CHICAGO!

So this is a picture of the famous Chicago Bean in Millennium Park. Unfortunately, I got this picture from Google images, but only because my crappy little camera didn't like taking pictures of it at night! It is actually a really cool statue and we were even able to walk under it!!!

However, that was Saturday night, so I will start from the beginning!!!

Thursday morning was slightly stressful, because of course I fell asleep Wednesday night without packing! I quickly packed my book bag and rushed out the door to work (D drove me, thank goodness!!!) While at work, I made sure to send D a few emails, reminding him of certain things to pack so that he wouldn't forget! Moving to a new place is very stressful!

Around 3:30p, I was picked up from work by one of our friends and his little sister. They drove us to the airport, where we checked in right where we were dropped off! While you do have to tip the people (apparently to ensure that your bags make it...) it seemed SUPER convenient for the 3 huge bags we were checking. One bag was over 50lbs, but with a little rearranging (and two hardback books going into my purse) we were successfully checked in! The helpful guy also printed out our boarding passes for us, although D didn't realize and we checked in again anyway. I suppose you can never be too careful???

We successfully got through security, although D forgot that his projector was in his book bag, and that caused a minor hold-up. Thankfully, no one was behind us, so it didn't really matter!!! Once we were putting our shoes back on, there was a little kid, around 3 or 4 who would NOT stop crying, most likely because someone had taken his little book bag away, as well as his shoes! At that age, there is no way he can understand airport security, just the fact that someone was taking away his things! After security, we quickly grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the gate. The plane ride wasn't anything too exciting, but I loved looking out the window and seeing Chicago as we approached! Due to the three large bags, we took a taxi to D's new place! Like most places in Chicago, it has one of those circular doors that are super cool for someone from North Carolina. I always thought they were just super fancy, but also found out that they prevent the wind and cold air from coming into the building in the winter. Imagine that!

The rest of Thursday night wasn't that exciting, just filled with a little unpacking and walking around to find food, which was a little harder than we expected! Where D lives seems to shut down at the end of the work day, so not as many places were open! We finally settled on Qdoba, which was good, as usual! Since both CVS and Walgreens were closed by the time we left dinner, we ran into the 7/11 to get some basic things (toothbrush/toothpaste etc.) for the night and then settled in to watch a little Modern Family!

Friday morning started off with a Starbucks run (of course) and a call that the movers were an hour and a half early! Moving in wasn't that bad, with the exception of the broken bookcases and TV stand. I was in charge of checking off what numbers came in, and I messed up twice, but I still don't think the movers said the right number!! They said it wasn't that big of a deal, which is nice.

While the movers were bringing in all the boxes, the groceries arrived! It was nice to already have them in the apartment! After the movers, we grabbed lunch at Potbelly's, which was an awesome sandwich place! We also walked around the Merchandise Mart for a while, which was nice! I tried deep dish pizza for dinner, and could only finish a half of a piece! After pizza, D and I traveled to Wicker Park to visit K and C. It was nice to see her place and visit with old friends, but I may not be making that trip again...

Saturday was filled with more walking around Chicago (in the northern direction this time) and we found a cute little used bookstore! There were also new titles, but lots of used books! I was in heaven! I bought two books (one for D) and they were still cheaper than the cost of one book normally! Following the bookstore we caught a late breakfast at EATT. The service was amazing, probably because they were about to stop serving breakfast and we were able to order super fast. My banana pancakes were amazing! Of course, I had leftovers for Sunday's breakfast!

The rest of Saturday included unpacking 5 boxes of books and organizing them (me) while D unpacked the kitchen and started washing all the dishes. He was also able to go through a lot of his clothes and wash them too! After a little unpacking we walked over to Millennium Park and checked out the bean and saw a LOT of people. It was a bit overwhelming, but apparently there was a free country concert going on that night. For dinner we found Ronny's steakhouse, which was in itself an adventure. We shared a meal and tried their famous pink lemonade, but the place was slightly sketchy. The food was pretty good, but hurt my tummy just a little bit.

On Sunday we woke up to the CHICAGO MARATHON! Even with the windows closed, we could still hear all the music and cheering for the runners. We quickly ate our leftovers from EATT and I packed up my stuff to head to the airport. Due to the potential marathon street closings, we left with plenty of time to make it to the airport. We grabbed Starbucks on the way, which also included a Chicago mug for me! I promised D I would buy him the North Carolina mug, so that we could have the respective mugs at our places. We took the orange line to Midway and found out that my plane was delayed an hour! It was nice because we had a little more time to spend together. We sat at near the check-in counter and some guy even trusted us enough to leave ALL his bags next to us while he went outside for about ten minutes. He didn't even ask us, but I guess we looked responsible enough to not take his stuff...

Around 2pm we said our final goodbyes and I headed through security. The two people in front of me kept forgetting things in their pockets, included coins and a beer bottle cap, but overall it wasn't that bad. The worst part was getting to my gate almost an hour early and there wasn't anywhere to sit! I sat up against the moving sidewalk, but I kept sliding down!

Finally I boarded my first plane ride by myself! It wasn't really anything that exciting, especially since I didn't have anyone to talk to! The flight went smoothly and Roman picked me up at the gate pretty soon after I arrived. While it was nice to make it back to my place, I was exhausted! I am glad that I don't have to travel that much each week.

Overall, my first trip to Chicago was a blast! I go back in a few weeks and I can't wait to see other sights while I am up there! I miss D, but we are trying to email a few times a day and talk on the phone when we can. Also, I am super excited to see my family this weekend and perhaps hang out with a few friends back home.

Maybe I will get around to uploading my Chicago pictures at some point, but I wouldn't hold my breath...

Crazy Weekend of Happiness and Sadness

One word to summarize this weekend: intense.

While I expected Friday to be packed full with birthday celebrations and wedding preparations, I never expected the death of my beloved grandfather. I know that he is in a better place, free of the pain of cancer, but I certainly wish that I would have spent a little more time with him in these last few months. I am so glad that I was able to go home last weekend as well, and I was given the amazing chance to see him and basically say goodbye. He was sitting in his recliner, watching NC State play football (just like normal!). I believe that has to be one of the best final memories for me to have of my grandfather.

The news came via a phone call from my sister while I was visiting with D outside. Thankfully, he brought good (on one front) news. HE PASSED THE BAR! Of course I never doubted his ability to pass, but I know that it was a very stressful time for him, and a good birthday present! And he was able to find an apartment in Chicago, so the move is now certainly going to happen. I will miss him, but I am glad that he has a job (since so many are unable to find decent jobs...) even if it takes him away for a few months (or years). We have talked about our future plans, but have also realized that we need to settle in before making any major plans.

To celebrate D's birthday, we went to Kanki with his mother and sister. The food was amazing and I didn't really mind being picked on by the guy making our food. I still think that he should have picked on the birthday boy, but I suppose I was the next youngest at the table! After dinner, we shared a cheesecake made by his sister and decorated by his 2 year old nephew. The one potential setback was the lack of silverware, but we just used chopsticks instead!

Following dinner, we said goodbye to his mother and sister and headed to Wal-Mart to pick up a few quick things (including Halloween candy and Star Wars pjs!) for the wedding on Saturday. Then we got ready to go out to celebrate with our friends, for both his birthday and his going away party. It was a lovely night with friends I hadn't seen in a few weeks, some even since summer! While I believe I pulled off being pretty normal, my grandfather's death was in the back of my mind all night. Looking back, I think I did a little too much on Friday, which led to a minor breakdown early Saturday morning.

After some good beer on Friday night, we headed to Locust, NC for B and T's wedding! I wasn't really sure how happy the wedding was going to be, with my family being pretty torn up over Granddaddy's death, but it was a lovely wedding and even Grandmama was very composed during the ceremony and reception. T looked very happy and B was gorgeous! It really seems to be true that every bride looks amazing on her wedding day. I loved the unique look to B's dress and she seemed to know both of her grandfathers were looking down on her big day. And I caught the bouquet at the reception! Granted all the other girls (there were only 4) stepped backwards and I had to lunge in order to catch it before it fell to the ground, but still. So now I suppose I am next in line? Although, if I am next in line to those girls, it makes perfect sense...

After the wedding we headed to Charlotte, to celebrate my dad's birthday. Saturday night consisted of hanging out, watching college football. It was nice to just be there with my parents and enjoy a few quiet moments after two very busy days. While I didn't really enjoy waking up early for church on Sunday morning, the service was lovely and I believe D enjoyed the more laid-back atmosphere of my church. I hope wherever I end up settling down, I can find a church very similar to Sardis.

All of the family got back together Sunday afternoon for Dad's birthday celebration, which was a lovely affair. I think my dad really enjoyed seeing everyone there for his birthday, even if his own father couldn't make it. The funeral is tomorrow, and I believe that is the time I will finally cry. Thankfully D offered to drive me to Charlotte tomorrow, giving me the opportunity to be sad and NOT have to focus on driving on the highway.

I believe that is basically a summary of my intense weekend. Lots of much needed family time! I will be glad to see everyone again tomorrow, even if the terms are not the happiest.

D and I leave on Thursday evening for Chicago, I can't wait!

Maybe I will post pictures soon? Don't look too forward to them, though...

Getting back on track as an ADULT!

Yes I know, it has been AGES since I wrote anything in this blog (more like 6 months...) but I had a little extra time tonight and figured it was time to get back on track.
Since I last wrote, my life has changed in many, many ways and most of them for the better.
While I didn't get a job in the publishing field, I do now work full-time for the UNC Undergraduate Library. Not exactly my "dream" job, but I love the atmosphere and I believe that I can do many great things there. Plus, I certainly enjoy the benefits of working for the government! I also love that my hours are from 10-6, meaning I don't have to wake up SUPER early, although I do have only a small window to catch the bus (which only comes about once an hour) or I have to walk!
L and P finally got married! The wedding was beautiful and I was so glad to be such a big part of all the festivities. Although it did include a LOT of driving back and forth between Chapel Hill and Charlotte. Nonetheless, the ceremony was amazing and L looked gorgeous! It was a little stressful toward the end, but I believe I put in my duties as MOH and helped as much as I could!
On the boy front, I believe I have found one worth a little effort. According to my mom, I went against everything I originally had planned by beginning to date him right at the end of my senior year. While it may sound crazy, it seems like the right thing to be doing! He moves to Chicago in October and judging from how much I miss him right now (he is currently trekking through Europe with a friend) I can't even imagine how much I will miss him then. I believe it is going to be tough while we are separated, but we may as well try! Although some people say long distance doesn't work, I personally believe that it is based on each relationship. If you don't want it to work, most likely it won't, but we are going to try to see each other at least once a month! It won't be nearly enough, but we are big adults now, and just need to grow up a little bit!
So along with the job and the boyfriend, I feel like I am really turning into an adult. I have my own health insurance and apartment and only really have to rely on my parents for furniture, auto insurance, and my cell phone. However, soon both the auto insurance and cell phone plans will run out and I will be forced to get my own. I need a raise to pay for all these bills!!!

Maybe now without all the added stress of my schoolwork, I will be able to update this blog a little more. I know, I say it every time I post, but I may actually do it this time!!!

Night world, time to read "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest!" (I would totally recommend it to anyone!!!)

it is going to be a long 40 days...

So for lent this year, I decided to give up coffee. I am not 100% sure I can do it yet, but I do believe that it is going to be a major challenge. I am even trying to branch out and give up caffeine, so i will let you know how that goes. I know that i am addicted, which is horrible at my age! I hope that I can start to drink more water and milk, rather than drinking coffee and soda. Hopefully this will also help my sleeping abilities, because I haven't been able to sleep that well lately. So today is Ash Wednesday so I have 40 more days of ZERO COFFEE! Now on my starbucks dates with k i will have to resort to tea or begin to try their other options! Suggestions?

Slight break from paper writing...

Attractive picture, I know. This picture sums up my life right now, since I am currently working on a 6-page paper due for my EXSS class tomorrow morning. It is almost 2:00am and I am not even halfway done. So it while it already looks like I am staying up late tonight, I am sure that the paper can be finished in the next hour. I have already set my bedtime to 3:00am, regardless of the status of my paper and I figure that I can just wake up in the morning and finish it if i need to. After the superbowl tonight I just didn't have the motivation to write a paper. It also didn't help that I had a huge research assignment that I had to re-do yesterday and doing homework on a saturday night just didn't motivate me to do homework tonight. I know that the topic for this paper isn't hard (my sport experience relating to mind gym, the book we had to read) but I just can't really remember all my experiences that well. none really seem to stick out in my mind right now. It could be that my brain is fried from all the work this past week, or that I just don't have any outstanding sport memories. Apparently girl's brains just don't hold as many sport-related memories.

moving on, i have decided that this week is the week that i will get my life together. i haven't really fully moved in yet (yes, it has been a month) and i am determined to clean my room, re-arrange my furniture, and organize my desk area. i just can't deal with this clutter in my life. i also need to start looking for jobs and asking for recommendations from my bosses. i am kinda starting to freak out about what my situation will be next year. graduation is looming up ahead and i am attempting to run as fast as i can in the other direction. while i want to focus on my classes this semester, and believe me my professors also want my attention, i also want to embrace my last semester here at carolina NOT stuck in the library every weekend.

so for now, back to my paper and hopefully sleep will occur in the next few hours.

night blog world.

an epic weekend.

well i just completed my last first week of classes in my college career. and while i probably didn't take this week as seriously as i should have, i can already tell i am going to be overwhelmed with work. most likely because i have 15 hours and most of my friends only have 12, with most of them being easy classes. k is an exception of course, i am sure she has tons of work to do with the whole student teaching!

so yes, a week in and i feel like i am already behind on my reading. my classes this semester are going to require lots of attention, while i am going to want to focus my attention on other things, such as enjoying my last semester of college. however, i will just have to find a happy medium! i hope that work dies down soon, so i can get a little homework done while i work. right now all the professors are requesting so many books i feel like i may as well be working at davis instead of the ul.

nonetheless, all the work that occurred this past week definitely was worth it for this weekend. i must say, it was a pretty epic weekend. there was a beer pong tournament last night at mccauley, where of course c and v won, but k and i had a nice little run. we were the only all girls team, judging that for most of the party we were also the only girls. no wonder the party died when we left...apparently boys don't like having a party of all boys.

r was down from philly for the weekend and it was nice to see him again. while he did try to hit on this rough girl, he always brings a party. he also gave the apt a picture of him to put on our fridge, so he is now next to jesus, a present from some random prayer group.

well, i think this is enough for now, i need to go read pride and prejudice while also watching the movie. hope everyone has a good week!

time for a new year

yes blog world, i have finally returned. i saw that k wrote up her new years resolutions and i figured that maybe if i actually wrote them down here that it may help me to stick to at least one or two. :) i know i always make such big plans for the year, and basically just end up reverting back to old habits, regardless of my goals. however, this year i hope that i can finally do something good with my life.

while i love my family, spending these last few weeks with them has really made me want to work extra hard to find a job within the next few months for after graduation. i really wish that it was as easy as handing an employer my unc diploma, but i know that really to most companies, that means nothing. the only thing i am really scared about is my lack of experience in what i really want to do. for once, i ACTUALLY know what i want to do with my life, which is going into the publishing world. i guess i should have attempted to figure this out BEFORE my last semester of college, but i say better late than never. the only problem is that for basically every job out there, i need work experience in the publishing field. while moving up to new york city and getting a job would be amazing and my dream come true, i have this haunting feeling that i will be stuck either in chapel hill or charlotte after i graduate. i really want to be the first daughter to get out of this place. however, i know i am not that lucky and so most of this semester will be constantly dedicated to revising my resume, writing cover letters, getting recommendations, and applying to jobs. i hope that doesn't hurt my grades, although i have a feeling it might get in the way of my social life.

alright, after that long ramble, i guess i can finally start my list of resolutions:

• find a job in the publishing field (even if it is an internship).
• stay in shape, complete p90x with k and s.
• get down to my target weight and stay there.
• learn to cook a variety of meals.
• drink more water, less soda.
• broaden my musical horizons.
• have more girl's nights.
• laugh more, get mad less.
• have PATIENCE.
• be a little more emotional, but not overly emotional.
• be happy.
• tell people, some in particular, how i feel before it is too late.
• read more classics, less chick-lit (although it is too good to pass up!).
• take more pictures to capture memories of my last college semester.
• take a road trip to a new place.
• don't go to bed mad.

wow, what a list. guess i will be busy! and of course, i would love to write in this blog more and attempt to keep in touch with more people. however, i know myself and i will quickly get wrapped back up in school and the college life and most likely stop blogging. nonetheless, it would be nice to write every once in a while, maybe once a week. and as far as keeping in touch with friends, i know i am really bad at that. i guess i should work on that then eh? somehow it is easier for me to keep in touch with boys than girls, maybe because i am more comfortable around boys? who knows. we don't even need to go into boy drama. :)

and with l and p's wedding later this year i am sure to be busy, busy, busy with wedding details! i can't wait to help pick out the dress and all those girly things. i just hope i have enough money to be traveling back and forth from chapel hill to charlotte!

so there are my resolutions blogger world. here's to a new year and hopefully at this time next year i can say i succeeded in keeping some of my resolutions!

all we ever do is say goodbye,

m.