Who Says You Can't Go Home? (Bon Jovi and Sugarland, it's a good song, really)

Childhood home

My first post on this blog was August 2^nd, 2010, almost exactly a year ago. I started the blog to keep track of new exciting things the Mr. and I were doing in the city. I haven’t posted for quite some time, probably because the most recent posts were not exactly upbeat.  I typically have a cheery, sometimes sarcastic disposition, and lately things have not been so. I didn’t want to crowd the internet with ramblings of feeling sorry for myself and complaining. Now I am ready to blog again and talk about the exciting things happening in life, with only a few bits of complaining.

That being said, we are almost completely settled into our new place since the fire. We have been here for about 2 weeks and I found myself thinking that it almost feels like home. Which leads me to the question,  when does “home” become an apartment in a new city instead of your parents’, or in my case parent’s, home? Is it when you leave for college? When you get your first apartment? When you finally have “real person” furniture and belongings? When you feel independent? It really made me sad to think that my dad’s is no longer my “home”. I love my life, my new place, living with my future husband, and being independent. It is very strange, and I just can’t put my finger on it, but I guess this is what growing up feels like. Leaving behind childhood, what you used to know, and growing into a new, better, version of you. What I do know is that I am not that different from the little girl who grew up in Kentwood, MI and that no matter where my Dad lives, I can always go home.

And for a bit of complaining, it really sucks having to say my Dad’s house and not my parents’. I was thinking the other day what assumptions new people will make when they always hear me saying my Dad’s place, my dad this, my dad that.  AND, it is weird that Dad is now living at the cottage and sold the condo. That was pretty hard, because the condo had so much of Mom in it, but I know she is not in “things” rather, in memories and in us. I also can see how people might become hoarders.

Also, can someone please help me get my commas under control? I just never know when to use them or other punctuation!

*And, we set a wedding date: July 20, 2012. More to come on that in the next few posts! I do promise this will not turn into a wedding blog though. 

Makeshift Office Space

This Thursday I am thankful for our apartment. More specifically, the separate dining room that in a crunch becomes our office. When I was working full time I was lucky to have a decent sized monitor, laptop with a dock, printer, phone, headset, foot thingy, and keyboard tray. I was the  poster child for workplace ergonomics and I LOVED it. Fast forward a to 2010 and I am a year deep into a masters program, the bf in his first year of law school with no office, no keyboard tray, no foot rest, etc. Instead we have a second bedroom that barely, rarely, never gets used that I have to vigilantly protect from becoming the dumping ground. But I love the guest room. I love that it is always clean and we have a comfortable private place for our parents/guests to stay in when they visit this fabulous city.

Don't you just love my wallpaper?

So today, I am thankful to have a separate dining room that allows me to create a makeshift office when I am in the thick of a quarter that is winding down. It's not fancy; my laptop is on a vintage TV tray bought at a church sale in Winnetka, I have a non-wireless keyboard, extra monitor from undergrad that is super pixelated by today's standards, James' wireless mouse and cords going every direction to every wall outlet. I am also thankful to have a boyfriend who put's up with the mess. Come Monday at 5:30 pm this will all be over and we'll be on to winter break! Until then, the makeshift office will be my home as I finish a 20 page group counseling proposal.

To Do in Chicago

Right before the drive from  San Clemente, CA to Chicago!

We have been in Chicago just shy of one year and are committed to the city until 2013. I feel a bit claustrophobic thinking about being forced to stay in one place so I am already thinking of what city we should move to when he is done with law school. Boston? Boulder? The Pacific Northwest? SF? Ultimately, it will all depend on the job situation so it is useless to even try and make "plans". By then it will be time to grow up anyways, right? Ick.

Chicago has been great to us though. I have had the best year ever! We are close to home and family and have great friends in the city who are always doing something fun. There is so much to do and see in Chicago; we tried to not say "no" to anything this year, but only managed to do a little. In anticipation of one day leaving this wonderful city I have complied a list of firsts I want to experience in the Second City (most have been bookmarked in a folder since we moved here!).

1. Go to a Bears game
2. Shop at the Green City Market
3. See the sun rise over Lake Michigan and the city
4. Weird Chicago's Devil in the White City tour (Kim, Joey, and BF need to read the book so we can all go!)
5. Go to Zoo Lights at Lincoln Park Zoo
6. Shop at the Chirstkinlmarket at Christmas time
7. Go to the Magnificent Mile's Lights Festival and see the parade
8. Take a Sailboat ride on Lake Michigan
9. Dance at the Chicago Summer Dance downtown
10. See one of the Chicago Park District's movies in the park
11. Visit the Shedd Aquarium
12. Visit the Museum of Science and Industry
13. Visit Alder Planetarium
14. Visit the Field Museum of Natural History
15. Visit the Art Institute of Chicago (I will have to check out the free Kraft Great Kids Museum Passes from the library for all the museums,or I'll be broke.)
16. Carriage ride down Michigan Ave during winter
17. See the light show at Buckingham Fountain
18. Pack a picnic and see a free concert at Jay Pritzker Pavilion
19. Take my parents to a Broadway show
20. Skydeck???  I may be too scared for this one.
21. Pride parade!

Some of these will fulfill items on the 30 before 30 list.

Anything else super cool to do in Chicago that's a must?

Cliché? Definitely. My 30 Before 30

Now I know I am only 26 1/2 years old but life has been cruising by so fast! I have been having the best time ever since...a really long time. I have heard of people making lists of 30 things they want to do before they turn 30 years old (kinda like a bucket list). I think this is such a neat idea to set goals and keep track and what better way to do this than on the blog!? Does this imply I should be be blogging for 3 1/2 more years? We'll see!

This is a list in progress. Here is what I came up with thus far:

1. Go to Mackinac Island and buy fudge
2. Camp in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
3. See the Northern Lights
4. Take a real vacation with him to somewhere relaxing, warm and all inclusive
5. Try snowboarding
6. Do 100 push ups
7. Make Macarons
8. Plant and harvest a garden
9. Learn the waltz
10. Give at least one speech at Toastmasters
11. Host a low country boil for all our friends
12. Catch a real sized fish, clean it, cook it and eat it
13. Read 10 classic books...so many to choose from!
14. Start contributing to my Roth again
15. Spend more quality time with my nieces and nephew
16. Take music lessons for a year, either violin or piano (neither of which I own)
17. Consistently volunteer for the same organization
18. Find a church that is congruent with my beliefs and become a part of their community
19. Get a job that I love and be my best at it
20. Do one of the city scavenger hunts like Urban Dare
21. Golf 18 holes without complaining with him, Kim and Joey
22. Stop paying rent and own my own place! 
23. Thank people more often. (A customer sent me the sweetest thank you at the store and I realize people don't do it enough!)
24. See a meteor shower
25. Become a stronger writer (professionally and grammatically)
26. House boat on Lake Powell, or somewhere else, with friends/family
27.  
28.   
29.   
30.   

Where to start? Maybe with the push ups.

What is #1 on your list?

Top 10...

...Reasons I Started this Blog

1. I have a bunch of spare time.
2.  Document adventures/misadventures in a new (ish) city.
3.  Collect and reflect on thoughts regarding my masters program, his first year of law school and life in general.
4.  Keep track of projects I want to complete and their progress.
5.  Share my/our life with friends and family who are a long way away.
6.  List goals of a mid (omg mid?) twenties millennial gal and her boyfriend. Let's not pretend this is "our" blog. I will be doing all the posting and it will be entirely from my perspective but will often include him.
7.  Preserve memories. Hello! Blogging is the new (again -ish) scrap booking, only a whole lot cheaper!
8.  Work on my writing.
9.  Complain about being broke/keep myself accountable!
10. .Inflate my ego by believing someone cares enough to read this blog!