We own a three-bedroom, two-story houseon a relatively quiet street on Chicago’s West side. The neighborhood is very diverse and full of children. There are multiple parks within walking distance and we visit them often with our son and our two dogs, Hank and Max. We’re also very close to the new 606 park system, with the western entrance to the Bloomingdale Trail about a block away. There’s also a YMCA in the neighborhood that serves as a community center.
The kitchen is the center of our home, where we spend most of our time. We’ve got a huge pantry where we keep our extensive collection of cooking tools and appliances. Our backyard is probably the second most visited part of our property – it’s where we grow a lot of the food we eat and where we entertain guests when the weather is nice.
In addition to our dogs, we also have a cat, Aldo. The cat and dogs get along better than they probably should, often conspiring with each other to take advantage of unwatched food! Silas has bonded with the dogs by sharing his “people food” with them – we’re still working on that – haha.
The kitchen is the center of our home, where we spend most of our time. We’ve got a huge pantry where we keep our extensive collection of cooking tools and appliances. Our backyard is probably the second most visited part of our property – it’s where we grow a lot of the food we eat and where we entertain guests when the weather is nice.
In addition to our dogs, we also have a cat, Aldo. The cat and dogs get along better than they probably should, often conspiring with each other to take advantage of unwatched food! Silas has bonded with the dogs by sharing his “people food” with them – we’re still working on that – haha.
EACH YEAR
WE LOVE
MAKING
OUR OWN
HOLIDAY
CARDS TO
SEND TO
OUR FAMILY
& FRIENDS!
WE LOVE
MAKING
OUR OWN
HOLIDAY
CARDS TO
SEND TO
OUR FAMILY
& FRIENDS!
Ryan’s closest friends are a group of people he’s known since high school. His best friend lives in Chicago, but the rest of the group live across the country — in California, New York, and North Carolina mostly, which makes for a great reason to take road trips and to see other parts of the country.
Corey’s friends are centered around Madison, Wisconsin where we visit a few times a year. Corey and Ryan have also developed an extensive network of close friends here in Chicago, many of whom have kids, are about to, or who are planning on having kids at some point in the future.
Corey’s friends are centered around Madison, Wisconsin where we visit a few times a year. Corey and Ryan have also developed an extensive network of close friends here in Chicago, many of whom have kids, are about to, or who are planning on having kids at some point in the future.
One of the more notable things in our life is the fact that we produce a very significant portion of our own food, even though we live on a normal-sized property, right in the city of Chicago. We have an extensive vegetable garden, we raise chickens and quails for eggs, and even some turkeys and ducks. We love to cook, particularly the food we’ve grown or raised ourselves, and we love sharing meals with our friends. We also love to travel, and aim to make it a priority for our children to have a good grounding in who they are in the world by taking them to see places around the country and the world at an early age, as we’re already doing with our son.
We love family walks with our dogs around the neighborhood and taking them to the farmer’s market on Sunday’s or finding restaurants with outdoor seating where they can hang out while we enjoy a meal.
We love some TV and we aren’t ashamed to admit it! Corey likes nerd-y shows like Game of Thrones and whatever’s on Adult Swim, while Ryan’s tastes tend to gravitate to either end of the taste spectrum. He loves HBO prestige programs as much as he enjoys a good reality competition show.
More than anything else, Ryan and Corey love having friends over and entertaining in general. We often have dinner parties and barbeques where we cook for groups of friends both large and small, and play dates are now a common occurrence in our home. If everyone is enjoying good food and having a good time, then we’re happy.