Chicago

Today is the first day back to work from being in Chicago.

*sigh*

First off, don't get me wrong. I love me some Utah, but it feels bland being back here in Utah. This is my personal opinion, but I really feel that as a culture, Utahns fall into a rut of sorts. There are a variety of factors in this, but I'll focus on career choices. I'll use Scott's work as an example. During our orientation (yes, Scott and I worked together for a brief period in our relationship - and we learned a great deal from that to say the least...) we had so many managers and trainers who would tell us "I came to work here as a summer job and flash forward to 8 years later - I'm still here!" I've found that it's not just at his job either... I see countless people who are doing something that doesn't fulfill their passion, but for one reason or another, they just settle because it's comfortable there. There is definitely some opportunity to work my way up in the job I'm currently at, but when you get right down to the base of it all, it's not what I want to do. I didn't go to culinary school to manage people. I did it because I love to bake - because I love to design and create incredible desserts... If I stayed here, I'd feel I had settled. And I'd feel unfulfilled. And while Scott and I were in Chicago, I felt so good about moving there... that there is definitely plenty of opportunity to fulfill my passion...

To put it simply, I'm excited. It's funny because Scott and I don't have a place to live yet and neither of us have jobs lined up - but I still feel like this is an extremely positive move for both of us. And that's all I have to go on at this point... a strong feeling. But I think that's a pretty great place to start.

Chicago is amazing. We stayed at the Marriott Downtown which is right on Michigan Avenue. So we were literally feet away from some incredible stores and some amazing architecture. We had the idea of looking for places to live and after many failed attempts of reaching some contacts, we decided to trust our feelings and simply took a bus up to the most northern spot of the city where we wanted to live. I'm pretty sure that we were walking around for a good 3-4 hours, but it was so worth it. There are some incredibly beautiful neighborhoods... I'm talking about large gorgeous trees that create a canopy over streets, beautiful old buildings that have been completely revamped inside - it feels so classic. We decided that we want to live in an area called Andersonville - it's fairly trendy, gay-friendly, close to public transportation, and close to many restaurants and events... (It's basically the equivalent of Sugarhouse) We have actually gotten in contact with a guy named Rick (who was referred to us by Scott's instructor at school) who helps people find apartments - so we have him the information of what we are looking for and he'll contact us when he finds something that meets those qualities. All free of charge. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.

Now all we have to do is wait for 6 more weeks to pass before we begin our exodus. We were originally planning on rental a U-haul and hauling our things (with my car following behind) - but after being there we've since decided to simply sell all of our things and start fresh in the Windy City. So... if you know of anyone looking for some beat up couches, some shelves, a queen-sized bed, and desks - please let us know.

And for your viewing pleasure, here is a picture taken from our hotel room of the sunset in Chicago.