That was fun!

M and I just drove back from Kentucky, where we spent the Christmas holiday with my extended family. It consisted of:

Lots of cookie decorating..

Yes, that's a 3 cookies on top of each other. Guess who made that one...

Lots of presents...

And you can't even see all the gift cards

Lots of people (this is table one of two)...

It IS Kentucky, after all...we're all related!

Lots of eating...

The world-famous chocolate chip cookies

And lots of funny pictures of M.

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you and yours!

There were probably unicorns, too

First of all, I want to confess that I've been a little slow on my blogging lately. Mostly because work has been really busy with our Christmas Store (huge success!) and because by the time I get home I'm exhausted and don't want to look at a computer. So, there you go. But now, I've returned!

This weekend, M and I flew to Atlanta for approximately 30 hours to go to my cousin Patrick's wedding. We really, really enjoyed ourselves and it was great spending time with family. Granted we'll see them again in two days but, whatever. Best part, besides the actual wedding during which I cried like a baby (this is nothing new), was sitting in our hotel room with my sister and her husband, cousin and soon-to-be cousin in law drinking champagne out of plastic cups. Our family is from Kentucky, after all.

On the plane ride home, we floated, err, flew above a big storm. You know, like when you look down and it's just a blanket of white below you? You take off and it's gray and gross and then you get above the clouds and...well...it's just magical.

SO magical, in fact, that Mason and I saw BOTH ENDS OF A RAINBOW. It was actually a rainbow circle.

Can you see it? And no, it wasn't the reflection or anything. It was a big rainbow circle!!! And don't we win some pots of gold or something for this? Because I can send you my address, Mr. Rainbow. Although since you're magical, you probably already know it. (Just don't send chocolate gold coins, because we're trying to cut back on our chocolate intake. Thanks. Love ya!)

2,520 hours later...

In case you're too lazy to do the math, that's the number of hours that we've now lived in Chicago. And despite some very, very long days in the beginning (anyone remember that I worked for a bakery?) the days have flown by. M is done with his first semester and- after a crazy week this week- I'll be able to rest and relax a little next week and into the New Year!

To celebrate this 2,520 mark, I've put together some of the funny (and horrible) things that have happened to us since our arrival.

• 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.

Nothing too earth-shattering, but quite a few of these are accomplishments that I think we can be proud of, or at least are things that we can now look back on and laugh or say, "Remember when..?" These three and a half months have literally flown by. And while I probably miss friends back in DC now more than ever, we're being provided for and learning to make our way in the Second City. That's all we can ask for. Oh, and a little warmer weather.

Nope, it's Christmas

Ok. So my last post WAS titled "It's Practically Summer." But I was using hyperbole. Or a parabola? Or a hypoallergenic? Whatever. Y'all are smart. And whatever you may have been led to believe by my previous post, it is COLD. BUTT COLD if I might be so bold.

But then, it's supposed to be cold at Christmas, right? Because who can go to German Christmas Markets (Christkindlmarket) and pay ridiculous amounts of money for a Christmas ornament (I just accidentally typed organ. Ha!) when it's not cold outside? And you can't drink mulled wine from an adorable green boot cup thingy at said market if it's not cold, right?

(Yes, that's really what the market looks like. Little red and white tents. But they didn't draw in the thousands of people who were there, too.)

And snow is quite purty. Oh, gray sky, how gorgeous you are. Really. Isn't everyone's favorite...color...gray? Hmm.

Ok, but from the INSIDE of my house, the snow looks pretty! Look at how it lays so perfectly on the branches. I feel like I should be singing Christmas Carols and drinking eggnog as I look at this picture. Ahhh, the holidays.

But just one word of advice. If you're going to live where it snows, you really should invest in snow boots. Really. Trust me. Because otherwise you're stuck like this poor girl.

I mean what kind of idiot would not have snow boots and live in Chicago? And then be stupid enough to think that tights and pants, with flat slide on shoes would keep her from falling on her butt in the snow/ice AND keep her warm. Certainly not ME. You know me better than that.

(By the way, I wear a 9 1/2).

It's Practically Summer

Have I told y'all about Hyde Park Produce? Oh, right, yes. Just every other post. But in case you don't remember, it's one of the best produce stores ever!! EVER!! As long as you don't buy the expensive organic other stuff (who needs organic flaxseed boxed macaroni and cheese? Apparently lots of people in Hyde Park). For that we go to the hell hole that is Village Foods. But I digress.

Last week I went into HPP to get a few vegetables for the week. (By the way, I have successfully fed M and myself on broccoli, canned tomatoes, rice, zucchini, squash, a frozen chicken breast and peppers pretty much this whole week.) Anyway. When I walked in on Wednesday, my heart stopped for a second.

Wait.

Is that?

A PINT OF STRAWBERRIES FOR $1.99!!!!!!!

YESSSSS!

Not only were they cheaper than I have EVER seen them, they also tasted so amazingly great. Sure, there was something deep, deep down inside of me that thought, "Hmm. I don't think these are in season and I'm supposed to care about that" but that thought was quickly replaced with, "Mmmmmm."

Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Now I'll watch the snow fall as I munch on my summer treats.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Finals

Remember those things, those "tests," we had to take at the end of the semester in college? Apparently they exist in Masters programs, too. Shocking, right? And apparently they're a lot harder than writing some BS paper about the impact of blah blah blah on blah blah blah. Not that I EVER BSed my way through a paper in college. Ever.

M is in full finals mode, studying until well after midnight in one of the Harry Potter-esque libraries (my brother-in-law coined that term) on campus. I don't really understand what he's studying, so I'm not much help, especially since everything is extremely quantitative and I haven't taken math since, oh, high school. Not an exaggeration. I'm more of a words gal, myself.

In one short phrase, M is working his arse off. And I, in my sappy, newlywed state, am so proud of him. He gets things I can't even begin to understand. He can explain to you the intricacies of game theory (have him explain what that even is) and can tell you more than you probably want to know about statistics and running regressions. It's so amazing for me to hear him talk about how the things he's learning are an integral part of good policy making and how he believes now, more than ever, that this is what he's supposed to be doing. We're just praying an employer thinks that too. Dear God, please.

But for now, all we need to do is get to December 11th, when this semester- and all the finals- are over. It's beginning to look a lot like the end of a semester. Thank God.