object reemergence

Spring is a funny time of year and I was reminded of that this weekend. Not only is it a time when flowers, trees, and plants begin new life cycles, but humans and certain possessions do as well. Things come out of hibernation. It's a time of year when playground equipment that sat quiet for 5+ months creeks back to life with the help of energetic 4 year olds. Couples in love walk hand in hand or arm and arm down the sidewalk. Grills are reignited, patio furniture reemerges from storage, convertibles cruise down lake shore drive, swimsuits get dug out of the closet, boats fill the harbors and lake michigan, bike paths fill up, and well, you get the picture. I don't get this excited about winter things coming back into use. But i do love putting them away!

I didn't realize how lifeless chicago got during the winter until now, when things start coming to life. I'm very thankful.

speaking of life: I bought some flowers yesterday to liven up my apartment. I took several pics and posted a few of them below. My camera does a pretty good job with close-ups and I love how intense the reds and oranges are. if you click on any one of them you can see a bigger image.

flower

retreat

indiana isn't as bad as some people think it is. sure there's the grimy steel infused factory that is Gary, but if you keep going, indiana is pretty nice. I spent the weekend in the country at a lovely retreat center with the women from my church. it was a weekend full of relaxing activities such as napping, leisurely walking, watching chick flicks, eating decadent desserts, and making crafts. Oh, did i mention the chocolate? it was there in abundance!
it was a great weekend and i met a bunch of really cool women at my church. I've been going to this church for almost a full year now, but this was the first time i could really get to know a bunch of the women....and vice versa! Now i feel much more connected. The weekend was topped off with a trip to IKEA where I bought a new bookshelf. (even though my apartment isn't getting any bigger, i still manage to fit new things in!)

airline ticket woes

I bought plane tickets yesterday for my summer trip to seattle. phew! I really hate searching for and buying plane tickets online. Although it's very convenient, it can be so stressful! There are so many websites out there that claim to have cheap tickets how can you ever be sure you're getting the absolute cheapest?? I went to travelzoo.com which was a pretty good website, but ultimately ended up buying the tickets through kayak.com. Kayak.com was the most organized airline ticket website that i found. All the information was easy to follow and comparing ticket options was a breeze. As a graphic designer, I have no patience when it comes to poorly organized information.

So, kayak.com gets my vote.

Now that I got the tickets I can relax and get super excited for my trip to seattle. not only will i get to be in Tara's wedding, but i also get to visit Rachel for 5 days! yea!

winter's back

my commute was awful this morning and all because winter decided to show it's ugly, cold, windy face again in the middle of april. my umbrella was defeated and is now nothing more than a crumpled, mangled mess. An hour and 45 minutes later, i finally arrived at work. ugh!

the dreaded update:

procrastination is a vicious cycle. If you put something off for too long, the idea of starting it and finishing it becomes incredibly overwhelming. I haven't posted in a while and the thought of posting has become so overwhelming because so many things have happened!

But i told my sister that i would blog about my taxes because she was there when i was trying to finish them. needless to say i was getting so frustrated i couldn't even talk in complete sentences. they were fractions of sentences and even fractions of words. Thankfully she loves me and she helped calm me down. they're done now, thanks to her and my other sister who are both very smart and tax savy. :) Taxes are a pain in the ass, and that's all the further i want to go in that subject.

March was a good month and April has had a good start. Here's the top 10 things that have occured (in no particular order):

1. The exhibit opened
2. It was my birthday
3. Becky came to visit!
4. we had a few BEAUTIFUL days of spring


5. Jen's bachelorette party
6. Rachel came to visit from seattle!
7. Jill and Heather came to visit (that was a crazy fun weekend!
8. I got to go home for the easter weekend and see my mom
9. The really cool photos i took from the plane


10. The great weekend i had catching up with friends and family