** This post about living in Chicago is sponsored by Zumper. All opinions are my own. It's hard to believe that G and I have lived in the Chicago area for half a decade now. We had no idea what our new adventure would bring when we moved from Arizona to Chicago in 2015, but we are so grateful we took the leap. It's definitely changed our lives. I'm reflecting on some of what I've learned ... Read more
Ordering Organic and Local Produce Delivery From Fresh Picks
I recenty decided to give Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks a try for my family's weekly produce needs. Fresh Picks is a delivery service in the Midwest that offers plenty of veggie and/or fruit boxes, as well as ready-to-go meals, meats, dairy and other items. Fresh Picks produce delivery couldn't have come onto my radar at a better time. According to the website, Fresh Pick's mission is to "make ... Read more
Holiday Magic Experience at Brookfield Zoo
We've been doing all the Christmas things lately! After a mostly quiet weekend at home, Graham had the idea of going to see holiday lights at Brookfield Zoo. I bought our tickets to the Holiday Magic experience online to save $1 per ticket and we made our way to Brookfield, which is typically a 45-minute drive from our place. We underestimated how popular this event would be, and our ... Read more
Birthday at the Field Museum Chicago | Free-Admission Days
A perk of living in Chicago is that many of the museums are free on certain dates/months. Luckily for us, the Field Museum is offering free general admission to Illinois residents during the month of February. I awoke on my birthday thinking it'd be nice to spend the day wandering around the museum. As I've said before, you would have to spend days, even weeks, at the Field Museum to see and ... Read more
Brookfield Zoo
Graham and I have wanted to go camping for months now, but our schedules haven't allowed it. The next best thing we can do is explore a place we haven't been to yet in the Chicago area. Last weekend we took a mini road trip to Brookfield Zoo to check out their grounds. That may sound weird, but Graham works in the turf industry and he's fascinated by anything to do with gardening, outdoors, ... Read more
A Day at All Seasons Apple Orchard & Pumpkin Patch
I crossed off several fall bucket list items over the weekend: drink apple cider, go to a pumpkin patch, get lost in a corn maze and visit an apple orchard. All Seasons Apple Orchard in Woodstock, about an hour and half drive from Chicago, had all of those activities and more. But, I must admit, my favorite thing to do at the orchard was eat. Graham and I shared an apple-cider doughnut, apple ... Read more
A Day at Shedd Aquarium
People-watching at Shedd Aquarium over the weekend raised some questions about how we experience life nowadays. It also brought up the subject of protecting wildlife. The aquarium was teeming with children and their camera-toting parents. At each tank, people would snap a photo and walk along. But did they take a look without the lens? I really hope so, because there's a lot to see. A blue ... Read more