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.