Where Am I?

Wow, where have I been? I almost forgot I had a blog. Seriously. It wasn't until this week, when I was introduced to what has to be the most hilarious, laugh till you cry and you almost pee your pants blog. That good. I had to comment. And I had to sign in. Oh wow, look at that. That's right. I have a blog.

So, where have I been? Well, to start out from where my last blog left off, we moved to Chicago. That was spring 2010. For the next four agonizing months, as we settled into the city and our new condo, I was looking for a job. Almost to the point of ANY job! I was contemplating retail again (I hate malls, department stores, etc.)!

In August, I started a new job that would eventually try to kill me, if not just steal my soul. I need a bath after thinking about it.

In October, we went on vacation. In Amsterdam! Van Gogh! Anne Frank! Canals! Ruptured appendix! So Amsterdam was followed by a nice little (8 day) hospital stay that included no appendectomy (yep - still got it), an NG tube, two IVs and a drainage port coming out of my butt cheek.

November and December I regained my health and we visited family back in Oklahoma for Christmas. Nice trip, but this also proved to us that 2.5 hours in a plane and 3 nights in a hotel just aren't worth it for Christmas. Our next trip home will not involve the chaos of a holiday.

In January, I started looking for a new job and actually applied for a job with the same company that my husband works for. Happy ending.

We met back up with the family in March for a week of skiing - I failed miserably at snowboarding during our last venture to the mountains and I must say, I LOVE SKIING! Now, I'm not great, but I love it. Love the mountains! My sister's boyfriend proposed to her on the mountain (yay!). Wonderful trip, the way family trips should be (for the most part).

I started my new job in May (working at the same company as John, but five floors apart). I love it, but I still have to remind myself that there is a world outside of non-profit (what - that's just crazy!).

We put our condo on the market in August and sold it exactly one month later (same as the house in Tulsa). Yes, we were very lucky, especially with the housing market still on the downside. We loved the place, but decided we wanted to make ourselves more mobile in the event that we decide to try another city (Denver is on the horizon).

So we're now living in a high rise near Michigan Ave. and have a sliver of a view of Lake Michigan. We sold our car, which I thought I would never do, but after we totaled up car payments, insurance, gas, and parking, we could save a ton of money. Besides, we walk for take the CTA almost everywhere and why waste that much money on a car that we drive maybe once per week?


Zipcar! So most major cities now have Zipcar, or some similar car - sharing service. It's amazing! I highly recommend everyone sell their car (unless you're in Tulsa where public transportation and pedestrian right-of-way are non-existant) and sign up for something like Zipcar. You pay $7 per hour that use the car, which is perfect if you typically use your car for grocery store or other shopping errands.

Where is the money going now? Travel! We are heading back to Keystone to spend the week with my sister, who recently moved to Denver with her fiance. We are planning a trip to Ireland in March or April, and then bachelor/bachelorette trip to Vegas this summer. Maybe throw in a trip in May for a graduation to see some of my favorite cheerleaders graduate - I really do miss those wonderful girls!

Still no kids, but that leads me to a direction for my blog, but I'm still brainstorming the best approach. We don't have kids for two reasons. One is health, the other is choice. Not everyone is OK with our choice to not reproduce. And we do have a few friends who have also made this choice and are also met with the same shock when proclaiming that they won't have kids (at least one couple is near giving in to the pressure). So moms have a ton of support from each other, but what about those that make the choice to not have kids, or can't? I need to find that voice and work on it. It can be a touchy subject. But it can also be hilarious (as in "You have to take that home with you, while I get to go home in peace and enjoy my evening").

And All That Jazz

The Glovers are moving to Chicago!

How exciting and overwhelming could this possibly be? Within hours of meeting with our second realtor, a FOR SALE sign was in our yard, paperwork filled out, open house scheduled, and a passerby calling about our house! Here it is just five days into our house being on the market and we've had at least a dozen people walk through the house, including one that is coming back for a second look.

The bad side: I still need to find a job and until the house sells, I will be on my own when John starts his new job. But the way everything is just falling into place (including the weather that is prepping us for Chicago - Thank you Lord, sorry Tulsa), I may not have to wait too long. Pray for me. I've applied for a number of jobs, but the one that I am most interested in right now is with a high school district, as the director of public relations. Might I add that they do indeed need a director of public relations, as the job description on their website had "Public" without the "L". I know I've made the mistake before, but imagine my embarrassment when I brought it to their attention (please remember this when looking at my resume!)

Paris!

La Tour Eiffel, in all it's twinkling splendor! Never a dull moment with this in view.

Banana and Nutella crepe = BEST SNACK INVENTION EVER!
Creperie outside of Notre Dame, which was in front of me. Isle St Louis behind me

On the steps of Sacre Couer

In the gardens at Versailles


Best mass transit signs ever!

Happy Birthday Dad!

My dad turned 60 on Tuesday and we celebrated on Mother's Day. Poor Mom always having to share Mother's Day with Dad's birthday - but hey, they always get good combined presents. This year, Laura, Aaron, John, and I bought them tickets to the Aerosmith/ZZ Top concert, not expecting them to get as excited as they did. Their reactions just reinforce the fact that they are still borderline hippies. Take the design for the t-shirts Aaron and Laura made (image at bottom of page). Our nephew, who is almost 16 (that makes me feel old) thought that it was Jimi Hendrix. No Jamie, that's your grandpa. To add to the fun, some of Dad's railroad buddies came out, including our neighbor, all of whom remember the days when Dad's 'fro was impressively large, especially when placed atop a tall, skinny, white man. They went on to describe the trend of other men perming their hair, but still unable to reach the heights of Dad's fluffy fro.

These days, Dad's hair is now a little more salt and pepper, heavier on the salt, and he's still thin. He is no longer smoking; a habit he kicked almost 18 months ago, quitting cold -turkey, after 45 years of puffing away. He attributes it to an antibiotic he was on for a sinus infection, but I attribute it to my aunt, his sister, having breast cancer. He still has a couple of years left at the railroad before he retires, but he is getting in some good retirement activities for practice. They bought a tractor and have started their veg. garden. They are testing it out this year and will hopefully commit to participating in the farmer's markets next year. I just hope Mom can stick to the plan.

Have a Little Faith . . .

John and I went to the store last night, as we usually do on Sundays. Purchased the usual, made the official switch to reusable bags (hooray for trees and less garbage - and fewer trips to the car, I might add), and brought home a little extra something that did the opposite of what was most likely intended.

It was time to replace the back scrubber and I chose a long brillo - pad looking thing that was machine washable and looks easeier to dry. We get our groceries home, I put stuff away while John collects the trash, etc. I go to the bathroom to hang the backscrubber and reach for what I thought was the receipt stuck inside the scrubber. No, inside the scrubber was a note wrapped around $10. All I could say was "uh . . . . . . " which kinda freaked John out, because the tone was appearantly paranoid/freaked out.

The note mentioned Jehovah Witness, Exodus, blah blah blah. What was probably intended to be a jesture of goodwill and witnessnessing became a moment of paranoia and fear. Which is really sad. I took the note and money to John, who had the same reaction. I really do hate that we both reacted with fear over a $10 bill left inside a back scrubber at Wal Mart. Why? Because with all of the bad things you hear in the news, and the recent evacuations of a Wal Mart and a Sams, both in Tulsa, the "swine flu pandemic", etc, you can't help but worry about the intentions behind the jesture. Was it tainted with something harmful?

So, what did we do? After washing our hands and spraying the scrubber and $10 with lysol, we folded the $10 up into another piece of paper, and John took the money with him to Jason's Deli, with the intention of passing it on. While he waited for our food, he dropped the money near the wrapped crackers, thinking someone with kids or an employee would find it. As John was leaving, he noticed a homeless man sitting on the steps of the church across the street. He so wanted to go back inside and grab the money to give to the man. Maybe the person who finds the money on the bar will see that man as they leave and think to pass it on. Who knows.

I did use the back scrubber this morning - I'm still alive and no weird reaction. I'm guessing we did not pass on a bacteria - infested $10 bill.

I should probably add this story, which just sets up the paranoia that played out at home: As we pulled into the parking lot of Wal Mart, and head towards a space facing Peoria, I notice a car pull into a space next to another car and see a man hop out of the parked car and head towards the second car. We are now parked next to this second car, where the man is now sitting inside the car with a young woman. I glance over as I'm opening my door and they are kind of hunched towards each other and down. As we step out of our car, he is stepping out of this one and moving back to his car. We cross the parking lot, she swiftly backs out of her space, speeds off, he backs out of his and speeds off in the opposite direction. The quick and sneaky action leads me to believe that I just witnessed a drug deal. Am I crazy to suspect this?

Moments When I Wish I Had My Camera . . .

Now that spring is finally here, Tulsa seems so full of life and interesting people. I should mention that we are never lacking in the interesting people department.

Last night, John and I went to P.F. Changs for dinner, then walked around Utica Square. Around 9:00 PM, we walked through the courtyard between Wild Fork and Starbucks. Laying in the grass was a female duck, though we weren't quite sure if she was sleeping or "sleeping". We stood there for a few moments to examine, and were relieved to see her body rise and fall with breathe. She was just sleeping, but she was alone, in a busy area, at night. Seemed odd and out of place.

Anyway, we continued our walk, then returned later to get some coffee. At 9:45, the chimes sounded (we love the chimes) and the duck awoke, looking (to us anyway) confused and lost. She waddled around towards a fountain, quacked a few times, and then waddled to the bushes, under a tree, and all around. We think the poor girl was left alone while she was sleeping. It was kind of sad.

For the past month or so, when I'm out and about, I've seen this man on a motorcycle with a sidecar. In that sidecar sits his furry companion, donning goggles. The companion is a rather large golden retriever who seems to enjoy every moment in that sidecar. Head hanging out the side, tongue wagging in the air. I swear that's a smile plastered to his face. I don't think anyone could keep from smiling while riding in a sidecar though.

We played hookie from church yesterday because John has been so busy from travel and work and I'm still cooling off from worrying about events. We slept in until about 10:00, but I awoke every 30 minutes or so hear a helicopter flying overhead. We're not far from St. John, so it's normal. But hearing it every time I woke up was a little odd. When we finally did role out of bed, we went to the back yard to see what was going on. The helicopter was circling over the river. Training? Someone fall in? Now I know that it was a suicidal man on the 21st St. bridge. Thankfully no one was hurt. The traffic on the trail to the river seemed much higher than a usual Sunday morning. Others playing hookie from church or curious neighbors wanting to see what the commotion is all about? Knowing my neighborhood, it's the plain nosy spectators.

Wicked!

After nearly a year of waiting for tickets to go on sale for Wicked, it's finally happened! And to my surprise, they were less expensive than I thought they would be. The OKC show was in the $175 - $300 range when the show passed through there (last summer?). You can't beat $80 for orchestra seats (at least compared to the above prices - ouch!). No hiding my excitement. And I'm going with KM, Laura, and Mom, which will make it that much more enjoyable. I have a feeling my inbox, facebook, and myspace pages will now be inundated with countdowns to the July show by my two sisters.

The snow on Saturday would have been more enjoyable had it not been for cheerleading tryouts that morning (I am still wondering how I was talked into being the assistant coach for the 09-10 squad) and the dinner & auction that evening. While I judged tryouts, the rest of our office was at the hotel, worrying that no one would show up. They did (Thank you Lord!) and the event was successful. On Sunday, we went out to Mom & Dad's to partake in some sledding in what was left of their snow. The run was so packed down and caused my "old snowboarding injury" to flare up again and the saplings growing near the bottom of our run inflicted numerous scratches on everyone but me. It was the bum tailbone that saved me from the trees! Pictures coming . . . maybe . . . but not of my rear, I promise!