Excited about A weekend with nothing to do, Cooler weather, Christmas
Worried about My coworkers twins.....the nuggets were born at 33 weeks (and we blame her premature labor completely on the horrible seats at the course we all took last weekend)
Reading Eat Pray Love....don't judge, I take a while to read things
Creating Lists on all of my various iphone apps
Loving My iphone!
Hating That The Office reruns on Tuesday nights have been replaced by other reruns
Wondering So many things
Craving DP Dough
Hoping For a snowy Christmas
Watching on TV Always Sunny, The Office, Parks and Rec
Listening to Oh my gosh I can't even believe I'm going to tell you this......Christmas music!! (Just one time on the ride home from work in the 'burbs Wednesday night, but it must have been a Christmas miracle because for the first time since I've been commuting out to the suburbs there was NO traffic!)
Cooking All kinds of fall favorites...Crockpot chili, Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup, ribs
Looking forward to Our 10 year (dating) anniversary this fall
Friday, September 30, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Updates: Work, iPhone, Bailey
Not much to update this past week because I've spent more time at work this week than at home! We had a course this weekend that we hosted so we were all pretty much expected to go. It ended up being really great, a TON of information that sparked a lot of treatment and assessment ideas, but by mid day on Sunday our entire department was ready to head to the bar for lunch (which we may or may not have done).
Let's see, what else has been going on in my life......I did go ahead and get my iphone and I absolutely LOVE it!! My favorite app so far is MiMeals (which also happens to be the only app I've paid for so far) but I love love love it. It makes meal planning SO easy and keeps the kitchen free of my scrap papers that are always floating around with random meal ideas on them. I also really like Grocery IQ, which lets me build my grocery/shopping lists for different stores that I go to and also lets me add frequent purchases to a "favorites" list. (MiMeals does the same thing...allowing me to add common meals to a list). Anyways, I'm really enjoying my latest purchase.
Bailey is finally recovered after her acute GI illness. Let me tell you how fun that was *eyeroll* Actually, I have to credit Tom here because I didn't really do anything except pet her, crate her, and make her boiled chicken and rice while Tom had the lovely job of cleaning up her accidents. I'm not sure how she even got sick but I'm thinking she must have eaten something in the back yard that the alleycats or the squirrels drug in.
Also, Bentley must have filled Bailey in on how much fun it is to hang out in random places (At our last visit to Anne and Brian's, we learned Bentley decided her new favorite spot is in the corner behind a chair).
Let's see, what else has been going on in my life......I did go ahead and get my iphone and I absolutely LOVE it!! My favorite app so far is MiMeals (which also happens to be the only app I've paid for so far) but I love love love it. It makes meal planning SO easy and keeps the kitchen free of my scrap papers that are always floating around with random meal ideas on them. I also really like Grocery IQ, which lets me build my grocery/shopping lists for different stores that I go to and also lets me add frequent purchases to a "favorites" list. (MiMeals does the same thing...allowing me to add common meals to a list). Anyways, I'm really enjoying my latest purchase.
Bailey is finally recovered after her acute GI illness. Let me tell you how fun that was *eyeroll* Actually, I have to credit Tom here because I didn't really do anything except pet her, crate her, and make her boiled chicken and rice while Tom had the lovely job of cleaning up her accidents. I'm not sure how she even got sick but I'm thinking she must have eaten something in the back yard that the alleycats or the squirrels drug in.
Also, Bentley must have filled Bailey in on how much fun it is to hang out in random places (At our last visit to Anne and Brian's, we learned Bentley decided her new favorite spot is in the corner behind a chair).
Sunday, September 18, 2011
New Furniture!!
Tom and I have slowly been trying to replace some of our old/donated/worn out/cheap/free furniture that we've collected over the years (which we are very appreciative of and have never taken for granted). We bought new couches back in March and have been making mental lists about other things we wanted to upgrade (or buy in the first place, like a bedroom set). We set out with patience, a budget, and a little determination and amazingly we were able to find exactly what we wanted AND stay under budget (well, almost).
We wanted to complete the living room, which basically meant finding an entryway table and some nicer lamps (instead of the $10 Walmart floor lamp that we've had for 5 years). It also meant finding something in dark brown to replace our black fish stand/table that doesn't match everything else.
We wanted to complete the living room, which basically meant finding an entryway table and some nicer lamps (instead of the $10 Walmart floor lamp that we've had for 5 years). It also meant finding something in dark brown to replace our black fish stand/table that doesn't match everything else.
We wanted a place near the door to sit down to remove our snowy/rainy shoes and a place to hide them as well. We thank Target (and their nicely timed 15% off furniture sale) for our new entryway table and lamps (in the living room) and entryway bench (near the back door).
Next up? Our bedroom. We've been wanting to get actual bedroom furniture for a while, but just didn't feel like it was a necessity. We shopped around and found a really good deal on a set at....are you ready for this? Costco! We figured what the heck. It was exactly what we wanted and too awesome of a deal not to pass up. So far we are loving it!!
Finally, Tom has been on the search for a full length runner for our hallway for months now! Previously we had two 8' runners from Ikea, which were just about the first thing we bought when we moved here last November. So anyways, turns out it's pretty difficult to find a runner that is longer that 16 feet and doesn't cost over $500. We finally went to our local Home Depot (literally less than a mile from our apartment) and found runners that they will custom cut for you....and they're relatively inexpensive!! Win! 
We are settling in nicely to our "new" apartment and loving finally having some nicer upgrades. I think the fact that we have waited so long to buy some of this stuff makes us appreciate it even more!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Weekend Fun
This weekend we took a trip up to Milwaukee to visit our friends Anne and Brian and see their new baby, Ellie. The Phillies happened to be playing the Brewers this weekend, so we got to finally wear some of our Phillies gear (my shirt was from Tom's sister Lisa after the Phillies won the World Series and Tom's jersey was a groomsmen gift from his friend Jay's wedding).
We snapped a few pics with the sausages on the way to our seats. We were a little late to the game but (thankfully) didn't miss the sausage races in the 6th inning!! Chorizo won. They're all lined up and ready to go!
The Phillies took it into extra innings but thankfully pulled it off (I don't know if we could have handled another loss after the shame and embarrassment that Penn State put on us earlier in the day).
We had a really good time visiting with everyone. On the way home we finally stopped at the Mars Cheese Castle. We've driven past it the past few times we went up to Milwaukee and kept saying how we wanted to stop, but we always had Bailey with us. We figured she would be fine in the car after her busy day of playing with Bentley, so we ran in real quick for some cheese and other goodies. This place was so awesome that we decided we have to come back and stock up on a few items for the Penn State vs. Northwestern game next month!
We snapped a few pics with the sausages on the way to our seats. We were a little late to the game but (thankfully) didn't miss the sausage races in the 6th inning!! Chorizo won. They're all lined up and ready to go!
The Phillies took it into extra innings but thankfully pulled it off (I don't know if we could have handled another loss after the shame and embarrassment that Penn State put on us earlier in the day).
We had a really good time visiting with everyone. On the way home we finally stopped at the Mars Cheese Castle. We've driven past it the past few times we went up to Milwaukee and kept saying how we wanted to stop, but we always had Bailey with us. We figured she would be fine in the car after her busy day of playing with Bentley, so we ran in real quick for some cheese and other goodies. This place was so awesome that we decided we have to come back and stock up on a few items for the Penn State vs. Northwestern game next month!
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Happy Pumpkin Spice Candle Day
Picture me doing this right now:
Jumping for joy!!! It's September. Football is on. Pumpkin Spice candle is lit. Pepperoni calzone is in the oven (with homemade pizza dough). And Tom is putting together our new entryway bench and table. Life is good right now :)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
If you don't have an iphone.....
...you're me. At least that's what I always say whenever that commercial comes on "If you don't have an iphone..."
Sunday night (the last night of vacation), I was down on the dock, snapping a few pics of the sunset with Bailey laying next to me. I bent down to pet her and give her a kiss (and of course she turned her nose away) and then I heard a "PLOP!" I immediately looked at my hand that my camera was in, thinking somehow I accidentally let go of the camera string that was tied around my wrist, but saw the camera. Then I remembered my phone was in my pocket because I was waiting for the owner to call me back (I mean, who rents out their house/cabin and doesn't give any instructions on where to leave the key when you leave, what to clean up, etc). I looked into the lake and saw my phone, open, staring back up at me.
I started laughing and couldn't stop...which is a weird response for someone who just dropped their phone in the lake. I ran inside, got some tongs, and "fished" my phone out of the lake. Then drove the 2 miles into town, bought a bag of rice at Rite Aid (the only place open in Paw Paw on a Sunday night), and submerged my phone into the rice to allow it to sit for a few days (the rice is supposed to draw all of the water out of the phone).
I think I was laughing initially because I've been toying with the idea of getting an iphone for months now (if not years). I just couldn't justify the extra $30/month for the data plan, but I also kept thinking of excuses as to why I needed to have an iphone and how to justify the $30. Tom says I wouldn't have driven into town to get rice if I really wanted the iphone, I would have just let my phone be and got an iphone when we got back to Chicago on Monday. I say that I wanted the rice to dry it out enough so they could get all of my phone numbers, etc off of my SIM card.
When we got back and I checked our mail, the first thing on top of the whole pile of envelopes was from Verizon, offering a $100 Verizon gift card if you trade in your old phone and upgrade to a smart phone. I read the fine print, and didn't actually see anything that said the phone has to be in working order :)
Also, it's kind of ironic that a week after I wrote this post, about how facebook was so annoying to me, I now have to rely on it as my primary means of communication with the outside world.
I think for now, I'm going to just let my phone sit in the rice for a few days, keep thinking of pros and cons of the iphone and the extra cost, and then make a decision at the end of the week. Any thoughts???
Sunday night (the last night of vacation), I was down on the dock, snapping a few pics of the sunset with Bailey laying next to me. I bent down to pet her and give her a kiss (and of course she turned her nose away) and then I heard a "PLOP!" I immediately looked at my hand that my camera was in, thinking somehow I accidentally let go of the camera string that was tied around my wrist, but saw the camera. Then I remembered my phone was in my pocket because I was waiting for the owner to call me back (I mean, who rents out their house/cabin and doesn't give any instructions on where to leave the key when you leave, what to clean up, etc). I looked into the lake and saw my phone, open, staring back up at me.
I started laughing and couldn't stop...which is a weird response for someone who just dropped their phone in the lake. I ran inside, got some tongs, and "fished" my phone out of the lake. Then drove the 2 miles into town, bought a bag of rice at Rite Aid (the only place open in Paw Paw on a Sunday night), and submerged my phone into the rice to allow it to sit for a few days (the rice is supposed to draw all of the water out of the phone).
I think I was laughing initially because I've been toying with the idea of getting an iphone for months now (if not years). I just couldn't justify the extra $30/month for the data plan, but I also kept thinking of excuses as to why I needed to have an iphone and how to justify the $30. Tom says I wouldn't have driven into town to get rice if I really wanted the iphone, I would have just let my phone be and got an iphone when we got back to Chicago on Monday. I say that I wanted the rice to dry it out enough so they could get all of my phone numbers, etc off of my SIM card.
When we got back and I checked our mail, the first thing on top of the whole pile of envelopes was from Verizon, offering a $100 Verizon gift card if you trade in your old phone and upgrade to a smart phone. I read the fine print, and didn't actually see anything that said the phone has to be in working order :)
Also, it's kind of ironic that a week after I wrote this post, about how facebook was so annoying to me, I now have to rely on it as my primary means of communication with the outside world.
I think for now, I'm going to just let my phone sit in the rice for a few days, keep thinking of pros and cons of the iphone and the extra cost, and then make a decision at the end of the week. Any thoughts???
Monday, August 29, 2011
Top 10 Things I Learned on Vacation
10. Accidentally dropping your phone in the lake is a surefire way to confirm that you really should go ahead and get an iphone. How much more of a sign could you ask for? ;)
9. You get what you pay for. And apparently we paid for wood paneling, a horrifying sound coming from the water heater closet every time you flushed the toilet or took a shower, and a scary deer head that stared back at you every time you tried to enjoy the peaceful view of the lake from the kitchen or dining room.
8. I want a simpler life. I really do. I just want that simpler life to be filled with nice things :)
7. I NEED to stretch my calves after every run.
6. Watching the stars at night makes me feel like a kid again. And are shooting stars ever not awesome?
5. Bailey thinks the lake is her own personal water bowl. And she learned how to doggy paddle…while simultaneously drinking the lake, then hacking up air and lake water until she could breathe again.
4. We would much rather enjoy the outdoors through a screened in porch than by getting viciously attacked by bugs. Man, does that make us old or what?!
3. Some people wash their cars on vacation.
2. When a little kid spells “Bonfire” with an M (bomfire) in the guestbook/journal, it’s really, really funny and every future reference to the bomfire must be said bomfire, not bonfire.
1. In the words of Homestar, swiss cake rolls ARE bad for you!
Stay tuned for the full report!
9. You get what you pay for. And apparently we paid for wood paneling, a horrifying sound coming from the water heater closet every time you flushed the toilet or took a shower, and a scary deer head that stared back at you every time you tried to enjoy the peaceful view of the lake from the kitchen or dining room.
8. I want a simpler life. I really do. I just want that simpler life to be filled with nice things :)
7. I NEED to stretch my calves after every run.
6. Watching the stars at night makes me feel like a kid again. And are shooting stars ever not awesome?
5. Bailey thinks the lake is her own personal water bowl. And she learned how to doggy paddle…while simultaneously drinking the lake, then hacking up air and lake water until she could breathe again.
4. We would much rather enjoy the outdoors through a screened in porch than by getting viciously attacked by bugs. Man, does that make us old or what?!
3. Some people wash their cars on vacation.
2. When a little kid spells “Bonfire” with an M (bomfire) in the guestbook/journal, it’s really, really funny and every future reference to the bomfire must be said bomfire, not bonfire.
1. In the words of Homestar, swiss cake rolls ARE bad for you!
Stay tuned for the full report!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Vacay Time
I couldn't be more ready to go on vacation! I hope it's as fun as last year's end of summer trip! We'll be internetless for a few days but expect a full report upon our return! I better get packing, because someone is impatiently waiting for us to leave :)
Monday, August 22, 2011
9 out of 10 Facebook Status Updates Annoy Me
**Disclaimer** PLEASE don't anyone get offended by this. Facebook has just been annoying the crap out of me lately so I decided to blog about it (in case you haven't noticed, I've been lacking in the blogging creativity department lately). I myself am guilty of posting some of the exact statuses below, so again, take no offense :)
1. I don't care what you had for dinner, nor do I need to see a picture of it
2. You don't need to wish your 6 month old happy birthday, I guarantee they won't have any idea what Facebook even is for quite some time, let alone be able to read the message. The same goes for leaving messages directed at your pet. Pretty sure they can't read, or manipulate a mouse, or log onto facebook.
3. Yes, we know you are "truly blessed" and appreciative of all of the birthday wishes
4. Great job, you're letting everyone know that it's "Five o'clock somewhere" and you're starting to drink mid-afternoon
5. Song quotes really aren't necesary...just go listen to the song and sing out loud
6. I get it, you are redo-ing your house/yard/garage/just bought a new house - I know, how many trips to Home Depot can one person make?!
7. Congratulations, you just booked your 4th vacation of the year. Yes, we are all jealous.
8. I'm so sorry you have the tough decision of only being able to bring 4 pairs of shoes on your vacation because that's all that will fit in your suitcase. Life must be really, really tough for you. Somehow you'll pull through.
9. Change your profile picture to a cartoon character or your favorite "fill in the blank." It will put an end to everything bad in the world!
10. My husband/wife/mom/dad/sister/brother/friends are the best in the whole world! I love you so much! Just tell that person. No one else cares.
Well, look at that, I guess it's 10 out of 10 status updates that annoy me.
1. I don't care what you had for dinner, nor do I need to see a picture of it
2. You don't need to wish your 6 month old happy birthday, I guarantee they won't have any idea what Facebook even is for quite some time, let alone be able to read the message. The same goes for leaving messages directed at your pet. Pretty sure they can't read, or manipulate a mouse, or log onto facebook.
3. Yes, we know you are "truly blessed" and appreciative of all of the birthday wishes
4. Great job, you're letting everyone know that it's "Five o'clock somewhere" and you're starting to drink mid-afternoon
5. Song quotes really aren't necesary...just go listen to the song and sing out loud
6. I get it, you are redo-ing your house/yard/garage/just bought a new house - I know, how many trips to Home Depot can one person make?!
7. Congratulations, you just booked your 4th vacation of the year. Yes, we are all jealous.
8. I'm so sorry you have the tough decision of only being able to bring 4 pairs of shoes on your vacation because that's all that will fit in your suitcase. Life must be really, really tough for you. Somehow you'll pull through.
9. Change your profile picture to a cartoon character or your favorite "fill in the blank." It will put an end to everything bad in the world!
10. My husband/wife/mom/dad/sister/brother/friends are the best in the whole world! I love you so much! Just tell that person. No one else cares.
Well, look at that, I guess it's 10 out of 10 status updates that annoy me.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Friday Night Art Project
So I've wanted to get a fall wreath for quite some time now but had a specific vision in mind. Unfortunately my "specific vision" runs somewhere between $60 and $80 at Pier One or Pottery Barn. I started googling "DIY berry wreath" and thought it seemed easy enough. So after work I swung by JoAnne Fabrics and they happened to be having a 50% off sale on all fall flowers/decor. I picked up all of my supplies for under $25.
Walking out I kept second guessing myself thinking that I spent too much money and could probably find something similar to what I'm looking for for less than that. I stopped at Home Goods on the way home to check out their furniture, and of course found a fall berry wreath for $15!! Grrrrrr!! It wasn't exactly what I wanted but it was probably close enough. I decided to stick with my original crafting plan and didn't buy the wreath from Home Goods.
I laid everything out on the counter when I got home, said a little prayer (crafting requires patience and patience is something I tend to lack...especially when it comes to crafting) and an hour later, I had a masterpiece!!!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Fall Teaser
After last week's post about my obsession with fall, I've been thinking of more and more reasons why I can't wait for fall (mainly new Office and Always Sunny episodes and Sunday and Monday night Football). This morning we woke up and it was cool enough that I had to put a sweatshirt on to have my coffee on the back deck!! Love it!! I almost busted out the Pumpkin Spice candles but I'm making myself wait until September 1st.
Not much has been going on around here. Thankfully my back is better!! I managed to catch the end of Bailey entertaining herself with her new toy on video. Normally she brings us the toys so she can either play tug-of-war or chase it down the hall, but with this ball she loved to toss it around to herself.
Not much has been going on around here. Thankfully my back is better!! I managed to catch the end of Bailey entertaining herself with her new toy on video. Normally she brings us the toys so she can either play tug-of-war or chase it down the hall, but with this ball she loved to toss it around to herself.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Ruined Weekend
This weekend we were all set to go visit our friends Anne and Brian in Milwaukee and see their new baby, Ellie Anne. Then Friday morning I bent over to pick up one of my patients (a baby...but a big baby) and immediately felt an intense pain in my low back. My stupid back :( I hobbled through the rest of the day. Thankully Fridays are a short(er) day for me and it was my student's last day so she was pretty independent with all of my patients.
But unfortunately I didn't think I would be able to sit in a car for four hours and be able to go back to work on Monday. I've been taking it easy and taking some leftover pain meds from the last time this happened, and thankfully I think I'm on the mend.
Today we had planned on checking out Retro on Roscoe, a local festival that we've heard good things about. But due to some unpredictable weather and me still not feeling 100% we decided not to go.
Hopefully this week won't be too crazy at work and I'll keep getting better. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
But unfortunately I didn't think I would be able to sit in a car for four hours and be able to go back to work on Monday. I've been taking it easy and taking some leftover pain meds from the last time this happened, and thankfully I think I'm on the mend.
Today we had planned on checking out Retro on Roscoe, a local festival that we've heard good things about. But due to some unpredictable weather and me still not feeling 100% we decided not to go.
Hopefully this week won't be too crazy at work and I'll keep getting better. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Is it Fall yet?
Every year around this time I start to get excited for Fall. I'm ready for the cooler weather, football season, pumpkin spice candles, being able to wear jeans, a tshirt and flip flops and be completely comfortable, yummy fall foods like soups and casseroles, pretty leaves, baking, and the list goes on and on. I would have to say Fall is my favorite season (although I kind of like all of them, and am very happy to be back where we are able to experience all four seasons).
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Great Food Weekend
We ate GREAT this weekend! From start to finish it was pure yumminess! Driving home from work on Friday I couldn't figure out what I wanted to make for dinner and had to strongly resist the urge to stop at Pizza Hut. Then it hit me....SUSHI! Thanks to Kelly and our sushi adventure last year, I am now a pro at making homemade sushi! I had most things at home, so I stopped to pick up an avocado and some seaweed wraps. It was so addicting that I made it again for lunch the next day!
Saturday night we had a few beverages and grilled some lemon chicken and red peppers while Bailey stared down the baby birds in the back yard (there are some in the birdhouse above the garage and some more in a nest under the stairs...hopefully they won't fall out like last time).
Sunday I made Paige's Best Ever Chicken Noodle Soup complete with the secret ingredient (Tiger Seasoning) thanks to Paige!! Snacks for the weekend included some of my new obsessions: Skinny Pop popcorn and Trader Joe's Wasabi peas, as well as the remaining fudge bar that was in the freezer. Looks like someone will be strapping on their running shoes come Monday!!
Saturday night we had a few beverages and grilled some lemon chicken and red peppers while Bailey stared down the baby birds in the back yard (there are some in the birdhouse above the garage and some more in a nest under the stairs...hopefully they won't fall out like last time).
Sunday I made Paige's Best Ever Chicken Noodle Soup complete with the secret ingredient (Tiger Seasoning) thanks to Paige!! Snacks for the weekend included some of my new obsessions: Skinny Pop popcorn and Trader Joe's Wasabi peas, as well as the remaining fudge bar that was in the freezer. Looks like someone will be strapping on their running shoes come Monday!!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Vacation Countdown!!!
Sorry I've been MIA lately...we had bad storms last weekend that knocked out our cable and internet for a few days...how ever did I survive?! ;) Also last night we had the craziest lightning storm I've ever seen....it was just constant lightning for like 20 minutes...I can't believe we didn't lose power. Funny that we've seemed to get crazier storms since we've been in Chicago than we ever experienced living in the South.
ANYWAYS!! Vacation! 27 days!! I can't wait!! We're renting a little house right on a lake in southwest Michigan. I hope Bailey learns how to run off the dock and jump in the lake!! I'm even contemplating buying a hammock for the sole purpose of having one on vacation (I'm kinda obsessed with them). Here's a pic from the VRBO website. We can't wait!! :) 
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Things I am Loving Right Now
Friday, July 15, 2011
The Dog Days of Summer
Last night we went to a fundraiser for a local shelter with our friend Jess. She doesn't have a dog (YET!!) but has volunteered at various shelters and supports our furry friends just the same. It was held at Schuba's, which I had actually been wanting to check out because we used to drive by it all the time on the way home from work (recently we started taking a different way home). It was fun to actually get out and do something on a week night! It reminded me of when we lived in Philly and would actually go out and do stuff (my couch is just sooooo inviting these days I can't seem to pass it up)! And by "these days" I really mean "the last 5 years."Anyways, the mac and cheese bar that was promised was slightly disappointing (I thought it would be a variety of mac and cheese, not just 1 kind of mac and cheese with a variety of toppings). I survived ;) I also tried to channel my inner Paige to win something during the raffle, but alas, no luck there either. And I told Tom it didn't feel the same without our Birmingham crew there with us! I kept waiting for everyone to walk in with Stacy smuggling Casper in her purse! A good time was still had by all!!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Family Reunion - Chicago Style
This weekend my parents came to visit. My cousin Laurel lives in Indiana, just south of Chicago, so her parents (my aunt and uncle) and my other aunt and cousin all came out too. So we had a full house! Friday night my parents and my cousin Jamie drove up from Laurel's to hang out and spend the night at our place. They arrived with no less than 2 cases of our beloved Yuengling compliments of Aunt Judy. We can't get Yuengling in Chicago :(
Saturday morning we all met up at our place, then started our trek downtown (past Wrigley Field and via Lakeshore Drive).
Saturday morning we all met up at our place, then started our trek downtown (past Wrigley Field and via Lakeshore Drive).
First stop? The Bean! Of course we had to take a family pic in the Bean.
The Gold Coast Art Fair happened to be going on in Grant Park a few blocks away so we walked over to check that out. We enjoyed a cool beverage and some live music while we relaxed for a few minutes in the shade.
Mom stayed at the art fair while the rest of us walked down to see Buckingham Fountain. Next we walked along Michigan Ave and made our way down to the River Walk. After all of this walking, we were all getting quite hungry, so we hearded the troops and thought we would check out Navy Pier real quick on the way to get some Deep Dish. Navy Pier was of course PACKED (and annoying) so we decided we had seen enough just trying to drive past the front of it, and we didn't even bother to get out of the car. We drove back up Lakeshore Drive and found 2 parking spots literally right in front of Giordano's.
The pizza was awesome and this is definitely our new favorite deep dish pizza place!! After pizza we all went back to our place and had a little birthday celebration for my Aunt Shirley (who is turning 60 in a couple weeks) complete with Middle Sister wine (since she is the middle sister)!
We just hung out and enjoyed spending time together while watching the Pirates/Cubs game on TV...which was kind of ironic considering my entire family that was visiting are Pittsburgh fans and Wrigley Field is about 3 miles from us on the same street (the game was in Pittsburgh). Sunday we drove down to my cousin Laurel's house for a final family breakfast and said our Goodbye's. What a great weekend!
Monday, July 04, 2011
Awesome Birthday Weekend
How can a birthday weekend go wrong when you kick it off with flowers and dinner at an Italian Restaurant?! Friday we had big plans originally to go check out Taste of Chicago, but after virtually every single person we talked to gave a resounding "NOOOOOOOOOOO DON'T GOOOOOOOOOOOO!" we started to rethink our decision. That and the fact that it was supposed to be 97 degrees on Friday. I won't quote my co-worker OR the opinion column in the Red Eye, because someone will probably get offended, but let's just say they didn't make it sound too appealing. So we decided that a cooler (and cheaper) option would be to take Bailey to the Dog Beach instead. Well, as it turns out, we got some pretty crazy storms Thursday night and Friday ended up being overcast and kinda cool, with the potential for rain at any moment. We ended up having an extremely lazy relaxing day on Friday and didn't do a single thing except grill out for dinner.
Saturday morning we got up and went to Panera for breakfast. I know, all of the fabulous brunch places in Chicago and we go to Panera. I had been wanting eat at Panera every day for the past 6 months because we always drive by it on the way to work. After Panera we packed up Bailey and our towels and headed off to the Dog Beach.
She was a little unsure of the water at first, so we took her over to a "corner" of the beach so she could explore the water on her own terms. It didn't take long until she was frolicking in the lake, drinking the lake water, and trying to do the Basenji 500 twenty yards out from the sand. 
We got quite a chuckle (quite a chuckle? What am I like 80?) out of this funny bulldog with a lifevest (just like FTT's!!). First of all, he's wearing a lifevest. Second, he tried to crawl up on the ledge (the one that Bailey has her paws up on) but kind of half fell off, then just stayed there for like 30 seconds, half on/half off. Third, his dad had to carry him off the beach via lifevest handle as they were leaving, and about 30 seconds after he put him down he barfed all over the sidewalk. Too funny!
Saturday afternoon I had wanted to do some shopping for my birthday, but it was too hot, so I did some online shopping and ordered 5 shirts from Gap/Old Navy and got them all shipped right to my door for less than $9/shirt (including tax and shipping!!). We also finally booked our August vacation in Michigan. I'm so excited and I had been stressing about this for months! It will give us something nice to look forward to after this awesome 4-day weekend ends. For dinner we decided to check out this sketch Mexican restaurant that is right at the end of our street, The Burrito House. I had actually been wanting to check it out for a while but Tom thought it was too shady. A few weeks ago our neighbors told us how great it was, so Tom agreed to eat there for dinner...besides, how can he say No to me on my birthday ;)? It was actually pretty good!
Sunday afternoon our friend Jess hosted a cookout for the 4th at her new apartment. We grilled out, ate A LOT, and sipped some cool beverages.
Sunday night we sat out on our balcony and watched numerous fireworks displays from the comfort of our own deck chairs. Apparently everyone in Chicago sets off huge fireworks like it's no big deal. Our apartment faces directly west and we could see no less than 10 different displays (most obscured by houses and trees, but hey, no traffic or masses of people so that's just fine by me!) Of course the only pic I snapped was of a tiny firework but it at least gives you an idea of our little view :)
Today we're having a mish-mash of a day complete with a little bit of productivity and plenty of relaxing on the back deck. Happy 4th everyone!!
Saturday morning we got up and went to Panera for breakfast. I know, all of the fabulous brunch places in Chicago and we go to Panera. I had been wanting eat at Panera every day for the past 6 months because we always drive by it on the way to work. After Panera we packed up Bailey and our towels and headed off to the Dog Beach.
She was a little unsure of the water at first, so we took her over to a "corner" of the beach so she could explore the water on her own terms. It didn't take long until she was frolicking in the lake, drinking the lake water, and trying to do the Basenji 500 twenty yards out from the sand. We got quite a chuckle (quite a chuckle? What am I like 80?) out of this funny bulldog with a lifevest (just like FTT's!!). First of all, he's wearing a lifevest. Second, he tried to crawl up on the ledge (the one that Bailey has her paws up on) but kind of half fell off, then just stayed there for like 30 seconds, half on/half off. Third, his dad had to carry him off the beach via lifevest handle as they were leaving, and about 30 seconds after he put him down he barfed all over the sidewalk. Too funny!
Saturday afternoon I had wanted to do some shopping for my birthday, but it was too hot, so I did some online shopping and ordered 5 shirts from Gap/Old Navy and got them all shipped right to my door for less than $9/shirt (including tax and shipping!!). We also finally booked our August vacation in Michigan. I'm so excited and I had been stressing about this for months! It will give us something nice to look forward to after this awesome 4-day weekend ends. For dinner we decided to check out this sketch Mexican restaurant that is right at the end of our street, The Burrito House. I had actually been wanting to check it out for a while but Tom thought it was too shady. A few weeks ago our neighbors told us how great it was, so Tom agreed to eat there for dinner...besides, how can he say No to me on my birthday ;)? It was actually pretty good!
Sunday afternoon our friend Jess hosted a cookout for the 4th at her new apartment. We grilled out, ate A LOT, and sipped some cool beverages.
Sunday night we sat out on our balcony and watched numerous fireworks displays from the comfort of our own deck chairs. Apparently everyone in Chicago sets off huge fireworks like it's no big deal. Our apartment faces directly west and we could see no less than 10 different displays (most obscured by houses and trees, but hey, no traffic or masses of people so that's just fine by me!) Of course the only pic I snapped was of a tiny firework but it at least gives you an idea of our little view :)
Today we're having a mish-mash of a day complete with a little bit of productivity and plenty of relaxing on the back deck. Happy 4th everyone!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
