A Return to Blogging

That's right, I'm back and blogging again. My life has started to get fully packed with a job, friends, dating and activities which means other things fall away as I try to carve out enough time in my day, lately its been blogging, cooking and going to the gym. And as much as I like my smart phone there is just something to be said about a good old fashioned planner where I can write my to-do list and start crossing things off. So for my return to blogging I thought I would start with an update:

My Humble Abode
I'm living in the Gold Coast of Chicago in a great apartment that I'm renting from my aunt. Unfortunately it didn't sell when she put it on the market a few years ago so I've moved in to pay her rent and live in a great location. I live near North Avenue Beach, Lincoln Park, the lake shore bike path, the grocery store, several train stops and my gym. I'm also a short walk from Michigan Avenue, downtown and my office.

Amanda and me in Miami, FL

Jet-Setting
My travel bug has definitely been dormant lately. I've made a few fun trips to various places including Miami (to visit an old college friend over Easter weekend) and Boston (for work and then a weekend with my family). But for the most part I don't have any fun exotic trips planned in my future. Maybe I should start working on that...after I put money back in my bank accounts.

Replenishing My Funds
I have found a job! I started working for a start up company as the Director of Marketing in February. The company creates virtual 3D environments for use during marketing research. For example if a large company wants to put out a new bottle of ketchup they may do in-store testing to see what the consumers will think of it before they spend the money on the new direction. Instead of using in-store testing our company can create a store in 3D online that can be used for testing instead. It's a cheaper and faster option.

Specifically I'm working in a contract position for 32 hours a week which leaves me time to continue some of my other contract projects on the side. I'm really enjoying the challenges of starting up a functioning marketing department. It helps that my co-workers are fun people to work with as well.

Seina, me, Renee on a beautiful St. Pat's

Keeping Up My Social Life
I have continued to meet lots of great new people in the Windy City. It's amazing how many people you can meet when you are open to talking to anyone anywhere. Maybe this was always a trait I had but didn't use, or maybe I learned it while I lived overseas, either way, an outgoing personality definitely seems to open a lot of doors.

Dating has become much easier when you meet people on the street, at the gym, doing errands and get a little help from Match.com. Of course I still haven't found anyone that I'm serious about so I'll have to keep working on that. But with my new and old friendships comes fun activities:

Our group for playing paintball

• Polar plunge in Lake Michigan at the end of January (Air temp: 34. Water temp: 33)
• Slumber party with a bunch of girls reliving our childhood with games, facials and stories
• Playing Paintball in March with a big group of friends
• Celebrating St. Patrick's Day by the river (a must do in Chicago)
• Running the Shamrock Shuffle (without training!)
• Catching a baseball game at Wrigley in April
• Trivia nights at a local bar

So what's next? Well, we'll just have to see. I seem to have a knack for keeping my life interesting.

New Zealand Book is Finished!

I finally got all of my memories and photos into one semi-consolidated book!!! It's 154 pages, but who's counting. That was after much editing and deleting and re-adding and more editing of photos and fun stories. Understandably, it's just not easy to summarize the incredible year I had! My hard copy arrived very quickly last Friday and every time I look through it, more memories come flooding back.

You can preview my book here. A combination of blog posts, photos, and a few additional memories, I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I hope you like it:

Adventures in Aotearoa by Jessica Martin | Make Your Own Book

Please note: If you really like it, you can purchase a copy for yourself through the site. Although my main goal for posting it here is so you can preview the finished product, I know several people asked about purchasing a copy. Also, there are a lot of pictures so sometimes it takes a minute to load (particularly on slower connections) just be prepared for that.

It really was one of the best years of my life and so I thank you for being a part of that, even if it was just as a supporter through my blog. I look forward to getting back to New Zealand again sometime soon. Until that point comes, I'll have to be satisfied with my new visual reminder instead. And I'll continue to blog when I have new fun memories to share.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

After spending so long without a proper snowfall, I'm happy to say that the snow is finally falling in Chicago. We have had unseasonably warm weather this winter, including 50 degrees over the holidays, which meant I could look cute for New Year's without worrying about the bulky clothing. So you would think that this weather would only help people appreciate the snow more when it finally came, because we are in Chicago, it will come. But over the last two days 90% of the people I talk to are miserable about it, or at least I thought they were.

Walking home from work along North Avenue, Chicago

I have a new theory... when you talk to someone about the upcoming snow in Chicago, it's just our way of saying "Hey, how you doin'?" It's a conversation starter. It's a good opening line so you don't have to spend an elevator ride staring at the weird pattern of the carpet. I have a suggestion though: don't throw them off by telling them that you actually like the impending doom that may be falling on the city. Because that act alone throws off the balance of it all and gives away that you don't belong...even if you've been in the city for nearly 10 years.


And in case anyone had any doubt of my sanity, I'll be stripping down to my swim suit and plunging in Lake Michigan on January 28 with the Lakeview Polar Bear Club. After all, if I'm going to cross this off my bucket list (again, since I did one in Auckland already) I might as well do it during a warm winter. Care to join me?

Looking Forward to Another Great Year