work, school, and chickens.

I really shouldn’t be blogging right now. But so much has been happening over the past few weeks, and I’m pretty sure if I wait for a day where I can “find time” to blog, it may be June before I return here. So. I am going to give you a real quick rundown of what’s been happening around these parts lately.

First big piece of news: I quit my job at Northwestern. And let me tell you. IT FEELS GOOD. Leaving was a little bittersweet, because I really worked with some great people there, enjoyed my patients, and had a lot of autonomy in a setting I knew very well. Instead, I am now working at an agency, which means I spend my shifts working in different ICUs across Chicago. Why the switch? Many reasons, including increased flexibility and a 90% pay increase (maximizing my limited hours working). I think the best part of quitting my job at Northwestern was just taking something off my plate. My working hours haven’t decreased (in fact, they’ve increased), but for at least a few days, I was able to tell myself, “BREATHE. ONE LESS THING TAKING UP PRECIOUS MENTAL SPACE.”

School is TRYING TO CONSUME MY LIFE. I suppose that’s appropriate, considering I plan to graduate with a masters next summer. A few weeks ago, I pulled my first grad school all nighter (impressive, actually, considering it’s my third quarter) and spent every other day of that week sleeping an average of five to six hours. I remember telling myself, “I just have to get through these three exams, this research paper, and these two projects, and I’ll be able to breathe again.” When the madness of that week was finally over, I realized I had another two weeks of exams, projects, and NOT A LOT OF SLEEP ahead. Shoot. So it began to look like there was going to be no break before the end of the quarter in five weeks. And since that realization I’ve come to discover three things:

1. I DESPERATELY WANT A TROPICAL VACATION.

2. EVERY WEEK IS FINALS WEEK.

3. SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO JUST ACT LIKE YOU’RE ON VACATION WHEN YOU ARE SO NOT ON VACATION.

And so. This weekend, before my week of two more major exams and project deadlines looming closely, I acted like I was on vacation. Because WEDNESDAY I WORKED 14 HOURS, THURSDAY was HAVE-YOUR-NEAR-PANIC-ATTACK-DAY, as always, and FRIDAY I had to go to the doctor to get a CAMERA STUCK UP MY NOSE. So yeah, I thought this seemed like a good weekend for a vacation.

It was lovely. Friday evening I actually SAW my husband. Woot! Saturday a bunch of KICK A. women from my church came to my house to eat quiche and drink mimosas and RELAX together. It was the best. Then I hung out with my husband AGAIN (what!). We made dinner and watched A WEBISODE that night. YES! Sunday, after all the regular lovely things we get to do from 8am to 2pm, WE GOT CHICKENS. REAL. LIVE. FLUFFY. EGG-LAYING CHICKENS. Here’s one:

They’re silkies (you can read about them on wikipedia), a little over one year old. And let me tell you. They are a HOOT. I feel like such a farm person. Trudging through the mud in our backyard making it chicken-ready was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Ok. Well I should really get off to studying for these exams. UNTIL NEXT TIME.

wait wait… don’t tell me!!!

There is a long list of things I enjoy that as a kid I never thought I’d be interested in. One of those things is listening to NPR on a regular basis. I remember when I was a kid and my dad would turn on talk radio and I would CRINGE and think to myself (and sometimes out loud) “aaagghhhhh now this WHOLE car ride is going to be boooorrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnngggg.”

Now one of my favorite pastimes is listening to public radio. And one of my favorite things to listen to is Wait Wait… Don’t Tell me! If you haven’t heard it, you SHOULD. I fell in love with the show in LA during our weekly produce pick-up, and when we moved to Chicago I kept telling Jeremy we should try and go sometime. Well being the perceptive, generous husband he is, my Valentines Day present this year was a ticket to the show.

It was awesome. After the show, the hosts and panelists host a Q&A with the audience and after the Q&A we got to MEET THEM!!!!!

I have to say. Considering these people are public radio personalities, I was surprisingly  starstruck. I mean seriously nervous to talk to them. The moment I approached each of them, every clever, charming, NORMAL bone in my body disappeared and I turned into a hunk of awkward jelly-person. I’ve got photos for proof:

The only thing I could think of to ask PETER SAGAL was “So, is it weird that all these people you don’t know want to have pictures of themselves with you in them?” He told me that no, it wasn’t weird. “It makes me feel like I’m a fish and they’ve caught me.”

Here’s me visibly being awkward with Carl Kasell. Jeremy told me to ask him where he lives. Washington D.C. Flies out to Chicago EVERY WEEK for the show! What a guy.

I told Tom Bodett that I love when he’s on the show and that he’s really funny.

More visible awkwardness with Mo Rocca. I had no words for him. Just “Can I take a picture with you?” Love, awkward Erin.

Jessi Klein was the third panelist, but was gone before we made it up there. It was a great show. And I loved being weird around all of these public radio stars. Major points for the hubs.

2% milk makes the world go round

It appears the rain is finally coming after holding off all weekend. It’s my favorite kind of gloomy Monday morning. My husband is working from home, the dog is staying out of trouble, the windows are open, and I’m sitting at my dining room table with a delicious creamy cup of coffee, compliments of a little 2% with sugar. The house is clean and I feel delightful.

My family was in town for my cousin’s wedding this weekend and we had a fabulous time. My parents got to tour the latest house we’re thinking of buying, we had some of the best deep dish pizza in all of Chicago with our cousins, and we all seriously danced the night away at the Trettel-Sullivan wedding.

My parents, sister, future bro-in-law, and husband are hands down some of my favorite people to spend time with. There’s just nothing like having the whole Moore family together in one place. It’s going to be near impossible to wait for my sister’s wedding in September.

Our mini vacation came to an end yesterday afternoon and I’m thankful for Monday off to ease back into real Chicago life. The junior Manns have got a lot going on. Jeremy is finishing up the bulk of his teachers’ first year, I’m waiting to hear on a major scholarship that will determine how I begin school in September, and we’re trying to buy a house as the end of our lease is quickly approaching. It’s a bit unreal not knowing what our lives will look like just a couple months from now. It’s freaky, but mostly exciting. I take solace in telling myself that we’re still young and resilient.

On the greater Mann family front, I’m practically counting down the days until the big Mann Family Vacation in Door County, Wisconsin. The last time all of us were together was for Jason and Natalie’s wedding TWO YEARS ago! Our lives have all drastically changed in some way or another since that time in Stinson Beach, and it’s going to be incredible to spend an entire week together. Also Jeremy and I will finally get to meet our little nice, Mercy!

Life is very good, and I am continually amazed at where God has taken us in the past three years. Can’t wait to see what’s up ahead!

big Moore fam news

Being married is the best. Good and good for you. I really truly enjoy being married, and I’ve been married almost three years, so you have to take my words on marriage as credible. At the very least, you can’t discredit me for “being in the honeymoon phase.” Yes, it’s work–very hard work, sometimes. But it’s the best kind of work, and I’d wish marriage on just about everyone.

Last weekend was one of the greatest weekends of my life because my parents flew me to Minnesota with my husband to see my sister get ENGAGED.

I am so happy for this new season of life in the Moore fam. Cheers! And congrats to Matt and Fain!!! Thank you, parents!!! It was so wonderful. My sister is the absolute best and I can’t think of anyone in the world I’d rather see engaged. And not only that; her fiancé is the FRICKIN BOMB. I couldn’t have dreamt up a better fit for her. I’m so very happy with my bro-in-law-to-be. Matt’s funny, caring, humble, interesting, talented, and seriously genuine. I love the guy, and it’s a relief to know my sister is marrying someone I both enjoy and trust to be a great husband to her.

holiday times in photogs

BOY did we have a great time in Minnesota for Christmas. The trip was short, but sweet. We made it home just in time for the big Moore Fam Christmas Eve, spent Christmas morning with both our fams, spent Christmas afternoon Yankee-swapping with the Trettels, ate a fancy Christmas dinner at the Manns, and had three days to spare for chill time with our fams. Just a few of the many highlights of our trip:

	Driving around Minnesota with the Jer. We made it to the Mann’s from Chicago in about 6.5 hours. The drive went surprisingly well considering we left after work on the 23rd. Also considering our dog’s tender constitution.

My sister’s boyfriend Mathematics (some people call him Matt) made it to Christmas Eve at Grannie and Grandpa’s. There’s Figs and him wearing the traditional tissue paper crowns we get inside our crackers.

Father Mann on Christmas morn’ in his Christmas head ware.

Christmas Dinner at the Mann’s. After dinner we sang Christmas Carols and gave each other tips we had to pass on from the year 2010.

On our last night we made a big dinner at the Moore’s. Jeremy, ma and I made this delicious (and impressive-looking) braided sweet bread. Yums.

Real love for this city

Truth is, I’ve had a difficult relationship with the city of Chicago over the past few months. Objectively, it’s a great city; better than LA. It’s got a lot going for itself. Decent public transportation, incredible architecture and history, successful sports teams (for the most part), actual weather. People love Chicago. And I think that’s my problem.

I don’t know when or why, but somewhere in my growing up years I developed a value of loving the underdog. Loyalty to places, ugly animals, sports teams that no one wants to be loyal to. This has made it very difficult to love Chicago with my whole heart. PEOPLE GO CRAZY FOR THIS PLACE!

But what a silly reason not to love a place. It really is great, and–more importantly–it’s mine now. So let’s quick reveal to the world the things that are not peachy about Chicago, so that the world has the truth and I can get on with enjoying my new home city:

1. Nature is far from here. Yes, there are trees, but where is the hiking? Where is the camping? Not that close. (Side note: did I miss fall? I saw some yellow trees, but what about the reds and oranges? Was that it?)

2. The air is not that clean. I smell trash sometimes.

3. This place is seg-re-gated. I see one person in this coffee shop who isn’t white.

4. Watch out if you own a vehicle here. The City of Chicago is ALL about taking your money. 6 hours at an impound lot, an hour in court, and another impending court date and we still haven’t gotten our $170 back for parking in what was NOT a tow zone, thank you very much.

5. People are way too into sports. (We’ve only been here four months and I know the mascots for all of Chicago’s sports teams.) I am skeptical all the people who claim to LOVE the Bears, the Blackhawks, the Cubs *or* White Sox, AND the Bulls are real sports fans. (Can you seriously be THAT into EVERY sport?)

Ok. You’re informed. Now we can all love Chicago with a real love!!!

Recently we saw this guy (Sufjan Stevens!) at the historic Chicago Theater. Boy what a great concert to see IN CHICAGO. Great great great times. That’s three greats. Props to my husband for suggesting attending this concert AND for laying down the cash to do so. Something else great about the concert was that we got to have drinks with the Van Elswyks beforehand AND we convinced them to stay the night at our place (instead of making the long trek back to theirs late in the night). It was a wonderful evening and we got to enjoy a delightful morning with them as well. Win.

Something else recent and completely unrelated: my friend Emily Schmunk is engaged to her boyfriend Kyle!!! Emily is this wonderful girl I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know since moving to Chicago. Turns out we went to Biola together. Also turns out she’s one of my favorite people to spend time with. I feel like we see the world through similar eyes, and she’s just great to be around. What a blessing to have found such a friend so quickly in a new and unfamiliar city. Her and her boyfriend have been dating longer than Jeremy and I ever did, which gives you an idea of what a neat thing it is to see them engaged. Jeremy and I are going to an engagement party for them tomorrow night. FUN.

Also fun: I’m really starting to feel at home in my job. I like the people I work with and I’m learning so much. I spent the past three days taking care of one of the sickest patients in our ICU. I made it through intubating her, bronching her, scoping her, placing central lines, starting her on continuous dialysis, giving her 15 rounds of various blood products, keeping her blood pressure stable, fighting to control all her bleeding, and talking her family through everything. The first day I had her she didn’t start out crazy sick. I was with her when she went downhill and after my first day with her I figured they’d pass her off to someone more experienced. To my surprise, I had her for two more days. It was sort of a wake up call: I’m not so inexperienced anymore. What an encouragement it was to see that my superiors and co-workers allowed me to take on so much responsibility. I had a lot of help from them those three days, and they were three difficult, long shifts that undoubtedly made me a better nurse. This is the kind of job I’ve been hoping for.

God has been so good to us in Chicago. William is behaving much better. Ma and Pa come next weekend. My husband is doing great at his new job AND is making our closet/dog room/book-stashing room into a lovely, cozy little office. It’s chilly outside. It’s November. Life is so good. It’s incredible how many things I get to enjoy. It has to be true that I take far too much for granted.

Lovely things

I don’t think it’s great to begin every post apologizing for disappearing. On the other hand, it’s been far too long since I’ve taken the time to write here: I’m aware. Here’s me acknowledging my absence.

Well would you know it, I think we’re slipping into winter over here in the Midwest. Many leaves have fallen, most of the remaining ones are dead and brown (or might as well be), and the low for tonight is 31 degrees. I’m inside a coffee shop wearing a scarf and a down coat. ‘Nough said.

I spent a weekend in Minnesota at the beginning of the month. It was quite possibly the most delightful weekend I’ve ever spent visiting (the only downside was the absence of my husband). It was the first time in 7 years I had been back while autumn was happening. I couldn’t believe how much color was in the trees, and how much I took this for granted until I’d been away from it for so long. We enjoyed the season by going for chilly family walks and visiting an apple orchard. My grandpa turned 80 and my grandma threw him a big bash. It was so much fun spending time with all my grandparents’ neighbors and old friends. My grandpa is a really wonderful man, and it was so special to be able to actually celebrate him in person.

I think the best thing about this trip was how normal it was. We’re usually in Minnesota for the holidays or a lengthy, fun-filled summer vacation. Everyone is on vacation and there’s lots going on. Going home for a short weekend in the middle of fall was a totally different experience. Everyone was in the middle of living their normal lives. My mom and I bummed around town together. I met my friend Katie’s new baby twin girls in her home. We ran into a wonderful couple we know and love with all five of their kids at the apple orchard. My sister and I had coffee one morning before she worked. I was struck by how precious the normality of life felt. I love my family so much and I have always loved going home. But this trip made me long to live near them like never before. I came back to Chicago feeling disappointed at the complexity of life.

This trip made me want to move to Minneapolis and have kids, oddly enough. It made me want to be able to have my parents over for dinner without having to ask an entire weekend of them. It made me want to be able to call my sister up and meet her in uptown for coffee and walking. I can imagine such a wonderful life for us in Minnesota.

On the other hand, I’m 100% sure God wants us in Chicago now. He’s made it far too clear for me to think otherwise. And I like it. I’ve been so blessed by the people we’ve connected with here. My job has been so good for me. I’m excited about going to grad school. I love our church. I’m excited for Jeremy to start seminary. We’re experiencing another great city, and learning a lot along the way.

I guess for now the best I can do is pray that someday God brings us back to Minnesota for a time. And I can be thankful for the proximity he’s offered us to family in the meantime. We’ve got such great families. I’ve spent many days recently thinking about what a great life I have. I’m not sure how or why it turned out that way, but I’m beyond thankful.

Dear west London, thanks for the music.

It’s official. I’ve found a favorite.

I hate when people ask me what my favorite of anything is. Movie? Color? Place to eat? It doesn’t matter what it is; I hate it. Favorite is such a strong word. It’s not fair. I can never provide an answer that represents myself well and is actually true. It drives me nuts. (You should know that I’m aware I am a little crazy. That’s beside the point.)

Moving on. I have a new favorite band. A favorite band. Perhaps someday I’ll regret claiming that Mumford and Sons is my favorite band, but today I just cannot help myself. I bought their album on itunes. It’s official.

I found these peeps at Lollapalooza, of all places. “Lolla”–as it is affectionately called by music-loving Chicagoans–is a huge 3-day outdoor music festival that happens in Grant Park every summer. Jeremy and I coughed up the cash to attend one day, to take part in a major Chicago summer tradition.

One of Jeremy’s friends had told us that, as crazy as giant outdoor festivals can be (not to mention sweaty, crowded, boozy), Lolla was a neat opportunity to discover unfamiliar bands and new music. At the time I wasn’t so convinced, but still was looking forward to seeing bands like MGMT and The Arcade Fire perform live.

We arrived in the early afternoon, and stumbled upon a crowd waiting for Mumford and Sons to perform. Jeremy knew of them, and I remembered my friend Emily saying they were really great, so we stood in the hot sun under an umbrella and waited for them to come on. As I watched and listened, I said to myself, “I think I’m becoming a fan right now.” And I was.

photo by: Matt Ellis

Everything about this band is awesome. They’re described as four young men with “fire in their bellies, romance in their hearts, and rapture in their masterful, melancholy voices.” They come from west London and play the most brilliant music with clever lyrics and a wide variety of instruments. You’ve got to love a band that utilizes an accordion, a madolin, a banjo, and a dobro (have you ever even heard that word?). They all sing. They all play all the instruments. It’s clear they play music for the love of it, and that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Need I say more?

This music reminds me of all the reasons I love music. I’m so glad I have eardrums.

hello again, everyone.

It’s not officially autumn, but the most pleasant fall breeze is blowing in the window next to my desk. It’s my day off. My favorite music is playing, I’m drinking coffee out of my favorite mug, and the dog is close by. It’s times like these I’m convinced life is significant, and short, and that I might be the most fortunate person in the world.

Jeremy is in New York City for the day. Teach For America sent him on a 24-hour-trip for some training to prepare for the rapidly approaching selection season for new TFA applicants. It’s incredible how quickly we’ve settled into our lives here. It feels like we’ve been in Chicago far more than just half a summer.

Both of us are back to working full time. My new job is a handful, to say the least. I’m finding it far more difficult than my previous job. I was oriented to the hospital, NMH (Northwestern Memorial Hospital) nursing, and my unit (the CTICU) in five weeks. My second day on my own I admitted a patient with open heart surgery straight from the OR (in all the months I worked at UCLA off orientation, I never did this). My third day, I pulled a patient’s chest tubes (something only doctors and nurse practitioners can do at UCLA). My fourth day I extubated a patient (which I also never did on my own at UCLA). Never a dull moment. Never a slow day.

All that being said, I’m really enjoying how I’m being challenged at this new job. Every day I’m being pushed to be a better nurse (and human being, for that matter) whether I feel like it or not. The transition from UCLA to NMH has been just the thing that I needed at this point in my nursing career (and life), and also probably the very thing I would not have chosen, had I known all it was going to involve. For this reason, I’m so thankful God drew our hearts to Chicago and put me in this job immediately.

Something else I’m thankful for:

This is our church! Covenant Presbyterian. It’s wonderful. It’s a PCA church, just like the one we’d found in Pasadena before moving. Jeremy and I are leading a small group in our apartment with a girl named Abby, who is really neat. We had our first meeting last Monday evening, which was a delight and a blessing. Something else I have been incredibly excited about and blessed by at Covenant is the ability to be involved in worship. They even have a choir. Yes, please. Yes. Music is an element of my life that never seemed to fit into my California world, and being able to participate meaningfully in it here makes me feel like I am my whole self again. The church is not quite a mile from our place, so we bike there a lot. We love this.

SPEAKING OF BIKING. Jeremy and I drove to Ohio last weekend to participate in the big Hancock Horizontal 100, a bike race in Findlay, OH. We got really sore, and sunburned, but we made it 50 miles. Jeremy’s grandpa (!) went 62, and his parents rode all 100 on their tandem. It was great to spend some time with family, and get a little exercise while we were at it.

Well. I don’t have much else to say, and I hate to say it but I have no clever way to end this post. So I guess I’ll just end by saying YOU SHOULD COME VISIT US HERE IN THIS WINDY CITY.

Success and the Road Ahead

FINALLY. A new post. Right? Ok so maybe you haven’t been eagerly waiting to hear from me, but I’ve been eager to find myself back at my wordpress again. 

We went to Chicago.

I had two hopes for this trip: 1. Find an apartment; 2. Get excited to live in Chicago. 

Mission accomplished. Done and done. What a city! It rained nearly the entire time we were there and we still walked everywhere (my feet were sore for a couple days following our return home). The streets are narrow, the sidewalks are wide and there are trees everywhere! People were nice and they were proud of their city. We saw squirrels and birds and butterflies all over the place. The architecture was a pleasure to look at and public transportation was never too far. Here’s us the day we signed our lease (in front of our apartment of course):

We love our apartment in LA. Love love love it. We thought it’d be hard to find a place that could make us feel the way our current apartment made us feel the night we first found it. But when we walked into this little living space, we both knew right away we wanted it to be our new home. It’s perfect. The walls need some new paint, and we’re downsizing when it comes to closet space, but it has all the old world Chicago charm I could ask for. It’s a couple blocks walk to the El, a hop, skip and a jump to the park, and down the street from a delicious bagel shop (yes!). 

Needless to say, we came home from Chicago excited to go back.

Jeremy had eighth grade graduation on Monday so he is now officially on Summer Break. As he was finishing up, I managed to stumble upon a couple of open positions in ICUs at a great Chicago hospital, Northwestern Memorial.

After talking with a recruiter at the beginning of the week, I now have two interviews scheduled for July 7th. I’m excited about the opportunity but keeping my expectations in check.

We’ve been spending time with friends and packing up a storm most of the week. We spent the better part of today planning paint colors for the new pad, experimenting with design websites and varying color palates. We’re excited about what we’ve come up with for the living room, dining room, bed room, and kitchen (can’t wait to get paint on the walls!!!):

We’re extremely fortunate to have two sets of loving parents meeting us in Chicago to help us paint, unpack, and enjoy our new city for the first few days. 

I know there will probably be rough patches ahead. Perhaps dead ends in the job search. Long days with little to do and no close friends to spend time with. Bad weather days and days where the dog pees on the leather couch (DID I MENTION WE’RE GETTING A YORKIE?!). But I can’t help feeling positive about it all for now. The Lord has so taken care of us thus far and He’s proved his faithfulness time and time again. Here’s to a close future full of eager springs, restful summers, beautiful falls, and dag-nabit HEARTY winters!