Chicago 3.0

Saturday, July 16, 2011

band of brothers

Joe's brothers, Steve, the oldest, and Andy, the youngest, came to visit us 4th of July week. Unfortunately, Joe's other brother, Ben, who is in Las Vegas for the Air Force couldn't make it this time.
We had a fun and jam-packed 3.5 days...
Cubs vs. Sox game at Wrigley Field, thanks to my awesome in-laws for the tickets!!
It couldn't have been a more perfect day for a Cubs game. The weather was great and there was a nice breeze once we got inside. This was Joe and my first cross-town classic, where the Cubs and White Sox play, and also our first Cubs game where they have actually won! Woo-hoo! We got to hear (and sing) the "Go Cubs, Go" song that they play when they win (the song was stuck in our head for their entire visit, one of us was always singing it! ha ha!). Andy and Steve really enjoyed getting to see Wrigley from the inside. It is amazing place to watch baseball and to people watch too, truly an experience. We had some hot dogs and enjoyed game.

Later that evening we visited the one of our favorite places for the best gourmet burgers in Chicago, DMK Burger Bar. Steve and Andy both enjoyed it a lot, it's SO good!
We had fun at Montrose Beach, played Frisbee in the water and enjoyed a nice day. We played tennis and Frisbee at Winnemac Park near our place on the 4th of July and went to the Field Museum to see the Whales exhibit. It was really cool to see the gigantic whale bones, too bad I couldn't take photos of them. The rest of the museum bores me to tears, but luckily I brought my camera and was able to keep myself occupied taking photos of the museum's architecture and playing with my camera settings. I was able to get some pretty good shots. Afterwards we walked around Museum Campus and took in the great views of the city and lake. Six years living here and the view of the magnificent Chicago skyline and lake never fail to impress me. LOVE this city.

The boys had some time without me at the U2 concert at Soldier Field and they had a blast. Joe and I saw them there a couple years ago, so I opted not to go a 2nd time. They enjoyed it.

We also managed to squeeze in a little kayaking on the lake before they left on Wednesday morning. We had fun paddling around and enjoying the water from a different angle.

See all the photos from their visit HERE.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

10 years ago today...

10 years ago today I walked down the aisle to become Mrs. Zimmer.

Our wedding day seems like a forever ago but at the same time the years seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye. When I look at our wedding pictures I cannot believe how young we look. Bright eyed and full of excitement we began a life together, not knowing where the path would lead. We have been through so much together over the years, yet we still have so much to do.

Today we celebrate a decade of love, stress, laughter, sorrow, fear, happiness, change, excitement, family, growth, good times and bad times.
Today I look back on what we have accomplished together and look forward to what is to come for us over the next 10 years. I'm sure the years will be filled with even more than the first 10.
My only hope is that our marriage gets stronger with each passing year...

I, Mindy, take you, Joe, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

7.14.2001

Sunday, June 26, 2011

busy busy

I haven't posted in a while because it seems like I've been so busy lately. Between IIDA Board stuff, interviews, working at school and trying to have fun I haven't had much time to post.
It's a nice weekend here in Chicago. Cooler and in the 70's....I'm loving it. We've had a nice weekend so far.

Friday night I had dinner with my friend Sarah and her friend Kelly. We went to the Thai place down the street where we often get take-out from, but this time we went for the authentic Thai dinner experience. Since Kelly is from Thailand she was able to order off of the official "Thai Menu" that is daunting to most Americans. It was certainly a fun experience, but proved to be too much for me. I get Thai food all the time but I get the more Americanized Thai that we are all used to. The true Thai dishes were so different. It was hit or miss for me, I liked a few things, but I couldn't handle some of the others. Traditional Thai food is super hot and spicy and some of the flavor combinations just didn't jive with me. I'm ashamed to say I think I'll be sticking to the standard menu next time I visit. Glad I tried it though! :-)

Last night Joe and I went to our friend's Birthday Party + Marathon Fundraiser. He and his partner throw great parties every year and we always attend. This year my friend Dan is running the Marathon for T2 - Team to End Aids and he was raising money for his team. I admire anyone who commits to running a Marathon. They have a great roof-top deck in their building, which is a great location for parties in the summer with great views of the city. Last night turned out to be a little chilly and windy when the clouds rolled in, but we had a great time anyway. Lots of our friends were there and we had fun.

Today we took the dogs for a long walk around the neighborhood. It's a beautiful sunny day.

I had two interviews this week, both at good firms. Both went well but positions are dependent on what happens with their projects. They are busy, but they are sort of feeling it out before hiring. So we'll see what happens. I am feeling positive and hoping something gives pretty soon. I also got a call from someone I used to work with who asked me to work with him on a project as an independent contractor. He has his own firm now and is getting very busy. I wouldn't want to work for/with him on a full-time basis, but this is something that could be fun and I am probably going to do it (if he in fact wins the project). It should be a good opportunity to do a little bit of design on my own...kind of.

Here are a couple pics I've taken over the past few weeks.