Monday, December 28, 2009
That was fun!
Monday, December 21, 2009
There were probably unicorns, too
Monday, December 14, 2009
2,520 hours later...
- It took three men an hour and a half to figure out how to get our couch up our very narrow staircase.
- I worked at a bakery for a week and was then cussed out in French when I quit for a job that paid a lot more.
- I worked at the University of Chicago law school for two weeks, where people thought I was related to the "Laird" part of the "Laird Bell Quadrangle" at the law school. I sort of let them believe it. But we might be!
- I cried every night for the first two weeks that we lived here.
- I somehow landed the most amazing, rewarding and fulfilling job I could have ever imagined.
- I bought a champagne stopper that has changed my life.
- We traveled to Georgia twice to attend weddings.
- M saw Oprah.
- M went on a fun Chicago scavenger hunt while I worked.
- We went Mac.
- The Gators lost to Alabama. Gross.
- We realized that most people outside the Beltway don't think every day about policy or politics.
- I learned how to use Skype.
- I was greeted nearly every day by a butt-dancing, whistling crossing guard.
- The car battery died.
- We went to Iowa. Almost as exciting as the car battery.
- 40 degrees now feels like spring.
- The car slid on ice when I was driving and I got really scared.
- We successfully hosted Thanksgiving.
- We're still here.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Nope, it's Christmas
Saturday, December 5, 2009
It's Practically Summer
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Finals
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Pretty Much I'm Martha Stewart
Thursday, November 19, 2009
These People Cannot Drive
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Cupboards are Bare
Friday, November 13, 2009
"One of these Things Is Not Like the Other. One of these things Just Doesn't Belong""
Hint: It's the iPhone. You REALLY don't need to be talking on your phone when you're in a public gym on a treadmill.
Thanks.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
I hope this is a sign
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
This is Why We Do It
I have to admit that there are times when I feel anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated, even angry with our work. In my lowest moments I even question if what we’re doing can make a difference. Is there really hope on the horizon for our community? Are we really able to stand against the onslaught of the enemy that rakes the families of our neighborhood over the coals time and time again? Can we really turn the tide of addiction, violence and despair in the lives of those we encounter?
In those moments I always find myself turning back to Isaiah 58 and God’s call to his people to stand against oppression and injustice. It’s not simply a feel-good call to charity, but it’s a mandate to be God’s hands and feet – his foot soldiers in this battle against the injustice and oppression attacking our community.
Look at the progression in verse 6, God says:
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?”
We are called to loose the chains and untie the cords of the yoke – to bring comfort and relief to the suffering. But we can’t stop there, we must work to set the oppressed free – to come along side the oppressed and bring them into the freedom of the Kingdom. BUT not even that is enough. God calls us to “break every yoke” – to completely obliterate the system of oppression so that the same cycle of injustice can’t be repeated. That is an amazingly powerful image to me. It’s a call that challenges us to continue on in spite of the overwhelming challenge ahead of us. A call that forces us to think bigger, think bolder about the purpose for our work.
And, lest we think this is something we can do from afar and without personal involvement, God says in verse 7.
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
God makes it clear that we are to be personally involved – sharing our food, providing shelter, clothing the naked. But I think the most cutting, powerful statement in this chapter is the call to not turn away from our own flesh and blood. Wow. Think about that for a moment. Sure we say that we believe that all people have innate worth and dignity because they are created in God’s image. But we often forget that we all share the same masterful Creator - that we are all truly family in the most real sense of the term.
It’s simple to dismiss the indigent, the addict, the gang banger, the homeless pan handler, the felon, the teen mother, or the child who’s never felt the love of their father or mother. It’s so easy to turn away. How much more would our lives be affected if instead we saw the addict as our son, the prostitute as our sister, the felon as our father, the teen mother as our daughter, the pan handler as our brother, and the indigent widow as our mother? Would it then be so easy to turn away? To turn our backs on our own flesh and blood? Yet this is exactly who God reminds us that they are - fellow children of the same masterful Creator, members of the same Family.
I want to challenge us (myself included) to move beyond thinking of the network model as a way to provide a support network, or open doors of opportunity and access to those whom we serve. Don’t get me wrong, those are all important byproducts of connecting people. But the power of the network, to me, is the call to bring disparate children of the Father together. It’s a call to not turn our back on our own flesh and blood, but instead to choose to partner our lives with family members whom we’ve tended to forget. To bring joy to the Father by loving our Kingdom brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers.
Isaiah paints an incredible picture of what happens when these things come together – when we break the yoke of oppression and get our hands dirty in the process by caring for our own flesh and blood instead of turning away. When we corporately fight to break the yoke and personally partner with those we’ve forgotten, amazing things will happen.
8 “Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
May we not shrink back, but work with boldness, freshly empowered by His Spirit to call together the Children of the Kingdom to break the yoke of oppression, break the hardness of our hearts and bring shalom to our Family.
*******************************************************************************
AMEN.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Domestic Goddess
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Halloween on Memory Lane
When I was younger, I always wanted to wear a bumblebee costume for Halloween. I’m not exactly sure why that particular costume created so much desire in me, especially considering how horrible I look in yellow AND the fact that I am deadly allergic to stinging insects, but I was adamant. The yellow and black striped leotard, the fishnet stockings, the black tutu, the headband with bouncy balls on it…I wanted to be the cutest gosh darn bumblebee in the neighborhood. And yet, it never materialized. Maybe my parents, in their infinite wisdom, decided that I would look just too ridiculous. Or maybe mom didn’t know how to make something out of stretchy leotard material…and she always made our Halloween costumes. Or maybe my parents had an aversion to their 8 year old daughter wearing fishnet stockings which are usually reserved for…shall we say…women of more experience. Whatever their reason, I was simply not going to be a bumblebee.
I do remember, however, the year that I was Sleeping Beauty for Halloween. Decked out in a light blue satin dress that mom had made- of COURSE it was the light blue one, since everyone knows that Sleeping Beauty’s pink dress was just plain ugly- I also had the pleasure of wearing a ridiculously long blonde wig. Obviously dressing up. Obviously not real. And just for further explanation, for those of you who don’t know what great looks I’ve been blessed with, let me describe. I have dark eyes. Dark hair. Very dark eyebrows. I really didn’t think that anyone would actually think the blonde hair was mine.
I learned then a lesson that has served me well ever since: never underestimate the stupidity of a high school student.
That “Sleeping Beauty Halloween”, as I was trick-or-treating with my father and sister, a group of teenagers came up behind us as we moved from house to house. You know the type; in fact, you probably were the type. Kids who wear their normal clothes and claim to be dressed as the “cynical youth of our generation” or would wear their sports uniform and be the famous athlete who plays that sport. Let me just say that even as an 8 or 9 year old I didn’t buy that. Go buy your own candy at the store, and then go in the woods and drink beers or smoke cigarettes or do whatever it is you cynical youth of our generation do.
But these kids were there. Even though they had been following us for a few houses, no one really had said anything and they generally affirmed my conviction at the time that people between the ages of 14 and 18 were generally stupid and not worth my time…I would rather be playing dry cleaner or orphanage (yes, I played orphanage), thank you very much. So they minded their business, we minded ours…until…one of them spoke. She was probably about 16 or so, dressed in what I now only remember to be jeans and a tshirt, though I’m sure she was trying to be a hippie or something. I guess, looking back, I shouldn’t mock this poor girl who was at least kind enough to offer a few words to the little Sleeping Beauty she kept running into. But passing her on my way from the door of some house where some man had probably given me a toothbrush or apple (that rant is for another time…who gives those out on Halloween?! All of American society has agreed that Halloween night is, in fact, the night that it’s OK to not brush your teeth and eat so much candy and sugar that you make yourself sick. It’s as American as the Constitution and the NAACP suing people!)…but the girl smiled at me and said, “Oh my GOSH. You are, like, SOOO cute! Oh my gosh, and is that like your real hair? I bet so. It is sooooo pretty.”
I think I probably stood there, stunned, for a second. Did I hear you incorrectly? Did you just ask me, the little girl who looks more Slovakian than Swedish, if this ridiculous long blonde wig is actually my hair? Do you not realize that one of the main tenets of Halloween is that you dress up to resemble something you are not? Oh my. No really…oh my. I just stood there. And then my dad called, “Let’s go!” from the driveway and I was gone, leaving stupid- high-school-girl-who-
Happy Halloween. Or Fall Festival or whatever you want to call it.
Monday, October 26, 2009
I think the guy upstairs is throwing himself on the floor
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Attack of the Swine
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Dancing King
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
You do the math
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Odds and Ends
Saturday, October 3, 2009
I love Wisconsin.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Wait is Over
As of Monday, October 5th, I will be the newest employee of Breakthrough Urban Ministries, on the West Side of Chicago (www.breakthroughministries.com). I will serve as their Volunteer Coordinator, ie, be a liaison between the Program Directors (programs=men's shelter, women's shelter, kids programs-mentoring and sports, outreach to prostitutes) and volunteers, helping keep everyone happy, involved, etc etc and spending lots of time cultivating relationships. The perfect job for me? Quite likely. I love liaising.
Breakthrough's model of urban involvement is unlike any other organization I've heard of before. I can't really do it justice in just a few sentences, but I'll try. We've all heard it's not what you do, it's who you know, right? Breakthrough strives to specifically built up networks (call them "communities") of people to surround those who are part of each of these different programs. Therefore, when participants graduate from a program or from a school, they aren't suddenly left in isolation to fend for themselves and somehow market their skills to people who already have ideas and prejudices against them. Instead, each person has this network, this community, to continue to reach out to, to be encouraged by, to encourage. They may walk out of the door of a program, but they don't thereby walk into isolation. The reality is that it's these sorts of networks/communities that we know (because we've all experienced it in some form or fashion) that make a difference in our lives. That call us to that "better life", that help us network to find that job and help to encourage us when we're feeling less than our best. I think this just might be the way to help transform communities, be they urban, suburban, rural, black, white, Asian or anything in between.
And so I start on Monday. It's been a long road. In the last month, I've held four different jobs. No really, I counted. MCC. Consulting. Bakery. Law School. Each job has taught me a ton about myself, about people and about the value of work. And now, here I am. Health benefits. 401k. Paid vacation. I have never in my life been more thankful for a job. And the fact that I couldn't have dreamed up a better position? Utterly priceless.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
One Year Later
M has planned a surprise get away weekend (surprise in that I don't know where we're going) for us and I'm REALLY looking forward to enjoying one another and a new adventure somewhere within driving-distance of Chicago. I'm also supposed to find out about a particular job (details, should I get it) on Monday or Tuesday, so it's nice to have something else to keep me, um, engaged pretty fully for the next few days.
Get your mind out of the gutter.
And anyways, we're married. It's legal.
Oh gosh, I hope my mom isn't reading this...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
More gratuitous pictures of Hyde Park
Someone left their office window open. How do I get that office?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Possibly the greatest invention. Ever.
Friends. Romans. Countrymen. THIS LITTLE DO-HICKY WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Mark my words.
Always wanted to come home and have a glass of champagne after a long day? (Am I the only one raising my hand?) Liked the idea of a glass for dessert? (...uh...guys?....) This, my friends, is your ticket. The champagne stopper/preserver thing. That's the technical name at least.
Right before we left DC, M and I went on a "gift cards from the wedding that we really need to spend" shopping spree. I've always loved champagne, but M isn't quite as in love with it as I am. That means that I either 1) had to drink a whole bottle (uh...not that I ever did that...) or 2) throw away anything I didn't drink or, 3) not drink champagne (horrific, I know.) Until we came across this little guy. I know I've seen these before. It just never registered in my brain that I could own one of my own. Once you've had your fill, you simply pull the side metal things up, then press the little thing down on the bottle, closing the arms around it. Air-tight seal. Preservation of bubbles. No more waste!!
This is my testimony: my life has forever been changed. No longer do I feel guilty buying a bottle of champagne. I can buy it and drink it over approximately four days (I've never saved enough to keep it past then, though I would bet the little seal thingy would work longer) and- I know, I'm probably going crazy here- the champagne is BETTER the second or third day. Bubbles galore. Great, crisp taste. True bliss, really.
This, apparently, is the life of a Hyde Park Hero.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
"We Don't Have Any Paper"
The night before the interview, I wanted to print my resume, cover letter and the job description in order to have them on hand at the interview. Since we don't have a printer, I knew I would have to find some sort of store where I could log in to my email (I also lost my USB thingy majigger) and quickly and easily print.
First stop: Office Depot. I walked over to the oh-so-professional looking "Copy Center," waited a few minutes in line and then asked where I could log in to my email in order to make a few copies of a document. I was briskly told that I would not be able to log in to any of their computers, as they're not for private use. "Right, I understand that, but I'm just retrieving two documents to then pay you to print for me."
"We don't do that."
Ok, cool. On to the next store.
So I looped back to 53rd Street, where I had just passed one of those UPS printing/copying/shipping stores. I went in to one of the two computers sitting in the storefront, logged into my email and pulled up the documents. I turned around at that point to get a little help from the guy at the desk.
Me: "Hi, can you help me print something?"
Man: Stare.
Me: "Is that possible?"
Man: "We don't have any paper."
Me: (looking up at the printing/copying sign) "What do you mean?"
Man: "We don't have any paper."
Me: "Well, sir, I'm just printing three pieces of paper. You have three pieces of paper here, right? I mean this is a printing/copying store."
Man: "We don't have any paper."
Me: (angry at this point) "I'm sorry sir, but that's a load of sh*t. It's your RESPONSIBILITY AS A PRINTING COMPANY TO HAVE PAPER."
Man: "Yeah, we don't have any."
Me: "Ok. Fine. I'll go home, get my OWN paper, and then come back and print my three pieces of paper."
Man: "We close in five minutes."
Me: "You close at 6 pm?? So what do you suggest I do?"
(pause)
Man: "You should go to FedEx Kinkos."
With pleasure.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Hyde Park 101
And finally, here's our street: E Hyde Park Blvd. I took this picture through the windshield, so it doesn't completely capture its beauty. But man, it's beautiful. Tree-lined, wide, with beautiful buildings on both sides of the street. It's also a main bus line (again, thank God for the new windows that block out the noise) making it very easy to get to the University and around the town.
So it's finally starting to feel like we actually live here. M walks to math camp each morning, I head out to the bakery, then spend the afternoons looking for jobs. On the weekends we wander down to the lake, wander into the city or just laze around. We're finally starting to make friends and I'm getting plugged in to the children's stuff at the church we're attending. Life is good. It's different. It's not DC. But Hyde Park has its own little charm, its own quirks, its own crazy people that I'm starting to love as well.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Guess The State
Yes, that's right.
It's the game you've all been waiting for.
Below are three pictures taken on our journey to Chicago (yes, I was taking pictures while driving with this very game in mind.) Your job is to guess what state these pictures were taken in. Your options are: Washington, DC, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Should be easy, right? Right...
Picture one. Yes, those are huge windmill thingys. Got it? Now here's picture number two. Yep, it's a totally different state.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
We've Arrived
The trip was incredibly smooth and easy (minus a little mishap in which the rental truck keys were locked in the rental truck as it was running. Thankfully my aunt has AAA!), and we only got lost once. Unfortunately for us, it was in Gary, Indiana. Not the brightest spot in the area.
I'll write more later, including a fun game of "Guess the State" from a selection of pictures taken on the journey. But for now I'll leave you with this: we love our new apartment, we love our new little neighborhood, and Mason almost sort of loves math camp. No, seriously. And avocados at the local produce store cost 69 cents each. YES I SAID 69 CENTS. And a red pepper? Oh, it's only $1.50 a POUND. A POUND!!!! That's practically free.
Stay tuned. More to come later today or tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
I am on a rampage against Comcast
I just spent the last hour and a half negotiating with someone to get internet and maybe, possibly, standard cable service for our new apartment. Don't be fooled: that $19.99 they're offering for internet only? Yeah, it doesn't exist. Unless you also fork over money for cable. And then once you do, you pay some ridiculous installation fee, when I could probably plug the cords in myself. The taxes and fees are nothing ($3.46) compared to the ridiculous prices. Oh, and no worries. In six months, your bill will nearly double (I'm not kidding. From $59.99 to $102.50). Woohoo! Sign me up for that!
Here's the problem. We have no other options. Sure, we could go with AT&T (maybe) for internet. If we could understand their website. Verizon doesn't offer service in our area, and apparently there aren't any other cable or internet companies that do, either. In some weird sense, I guess I can thank myself for that, as I used to provide legislative support to lobbyists who lobbied on behalf of Comcast...poor, oppressed company that it is. Oh gosh, I think I'm going to be sick.
I understand that it's a luxury to have internet and television. I'm fully aware of that (though, as I've mentioned before, there were four bars of cell phone service in the Middle of Nowhere, Rwanda, and I don't think they're paying these prices.) But aren't we supposed to crush monopolies here in the United States? Isn't that what we're about? Apple pie, crushing monopolies and picket fences? Throw in 2.5 kids and a cute puppy and you're living the American dream. But apparently this dream is turning into a nightmare.
Shouldn't I have some sort of choice in who I choose to provide these services to me, if I'm willing to pay the money for it? Or, at the very least, a standard, reasonable, public option that's available to everyone who doesn't care to have "blazing fast internet" (yes, he really said that to me)? Am I just supposed to give in because that's the only option I've got? Hear this, Comcast: I will not bend!!
Maybe I should rename this blog Hyde Park: unplugged. Or just write a book. No internet required.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Hello, Neighbor!
I don't want to brag. But my chocolate chip cookies ARE world famous. And, by the way, I can say "world" because I made them in India when I lived there in 2004. For reference, this is no small feat when brown sugar is nearly impossible to find and your house doesn't have an oven. Yes, friends, you can survive-even thrive- WITHOUT an oven!!! But I digress.
So in order to meet our new neighbors, and since I don't have anything else to do yet (ie, I'm unemployed), I thought it would be nice to bake up a fresh batch of cookies, wrap them up in a cute little bag and hand deliver them to our new neighbors. (I think this would go over really well if I wear pearls, lipstick and talk with a Southern accent. Maybe Mason will even wear seersucker. Do they know what that is in Chicago?) I mean who among us would love to get fresh baked cookies from the new neighbor? I'm raising my hand. As long as my neighbor isn't that scary Russian dude who poisoned that other Russian guy.
I'm quickly learning that our new neighborhood is made up of a unique mix of characters. Again, hopefully not scary Russian dude or anyone involved with any international form of the mafia. Here's hoping. Anyway, you've got your graduate students, who make up the entirety of our building. You've got the professors, many of whom live in the beautiful old mansions on the side streets off of our street (apparently professors at the University of Chicago are doing well). You've got the middle class families who commute in to Chicago every day, and you've got the older people who have lived there forever.
And then you've got them, when they're not (ahem) busy doing other things*.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Diet Coke
Diet Coke
Diet Coke
Coke (not available)
Ginger Ale (not available)
Sprite (not available)
some weird fruit juice that doesn't actually have fruit or juice in it.
OBVIOUSLY my first choice would have been Ginger Ale. Followed by Sprite. Followed by Coke. So what's a girl to do when stuck in a situation like this?
So yep. I plunked in my seventy-five cents (!!!), pushed the first of the two Diet Coke buttons and watched as my new can rolled around in the dispenser thingy, the condensation glistening off the silvery metal of the can. I popped the top (hello, anyone else think it sounds just like drinking a beer? Which is totally inappropriate in our office unless it's a party--which we have at least once a week. And there's alcohol. Thank you Federal Government!), and took a swig.
Ugh.
Seriously?
For some reason, I thought Diet Coke tasted better than this. I was wrong, friends. Very, very wrong. The thing is, it tasted almost like a mix of water and real Coke, and just generally fake... if something can actually taste "fake." Ugh. Why do people drink this? I don't care how "healthy" it is compared to real Coke. It tastes like flat dog pee. If I had ever tasted that.
And Splenda? Don't even get me started on Splenda. Even the word makes me want to vommit and go eat a cup of sugar.
Never again, my friends, never again.
Monday, August 17, 2009
FAQs
Why are you moving?
This fall, M and I decided that it was time for him to go back to school in order to get his Masters of Public Policy. He spent most of November and December applying to schools (I believe the count was 13), never really expecting to get into all of the schools that he did. We had assumed we would stay here in Washington, DC and he would attend one of the great schools in the area, but when we found out that he had been accepted to the University of Chicago, our thoughts and feelings began to change. After talking with friends, family and M’s co-workers/superiors, as well as spending time in prayer, we decided to take the plunge and go with the University of Chicago’s program.
What are you going to be doing?
As of Monday, August 17th 2009, at 11:14am, I don’t have a job.
I take that back.
I have a part-time consulting job that will continue, but it’s only a few hours a month and, therefore, not enough to live on alone. I’ve had multiple interviews for multiple positions but still nothing. I’ve sent out approximately a bazillion emails to potential employers. No luck. I’ve applied for positions ranging from Coffee Maker to CEO, still nothing. Therefore, what I will be doing when we move to Chicago is….LOOKING FOR A JOB! We still feel very confident that we will be provided for, and I am beginning to see just how much this time of searching is refining me, humbling me and making me more dependent on the One who is my Provider. Don’t get me wrong here, though. I’ve raged. I’ve cried. I’ve thrown things (actually, I don’t think I have, but it seemed to fit with the other emotions). I’ve written letters to the President (you think I’m kidding…) I’ve felt depressed. I’ve felt that I somehow “deserve” a job. I’ve felt they must not understand how amazing I am. I’ve thought about contacting them and explaining to them why I’m so amazing. I’ve rethought why I think I’m amazing in the first place. I’m getting there.
Where will you be living?
Well, I’m sad to report that my letter to the Obamas has gone unreturned and so, therefore, we will not be renting out his house. Bummer. Instead, we’ll be renting an apartment on Hyde Park Boulevard (yes, we’ll be living on a BOULEVARD. How Parisian of us.) It’s a University Grad Student apartment, meaning all the other tenants are grad students as well. It’s a couple blocks from the church we think we’ll be attending, another couple blocks from the produce store I’m really excited about, and a quick bus ride for M to get to his classes.
What sports teams will you support?
M is extremely excited that the University of Chicago has a sucky football team (if they have one at all?) so we will continue to be Gators fans. Whew. That was a close one.
Additionally, seeing as how we will be living on the South Side, we’ll be official fans of the Chicago White Sox (and we think the Cubs are too popular already.) I know absolutely nothing about them, but hey, Go Team! We’ll also support Da Bears, simply because they are Da Bears. And we hope to go to Soldier Field in the middle of winter and watch a game. Because watching sports in -10 degree wind chill weather is apparently fun.
How long will you be in Chicago?
We don’t know for sure, but we hope to come back to Washington, DC once M graduates, which will be in two years. A lot can change between now and then, but as of right now, that’s what we’re thinking and feeling.
When are you going to have babies?
If I don’t find a job, I will seriously consider becoming a welfare mom. You have my word, and I’ll have your tax dollars.
When are you finally moving?
We pull out of DC on Sunday morning, August 30th. We’ll be stopping and staying with family in Columbus, OH, and arrive in Chicago on Monday, August 31st. Our last day at work here in DC is August 27th. You can come help us pack on Saturday, August 29th. No really. We would love to have you.
Are you excited? (Note, this is the most often-asked question that we receive)
WOOHOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!!! TOOT TOOT! YAY!!!!! YIPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
YES, we’re excited. Admittedly, not having a job is a bit of a downer, but we’re excited for this new adventure, for new friends and for this great educational opportunity. Saying goodbye is never easy or fun, but we are certain this is what is right for us. Being so newly married, the thought of going off together where we’ve never been known as anything other than a husband and wife is really exciting. Neither of us could have done this alone, and that’s why we’re so thankful that in this perfect timing, we have each other to travel with, encourage and minister along side. I don’t think we could ask for more.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Yes, please.
Gosh, I love food.
I know, I know, it's all hip and cool these days to be into Julia Child, beef bourguignon and sustainable gardens. But as someone who has always loved to cook- and who has the burn scars on her arms as proof (I'm not kidding)- I feel like I have some right to swoon over poached eggs, beurre blanc and perfectly cooked asparagus.
Oh my gosh, I'm salivating.
This may also be because it's lunch time.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
How your world can exist in ten simple blocks
I know it's blurry. You didn't expect me to actually give you a discernible map of where we're going to live, did you?
Now that we've FINALLY settled on an apartment, I've been spending my days mapping out all the fun, urban, cool places I want to frequent when we finally become Hyde Park Heroes. Because let's face it...you can't be a Hyde Park Hero if you're not in the know on all these fun, urban, cool places (that will be, of course, sustainable, environmentally-friendly, angsty-grad student-filled, skinny jeans, hip retro glasses, economically and culturally diverse, wine bar, blah blah blah, sort of places.)
There's Hyde Park Produce, a family-owned and operated produce stand, which will be my go-to for all of the fresh produce that I will use to whip up hearty soups and chowders (or whatever the midwestern equivalent is...casserole?) on the cold, cold Chicago nights. There's Bonjour Bakery, the quintessential European bakery (or so I'm told), where I will enjoy the croque monsieur and the delicious European pastries. Then there's the University gym, which I will waddle over to after eating said pastries. And sandwiches. And ice cream. And cakes. Of course we can't forget the feeding of the spirit, so there's also the church we'll be attending, just blocks away from our home. And then that bastion of intellectualism, the University of Chicago, just crawling with wise and studious scholars. In ridiculously beautiful buildings. And hopefully, somewhere in between all of this, is a job just waiting for me.
And then, after all of my mapping, I realized something. There's no Sears Tower. No Chicago River. Not even really any Lake Michigan (though it is discernible on my map) or the Magnificent Mile. Definitely no Oprah.
And that's how you realize that your world will exist within a ten block radius. Let's be honest...we probably won't go to the Sears Tower but once, or maybe twice when family or friends come to visit. And we'll probably never see Oprah (though if I have my way, I will be running Oprah's Angel Network by this time next year. I'm kidding. Sort of. Hey Oprah! Call me, k?) We probably won't go shopping on the Magnificent Mile (mostly because we will be poor) and I'll probably never run into a real Chicago gangster. Wherever they are. Of course we'll stay connected to DC via friends and news, and we'll constantly be looking around the world to the stories of both travail and hope that have played such an important part in our lives thus far. But this, this little plot of land, will be where our lives are carried out.
But maybe a ten block radius isn't so bad. If we're really about investing in a community like we say we are, it makes sense that our lives would revolve- and be lived out- in that community. There are places of deep economic, social and spiritual need in this small little section of the city of Chicago. There are kids who need help with their homework, or just need someone to spend time with them. There are students who have lots of deep, soul-gnawing questions that have never been taken seriously before and they want to discuss those questions with someone who won't just brush them aside. There are historical and contemporary examples of racism that need to be admitted and worked through, with a healthy dose of grace and humbleness. There's some great learning to be had.
In this ten block radius, there's a life that is waiting to be lived out for a higher purpose.
So yeah, maybe our lives will mostly exist in this small little corner of the city of Chicago. But I'm ok with that...in fact, I sort of relish it. And I relish it because it means that I can wholeheartedly throw myself into the life of this little area, and live out the things that I say I believe among other Hyde Park Heroes. I can be a part of the good work going on there and maybe, hopefully, be used for a greater good. And in the end, I can't ask for a life better lived.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Brought to you by the number "14"
Today's blog post is brought to you by the number fourteen...the number of days I have left at work here in Washington, DC. No matter that I still don't have a full-time job secured in Chicago (though I did just find out that I will be continuing my part-time consulting work!) We're celebrating that there's only 14 workdays left here! That's 14 days to help train my replacement. 14 more days of free coffee at Devon & Blakely next door. 14 more days of free gym access. 14 more days of a security clearance. 14 more days of eating lunch outside of the White House (in the blistering heat, apparently). 14 more days of paying DC taxes.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
It might be time for an upgrade
Ok, maybe not quite. But it sure feels like it and I'm about to throw it across the room if it delays my typing much longer. Were I not an excellent editor, my sentences would look more like this:
I wn t wrk tody. Ad I h fn.
But wait! It's not just that it's sooooooooooooo slow. It's also that it never really wants to connect to the internet, which is a problem when you spend your evenings looking for jobs (while your husband studies calculus. Who has it worse in this situation? That's a tough one). It also apparently has issues with downloading (or viewing for that matter) pictures. And it's so slow I can't even use Skype! Oh, and did I mention that it's ridiculously slow?
Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful that we even have a computer. And that it came free to me 5 years ago. I know from first-hand experience that there are people in (fill in your favorite developing county here) who don't have computers. However they do have complete cell phone coverage in the bush of Rwanda. Ponder that for a moment. Done? I'll go on complaining then. IT'S S SLW! ! See?? It didn't even type "IT'S SO SLOW!!!" correctly!
So why am I blogging about it? You mean besides the fact that I blog about random things all the time? Oh, yeah, right. Well...one, because it sure would be nice to have at least one working computer when we arrive in Chicago. And two, because it sure would be nice to have two working computers when we arrive in Chicago. Deep down inside I'm hoping that someone out there in the interwebs will decide that what this young couple- who are about to embark on a new journey to Chicago with barely two pennies to rub together (ok, exaggeration)- need is a brand new Mac laptop. (We don't really ask for much.) Don't you hear about these kinds of stories all the time? People helping one another out? Like the lady in Florida who was evicted and her neighbor let her stay with her? Or like unemployment? (Which by the way, I'm not qualified for since I technically am "quitting" my job rather than "being let go.") Ah, the kindness of strangers in our moments of need.
And maybe if I'm really, really lucky, someone like Good Morning America will pick up our story, in which case we'll get a gazillion Macs. It would definitely make a much more interesting story than this whole "birther" thing.