Oops, I did it for the first and LAST time

Today, I revealed my wild side. I ordered coffee.


Okay, I know I'm not supposed to drink coffee, but I just might if I actually liked it. Lucky for me, I think it tastes a little like death. I've never liked it. I used to choke it down when my mom had a cup because I thought I was cool. I didn't like it then, and I found out today, I don't like it now.


So imagine my disappointment when I accidentally ordered it today. You may be wondering, "How does someone 'accidentally' order coffee?" I swear it's true and here's how. I was craving some chocolate milk today but it was raining so I thought it would be quite festive to go with hot chocolate. I heard some guys order hot chocolate at the coffee shop the other day so I thought I'd try it. I saw something that said "chocolate, steamed milk." Those were the ingredients. I thought I found me some scrumptious hot chocolate. She handed it to me. I held it with glee. I smelled it. It smelled like coffee. Reluctantly, I tasted it, hoping the smell was just coming from the coffee shop. It, indeed, was coffee. Major bummer. I chucked it in the trash and decided that was a mistake I will never make again.



If I was going to drink coffee, however, I would invest in these. For you coffee drinkers out there, I think you would be the cool kids on the block just by owning some.

Ashlee's Favorite Things

Since I live near the Windy City and the Oprah show is taped there, I feel justified.

Special K snack bites are yummy! The perfect snack that makes it seem like you are being healthy while snacking. Also a favorite thing-- finding them on sale.

Wyler's light helps my water not taste like dirt. In fact, it even tastes pretty good. Crystal light would do as well, but this was cheaper. Even better!

The Chicago Dog. Yum. Okay, so I have to edit that a little. Actually, I don't like most of the stuff on the hot dog as it has peppers, relish, and onions; however, I LOVE LOVE the giant pickle that it comes with and the poppy seed bun. Mmmm.

Okay, I do love some things that aren't food as well. The red box has been my

source for entertainment. For only $1!

Speaking of cheap...I love IKEA too. My beautiful couch was born here.
I can't wait to be able to afford even more from this wonderful place.

And finally, my new favorite show.
It's my favorite because all seasons are available online.
Basically, it's what I watch on TV since I don't have a TV.

Though I should probably stop because it scares me late at night...

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Amidst all of the change

and certain chaos

that now encompasses me,

there is at least one thing

that will always remain a constant in my life...

I HATE doing laundry!

Boo the laundry mountain!

Welcome Home Liz!

Sister Stitt gets back today from Curitiba Brazil and I can't wait to talk to her! The last time I talked to this girl was in December of 2006! Needless to say, we have a lot of catching up to do.

Welcome back...we have really missed your face around here!

Week 1 Recap and a Little of Week 2

My first week of work was a little bit insane, to say the least. It probably wasn't any different from anyone else's first week of work, but let's face it, that week is always a bit overwhelming. I tried to get to know the other BAPs (Buyer Apprentice Program), get to know my buying team, get to know the lingo, get to know the systems and spreadsheets, get to know the building, get to know the parking lot, get to know my neighborhood, and get to know my own system of doing things. It's been interesting but at the same time, I LOVE it! As hard as I know it is, I sometimes get a moment to reflect on what I am doing with my life. Big thanks go out to all of you who encouraged me to come here and helped me from the beginning. Even when I failed to get into kindergarten.

Arriving at work we all learned that now we are allowed to wear jeans everyday! Woo hoo except I don't really have jeans that are nice enough for work. So poor me had to go shopping to get some pants. Poor me? Whatever, I'll take any excuse to shop. We also learned that we get to have "summer hours" until the end of August. This means that I will work from 8 to 6 Mon-Thur and then a half day on Friday. So if you want to come visit, how's next month?

Tonight, I experienced one of the perks of being a buyer. I got to go to dinner with a vendor. Basically, I sat back and ate my free food and dessert. I could have also gotten a drink too, the vendors are not opposed to spending money on you! And speaking of money, today was my first payday. It all comes together now.
So there you have it. Sorry no pictures, I haven't gotten out much, what with all the being taken out to dinner and what have you...

Clinton and Stacey said that I could...

Okay, so I watch too much reality TV. In any case, on What Not to Wear, Clinton and Stacey said that you can wear brown and black together because they are both neutrals. Growing up, in my mind, I thought this was a major fashion faux pas. However, trusting the experts, I decided to try it out. (Also because I really wanted to wear my new brown sweater and I wanted to wear this skirt which happens to have black on it. Unfortunately, I am not patient enough to wait for the next day to wear the other. Besides, how would I have chosen which to wear today?! I did not have that much time this morning.) Though you may not be able to tell in this photo, here's the mixture of black and brown. Am I the only one that thought this mixture was crazy? Is this okay or did I walk around making people think I am colorblind?

P.S.- I wore some totally hot brown heels to go with it if that helps in anyone's decision.

Junior's Bottoms

I know that sounds awkward but it's true. That's where I am going to be working which is so appropriate since I haven't fit into juniors' clothing since I was about ten. But that's okay. Although I wanted misses' apparel, I am happy to say that I am not working in automotive batteries like another girl that started today. Honestly, I still have no idea what my actual job entails but I know it's going to be great. They even took all the old crap out of my cube so I have a place to work! Things are looking up.

Anyway, all I did today was borientation or snorientation. They could have easily chopped off an entire hour of it. Paperwork is lame-o. So not a lot of info today but many asked how it went. I'll get there someday!

My weekend was pretty good though. My wonderful friend Janessa happened to be nearby with her fiance so I met up with them and went to Texan BBQ. My ham sandwich was delicious. Janessa got a taco salad that was more like meat in a taco bowl and Brett got some delicious looking ribs. Chicago really does taste great!

Church was great on Sunday. I attended a singles' branch and there were about thirty of us. Ok, there could have been more but there were no more than 15 sisters in Relief Society. At least I'll get to know everyone quickly, right?

Hope you are all doing well! Thanks for looking.

The REAL taste of Chicago

After unpacking everything, we decided to visit the city and go to the "Taste of Chicago." Basically, restaurants from all around the city come and bring their best. Amazingly, everything we tried, we loved! Here are some of our favorites.

A GIANT pickle on a stick. Mmmm.
Roasted corn on the cob. So delicious! Even my mom, who has braces, couldn't resist.

The amazing turkey leg. This one took us good while to finish. Before.
During.
And after. As we were eating it, we had about ten other people come up to us and ask where we got it. It was fun to watch others eat it too. The booth was handing out paper towels rather than napkins!
Fried dough and homemade chips from Harry Carey's.
Afterwards, we went down the Magnificent Mile and stopped at Hershey and Ghiradelli's to cleanse our palletes. Gotta love the free samples.

Moved In!

Firstly, I must say that I lied to many of you. I told you I was moving to Chicago. The truth of the matter is, I moved to Elgin. By train, Elgin is a little over an hour away from Chicago (and trust me, I would never go into the city by any other way.) Elgin is about 10 minutes from where I work and about 20 minutes from the singles' ward. There is a grocery store around the corner and a gigantic mall down the street. All-in-all, a very perfect location.

After two and a half days of driving, my mom, dad, and I arrived at my apartment. We spent the rest of the afternoon putting my things in my apartment and then made a trip to IKEA for some decorative essentials. Thanks to my mom's fabulous taste, I now have quite the trendy little apartment.

Here's a shot of my living room furnished with a beautiful couch from IKEA and a couple of Wyoming tables. :)

The rest of my front room. I don't have a TV but you can sit on the couch and watch my bookshelf! The brick wall makes me feel at home because we have a brick wall at my parents' house.

Here are both ends of my hallway. Thanks for the humongous bowl of Skittles, Mom!

My apartment got fully upgraded which means I got all new hardware, new appliances, new countertops, a new ceiling fan, and basically a brand new bathroom as well! It's so wonderful to start fresh. I was originally told I wouldn't have a microwave but one was added in the upgrade; that's why I have two.

My cute bathroom. There are cute orange rugs to match the shower curtain and I love them!

Finally we have my bedroom. I still have my furniture from when I was about 10 but it was free so I took it and ran! The stuffed animals are fairly new though. I know, I'm lame. There's also a walk-in closet that I can't wait to fill to the brim. I've done fairly well so far...

So there you have it! I am here. I am alive. I am blogging. I will keep you posted on my taste of the Chicago area as I try to survive out here.