|{ Mad Mama Bird }|

You didn't think I would just leave this out after telling you I had pictures did you?!?



In the very first picture, you can see the bird sitting up on the lamp post waiting for unlucky people to walk by.

|{ First Time In The Windy City }|

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be able to go with Jon to the American Medical Association (AMA) Conference in Chicago! Someone else had dropped out so I was able to sneak a space and we ended up being able to go FOR FREE!

So on Thursday evening we drove to Chicago, which actually isn't even that far, it barely even felt like a road trip since it only took about 4 hours.  We also carpooled with 2 of Jon's classmates and it was fun to get to know them/get to know them better.  As soon as we got to the hotel we had to hurry and get changed to go to a cocktail party thing.  It didn't really feel like a 'cocktail' party as some people were not dressed up at all and others just wore business suits...and they only served beer and soda, no cocktails, go figure. :)  But they had a few little finger foods.  It would have been less cool except when we first walked in Jon turned to me and said something about everyone there being future doctors, and that was a neat thing to think about.

Pardon my weird angle

After the party we went to a bar with everyone and hung out for a bit.  It's fun to be around friends but it's also a weird feeling to be in a bar and be the one of the very few people who weren't drinking. Haha.  It's definitely something we are getting used to though and we have good time with Jon's classmates.  As we left to go back to the hotel we got stopped by 3 people asking for money, 2 were definitely drunk and kind of scary, but that's a big city for you, and MAN did I miss big cities! 

The next day was mostly REALLY boring, for me anyway.  I went to the conference with Jon. We told them I was taking the place of the person who had dropped out and I got a pass to go in. :) I turned to Jon and told him "Wow, getting into med school was easy." I probably would have found the conference more interesting had I actually understood what anyone was talking about, but it all just went over my head.  I was glad to be able to be there with Jon though.

At the end of the day we met up with everyone for Chicago style deep dish pizza and then all but the other girls in our U of M group went to see a comedy show!  It was called Second City and it is the place where A LOT of famous comedians got their start, including Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mike Myers, and Stephen Colbert.  It was really funny, we had a great time!!

Left to right: Brian, Me, Jon, Adnan, Johannes

The next day was much more eventful.  We didn't go to the conference at all that day and we spent the day walking around Chicago.  I had not thought we would have the chance to do that, so the only shoes I brought that didn't have heels were flats...very flat flats.  My feet were killing me by the end of the day! BUT, we had a fabulous day!!! We went to Millennium Park where they have this cool kidney bean looking art piece which is super popular!! They also have a cool looking stage and we stopped there to listen to an afternoon concert.  We also found this funky fountain that they project images onto, it was fun to see the kids playing in it.

I liked all of the different styles of buildings in this shot.

Our reflection in it.

Underneath it, looking up.

After that we started to make our way to the Planetarium! On the way there we ran into a Puerto Rican parade!! It was so fun to watch, we even got bead necklaces just walking by it, it was great fun!! We then stopped to get some italian ice treats, which was super delicious and refreshing.  We made it to the Aquarium, which is close to the Planetarium, and were walking to go and look at the skyline when a bird suddenly flew down and swooped right into the back of Jon's head! It was crazy.  We turned to find out that it was protecting it's baby's nest (which was almost not even a baby anymore).  Silly Mama Bird had built her nest in a bush right next to a busy sidewalk! So I took a few pictures.  She was pretty, even if she was angry.

So we kept walking and finally made it to the Planetarium.  We had already decided that we would take a taxi back because our feet were sore.  The Planetarium was great, we just strolled around and played with all the interactive things, it was great! We also had lunch there.  As we were getting ready to leave we saw 5 Quinceanera parties and 8 wedding parties!!! It was crazy, but totally made sense since it was the middle of June at the place where you can probably see the best skyline view, it was so fun to see!

So we started to walk back to find a taxi and got back to the Aquarium.  We decided to walk back over the where the bird was and I made sure I had my camera ready.  Boy, am I glad I did! Just as we were walking by the nest Mama Bird comes swooping down and started attacking Jon, swooping around his head and chasing him away, and I caught the whole things in a short series of pictures (which are all at least partially blurry)!  I was laughing hysterically by the time the bird stopped and so was Jon (not to mention the other people who saw it happen)! It was hilarious!

We decided to start walking along the shore of the lake. which is surrounded by docks, until we got too tired to go on and then we would grab a taxi.  But it was such a nice and relaxing stroll that we ended up walking the whole way back.  We stopped close to Buckingham Fountain and I got a snow cone! We sat down and just relaxed for a while.  It was a dreamy day, I loved every second of it that I got to spend with my darling husband.

We made it back to the hotel and went to the hot tub with the only person who hadn't gone home yet, Jon's friend and classmate, Leah.  Poor girl had a terrible blister on her foot and could barely walk.  We went with her to go get dinner at Navy Pier and then watched the fireworks show.

That was pretty much the end of our trip.  The next morning we drove home with Leah, stopping by a random place we found, Egg on your Face, which was delicious breakfast place.

It was a really fun trip and I can't wait to go back! Chicago was amazing, it was a such a beautiful big city and it was surprisingly clean! It was so much fun!!

|{ Those Darn Cats }|

Our cats have been SO BAD this week!! They are extra annoying with their meowing, they have been getting into EVERYTHING, and yesterday one of them swiped at our snake while I was holding her and actually managed to hit her!!! Kitty got in BIG trouble for that one.

But this morning I had to clean up the biggest mess I have ever had to due to our feisty felines!!

THIS

One of the cats got up onto the shelf and knocked over our Costco sized jug of laundry soap, causing the lid to come off and spilling half of the jug!!! It was everywhere!!! On the washing machine, my newly cleaned sheets, the floor, and ALL OVER the walls!!! Laundry soap is surprising hard to clean off walls and we found out the quality of the paint that was used to paint the walls before we moved in.  The paint was coming off with the lightest little scrubs.

On the plus side? It was probably the cleanest mess I have ever had to clean up.

|{ Selfie Saturdays - Perfection }|

So this week Elena taught us a few fun things to use in Photoshop to help make you look more perfect! :)

It was really fun to learn and I really liked what she said when she explained that the point was not to edit yourself so that you no longer looked like your true self, but that we shouldn't feel bad about making odd poses and angles look better. :)

I just played around with it a bit, and while this is probably a bit over the top in the editing department, I was just playing around with the new tools that I hadn't used before, so it was fun! :)

BEFORE

I didn't like the odd way my hip was sticking out, so I tucked it in.

I want to get better at using Photoshop, so it was a fun way to get to learn some new things! :)

And this coming week Elena will be teaching us how to use animations so I can layer these 2 photos together so you can see the change easier!! AND I already know the pictures I want to use it for!!

Oh, and this wasn't a selfie, so I cheated.  Hubby took this picture.

|{ Best Birthday }|

I felt really bad because I hardly took any pictures of Jon's birthday this year!! How could I just forget!? I feel terrible.

On a more happy note though, Jon said that his birthday this year was the best he has had since we got married, so at least I am getting better in the gift giving and holiday celebrating departments! :)

Jon was gone most of the day at his final practice for Biorhythms, which is a production that the medical school puts on every year, usually mostly with the first years, and they perform dances and singing and you can sign up for as many performances as you want.  Jon signed up for 2.  He did a rap and a dance, kinda bollywoodish, I forget what it's called. Anyway, so he was gone all day for that.

He did come home in the middle of the day for a break and he opened his presents then.  He got a robe which he asked for, Super Mario Bros for the Wii which he is playing as I type this, and a magazine all about him with letters and stories from a bunch of his friends and family!  He loved everything!

So that evening he had his performance, he did so awesome! Especially in his rap, who would have thought that my husband could rap? It was great! They rewrote the words to California Dreamin' and Slim Shady with a bunch of inside jokes about medical school.  Obviously I didn't get most of them but everyone who did thought it was hilarious! :) Pardon the bad pictures.

Jon and his partner Ashley

Afterwards the two of us went to get ice cream for his birthday and then we went to meet everyone at a bar to party but his shin splits were hurting really bad so we left early and went to get free birthday tiramisu and a pizza across the street.

The next day we had a bunch of people over for a BBQ.  A few people even brought him presents which was so sweet! We had delicious hamburgers and then carrot cake! He had a great time.  Again, I didn't take pictures of any of this. Geez! I'm glad he had a good time though!

This is his rap performance.  His group was called Phlomax.  He is the first person in this video and later is the one who jumps over the guy.