Bring it on!

Bring it on Spring!

This year I have joined the company softball team! It has been a really fun way for me to get in some exercise and get to know some co-workers that I do not get to work with. It's an interesting experience working for such a large company, so the opportunity to hang out and get to know people from other departments has been really awesome. It makes calling for favors so much easier!

This is our team name and logo. (Wacker is the name of the street that the Lyric is on, and Moles in honor of the arcade game "Wack a Mole.")

GO MOLES! :)

These are some of my teammates/co-workers.

This past month I have been trying to take advantage of the fact that life has slowed down and try to get out and see some performances from other arts organizations around the city.

With some help from a friend who has some connections I've been able to see 2 jazz performances at Symphony Center.

They have been awesome performances! The first was a trio headed by pianist Brad Meldau and the second a small big band lead by blues pianist Marcus Roberts.


I also had the chance to see a couple of operas by Chicago Opera Theater. They do smaller productions than Lyric and present younger singers with fresh ideas on ways to experience operas. Their slogan is opera less ordinary. I have seen 2 of their shows.

The first was Le Tragedie de Carmen; which was an adaptation of Bizet's Carmen. They basically took a 3 hour opera and made it 90mins. I love Carmen and all it's glory and unfortunately they stripped away all my favorite things about the opera. This was one of the most ordinary professional operas I have ever seen. The set was 2 brick walls, and the costumes were 1 look with obvious color choices. The singers were great! But that wasn't enough to really make it a moving performance.

My trip to see the Carmen was my first visit to the Harris Theater where they have their performances. Entering the theater was an interesting experience because each floor was lite by different colors of fluorescent lights. Not only that but when you entered the doors, in order to get to the main floor you had to go down 3 stories. The stage was down underground. It was a surreal experience.

Here is my view looking down from ground level.

My ticket was on the pink and blue floor.

The second performance I saw was by Benjamin Britten and called Owen Wingrave. It was a much more entertaining production. I had never seen the opera before, so it was a surprise, and I loved the sets and lighting. A vast improvement from the previous show.

On my way to the theater I noticed some public art that made me laugh out loud!

I know my West Texas family will appreciate the hilarity in this art, considering that these objects are all over West Texas.

However, apparently in the big city, pump jacks are artistic! Ha ha!

I'm hoping to continue to go out and experience all that Chicago has to offer! This summer is different than any other summer I have had in Chicago. Different because it's my first summer not to be working 6 days a week! Bring it on Chicago, I'm ready to experience the good!

City Silliness

I decided to post some fun photos of me and Ruben. Enjoy!

We're happy! I love this guy!

More Fun Spring Projects

Hooray for May!

The past few weekends have been full of fun craftiness! I love it when it gets warm in Chicago! All it's citizens go outside and enjoy the sunshine and do all sorts of fun things.

Weekend before last I had some friends over to work on a green craft project. I joined a group started by my friend Jessica called the Chicago Craftists. We get together once a month and do a project. I was the first to host and together we worked on making homemade recycled paper. We used newspaper ads and dried flowers to create a unique paper for cards.

Below you can see Sarah, and Jessica blending the shredded paper with water.

The next step was to use a screen to strain the water out of the paper pulp. I used a window screen that I had found in the alley. To decorate the paper we added dried flowers and leaves. We had to work fast, cause the wind was blowing. :) Oh the Windy City loves to create challenges!

After that we spread the pulp over the leaves and flowers. We flattened it into a sheet and worked out as much water as possible. I think it turned out great!

This past weekend I had my Stitch 'n Bitch Knitting Group!

This is our host, Tina Louise. She and I worked together backstage at the theater. While there we pretty much had a knitting group at work since all the crew knit! So, since Tina and I were no longer at the theater, she decided to create a knitting group that meets every other week at her house. We get together, work on projects, and chat. It's really a blast!

And, of course, there is always work to be done on the yard! :)
It's starting to look beautiful! We've been getting tons of rain and sunshine, which is bringing out all the gorgeous flowers and weeds. Over the weekend I spent some time, pulling weeds and planting seeds. I have planted an herb garden in some containers on my porch and hope they grow big and strong. I would love to use fresh oregano and basil from my garden in my cooking!

The dogs really love it back here! They can sit on the porch and watch the neighborhood, or go exploring. It's so nice to be able to have a space for them to play around in!

Another blessing this month is that Rubens job has started. He is the head bartender for a new restaurant that will be opening tomorrow. He's been very busy hiring the bar tending staff, as well as baristas (coffee makers) and ordering liquor, and creating the drink specials. It's going to be a great restaurant! I can't wait to check it out!

Thats about it for now!

Hope that your spring is full of friends, fun and blessings!