Happy Birthday Jason!

What a great day we had! The lucky birthday boy got to take the day off and I met him about half way through. I let him open his presents (he got a Flip Mini, and I surprised him tickets to the Tigers vs. White Sox game with 12 of his closest friends and family included that will be in town) and then we headed to Whole Foods. We ate chinese, and then made our way over to do some wine tasting! We each got our very own flight (I did not know what this was, but now I LOVE IT) and Jason chose Red, while I stuck with White. The wines were excellent, and I am starting to really like Red wine, finally! Jason even made a little video with his new gift! After the wine tasting we shopped a little and made our way out of there before we could buy everything in sight. The rest of the night involved a movie with coffee and cuddling, flag football with a huge Win (with Jason as our QB and my recieving skills we were unstoppable!) It was a great day! Now we're looking forward to Saturday for our visitors to arrive and the fun festivities to begin!

Home Sweet Home!

"Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."--Oliver Wendell Holmes

From Chicago, Atlanta, Columbus, and Detroit...we all came together last weekend to see each other and our families and what a great time we had! Cindy's birthday is right around the corner and Kyle and Jason's are in September as well so getting together was a great idea. We all faked Cindy out and surprised her at Fandango's! It was a great dinner filled with happy conversation, and the familiarity of just being together! It's so comforting to know that even though we're all in different places and have numerous things going on, that we can all pick up right where we left off!

Art & Love

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."--Helen Keller

I took this picture over Labor Day weekend while visiting with some friends at Lake Michigan.

I know it's a picture like many others you've probably seen, but I tried to make it my own. As I was taking it, I thanked God for all the love he's blessed me with in my life. I have a wonderful, and very supportive family, amazing life long friends, and the love of my life by my side!

I love you all!!!

What a "Beautiful Day" indeed!

This past Saturday I attended the U2 concert at Soldier Field with my girl Rachel, and can confidently say that it was the most AMAZING concert I have ever experienced! Everything about it was over the top. This was my first time visiting the stadium, so that was overwhelming to begin with, and once we were inside and climbed the many steps to our seat, I turned around and was even more amazed by the stage! As you can see it was massive and sort of looked like a cross between an octopus and a space ship! Snow Patrol opened and they were fantastic, and after the sun went down...the members of U2 made their way on to the stage! The stadium was packed full and it was so loud! The third song they played was "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and at the beginning of the first chorus Bono stopped singing and the crowd took over...it was an awesome moment! They played alot of new songs off their new album (which I will be purchasing asap) and alot of old favorites of course. The stage continued to change throughout the entire concert never looking the same for a second, the special effects were incredible!

As the concert went on...I was waiting and waiting for Jasons and my favorite song to play, and after what we thought were 2 encores they played "With or Without You" I was so excited!!! They changed the arrangment and I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, but it was great live nonetheless! The concert came to an end and then all hell broke loose! Getting out of Soldier Field was like a herd of cattle being led into a wall. It was AWFUL....Rachel and kept saying how fun it would be to go to a Bears game...well, by the end of the night we decided that we'd rethink that one! So, if you are ever planning on going there...just be warned:) Regardless of the chaose post concert, I had a wonderful time! Thank you Rachel, I'll never forget it!!!!!

Happy Anniversary Chicago!

It's official, as of tomorrow, September 3, 2009, I will have lived in Chicago, IL for one whole year! I have to say I'm quite proud of myself! For the past 4 years I have moved around so much and have done so many things that I have not stayed in one place for more than 11 months or so...as much as moving is a pain, I'm not sad I did it as many times as I did. I have met a lot of great people, have lived in fantastic places, and most importantly made memories that will last me a lifetime! I did sign my lease and will be here for another year! I have mastered public transportation, learned that you can only go as far East as the lake shore allows, where the drink deals are in the Redeye every morning, accepted that it's impossible for people not to invade my personal space while walking, or riding, and people are crazy and that's just the way it is! I love the city because of the culture it provides, the people I've met, and that I wake up every morning and never know what to expect! The nostalgia hasn't worn off and I think that's the best part!