Chicago in the Summer- here we come!

We decided to get into the spirit of Chicago. We signed up for the Chicago half-marathon! It took a little convincing to get Ryan to sign up, but we registered. The race is September 14th so we have all summer to get in shape (which I need). We hope to keep you updated with our progress. We're excited for summer in Chicago. There is always so much to do, especially since we stay indoors as much as possible the rest of the year. Here's a few of the things we want to be sure to experience: Navy Pier, The Taste of Chicago, Movies in the Park, the many museums(Museum of Science and Industry, The Field Museum and The Art Museum just to name a few), the Shedd Aquarium, a White Sox or Cubs Baseball game, swimming in the lake, biking on the lake front, a Broadway show, the Opera, the Ballet, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza and so much more.

Water, water, everywhere!

Making a move is not all smooth sailing. It's uprooting your life and trying to get a new routine that works. Don't get me wrong, we love our new apartment and shy away from the thought of going back to our studio (even to clean)! But it does require an adjustment period. The biggest adjustment right now is not having a bathroom sink! You'll notice ours has been replaced with a big, gaping hole.

On one of our first nights in our apartment I was going through my routine of getting ready for bed, which naturally includes the use of the bathroom sink, when I noticed my sock was getting wet. At first I thought it might just be the result of me being clumsy with my water use and spilling on the floor (it's been known to happen). But then I realized no matter where I stood, there was water EVERYWHERE. Our bathroom was slowly, but surely filling up with Lake Michigan!

Hence, the hole in the wall. I guess there's a problem with our overflow drain, or something or other. With any luck we'll be up and running (running water that is) by tomorrow.

Colors, Chairs and Comfort!

If you haven't heard we are moving into a new, bigger and better apartment:) We decided to make the place feel more like a home with some colors and 'real' furniture (no more camping or folding chairs for us).
Here Ryan is touching up some spots in our new bedroom. I picked the color, Maple Sugar, and I think it's perfect for a nice relaxing place to put up your feet and fall asleep.

This next room is Ryan's study room. Yes, it's BRIGHT Green. Ryan picked this color. I don't think he expected it to be quite to bright, but we've decided we really like it. It feels playful and fun and will hopefully keep Ryan awake during his hours of studying. Also, if anyone wants to come for a visit, we'll gladly turn this happy room into a guest bedroom! (hint, hint)

Okay, I have to show you our new table. Who knew I could get so excited about furniture! We picked this table out together and just set it up last weekend. We love it and had our first breakfast sitting at it this morning. It can seat four comfortably around the benches and two more in the chairs. We're excited that we're actually starting to set up somewhere that can feel like home. The only down side is it's just more stuff to move!
We should complete our move this weekend and will post some shots of our place when we're all done.

Out with the Old

Hooray!! We're moving!! We just started moving today and plan to take a few things each day till the end of the month. We're just moving to the other building in our building (if that makes sense). I'm a little sad because we're losing our amazing view of the lake, but our new apartment is bigger and has a pretty nice view of downtown.

Life is pretty much normal other than that. I go to school and Melanie goes to work. I'm planning to take the patent bar early in the summer. Right now I'm looking at firms to interview with towards the end of the summer. Melanie should be getting hired on full time at the U of Chicago here in the next few weeks.

We love you all!

Alias

Since we don't have TV, we decided to get a DVD set (which is great because there are no commercials:). The show we decided on was the 2001-2006 show "Alias" created by J.J. Abrams. Last night we just finished the finale for Alias. It was awesome! The whole series was, and we just wanted to share such a fun, creative show with you all. We are definitely Alias fans and recommend watching it- if you haven't already.

Last Hawaii Blog

Yea, here we are in front of our new home!!! Or so we wish. It's actually the only palace on American soil. It used to house the Hawaiian Royalty.

Here's the Hawaii Temple. It is so Beautiful and just perfect with it's surroundings. We really liked visiting the grounds.
Here is just one of the many beautiful sunrises we saw on the beach. Makes waking up early worth it:)
Here we are at Pearl Harbor on the memorial for USS Arizona. It was a really neat experience and fun to see history up close.
Thank you Kasey and Adam and Ady for letting us crash at your place. What a cute little family! We hope to visit you again soon.

More Hawaii

Okay, here are a few more Hawaii pictures for all. First, a picture of just how absolutely green everything is there! We went on a hike to some phantom waterfall. We never found the waterfall, but got plenty wet with a surprise rain on our way back!
Next, a few pictures from the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was way fun except that Ryan wasn't feeling well the first time. But he got better. Way to be, Ryan. Anyway, the night show was Awesome!!! And who could resist a picture by the Easter Island statues?
I know that these next waves may look all sissy like, but they're not at all! For real, that's why you don't see anyone out there trying to surf them. But they look really cool.
We could only post 4 pictures, so looks like one last Hawaii blog will be forthcoming soon! We love you all. Keep in touch and come visit. Or move somewhere exotic and we'll come visit you :)