chitown2beantown

Walk on Wacker

I took this on my very wet walk after work today, downtown Chicago. Earlier in the day I presented at a conference, then took a lovely stroll down Michigan Ave. peering into all the stores on my way back to the office, something I rarely do. This one's for Stephanie and Jeff for their lovely comments, senses of humor, and multiple trips to visit us here.--Sara

Sleepaway Camp

I went back to camp this weekend, but this time a YMCA camp in Fremont, MI with the girl I mentor. We had a great time, minus the thunderstorms and mud. In classic form, I accidentally flushed my toothpaste down the toilet, which I had to guiltily explain to the camp director. On the bright side, I got my first try at shooting a bow and arrow, something I never tried in all my camping years. My mentee hit the target a few more times than I did! It was nice to be in the woods in Michigan before the big move.--Sara

May 9th!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Farewell to The Drum Pad

Well, its official. Saturday May 8th was my last day at The Drum Pad. It has basically been my home for the last 15 months and the staff has been my extended family. The Drum Pad is the greatest drum store. If anyone ever needs anything related to drums or percussion if it aint in stock they can get it in two weeks.

Thanks for everything you guys!--Matt

25 and Still Interning

I found out this week that I got a *paid* internship for the summer in Hartford, Connecticut. I'm excited, because this is exactly what I hope I might do for a permanent job. It's about two hours away from where Matt's office is south of Boston and from where we have rented a room for the summer in Scituate. So, I may be lining up housing in Hartford for the weekdays and heading back to MA on the weekends to see Matt. It sounds like he'll be on the road most of the time during the week with his new job traveling to drum stores around the Northeast, from Maine to Virginia and west to Pittsburgh. So, its a big bummer to be away from each other yet again, but I wouldn't have seen him much during the week anyway. At least we'll have whole weekends together which is a big improvement over our current situation. The internship is doing participatory action research with youth, which means they pick the research topic, conduct the research, and then later develop an action plan for how to use the results for social change. It is very similar to the work I currently do in my fellowship at CURL, but now its with youth. So now Matt and I both have a lot to look forward in terms of new jobs! --Sara

Meatball Tour

Our friend Stephanie came to visit us this past weekend, for one last visit before we leave. She and I spent a rainy Saturday touring a few Chicago neighborhoods, including Andersonville, Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Cabrini Green (hey...she asked so I was happy to spout off about Chicago Housing Authority's plans), Lakeview, Boystown, and of course downtown. We dined on swedish meatballs, lingonberries with Swedish pancakes, and cinnamon rolls for breakfast at Ann Sather's. In the evening, Matt, Stephanie and I went out for more meatballs, with spaghetti this time. Then we finished the night up at the Kit Kat Club where we saw a unique Diana Ross impersonator. Though Stephanie and I had fun, along with all the other girls in the place dancing to 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', Matt was happy that this was his last trip there. Just when I finally could find my way around Chicago, and give the big tour, we're off. Check our some pics from the visit, my first photo album. --Sara

We're Moving!

Last Thursday, Matt and I found out we are moving from Chicago to Boston. We have been living in Chicago (well three blocks from Chicago in Evanston) for a year and a half. Thursday Matt accepted a job with a percussion company outside of Boston. He'll be traveling around the northeast visiting drum stores. I am finishing up my master's degree in Applied Sociology at Loyola University Chicago. For me, stay tuned to see what my employment future holds. We decided to start this weblog to share pictures and journaling of our new life. Feel free to leave comments. We'd love to hear from you.