Friday, August 27, 2010

Silly Bandz

I do NOT understand Silly Bandz. My students are obsessed. They trade them, share them, talk about them ALL the time. They now are thinking about ordering school colored Silly Bandz as give aways.

I sat here trying to come up with something that we had when we were younger that was an equivalent. But this is ridiculous.

Want more information?
Rap song - http://www.momlogic.com/2010/08/silly_bandz_rap_song.php
BBC article - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11038449

Someone care to enlighten me? I just don't get it...

Thursday, August 19, 2010

MORE

It's move in week. This means that all of our students move in this week, primarily tomorrow. Today was a "light" day. While I was insanely busy, Brandon met me after work and we took the red line to the Chicago stop.  We got off and walked a few blocks to this cupcake shop, MORE.

More is a unique cupcake store. They make typical cupcakes, such as red velvet, and then they make unique cupcakes, like BLT cupcakes. They are very social media active. During the week, they post one picture of a cupcake and the first 50 tags get free cupcakes. I had tagged both Brandon and I, so today we went in. Walked in, told them our names, and got a FREE cupcake (one for each of us). The one we had tagged ourselves in was a Salty Caramel Cupcake and it was so good. It was topped with some lava black salt and was...amazing.

You can buy cupcakes in mass amounts, one at a time, but regardless, they are delicious. You can find them on facebook, twitter and online, but it is worth finding them and trying out their cupcakes. Our next visit will be on a day when they are sampling new flavors - I'm hoping to try a MANGO cupcake soon!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Fleet Feet

What a busy Saturday! Our friends, Ashley and Andrew, moved this morning from Melrose Park to Highwood. We are excited about this, as it means that they are 20 minutes north of us, which is great! (Ashley and Brandon share a birthday - we must have been destined to be friends.) We helped them move one load this morning and then left them to unload and organize furniture. Off we went, on a hunt for quite a few things. We got the last few things for our apartment (pictures should be in the next post...), and then I got two things to start me on my latest bucket-list accomplishment: a watch and GOOD running shoes, to accomplish a 1/2 and then a full marathon!

Brandon's cousin, Lindsey Ruble, is an accomplished marathoner, triathlete and she just completed a 1/2 iron man. She recommended that I get fit for running shoes, and recommended Fleet Feet. Luckily, when she gave us the name, we were only 4 miles from the Lincoln Square location. We headed over, and it was the greatest experience EVER. The man started with my socks (suggesting NOT cotton socks) and then gave suggestions for types of socks based on his personal preference.  Then he had me put on a trial pair of shoes, and watched me run outside (slightly awkward, but the personal touch of this store was awesome.) The man who was helping us watched the way my feet moved and suggested a moderate support shoe, based on how I ran. We then tried on a number of different shoes and I got to make a decision from there.

I ended up with a pair of red and grey shoes. I also got a couple pairs of socks (to determine what I like, planning on purchasing more in the future). They also sell watches, have a rewards program, can fit you for sport bras, and sell many other things. We plan on going back and getting Brandon shoes shortly - we definitely recommend Fleet Feet to ANYONE for your athletic needs!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Scoops

Sarah went to a wedding in Iowa, and I managed to convince her to stop by (in Sox country, unfortunately) to visit! Instead of going to coffee (since Brandon doesn't like coffee) or doing an late lunch/early dinner (since she was coming through at 3), I found an ice cream shop, Scoops! It was very cute, and while the person who rang us up was quite possibly the most awkward human being in the universe, the ice cream was REALLY good.

It's not terribly close to the L, and Brandon and I generally try to not drive anywhere, so that's a little frustrating, however, it's near my stop at work, so it would be totally worth an after-work snack (if I felt like walking that far by myself). We absolutely recommend this place!

Hop Haus

For dinner on Friday night, Brandon and I went to The Hop Haus. While it wasn't on our list, it was in our neighborhood and we were itching for a night out. The waitress gave us quite a surprise - she rattled off the draft beer and "Bells Oberon" was one of them! How awesome. We started out by trying Goose Island's summer beer (Chicago local) and it was really good. I then tried an IPA and Brandon couldn't resist the home-grown taste of Oberon. Oberon didn't taste QUITE as good as it had in Michigan, but it was still good.

Hop Haus specializes in Sliders. You can buy 2 or 3 of one meat (Steak, Chicken, Burger, or "Wild") for discounted price. We, of course, got a few from each and didn't get the discounted price. Brandon tried Buffalo - he really liked it! I had a Salmon Burger (quite good), a chicken cobb burger and then a steak burger (I was NOT a fan of the steak burger.)

Regardless, it was a great night out (while it may have been expensive...). We probably will go again, considering they are in the neighborhood AND they have Oberon. Overall, a good choice.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Restaurant Bucket List

We have been given quite a list of restaurants to try - feel free to add to it!

1. Wings Around the World
2. Moto Restaurant
3. Calumet Fisheries
4. Sticky Rice (be daring and try worms or bamboo?)
5. Fat Johnnie's
6. Sushiamba Rio
7. Pegasus (Greek restaurant with an amazing rooftop!)
8. Original Rainbow Cone (we MUST take Steve here!)
9.

Bucket list...

This will be ongoing. Feel free to add!


1. See the glass Skydeck of the Sear's Tower.
2. Go on an Architectural Boat Tour.
3. Spell "CHICAGO" out in pictures via stops on the El.
4. Go sailing on Lake Michigan
5. Visit Garfield Conservatory
6. Attend 10 Chicago street festivals 
7. Tour all of the breweries in Chicago 
8. Check out the Chicago History Museum
9. Improv Circuit (Second City, Improv Olympic, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, Comedysportz)
10. Visit Graceland Cemetery and find all of the famous Chicagoans
11.Visit the Checkerboard Lounge
12. See the Hancock Tower
13. Get Illinois driver's licenses
14. Tour the Ba'hai House of Worship
15.Visit Brookfield Zoo
16. Visit Lincoln Park Zoo’s Kovler Sea Lion Pool
17. Visit Shedd Aquarium (and this time, see the COOL stuff.)
18. Ride the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel
19. Millennium Park!
20. Ice skate outside
21. Become a member of the Chicago Public Library
22. Take the Chicago Water Taxi somewhere.
23.

The update!

So. Alex took a job as the Coordinator for Student Life at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Brandon, Alex, Ellie and Parker moved to CHICAGO. We have a condo, and will post pictures this weekend (we had some furniture delivered today, so the pictures will be coming.) We have (okay, Alex has) decided to create a bucket list that compiles ALL of the suggestions that people have for us of things that we should do. Keep coming back here for our updates, photos, and funny tales of our adventures in Chicago.

Silly Bandz

0
| Friday, August 27, 2010
I do NOT understand Silly Bandz. My students are obsessed. They trade them, share them, talk about them ALL the time. They now are thinking about ordering school colored Silly Bandz as give aways.

I sat here trying to come up with something that we had when we were younger that was an equivalent. But this is ridiculous.

Want more information?
Rap song - http://www.momlogic.com/2010/08/silly_bandz_rap_song.php
BBC article - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11038449

Someone care to enlighten me? I just don't get it...

MORE

0
| Thursday, August 19, 2010
It's move in week. This means that all of our students move in this week, primarily tomorrow. Today was a "light" day. While I was insanely busy, Brandon met me after work and we took the red line to the Chicago stop.  We got off and walked a few blocks to this cupcake shop, MORE.

More is a unique cupcake store. They make typical cupcakes, such as red velvet, and then they make unique cupcakes, like BLT cupcakes. They are very social media active. During the week, they post one picture of a cupcake and the first 50 tags get free cupcakes. I had tagged both Brandon and I, so today we went in. Walked in, told them our names, and got a FREE cupcake (one for each of us). The one we had tagged ourselves in was a Salty Caramel Cupcake and it was so good. It was topped with some lava black salt and was...amazing.

You can buy cupcakes in mass amounts, one at a time, but regardless, they are delicious. You can find them on facebook, twitter and online, but it is worth finding them and trying out their cupcakes. Our next visit will be on a day when they are sampling new flavors - I'm hoping to try a MANGO cupcake soon!

Fleet Feet

1
| Saturday, August 14, 2010
What a busy Saturday! Our friends, Ashley and Andrew, moved this morning from Melrose Park to Highwood. We are excited about this, as it means that they are 20 minutes north of us, which is great! (Ashley and Brandon share a birthday - we must have been destined to be friends.) We helped them move one load this morning and then left them to unload and organize furniture. Off we went, on a hunt for quite a few things. We got the last few things for our apartment (pictures should be in the next post...), and then I got two things to start me on my latest bucket-list accomplishment: a watch and GOOD running shoes, to accomplish a 1/2 and then a full marathon!

Brandon's cousin, Lindsey Ruble, is an accomplished marathoner, triathlete and she just completed a 1/2 iron man. She recommended that I get fit for running shoes, and recommended Fleet Feet. Luckily, when she gave us the name, we were only 4 miles from the Lincoln Square location. We headed over, and it was the greatest experience EVER. The man started with my socks (suggesting NOT cotton socks) and then gave suggestions for types of socks based on his personal preference.  Then he had me put on a trial pair of shoes, and watched me run outside (slightly awkward, but the personal touch of this store was awesome.) The man who was helping us watched the way my feet moved and suggested a moderate support shoe, based on how I ran. We then tried on a number of different shoes and I got to make a decision from there.

I ended up with a pair of red and grey shoes. I also got a couple pairs of socks (to determine what I like, planning on purchasing more in the future). They also sell watches, have a rewards program, can fit you for sport bras, and sell many other things. We plan on going back and getting Brandon shoes shortly - we definitely recommend Fleet Feet to ANYONE for your athletic needs!

Scoops

1
| Sunday, August 8, 2010
Sarah went to a wedding in Iowa, and I managed to convince her to stop by (in Sox country, unfortunately) to visit! Instead of going to coffee (since Brandon doesn't like coffee) or doing an late lunch/early dinner (since she was coming through at 3), I found an ice cream shop, Scoops! It was very cute, and while the person who rang us up was quite possibly the most awkward human being in the universe, the ice cream was REALLY good.

It's not terribly close to the L, and Brandon and I generally try to not drive anywhere, so that's a little frustrating, however, it's near my stop at work, so it would be totally worth an after-work snack (if I felt like walking that far by myself). We absolutely recommend this place!

Hop Haus

0
|
For dinner on Friday night, Brandon and I went to The Hop Haus. While it wasn't on our list, it was in our neighborhood and we were itching for a night out. The waitress gave us quite a surprise - she rattled off the draft beer and "Bells Oberon" was one of them! How awesome. We started out by trying Goose Island's summer beer (Chicago local) and it was really good. I then tried an IPA and Brandon couldn't resist the home-grown taste of Oberon. Oberon didn't taste QUITE as good as it had in Michigan, but it was still good.

Hop Haus specializes in Sliders. You can buy 2 or 3 of one meat (Steak, Chicken, Burger, or "Wild") for discounted price. We, of course, got a few from each and didn't get the discounted price. Brandon tried Buffalo - he really liked it! I had a Salmon Burger (quite good), a chicken cobb burger and then a steak burger (I was NOT a fan of the steak burger.)

Regardless, it was a great night out (while it may have been expensive...). We probably will go again, considering they are in the neighborhood AND they have Oberon. Overall, a good choice.

Restaurant Bucket List

0
| Friday, August 6, 2010
We have been given quite a list of restaurants to try - feel free to add to it!

1. Wings Around the World
2. Moto Restaurant
3. Calumet Fisheries
4. Sticky Rice (be daring and try worms or bamboo?)
5. Fat Johnnie's
6. Sushiamba Rio
7. Pegasus (Greek restaurant with an amazing rooftop!)
8. Original Rainbow Cone (we MUST take Steve here!)
9.

Bucket list...

0
|
This will be ongoing. Feel free to add!


1. See the glass Skydeck of the Sear's Tower.
2. Go on an Architectural Boat Tour.
3. Spell "CHICAGO" out in pictures via stops on the El.
4. Go sailing on Lake Michigan
5. Visit Garfield Conservatory
6. Attend 10 Chicago street festivals 
7. Tour all of the breweries in Chicago 
8. Check out the Chicago History Museum
9. Improv Circuit (Second City, Improv Olympic, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, Comedysportz)
10. Visit Graceland Cemetery and find all of the famous Chicagoans
11.Visit the Checkerboard Lounge
12. See the Hancock Tower
13. Get Illinois driver's licenses
14. Tour the Ba'hai House of Worship
15.Visit Brookfield Zoo
16. Visit Lincoln Park Zoo’s Kovler Sea Lion Pool
17. Visit Shedd Aquarium (and this time, see the COOL stuff.)
18. Ride the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel
19. Millennium Park!
20. Ice skate outside
21. Become a member of the Chicago Public Library
22. Take the Chicago Water Taxi somewhere.
23.

The update!

0
|
So. Alex took a job as the Coordinator for Student Life at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Brandon, Alex, Ellie and Parker moved to CHICAGO. We have a condo, and will post pictures this weekend (we had some furniture delivered today, so the pictures will be coming.) We have (okay, Alex has) decided to create a bucket list that compiles ALL of the suggestions that people have for us of things that we should do. Keep coming back here for our updates, photos, and funny tales of our adventures in Chicago.
 

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