Is it summer yet....errrr no!

Well it's still bloomin cold in Chi-town (I cannot explain how the ski jacket and layers still don't seem enough some mornings waiting for the el) but on the one nice day we did have, I made Wang plays tennis with me. It was still chilly-willy and we were the only fools (apart from two lads) to actually venture onto the tennis courts, but is was fun never the less. The sun shone, it was bitter cold and old Wang moaned like a girl - because he wore chuffing shorts! And I came back from being 2-0 down, to winning....brilliant.

We then hit the pub with Sarah and Fi and crew (Dan, Dust, Jo, Finks, Ruwe) to celebrate Sarah and Fi's engagement and how can you go wrong with $2 mimosas and pasta (with peas I might add). Bingo Bongo....roll on the summer and Oz Park...softball, tennis and the beach. It has to be around the corner now.....

DCx

A family wedding.....holla

Well it's been a rather crazy weekend (and very exciting too). It involved steak at the best Argentinian steak restaurant in Chi (which is BYOB so we are always pretty merry by the time the steak arrives) and from which, I then proceeded to leave behind my left-overs in a taxi like a wally....I'm sure that taxi now smells errrrr beefy pits. Drinks for both Heather and Lauren's birthday (sports GF) and a spot of driving range action in the snow. The weather is rather odd at the moment and it's gone to being all nice and mild....but I think old Jack is just around the corner again and winter definitely isn't over yet.

But the most exciting news is that my sis (Chants) and Simon got engaged on Sunday evening and we have the first family wedding to plan. It's going to brilliant and I can't wait, as knowing them both it will be anything but traditional. I'm thinking PX90 over skype for sure and maybe a rat to give me some hair!

It now just means there's only me, Cousin Neal and Cousin Bills left.....crumbs chief is all I can say! Thank goodness I don't need a green card....it could be man down!

The blizzard, moving and the Superbowl

Well it's been a rather busy month for the badger in Chi. Christmas saw a quick trip back to blighty which was slightly put on ice because of the dreaded snow at doggy Heathrow. Saying hello and good-bye again to old friends, Katie and SP getting hitched, a quick visit from Santa (and Thomas the tank engine to Sen bobs) and a good-bye to Field End and Fiddlers Hill in preparation for Ads moving in January. Then it was a flight back to Chi and another flight out to Vail for a spot of swosh, swosh, swosh and lots of beer for NYE.

Then it was moving time. Mus and I had decided to give up the Brit pad to be a bit more froogle (I know, that place was ace) - so I was house hunting to find something for little old me. In the end I landed a cool little pad in Lincoln Park (right in the hub of the University action) - so I feel a bit like I did when I arrived at Colston Street back in Bristol all those years ago - apart from it's not so much like prison and there isn't as many pigeons!

Moving in the snow was errrr interesting and since then, we've had nothing but snow. The week before in NYC we got hit by some crazy snow...I'd never seen NY like it and then last week saw my first proper storm in Chi-town and it was all quite exciting (and a little bit scary too). Apparently it's the worst storm in 5 years (or something like that) and the thundersnow was pretty dramatic - I'm still not entirely sure what thundersnow is, but it sounds good none-the-less. Thankfully Westbrook let me huddle up in her pad on the 46th Floor of her building overlooking the Lake and Oak Street Beach and the views were amazing (only did the building sway a couple of times during the storm....so not bad going at all!)

This weekend saw a trip to Grand Rapids for some Festivus on Ice at Kacey's mansion (and it really is a mansion). Grand Rapids is ace (although I didn't see any rapids) and is about a 3 hour drive around the lake going into Michigan. We had a bit a road-trip with poor old Wang being stuck with 4 girls in the car, but I think he quite enjoyed it (apart from the nakedness he thought he saw that night....which he is still very upset about...I think it was the mushrooms or maybe the 15 cans of Miller Lite in about 4 hours...) So at Kacey's we ate (I think there were at least 10 crock-pots bubbling away) drank....and played winter sports on the frozen pond. Highlights were bowling on the ice and of course human curling.

Finally, to round of the weekend was the Superbowl. Now I did lose slight interest, as I was convinced the Bears were going to make it, but thankfully my good friend Ferrick who is from the old Pittsburgh, helped to put the magic back in the game by being the biggest steelers fan EVER. She decked me out in a top, which I think was of Ben no. 7...who has had a shadey past...think touch of a xxxxxx (fill in the blanks) - so that made for some interesting abuse in the pub. There was singing, the polka, towel waving and I even drank pittsburgh beer. Unfortunately for Ferrick the Steelers didn't quite do it - although they did have a great comeback - so the Green Bay stole the thunder on the night. But all in all, a great Superbowl and I actually think I now understand the game - and I even cheered at the right times. This is immense progress (although I still struggle with the word offence...it's just wrong).

So close to being a yank and then yet so far....10 months should help.

This is my road (Belden and Lincoln) during the Great Chicago Blizzard of 2011.

My first year in the US

Well I can't quite believe tomorrow officially marks my first year in the US. It was a year ago that I got off my flight...went through immigration (which took an age with a lot of grilling), jumped in a cab with my giant suitcase not really remembering where I lived and then I trecked up the stairs to our lovely Brit pad - where all the Lincoln Park group jumped out as a surprise and a glass of red wine was waiting! I should have known the group would prove to be every bit as brilliant over the next 12 months, just from this alone.

(This photo is of the group hiding behind the worktop in our new apartment).

The last year State-side has been awesome - sooo many happy memories which I will always treasure and hopefully I will continue to tell these stories for many years to come.....It's been a year of firsts....My first Super Bowl party, my first Cubs game with many of you, my first American wedding, my first Miller Lite (yuk!) and my first Irish car bomb, my first college basket team OH IO, my first college football team MSU, my first Festivus, my first thanks-giving with the Valiers, my first potato tot, my first trolley for Shreadles birthday, my first marathon, my first 'You've been iced', my first 8 hour road trip to St. Louis (never had I sat for 8 hours in a car), my first attempt at roller skating in a bar, my first game of flip cup, my first game of beer pong, my first pool party (where I was called Natalie for the day...) my first Fire game, my first Bears match and tailgating. My first American Halloween, my first Brides maid bar crawl, my first dodgeball team, my first Sunday Funday, my first singles softball team (dear lord!)....I could go on....

It's been a blast. I hope this next year doesn't go quite as quickly as the thought of heading home this time next year is a mixed one. Happy to get back to the family, but I will miss my new American family lots.

But I've still got a year and soooo much to do and see in Chi-town AND so much to see across the US (and a lot of Starbucks mugs to collect on the way too).

Thanks to all for making it what it has been. Here's to a brilliant 2011.

Dizzlepop x

Bears V's Eagles....Best Day Ever!

November saw my first Bears game and what a day! For those that haven't been tailgating in the US, I can honestly it's something you have to do - it's seriously the best thing ever.

People rock up at 8.00am - set up camp before the game, and grill out, play games, serve you drinks, share their food - it's crazy. Think Ascot races, but a bit more ghetto. Fi, Sarah and Me went tailgating with some of my softball friends - BP, Monkey, E.Bail and Zac and it was immense. We had eggs and ham, chilli, chicken wings, rum and coke, beer, baileys the lot.

The game was brilliant. We were sat up in the gods, block 400 and Soldier Field is a mighty impressive stadium. Having been to see the US Soccer Team (sorry football!) I knew the Stadium was awesome, but it was crazy to see so many Bears Fans. I smuggled in my hip flask (my 21st Birthday present from Jade Brain!) and added the contents to our hot chocolates to keep us toasty. The Bears played well and won convincingly and I donned my Fridge Top, so was awfully proud (and it's such a good talking point). I also had a little play on one of the drumming band's drums before the game....brilliant!

Can't wait to go again and I'm already excited about Super Bowl. Only disappointment....The Bears have no cheer-leaders. Shame....I will just have to stick to watching the Robinettes at SWFC to see that!

And this photo is with me and Giant stuffed bear.....strapped to the top of some dude's car. It looked like a dead gentle Ben!

Stuck in Chi town!

Well, it's been an interesting few days. I was supposed to fly home for Christmas with the family on Saturday and poor old Blighty has been hit by snow, so Heathrow is shut - absolute disaster. So it's now Monday and I'm hoping to fly tonight or Tuesday night, so I can get back home for at least a few days. It's Stu Parkes' wedding on Wednesday, so fingers crossed I can at least make that. I do feel like I'm Kevin from Home Alone right now - waiting for a bus and brass band (and John Candy) to rescue me.

Fingers, toes and badger claws crossed....never have I wanted to be somewhere more!

The coffin

And finally...here's a photo of the coffin on Halloween that Suzy and decided to climb into at the end of the night...that had, I might add been on the streets for over a month outside our Pizza restaurant - Dags. All I can think about is dead people and homeless people.....gross!