taking it in

i expected to be blown away by a hot, humid august. sticky. uncomfortable. pit stains. melting makeup.
not the case. it's been rainy, gray, and cool here. and since we all know how much i adore my motherland where rain is what we live and breathe, i like this. i've been taking in this day, staring out our windows, thinking, going for a swim, reading, and dreaming. i love when our apartment is this quiet.

i love these kind of days. i'm a romantic...that girl who has a list of all the things i want to do in life and wants everything to have a happy ending. no, i was not super productive today. but i feel good about it. i guess i'm just taking life in before i start my real job. monday is the day (even though i was supposed to start this week...love unorganized agencies).

i'm terrified. i guess this feeling always comes in life though. i don't like first days of anything. even on first days of college, i felt like i was going to throw up from nervousness the entire day. but the firsts come and go, and my stomach settles, and i think this teaching job will be a great thing. i've just got to get past the first day. and not throw up in front of the other teachers. or on them.

he's old

someone turned 25 yesterday...

naturally, we celebrated with steak. his favorite.

a good read

just finished this book. it was one of those feel good books that left me wanting to live on an island, grow my own herbs, have a british accent, drink tea and eat crumpets every afternoon, and belong to a literary society. ahhh, the good life.
i recommend it.

artsy

after not being in school for two months, i have an aversion to homework, which is what i am supposed to be doing right now...creating my long term unit plans for my classroom. hm, no thanks. all in due time.

i have no problem entertaining myself, which is why this time off has been soooo beautiful. i like hanging out with myself. i have been painting, cutting, sanding, gluing, and creating. i've been working on a scrapbook from 2004, and most recently, making fridge magnets.

and now i'm debating whether to tackle painting and refinishing a table...but it scares me.
i love art projects. any ideas for the next?

one more week until i have to be a working adult

this is my last week of freedom sans children. next monday i have my very own classroom. the thing is, i could get used to this whole do-whatever-you-want-everyday business. but part of me is excited to be back with the babies. here's what's going on with us:

nate grew a beard

and i liked it.



we really like these people. some of them are moving this week, so we celebrated with chocolate malts, cranium, and dinner



i'm in love with this. every morning at breakfast time.

the art of restaurants

chicago is famous for its amazing array of restaurants right? well, i just feel overwhelmed when i think about all the restaurants out there, and the ones we "have to try." there are hundreds! plus we really love good food, so we want to try them. i've started making a list of all these places...i keep paper with me, so when i hear someone say "____ is the BEST!" i can jot it down. one of the first places on my list was this lovely little spot:

it totally lived up to my expectations. coq au vin crepe with chicken and broccoli. yum.

and so it goes. little by little, we'll try the food that this city is famous for. we're just practicing so that when someone comes to visit us we can say "yeah, we know a really good place..." i've been searching for the restaurant from ferris bueller's day off. um, it's fake. bummer. i really wanted to reenact the movie.

bon appetit!

i would press all the elevator buttons too

phone conversation with nate's little brother ethan last night...

e: so, are you doing anything tomorrow?
n: yeah, i'm going to work, i have a real job like dad.
e: oh, you work every day?
n: yup, everyday, monday through friday
e: oh, that sucks. at least you get lots of money though
n: guess what? i get to work in a really tall building
e: you know what i would do if i worked in a tall building?
n: what?
e: i would press all the elevator buttons like "elf"
n: yeah, sometimes i do. so jessica has a job too. she's teaching school.
e: oh that's cool
n: yeah, she is going to teach preschool
e: ohhh, that's trouble

the perspective of a 9-year old.

mmm the weekend

weekends are like gold for us, but especially for nate. we had a fabulous weekend with friends...that i have no pictures of! i am so happy we moved to chicago, mostly because the people here are awesome! likewise, so are the friends we have made. the weekend started off with going to the temple and ended with peach cobbler and fried ice cream, with beach volleyball, relaxing, staying in a gorgeous home, barbecuing, and hours of girl talk in between. perfect.

not quite newport beach, but still good

since my other teach for america friends haven't started their jobs either, we went to the beach today...where i found this gem of a wall:

yes, i think i will.

concert in the park

we live near millennium park, so we try to take advantage of everything that goes on there. last night, we went to a haydn concert in the park and had a picnic dinner on the lawn.

it was super crowded, but such nice weather. we loved it.

the leg party

i've been thinking about this, even though it happened a couple of days ago. on august 3, 2006, my little brother lost his leg in a boating accident. so every year on the anniversary, we have a leg party to celebrate that right leg that's lost for now. my mom makes a life size leg cake and we celebrate. because chandler lived. because he still has one leg. because we're all okay. and because we just really love him.

i missed the party this year and last year, but i still think about it...and the accident that changed our lives completely. so, happy anniversary to the leg. love you chan.

of late...

tonight i attempted to make one of my favorite french dishes...ratatouille. yum! except, my version was ten times worse than the parisian version. i told nate not to judge the dish on what i made. we need to just go eat the real thing. tickets to paris are $550 today. and yes, i do check almost everyday.

i'm really enjoying my time off. i've been getting lost in books, making homemade pizza, running errands, working on art projects, walking in the park, vacuuming twice a day because i like clean carpet, and going out to lunch with the girls. chicago summers are dreamy (minus the humidity).