Fan-tab-u-lous Trip!

Here are some pictures from our marvelous trip! Craig is the best hubby ever!

Dreaming of a White... Birthday...

Hi! I'm still here!

It's been so long since I've posted b/c I wanted to be able to put photos up when I wrote, and I have been working (darn, work!), so haven't had as much time to post at night... Honestly, I didn't want to look at the computer when I got home after being at the computer all day :)

Anyhow, I have some pictures to share. The first few of the first big snowfall of the winter. I think we got about 5 inches. Craig and I went out in it that night and played in the park across the street from our apartment.





Last Saturday night, we had a Zoo Lights party. We told everyone to dress warm! We met at our apartment and Craig concocted some fabulous Hot Apple Cider Toddies (which, if it gets cold in Memphis during Christmas, we will be making again!) and I made some delicious stand-bys (pigs in blankets, first to go!). After catching up, we all heading to the Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was really fun!

People getting their cider toddies before heading outside:


Craig and I before going out to see the lights... I was burning up. Still haven't quite figured out how to dress for inside AND outside!


Jen with a Hot Toddy!


Clara and Gabby ready for the Lights:


Clara, Gabby, Scott and Cody family picture!


Most of the rest of the group at the entrance to the zoo:


And now it's my birthday - the big 3-0! Craig and I leave tomorrow for Galena... We shall see if there is indeed snow for the birthday celebration. Sure to have more pictures next week!

Let it snow...

We just returned last night from visiting Craig's parents in Huntington. It was a wonderful trip. They even ordered snow for us... perfect for a post-Thanksgiving-pre-Christmas holiday dinner!

On Saturday night, we had an absolutely delicious meal. Bill worked his magic - I even loved the turnips!

Sunday we woke to the pretty snow covering most everything outside. Here are a few pictures of us shoveling. I had never done it before, so I thought it was particularly fun :)

Winter is here!

Before heading out to Long Island this past weekend, Craig and I walked across the street to the Lincoln Park Zoo where they have Christmas lights on display. We walked through the cat house and the monkey house and even the small reptile & animal building... Snakes, I have decided, I'm ok with, but anything that resembles a mouse/rat (in the least), I will jump about 15 feet. Anyway, the Zoo lights were so fun. We can't wait to go back!

A pretty view of a sunrise as Craig was leaving for work:



Zoo lights:

Photo-tastic

I am writing again from a temp job, this one much more interesting than the last. I am actually doing the same thing, but I am really coming to understand how much an environment and the people in it have an effect on me...

I am working at a photography studio called Alter Images. It's in a part of town called the West Loop. The neighborhood is just across the river from the Loop (to the west - go figure). It is the former home of the meatpacking warehouses, and now home to very fashionable bars, restraurants, boutiques and perhaps most famously, Oprah Winfrey's studio Harpo Productions.

So Alter Images seems great. I am once again answering phones/sending packages/getting lunch, but the people are nice and the office is in a really cool old, renovated building. They do photography and computer imaging/design for commercial clients such as Claire's, Lancome, and several other companies. They do a lot of work through advertising agencies. Here is a link to their website if you'd like to see some of the work that they do: www.thinkalter.com.

I am just about to leave to go home and get ready for our trip to Long Island! Can't wait. According to the news guys, we will make it out in time before the winter storm hits. Fingers crossed!

I'll be back soon :)

T-Day

Hi!
I am writing from a temp job right now! I'll have to post pictures later, but since I'm at a receptionist job where the phone doesn't ring very often, I have time to go online and even read a bit. I'm at a real estate investment firm. Not terribly exciting, but the good thing is that it's directly across the river from Craig's office! We had lunch yesterday. Such fun.

Later this week, I'll start temping for a photography studio - more my speed I think. Again, another reception job, but the office should be more energetic...

So, I haven't posted since before Thanksgiving! We had a fun one. Craig cooked Cornish Game Hen and we had a bunch of sides. De-lish. The pumpkin cheesecake was my favorite, I think!

Finally... back at the home computer. Here are a few pictures of T-Day:

To Memphis and Back

We're back from Memphis!

We left on Friday night and took the train down - such a fun experience. Before we got on the train, I went to see Craig in his office. Here he is!

So on the train down there, we decided to tough it out and get seats instead of getting a sleeper... An experience. Actually, it would be fine for even an all-day trip - the seats were really comfortable, but trying to sleep was a different story. Live and learn :)

Once we got down there, the trip took a bit of a different turn than was planned. The Little Cutie Trey was sick, and the baptism had to be postponed til he's feeling better. He's doing better now, but nobody wanted him to get everyone else sick! Plus, it just wouldn't have done to get sick at church :) It was good seeing everyone, though - sickies and all (the Harrison girls were also sick and home from school!).

Even though Trey was icky-sicky, he was still SO CUTE!

So on the way back home, we had a sleeper on the train. Much better, and highly recommended. It was really a nice way to travel. You do wake up quite a bit because the train stops, but it was really nice not to have to deal with air travel - a wonderful alternative! Here's Craig on the train before the beds were pulled down. He was such a trooper and insisted on having the top bunk.

So now we're back in Chicago. Thought everyone might get a kick out of my view today:

That's the view looking South towards downtown... Super foggy today - I've never seen anything like it. Also, they are calling for possible snow showers on Thursday! I've never had a White Christmas, much less a White Thanksgiving!!

Early November...

It's been a while since I posted - sorry! I'm a little behind. Let's see...

Craig really wanted me to write about this little restaurant that is just around the corner from our apartment. It's called Chicago Pizza Grinder, and it's delicious. We went there on a weeknight, and we're looking forward to going back. It's the perfect, perfect place for a chilly night. Though it's usually pretty crowded, you can get some wine and wait at the warm bar. Once you sit down, though... Yum.

Craig had heard about this place from guys at work, and they said that the "pizza balls" were delicious. The restaurant describes them as "pizza pot pies" - here's what they look like:

Once you break into these little balls of yumminess, it's all sauce and cheese. So good. Before you order that, though, you must get the Mediterranean Bread. It's SO GOOD - it's simple... thin, soft bread with olive oil and lots of spices. Yum.

In addition to eating, we've been busy. Last weekend, I had a trunk show with a friend of mine, Julie Failey. She is a jewelry maker. The show was in the first floor of her apartment building, which is in an arts district. It was fun, but not too successful - worth a try, though! Here's a picture from the show:

We've also been walking through the zoo... Soon we'll have pictures of the Winter Lights show that's at the Lincoln Park Zoo - can't wait for that! Here's Craig at the zoo - our apartment building is the one to the right behind him.

We're heading to Memphis this weekend on the train - woo hoo! That should be an experience. There will definitely be pictures from the train and from the baptism as well!

Visitors from the East!

This past weekend, Caroline and Ian visited Chicago from DC. They had this trip planned months ago, before we even knew we were going to be living here... Ian's brother Adam and his wife Debra live here - actually, in the same neighborhood as us! It was wonderful seeing them all - we shopped, walked around the city and ate lots of yummy food.


I didn't take as many pictures as I had planned to take, but here are the ones that I have... The first is of the group at dinner eating delicious Chicago pizza, and the second is of Craig and Caroline in downtown Chicago.

Can't wait til their next visit!

Da Bears

This weekend, momma, daddy, Hilary, Bruce and Robb came for a visit. We went to Smith & Wollensky steakhouse for Robb's birthday, which was really a lot of fun. On Sunday, while the ladies shopped, Craig, Bruce and daddy all went to the Bears v. Lions game at Soldier Field... So Craig will remain a Giants fan first and foremost, but he admitted to having a great time at the game, despite the surprisingly warm weather!

A few pictures:

Big Boy

So last week, Dupree called me and asked if I could babysit... Of course I said yes! So, the McDonalds flew me down to Memphis so I could look after The Cutest 5 1/2 Month Old in the World. I didn't really take any good pictures of the two of us together because I rarely put him down, so here is a really cute picture of Trey and Priscilla. So cute!

Ok, here is one of me and Cutie. You really can't see him in this picture, but you get an idea of how big he's gotten!

And Craig and I are going down there in a few weeks for his baptism, so there will be more pictures soon :)

Wow.

I just wanted to share this photo with you. Craig called me from work to tell me that it was raining and hailing in downtown Chicago... This is the scene that greated me from our window:

Working Lunch.

Hello!

Yesterday was a fun day for me... In addition to looking for jobs online, I went downtown to see Craig!



I met Craig outside of his new office and we went to lunch. Here is his office (the white one in the middle):


It's right on the Chicago River, as you can see in the picture, at the Adams Street Bridge. When we were at lunch, we saw the bridge raise to let some sailboats go by, so that was pretty cool. We had a quick lunch at Potbelly Sandwiches... Really tasty and highly recommended if you have not been yet.



When Craig went back to work, I ended up taking a walk all the way up to the Gold Coast - it was such a nice day! So... Come visit soon to enjoy this wonderful weather!

Our First Visitors

Bruce and the Harrison ladies came up to Chicago during their Fall Break and then dipped down to Culver to see Robb's football game and brought him back to see the city. So much fun!

We ate steak, shopped and visited the Art Institute and the zoo, ate deep-dish pizza, shopped and went to the top of the Sears Tower, ate really good burgers, did the Navy Pier... It was really fun (though I am now stuffed), and I hope that we have influenced some people to consider college close to us when the time comes :)

Here are some pictures of the weekend: