okay, okay...

So I realized that my last two posts have been more of me venting and I think I just need to get past it all. Here's a real post of what's "Much Ado About Mitzi"...

Last Friday was my first concert with the DePaul Community Chorus...I think my last 'official' choral concert would have been back in May of 2002 - so it was nice to revisit that experience and test my musical intellect once again. The concert went really well and hopefully there will be a DVD (Family - don't worry, I pre-ordered one for every niece and nephew for Christmas!). 4 of my Teach For America colleagues (both past and present) came to listen and then afterwards we all went to this place to listen to these ladies. All and all - a very musically stimulating evening.

At my concert - I was a part of small chorale that sang in a call/response (or cantor/chorus) piece. Which introduced me to a new favorite Bible verse: (Philippians 4:6-7) "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, our Lord." The musical tune that was set to these words was very powerful - if you're friends with (or parents/grandparents of) my nieces or nephews...just maybe you'll get to hear it!

Last night I had an amazing experience at The Counter - Custom Built Burgers here in Chicago. It is a chain restaurant that just open here and there's been quite a bit of talk about it. Some friends and I decided to take it in for a Monday evening out and well, let's just say - the diet was definitely off for the 2 hours I was there. I highly recommend going with an appetite and friends to share the fries :)!

"only uneducated women voted for mccain"...

I don't know how many times I heard that line during this last election season...but now I really wonder how educated Obama supporters are...this clip is from this website

report from nobamaland...

Well, thank goodness I don't live in Hyde Park because I don't think anyone would be able to come and visit me due to the serious amount of secret service security that exists in that area of Chicago now. Election night here in Chicago was pretty crazy for the folks that headed to Grant Park - included all of my co-workers. However, for me - I headed to choir rehearsal and came home to the news that we have a new president-elect Obama. Yes, it is historical...but just because some is "historical" does not mean that you must agree with it. While I've been called 'uneducated' and/or 'close-minded' for my political preference in this particular election - I hope that those who will be steering this country for the next 4 years will continue to educate themselves in the truth and facts about all issues and will be open-minded to the thoughts, opinions, etc of those that they might agree with at first. There are my two cents.

The weekend before the election - two of my best friends came into town for a few days. Sarah and I were able to make a quick trip to Mundelein Seminary and see our friends Greg and Daniel who have just started their first year there. It was a gorgeous fall day - so we had to take some pictures. Here's my favorite:

Amy joined us and we hit the town on Saturday night with some delicious deep-dished pizza at Gino's and then a few hours at the Red Head Piano Bar:
Work is starting to pick-up...though things won't really get started until January. I'm still doing a lot of planning and some hiring - that's right, I'm going to actually be managing people. I've also been able to help recruit our staff for next summer which is probably the best part of the job right now - just getting to talk about why institute life is so great. Last week, I had the privilege of speaking on the "Big Pic" call for the recruitment associates at Teach For America (my first position right out of college). The purpose of the call is connect RAs to the mission of TFA and help them realize that the little things they do have a huge impact. I got to talk about how I went from e-mailing hundreds of college seniors to helping start up a brand new institute that will train over 600 new teachers. It's pretty incredible to think how far I've come in just a few years of really hard work. I know there's still more hard work ahead, but knowing that it is making a difference is the best part.

I attended an encyclical study last Wednesday on 'Humane Vitae' and 'Evangelium Vitae' - which was incredible! While I've been connect to the pro-life movement since college - I haven't been as active as my time at St. L's. Well, it just so happens that the Archdiocese of Chicago is starting a junior board for the Respect Life office - and well, guess who was asked to join?? :)! We had our first meeting last night and we are just trying to get the structure and purpose set - but I'm excited to be connected to pro-life people here in Chicago...that's something that I've been lacking since I moved here.

Until next time...

next stop - vegas, please...

Well, if you don't know what song my 'post title' came from - listen here.

Yep, I'm back from my conference in Las Vegas - a very productive time as we discuss our 2015 goals for the organization as a whole and the Chicago's team goals for next summer. So far everything is looking good - just a lot of planning and preparation before everything really kicks-off in January.

Here I am with my winnings - I put in $10 and won $12.25...my heart was racing the whole time until I cashed out. I don't think I'll ever gamble again. And here is the "Venetian" inside...not quite like the pictures from Liesel and Eric's trip to Venice.

Outside the Venetian (Treasure Island).

And here is 4/5 of my team - (L-R) Abigail (from NYC), Ashley (from DC), me, and Tiffany (from Houston).

And fall is here

It's hard to believe that it is already October, but here we are. I don't have any new pictures to post - because they've been posted here instead. No hard feelings, Eric! :)! I had a great time in Dayton and I'm looking forward to an upcoming weekend in Madison.

Life in Chicago is going fairly well - I'm enjoying the fall weather now that it has fully set-in...wearing scarves and jackets as I walk to my bus stop. I know that winter will be here soon where I'll be complaining about the fact that I have to wear Cuddle Duds every day, but for now I'll imagine that I'm Anne Shirley (only with dark brown hair and no Gilbert Blythe) and enjoy the crisp fall air.

Work is going really well amid the economic crisis (DRINK!). I heard a bit on NPR about how non-profits are beginning to worry about the year's 'giving drive' as well as major funders dropping out of their pledges, but so far - I'm still getting my pay check - so I guess we're okay - for now! I am still excited about my job. I have much more autonomy because I'm not reporting directly to a manager everyday. Instead, I'm the member of a 5 person team...so we kind of just work in our own worlds and then come together once a week. It reminds me of my work with the March for Life leadership team back in the day - and Veritas. So I feel prepared, but there is also this very large weight on my shoulders about being a part of the first institute management team (IMT) to open the Chicago institute. For instance, if you've read any of the books/articles about Teach For America - you usually hear about an institute's 'first' year. So basically all the Chicago IMT's work this year will help to complete the sentence, "Well, remember that first institute in Chicago??? Man, we had (fill in the blank)."

Soooo, no pressure.

Outside of work, I've join the DePaul Community Chorus (DCC). It's just a group of about 150 people who want to sing together. We practice once a week and then have about 4 concerts during the year. The first on is November 15th - if anybody wants to come :)! There will be one in December for "Christmas at DePaul" - and then 2 in Spring 2009. The choir is actually very good...a cross between the Matins choir back when Chris Berry directed us and we sang "O Healing River" and my senior year in "A Cappella Choir" at LHS.

I'm also trying to make it to the weekly Bible study at Holy Name Cathedral. This month is on St. Paul - so last week we received the basic introduction of where St. Paul came from and the background he brought to the faith. It's pretty incredible the amount of people St. Paul reached in the short life he had post-conversion. And it makes me wonder what if people who already have a great following were to convert (cough-Obama-cough).

A week from today is not only this guy's birthday, but also the 6th anniversary of my broken leg. I have a friend from work running the Chicago marathon next Sunday - I'm planning to cheer her on there, so hopefully there won't be a repeat broken tibia.

And lastly - McCain-Palin '08, Darn RIGHT!


-mitzi

A call to serve...

When my dad called me to tell me that McCain had just spoken about Teach For America during the "Presidential Service Forum" on September 11th - I have to say, I was surprised...this was the second time that I would hear of the senator from Arizona speaking about education in the way that the organization that I work for sees it. The first time was during McCain's acceptance speech that he actually proclaimed "Education is this generation's civil rights issue" - something that Teach For America has been saying since its beginning in 1990.

Obviously, McCain has learned about what Teach For America is providing for our country - and especially our students. I can only guess that McCain has known about Teach For America because of its presence in Phoenix, AZ - where 288 corps members where placed just last year and where Teach For America's 6th summer training institute opened just this past summer. I know there are critics out there who talk about the "teach for awhile" idea that Teach For America is often linked to since the commitment to teach is only 2 years - however, if you look at the studies and what Teach For America's theory of change is - you will see that by having Teach For America be talked about in a national setting, by a presidential candidate shows that the movement is growing and may truly change the course of public education in this country.

I'm surprised as any to hear a conservative Republican speak about education they way McCain has...and I think this really does show that he is willing to do what is good and right for this country - even if it means working with those that most likely will not vote for him.

I am not saying that the organization that I work for aligns itself to a certain party - but I will say that I am the minority in my working environment and the people I work with are often surprised when they first learn about my political views.

Here's part (full) of the transcript from the "Presidential Service Forum" :

JUDY WOODRUFF (PBS): Senator, do you — what are there — what are the obligations of citizenship, other than paying taxes? Should there be — do you see service connected to what you’re talking about in Washington and should there be something compulsory?

JOHN MCCAIN: I don’t think so, Judy. I don’t think — because I think when you compel someone to do something, then you basically are in contradictions to the fundamental principle of having people wanting to serve and willing and eager to serve.

Americans are still eager to serve. Americans, when we look at all of the programs that we made available, almost all of them, in fact, all of them are oversubscribed by people who are volunteering. What’s the most — probably one of the lead organizations in America today?

It’s Teach for America. Where vastly — thousands more are seeking to be part of that program, to go in the inner cities of America and teach children.

McCain is right there were over 20,000 applications to the Teach For America program last recruitment season - only 4,100 of those applications turned into first year teachers this fall. So, there are about 16,000 recent college-grads and young professionals who at least when they applied - wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves...I often wonder what happens to those 16,000 or so. My hope is that they do go and do some sort of service in whatever field they choose.

I would have to correct McCain on one point that he makes - particularly relating to Teach For America's generation of applications. Having been a part of the recruitment team - I can tell you that yes - in some cases you do have to compel people to serve (or to at least apply). There is quite a bit of blood, sweat, and tears that goes into getting those 20,000 applications to Teach For America...but knowing that this program is finally being talked about by leaders of our country, maybe - just maybe we will have a nation of people wanting to serve and to make a difference in some capacity that is fitting to their own skills, knowledge, and mindset.

Maybe if we have a president who works for the service of others we can make progress in this nation. Maybe we will finally get to point where instead of seeking justification of why we are sacrificing for others --- we will only ask ourselves "How can we justify not sacrificing for those that need us the most?"

Maybe I'm idealistic, but if we don't strive for the ideal...then what's the point.

you decide...

new living/guest room...

I still remember the day that I purchased the old burnt orange love seat from the Lawrence Salvation Army the summer after my freshman year of college. That love seat was a great piece of furniture...but at some point in one's life - you have to depart from that college lifestyle and upgrade (in my case) to furniture that will support your ever-growing family...in hopes that they will come and visit you in Chicago (Reddigs, don't worry - you're winning in that point count!).

So here is the new living/guest room in my 1 bedroom apartment:

The "Beddinge" IKEA sofa bed - yes, it folds out to a full-size bed. Also included in this picture - Opa's coffee table (the former childhood kitchen counter), Grandma and Grandpa's living room chair, Dan Paulette-Chapman's bookshelf (made by his father), and (hidden) a small end table donated to me by the former Douthart SHD, Gina Lopez-Ferguson.

Another shot (as you walk out of my bedroom)...here you can see that I still have not placed the work order to fix the right window blind. Tux is also there on the window still keeping watch and Christian still lights the way in the corner under his plant home making sure no schnottgurgels attack my guests.

And here is the new placement of the television (I know, Liesel...I don't have the angles any more...).

breaking news...

I don't know why I feel the need to "blog" about this, but let's just say that when you live by yourself, "blogging" acts in place of say a roommate that you could yell to in another room in your nice two bedroom apartment when something goes crazy in your life.

Well, as you all know I just made it back to Chicago and probably my greatest fear was that my apartment would have just disappeared. I don't know how exactly - but I did have nightmares of freak explosions and all my worldly possessions turning to ash. Anyhow - everything turned out okay and all is well in apartment land. Little did I know that I should have been worried about something else.

I was going through my 2 months of mail...and found a note from my gym, Crunch. Those who know me - know that I'm not the most avid worker-outer, but for the past year and a half, I have been a member of this gym that is conveniently located in my office building - I've come to enjoy Crunch and the people that work there. I had my routine there and felt comfortable with my surroundings there. Now, the Chicago TFA office is going to be moving locations...but I was planning on keeping my membership since it is fairly close to me - I would just have to switch my routine a little.

BUT!

The note in the mail from my beloved Crunch was to tell me that the corporate Crunch offices our closing my location and that my membership has been transferred to another location. To say the least - I feel crushed (or maybe crunched).

many the mile...

66 days and 3, 171 miles later - I'm back here in the Windy (and somewhat rainy) City. There's been much ado in the past month especially so I'll break it down a little:

New Job: During the 4 week that I was in Houston, I was officially recruited to apply for a full-time position on Teach For America's institute staff. I decided to apply the following week, interviewed the next week, and just 2 weeks ago - received the offer for Manager of Institute Support for the charter Chicago institute. So, just like there is an institute in Houston - next year Chicago will become the 7th Teach For America institute. We'll be training about 530 new corps members here next June and July - and it's my job to make sure that Chicago is ready for all of them!

Travels: So since I got the new job, my travels back to Chicago from Houston took a few detours. After moving out of Moody Towers - I spent 3 days with the Keels in Lawton and enjoyed the days with Kelly and Jesse at the Ft. Sill Pool and the Comanche Nation Waterpark and spent the evenings with some great food, even better drinks, and of course - catching up with the Major.

Token "aunt/nephew" picture - #1

Then...On my way back to Lawrence, I received word that I needed to return to Houston to be trained for my new job - so I spent the weekend in Lawrence/KC and then flew back to Houston for a week of training...came back to Lawrence for another weekend and decided that it was finally time for a vacation.

Meanwhile, my "middle" sister gave birth to my newest relative: William Thomas Buschelman - so that meant I needed to make a trip to Dayton. To save on gas/miles/time driving - I decided to head to Dayton for a few days before coming back here to Chicago. Again, it was a great few days of hanging with Liesel, Dom, and Will - and then some great food, even better drinks and of course - catching up with the Lieutenant.

Will

Will (in color)

Dom and Eric enjoying the Greene

Dom - obviously paying attention to something much more important.

Token "aunt/nephew" picture - #2

So now, I'm back to the normal life and will truly start my new job up on Monday - just in time to head towards Madison next week to complete my sibling tour.

Phew...now it's time to unpack.

-mitzi

P.S. Say what you will about Fox News...this bit definitely rivals Saturday Night Live:

le tour preview...

2008 le Tour de France: July 5th -July 27th


Should be an interesting 3 weeks in July considering that none of the genuine Tour favorites are participating...

Read this

Happy Father's Day!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Oh, the HUMIDITY!!!

Today is the day that all the new 2008 corps members move into Moody Towers and descend upon all the Targets and Wal-marts in the general vicinity. My job for registration is "IAH Greeter" - yes, I get to go to Bush International and greet any of our CMs flying in for institute.

Considering the stress/excitement that these folks are probably going through - I find it very nice of Teach For America to have us meet/greet/help the new arrivals as they launch themselves into five weeks of TFA-Teacher Boot Camp.

My school is on its way to being ready for these corps members...I've got one more day to put on the final touches! YIKES!

Yesterday, I joined the gym here at UH - pretty nice facility and probably bigger than KU's. However, have you ever been running knowing full well that you're giving yourself a blister? Well, I had that feeling as I was in the middle of my run yesterday morning and so when I stopped, I turned around to see the damage only to find: the back of ankle/foot and shoe covered in blood. Quite a sight. And I really wish there was maybe a different signal sent to your brain (Dr. Reddig do you know anything about this??) that would let you know that you are indeed bleeding and not just some pain.

-mitzi

a busy month

It's hard to believe that it is already June 1st - the last month seemed to just fly by with all the travels here and there. I'm currently in Houston, TX and will be here until July 15th working at the institute held here for the incoming 2008 corps members. However, perhaps I should recap the last 31 days:

May 1-4/Houston, TX/Half-Staff Conference: I flew to Houston to meet some of the team that I will be working with here in Houston and also to find out what exactly I will be doing here the next six weeks. To briefly explain - I will be in charge of all operations and logistics at Wainwright Elementary School. About 60 corps member will be teaching about 300 students this summer and it's my job to make sure they are able to due so by organizing and implementing any systems needed. Yes, I get paid to be organized. It's a good gig.

May 9-11/Ames, IA/Amy's Graduation: I celebrated Amy's Masters graduation from Iowa State University with Blair, Nate, Joe, and Amy's parents - it was a quick weekend...but I'm so glad I got to go and see my friend achieve the next level of academics! Congrats, Amy!

May 16-18/Kalamazoo, MI/Road trip with Betsy: My friend (and former co-worker), Betsy, has family that lives in Kalamazoo and since it has always been a place that I've wanted to go - we decided to take a weekend and visit my dad's old college stomping grounds. We stayed with Betsy's grandmother - who is an excellent pianist and played for 2 hours while I sang showtunes! Betsy and I also enjoy a meal and a beer at Kalamazoo's own "Bell's Brewery" - it doesn't compare to Free State - but what does? We finished the trip with a walk around K College - a beautiful campus!

May 23-25/Chicago, IL/RA Reunion: Four of us recruitment associates from the 2006-07 Big Midwest Recruitment Team gathered in Chicago to enjoy each other's company - indeed it was great to see all of them!!

May 26/Jefferson City, MO/Hickory Grove Visit: For the first time, I went to the Hickory Grove by myself - it was so nice to visit with Oma and hear all the stories that she has from when she first met Opa and how he was such a romantic! The Keel men certainly set the bar high!

May 27-May31/Lawrence, KS/Home: I love being home and in Lawrence. It was so exciting to finally meet Tux II and to be taken care of by Mom and Dad. With 2 trips to Free State, a visit with Grandpa Mac, and meals out on the screened-in porch, I have my 'home-fix' for at least a few weeks.

May 31/Dallas, TX/2 Beiers, 2 Davises, 1 Keel: Thankfully the Davis/Beier clan graciously hosted me on my trip to Houston. We had a lovely evening at a wine bar and then back at Katie's place. It is so nice to have friends all over!

June 1/Houston, TX/Institute: Well, here I am at Moody Towers - my residence for the next 6 weeks. It is pretty incredibly how fast I was able to set up my room - I guess living in Douthart for 4 years helped develop that skill. So far everything is pretty relaxed, but tomorrow everything will kick into gear to get our corps members ready to start teaching in just 2 weeks!

~mitzi

back in chicago...

I turned my heat off before I left for KS a little over week ago thinking that I wouldn't have to turn it back on until maybe October...ha. The wintry weather that has been hanging around the past three days has made me once again click the little switch to 'on'. What's sad is that I only have it on 60 - and it still comes on to heat this apartment. Come on, Chicago - it's the middle of April. At least today, the sun is out - so hopefully I can take a stroll to a coffee shop and do some Sunday reading. Gotta soak up this sun before it goes away again.

My week in KS was really great. Mom and Dad's new "BBB&B" (formerly known as 'The Girls' Room', you all can take a guess at what those 4 B's stand for) is a really nice addition to home...I still marvel at the fact that there were 3 of us living in that room until Katie headed up the Hill. I took quite a trip down memory lane as I went through Sterlite container after Sterlite container filled with the remnants of what used to be in that old room...and of course kept some of those precious keepsakes that I'll soon forget about until we have to clean out the garage someday.

Although, I was planning to go home no matter what happened with the NCAA tournament, it was sure nice to be there for the 2 big wins over UNC and Memphis - and then heading to Mass. St. to celebrate. I'm still in shock that we actually claimed the championship - it's unreal how basketball can give you so much pride in your alma mater. What a game! What a season! What a team!

In case you want to relive the moment that had all of us screaming - check out these videos from a few choice locations.

In NYC:


In Brooklyn:


The Granada (Lawrence, KS):


Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, KS):


And of course, the Alamodome (some profanity):

brings a tear to the eye...

Flight home using Southwest Rewards: $5
2 beers at Free State: $6.50
Being in Lawrence when KU won the 2008 Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament: Priceless

much later...

When I went to look to see if I had any new comments on my blog - I realized that it had been a month since I last blogged. So here's an update of sorts...

Towards the end of February, my friend and former co-worker, Casey, decided it was time for a visit in Chicago. So for 2 weeks, I kind of lived a "vacation" by reliving some of our past times here. It was a great two weeks that included a trip to Goose Island Brewery on a Sunday afternoon. Thinking that we would enjoy a brew that is not found in stores - we ordered the reserved Imperial I.P.A. - only to find out that it was served in a tulip glass at $10/glass. I definitely had a "I guess we're not in KS anymore" moment thinking that I was at the 'local' brewery - where all the beers cost the same (Freestate!!). Needless to say, we enjoyed the $10 beer...and then switch to the traditional I.P.A. for the rest of our time at the brewery.

Also, I found a new place near my apartment that's great for watching games and grabbing a veggie (or of meat variety) burger...and I actually have already been there by myself for dinner and a game. I was pretty proud of myself for taking that step in my life...I never thought I would eat dinner out by myself, but this place is welcoming enough to let me do so. Thank you, High Dive!

During all of this, I also made a quick trip down to Ames, IA to visit Amy and see her apartment...and a KU basketball game! Although it was cold...it was great to see Amy and her life in Iowa.

I just got back from a little over a week in Dayton - it was quite the whirlwind week looking back...realizing how much my life has changed since the Buschelmans introduced me to the show "Lost". I've resisted for several seasons (3.5) but little did I know about the power of "Lost". You can watch all the episodes online for free...so just give it a shot and see if you're intrigued by the lives of Oceanic Flight 815.

Other events from Dayton: Caught a 24-hour stomach flu from either Liesel/Dom, received some excellent gifts from Eric's trip to the New Belgium Brewery, introduced Dom to his new favorite game: Finger Buzzing, enjoyed a thin and crispy cheese pizza with my sister, and of course - enjoyed the Jayhawks' victories in this year's Big XII tourney (as well as a few others here)!! I'll be back there in July...but I certainly enjoy my traditional trips to Ohio in October and March!

And in other news: I was offered a position on the Houston institute staff and decided to accept the offer. So I'll be in TX for about 7 weeks this summer working as a school operations manager...and then will take some time off before I start up again here in Chicago. I don't know for sure what position I'll be in this coming year...I might stay with talent recruitment or I may do something else within the organization.

~mitzi

politician or public servant

People Always Hate Politicians Until They Need One

I got into the legislation business only in order to tirelessly serve the good people of Kansas's 3rd District. But what do I get in return? ...

back home...

After a whirlwind week of traveling to and from Los Angeles and Philadelphia...it is good to be back in the Central timezone. I'm a little exhausted from the several hours spent in airports, airplanes, and taxi cabs - but it was great to go to both of these places and see some sites that I might have never thought to go see on my own. From the famed cement hand and foot prints along Hollywood Blvd. to the historical home of the Declaration of Independence...the cities of angels and brotherly love were certainly intriguing - and definitely warmer than the frigid temperatures of this windy city.

In other news, I have an interview for a position on the staff that supports the summer institute in Houston for this coming June/July. It's the school operations manager role - which means, you run all the logistics/operations for one of the schools that incoming corps members teach at during their 5 weeks of training. This is just part-time/summer job - so I would live in Houston for 6-7 weeks during the summer and then return back to my regular job. If I get it - it will be a really great experience to have within the organization...so if you have a moment to think of me at 4:30pm CST this Tuesday - I'd appreciate it!

And since I have tomorrow off for President's Day - check this out:

PRESIDENT’S DAY

Back in Seventeen ninety-six
Is when this Holiday began
For the birthday of ol’ George
At least that was the plan.
It was his last full year
Of his Presidency
Born February twenty-second
Or the Eleventh, ‘cause you see
The old calendar was different
Than the one we use today
And some celebrated one
Some people on the other day.
By the early Nineteenth Century
Celebrated every year
Birthnight Balls were held
Taverns reveled in good cheer.
Public figures gave their speeches
And Receptions given by a few
Then along came ol’ Abe Lincoln
His Birthday in February too.
In Eighteen and sixty-five
The year after Booth’s fatal shot
Both House’s of Congress gathered
For a Memorial and solemn thought.
Not a Federal Holiday like George’s
But legal in more than one State
And then a Resolution was enacted
Back in Nineteen sixty-eight.
They made the third Monday of the month
To make for a three day weekend
To honor Washington and Lincoln
And this story comes to it’s end.

~Del "Abe" Jones~
01-28-2005

top 10 in football, basketball, and...

Once again - Lawrence, KS has proven itself.

some talent...

I randomly saw this video and was impressed...so I thought I would share.

getting started...

As I begin this next year of my life, I sit thinking about the last several birthdays I've celebrated with friends and family. While I didn't do much on my actual birthday besides watch KU lose in Manhattan, KS for the first time in my lifetime...I did have a wonderful birthday celebration over the past month - visits with Blair and the Reddigs; packages coming from Kansas, Ohio, and Iowa; the flowers that technically came from both the east and west coasts; and all the e-mails the phone calls wishing me a happy day. Thank you to everyone! While my family and friends don't live right down the street - I know that I'm still close with all of them and well, that's something I can always hold on to when I'm feeling lonely.

This weekend, I finally got started on my new year's resolution list. I planned that my first Chicago site would be the Chicago History Museum. It seemed like a good starting place. My plans were almost scratched due to the admission price ($14)...which seemed steep for a general museum. However, I found out that you can check-out passes at the public library - so that's just what I did! Technically, another adult and 2 children could have come along with me for free, but when the museum employee asked me, "How many are with you?" - I just said, "Oh, it's just me!" I checked my coat, took my audio tour iPod, and headed off to learned how this Windy City came to be.

This museum certainly has some great exhibits - a Lincoln gallery brought back memories of the family trip to D.C. and our tour of Ford's Theatre. The exhibits with the founding "Checaugo" and the establishment of Fort Dearborn helped me figure out that the reason for all the crazy diagonal streets was that they were old Indian trails that the city planners kept in place as the grid-system was being laid out. Learning how this 'Second City' is really second to none ibecause it is the birthplace of so many things that we often take for granted...the retail department stores like Marshal Field, Macy's, Sears, Crate and Barrel; and other companies like Schwinn bicycles and the Playboy Bunny. Sadly, one of these things that its start in Chicago is the Pill - which was not included on the audio tour. Interesting...

Learning more about the Great Fire, the Haymarket riots, Race riots - brought back a lot of Mr. Ortmann's U.S. history class discussions. I find it interesting that the two cities I've live in have dealt with such turmoil and have both burned to the ground, but rose from the ashes. Of course, my favorite area was the Jazz section - even though it was pretty small in comparison to the rest of the exhibits. And yes, there was the Chicago's sports exhibits - including a pair of Michael Jordan's shoes. I only wish there was some interactive exhibit were you leaned the 'Super Bowl Shuffle'.

Overall, a interesting visit for the historian in me. I feel that with all these outings I'll be making - I should probably have some sort of rating.

Taking time, price, accessibility, and overall enjoyment into account, on a scale of 1-5. 1 being don't waste your time and 5 being a must see in Chicago.

Chicago History Museum: 4

Until next time...

-mitzi

Kansas Day...

Who doesn't love a sunflower?

I was born in Texas
I was bred in Kansas
When I get married I'll be wed in Kansas
There's a true blue gal who promised she would wait
She's a sunflower from the Sunflower State

She's a sunflower, she's my sunflower
And I know we'll never part
She's my sunflower, she's my one flower
She's a flower of my heart

I was fair in Kansas, clouds are rare in Kansas
Never saw a place that could compare with Kansas
So I'm going home to keep a wedding date
With a sunflower from the Sunflower State

She's a sunflower, she's my sunflower
And I know we'll never part
She's a sunflower, she's my one flower
She's a flower of my heart