Free Concert for Chicago

My new favorite summer activity in Chicago is going to the free concerts held at Millennium park in the Pritzger Pavillion. Nothing can beat gathering with 10,000 other Chicagoans on any given beautiful evening to listen to great music, and picnic on the great lawn.




The concerts run everyday throughout August, and then gradually fade off in September. The last concert of the season was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) on Sunday 9/19/2010. I was determined to go, not really because of CSO, but because I wanted to go to one last concert. The last few times we have gone, the lawn has been packed, but we have always found a way to squeeze ourselves in among the crowd.

not this week

As we were approaching the park, we noticed lots of people walking AWAY from the great lawn. "uh oh" I thought. This is not a good sign!!

As we got closer to the great lawn, we found ourselves amongst the crowds and noticed many people camping out with their lawn chairs and blankets on outlying green space. Soon we found ourselves elbow to elbow with thousands of other Chicagoans trying to get onto the lawn and hear the concert.





See that area underneath the poles? THATS the great lawn. It holds 10,000 people. We counted at least an additional 10,000 people at the concert outside of the great lawn.





This guy was prepared:



Traffic control had already gated off the great lawn and restricted people from entering. WOW. I have never seen so many people at a concert!! It took forever just to navigate through the crowds, and finally we settled on a spot where we could at least sit down and hear the music. Our spot turned out to be a great little find, because Ryan was able to use a tree as a backrest, and I was able to use Ryan as my backrest :)




The music was absolutely gorgeous. I am amazed by the clarity and exquisite sound that this Frank Gehry outdoor concert 'hall' makes. I also reconnected with my passion for classical music. It is so beautiful. I loved watching the other CSO-lovers in the crowd closing their eyes, and nodding their head, in sync with the beat. My favorite song they played was Romeo & Juliet by Tchaikovsky.

This was our view:






During intermission we figured out what the "Festa MUTI" pins were all about. CSO just signed on a new world-famous conductor, MUTI. This performance was his first official performance as the CSO conductor. Apparently he is a big deal-- who knew!


The pavillion is beautiful at night:



As the concert ended, and the crowds started heading toward the street, we heard a loud noise and realized there were fireworks going off all around the park! What a great surprise and great way to celebrate the end of an incredible evening, and the end of an incredible summer.





As we walked home, hand in hand, I found myself excited for next year's concerts in the park, and picnic dinners.
What's your favorite summer activity?

September 10, 2010.
One Year Down and Eternity to look forward to.

My evening started off with a text from Ryan: "Baby, our night is about to begin...but it first must start as one of my fav childhood books "choose your own adventure" Do you prefer French with a view, or 1920's Italian?"

Ryan came home with Flowers (my favorite!) and then we grabbed a cab and headed up to Michigan Ave, where we had a quick stroll before heading up to dinner. It was a gorgeous summer evening, and I was so excited to be out celebrating our One-Year Anniversary with my love.





Ryan took me to NoMi-- a popular french restaurant that looks over the Water Tower on Michigan Ave, with views of the lake. It was a romantic spot, and we enjoyed the most amazing meal. I definitely would have taken pictures of all our food, but it was NOT that kind of place!! Haha. And it was definitely too dark for any real picture-taking. (Below are a few photos I snagged from their website).

View of NoMi from Michigan Avenue.


View of NoMi from the inside-- check out those chandeliers!




View of the water tower and Hancock Tower:



Sample Plate.


Sample Plate:



I did, manage to get a picture of our amazing dessert and our Anniversary treat compliments of the restaurant:



Over dinner we reminisced over the last year and the many great times we enjoyed, as well as the recent challenges. We both agreed that Year One of Marriage was definitely easier than Year One of dating!! Thank goodness that Long-Distance adventure is over!!




After dinner we walked through Chicago to the river and enjoyed the beautiful city skyline views, and the beautiful weather we were able to enjoy. When we got home, we exchanged cards and gifts and watched our wedding video. What better way to end the night?








Thank you for the most romantic One-Year Anniversary, ever, babe!! Here's to many more anniversaries to come.

This girl in a different city

I had a really great week in San Francisco. Our work meetings were challenging and exciting and I got to learn so much about my co-workers. We each have a deep passion for what we do, which makes my job and my company so unique-- and I LOVE it! What a unique opportunity to work together to see the success of this company grow. I feel really blessed to be a part of it. (Note: I work for a company called Executive Networks, based out of San Francisco. Its a small company that operates peer networks for HR Executives of very large companies. My job is to recruit new executives to participate. Its an amazing company and I love it!)

It was also a great trip because I got to see some of my favorite people who live in the SF area. I went to dinner with Spencer Starley, Katie Forrest, Dave Dickson and Ryan Wells. I love friendships that are just effortless and that's the best way I can describe these friends and this dinner. It was so fun to catch up and joke and laugh and support each other at this stage in our lives. It was fabulous! Love you guys!!




I also met up for dinner with my girlfriend, Lindsay Fife. (Linds why do we have this new habit of not taking pictures together??) We have been friends for a number of years now and I love that our friendship survives the distance that I put between us! (First, when I moved to Utah, and then Minnesota and now Chicago). Linds is amazing and I love our chats and inevitable window shopping that we do while we're together! She also knows the best places to eat, no matter what city we are in.

Another reason I loved this trip was the gorgeous weather I was able to enjoy in The City. I was a little worried when I saw that it was going to be in the 60's in SF, but I came prepared and was able to enjoy beautiful clear skys with the bright SUN. It was amazing. If any of you have been to SF you know how rare these clear days are. I could see the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz from the hills of Nob Hill. It was incredible. Here are some photos.








I also love SF is because of the great memories I have visiting The City with my family. My dad used to work in the city, so my mom and I would occasionally meet up and hit up Macys, Betsey and BR, among other shops. On Wednesday while I was working, it was my mom's birthday so I decided to send her e-cards with photos of me in our favorite places. This is what she got:









I also LOVE LOVE LOVE Pac Bell ATT Park It is my favorite stadium (I'm going to leave it up to the BoSox to change my mind) and when I found out they were playing the Dodgers on Wednesday night, I had to go. I met up with our long-time family friend, Rick Meyers, VP of Guest Relations for ATT Park and we caught the end of the game together. When Rick was sitting with me he asked:

Rick: "So, are you here with clients?"

me: No, I just came by myself.

Rick: "Did you take a cab down here?"

me: No, I walked. I was just in Union Square (about a mile walk).

Rick: "Oh. Wow."

A little bit later:

Rick: "These are great seats, how'd you get these?"

me: I scalped it.

Rick" "wow, you are quite the sports fan!"

I like to think he was a little impressed with my skills. :) You can't keep me away from a great game!






Me and Rick.




The game was really fun, and in the end we won. When I told my dad that he said "who's we?" Oh, the Giants of course. I decided I'd side with the home team this time-- sorry Dodgers!!! Who can blame me when the crowd is constantly chanting "BEAT LA, BEAT LA" -- the rivalry is quite strong. But I did wear both orange and blue to represent both teams :)


My last day in SF may have been my favorite. I was actually only in the city until about 9AM, but I got up early and went for a little jog. I was exploring and wanted to go to North Beach, so I ran from Nob Hill down to Washington Square. I decided to keep going, so I ended up running to Fisherman's Warf. As I ran out on the pier, I smelled the sea salt and it brought back a feeling of "home" for me. I love California and the ocean smell. I listened to the sea otters welcoming me to their home and I looked out over the bay. To my left, was Golden Gate Bridge, to my right, the Bay Bridge, and right in front of me was Alcatraz. I wish I could have stayed there all morning and watched the locals fish, and listened to the sea otters, but I needed to get back.

Washington Square


The cute old Asian women exercising in Washington Square:


My Run:


Coit Tower



My first glance at Alcatraz from a mile away:



Out on the pier






On my way back, I noticed a street that looked familiar -- Lombard.



So UP I went, up all the hills I ran down to get to the water. Back up to Nob Hill ... feeling refreshed and satisfied and ready to get back to my new home, and to my husband.

SF Hills and Corn Fields

This week Ryan and I are both away on travel -- my job took me to San Francisco and Ryan took off to the corn fields of Indiana. I think I got the better end of the deal ... but that's just me!!

Needless to say there will be less blogging this week as I am traveling and in lots of meetings. But I wanted to share a few pictures of this beautiful city. Each time I come to San Francisco I feel like I have come for the first time. I am mesmerized by the beauty and character -- I just love San Francisco. I could definitely live here. And, let's be honest, it just feels good to be back in California!! :)

Here's my husband as a farmer:


And here are my views of the city:

One Year

I can hardly believe its been one whole year since we were married. If I could go back in time somehow and relive that day, I would do it over and over again. It was one of the best days of my life. To be surrounded by our closest family and friends in the St. George Temple, where we were married and sealed for time and all eternity. I have never felt a greater joy.

Since then, I have enjoyed some of the happiest days of my life. Marriage is so wonderful. Each day brings a new adventure and my sweet husband always knows how to make me smile and feel so special.

I have learned so much this past year; about myself, and about Ryan; and about us. It's amazing how much love continues to grow, when you feel like you already love someone so much. Ryan, you are my everything, and I love you.

Moving

Moving is hard. It's also exciting. There are many pros and cons. I am a very positive person and I think there is a lot to be gained by moving frequently and learning to appreciate different areas of the country, or even the world.

However, there is one big con of moving. And that is having to find a new:
Doctor
Hair Stylist
Esthetician
Dentist
Jeweler
Make-up consultant

It's not only a hassle, it's time consuming!! Not to mention finding your new favorite grocery store, boutique shopping, sandwich cafe, the list could go on and on. Some of these can be nerve-wracking to try (Doctor or Dentist especially!) and I even had a dream right after we moved to Chicago that I went to get my eyebrows done, and the lady waxed my entire right eyebrow right off!! I was sobbing in my dream and it made me realize how traumatic one false move could be.

Places like yelp.com and Google reviews can help you avoid the pitfalls of trying a new place, but nothing is fool-proof. Wish me luck today, I'm trying my first new place in Chicago.