Yes, I admit it- I am obsessed with zombies. And I have been for a while now. This can mostly be blamed on The Walking Dead (which incidentally will be on very soon as this is a Sunday night.)

I was in Florida last weekend for a wedding. Prior to going, I made sure everyone knew how I would like to die should I become a zombie. (Also, when I went to Mexico a few months ago I made my dad memorize that line from Taken about "a particular set of skills" in case I got kidnapped. I'm weird.) Do people still remember how that guy on bath salts tried to eat that other guy's face? And then they found out he wasn't really on bath salts but just pot. Anyway, that happened in Florida. I'm still convinced this is the first sign of the coming zombie apocalypse.

I made it back to Chicago without being infected with the zombie virus or a zombie encounter of any kind. Frankly, it's a little disappointing. I've been looking to try out some of my survival
theories.

While this post is mostly just an excuse for me to ramble, it does have some ties to my writing. I am still working on the final book in my Shadows Trilogy, but concurrently I have been developing an outline for another series about apocalyptic survival. Mostly because it's just so much fun to write. I will keep you updated but for now I'm off to watch some Walking Dead.

It's October. When did that happen? I swear it was just May and I was hyperventilating about turning 30. I love autumn, don't get me wrong. But I HATE winters in Chicago. And Winter is coming, my friends. Winter is coming.

So let's talk a little about what I've been up to lately. My new job (2 months in) has been going well. I passed my first certification (of many), and even got to hit the road. I was in Philly and New York last week. I've been to NYC a couple of times and always love it. I almost moved there after college for law school but chose Chicago instead and I have to say I don't regret that decision. I love visiting New York, but I don't think I could ever live there. Namely because it's too expensive. But I'm also a midwestern girl at heart.

I had never been to Philadelphia and I must admit, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It almost felt like a small New York to me. I woke up early before my business meetings to stop by the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Swung by Ben Franklin's resting place and Betsy Ross' house. For a huge history nerd like me, this was not an inconsequential trip.

So why am I telling you all of this? A couple of reasons actually. One, it explains why I haven't gotten a lot of writing and blogging done in the past couple of weeks. But also because it has really made me reflect on the last decade and a half of my life.

When I was fifteen, I was living in a small town in the middle of the midwest. Life was pretty simple and bland. I was relatively smart, and that meant I was often bored in school. I couldn't wait for college and life beyond because I was certain I was destined for greatness. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to live in a big city, have a fancy job as a lawyer, go on business trips. Basically, I wanted the exact opposite life that I was living.

Fast forward fifteen years later- I live in a cool apartment in Chicago. I spent five years working as a lawyer, and now I'm still in the legal industry. I work for a hip, trend-setting company and take business trips to amazing cities. I've travelled to a bunch of different countries and seen a lot of America in the process. And now, I'm also a (self)published writer. It's a pretty cool thing to see your dreams come true, even if they don't turn out exactly how you see them in your head.

And one final dream is coming true later today- I'm going to see Taken 2. Loved the first movie and pumped about the second one. I'll let you know my thoughts on it later.

Oh- writing update. Working on the final book in the Shadows Trilogy. Should finish it up this month. And I'm also working on something a little different that I'm still feeling out so I'll update you about that later.