Western Kansas Wheat Harvest

I haven't been home during wheat harvest in years, but this past weekend and late last week, I was back in western KS right at its peak. I have missed seeing those combines out cutting that wheat! Unfortunately, my trip home wasn't under the most pleasant circumstances, but it was still great to be back in the area and around family. My grandpa passed away last week at the ripe old age of 99. It was quite fitting that he left us at harvest, so the timing couldn't have been better.

If you recall from my last post, my mom and aunt spent several days visiting us in Chicago two weekends ago. It was fun spending time with them and having a girls weekend. We went to IKEA (it was not as bad as I was anticipating), had a delicious brunch at the Southern, went wholesale shopping, and just had a great time. Christian also happened to be running a race in Indianapolis that Saturday, so we took a quick trip down to see him race. I haven't seen him run in a long time, so it was great to be there. Plus, my cousin lives in Indy, so she came by the track and watched too! It was a small meet, so Christian's fans made up for a decent percentage of the entire crowd :)

Also worth noting in this blog is that I'm employed! Well, kind of employed anyway. I started Monday working at an agency part-time in the account service department. I'm working Monday through Wednesday initially with the hopes that I'll "wow" them and they'll hire me full-time. That's the plan, anyway! I'm really excited to be there and everyone I've met so far has been awesome, so I'm really looking forward to this opportunity.

Check out some of these photos from the girls weekend in Chicago as well as photos from good, ol' western Kansas.

Courtney and I talk a lot about tattoos... A lot. So at the "Taste of Randolph" street festival, Courtney got a fake one.

Also, we kiss our muscles... A lot. Whadya think?  Tough, right?

Christian getting ready to start his race (he is wearing the white jersey). He ran very well, better than he expected to since he's been struggling with some recent injuries. Way to go, man!

Brunch - Spring veggie gumbo, coffee, mimosa and a delicious cucumber-infused vodka bloody mary. 

My favorite purchase from IKEA! Shelves for our spices! We have been talking about doing this since we moved in and I am so happy with how it turned out! I'm considering getting another shelf - how do we have so many spices? Also worth noting are our extensive booze collection and the adorable dog and cat treat jars.

My mom and aunt picking wheat stalks for my grandpa's funeral.

In case you don't know what wheat looks like :)

A photo of my grandma and grandpa on a wedding anniversary.

View from my parents' deck. We spent a lot of time out there just relaxing.

Christian thought it would be hilarious to shave a "monkey tail" on his face. If you look closely, you can see that the hair loops around the side of his face, up and around his mouth and then stops. Classy.

Dirty Miles. Christian brought Olive out to the farm and those two pups had a great time playing! I was sad that I had to leave Walter in Chicago because he would have loved it!

That's it for me. I hope you enjoy the photos from the past few weeks. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Love,
H&W

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh....

Chicago has seen a fair amount of rain this spring. And while I'm usually pretty prepared with an umbrella or rain boots, in the past couple of weeks, I've been caught outside in a downpour twice, completely unprepared. As I walked home from the train station yesterday in the pouring rain, no umbrella or boots, I just couldn't help but smile and giggle at how ridiculous I looked. I'm sure it made me look even more silly to the people I was meeting on the sidewalk, but at that point, what was there to upset about? I was already soaked and not going anywhere important, so I just embraced the rain and smiled!

Walter and me after getting caught outside in the rain. I stood under a tree and just hoped and hoped he would finish his business as quickly as possible! He also looks a little scary in this picture...

This is how I looked after walking home in the rain. Fortunately, I happened to wear a jacket to work, even though it was warm enough to go without. I'm so glad I wore it anyway!

I feel like that has kind of been my attitude lately. I haven't found that permanent job yet and as scary as that is, I can't help but love the fact that I finally made the plunge and moved to a city that I'm so excited to be living in. In all ways (except the job one), I feel absolutely at home here and I'm just hoping that the job thing works out soon! Fingers crossed!

One of my good friends from college is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia and her battle helps put things in perspective for me. My woes seem pretty insignificant when compared to what she's going through. If anyone is interested about following her fight or making a donation, visit her site by clicking here.

Okay, okay, enough babble about struggles, here's what's happening in my life!

My mom and aunt are driving up today to spend a long weekend in Chicago. I can't wait to spend some quality time with my mom. This time is best spent shopping, I believe :) Also, Christian is hoping to run this Saturday in Indianapolis, so we might make the drive there to watch! I hope it works out because I haven't seen him in forever and would love to see him run! We are also planning a trip to IKEA (which I'm dreading), but I am looking forward to some new stuff :) I hope to have a lot to report next week about what we do!

In past posts, you've seen pictures and videos with Courtney's cat, Ruby, in them. I haven't shown much of Ciaran because he doesn't come out much in the main area. However, suddenly, he has become my little buddy! Check out these pictures that I've taken of him recently. What a snuggler!

Hello! Up in my face one evening.

He LOVES just laying on your chest

Snuggled up in my arm pit one morning. He also licked my face this day! 

I was sleeping this morning and he thought it would be a great idea to sleep on my butt!

Well, that's all for now! I'm hoping to have lots of good stuff to report next week!

Love, H&W

I Am Officially a 26-year-old. Woah.

So sorry for the delayed blog post! Things have been busy (and so hot!) here in Chicago! I've been meaning to write, but haven't had a chance to sit down and do it. So here you go!

First, I want to thank all of the absolutely wonderful people that I have in my life who reached out to me on my birthday last week. I had so many facebook posts, texts and calls that just made my day. To be honest, I had been boo-hooing a little bit and feeling sorry for myself because I was beginning to realize how hard it is to be in a new city and not know very many people. I kept thinking about my last birthday and all of the fun things I did with my friends and I was starting to get a little down because this birthday was going to be different. It was different, but it also made me realize that even though I may not be in the same city as some of my favorite people, thanks to the Internet and social media, they'll always be close by! A huge thank you to everyone who made my day!

Courtney and I enjoyed a yummy lunch at Julius Meinl. I had a slice of quiche which was tasty, but she had Spätzle and hers was SO delicious!! And we got dessert treats, of course. Check out our lunch spread below!

I had to get the lemon tart again. I hate getting the same thing twice in a row when there are so many goodies to choose from, but I couldn't resist! A perfect summer treat! 

Courtney had to work that evening, so Audrey and her law school buddies Erin, Sean and Dan (side note: Erin and Sean are Mabel's owners) celebrated my birthday with me at a Thai place I had been wanting to try. The food was tasty and the company was great, so while my birthday was a little more low-key than it has been in years past, it was still a good one!


Courtney also threw a little party earlier in the week as a sort of birthday/Memorial day celebration. We had a TON of delicious food, so I've included a couple of photos that I took of the spread. It was fun hanging out and having a good time with a big group of people.

Easiest party dessert ever. And people go bananas for them!

Nice, little cheese spread.

Chips, guac, hummus, veggie tray - what more does a party need?

Andrew's homemade bruschetta. Yum!

On a Walter update, it's been pretty toasty warm here and he's been slightly miserable in the heat. But he loves playing outside, so it's a bit of a Catch22 for him. I've begun to notice that he goes directly to the shaded part of the dog park every morning and evening that we go there. Here are a few videos and a photo to illustrate how much he loves his shade!

I'll stay over here, thank you very much.

Walter will now crawl under the fence to go get a ball. I have to lift it up for him though... he's not daring enough to go alone yet. 

Waiting patiently at the door for our walk!

A rare moment at our house! Ciaran and Walter on the couch together! This was big news!

Again, thanks to everyone for the kind words on my birthday. I felt so special! Twenty-six will be a big year for me - new city, new job (let's hope!), new beginnings! It's exciting!

Stay cool! 

H&W

KC Girls Invade Chicago for a Shenanigan-Filled Weekend

It truly was a "shenanigan-filled weekend," one that I need at least a week to recuperate from! But I will say that it was 100% worth it!

Thanks to Hannah, Ali, Melanie, Christen, Kyla and Katie, I got a couple of items checked off of my summer bucket list!

As I mentioned before, I love when people come to visit because it gives me an excuse to explore the city like a tourist. At any other time, I like to pretend I know what I'm doing or where I'm going (like a true Chicagoan, of course), but when friends come, it's time for me to act like a tourist and get to know the city!

Lots of people have suggested to me that I should check out an architectural tour of the city. My friend Lindsay even suggested on my last blog post to do the Seadog tour. I took no time in suggesting that to the visiting KC girls and that's exactly what we did!

Our Seadog Adventure!

Oddly enough, Chicago had some crazy fog roll in late last week (I can only assume it was due to the impending rapture). Out on Navy Pier, we couldn't even SEE the skyscrapers of the city. It was such a crazy feeling knowing that they were so close, and yet to not be able to see them... We all thought that our tour was going to be a total bust because how can we possibly enjoy the tour when we can't even see the buildings? However, once we were off the lake and on the river, it cleared right up! Our Chris Rock lookalike tour guide was pretty entertaining and imparted some great information on the history of the city. My only complaint was that he was a bit hard to hear and it didn't help that half of our tour was a group of 2nd graders on a field trip.

Friday just happened to be Hannah's birthday, so we celebrated with some pizza and wine at Frasca Pizzeria in Lakeview. Up next was a "Chicago Drinking Play" called Bye Bye Liver. Yes, you read right, a drinking play. It was exactly as you would imagine it - a combination of crude comedy and buckets of beer. So naturally, a pretty fun time. From there, we spent the rest of the night in Wicker Park at the Wicker Park Tavern. With Judgment Day almost upon us, we felt it our duty to party like it was our last night on earth... and that we did.

Interaction with the crowd at Bye Bye Liver.

Mel, Ali and me at Frasca Pizzeria

If you look closely, you can see birthday candles on Hannah's cheese and fruit platter. Happy Birthday Hannah!

The girls did some shopping and exploration during the day on Saturday. After a lot of back and forth trying to decide where to go out to eat, we finally decided to go to Grand Lux Cafe on Michigan. It was a happenin' place - so happenin' that we waited over an hour to get a table and sat down just after 10 p.m. We felt quite European with our VERY late dinner. The girls had their heart set on checking out the craziness that is The Hangge Uppe, but when we got there, the line was outrageous! I found this quote on the Chicago Bar Project website that explains this bar perfectly. It's a classy place and is almost always a clear sign of an entertaining evening :)

"On any given night you can go to the Hangge Uppe, meet a girl, fall in love, realize you're both soul mates, go to the bathroom, and come out to find her making out with another guy." – J.S.

The group at Grand Lux

With the line a bit too long for our liking, we walked down the street and had a couple of drinks at The Cedar Hotel. I had been to this bar a couple of weeks before for a happy hour and impressed even myself with my growing knowledge of the city! Slowly but surely, I'm learning my way around! We met some Brits and checked out another club down the street later and at that point, I was exhausted and my feet were in pain, so half of the party called it a night.

The girls headed home the next day and I spent the day lounging and watching Ally McBeal (you might say I'm a little obsessed with this show...). I was content to sit around and relax after that whirlwind of a weekend. I think the girls had fun and were already discussing what they want to do the next time they come to town - which I was very excited to hear!

I hope this post peaks the interest of some of my other friends who might be thinking of coming to Chicago for a little vacay... :)

Until next time!

H&W

Summer in the City - Bucket List

Now that the weather is warming up, it has gotten me thinking about my summer to-do's. There's a lot that I want to accomplish and see, so what better way than to share them with all of you! That way, you'll all have something to look forward to and can offer suggestions along the way!

Tour Breweries: Chicago has a lot of breweries. And I want to try them all. Here are a few on my list -

• Half Acre Brewery
• Haymarket Pub and Brewery
• Goose Island
• Revolution Brewery

Festivals! Apparently there is a festival every weekend somewhere around the city. I'm sure new ones will crop up along the way, but one that I'm sure I'm going to is Taste of Chicago.  It's a week-long event with all sorts of food vendors and entertainment. I cannot wait for this!

Lollapalooza - Courtney and I just bought our tickets and we are so excited for this big live music event! Sadly, it will also probably be our last hurrah together since she is moving back to teach at Lawrence High. It's a three-day music event with a lot of cool bands. This will be my first one and I am so pumped!

Farmer's Markets - It's May, so farmer's markets are beginning to open up around the city. I have this vision of waking up on Saturday mornings, picking up fresh, local produce at a farmer's market, and then going home and making a feast. I doubt that happens every weekend, but I'll be satisfied if it just happens a few times. Look at how many farmer's markets there are around this city! Click here for the list.

Visits from friends - This will be, of course, the highlight of my summer :) I've already had a fair number of visits from family and friends, but there are several more trips planned for the coming months. Some friends are even coming up this weekend! Hopefully my next post will showcase some of the fun, touristy stuff that we end up doing. We are going to a drinking play called "Bye Bye Liver" so I'm sure I'll have that and plenty more to talk about in my next post!

Keep your fingers crossed the weather stays consistently warm in the next few weeks! I'm ready for summer!! Have a great week everyone!

H&W

Final Fling Before the Ring - Chicago Style!

While I would like you all to think that I have a pretty exciting life now that I live in a pretty exciting city, but that may not always be the case :) I've had a fairly busy week, but nothing jumps out at me as to what to write about. No one probably cares about a new spinach dip (Healthy Spinach Yogurt Dip) that I tried or the workouts that Christian has been giving me, both of which are pretty exciting to me... So, instead, for this week's post, I'm taking a retroactive approach and going back to the end of March to detail the fun weekend spent with Krista Smith (then Meng) and Megan Percival for the big bachelorette party!

Trevor got to spend his bachelor party in Las Vegas, so, not to be outdone, Krista decided to coincide her bachelorette party with a trip to visit me in Chicago. Needless to say, I was very much in favor of this decision! New to the city myself, I was also excited about an excuse to be a tourist here.

The girls got in to town on Friday morning. They had a pretty early flight, so we spent much of that day hanging out around the apartment. That evening was to be the big "going out" night to celebrate Krista's last single fling! We had lots of goodies prepared at the house as well as a few "bachelorette-type" games to play. After a few margarita's (add a splash of mango orange juice - delicious!) we headed out to Wrigleyville. We spent some time trying out some local establishments before landing at a bar called John Barleycorn. Unfortuntately, Courtney had to work at The Southern that night, but she was able to meet us out after she got off of work. Around 2 a.m. when the bar closed, we were feeling 21 again and decided to hit up The Hangge-Uppe for the after party. We must have really thought we were 21 again because we closed that bar too!

Part of the party treats. If you are looking for an AMAZING appetizer, try this. One wheel of brie, a couple heads of garlic (take it apart, but don't peel the cloves), olive oil, and salt and pepper. Pop it in the over at 350 degrees, uncovered, and wait until the brie puffs up in the middle. Slice and toast a french baguette. Guests serve themselves with a smear of brie and roasted garlic squeezed out. Very good!

Enjoying the bachelorette party!

Our Saturday agenda was largely focused around going on a food tour in the Gold Coast area. If anyone is visiting a new city and trying to decide where to eat, I wholeheartedly suggest doing a food tour. I've done several in NYC and have never been disappointed! We toured hotels, ate pizza at Oprah's favorite pizza place, learned about the curse of the Cubs at the Billy Goat Tavern (it's also the birthplace of the famous "Cheezborger! Cheezborger! skit from SNL), and more. After our four-hour tour, we were stuffed and sleepy. After a nap at home, we finished the day with some tasty sushi from a place up the street.

The girls weren't leaving until Monday morning, so we spent Sunday doing more tourist activies and shopping. Krista's one request was to hit up H&M, something I was happy to accomodate. We also took our picture in the Bean and finished the day with some authentic, deep-dish Chicago pizza.

All in all, it was a great weekend with friends. I am always looking for an excuse to show people around (and discover Chicago myself!), so I encourage all of my friends to come visit! Then I can blog about it!

Enjoy that nice weather!

H&W

The Antics of a Quirky Dog

I spend a lot of time talking about what's going on in MY life on this blog and since I do sign it H & W, I thought I should give W his 15 minutes. I'm sure many of you are curious as to how he's adapting to apartment life and living with cats. Now you can see for yourself!

Here a great video of Walter and Ruby playing. It usually starts with Walter's overactive tail, swishing in Ruby's face and then goes from there. This particular "fight" started by Walter licking Ruby's head - it was adorable :)

We've also recently discovered that some of Walter's favorite toys were intended for the cats. For example, the laser pointer is one of his favorite toys to take to the dog park. I forgot to bring it last night and he was looking around at the ground, trying to find the little, red dot. I have a video of him playing with it outside, but it's hard to see anything. This inside video gives you a good look at how he reacts to the laser. (and also offers an inside look to our apartment for those of you who might be curious!)

Here are are few photos from the past few months to satisfy those of you who might be missing this little fur ball.

It gets cold here... so Walter's good buddy, Lauren, sent him this adorable jacket. Judging by the look on his face, you can tell that he doesn't think the jacket is quite as adorable as I do.

Happy Birthday Walter! Here he is with his new, red collar! Also note that he is on my bed... I must have been feeling extra kind since it was his birthday.

Playing with another birthday gift. A combination of his favorites - tennis balls and squeaky!

Since this blog is about girls, a dog and cats, I thought it only fitting to include a cute picture of Ruby playing in some grocery bags. Cieran is slowly growing accustomed to Walter and is beginning to show his face more. Sometimes, he even sneaks into my room and sleeps on my bed! Walter must be growing on him a little bit!

These guys keep our apartment pretty lively. I know I'm probably biased because I think these guys are pretty much the funniest animals around, but I think some of you out there might appreciate the little glimpse into the day in the life of animals taking over Chicago.

Love,

H & W