Brewers vs. Reds

John and I met his dad and sister Natalie in Milwaukee for the Brewers vs. Reds game on July 7th.  We had a great time tailgating and watching the game.  I was especially excited to see Devin Harris throw out the first pitch.  The Brewers pulled off an exciting 5-4 win to top it all off.  Great night!

Me, Natalie, and John (my husband was way ahead of us so missed out on the picture) in front of Miller Park.

Devin Harris throwing out the first pitch.

Play ball!

Job search update...again

Well, I'm still looking for a job.  I ended up turning down the offer from Take Care Clinic...I just didn't feel comfortable with the location or the hours.  Two weeks ago I had three interviews...one phone interview which led to an in-person interview last Monday, and two in-person interviews.

The first in-person interview was at the University of Chicago Hospital.  It was interesting.  Every single person I talked to told me that the doctor was "challenging" to work with.  Hmm.  They also told me that it's a very specialized area of medicine.  Hmm again.  I'm a family nurse practitioner...I don't really want to be super-specialized!  But, I'm going back tomorrow to meet with the current nurse practitioner (she's leaving at the end of the month).  We'll see.

The second in-person interview was at an independent physical medicine clinic.  Basically, I would be seeing patients with joint and back pain and giving them injections.  I'm not a fan of giving injections but feel that I could do it if properly trained (which they assured me of).  The clinic itself seemed very cool...very holistic and definitely a team atmosphere.  I haven't heard back from them yet though.

The phone interview that turned into an in-person interview last Monday was at the Wellness Center at Loyola University.  I loved it!  I really think that I would enjoy working in college health.  I just love the feel of college campuses and love working with college students.  I met with an HR person, the director of the Wellness Center, the two NPs who work there now, a group of about seven other people who work at the Wellness Center (RNs, social workers, a doctor, etc.), as well as the assistant to the VP of Student Development.  It was a long (and hot) afternoon.  But, I think it went well.  I'll hear back about the job this week...cross your fingers for me!

Chicago: Likes and Dislikes

Now that we've lived in Chicago for almost a month, I have a few thoughts about what I like and dislike about this city:

Likes

• People watching - I love watching people...and there are SO many people to watch here.  This especially makes my runs/walks more entertaining.
• Diversity - This is by far the most diverse place I've ever lived.  So cool.
• Lake view - Having an apartment with a lake view is amazing.  I also like our apartment in general and absolutely love our location!
• Lakefront Trail/Riverwalk - How cool is it to have an 18-mile paved trail along Lake Michigan that's only 0.23 miles from your door?  Very, very cool!  So far, I've explored the Lakefront Trail about 2 miles north and 5 miles south of our apartment...and the Riverwalk for about a mile (then you have to go up steps to get to the main streets which defeats the purpose of using the trail).
• Free music/activities - There's something going on at Millennium/Grant Park for free ALL the time!  We saw a performance by Broadway in Chicago for FREE!  We also caught the end of a musical performance the other night...there were so many people there.  It's great!  I also need to do the yoga in the park some Saturday morning when I can force myself to get up early!
• People come visit us...randomly - Yup, that means we live in a place that people want to visit...haha. 
• Peapod - John and I don't particularly like grocery shopping...and we were kinda dreading having to do it in the city.  And then we discovered Peapod, where you order your groceries online and have them delivered directly to your kitchen.  So awesome!
• Seeing new things every day - There are all sorts of people and things in the city.  Thursday we discovered a new, not-yet-unveiled, gigantic statue of Marilyn Monroe.  Yesterday I saw a little dog with dreadlocks.
• The possibility of doing new things every day - This absolutely thrills me!
• Accessibility - So much of the city is accessible by walking, biking, or taking the bus/train.  I love it!
• Friendly people - People here are very friendly.  Every day that I walk/run on Lakefront Trail people actually say "hi" and smile.  Sure, I probably won't see them again...but it's still nice.
• Our neighborhood park - When we just want to chill, there's a little park behind our building that's much less busy than Millennium/Grant Park.  Love.
• Door men - We have the best door men in our building.  They're super friendly...and they're starting to know me.  I drop my keys off there when I run/walk so I don't have to worry about carrying them or having them bounce around on my shoes...it's great!
• Free fitness classes - Our building offers free fitness classes (and Zumba for a reduced rate).  So far I've tried the yoga and pilates classes and loved them both.
• Pedway - There's an underground pedestrian walkway all over downtown.  We can enter it about two blocks from our apartment and get all the way to the Macy's on State Street as well as the red and blue line stations.  This will be especially great in the winter!

Dislikes

• Driving - I'm not a fan of the traffic.  It's annoying.  I'm hoping to find a job that is located close to the train line/bus route so I don't have to drive...fingers crossed!
• Funky smells - Yup, I've noticed this in basically every big city I've been in...the whiffs of sewer or trash that pop up every once in a while.  Ick!
• White in the bathroom - Our bathrooms are entirely white...counters, sinks, floors...just not great for dark haired people!

I'd say the likes outweigh the dislikes!! :)

Towers of Midnight

I finished The Gathering Storm in record time...really!  I started Towers of Midnight (#13) awhile ago now...but then we went out of town for a Brewers game and my cousin's wedding and I haven't read it since before we left.  (My Sports Illustrated magazines finally got forwarded to the new address so I've been busy reading them.)  Towers of Midnight is great though...and I can't wait to pick it up again...probably tonight! :)  I admit, I am getting a little sad about the end of the series...so maybe I'm trying to postpone it a little bit.

My "books to read" list continues to grow though...so I will definitely have other things to read while I'm waiting for book fourteen!

How to Talk to Little Girls

A friend posted this article on Facebook the other day and it really got me thinking.  I mean, I'm guilty of the "You're so cute!" response when seeing/meeting a little girl.  I never really thought about that type of response in the larger context of our crazy world (Nearly half of all three- to six-year-old girls worry about being fat?  What?!?) but after reading this article, Lisa Bloom's point made complete sense to me.  I really want to read her book Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World.  And, from now on I'm going to try to engage girls in real conversation (well, at least those who can hold real conversations...I'll reserve the "Oh, you're so cute" comments for the ones who can't talk yet).

The Gathering Storm

I've had quite a bit of time to read since we moved...it's been great!  I finished Knife of Dreams and am halfway through The Gathering Storm (# 12).  The Gathering Storm was the first book that Brandon Sanderson finished/wrote.  The foreword brought tears to my eyes.  It was extremely evident that Sanderson absolutely adored this series and was honored by the opportunity to complete the story for the fans.  Sanderson said that he wouldn't change his writing style to match Robert Jordan's...but I honestly can't tell a huge difference.  I actually seem to be reading this book faster than some of the others...but maybe that's just because I have more time to read!  In any case, I love Brandon Sanderson's books and think he's doing a great job picking up where Robert Jordan left off.  Only one more book after this and then I'll have to wait with everyone else for Sanderson to finish up book fourteen!

Conor and Lisa visit

This is what happens when I tell the guys to get together for a pic.

John and Conor

Keith, John, and Conor

Me and Lisa

Conor and Lisa visited us on Friday.  They were (well, still are) in the area to visit Conor's family.  We went out to eat at Wildfire (delicious!) then met Keith out at the Kerryman, an Irish bar...and then went back to our apartment and had a few more beers.  I didn't get to bed until 3 AM!  It was a great time though...so fun to see and hang out with old (and newer) friends again.

John's 28th birthday

John's not really a big fan of making a big deal out of his birthday...so we were pretty laid back this year.  We went to the Taste of Chicago with our friend Keith, had a few beers at the apartment, and watched the Wednesday night fireworks from our living room.  It was a fun but laid back day...kind of like John.

I didn't go all out on a gift this year...just got him a new red polo shirt since he needed one and a sweet card to tell him how much I love him...and he seemed satisfied with that.  He's an easy guy to please.  I love him and can't wait to spend many, many more birthdays with him.

Taste of Chicago

John's sampler from Texas de Brazil. Yum!

My red beans and rice with fried plantains from Vee-Vee's African Restaurant.

Waiting to get in to the Broadway in Chicago concert

We ventured out to the Taste of Chicago twice...on Monday to see the Broadway in Chicago concert and again on Wednesday with Keith to celebrate John's 28th birthday.  We had wonderful food both times!  The Broadway in Chicago concert was awesome!  I was very impressed and now want to see all of the shows...oh boy.  We saw videos and heard songs from Come Fly Away, The Addams Family, Memphis, La Cage Aux Folles, Pinkalicious, Million Dollar Quartet, Mary Poppins, West Side Story, The All New Original Tribute to the Blues Brothers, and Beauty and the Beast...and, it was all free!  How great is that?

A lovely Sunday afternoon

Last Sunday I talked John into going to the park for awhile...it was so nice outside and I just needed to get out there!  We sat in our neighborhood park and read.  It was SO nice.  The weather was beautiful and there were lots of people out and about.  I just love people-watching!

Our new apartment...North Harbor Tower

We moved in to our new apartment on Wednesday, June 22nd.  It still sort of feels like we're on vacation here...just hanging out.  I'm sure that will change once we're both working.  We're definitely enjoying it for now though!

First picture taken from our apartment...our view from the living room windows.

Looking north towards Navy Pier

Our apartment from Navy Pier

 John's parents helped us move in to our new apartment (my parents helped us move out of the old one).  Thanks in huge part to them (especially his mom, Kathy) almost everything was organized by the time they left on Thursday!  I was very impressed and really thankful for all their help.  We celebrated by going out to dinner on Navy Pier on Wednesday evening...where we got to see the fireworks.  What a great "welcome to Chicago" moment!

The view looking south

The MetLife blimp flew by our window one day!  It was out for the Taste of Chicago.

Navy Pier's Saturday fireworks.  We can see about 75% of them from our living room window.

Our entry

The half bathroom

The kitchen

The office/living room

The full bathroom

Our bedroom

 

So, we're pretty much settled in!  We have a few more pictures to hang on the walls...if we can decide where to hang them...and we definitely need curtains for our bedroom.  (Oh, and our dining room table back from my parents!)  We have room for an air mattress on the living room floor...and the couch is really comfy! :)

The move

Lots and lots of boxes and moving supplies from UHaul

John after a long day of packing

The office was full of boxes!

The packed UHaul...we managed to get a few more small things in after this picture was taken!

Good-byes

Amy and Dr. Jain planned a good-bye dinner for John and me at Jupiter's the Friday before Dr. Jain left for Europe (and two Fridays before we moved).  It was so great to formally meet Dr. Jain's wife and daughters.  And, of course, it was fun to spend more time with Amy, Bob, Abby and Ryan too...my little buddies.

Dr. Jain had such nice things to say to me...how amazing it was that so many patients said they would miss me even though I've only seen most of them a time or two.  He made me realize how much I would miss Carle and the patients too...though hopefully I'll still be able to work some weekends there.

Of course, I loved seeing my buddies Abby and Ryan.  Abby wanted to know if I was going to baby-sit them again before I left...but I didn't get to.  They're such good kids...I hope Amy and Bob will bring them up to visit! :)

Lauren came over after her internship to help us finish up the end of the packing...and then we went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with John and my parents too.  She's such a great friend...I know we'll keep in touch over this longer distance...and after she moves to South Carolina after graduation as well!

I'm a little behind...

Oh man, I have so much to blog about!  I seemed to have fallen quite a bit behind with this big move of ours.  I will try to catch up in the next couple days!

Sports Illustrated

I love my weekly Sports Illustrated magazines...but last week's episode was especially interesting.  Here's what I learned:

1.  Lance Armstrong may not be completely clean...but he has made a difference in the lives of many people with cancer through his "Livestrong" campaign.
2.  Margo Dydek died after suffering a heart attack.  She was pregnant with her third child. So sad.
3.  I pronounce Dirk Nowitzki's name correctly.
4.  Jim Tressel is not such a good person...and his problems didn't start at Ohio State...interesting.
5.  Jason Kidd is still the man...and he finally got his NBA Championship last night.
6.  Candace Parker breastfed her daughter for 15 months...wow!
7.  Luis Salazar is an amazing guy.
8.  Phil Taylor continues to inspire me with his Point After columns...so great.