CHICAGO

Jonathan and I moved to Chicago on June 13!! After we got back from our honeymoon in late May, we started working on our stuff. We gathered up the wedding presents, went to a few garage sales, and even had a garage sale of our own. Jonathan ended up having to have outpatient surgery to remove the screws in his pelvis, so we also took care of that before we left town so that he could go to his surgeon at Vanderbilt.
So, on June 12th, we loaded a U-Haul with our stuff, which my parents graciously offered to drive up here, and made to 7 hour drive in my car. We hired movers in Nashville and in Chicago because I can't really carry all that much and Jonathan can't carry stuff and navigate stairs very well at the same time. It was definitely a better way to move! We closed on our condo Friday morning and then waited to get the key so that we could begin moving in. Even though it looked like it was going to rain the entire day, it didn't and with the help of movers (who broke Jonathan's beloved desk), we were able to move everything in that night. Both of our parents came up to help with the move. It was nice to have them here for the weekend.
We spent the next week unpacking and getting settled and then we left on Tuesday June 24 for Hunter and Shannon's wedding on Bald Head Island in North Carolina. The whole week was wonderful and it was really nice to make a vacation out of it! We came back to Chicago for a few days and then left again for Nashville for 2 weeks. During this time we went to Mississippi for Jonathan's cousin's wedding, Springfield, TN for Laura's wedding (one of my good friends), and then to Barren River, KY for Jonathan's big family reunion. Our summer has been pretty busy so far!
After returning to Chicago last weekend, we have been exploring our neighborhood and trying to finish decorating our condo. Since Jonathan and I are attempting to merge our 2 different styles, it has taken us a little while to furnish and decorate our 800 sq. ft. condo!! Jonathan is very particular about his organized kitchen cabinets and wants to hang artwork and photographs everywhere. I don't want to overload the walls, but I have a tendency to leave little piles of clutter and clothes around the condo. We are having so much fun and really enjoying being in Chicago! We hope to have visitors soon!

To see all the pictures of our condo and the moving weekend click here

Honeymoon in the Greek Islands

As Rachel said, we were so blessed to have so many people that we love dearly gather at Rosemary Beach to celebrate our wedding with us. The whole week felt like a dream, not only because it went so fast, but because everything seemed to work out just perfectly. We laughed so much, soaked up the gorgeous sun, and ate such wonderful food that I started to feel a little guilty for enjoying so many blessings so fully, all at once. Rachel and I could not have imagined a more perfect wedding for us.

After the wedding, we spent three nights in the Carillon Beach Inn (the view from our balcony on the left), near the Graffiti restaurant that hosted our Thursday night welcome party.

I think the wonderful band was as excited as we were because they didn't really play any slow songs at the wedding, and my leg cannot really take dancing for that long. We basically crashed, ate leftover wedding food and cake, etc. etc. After returning to Nashville for a couple weeks for my little sister Megan's graduation and so that I could finish my graduate English classes, we left for our honeymoon to the Greek Islands. Almost as we were flying to Athens, though, we made an offer on a condo in Chicago and got the contract worked out just in time (at least we thought); i think that story will be the subject of the next post, though.

Greece was glorious. We flew into Athens in the afternoon, after connecting in Chicago and London. Needless to say, we were quite stiff.

After a day of exploring in Athens, we tried to sleep (unsuccessfully) on the hardest beds i've ever encountered, then headed to the beautiful, rocky island of Mykonos (to the left) for three nights.

One day in Mykonos we took a short ferry ride over and visited Delos (shown on the far right), the ancient center of the Greek Islands, which is entirely uninhabited and gorgeously overgrown with wildflowers, on one of our Mykonos days, and then headed to Heraklion, Crete on another ferry - this time a high-speed catamaran. Crete was bustling, more of a city without the idyllic white houses and blue shutters, but had a ton of history. We toured the ancient Palace of Knossus, one of the most famous archealogical sites in the world, and ate some wonderful cheese and olive oil.

Our final stop in Greece was Santorini (above two pics). Flat out the most beautiful place I have ever been. On this tiny island we saw the volcanic beaches, ate unbelievable food, and stayed in the cleanest, best-run little hotel I've ever encountered - Anastasis Apartments (#1 on TripAdvisor), enjoyed the world-famous sunsets in Ia and sat at our pool overlooking the awe-inspiring caldera 1000 miles straight below (formed when the island exploded around 1600 BC in one of the largest volcanic events in the Earth's history that we "know" of). Santorini has been featured on the History Channel and in other publications as the purported site of the lost city of Atlantis that Plato mentions "disappeared into the sea."

Our honeymoon concluded with two nights in London at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, thanks to Rachel's generous uncle Terry Stinson who works for the hotel group.

He upgraded up to the "Beauchamp Suite," and I doubt I will ever experience luxury like that again. We feasted on a six-course breakfast, enjoyed the complimentary fruit and chocolate covered strawberries, and relaxed in the plush robes

slippers. In London, we did tear ourselves away from our suite and walk all over the city, ending each night at a theater. We saw "Midsummer Night's Dream" at Shakespeare's Globe theater (absolutely hilarious - the way Shakespeare should be seen) and "Les Miserables" the second night (one of my all-time favorites).

Needless to say, we were delightfully saturated with new experiences, culture and food by the time we returned to the States two weeks later. Although we were reluctant to leave the constant stream of experience and awe behind, we were excited to begin the process of moving to Chicago and also excited to rest a little. I actually had to go back to see my physical therapist, Becca, after the trip because of the toll it took on my leg and foot. It was worth a little pain, though, for the beauty of Greece.

jonathan

Rosemary Beach

The past 3 months have been a whirlwind of excitement, change, and adventure!
Jonathan and I were married on April 19, 2008 at Rosemary Beach. The entire weekend was amazing, and we were overwhelmed by the love and support that surrounded us.
The festivities began Thursday night with a Welcome Party at The Funky Blues Shack in Carillon Beach. It was so much fun to see everyone! Friday morning my aunts hosted the Bridesmaids' Brunch at Criolla's while Jonathan and the guys played golf. Then that night the Shaub's hosted the rehearsal dinner at Cafe 30-A . The food was delicious. Jonathan and I were truly touched by the thoughtful and sincere toasts made by our friends and family. Saturday morning I woke up at 5:30am to a thunderstorm, but by 11:00 the weather was beautiful. The wedding ceremony began at 5:00 and was performed by Matt Hearn, Jonathan's uncle, who made everyone cry when he started crying near the end. The band, which was a big unknown before the wedding, was awesome; we couldn't have asked for a better band! They had everyone on the dance floor before the appetizers were even served, especially Jonathan's groomsmen who had a "dance-off." It was high school vs. college and it was hilarious!! We had a "air jump rope," CPR performed, the "worm," a "dancing chicken fight," and much, much more. The whole night was perfect. Thank you to everyone who was able to be there. It meant so much to us.

We hope you enjoy!