Our Chicago Mini Photo Session

I have been wanting some updated professional photos of Chris and me for a while (since our engagement photos are seven years old), so I thought it would be perfect to do our photos in Chicago as a way to remember our time in this gorgeous city. I pretty much abandoned the idea once I found out about my health (it suddenly became an unnecessary expense), so I was thrilled when Lex from Lex Nelson Photography offered to do a free mini session for us in exchange for me doing some modeling for her so she could try out her new film camera.

I really wanted our photos to feature the Chicago skyline, so the spot she picked was perfect! Chris and I had a blast being our silly selves in front of the camera, and I think the photos turned out great! I would love for y’all to tell me your favorite photo. I’m planning on framing a few once we get back to Texas!

A few verticals:

Just for fun, here are a couple of shots from my shoot with Lex:

Twelve Books I Liked in April

First, I want to thank y’all so much for your support on the post I wrote about my health on Friday. I will be responding to individual comments soon, but I wanted to say I am truly thankful for your encouragement.

Usually I like to mix up genres throughout the month, but with everything going on, I preferred lighter reads in April (though I still had to throw in a few thrillers and some historical fiction). I was also still catching up on NetGalley reads, so I can go a month without reading NetGalley for Erin and Dani’s Read My Books Challenge in June.

The Winemakers by Jan Moran
(c/o NetGalley)
A book full of wine and secrets? I'm in! The Winemakers is set in the 1950s (with flashbacks to the 1920s) at a time when women are seen as nothing but homemakers. Caterina's mom Ava manages to run a successful winery in Napa, but that might all come crashing down when old secrets surface that could destroy her business and Caterina's future with the man she loves. The Winemakers is a quick, light read that kept me interested till the end.

The Witches of Cambridge by Menna van Praag
(c/o NetGalley)
This isn't a book I would usually read, but I am glad I gave it a try. I really liked all of the characters and how they solved their problems with just a dash of magic. It was a cute, fast read that helped me escape for a few hours.

The Girl from Home by Adam Mitzner
(c/o NetGalley)
This book started off a bit slow, and I was bummed, thinking it was going to be super boring. I can't say much to explain why it picks up, but once Jonathan and Jackie start spending time together, things got interesting. I still think there was too much financial jargon that made my eyes glaze over, but overall, it turned into a good read. If you like thrillers, I think this one is worth a read.

The House by the Lake by Ella Carey
(c/o NetGalley)
This book was one of those cases where I didn't like the writing, but the story made up for it. Anna's grandfather Max asks her to go on a mission after seeing an article in a newspaper: to retrieve something he left behind in his family's Schloss 70 years ago. The story alternates between 2010 and the 1930s as Anna discovers why her grandfather never returned to Germany after the war.

The One You Really Want by Jill Mansell
(c/o NetGalley)
If you're looking for a light read with great characters, The One You Really Want fits the bill. I liked reading about Carmen, Rennie, Nancy, and Rose as they all dealt with big changes in their lives. Even the minor characters were great. You really feel like you are part of the characters' lives. It was a bit of a long read for a chick-lit, but I enjoyed it!

Will You Won’t You Want Me? by Nora Zelevansky
(c/o NetGalley)
I thought this was a cute and funny story of a 28-year-old who needed to grow up and not live in the past. Marjorie was a great character, and I think you can't help to like her, even if you can't identify with her. The only thing that bothered me about the book was the constant cultural references. I thought they were a little too frequent.

Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley
(c/o NetGalley)
I really liked this book of two sisters who decide to communicate by letters for a year. They discuss their children, marriages, friends, and other problems. Suddenly, a mistake occurs, and their letters go viral online. They have to face the repercussions of having their private thoughts available for the world to see. It was a good book, though I wish the problem would have occurred earlier (it was about 60 percent in), so the resolution didn't feel so rushed. Overall, I enjoyed it.

One Moment at Sunrise by Karen Aldous
(c/o NetGalley)
Let me get this out of the way first-the writing in this book is mediocre. The dialogue is super awkward, and sometimes it was hard to follow. That said, the story more than made up for the writing. I thought the characters were interesting, the plot was engaging, and it made me eager to find out how it ended. If you can handle the writing, I think the story makes it a good read.

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas
(c/o NetGalley)
Ten years ago, Tessa and Callie helped put away a serial killer. Tessa has always had questions about that night, so when she goes back home, she is determined to find out what really happened and if the wrong man is behind bars. This was an interesting book. It kept me wanting to turn the page and had some unique twists. If you like thrillers, I would recommend this one.

I Said Yes: My Story of Heartbreak, Redemption, and True Love by Emily Johnson Maynard
(c/o BookLook Bloggers)
I am not usually a fan of memoirs, but I have always liked Emily Maynard and was curious to learn more about her Bachelor and Bachelorette relationships. If you are looking for a Bachelor-tell-all book, you probably won't like this. Emily's memoir is more about her spiritual journey and why she thinks the other relationships failed. I was hoping it would be a little deeper than it was, but it was still interesting to read more about Emily's story.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
(c/o NetGalley)
World War II historical fiction is my favorite genre, so I judge it a little harsher than other genres since I've read so many. I really enjoyed Chris Cleave's letter at the beginning explaining why he wrote the book (though it gave away a major plot point, which was a bummer). Overall, this book felt really slow compared to others (it felt like nothing happened until about 40 percent in), but I did enjoy the character development, and I thought it was very well written. If you are looking for a fast-paced war novel, this isn't it. If you enjoy character studies of people during the war, this is a good read.

Why We Came to the City by Kristopher Jansma
(c/o NetGalley)
Sometimes, whether I like a book or not depends on timing, and I don't think the timing was right for me with this novel. I think if I had read it a few months ago, I would have enjoyed it much more. Even so, I thought this novel of four friends (plus an acquaintance) dealing with life in New York and an unexpected tragedy was powerful and well-written. I think it got wordy at times and could have been a little shorter (and then ended on a weird note), but it was an interesting character study.

Linking up with Steph & Jana.

I love book suggestions. What have you read lately?

The Hardest Post I’ve Ever Written

I have tried to be as honest and authentic as possible on my blog, and lately, I have failed. As much as I love blogging about life and travel, it’s been hard to have the energy to write when for the last few months, I’ve had days where I was in so much pain, I had to work all day from my bed.

Even though I have a blog, I have always been a private person. Only a handful of friends know I blog, and I have only recently told my family. That’s why it’s been so hard to share details about my health.

That said, I love the blog community and have been so thankful for the support I have received. Chris has also encouraged me to share with y’all, so here goes nothing.

What’s going on:
I have a massive endometrioma (ovarian cyst) taking over the left half of my body. It is currently over 18 cm. and has pushed the organs from the left side of my body to my right side. It’s also pushing down on my kidneys and bladder.

How I feel:
Other than the fact that I look 18 months pregnant when I’m not, I have crazy back pain on the left side of my body. I sometimes have a hard time walking short distances.

What’s next: 
Here’s where it really gets complicated. I’m going to have to have a complex surgery with the possibility of several types of surgeons involved. My doctor here said she couldn’t do it until mid-June, but she doesn’t think I could handle driving in a car to Texas a few weeks later. Her suggestion is to wait and have the surgery when we move back to Texas. I’m hesitant because it means we have to find new doctors (which means a waiting period), wait until our insurance starts (July 1), and we would have to start over on my deductible (which really stinks after paying for an MRI). Plus, it means the cyst can continue to grow in my body, and I have to deal with the pain (and the small possibility of a rupture or a torsion) for several more months.

It’s not an ideal situation. The silver lining is that if I do have the surgery in Texas, both sets of our parents will be close enough to help me. Right now, it’s hard, but I believe God has a plan, and someday I will look back on this time and see how He guided me through it.

As for now, I hope to keep blogging. I’m a little slower on responding to comments these days, but I promise I will get to them all. Thank you so much for your encouragement as I go through this season.

Life Update: Eleven Months in Chicago

We are officially just one month away from a full year in Chicago. It’s hard to believe that this time next month, we will be surrounded by boxes. April wasn’t as eventful as most of our months here since most of the month was dominated by my health, but we still managed to do a few fun things.

I had a blast modeling for Lex Nelson Photography, so she could practice on her new film camera. In exchange for modeling for her, she did a mini session with Chris and me. I am planning a full post on our session for next week, but I thought I would share another favorite photo from the shoot today:

After the session, Chris and I decided to try out Smoque, a barbecue restaurant that has been recommended to us by about a million people since we moved here. I judge a barbecue place based on its brisket, and Smoque’s brisket was tender, flavorful, and extremely delicious. Plus, it was piled so high in my sandwich that I ended up moving over half of it to my plate to eat separately, which is a win in my book. I also really enjoyed the brisket chili side, and Chris was a big fan of his mac and cheese.

Last weekend, Chris and I decided to check out the NFL Draft festivities. I wrote a full post about Draft Town on Monday, but we ended up liking it way more than we both expected.

I have no idea what May will bring. Hopefully, I will get some answers on Thursday. Even so, I hope we can enjoy our last full month in the city and check off a few more restaurants and activities from my Chicago to-do list.

Linking up with Kristen and Gretchen

Our Chicago NFL Draft Town Experience 2016

Chris got home early on Friday, so we decided to walk over to Grant Park to take in the NFL Draft Town Fan Festival. Honestly, I thought we would spend a short time there, but we ended up loving the experience.

Draft Town was way larger than we expected with activities for both kids and adults. I thought the area where kids (and quite a few adults) could go through the drills part of the NFL Combine was a great idea.

My favorite part of Draft Town was the Selection Square. There, you could stand and cheer as your team made its selections. Below the fan area was the section where team representatives made their selections. The selections were made on a piece of paper, and runners would then inform NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell of the selection. I thought it was interesting to learn more about the process. I had no idea the team representative and Goodell weren’t in the same building! I also loved how the Buckingham Fountain would change to the color of the team selecting when the pick was in.

After hanging out in the Selection Square for several picks, we headed over to take a photo with the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Of course, we also had to check out the college football section, which featured a bunch of memorabilia and uniforms. I really liked the sideline coat from the University of Chicago Maroons, a founding member of the Big Ten, and Jay Berwanger’s Heisman trophy. Berwanger was the first Heisman trophy winner and the first pick in the first NFL draft. I was surprised to find a Baylor uniform in a room mostly full of Big Ten teams.

One of the surprising things about Draft Town was the cheap food! We were shocked to see a burger for $5, which is a rare find here in Chicago. As we were heading home, I loved seeing all the building lit up to celebrate the draft. I thought the city really embraced the NFL Draft and made it a fun event for the fans.