Day 13 &14 One short day..

Forward- Internet is down at my house so this post had to wait until now. Pictures will be up once we get internet again (hopefully Wednesday)

Hey Guys Sorry this post is late Saturday I was feeling very lazy. So this is going to be a quick wrap up post of what we did the past two days and wrapping up this blog. Monday or Tuesday I will make a post of all my pictures (these will also be on my Facebook).

Saturday we stopped for a quick breakfast at McDonalds then we headed to The Art Institute of Chicago. I love this museum. Lots of good pieces. We also walked around Millennium Park and I have lot of good pictures from there. After this we went and ate at my favorite restaurant—Quairntinos. Delicious Italian food. My mom and I did some shopping on our own then went back to the hotel and hung out. Grandma, my mom, and I ate at our hotel’s restaurant when my dad went to a cub’s game. Then it was off to bed.

This morning (Sunday) I woke up and went on a walk along the lakeshore with my dad. After hanging out we went to Wrigley Ville and all ate at lunch at Flacos Tacos. Then my mom and I stopped at a store before meeting up with my dad and grandma at the cub’s game. I was reading the whole time and have no idea who won. My dad and I picked up some Lou Malnatis frozen pizzas to take home and just like that my mom and I are driving back.

M&M

Grace sums it up pretty well. I won’t bore you with any additional details I’ll just say that one of the worlds greatest treats is getting to spend quality one on one time with your child and watching them do what they love. It has been two sweet weeks and a shout out to my wonderful husband who not only managed the house well we were gone but also shampooed the carpets. What a great guy

(Now more Grace)

Now I have a few thank you to do. Thanks to my dad for letting me go on this trip and financing it. Thanks to both my parents for their endless support in whatever I do. Thanks to my Oma and Opa for supporting this trip in more ways then one and always cheering me on. Thanks to my grandma for coming to this show and putting up with us for a weekend. And last, but not least, thanks to my mom for taking two weeks out of her life to come on this adventure with me. I don’t care how lame of a teenager this makes me but you are one of my best friends and I’m glad we got this time to get even closer. Thanks for all you do and for being my biggest fan. And a big thank you to anyone who cares about me enough to read these blogs. Love you all.

It is with great sadness that I leave Chicago, the city I love.  To quote some Wicked, “I’ll be back for good some day to make my life and make my way”. I’m coming home with more motivation than ever to try hard in school, and in theatre. I also have some great new ideas stirring in my head (to be continued??). And It is with that thought that I will sign off for one final time (besides a picture post).

Yes And,

Grace

Day 12 Show Day!!!

WOO! Today was the day of our final show!!! As far as im concerned the show went awesome! The sketch I wrote went over super well and so did the ones I was in. I was really proud of my improv as well. It is with great sadness that I have to leave camp and my friends. I still have the weekend in Chicago though so I'll do all the crying then. Another random thing we had a Q&A session with my teachers and wow both of them are so great and I'm honored to learn from them.
After our show I went out with some friends so we could kill time before I saw there stand up show. We went to the Sedgwick stop and had poutine (fries covered with gravy and cheese), and some guacamole.
We headed back to Second City and I saw them do stand up. All of the kids from my class who did it were great! Its so awesome to work with such cool people.
After this I headed to dinner with my parents, and grandma. We ate at Lou Malnatis, my families favorite Chicago style pizza. Then we headed to see a second city show called The Apes Of Wrath I thought it was amazing. I have alot of new respect for all of the stuff I see after these classes.

My mom is too lazy to write an M&M so that is all for today!


Yes And,
Grace

Day 10 & 11 Daily Double

Hey guys! Wednesday I was super exhausted and we got home late so time for two days in one post! Woo! Lets Go!
Wednesday
For some reason after class I was completely exhausted so I took a nap. After that I got ready and went out with some friends from class to an open mic. It was all standup and for the most part pretty good. I saw two kids from my class get up (both were awesome) and a few other kids from the camp.
My friend Logan and I left and met up with our mothers who were out eating to go to Improv Olympic and catch the free Harold (long form improv) . I ordered pizza there for dinner. This sounds really uneventful but we didn't get home till around 11. And improv and comedy is something you had to be there for and it would be pointless for me to recount it.
M & M's:  As for me, today was a lesson in loosening the parental reigns.  Grace and her friends really desired to go out to open mike without the burden of parents along.   I conceded on this one.  Luckily, the restaurant/pub that was sponsoring it was only a little over a block from apartment.  I let Grace go on her own there and then I and another mother in parental exile went out for some delicious Mexican food at a restaurant in Piper's Alley - the same building that Second City is in.  We later went and got Grace and her friend Logan and went to iO to see the Harold show again.  I didn't think this week's show was as good as last week's but that is the beauty of improv - you don't know what you'll get and no two shows are ever alike.
Thursday
Today after class I stopped at Starbucks for some Green Tea Lemonade. Then my mom and I tried to start to organize things at the apartment. My Grandma and Dad get here tomorrow and we are all going to stay in a hotel. So we have to leave the apartment tomorrow morning and had lots of packing to do tonight (including narrowing our stuff down to one suitcase).
After that we headed downtown so I could get a shirt to wear for our show tomorrow.  We ate dinner at the cafe in Macys ( a classic spot for my mom and I). Did some shopping at Ulta and headed back. The rest of the evening was spent finishing cleaning and learning lines (I still need to do some work before tomorrow).
M & M's:  For today just some general thoughts from a crazy old woman.  First, one of the things I will miss when we return to Iowa is Potbelly's.  This is a sandwich shop I found last year.  It is a chain here in Chicago that makes toasted subs.  On the days where I have gone out to lunch as opposed to just eating at the apartment, this is where I go.  I love their sandwiches - especially with the added hot peppers.  I figure if I am sweating as I eat, I must surely be burning the calories going into me, right?
Second, it is a treat to see Grace's instructor's see her outside the classroom and acknowledge her.  Today, she saw one of her instructors that she really enjoyed from last year.  He recognized her and inquired about how the improv classes were for her this year.  The improv community here is really not huge.  You will find that many of the performers at Second City are also performers at Improv Olympic  shows and most of the teachers at either place also are performers there.  I am anxious to see what Grace has learned this year when I see the show tomorrow.



So the next days I should still be posting as long as the hotel has wifi.
Yes And,
Grace

Day 9 Typical Chicago Style Night

A week ago we were frantically pant shopping in the cold. Today it was hotter than Sriracha sauce. So after class we headed to the beach. I took a lot of pictures and we lounged in the sand. I love Chicago beaches because you can see the skyline so it's like - am I in a city or a tropical place? Answer- the city because Lake Michigan is freezing. But it is still a beach and sand is all I need.
After the beach we headed downtown for some dinner. We ate at Blaze and got some pizza. Man was this more exciting then we thought! Upon our entrance two employees were in a fight yelling at each other and it was about to get physical. Yes friends, I witnessed my first fight. No punches were thrown. One girl (yes it was girl fight) left and went outside and the other went to the back and called the police. The Chicago PD showed up as well as the store manager. As the police officer was escorting the other employee out the employee started yelling at the people working behind the counter and even pushed over a pizza tray holder. What excitement! Shortly after another employee came over and apologized for what we had witnessed. But hey the pizza was really great! And we got a show for free, so I'm not complaining. The manager seemed super distressed and said stuff like this never happens there.   The pizza was my favorite thin crust style so to be honest I will probably go back some day. We stopped at Garrett's to get popcorn before heading back on a packed L train to our apartment. So you could say we got the full Chicago experience.
Tonight we decided to just hang out and watch a movie because I'm feeling a little under the weather. We watched some movie with Kristen Wiig. It wasn't amazing but Kristen is one of my favorite people so it was still worth it.

M&M
My day was mainly consumed with reading today.  I ambitiously brought along 3 books to read while here.  I finished one of the longer two today so will now get to start one of the others.  I think it will be the shorter of the remaining two.  I am enjoying having the time to read.
So yes, dinner with a show tonight.  I am sure both of Grace's grandmothers would have been less than happy to see the event at the pizza joint unfold.  Screaming, yelling, a thwarted physical fight, tipped over pizza equipment, and the police made for an exciting dinner.  To the restaurant's credit, the food was good and the other employees remained calm, pleasant, and helpful while the events were unfolding.  One employee even came out and apologized to us about the whole event.  The thin crust white pizza we ultimately ate was tasty when all was said and done.
We continued our Chicago evening with some Garrett's Chicago mix and a very packed ride home on the L complete with a schizophrenic talking to one of his voices about wanting to cut people's heads off.  There was plenty of people watching for us today


Yes And,
Grace

Day 8 I don't know what to title this

So I'm posting this on Tuesday morning because I was just too tired last night. Don't worry though these are all Monday events. After class on Monday my mom and I headed back down to DePaul and wandered around on our own. I took some pictures (as far as pictures go I will have a post of just pictures at the end of my trip). We walked by the theater building since we didn't see it on our tour. Also looked in the bookstore for a long time before I decided buying something might jinx it. After that we decided to get an early dinner at a Thai place called Duck Walk. Everything was delicious, we shared potstickers, spring rolls, and golden noodles.
We headed back so I could do my classwork at home before heading out to a show. We went and saw Improv All stars at Second City because my sketch teacher was in it. To our surprise my improv teacher from last year was also in it. I met up with some friends from class and my mom sat with another kid's mom. The show was really good and it was cool to see people who taught me do their thing. By the time we got home I was pretty tired and headed to bed.

M&M
Grace pretty much summed it up.  As I am always about the food, I must say the Thai restaurant we went to was very good.  The spring rolls had a fabulous peanut sauce on them and potstickers were some the best I have had - exceptionally crispy, good filling, and a nice dipping sauce but they were delicious even without it.
The Second City All Star show was fun.  It was neat to see two of Grace's instructors on stage.  I, along with her friend Logan's mom, were banished from sitting with them and their friends.   Oh the humiliation of having a mother when you are a teenager and want to rule the world.  We were not to sit with them - but they were happy to take the seats we were given (which were better) and ban us to the seats they were given.  She and I managed to refrain from any embarrassing behavior or waving at them so I guess the night was a success.  :-)

Yes And,
Grace

Day 7 Fried Bacon

On our way to the L stop this morning we stumbled upon an art festival and looked at some booths. After that we promptly got on the L so we could be at Nordstrom Rack when it opened. I had seen a nice purse there earlier this week and it's been on my mind ever since. So today I was finally going to splurge and get my first designer purse, right? Wrong. We got to Nordstrom Rack and it was gone. We even checked a different Nordstrom Rack. You can't always get what you want kids.
After that we headed home the long way so we could walk through the art festival. We got lots of free samples of bags of chips, and coconut water so we didn't have to go to trader joes today which was nice. We ate some Potbelly sandwiches and headed back to the apartment to get dressed up for the play we saw this afternoon.
Looking ever so classy we headed down to Steppenwolf Theatre to see This Is Our Youth. A play currently in previews before it heads to Broadway (we felt like theatre hipsters to be honest).  Micheal Cera was in it (hello what a babe). It was a very good show. Really sad though, not a really uplifting experience. Afterwards we ate dinner at a place a block from our apartment we always walk by called The Sedgwick Stop. It was AMAZING. We might have to go back. We shared tempura bacon (fried bacon thats right), a caprese sandwich (fresh mozzarella, pesto, and tomatoes), and some very good sweet potato fries.
After this we had to head back to the apartment because I had some work to do. But here enjoy some pictures of my mom and I dressed up!

We dressed classy

                                                          But didn't quite act like it

M&M

I always feel like I really don't have much to add.  Grace covers things very well.  It was great to walk through a portion of the art fair this morning.  I wish we had spent more time at it this weekend as there were great things to see.
It was really neat to go see a Broadway show in previews at the Steppenwolf Theatre.  I must admit that I was naive as to the significance of the Steppenwolf, its history, and the number of big names in its ensemble.  The play was not particularly uplifting.  It was three teens in 1982 dealing with the issues of crossing from youth to adulthood and some fairly depressing home lives that impacted who they were.  Following the show, there was a talk back with the artistic director of the theatre.  Grace and I stayed for that.  It was a deep show with a lot of deep discussion.  Two of the three actors were recognizable names (Michael Cera - in a number of movies including Juno and Kieran Culkin - McCaully's brother - he actually reminded me a lot of Robert Downey Jr.).
As Grace said, we checked out a little local pub after the show.  It was very good.  We were tempted to order the poutine (although I feel like Jacob and Grant need to be here whenever we eat that) but didn't.  We did, however, still order from what I would call the "defibrillator menu" by indulging in tempura bacon.  We had to try it.  Not healthy -- but good.  The caprese sandwich was really good.  Low key night now as we gear up for the week ahead - more shows and Grace's final classes and performance.


Before this blog post wraps up a quick fathers day shoutout to my dad. I find public things like this pretty sappy but thanks for letting me be who I am and supporting me through big opportunities like this one. Your'e the greatest guy I know. Love you
Yes And,
Grace

Day 6 DePaul is Da Bomb

After starting off our morning with the ever so healthy Dunkin Donuts, my mom and I got on the L and headed to DePaul for a campus tour. Words can not even explain how in love I am with this college!  I thought Columbia was cool but DePaul feels so sooo right for me. The campus is pretty contained in Lincoln Park and they also have a small campus in the Loop. The theatre conservatory is a very tough program to get into but you can bet your eight layers I will be spending the next year and a half working my butt off. I plan to go back later this week with my mom so we can walk around some more and maybe check out the bookstore. I also got a free shirt from filling out a survey after the tour. I want to write more about the whole school but I don't even know where to begin. It's so amazing and feels like the perfect fit for me. It was such an amazing place that even if I don't get in the theatre school I would consider going there and majoring in something else (if any of you know me that pretty much shows how much I love it there).
After our tour we headed out to Schaumburg (a suburb) to go to Woodfield Mall - a favorite of my mother and me. We ate lunch at P.F. Changs and then shopped a ton. Everything we bought was a great deal and pretty well justified and we didn't buy too much (in our view - my dad may have a different opinion). Now we're back at the apartment and plan on watching a movie before going to sleep.

M&M
I second Grace's impression of DePaul.  I was blown away.  We knew their theatre program is considered one of the better ones but the university as a whole was amazing.  There were so many fabulous things about it.  We will definitely plan a more involved visit sometime in the next year to learn more.  I would love to go to school there.  It is by far in the top of the schools I have visited with either of my children.
As for our trip to the suburbs, it made me appreciate that Grace and I aren't commuting in daily like we did last year.  Being three blocks away and having easy access to the L is so much better than our hour and half (ten miles) bumper to bumper drive we did daily last year.   There is a large Chicago Art Festival two blocks from our apartment here this weekend so I am giving thanks that we were able to find a parking place when we got back.  That made me happier than you can know!


Yes and,
Grace

Day 4 &5 Two for the Price of One

Hey guys since I didn't post last night in this post I'm going to talk about Thursday and Friday. Get ready because this will be a long journey (maybe not though because I just want to hang out).

Thursday
Of course I went to class and did all that jazz. I'll let you guys know if anything exciting happens but at this point we're learning and doing so many things it would be hard to keep track and you guys probably dont care about all the specifics.
I left class early so my mom and I could get downtown for my tour of Columbia College. It was awesome! My tour guide is in the same comedy studies program that I'm interested in. Since it is the summer and an odd time it was a one on one tour and we couldn't see the dorms. The campus is right by Millennium Park and spreads out a little over the course of a few blocks. The theater building was gorgeous and the comedy program sounds so cool! My tour guide was super awesome and is letting me friend her on facebook which I think is rad.
After this we went to Wrigleyville to get dinner before going to another improv show. We ate at a cute mexican place called Flacos Tacos. It was super good. Then we meet up with my friend from class, his mom, and his moms friend to see shakespeare improv. It was spectacular! Even if you took away all the cool shakespeare terms it was a super well structured and seamless improv. So you add that on top of the shakespeare language and it was a flat-out amazing and impressive show.
M&Ms:
It was interesting to tour Columbia with Grace.  Columbia is really primarily an arts college and situated in Chicago.  They have a program in which students can take classes in conjunction with Second City which is appealing to Grace as well.  Some of their fashion design students had their pieces on display on mannequins in the front windows of the school and they were quite impressive.  It will definitely be a school Grace takes a further look at.
As for evening, I cannot recommend Improv Olympic's Shakespearean Improv enough.  It was an AMAZING show.  Five actors take a suggestion from the audience and create close to a 90 minute play on the spot in Shakespearean style based on that suggestion.  It was some of the best improvisation I have seen.  I am amazed how well done it was.  Well worth your time if you are in Chicago.

Friday
Class was good today and I wrote another sketch. After class my mom and I did some shopping around old town. It was pretty successful. We wandered forever trying to pick a place to eat at and eventually choose a nice Italian restaurant. Afterwards we went to the ever so classy McDonalds for dessert. Now we are back at the apartment chilling out and enjoying some down time.
Overall this week has been amazing. I feel I've learned alot and been able to grow alot. I cant wait to see what this next week brings and cant wait to live here someday.'


Yes And,
Grace

Day 3 Long day and Long form

Hey guys! Its pretty late so this will be quick. Class today was great. Today the Second City touring company did a show for us and had a Q&A session. The scenes that the touring company do are archive scenes. Most of them they did today my class had read through so it was cool to see the scenes come to life. The q&a was very interesting as well! My sketch teacher was gone so we had a sub named Derrik he was really cool, but talked alot so we didn't get much done. That was okay though because I love hearing people talking.
After class my mom and I got some dunkin donuts and headed back to the apartment for a well needed nap. Then we headed down to Wrigleyville  to see free longform improv at iO (Improv Olympic). First we got some dinner at Salt and Pepper a great old fashioned diner with a tuna melt to die for. At iO we saw three different teams. My personal favorite was Virgin Daiquiris. We saw them last year and they are phenomenal. Look them up if you get a chance. It was great to just go see improv. I saw alot of things that teacher warn you about. For example dont make the scene about you (one guy in the last group did this the whole time and I wanted to get up and take his place haha). Overall really good show and if your ever in Chicago on a Wednesday night check them out (Wednesday nights are free), or if your'e in Chicago another night go pay to see them-- it's worth it.

M&M (my mothers writing time)
I know Grace will have had a full explanation of today's events including our trip to so the "Harold" - a long form improv - at iO (Improv Olympic) - the other major improv stage and school in Chicago tonight.  Thus, my post tonight will be some of what Grace calls my "Momfucious" moments where I am always trying to point out life application or life lessons in what happens.  Tonight, this wisdom is actually just passed along quotes about what makes good improv and also serves as good life advice.  "No one's trying to beat anyone else, no one's trying to be funnier.  It's this evolving theatre company that captures the zeitgeist."  Bernadette Birkett.  "It's in everything you do, your whole life. If you're depressed or stuck on something, the way to get is to focus on another person - get out of your own head and think about how to make them look good."  Katie Rich (current SNL writer who was a mainstage Second City performer we watched last year).   So there you go - my Momfucious thought - think of others and make them look good.  A good lesson for us all.

Back to Grace
Tomorrow we have a college visit and a Shakespearian improv show so it will be a long day. May or may not have a blog post until friday night.

Yes And,
Grace

Day 2 Cold Weather, Hot Tea

I am currently not feeling like writing out a blog post so this is going to be pretty short and sweet. So today it was 60 degrees. I know your'e probably thinking "Oh what perfect weather!!". Wrong. It was cloudy and rainy and I only packed shorts. Needless to say I froze my butt off the whole day.
 Class was fabulous. We did some fun new games in improv. In sketch we starting writing our first sketch and have  to finish writing it as homework. My sketch teacher takes a very different approach compared to my teacher last year. This is great because I can use both! Woo variety is the spice of life! My sketch is about someone going in to a job interview and just completely bombing it.  Of course I also got some more bonding time in with classmates. Turns out the one whose name I forgot was Michael, and the one who I thought was Michael is Justin (names are hard okay?).  Also- If Logan is reading this special shout out to him for creeping on my blog (he complained about not getting a cooler description well here you go).
After class my mom and I went to the Theater District to do some pants shopping so I can not freeze my butt off. I forgot how emotionally stressful pant shopping is. I only found one pair. My body is weird shaped for pants and it was not a very fun experience. I snapped at my mom a little and here is a public apology mother I love you dearly. On the bright side we took a break in the middle of shopping and went to Argo Tea (the starbucks of the tea world- only better!!). I got a red velvet latte and my mother got a Tea-na Colada (pineapple coconut chamomile tea thingy). We also had macaroons it was quite lovely.  After some more shopping it started pouring so we headed home. We stopped and had Chick-fi-la which was just what I needed. A little bit of chicken goes a long way in my world. Back home I did my sketch writing and now have to work on a monologue for a show back home (shout out to my parabola peeps and Greg).
M&M Time
Today's dreary weather made for a good day for me doing lots of reading.  Grace and I also made a desperate attempt to find some warmer clothes but our shopping expedition was only mildly successful.  Really - the tea and macarons were the highlight  - but then again, it is always about the food with me!  I did look at all Second City has to offer while waiting for Grace today and was astounded.  It would be wonderful to be able to take advantage of more of their offerings.  They offer all types of performance classes in addition to improv and use improv in interesting and unique ways including an "Improv for anxiety" class and improv for persons on the autism spectrum.  I know they also take improv classes into business places to help with creative thinking.  I can see a host of classes Grace would love if we lived here.  Will be interesting to learn more about what Second City does in conjunction with Columbia University that Grace is going to tour on Thursday.

Thats all for now. We're going to late improv shows wednesday and thursday so  if posts are off late that would be why:)
Yes and,
Grace

Day 1 Getting into the Swing of Things

First day is under our belt. Where do we even start? This morning my mom and I started off our day with some Starbucks. There is a Starbucks in the same building as second city so as you will see this is a part of our daily routine.

We headed upstairs for a parent orientation and got our class groupings. One of my great friends from last year, Ann, is in my class.  She is super rad, lives in a suburb, has a rock band, and has a job teaching kids music at School Of Rock. Another friend from last year, Logan, is in my class. He is from Kansas City. This was great because I felt at home right away. The other people in my class are super cool as well here are some fun random things I learned about them

• ·      Another kid is from Iowa!! (Jack 1)
• ·      One currently lives in Arizona (Jack 2)
• ·      One gets up at 6 am to go running. Everyday. (Cecelia)
• ·      One recently dyed his hair purple and feels he is like Liz Lemon (Cameron)
• ·      One could not believe there is no Chipotle where I live (Joel)
• ·      One is into video editing just like me (Collin)
• ·      One is super chill dude (DJ)
• ·      Ones name is Shay which makes me think of Shea butter
• ·      Ones uncle does mock interviews for guests on Jimmy Fallon (Matt)
• ·      One really wants to do the same program at Columbia College that I do (Michael)
• ·      There’s one more whose name I cant think of but he says he enjoys my energy which is a super cool compliment

Sorry if that was boring for you but I’m also writing this blog for me to look back on. Now lets talk about my teachers. My Improv teachers name is Bina (how cool is that?).  She can do a lot of name-dropping, and trust me she did. Which I think is really fascinating.  One was that Amy Pohler trained her. Another was that she trained Cecily Strong. My sketch teachers name is Dana (or something along those lines) and she started second city stuff at the age of 19, was the youngest female to be on a main stage production at 22 (challenge accepted), toured for years and now is here teaching because she loves to teach.

            We had a lunch break during which I enjoyed some Trader Joe’s food and of course played connect 4 (a staple of second city youth camps). Afternoon we do sketch comedy. We spend today reading sketches previously written here at second city. If you didn’t catch this above I am one of three girls out of fourteen people so I was up reading a bunch! We start getting into the writing process tomorrow.

            After camp my mom and I went down to water tower place to do some shopping.  I got some new Toms and a journal. They say shop to you drop and I almost did! I’m having some really bad leg pain and was limping through some stores. We stopped and ate some Bao (Thai dumplings) and I decided to bear through the pain to do more shopping. We didn’t get anything else but had fun nonetheless. On our way back to the L stop we stopped at a place called Taco Burrito King. A cute little Mexican place (Pics at the end of this post). Everything was reasonably priced and delicious!!

            After that we decided it was best to head home and hangout, type a long blog post, and probably watch some Netflix. As I mentioned my leg is hurting so I think a night in was the best option.

M&M’s

My day was not nearly as eventful as Grace’s but nice nonetheless.   After Grace and my usual Starbuck’s morning hangout, we headed to the parent meeting.  My roommate from law school had sent me a message that she had a friend here who also had a child going to Second City.  In the typical small world Midwestern way, we discovered that her son was actually one of Grace’s classmates from last year and is in her class again.  Thus it was easy to spot each other and introduce ourselves.  After the parent meeting, she and I decided to go to breakfast together at a spot I love in Old Town – Kanela’s Breakfast Club.  I had a great time getting to know her and it was nice knowing another parent from out of town who is here for the two weeks.  We may be able to keep each other company and I am suggesting to Grace that we could catch some of the various Improv shows together while we are here.

As for the rest of the day, I hit the “L” and picked up a book at the Lifeway store for the Bible study I am starting back home  but missing while I am here and did a quick pre-scope of  Nordstrom’s Rack.  Also got tickets for Grace, Grant, his mom, and I for a Second City show when they join us in 2 weeks.  Other than that, I read and waited for Grace.  We hit the Mile to do some “retail therapy” as Grace calls it but were both kind of dragging tonight and not up to our usual energetic shopping exercise.  Thus we are calling it in early. 

As a final thought, I will share that I loved sitting in the lobby of the Second City Training Center as the kids assembled this morning and watching this gathering of unique, energetic, happy kids who embrace making people smile as a way of approaching life.  There are so many “rules” of improv that are just good life rules as well and the energy and community these kids have is fun to see.

Well that last paragraph pretty shows how all us kids love camp and getting to meet people who are so different yet so alike. A good thought to close with. BUT FIRST some pictures of our apartment and etc..

Pipers Alley - Second City, Starbucks, and a Chipotle

Food from Taco Burrito King-yum!

The living room

Cute Lil Kitchen

Cozy bedroom

Clean Bathroom--Hooray!

A little eating area (pardon the mess)

Books are everywhere! How Fun!

My moms favorite part of our apartment

My favorite part:)

Yes And,

Grace

(Again if you don't get my sign off seriously take an improv class)

And we're off...

Hello friends and family! For those of you who aren’t sure what this blog is here for let me catch you up.  My mother and I will be spending two weeks in Chicago. Primarily for me to attend a day camp at second city (the same one I attended last year and love dearly). We’ll also be attending some shows, taking college tours, and of course—shopping!

Today we departed the home front around 11:50 and arrived in our apartment in Chicago about 5 o clock (lots of traffic and road construction slowed us down).  Back to the apartment- this year we rented an apartment for most of our stay through air bnb . Lucky for us this is around three blocks away from second city (woo hoo!). And two blocks to the brown line L stop. The apartment is adorable. Cute and quaint perfect for my mom and I (pictures to come in a future post). Not to mention old town is by far the cutest neighborhood ever!!!

Anyways we settled in and then took the L out to a Trader Joes to get groceries for my sack lunch. My mom and I can never resist a Trader Joes visitJ. After that we grabbed some subway for dinner for the sake of convenience and headed back to the apartment. So far all is well.

Now for the part of the blog I promised I would let my mom write for or as it will be called from here on out M&Ms Mary’s Mom Moments.

I don’t have much to add to Grace’s thoughts.  We had a nice drive out -  always like car time with my kids.  I am very grateful that we are not staying outside and commuting in like we did last year as there is some road construction which would have slowed our drive in considerably this year.  The apartment Grace insisted we find on airbnb is a perfect fit.  Great location, nice size.   Only downfall is no TV as I wanted to see the Tony’s tonight.  First World problem though so no grumbling.  Hit Trader Joe’s and as always wished I could take one of everything to try.  Life is good.  Tomorrow the great adventure begins.

That’s about all for now If you have any questions find a way to contact me!

Yes and,

Grace

(If you don’t understand my sign off go take an improv class it will benefit you in many different ways!)