Praise the Lord . . . and pass the biscuits!

Did you know that the House of Blues has a Sunday Gospel Brunch. What a better way to start the week than with a little praise and worship, mimosas, and a belly full of down home cookin'. Everyone in the theatre was on their feet; singing and dancing! I wish i could go there every sunday. It was such a positive morning. The gospel leader delivered a wonderful message stressing to make sure to tell everyone you care about that you love them, not just your Valentine. Life is short, so don't wait to say it. If you're reading this. . . I love you!
It has been a whirlwind weekend. . . and week for that matter. Coop has already left and Nina and I are back, exhausted and catching up on some business (like my all-important blog). I think I slept somewhere around 10 hours in the past 5 days. However, between the encouragement from my friends and the inspiration from this morning, I no doubt have the energy to take on the next week!
Amen.

My cup runneth over. . . with hot chocolate

Cooper took the red-eye from Seattle to Chicago. She was in town for less than 48 hours but we fit more in to this weekend than some people do in a week. We went down to HOT CHOCOLATE, a restaurant on Damen Ave. specializing in, yes, hot chocolate. I think i found out the secret ingredients: milk, dark chocolate, and dreams. I got dark chocolate hot chocolate, Cooper got white mint chocolate hot chocolate, and Nina got milk chocolate with hot fudge. . . seriously.
Chicago has thousands of people residing in it and some how its gets smaller everyday. Our waitress at hot chocolate went to Mizzou. She was super nice and when we left she gave us a bag of cookies and sweets to take home. I love random acts of kindness, it made our day.
So clearly we had enough energy for the rest of the day after guzzling down the melted chocolate bars. We shopped, we explored, we took on Chicago. I have the best friends in the world. With my lovely roommate Nina and my best friend Coop, in tow, we finished out week 3 in the big city.

I celebrated Christmas 36 times today.

The movie Fred Claus was being filmed in Chicago for the past couple of months. It stars Vince Vaughn and its about Santa Claus' brother, Fred. Wednesday and Thursday were the last two days of filming. I was cast as a stand-in and an extra for the montage of all the families opening their presents on Christmas morning. These scenes were being filmed in a sound stage in the city. It was so cool being on the set. I have never been in a studio before. The sets that were built for the movie were amazing, almost magical; it felt like the north pole (also it was freezing, so that helps). There were several sets of family rooms with fire places where Fred (vince) came down the chimney and delivered presents. Then rooftops were built and i got to watch the actors shoot a scene were Fred is being chased by an elf jumping from rooftop to roof top. Also, a huge Santa's sleigh was built in front of huge blue screen. Scenes were filmed with vince and an elf flying the sleigh.
Since it was the last days, everyone on set was just having fun. Vince Vaughn was hamming it up in his last few scenes. I'm sure they will end up on a blooper reel. Everyone was so nice, including Vince Vaughn. I won't pretend that we are new best friends, but he was very polite. There was a wrap party thursday night, and even though one of the crew members invited me, i didn't go. I didn't was to be the nerdy extra who crashed the party. Though it was two long long days, it definitely wasn't hard work, but it was fun. Some of the other extras were complaining that this was a waste of their time. Oh really? Well you can go ahead and leave, cause i'm getting paid the longer i stay here. I get to eat fun kraft service food and watch a movie being made. How many people get to do that? And when there was down time, i studied for the boards. So basically i was being paid to study. Get over yourself, this is fun!
xoxoxo, much love from the North Pole

Holy Snowballs!

It's Frickin' freezing!

This town has lost its mind.

So our Bears didn't win, but what a game. A touch down after the opening kickoff. If we couldn't take home the trophy, at least we made history! So the week prior to the Super bowl was nuts! Chicago bled blue and orange and got it all over everyone. What a time to live in Chicago. The moral alone carried everyone through the coldest week of the year. I mean the wind chill is -30 (no joke) and people were still tailgating outside at Soilder field (ps: the game wasn't even there). Every building is lit up at night with blue and orange lights and the window lights are turned on in patterns to say things like Go Bears, Da Bears, Bear Down, Champs, and Ur-Lach-Er! Chicago gets and A for effort, thats for sure. Friday at the board of trade, everyone was allowed to wear jeans as long as you has some bear supportive clothing on. Silly me for thinking a T-shirt would do. There were blue and orange boahs and beads, a man dressed as a bear, and more than one person wearing a bears football helmet. It was quite a scene to watch the serious brokers and traders trying to do business in such spirits. I just though i'd pass along the sights of this city that lost its mind to bears mania. Way to go team, you made us proud!

Two post in one day. How ambitious of me. Well actually I tried writing this one days ago but my internet at home is shotty at best, so it never actually posted. Thanks for understanding the delay.
Look, Brian Urlacher is right outside my window looking over me everyday. good night, brian.

Home Sweet Home Chicago

I live here. Really!
So where to begin? Well, I got here last week. My mom flew up here a few days later and helped me move in (check out these pictures. Dwight the bobble head was our navigator). We got here just in time to see the Bears make it into the SUPER BOWL (see blog below for bears mania). I officially moved into my apartment last Saturday, Aunt Pat and Uncle Gene were so helpful moving me in (and carrying my heavy stuff and cleaning the whole place). What would I do without my awesome family!
My apartment is amazing! Its in the South Loop in a very up-and-coming area. I have to be honest. I had my reservations about living so far south, i initially wanted to be in Lincoln Park or one of those trendy areas on the North Side. But here's the thing: If I did live up there, I wouldn't get a chance to see this amazing city everyday on my way to work. I wouldn't get to pass the skyscrapers all decorated in blue and orange for the bears, I wouldn't get to see the Bean at Millenium Park, I know I wouldn't get to meet such interesting people at the Roosevelt EL station. I am 4 blocks from a grocery store, 4 blocks from the el, 4 blocks from the Field Museum, and I can see Soldier Field from my apartment. Sure, the wind from the lake is brutal, but thats only because: I LIVE RIGHT NEXT TO THE LAKE. Yeah, its cold, but I'll just bundle up when I'm walking along Lake Shore drive or down Michigan Ave. If you're coming to visit, and I hope you will, don't forget your long-underwear. You might feel like a dork, but i promise you, you will be the warmest dork in all the city. Most importantly, I would not get to live in such a nice apartment for what we are paying if we lived on the North Side. Our place rocks, we have 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, hard wood floors, floor to ceiling windows, and drum-roll please: a washer and dryer in the apartment! Also for the record, we have plenty of space for guests! Blow up mattresses, couches, so get your butt up here! Moving on. I have not yet found a nursing job. Bummer. I have applied everywhere, i swear. I have interviewed a few times but mostly I get emails or phone calls saying that they are not currently accepting new graduates. I have started to expand my horizons and am looking for positions outside pediatrics. Mainly, I would like to stay in the city of chicago, i mean thats why i moved to the city! But fortunately I have an amazing support system. A family friend of ours hired me as a clerk at the Chicago Board of Trade. I am also working at the Second City. Between the two, I can pay for rent and hopefully hold out for the right nursing job to come along, instead of just taking the first one because i need a job. In all honesty, i am really enjoying this time away from the hospital setting. I supposed i got a little burned out (and just plain burned) my last semester of nursing school. It could be a good thing to go into a job having taken this break. . . or not. Who knows. Right now I'm getting as many experiences under my belt as possible and having fun doing it. I get to spend more time than I expected in acting classes and going on auditions (I will keep you posted on that too:) The Board of Trade is a new experience for sure. I was joking at first but now I am serious, they should really consider hiring a resident nurse. The way those guys yell and scream and stress themselves out, its only a matter of time before some one keels over (or gets punched in the face). I may be a valuable asset to the CBOT.
Well I shall end my blog here for now. If you got this far, thanks for reading the whole thing. Im sure future blogs will n ot be as long, but i had so much to say (and Im sure i'm still forgetting some things). If you're reading this, you are some one i really care about. So thank you for being part of my support team as I make this transition in my life. I literally couldn't do it with out you.