Chicago Shopping Recommendation

Another recommendation here. If you want to go shopping in Chicago and are hoping for something different from the mag mile, take the brown or purple line to the Armitage stop in Lincoln Park. It's close to downtown, but has a real neighborhood feel. Walk down the stairs, and you're right in the middle of a really cute little strip of shops. Most of the places are small, local, and unique - lots of gift-y, stationary type stores and clothing boutiques. I think it would be especially nice at Christmastime - very cozy.

There are restaurants, too, if you need a break. Little coffee and tea shops, a great Mexican bar called The Twisted Lizard, and a ton of other places I haven't had the pleasure of trying yet.

The El station

(Photo from here.)

The street

(Photo from here.)

Chicago is expensive? - Brady

Yes, of course. But also, it doesn't always have to be. At least when it comes to entertainment, especially in the summer.

This week, on Tuesday, Kevin and I got $10 student tickets to see The Sins of Sor Juana - a really excellent play at the Goodman Theater. Mexico. Poetry. Feminism. Nuns. What's not to like?

Then, last night, I had a picnic in Millennium Park with Kevin and his family. We saw a presentation of scenes from the movie Planet Earth, accompanied by the Grant Park Orchestra. The nature shots were really beautiful, and hearing the music live was incredible. And that was free.



If you take the time to seek out activities beyond eating out and shopping, Chicago can be a really interesting and surprisingly inexpensive place.

Now, the price of housing? That's a different story...

Moving Weekend - Brady

Ah, we packed up this weekend. I always forget how PHYSICAL moving is. I was B. E. A. T. on Sunday night.

Un-doing the house we spent so much time setting up was really sad. But our condo search in Chicago is going well, too. The neighborhoods we're looking at are:

- Andersonville (used to be a Swedish neighborhood - pretty far north and close to the lake)
- Old Town/South Lincoln Park (where we used to live - between downtown and Wrigley Field, close to the lake)
- River North (just north of downtown, by the Chicago River)
- Printer's Row (south part of the Loop, where old printing houses have been turned into lofts)

Kevin and I were just saying tonight how dazed we feel. Between settling into summer work routines, weddings, and condo hunting, our lives are pretty packed. As always, though, it's a fun summer.

Vegas '10 -Amy

Here is a fun post! I am attaching pictures of my Vegas trip with my amazing friends! This is the 3rd year in a row that we have gone, and it is always a blast and leads to some very funny stories.

One of my favorite parts of the trip, karaoking to "Shoop" by Salt n Pepa... thanks, Brady for forcing me to learn the words when I was in 5th grade!


We spent plenty of time in the pool... (notice our hands spell out "Vegas")


Plenty of time eating BAD (not in taste...) food! For me, it was mostly hot dogs. Pretty sure I had atleast 5 during our 4 day trip!


And lots of dancing with friends! What a fun trip!



Soon to come: Pictures and details from my amazing Chicago Bachelorette Party, thrown by the 2 best MOH's and sisters in the universe!

Weekends - Kelly

I absolutely LOVE the weekend and this one was no exception. I started Friday with a happy hour in the loop for my school team followed by hanging out with Adam at home (and watching 'When in Rome'- surprisingly hilarious!). Saturday we got up early for a trip to the grocery, Adam made us a delicious breakfast, then we bummed around and napped and played with Lucy. My parents, Amy, and Roger came over for pizza and drink after they got Amy and Rog all moved in followed by an adventure to Amy and Rog's new rooftop deck.

This morning I slept in until 11 AM (yes, that's right!), went for a walk in the sun by the lake with Adam, then hit the gym pretty hard before heading back to IIT to start my last week at institute.

I just love being lazy and spending time with the people I care the most about. My life is 100% satisfying right now, and my weekends are such a great reflection of this!

Beauti Control- Amy

I've made an interesting life decision. I have recently gotten really obsessed with this line of skin care products called "BeautiControl." Some of you blog readers have probably heard of it before, but I think it's a relatively new company. Anyways, I have been using their skin care life for the past few months, and love it. I recently have started using other products of theirs, and have truly never been disapponted with a single one that I have tried. Every product does exactly what it says it will do, and I become more and more obsessed with it all the time.

So, after careful consideration and a lot of research, I think I am going to start selling BeautiControl. It offers me a great way to get a discount on the products I am already using, offers my friends and family a fun spa party opportunity, and it lets me allow people to try these awesome products that I keep raving about. I plan to keep it very calm, if people are interested and want something, I'll hook them up, but there will be no pressure to buy. I just think it will be a great way to get a discount for myself more than anything else! Also, if I happen to get a little extra cash here and there, what's the harm? Ha!

So, bloggers, if you would be interested in learning more about the products, trying them out, or would like to have a little get together where your friends can do facials and relax I will soon be your go to lady! I promise, I'm not a sales person, so there will be NO pressure if you do want to do a spa night! We did one for my bachelorette party, and it was awesome!

Just thought I would share this new development with the world... I'm really excited about it!

A Recommendation - Brady

Hoosiers. If you find yourself in Chicago on Michigan Avenue and get a little tired (as I always do on my feet in big crowds in Chicago), I have a recommendation for you.

At Michigan and Ohio, there is a Marriott. It is an excellent place to stop in if you need a bathroom or a Starbucks or even a drink at the hotel bar. The lobby is big, there are plenty of places to sit, and the registration desk is far back, so they're not going to look at you like you don't belong there. In fact, they won't even notice you. And, if you're like me and feel bad lounging around the lobby of a hotel where you're not staying, just buy yourself a coffee so you're patronizing a business in there and relax for a bit.

10 Year High School Reunion

Went (despite major nerves) and loved every second of it. It's so nice to just be FRIENDS with these people without the silly cliques and drama of high school

Here are some photos!

Robbed! - Brady

Last night, I was robbed.

I had taken a picnic dinner and a book over to Lake Michigan. I had just gotten there and was minding my own business. I took a bite of chips, apple, and the fancy peanut butter and strawberry jelly wrap I had made.

All of a sudden, I heard someone yelling, and then a jingling sound behind me. I looked back, and before I knew it, a giant, goofy, tail-wagging black lab ran up, grabbed my PB & J, swallowed it in one gulp, and took off!

That's life in the dangerous big city, I guess.

My picnic, pre-robbery:



Some pretty sunset pictures, just for fun:

Apartment! -Amy

I am so excited! As Brady told you in a previous post, Roger and I found an apartment! Here's a link to the website for it!

LINK

I really love everything about this place, and like Brady said with the house, everything still has to go through to make sure we get this place. Fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong!

Some of my favorite things about this place are:
Fitness center included
Rooftop deck
Hardwood floors
LARGE living room
LARGE walk-in closet
Utilities included in rent (as well as cable and internet which makes paying for this place as simple as writing one check a month)
And most of all, that Roger and I will finally be living together!

It's going to be awesome... I can't wait to move!

In Other News - Brady

Otis, the giant mastiff who lived in the coach house behind us, is gone. :(

Sad news for me, good news for his "mom" and "dad" who bought a condo a little west of here. Sigh... Some other lucky neighbors will get to enjoy him from now on.

Big Housing News - Brady

Yesterday was a big day for the Jones girls. Amy and Roger found a really cool apartment (I'll let her tell more about that). And Kevin and I accepted an offer on our house!

We are happy and sad. We also know that it's still an uncertain road ahead - a lot can go wrong when buying/selling a home. But the lady seems to really love it (she made an offer immediately after seeing it for the first time and then accepted our counter offer right away), and that makes us feel a little bit better about the process.

So now I think we're on to looking for a place to buy in Chicago! It's amazing how fast life can change. 36 hours ago we were planning on hunting for an apartment to rent for a year while we sold our place in Fort Wayne and got our acts together!

I will really, really miss this house. But I think it's going to be in good hands.