May Flowers

After surviving our fair share of April showers we are finally seeing the benefit. Tulips and daffodils are everywhere, green grass is showing and the water has returned to the city's many fountains. I took advantage of our nice weather today for a bike ride along the lake. Unfortunately, Jason is once again in finals week so he wasn't able to join me. He has been very busy studying and has one exam down, only four to go! After this week he will officially be in his 3rd year of Optometry school!

Melissa and I in front of the Buckingham fountain.

Millennium Park

Jason's friend Patrick stopped by for a short visit a few weeks ago. We really enjoyed seeing him and wished he could have stayed longer!

Rain Rain Go Away

I realize it's been a few weeks since I've offered any update on our lives. I'm still hoping for spring and feel that it might be a little closer! Last Wednesday night we saw the first firework display off of Navy Pier so that is a sure sign that summer is on it's way as well. The April showers..or downpours...have set in which has brought around some green grass!
A few weekends ago we had some free time and decided to see a little more of Chicago. We headed up to an area of the city which is known to be one of the best "cultural" experiences Chicago has to offer. We were able to visit India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh without ever leaving the city! One of the friends in our meeting moved here from India and said that this part of the city is almost identical to India. The only difference is the street signs. So we spent hours walking past meat markets, clothing shops full of sarees. We had a blast and eventually worked up an appetite for Indian food. We had the recommendation for a restaurant from Sabrine so we knew it would be clean and safe. Although the spices were a little much for me Jason thought it was awesome.

Devon Avenue

Jason trying coconut juice...

One of the many markets

After eating at Tiffin

On the Road Again

Employment: noun the state of being employed.
aww.. it sounds so sweet:) I have finally accepted a nursing position! I will be working for an immediate care clinic. It's located right downtown which should be pretty exciting!

Jason had a hard week of studying so when friday rolled around we decided to hit the road and see what is on the outside of this insanely large city.

It was a beautiful day so I had to snap a few pictures as we passed the Sears Tower and headed out towards the suburbs.

One of my favorite parts of the city. Interstate 290 originates under this building, it's like a huge gate into downtown. It used to be the post office but is now mostly vacant.

3 Hours later we found Madison, Wisconsin! Jason had Cave of the Mounds on his list of places to see so we headed out the next morning. They took us on a guided tour through the cave.

This barn is from the original homesteaders who farmed the land before the caves were discovered.

Enjoying the sunshine!

My goofy husband prepared to scare all the bats out of the cave!

I put this one in black and white so you could see detail a little better. I'm not much of a photographer so it is a little blurry.

This was another cave stemming off the one we walked through.

And although we were reluctant, we returned Saturday night to the land of 10.5% sales tax.

Spiders..

Yes, I know I have been gushing about spring. However, I just encountered one of the few things I do not like about warm weather. Spiders!! I have been warned that "large" spiders like to inhabit our building in the summer and just came across the first one of the season. eww. So, after repeated beatings with a shoe and a chair leg crunching I'm sitting here shivering with the heeby jeebies as I stare across the room at it, to make sure it really is dead. I do apologize to those who like to keep spiders alive, but spiders and I do not make good roommates. yuck!

Is it Spring yet?

We had another gorgeous day on Friday, so we got our rollerblades out and headed for the lakefront trail. I think I have mentioned the trail before, but it stretches about 20 miles along lake Michigan. It's very well kept and made for some good rollerblading. We were enjoying the sun and exercise so much that we didn't realize how far we had gone. We followed the lake to downtown and headed out Navy Pier. By the time we got home we had gone over 8 miles. Jeff and Cassie came with us, and we took a few pictures along the way.

One of the marinas between our house and museum campus.

These pictures were taken right in front of the Shedd Aquarium.

Weekend Adventures

Jason had a weekend free of studying so we decided to get out of the city and explore some of the surrounding area. We had originally planned on hiking in Starved Rock State Park, but the snow changed that for us. Instead we headed down to Indiana to see what it had to offer. Our first stop was in Gary, and I think it is safe to say that was the last time we will ever go there! If you're interested in seeing what we saw, you can click here.

An interesting drug store we drove past in Gary selling human hair!!
We had brought our barbecue and packed a cooler for lunch, but didn't have the guts to stop in Gary, so we drove on to Valparaiso. It was an adorable town and we found plenty of "safe" parks.
It was by far the coldest picnic I've ever had, but the sun was shining and that made it perfect!
Coffee helped as well!
Jason did an awesome job on our bugers.
Of course no picnic is complete without a nap in the sun.

Paradise

Another beautiful day here in Paradise! Temperatures hit 45!! It was one of those days that brightens your mood and tricks you into thinking spring is coming. I'm trying not to be fooled as they are calling for snow this weekend. Jason has fridays off this quarter so we are hoping to get out of the city and get a little hiking done. We are having a hard time deciding where to go since for once we have so many options! 

Congratulations are in order for Jason and Sarah Sanderson as they welcomed a new addition to their family on the 3rd! His name is Wade Nathanael and you can see pictures if you click here!