Chicago iPhone Photos

We ate so much food, walked so many blocks, wore so many layers, still froze our butts off, laughed too loud in public, rode trains, read maps like tourists, vintage shopped, TopShopped, went to the movies, took pictures, and spent all our money. This weekend was a blast. 

And my brother has a fabulously fancy camera, so maybe if he puts some pictures up I can steal a few. Since I obviously didn't take a single picture with my phone of my siblings. Well, except that one of my brother's back...

Weekend Excitement

Miles and I are off to Chicago for the weekend to celebrate my brother and sister's birthdays (a week early). I am so excited to see them and to go back to Chicago, this time with my boo! Its going to be a short trip, but I'm sure we'll squeeze so much fun in. Probably too much. Also, I'm a little afraid of coming back to  Nashy and wanting to movie to Chicago again. I cannot let that happen every time we visit. But I feel like our lives have changed so much since August, for the better, that I'm wanting to be in Nashville for the long run. And hello, we're kind of maybe buying a house here. So thats kind of big. Anyways, Chicago. That was the point of this post. I can't wait. I mean, just look at this place.

Catchupwitchyalataaa!

(sources: 1, 2, 3)

Cold Water

These photos found via Pintrest make me kind of miss the winter that we're not having right now. Granted, I live in a land locked state, and even if I didn't, I wouldn't see any icebergs off shore...But still. There is definitely something calming about cold waters as opposed to the fun filled beaches and lakes of summertime. I feel like these photos capture the calm, the quiet, the peacefulness of empty beaches, open waters, and snowy lakes. I can breathe in the calm and breathe out everything else. 

(sources: 1, 2, 3)

Oy Vey

How ungrateful can I get? I get so frustrated with terrible drivers, when Miles can't read my mind over the phone, when I have to spend my evenings away from aforementioned adorable awful mind-reader. How can I not see how incredible it is that I have the opportunity to make extra money whilst watching super adorable kids who cuddle and profess their "wuf" for me? When Miles and I even have the privilege to be in the process of possibly buying a house--even if it doesn't work out...? That Miles got the promotion we've been waiting months for? Thats right, he got his promotion and I don't ever mention it and I go straight into complaint mode. Talk about ungrateful. Oy vey.

I got home about 6 hours ago, still just as frustrated with the day/week as experienced in the previous post. And really trying to fight off a bitter mood. I knew there was nothing to be bitter about. But you know those moods? Just so over everything under the sun? And so hard to shake? 

I had planned with Miles to go out and have fun tonight, but the mere thought just sent a deep sigh of exhaustion through my whole body. I am a pretty introverted person. I feel quite drained around large (even medium sized) groups of people. And having already had such a weird week, going out was not what I desired. Then a sense of utter dread filled me at the thought of confessing to Miles and backing out.  I didn't want him to not go out just because of me, and I didn't want to be guilted in to going out. Lo and behold, I never even had to bring the subject up. Miles saw me cuddle up with my duvet promptly after dinner, and told me I could just stay home and he'd be back at a reasonable hour. Amazing! Top moments of wifery (? spell check does not recognize) gratitude thus far. So soon after he left, I walked to the nearest redbox and got 50/50. It just so happened that the nearest redbox was in a grocery store, so I also bought snackz.

It looks weird, I know. But its Ritz baked chips (crackers?), [my attempt at] roasted butternut squash (it was mushy), and San Pellegrino. And everything was delish. It was so hard to stop with the baked chips. I mean, yikesabee (name that awful[ly amazing] movie). 

I wanted to watch something that would make them tears flow. And I succeeded! 50/50 was better than I thought it would be. I mean, Seth Rogen? I love him, but not when I want to cry...

There was one point in the movie when Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character (who is 27 and has cancer) is so frustrated and has reached his emotional breaking point exclaims something like, "I just want this to be over"! And dang, that cut me deep.  Who am I to really complain about having to deal with closing (or not) on a house? But really. I am so blessed. I have an amazing husband of 7 months who already knows when his wife needs an evening at home alone. 'Nuff said. (I also cried for his character's mom who had to deal with a husband with Alzheimer's as well as her son with cancer)(cannot fathom)

All that being said, movies, even completely fictional ones, can be so wonderfully humbling. And I knew all I needed was a good cry. 

One Of Those Weeks...

Its been one of those long weeks, where I feel like every day should be Friday already. And for no specific reason, really. I just couldn't believe it every single day (until today) that it wasn't the end of the week yet. And now that its here, I feel a mixture of "what took you so long?" and "well it doesn't matter anyways since tomorrow Miles has to work and I have to babysit just like every other day of the week". If that last one counts as a feeling. Its more of a thought? I still feel quite strongly about it. To make the week feel longer, the internet has been out at my nanny baby's house, so I've used up most of my allotted... 3Gness way before our billing period is up. Of course the internet is back on now. The last hour of the work week.

I didn't mean to have such a negative post. This week has just felt so full. The nanny babe is pulling up on everything now, which makes me super nervous. So I'm nervous all the time now. And she finds it hilarious when I put her down for a nap. She will literally just sit in her crib and laugh for an hour until she realizes "wait, this isn't funny" and then she cries. She's figured out how to misuse her "I'm in pain!" cry for those moments. It took me a few days to figure out that she was faking it. She's also spitting up a lot. I think its because she moves around so much more and her belly can't deal. So I just follow her around and make sure she doesn't topple over, whilst also cleaning spit up...up. My days are lovely!

On the possible home front: we have two completely different estimates for the work that needs to be done on the house we want to buy, which means we need to get a third to see which price range is more realistic. I can't find any other companies to come out to the house until next Friday, when we were hoping to have everything done and negotiated by Wednesday at the latest. We either need closure, or we need to start packing. And we won't know which to focus on until we get the third estimate and begin negotiations. Miles and I have been working our butts off to have money for all that will come if we buy the house and for our trip to Chicago next weekend. So its been guitar working, nannying, retail and lots of on the side babysitting. All that equals very little time together. And when I'm a nanny for 50+ hours a week, babysitting is literally the last thing in the world  that I want to do. Is that mean to say? I'm married. I want to see my husband for more than an hour in between kiddo watching. Not that I don't adore all the little ones I watch, I really do. I just adore my husband more. And miss him. 

Still with the negativity!! I won't post again until I have something wonderful. Or at least silly.