chicagoversary

it's been a year that we've been in chicago now. i thought it only appropriate that we highlight our...okay, my...top favorites so far.

watching the leaves turn gorgeous colors in the fall

walking everywhere

spending thanksgiving in the city with the balkmans

eating delicious food with people we like a lot. we were really excited about chicago's food reputation and have not been disappointed!

surviving the winter unharmed and not completely depressed.
um, this isn't really a favorite. more like a feat.
but lest i over exaggerate, the winter was pretty mild

watching the chicago river turn green for st. paddy's day

sitting front and center at beauty and the beast

learning how to be a teacher

taking advantage of free concerts and events around the city

looking out our windows at this

nights avec les femmes

and warm summer nights like this one

two years ago we were the young and the restless, we were freshly married, and we were taking our first train ride trying to figure out if we liked this city or not while we spent the summer interning.

choosing chicago was one of the best decisions we've made.
i can't picture us anywhere else at this point in our lives.

to another year in the windy city...

Vuvuzelas

Gotta love the World Cup. You get people from all over the world attending.

my grandma's got moves

she went all out at our wedding to "every time we touch" and performed yet again on the kitchen counter for my sister's sweet sixteenth:

instant classic

i scream

i knew there were ice cream testers but did you know that you can read a consumer report about the best tasting brands?

in this house, we are all about safeway select mint moose tracks right now. i think it may be the first ice cream that we both love, since nate doesn't usually love any ice cream. ben and jerry's is saved for really, really bad days or mouth surgeries where you can only eat soft foods...like the consolation prize for enduring something awful.

i have so many memories wrapped up in ice cream. my dad used to have a bowl of the good stuff every night before bed...and still managed to keep up a six pack. when we actually have a deck, or even a balcony, we want to make homemade ice cream...summer peach to be exact.

what's your favorite?

CNBC Video on Mormons in the Business World

vivaldi in the park

freedom for three weeks! my school semester ended today. i celebrated with a date at the vivaldi concert with my camera in millennium park. apparently all of chicago had the same idea. so so many people. i still love a free concert in the park.

classical concerts draw people of the finer things club (the office anyone?)
tons and tons of these portable coffee tables.

and some serious wine and cheese parties. like 500 wine and cheese parties.

i love the juxtaposition of the modern and the classic...a slice of what chicago is all about

the husband was working away in this tower

our building

this sign is all too familiar...the question is what isn't a tow zone?

i'm trying to...

brownie husband

i needed to laugh today. school, teaching, and stress are almost getting the best of me.

you may have seen this before, but i always laugh at this. it reminds me of my freshman year of college...either the dates were few and far between or my week was booked. on the sparse weekends, me and my dear friend belize would sometimes drown our sorrows in a brownie sundae at guru's. i love my non-brownie (he doesn't even like brownies) husband.

Chicago is Going Crazy

Besides seeing the Calgary Flames make a run to the Stanley Cup Finals, I have never seen a town so crazy over a championship as Chicago. It is pretty awesome! Even the building I work (Aon Center) at is getting in on the celebrations.

the cup of stanley

way to get it blackhawks!

chicago is blow horning, cheering, whistling, honking, and yelling in pure joy right now. i know because our windows are open. the whole city is lit with red lights for our boys.
yeah stanley cup!

birthday boy

it's my brother's birthday today! he's chineseing it up in the MTC right now, preparing for an LDS mission to toronto canada. i love him.

happy birthday chan

last november in millennium park

Readeo

A friend of ours here in Chicago recently started an online book chat site for people who would like to read books to children, grandchildren, etc. Here is an article in the Mormon Times about the startup.

If you would like to check out the site go to www.readeo.com

bits of life

you can tell a lot about a person from a nightstand:

and that i like eclectic non-matching lamps.

i can't go to sleep with clutter on my night stand. i can, however, go to sleep perfectly fine with piles of stuff on the floor. i've learned some patience in 2.1 years of sleeping in our bed and don't touch his side. he likes it that way. i just think the stark contrast is funny.

we have the greatest friends. love the people in this town.

tonight nate came home from work, hugged me, and said, "i will be watching basketball for the next three hours." can the nba finals be over? but...go lakers...i guess.

i cried during the glee finale. that's a good job, fox network, that's a good job.

revenge is sometimes sweet

this morning i saw a cab get pulled over for speeding on lakeshore drive.

and all i felt was happiness.

revenge for the all those times when cab drivers have honked at me for no reason, cut me off, almost hit my car, almost run me over, and been rude when all i had was plastic, not cash.

is that bad?

from the mouth of babes

the latest in my classroom:

i showed my class a few pictures from our europe trip so they knew where i had been for the last two weeks (nate was in them and that sparked a whole discussion about him and being married). the other day a mom pulled me aside and said, "is your husband's name nate?" "yes," i said. "my daughter told me yesterday that she wants a husband and wants his name to be nate." well, don't we all wish we could have a husband named nate :)

after i pretended to eat cake made out of blocks, N asked, "are you full ms. lawler? oh wait, i'll check {puts her hand on my stomach}. oh yeah, your tummy is full." hmm another incentive to work toward a six pack?

we're learning about nutrition:
me: are pop tarts healthy?
children: mmm my mama gave me a blueberry pop tart for breakfast!
YES!
yes, we can eat pop tarts and chips but not ice cream.
when i was little, i had a pop tart.
my brother took my pop tart and i was so so mad. and then i punched him.
well, yeah.
yeah, i eat those before i come to school.
_____ just got in my face! he got in my FACE!
when are we going outside ms. lawler?
now picture these answers being shouted in your face all at the same time and you've got my life every day. my class is crazy...crazy fun.

work/school is so busy right now. really busy. if i can survive the next month, i think i can survive anything. okay, most things.

hello june.