I couldn't ask for more.

Chicago was amazing. Everything has worked out, and happened all so fast it's crazy. It was like one thing after the other just fell right into place.

Tuesday, after much walking and going in all different directions, we finally came to an Office Max on Fullerton Ave in a shopping center called "Riverfront Mall." I spoke to the general manager there about a transfer and he said he would call my boss and get back to me. The rest of the day consisted of nothing but walking around downtown, enjoying the scenery, and great food. Grant Park had festivities going on all summer, and that day they had a rehearsal for a show they were going to put on later in the week. It was awesome!

These kids were havin a blast. 

LOOK AT THIS GODDAMN BLOODY MARY!  

Wednesday, we walked around neighborhoods Bucktown, Wicker Park, and Wriggleyville. All of these neighborhoods are extroardinary. They're a lot like Midtown and downtown Omaha, (only way cooler of course).They're filled with bars, clubs, music venues, and a lot of shopping. I found this store called "Vintage Underground," where I found a gold capricorn ring. No one ever has capricorn stuff, EVER.....they're always out. I had to buy it. This store was pretty similar to Joe's Collectibles downtown, (only smaller and full of jewelry).  

Afterwards we went back downtown and saw this restaurant they used to have in Lincoln called "The Reagle Beagle." My mom was freakin about it, and said her brother used to go there and hang out all the time. So needless to say, we had to take a picture. They played nothin but 70's and 80's music, and had "Three's Company" playing on the tv's. (I used to LOVE that show!)

The city all lit up!

On Thursday, I had an appointment with a company called "Chicago Apartment Finders." Basically what they do is drive you around and show you different apartments in your price range, and match you up with everything you're looking for. We had an agent named Louie. He was a really cool dude who knew a lot about Chicago and traveled all over the world. (Even to Egypt and Jerusalem!) After a lot of driving around, and being locked out of several apartments, the last one I saw I fell in love with. It's kind of small, but its livable. 

I will be in a neighborhood called "Edgewater." It's pretty far north, but is a half hour from school and work, and 5 miles from North Avenue Beach. PERFECTOOOO! The lease starts Aug 15th, but I won't be able to officially move in until the weekend of the 21st. Kind of shitty paying for rent when you won't even be there, but hey....I got a place to live. 

Friday consisted of nothing but taking care of school business. We had an appointment with the photography advisor at 10am, and were running late. The lady at the desk told us if we were more than 15mins late, we'd have to reschedule. We got off the blue line at 10:10 and literally ran 4 blocks to the wrong building. HA! When we made it there she was with another student and said she would see us in between appointments. THANK GOD! She went over all of the classes I need to start out, and also informed me that I had about 4 core classes I still needed to take. 78 credit hours at Metro, and only 48 of them transfered. I was upset. I still have to take more Math, Science, and History. FML. My photography classes didn't transfer so I had to go see one of the photography administers to see if I could convince him to transfer them. I showed him my portfolio, he said it was "not bad," gave me a quiz, and asked me general questions. Finally he said he was able to transfer one of them as an elective for my major.

Later on, my mom had a convention for work and I wasn't about to sit at the hotel all night so I decided to go to a place called "The Kinetic Playground." I saw online that they were having a hip hop/trance/experimental show going on that night, but when I actually got there, no one was in there except 3 people. Apparently, there was not a show at all. I decided to walk around the area and went into a bar called "The Crew." I was super hungry so I decided to eat and have a couple drinks. All of a sudden the place started getting packed....FULL OF DUDES! At first I was confused, and then realized I was the only girl in the bar, and knew why. I found out later I was in a part of town called, "Boystown," aka Gay central.....nothing like the one in Omaha. I decided to ride the train back to Bucktown and ended up at another bar. I met some guys there from Ohio. The only thing we had in common was the band, "The Black Keys," and they invited me to go to an irish bar with them down the street. I went and met some of their other friends that were actually from Chicago, and just asked them questions about the city. It got to be around 11 and I figured I should probably head back. The train was PACKED. As soon as I got on I put on my head phones and zoned out. The next thing I saw was 2 girls yelling at some dude, throwing shit at him and hitting him. I have no idea what they were saying, but when we came to the next stop the CTA guys kicked the girls off and the guy being harassed handed some other guy $20 and told him thanks and got off the train. The guy handed out $2 to me and everyone around him. People are nuts. 

Saturday, my mom had a convention again all day. I decided to find my way to the beach, and relax. 

It was super crowded. They had volleyball courts, a bar, gift shops, places to eat, and even a dodgeball court. The water was extremely cold, but the sand was just right. I got a call from Office Max while I was layin out saying they would transfer me to their store. =)

The rest of the night I had really bad cramps. So bad, that I couldn't even walk or stand up. Such a bummer.

Sunday, I saw a flyer for the Wicker Park Festival and we decided to go check it out. 

It was very similar to the Summer Arts Festival in Omaha, only better. They had a lot of sidewalk sales and incredible stores. 

Before we headed back to the hotel, I had to see the beach one last time as the sun went down. 

LOOK AT THOSE CLOUDS! 

I'm in love with this city. I'm terrifyingly excited. There's a new chapter in my life ahead...and I can't wait to watch it all unfold. 

I'll be having a going away party August 14 or 16th. I don't have details yet, but it will most likely be a BBQ at my parents house during the day. I'll make a facebook event for it sometime this week. 

MUAH!