Life's A Beach

This is why Chicago is the best city. We're in the midwest and have beaches!!!

Yesterday was Memorial Day, which means it was optional to come into the office. One of the most wonderful things about my job is that I get to choose my own hours. As long as I get 40 hours in a week I can come in when I please and leave when I please. With that being said, I went in for a few hours on Monday then we all headed to the beach! This past weekend I went to visit Matt and had a few train problems so I didn't get into the office until around 11. I didn't bring a swimsuit, so I made a makeshift tube top out of my scarf and laid out with the girls.

It was PACKED! I've never been to a public beach before. I grew up next to a lake out in Sherrard. We didn't have big beaches like that even in the Quad Cities. Just another reason why I love Chicago. It was a new and exciting experience until..

As we were laying in the sand and the wonderful hot sun, all of a sudden a guy ran off the sidewalk with his bike and wiped out right into the spot where I was laying. If I didn't sit up 10 seconds before he fell, I would have gotten hurt...

The foot tall sidewalk where the guy ran off his bike and into my bag... braking my camera.

... but guess what did get hurt?! MY CAMERA! Sand went EVERYWHERE so of course sand got into my camera lens which made everything blurry..

My make shift tube top with my new blurry camera.

I was so upset that I was living DOWN TOWN CHICAGO and broke my camera. Thank the Lord once I got home and cleaned it up it was OK. Just in time for my night time Millennium Park adventure.

A Pug, Portillos, and a Prize...

I have SO MUCH to tell you all! But before I do, I need to make sure I can!

This much I can tell you..

Yesterday was my first day and it was amazing! While sitting around eating Portillos for lunch, as a little pug dog walked around the office, over 100 of us watched as Red Frog Events won the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Dream Big Best Small Business of the Year Award. That's right, the company I am working for was voted the BEST small business in America. How many others can say they started off their internship like that? ONLY THE 82 US!

What a better way to end the night with the Bulls game at a local bar?

1 dollar tacos and 2 dollar Coronas. YEAH!

Today was the second day of orientation. It started off with RAIN...

...POURING RAIN, but ended on a high note when I got my new work MacBook Pro and desk. Tomorrow I start my first official day as an Event Coordinator. Updates to come! :D

What are you doing in Chicago? RED FROG EVENTS!

I start work tomorrow. AHHHH!! Can you tell I'm excited? I kinda forgot to mention the whole reason I'm here. Most people know already with all my Facebook posts, but some don't..

I landed an internship with Red Frog Events. They're an event planning company based in Chicago that puts on race series events all over the country and even the world, with events in Austria, London, and Canada. I have the position as an Event Coordinator. While working in an office with a slide and rock wall, I get to plan these events then get to travel the country to put these events on. This article pretty much sums it up...

READ and WATCH

You can also "LIKE" them on Facebook: RED FROG EVENTS

Yesterday I took the train to Wheaton to visit Matt and take another trip of stuff into the city. Today I completed another goal of mine.. I drove downtown.. all by myself. I bought some groceries and dropped off the rest of my stuff at our apartment.

The Buckingham

My apartment is the one with the only window in the red brick.

Driving in the city is NOTHING like driving out in Sherrard, but I'm assuming you all knew that. I drove my car back to Wheaton then Matt dropped me off at the train station. While walking back to my apartment I noticed how much of a tourist I am. The skyscrapers still amaze me.

I always look up as I walk through the city.

So tomorrow is the big day. I start my big job in the big city. Wish me luck!

Do u read me text me 10 4 good buddy

I love my mom. Last night I received a cluster of text messages from her..

2:21am: Just saw on a n e someone goes missing every 30 minutes in chicago new series on tv

2:22am: Be careful

2:23am: Do u read me text me 10 4 good buddy

2:26am: Just saw on a n e someone goes missing every 30 minutes in chicago new series on tv

2:27am: Do u read me text me 10 4 good buddy

2:52am: I also saw on the nightly news that 1 out of 5 girls who go to college get sexually assaulted

2:54am: I dont think i should watch tv

2:56am: I am done texting to much work

Poor mom. If I had a daughter living in a big city I would freak out too. I will admit that scares me. Even going from Sherrard to Dekalb was a culture shock. Imagine growing up in a town with no crime. We never locked our doors, people leave their cars running when they go into the four businesses we have, and talking to a stranger was never a big deal. I definitely miss that about my small farm town. As much as I love Chicago, it has one of the highest crime rates. This reminds me of the Take Back The Night March. No one should have to worry about assault. We live in a sad world.

Are you done with that?

um.... (waiter walks away). I love Indian restaurants and the awkwardness that comes with them. Today my dear friend Kelsey came to visit me so we went out for food and shopping.

We ate at a lovely Indian restaurant called "India House". We both got the buffet and tried some new things. Our waiters didn't speak much English. One asked if we were done with our meal and as I stared to answer, he just walked away. I guess you had to be there to really understand, but it was very funny and slightly awkward but the food was great!

Thanks to Groupon our meal was half off! Groupon is a website that great finds deals throughout the city on food, entertainment, shopping, and more. After our meal we headed to the Water Tower Place where I bought my very first pair of TOMS!

TOMS is the company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need with every pair of TOMS shoes that are purchased. It's a great cause and a great pair of shoes.. perfect for walking around Chicago!

After Kelsey left I shopped around for some bathroom accessories then got ready for my first "night on the town". A few of us met up with some friends in Wrigleyville.

It was weird to be around that area and not at a cubs game.

It was a fun night with some fun people. It was my first night out and will definitely not be my last!

"It's like "Sex in the City" but without the sex."

I love being a girl and having new girl-friends in the city. Girls are fun.

What's also fun is going to the taping of X-Factor!

X-Factor

We left our apartment building a little late and therefore missed our train, but to our luck my roommate and her mom saved the day! We got to the arena around 11:30am and waited and waited.. and then waited some more. Once we finally got into the arena we realized, thanks to the cute girls we are, we got floor seats! We were only feet away from Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. It was a long show but a blast. There were some pretty outlandish contestants, including a women who admitted to killing her husband. :/ We also got interviewed about some of the better contestants. So look out for us once The X-Factor airs this Fall!

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..

I'm a girl in the city.. of course you'll find me shopping...

If Dorothy got her red slippers from Chicago, this is what they'd look like.

Today one my roommates and another intern took a shopping trip up to The Water Tower Place and around State Street. I love these high end stores, never something you'd see in Dekalb or the Quad Cities... with prices you wouldn't see either. eeekk.

After our shopping adventure a few of us got together and finally met after months of facebook communication. It was great to sit around a get to know the people I'll be working with and living so close to. Tomorrow is another adventure in itself. We're making our way to the X-Factor auditions along with a trip to Ikea. After Ikea has made our apartment complete, I'll post photos of the apartment.

Movin' on up..

Thank God for Mr. Matthew LaRowe. Without him I wouldn't be here. We started the day off in Dekalb. To our frustration we couldn't fit everything in two cars. I'd like to point out that I no longer live at home, therefore was bringing more belongings than most. We made a trip to Wheaton to drop of my car then headed to the city.

A visual of our road trip.

After unloading one trip we made our way back to Wheaton and again to the city. After that SECOND trip we headed back to Dekalb to pick up what we couldn't fit. TRAFFIC WAS HORRIBLE. After enduring the traffic and eating a lovely meal at Chipotle, we headed back to Chicago. A special thanks goes to Mr. Joe Lifshitz for the storage of his home. We headed back to the city for our THIRD and final trip. Those city lights are breathtaking: take a look..

DRIVE IN

Matt dropped me off and I started unpacking. Tuesday was quite the moving adventure. It was very frustrating but very rewarding in the end. I am now unpacked in my new home with my new roommates in my new city.

For your information..

For those of you that don't already know, which is very few, this summer I am living and working in downtown Chicago.

I will be blogging about my experience for class credit and updating family and friends of my journey.To some of you this may seem silly, but after growing up in a farm town of 700 people... this is an new and exciting experience that must be documented.

Next, I'll let you know of the craziness that comes with moving to downtown. For right now, enjoy this little tune:

HOT CHILD IN THE CITY