Thanks to my best friend of over 14 years now, I have been notified that I have already broken my new year's resolution by not blogging last week. AND my grandparents pointed it out as well. It lasted ALMOST a month. That's not too bad, right?
As most of you know, I turned the big 2-5 this past weekend. But the bigger news this weekend: I surrendered my Virginia license for an Illinois one. After almost 10 years with a Virginia one, I have no more actual identification from the state in which I was born and raised. It was a bittersweet moment. Especially when Carlene, behind the DMV counter, told me she was taking my Virginia license from me and not giving it back. I mean, I get that they don't want other people using it. But let's be honest. I am 25 years old. I am not hanging around too many 17 year olds. Really, not even many people under 21. I am the baby in my group of friends here. I'm just saying - I really wanted to keep my Virginia license just to keep. Even if the picture was in black and white and looked like it a mug shot. It was MY mug shot from my home state.
I also discovered why people in Chicago cannot drive. There are actually multiple reasons. The first of which has to do with the physical look of the written test you have to take. Clearly, these people do not care at all about this test and its immediately obvious when you sit down with it. First of all, its three pages (with text only on the front) and the pages are stapled together in the MIDDLE of the top of the page. I have never in my life seen that. It was just weird. It also looked like it had been typed up on a typewriter. Like an actual typewriter - not just the font courier new on a computer. Then, I actually started taking the test and could have slapped myself for even studying for it. I was literally studying every night for about 4 nights in a row because I was panicking that I would fail the drivers test. I kept telling myself that even if I fail, I can still get an ID card. But how the heck would I explain that one to people?
Then I started reading the questions. Sample question number 1:
If you see an animal on the side of the road, what do you do:
a. Lean on the horn until it runs away
b. Swerve into the other lane to avoid it
c. Slow down
Sample question number 2: While driving through a construction zone, you should:
a. Speed up to get through the construction zone as soon as possible
b. Honk your horn at the construction workers
c. Slow down
Yikes. I don't feel that great anymore for getting all the answers correct. All that means is that I should never be pulled over with a Virginia license plate. Clearly I am automatically a better driver just for having taken the Virginia drivers test.
But, at the end of the test, I got to sit on the other side of a camera and was allowed to smile for my picture! That's right my friends - I no longer have a mug shot for my license! I was so excited that I even asked the guy taking my picture if I was seriously allowed to smile. No question he thought I was 16 years-old getting my first driver's license.
Overall though, the DMV trip was not nearly as painful as expected. I was in and out of there in less than an hour, treated myself to some Dunkin Donuts and still made it back to the office by 9:00 AM. And that was just the beginning of my birthday weekend.
Friday night, Matt and I celebrated at a famous steakhouse in Chicago called Gibson's. The staff from the team goes to the restaurant after every home game. Since I not a wife, I never get to go. This is actually perfectly fine with me considering most of those dinners do not start until almost 10:00 PM. As expected, the food was amazing and we had a great time. Just like at the Mastro's restaurant, we were the youngest people in there by about 10 years. But, Matt knows all the waiters and staff because they are there so often so that was kind of fun. This basketball world is an entirely different world than most normal people live in...
Saturday I actually had to work in the morning, but then had plans with a girlfriend of mine. We went to THE best Italian restaurant that I have been to since moving to Chicago. And it is a 5 minute walk from my apartment. I have been dying to go there and Lizzie decided Saturday would be the day that I finally went. Those of you who are able to come visit me up here, we will absolutely be going to Rose Angelis.
For my actual birthday on Sunday, I treated myself to a massage. And by treated I mean used a gift card that Matt gave me for Christmas. After my massage, I hit the gym because Sunday night was dedicated to a pizza crawl. Tracy had the brilliant idea of doing this instead of a bar crawl since she knows I have a love affair with pizza. She mapped out 5 different pizza places throughout Lincoln Park and Lakeview, all of which served pizza by the slice. The weather was actually pretty mild, so we were able to walk every where. Somewhat took away the guilt of eating 5 pieces a pizza. Who am I kidding? There was no guilt eating that pizza. Every single piece was delicious and the perfect ending to my birthday weekend.
I will admit it was very strange being away from home for the first time for a birthday. But thank you to everyone who called, emailed, texted, sent cards, etc. You all added to my weekend!
But, reality hit hard after Sunday. The past two days at work have been 12 hour days. A little bit of a change from the weekend. But, I just have to make it through April and things will slow down. Then, Matt and I will be heading somewhere for vacation in May! Details still to come.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and I will be back on next week.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Have to Laugh to Keep from Crying
New Year's Resolution number one: limit amount of sweets to only 3 days a week. Complete fail.
It happened the day after my last blog entry. I believe I had already hit my three day limit for the week. But after a long week at work, I couldn't resist. The box of mini Charleston Chews that Matt bought for me was just starring at me as I cooked dinner. Well, as I thought about cooking dinner. I think what I ended up resorting to a bagel and the rest of the cox of the delicious vanilla-covered chocolate candies.
I tried. I really did. But then this week, cookies magically appeared Monday in our office. And then muffins yesterday (let's be honest - muffins are sweets too. They are cupcakes without frosting) Today: chocolate cupcakes with homemade peanut butter frosting. Those were my fault since I was the one who baked those last night and brought them in today. Since I ate a turkey burger last night for dinner after an hour cardio workout, I thought it was only fair that I treat myself to one of them last night. Along with the rest of the batter. They are delicious, by the way. They only thing that MIGHT make them better is if they had chocolate chips in the batter too. Believe me - I thought about it. But sadly, I used all my chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies I made right before the holidays.
But good news is, so far I am keeping up with second New Year's Resolution of blogging once a week! Two weeks in a row! Nothing too exciting has happened since last week's post seeing as I have been working 11-12 hour days. Apparently, parents and guidance counselors think that we have nothing else to do other than look for missing materials for their ONE student or child. I get it - I know my parents would be annoyed if a school lost my materials. But 99% of the time, its not our fault. And with 14,000 applications pouring in during this application season, your kid is not going to be my priority if you think its appropriate to yell at me because he/she messed something up in the application process.
Here is a fun little fact for you: I have had ONE dad call me SIX times in TWO days. Apparently, his daughter is missing additional essays as part of her application. I re-sent a VERY self-explanatory email to her yesterday since she misplaced the last one telling her the next steps in her application process. Apparently, it is not self-explanatory enough because he keeps calling. Best part about this story is that he let me know that every single email his daughter receives from a college or university, he has her forward it to him so he can see it. Apparently he has tried to change it so that all of her emails come to him directly.
I think he might be one of those parents that ends up buying a house in the city where he daughter chooses to go to school. He might even try to help her with her homework or have all of her professors' emails forwarded to him. I am not sure who I feel worse for: the daughter or the college the daughter chooses to attend in the fall.
Thank goodness there are chocolate cupcakes here today.
Along with the snow! The winter snow has made its way to Chicago. We are on the lookout for between 4 and 8 inches tonight. I am going to try and remember to take pictures tomorrow morning before work and post them here so you all can see that I have officially survived the first snow here. Four to eight inches - what would Virginia do?
And I just overheard one of my co-workers say that by 5:00 tonight, the snow could be coming down one inch per hour. Thank goodness one of my girlfriends is coming over tonight with a big bottle of red wine. After this week in office, it is more than needed.
I am crossing my fingers for a much less stressful day tomorrow in the office. More importantly, I just want to get through it so that I can head out for our weekly girls' night. Matt leaves Friday for their game at Louisville on Saturday, which means Friday night out with the girls! Hopefully the guys can bring home a win Saturday, but Louisville is good...don't tell Matt I said that.
Hopefully snow pictures will follow shortly. I am not guaranteeing anything, but I will try to produce some.
It happened the day after my last blog entry. I believe I had already hit my three day limit for the week. But after a long week at work, I couldn't resist. The box of mini Charleston Chews that Matt bought for me was just starring at me as I cooked dinner. Well, as I thought about cooking dinner. I think what I ended up resorting to a bagel and the rest of the cox of the delicious vanilla-covered chocolate candies.
I tried. I really did. But then this week, cookies magically appeared Monday in our office. And then muffins yesterday (let's be honest - muffins are sweets too. They are cupcakes without frosting) Today: chocolate cupcakes with homemade peanut butter frosting. Those were my fault since I was the one who baked those last night and brought them in today. Since I ate a turkey burger last night for dinner after an hour cardio workout, I thought it was only fair that I treat myself to one of them last night. Along with the rest of the batter. They are delicious, by the way. They only thing that MIGHT make them better is if they had chocolate chips in the batter too. Believe me - I thought about it. But sadly, I used all my chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies I made right before the holidays.
But good news is, so far I am keeping up with second New Year's Resolution of blogging once a week! Two weeks in a row! Nothing too exciting has happened since last week's post seeing as I have been working 11-12 hour days. Apparently, parents and guidance counselors think that we have nothing else to do other than look for missing materials for their ONE student or child. I get it - I know my parents would be annoyed if a school lost my materials. But 99% of the time, its not our fault. And with 14,000 applications pouring in during this application season, your kid is not going to be my priority if you think its appropriate to yell at me because he/she messed something up in the application process.
Here is a fun little fact for you: I have had ONE dad call me SIX times in TWO days. Apparently, his daughter is missing additional essays as part of her application. I re-sent a VERY self-explanatory email to her yesterday since she misplaced the last one telling her the next steps in her application process. Apparently, it is not self-explanatory enough because he keeps calling. Best part about this story is that he let me know that every single email his daughter receives from a college or university, he has her forward it to him so he can see it. Apparently he has tried to change it so that all of her emails come to him directly.
I think he might be one of those parents that ends up buying a house in the city where he daughter chooses to go to school. He might even try to help her with her homework or have all of her professors' emails forwarded to him. I am not sure who I feel worse for: the daughter or the college the daughter chooses to attend in the fall.
Thank goodness there are chocolate cupcakes here today.
Along with the snow! The winter snow has made its way to Chicago. We are on the lookout for between 4 and 8 inches tonight. I am going to try and remember to take pictures tomorrow morning before work and post them here so you all can see that I have officially survived the first snow here. Four to eight inches - what would Virginia do?
And I just overheard one of my co-workers say that by 5:00 tonight, the snow could be coming down one inch per hour. Thank goodness one of my girlfriends is coming over tonight with a big bottle of red wine. After this week in office, it is more than needed.
I am crossing my fingers for a much less stressful day tomorrow in the office. More importantly, I just want to get through it so that I can head out for our weekly girls' night. Matt leaves Friday for their game at Louisville on Saturday, which means Friday night out with the girls! Hopefully the guys can bring home a win Saturday, but Louisville is good...don't tell Matt I said that.
Hopefully snow pictures will follow shortly. I am not guaranteeing anything, but I will try to produce some.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
And so it begins
Happy 2012! Thanks to my Grampy, one of my new year's resolutions is to blog once a week. I feel like that is extremely do-able and not overwhelming. Plus, it gives me a full week to allow for anything exciting to happen! What's my second new year's resolution you might ask? Limit myself to sweets only 3 days a week rather than 7. This one is going to be much harder than the first.
We Hiltunen's have a massive sweet tooth and I know that without a doubt I eat some sort of sweet or dessert every single day. Just today I had three mini Charleston Chews before my workout this morning followed by birthday cake at the staff meeting today. After the DePaul-Pitt basketball game? One of the key lime pie-flavored cookies Mom put in my stocking. And that, my friends, is just one day. And so many of you ask why I work out every day...
So, we will see how long the second on lasts. I already hit my 3 day limit today and I still have Friday-Sunday to get through. Yikes.
And how has the new year started off? Well, it started Monday morning with 17 missed calls, 36 new emails and 3 angry voicemails at work from guidance counselors and parents regarding students' applications to DePaul. While I thought I was fully ready to go back to work after 10 days off, I was not prepared for that. Its fascinating to talk to some of these parents. One mom spent 5 minutes explaining to me how, normally, she would never call a college admission office for her son. She believes that if you are old enough to go to college, you are old enough to go through the application process on your own. I was so excited to actually hear this from a parent after weeks of "helicopter" parents calling in FOR their kids.
However, she then proceeded to blame DePaul for telling her son that his application was complete when in fact it was not. In her mind, we should have received the application and someone was not telling her the truth. After further looking into the matter, we discovered that her son never hit the sumbit buttom on the online application. Then, I asked her if her son had checked our online database that shows students the status of their application. She said no because her son's uesername and password was not working. I then asked her if her son had called our Help Desk to obtain a new password and username as directed in his letter thanking him for applying to DePaul University. She said no.
So, to recap: apparently, she thinks her son is mature enough to go through the process alone, ended up blaming us for her son's incomplete application, only to find out that her son did everything incorrectly. I wish my job was not so customer service-based sometimes. I wish I could have told the mom that if son could not figure out the application process, then maybe he should be applying elsewhere and they should stop pointing fingers. But instead, I had to apologize for any confusion. I hate every minute of it.
However, the new year took a turn for the better tonight! DePaul men's basketball played Pittsburgh here in Chicago. DePaul was picked to finish last in the Big East and Pitt has been ranked almost the entire season. DePaul has not won a Big East game at HOME since January 10, 2010. That's a true statistic. Until tonight. We beat Pitt at home at the buzzer. I get a text message 30 minutes from Matt that said "that is why I sleep at the office." Not a bad excuse and not a bad start to the Big East season.
As far as the winter season goes - wait for it - I am SURVIVING! I have had to break out the shin-length coat that mom bought me, but it was so worth it. That baby is amazing! The only thing it doesn't cover is my face, but I think between the numerous scarves, hats, neck warmers, etc., I should be covered. We did have snow here on Monday morning, but it wasn't even a Virginia snow. I did break out my snow boots through just because it felt right. First snow of the season.
Funny thing though - my co-workers love to point out how mild this winter has been. One of the assistant coaches for the team even told me that once I am here for 3 or 4 more winters, I will realize how mild this one has been. Oh, and don't worry - they like to tell me how it WILL get worse.
First of all - I don't care if this is mild or not. It is by far the coldest weather I have experienced. My face literally hurts sometimes because of the cold. Secondly - I do not need to be reminded that its going to get worse. I don't want to imagine it being any colder until it actually hits me. And by hits me I mean when my eyes are watering because of the cold and then the tears freeze. Apparently that happens here...
The positive to all of this? Today it was in the high 40s and it felt like spring. You all remember one of my first posts about people being out in bathing suits in 70 degree weather? Makes sense now.
So, I'd say the new year is off to a pretty good start other than the crazy parents I am dealing with. The NBA is back on TV, college basketball is in full swing, the Patriots are going to kick butt in the playoffs and I just celebrated the new year's with some amazing friends who have made this move so easy for me. What else could I ask for? A visit from my parents next month? Oh yeah - that's already happening.
I hope everyone's new years has started off great and definitely keep an eye out at least once a week for a new post. I have a feeling there are going to be some good stories in this new year....
Big shout out to Grampy for holding me accountable for my posts. I know him and Memere are constantly checking for updates, so this one if for you two.
We Hiltunen's have a massive sweet tooth and I know that without a doubt I eat some sort of sweet or dessert every single day. Just today I had three mini Charleston Chews before my workout this morning followed by birthday cake at the staff meeting today. After the DePaul-Pitt basketball game? One of the key lime pie-flavored cookies Mom put in my stocking. And that, my friends, is just one day. And so many of you ask why I work out every day...
So, we will see how long the second on lasts. I already hit my 3 day limit today and I still have Friday-Sunday to get through. Yikes.
And how has the new year started off? Well, it started Monday morning with 17 missed calls, 36 new emails and 3 angry voicemails at work from guidance counselors and parents regarding students' applications to DePaul. While I thought I was fully ready to go back to work after 10 days off, I was not prepared for that. Its fascinating to talk to some of these parents. One mom spent 5 minutes explaining to me how, normally, she would never call a college admission office for her son. She believes that if you are old enough to go to college, you are old enough to go through the application process on your own. I was so excited to actually hear this from a parent after weeks of "helicopter" parents calling in FOR their kids.
However, she then proceeded to blame DePaul for telling her son that his application was complete when in fact it was not. In her mind, we should have received the application and someone was not telling her the truth. After further looking into the matter, we discovered that her son never hit the sumbit buttom on the online application. Then, I asked her if her son had checked our online database that shows students the status of their application. She said no because her son's uesername and password was not working. I then asked her if her son had called our Help Desk to obtain a new password and username as directed in his letter thanking him for applying to DePaul University. She said no.
So, to recap: apparently, she thinks her son is mature enough to go through the process alone, ended up blaming us for her son's incomplete application, only to find out that her son did everything incorrectly. I wish my job was not so customer service-based sometimes. I wish I could have told the mom that if son could not figure out the application process, then maybe he should be applying elsewhere and they should stop pointing fingers. But instead, I had to apologize for any confusion. I hate every minute of it.
However, the new year took a turn for the better tonight! DePaul men's basketball played Pittsburgh here in Chicago. DePaul was picked to finish last in the Big East and Pitt has been ranked almost the entire season. DePaul has not won a Big East game at HOME since January 10, 2010. That's a true statistic. Until tonight. We beat Pitt at home at the buzzer. I get a text message 30 minutes from Matt that said "that is why I sleep at the office." Not a bad excuse and not a bad start to the Big East season.
As far as the winter season goes - wait for it - I am SURVIVING! I have had to break out the shin-length coat that mom bought me, but it was so worth it. That baby is amazing! The only thing it doesn't cover is my face, but I think between the numerous scarves, hats, neck warmers, etc., I should be covered. We did have snow here on Monday morning, but it wasn't even a Virginia snow. I did break out my snow boots through just because it felt right. First snow of the season.
Funny thing though - my co-workers love to point out how mild this winter has been. One of the assistant coaches for the team even told me that once I am here for 3 or 4 more winters, I will realize how mild this one has been. Oh, and don't worry - they like to tell me how it WILL get worse.
First of all - I don't care if this is mild or not. It is by far the coldest weather I have experienced. My face literally hurts sometimes because of the cold. Secondly - I do not need to be reminded that its going to get worse. I don't want to imagine it being any colder until it actually hits me. And by hits me I mean when my eyes are watering because of the cold and then the tears freeze. Apparently that happens here...
The positive to all of this? Today it was in the high 40s and it felt like spring. You all remember one of my first posts about people being out in bathing suits in 70 degree weather? Makes sense now.
So, I'd say the new year is off to a pretty good start other than the crazy parents I am dealing with. The NBA is back on TV, college basketball is in full swing, the Patriots are going to kick butt in the playoffs and I just celebrated the new year's with some amazing friends who have made this move so easy for me. What else could I ask for? A visit from my parents next month? Oh yeah - that's already happening.
I hope everyone's new years has started off great and definitely keep an eye out at least once a week for a new post. I have a feeling there are going to be some good stories in this new year....
Big shout out to Grampy for holding me accountable for my posts. I know him and Memere are constantly checking for updates, so this one if for you two.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
This One's for the Grandparents!
It's been a while, huh? I have to apologize for that but give a big shout out to Memere and Grampy who made sure to remind me that I had not posted in a while. There is a reason for this, and not just that my ADD kicked in and I lost interest. These past couple of weeks have been a complete whirlwind and it doesn't look like its slowing down any time soon. Just a brief recap of the past 2-3 weeks...
For those of you who don't know, my best friend of 13 years got married on Halloween weekend at a vineyard in Charlottesville, VA. I hopped on a plane late Thursday night to make it home in time for the festivities that weekend. I left Chicago wearing jeans with a pair of tights underneath, and a jacket under a second jacket. When I landed in Virginia, the pilot informed us that it was 67 degrees. That's more like it. Mom met me at the airport, which was great of her since my flight landed after midnight. Best part was I had to turn around and drive up to C-ville that next morning. Good thing Lauren is worth it :)
Friday, I spent the day with Lauren and the other bridesmaids getting our nails done for the big day then headed off to the rehearsal dinner. And this is where the debacle began (and by debacle, I mean best weekend ever). After dinner Friday we headed to a local bar where we met up with all the out of town guests, which included about 150 people just from Lauren's family. I MAY be exaggerating with 150, but I'm not sure its that far off. Every part of that gathering was amazing. I honestly cannot remember the last time I laughed that hard for that long. It was all topped off when one of the bridesmaids tripped down the steps, landed flat on her face in front of her parents, and tried to play it off like one other other bridesmaids pushed her down the steps. Classic.
Best part about the night? Around 11:00, we looked outside and it was snowing. Are you kidding me? Apparently Thursday it was 75 degrees. And then I show up from Chicago and it snows. It carried over into the next morning when it rained like crazy. All I can say is that Lauren was THE best sport ever. I have never seen someone so calm on her wedding day especially since the wedding was outdoors. Her positive energy clearly made an impression because the skies cleared up literally just hours before the wedding began. It never did quite warm up, but we all sucked it up because the backdrop for the ceremony was breathtaking. Lauren and Brad got married outside in the vineyard with the mountains in the background. Lauren was by far, the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.
Then, before we knew it, it was time to party. And if anyone partied hard, it was my mother. Just ask dad. It was hilarious. She somehow even managed to get dad out on the dance floor for a good number of songs. For those of you who watch Friends - my dad dances like Chandler. And dad, I absolutely love it! I don't know what was better - watching my mom catch a marshmallow on fire while trying to make a s'more or reading the text messages my dad was sending to my sister after he had a few drinks. They were not in English. I think they were in that broken French he thinks he can speak ; )
Unfortunately, the trip couldn't last much longer and I had to jump back on a plane Monday and get back to Chicago. The following Saturday I was leaving for Philadelphia for a week for work. So, I had four days in the office to get caught up and get my act together before hopping on another plane. It was my last week of travel and unfortunately, it was the longest trip - a full 6 days.
Oh Philly. I wish I could say I love it the way Lauren loves Philly. But I just don't. I think it all started when the guy at the hotel told me that it was only a $15 cab ride from the hotel to downtown. A co-worker of mine from R-MC was in town for the same event I was there for, so we decided to meet up Saturday night downtown. Her school is nice enough to pay for her to stay right downtown. Mine, well, they were nice enough to let me stay out by the airport. But clearly the guy at the hotel was confused, because when I got into the cab, the driver set the meter to $30. It was a flat rate from the airport to downtown. Welcome to Philly - enjoy your $60 cab ride.
The next morning led to another adventure when I was trying to make my way to the convention center for the massive college fair. Instead of listening to the GPS when I got off the interstate, I muted TomTom and just started looking for the signs to the convention center and parking. Sure enough, right as I got off the interstate there was a parking garage labeled "Convention Center Parking." I should have known it was too good to be true. I didn't realize how shady it was until I left the garage to head down to the convention center. As I walked out of the garage, I noticed that there was barbed wire around the garage. Seriously? Not off to a good start.
I then realized that I had parked in the farthest parking garage from the convention center as possible as I walked 8 blocks with 50 pounds worth of materials. My poor luggage is a little beat up. It just got better once the fair started and we were swarmed with middle schoolers and their sticky fingers taking all of our COLLEGE material. I'm not mad that middle schoolers attended the fair. I am mad that the middle schoolers seemed to be unattended the entire time. But, they were better than the high schoolers in that they didn't ask unbelievable questions like some of the high schools did. See below:
Me: What are you interested in at DePaul?
Student: I dance.
Me: What type of dance?
Student looking at her friend: I have no idea what she is talking about.
Student: Do you have CSI?
Me: Do you know that actually involves?
Student: No, not really.
Mom: Oh, you guys are in Lincoln Park? Like the cartoon? You guys must get that a lot.
Me: Um, I am not sure what you are talking about.
Mom: You know, with the boys that say bad things??
Me: I am sorry, I really am not sure what you are talking about.
Son: South Park, Mom? Are you talking about South Park?
I wish I had my little notebook that I carry with me to these things. I had even better ones written down. But no worries. We are in application season now. I PROMISE you there will be even better essays than there have been questions.
So that is pretty much how the entire 4 hour fair went. My co-worker from R-MC and I then headed across the street to the "famous" Reading Street Market. Matt told me it was one place I had to go while I was in Philly. It was an indoor "market" with different places to eat, a ton of different candy shops, little gift stores, etc. It reminded me of a smaller version of the Fanuel Hall in Boston. When Caitlin and I finally found somewhere to eat, no sooner had we sat down when a homeless man wanders by our table and asked us for our food and money. At least our homeless people here in Chicago talk to themselves and don't bother us.
My day in Philly ended appropriately enough when I left the parking garage. It was one of those garages that has no attendant, so you pay first, then the machine takes your ticket. And you don't get it back. DePaul does not reimburse you for ANYTHING if you do not have a receipt. 6 hours later and $15 of my own money, I was ready to get the heck out of Philly.
I did have to head down to Baltimore for two days and I ran into another one of my friends at the Baltimore fair. She had also been in Philly and had been with Caitlin and me throughout the day. She was upset with us in Philly because we did not want to do sight-seeing in Philly after the miserable fair. So, she did it on her own. She did proceed to tell me that around 5:30, after she asked a woman at one of the stores she was shopping in what other things she should see before leaving. The woman told her "you have seen everything you need to see tonight here. You need to go back and get in your car now." My friend was basically told to get the heck out of Philly after dark.
Lauren - I know this must be annoying to read this because you love Philly. But I promise not to COMPLETELY judge Philly on this one trip if you promise not to be mad that I didn't love it :)
The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful and I made it home Thursday night just in time for Matt's first game of the season on Friday. The Blue Demons are currently 2-0 with another game next week down in Florida! And, VCU opened up their season with a win as well. My two teams are off to a great start!
I head home next week for Thanksgiving and am SO excited to have a weekend at home with no plans other than spending it with family and friends. Thank you all so much for being patient with my lack of blogging lately. I hope this one made up for lost time! Happy early Thanksgiving to everyone!
For those of you who don't know, my best friend of 13 years got married on Halloween weekend at a vineyard in Charlottesville, VA. I hopped on a plane late Thursday night to make it home in time for the festivities that weekend. I left Chicago wearing jeans with a pair of tights underneath, and a jacket under a second jacket. When I landed in Virginia, the pilot informed us that it was 67 degrees. That's more like it. Mom met me at the airport, which was great of her since my flight landed after midnight. Best part was I had to turn around and drive up to C-ville that next morning. Good thing Lauren is worth it :)
Friday, I spent the day with Lauren and the other bridesmaids getting our nails done for the big day then headed off to the rehearsal dinner. And this is where the debacle began (and by debacle, I mean best weekend ever). After dinner Friday we headed to a local bar where we met up with all the out of town guests, which included about 150 people just from Lauren's family. I MAY be exaggerating with 150, but I'm not sure its that far off. Every part of that gathering was amazing. I honestly cannot remember the last time I laughed that hard for that long. It was all topped off when one of the bridesmaids tripped down the steps, landed flat on her face in front of her parents, and tried to play it off like one other other bridesmaids pushed her down the steps. Classic.
Best part about the night? Around 11:00, we looked outside and it was snowing. Are you kidding me? Apparently Thursday it was 75 degrees. And then I show up from Chicago and it snows. It carried over into the next morning when it rained like crazy. All I can say is that Lauren was THE best sport ever. I have never seen someone so calm on her wedding day especially since the wedding was outdoors. Her positive energy clearly made an impression because the skies cleared up literally just hours before the wedding began. It never did quite warm up, but we all sucked it up because the backdrop for the ceremony was breathtaking. Lauren and Brad got married outside in the vineyard with the mountains in the background. Lauren was by far, the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.
Then, before we knew it, it was time to party. And if anyone partied hard, it was my mother. Just ask dad. It was hilarious. She somehow even managed to get dad out on the dance floor for a good number of songs. For those of you who watch Friends - my dad dances like Chandler. And dad, I absolutely love it! I don't know what was better - watching my mom catch a marshmallow on fire while trying to make a s'more or reading the text messages my dad was sending to my sister after he had a few drinks. They were not in English. I think they were in that broken French he thinks he can speak ; )
Unfortunately, the trip couldn't last much longer and I had to jump back on a plane Monday and get back to Chicago. The following Saturday I was leaving for Philadelphia for a week for work. So, I had four days in the office to get caught up and get my act together before hopping on another plane. It was my last week of travel and unfortunately, it was the longest trip - a full 6 days.
Oh Philly. I wish I could say I love it the way Lauren loves Philly. But I just don't. I think it all started when the guy at the hotel told me that it was only a $15 cab ride from the hotel to downtown. A co-worker of mine from R-MC was in town for the same event I was there for, so we decided to meet up Saturday night downtown. Her school is nice enough to pay for her to stay right downtown. Mine, well, they were nice enough to let me stay out by the airport. But clearly the guy at the hotel was confused, because when I got into the cab, the driver set the meter to $30. It was a flat rate from the airport to downtown. Welcome to Philly - enjoy your $60 cab ride.
The next morning led to another adventure when I was trying to make my way to the convention center for the massive college fair. Instead of listening to the GPS when I got off the interstate, I muted TomTom and just started looking for the signs to the convention center and parking. Sure enough, right as I got off the interstate there was a parking garage labeled "Convention Center Parking." I should have known it was too good to be true. I didn't realize how shady it was until I left the garage to head down to the convention center. As I walked out of the garage, I noticed that there was barbed wire around the garage. Seriously? Not off to a good start.
I then realized that I had parked in the farthest parking garage from the convention center as possible as I walked 8 blocks with 50 pounds worth of materials. My poor luggage is a little beat up. It just got better once the fair started and we were swarmed with middle schoolers and their sticky fingers taking all of our COLLEGE material. I'm not mad that middle schoolers attended the fair. I am mad that the middle schoolers seemed to be unattended the entire time. But, they were better than the high schoolers in that they didn't ask unbelievable questions like some of the high schools did. See below:
Me: What are you interested in at DePaul?
Student: I dance.
Me: What type of dance?
Student looking at her friend: I have no idea what she is talking about.
Student: Do you have CSI?
Me: Do you know that actually involves?
Student: No, not really.
Mom: Oh, you guys are in Lincoln Park? Like the cartoon? You guys must get that a lot.
Me: Um, I am not sure what you are talking about.
Mom: You know, with the boys that say bad things??
Me: I am sorry, I really am not sure what you are talking about.
Son: South Park, Mom? Are you talking about South Park?
I wish I had my little notebook that I carry with me to these things. I had even better ones written down. But no worries. We are in application season now. I PROMISE you there will be even better essays than there have been questions.
So that is pretty much how the entire 4 hour fair went. My co-worker from R-MC and I then headed across the street to the "famous" Reading Street Market. Matt told me it was one place I had to go while I was in Philly. It was an indoor "market" with different places to eat, a ton of different candy shops, little gift stores, etc. It reminded me of a smaller version of the Fanuel Hall in Boston. When Caitlin and I finally found somewhere to eat, no sooner had we sat down when a homeless man wanders by our table and asked us for our food and money. At least our homeless people here in Chicago talk to themselves and don't bother us.
My day in Philly ended appropriately enough when I left the parking garage. It was one of those garages that has no attendant, so you pay first, then the machine takes your ticket. And you don't get it back. DePaul does not reimburse you for ANYTHING if you do not have a receipt. 6 hours later and $15 of my own money, I was ready to get the heck out of Philly.
I did have to head down to Baltimore for two days and I ran into another one of my friends at the Baltimore fair. She had also been in Philly and had been with Caitlin and me throughout the day. She was upset with us in Philly because we did not want to do sight-seeing in Philly after the miserable fair. So, she did it on her own. She did proceed to tell me that around 5:30, after she asked a woman at one of the stores she was shopping in what other things she should see before leaving. The woman told her "you have seen everything you need to see tonight here. You need to go back and get in your car now." My friend was basically told to get the heck out of Philly after dark.
Lauren - I know this must be annoying to read this because you love Philly. But I promise not to COMPLETELY judge Philly on this one trip if you promise not to be mad that I didn't love it :)
The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful and I made it home Thursday night just in time for Matt's first game of the season on Friday. The Blue Demons are currently 2-0 with another game next week down in Florida! And, VCU opened up their season with a win as well. My two teams are off to a great start!
I head home next week for Thanksgiving and am SO excited to have a weekend at home with no plans other than spending it with family and friends. Thank you all so much for being patient with my lack of blogging lately. I hope this one made up for lost time! Happy early Thanksgiving to everyone!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Conversations from the road
My sister's latest blog recounting conversations between her and her students and volleyball players inspired me to post my recent conversations with prospective students at a college fair.
Student: Do you have a major in pi-cology?
Me: In what?
Student: Pi-cology
Me: Do you mean psychology?
Student: Yeah, psychology.
Student: Can you study specific things here?
Me: I am not sure I understand what you are asking.
Student: I mean, do you have specific things you can study?
Me: Like majors?
Student: Yeah, do you have majors?
Me: Um, yes. We have 250 majors.
Student: Do you have pre-med?
Me: Yes, we do have a very excellent pre-med program.
Student: (mind you, this is the SAME student that asked about pre-med) Do you have cosmetology?
Me: No (and I am not sure you should go into pre-med if your back up is cosmetology....)
Student: Do you require anything here?
Me: What exactly are you asking?
Student: Like, do you require anything to get into DePaul?
Me: Like an application?
Student: Yeah, do you require an application?
Me: Yes, yes we do.
Student 1: Do you offer study abroad?
Me: Yes, we actually offer many different options for studying abroad.
Student 2: What does abroad mean?
Student 1: Do you guys have a good soccer team?
Me: Yeah, we do, actually! A you are like the 15th student to ask me about soccer!
Student 2: Its because we are all Mexican.
Mind you, these are students who are looking to go to college NEXT year. Lord help us.
Student: Do you have a major in pi-cology?
Me: In what?
Student: Pi-cology
Me: Do you mean psychology?
Student: Yeah, psychology.
Student: Can you study specific things here?
Me: I am not sure I understand what you are asking.
Student: I mean, do you have specific things you can study?
Me: Like majors?
Student: Yeah, do you have majors?
Me: Um, yes. We have 250 majors.
Student: Do you have pre-med?
Me: Yes, we do have a very excellent pre-med program.
Student: (mind you, this is the SAME student that asked about pre-med) Do you have cosmetology?
Me: No (and I am not sure you should go into pre-med if your back up is cosmetology....)
Student: Do you require anything here?
Me: What exactly are you asking?
Student: Like, do you require anything to get into DePaul?
Me: Like an application?
Student: Yeah, do you require an application?
Me: Yes, yes we do.
Student 1: Do you offer study abroad?
Me: Yes, we actually offer many different options for studying abroad.
Student 2: What does abroad mean?
Student 1: Do you guys have a good soccer team?
Me: Yeah, we do, actually! A you are like the 15th student to ask me about soccer!
Student 2: Its because we are all Mexican.
Mind you, these are students who are looking to go to college NEXT year. Lord help us.
DC Disaster
I feel like this is the first morning I have had in weeks to just sit down, collect my thoughts, and write. I take that back - Last Saturday I could have but I decided instead I would sleep until noon and get up just in time to rush over to DePaul Men's Basketball first practice of the season, which happened to be an open one. Tracy and I made a quick run to the Dairy Queen up the street so we could try the pumpkin pie blizzard. Tracy had just run 16 miles that morning. I ran down the street to make sure I was on time to meet her. So naturally that constituted me ordering a large blizzard.
The past two weeks have been a complete whirlwind. After the opening weekend of "Blue Madness" (first day the basketball teams can officially practice), I was off at 5:30 am on Monday morning to catch a flight for DC. I wish I could say I was headed to DC to then head home to Richmond, but alas, it was a work trip. A couple of college fairs, high school visits and a counselor breakfast were on the schedule for the quick trip. I think the highlight of my trip ended up being Monday night when I had a girls night dinner with Matt's sister Catherine. It was just what I needed before starting a crazy 4-day trip. Since DePaul will not NOT pay for even one alcoholic drink on a work trip, we started with wine at her place to save everyone money. Also, just to note - DePaul gives us $35 a day for food on work trips. I spent $33 that day between lunch a dinner. Welcome to DC.
Speaking of "Welcome to DC"....
Only in DC would a COLLEGE FAIR be cancelled because fights break out amongst students. My second day there (and really the main reason for sending me out to DC) there was a national college fair hosted at the Washington Convention Center. Over 450 colleges from around the country were in attendance and its a great place for students (especially juniors and sophomores) to at least get an idea of what colleges they MIGHT want to look further into. Its not a great fair for seniors because at that point, its so late in the game to not have any idea of what you are looking for.
The first part of the fair was supposed to last from 9 am to 1 pm. Since I was staying in Fairfax, I was up and on the road by 6 am since set up started at 7 and getting to DC is AWFUL. I know we have traffic here in Chicago. The difference is, traffic is only on the HIGHWAY. Traffic in northern Virginia and DC is EVERYWHERE. Side streets, back roads, highways. Its miserable. At times, you just want to slam your head on the steering wheel. At least it would take the focus off wondering why the hell you are sitting in stand still traffic on a back road at 1:30 in the afternoon.
The second half of the fair was to take place from 6:00-8:00 pm. For those of you who are not familiar with college fairs, all college fairs that take place during the morning on a week day are ALWAYS a joke. They are overridden with students who are there just because they can get out of class. The majority of them are not there to get information about college. They are there to hang out with their friends and basically stop of tables, ask us really mundane questions, and get us to sign off on a sheet that says they talked to 5 colleges for class. Now, imagine that with 6,000 students. AND at least a third of those were MIDDLE SCHOOL students.
I should not have been surprised when we looked around at 12:00 during the first session and noticed that there were no more students in the building. Looking back, we all should have asked questions. But instead, we were so pumped that we were able to leave for an early lunch. Since we had the evening session later one, every representative left their materials at their table and went about their day. I had one high school visit then headed back to Fairfax to answer an insane amount of emails and get some work done. At 4, I left the hotel and headed back into DC. At 4:30, while I was literally one block away from the Convention Center, I get a call from my supervisor who informed me that the evening session was cancelled.
Apparently, in the first session, fights broke out amongst students and all the students were evacuated from the building, hence the early release for us counselors. What? Your telling me that rival schools were bused into this event, 6,000 students were left with a minimal amount of chaperones, and fights broke out? Shocker! Again, Welcome to DC.
The worst part is that apparently it took 4 hours for the convention center to decide to cancel the event. Instead of making the decision while all of us counselors were still in the building at 12:00, they waited to send out the email at 4:00. Most counselors did not even know why the event was cancelled because they did not receive the email. They found out when they arrived at the convention center and saw a simple sign just stating that the event was cancelled. My supervisor had all the dirt, so I was the lucky counselor who got to tell people the real reason why it was cancelled.
So, there I was, stuck in DC at 5:30 pm and I had to LEAVE DC to get back to my hotel. My college roommate actually lives in DC, but she had dinner plans that night with friends, otherwise I would have told her to meet me at a bar after the day I had had. Forget the fact that DePaul wasn't paying. I could find $8 of my own for a drink at the point. I thought about staying in DC for dinner and waiting for the traffic to die down but then I remember that I am BLIND when driving in the dark. Its really hard for me to see street signs at night, and let's be honest, with the luck I was having that day, trying to find my way out of DC would have been a disaster. Did I mention that my GPS broke and I was navigating through DC and northern Virginia with paper directions courtesy of googlemaps?
I made the decision to just get the heck out of dodge while I could. I had to laugh when my supervisor told me the enjoy my down time and read a book or do something fun. Annie has never been to northern Virginia or DC. She actually thought that at 5:30 PM I was done for the day. She had no idea that even though I was only 13 miles from my hotel, I would not make it back there until 7:00 pm.
And that was pretty much the tone of the entire trip in NOVA and DC. Thursday could not come quick enough. My only regret was that I did not find time to visit Georgetown Cupcakes. No explanation needed. I don't think I have ever been more excited to get into the office before. Thank goodness for fabulous co-workers who made my Friday so much fun.
This weekend is off to a good start with a date night last night with Matt. Today, is a big day. I just recently found out that, wait for it mom and dad, Chicago just opened a CRUMBS store! For those of you who are not familiar, Crumbs is a NYC-based cupcake shop. Every year, when Mom, Dad, Buddy and Donna go up to New York, Mom and Dad always bring back cupcakes from Crumbs. They are the most glorious cupcakes ever. Words cannot describe them. Well, one of my co-workers informed me that a Crumbs has opened up here recently! Scavenger hunt initiated.
Tonight, one of my co-workers is having us all over and then we are going out later on in an area called Old Town. Its a really unique area about 2 miles from out place, with some really great bars. A lot of really young professionals and away from all the college bars in our area. I am trying to get some girlfriends to go with me tomorrow to an apple orchard that is about an hour from here. Apparently they make the best homemade apple cider donuts (I know, I spelled it the way Dunkin Donuts does). I'd drive an hour for that.
More importantly, this time next week I will be helping my best friend of 13 years get into her wedding dress! I can't believe its coming up so quickly! I cannot tell you how excited I am to be heading home to watch my best friend start her new life with her new husband, see my family, and see the best girlfriends I have ever had. Just have to get through this week at work and its home for a long weekend!
One last shout out and note. One of my college teammates, Nicole, is on a mission trip for one year in India. Her story is absolutely incredible and what she is doing over there is amazing. However, she is still $5,000 short of her mission goal. For those of you who have had the opportunity to meet Nicole, you know what an unbelievable person she is. I just want to post two things: Her link to her blog that she is writing while in India and the link to her fund. No pressure, but just wanted to make sure its out there for anyone who wants to help.
http://gamc.pcusa.org/give/E210409/
This link takes you directly to her fund. All proceeds go right to her individual fund.
http://livesimplylovedeeply.blogspot.com/
This is Nicole's blog, where you can read about her doings in India.
Finally, I love you all and see you soon!
The past two weeks have been a complete whirlwind. After the opening weekend of "Blue Madness" (first day the basketball teams can officially practice), I was off at 5:30 am on Monday morning to catch a flight for DC. I wish I could say I was headed to DC to then head home to Richmond, but alas, it was a work trip. A couple of college fairs, high school visits and a counselor breakfast were on the schedule for the quick trip. I think the highlight of my trip ended up being Monday night when I had a girls night dinner with Matt's sister Catherine. It was just what I needed before starting a crazy 4-day trip. Since DePaul will not NOT pay for even one alcoholic drink on a work trip, we started with wine at her place to save everyone money. Also, just to note - DePaul gives us $35 a day for food on work trips. I spent $33 that day between lunch a dinner. Welcome to DC.
Speaking of "Welcome to DC"....
Only in DC would a COLLEGE FAIR be cancelled because fights break out amongst students. My second day there (and really the main reason for sending me out to DC) there was a national college fair hosted at the Washington Convention Center. Over 450 colleges from around the country were in attendance and its a great place for students (especially juniors and sophomores) to at least get an idea of what colleges they MIGHT want to look further into. Its not a great fair for seniors because at that point, its so late in the game to not have any idea of what you are looking for.
The first part of the fair was supposed to last from 9 am to 1 pm. Since I was staying in Fairfax, I was up and on the road by 6 am since set up started at 7 and getting to DC is AWFUL. I know we have traffic here in Chicago. The difference is, traffic is only on the HIGHWAY. Traffic in northern Virginia and DC is EVERYWHERE. Side streets, back roads, highways. Its miserable. At times, you just want to slam your head on the steering wheel. At least it would take the focus off wondering why the hell you are sitting in stand still traffic on a back road at 1:30 in the afternoon.
The second half of the fair was to take place from 6:00-8:00 pm. For those of you who are not familiar with college fairs, all college fairs that take place during the morning on a week day are ALWAYS a joke. They are overridden with students who are there just because they can get out of class. The majority of them are not there to get information about college. They are there to hang out with their friends and basically stop of tables, ask us really mundane questions, and get us to sign off on a sheet that says they talked to 5 colleges for class. Now, imagine that with 6,000 students. AND at least a third of those were MIDDLE SCHOOL students.
I should not have been surprised when we looked around at 12:00 during the first session and noticed that there were no more students in the building. Looking back, we all should have asked questions. But instead, we were so pumped that we were able to leave for an early lunch. Since we had the evening session later one, every representative left their materials at their table and went about their day. I had one high school visit then headed back to Fairfax to answer an insane amount of emails and get some work done. At 4, I left the hotel and headed back into DC. At 4:30, while I was literally one block away from the Convention Center, I get a call from my supervisor who informed me that the evening session was cancelled.
Apparently, in the first session, fights broke out amongst students and all the students were evacuated from the building, hence the early release for us counselors. What? Your telling me that rival schools were bused into this event, 6,000 students were left with a minimal amount of chaperones, and fights broke out? Shocker! Again, Welcome to DC.
The worst part is that apparently it took 4 hours for the convention center to decide to cancel the event. Instead of making the decision while all of us counselors were still in the building at 12:00, they waited to send out the email at 4:00. Most counselors did not even know why the event was cancelled because they did not receive the email. They found out when they arrived at the convention center and saw a simple sign just stating that the event was cancelled. My supervisor had all the dirt, so I was the lucky counselor who got to tell people the real reason why it was cancelled.
So, there I was, stuck in DC at 5:30 pm and I had to LEAVE DC to get back to my hotel. My college roommate actually lives in DC, but she had dinner plans that night with friends, otherwise I would have told her to meet me at a bar after the day I had had. Forget the fact that DePaul wasn't paying. I could find $8 of my own for a drink at the point. I thought about staying in DC for dinner and waiting for the traffic to die down but then I remember that I am BLIND when driving in the dark. Its really hard for me to see street signs at night, and let's be honest, with the luck I was having that day, trying to find my way out of DC would have been a disaster. Did I mention that my GPS broke and I was navigating through DC and northern Virginia with paper directions courtesy of googlemaps?
I made the decision to just get the heck out of dodge while I could. I had to laugh when my supervisor told me the enjoy my down time and read a book or do something fun. Annie has never been to northern Virginia or DC. She actually thought that at 5:30 PM I was done for the day. She had no idea that even though I was only 13 miles from my hotel, I would not make it back there until 7:00 pm.
And that was pretty much the tone of the entire trip in NOVA and DC. Thursday could not come quick enough. My only regret was that I did not find time to visit Georgetown Cupcakes. No explanation needed. I don't think I have ever been more excited to get into the office before. Thank goodness for fabulous co-workers who made my Friday so much fun.
This weekend is off to a good start with a date night last night with Matt. Today, is a big day. I just recently found out that, wait for it mom and dad, Chicago just opened a CRUMBS store! For those of you who are not familiar, Crumbs is a NYC-based cupcake shop. Every year, when Mom, Dad, Buddy and Donna go up to New York, Mom and Dad always bring back cupcakes from Crumbs. They are the most glorious cupcakes ever. Words cannot describe them. Well, one of my co-workers informed me that a Crumbs has opened up here recently! Scavenger hunt initiated.
Tonight, one of my co-workers is having us all over and then we are going out later on in an area called Old Town. Its a really unique area about 2 miles from out place, with some really great bars. A lot of really young professionals and away from all the college bars in our area. I am trying to get some girlfriends to go with me tomorrow to an apple orchard that is about an hour from here. Apparently they make the best homemade apple cider donuts (I know, I spelled it the way Dunkin Donuts does). I'd drive an hour for that.
More importantly, this time next week I will be helping my best friend of 13 years get into her wedding dress! I can't believe its coming up so quickly! I cannot tell you how excited I am to be heading home to watch my best friend start her new life with her new husband, see my family, and see the best girlfriends I have ever had. Just have to get through this week at work and its home for a long weekend!
One last shout out and note. One of my college teammates, Nicole, is on a mission trip for one year in India. Her story is absolutely incredible and what she is doing over there is amazing. However, she is still $5,000 short of her mission goal. For those of you who have had the opportunity to meet Nicole, you know what an unbelievable person she is. I just want to post two things: Her link to her blog that she is writing while in India and the link to her fund. No pressure, but just wanted to make sure its out there for anyone who wants to help.
http://gamc.pcusa.org/give/E210409/
This link takes you directly to her fund. All proceeds go right to her individual fund.
http://livesimplylovedeeply.blogspot.com/
This is Nicole's blog, where you can read about her doings in India.
Finally, I love you all and see you soon!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Hello, fall!
Well folks, I survived my trip to Cincinnati! I tasted both Skyline chili and Graeter's Ice Cream and both were fabulous. After a long week on the road, I came home to fall in Chicago! Enjoy the pictures - they are from our neighborhood! Not a bad view in the morning.
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