely miss all of our food places around here, but its a good thing we can take a short train ride up to enjoy our favorite Thai place (which we had for din tonight).

It will be fun to explore a new part of the city. We always find going down different streets interesting, there is so much to see here.

Last weekend we took a trip back to IN to see family and friends. We drove down to Plainfield to see Jake and Rox and stay at their new house. We had a blast and their house is a-ma-zing! Again.... totally jealous! Its such a great house, great neighborhood, and a nice town. I think they will be very happy there!

Sunday we made our way back to L-town and we had a small gathering to put together the invitations and centerpieces.

Thanks again to Jane Ann, Kelsi, Brandy, Deb, and my mama for helping!!!

It was definitely a busy weekend, but we got a lot accomplished!

Happy weekend!

JMLS Graduation 2010

2010-05-24T10:07:00.003-05:00

As promised here are some pictures of the big day yesterday. Enjoy!

The grad

Posing for a picture along the Chicago River.

The proud mom and sister

Alex and his dad

The future in laws

He is now the proud owner of a Scotty Cameron putter.

Admiring his graduation gift...

I took the day off of school to re-coop from the weekend.... and Alex officially started his Bar prep classes today. No rest for the future lawyers of America!

Big Weekend!

2010-05-22T19:26:00.002-05:00

Its a big weekend for us!

First, Alex celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday. We spent today at The Museum of Science and Industry (I have a field trip there next week, so I wanted to be prepared), and then we went out to dinner at Kuma's Corner, a fantastic burger place here in Chicago with LBC, Allison, and Fife. Literally, this place has the BEST burger I have ever had! They have so many crazy ones to choose from, it was wonderful!!

Tomorrow is the day he has been working towards for 3 years... yes.... he is graduating from law school! Ahhh! I can't believe it!

These past three years have gone by so fast for the both of us and I can't believe that he is one step (make that one huge step) closer to being an attorney.

It has been so amazing watching him go through this journey in his life, even though I know he is glad it is almost all behind him. I am so incredibly proud of him and I know he will focus and do what needs to be done to pass the Bar this summer... and then he will officially be lawyer!

A huge shout out to my bestie Brandy for passing the real estate test back home to become a realtor. I knew you could to it B! Another milestone, my future sister-in-law Kelsi graduated from Purdue last weekend! We had a great time back home celebrating the day with her! There have been 8 grandchildren in their family (including myself and another future spouse) graduate from Purdue. Boiler Up!

Lots of wonderful things happening around here... and only 5 more weeks of school. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I call it summer!!

We're approaching the 2 month mark for our wedding and I'm ready for it! Still some small details to take care of, but most of it is in place.

I hope to post some pictures of his graduation on here soon. Check back...

Poetry Slam and Field Trip

2010-04-24T20:08:00.002-05:00

The First Annual 2nd Grade Poetry Slam was a success! Phew.... We put a lot into it, and it turned out well. Our turn out was great and I think everyone had a great time. Hopefully, we'll be able to do it again next year- and hopefully it will be a little less stressful for the 2nd grade team! :)

This was our set up in the cafeteria. The mugs were courtesy of me (thanks to my wonderful overhead and clipart), and our permanent sub at the school made the awesome sign.

Friday all three classes went to Brookfield Zoo. We had a great time! Below are some pictures of a few animals. My personal favorite was where the monkeys are held. It is really neat because you travel through several continents to see the different types of monkeys. (This is shown in the first 2 pictures).

An anteater in the monkey house...

I believe this was the South America part of the monkey house.

It was a fun few days at school, and I was exhausted last night when I got home. On a Friday... in bed and asleep at 8:30!! Ahhhhh!!!

Alex and I did a little apartment hunting today. We were basically told (by the few people we talked to) that we were looking too early. :( But... what these people don't know is we don't really have any time to do this come mid-May. We need a place ASAP! So the hunt continues and that is just one more thing to have on my plate.

One more week of April, I can't believe it!

2 Birthdays and a Cubs Game

2010-04-18T16:37:00.006-05:00

This week my two closest friends are celebrating their birthdays! So here's to you Brandy and Rox! Its pretty neat that all of our birthdays fall in April... I guess there is just something about an April baby. :)

We went to the Cubs game this afternoon with Fife. We froze our butts off, but had a good time. Unfortunately, they lost to the Astros- but after 10 innings of coldness I was ready for the 5 minute walk back home!

So Much Going On!

2010-04-17T14:41:00.004-05:00

What a week it has been!

1. It is the end of the 3rd quarter (wonderful) grades were due (not so wonderful and stressful).

2. Home visits... yes, you read correctly home visits. All classroom teachers are required to visit the homes of each of their students. I luckily planned ahead and visited about 1/2 of them in the fall, so I had less to do this time. But, none the less... its a little stressful as well- mapping out how to get to the various places and trying not to get lost. However, although it is stressful it is a great opportunity to get an insight to the students in my classroom, that I may have otherwise not gotten.

3. Budget meeting on Friday. School was cancelled yesterday for a PD and budget meeting. It went surprisingly well, compared to what most corporations are facing. We are on a salary freeze, so no raises next year and our class sizes are going to increase from 30/31 to 32. Not a huge difference, and again I'll take this over what so many of my friends are dealing with.

4. Content area test this morning. Going through all of the hurdles of getting my official IL teaching license hopefully ended today. I took the elementary/ middle grades content area test this morning at 7:15... on a Saturday!! Boo....

5. Monday-Wednesday are parent/ teacher conferences

6. Thursday we are inviting parents in to a Poetry Slam for all of the 2nd graders. The students have been learning about various types of poetry and they will have the opportunity to read their poetry to their friends and families.

7. Field trip next week to the zoo.

I guess I have a lot on my mind and I will be very happy when all of this is behind me.

Alex and I have begun the hunt for an apartment. Our lease is up at the end of June. I'm ready for the move... Cubs season started up, and well I think we all know how I feel about the extra traffic and crowds that come with that.

We were originally thinking we wanted to move down to the UIC area, its further south for me (closer to work) and also off of the blue line (good for Alex to get to the loop). We walked around the area over my SB and weren't too impressed. Its a nice area, but we mostly saw condos and there just wasn't much there. So now we are thinking Old Town (further south, but still along the red line). This would be nice b/c its close to the lake, lakeshore drive, and all the perks of living in Chicago aka much closer to downtown. I think we would like this area a lot. We just need to find a place in our price range, nice, clean, and with parking. We would love a washer and dryer in the unit, but that may be a little frivolous at the moment.

We are also working on narrowing down our choices for the honeymoon. We met w/ a travel agent and it is actually coming out to be a little less expensive than what we thought. :)

Long post... sorry!!

Its a busy time for us and I only see it getting busier as we get closer and closer to moving, the BAR, and the big day.

Spring Break Woot Woot!

2010-03-26T21:30:00.004-05:00

At 2:45 p.m. today, my spring break officially began... and I am super excited! Unfortunately though, I have no real plans for the week (e.g. Florida, Cali, or beyond).... you know I do have a wedding to save for. But none the less.... its spring break and I don't have to get up at 5:10 a.m. for 9 whole days!!

Basically my plans are to lay around, grade papers, shop at Lighthouse Place w/ a friend from school, stop by school to put up a new bulletin board and organize somethings, travel back to L-town for Easter, and get fitted for my wedding dress. Not that exciting of a week, but I'm glad to have it.

As for now, I'm watching the Boilers and hoping for a W.

Happy Spring!

p.s. Rox and El, I totally wish I could have been with you guys tonight in Indy. El, I hope you kept tabs on her.... we know how she gets! "Catsticks!" :)

This One is for you Kels!

2010-03-19T17:34:00.003-05:00

So I haven't blogged in awhile... and sadly enough, its because there really is not much going on for us, at least nothing exciting enough to share with the world of bloggers.

I know, I know... not a great way to start off your blog. I teach 2nd grade and we recently learned how to write paragraphs and I taught 7 and 8 year olds that the first sentence of your paragraph should be interesting, an attention grabber, ironic huh? Sorry!

However, I feel compelled to blog since my future sister-in-law told me last weekend... "When are you going to update your blog?" So... as the heading states this ones for you Kels! And again, sorry its so dull.

But since you are here, I'll fill you in on the past few weeks.

We went home last weekend to meet with the pastor that is going to be marrying us. While we were there we were able to enjoy wonderful campus prices at Jake's w/ some friends. We've also been able to spend some time with my parents, brother, his girlfriend, and her two little ones. (Who we recently asked to be our flower girl and ring bearer.. or as Hunter calls it "ring man".) We saw them in L-town and then the weekend before we went over to the Blue Chip Casino... and lost :( Nothing too bad to break the bank or anything, but a loss is a loss!

Really that's all that has been going on around here. We're thinking about heading up to a northern suburb tomorrow to, get this..... go grocery shopping (and maybe see a movie). I told you exciting, exciting!

Maybe that is a desperate cry to all of our friends out there to come and visit us and liven us up a little!! You are always welcome! However, one of Alex's really good friends is moving up here at the beginning April, so we are super excited about that!

I guess no news is good news.

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather we have been having and hopefully the snow predicted for the weekend makes a sharp turn north. *Here's to hoping!*

♫ "Baby Why Don't We Just Dance..."♫

2010-02-12T17:11:00.006-06:00

Last night Alex and I went to the Josh Turner show. It was a great time. The bar it was at only holds about 250 people, we ended up being about 7 rows back. Its a country bar, so next time any of our Indiana friends are in town we should check it out again! We even scored a free signed copy of his new cd because I am an organ donor.

The weather has been cold and snowy, but pretty much everybody in the midwest has been experiencing that. However, good news I have Monday off for President's Day :) wahoo!

In my classroom we had a Valentine's Day party yesterday. Pretty good time, we made the traditional Valentine's bags, and passed out cards and treats. I think they had a ball. One of my student's mothers came in a decorated the table with all of the goodies we were going to put on our bags. Very cute...

I just had a phone date with my old buddy from college, Meredith way out in CT. We have our dates about once a month or so. I can't wait to July when she'll be back in the midwest for the wedding. Speaking of the wedding, my dress is in (still needs alterations) and Brandy and I worked diligently last weekend on sending out the save the dates. Alex and I were also very productive today and booked the limo and went to the post office to apply for our passports. That was an experience!

Shout out to the Standeford's and their offer to buy their first home. We are so excited for them, and we hope we get to come down soon and check it out!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Back in the Swing of Things

2010-01-16T09:01:00.003-06:00

So, I've been back to school for about 2 weeks now since winter break. Alex has been taking a 10 day class at school since we have returned to the windy city, and his classes for the semester officially begin on Tuesday.

Last weekend, I went back down to L-town for the annual bridal show. I wanted to try my luck on the Mr. Penguin wheel.... I was really going for the free veil, but I got a $50 gift certificate instead- I'll take it! After that mom and I spent the day picking up a bunch of random things for the big day, plus we went in and ordered my veil.. now $50 off (thank you gift certificate!)

My trip down there last Friday started off a little crazy though. For one, the weather was not looking too good, lots of snow and wind. Thankfully when I took off from school things seemed to clear out.

After getting started on the road I was driving along and listening to my favorite country station up here (I am from Indiana after all) and they do this contest every evening during rush hour. They play 8 songs, and then people call in and recall 4 of the songs and they win something: concert tickets, autographed stuff, etc. So... here I am driving along 65 and they say call in if you know the songs... so..... I called. I ended up trying 3 times because the line was busy, but on the 3rd try..... "ring, ring" I GOT THROUGH! So to make a long story short, I recalled 4 songs on the radio for all of the Chicagoland to hear and I won 2 tickets to go see Josh Turner in February at this super small country bar. I'm super excited! Alex and I both couldn't believe that I got through, during rush hour, when soooo many people live in this area and tried calling. It was pretty neat. Winning tickets on the radio can officially be scratched off of my bucket list. Next, I need to work on getting Brandy and I on Wheel of Fortune for "Friends Week". :)

New Blog Header

2009-12-28T16:16:00.003-06:00

I have to give a huge shout out to our pal Roxanne for making and designing our new blog header.... we love it!!

Thanks Rox!! I would say you should make a career out of it.... but I have a feeling Mr. Standeford wouldn't like that!

In other news, we are back in L-town. Its been great getting together with everybody and seeing all of our families. We are meeting up with the boys tonight to watch the Bears game.

Christmas was great! We went to 4 different Christmas celebrations this year, I think that's a new record for us. We were very fortunate this Christmas and received some wonderful things (thanks to our families). Its funny because this year we started receiving gifts that are meant for the 2 of us.... so its not just mine or his anymore- its OUR'S! haha

Wedding planning has kicked up a notch since we have been back. I met with the florist and cake decorator last week. I've also been diligently working on our picture slideshow that we will play at the wedding. It has been so much fun going through old picts, scanning, and arranging them in the slideshow, just one more reason why I love this computer (thanks LBC!)

In case I don't blog before the new year... Happy New Year!

2010 is going to be a big one for us!

It is officially vacation

2009-12-19T21:51:00.002-06:00

Yes! The time has come for both of us to get a break from our busy day to day lives. Alex just finished up his finals on Friday, and I sent my kiddos off for a 2 week break from school (with a little homework to keep them practicing their reading). I know, I know.... sooo mean, but its expected at my school. I can't tell you how much I've been needing this break. Of course the majority of it is packed full with things, but honestly that's the way I like it.

We're heading back home on Tuesday for the holidays, so we will spend most of the break in good ole' L-town. Then for New Years we are heading down to southern IN to stay with Rox, Jake, El, and Ryan in a cabin for a few nights.

I also plan on getting some things done for the wedding such as meeting with a florist and someone about the cake. Hopefully those will be 2 things I can check off of my list here shortly. Really the only big thing left is the honeymoon. We're still struggling with this because we want to get a good deal, but at the same time we're a little nervous about what to book since neither of us have ever planned and paid for a vacation in another country before. We don't really know what to look for or how much it should cost. I think we'll be getting a travel agent to help us out with this process. Maybe that will be another thing we can do while back at home....

Amazingly enough the winter weather hasn't been too bad up here for us..... yet. It snowed some today, but not too much. It was more like the wet, slushy, messy snow (yuck). I'll be happier when spring is here. :)

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Back Home Again in Indiana....

2009-11-27T17:13:00.003-06:00

We're back home in L-town for the holiday. Its been a great time so far. We got in Wednesday and for once, we had time to just hang out. Wednesday night we got together with Jay, Fife, Brad, and Kels for an evening of laughs.... as always when you are with these guys!

Thursday morning we headed off to Camden to have brunch with Alex's family. We had a great time playing all of these different games with his cousins, we even learned a few new ones. We can't wait to do these at X-mas, and then again for New Year's with the Birch's and Standeford's! That afternoon we came back to my parent's house for Thanksgiving dinner with mom, dad, grandma, and my cousin and his wife.

This morning mom, grandma, and I got up fairly early (nothing crazy) to find the bargains. We did okay. We hit up Best Buy first b/c I've been wanting a 3 in 1 printer: check! Then we went over to HH Gregg b/c mom and dad have been wanting to get a Wii: no check! (They were sold out, but the hunt continues). Then.... we went to JoAnn Fabrics b/c I was wanting to get some lace for our centerpieces (you know, just trying to plan ahead) and this ended up being the craziest place we went to!! We were not expecting that. I had to wait for over an hour to get the lace measured, but I was in and out of Best Buy in about 15 minutes.... I don't get it! Anyways, I got what I needed, plus a few things I didn't really need.... oh well.

We ended up having lunch with the whole family after that, it was really nice! Then we went to a few stores with Al's mom. We got to pick out our X-mas present with her, I'm super excited!

All in all, its good to be home for more than just a weekend.

Tomorrow, heading down to Edinburgh with mom and grandma..... should be a good time!

Gobble Gobble

2009-11-22T20:53:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago Alex was down in Champaign for his negotiations competition at U of I. He went in not feeling too confident, but they ended up doing really well. His team came in 2nd. They may have a chance to go to Orlando in February for the National Negotiations Competition. If this happens.... I might be looking into a plane ticket to go down there as well! I'm sure I'll be needing an escape from the cold Chicago winter.

I'm in the middle of my parent teacher conferences for the 1st quarter. When these are all done we'll be heading back home for Turkey Day. We're doing an early one with Alex's family and then an evening one with mine. So, it should be a good day full of awesome food and wonderful company! That saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is definitely true. It has been several weeks since we have been home, so we are both in need of some time with our family and friends.

I definitely plan on hitting up the stores for some good deals. Probably around L-town on Friday and then heading down to the outlet mall on Saturday. I can't resist the after Thanksgiving Day shopping.

Does anyone out there watch The Amazing Race?? I know Rox is a faithful watcher, but I just absolutely love it this season. It makes me want to try out and be on it! I think Alex and I would be pretty entertaining.... I might have to look into it. Just a thought.....

I hope everyone is transitioning into winter well. Christmas will be here before we know it... Can you believe its already Thanksgiving?

Happy Turkey Day!

O-H-N-O

2009-10-20T19:04:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we went home for the Purdue vs. Ohio State football game. Walking in everyone (who cheers for Purdue) wasn't feeling very hopeful, but walking out was a completely different experience! Boy, what a game? We had a blast and of course our Boilers finished with a "W"!

The day started with some tailgating with my parents and the Standefords. Seeing the Standefords two weekends in a row was great, and I couldn't tell you the last time that happened.

The game was a roller coaster ride to say the least. It was so neat seeing the student section flood onto the field! Hopefully this win will lead them into Saturdays game with a little more of a spark.

Below are some pictures of the day....

Boiler Up!

Columbus Day Weekend

2009-10-12T16:52:00.004-05:00

I didn't have school today because of Columbus Day, so it has been a wonderful long weekend!

Friday we drove home to L-town, our first stop was a dinner date with Alex's mom at Arni's!

Saturday, my mom, Brandy, and I continued the search for a wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses... mission accomplished!! It was super fun and very exciting when I committed to "the dress". Two more things that are now checked off of the list, about a million more still to do.... but, its a pretty fun process.

After dress shopping, mom and I had lunch, and then Alex and I drove down to Plainfield to see the Standefords. We had a great time in Indy with them! We went out to dinner downtown and then to a comedy club. The comedians were pretty funny, plus it was nice to do something out of the ordinary (like going to see a movie).

There's a few pictures below courtesy of Rox:

We'll be home again for the Purdue vs. OSU game next weekend!

Late September/ Early October Events

2009-10-04T13:15:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Alex and I made a trip out to Tinley Park to see our final DMB show for the season, it was a great time as always. It was nice going somewhere different as well, since our regular place is Noblesville. I think his count is now up to 26 shows and I've been to 14... I don't even want to do the math on how much money we have spent over the years. Its become a tradition for us, so I think we'll keep it up for as long as they are touring.

The day after the concert we met up with my parents, Ryan, Shannon, and Hunter for the Sox vs. Tigers game up here at US Cellular. It was a super nice day, and it was great to get to see everyone, since that doesn't happen so often anymore. We were there to cheer on the Tigers (Dad and Ryan are big Tigers fans), unfortunately the Sox came out with a "W".

We are heading home Friday night for the first time since Labor Day weekend. Mom and I are going to go wedding dress shopping again (only the 2nd time), and then Alex and I are driving down to Plainfield to visit the Standeford's in their new home! We haven't seen Jake and Rox since El's wedding in August, so a trip is long over due!

We will actually be home 2 weekends in a row because we are going to join my parents at the Purdue vs. Ohio State game. Maybe they'll start to turn things around by then... (wishful thinking).

Happy October!

2009-09-20T15:59:00.004-05:00

Alex and I went out to dinner to a place we haven't been to before, a Brazilian steakhouse... WOW! It was quite an experience to say the least. Basically, its an all you can eat salad bar (my favorite part) and then meats and sides (Alex's favorite part). They come around and ask you if you want various types of meats: steaks, chicken, lamb, and pork. I think they had like 16 different kinds. So, you have this card and if you want the guys to stop at your table with the different meats you turn it to the green side. I promise, as soon as you turn your card over... they're there! When you are set for a bit you turn your card to red. And then you flip it back over when you are ready to grub again. haha I know Rox, it was nothing but a bunch of people over eating, a dietitian's nightmare! We were celebrating our last "dating" anniversary, which is actually on Tuesday, but he TA's on those nights. We've been discussing investing in a new camera as our gift to each other, we'll see.

Other than that, just school and school for both of us.

Below is a picture of my bulletin board outside of my room.

Catch Up

2009-09-12T17:45:00.007-05:00

It has been a busy last few weeks! I started the new school year, officially as a 2nd grade teacher and I can say (at least so far) that I am enjoying it much better than kinder! The year has gone well so far, but its only been 4 days. Teachers started on August 17 for workshops and such. I spent a lot of time getting my room together and meeting all of my parents before the school year actually started.

Al and I just got back from a trip up to Schaumburg, my new favorite suburb. We made another trip to IKEA (love this place) and of course when you are in Schaumburg you have to go to Woodfield Mall... awesome, awesome mall! Al got a new Bears jersey.... and I got some things for my classroom (can you see where our priorities are?) haha

Last week was a pretty big football week for us. We got tickets from the Butera's to see the Bears' last pre-season game at Soldier Field and then we were back home in L-town for the first Purdue football game with my parents. We tailgated at the Purdue game and had a blast! Plus, both teams came out with a win!

Tailgating at the Purdue game.

Go Bears!

Below are a few of our engagement pictures that we took up here in Chicago in August. Hopefully we'll be sending out our "Save the Dates" sometime this fall!

Have a great weekend!

Mackinac Island

2009-08-15T20:05:00.006-05:00

We returned today from our short vacation to Mackinac Island, Michigan. We had a blast! We got up to Mackinaw City on Wednesday and stayed the night there. We took a drive over the bridge and had dinner in the U.P. It was neat going over the bridge, I haven't done that in a long time, but this time I was the driver- I don't think I could have done that the last time.

Thursday morning we got up and took a ferry over to the island. We walked around quite a bit, looked at all of the shops, grabbed some lunch, and then decided to take a narrated carriage ride over the island. This was really fun and quite educational I must say! I haven't taken a carriage ride there since I was 8 years old, I couldn't ride my bike around because I had a bright pink cast from my fingers to just short of my shoulder on my left arm. (For those of you who know my history this was the 2nd time I broke that arm.) After the carriage ride we were able to check into our hotel. We stayed at the Chippewa, super cute hotel with a great location right on Main St. We shopped around a bit more, grabbed some dinner, and then called it a night.

Friday was a little more of an adventurous day! We rented bikes and took a LONG ride all over the island. We went all the way to the top and checked out all of the sights around it such as Arch Rock, Sugar Loaf, and Skull Cave. We took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up going down a thin and muddy trail called Juniper, needless to say, my shoes weren't as white after this little detour. We made our way down to the other side of the island and then took a ride around it. As we got to the other side, we decided to go back up. We looked at some of the neat houses, enjoyed the view, and then went back down again and rode around the other side that we didn't do the time before. I guess you could say we were a little soar after our 12 or so mile ride. We turned the bikes back in, rested up a little, and then Al treated us to a nice dinner. We ended the night with some shopping and of course getting some famous Mackinac Island fudge to bring back home and enjoy!

We got up early this morning, caught the first ferry back to "the mainland", and took the 7 hour drive back to Chicago.

We had a great time and we can't wait to go back again. Below are some pictures from the trip. Also, at the bottom is a link to the complete photo album. I'm learning how to do so many things with this new computer.

Mackinac Bridge, this connects the "mitten" of Michigan to the Upper Peninsula (U.P.).

Posing for a picture!

Arch Rock, there are some pictures of this from below in the photo album.

The 3 horses that took us around on our carriage ride.

The view of Main Street from above.

http://gallery.me.com/jslucter/100023

We also got an e-mail today to view our engagement pictures!! Yay!!!! We really like them. I will post those as soon as we get the disc in the mail, probably Wednesday or Thursday. I start my teacher work again on Monday. I can' t believe summer is over and I am beginning my 2nd year of teaching, boy how time flies!

2009-08-11T13:35:00.003-05:00

I don't think I've spent this much time checking blogger and facebook in a long time! I'm beginning to get really bored! Thank goodness Alex and I leave tomorrow for a little vaca time. He is going to a Phish show tonight with LBC, Hank, and Brad. But, then we'll be up bright and early to begin our long drive to the UP.

I spent a good majority of the day yesterday buying things for my classroom. Last year everything was just super fast and I didn't have a lot of time to think about how I wanted to do things, so this year with a little experience and preparation time I've had time to think. I'm going to do a frog theme this year. I bought these cute name tags (for their desks) at the Dollar Tree and they have frogs on them, so that was my inspiration to go with a frog decor in my room. I got online to Carson and Dellosa and bought lots of frog things like the cut outs, "Hoppy Birthday" poster set, decorations, etc. I also went to the teacher store up here and bought a cursive alphabet (ohhh, awwww!) and a word families set.

As far as Alex goes, today was his last day of his externship. He's been working quite diligently on a paper for it for the last 3 weeks or so, I think he has one more round of editing and then it should be finished. He'll have a few days of a relaxing summer break and then its back to school.

Good luck to all of my Indiana teacher friends who start this week!

New Look

2009-08-08T14:02:00.003-05:00

I was inspired by Rox to give our blog an updated look. WOW! Soooo many options, super fun, and totally addicting. Who knew? I hope to update it some more next week when we get our engagement pictures back, plus I like playing around on the new computer.

So, yesterday I declared my residency in Illinois... yep, I went and got my driver's license and new plates. I went last week and got the book so I could be a little prepared for the written test. It was pretty easy, but I am definitely glad that I studied a little. I'm a little sad that I will no longer have my Purdue plate though. :(

Alex and LBC just took off for an afternoon/ evening at LollaPalooza (the annual music fest here in Chicago). Crazy hot day for it today and tomorrow! Yikes! Its in the 90's and ridiculously humid! That kind of humidity when you walk outside it hits you in the face and just about takes your breathe away. My fellow L-towners know how that goes. Good ole' midwest weather, it doesn't get any better.

On the upside, we leave for Mackinac in just a few days! I can't wait. I've been looking at the weather and although its a little early to tell probably, they are calling for mid 70's and sun! Yay!

I'm thinking about running to Office Depot and buying an office chair, since right now I've been stealing Al's to sit at my desk. Just the beginning of a lifetime of sharing and compromises. :) I also need to get started on some planning and things for the upcoming school year. I've been enjoying my vacation, but I think I'll be glad to go back. I get a little stir crazy.

Enjoy your weekend!

Lots to blog about!

2009-08-06T14:15:00.006-05:00

So, it has been forever since my last post and I feel like a lot has been going on since then.

During July I taught 2 weeks of summer school to 2nd graders, which was great since this is the age group I will be teaching all of next year. I'm super excited about this! I student taught in 3rd grade (which was awesome), so I think 2nd grade will be a better fit.

We've had lots of visitors up here, which is awesome and always welcome!

The Schlueter's came up here for a few days. We went to a Cubs game and then saw some sights around the city.

Brandy and Kelsi came up here to go to the Rascal Flatts show at Wrigley Field (1st country concert at Wrigley!) We had a blast.

The day after the concert I left for vacation with my parents and grandma. We went down to New Orleans, LA and Gulf Shores, AL. It was super fun going to somewhere new. We went on a bus tour of New Orleans that showed us the 9th Ward and different parts of the city. Gulf Shores was great, and it was nice to take a couple of days and just hang on the beach. I can't wait to go back down there!

Alex and I took our engagement picts around the city on Monday. We took them around the Field Museum, Navy Pier, and the beach. Our photographers were awesome and super friendly! We had a great time and they should be ready in 7-10 days.

I took the plunge yesterday and bought a Mac. (So this is my first blog on my new comp.) I love it so far, and I got a free iPod touch with it (awesome!) The iPod was a huge upgrade for me since my old one was about 4 years old, black and white, no album art, etc. Alex basically made me feel like I was living in the dark ages with it. haha

Next week, Al and I are heading up to Mackinac Island, MI for a few days. Super excited about this. After that.... summer is over and its back to work/ school for both of us! =(

Here are some picts of the last few weeks....

Alex, Jamie, Danielle, and I at the Cubs game.

Me, Brandy, Kelsi, and Alex and Rascal Flatts.

Cathedral in New Orleans.

Dad and I on the bus tour.

Look closely at the yellow/ brown lines on the house. Those are watermarks from where the water was standing after Hurricane Katrina. Water was standing in many of these houses for 3 weeks.

This is one of the "Brad Pitt houses". He is building houses in the 9th Ward, our tour guided said they generally cost around $250,000 and they are eco-friendly.

Bourbon Street

4th of July weekend

2009-07-03T17:56:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th everyone... even though its the 3rd! So I am officially no longer a first year teacher, hoorah!! All of the kids got out on Tuesday and the teachers had their last day on Thursday... I know its July and we are just now done with school, gotta love it!

However, I will be making a move to 2nd grade next year, so I am pretty excited about that. Second and third are definitely my preferences, kindergarten was a little bit out of my comfort zone.

I start teaching summer school on Monday to 2nd graders as well, it will be nice to have a few weeks to get used to that age group, since I am so used to the real little ones.

Mom and Dad are coming up here for the weekend. Not to sure what all of our plans will be, but we are thinking about hitting up the Taste and seeing Booker T perform. It should be fun... crowded, but fun! Tonight are the fireworks down there, and they are expecting about a million people! Noooooo thanks, I think I'll pass on that one!

I guess that's about all for now.... I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend!!

My Best Friend's Wedding

2009-06-21T18:29:00.011-05:00

Alex and I just got back to Chicago after a busy weekend full of memories! The day finally came after a 2 year wait for Brandy to become Mrs. Withers!

Here are some pictures from the day...

The beautiful bride!

Maid of honor (MOH) and the Bride

Mother of the bride, Bride, and MOH

Sister of the bride and the little ring bearer, who was pulled down the aisle in a wagon!

Sooo... cute!!

The new Mr. and Mrs.

Cruising in the limo

Awesome cake!

Our day will be soon enough.... :)

Brandy had her eye on who was to catch the bouquet... mission accomplished!

Garter toss

Brandy dancing with her dad... too precious!!

The happy couple.

Brandy and Kyle, I had a blast! Thanks so much for asking me to be a part of your special day! Love you guys and have an awesome time on your honeymoon!

Graduations Galore!

2009-06-01T18:07:00.009-05:00

Well, its the beginning of summer so of course that means graduations! This year Alex and I both have cousins who were graduating from high school- so we had to be there!

His cousin Olivia graduated Saturday from Delphi and my cousin Jennifer graduated Sunday from New Prairie (LaPorte). I wasn't able to attend Olivia's because of all of the events surrounding Jennifer's graduation. But, Alex was there and then he made the trip up to Northern Indiana for Jen's festivities! We had a blast!

Jen's party was pretty bumping, lots of family, all in all- a great time! Here are some picts for the family to check out...

Alex and I waiting for the ceremony to begin...

Jen walking in, at NP they get to decorate their hats for where they are going to school! I wish we could've done that at McC, but of course about 80% would look just like her's... Go Boilers!

Yay!!!

Me and the grad!

Grams, Al, me, and Mom after the graduation.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summers! I still have 3 weeks left with my kiddos... it'll go by fast I'm sure, then I will no longer be a first year teacher. Definitely a title I can live without! A little less than 3 weeks until Brandy and Kyle's wedding-- yeah can't wait!! We've got the bachelorette party this weekend and it should be super fun!

Happy June!

Joel McHale Show

2009-05-03T15:46:00.004-05:00

The show was a blast last night! We got to the casino fairly early so we gambled a little. I basically broke even, but we bought a few beverages, so that put us a little behind... darn slot machines! As we were hanging around the casino we heard some guys talking about a Bears player that was there, Hunter Hillenmeyer. So we walked by and saw him playing Craps- Alex was excited!

We then wondered up to The Venue. It was actually a pretty nice venue. It just opened last summer, so still in nice shape. There was an opening comic Chris... something, he was on The Last Comic Standing. He was actually really funny! Then Joel came on and he did his skit for about 90 min. it was cool. Lots of jokes about the Kardashians, Tyra Banks, and of course his nemesis... Ryan Seacrest! haha They had made an announcement that if you buy a t-shirt you get to do a meet and greet with him, so we bought a t-shirt and waited in line for like 2 hours (ahhh!), and we got to meet him. He signed my shirt and we took a picture with him. All and all a good time. For all you Soup watchers out there I got the shirt that says "Its a Felony!" and he signed it "Its Miley!" haha

But, here are some pics from the evening:

2009-05-01T18:40:00.002-05:00

So, it has been awhile since our last post! I'm not really sure where the time has gone.... April has been a pretty busy month for me. Started off with my Spring Break and my birthday, woo hoo 23! haha Then Easter, parent teacher conferences, Jake and Rox visiting, Brandy's bridal shower, and then it was May! 7 more weeks of school I can hardly contain my excitement! I honestly didn't know in September if I was going to make it this far... just a few more weeks. But then, I have signed up to teach 2 weeks of summer school. I am splitting the time with another kindergarten teacher. I was having an internal battle with myself over this b/c my summer is short as it is, but its good dinero for 2 weeks of work and only 4 hours each day. Especially since we will be having a lot of purchases for the "big day" next summer, I figure I need all the $$ I can get!

Finals are beginning for Alex- so he has been hitting the books! Today he went to his first Cubs game of the season w/ LBC. As they were waiting for the other guy they were going to the game with they were hanging outside of Murphy's the bar right by our apt. And all of a sudden this camera crew walks by and it was Denise Richard's filming her reality show "Denise Richards colon Its Complicated". They had to sign waivers b/c they will probably be on the show when it comes out. So make sure you all DVR her show and look for Al. He is the one w/ the look on his face like, "Who in the world is this lady and why are these people following her w/ cameras?" haha

Tomorrow we are heading to the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, IN to see Joel McHale's comedy show. He is the guy that hosts E's The Soup. We love that show and watch it every week, so we are really looking forward to it!

Hope everyone is doing well!

March Madness

2009-03-21T14:50:00.002-05:00

My parents just came up today for a short little visit. We drove down to my school, and amazingly enough we were able to get in! So they got to see my classroom and check out where I spend most of my time. haha We then came back up to our place and took the train downtown to lunch at Webber Grill and then we walked around Michigan Ave. It was a nice visit, and I am looking forward to going home in 2 weeks!!

Alex and I are getting ready to head out and go to Durkin's, which is a Purdue bar up here. We have been there once before with the Standefords to watch a Purdue football game. It's kind of a neat thing. All of the Big 10 schools have bars up here that are all decked out in that school's stuff, and its where alumni and fans go to watch the games.

Hopefully it will be a good time, but it would be a lot more fun if some of our Purdue friends from home were with us! =(

Hope everyone is enjoying this weather we have been having lately and happy spring!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-14T19:10:00.011-05:00

Growing up in Lafayette you never realize how big of a deal St. Patrick's Day is to people! WOW!! Up here everyone is all about St. Patrick's Day!!

We met up with my Uncle Jerry, Aunt Nancy, and cousin Jennifer for part of the day because they were in town to see the celebrations. The day starts off with turning the river green, there's a parade, and a huge drunken fest! It reminded us of Breakfast Club in a way. Because we live in bar central basically, there are a ton of people around here today enjoying the festivities.... needless to say, parking is not the best right now!

So, after we found Jer, Nancy, and Jen we headed down to Nordstroms to do a little prom dress shopping for Jennifer. It was fun to look at all of the dresses, I haven't done that in a few years! We then proceeded to lunch. We went to a place called Ed Debevic's. It is an old fashioned hamburger place, but it has the theme like a Dick's Last Resort, where the waiters are all rude and super funny! It was fun! They gave us paper hats, but they didn't write on them like they do at Dick's. Then about every 1/2 hour or so the waiters get up on the counter and do a dance, but they really can't dance so they are just up there looking ridiculous! It was a good time and we got a kick out of it. The only disappointment was that they didn't have green beer! So.... we settled for regular old Bud Light in the yellow/brown color it always is.

Alex posing in front of the newly green river.

Quick trivia fact: the dye they put in the river is actually orange, but somehow when mixed with the wonderful Chicago water it turns a bright green.

Crossing the river on Michigan Ave.

Alex and I at the restaurant with our hats on. We are also sporting the green beads we caught from people throwing them out of the trollies and busses downtown.

Jen, Jer, and Nancy with their hats on too. Jen also caught some beads!

The waiters getting their groove on...

My parents are supposed to be making their way up here tomorrow morning for the day. They both caught my cold from last weekend, so hopefully that doesn't keep them in L-town. I'm sure we will go back downtown and drive to my school to see the construction progress because it has been a while since they have seen it.

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday! Don't forget to wear green on Tuesday!

Go Boilers!!

Home for a visit

2009-03-06T13:13:00.003-06:00

I came back to L-town last night for a much needed long weekend. Alex is in Virginia this weekend with some friends for 3 nights of Phish concerts. Needless to say, he was really looking forward to it! I've spent the day relaxing, sleeping in, going to Wal-Mart (another one of those simple things I can't do in Chicago), and playing around on the internet trying to make invitations for Brandy's upcoming bridal shower, plus I'm getting ready to leave soon to get my haircut from my pal Judie, she does a great job!
This week has been super, super, super nice in the weather department! I didn't even have to wear a coat this morning, it was great! With all of this nice weather I desperately need to get my car washed, but I think its going to rain, which would make my efforts a total waste.
Big plans for tomorrow are getting together with Brandy to do some planning for her bridal shower and probably dinner.
Happy Friday!

"Respect the ABC's"

2009-02-17T19:27:00.003-06:00

After a lot of googling and e-mailing, I found a photographer. The couple we are going with was actually a recommendation from the original photographers we were wanting. So it worked out ok! So check that one off of the list, now only about 150 other things to take care of. I feel like I've gotten some of the bigger things done though!

We were in L-town over Valentine's Day weekend, which was nice. We double dated with my parents for V-day dinner, went to the mall, and rented a movie. Generally simple things, except when you live in a big city! So it was nice to take it easy. I ended up getting super sick over the weekend, and actually got a sinus infection per the Dr. at Arnett. Yeah.... bummer! I'm still not feeling a 100%. I tell you being around 30 5-6 year olds and another 550 kids on a daily basis really puts a toll on you! I feel like I'm sick about once/ month. Plus I'm exhausted all the time!

Its Tuesday night, which means Alex is busy away being TA. I think he is enjoying it. Its a different experience for him. A few weeks ago (I think it was only his 2nd week of being a TA) he got home fairly late ~9:30 and of course I was already in bed. He came in and woke me up to say "A teacher's job is never done". Of course I chuckled because that may be the biggest understatement I have heard in awhile. At least he is getting a little taste of it.

My school is having a talent show this Friday. Two of my students tried out. One is playing the violin with another kindergartner (cutest thing ever!) and the other... brace yourself for this.... he rapped, yes rapped the ABC's! OMG what a riot! Unfortunately only my violin played made it to the final round to the network wide talent show. My little rapper got stage fright during the 2nd round and didn't really complete his act. Although, it was still adorable! Make note, that this is an original that he rapped and at the end he goes "Respect the ABC's" hahahaha I almost died when I heard this! I'll be going Friday though to cheer on my violin player- wish us luck!

In need of a photographer

2009-01-29T18:09:00.002-06:00

So, the wheels are officially rolling on the wedding planning now. My parents booked our reception spot, so we are locked in . When my dad e-mailed me to tell me he had put a deposit down, he put a special message to Alex in there, basically saying- tell Al its too late, he has to marry you now! Nothing like fatherly love... haha! Now I am in the crisis of finding a photographer! The people I had originally wanted (Monahan) are booked ALREADY on our day! Ahhh.... I was super upset!! Now I have been frantically googling and e-mailing because its making me panic now. Honestly, the pictures are one of the most important parts to me because the memories and pictures are all you really have after that day. I've e-mailed about 5 different photographers, everyone is just sooooo pricey!! Cross your fingers for us.

Other than that, nothing new is really going on. Alex is back in school and the same ole' grind for me everyday.... some days, actually most, I wonder how I am doing it. But, I am still pushing through... trying to survive! It is rewarding some days!

Hope all is well with everyone out there. Let us know of any updates with all of you!

Until next time...

Cold Blows the Wind

2009-01-15T09:52:00.003-06:00

Woke up this morning, to -25 degree windchill and it is -9 at this moment. High -1. What better way to welcome in these cold temperatures...a good shave. I know most of you had seen this monster growing, but I kind of feel sad that it is gone. Kind of like those movie and TV scenes where it becomes blurry and white around the edges, music, and highlights of the time we spent together. 12 hour bar crawl, rubbing it in OT for luck, stroking it for inspiration during my finals. Oh the memories. Anyways, it is gone and I look somewhat normal again (if 5 years younger is normal). Not a whole lot going on in Chicago (probably why I am blogging). I had a pretty good semester, but there is always that one grade that you feel that you should have done a little bit better on. Still enrolled and pushing on through. Halfway mark. I have done absolutely nothing since Jackie and I came back to Chicago. Bought some books, had a meeting at school, and have been consumed in one video game. Somewhat ready to get back to the grind of reading all day. On second thought. Last weekend came home and played some poker at Brandy and Kyle's house. Great party and time but the poker did not go so well. Did not really expect much though. Jay is coming up this weekend for an interview. Sounds like he is doing Top Chef. He gets there and is told to make something. Probably pretty intense. Jackie, Allison, LBC, and I are going to see Gene Ween solo at a tiny bar on 1/31 (not that anyone really knows who that is). Should be sweet. Have some beverages and just hang out. There is only 1.5 months until LBC, Brad, Wes, and I go to Virginia for Phish. Going to be here before we know it. That's about all going on with me. Hope everyone is well.

Cheers.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2008-12-14T18:00:00.010-06:00

Well it is already mid-December, can you believe it? Things are as usual very busy, and I can't believe how fast time has gone by.

Alex and I have done a few festive things this holiday season. A few weeks ago we went with two of my friends from the school I teach at to the Festival of Lights downtown. On the way there we rode the train and had a pleasant surprise because we got to ride the Holiday Train! It was awesome! It totally puts you in a better mood. It is all decked out in holiday decor, Santa is on the train, they play Christmas music, AND

you get a candy cane! Best "L" ride ever! haha

This is a picture of Katie (my friend from Purdue and UNO) at the festival of lights.

When we were home last for Thanksgiving I got to spend some quality time with my BFF Brandy! Yay! Our moms, her sister Sara, my grandma, and the 2 of us went down to Edinburgh for our 2nd annual shopping trip. We had a blast and spent a lot of $$ (I bought a lot for myself, but I got Alex a few nice things as well).

Last weekend I went with friends from school to the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights. It was fun to walk around the zoo see it all lit up. Unfortunately, I also started to not feel so well that weekend and came down with strep throat. I'm feeling a lot better now, still coughing a little, but nothing like it was! It was one of the worst soar throats I have ever had! I had to go see the doctor for the first time up here and he put me on some antibiotics that are doing their job nicely.

Alex is in the middle of his finals schedule. I think they are going alright for him, he hasn't said too much otherwise. However, he has started a little superstition for himself and his beloved Bears. He is growing out a beard (I'm not sure yet how I feel about this) in support of the Bears and their QB and Purdue Alum Kyle Orton "KO". He says he is not shaving it unless they lose because if they lose they ruin their chances of making it to the playoffs. KO has a beard so Alex says he is sending him "neck beard vibes". Yeah... I'm not so sure about this either. I believe though during the game Thursday when they went into OT, Alex was rubbing his beard the

whole time for good luck. I guess it paid off that time. But anyways... here is a picture for your enjoyment!

We're coming home on Saturday after a detour through LaPorte. I hope everyone is enjoying their December!

The past few and the next few

2008-11-08T16:54:00.004-06:00

It has been awhile since I have made a post, I'm kind of bad at remembering to do this. Things are going well, just always extremely busy!

School is going well for both Alex and I. I'm better adjusted to my new lifestyle (up at 5 and working 12 hour days). I never thought I would say this, but I miss college sometimes. It was nice sleeping in and seeing my friends on a daily basis.

Like I said, school is going pretty good. We took all 3 kindergarten classes on a field trip this past Monday to a pumpkin patch in the suburbs, it was a lot of fun! The weather was awesome and we all had a blast. It was interesting seeing their personalities outside of school and watching them run and play on real playgrounds! We also held a mock election at the school and the students had to come in on Tuesday to vote. We didn't have school this day because it was a teacher professional development day. Well... my class had the biggest turn out of all the k-4 classes and we won a pizza party that was held yesterday! It was pretty exciting to see that kindergartners were so enthused about voting. I voted not so bright, but definitely early on Tuesday morning. I was in line at 5:45 (ahhh!), but luckily I was 4th in line and in and out quickly.

It was pretty neat knowing that all of the activities were happening so close to us Tuesday night, a lot of teachers at my school went down to watch. The city is obviously extremely excited about the results.

Alex is done with his negotiations team. He was in St. Louis last weekend for a competition, but unfortunately they did not advance. Now he is getting ready to start his crazy finals study schedule (I don't know how he does it!). He only has about 3 weeks left of the semester and then finals begin.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and we are excited to go home for a few days, it will also be nice to be off for a few days as well. I have lots to do while I am there, but I am hoping to make it down to Edinburgh to do some shopping like last year. We had a blast- hopefully the rest of crazy people that did it with me last year will be up for it again! haha

The weather is getting much cooler and the sun sets at 4:45 each afternoon, but at least its light in the morning when I leave for school. Winter is definitely on its way, but that's okay- it means Christmas and time off to spend at home with my family and friends.

I hope everyone is doing well out there, keep me updated! Incase I forget to post in the next few weeks, Happy Thanksgiving!

Grandma's 90th

2008-10-11T19:40:00.005-05:00

Here are the pictures from our first actual WHOLE family gathering. It was a great time, and I am glad that we were all able to be in one spot to celebrate with Grandma!

Grandma and her 5 children

(behind them is the slideshow my uncle made of pictures over the past 90 years)

All of the grandchildren

The whole family

Grandma and the girls

Yay for pictures!

2008-10-11T19:00:00.012-05:00

Here are some pictures of the past few months. Everything I have talked about, just the image that goes along with it.

Lollapalooza...

Taking a break from the heat.

Duffy

Lots and lots of people!

Front row... Dierks Bentley!

The skyline

Mackinac Island

Mackinac Bridge

The main drag
Arch Rock
Mom, Dad, and I

Arch Rock from below

Overlooking the main area

My classroom

It looks a little different now, but you get the idea

My First Actual Blog...

2008-10-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

We will see how this goes. Jackie and I have been pretty busy over the last couple of months. She is doing extremely well teaching, even though it is a little taxing. The classroom part of it is great, but all the surrounding circumstances seem to cause the headaches. I have just been trucking through school and branching out a little more with extra curricular activities. I am on the Negotiation Team, which is kind of like a debate team on some levels (go ahead and make your jokes), but I actually find it interesting. Wanting to go into transactional law, I feel that negotiations are going to be something I do a considerable amount of the time. Plus, we go to St. Louis and then possibly Boston. I am starting a Corporate and Securities Law Journal at the school (currently working through the steps), and I am starting to make some important contacts with the faculty at the school. Law school and being a lawyer is all about who you know, which I guess that pretty much goes for most everything in life. Cubs blew it... Can't win the World Series when you don't act like you want to be in the playoffs. Oh well, what can you do. On the brighter side... the Bears are starting to look really solid. I used to doubt KO (all from the Wisconsin fumble), but when he has won 14/19 starts, I cannot complain. Bears should be 5-0, but the Packers suck and Bears are first in the division. Hope everyone is well and I will try to do this more often. Kind of enjoyed it....

October???

2008-10-01T19:01:00.001-05:00

Man, oh man! The last few months have just FLOWN by, I can't believe its October already. School is CRAZY!! Being a kindergarten teacher is even CRAZIER! Things are coming along slowly, but surely. I'm trying to take everything a day at a time... baby steps, right? My kids are actually pretty good (all 29 of them, soon to be 3o) , no real trouble makers- I'm lucky in that aspect. The days are going faster now, but I still have soooo much work to do. No time for free time, it took me 3 days to watch a full episode of Grey's, and all of you out there know that I need my weekly dose of Grey's and McDreamy.

Thanks to Allison I'm really into Gossip Girl now, you should check it out- kind of a good show. I just wish I had time to catch up on it.

Plans for the weekend- hopefully not too much!! I just need a day to me, I'm really hoping to make it to the GAP or H&M. Al's mom is in town for the next few days, so I believe we're hanging with her on Saturday.

Right now the Cubs are playing their first playoff game next door, I think Wrigleyville is about to get a little crazy- too bad I don't have time to take part in any festivities- like even watching the game!

I hope everyone is doing well! Congratulations to the Standeford's on their recent purchase of a car!! I'm excited for you guys!

We'll be back the weekend of the 18th for the Cowden Family Annual Fall Party. Until then....

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2008-09-11T18:09:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since I have last posted... sorry! Things are pretty crazy for me right now. This was my last week of "Summer Institute" aka training, but we had to meet with all of our students' parents, so it was less training and more busy, busy, busy! Tomorrow is our Grand Opening, hopefully it goes well and even more, hopefully they will let us into our rooms so we can start decorating!! Yay! Brandy (my BFF) is driving up here super super early Saturday to help me out with my room, which I really appreciate, especially since Alex probably won't know too much about how to decorate a kindergarten classroom. School starts on Monday, I'm pretty nervous, but I'm feeling ready. I'm tired of planning and waiting; I'm ready to get in there and do the real thing.... teach! Well, I'm exhausted and I still have lots to do! Wish me luck on my first day (hopefully you will all think of me around 8:00 am central time).

Sorry no picts yet... still need to do something about that, oh well just add it to my list!

Weekend Haps

2008-08-16T19:05:00.000-05:00

Today my parents came up here to visit us, which was nice. They checked out the apartment and then we took a drive to see my school, which is still under construction. The school is super big, but there is still quite a bit of work left. The front (which I believe will be the cafeteria and gym) is not even close to completion, but the back of it (mainly classrooms) is looking pretty good! I'm excited to get in and see everything, and of course get to work on my room!

After seeing my school we came back up to our neighborhood and went to lunch on a place on Clark, right by Wrigley. It was a neat place with a nice patio, so we sat outside. It was about mid-afternoon when Mom and Dad left.

I sat down and watched one of my all time favorite movies Father of the Bride and took a little nap. Alex and I then decided we were tired of sitting around and went on a walk to see more of our area. We walked down to the lake, which is nice, but we were a little disappointed that there isn't a beach. We will just have to go up to the Montrose Beach which is close to the apartment he lived in last year. (I think we may do this tomorrow.) After the lake we took a walk down to Belmont and got a few Jamba Juices, this is our new favorite place and proceeded to walk home.

Monday I start my week of training, and then I have the following week off! I'm very excited for this because I finally get to go on a little vacation. I'm heading up to Mackinac Island, Michigan with my parents Saturday for a few days. It is a really neat place and if you have never been there I definitely recommend it! It is a cute island in the U.P. where no cars are allowed and everyone rides their bikes or takes horse drawn carts around. There are neat places to shop and the best fudge in the world! I haven't been there since junior high or early high school, so I am looking forward to going back.

Alex starts school on Wednesday and I think he is less than thrilled to return. He has a few hundred pages to read between now and then, so hopefully he will get the motivation needed to do this.

Sorry I have no pictures up yet, we can't seem to figure out how to get my camera to work on Alex's Mac or on Vista. We have Lucas (the Mac Genius) on the job, so hopefully we'll get something worked out soon.

Our First Blog

2008-08-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

Well, with much influence from our friends we have decided to create a blog to keep our family and friends updated on our lives in the big city.

Here is a little history lesson for everyone.

We have dated for many years (since high school) and just became engaged in April. Alex is a law school student at The John Marshall Law School here in Chicago. Next week he will begin his second year of law school. He graduated from Purdue in 2007 with a degree in management and because of his background in business he is wanting to pursue corporate law. His expected graduation date will be the spring of 2010.

Jackie is getting ready to begin her first year of teaching kindergarten after graduating from Purdue in 2008 in Elementary Education. She is teaching at Archer Heights on the southwest side of Chicago in a brand new double elementary and high school learning complex. School for Jackie starts on September 15 because the cafeteria and gymnasium are not completed. She will have to complete three weeks of training before the grand opening of her new school on September 12. Good Luck, Jackie!!!!!!

That is all for now. Sorry we don't have any pictures to put up yet, but the camera won't work on a Mac. Add us to your favorites and check up on us every once in awhile!!