So Confused but Loving It!

With Halloween in the past and Thanksgiving on the way I would expect the 40 degree weather that we had earlier this week. However, I love the 65/Easter-like weather of today! Oh my gosh... I just checked the weather for tomorrow: 75 and sunny! :) This warm weather in November may be attributed to global warming, which is never good. Yet, I can't help but embrace the warmer temperatures. I think this is my ideal climate. I would be happy if every day oscillated between 60 and 80.



Now for my highlights of the week: My friend had her baby boy (Parker) on the 28th at 11:11PM. I went to the hospital for a visit on Wednesday night. It was the first time that I can remember holding a baby that small. He is 8.5 lbs, 21" long and so precious!

Thursday night I ended up watching "Anna" again. We rode the bus home together after work, picked up some spaghetti ingredients, made dinner, watched Hocus Pocus and then read some stories until her Mom came after school. She is such a smart little girl, and I enjoy spending time with her. She told me that she wanted to stay overnight at my house and was sad to leave. I do my fair share of babysitting, but I cannot imagine having her with me every night.

Friday was Halloween! After three days of being in at 8AM, it felt fantastic to sleep in. I got on my low-budget, school friendly Twister costume and headed to work. I am very bummed; somehow I lost all of my pictures from the actual day of Halloween. :( The kids in my class were very cute. I had a boxer, a fireman,Batman, Superman, Little Red Riding Hood, two Princesses and a Transformer. My favorite costume was in the preschool class: a rat from Ratatouille. It was a very laid back day with trick-or-treating, a lot of time outside and an enormous witch pinata, which the kids went crazy over. The witch was taller than the girls in my class. At the end of the day I had a more serious discussion with my director about becoming a head (preschool) teacher at the beginning of the year. I am highly considering it now, even more than I was before.

Later that night I went to my friend Ashley's for a Halloween gathering. She was dressed as Sarah Palin, and her blonde roommate was Hillary Clinton. There was also a Bill Clinton and a Bristol Palin. They were very cute! 3/4 of my way to the gathering I realized that I left my id at home, so I ended up coming back fairly early. I loved being on Belmont and seeing everyone in their costumes. Halloween really is an amazing holiday! There's so much possibility for creativity and fun festivities.

Yesterday, Saturday, was a jam packed day. I woke up around 10:30 to get ready for my journey to the South side (75th St.) for my first vegan meetup at Soul Vegetarian East. I was one of the firsts in line at the buffet, and I also went up for a round of seconds. The menu consisted of Carrot Salad, BBQ Twists, Mac & Cheese, Greens, CornBread and a Lemon Cake for dessert. One of the fellow attendees did a good job of explaining the dishes (www.snarkyvegan.com). I wasn't a huge fan of the cornbread or carrot salad, but I think I will crave that mac & cheese and the BBQ twists often. They had such rich, delicious flavor. The woman who took care of us was so sweet. She also told us about their Sunday brunch, which sounds amazing! I think I'll be heading to the South side again soon. Let me warn you that it is not cheap, and I learned that they don't always have the macaroni & cheese, so make sure to call ahead.

I was a little disappointed that most of the group was an older crowd, but I did meet a really interesting girl at the end of the meetup named Jessi. She lives near Belmont & Clark, so we road the train back together. I learned that she went from being a freshman in high school to a freshman in college out in Colorado. She's working with her Aunt right now as a website designer and will soon be leaving for Thailand to teach English and become a certified scuba instructor. I woke up to a text from her this morning. She invited me over for dinner on Friday with a few of her friends. I thought that was so thoughtful.

While she got off at Belmont, I headed into Evanston for a babysitting job. I had about an hour in between, which was the perfect amount of time for me to meet up with Syd. It had been so long since we talked, and it was great to see her (and Ozzie). Babysitting was easy. The girls are so great! After that I headed home and got ready for a Halloween party! I ran into a lot of people who I had not seen in a long time. I was also very surprised to find myself one of the last people at the party. Then, I got home, and still wasn't tired.

I had a few tentative plans today, but they fell through, so it ended up being a day of relaxation. That seems to be a theme for my Sundays. Okay, long post. I'm done.