Weekend in the City

Ken and I headed downtown over the weekend. I spent Saturday catching up with two of my former coworkers and having some laughs. This morning I arrived at the train a bit early and pretty much had Millennium Park to myself. It was beautiful. Enjoy!

"Amish" admit, log cabins are fab.

I'm never one to refuse great hospitality, especially in combination with beautiful sunny days.

This past weekend, Ken and I headed up to Michigan to check out what all the fuss is about with my cousin and her husband's lakehouse. Needless to say, we were not disappointed. We drove up on Friday in an hour flat, spent the evening eating pizza, and chatting under the moonlight along the lake.

On Saturday, the fam went to Shipshewana, which is actually closer to Mishawaka (love the names), but since they aren't in the neighborhood much, we checked it out. It's Amish country and while swerving buggies in the road, you get a taste of the good old life. Or at least of something very different and slightly bizarre.



We spent the afternoon boating around the lake and eventually taking a dip. Then Brooke somehow talked me into cannonballing into a freezing pool. A short nap in the covered gazebo, a fantastic BBQ, and another night under the stars with s'mores finished the day. It was peaceful and nice to have the whole family together, including Grandpa and Aunt Chris and Uncle Jack.

Some photos!

Brooke and Mike ----



Enjoying the lake (and me trying out my Indian garb)----



Swimming with Tarah and Brooke. (Brooke started that one too!)



My cousin, Tarah, hostess with the... cheesy, I know.---



Bret and Morgan, the yellow lab and a golden shot ----



The only downside to spending time gorging on s'mores?! Chigger bites. Now I look like I'm recovering from the pox.----



Yep, it was fabulous. Might have to show up on the doorstep soon. Work is going well, although I have started to become super-stressed as my plate keeps getting fuller and fuller. It's been awhile since my "Task Manager" in Outlook has exploded in such a short time.

What do you do when you don't have cable?

You go to outdoor concerts!




And what do you do when you are bored at said concert?

Build a house for ants!!!


And what else do you do when you decide to forgo cable for awhile?

Join Netflix!

I wish I was Matt...

No Milton yet...

"Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler..."

Two days into my job and things are going well. This evening Ken and I went to a picnic of sorts hosted by the management company who owns our building. My co-workers signed us up without asking. It was nice and one of my co-workers won $250! Not bad... And I had a grape sno-cone. Can't complain about Mishawaka yet! Sno-cones, tornados, lawn watering...

Anyways, the job is good. They are trying to "ease" me into things, so it's been a bit boring, but I know that once I start really working, I'll be happy for a gulp of air from time to time. I am going to be in charge of students traveling to the University of Sydney, which, as you might guess, is a popular place to study. And ironically, the campus boasts some buildings that are very Cambridge-esque.

I went out for lunch yesterday with the three fellow enrollment coordinators. There are only 7 of us total in the office, so it's pretty quiet with everyone working hard. We have "huddles" in the morning where we all say what we're going to do that day and give any updates. We send messages via Skype with synopses of yesterday and today, and I spoke with our IT guy in Sweden this morning through chat. It's a very youthful group with the oldest person being 36 or 37.

I've also been getting up in the mornings to go to the gym as I was doing before, except here I get to sleep in until 6:45. Thanks to my non-existent train ride, I get an extra hour of sleep everyday. It's perfect. And my office is very laidback, so wet hair in the morning is completely acceptable.

Tonight. Season finale of Heroes.

TurboKicking

Yesterday I crawled out of bed to make my way to my new gym and the promise of an invigorating TurboKick class. Unlike the 50 participants I'm used to "pumping it" with, it was just me, the instructor, and one other lady. It was one of my favorite old routines and I added some things we did at my old gym to make it challenging. After class I spoke with the instructor who said that she is struggling to get people to attend. I can't fathom this! I love Turbo! It is now my mission to save TK in the Waka.

This is a great excuse for posting an "extreme closeup" shot Regan and I took after our last class together...



Yep, we're hot. Literally.

"I DID IT!"

I.Can't.Stop.Watching.Heroes.

Have you seen this show?! Anyone know a cure besides just watching all of them in one fell swoop?

It's been a great week of vacation... Ken and I moved in last Saturday and since then, we've been running errands, hanging photos, sitting by the pool, and continuously trying to squeeze in another episode of crack-cocaine Heroes.

Last Friday, I was surprised at work with two dozen beautiful pink roses and a party, complete with everyone's special desserts and snacks. It was delicious and quite sad.



Here I am with Jane and Allison, two of my favorite co-workers.



I had to leave quickly because it was depressing to leave a job that I really did like. Ken and I finally went to the Riverwalk in Naperville on Friday night and had some delicous sushi before enjoying a comfortable night sleeping straight on the floor sans mattress or cushy blankets.

The old apartment ---



The move-in day went pretty well, except the "small" glitch that immediately after we signed our lease, we found out that our new "home" was a smokey nightmare and started panicking about how many lawyers it was going to take to get into a different apartment. Thankfully, the complex felt terrible about putting us in such an awful unit and within 30 minutes we were set to go with a perfect apartment.

Here's the living room with our new couch (that has two recliners!) ---



I really love the light that comes through and the vaulted ceilings. Love it, love it.

The new love of my life, our washer & dryer ---



My pride and joy. The new bed that I purchased and my makeshift headboard. We bought a $20 curtain rod and used it to display a blanket we picked up in Nepal. A cheap and easy way to brighten up a room and make a bed look more finished. (We still need a comforter and all that jazz...don't judge) We have a plethora of elephants decorating the room (thanks to India) and supposedly they are supposed to bring good luck and wealth. Here's hoping!



Our walk-in closets! Score!



We both joined gyms and yesterday I did my first-ever spinning class, which almost claimed my will to live. But I do really enjoy my overpriced gym and will be TurboKicking tomorrow morning just like the old times in IL. I'm hoping to continue going in the morning hours.

This morning I stopped into my future workplace and they were in a daily morning meeting. Everyone was sitting around, practially in their pajamas, sipping gigantic cups of coffee. It was very Zen. We (yep, I'm now embracing my new company) are in a brand new office and they decorated it in a tremedous way. Beautiful colors and amazing black and white Australia & Asia photos. I saw my desk and also found out that I have a new laptop!

Ken and I have seen Carly and Doug a couple of times this week and have been signed up to attend a picnic next week (thanks to my co-workers). We (at least I think I speak for Ken too) really like the area and are becoming quickly familiar with the major roads and where Chipotle and all the Targets are located.

More to come as the job begins. This weekend we're heading back across the border for a wedding.

Alright, back to bloody Peter Petrelli and Claire and Hiro and Ando.