Starbuck's Girls...

For those of you who are loyal readers of this blog, you may remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that I was eavesdropping on the conversation of some High School girls at Starbuck's. Well, let me just say, I am hanging out at Corner Bakery this afternoon and the SAME GIRLS are here! They're only 1 table over from me. Seriously. Their conversation isn't quite as exciting today, although I think they are talking about one of the girls who was there for the last conversation but is not present today. Interesting. I'll keep listening & keep you posted if I hear any other juicy bits of info!

Spring Break, etc...

Well, things have been busy around here lately! 2 weeks ago we had our friends, Stephen & Kayla, visiting for Spring Break. 4 of us squished into our tiny apartment was definitely an adventure, but we had so much fun! We toured the city, went to the zoo, ate at some WONDERFUL restaurants, convinced Steve to go up to the 96th floor of the Hancock Building (in spite of his fear of heights) & just truly enjoyed having good friends to spend time with. What a blessing they were to us (not to mention, they let our dog, Lucy, live with them while we're living here)!


Last week was filled with substituting, editing a book, and training to be a teaching assistant for me. I subbed 3 days at a private, Christian school which was great! I'm training to be a teaching assistant for Ashford University. They have a large online program, and I will be grading papers, etc for introductory English & Psychology classes. I think I will enjoy it! Matt was busy with school & writing briefs. Not to mention, we started our new running program last week! Matt has already lost 3 pounds, but I'm still just stuck at the same weight. Oh well, such is life! I'm still not a fan of running, and I don't foresee myself becoming a running fanatic, but each day got a little better. We'll see how it goes as the distance we have to run increases.

The next 2 weeks hold more excitement, and more visitors! At the end of this week, the Jones School of Law Moot Court team will be here for the National Competition. We look forward to seeing them compete, as well as showing them around the city & spending time with friends! Next week, Matt and I are taking the Amtrack to Kirksville, to see Matt's family. His sisters, nieces, and Heath & Brook are all meeting us in Kirksville for the weekend. We'll stay with Heath's parents and spend lots of time with everyone. It should be a great way to spend Easter Weekend. Then, Heather, Jen & the nieces will come back to Chicago with us to spend a few days! So, we'll continue to stay busy, but we're looking forward to it! I hope everyone is doing well, and having a wonderful week!

Running...

Well, Matt and I started a new workout routine yesterday. We were inspired by our friends Steven & Kayla last week while they were here. The workout plan is supposed to prepare you for a 10K run in 10 weeks, and we're also adding in a little weightlifting. I don't mind the weights, I actually kind of like that part. But, for those of you who know me well, you know that I don't run. It's mostly my knee's fault...they like to get swollen when I run. Actually, I think I just blame it on the knees. They do get swollen, but the truth is I just HATE running. I wish I was one of those cool people who think running is wonderful and feel great when they run a thousand miles. Like my cousin, Brook. She runs marathons, and I'm jealous that I can't get inspired. The whole time I'm on the treadmill, I just think about how I wish I was anywhere but there! Anyway, I decided that I would suck it up and try this workout plan with Matt. Pray that I don't pass out while trying to run less than a mile at a time this week! Did I mention I'm a HUGE wimp? I am. So...we'll see how it goes.

St. Patty's Day

Well, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Matt and I headed downtown to the St. Patty's Day parade. It was actually on Saturday, so a few days early, but it was festive nonetheless. Lots of green, lots of people, and lots of unions (I think every union in the state was in the parade!). The parade was 3 hours long, but it was a beautiful day so we enjoyed every minute! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy...

(click to enlarge)

Top row, from left: A dog dyed green, Happy St. Patty's Day!, the Green River, The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, and a Green Elvis

Middle row, from left: A festive car, A large leprechaun, tiny little leprechaun, a fun floating balloon, and A bagpiper

Bottom row, from left: The pope on roller-skates, A smokestacker, Matt & me, color guard leading the parade, and the best treat ever given out at a parade!

Nothing New...

So, not much has been happening around here lately. Things have been pretty quiet, as Matt is in full-swing with his classes and work, and I try to find ways to keep myself entertained. I have had lots of time to read, and have enjoyed sitting in Starbuck’s, Barnes & Noble, or the Corner Bakery reading & people watching. One day, I overheard some high school girls having a very serious conversation about their friendship. It was a group of 5 girls, and apparently some of them used to be much closer than they are now, and they all seemed very upset about it. I’m ashamed to say that their conversation kept me entertained for a good hour. I wanted to go back to Starbuck’s the following day because they made plans to meet again to finish the discussion, but I forgot to go back. Hopefully their relationship problems have been resolved & they’re all friends again!

Other than eavesdropping on unsuspecting high school girls, I really haven’t been too busy! I obtained a substitute certificate from the Illinois Board of Education, only to find out that Chicago only allows Illinois-certified Teachers to substitute. So, that was a $30 lesson learned. I am on the list to sub for some private schools, but I guess their teachers don’t miss work very often. One teacher did ask me to sub on March 27^th. I guess he likes to get his subs signed up early! That should be fun…he teaches 7^th & 8^th graders. This week I have started editing three chapters of a book, and will soon begin training to be an online teaching assistant with a university. So, hopefully these 2 endeavors will keep me busy!

As far as Matt’s job search goes, he still hasn’t gotten any offers from Texas. The economy seems to be hitting lawyers hard, as he read an article recently that said 1400 lawyers had been laid off nationwide in the last week. Another article reported 4000 lawyers being laid off in the last couple of months. These statistics are not promising for the job search. This has, however, led us to consider the possibility of the Air Force JAG more seriously. Matt was accepted to the JAG before he began his LLM program here in Chicago, and requested that he be able to postpone his acceptance of the offer until after the completion of the LLM. Obviously, there are pros and cons to be considered before accepting the JAG offer. We have been fervently discussing this option, and praying that God will show us his plan for the next phase of our lives. We would certainly appreciate prayers on our behalf in this area. Sometimes I don’t feel old enough to make such big, life-changing decisions, but I guess I am that old! Well, I better close for now. Matt is sleeping soundly, and I should get to bed as well. I’m sure tomorrow holds another adventure in the Windy City!