Life Update: Eight Months in Chicago

If you had told me this time last year that Chris and I would be celebrating the New Year Russian style in Milwaukee with my family, I wouldn’t have believed you. Even though our move to Chicago was surprising, these last eight months have been better than I imagined. The worst part has been being so far from family and friends, so when we had the opportunity to spend a few days together, I was so excited.

Chris was on a clinic month in December, so he had a half day off on December 31 and a full day on January 1, so he stayed in Milwaukee until the evening of January 1 hanging out with my family and some new friends. I decided last minute to stay an extra day, so I could spend more time with my family.

My parents borrowed a friend’s car the next day, and we drove back to Chicago, so we could spend time in the city together. We had a great time walking around Millennium Park, watching people ice skate, and seeing the decorated windows at Macy’s on State Street. We capped off a fun afternoon with an early dinner at Lou Malnati’s (my favorite deep dish pizza place that also has some of the best tiramisu I’ve ever had). I loved showing my parents our neighborhood and what my life is like in the city.

One of my Christmas presents from Chris this year were tickets to the Potted Potter, so we made a date out of it with dinner and a show. There is nothing better than a night together filled with laughter and good food. We usually try to go to a new restaurant on our dates since Chicago has so many amazing food choices, but we had received several gift cards to The Cheesecake Factory, and it was super close to the Broadway Playhouse. Even though The Cheesecake Factory has a huge menu, I always order the same thing: crispy crab bites, pasta carbonara with chicken, and red velvet cheesecake.

The rest of January was not quite as eventful as the beginning of the month. Chris started four weeks of ICU on January 6, so his schedule was long and unpredictable. He had to work 7 p.m. to 11 a.m. quite a few times, which really threw us off for the rest of the day. Then, he would work 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. the following day, so it was hard not be exhausted. Still, we tried to make the most of our time together, so we went on a few dates to the places we love near us. One date I will never forget is walking to a close by restaurant with snow lightly falling around us. It’s not something we get to enjoy in Texas, so it made it really special.