The Taylor Tales: More than Existing

Alright, it's been another little bit, but I have a good excuse this time. We moved to Chicago, and the internet was not set up properly when we got here, and then it all just kind of got away from me! I've been having much too good a time out here.

I've already had some incredible experiences being in Chicago, and many of them admittedly have to do with food. If you know me well, food is something I probably talk to you about all the time! Which makes me laugh at myself, but it truly makes me happy. Especially when food is unique, flavorful, and creates a wonderful memory. The first day we were here we had some amazing Chicago deep dish pizza with John's sister and family, and that night we met up with my brother Greg and his wife Bella. We walked down to Navy Pier, and then walked to a restaurant called Xoco's. It's owned by food network star Rick Bayless, and is an authentic mexican restaurant with delicious torta's, soups, and some of the best horchata I've ever had. Good thing that a lot of walking is involved in getting to these places or I might be a little worried about my waistline... ;)

From left to right, here is John, Me, Bella and Greg over by Navy Pier :)

Since that first night I have been wandering the neighborhood where we live. I can see Michigan Avenue from our living room window (all the best shopping, AKA The Magnificent Mile), so I have frequented that road, resisting the temptation to surrender the contents of our bank account to H&M, Macy's, Nordstrom Rack, etc. Bella's work is also just around the corner so we have been able to meet up during her lunch breaks and do a little exploring! On Tuesday we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, and then went to a little farmer's market out front which was one of my favorite things about this week!

I was also able to go back to the MCA today to have lunch with Karen Herwig, a good friend of my parent's from Iowa. She is such a wonderful person and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to spend time with her! She knew me as a little girl and it was so good to reconnect with her.

We've also had our share of some difficulties of true city life. Exhibit A, cell phone service. I apologize in advance for dropped or unreceived phone calls, because it's so annoying. I will be sitting in the same spot getting great service one second, and the next I have no bars. Totally hate that. Exhibit B, I hate grocery shopping here. Stores are far away, expensive, and have foreign products that I'm not used to. I'm going to have to try to get that figured out asap because it's a pain in the butt, and I usually love going to the store. Exhibit C, John got pick pocketed at the dang mall a couple days ago. It's actually kind of a funny interesting story because we got our money back. A lady approached us at the store and said, "That man over there just took money out of your pocket, quick as lightening." We see an older, disheveled looking man headed down the escalator. Luckily, we took the stairs down and grabbed a security guard, who spotted the man heading back up the stairs rather quickly. Long story short, we got ahold of him and the guy gave our money back. We almost gave him a little money because we were pretty impressed at how smoothly he had taken it; John didn't feel a thing! Almost being the key word. No sense in rewarding bad behavior I guess!!!

But back to how much fun we've been having. John gets off work at five which leaves us with a lot of time to spend together. This is so nice because summers are usually when we get the least amount of time to spend. I can't tell you how awesome it is to be able to kick back and talk and really have some "us" time. It's been really fantastic and has made me realize again how wonderful my husband is to me. We usually eat dinner, and then go wander around looking at everything, and find a treat of some sort. Being in a new area has always had a way of bringing us together, in the sense that we are both trying something new together. It's a security thing and also just a best friends thing! Am I making sense? It's really late. But I guess I know what I'm getting at. I love exploring and taking all this in and leaning on my very best friend for support. I don't think we've had a dull, boring night yet!

Tonight we took the bus over to my brother's house and had dinner with them. Greg and Bella are some of the most sincere, intelligent, and hilarious people I've ever had a conversation with. It's been years and years since I've lived close to my brother and it's been so nice to be getting to know him as an adult. I've also just got to love him for bringing Bella into our family; she's kind and smart, and an all around lovely person. They also share my passion for food, and made us grilled salmon, a grilled zuchinni salad and a kale and apple slaw. We ate outside and talked until fireflies began to come out. After dinner was cleaned up, we walked down to get Gelato for dessert. As a foodie, I was in heaven tonight!!!

I got lemon lavender gelato, and sesame fig chocolate chip gelato. The flavors were so bold, and really have a way of filling your senses, while also dropping subtle after tones that kept it from overwhelming you. So perfectly crafted!! John got salted peanut gelato, while Greg had a goat cheese cashew caramel flavor, and Bella also tried a basil honey along with the lemon lavender. We were all very contented. :) (Sadly, I was having too much fun to remember to take a picture of my dinner, and other events of the night. Sorry! I'll be better)

So, you see why I haven't blogged yet?! I've been too busy creating memories to blog about!!! Tonight after dinner we got on the topic of really living versus just existing. It was in a completely different context as we were talking about a rather serious matter, but I think too often we go about our lives just letting the days pass by, waiting for something bigger or better to happen. I really feel like weeks like the one I just had bring so much joy because it was so much more than existing.

Thanks for your patience as you read this monster blog. If you've stuck with me in my rant, here is a picture as a reward!!