Practice

     I took the el today to practice my route to school.  It was a good day for wandering because it wasn't insanely cold.  My guide was kind enough to show me where the giant library is and a stop that has a lot of neat little shops nearby.  Brett is going to visit this weekend and I'm going to show off my "best girlfriend ever" skills and take him to the largest record store I've ever seen.  I have to take the el by myself tomorrow and meet Rachie downtown.  We'll see how I do; I'm sure it'll be fine.  So far the city seems to be a good fit and I'm enjoying feeling like a grown-up.

Jeezies

     Christmas is over and I start school next Monday.  Holy crap.  I'm going to practice riding the el with Rachie tomorrow.  I've been on the el before but she is just going to follow my lead.  Someone else has offered to roam the city with me but I shouldn't mention them, (they have warned me that if they appear in my blog some harm may befall me).  I know where two stops are by my house and I passed one when I walked to the metra.  I walked there all by myself to go to Ma's for Christmas.  What I'm really nervous about  is school.  Oh jeezies.

Janitor Keys

     I live in the city now.  I'm trying to train myself to call Jen's home and Mom and Dad's will just be Mom and Dad's (sorry mom).  I moved yesterday and I wouldn't say it was fun but maybe a bit of an adventure.  I have fifty-thousand keys to get into the apartment and I now feel indebted to Rachael for helping me move furniture and drive the moving truck in the city.  I also learned that she's been a little stressed lately and it's not my fault :)
     Brett met Rachael and I at my storage unit near Mom and Dad's to help us out.  I had to empty the unit so I needed to move the couch I'd been storing into my old bedroom.  When we got to Mom's it didn't look like we'd be able to do it. But first things first, we got it in the door.  It was then that we realized we were going to have to flip it over the railing to get it upstairs. Somehow we did and no snowmen were harmed in the process.  Brett had to take my bedroom door off the hinges and move my tv out of the way so we could shove that sucker in.  So now there is a couch in the middle of the room and a pile of cable cords and such on the floor, (and we did put the door back on the hinge, even though we* thought it would be funny to leave it somewhere randomly in the house).
     The rest of the trip went pretty smoothly though nerves were high.  I'm so glade Rachael volunteered and I didn't have to beg anyone.  She did tell me she would never do it again but I'm definitely grateful she did it this time.
     Long story short, I stayed up until 1:30 and got completely unpacked.  Voila!

Thanks Rachael*, Brett, Jen and Derek for helping me =)

Storage and the Holidays

     Yesterday I picked up a couple of those plastic storage drawers to use when I move to my sisters.  I used some old scrapbook paper to make them look a little prettier.  Dad had to go to the store with me to get them because he was having work done on his car.  He complimented me on my shopping abilities. 

     The only problem I really have with moving is Adelaide.  How do I tell her that her mother is leaving?  I was sewing the other day and she made herself comfortable and never left my side. (tear) 

     And today I put up the Christmas tree and all of Mom's snowmen.  Nobody is allowed to buy Mom another snowman, I've decided she has to many.  It really makes me feel like it's the holidays.  I have all the gifts I plan on giving, aside from Brett's.  Why do I always find the boys so hard to buy for?  I thought about getting dad one of those bath tub table things but it won't work with their tub :( That is a photo of just 5 of the 18 snowmen on the railing by the way and that's not counting all the ones hanging on the tree.

The Hills Are Alive

     Welp, it's after Thanksgiving so I guess it's time to pack.  But first!  I went to my sister Rachie's yesterday with Mom.  We saw The Sound of Music sing-a-long at The Music Box theatre in Chicago.  We all loved it, it was super fun since I've grown up watching it.  Mom almost lost her voice from singing and from barking at Rolfe.
  

      (props from the sing-a-long now in my photo album) 

     Anyway, the point is that every time I go to Chicago I feel a little more at home.  I love the bustle of the city; I want to bustle!  The only place I have to bustle around here is the grocery store and ironically it's called Pacemaker.
     It's a whole new life I'm starting.  If you had told me a few years ago that I was going to go to pastry school I would've been ecstatically surprised.  But! If you had told me I was going to school in the city, I would have said you were crazy.  Because not only did you think you could tell the future but I wouldn't have thought it possible for me to get out of here.  I thought this was it for me and I am really proud of myself for not settling.  Time to move on!
     No packing tomorrow though, it's a date day.  Brett's going to miss me so much when I go off to the big city without him, that I have to give him as much attention as I can now.  I've definitely been thinking about what I'm going to pack at least: my bed, some clothes, winter outerwear and such. Yeup.
(35 days)

I'm Outta Here!

     In 18 days I'm leaving my job and starting my move to The City.  Jen, one of my awesome sisters, is nice enough to let me move in with her for about nine months.  I dragged the boyfriend to the city a couple of times to try and get use to the place.  I study my map every once in awhile and day dream about where I want to live when I finish school.  I've even looked at available apartments online.  I have a BIG fear of the public transportation system but I'm just trying not to think about it.  I get lost now all the time but I've managed to survive thus far.
     Moving to the city is one thing but school is the reason for my life finally having a reason!  Okay, so maybe it seems like that's a bit extreme but it's really how I feel.  It all started when I moved back home.  I definitely didn't want to move back in with my parents but I didn't really have a choice.  As soon as I came back here I decided I had to make the most of it.  I've never had any idea what I wanted to go to school for, that's one reason why I never went.  It stressed me out a little bit thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, especially since I was oh so nicely handed a do over.
     I was getting in the shower one day (I do my best thinking in there) and I told myself I wouldn't think about school.  Maybe I would make cookies or something instead.  It was like a mini lightbulb went on in my head.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I tend to lack in self confidence.  I don't think I would have taken my pastry school dreams so seriously if I hadn't just made myself a birthday cake a couple weeks before.  It was covered in my home made fondant, was pretty, super tasty and reeked of my awesomeness.

     So, after I got out of the shower I googled "baking school."  I think The French Pastry school of Chicago was like the third link I clicked on and I fell in love.  I'm uber pumped and I've never been more excited about anything in my life.  Twenty-thousand dollars in school loans later and here I am, starting school in just 58 days.