October

October was quite the crazy month! We waited what seemed like forever to get Kyle's first rotation assignment. After finding out we would be in Chicago, we hopped in the car and headed to the Windy City to pick out our apartment. Thanks to the help of a great family friend, we found an amazing apartment in Lincoln Park. We (well, technically my mom did a majority of the packing...) packed up all our stuff, included wedding presents all still in their boxes and drove to our new home! (We are finally enjoying them all - Thank You!!!)

Our New Home

Thank goodness for amazing family to help us pack, unpack, and get settled into our apartment! My parents helped pack us up, Kyle's parents came to move us in & get things organized, and of course the queen of decorating, my mom came to help make the place look "pretty." All in all, we love our apartment and how it quickly felt like home soon after we moved in!

Andrea's Mom comes to visit!

Living Room

Kitchen

Bedroom

Bathroom

Kyle's pride & joy: the game closet!

Our friend the beaver who lies across the street at the Lincoln Park Zoo!

Dr. Kyle: Back At It

In October, Kyle started his first rotation - Internal Medicine at Jackson Park Hospital, which is one the south side of the city. For those who don't know, internal medicine could be nicknamed "diagnostics," and for those House fans out there, Greggory House would fall into the "internal medicine" department.

Though the condition of the hospital was somewhat comparable to Dominica (Kyle's Grandmere was there when she was a little girl, and we joked probably not much had changed at the hospital since then!), Kyle really did enjoy the rotation, and is still considering I.M. as a specialty. During his time at Jackson Park, Kyle served as the Chief Medical Student - which held the not-so-glamorous responsibility of keeping attendance and making the on-call schedule (though he was a very fair leader, he may not have been some students favorite...) But the position allowed him to get to know some of the doctors on a more personal level, which was great!

Workin' Woman

Also in October, I had my first (somewhat) "real" job interview! Two weeks after we moved, I interviewed at Gymboree Play & Music, which is different than the clothing stores. They teach child development classes for children 0 -5 yrs, and the parents or caregiver attends classes. The interview was quite unique, when right off the bat we were asked to sing (and trust me, I'm no "American Idol") in front of a group of 15 people, and also introduce an activity. A few days later I had a second interview, and soon after that, I accepted the job & I started training!

Blown Away by the Windy City!

At the very end of the month, we celebrated Halloween! If you saw our Christmas card, you know what we went as - The Windy City Duo! Our new home served as inspiration as we put wire in our clothes so we looked like we were being blown away. As we walked down the street, people would look at us a little funny, but all we had to do was lean to one side, and then they would start laughing as they got it...

We both learned to live on Google Maps, which not only provides driving & walking directions, but also directions for public transportation & time schedules. I still don't know what I would do without it!

October held a lot of other exciting events, like when the newly engaged Wes & Michelle came to visit. And then other less exciting details that Kyle is still trying to forget.... like the Cubs missing their chance to go to the World Series...

All in All, October was a busy month, but was a great start for our new lives in Chicago!