The Siberian American: Life Update: Eight Months in Chicago

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Life Update: Eight Months in Chicago

If you had told me this time last year that Chris and I would be celebrating the New Year Russian style in Milwaukee with my family, I wouldn’t have believed you. Even though our move to Chicago was surprising, these last eight months have been better than I imagined. The worst part has been being so far from family and friends, so when we had the opportunity to spend a few days together, I was so excited.


Chris was on a clinic month in December, so he had a half day off on December 31 and a full day on January 1, so he stayed in Milwaukee until the evening of January 1 hanging out with my family and some new friends. I decided last minute to stay an extra day, so I could spend more time with my family.


My parents borrowed a friend’s car the next day, and we drove back to Chicago, so we could spend time in the city together. We had a great time walking around Millennium Park, watching people ice skate, and seeing the decorated windows at Macy’s on State Street. We capped off a fun afternoon with an early dinner at Lou Malnati’s (my favorite deep dish pizza place that also has some of the best tiramisu I’ve ever had). I loved showing my parents our neighborhood and what my life is like in the city.


One of my Christmas presents from Chris this year were tickets to the Potted Potter, so we made a date out of it with dinner and a show. There is nothing better than a night together filled with laughter and good food. We usually try to go to a new restaurant on our dates since Chicago has so many amazing food choices, but we had received several gift cards to The Cheesecake Factory, and it was super close to the Broadway Playhouse. Even though The Cheesecake Factory has a huge menu, I always order the same thing: crispy crab bites, pasta carbonara with chicken, and red velvet cheesecake.


The rest of January was not quite as eventful as the beginning of the month. Chris started four weeks of ICU on January 6, so his schedule was long and unpredictable. He had to work 7 p.m. to 11 a.m. quite a few times, which really threw us off for the rest of the day. Then, he would work 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. the following day, so it was hard not be exhausted. Still, we tried to make the most of our time together, so we went on a few dates to the places we love near us. One date I will never forget is walking to a close by restaurant with snow lightly falling around us. It’s not something we get to enjoy in Texas, so it made it really special.


19 comments:

  1. i'm so glad this move to chicago has exceeded your expectations, even if it has been hard to be away from family. mmm cheesecake factory - i think i get the same pasta every time as well lol

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  2. You guys always seem to make the most out of your time together! Love seeing your adventures!

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  3. I love that you're having such a great time and getting to spend time with your family too. I can't even imagine his work schedule...shouldn't that be illegal?! haha! I can't imagine having a doctor helping me who had been awake that long!

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  4. Sounds like you are having a great time in Chicago! I can't even imagine what it is like being married to a doctor, they have the craziest schedules.

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  5. Aww I love the idea how walking to a date night and having the snow falling around you. It's like a movie!

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  6. I know you're going to miss Chicago, but are you starting to get excited for your move? I'm really interested to see how Chris' second year compares to his intern year!

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  7. Ahh I have to get to Chicago for some deep dish pizza!! And my favorite cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory is Mango Key Lime, I wish we had one close by!

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  8. That's so awesome that you got to ring in the new year with your family, and then got to explore Chicago with them as well! Walking in the snow to try out a new restaurant is definitely not very Texas at all, so that's awesome that you're getting all of these new experiences! That sucks that Chris has been so busy with work, but hopefully February will be a little bit more relaxed!

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  9. I love your sweater in that last picture! Oh my gosh I keep seeing posts about Chicago pizza everywhere and I feel like I need to go to Chicago just for that. YUM. I looove the cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory. It's sooo ridiculously good!

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  10. That's great that you got to spend time with your parents and then show them around Chicago. How long was that drive from Milwaukee to Chicago?

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  11. Lou's is my favorite deep dish, too :) I need to try their tiramisu next time! Love ice skating at Millenium Park, probably my favorite winter activity in the city!

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  12. I love that you guys have been able to eat at so many great restaurants - I mean that's half the fun of exploring a new city!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  13. Glad you guys are having a great time exploring Chicago!

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  14. I'm so jealous you went to Potted Potter! I'd love to see that. Sounds like you are really making the most of your time in Chicago and the time you have together. It's great that you have that exploring itch to try new things and you get to do it with one another!

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  15. I hope things calm down for him so you both could relax a little together! Chicago looks beautiful especially in the snow.

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  16. Cheesecake factory is so delicious! So glad you got to catch up with your family. I lived out of state away from my family for awhile, so I can relate to how hard it can be.

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  17. Im so happy the move was a good one for you!! And that you got to spend time with family. Yay for time together even in the busy-ness of life!

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  18. Holy moly ~ do I love myself some red velvet cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory?! Yes ma'am, I do. It seems like just a short time ago, I was reading about your anxieties regarding your move to Chicago. It seems you have really embraced your time there!

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  19. I love how much fun you guys have been having in this new city this year, and yay for unexpected time with the fam <3
    Green Fashionista

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