Forward Motion: FAQs

Well it's been over two months since my last update, so I have quite a bit to share. I've decided to put this blog entry into a "question and answer" format, as I think that if I were to see most of y'all, these are the questions you might ask me. So, here goes:

Where do you live now?


My apartment building. The windows to the right of the door are actually ours.

As of August 1st, I've been living in a new apartment with my friend Emily. I've known Emily since middle school because we both went to Trinity. When people would ask me if I knew anyone in Chicago, she's the one I would tell them about. Even though we had only seen each other a few times since I moved up here (she was living really far away in south Chicago), it just so happened that we were both looking for a roommate at the same time. We agreed to live together on a Tuesday, and by Thursday we had already found a place and put our name on the list. Talk about moving quick.

Me and Emily in high school, working with the church in the valley.

The apartment is really nice, there's only two of us and I'm paying less than I used to. The location is also a whole lot better. I really liked my old neighborhood, but now I live a block from the lake shore running trail, and closer to all of the places I would usually visit. Living here now makes me realize just how removed I was before and I'm glad to be closer to all my friends and the places we hang out. Getting to work is a whole lot easier too, as I only have to take one bus. That brings us to the next question...

Where are you working?
I'm still working at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for now. The summer season just ended on Monday, so things have slowed down considerably. I've begun my search (once again) for something full-time. I think I can maintain my living situation off of serving at Bubba Gump, so I definitely have time to make sure I find something that I really enjoy and will stay at for the long-term. I've been applying to a bunch of different universities and colleges in the Chicago area, because it seems like a good place to start a career. Something like an Admissions Adviser or Administrative Assistant could be an excellent position. My most promising thus far was an Event Planner for the Career Center at DePaul University. I just applied to that one two days ago, so on most of these I still feel really hopeful. Of course I'll post an update when I find something, hopefully soon!

Anything interesting happen recently?
Yes, actually, thanks for asking! This past weekend (Labor Day weekend) we had to German couchsurfers stay at our apartment. For those who don't know, couchsurfing is a community (www.couchsurfing.com) where people travel around the world and stay on other people's couches. I've never participated before, but my roommate and a few of my friends have done it and I was interested in the opportunity to meet new people from all over the United States or the world. So for our first time we had two people (a guy and a girl, 19 and 20) from Germany. They had just graduated and were traveling all over the US and Canada. They stayed with us Wednesday through Sunday and slept on our couch and on a thin air mattress on the floor. The way couchsurfing works, they didn't have to pay us, it's just kind of a community thing. I know it sounds risky and strange, but it's actually really cool and there are reviews for each person so you know whether or not they've used the program before or not. One more benefit is that now I have a place to stay if I ever decide to visit Berlin!

What's coming up?
I've got a few big things I'm excited about, the first of which is tonight! I've created a book club with a few friends and our first meeting is at 8. The August book was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and tonight we're just going to discuss what we liked and I've also found some discussion questions online so stimulate conversation. I think it's going to go pretty well! Only four people read, but I think in September we're going to get a few more members. I also just bought some wine, cheese and crackers to make it a fun little gathering.

This Sunday I'll be running in my second half-marathon! It's called the Chicago Half Marathon (www.chicagohalfmarathon.com) and it's one of the biggest in Chicago. I think this one is going to be better than my last in a lot of ways, but mostly because the route is so extremely different than anything I'm used to. I don't feel as prepared as I did for the one in April, but there are a few things that I know are going to motivate me more than when I'm running on the lake shore by myself. The energy of the crowd has a lot to do with it, as does the temperature, which looks to be somewhere around 60 degrees at the start of the race. I'm hoping to beat my time from April (01:50:38.2) so that I can feel like I've made some progress. Also, I'm highly considering doing the Dallas Marathon (www.dallasmarathon.com) on December 9th, but that has yet to be determined... stay tuned!

I've also got a hankering for exploring some nature and going on a trip, so I think in a few weeks some friends are I are going to go to Starved Rock State Park (http://starvedrockstatepark.org/). This place looks awesome. We'll have to rent a car (it's a two hour drive) but it will be well worth it. I'm thinking just a Saturday day trip but we might camp overnight or something. Anyway, that's exciting!

Is that it?
Yup, I think that's about it. Hopefully this sums up my summer pretty well and leaves you wanting more! I'll post the information about my race on Sunday. Other than that, I'll talk to everyone soon. Also, I'll leave you with some pictures from my most recent trip to Texas (8/17-8/20). Thanks for reading!