Job Search

Searching for a new job is not the most fun thing in the world. Like many people, I wish I were independently wealthy and could travel the world doing good for others. It is time to review my resume and see what is out there. I love to cook so if I could find a job that had to do with that, I think I would be pretty happy.

Where do I look? Chicago?? Indiana?? Colorado?? Where will this search take me/us? Adam and I have spent nearly 4 years living two lives that mingle. His job is still in Indiana and our home is in Chicago. It is time for us to seize the day and determine where we are going to go.

What do you think I should do?

It's Been A Long Time

Oh my.....it has been a very long time since I have updated this little blog. So much has happened since June 5th, 2010.

Here is a little catch up:
-I am now an aunt!!!!! My brother and sister in law shared the wonderful news shorty before Christmas 2010. Claire Jo was born on June 28th, 2010. She is the most beautiful little baby! I love her to pieces and spoil her as much as I can.
-Our dear cat Charlie became very ill shortly after Christmas 2010. We tried very hard for nearly two months to figure out what was wrong and find a solution to his lack of appetite and fatigue. On March 19 we made the very hard decision to put him out of his misery. It was the most difficult decision Adam and I have ever made, but we did it out of love for our furry baby.
-Five days after saying goodbye to Charlie, we boarded a plane to Costa Rica for a much anticipated family vacation with Adam's parents, brother and his girlfriend. We had an incredible time and there are many stories to share.
-A few weeks after returning from Costa Rica, Adam and I realized how quiet our house was and decided it was time to bring in some new family members. We went back to Feline's, which is where we got Charlie, and we met Chessie and Darla. We brought them home with us and they became Henry and Maggie. They are brother and sister and have brought much noise and excitement into our home.
-In September I decided to take chance on a new company and I left Build-A-Bear to work with start up kids company as the Hospitality Manager.
-Adam and I enjoyed Christmas with my family. Claire loved eating all the bows that came on her presents and it was nice spending a quiet day with my family.
-The New Year comes lots of new experiences. I left my job last week because I could no longer work at a place that made me so unhappy. It was a huge decision, but it was the right decision. I am now looking for what is next. Who knows where 2012 will take us.

There are so many stories to share about the last year and half.

Love

I love this man!

Lightning

This morning around 2am a very large thunderstorm made its way through Chicago. For some odd reason, my cat loves thunderstorms. He loves them so much that he insisted that I enjoy the thunderstorm with him. We watched the lightning for about 2 hours and then he decided we could go back to bed. I tried sleeping through the storm but that was impossible with Charlie walking on my chest and back, batting at my nose with his paw and the constant chatter. Luckily I didn't have to work today, so we were able to sleep in a bit.

Shopping

Adam and I were very lucky to receive a wide assortment of awesome gift cards for Christmas this year. Since we both work in retail shopping is not something either of us really enjoy. I know people who can go to the mall for hours and just browse and have good ole' time, but we are not those people. I think my attention span is a little too short for that. Here is a recap of our day:

Banana Republic-One day when I am rich, everything I wear will be from "The Banana". This store makes me happy. I didn't purchase anything today because Adam was with me and it is really hard to wander around this place when you have a boy who has not interest what so ever in this store. We will meet again soon.

Apple Store-The on-off switch fell off of Adam's iPhone, so we headed here to see what solutions there might be. We had to make an appointment with some expert. We just walked up to a computer in the store and within 30 seconds Adam had an appointment for Thursday. I love Apple products. My next computer will be a Mac.

We got a little side tracked after the Apple Store and stopped at Giordano's for pizza. Yummy!!!

Eddie Bauer-This stop was more meant for Adam than me, but I was the one who ended up getting some jeans. Adam said he is more of an online shopper.

Williams Sonoma-I could spend hours in this store. I am not kidding!!!!!! A bread machine is on my list and I think I saw exactly what I want. Since we are headed back downtown Thursday I will consider getting it then.

North Face-I am on a search for for gloves that have mittens on the outside. That probably sounds confusing but Adam knows exactly what I want and we have been on the hunt. No luck at North Face.

Our final stop was in Lincoln Park to get Adam some new shoes for work. The salesperson was very impressed how quickly he made his decision. I was pleased as well.

Long story short.....we didn't use any of our gift cards today. Oh well.....at least we enjoyed the day together.

Coffee

I LOVE COFFEE!!!! I drank an entire pot of it by myself this morning. It was so yummy and I just couldn't get enough of it. It will take me forever to get to sleep tonight, but that's ok.

Vacation

A ski vacation is on the horizon. Adam and I both submitted vacation requests last week and they were approved. Woohoo!!!!! We will be traveling out to Colorado in February for 10 days of skiing, relaxing and spending time with Adam's parents. I can't wait!!!!! Charlie will also be going on vacation. My parents love having their grandkitty come for a visit. The only thing Charlie doesn't like about being on vacation is the car ride to and from Indiana.

I tried getting plane tickets yesterday. Adam and I still trying to figure out exactly which airline will get our business and which Colorado city we will be flying into. We have lots of different options. It is insane how much they are charging for checked bags. We are considering shipping our stuff our there. It is cheaper than checking the bags, but shipping the stuff requires a little planning ahead. Adam and I typically pack a few hours before we leave for the airport.

Tease

Adam was such a tease yesterday. He came home for 31 hours and then left again. We had a nice day together. Charlie was very happy to have him home. The next time he comes home will be Christmas Eve and his life should be somewhat back to normal. My life will be at a slower pace on January 4th. I am looking forward to two days off together with no calls from work and no need to check email on a frequent basis. I can't wait.

Sleep

I have not been able to sleep in for a while now. I seem to wake up between 6 and 6:30 every morning. This is partly caused by the cat representative that lives in this house, but I think it is also just some weird internal alarm clock.

Adam got home very late last night. We have not seen each other since last Tuesday. Our jobs cause a great deal of stress for both of us during the month of December. This year has been especially hard for Adam. He has been working really weird hours and getting sleep when he can. I have a feeling he will spend most of the day sleeping, but I hope I am wrong.

Charlie really missed Adam when he was gone. He hasn't really left Adam's side since he got home. Right now Charlie is sitting on my lap while I try to type and I keep telling him to go wake up Adam, but he hasn't done it yet. I know Adam needs to sleep, but I would really like to have a real conversation with him that isn't interrupted by work.

Hmmmm.....

I don't have an actual post to share, so I will share some random thoughts.

~If you want a good laugh, borrow my cat to help you wrap your Christmas presents. He tries really hard to help, but all he seems to want to do is play with the ribbon. It is too darn cute.

~Please be nice to the people who ring you up while you are finishing your Christmas shopping. We are humans too. A smile, and the words "please" and thank you" go a long way!

~It was cold in Chicago today. I really want some snow on Christmas Day.

~I am trying to find a recipe for French Toast Casserole to make on Christmas morning. Any suggestions?

~Adam's brother and his girlfriend will be in Aspen for Christmas. There is snow there right now. I am very jealous.

~Adam will be home late tomorrow night. I haven't seen him since last Tuesday. Charlie is really missing him. He wanders from room to room each night when I get home hoping Adam will be there. It is cute, but sad.

~I am watching Elf right now and the scene playing right now is when Buddy calls Walter to inquire about the radiators making scary noises. It is too funny!!!!!

I guess that is enough randomness for one night.

Furball

My life has been quite different since May 11th 2009. That is the day we brought a big fur ball into our quiet apartment. It was an adjustment at first because Charlie had some issues with doing his business in the proper place, but things are great now. It is so nice to hear a meow when I walk in the door. I am going to share some randomness about this little guy that has stolen my heart and I think Adam's heart as well.

Common Nicknames:
Dude
Handsome
Stinky
Charlieman
Sir Charles (my dad gave him this name)

Things I love:
Hearing him meow when I walk in the door
Finding him curled up next to me in the morning
Listening to him purr
Watching him bat around his fake mice
Playing "The Bug" game
Hearing him run down the hall at full force and watching him catapult onto the couch
Hearing him grunt a little when he jumps onto different pieces of furniture
Feeling him paw at my hand when he wants some lovin
Watching him watch the birds

Things that make me crazy, but I deal with because he is so damn cute:
Begin woken up at 6am because he is hungry and think he might starve
Tripping over him in the kitchen because he thinks I might drop some food
Interruptions when working on the computer because he needs attention that exact moment
Attempting to sit down on the couch and finding him quickly taking my spot
Watching him dart around the house when it's windy and hearing him cry at the noises nonstop

I can't imagine what kind of life he had before he joined our family. I hope he loves living with us and having a big apartment all to himself. I really can't imagine our lives without him. He is cute and lovable and huggable and I just love him to pieces. People who don't have pets just don't understand. He is my baby and I love him so much.

Thank you for putting up with this post and letting me profess my love for this cute fur ball. I promise I am not turning into a crazy cat lady! :-)

Snow

I LOVE snow. Some of you may be groaning and others may share my love for this fluffy white stuff. On Thursday Adam and I were running errands and I saw some really big flakes and even caught one on my tongue.

My outlook on snow changed a little bit last year because it was the first year since I began driving that I didn't have to drive in it on a regular basis. Since I don't have a car in the city I don't have to worry about scraping off my car, black ice and all the other little annoyances that that the come with the snow. I do have to walk through it. Some of the homes and businesses on my route to the Red Line are very good about clearing the sidewalks and I think some others don't even know what a shovel is. It is slightly annoying when my neighbors get out their snow blowers at 5am.

It is also really amazing to see how people will try to save the parking spaces that they have shoveled clean. After about 7pm Monday - Friday it can be very difficult to find a parking spot on my street. Add in the element of snow and it really gets interesting. Some of my neighbors use orange parking cones and others get really creative by using lawn chairs. I will try to take a picture once we get some significant accumulation.

It is supposed to snow tonight. Weather Channel is telling me there is a chance of up to 1 inch of accumulation. Yahoo!!!!!!

Absent

I have been absent from this blog for quite some time. The wonderful man I am in love with sent me an email this morning inquiring about my absence. I think I am ready to get back into this.

Where do I begin to catch you up on my life......life has been pretty busy the last few months. I will give you a brief update and then try to be more detailed in later posts.

My brother's wedding was AWESOME. I was very exhausted after the long weekend was over, but it was totally worth.

Charlie has made 2 trips to Indiana since my last post. The first car ride was a little crazy, but the second one went really well. He is such an awesome cat. Adam thinks he is awesome as well, but doesn't always want to admit it.

The crazy summer business at Navy Pier ended Labor Day weekend. Now we are beginning to see the holiday shoppers spend some moolah!

Adam is still working in Indiana and coming to be with me and Charlie in Chicago as much as possible. It sucks, but we try to make the most of our time together.

We took a much needed vacation to Colorado the first week of November. We decided to drive and we had a great time!

Adam and I had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. Adam's brother and his girlfriend stopped by for a while and we ended up staying in our pj's most of the day. It was perfect. I went to Indiana in October and we celebrated a little early with my family.

It is my turn to work Christmas Eve at work, so I will not be going to Nappanee for Christmas. My parents are coming to visit next Saturday so we can see each other before Christmas.

I have not bought a single Christmas present yet. I should probably get my butt in gear.

That is all for now. I will try to go into more detail later and also try to update a little more frequently.

I have been up since 4:30am because Charlie discovered a new friend in the bedroom. Can you guess what it is???? A bat!!!! After unsuccessfully trying to manuver it out the bedroom window for 45 minutes, I gave up and sat on the couch. When I went to check an hour later, it was gone. I am so tired. I HATE MONDAYS!!!!!

2 More Days

I only have to work 2 more days until my 3 day weekend. These two days can't go fast enough. I think they should go pretty fast because today I close and for some reason the day goes fast when I close and tomorrow we have to a party of 40 kids and a party of 150 kids. These kinds of parties always make the day go by quickly.

Adam is coming home tonight. He has had a pretty rough week at work, so I think he will enjoy a day at home alone tomorrow to just chill. Hopefully Charlie doesn't drive him too crazy.

Charlie is doing great. This weekend will be a test for him because it is the first time we will leave him home by himself. Adam and I are trying to figure out what we are going to do with Charlie when we head to Indiana next month. We will be gone for three nights. There are a bunch of pet sitting services in Chicago, but they are really expensive. I think he will be ok by himself, but we need to find someone to clean out his litter box and play with him a little bit each day. Hopefully I will be able to convince Adam's brother to do it. We have been debated taking Charlie with us, but I am pretty sure we won't enjoy the 2 hour car ride or my parents two dogs. We shall see.

Friday Adam and I get to go to another Cubs game. Build-A-Bear Workshop sponsors two games a year and my boss gave me two tickets for this game. It is supposed to be a nice day, so I am sure Adam and I will have a blast.

Saturday morning we head to Indiana. Adam has to work on Saturday so I am going to run some errands, see my brother's new house, do some laundry, visit some friends and hang out with my parents.

Sunday morning Adam and I are having breakfast with our friends Joel and Terri. Then Adam has to work again while I have a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law. After Adam gets off work we will head back to Chicago. I am looking forward to going home for a few days. I haven't been home since Mother's Day.

Today is day 4 of 7 days of working in a row. Adam will be home on Wednesday night. Friday we get to go to Build-A-Bear day at Wrigley Field and Saturday we are headed to Indiana because I am having a shower for my future sister-in-law on Sunday. I am totally looking forward to my 3 day weekend.

Dinner with an Old Friend

Last night Adam and I had dinner with an old friend. My former roommate Joel was in town to meet with a client and we were able to meet him for dinner before he headed back to Indiana. It was great. We went to Lou Malnati's and ate some pizza and just caught up on everything that was going on. I miss seeing Joel and his wife Terri. Luckily I will be home quite a bit in August, so hopefully we will get to see them a few times.

Summer is Busy

Summer is here.....I think. The weather has been really weird. Is it summer.....is it not summer. Here is a rundown of what has been going on with my life.

• It finally felt like we were getting our summer traffic at Navy Pier yesterday. We were busy most of the day and I was beat when I got home. The stupid Red Line decided to run super slow and it took FOREVER to get home.
• Last Thursday Adam and I went to see the Cubs beat Milwaukee with my brother, his best man Jeff, his friend Tim and Tim's girlfriend Natalie. We had a great time and it was actually a really good game.
• Adam and I were both off on July 3rd. We spent most of the day watching Lost and just hanging out. It was a much needed day of relaxation. In the evening we hung out with our friends Joe and Jen.
• I had to work for a little while on July 4th. Adam and I spent the rest of the day watching Lost and hanging out with Charlie. We had no desire the brave the crowds and head downtown for fireworks. We had enough entertainment watching Charlie look at the window and try to figure out where all the loud noises were coming from.
• Today I have to go in to work for a few hours. Adam is going to do all of our laundry while I am working, then we are headed to Old Orchard Mall in Skokie. This is my favorite mall in the area. Build-A-Bear needs to put a store there. It is an awesome outdoor mall. I have to get a gift for my future sister-in-laws Personal Shower. Her Bachelorlette Party is this weekend here in Chicago.
• CJ and Jen's wedding is quickly approaching. Adam and I are putting together a slide show to play in the church before the wedding starts. I am working on the pictures and Adam and trying to figure out what songs to play. It should be pretty cool.
• Adam and I are falling in love with Charlie more and more everyday. This cat is awesome and has such a great personality.
• My mind is on vacation planning. I am saving some vacation days for October. Adam and I will probably take a road trip out to Colorado again.

That is all for now. :-)

Finally Home

Adam's plan landed at O'Hare around 2:45 am. He didn't check any luggage so we were home by 3:30am. I was exhausted but Adam was still wired from his long day of travelling. He unpacked a few things, gave me my gift and showed me some pictures. I tried my best to stay awake, but that didn't work very well. I went to bed around 4:30 and Adam came to bed when the sun was coming up at 5:30. I woke him up around 8:30 by running the coffee maker and I headed to Petco to get Charlie some cat food. Adam left for Indiana around 10am. At least we got to see each other for 7 hours.

He will be back on Tuesday night. We both have Wednesday off and don't have any plans except to put in the window air conditioners. It is pretty warm in our apartment right now. I put some ice cubes in Charlie's water bowl and he seemed to really like that. Charlie was pretty excited to see Adam.

I am headed to work now. We are open until midnight. Hopefully I will be home by 1:15.

The power went out an hour ago. The disc of Lost I could be watching right now is stuck in the DVD player. Adam is on standby for a flight. Let's hope he makes it and that the power comes on soon.