Happy April 1st, everyone!
While spring may have technically started a few weeks ago, I declare today the true beginning of the season. This is the first time spring has had the audacity to truly show itself, and the results are brilliant. Sunshine, blue skies, and temperatures above 60 degrees…it’s time to feel alive again and finally dismantle those Christmas lights!
Shaking off the winter blues, I spent the last two weeks home in Ohio visiting friends and family. What a wonderful way to recharge and refocus. Although no number of days would allow me to spend as much time home as I wanted, I did get to see a great deal of familiar faces and places during my visit. Although I continue to form new friendships and connections in Chicago, I deeply value the continued support and love of those at home. Walking into a familiar room just feels so right; it’s the magic moment that happens when eyes meet and smiles light up faces (and hearts). And it is so nice to know that those smiles stay with you, wherever you go.
My self-declared spring break included visits to my favorite hotspots (and a few new ones):
- Youngstown State University (APO’s production of Crazy Like Love was a treat)
- The Youngstown Playhouse (Arsenic and Old Lace: a comedic gem)
- Fellows Riverside Gardens (the ladies who lunch)
- Kranyak’s Easter Displays and Daffin’s Candies
- Panera, Starbucks, Soleil Cafe, Joe Maxx, O’ Donold’s, and SUZIES. Oh my gosh, the amazement that is Suzies.
- Movies: Nonstop (awesome), Muppets (guilty pleasure), and Noah (er…awful…)
Fresh off my Ohio trip, I’m ready to face the world again and hit the ground running! Chicago, look out.
Setting the Stage 