Sorry, No Pictures

We had a great Easter Weekend going to sunny St. George and visiting family. We went on a picnic, to the Arts Festival, and out for frozen custard, but you all know my favorite part was my cute nieces and nephews. Because I didn't take very many pictures, I'm just going to steer you to the Lotz and Adkins blog. They have the cute pictures.
Things here have been going well. Tim is applying for jobs as he prepares to graduate, and I am so happy that my work schedule changed, so I get off when it is still daylight!! I'm still getting used to being productive once I get home, and Tim has to get used to my cooking again (I'm making all of the mistakes a second time because it has been so long since I've made weeknight dinners), but life is good!

Weekend in the Windy City!

Tim was invited to present a paper he wrote in Chicago, and because he received a grant for it, I got to go along for the weekend! We were there weekend of St. Patrick's Day, which happens to be a big celebration there, so we got to see the river turn (bright) green, and I watched the (long) parade while Tim was in his conference. You can see below everything we did- and had a blast the entire time! Us riding the "el."

Does this remind anyone of "While you were sleeping...?"

The architecture in Millennial Park. Some people call this the Chicago Bean.

Friday Night: Exploring the City

Chicago is well known for it's architecture, so here are a few of my pictures of this beautiful city. We stayed at the Congress hotel (below). It seems like it used to be a glamorous hotel, but now its starting to get a little run down. It was still right on the main street, and across from the famous fountain (picture on bottom right) that wasn't on yet. ...I'll have to come back to Chicago in the spring/summer time. You'll see that I missed a few things because of the season.
This is the new Millennial park. It has a lot of art and the "Chicago Bean." We wanted to go ice skating there, but never had time. It was a pretty area.

Saturday: St. Patrick's Madness

I told you they turned the river green and Green it was! I watched the 3 hour long, cold St. Patrick's Day Parade while Tim was at his conference. I have never seen so many people get into the holiday. Just walking down the street you couldn't turn your head without seeing green clothes and jewelry. I quickly broke down and bought a necklace-you can see it in the river picture. My green shirt hidden under my coat just wasn't enough! Note to to the BYU FOLK DANCE TEAM: Watch the Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade for your upcoming Irish Dancers. There were tons of them in the parade!After the parade, I went to the Art Museum (Tim was still at his conference). It is a really great museum with a lot of famous pieces. I absolutely loved the impressionist, and enjoyed others. I'm glad I could be so "cultured."

Lastly, Saturday night we ate a delicious dinner at the Corner Bakery and got to see Wicked! -the play I had been waiting so see for quite some time! I had the music for it, but the soundtrack just doesn't make sense without seeing the play -the "true" story behind the witches in The Wizard of Oz!

Sunday: The Magnificant Mile and Navy Pier

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by the "Magnificant Mile." Though I enjoyed the four-story Crate & Barrell, most of the other shops could be found about anywhere. I was expecting more cool, specialty shops. We did get some hot chocolate at the Hershey's Store, though. After the shopping, we headed out to Navy Pier. -That was some of the coldest wind I have ever experienced, but we made it. Most things at Navy Pier were closed, but we got to see the stained glass, and have a delicious dinner (and get warmed up).

Monday: Our Run and the Zoo!

Tim knows I love seeing cities by running places, so we took off Monday morning and ran along Lake Michigan the 3-4 miles to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It would have been perfect, but it got really cold and we were only wearing running clothes. Nonetheless, we still saw Zebras, Flamingos, Red Pandas, and a Lion up so close through the window. We decided to take the Subway back so we could make our plane!

Best Friends

Finally, Janeen, Lindsay, and I were able to get together and catch up! We all went to high school together, and then used to be roommates (basically), and now it is so hard to get together, but we found some time and had a great dinner! Come anytime!

My Haircut!

I had been thinking about cutting my hair for a long time, and I was finally sick enough of my long hair to do it. I wanted it a little below my shoulders, but it looked longer when wet (and now it has more of a natural curl at the bottom), so it is a little shorter than I expected, but it is a fun change. I don't think it's been this short for almost 3 years! Look at my last post to see my before pictures.
This isn't the best picture. I promise it is the same on both sides, it just looks "puffier" on the left.