I'll Be Home For Christmas...

It's been a month since my last post...almost literally. So: To get back on track I'm going to do a super quick recap on the important things that have happened:

1. I went home for Thanksgiving. It was a really quick trip, but I was sooo happy I got to go. It was the first time since I've moved that I was back home--though thankfully I'd seen (almost) every member of my family in between there! I spent the holiday with my family and Mandi, and over the course of the weekend also got to see Bri and Paul. My sisters, mom and dad and I did the early morning shopping on the Friday after, and everything I bought I returned the next day. Sadly, (actually very happily!) we'll be too busy to shop next year!

2. Bri, Seth, and Scott came out to visit me. Last weekend Brian and the Boyz were in town. It was, seriously, Man's Weekend at Jackie's. I enjoyed having all of them around, especially since I hadn't seen Seth or Scott in so long. We went on the Miller Tour which was cool, and played the newest version of Trivial Pursuit.

3. Life in Milwaukee hasn't changed much since my last post. Work wise I am crazy busy because 2040 Lofts is undergoing some major renovations this month. My new 42" Plasma has been installed (look for pictures in the near future), I decorated my Christmas tree with Eric and Judy, and I'm counting the days until I come home for Christmas. Eric left last week for the holidays, but I'm spending lots of time with Sarah and Josh to keep busy and avoid being lonely! I fly out Saturday morning and I'll be in MI until January 1st.

Hugs & Misses....

My Fam Comes to Town

It's true...My family came to visit. My mom and Kelly flew in last Friday to spend the weekend experiencing Milwaukee. How we fit so much into so little time I'm not sure, but it was an amazing weekend, and I can't wait for my dad and Boozer to be able to come now!

The ladies got here Friday a.m. and I took the day off. Oh. Excuse me. I called in "sick"! A quick tour of the building, and then we were off to Miss Katie's Diner. Miss Katie's is a piece of Milwaukee history. It's a tiny diner that overlooks a very urban part of the city. When I am there looking out the window I can only think, "Yes. This is the Midwest." I love it! I think mom and Kelly did too. We spent Friday at the mall, because we figured Christmas shoppers would take it over on Saturday. We shopped for hours, and Kelly and I bought matching hats. We dined at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch, and took a trip to Target to buy me an iron (I don't own one, and mom's didn't fit in the suitcase!). Friday also included a trip to MetroMarket, which might have ended up being mom and Kelly's favorite place of the trip. See the picture! That's right, wine in the grocery store here in Wisconsin! We had dinner at the Milwaukee Ale House, which is a local brewery in the Third Ward. I've been wanting to go there since I came to Milwaukee and I was so happy mom and Kelly got to go with me. We got home at an early (or so I thought) 9 p.m. and I promptly tucked Kelly into bed...

Saturday we did a TON of local stuff. First, we had breakfast at this little cafe that Laura and I discovered on her trip here. It was delicious, and I'm going to go there with anybody who comes to visit me! We visited the Public Market, which is one of my favorite places in the city, we went to the park and saw the Veterans Day Parade, we watched UofM battle Wisconsin at my favorite bar, and we ate a fantastic dinner of deep dish pizza at a lovely restaurant for practically free...All in all, Saturday was super busy, and wonderful. That night we went to the Ambassador to have drinks with Judy and Eric. It was kind of sad because the bar was full so we sat in the restaurant and lost some of the appeal but still, it was wonderful. I really wanted mom and Judy to meet, and I wanted at least some of my family to meet Eric.

We woke up early on Sunday and went to church. It was nice to have somebody to go with, and of course, the church was beautiful! It was a quick day, and at about 1 Eric went with me to take mom and Kelly to the airport. It was sad to see them go, but I am of course super excited to be going home in a week to see everybody again!

Hugs & Misses, xo.

Chicago, Chicago!

Alright...so I took my first trip outside of the city! Last weekend (yes, yes it has been a while) I went to Chicago to see my sister (Lindsay--the younger, not married but engaged one), and my mom and dad came down to see us both.

Friday night my sister and I were alone in her adorable apartment in Lincoln Park (I really love it--all lofty and cute!). The highlight of the night was: I took the train from Milwaukee into Chicago. When I got to Union Station it was POURING rain. So, I jumped in the first cab I could, and gave him the address. He drove me to....well....somewhere near Lindsay's apartment, then told me that he didn't know exactly (as we headed in the wrong direction!) and told me to get out. He actually kicked me out on a random corner in the pouring rain in Chicago! Thankfully, another (nicer) cab drive stopped and picked me up and took me where I was trying to get (which turned out to be about 5 blocks the other way).

Mom and Dad got into town early Saturday morning, and we filled out time eating and shopping. We spent the morning in Lincoln Park shopping and then went downtown. The city was super crowded. There was people EVERYWHERE!

Check back next week to see & read what happens when Mom and Kelly show up in Milwaukee this weekend! Hugs & Misses...

My Good Deed

I'm writing in red because this week I did a bloody good deed...I donated blood! I know, many of you have done this before, but my one try in the past went poorly. There isn't much to say about it, so I'm just going to tell you that I survived, but felt really crappy for the rest of the day and all day today (the day after). The pictures are me donating, and me & Sarah after we were done. Enjoy!

My First Visitor!

Ok, I'm a week late. A week ago, Laura came to Milwaukee and was officially my first visitor. As those of you who know me well know, I'm really bad at taking pictures, so you're just going to have to believe me that she was really here.

We, like most of you who will read this, had beautiful weather last weekend. Laura & I took advantage of that in the following ways (these are just the highlights):

Friday Night: Friday night Laura, Wes, Eric, and I went to the bar at the Ambassador Hotel. We enjoyed a Friday night in October with a temperature of nearly 70 degrees. While we were there we met a fascinating guy named Dave. Dave first caught our attention walking down Wisconsin Ave. without a shirt on (hence dubbed "Naked Guy"). He was denied access to the hotel (where we later discovered he was staying) because he had no shirt. If you were wondering (and come on--you were!) he gave his shirt to the lead banjo player at The Rave (and no, we're not sure where Banjo Guy's shirt was). Well, it was a good thing Dave picked our table, because he told us all about the company that he runs, The Original ScrewDevil (not to be confused with the copy-cat ScrewDevil). He even gave us a all a free shirt (which he got from his car after Eric literally gave away the shirt off his back so that Dave could go in the Ambassador and get his keys). It was a night to remember.


Saturday: On Saturday I had to work at a stupid open house all day. Laura did a lot of reading and homework (I know, I'm a bad person!). We escaped the building in the afternoon and went to the Public Market (my favorite place!) where we bought crab legs and veggies. We ate in my apartment and spent the night playing Boggle with Eric. Eric won, Jackie & Laura drank wine and beer.

Sunday: Sunday was a day of adventure! We ate breakfast out doors at a lovely cafe and it was delicious. It also happened to be the Milwaukee Marathon (sadly, same day as the Chicago Marathon), so we wandered down by the lake and saw part of the run. The picture is where the start & finish were. We also went to the Art Museum which is the next picture. This museum was an addition to th previous one. It cost almost $10 million and was designed to look like a ship coming into the harbor. Sunday night we watched the Housewives with Judy and just hung out. Monday morning I took Laura back to the ferry and sent her on her way back to Mt. Pleasant. I was sad, but I didn't cry (which probably surprised us both!).

So, that's the story of my first visitor. If you think that this sounds like a wonderful time, that's because it was--and you should try it by visiting Milwaukee very soon. Hugs & Misses...

I'm So Excited!

It's official! I am coming home for the holidays. I know that this probably seemed like a no brainer, but there was a while there where I was pretty worried. But no more: I will be home in November for 4 1/2 days for Thanksgiving, and then again for a full 10 days in December for Christmas and New Years! The tickets are bought for both trips, and now I just get to count the days!

It was a big deal weekend for me here. Friday night was my fist real night out in Milwaukee. My friend Matt took me to a fantastic Mexican restaurant called Conejitos. The south side of the city full of Mexican restaurants. To be honest, this was no El Az or Los Palaminos, but still, it was good. Delish margaritas most importantly. It is a very authentic place (or so they say...) where the food is served on paper plates! Judy and her sons Eric and Wesley went, as did two of Matthew's friends who offered to adopt me! YAY!

On Saturday Judy, Eric, Wesley and I braved the blocks west of the building (that's right guys--we went right!) and had a few drinks at The Ambassador Hotel. The Ambassador is a lovely hotel just two blocks away. The Envoy Lounge is beautiful, if not pricey! The four of us sat on the patio because it was a perfect 65 degrees and windy. However, I forget that not everybody is from Michigan, and my friends from Georgia were freezing. It was kind of funny.

Sunday I stayed in, read a book, ate a l-o-t, and relaxed. It's a very busy week at work this week, as renewals pour in. And, just in case you maybe forgot, I'm having my first visitor on Friday! But don't worry, there will of course be Blogs and Pics of our fabulous weekend together.

Hugs & Misses...

T Minus 8 Days...

For those of you who haven't heard yet, in 8 days Laura is coming to visit. And yes, as has been the case many times before, she has perfect timing.

I've been in Milwaukee for almost three weeks now. Time is going so fast! I feel like I just got here. For those I haven't talked to much, I'm really sorry. The quick & dirty version: I'm making friends, which is great; I love my work; my boss is pretty cool; and yes, they all agree--it snows a lot in Milwaukee.

I've gotten my first taste of Milwaukee weather this week. To be honest, it's very similar to Michigan weather. Today, I swear to God, I looked out the window and there was a beautiful blue sky, and then I blinked and it was a monsoon.

Most importantly, this is my first week since I've been gone that I've missed some pretty big events:

1. Happy birthday Boozer! I am really sad that I missed #22, but I can't wait to see you in Chicago very very soon.
2. Mo I'm sorry I missed your birthday too. But I'm glad we finally talked.
3. Melody & Melissa I will be thinking about you all weekend! Especially on Saturday Mel--Sorry I'm missing it!

Tomorrow is my first Friday night out. We're going to local Mexican where I am going to eat like a queen and drink some yummy margaritas! Most likely I will call at least one of you!

My Big Weekend Out

Well, for the first time since coming to Milwaukee, this weekend I ventured outside the city limits. It was seriously like taking my first deep breath since Michigan!

On Saturday AnnMarie took me to the Mall just outside the city. It's called Bayshore Towne Center, and my Lansing family & friends probably recognize the name. It's exactly like the East Towne Center. Even similar restaurants. Sights from home included a Bravo & a Barnes and Noble (downtown Milwaukee offers Borders). To say the least, I made up for lost time shopping. I bought two new button up shirts, two new sweaters, and two pair of pants. Oh, and new face wash....I'm a sucker for body products! Overall, it was wonderful to be out of 2040 and feel like I was spending time with a girlfriend (although nothing like my friends at home...).

Sunday was a day of adventure. It was lovely here in Milwaukee, and the locals seem thrilled with that. In keeping with the local spirit, I decided to venture outside and see what I could find. I ended up on a boat tour of the city. For all my romantic comedy friends, yes-I was thinking the whole time of Vince Vaughn in The Breakup. It was nothing like that. The driver of the boat was...the driver. Honestly, he didn't seem all that interested in filling us in the sights. However, it was two glorious hours on a boat, on the brink of Lake Michigan. The first picture is a snap shot of downtown from the water. It really was very pretty. The 2nd is the "Real Light House" that was used to guide boats into the Harbor. There's a different light house, named the Red Light House, that was used to guide boats into the Outer Harbor. (Don't worry mom, I have pics of that one too! :) )

After my boat tour, I had a burger & beer at a local pub. The beer was a local (no, not Miller Light-although it remains my favorite-Sorry Dad!), and it was delish! I made one quick stop at Old Navy (maroon jumper and black yoga pants) and Boarders (a new Marrian Keyes book) and then home. I'm exhausted from my travels, so I'm going to put on my new yoga pants and curl up with whatever football game is on, my new book, and wait for my dad to call!

Hugs & Misses to you all...

Week One, Done.

It's the end of my first week here in Milwaukee and at 2040 Lofts (that's what my building is called), and so far, pretty good. My big plans for my first weekend all by myself are growing...Which is to say they don't include watching Grey's on DVD for the next 48 hours. (Yes, I did run out and buy it on the day it came out. I am only through the 3rd DVD.)

This morning I am going to find the new grocery store. It's funny to listen to the people here talk about it. They all preface it with, "It's the really fancy store, but still...Do you like organic food?" Honestly, that's what they say. The good news is, I only have to go East to get to it! I also might try to find the city market because with that I hear is a bunch of really cute shops, etc.

I'm in pretty desperate need of a mall as well. People who live in the city dress really trendy. Not like, East Lansing trendy either. I need more clothes. Bad. So I might do that this weekend as well. The nearest mall is about 10 miles from here.

Tonight I'm having dinner with Sarah and her roommate and Judy, so I'm excited about that. Judy's other son is coming to visit (I think next week) and I think she is thinking we might be able to "meet". Which is cute, and totally Judy.

Big lessons from this week:
1. I'm glad my roommates and I always got along.
2. By the time you live off campus, people should not have to take care of your roommate problems for you.
3. I might be a professional nanny for my boss with ADD. And that's ok.

My Second First Day

Alright...Today was day number one number two. Yesterday there was nothing to do, today I got into the swing of things. Here's the run-down:

1. My boss' name is John. He's nice. Sunday he competed in an Iron Man in Madison, and he finished. Today he can't walk. Wow.
2. The staff is great, and they've made me feel very welcome.
3. As long as I stay "east" and don't go "west" I'm going to be fine. In fact, the new plan is (and yes-I quote), "Walk out the front door and turn left. That's it. Don't stray from the plan." So...Don't be afraid to visit. I promise to only take you left.

I met our building engineer, who has promised to help me fix whatever may need fixing, so that's a step in the right direction. Laura is going to be my first visitor, and I am super looking forward to that.

After work I ventured out by myself, on a trip to Target to buy Grey's Season Three. Yes, target is right not left, but I was only gone during day light. My plan for the night is to watch my new DVDs and go to sleep early so I can get ready for day number two...or is it number three?

Rain Rain Go Away...

It has been a gloomy gloomy day in Milwaukee. It's been raining pretty much since I woke up. In fact, as I type this I think it might even be snowing. I am not sure.

Today was my first day "working" and so far--so good. I work with a super nice lady named Judy. She is in charge of all of our accounting. She was a wealth of information about the city. Some of her insights included avoiding manicures at the salon next to Target and walking East but driving when I go West.

John, my new boss, just finished the Iron Man yesterday in Madison. I met him briefly today. He stopped in to say he was very tired, and we could work tomorrow. Ok...So. That left me another day to explore the city.

I wandered downtown (which is about 15-20 blocks from my apt.) and found a little mall. It's not spectacular, but it has a TJMaxx, Linens & Things, and a store very similar to Younkers. I picked up a few things for my house, then came home. Outside is no place to be in this rain!

I've taken pictures of my house and posted them on Picasa, but I'm going to put them here too. The first is my kitchen. There's more cupboard space than I can ever use. My living room is Brown & Pink and in pretty desperate need of stuff on the walls. I'm waiting for my new t.v. to come, and hopefully to get a painted wall!

My plan for the rest of the day is a work out in the gym here in the building, cook dinner, read, and get ready for my second first day of work.

So far I'm not super lonely, although there are times. My phone number hasn't changed, so you can call me whenever!