Life's Updates

• Yesterday I had a serious case of the Monday's. I woke up with an awful stomach ache, and  felt like a tired, mean, brat all day long. It wasn't fun.

• I'm reading a great book right now. It's Jenifer Weiner's Then Came You. Have you ever read any of Jenifer's books? If so, this book is set up similarly to Tiny Earthquakesz where each chapter is a different character. I'm normally not a fan of this setting - but, so far so good.

• Why is it that when you have a short week, it actually feels like the longest week ever? I'm leaving for NY on Friday morning (heading out of work at 3 on Thursday) and all I can do is watch the damn clock. I need a break from work, and this trip couldn't come at a better time

• I think I have all of my outfits ready to go. I'm basically going to nyc with an entirely new wardrobe. Just the way I like it.

• I know which dog I'm going to buy next year. A Miniature Golden Doodle. Do you not die? Joel however, does not like the idea of getting a "designer dog". He really wants to rescue, and I do too, but I really can't handle dogs that shed....

• Tonight I'm going to one of my favorite downtown spots Quartino's for dinner with my parents and aunt and uncle. Looking very forward to a glass of wine, great italian bread, and some shrimp risotto.

• I'm ready for Fall TV to start up. The two new shows that I'm most looking forward to are Happy Endings and Whitney. I saw Whitney Cummings live at a comedy show and she literally had me crying from laughing so hard. I hope her show is half as funny. And of course I'm so excited for Modern Family to come back into my life.

• I still haven't seen The Help. Going next week, I prooomise!

• Lately my tolerance to wine has been WAY low. I'm not sure what's happening to me, but I do not like it! Sometimes if I have only 2 glasses, I can feel it the next morning. This better not be a side effect of getting older! 

• I'm getting a manicure on Wednesday night and cannot decide what color shade I want to do. I'm leaning towards fire hydrant red. Classic, and it goes with all of my outfits for NY, but if it chips - it's so noticeable....which bugs me. Decisions, decisions.

• My cousins Nick and Dre welcomed beautiful twins into this world on Sunday. They hadn't found out the genders, so it was ultra exciting to find out that their first daughter, Sophia, would be a big sister to Ben and Alexa. 

The Science of the Plane Outfit

As you know, I'm heading off to NYC on Friday morning, and couldn't be more ecstatic. When my friend, Lindsay, asked me to do a guest post for her, the only thing I could fathom writing about, was my trip - so that's exactly what I did. This post will be featured on Lindsay's blog as well - so go check it out my girls blog, too!

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The airplane outfit is one that requires a very scientific strategy:

Analysis:

First of all, you’ve gotta think about the details.  Where are you going? What time are you leaving/and what time are you getting there? How long is the plane ride? These questions form as the foundation of your outfit

When : My flight takes off at 6 o’clock in the morning on Friday (not my choosing).  I’ll probably need to  roll out of bed before 4am, so this means no shower, no straighter, minimal makeup, and comfy clothes needed.

I’m going to be arriving in the city at the ripe time of 9am on a Friday. This means, while I’m tired, groggy, and gross from the plane, the rest of Manhattan will be fresh faced, fashionable, and ready for work.

Where: NYC. While I did mention the word comfy, be aware that “comfy” has a different standard in the Big Apple. Juicy sweatsuits won’t cut it.

Hypothesis: Since I will be waking up at 4am, I need to wear something comfortable – and most likely dark in color (better to hide beneath). I’ll need sunglasses, and possibly a scarf, as well as comfortable shoes and a good, deep purse.

Research: What are celebs rocking on the nyc runway? Here are the looks I’m going to for inspiration:

Conclusion:

It’s still going to be hot in NYC, so no leather jacket or boots, but I took the ingredients from my research and came up with my reality:

4 more days! 4 more days! 4 more days!

Happy Monday lovies.

Jumping the Bandwagon

 

Were you under a cave these last few weeks?

No?

Okay, so then you've heard all of the rave reviews about the Erin Condren life planner?

Well, I have, and they have me wishing and wanting the all too famous calendar.

For some God for saken reason, I can't seem to fathom spending $50 bucks on a day planner. I have no idea what my hesitation is, but I think the back of my mind knows that I could get something at Tj.Maxx for $12.99, so I'm having a hard time rationalizing it.

However, thanks to Hannah, she showed me a $10 off coupon code (Welcome10), and she may have successfully walked me off the diving board and straight into the pool of planning.

I think I would choose one of these covers....

Ohh, and I would be such a good house manager. I would have all of our schedules organized, and I would keep track of my exercise, and use cool pens, and remember good ideas for blog posts......I might just go bite the bullet.

To Be Continued....

Easy Peasy Dinner

Since I had quite an gluttonous weekend, I tried to keep it light, fresh, and healthy for dinner on Monday.

I wasn't feeling like doing much cooking, and really didn't want to put the oven on, so I decided to make life really easy.

Two cans of tuna, a head of green lettuce, and some asiago cheese, and you have yourself the easiest, and tastiest wrap money can buy you. With a side of cous cous, both Joel and I were content with a delicious, easy, and healthy dinner.

GT Fish & Oyster

Since Joel is a huge seafood fan, he wanted to celebrate his birthday at Chicago's new hot spot GT Fish & Oyster. 

We went on a Sunday night, and weren't sure what the dress code would be. I wore a silver skirt, blue tank, and nude heels and Joel wore jeans and a sports coat. We were probably a teensy bit over dressed for the relaxed, beachy vibe of the restaurant, but I don't think anyone cared. Better to be over dressed than under dressed!

I liked the whole vibe of the spot. You walk in and the bar seating is a table in the shape of a boomarang. I felt like it had been decorated by Mary McDonald, but whoever did do the decor hit it spot on.

We wasted no time when we sat down and got straight to business

 

 This is a picture of a very happy man.

The menu at GT is short and sweet. The dishes are made to be shared, and the waitress said she reccomended 2-3 per person.

We started the party with the Tuna Poke

 

This dish was so fresh and delicious. It had a strong Asian flavor going on, with lots of kicks of ginger, but was hearty and filling. I would get this again for sure. 

Our next order, the shrimp bruschetta, was eaten up too quickly to catch a picture. It was amazeballs.

 

This was grilled sturgeon with fried polenta cakes. It was my least favorite of the suite of food we tried. The fish was a little dry, and I just wasn't all that impressed. I would pass on this dish.

The next dish we tried was the crab meat gnocchi. I was expecting the exact opposite of what we got, but the tastes were out of this world. I got a lot of Asian flavors again with a touch of ginger in the sauce, but the warm crab center was out of this world.

 

Our waitress recommended that we end the night with the party pleaser: the mussels.

Honestly some of the best mussels I've ever had.

 

And of course, a birthday isn't a birthday without dessert! Joel let me pick dessert which was a no brainer...the key lime pie. Everyone around us was ordering it and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

Honestly, best key lime pie I've ever, and will ever, have in my life. They layer the pie in a mason jar, and then toast their marshmellowy meringue. It was TDF.

Isn't that a lovely presentation? They also gifted Joel a $20 gift certificate for his birthday.

How cute is that?

Old Man Jones

On Sunday, my boyfriend Joel turns the big 2 - 4. 

Tonight we have a wine tasting to go to, tomorrow we'll be with all of his family and friends, and then on Sunday we're going to a new seafood spot that he requested months ago.

Oh, and then we're off to nyc.

This may seem like a lot, but Joel is worthy of it all.

As my boyfriend, best friend, and roommate, Joel is my rock.

He deserves nothing more than to be celebrated for the next few days, because if you happen to know Joel, he's one hell of a guy.

So, here's to you Joely! Happy birthday - I hope it's everything you could wish for and more.

Good News

Nellie is one happy camper!

She is a Delta Gamma

Freshman Blues

As the oldest sister of 3, I have a hard time watching my younger sisters grow up.

My baby sister Nellie just left for college at the University of Kentucky.

I'm still not sure how she ever passed the age of 5, but somehow she did and grew up to be an absolutely gorgeous, talented, and sometimes annoying 18 year old.

 

What's even harder is watching my younger sisters go through pain, rejection, fear and anxiety.

And unfortantley, that's exactly what's going with Nellie right now.

She had to say goodbye to my parents last weekend because she is beginning rush week at UK. Do you remember when you had to say goodbye to your parents before college? I was a crying mess....

No one in my family, so far, has ever rushed a sorority house, but Nellie really wanted to give it a go, so we got her all decked up for rush week and sent her on her merry way. 

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I don't think Nellie knew what she was in for because at UK, they take rushing very seriously. There is a lot of pressure and anxiety during the entire rushing. It's never easy to feel like you really love a house, and the girls inside, only to find out the next day that they didn't pick you.

Thankfully Nellie still has 3 houses that she really liked, but of course, she is rooting for one (Delta Gamma).

Today at 2pm rush week ends and all of the girls find out which house they will be in.

Nellie is such a great kid, and everyone loves her, I just don't want to see her heart break if for some reason it doesn't work out the way she hoped.

She is staying super positive and knows that she'll end up where she is supposed to, but I can't help but feel like a nervous wreck for her!

Fingers are crossed for some good news!!

He Pinned Me!

No, this has nothing to do with Joel ;)

I finally joined Pintrest. I think I'm probably the last person on the face of the earth to join the bandwagon...but now I'm obsessed.

I just want to pin all day! 

As soon as I get back from NY (because life is too crazy until then) I'm making that awesome DIY menu board. 

And those s'more cookies.

Empire State of Mind

Jcrew

H & M

H & M

Gap

BCBG

3 of these dresses are joining me on my NYC trip.

Which are your favorites?

Half Acre Brewery

Half Acre Beer Co. is a brewing company in the Northcenter neighborhood of Chicago, IL. It's a brewery in the middle of the city where they brew small batch beers as well as a small store.

A year ago, Half Acre decided to open their doors for a brewery tour every Saturday. The brewery is pretty small, so they only allow 60 people in at a time.

They set up a reservation program on their site and within months, they were booked up 3 years in advance. 

They decided to put a halt on the reservation program, but still have to honor reservations up until the last reservation which is July 2012. Because people set up these reservations so early, it's really rare that 60 people actually show up for the event. For that reason, people line up at the door every Saturday morning and see if they can get it. 

We call ahead and they told us in order for us to try and get in, we would have to be in line by 11:30. Thankfully we were apart of the 19 people that were let in, so waiting over an hour in the 85 degree hit was totally worth it!

 

It costs $10 to participate in the tour, however the 10 dollars gets you a glass cup and 3 cups of fresh beer along the tour. 

 

Our tour guide was a really chill, funny guy who walked us through the history and process of brewing at Half Acre.

My favorite fact of the day; Beer is safer to drink than water.

 

 

 The tour lasted a good 2.5 hours and was a perfect Saturday activity. If you are ever in Chicago and have a chance to check it out you won't be disappointed!