Monday's Snow Flurry

At about 5:00 Monday evening I heard Travis in the guest room say, "Oh wow--look outside!" And there it was: little white pellets falling from the sky. We stood on our small balcony and watched the 2 minute (if that) "snow storm." It wasn't much, but it was pretty awesome to see any amount of snow in the month of October! Here are two pictures of the little white dots covering the ground:

Some Updates

Travis:
Travis is doing well with his studies. Last week started his crazy test schedule--6 tests in 3 weeks. He had one test last week (Biochemistry) and he did well on it. He has three tests this week: Monday-Structure and Function Histology Midterm, Wednesday-ECR (not sure what that stands for), and Friday-Structure and Function. Next week he will have two tests and these are the ones that are the killers. On Monday he will have his Anatomy written exam and Tuesday will be his Anatomy Lab exam in which he will have to identify body parts that have been labeled on cadavers. Among the study he has found time to spend with me and others. His cousin, Kyle, was in downtown with his wife for a few days. On Sunday he and Travis went to play disc golf. Travis is looking forward to the week of November 10-14; his much desired quarter break.

Erin:
As for me I am still waiting to hear about the job I interviewed for. But I have received another call from a job that I think I would like alot more. I received a call last week from the Lake Forest Preserve Discovery Museum. I applied for the position of Museum Educator which seems to be in line with what I did at my other museum positon: scheduling, conducting programs, etc. The first call was to see if I was still interested in the position, and I was called again today to set up the interview time. My interview will be November 11th at 2:00. The museum is about 15 miles away which is not bad and it is not in the direction of downtown. So hopefully the traffic will not be horrendous. I'm really excited about this opportunity. It would be a job I'm really interested in and have a passion for. The museum is about Lake County history. So my plan is to go check some books out on this subject and be as prepared as possible. Hopefully something good will come of this.

Weather:
The past couple days we have had some interesting weather and it will be continuing for the next few days. On Sunday the morning started out in the mid 50's which is what we have been seeing for the past week or so. By the afternoon the temperature dropped into the 40's and the winds started gusting. According to the weather channel the winds were up to 30 mph! Today the temperature has been in the 40's but with the wind it feels like the 30's. Needless to say I have stayed inside as much as possible. On his way back from classes, Travis said he saw some snow flurries which was forecasted. They were very small and very dispersed but still, snow flurries, though small, in October! The meterologists have been saying that this is unusual weather for this time of the year. By Thursday it is suppose to be back in the 60's, but for now we are staying bundled up.

Northern Holiday

Yesterday while driving I heard the djs on the radio say, "Don't forget this Saturday is Sweetest Day. Buy your cards and candy." What the huey is Sweetest day? They continued to discuss this "holiday" as a smaller version of Valentine's Day. Once I returned home I googled this oddity to find out what they were talking about. Apparently it is celebrated on the third Saturday of October and mainly celebrated by the Great Lakes regions. It is described as a day to remember those who have showed kindness and helpfulness. To read more about this intriguing celebration click the following link:

Sweetest Day

Job Status

I called the placement agency yesterday to check up on the status of the job. I've been getting a little anxious since it seems to be taking longer than I thought. I'm not sure but I think my contact lady told me something she wasn't suppose to. The company is wanting to hire two people for the position, me being one of them. My thought process is that instead of one person assisting two executives, each executive would have there own assistant. The company is running this idea past "the powers that be" and waiting for the o.k. It may happen that they can only hire one person and then I'm not sure if it will be me or the other person. So at least I know what is going on, and now I continue the waiting process.

Fall Pictures

Here are some pictures of the trees around our apartment complex. It seems like each day a new color pops up!











This next tree is inside a cemetary near us. We noticed it on Sunday when we drove to church. So yesterday we did a quick drive by inside the cemetary and took the shot.



These next few shots are from a forest preserve down the road from us.

Waiting, Cooking, and Reading

I am still waiting to hear the results of the second interview. The lady at the placement agency called me on Monday to let me know it would be a couple of days until the company decided. The main reason for the delay is the fact that they are needing a day when everyone is in the office to discuss the matter. Finding that day is rather difficult. I completely understand this predicament. At the museum when we were working on hiring someone for my position it was during summer when everyone was taking vacations. It is hard though being on the other end waiting and hoping for that call.

In the meantime I am trying to fill my time. I have found excitement and enjoyment in cooking. In the past I was never very enthralled with the idea of cooking an entree. I didn't find it all that fun--not like baking. I love to bake! My reasoning for this love would be the thrill of eating the product...and in some instances (actually most) the thrill of eating before the product is done, i.e. the delicious batter. Since we have been in North Chicago I have been scrounging through the wonderful cookbooks I received as wedding presents for new and somewhat easy recipes. This week I made two meals that were fairly easy and actually turned out to be edible. The first was called pan enchiladas--beef enchiladas turned into a casserole dish. They were really good, and since there are only two of us there were plenty of leftovers. A couple of nights later I made Sheperd's pie using sausage. Again it didn't catch on fire and actually tasted very good. One night this week Travis and I both had a craving for something sweet and since we didn't have anything premade in the house I decided to try out this interesting drink recipe I found. Using the blender (which I now love) I made these frosty orange drinks out of orange juice, milk, sugar, vanilla, and ice. Super easy and super good!

I also I have been spending my time reading. About a month ago I finished a book I was reading and needed something else to delve into. Travis mentioned his fantastic collect of John Grisham novels (18 books in all). I have seen a few of the movies but had never read any of his books. I am thoroughly enjoying the books: easy read and intense plots that keep you wanting more. I have read The Client and The Firm (both of which I have not seen the movies of but would like to now) and am currently reading The Testament.

Travis is also keeping busy...like I had to say that. Even though he has two weeks without a test, he remains devouted to studying. He knows that after these two weeks there will be three weeks of agony. He will have 6 tests within those three weeks. And each of these tests cover an unbelievable amount of material. One of these tests will be his Anatomy Lab in which he will have to name labeled parts on different cadavers. He does take his fair share of breaks which I think is healthy, (in fact right now he is watching the OU vs. UT game with some fellow classmates) but he knows the importance of his studies. I can't say enough how proud I am of him!

We can definately tell that fall is here. The weather is nice and cool and the trees are changing colors. I plan to take some pictures of the beautiful foliage and post them on the blog. Stay tuned...

Venture to Downtown

This past Friday we took a trip to downtown, or rather we went to a spot in downtown called Wrigleyville. We had planned to go with a group of Travis's classmates to a place called Harry Caray's. The class president had arranged for busses to take everyone down there, but we decided to drive, mainly because the busses were coming back a little later than we wanted to stay up. The drive was not bad at all. It took about 40 minutes and the only trouble we had was finding the parking garage I had located online. We never found the garage, but we found a public parking lot even closer to where we were going, and it was right next to the Chicago Police Department which made us feel good about the security. Since we left while the others were just gather to get on the busses, we knew we had some time to kill. So we of course went to see Wrigley Field, located right down the street from where we were going. It was amazing to stand in front of this sports venue that we both had seen in movies, tv shows, and, of course, while watching televised baseball games. What was really neat was the very next day I was watching tv and a reporter was talking from right outside the stadium...where I had stood less than 24 hours ago! Hopefully the next time we see the field it will be on the inside, sitting in the bleachers, snacking on a hot dog, and routing for the Cubs...unless the Rangers or Astros are playing. (I don't know a whole lot about the specifics of major league baseball so if the Rangers and Astros never play the Cubs just humor me).

Here are a few pictures from Friday:







This is one of Travis's classmates, Jason who went to Baylor.

The Second Interview

I have really enjoyed using this placement agency to find a job. The lady who is my contact is absolutely wonderful and she gives me tips on my resume and for my interview. The interview was set for 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon. She informed me that the interview would be behavioral questions: "tell me about a time when you had to..." This was how my first interview went but this time I was prepared. I went online and looked at samply questions and thought of examples from my past experiences. It was nice knowing what to expect and how to be prepared.

I left quite a bit earlier than needed just in case something should happen. And it's good I did. The road I took last time was closed at the railroad tracks. So I followed the detour which I knew would lead me to highway 94, the toll road. After quickly checking to make sure I had change to take this route (just barely enough) I hopped on the highway and tried to remember if there was an exit at the road I needed. There wasn't. Luckily, the last time I went for my interview I was super early so I drove around the area and happend to find a back road that emptied out right near highway 94. So I took this and made it to my interview with about 5 minutes to spare--cutting it close but still not late.

I met first with the president of the company who I had briefly met the first time. He discussed the company, the position, and what they were looking for in the position. The majority of my time was spent with the VP of sales. She asked me a few situational questions and through my answers other questions were spawned. She was very intrigued with my scheduling at the museum and how I kept track of almost 200 tours. The position I am applying for would involve alot of the same organizational skills. I then met with another account executive. He and the VP of sales would be the people I would be assisting. He asked a few of the same questions. He also showed me the database program they use on the computer to keep track of the speakers and clients. He also showed me some of the paper checklists they used to keep track of the different pieces involved with each event.

My interview lasted from 2:30 to 4:00! It didn't feel like it took an hour and a half. I was having an enjoyable time. All of the people I met with were very nice and seemed like excellent people to work with. As soon as I was done I called the lady at the placement agency to discuss how it went. She was suprised at how long my interview had gone--I'm thinking that's a good sign. She asked me some questions that she would pass on to the company. So know it is another waiting game to see what comes of this interview. I feel really good about it.