Girls Weekend 2015

Last weekend, I got the chance to go visit some really good friends from college. I went  on Wednesday morning to save some money and see some friends in the Atlanta area before we headed to Charlotte.

My friend, Marie, let me borrow her car while she was at work, so I headed to a local college campus to read in their bookstore/library. Sat there with tears streaming down my face in a semi-abandoned corner as students finished their finals and turned in their books. It was embarrassing but therapeutic at the same time to get really involved in a good story.

Shoutout to Marie who was with me for a couple days and catered to my gluten free whims even if it meant going back to the donut shop multiple days  ;)

We headed to Charlotte on Friday and got some good QT on the car ride there.

There were 9 of us who ended up living on the same hall in college and became really close. Anna couldn't make it this year, but that didn't stop everyone else from getting together to share some laughs and good conversations. We are all so different and this has become even more apparent after college, but we still love getting together! 

So glad we could get together for some good weather, shopping, pedicures, and so many laughs. It was great to see everyone in person and really get to catch up on how everyone is doing. Can't wait till I get to see them again ;)

Thoughts

The refugee family thinks we work for the agency that brought them over to America so it's tough sometimes when they expect us to do stuff for them. I don't think it's because they think they are entitled, I just don't think they realize that we are volunteering our time and money to help them out. It's all in perspective. I think if they ever did know how much time we spent with them or money we had given to them, they'd be blown away. Not because it's a lot, but because we're doing it of our own free will. I think it would help them feel loved, welcomed and accepted. I don't need the gratitude from them, but I would want them to know they are loved. 

But isn't that how it is with us humans? We don't realize how much God loves us or how flawed we are. We think that we are good enough on our own to earn our relationship with God.  If I just do everything right and love other people then God will love me more than others. We're unaware of the speeding bus barreling down behind us and don't realize that the person who pushed us out of the way saved us from impeding death. 

The closer I get to Jesus, the more I realize how much he saved me.  I could never, ever do it on my own. I am thankful that God didn't wait for me to have the right perspective about Him or how truly sinful I am in the presence of a perfect and holy God. 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

So we keep loving and teaching our family how to thrive here hoping for the day when we can have a real conversation in a shared language where they can know they are loved, welcomed, and accepted.

Girls Weekend

The third annual Girls weekend starts today! We're headed to North Carolina for all the fun. Can't wait to see these ladies and laugh for days. 

First Girls Weekend: Georgia

Second Girls Weekend: Chicago

Our Family

Working with a refugee family, who doesn't speak the same language as you, teaches you to get creative. There is a lot that can be communicated without words. We play games, take pictures, and dance. I'm hoping for the day when we can communicate in the same language but for now I'll take the moments of shared laughter as we struggle through this together.

Top 5 things I didn't blog about in 2014

All over social media the last few days, I've seen top things people did, created, blogged about, etc in 2014 and everyone's resolutions for this year. Haha Gotta love people who've got it all together. That is definitely not us. We snuck in a second move this year, I changed jobs twice, and have met a ton of great friends which has left us muy ocupado (aka every minute planned busy). For the most part, we love this lifestyle but sometimes it's nice to be on time to something, buy gifts before Christmas Eve (Sorry mom!), and relax once a while. So in celebration of the New Year, I've decided to take a look back on the things I didn't blog about because we were too busy.

1. Girls Weekend/Boys Weekend
I had a girl's weekend in June with 7 of my college friends that was a perfect mix of sightseeing and relaxing. We had perfect weather and good food. Poor Abby and Kindra were both pregnant and Chicago is full of so much walking #wewalkedsomuch #terriblefriends



That same weekend Adam went to Michigan with his dad and a few of their friends for an annual golf trip. They rocked the views of Lake Michigan, good food, and three days of golf like a bunch of champs.



Adam also went on his second annual trip with his buds where they visit a new baseball field every year. Minneapolis was the destination of choice this year with Target Field and the Mall of America being obvious activities during the weekend. Love that they do this!

2. I saw my family 5 times this year
Ladies and gentleman, a new record has been set for seeing my family in one calendar year since I left for college over 7 years ago (Yikes, was I really a freshman in college 7 years ago? SEVEN? oh boy!). From girls weekend to surprise parties, I had a blast seeing new nieces and nephews and family staples this year.



3. We had 23 visitors this summer in our small apartment with only one bathroom
We loved hosting friends (old and new) and family this summer to see our favorite city and hang out with us city folk. Cubs games, beach trips, and good, good food. So fun!

4. I got a new job
I started a new job at my church at the end of October and hit the ground running. I'm the only graphic designer for a multi-site church here in Chicago. We currently have 6 locations but are looking to multiply again this year. It's been really busy but also really encouraging and challenging (in the right ways) ... just a really good fit for me. Really happy that this opportunity opened up for me.

5. We bought our first place!
This happened so fast but we fell in love with a place close to the lake and our church. We talked to a realtor at church on Saturday, saw the place on Sunday, I had an all day interview with my church (my new job) and saw it again on Monday night. We then put in an offer on it. I got offered a job the next day and we heard that they accepted our offer. Wowzas. We then closed 10 days before Christmas and moved that weekend! Crazy- Crazy but we are loving the place. We've done a ton of projects the last few weeks along side each other and friends to get this place looking like us and are hoping to show it off soon ;) After 5 moves in 3 1/2 years, we are ready to settle down for a bit.

Girls Weekend

Tonight, some of my friends are coming into town and I am so excited! We are having a girls weekend in Chicago so I get to show off the city to some of the girls closest to my heart. We met each other freshman year and still managed to stay friends between boy dramas and switched majors. A lot of them ended up in the South (well there isn't much north of Chicago) but we still keep in touch. I cannot wait to see them, stuff our faces with so much good, Chicago food, and laugh so much my abs hurt.

We did this back in October. The group will be a little different than last time based on who can come but I can't wait.

Freshman year to Senior year

Abby and Kindra are coming this time

A box of dishes, a box of memories

My sweet friend, Britt, gave us a wedding present last time I saw her in April which was truly thoughtful. It was a box with two place settings- from place mats to napkin rings. The idea is that you only use it when you have a momentous occasion, whether a move, a new job, a baby, first time you don't go home for the holidays, and the list could go on and on. Then you write about it and put both place settings and the note back in the box so that next time you get them out, you can read any of your notes and relive all the memories. Being someone who likes to document life (blog, instagram, journal, pictures, saved mementos, etc), I love this idea of having a gift that travels with you throughout your life. Adam and I rarely sit down to eat and just focus on each other and our food, so really just to do that would be a momentous occasion but I like the idea of making it special and cherishing those moments together. We already used it once for our collective move and new jobs and have no idea what will be our next use but look forward to that day.

Our Weekend

Adam picked number #4. Thank you all who voted and helped us narrow the choices down.

This weekend, we spent a lot of time with friends. Hanging with people who get you is so good for the soul. We hung with our friends from the burbs on Friday, catching up between bites of pizza. Then we got to show them our place as we ate some ice cream on our cute deck. It was such a chill night.

Saturday, Adam and his dad reffed some games together in the burbs while I got to hang out with my mother-in-law and then my old boss, Mary, from Wheaton. It was so good to see Mary and catch up on life and talk about career stuff for me.

 Then we ate dinner with Adam's parents and grandparents and played some chinese checkers. It was really fun to hang out with them.

Sunday, we had some people over from church for the world cup USA game and some good food. These "family dinners" started about a month ago and the idea is that someone hosts and picks a theme. Ours was "Let's get Saucy" using the word saucy liberally for example hummus, or dressing on salad, etc. We had a total of 15 people so we really maxed out our place but had a lot of fun meeting people.

Weekend of Rest

So thankful for that extra day off this weekend. It made it so we were able to do a lot and still get our rest in.

thankful for some helps from the rents ;)

We had Adam's parents over on Friday night to grill out and just chill in our neighborhood. They helped us plant some shade loving plants in the front and get our community grill ready for the summer season. It was really nice to take advantage of the warmer weather and be outside more.

we hung out on this patio quite a few times this weekend. Loving the lights and our table

Saturday, Adam and I had a chill morning, sleeping in and getting some more flowers that can handle the shade. Adam then went golfing with his dad and I got to have a "dia de Dottie" by doing whatever I wanted. We had been running around crazy the last few weeks/months so it was so nice to just chill for a couple hours. Of course, I "planned" way too many things that I was going to get done while he was gone but I did get to read while being outside, plant those flowers we had bought in the morning and got some groceries for dinner and dessert for a church picnic the next day.

Pretend I took these pictures from the same angle but this was before I cleaned out the flower bed a couple weeks ago and then know after Adam's mom planted some plants and we got some flowers. Not too shabby!

Sunday, after church there was a church picnic that we went to by the lake. It was so nice to meet more people in an informal setting and eat some good food. Then I planted some inpatients in the front to finish it up and we had Adam's cousin's girlfriend over (his cousin was out of town) and her roommate. It was so nice to use the grill once again and get to know Valerie some more.

we found cute statement necklaces that happen to match, almost like grown up friendship necklaces but not as weird.

Monday, we finished it off with some more friend time. Adam went golfing (are we seeing a theme?) with some of his close friends in the area and I hung out with one of the girlfriends of the guys. Jenny and I decided that we want the guys to golf more often. We got a pedicure, went to lunch, and walked around the mall while they had fun sweating in the sun. Here's to hoping we have more weekends like this ;)

One wheel be skidding

Do you ever get that one cart in the whole grocery store that have the wheel that be wiggling? It be skidding all down the aisles as you try to hurry and grab the essentials of mayo, wet wipes and some asparagus. Lately, that has been my ability to form a complete thought when I am with strangers. Call it all the change we've gone through the last three years or my introvertedness coming out, but it's got to stop.

This move has felt challenging to have the restart button hit again for the third time in three years because frankly I'm sick of starting over. I need some stability. I need some good friends that I can see during the week and not have to travel out to the burbs or all over the USA to see. On the other hand,  I already have so many friends and siblings that I wish I got to see more or still lived near, it's hard for me to invest in someone else. It's hard to always have to small talk, as Nacho Libre would say,

Anywho, the other night I was out to coffee with the campus coordinator at our new church (that we love!) and was making a real fool of myself small talking. After all these moves and networking events, you'd think I'd be better at this but the stress of the day was getting to me. She was asking me normal questions but I couldn't even form a complete sentence.

"You grow up in a Christian family?"

(Everyone in my family is a Christian
 been going to church since I was a baby
 Some of my siblings are missionaries or small group leaders
 but I mean my family wasn't perfect
I miss my family
I wish I saw them more
#homesickness
I wonder how much that plane ticket would be if I tried to fly there soon?
Crap, I still haven't answered her)

"Yes… er… yeah… um… you?"

She be like:

Because.this.is.how.every.question.seemed.to.go! I just couldn't figure out what to say. I couldn't figure out a good answer that wasn't telling too much for a first meeting or was way too long! I'm sure she didn't notice this as much as I did, I mean I hope she didn't but seriously hoping I can be a normal person the next time I meet someone! Because all this stuttering and word stumbling has got to stop. I mean

Friend time

We had our first weekend visitors this weekend. Adam's good friend from college, Matt, and his fiancée, Meghann. Meghann's sister had previously lived in Chicago so she was a real pro but Matt had only been here once. So we did a little sight-seeing and a little chilling which made a really fun weekend.

On Saturday, the guys played a 9 hole round of golf. It only took 3 hours to play (3 hours!!!! That's bad for those of you who don't play golf, all the tee times were booked)

Meghann teaching Adam how to swing dance, we also play makeshift croquet with our golf clubs and the tee box boundaries

Lucky for us, the day was pretty nice and we played games between shots since there were so many people trying to play at this course (Busiest 9 hole course in the U.S.). 

Later we got some deep dish pizza (gf thin crust for me) and then walked around downtown to show off some of the sites. We were in Niketown when we saw this sign about some local high schools and found Adam's high school as number 30.

We had to show Matt that Portillos really does have a cake shake aka a piece of cake blended up with some ice cream. It's so good! (or so I remember…)

 We finished the weekend out with a perfect day for a cubs game. The cubbies even pulled out a win ;)

 Hope you had a good weekend!

Happy Birthday!

My dear, sweet friend Jennifer has a birthday today! I wish that I still worked with her everyday and saw her more! She took such good care of me when I lived alone in Indiana. Her and her husband helped trim bushes and even mowed my lawn a couple a times because all I owned was a push motor (aka one where you are the power-ouch!). She was a shoulder to cry on, a person to depend on and a true friend to hang out with. So thankful to have her in my life.

Love you, Jennifer. Hope you have a fantastic day!

We're staying busy this weekend with some friends coming into to town. Hopefully I'll be able to update next week ;)

Happy weekend!

Raising our hands for friendship

Guys, no one told me that at the hint of good weather, everyone comes out of the woodwork. (Notice, I said hint of good weather because I'm still bitter that it said it would maybe be in the 80's today and barely got out of the 50's). Between various things at work (a coworker's last day because he got a new job) and visiting friends (birthdays, Chitown visits, and Milwaukee visits), I have eaten out everyday since last Friday! This is a difficult task for someone who can't have gluten (I'm all in on cucumbers) and is making my wallet a little lighter. Nonetheless our last week has been fun.

We took all kinds of public transportation to get out to a place where Adam's dad could pick us up.  This was us waiting.

On Saturday, Adam, his dad, our friend Joe, and his dad all went golfing at Whistling Straits up in Wisconsin. It's a really nice PGA course that is usually an exorbitant amount of money but they went for a fraction of the price because it was the last weekend of winter pricing. Since the course is past Milwaukee, I caught a ride with them to see some friends. It was a relaxing day of shopping, eating, and catching up while the boys had fun on the course. It was a fun but tiring day.

The last week has been filled with so many boring meetings so I've been practicing my sketching so I can pay attention.

Our friends Jenny and Brogen invited us to the Cubs v White Sox game on Tuesday evening because they got some free tickets. Who can say no to free baseball and friendship? Not us… Also it was BOGO at Chipotle for Educators (I guess designers at an university count because I got me some chipotle and was not mad about it at all!)

never mad about free stuff

sad but we needed the blanket and it was still a little chilly

Whew, last night was someone's birthday happy hour downtown. I wanted to murder my apple map because it kept telling me I was going the opposite direction I actually going but I eventually got there and we had so much fun.  It was really great to see some friends and a new place.

Hopefully this weekend will be a little less crazy but still fun ;)

Friends Weekend

Last week, I got glutened… I started to get my symptoms back but they were really mild. I started checking everything I was eating and couldn't figure out the culprit until I saw my vitamins.

boo! I hate when I assume something is safe to eat and just totally forget to look. Oh well! At least I caught it now.

Chris, my old coworker, and his wife Ellen hanging out with Southpaw

We went to a White Sox game on Friday with an old coworker and his wife. It was really nice night and really fun time. Also the White Sox score a lot more than I remember the Cubs ever doing haha I love the cubbies but I will admit the Sox game was little more exciting. It was also funny to compare the Cubs crowd vs the Sox crowd since we had just been to a Cubbies game. The crowds are very different but still fun.

On Saturday, we headed down to Marion, Indiana (where I used to live) to visit friends and go to gender reveal party for Abby and Aaron. It was so good to see everyone. (silly me, didn't take a single photo ;/) but I got to see so many people that I love.

The Stray Dog. We went here back in September during our Vacation

It was a short visit as we headed back on Sunday but I'm glad we went. We stopped at our favorite Michigan restaurant (a stop a little out of the way) to finish watching the Master's and get my favorite nachos. Yummy!  A fun trip out of the way ;)

Happy Wednesday! 

Week Recap

I accidentally took a vacation from my blog this week. Whoops. Sorry to my 17 faithful readers. Here's a quick recap of this week.

We helped some of Adam's bachelor friends move in together over last weekend. 

Example A of this being a bachelor pad: They only have 4 spices, well 2 really. 2 cinnamons and 2 paprikas. (I later found 2 salts and 2 peppers keeping it with the theme)

Example B: After we moved stuff, the boys started to play P-I-G. They had to get really creative with their shots, hence the one under the desk and the one under the blanket. It was hilarious.

Example C: Later they played 2-on-2 INSIDE. This was also a big lol and really fun to watch

I feel bad for the neighbors below. Yikes.

Another thing I did this week, is go to the DMV. Lucky for me, I showed up to the busiest and largest DMV in Illinois during everyone's lunch. haha This is actually just half of the building that didn't have an empty seat anywhere. It was kind of funny. I knew once I got there that I wouldn't be able to make it through but decided to wait and make sure I had all my paperwork right so that when I did come back, we'd be good to go. I'm glad I did wait, because I was in fact in the wrong building. Haha I walked into the next building which was probably a fourth of the size and had 5 people in line. It was a twilight zone type of moment. Lucky for me, I got our car registered and made it back to work before our team meeting. boom!

We went to a Cubs vs Pirates game on Wednesday. It was a little chilly but it was really fun. We sat in the bleachers with the rowdier crowd, which went crazy when there was back to back cubbie homers. It was so fun!

We also texted Ryan (via his mom of course) to tell him we were watching his favorite team. He  (leighann) sent his reaction back. He is so cute!

Can you see the wind blowing my bangs back? haha lucky for us, it was a warmer day so it wasn't too bad despite the wind.

We're hitting up a Sox game tonight with some friends and then heading to Indiana for Saturday and Sunday to visit some friends. Hope to be back to blogging next week.

Happy Weekend!