Author Archives: yearoffunsarah

Oct 18 2012
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Chicago Specific Fun, Food/Drink Fun, Friends and Family

Day 24: Who are you?

Sometimes I find meeting up with a friend I haven’t seen in a long while (like multiple years) stressful. I wonder who we are to one another and worry over whether we will have anything in common anymore. This morning I had brunch with a friend from college that I had not seen since college, other than that time this summer when I saw her in a play and was like, “whoa you live here?” Not only did we have plenty to say, but we also agreed we should be better friends.

Over our delicious brunch (at Over Easy on Damen), we caught up but mostly we talked about how we define ourselves–we, she and I and we, society. And I’ve been thinking a lot about something she said, “We are so focused on what do you do but really we should be asking who are you?” I’ve been thinking about it a lot because I went in to our brunch with a set one-liner about my job and why I’m not doing what I set out to do after college. I had an excuse of sorts but when she and I really got in to it, yes it is true that I want to do more or better or something else but I shouldn’t feel bad that I’m not doing that now. It does not define me. And it was really refreshing (and fun) to get in to all that with a new/old friend.

Oct 17 2012
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Around the House/DIY, Friends and Family, Fun for Couples, Online Fun

Day 23: Holidays are coming?

On the list if things that bring me joy, you will find the Holidays very near the top. I love that time of year from Thanksgiving to the New Year. All the baking (eating), decorating, football, first snows, presents and general sense of cheer and love. In October, I start to get the itch but usually suppress it. Let’s be clear, I do not condone putting out Christmas decor before Thanksgiving. Maybe that is why I went for the glass pumpkin and pumpkin candles at Foursided the other day.

Looking through all the photos from the shoot this morning, I got an idea. Design a holiday card! (Ok maybe I had this idea when I originally requested the time slot for pictures. And maybe I withheld that information from my husband to ensure he would be on board. Because maybe I was having major regrets about our decision not to send cards last year. Not that he’s a grinch or anything. He just doesn’t totally understand why I love the Holidays so much). So for the holiday cards we will definitely be sending this year, why not make it personal? I love getting family photo cards, especially from my friends with kids. What better for my husband and I than a family photo with our dog?

And I do enjoy a good photo project (really iPhoto makes it so easy) so I picked a layout, incorporated the perfect picture and chose some words of cheer for the message. All I have to do now is order the appropriate amount. A little bit of holiday joy this morning to tide me over until the real celebrating begins.

Oct 17 2012
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Friends and Family, Fun for Couples

Photoshoot Update

We already got our photos from the shoot on Monday and I am so in love! Here is a link to Emily’s blog post with more pictures. I just had to share.  http://66.147.244.60/~emilyalt/?p=657

Oct 16 2012
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Pamper/Beautify, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Solitary Fun

Day 22: Acupuncture

Ever since I was diagnosed with RA, people have been telling me to try acupuncture. When I worked for the local veterinary hospital in eighth grade, one of the vets, who performed acupuncture on dogs, even offered to do it on me. Until today, however, I never entertained the thought further than, “That might be interesting.”

For my appointment at Lincoln Square Acupuncture, I was told to wear comfortable clothes, pants that could roll above my knees and a shirt that could roll above the elbows. When I arrived, I filled out a form on an iPad and then was instructed to take off my shoes and pick a chair in the communal acupuncture room. Three other people were already inside relaxing. No one seemed to notice me, so I tried a chair, didn’t like it and moved to another, more satisfactory one.

When the acupuncturist came in, she and I discussed quietly my needs and what I should expect. She noticed my hands and left knee, feeling them for heat. Somehow she decided where I needed the small needles and started with a spot right between my eyes. It didn’t hurt at all. I just felt a tingling sensation. Then she put more needles in various parts of my body, mostly on the left side. I sat totally still and closed my eyes trying to both relax and pay attention to what I felt.

Throughout my half hour I felt all of the following; tingling, heat, aches, heaviness, and movement. That last one was tricky. I felt like my back was moving or rocking yet I was absolutely certain it was not. When the acupuncturist came and took my needles out, she told me all of those sensations meant it was working and my energy was flowing. She recommended I come three more times over the next two weeks to help with my pain.

I paid for my appointment (they offer a pay-what-you-can between $30-$50 for the first appointment and $20-$40 for any subsequent appointments) and did not make another one. I decided to wait to see how I felt the rest of the day before making a decision. Mostly I felt relaxed and calm all over. My left hand, where I felt the most weight during the treatment, has progressively felt lighter and lighter throughout the day. Now it feels as if something has been released or a weight lifted in the knuckles of the thumb and first finger. It’s a pretty amazing feeling!

I plan to go back a few more times to see if it progresses. Who knows? This may become an integral part of my care.

Oct 15 2012
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Chicago Specific Fun, Friends and Family, Fun for Couples

Day 21: Photoshoot

I realize that today is supposed to be Guilty Pleasure Monday, however my little family and I did something so fun I did not need a guilty pleasure. We had a photo shoot with our friend, Emily, who, aside from being a very busy Chicago Public School teacher, has a photography business.

She does these Mini Shoots where, for a great price, you get 20 minutes and 40 shots with fully edited digital prints. It’s a great way to get some high quality pictures without a major time or monetary commitment. Now, my husband and I have been in front of the camera a lot recently having two wedding events but we don’t have a lot of casual photos. We have hardly any photos of us with our dog, and I’ve been feeling and moving a lot better. So when I saw Emily had some time slots open, I knew we needed to take advantage of the opportunity.

The three of us (husband, dog, me) met Emily under the Bryn Mawr overpass and took a variety of shots on the path and by the lake. To say Elphie was excited would be an understatement. She was running erratically, sniffing everything and jumping at our photographer. But once she calmed down, we got what I think I can safely assume were playful, funny and endearing shots.

Emily’s talent for photography is very organic. She does not pose people (or animals) just captures their best moments by putting them in a natural setting and letting them be. Her pictures from our destination wedding include some of my most favorite and I’m always checking her blog for more adorable children and couples. We had a great time today and are looking forward to seeing the results!

For more info on Emily’s photography, visit www.emilyaltphotography.com

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