when i grow up...

so yes, technically i'm a grown up now. despite this fact, i still feel like i'm 20 years old and i still have completely unrealistic when i grow up dreams. like when i was little i told my mom i wanted to be a stay at home mom so i could shop all day. which is so funny to think i thought i'd want to do that because i can't imagine it now nor would i actually be able to shop all day. my new when i grow up fantasies are:

1) to be a dolphin trainer.
this is utterly ridiculous for a variety of reasons. mostly because i'm not a strong swimmer. i can barely put my face in the water without plugging my nose and snorkeling really freaked me out - the ocean is up there with one of my top fears. i mean you just don't know what's down there! but i loved interacting with dolphins at the brookfield zoo when the bf got me a "wild encounter" as a gift. it still goes down in history as the best gift i have ever received. you get to see behind the scenes in the dolphin habitat then feed the dolphins, do tricks with them and touch them. the experience was so incredible and moving it made me want to do it professionally. i wonder what i'd have to do to become a dolphin trainer a the shedd aquarium (i would kill to do pretty much anything at the shedd by the way)

2) become a children's book author and illustrator.
this one isn't as far fetched only because i have some art training. i've just come to realize how much i love children's books and how absolutely magical they can be! i love the unique illustrations in classics like the polar express and the very hungry caterpillar. i love the stories that teach a lesson and values that could have a lasting impression on a little one's minds. i just wonder how you actual get your children's books published. what makes one stand out from another?

3) own a lakehouse to eventually spend retirement in.
this isn't career related but it's a big time grown up fantasy. i'm DYING to have a little cottage/lake house in michigan. i have no interest in owning a house in chicago or in a nearby suburb. i just want to focus on buying a lakehouse in the near future. i want to be able to ski every weekend till i'm too old to wear a bathing suit and have little ones running around like i was at my uncles. i want to have 4th of july parties and bbqs and a really beautiful boat. sigh, one can dream.


anyone else have any fun, slightly far fetched "when i grow up" fantasies???

weekend recap, billie jean & more

so this is definitely quite delayed but i had a great weekend! on friday i met my cousin for dinner at duchamp. it was nice catching up with her and enjoying a fantastic meal. i had steak and "eggs" which was actually a skirt steak with a quiche. YUM! we also had to get dessert so we had mini cupcakes and mini ice cream sandwiches. DOUBLE YUM. i would highly recommend it! after that i went to my best friend's place to visit with some of our girlfriends. it was nice to just kick back in her cozy apartment and catch up. on saturday i went to a 1st birthday party! my good friend and her husband are quite the hosts! their place was decked out in pink decor and they had a great spread of food. in fact i could barely move by the end of the party. their daughter is so precious and perfect. i'm so grateful to have the chance to watch her grow and develop. we all had a great time watching her open her presents and celebrating together. later on that night the bf and i had a date night. we've both been incredibly busy since returning from our trip so i insisted on a set date night. first we went to the fireplace inn in old town. i've always wanted to go there but found the menu to be a bit overpriced. but this seemed like a good occasion to splurge a bit. i loved the atmosphere of the restaurant and we got a good spot in their lofted area. the bf ordered bbq fried chicken with potato wedges and i got ribs with steak fries. both came with yummie salads. i loveddddd my ribs. i could seriously munch on ribs all day everyday i swear. and the bfs chicken was to die for. after that we went to piper's alley to see the imaginarium of dr. parnassus. it was alright. i wanted to see it so i'm glad we did but i certainly wouldn't watch it again. then on sunday i helped the bf pack up some items at his current apartment and move them over to his new place. he'll be moving this sunday VERY close to me. kind of funny that we just don't live together but that's a whole other story. i can tell he's very excited to have his own space and be able to make it his own home. moving was super exhausting and luckily i got to take a break and visit with my bestest over tea for awhile. just what i needed! overall it was a great weekend but a tad exhausting. i feel like i have been running around nonstop and i could definitely use some downtime. maybe this weekend...


so i got another foster kitty!!! her name is billy jean and she is very sweet. she needed foster care because she just had kittens and was spayed and needed time to recouperate. she also needs medication because they are concerned she might have tumors :(. i've had her since last tuesday and i love her to pieces. she loves to be pet and is pretty playful. she is really good about letting me give her the pills. i have to stick them far back in her mouth and shut her mouth till she swallows. it seriously breaks my heart because she hates it but she doesn't bite and is so good. now it seems she has a bit of a cold and has crazy sneezing fits. hopefully she feels better soon!


this week has been really busy with bingo on monday and an event in oakbrook yesterday. it went really well but man i'm wiped! tonight i am meeting my bestest downtown for a wine tasting and i cannot wait! it'll be nice to just relax. tomorrow is the bf's birthday!!!! i unfortunately have class after work but we're going to see a late showing of crazy heart which we're both dying to see! then on friday i'll attempt to make tacos and then we'll go to the green mill for jazz. i think it'll be a good one! hopefully he does too :)

i got the book "happily grateful" for xmas and it's filled with quotes about being thankful. i'm going to try to include fitting ones in my posts. here's one of my favs:

"My happiness derives from knowing the people I love are happy."

delayed best of 2009 & resolutions

i know this is WAY delayed but i was focusing on my praha trip right after the new year. 2009 was a fantastic year for many reason! recap below:

trips!
* jan. trip to lake geneva with my crafty bff for a valentines day crafting extravaganza and relaxation. i wish we could go back this year!
* feb. trip to san francisco to visit a bff and the bf's sis and hubs. had a blast and i can't wait to go back in may!
* april trip to d.c. for work but i got to see a study abroad buddy. had a great time in the beautiful weather!
* july vaca in hunky dory with the bf's fam. had the best time as usual and i can't wait for this year!
* aug. trip to nashville! road tripped with the bf and fell in love with nashville!
* dec.-jan. trip to prague!

exciting news!
* my oldest friend having her beautiful baby and getting hitched last march
* another engagement for my good friend from high school
* news of two babies on the way! the bf's sis and my old boss. can't wait!

lucky girl:
* the bf and friends organizing the most outstanding 25th birthday a girl could dream of. quite the surprise!
* i got to play with penguins for vday last year. the fun behind the scenes days at the zoo never gets old.

misc. fun:
* skydiving!
* lots of cool shows: dr. dog, soul show, jam ses in nashville and phoenix
* 2 visits from the bff living in germany
* my world traveller bff coming home for an extended period of time for once!

i'm sure there are a zillion other wonderful things that took place in 2009 that i'm forgetting but those are my top happy memories for the year!

now for 2010 i had to make a couple of resolutions of course. i've decided on focusing on saving and paying off debt. so far so good! additionally i want to try more new restaurants, visit different areas of the city and do new fun activities. so far so good on that too! i have already tried some new restaurants - may st. cafe, a costa rican place in wicker park, lucky's for their huge sandwiches and i'm trying duchamp on friday. i've also been seeing different areas lately just driving around that i want to check out. hopefully i'll explore soon!

final praha thoughts.

it's been a few weeks since i returned but i still wanted to write about my overall feelings and thoughts about our trip to prague.

favs: loved being there in the winter, it's like a whole different city. snowcapped and covered in christmas lights and holiday decor. i loved all the nativities and christmas trees. it has a completely different feel this time of year. loved going with the bf and checking out things i never would have otherwise - the music museum turned out to be one of my favorite things we saw and i would have never gone there without him. can't believe i got to see my tour guide Z so much. that was a huge highlight. he means so much to me and has had such an impact on my life and understanding of my czech heritage.

food: we ate a lot differently then when i studied there. i was there when it was a zillion degrees so it was cool to go there in the winter and eat a bunch of goulash, holiday treats and lots and lots of cocoa.

fav sites/activities: my favorite sites were the love locks on the bridge, vysehrad with z, the miniature museum, the christmas market in old town square and the municipal house cafe.

random: there was a TON of snow writing on people's cars. literally every car would have a little message on the windshield. we thought it was pretty funny and really random. we never really got the hang of tipping there - we were either offending the waitresses or thrilling them but i don't think we ever got it just right.

tough pills to swallow: i always thought i'd want to live there for awhile but after this trip i realized i don't. i was too busy being in my big group of friends studying abroad to really really realize how freaking unfriendly most of the locals are. i just dont think i could ever get used to that. i also couldn't stand how many tourists were there. all of my favorite parts of the city were completely packed with tourists. i also feel like i've done prague to its fullest now and i probably will never go back. it wasn't as magical this time. it was amazing, but not as life changing this time. i've seen all the sites i want to see, i've seen it in 3 different seasons and brought the people i wanted to show it to. it's really hard to accept that i will probably never see Z again. if i ever went back, it would be to see him. it hurts to put that in writing but i know there is plenty more world for me to explore!