Saturdays in a small(ish) town

I love Saturdays in our little town of Downers Grove.




We have a farmers market that is open every Saturday right outside our Apartment.

It's literally, across the street from our apartment and as you can see, right next to our train station. We have lots of organically grown produce as well as organic meats and breads. Local artists and retail shops set up booths as well, so it's a pretty fun time.
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Why I LOVE going to work somedays...

So this is what I have seen going to work the last few days. Why? Because the CTC is re-deploying it's paper after like a million years of practically the same layout. It's kind of a huge deal.

Hey, did I mention that the company I work for owns the Cubs? Cuz they do. And we get box seats to really great games. That's why I have such an awesome shot of the field without all those annoying "little people" down in those seats below to get in my way. :) This was when the cubbies played the brewers last week. I left at the top of the 7th when we were down 3 and (I thought) totally hosed. It turns out we won that game. It's okay though, because I won a raffle at work, so if the Cubs can actually make it to game 3 in the playoffs, I got two tickets. (Totally stoked about this by the way!)

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Fun Day Fridays

So I teach seminary. It's true. I wake up extra super early and I warp young minds. Not everyone can do this, it's a talent that I have.

In all actuality, I love it. We are learning about the New Testament this year and it is my absolute most favorite book of scripture. I teach with another girl about my age, TJ and we have around 16 kids between the ages of 14 and 18 that show up almost daily.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Seriously. 16 kids at 6 in the morning? How does she keep them awake and engaged?" Well I'm glad that you asked that. I have a hard time with it. I can hardly keep myself engaged some mornings and I'm actually interested in what we're learning. :)

So, this brings me to the title of my post, "Fun Day Fridays". All week, we study the scriptures, we attempt to discuss deep and meaningful teachings from Christ's ministry and on Friday, when we are all worn down from lack of sleep and too much to do, we have a "fun" day. This consists of us playing a game and one student bringing in treats. It generally gets pretty rowdy and has little to do with what we learned that week and more on Scripture Mastery (key scriptures that we are all urged to memorize and apply) and social interaction.

Why do I look forward to FDFs? It's amazing what a little mindless competition can do to breathe life into otherwise unresponsive teenagers. For some of my kids, it's the only time their head is not permanently attached to the table in front of them. For others, it's one of the few times they can feel accepted by a larger group of kids. Plus, TJ and I can really connect with them on better. There is less of teacher/student relationship and more of a friendship that forms.
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Visits from Family

My DH's cousins, AH and MH came and visited Chicago for a dental conference this past week. We were so excited that they were able to take time out to visit us. We went out to lunch at The Grand Lux Cafe and the went on an architectural boat tour. We have some seriously awesome architecture in this city, and what better way to experience it than with a snarky commentary from a local? (There is no better way, I'll just tell you) I've been on the tour before, but I am much older and much more mature now, so of course I found it considerably entertaining. All four of us also then went to Navy Pier and took a ride on our genuine imitation ferris wheel. It was loads of fun and we just love having family come visit the city. This picture of us is right before we got on the boat. Chicago is all about the photo 'opps' and making a buck here or there. Of course, we got them. because it's awesome. For those of you who don't know. Chicago is situated on a rather large lake, Lake Michigan. You may have heard of it as part of that whole "Great Lakes" concept back in grade school. We also have a river running through our beloved Second City which provides easy transit and shipping through to the Mississipi. This is where our boat tour takes place. All in all, it was a great afternoon and we are so glad that they could squeeze us in to their busy schedule of dental stuff and touristing!

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Inaugural Posting

This is the first post on my brand new blog.

About us:

My DH and I have been married for almost 5 years. We met at BYU, specifically at the Auxiliary Maintenance Building where we both did the laundry. He worked on the Dry Cleaning side and I worked in the Sewing Room. It was awesome. He was super shy and I was a horrible flirt. Eventually, with a little prodding, I caught his attention and he asked me out. (He'll tell it a little differently, but I know the truth - don't be fooled)

We dated and got married rather quickly and settled into a rather tumultuous 2 years in Utah County. I finished school, got a job at a clothing manufacturer, Dave finished school and then we moved out of the Beehive State. We moved to Chicago where we both found suitable work and got a super cute apartment in a bedroom suburb called Downers Grove.



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