Just a Chi Town Snow

adminChicago Blizzard, Chicago Blizzard 2011, commuting, Good Samaritan, Great Samaritan, hype, snow, Uncategorized, Windy City%s Comments

Well, it’s here.  The hype was apparently true- the 60 mph winds, the whiteout, the whole sha-bang.

Leaving work, it didn’t look that bad:

With no cabs in sight and the buses packed, I decided to just walk home.  And again, it didn’t seem all that blizzard-like:

But then, as I neared the river and Lake Michigan, the wind picked up, the snow flew faster horizontally and I got it: this is a blizzard.

When I got to my building, the wind coming off of Lake Michigan was so strong that there was a big, burly (and might I add awesome) man waiting at the corner to come escort people to the building.  No joke, I would not have made it if he hadn’t come to collect me from the middle of the street.  Is it possible to be a GREAT Samaritan, instead of the usual Good Samaritan?  If it is, this guy was so it!

Time to cuddle up with Luna Bell, a big blanket and a few movies and pray that my doorman was correct when he said these windows are “made for this kind of weather.”

Stay safe, Chicagoans!

Blizzard Warning 2011- To Snow or Not to Snow?

adminBlizzard, Chicago Winter Storm, Sorel, Uncategorized, weather, Weather Forecast, Weatherpeople%s Comments

Well, it’s supposed to happen- the biggest blizzard Chicago has seen since 1967.  Starting tomorrow afternoon, the weather forecast has told us to expect 18-22 inches of snow, blowing winds and thunderstorms (??).  They’ve even gone as far as to say conditions could become “life-threatening”.

I went running outside this morning and while it is certainly cold enough out to support some serious snowfall, I must say I am skeptical.  I mean, c’mon- the last time “they” called for the winter equivalent of the apocalypse, the roads were barely dusted with snow.  I’m all for people being prepared but usually, warnings like these just work people up.

That being said, my pantry is stocked, I live within walking distance of work and my winter boots make me practically invincible.  Whether we get the storm of the century or if the weatherpeople are full of hooey, I am ready to rock.

Finito

adminBlue Skies, Grahamwich, Luna Bell, Ryan, Trader Joe's, Uncategorized, West Elm%s Comment

I’m not usually a complainer but I am so over January.

26 hours to go and this month is finally ovah.

Between the cold, busy (but not with the fun stuff) weekends, the cold and just way more hum-druminess than I prefer, I am more than happy to kick January to the curb.

In the spirit of counting our blessings instead of sheep, here are some things that are making me smile all the way into February.

My man and my cat: (I act like I hate that Luna Bell loves R more than she loves me nowadays but secretly, I kind of love that she is his incessant little shadow).

Blue skies beyond the bare branches:

Delicious meals with equally delicious friends (photo via Tango Sur, circa NYE):

Winter Trees glasses that make salute even sweeter:

Grahamwich: (I may or may not have said there was a marriage of flavors in my mouth after R and I stopped in for a sammy on their opening weekend)

(photo via MetroMix)

…Hot yoga for heating up sub 20 degree days

…Trader Joe’s 99cent whole wheat pizza dough, perfect for making healthy homemades AND breadsticks

…Filiberto, the amazing Italian who led my study abroad program (circa sophomore year of college), finding me on Facebook and thus, reigniting my desire to plan a trip back to the motherland.  Immediately.

Ahh.  Ok, into February we (almost) go.

Pink-tastic!

adminBright Pink, cancer prevention, Fit Fest 2011, Lindsay Avner, Pink, Uncategorized%s Comments

Just wanted to share some pics I took on a recent trip to Bright Pink‘s headquarters.  Bright Pink is an amazing organization that empowers women to take a proactive stance on their breast and ovarian health by providing education, support and peer counseling.  They have made a huge impact on the Chicago community and Bright Pink chapters are popping up all over the country now- founder Lindsay Avner is one serious mover and shaker!

Bright Pink’s Fit Fest is coming up and I can’t wait to share more details!  I am so excited to be involved- it is sure to be pink-tastic!

Stay tuned!

Wednesdays, Whirlyball and Winning

admincheap plastic trophies, Chicago, co-friends, co-workers, fried food, fun, team games, Uncategorized, victory, Whirlyball%s Comments

Temperatures continue to drop, the week is only half over and you haven’t had a belly laugh in weeks.  The solution my co-workers and I came up with?

Whirlyball.

One hour in the contraption pictured above, whirling around, trying to throw a whiffle ball into a basketball’ish net all while basically playing bumper cars to stop your opponent was the best spent hour in my Wednesday. I have bruises on my knees from ramming into walls and other Whirlybugs but with some solid teamwork and passing on my (winning) team’s part and lots of fist pumping, it was well worth it.  I love my co-workers and we always have fun but Whirlyball certainly upped the fun ante.  We’re going to have to dig deep for our next fun, obscure group outing- Whirlyball raised the bar.

Oh and we also ate every fried food known to mankind.  At a place that has “Whirly” in its name, I shouldn’t be surprised that everything on the menu was friend but in fact, it most definitely was.  And it was glorious.

I also went home with this bad boy:

The sweet souvenir of victory, baby!

Family Ties

adminChicago, Dad, Family, Home, home team, Uncategorized%s Comments

My Dad loves Chicago as much as I do, maybe even more.  His Dad grew up on the South Side and some of my favorite memories as a kid are of them recounting times they had in Chicago together.  My Dad passed their love of the Windy City down to me by bringing me here as often as possible when I was young and it totally worked-  my love of this city borders on obsessive.

When I’m on my way to or from work, wandering around or doing something fun, I’ll sometimes snap pics on my phone and send them to my Dad.  Judging from his email responses (the above pic was deemed “the best one to-date” this morning), I think he gets a kick out of seeing what I see every day.  We don’t get to see each other as often as I’d like and I love this way of connecting on that day-to-day level that, as adults, most of us don’t get to have anymore.  I’m very close with my father and living in Chicago makes me feel even closer to him, particularly when we’re talking about one of the pictures I’ve sent.  Shared vantage point, I suppose.

I also think he likes getting the photos because he knows where his little girl is and that she’s safe (I don’t think I’ll ever get too old for him not to worry about that).

Chicago has always felt like home, in that down-in-your-bones, 100%, deep-breath-kind of way, even before I lived here.  Maybe that’s why- because Chicago was home for my family way before I was ever a part of anything.

Looking Forward To…

adminBright Pink, Cycle for Survival, Dispatch, Girl and the Goat, ice skating, Japonais, pasta making, summer wedding, Uncategorized, winter dreaming%s Comments

In no particular order:

  1. Anniversary dinner at Japonais (reservations made!)
  2. Getting Dispatch tickets for the June 8th show at Millennium Park (on my lifetime list of concerts!)
  3. Having a dinner party themed around making pasta from scratch (a project AND a party!)
  4. Ice Skating at the park near our apartment
  5. Cycle for Survival at the Loop Equinox- raising money for a great cause while getting sweaty with some of my favorite Chicagoans.
  6. Kegs and (green!) Eggs at our apartment before walking down to see the Chicago River turned green on the Saturday before St. Patty’s Day
  7. FINALLY making it to Girl and the Goat (Can’t handle hearing everyone raving anymore- I need to see (taste?!) the fuss for myself!)
  8. My friend Molly’s wedding (because I love her and also, because it will be July.  And thus, warm.)
  9. Bright Pink‘s Fit Fest 2011
  10. Making some summer travel plans (any suggestions?!)