I LOVE a great deal!

I feel like I found a gem today! Josh and I noticed that there was an Aldi being built near the gym and he asked me if I had ever been in one. I had no clue what it was so of course I've never been in one before. He said that it was a low cost grocery store that sells staples only, you bring your own bag, pay a quarter for the shopping cart and get your quarter back once the cart is returned, etc...

Of course, this sparked my interest and we really didn't have much planned for today except we needed some more bread and he wanted to get new running shoes with his birthday money. Next, Josh tells me that there's an Aldi near our apartment. I had no idea it was even there! We decided to go there to get the bread so we could check it out because he's never been in one before either. I love that we are able to experience new things together.

As we were walking around the store, I was really shocked at how inexpensive the food is in there. They don't sell any name brand items (although we did see Pringles in there) but they have healthy choices which pleasantly surprised me. Almost everything is packaged to look as if it is a name brand item only it has a different name. They carry a brand called Fit & Active and we found turkey bacon, ground turkey, whole wheat pasta, light cream cheese, etc in this brand. I figured with it being a low cost place, they wouldn't offer healthy choices. They even have a huge section of fresh fruits and vegetables and they actually looked good... better than anything I ever see in a Super Wal-Mart.

We only bought a few items while we there (bread included) b/c we made a Sam's run last night after church and didn't need much but I will definitely be going back. This is a great find for me because I LOVE A GREAT DEAL!!!!!

Only 3 more days until Cliff and Phyllis arrive!!!!!

I'm three days into my full-time job and I'm LOVING it! Isla and I are having a wonderful time together. I've taken her to gymboree and a drop-in story time at the local library. She is such a social baby and never ever gets upset when we're out! I'm going to try to find one of the big parks that are nearby and take her there when I wake her from her morning nap.

I got great news yesterday!!!! My sister is coming for a visit!!!!! YAY! So, now we have three sets of guests to look forward to in September. My in-laws (Josh's mom and stepdad, Phyllis and Cliff) will be arriving next Wednesday night and staying through Sunday. My friends from college (and my little sister in Chi Omega) will be staying with us that same Sunday night and leaving Monday (Labor Day). Then, Heather will be arriving the following Friday evening! I highly suspect that everyone is trying to get in their visit before winter. Our visitors are going to drop dramatically I'm afraid.

Anyone else is welcome to come visit! This really is a great place to visit. There's so much to do!

Gotta run... time to wake baby!

Pictures from the past couple weeks....

Hustle and Bustle

It's been a while since my last post. I've been so incredibly busy that I haven't even had time to think about posting on my blog.

My dad came for a visit a couple of weeks ago and I really enjoyed his time here. We were able to spend some quality time together do a lot of sightseeing. We explored Naperville, Il together. We walked along the beautiful riverwalk in the downtown area. I didn't even know that was there so that was a new discovery for me. It is such a nice place to visit in the warmer months. I'm not sure I would want to go there with snow all over the ground. They have a humongous bell tower in the center of the riverwalk. Dad and I were lucky enough to hear one of the concerts it plays throughout the day. It was really something to hear... sounded like we had a bell choir right in front of us. We also found a beach right in the middle of downtown. They have a place called Centennial Beach. It's a giant pool with platforms, diving board, slide and sand attached. It's pretty impressive and definitely unexpected in Illinois!

Dad and I also figured out how to ride the metra (train) into the city, ride the cta public transportation buses around and we were able to make it back home! We had a blast exploring Navy Pier. We took an architectural boat ride that was really cool. It gave us an overwhelming amount of facts and information regarding how and when buildings were built in the city.

On dad's last day, we were fortunate enough to get free tickets to see the Cubs play in Wrigley Field. They didn't win of course, but it was a once in a lifetime experience. We all had a great time at the game.

Not long after bidding farewell to my dad, we welcomed a new set of guests. Josh's brother, David, his wife, Amy, and their two girls, Rachel and Grace came up for a short visit. Surprisingly enough, we all managed to fit into our 1 1/2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment. We can't wait for them to return. The girls got to go to the Naperville Children's Museum, swim in the pool, celebrate Josh's birthday and go on a shopping spree at the American Girl Doll store in Chicago. We were sad to see them leave as well, but both of the girls begin school next week so they had to get back to town.

I begin my job full-time next week. I'm sure it will be a tough week having to wake up to an alarm clock everyday. It's been three months since I've had to do that for an extended amount of time. It may be a bit of a shock to my body but I know I'll survive and I'm really looking forward to taking care of Isla. She took her first steps on her birthday so this will be an exciting year for the both of us!