Chelsey Finally Goes to Work... For a Week :)

So this temp. agency couldn't have placed me in a better location for my first assignment. I truly am so blessed and I know that my Heavenly Father is aware of me. My work is next door! I can literally see the building out of my window. I am working in a apartment complex, answering phones and taking messages basically. The people have been very nice and welcoming. It's only for a week, but it's been great.

PRIMARY!!!

We are so excited for our new church calling! We will be teaching the 5 year olds. It'll be lots of fun to work together and to focus on the simple truths of the gospel as we teach these sweet little kids. Our first week is this coming Sunday, maybe after awhile I won't be thinking sweet. The ward has been really nice and welcoming. I think we are going to really like it here. We're excited to get to know more people.

Living the Dream

I like to rollerblade. I know it's a little old-school, but it's really fun and a pretty good work out. Jared thinks it's pretty questionable, and it's not really something he's proud of, but he'll still come with me! What a nice husband. We live in the ideal location for rollerblading! There is a bridge that crosses Lake Shore Drive right by our apartment and the Lake Trail is right there. We've already been a couple of times and it's been a lot of fun. It's gorgeous! There are some beaches and boat harbors really close by, and the entire time there is a wonderful view of the lake and downtown. Jared claims his brakes don't work, but the truth is he doesn't even attempt to use them. Instead he clings to the railing like he's five years old. Last time we went some adults that were passing by stopped, stared, and laughed at him. Poor thing. That must have been a little humbling. :) I love him to death and he gives me the biggest laugh as I see him struggle down the hill every time there is a slope. I feel so blessed to have such a fun Husband!

Behind the Wheel

Jared's really good at driving here! He doesn't scare me most of the time. But when I'm behind the wheel I'd have to say it's a little scary. I'm getting better, but to be in a place that is so unfamiliar, with so much traffic, and different highways I can feel a little overwhelmed. It's just a little different than driving around Orem. I'm proud of myself though. I've gone to IKEA, the grocery store, and to get the car window fixed all by myself. When I went to IKEA Barbie brought her GPS and that was really nice. It's definitely a handy little gadget we did accidently get on the wrong freeway and it couldn't figure out where we were because we were on highways that were over other freeways so it just kept saying, recalculating, recalculating, recalculating... we knew that wasn't a good thing, but we did make it home.
Jared and I have always sort of laughed when people say "how do I get back?" It's always the same way you came. No. Wrong. Not here. I got so lost when I was coming home from the grocery store. The trouble with that mentality is these wretched one way streets. If the street you came is a one way it makes it a little tricky. I have never felt as lost as I felt then. I didn't know which way the lake was, which way was north. I knew nothing, except that if I went too far south my life would pretty much be in danger. Luckily I found my way home. It was a miracle.

Our Big Day Downtown

Before Jared started Law School we spent the day downtown. I met with a temporary hiring agency and looked at a school. The school was a bust, but the hiring agency seems to be a good thing. We also ate some barbeque by the river, went on a river boat tour, and ate at the cheesecake factory. I love this city! The architecture is phenomenal. I could go on that tour over and over and never tire of it. Before I ever met Jared, when I came to Chicago with my mom we went on the boat tour, and I told her that someday my dream would be to go on the boat tour with my husband. Turns out I got to do that sooner than expected! I appreciate the gift card mom. Thanks.

21. Married. Living in Chicago.

I turned 21 on Sept. 17! Jared made the day really special for me! When I woke up I found a letter in the kitchen he had written. That was the best part of my day. For breakfast we made star shaped pancakes. I was really excited about that! That night we also went to The Blue Man Group. I've been wanting to go to that with Jared forever! They even had Jared go up on stage for part of it. He was funny as he worked over the camera. I'm not sure I why I love Blue Man but I do. They intrigue me. I'm actually terrified of them. They know it too. They stuck their head right between mine and Jared's faces, and I buried myself into Jared. I was brave enough to ask for a picture though. :) It was a great birthday. I'm so thankful for Jared and how good he is to me. We had a lot of fun together.

Our New Home!

Since we came with basically nothing, we had a lot of work to do to get a functioning apartment. Our first trip to Wal-Mart was a bit of a nightmare. In fact as we were leaving Jared kept telling me to buy a plane ticket home. The aisles were so crowded you could hardly fit through them, their grocery selection consisted of about 3 aisles, they were out of milk, and I think the biggest factor was that we were scared.
Then of course we made a trip to IKEA! 1 chocolate bar, a lunch, and 6 hours later we checked out with our final purchases. At one point I think I was certain we'd never decide on a couch, but we did and I love it! IKEA is great, prices are good, products are nice, but there is a little fine print: Work. Putting it together at home is expected, but I was surprised when they wouldn't even help get a mattress down or carry it to the front. It was fun spending the day putting together the furniture. We both became pretty handy with our tool kit. We also painted some furniture that someone in the ward gave to us. Jared mostly painted it and it turned out really fun with the green and black! I love our new home! It's a miracle it all came together. Making all these decisions without a big picture in mind was a little tricky.
We're so thankful for all the wedding gifts that helped out as we set up our new home. We're so lucky to have such great family and friends! More pics to come. :)

Road Trip!

Jared and I headed out to Chicago with nothing but our car packed to the brim. We had to laugh because we didn't even get out of the cul-de-sac before something came flying from above smacking me in the head. (& Jared was wondering why I was a little frustrated when he started taking everything out of boxes piece by piece just shoving them where they'd fit. :) ) It all worked out though, and I'm glad we didn't get a trailer. We stopped at a truck stop for lunch and Jared had to try the "self-heating" meal. I thought the idea was humorous, but I didn't want to risk lunch. So on the road I have this box on my lap that has magically started to boil water and nasty smells with steam are oozing from it. We were both a little nervous, but it worked, and it wasn't even that bad. Jared drove the entire way! I guess most people might if their other option was for me to drive. Heather was nice enough to let us stay at her house in Iowa. We got there at about 2:30 in the morning and Heather was awake for us! I have the nicest sisters.

Welcome to Hyde Park

6 days after getting here we were welcomed to the neighborhood by some local crime. "Uh, Jared I think someone broke into our car." "What makes you think that?" "The window is smashed out." Lovely. We both sort of just nervously laughed in disbelief, not really knowing what you do when someone breaks into your car. We called the police. They put us on hold because all of the officers were currently busy. We didn't think they got more than some quarters, but they actually got Jared's iPod. Dangit. Like Jared says, "You can't just take something." Here if they even suspect that you have something they want they'll smash out your window. The fact that it rained for 3 days straight while our window was missing didn't help. It's sort of a huge inconvenience, but we can learn from it. Maybe it's good that it happened sooner, rather than later, so that we'll be careful and aware of our surroundings from the beginning. We've come up with some safety measures of our own. :)

Summer Finale

All in one week we were moving to Chicago, Heather and Aaron were going back to Iowa, and my parents were going to Europe. So the night before the departures started we all went up the canyon and had one last summer get-together. Natalie brought all the pizza and pasta salad (Thanks Natalie. I didn't mean to plan a party and make you do all the work.) and of course Mom and Dad brought the drinks. I miss that supply these days. I love my family so much.I'm so grateful to have a family that I can be such good friends with. It was so fun to just spend time together, eating, talking, and making smores. I was so happy that Grandpa could join us in the fun. We couldn't help but miss Grandma, knowing she would have loved it. All the kids were so cute. They had fun with each other on the playground and making the smores. I love my nieces and nephews so much! They are the best. They bring so much happiness in my life.