delight in life

chicago!

Since the day I got hired, I have wanted to visit Chicago. I have no explanation for why I got hired 15 months ago and I only went to Chicago four days ago, but I'm so glad we finally made it.

We got there Friday night and flew out early Saturday, so we were really only there for one day, but we made it count! We spent the morning + afternoon at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was incredible. I took so many photos but they hardly come close to doing justice to the beauty of that place. And we were there at the end of September! I would love to go back in May or June and really see it in full bloom.

For dinner we ate at Giordano's. I'm going to be honest here: I've always thought the whole Chicago-pizza thing was a little weird. I mean, it's just pizza. Bread, tomatoes, cheese. What's the big deal? When they told us the wait at Giordano's was going to be 40-45 minutes I was ready to bail, but Chris really wanted to stay, so we did. I AM SO GLAD WE STAYED. Man. That was some seriously good pizza.

We finished off the night at Navy Pier, and of course we rode the Ferris wheel. And the whirlygig swing! It was so fun -- a perfect way to end a really, really good day.

We didn't even walk by Wrigley Field, so we of course have to go back. And Willis (formerly Sears) Tower! And the zoo! So much to do -- I am already planning our next trip!

travel book: inception

I am a packrat, so I keep everything. I am a hoarder, so I use nothing. The pile of saved boarding passes has been growing and growing and growing over the last year and I keep thinking, I should do something with those.

Now I've moved on to actually coming up with an idea. My first thoughts are a simple book with a boarding pass, a photo, and a postcard from each destination, bound with book rings. Maybe some short and sweet journaling. Or I might go back to my roots with a full-size scrapbook with a photo and a boarding pass on each page. So in three months I might have made a decision and actually made something of it. (My project follow-through is a bit lacking these days.)

weekend in oregon

My sister Cara and my best friend Molly both live in Oregon, about an hour apart. Last week Molly's friend Lindsey messaged me asking how I felt about flying to Oregon to surprise Molly. Obviously I thought that was a great idea and luckily I was already planning to visit Cara. So off we went.

Saturday morning, Cara had to work, so I went with her. She works at this excellent shop that sells handmade soap. I came home with lots of soap. After her shift was over, we hopped in the car and started driving to see Molly. We kept in touch with Lindsey, who'd taken Molly out shopping and was keeping us updated on their whereabouts, all around the mall, from Starbucks to Old Navy. Cara and I crept through Old Navy and finally caught up with them back in the kids' Halloween costumes section. When she saw us, Molly froze and just stared for about 30 seconds. It was so perfect.



We hugged a lot and then spent the rest of the day hanging out together. It was so fun to see Molly's hometown and to meet an old friend of hers. And it was so great to see Cara too. She only recently moved out there and I loved getting to see her apartment and her work.

Lindsey, thanks for arranging everything and it was so nice to meet you! Molly, surprise! Can't wait till you're here next week. Cara, thank you for sharing your apartment with me and for making me go out for donuts. And for teaching me your soap-cutting ways. :)

good weekend

I had such a good weekend. Visiting people I love: always always good. I'll come back to share more later!

baseball : a theory and an observation

Surprise, surprise: we went to a Rangers game last night! We sat on the second level for the first time, which allowed me to make an observation.

The observation: The people who sit in the second deck of The Ballpark at Arlington are far less enthusiastic than anyone else in the stadium. 

The theory, in three parts:

1. The tickets on the lower level are very expensive, so the people who buy them are clearly big baseball fans and are darn sure going to enjoy themselves. 
2. The tickets on the upper level are very inexpensive, so the people who buy them have lots of extra money to spend on beer, hence they are loud and rowdy.  
3. The people on the second level paid a moderately high amount of money for their tickets, and waiters are serving them, so they are confused and think they are at a dinner theater.

 

a very baseball weekend

The Rangers were playing the Yankees last weekend and we ended up going Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Baseball games are always fun, but they're even better when your team wins, and they're the BEST when your team wins three times against the team everyone loves to hate. 
 
Friday night's game approached epic length at 13 innings and 5+ hours. We stayed for the whole thing and I relished my role as Section 343's self-appointed cheerleader. The highlight of that job was when my friend Zack and I got the wave started. After a few false starts, it finally went around the packed ballpark 4 times, on all three levels of the stadium. I was so proud.


The next morning my hands were bruised from clapping, and my voice was reduced to only a squeaky whisper, but it was so worth it. 

On Sunday my neighbor was a slightly drunk old timer who high-fived me every time the Rangers scored and shook his booty when they played Flo Rida over the PA system. Seriously good times. 

We may go to one more game in a few weeks, but there's a good chance that was the end of baseball for us this year. Can't wait till next year when we'll be back in the NL East -- home of the Braves!

loud life

Recently my friend Lauren Veronie asked me to help her out with her new website. She's in the US Army Field Band, which spends a third of the year touring around the country. Lauren uses her blog to document all her travels, as well as her past and upcoming performances!

Lauren had lots of good ideas for the design and I really love what we came up with. This was a really fun project for me. Go check her blog out: http://www.laureneuph.com.

oh, anthro

Oh, Anthropologie. How are you so awesome? My birthday month discount card came yesterday. I pulled it out and thought, oh, cute! A real candle on the cupcake! Then I flipped it over and discovered it was A NECKLACE. I'm only sad it came after my birthday so I have to wait a whole year to wear it.

go army

The reason Chris wasn't in town for my birthday is that he was in Washington, DC, auditioning for a spot in The US Army Band. He plays the euphonium, and the military bands are nearly the only playing jobs for professional euphonium players in this country. And openings don't come around very often. And the competition is intense. So. I was a horrible nervous wreck all day Wednesday and Thursday, as he went through three rounds of auditions. 

But Thursday afternoon, I got the text: "You can stop dying. I won. Tell everyone." 

So I did. I sent "HE WON" to about 10 people in 30 seconds. Then I texted him back and said "you better not be messing with me because I already told everybody." Luckily, he wasn't messing with me, so I told more people.

I can't even tell you how excited we both are. Neither of us can quite believe it yet -- but him especially!

On Friday afternoon I flew up to join him in Maryland. We have good friends who live there -- also military band members -- and so we spent the weekend with them, celebrating Chris's new job and talking about what's ahead. 

I don't yet know exactly what this means for us in the very immediate future. (Not that that's stopped me from apartment shopping on craigslist!) But now I know where we will be in one year, in two years, in five years. That's something that's been sorely lacking in our lives for a while, and I am so relieved to have that question answered. 

More than anything, though, I am so proud of Chris. He has worked hard to get here, and he deserves it as much as anyone. (I think he deserves it more, but I'm biased.) He is the best. I can't wait to take on this next adventure together.

 

birthday recap

As far as birthdays alone go, this one was pretty good. Chris had to spend the day (and the next few) in DC trying to win a job and all my other favorite people don't live here. My goal was not to mope and moan about how lonely I was, and notwithstanding a few cracks in the armor, I succeeded.

I started out with a beautifully wrapped present from Molly, and a double gift from Starbucks: complimentary venti pumpkin spice latte, AND they spelled my name right! Then some wonderful coworkers took me out to lunch.

After work I treated myself to a manicure, and under the encouragement of my dad, a date with my novel at a nice restaurant.

I had to brave a thunderstorm to get to dinner, but I was rewarded by a double rainbow right by my dinner table! It was very difficult to get a good picture, but it was the brightest rainbow I've ever seen.

Happy birthday to me, indeed. :)