Ramblings from Royalty

It isn't a single tourist site though living close to Chicago makes it so I have plenty of really cool places to take family when they visit.  I love taking them to local restaurants, the food is so amazingly good here.  It isn't just one place that is noteworthy either, just about everything is better here.  Don't even get me started on the pizza.  I have yet to have just a mediocre slice around here (well as long as I stick to local shops and not national chains). 

My absolute favorite though has to be Portillos.  They make everything so good.  I am especially fond of the Italian Beef (hot of course).  Just dripping with goodness. 

It was my first official Chicago food.  After a long day of house hunting with my real estate agent Mike Kwain (Century 21 he is so awesome by the way.  You should call him up) he treated me to my first Italian Beef.  I was expecting something like a roast beef with au jus but no Portillos has perfected the art of beef, dripping with juices and flavor and the bun is just right.   It doesn't matter what time of day I order it it is always perfection.  My waistline is suffering but it seems so worth it at the time. 

I am fond of Home Run Inn pizza as well because I was there for dinner when I got the call that our offer on the house was accepted. 

You can complain about the weather here all you want and you would get absolute agreement from me but you can't complain about the food. 

This is so out of my comfort zone.  We moved into our place almost two years ago.  We left everything just as the previous owners left it so I have a mirror in the dining room.  Recently we bought a flat screen and mounted it on the wall.  Other than that my walls are bare.  The bedrooms are boring and white.  I want to jazz things up and create cute and cozy seating arrangements but feel so overwhelmed by the process. 

I bought a magazine to give me ideas but I soon realized that my budget and theirs are so far apart that I will never be able to do what they did or even come close.  I am considering hiring someone to do it for me.  Do you suppose with the economy the way it is I could get one cheap?  I need things to hang on my walls and cute floral arrangements and I guess lamps.  Doesn't everyone end up with lamps?  Oh I guess I need things for people to sit on.  I hear beanbag chairs are making a comeback. 

I bought almost all of our other furniture at Ikea perhaps I need to go back there for more ideas.  Ikea is a bit overwhelming and the idea of schlepping everything back home just to have to put it together makes it a little more unappealing. 

I will just keep plugging away and trying some things out.  If I keep to neutrals for the big pieces I can add little things like throw pillows for color.  At least that is what I think I read in some magazine. 

I love the Metra!  It took me a year to figure out there was a station only 3 miles away from my house.  Since that discovery I have visited the city more often and had a much better time.  It is stressful to find parking not to mention all of the honking of horns and the endless construction.  I live in the West Suburbs so the train ride is about 50 minutes but driving in on my own takes about that or more. 

Parking is so expensive especially with the new hikes in rates at the meters.   I think I read it can cost $6 for half an hour.  That is just crazy.

Metra has these weekend rates that are so cheap.  It is $5 for a pass you can use any time on Saturday and Sunday.  We were even able to use the same pass on Memorial day. 

Our most recent trip brought us in for a concert at the Chicago Theater, we arrived a little off schedule but had plenty of time to enjoy a little fast food at the food court and then walk to the theater.  The trip home was a little more hectic as the concert ended a little after 10 and we had to be to the station by 10:40pm.  We had to walk a little faster back, but that was good, worked up a sweat.

My mother is bringing two of my nieces to visit this summer and we are going to plot out all of their trips using the Metra.

The past months have slowly dragged by.  The winter was long and cold.  Finally the sun has come out and the temperature is rising along with my mood. 

I have found new love.  It isn't better than my old love, it is just a different love.  There is even more to love this time.  It is such a wonderful feeling to be excited to hold someone new, to wonder during the day what they are doing, are they okay, do they miss me too?  Racing home to see them and touch them again. 

I thought I could only love boys but instead I fell in love with girls.  It all happened so quickly, I was checking out a group and a member of the group ended up in my arms and my heart leaped.  I turned to my loving husband and said "Please can we keep this one?"  and then, "She will get lonely, we should take one of her siblings too".  Not too long after we were on our way home and our hearts that were so empty and still a little battered from our loss started to feel a little better, a little more complete. 

We have two kittens, both girls.  We named them Julie and Eartha after the beautiful women that played Catwoman on the Batman TV show.  They both make us laugh so hard when they play.  First thing in the morning they come looking for love and we are more than happy to give it to them.  Our lives have been changed once again and it feels so good.  It has only been a week and they have already gotten bigger.  They started out so tiny and a little scared, but they are feisty and love to wrestle.  Sleep is also one of the big activities, followed by food. 

I look forward to seeing them grow up to be even more beautiful and sweet. 

We have a dog.  His name is Tiger and he is now 14.  I got him as an 8 week old puppy.  Struggled through house training, sacrificed half my shoe collection to get him to 2.  He has been so loyal to me all these years.  We have shared good moments and bad. 

I love the way he sneezes and the way he sounds when he is sleeping.  At night it is always fun to have to race to claim your space on the bed before he steals it. 

The last few years he has really started to slow down.  Now he has virtually come to a stop.  Getting up after laying down is a struggle.  

Last night Ben and I picked a date.  December 14th that is the day we are going to say goodbye for good.  Even though it is the right thing to do it hurts to even think that in less than a month I won't have to fight him for the blankets, or to feel his nose push into my hand for more loving. 

Maybe another day I can write him a fitting tribute but today it is too new too painful. 

I thought it would be better to have the date set, we have been planning it for awhile, my dad even has the urn made for us.  We will pick it up on our trip home for the holidays. 

That is all from my kingdom for now. 

Finally, I have a friend that is local.  I love my online friends but sometimes it is nice to just have someone nearby to hang out with.  This is a new experience for me as my new friend is male.  His name is Drew and he is a very nice guy and we have quite a bit in common.  We met because he was a regular customer at work and we just started visiting.  We realized we had a lot in common and decided we should hang out.  Ben is supportive and that is nice, I think he was a little jealous when I went to a movie two days in a row while he was working.  Get Smart and Kung Fu Panda both really good movies by the way.  It is odd to start a friendship by making sure both parties understand the boundaries.  When I have had female friends in the past there has not been any feeling that one party might be looking for more than a friendship, in this one I wasn't sure at first so had to make it clear I was happily married.  So far I am having fun and it is nice. 

Work is going well though it is getting really busy now.  My class is keeping me busy as well.  Probably less busy if I would just do the assignment instead of putting it off forever.  Lately I have not been getting tired at night like I usually do.  I blame the late nights for work, either that or I am drinking caffeine too late in the day.  Probably the caffeine. 

I think that is all for now.  I hate humidity by the way. 

My friend Lauren said I don't post enough and when I do I don't make them long enough.  Yesterday was my birthday.  Another year.  I think my birthdays keep getting better and better.  I love them, I love the attention I get.  I also enjoy getting presents and eating cake.  My cake this year is so yummy.  I had my first cannoli and then we bought a cannoli cake.  So good. 

The best part of the day, we went to downtown Chicago and watched the musical Wicked.  It was amazing.  We left the house a little later than we probably should have so we got stuck in traffic.  It always takes way too long to get downtown.  We found parking pretty quickly so we made it to our seats on time.  Right next to the Oriental Theatre is a place called Garrett's which is supposed to have the best popcorn ever.  I wanted some so bad but didn't have time to get some before the show.  I wanted to get some afterwards but they were closed.  Now I am going to have to go downtown again to get some popcorn.  Speaking of downtown, parking is so expensive.  It was $22 to park last night.  We may have been able to find cheaper parking but there was no time. 

The production was so good, I loved the set design and the costumes, the singing was so good.  I never really thought it was going to be funny and then it was.  Galinda was so hilarious.  I can't wait to take my nieces to it.

Oh I like to do product reviews on these and I have a new one.  A few months back I ordered a spot carpet cleaner from bissel online.  They accidentally sent me the wrong thing at first.  They sent this steam mop, I was not interested in it because I was more worried about my carpets at the time.  So time went by and I decided to give this steam mop a try.  I love it.  It is so easy and it does a great job.  My favorite thing is the mop heads come off and you can throw them in the washer.  Makes clean up so easy. 

I can't believe I have not posted in so long.  I won't even try to catch up with all of the changes that have been going on. 

Saturday is Ben and I's 11year anniversary.  I am so happy with him and I am glad we have stuck through the hard times.  He makes me so happy.  We will be watching the new Indiana Jones movie of course and probably find somewhere nice to have dinner. 

Tomorrow we are going to see the White Sox playing the Cleveland Indians.  I am excited we are going to be doing something new.  On my birthday in a couple of weeks we are going to see Wicked the Musical.  Way way way excited about that. 

We did sign up for Netflix.  I love it.  There are a lot of options for the view on the internet and they have so many movies.  Much better than Vongo.