new photos

winter is here!!!!!

hello!
I haven't updated in so long and I feel so bad but I think I have been better at keeping in touch with everyone. It's snowing here tonight and I am at my new favorite coffee shop close to my apartment. It's called Noble Tree, paintings on the walls and 3 story's of comfy couches and quiet people. The windows are foggy because it's sooo cold outside. I am still working six days a week and have my Thursdays off. I am getting sick of it and might condense to one job soon. I am still trying to feel out Chicago and it's crazy weather. We have a love/hate relationship because of the weather and the transportation. The people are what are keeping me here though, I really didn't expect to meet so many great people! Since moving here I have really tried to calm down and let things in my life happen for a reason and be patient enough to see why people come in and out of my life. I think I have done well with this.

I am excited to come home for Christmas, I am eager to see everyone and trying to figure out what to convince Aunt Julie to make for my vegetarian dish this year! haha I am getting stressed about how to get home though....if any one has ideas let me know because the bus will be pricey and crowded :(

Well I am proud of myself for posting and I hope you all are doing well and keeping warm! Lots of love and hugs to you!!!!!!!!!

updates!

Hello friends and family!!
I am getting really bad at updating... BUT everything is going well! I have lived in my new apartment for a week and a half now and I love it!! No more weird roommate and no more 40 minutes to and from work! My new address is 707 w.Wellington apt 1 chicago I'll 60657 so now you all have it! My new roommates are cool. Kate is 24 and from a small town in IL.she works at a childrens gym in the city and she is super funny and sweet! Kim is 28 and is an army bratt so she has lived all over but she spent the most time in texas. She works at the Grand Lux Cafe with me and she also works at a design firm in a north suburb part time. We are all in love with the new place and the two cats love it too!!
I am on the train on my way to work right now and there must be a baseball game because everyone is so loud and smelly! Its ovbiously june...yet it is still only in the 50's here. :( it has been pretty cold and rainy. I am starting to second guess my moving choice due to the weather.

The new modern wing is open now at the art institute but I still haven't gone, between having only one day off a week and moving I just lost track. BUT I did go last week to the contemporary art museum with a guy friend from work (on the free day of course) and it was awesome!! I will for sure go back. I have been really excited to find out the free day for the aquarium because I want to go again, its been years! Well I'm getting train sick from typing so I wil go but I promise to update tomorrow becasue I am off!! Yay

Love and kisses!!
Jenn

may time!

Hello All!
I haven't written in a while...i know i know BUT i have been pretty busy with my two jobs and apartment hunting! I have been at starbucks about two weeks now and I like it! I missed making coffee and i work with some interesting people! A really nice thing about it is that it is only one block from The Grand Lux so I can get to and from really easily. I am continuously making new friends and experiencing new things! I have gotten close to a girl from work, Kim, she is from texas and has lived here for about 3 years. She is a hostess at GLC with me, that is how we met and now we are thinking about rooming together. I have gone out with her a few times and one night we went to listen to her friends band, they were AMAZING! when I remember their name i will post it so you can all hear them! They are funk, soul, rock, SO good and that same night after they were done playing, the dj played stevie wonder dance music :) my fave

I am talking to Resha right now about what we are going to do for her birthday in aug, we are thinking about taking a trip to NYC, San Diago, or maybe Seattle, any ideas or suggestions?

I have been sick these past few days again, but nothing like the last time i was sick! thank goodness! Just kind of under the weather and I'm sure it's just because the weather here has been crazy! today it was 65 and then dropped to 40.....NOT FUN! I need some constant nice weather! I hope you all are having some!

I got my package from my Aunties and Ma, thanks so much everyone! I loved everything and will wear out my new red bag in no time :) haha

I have taken some photos in black and white and I cant wait to find somewhere to develop them! i have a few on my phone that i will figure out how to upload soon!

How is everyone?? leave me a fun comment so I know that people are actually reading this :) haha I love you allllll! and missssss you!!!!

xoxoxoxo,
Jenn

home sweet home

Hey all! I just wanted to tell everyone about my trip back home. I was home sunday through wednsday and I got to see aunt julie, uncle paul, kimmie and the girls, mom, and julia. It was nice being home for a few days and away from the hussle and bussle. We did some shopping and went to dinner on tuesday. All of us girls went to the village deli after attempting something new but we wanted some food food! Haha I went to dinner with julia on monday night at upland. So fun! Today I met my friend sarah who is from bloomington up in evenston. We went to a movie and lunch. It is soo nice out here that we just walked around too! I'm on my way to work now, I'm sad I work on such a beautiful day :( I hope everyone is well and I'm sad that I didn't get to see everyone while I was home but even more reason to come visit me!!
Hugs and kisses!

back to normal...almost

Today was my first day back to work for a few days...I made it! I felt half normal today, I was training to be a filler which means I will be the person behind the computer filling guests into table, basically making sure everyone in the whole restaurant is happy...A lot of WORK! and stress but today went well. After work I went to my interview at Starbucks and it went really well! It was very laid back and she talked to me like I already had the job. It is a Starbucks inside a hotel so there are other managers that I need to meet before I am officially hired but tomorrow I am going back in to meet other managers so hopefully by this time next week I will have a second job! YAY I am excited.

Robert, my roommate, and I have been interviewing people to take over his room and in the interviewing process I met a girl named Anita. She is around 28 and from the suburbs. She is really sweet and seemed shy but fun! She works in insurance and does some bar tending too. Now we are looking for a place together because things seem to be taking too long to figure out for this apartment, so I might have a new roommate and new apartment soon! It would be awesome if we could find somewhere with an office or an extra room so that we could have a guest room but we are looking more to save money than anything else right now. She invited me to a hockey game tomorrow night so I will be attending my first hockey game! Well I'm about to go take my meds and read :)

Have a good night everyone!!

xoxoxo

Friends from work!

Emily and Me
Shamara and Me
Emily, Her boyfriend Sydney, and Me
Brooke, Michael, and Me
Brooke, Melissa, and Me

Taking the Good with the bad

I hope people are actually reading this...I am going to start writing more because I realized that I haven't really been writing in my journal since I've moved and I should be writing in some way or another. I was off work today and did a whole lot of nothing. I went to the hospital yesterday and found out that I have strep throat and an upper respiratory infection....so I went to CVS and got my medication so HOPEFULLY I get to feeling better soon. My friend from work Emily came to get me from CVS when she got out of class, she had her boyfriends car so I was able to get a few groceries and then she and I went to potbellys for some soup. She is so sweet! I was so thankful for a friend while being up here sick...alone :( She let me borrow some movies too so I wouldn't have to watch the same old stuff. I had a little energy when I got home so I did some laundry and dishes then passed out. BUT while I was at CVS I had a phone call from a number I didn't recognize so I didn't answer but they left a message, It was that Starbucks that I applied too when I first moved here!! I called them right back and used all the voice that I had to talk to her, they wanted to interview me ASAP so I have an interview tomorrow at 5!! I am so excited. I really like my job at the Grand Lux but I miss making coffee!! and It would be a nice change of pace to have the two different jobs, which are literally a block away from eachother. So wish me luck for tomorrow. The woman sounded VERY excited to meet me and to "hire" me she said.

My best guy friend Wil and our friend Adriana are coming up this weekend! I am excited and I got off a few days so I am going to ride home with them on Sunday so I will be able to be home for a few days. After being so sick up here it will feel so nice to just relax at home. I miss you guys and hope I get to see you when I come. I will add some new photos when I'm done typing too. Some of my new friends up here. Well I hope everyone had a good Easter! Helen kept me pretty updated :) and I heard that it was a pretty low key one this year. Maybe you guys could all come visit over summer and we could do a family vacation house or something...just a thought.

Goodnight! I love you all ♥ your city girl

sick

ok so I'm beyond sick now....I have felt under the weather for 6 days now and nothing seems to be helping! I have taken just about everything and my throat is still sooooo swollen, I have no appetite, my ears ache and I have no one here to take care of me :( I'm trying to find somewhere up here that will take my insurance but it looks like I will just have to go to the emergancy room. I just want to feel better!!! I need to feel better so I can be back at work and earn more money!

As of right now I am going to be home sunday 19th- Wed 22nd...IF I can find someone to take me from bloomington to indy for my bus ride back on wed. sooo if you can let me know :) It will feel good to be home right after being so sick.

april first!

Happy April!
I had today off and did a whole bunch of nothing...I tried to pick up hours but they just didn't need me! :( I work a lot this weekend though so hopefully I will get enough to feel comfortable. Tomorrow I work a little in the morning and then I am going to go to a bar called The Zoo to apply for a hostess job, I thought that would be a fun job and they are hiring all positions right now. It is a live music bar so that will be fun for me, I miss live music! I really can't wait for the nice weather so that even on my days off I will feel lively enough to get out and about! Aunt Julie put some film in the mail for me today so I will get my act together on taking photos and hopefully find somewhere to print them! I also realized that I really really need to get going on school! I have to find out what else I need to do in order to finish my applications. Send me all of your good thoughts, I'll need them!

I talked to my friend Mary the other day. I used to work with her at Hallmark back in the day and she and her husband,Dan, are moving back here soon! I cannot wait!!!! She is so sweet and so much fun and I will feel more at home once she and Dan are here!

My good friend Wil and our friend Adrianna are talking about coming up to visit on april 18th through that weekend. If I am able to get off work I think that I am going to try to drive back with them that sunday and go home for a few days! I just want to come home for a few days. I'm not home sick I just miss random things about home! haha So I might be home the 19th-22nd of April. I just hope that I can get my bus ride home in my easter basket this year!! and someone really awesome to take me to the bus station on that wed. Let me know if you have any ideas :)

I miss you guys and would love to hear from all of you!! so call me or e-mail me! jennelisefagan@gmail.com

♥
Jennifer

Brittany and chinatown!

Photos!

What's going on...

Howdy!
I haven't written in a while because now I feel like I finally have somewhat of a life haha. I have been working a lot and hopefully finding a second job soon! I am in desperate need for money like wow. but it's coming along. My roommate told me today that the construction that they were going to do on the house in may is now going to be put off so I now have the option of staying longer and he lost his job so he is going to move up into the attic unfinished apartment area and find a new roommate for me. YAY There is a 28 year old guy from cali and a 22 year old girl that are interested so once we meet them i guess we will decide. so now that all could be a good thing or a bad thing...

Brittany got here last night and she leaves tomorrow evening! YAY it's so good to see her. Last night I went out with a few people from work then when brittany got in she met us out too. We went out on Halstead street, which is boystown! It was so fun!!!! Like I have said before everyone from work is so nice! but it's funny they all think that bloomington is a hick place like the rest of indiana so they warn me a lot about "city" things and "city" people and I just laugh and tell them that I have seen it all because Bloomington has it ALL! haha

I realized today that Easter is just around the corner and that I won't be there. I wish I could come home for a few days but money is low :(

Brittany and I went to Chinatown today. It was fun but COLD! Tomorrow we are going on a hunt for photo frames for some photographs that I am putting into a show in bloomington on friday. wish us luck!!

You guys should all write a comment about what's new with you guys!! now that I work almost everyday I am not as able to call people but would LOVE to catch up even if it is over a comment. I went to look at an apartment today, it was a studio 4 blocks away from wrigley field but it was a little out dated and wayyyy small so the search continues :)

well I'm sleepy so i'm off to bed but I miss you!!!!!!!!!!!! and LOVE You!

♥

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!

Hey All!
Happy St. Patties day! Everyone in Chicago has been prepared for today for about a week now! I will have to make sure to wear green or I might be shunned. It's been about a week since I have written but it has been a busy busy week. I started my job on Friday and worked all weekend. I really like it so far, I am basically a host and work at the front desk. I get to wear all black so that part excites me! haha This week has also been really fun because My friend from Bloomington, Hayley, is coming in today! She has an interview for an internship downtown so I am about to meet her down there and then she is going to hang out for the day and stay the night. YAY! and my good friend Brittany is coming into town tomorrow and staying a few days! It's going to be a great week.

The thing about working at the Grand Lux so far is that everyone is so nice! It is a big thing there to be nice to all new employees! I have never worked somewhere where the overall acceptance of new people is so welcoming. It has been really great. I have hung out with Clarke's roommate Micah a few times. He is a really nice guy and works at the GL too. I want to pick up as many shifts as possible right now so I can have money!! Well I am off to downtown to meet Hayley! Hope everyone is well! I miss you and love you!!!!!! xoxoxo

YAY

So I finally met with the manager from the Grand Lux yesterday and after waiting a grand total of 2.5 hours we finally had the interview and told me he wanted to hire me for the front desk with 25-30 hours a week and I could pick up more! YAY!!!!!!! SO i'm going in on Thursday to start training. :)

Updates

Hi everyone!
So I woke up this morning to a text from my friend Clarke that said "Eric is going to hire you on Monday and wants you to start on Thursday"....YAY so Monday at 3pm I have a 3rd(yes 3rd) meeting with this manager and unless he was lying I will be hired! FINALLY!

I started the day off with that good news then I met up with a girl named Sarah, she is related to Susie and Tammy that Aunt Julie works with. We met in Wrigleyville to have lunch at a place called Uncommon Ground. I had my signature french toast and we talked a lot about the differences between Chicago and Bloomington. She is 3 years ahead of me and is from Bloomington too. When we got done with lunch it was POURING outside and I was supposed to go look at an apartment. Sarah's boyfriend picked us up and saved us from the monsoon! He dropped me off at the apartment, so nice!! I loved the apartment, it is a studio in Rogers Park which is right next to Loyola. It is decent price but there is a signing fee that I am going to try and get taken off. Then I came home and cleaned a bit, talked to some people on the phone and watched Batman Returns and now i'm writing this :)

Tomorrow I am going to meet Clarke downstairs for coffee, go to a Hallmark to look for an address book, go downtown to meet Molly for a bit, then at 3 I go into the Grand Lux. I guess I will try to write about some of the things that I haven't really been able to talk about over the phone....haha

-When I moved in to this apartment I was told that there would be Robert and a girl named stephanie for my roommates, well as it turned out....She couldn't find a job and couldn't pay rent so he made her move upstairs to the attic room. When we got here on Friday to unload my stuff Aunt Julie, Resha, and I got to hear the show that Stephanie was putting on. She was screaming at the top of her lungs and stomping around, talking to herself. Finally when she was done she seemed semi normal but I was freaking out over so much and knew that I couldn't handle one more crazy roommate in my life!!! When we got back on Sunday Robert told us that she moved out, they got into it and she was throwing things and screaming at him and finally left. I think he put up with her crazy self so long because he felt bad for her. She aparently moved to the city from Michigan, she was half way through med school and went crazy to the point where she had drop out. Robert said that she was so unstable and even threatened to commit suicide....BUT she is GONE!!!! she has no keys and is no longer welcome.

-I am looking for apartments already because Robert told me the day that I moved in that the building owners are going to do some renovations and I will have to move out by May 1st. I guess that gives me enough time to find a place, I really want a studio apartment anyway so I can have my own space and time.

-Robert is nice, he keeps making sure i'm alright but I just reassure him that I like to be in my room doing my own thing...then he just laughs and says that he isn't used to someone normal! haha He is pretty chatty and keeps looking to buy pepper spray for me. He has just started dating people so I just hope I don't have to encounter the dates myself! (yikes)

-My friend Brittany is talking about coming to visit! YAY I can't wait for people to come visit me.

I guess this is all I can think of right now. If I forgot anything let me know!!!! I miss you!!!!!!!!!! and love you all

♥

I just added photos of my apartment and my room too on that site below! Check them out and feel free to leave comments!! Just copy that link and paste it into the address bar and hit enter!!

My Photo website!

here is my site that I just put up all the photos from my birthday weekend on and I will continue to add photos too. Hopefully this works :) Love and miss you ALL!!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/jennelisefagan

Photos!

Hello loves,
I actually got to sleep in today, I have been feeling icky for a few days and I hope it has just been because I was low on sleep. but now I feel better that I have slept in. Yesterday I took the train to downtown. I walked to the brown line near my apartment which took 7 minutes, took the brown line to belmont and switched to the redline which took me right downtown. I had a meeting with the manager that I have been talking to at Grand Lux at 10 am and I got downtown an hour early, so I sat in starbucks with a cup of coffee and my book. I ordered a tall coffee and she gave me a venti, so I guess my day started off great. I went to the Grand Lux for my meeting and that manager wasn't there....how can you not be there when you have a meeting? so I was stressed and had to talk to 5 different people and it seemed that manager never even mentioned hiring me to any other manager. So after dealing with that I talked to my friend Clarke who works there and he told me that he would figure some stuff out while he worked that day. I stopped off at another starbucks and put in an application and wondered around a bit downtown. I rode the train back to my apt and worked on the computer looking for jobs. I watched a movie or two and made some mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner then finally fell asleep.
Today I am going to go for a walk around the area to see my area a bit better then I want to go see a movie. Clarka has mapped out how to get to this great old cheap theater, and I love seeing movies by myself so I'm excited. Shamara is coming in to stay the night with me tonight too, i'm not sure what we are planning on doing but maybe make dinner and hang out. Clarke talked to that manager and the other managers at the Grand Lux yesterday and we have all decided to meet on Friday at 4pm so I can talk to all the managers and we can get this ball rolling!!! so wish me luck!
Love and Miss all of you!!!!!!
hugs and kisses

first few days

hey all!

Well it's technically my 5th day here now and all I can say is that I am exhausted!!! I had such a great weekend with Resha, Aunt Julie, Mom, Aunt Pamm, and Shamara though. We stayed on Dearborn and went to a great little place to eat on Friday night. On Saturday I had a whole day planned for us, we went to the art institute for the last day of free February! Then did a little shopping and headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We ate at The Grand Lux Cafe where I am supposedly going to be working. The 6 of us sat in my friend Clarke's section and had some great food and a great server :) After dinner Resha, Shamara, and I went to a place called The Melting Pot for free wine tasting, it was so fun! They do that every Saturday so I'm sure I will be back. Sunday we all headed up to IKEA and spent sooo long there but got some great things and now my room looks complete.
Getting moved in was more hectic than I had hoped but having my posse with me made it great and calming to my nerves. There is a starbucks on my same block so I am excited about that, I have already been there for coffee with Clarke. There is also a fun little pub across the street call mulligans and one called mullens down the street!! haha so the mullens will still be close :)
Well I'm off to do some more job and apartment hunting, wish me luck!!!! I miss all of you!!

First Blog!

Hello All!
I'm making this blog so that I can share my new experiences with all my friends and family...I am about to pick up my whole life and move to Chicago! I'll post more later about the apartment and the job.....have a good night :)