My Sunday snow experience... a.k.a. Illinois sucks sometimes

Let's start this post out by saying that it is the end of March. This just adds to the ridiculousness that was life yesterday.

So, there was forecasted snow for pretty much most of yesterday and through the night, but I wasn't expecting much. You know how the weather report can be. They usually over-exaggerate here and there and are off a lot of the time, so I figured, hey, 4-6 inches? Probably more like 3. And even then, 4-6 inches is not that bad.

Let me tell you, they grossly under-exaggerated. Here's what it looked like when I got up around 9 am.

This is literally all that fell overnight. I took Nick to work at 11 and went straight to the gym. It was barely even flaking snow from the sky. When I left the gym around noon, the flakes were a bit bigger, but the ground was still wet and nothing was sticking. I thought, "sweet, it really won't be that bad today." Fast forward to me getting ready for work and not even looking outside before I left and then opening the front door to a blanket of probably at least 3 inches already. Keep in mind this was around 12:45 and I got home from the gym around 12:15. In 30 minutes, the temperature clearly dropped a bit and it just dumped snow. Now, it's Sunday, so plows aren't really going to be out, not to mention, that snowfall accumulated really fast, so the roads were terrible. I had to drive soooo slow and still slid around! At this point, life looked a bit like this:

I'm talking a white-out situation. I mean, you couldn't see street lights until you were fairly close to them. No bueno.

So I worked for a few hours and we were fairly slow, which was all well and good. Then I had to leave to go home. I had only been at work 4 hours, so my car wasn't covered in snow that badly, but the piles around it made it very difficult to get out. Thankfully, a nice man was there and helped push me out of my spot so I could get going. The roads were still absolute crap because it had been snowing constantly since it started, and everything turned to slush and a little bit of ice since it was wet before the temp dropped and it reallly started to snow. So I'm driving along in the left lane that has more slushy "tracks" cut out of it, but it's kinda bumpy, and I'm gonna have to turn right eventually, so I decide to get over (even though I can't see at all out of my back windshield). Well, I did this much too soon, and in the right lane, which was a little more icy, I hid a little slippery patch and my car's butt started sliding right and then I got stuck on the side of the road. Then, my life looked like this:

[So so sad]

I called Nick, because he was waiting for me to pick him up from work at Walgreen's, and told him my great news. He started walking in my direction (I was seriously so close but so far haha), but thankfully my boss had caught up to me, realized that the sad little stuck car was mine, and called me and said he could pick Nick up for me. Yay! So I just sat and watched cars whip past me (people are idiots in weather like this) and not even look at me to see what was going on. My faith in humanity was restored when a truck pulled over in front of me and a younger guy got out to see what was up. I told him I had someone on the way, but he grabbed the other guy in his truck and they pushed me out. Thank the Lord. Buuuut I still had a ways to go considering the weather, and I hadn't gotten very far when a van spun across the lane in front of me. Good thing I was going, like, 10 miles an hour.

So I finally get to Nick and we switch places (thank God), and we then get to the challenge of getting into our building's little parking lot. Which still hadn't been cleared. We decided, hell, let's just go for it! Because parking on the street would probably be worse and I'd rather have my car under it's little car port then out in the weather. That wasn't the best idea though, because the snow was soooo deep, and we got stuck. Again. Thankfully our neighbor was coming out to take out trash,a nd she helped us push the car in, but not after about 15-20 minutes of literally kicking out a path for the car and also kicking snow out from underneath the car and around the tires. We almost hit her car, which is next to ours in the lot, but we finally got it in, and thankfully she didn't seem to mind that almost happening a few times, haha.

I have never been so happy to be home. We immediately changed into warm comfy clothes and made some drinks. We needed it, obviously. Our friend Andrew came over and we decided to have a LOTR marathon, and then, since snow is much more enjoyable when you don't have to drive in it, we decided to go out and run around in it a bit. Because, no matter how much snow sucks when you're an adult and actually have to function in it, nothing can take away that feeling you got when you were a kid and got to play in the snow. Plus, it's just so peaceful when the snow stops falling and everything is quiet. So life was a little better then. Scratch that, much better then, and I had fun making tracks in fresh snow :) It looked kinda like this:

[My car, Sylvia, all tucked away nicely]

The end.

The Southern

 Finally getting around to posting pictures of the deliciousness and awesomeness that is The Southern!!! We happened upon this gem by accident, when we originally planned on going to LOKal, a place that offers unlimited bloody marys and mimosas (I know, right?). Unfortunately, because it was St. Paddy's Day, they weren't taking reservations, and they were full by the time we got there. Nick was feeling a little worse for wear, so we decided to walk up the street to see what we stumble upon, since we're in a great area in North Chicago, where fantastic restaurants abound.

So we stumbled upon this adorable restaurant, with outdoor seating for warmer months, and a homey, rustic feel on the inside, with wood everything, and a great bar. They offer lots of micro-brews, a selection of small batch brews, whiskeys, and, of course, bloody marys :) We thought we would have to wait 30 minutes because they were taking reservations so the next available table was going to go to one of those parties, but they decided to let us just take it! The menu is small, but the options are awesome, and did you notice that Maple Bacon Manhattan up on that drink menu?? It literally comes with a slice of bacon in it. Yeah, I will have to try that next time (because there WILL be a next time). We tried the sugared donut holes for an appetizer and they came with this amazing coffee dipping sauce. Nick got the fried chicken, which is only offered on Wednesdays and weekends (and was delicious), and I got the French Quarter toast. Each piece was deep-fried (yes, please) and covered with this delicious, not-too-sweet syrupy-sauce, as well as pistachios, coconut, bananas, and raisins. Oh. My. God. So good. I could only eat one piece, but gladly enjoyed the rest for breakfast the next morning! It was hard choosing between that and the biscuits and gravy, which had andouille sausage in it, but that will be my order next time for sure!

St. Paddy's Day Weekend

Any excuse to get up to Chicago is a welcomed one, especially when it means reuniting with friends and having some fun for St. Paddy's Day! Nick and I drove up around 11 on Saturday and upon getting to our shared hotel room with friends Niki and Matt, the drinking commenced. Others joined later, and after a very amusing hunt for our hotel's pool (who shares a pool with another hotel???? And makes you walk really far to get to it??? And pay for it??), we ventured out for some sustenance for the night. We had a great dinner at the Hop Häus downtown and ended up at Joe's on Weed Street for an AWESOME cover band. Not to mention, they played a great mix of music to dance to while we waited for the band to start. It was a lot of fun, and I haven't stayed up that late in awhile... I'm still trying to catch up on sleep! The weekend ended much too soon after a breakfast at this amazing place called The Southern the next morning.... more on that later! Here's some pictures from the festivities.

Getting down to business

Being guys

Niki and Matt being cute.

Niki and I

Andrew and Chelsie

Friday lunch date.

Nick's weekend started on Friday, and I didn't have to work til 5, and with the ONE DAY we've had of close-to-Spring weather (it was 57!!!!), we decided to make the most of it. After (much-needed) sleeping in and a gym session, we went downtown to try out Wildflour Artisan Bakery and Cafe for lunch. It hasn't been around that long, but I had heard it was really good, and they make everything with local ingredients. The atmosphere is so cute and homey, and they use mason jars for glasses, which is always ok in my book! They also have menu changes every week and there is a featured soup, salad, and sandwich every day of the week. I went ahead and tried the spanikopita and their roasted red pepper soup, and Nick got a soup and salad combo - their 3-cheese toastie and red pepper soup.... oh my gosh it was delicious. I'm always down for spanikopita, and it was delicious, and the soup was amazing. I tried a bite of Nick's grilled cheese and it was heavenly. One of the cheeses had a smoked flavor, and it really gave it that something extra. We were too full to try desserts, but I want to go back for their chocolate caramel torte which looked to-die for.

After lunch, we had a little more time to kill, and since it was actually nice outside, we walked around Decatur's little downtown and picked up some popcorn from Del's Popcorn shop. I had to get back home to get ready for work not much later, but it was so nice to have a little outing with my man, especially since we would be hanging out with friends in Chicago and not get a lot of time just the two of us. We have one-on-one time when we're both home at our apartment, but it's not quite the same as spending time together somewhere else, when we don't have endless tv shows on Netflix and HBO Go to distract us from actually conversing with each other :) The next day when we drove up to Chicago, we were ready for some St. Paddy's Day shenanigans with our friends in the city! I'll share pictures of that another day :)

The waiting game.

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been posting lately.

I'm in one of those "funks" again. This post is mainly for me to get things off my chest, so if you don't read it, that's fine. It's just a little of what is going on at the moment in my little life.

So, I don't know about you, but I hate waiting. Not waiting in the sense of waiting for someone you are meeting for lunch, or before a Dr.'s appointment, or waiting for someone to get ready (I mean, I keep Nick waiting on that end on many occasions... whoops), because that all happens and while we don't always like it, it's really not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. No, I'm talking about waiting for something to come that you know will come, but have no idea of the details or what things will look like or how you'll take them on. Things that you have been thinking about for quite some time (try, over a year), and you know you just need to be patient and everything will work itself out, but you just can't stand it anymore.

That's kinda how I'm feeling. And for an anxious person like myself, this is no bueno. As you know, Nick applied for graduate schools. We honestly could be finding out about that any day now, but I hate  that we still have to wait. And some schools don't get back to you right away, sot hat's even more  annoying. But it's not just that. This whole year has sort of been a waiting period. Even if we had moved back home to be closer to family, it still would have been that way. Although, at least we would have been around family. We're living in a place that was great for college, but not our ideal spot for living. It's ok obviously, because I love my job and it's given me and will give me more opportunities after we move, but it's still Decatur. There isn't enough here to keep me happy. We're living here because it just kind of made sense because it's not that expensive and we can have our own space, and that's great. But it is so hard not to think about what's next. We really could find out any day about what's next, what with his answers from schools coming, but even after that, it's still very uncertain. If school doesn't work out for him, do we still move to Chicago? Do we go back home for a year and regroup ourselves and be close to family for that time? Do we move somewhere else so I could be a co-manager or manager?

But we can't even know half of that stuff until we get his school stuff squared away, and even then it will be a little up in the air. And it's not even just that. I'm also trying to figure out what the hell I want to do with my life, and while there is still time, all I can think about is the fact that we'll be married and if I do go to grad school the next year, I'll be 27 by the time I get out, and then was it really worth it because I will probably want to have babies and there is no way I am having babies and trying to audition for young artist programs and whatnot, so then was the masters really worth it? Well of course it would be, because I would be furthering my voice! But maybe I should just stick with The Limited. It's a great company and I could be a manager somewhere next year probably and be making a steady salary and on and on and on and on and on my mind goes.

But all I can do is wait. Wait for time to unfold and wait for things to come. I really do believe that everything happens for a reason, and there is some sort of a big picture for our lives. I think I know what I need to do deep down, I just don't know if I'm ready to believe it or accept it. I know in my heart that I will see clearly what I should be doing, and although that hasn't come to me yet, I know that it will. Eventually.

But, oh, I hate that eventually part. I just want to plan things, and it's so hard for me to not really have anything planned out. I mean, I have outlines of plans for our lives, but nothing more than that. Nothing that can't be edited or shifted around. 

Lately I feel like this has been wearing down on me. Mainly, I think the 2 jobs thing is really getting to me just because my schedule is so full and I rarely have a full day off. I never have two days off in a row unless I make sure to request a weekend off from both places to do something (which we are this weekend), but it usually involves more of the lack of sleep thing because I just want to have some fun, ya know? This whole cold weather is really getting to me, too. I mean, it's March, and it's now deciding to snow. Really? I almost feel like warm weather will never come, haha. I know that's not true, but if you were here you'd be feeling the same way. It really feels like an endless winter.

So we continue to wait. Wait for Spring and warmer weather (which seems to bring more optimism, don't you think?), wait for the letters that will determine the next two years for Nick and myself, wait to get married, wait to move the hell out of Decatur... I am so excited for all of these things! But it's hard not to get a little frustrated. I know that everything will become clearer as time goes on, even in the next 2 months it will, but right now it's hard to see through every single little possibility that I like to imagine and re-imagine in my head. Ugh. Sometimes I wish I could just turn my mind off every once in awhile! I would definitely sleep better!

I am thankful for this time, though. I am thankful that the first year Nick and I have lived together has gone so so well. It honestly felt so natural, and it makes me so happy and even more confident that he is the one for me and that we will have a happy life together. And I am thankful for the experience I'm getting at my job and (although it sounds cheesy) in life in general. This has been a learning year for both Nick and I, and I feel even more certain we can take on anything that comes our way. And as long as I'm with Nick, I will be home, and I will be happy, and that is all that matters. So I will think of these things, and be thankful, and wait with an optimistic heart.

Best cheesecake EVER

Nick isn't much of a cake person (what is that?) and prefers pie and cobbler.... however, cheesecake is a different story. He loves it, and requested one for his birthday dessert. I love a good cheesecake myself (hell, I love anything remotely resembling any kind of cake), so I was totally fine with it. I mean, what's not to love? Cream cheese, sugar... that's essentially it. Yum.

I don't have a recipe here, so I was browsing the internet and stumbled upon recipes for cheesecakes with sour cream toppings. Then, it dawned on me - the recipe my mom has always used calls for a sour cream topping! That recipe makes a super delicious cheesecake, and nothing beats a recipe from your childhood, so I called my mom and wrote it down! It is now copied in my personal cookbook so I will always have it to make for Nick and myself (and future generations of course).

Here's what you'll need:

Crust:

- 2 c graham cracker crumbs

- 1/2 c butter, melted

Filling:

- 2 lbs cream cheese, softened

- 1 c sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 tsp almond extract

- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sour cream topping:

- 2 c sour cream

- 3/4 c sugar

- 1/2 tsp almond extract

- juice of 1/2 lemon

For the crust, it helps to put the graham crackers in a big ziploc bag and crush the living daylights out of them. It also makes less mess! Combine your crumbs and melted butter and press into the bottom and sides of a springform pan.

For the filling, beat your cream cheese til soft. Then add the rest of the ingredients and beat until combined, but be sure not to over-beat! Pour over your crust in the pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

While your cake is baking, combine the sour cream, sugar, extract, and lemon juice. After the first 30 minutes, take the cake out and spread the topping on top. Put it back in the oven and bake for 8 more minutes.

Take it out and let it cool on the counter for awhile, then cover and put in the fridge for a couple of hours. Yum!

I also made a raspberry sauce to go over the top. For that, you just need 1 pint of raspberries, a 1/4 c sugar, and 2 tsp lemon juice. Put all of those ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook it and mash it together til it just begins to boil. You can strain yours, but I liked the raspberry chunks in mine, so I left them! It makes for a little something extra special on top!