As you may notice, if you regularly check in, I have changed the layout and color scheme or my page. Do not know if I like it yet, but I am becoming much better at working this website. It is incredibly easy! Also, I have been inspired by about a billion more blogs I have been reading. I find myself getting lost in them all over the internet. I usually like to look at craft, fitness, and food blogs, so you might find more of that on here now too. I also would like to post more pictures, but we never take pictures of anything anymore. That is on the top of my list for things to start doing better!
Other than that, the husband is home on a little vacation from traveling and has his FIRST engineering exam today for work. This is a big deal--because if he fails, he gets fired. I mean, I guess that might not be a big deal to some people, but we find it to be quite an issue! Tomorrow (Wednesday) he leaves for Dallas, but I am not sad because I will join him on Friday for his birthday and a weekend vacation to Texas!
Hopefully, I will fix my photo taking problems by this weekend!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
lonely. sorta.
So, here I am...alone in Naperville for the longest time yet! Ryan is in Louisiana all week for work and will be in Dallas all next week too! I thought I was going to freak out and be super upset, but I am not. I wish he were here because we are so out of practice keeping each other updated via telephone, but other than that, I have kept pretty busy. I am working about 25 hours a week and getting a lot of compliments at work so it makes it a little easier to have my own life in conjunction with his.
In case you are interested, you can check out my job at this website--http://lechocolatdubouchard.com/--OR you could come visit me! I like being a server again and it is already evident that certain skills never go away!
Other than working, I am just TRYING to get a grip on my thesis--if you have advice for motivation/anti-procrastination, PLEASE let me know!
In case you are interested, you can check out my job at this website--http://lechocolatdubouchard.com/--OR you could come visit me! I like being a server again and it is already evident that certain skills never go away!
Other than working, I am just TRYING to get a grip on my thesis--if you have advice for motivation/anti-procrastination, PLEASE let me know!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
love.
Hope everyone had a HAPPPPPPPY Valentine's Day! I know some people do not "celebrate" this day, but I think that it is worth celebrating love any day and one day set aside to do cutesy things to show someone you love them is not terrible! My mom has always gotten us cute gifts for Valentine's Day, so I have never viewed it as just a day for Ryan and me (this year she sent me a new door mat that has our names written in sand on it...SO adorable!)
Yesterday, we both had to work opposit shifts so we celebrated our love early. On Sunday, we went to downtown Chicago (took us only a half hour to drive into the city!) and attended the Chicago Auto Show--the biggest in North America. It was fun to see brand new models of cars that we can dream about owning someday...haha. Then, we went a few blocks down to Chinatown. We ate some yummy food and explored the unsanitary conditions of the food markets there. Then we went to The Bean sculpture for a light show! It was a great time and so nice to spend quality time with each other.
On Monday, I woke up feeling bad for not getting anything for Ryan for Vday, so I rushed around all morning before work to get together a delicious meal for him. I made pulled pork sandwiches and key lime pie for the first time because they are two of his fave meals. He was so appreciative and excited that it made my hectic day worth it. He bought me some new knives as I have almost cut my fingers off on multiple occasions with the ones I was using. Both things we did for eachother were thoughtful and really showed our appreciation for everything we do for one another.
This was our 10th Vday together and I think my husband is getting more and more romantic every year because he listens to what I need/want from him and makes it happen to the best of his ability.
So, although I never think a holiday is an excuse to be extra nice and I think that we need to show our love and appreciation everyday, we sometimes get caught up in our crazy lives and need February 14th to roll around. I am thankful for the time that we spent together--regardless of the date--because over the next three weeks, I am only going to see Ryan on the weekends! This holiday could not have came at a better time this year!
Yesterday, we both had to work opposit shifts so we celebrated our love early. On Sunday, we went to downtown Chicago (took us only a half hour to drive into the city!) and attended the Chicago Auto Show--the biggest in North America. It was fun to see brand new models of cars that we can dream about owning someday...haha. Then, we went a few blocks down to Chinatown. We ate some yummy food and explored the unsanitary conditions of the food markets there. Then we went to The Bean sculpture for a light show! It was a great time and so nice to spend quality time with each other.
On Monday, I woke up feeling bad for not getting anything for Ryan for Vday, so I rushed around all morning before work to get together a delicious meal for him. I made pulled pork sandwiches and key lime pie for the first time because they are two of his fave meals. He was so appreciative and excited that it made my hectic day worth it. He bought me some new knives as I have almost cut my fingers off on multiple occasions with the ones I was using. Both things we did for eachother were thoughtful and really showed our appreciation for everything we do for one another.
This was our 10th Vday together and I think my husband is getting more and more romantic every year because he listens to what I need/want from him and makes it happen to the best of his ability.
So, although I never think a holiday is an excuse to be extra nice and I think that we need to show our love and appreciation everyday, we sometimes get caught up in our crazy lives and need February 14th to roll around. I am thankful for the time that we spent together--regardless of the date--because over the next three weeks, I am only going to see Ryan on the weekends! This holiday could not have came at a better time this year!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
random.
This post is RANDOM for a few reasons...everything I post in it is going to be a hodge podge of things I have not gotten to blog about that happened in the last week AND my life is getting pretty random.
I started work last week and tonight will be my third night working. I am working at a little chocolate shop called Le Chocolat. We serve gourmet hot chocolates, yummy desserts, and little candies to go. It seems like it will be a good distraction from my thesis writing/homework time and waiting for Ryan to come home...which is basically all I do all day. I am kinda in a dazed stupor on a regular basis--I do random things like just get in my truck to go get gas. It seems so pathetic now that I am writing it and everyone can read that I really have no real life here, but the truth is--the only other thing I could really be doing is spending a ton of money on stuff we don't need. When Ryan is off work and we have nothing to do, we usually go "shopping" which means we actually walk around one of the hundreds of shopping centers in the area and look at all the crap we do not need whatsoever. If I were doing that all day by myself too, I would go insane. So, I sit at home a lot, work some on homework, clean, and have just started training to run a half marathon this Spring.
My life never seems too pathetic--until Ryan leaves...he has his second business trip overnight tomorrow (just three hours south of us) and I do not have to work or have anything else to do. That is where it starts to get a little too real that I need a hobby or local friends.
And, even though it seems like I am complaining, I am actually quite content with a pathetic life. I try to do one meaningful thing a day and that usually gets me by. At the very least, it gives me something to tell Ryan I did all day! Even though I do not do much during the day, I have never looked forward to seeing my husband on a daily basis this much. We both get so excited to come home to each other and FOR THAT I am extremely fortunate.
Lastly, I thought I would advertise on here as well that we are taking reservations for visitors! Ryan will be gone for an entire week starting Feb 20 :( I am going to go insane! Come see me!
I started work last week and tonight will be my third night working. I am working at a little chocolate shop called Le Chocolat. We serve gourmet hot chocolates, yummy desserts, and little candies to go. It seems like it will be a good distraction from my thesis writing/homework time and waiting for Ryan to come home...which is basically all I do all day. I am kinda in a dazed stupor on a regular basis--I do random things like just get in my truck to go get gas. It seems so pathetic now that I am writing it and everyone can read that I really have no real life here, but the truth is--the only other thing I could really be doing is spending a ton of money on stuff we don't need. When Ryan is off work and we have nothing to do, we usually go "shopping" which means we actually walk around one of the hundreds of shopping centers in the area and look at all the crap we do not need whatsoever. If I were doing that all day by myself too, I would go insane. So, I sit at home a lot, work some on homework, clean, and have just started training to run a half marathon this Spring.
My life never seems too pathetic--until Ryan leaves...he has his second business trip overnight tomorrow (just three hours south of us) and I do not have to work or have anything else to do. That is where it starts to get a little too real that I need a hobby or local friends.
And, even though it seems like I am complaining, I am actually quite content with a pathetic life. I try to do one meaningful thing a day and that usually gets me by. At the very least, it gives me something to tell Ryan I did all day! Even though I do not do much during the day, I have never looked forward to seeing my husband on a daily basis this much. We both get so excited to come home to each other and FOR THAT I am extremely fortunate.
Lastly, I thought I would advertise on here as well that we are taking reservations for visitors! Ryan will be gone for an entire week starting Feb 20 :( I am going to go insane! Come see me!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Vacation time!
As some of you may already know, I got to go to Denver this past weekend for my bestest cousin, Brooke's birthday. She had no idea that her husband and I have planned this since November which made it the best surprise I could have asked for. We got to relax, hang out together, eat some great food, and enjoy each other's company for the WHOLE weekend! It was nice to see her, but I realized how great of a relationship we have because we had nothing to talk about and it felt like I was just over while Ryan was at work! We talk on the phone/text almost everyday and she knows everything that goes on, so there was no need to catch up. This made the trip even more enjoyable. The biggest shockers were that her 4 kids are growing up so quickly. Even though it has only been 7 months since we last saw them, they seem like totally different kids. I am proud of each of them for all their accomplishments and intrigued by the fact that they each still have the same little quirks they always have.
While I was in Denver, I told Brooke that I was not really missing Ryan. Seems like a terrible thing to say, but its the truth. We spent so much time with each other over the last two months that I have been going crazy. By Sunday, I was eating my words. I had started to miss him and actually could not wait to come back to our home. Times like these make me realize that as long as we are together, we will always have "home". It also didn't hurt that he had flowers and tickets for a movie I really want to see waiting for me when I returned! He's great :)
Now, we are planning our next vacation! Ryan's next work trip is in Dallas, TX the week of his bday (March 2) and we bought an extra ticket for me to go spend the weekend with him too! It is a little pricey, but we will need a vacation by then anyway! More details on that to come....
While I was in Denver, I told Brooke that I was not really missing Ryan. Seems like a terrible thing to say, but its the truth. We spent so much time with each other over the last two months that I have been going crazy. By Sunday, I was eating my words. I had started to miss him and actually could not wait to come back to our home. Times like these make me realize that as long as we are together, we will always have "home". It also didn't hurt that he had flowers and tickets for a movie I really want to see waiting for me when I returned! He's great :)
Now, we are planning our next vacation! Ryan's next work trip is in Dallas, TX the week of his bday (March 2) and we bought an extra ticket for me to go spend the weekend with him too! It is a little pricey, but we will need a vacation by then anyway! More details on that to come....
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
City Livin'
SO, I had this huge post all typed up about our weekend and every little detail--then I pressed some stupid button and it deleted!!!! I took it as a sign that none of you wanted to read that crap anyway, so here is a better, more thoughtful post!
I had an interview today for a job and went to an insurance company to find us some new car insurance (expensive by the way!??!) and as I was driving, I was thinking about how much I loved our new big city life. When I tell people where we are from and that neither of us has ever lived in a city with a population over 20,000, I get some very surprised looks. Naperville is one of the biggest cities in Illinois (number 3 I think) and the valley area we live in has over half a million residents!!!!
When I travel, I like to keep a journal of everything I did on a daily basis, funny things that happened, and MOST importantly cultural things that "shocked" me. I decided today that I already have a list of shocking things I did not expect to become so mainstream in our new lives. Here is what I have compiled so far...
1. We have to leave earlier than ever to get places. And do not even think about timing "about" how long it takes to get somewhere. Luckily, there is a lot of stuff near our house so we do not have to venture too far, but when we do go somewhere, we have to leave SO much earlier than we ever would have before--just in case its busy!
2. Stores are everywhere--and in multiple locations! Like I said, we never have to venture too far because there is a lot around our neighborhood. So, if we are heading in a different direction than, say, Meijer, we just turn the other corner--AND BAM! There is another Meijer! Or Super Target, or Whole Foods, or Shopping Mall! It is amazing and so convenient. The store that is easiest to avoid because it is not close?! WALMART! We do not mind one bit because we have had our share of that store!
3. Rush hour and quiet cars. Twice this weekend, I went into Chicago by train. Twice this weekend, I returned at rush hour! I might be crazy! Actually, the fastest train back to Naperville is only at rush hour (a half hour trip compared to hour and ten minutes) so it the most convenient. There is also this crazy rule on that train about being quiet in certain train cars! And both times, I found the quiet cars--on accident. I now know to check for QUIET DURING RUSH HOUR signs!
4. Things are more expensive, and they like taxes! Tax rates are higher here--quite a bit higher. But, do not ask me how much because we still have not figured it out. I think they have different tax rates depending on the item, and Chicago has its own rate altogether. Also, we have noticed simple things in grocery stores and at chain restaurants are more expensive by $1-2. Good thing Ryan has a big boy job!
5. People lock up everything! We took a little time getting used to locking our doors because we never have really had to before and my truck as manual locks. Now, we have our bikes, house, vehicles, mailbox--you name it, it's locked!
One thing has not changed--people here are SO incredibly nice. They all want to know why we are here and all about my Master's program and our future plans. It has made us feel so welcome, even though we are not used to this living at all--and for that, I am very thankful.
Hope this post was a bit more intriguing than hearing all about our weekend! :) <3
I had an interview today for a job and went to an insurance company to find us some new car insurance (expensive by the way!??!) and as I was driving, I was thinking about how much I loved our new big city life. When I tell people where we are from and that neither of us has ever lived in a city with a population over 20,000, I get some very surprised looks. Naperville is one of the biggest cities in Illinois (number 3 I think) and the valley area we live in has over half a million residents!!!!
When I travel, I like to keep a journal of everything I did on a daily basis, funny things that happened, and MOST importantly cultural things that "shocked" me. I decided today that I already have a list of shocking things I did not expect to become so mainstream in our new lives. Here is what I have compiled so far...
1. We have to leave earlier than ever to get places. And do not even think about timing "about" how long it takes to get somewhere. Luckily, there is a lot of stuff near our house so we do not have to venture too far, but when we do go somewhere, we have to leave SO much earlier than we ever would have before--just in case its busy!
2. Stores are everywhere--and in multiple locations! Like I said, we never have to venture too far because there is a lot around our neighborhood. So, if we are heading in a different direction than, say, Meijer, we just turn the other corner--AND BAM! There is another Meijer! Or Super Target, or Whole Foods, or Shopping Mall! It is amazing and so convenient. The store that is easiest to avoid because it is not close?! WALMART! We do not mind one bit because we have had our share of that store!
3. Rush hour and quiet cars. Twice this weekend, I went into Chicago by train. Twice this weekend, I returned at rush hour! I might be crazy! Actually, the fastest train back to Naperville is only at rush hour (a half hour trip compared to hour and ten minutes) so it the most convenient. There is also this crazy rule on that train about being quiet in certain train cars! And both times, I found the quiet cars--on accident. I now know to check for QUIET DURING RUSH HOUR signs!
4. Things are more expensive, and they like taxes! Tax rates are higher here--quite a bit higher. But, do not ask me how much because we still have not figured it out. I think they have different tax rates depending on the item, and Chicago has its own rate altogether. Also, we have noticed simple things in grocery stores and at chain restaurants are more expensive by $1-2. Good thing Ryan has a big boy job!
5. People lock up everything! We took a little time getting used to locking our doors because we never have really had to before and my truck as manual locks. Now, we have our bikes, house, vehicles, mailbox--you name it, it's locked!
One thing has not changed--people here are SO incredibly nice. They all want to know why we are here and all about my Master's program and our future plans. It has made us feel so welcome, even though we are not used to this living at all--and for that, I am very thankful.
Hope this post was a bit more intriguing than hearing all about our weekend! :) <3
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
I could get used to this...
So, I have complained enough about being bored. Everyday that goes by leads me to find something else to fill my day, and we are both getting quite comfortable here. Lots of things have happened since I last wrote...
**We joined Lifetime Fitness--the Taj Mahal of gyms. There are two pools, two waterslides, two hot tubs, over 100 bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals. Plus, all the fitness classes are included. I already did a cardio kickboxing and a pilates class. I am going to Zumba tonight. There is also a SPA in our gym where I got my hair trimmed today! I also had a fitness consultation this morning where I learned what my strengths and weaknesses are fitness-wise. I am going to talk to a nutritionist tonight for more free advice. It is really a great place. Ryan and I are both hoping to slim down a bit--we think this place will help!
**Ryan bought a new car on Saturday. He bought a 2008 Nissan Maxima. It has everything--heated seats and steering wheel, crazy lock and key system, and a whole bunch of amenities that we are not used to. He gets most of it paid for through work, so we had to pick our car based on their standards. Because it is a 2008, we will have to pick out a new one in a couple years (it will be too old for company standards), but then we will probably just hand it down to me!
**Joleen (one of my bestest friends from college) came to visit this weekend. OUR FIRST VISITOR! We loved having her and showing her around our new home. We laid low and relaxed since it was her first week of school and Ryan's first week of work and neither of them really wanted to do a bunch of stuff. We found some great outlet stores near our house and had some amazing Chicago style pizza! It was so fun and we were thankful to finally get to show SOMEONE our new life.
I think....that is all! I am working on my thesis right now (after a much needed skype distraction with Kellie Bright) and I am going to apply to some jobs!
Thanks for reading--we are taking reservations for the upcoming weekends, so let us know if you want to take a vacation! :)
**We joined Lifetime Fitness--the Taj Mahal of gyms. There are two pools, two waterslides, two hot tubs, over 100 bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals. Plus, all the fitness classes are included. I already did a cardio kickboxing and a pilates class. I am going to Zumba tonight. There is also a SPA in our gym where I got my hair trimmed today! I also had a fitness consultation this morning where I learned what my strengths and weaknesses are fitness-wise. I am going to talk to a nutritionist tonight for more free advice. It is really a great place. Ryan and I are both hoping to slim down a bit--we think this place will help!
**Ryan bought a new car on Saturday. He bought a 2008 Nissan Maxima. It has everything--heated seats and steering wheel, crazy lock and key system, and a whole bunch of amenities that we are not used to. He gets most of it paid for through work, so we had to pick our car based on their standards. Because it is a 2008, we will have to pick out a new one in a couple years (it will be too old for company standards), but then we will probably just hand it down to me!
**Joleen (one of my bestest friends from college) came to visit this weekend. OUR FIRST VISITOR! We loved having her and showing her around our new home. We laid low and relaxed since it was her first week of school and Ryan's first week of work and neither of them really wanted to do a bunch of stuff. We found some great outlet stores near our house and had some amazing Chicago style pizza! It was so fun and we were thankful to finally get to show SOMEONE our new life.
I think....that is all! I am working on my thesis right now (after a much needed skype distraction with Kellie Bright) and I am going to apply to some jobs!
Thanks for reading--we are taking reservations for the upcoming weekends, so let us know if you want to take a vacation! :)
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