A Birthday Visit Recap and an OOTD

This weekend Matt and I were so excited because our best friend Miguel flew to Chicago for a quick weekend visit. Miguel, Matt, and I all met in graduate school, and Miguel was one of the best men in our wedding last June. I think its rare to find a couple who shares such a good friend, and Matt and I are so lucky as a couple and as individuals to have such a great friend in Miguel. Oh did I mention Saturday was his birthday? We were so happy we could celebrate with our pal in person :)

After picking up Miguel from the airport, we headed to Nookies, one of our favorite brunch spots in the city.  Nookies is great because its a diner that manages to balance casual, affordable, just the right amount greasy, and tasty yumminess.  They almost always have a wait, which is often a good sign as lots of people love it!

The guys talk as we wait outside.  And judging by how far away I'm standing, I'm going to guess that they were talking about statistics.  Snooze fest.

We managed to snag the best seat in the whole place!  Right up front in the little window booth, perfect for people watching!

We all stuffed our bellies pretty full, and I'd certainly like another bite right about now.  (My morning Lucky Charms were no match for this goodness.)  I got the dish on the right off their seasonal menu.  An open faced omelet with spinach, red peppers, mustard greens, sweet potatoes, leeks, and lots of lots of cheese.  So yummy!

After breakfast, we headed to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  The weather was insanely gorgeous and a record October high for Chicago.  We took advantage of the sunny skies and wandered around the zoo for quite a while.

Miguel was Mr. Popular fielding his 900 birthday texts, phone calls, and Facebook messages, so while he wandered off for a sec, Matt and I snapped a quick pic.  Have I ever told you how much I love my husband.  He makes me the happiest girl in the whole wide world :)

Fall is in full swing in Chicago, and to tell, just look up. The leaves are beautiful!

Self pics are an art form.  I'm still working on them lol.

After an afternoon of wandering, we were in total need of an Icee.  (Miguel and I both have a thing for delicious frozen treats.)  Luckily, there was a 7-11 a couple blocks from the zoo.  And since it was Miguel's birthday, I celebrated with a super size :)

That night, we celebrated Miguel's birthday at a steak spot by our house that we'd been dying to try.  When they brought out my meal, we couldn't help but laugh at the tiny roll they brought with my dinner.  And being the bread-and-butter loving Texan that I am, I politely but purposefully asked the waitress, "Umm, is this a roll?" pointing to the tiny ball of dough on my plate.  She wasn't amused.  Neither was I, as tiny dinner rolls are no laughing matter.  She eventually brought me another one that I happily smothered in butter before enjoying :)

Sunday we had a lazy morning and then a day of shopping.  I snapped this quick pic in the dressing room.  The sudden burst of warm weather threw me off a bit, so I went for an easy outfit: a maxi dress, a tissue cardigan, and for a touch of a fall, a leopard belt.  I got a few goodies, which I'll hopefully get a chance to share later this week.

After a Sunday of shopping, Matt decided to whip up a quick apple pie.  Yes, you read that right, my husband just threw together an apple pie from scratch.  (We had a ton of apples from last weekend's trip to the orchard.)  And guess what?  It was delicious!  I love having a husband who is handy in the kitchen!

Monday was Miguel's last day in town, so we headed downtown for a little sightseeing.  Miguel was here in June when he helped us move, so we did some of the basic city stuff then, but we didn't have time to do the John Hancock.  So we jumped in the elevator and headed up to the 94th floor to enjoy the view.  This was my third time to do the Hancock, so I didn't take a ton of pics, but if you want to see more, you can check out this post from when my little brother was in town.

The guys taking in the view, the audiotour, and the open air skywalk.  If you come to Chicago and do this site, be sure to take off your headphones for a bit at this spot.  I love hearing the city from this high up.  Its busy and peaceful at the same time.

Can you tell my husband loves taking pictures?  Ha.

In case the Ph.D thing doesn't work out for these two, they now have a backup job...window washing!

And like every out of towner visit, we had to make a stop at Garrett's.  Miguel has been talking about this cheesy popcorn since he was here last, so we couldn't let him go home empty handed.

After our popcorn pit stop, we decided to walk off a couple kernals and head towards The Bean.  I LOVE this spot and make it a point to take every visitor here.  I have decided that whenever we move from Chicago, I am going to do some sort of art collage with all the pictures of us, our visitors, and The Bean.  So now I have to drag all of our guests there lol.  Can you spot us?  Hint: look for Miguel's orange t shirt.

There we are!

These pictures never get old to me.

I'd pretty much lost the guys at this point, but that didn't stop me :)

Sadly, Miguel's flight was approaching, and we had to head toward the airport.  (I begged him to stay, but he said he had to get back so he could keep his job.  Pssh, how lame is that?)  So we ended the trip snacking on our Garrett's in Millennium Park (which seems to be a recurrent theme with our guests.)  It was SO great to have Miguel in town, and we're already plotting for the next long weekend visit.  Oh, and because we were out and about, I managed to get a few OOTD pics of Monday's out and about look...

All this boot weather lately got me thinking, why not break out my most prized boots of all...my cowboy boots!  And though I am a city girl through and through, my mom insisted that as a native Texan, I own a pair of real cowboy boots.  So when I moved back to Texas for graduate school, my mom treated me to a fabulous pair of Lucchese's.  And though they've spent alot of time tucked neatly away, I have been sporting them everywhere lately.  I've found that the trick is pairing them with things that look anything but country.  That way it doesn't look too matchy match or like I'm trying to be a cowgirl, which I clearly am not.  I've worn them to work several times in the past week and a half and need to hurry and post the pics so you can see the other pieces I'm pairing them with.  Another bonus?  They are so comfortable!

Top: H&M
Jeans: J. Crew skinnies
Boots: Lucchese
Bag: Ann Taylor
Necklaces: vintage; vintage; Target
Rings: vintage; vintage
Shades: Juicy Couture

Remember in my last happy lately list when I mentioned the lovely little thrift shop down the street from the store?  On my first visit in, I spotted this little animal necklace and had to have it.  Both my husband and my coworkers looked at me like I'd lost my mind, but I have a soft spot for kinda weird/kinda cool animal jewelry.  (See my cute/crazy owl necklace here.)  A girl loves what she loves :)

So that was my weekend?  Anyone else loving their cowboy boots or crazy animal jewelry?  (Cricket...cricket...)  Ok fine then, just tell me about your weekend :)