Da Bears, Da Bears, Da Bears...

Last night we were given the opportunity to go to a Chicago Bears game! Matt's boss was out of town and he offered us his tickets. (Thanks so much, Jim! We had a great time!) I had never been to an NFL game before so even though it was still a pre-season, I was pretty excited to go! And, since we won't be able to go to many, if any, of the OSU football games this year, I was really just itching to be able to cheer for any team as long as it was football! The seats were amazing! 45 yard line on the lower level behind the visitor's bench. {My only wish for being on the Bears bench side would be to get a good picture of Lovie Smith (Bears Head Coach). I just love that his name is Lovie! :) }


Blue 22! Blue 22! Hut! Hut!


"Bear down, Chicago Bears..." They have a little song they sing after they score. We tried to sing along but need a bit more practice.




At halftime, they brought out 2 Pee-Wee teams come out and play and it was hilarious! Of course I was cheering for the Orange Team! These huge pads and helmets on these little bodies and they're all scrambling around! Precious! They even tackled each other! I laughed the whole time. At the end, one of the little boys turned around and pointed to the crowd and raised his arms up and down for more applause! Too funny!

I recognized a couple of names from watching college football with Matt over the last 5 years, so I had to take pictures!

#26 Beanie Wells-- Ohio State


#7 Matt Leinart-USC





Sadly, the Bears lost BUT we still had an awesome time!

Come sail away...

One of my favorite things about our apartment is our view. I never get tired of looking out on the lake and seeing the sail boats passing by. Here are a few pictures from last week. I think there was some sort of sailing event b/c it was mid day on a Tuesday and there were boats everywhere! These are for you Aunt Tana since you requested more apt view pictures! :)


We're actually closer than this picture appears, but it gives you an idea of the buildings around us. We can see a little of Millennium Park and the building that looks like a mini version of Chrysler Building in NY is where Matt's office is located.






The water really is that clear and blue! I love it!

And so it begins...

I knew it would come to an end...the greatest of all "summer vacations". It's been a great time of self inflicted unemployment, but I have officially started job hunting. Boo. Not really because of the money... although extra cash is always welcome! {PLUS. I'm seeing some GREAT fall sweaters/jackets that I would love to own and I would feel better about it if I were bringing home a little bacon too! Hey, this blog is all about the honesty.} but more because I need something to fill my day. Matt has been wonderfully patient and hasn't rushed me in the slightest, which I love him to death for being so amazing. But he also works, a lot. 10-12+ hour days usually.

I know I live in this amazing city and I haven't even made a dent in the "Things to do" department, but I can only enjoy it so much when I'm by myself. I want to explore the city with Matt so my weekdays are beginning to get a little mundane. AND...I desperately want a new way to meet people! I have made some really great friendships in my past work experience so I'm looking forward to going to lunch with a new co-worker or finding out someone's favorite coffee drink and surprising them with it just b/c I'm such a fun person to work with! :)

One thing though. I HATE JOB HUNTING. I HATE everything about it. Updating my resume, searching endlessly online, reading job descriptions that are filled with obnoxious words and more fluff than anything, writing cover letter after cover letter, wondering if/when I'll even get a call about a job, wondering if they even looked at my resume (I hate that everything is online now...), the anxiety before an interview--I tend to sweat profusely or give myself a stomach ache. Sorry, it's true. It doesn't help that I don't really know what I want to do. It seems like everyone else knows what they want to do, they've got a direction. "I've always wanted to teach." "I want to be a doctor/lawyer." "Investment banking is my passion." well...good for you! I don't have a CLUE! After a college degree and 4 years in the real world, I think I know less about what I want to do for employment! ha! I have ideas sometimes, but then I go back and forth. I've never been super career driven, gotta get to the top of the ladder, kind of person. I admire people like that, Matt is that way. Maybe it's just not in me.

Anyway, I went to a staffing agency today. They seemed really positive and upbeat about finding something for me, and since I don't really know anyone here, I figure it's worth a shot. So, wish me luck! Here goes nothin'!

Latest Discovery!

Drum roll please...

I FOUND A TARGET CLOSE BY!!!!!!! This definitely made my day, maybe even my whole week!
I did a little walk through the clothing section and found this SUPER cute trench

so I'm keeping my eye on it to go on sale! :)

Also, for my Oklahoma friends, Target (in states that aren't weird about alcohol laws sorry OK is way behind the times) sells alcohol. Some may be snobs about boxed wine, but they have a great boxed wine in a cute little cube. So every time I went to Target in TX, I would snag one. It's a great way to keep fresh wine since I'm usually the only one drinking it. Matt's a beer man. So I picked up a cube AND I saw that they had something new...boxed margaritas! It may be terrible but I decided to pick one up and give it a try! So tonight's menu, enchiladas, chips, salsa, guacamole, and margaritas!


And side note: I did the dumbest thing on record for the last well, day or maybe week, I do a lot of dumb things. I decided to bake some Cinnamon Streusel coffee cake for our breakfast tomorrow. Let me tell you, it was smelling so good! Well, until I started smelling something burning and thought "That's weird, the timer hasn't gone off yet" So I went to check it and sure enough...BLACK! I had accidentally set the temp on 475 instead of 375!!!!!! Ugh. The worst part (besides feeling so dumb!) was, I had just gotten home from Target only to realize that I needed flour to make it and I had to run over to Walgreens to get some. boo.

My balcony oasis 42 stories in the sky

If you're scared of heights, you would hate our balcony! I wasn't fond of our balcony at first, but it's pretty great. It's nice to step out and get some fresh air on a nice day instead of taking the elevator all the way down only to step outside and get a quick whiff of sewer smells before your breath of fresh air! haha. I love watching the sail boats out on Lake Michigan, I think I might enjoy sailing. I like to watch all the people and traffic. The rhythm of it all is kind of mesmerizing.

I've been sitting out here a little more often over the past couple of days b/c A) it's been really nice out and B) although I LOVE Friends, I'm already halfway through Season 7 and I've got to space it out a little, oh and C) it makes me feel like less of a vegetable than sitting on the couch watching movies (we don't have cable right now). Don't you think sitting with 2 tailgate type folding chairs facing each other so I can keep my feet propped up is less vegetable like that laying on the couch?! Yeah, me too. I'm really liking this "city life", I think I'm getting used to all the noises and the sirens are now "normal". I watch the trains pass by below multiple times an hour and I'm thankful that our doors/windows are nice and soundproof :)

I think they're filming some more of Transformers 3 b/c we saw a bunch of trucks/trailers with movie set rental logos this morning while I walked Matt to work. Then, I saw a "wrecked" school bus and there are big stadium lights shining down on one of the streets below. I've been telling myself to go check it out, but that requires me leaving my little oasis on my balcony! Maybe I will here in a bit when I go pick up Matt's dry cleaning. :)

Pictures of the Blue Angels

Ok...so I took about 100 pictures at the air show! I was just crazy about it! And, I was trying to watch so I would just point my camera and hope I caught the shot while watching and screaming "OH MY GOSH, How do they DO that?" while grabbing Matt's arm or slapping his leg. It's a miracle I got any planes in any of the pictures but I did, and here are a few of my faves. Cropped and zoomed in of course!


They did this a few times and every time I think I had a mini heart attack! They would wait until the last minute and either flip on their sides or one would flip upside down and they would just barely miss each other! I'm sure their mother's have never seen them perform these stunts or else she died of a heart attack b/c if that were my child...I would be in hysterics!


Look at how close and in perfect alignment they're in...no telling how many hours they have to practice. So beautiful! And it was the perfect day for an air show!


This was towards the end of the show. They flew in from the lake and then right as they were approaching the crowd, they split. Behind all of us is the Chicago skyline (it runs all along the lake shore) so we're all trying to follow the planes and one of them flies right past an apartment building! I would've peed my pants if I lived in that apartment!
Side note: next year Matt and I would LOVE to watch from one of those boats! Best seat in the house, for sure.


Me trying to recreate the shock of what I just saw! No peeing in the pants though...


And of course, a cute picture of us enjoying our day at the lake!

Chicago Air & Water Show!

WOW! I've never been more in awe! Of course there's lots to do during the Chicago summers, Lollapalooza, Cubs games, Taste of Chicago, but in my own personal opinion if you're going to come to Chicago in the summer...you HAVE to come the weekend of the Chicago Air & Water Show! It's a FREE 2 day event where you get to see planes and helicopters do the most amazing things! I was so full of shock, awe, fear (some moments you didn't know if they were planned or accidental it was crazy!) and most importantly pride for our country and those who are brave enough to serve and protect us!
Matt and I spend Saturday out on the beach watching planes and helicopters do the unthinkable!
Who knew a helicopter could do flips and whirli-gigs?! And who knew that planes could free fall and do cart-wheels in the air and fly upside down!? I mean, it was just insane! I almost had about 30 heart attacks and grabbed Matt's arm going "Oh my gosh!" a thousand times!
The Blue Angels were my favorite. Their precision and skill is just beyond anything I had ever seen before! Seriously, if you get the chance to ever see them...GO! You won't regret it! Pictures coming soon!!!

Dinner for one...

OK. I don't want to hear it if I turn out to be a bad cook! After 2 years of "cooking" for Matt & I, it's back to just me. Which I like. GASP! There I said it. It's not that I don't like cooking, I've just never been that comfortable in the kitchen. I'm not a horrible cook, I'm just not very adventurous. I'm pretty by the book with recipes and once I figure out how to cook something, it's on a rotation and will be cooked frequently! My family ate together, but I was always so picky (my mom almost died the other day when I told her I cooked and ATE asparagus!) and my dad isn't a big eater so Mom (bless her heart) usually ended up cooking a couple of different things for us. She's a great cook, but we always went for quick and easy meals, nothing fancy. And, there were only 3 of us so we didn't need much of a meal.

Then, I marry Matt. He's from a family of 6 and well, he's a boy. He was used to eating big meals that require more than a microwave! I think I did pretty well over the past couple of years and well let's face it, he cooked quite a bit too! He's a great cook and managed to throw spices together to make something fabulous!

Matt's new job has been keeping him at the office until 8 every night on average. They usually expense dinner which means I'm typically on my own. I feel like I'm back in college when I was living by myself. I can eat whatever I want and not have to worry about making sure it has enough meat for him. I like meat but I don't need it in every meal. haha I think it's a guy thing. PROTEIN! I'm more of a "snacker" if you will, I like cereal for dinner or just ice cream every now and then. Don't get me wrong, I miss having dinner with Matt on a daily basis, but I still have the weekends. And for the time being, we have lunch dates every now and then! I'm sure it will slow down too and he'll get to come home earlier. But for now, I'm enjoying my glass of wine or my bowl of cereal, or baked potato!

"wife guilt"

Ok. So most of you know, I'm a "creeper". I don't think I creep in a creepy way, but I love to keep up with my friends via facebook and check out all their pictures, blogs, etc. Matt always catches me looking at someone's wedding photos or someone's baby pics and tells me I'm a creeper! Anyway, during my daily creeping on facebook, I stumble upon my friend Jennifer Porter's blog! First, let me say, I truly admire this girl! I met her my sophomore year during recruitment. We lived in the same dorm/suites so we were in the same recruitment group. She's such a genuine girl and I've always thought the world of her. We ended up pledging different sororities but we had mutual friends so we would bump into each other over the years. Well, anyway, she posted about being a housewife the other day and it really hit the nail on the head for how I'm feeling/adjusting to this season.
To read her post click the link below.
http://www.ourmarriageproject.com/07/2010/to-be-a-housewife/

I'm starting to look for jobs but I easily get discouraged or distracted. I know Matt isn't angry with me about it, but when he asks what I'm doing during the day, I feel guilty and almost want to be defensive as to why I haven't applied to more places or accomplished more for the day. Yesterday, I walked with him to work (my new favorite ritual and I will really miss it when I have to walk to my own office) and ran by the lake, then I came home and fell back asleep watching Friends. I found a job to apply for, but found myself stumped for hours on writing the cover letter. Insert a few more hours checking facebook, watching Friends, etc. So at 5:30 I decide to pick up the dry cleaning (they close at 6!) and go to Walgreens so that I could feel like I did something!

Anyway, I hope this makes sense or someone can relate. Part of me is ready for a job and the other part of me knows I should enjoy this time off while I have it. I'm sure once I find something, I'll be begging for a vacation. haha!

The Wilson's visit to Chicago!

Matt's sweet family came to Chicago this last week & it was so much fun to see them! They arrived while I was in Kansas City with my girlfriends so Matt got some quality time in with the fam which I think he really needed. He was worn out from his 2 weeks of training in San Francisco and there's nothing like spending time with people you love to refresh you!

So, Sunday night we went to Gibson's (our favorite steakhouse...we've already been 3 times!) to celebrate Chris' (Matt's dad) birthday! His birthday was Aug 3rd but we knew Matt would be working late so we wanted to make sure & celebrate at a time Matt could enjoy too. So...back to Gibson's...we had a FEAST! Everyone split a steak b/c they are HUGE! The smallest steak is 10oz and Matt & Landon split a 28oz steak! Surprisingly, there were no leftovers. Matt & I had seen their insane dessert portions so we warned the Wilson's not to go overboard since we intended to have a ginormous piece of cake. We managed to save room & it did NOT disappoint! Yum!


Ok...I did a terrible job portraying the size of this dessert but I kid you not, it was a monstrosity. Enough for all 6 of us with some left for seconds!

Monday, Matt went to work & I met up with the family to do a little sight seeing! We went on the architecture tour & had a great time! I know, I know. You're thinking "Beth, didn't you JUST go on this a couple of weeks ago?" Yes I did but I wanted to go again! We had a different tour guide & I learned lots of new things! There's always something new to see/learn on these things! I'll go many more times too!


Chris, Beth, Jeana & Landon with the Chicago Skyline


The whole gang...well almost. We need to photo shop Matt & Liz too! :)


Me with Jeana & Landon! I have the best in-laws on the planet! I love having a brother/and sisters these days! And I didn't have to fight with them while I was growing up! It's like the best of both worlds! :)

Well like I said, it was Chris' birthday while they were in Chicago and Jeana's 14th is in a couple of weeks so we just had a fun little birthday party here at the apartment!

Cheesecake!


I can't believe I didn't think to get a "1" candle so we could make it Jeana's cake too! Silly me. She's never camera shy!


The birthday kids!


Make a wish!

Matt & I are so glad y'all came to Chicago to spend a few days with us! We love y'all and miss you terribly! Can't wait for your next visit!

NEW LAMP!!!

I surprised Matt with a decorated apartment while he was in SF. Mom & I bought new bar stools and I was so proud of the place. Well, Matt returned the favor! He got home 2 days before I got home from Kansas City & returned the favor with a little welcome home gift for me! This FABULOUS new floor lamp! I love love LOVE it! Apparently, he debated & stared at it for a ridiculous amount of time and finally Beth, my mother in law just said "we're getting it for you!" THANK YOU! I LOVE IT!


Isn't it amazing?! It's a 1950's ratchet lamp!


Here's a close up of the ratchet so you can see how to adjust it to be the perfect height!

I had no idea Matt was listening to my rambling about wanting a bigger/more substantial floor lamp! Thank you for your thoughtfulness, babe!!!

Whirlwind July!

Last month FLEW by! Mom spent a week with me in Chicago, then we went to Wichita Falls for a week so I could see Daddy too and then I wrapped up the end of the month in Kansas City with some wonderful girlfriends from college! Whew! I was so glad to be so busy while Matt was in San Francisco. I had planned to tag along & see SF but I'm SO glad I didn't. Vista kept Matt so busy with training & homework that I would have been so bored. I think he's enjoying it so far! Here are some fun pictures from the last couple of weeks.


My pretty Mama at Navy Pier!


Mom & I on the architecture tour! I recommend this tour even if you live in Chicago! It's a fun way to see all the buildings without walking your legs off! We had a great time!


View of Willis Tower from the river. My neck hurt from looking straight up!


The cupcake truck! They ice the cupcakes when you order & they are delicious!!!


Mom at "the bean"!


Kathryn, Katie, Renee & I at Kathryn's BEAUTIFUL home in Kansas City! Love these girls so much!


Makenna walking to the table! She's growing up so fast!


Mom & Makenna...Landon was still napping.


A deer eating behind my parent's house! I love sitting out there & watching the deer, roadrunners & bunnies!