First Cubs game at Wrigley Field.

On Wednesday I attended my first cubs game at Wrigley Field. It was quite a dilemma to decided to go b/c the Wings and the Pistons playoffs were on as well. I made a good decision and went to the game (both Wings and Pistons ended up losing - I was receiving updated scores from some friends as a back up)

The field was much different that Comerica Park. It is a really old stadium. As in, there are no TVs to watch replays and no modern music for when the batters are up to bat. This occurs at Comerica (Tigers) , US Cellular Field (White Sox), and Turner Field (Braves). The score board is really old school and they manual change the score.

The Cubs won that night and it was a great game. It was 1-0 Dodgers until the 9th inning. During the bottom of the 9th the bases were loaded and the pitcher had walks which brought someone home. Then in the 10th inning there was a pop up which was caught but the man on 3rd was able to run home, which made a Cubbies victory of 2-0.

It was a nice night at the ballpark and not too cold. Good first experience at Wrigley Field. My goals is to go to 6 ballparks this year (especially Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park)

Happy Memorial Day

Can we please have three day weekend all the time? This weekend was non stop which consisted of hanging out with friends and enjoying the long weekend.

By the way furniture shopping in Chicago is fun. I needed a nightstand, so I went back to the place where I got my dresser. I bought the last nightstand (floor model) that matched so I was able to get a discount. Meaning, the nightstand was already put together (perfect) but then I had to figure out how to get it 4 blocks home. My friend offered to help and ended up carrying it for part of the way and then we got a cab which was much nicer.

On Sat the Pistons, Wings, and Tigers were playing. So, we went to Tin Lizzie (a bar here that is owned my a fellow Michigander) so there were all Detroit sports on TV, it was perfect. Well the Wings and the Tigers ended up with a win but the Pistons lost to Boston that night at home.

After the games we went to a comedy club (Zanies). I have been there a couple of times prior but it is a good time whenever I go.

On Sunday my friend works at a bar/restaurant so a bunch of us when up there to see her and we sat outside and played euchre for a long time. The restaurant had this fishbowl drinks that you share with friends. And there was a table that challenged us for a race, so of course we had to participate. All and all it was a great day and it was so nice knowing that we still had one more day on the weekend!

The weekend went by fast but I knew it was going to be a short week and I didn't have to travel so I was pretty happy about that.

Can't believe I haven't blogged in a while...

I found out this week that I will be traveling less (as in every other week). I am pretty excited b/c that means I can stay at home in Chicago longer and enjoy my new apartment and keep my roommate company. I can buy groceries, have dinner with friends, go to the gym, and just have a "normal" life. I am pretty excited. Although, today I got a friendly reminder of how fun it is to buy groceries in Chicago when the store in 1/2 mile away. I found myself carrying 5 bags sprinting a block to catch the bus. Ohh....public transportation, you gotta love it.

This weekend will be fun. I have friends in town and the Pistons and the Wings play offs are on...Woo..hoo..

Oh and last night was game 2 for the Pistons so we watched it at a friends and got pizza. We then started playing "Rock Band" which is guitar hero with drums and karaoke added. It is VERY addicting...snapped a picture so we could remember how much fun and how ridic we looked....I belive we were singing "Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi in these pictures..

Springtime in Chicago

My new roommate and are are still settling in our new apartment. It is not quite there yet but we have also made some time for exploring the new area. There are a few of us girls who have became good friends and we all met on our project for work about 10 months ago. On Saturday we went out to watch the Cubs (well they did and I watched the Wings playoff game) but afterward we decided to go to this Mexican Cantina place (it was the only place that really didn't have a line) We had the opportunity to sing "Sing a long" hich is like karaoke but you have to know the words. So why not but to pull up the lyrics on our blackberrys. We ended up singing Skee-Lo "I Wish". We didn't win the contest but it was definitely a great time. And it may sound sad, but we knew most of the words to the song and we didn't really need our blackberrys after all.

After the karaoke fiasco we went to a BBQ. It was fun being outside and grilling in the summer. There was also tippy cup involved which is always a great college game. My room mate introduced me to alot of new friends, so this is the beginning to a fun and crazy summer!
Sunday - I tried out a new church with a friend who recently moved to the city. It was a non-denom church with mostly young people and the service was at 5:30pm, so it worked out perfect. I think I will keep going there, it was nice finally finding a church in the city. (www.parkcommunitychurch.org)

Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend which I am looking forward to. Long weekend and then the following week I get to stay in Chicago and work from home, which means I get to do normal things (i.e. grocery shop, clean, meet friends for dinner, run by the lake) I am super excited!

134th Annual Kentucky Derby

On May 3 new room mate and I went to a Kentucky Derby party at a local bar and all proceeds went to the American Diabetes Association. The tradition is to wear big hats; however, since we planned to go at 11Pm the previous night we really didn't have time to find one, but we got dressed up instead.
It was a fun time although the race doesn't last that long. We had a few of the Kentucky Derby drinks - Mint Julep's (A mint julep is traditionally made of four ingredients: mint, bourbon, sugar and water.) They are pretty good but only for that day. The mint julep is the known as the traditional beverage of the Kentucky Derby, a position it has held since 1938. For over 18 years, the Mint Julep Cocktail has been the designated "official mint julep of the Kentucky Derby".

The actual race itself didn't last long at all. It was fun to watch; however, my stomach dropped when I saw the second place winner fall to the ground and in a tragic accident died. Her name was Eight Belles. She finished second in the 134th running of the 2008 Kentucky Derby, a race run by only thirty-nine fillies in the past, and was then quickly put down. Eight Belles collapsed during her cool-down immediately after passing the winning post. She suffered compound fractures of both front ankles and was euthanized on the spot because of the nature of her injuries.

I grew up watching horse races when I was little and I was always mad when they were whipped by the jockeys. However, this really made me think about how animals are treated. It makes me sick to know that these horses have a rough life and it is all for the greed of money and competition. (Her earnings totaled $708, 650)

While walking home I noticed the great view of Chicago and really enjoyed the city that I live in, so I had to take a goofy picture.

Moving Day - Part 2

My dad has always joked around with me calling Two Men and a Truck for my next move and this time I really did it! I was all ready to go at 2PM CST. They were expected to be at my apartment between 430 and 530. In the mean time my room mate and I finished cleaning the apartment (there was some wine left in the fridge so we had some wine and cleaned)

Long behold they FINALLY showed up to my apartment at 915. I guess Karma came around to me. (I am the one that is usually running late when people show up to help me move)

I was totally bummed when I saw the Penske Rental Truck (I was hoping for the Two Men and Truck; however, apparently it broke down during the day which made them late)

Since I lived next to an ally, that is where they had to park the truck. Of course, people are going in and out to park, so they had to move the truck approx 3 times – which made it take longer. Besides that, the actually moving things out of my apartment went smooth. He said that I was well packed (Dad – I hope you are reading this)

So, we got to the new apartment around 1045 – luckily there is an ally way that we could park in and unload. The unloading went well until 1215 when they were putting the couch in. They said it wasn’t going to make (at that time I said a prayer and boom the couch made it through the door)! So after getting the loveseat in the door, it was all finished. The movers started working at 7AM this morning and they had an hour drive back home. I made one of them a sandwich and they went off on their way.