Weekend Happenings

Opening a bottle of red wine about two minutes after coming home on Friday; it was just one of those weeks...
Welcoming April, my birthday month, (hooray!)...
Roaming Home Depot for a good hour and a half on Saturday...
Splurging on a yummy burger at Five Guys...
Thrifting a cute ceramic chicken and flipping it into an adorable DIY planter...
Frantically scrubbing blue spray paint off our patio concrete after my just mentioned DIY project went a little bit awry...
Living in boyfriend jeans almost 24/7 this weekend...
Snuggling up with my man and HGTV for a cozy Saturday night...
Taking advantage of Chicago's beautiful weather and grilling for almost every single meal this weekend...
Smiling in my sleep as the thunder rolled outside and we snuggled inside...
Prettying up our porch for spring, (pictures coming soon!)...
Sipping my Sunday morning coffee while reading my favorite blogs...
Using our grill to make smores, which in our house is known as the perfect Sunday evening treat...
Counting down the days till my family arrives in Chicago for my birthday weekend, (10 days to be exact!)...

That's what I was up to this weekend, what about you?  Leave a little bit of your weekend in the comments; I'd love to hear!

Insta-Weekend

-This weekend Chicago was blessed with some warm and sunny weather.  45 degrees is pretty unheard of for February in Chicago, so we spent most of Sunday afternoon out and about.
-Yep, I'm still wearing this vest!  I'm obsessed and am already brainstorming ways to wear it as a poolside coverup ;)

-I thrifted these earrings a while back, but haven't pulled them out until this weekend.  Oversized, gold, and adorned with fringe...have I mentioned I'm from Texas?
-We love the grounds of the Art Institute and make it a point to wonder through often, even if we're not going into the actual exhibits.

-We tried Mi Tierra, a new-to-us Mexican restaurant in Lakeview, and were pleasantly surprised.  Many of the Mexican restaurants here in Chicago don't offer endless chips and salsa, and as a girl who grew up on Tex-Mex, I just can't quite get used to this.  So when servers kept swooping by for refills, we were elated.  It's the little things.
-The yummy margaritas didn't hurt either :)

-Sunday night, we enjoyed date night at Theater Wit.  The small theaters in Chicago can kind of be hit or miss, but Theater Wit was definitely a hit!
-Matt snagged preview performance tickets for "The Fisherman," and we both really loved the story.  If you're a Chicago local, I definitely recommend going!

-I snagged these adorable polka dot socks on clearance at Target today.  I can't wait to see them peeking out of my jeans this spring!
-As I mentioned on my Facebook page, I had an early morning interview today, then decided to take the rest of the day off for a mental health day.  (I'm a big believer that taking the occasional mental health day can ward off having to take sick days.)  And what better to enjoy for a mental health day lunch than Portillo's?  Yum is always an understatement at Portillo's.

So that's what's new around here.  How about you; what's new...how was your weekend?

 

Insta-Weekend

*Waking up Friday to the first snow of the season.  Hello Midwest winter, do be kind, please :)
*My favorite kind of weekend outfit: a tunic, leggings, and my favorite leather jacket.

*Manicure of the week: OPI's Not Like the Movies.
*We tried a new BBQ spot this weekend.  I was hopeful at first, but when the owners said they weren't from Texas, I was skeptical.  When I asked for ranch, and they said, "We don't have any ranch," I knew the place was a miss.  But the fried pickle spears?  They were pretty dang good :)

*So happy I have a husband who can cook.  And who looks cute doing it :)
*A Starbucks stop during our Saturday Christmas shopping.  Thanks to a gift card from my sister in law, Matt and I were able to enjoy our holiday favorites guilt free.  (Thanks Julie!)

*Saturday night we went Christmas party, and I wanted to look festive, but not too overdone.  I was smitten with this party dress+motorcycle jacket combo.  And the big earrings, a given for this Texas girl.  PS: wondering why I have an oatmeal canister in my bathroom?  You can read about that here.
*These were an Ann Taylor holiday purchase from last year, and I am so glad I snagged them.  They're over the top sparkly and the perfect addition to any outfit this time of year.

So what's the latest and greatest with you?  How was your weekend?

Weekend Happenings

Hey there...sorry for the quiet around these parts.  It's almost the end of the semester, which for college students, means its crazy time.  And for anyone that works with college students...crazy time.  So I've been working late and attempting to be productive in the few hours between work and bed.  It's left me feeling a little bit shredded, but luckily this weekend was fairly quiet and peaceful.  Here's a little bit of what I enjoyed this weekend...

Taking Friday off work for dentist and doctors appointments, which aren't fun, but since they allowed me an extra day at home with Matt, I can't complain...
Watching a pretty good Netflix thriller...
Snuggling up under a magic blanket with the fireplace snapping...
Indulging in my favorite five year old cereal, Lucky Charms, and purposefully saving a spoonful of marshmallows till the end...
Deep cleaning our house for six hours on Saturday...
(Did I mention we have a one bed/one bath?!)...
Spending an afternoon at Savers scoring some pretty fabulous thrift finds...
Trying a new-to-me OPI color and loving it...
(Though I can't decide what color it really is)...
Listening to Pandora Christmas nonstop...
Celebrating the holiday season with my AT girls (pictures to come soon)...
Scoring big during the gift exchange with a Starbucks gift card...
(Perfect considering Freeze Lesson number 3)...
Finally renting Water for Elephants after reading the book this summer...
(Does Reese Witherspoon ever age?!)...
Solidifying details for an upcoming giveaway...
Whipping up a quick and easy "throw together" dinner inspired by these yummies...
Treating ourselves to after dinner ice cream treats and remembering how much I love Drumsticks...
Talking about Christmas plans and realizing we'll be leaving for Texas in just two and a half weeks, eeek!

What were you up to this weekend?  Do tell :)

Photography Bootcamp

I'm almost three months into my internship and almost three months into living apart from Matt during the week.  Outside of our trips to Texas and NYC, we've been able to spend every weekend together, in Chicago.  This means that every single Friday after work, I load up my car and make the 2 hour drive back "home."  Besides the weekend we moved me down here,  Matt hasn't spent much time in my sleepy little college town.  But this weekend, we changed things up, and Matt made the 2 hour weekend commute to visit me.  And since there wasn't a single thing on our agenda, Matt came up with a unique challenge for me.  Photography bootcamp!  (The name was my doing, not his lol.)

Ever since we got Cameron, we've been taking her almost everywhere.  And about 90% of the time, she's around Matt's neck.  Matt's had a fancy camera before and has some beautiful shots that he took in his high school and college days.  (You remember, when people still used film.)  I was content just snapping a quick pic here and there, but thankfully, Matt came up with a fun way to get me more acquainted with Cameron and photography in general.  Before we left the house on Saturday morning, Matt gave me a list of things to shoot: lines, pattern, color, depth, texture, etc.  The result was a lovely afternoon, spent doing nothing but wandering and clicking away.  I didn't quite get all of the things on my bootcamp list, but I got a good start and thought I'd show you my homework :)

Pattern
Downtown street grate

Color
Lettuce at the local farmer's market

Shape
Potatoes at the local farmer's market

Height
Center of downtown

Depth
Flowers outside a local spa

Texture
Ivy covered wall

Lines
Historic brick building

Monochrome
Flowers outside our lunch spot

I was actually pretty pleased with myself for my first round of photography bootcamp.  I took a ton of pictures (some worked, some didn't) and got over my habit of constantly handing the camera over the Matt.  We managed to snap a few more pictures during our outing that didn't count as homework, but nonetheless, captured the spirit of the day...

Both Matt and I left the market wondering why we don't make it a point to visit farmers' markets more often.  You can't go wrong when its yummier, cheaper, and local.  And the weather this weekend couldn't have been more perfect!

The weekends have a whole new meaning for us now, and we literally try to soak up every single second we have together.  And ps: don't be jealous of my hair; it took me eight hours to get it looking like this, ha!

Jacket: Ann Taylor Loft
Gingham shirt: American Eagle {on sale here}
Scarf: Urban Outfitters
Jeans: J.Crew
Boots: Macy's (total steal at the end of last winter!)
Sunnies: Nordstrom BP (the best place for cheapies, these were $10!)

This weekend was just one of those lovely, lazy, and wandering weekends that I wish could have gone on forever.  But sadly, it didn't, and I'm back to work tomorrow.  But Monday is just that much closer to Friday, so I'll take it :)  What were you lovelies up to this weekend?  Do tell!

Weekend Happenings

{made by my dear and talented friend, kelsey!}

Sneaking out of work a bit early to head back to Chicago and see Matt...
the highlight of my week!
Trying out the oh so recommended Hopleaf...
and loving that they have the one and only beer I drink.
Meeting a long-time blog friend who was in town to kick ass in the Chicago marathon...
you go Cely!
Sleeping a solid nine hours on Friday night...
and not feeling the least bit guilty.
Cheering on my beloved Sooners who dominated Saturday's big game...
Boomer!
Texting and Facebooking all my Longhorn friends to furiously rub in their embarrassing loss...
I'm such a classy winner.
Loving watching football at Norma's in sweats and no makeup...
and realizing the best kind of friends don't mind if you take a cat nap on their couch.
Reuniting with my AT friends for a fun night out...
and laughing at some of the crazy stories they've collected since my departure.
Spending Sunday morning grocery shopping with Matt...
and realizing it's the ordinary things I miss most while we're apart during the week.
Soaking up the oddly fabulous weekend weather in Chicago...
with what else but an afternoon picnic!
Watching a hot air ballon take off from the park across the street...
and secretly wishing the owners would have offered us a ride.
Snuggling up for a Sunday Red Box...
and realizing Matt Damon can do no wrong in my eyes.

What were you up to this weekend?

Instagram Weekend

I've had the Instagram app on my phone for a while now, but until recently, I wasn't quite sold on it.  But lately, I've been addicted, using it as a fun way to capture day to day details.  Here's a bit of what I was up to this weekend...

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a 5K event in Grant Park.  And after being in NYC a few weeks ago, I am appreciating Chicago's train system more than ever.  Its SO much easier to understand!

Crossing under the bridge near the museum campus.  It was the perfect day for a 5K, a little chilly but sunny as could be.  PS: Cely I'm praying for similar weekend for you this weekend :)

Our race tags should've probably read .25K run/4.75K walk lol.  Both Matt and I were pretty exhausted from a long week, so we took it easy and ignored the fact that the 10K crowd was lapping us!

Clearly, I have the dedication and mindset of a true runner :)

After the run, we went to meet up with my sister and her friend who were visiting Chicago for the weekend.  They were staying at the ever so gorgeous Palmer House hotel.  Matt and I have stayed here several times (including my match day celebration), and I'm always mesmerized by the lobby ceiling.  Breathtaking!

Posing with my sister and Matt after a yummy brunch at Yolk.  Matt and I went straight from the race to breakfast, so please excuse the random get up.  Though this may be the one and only time in my sister's and I's lives where she was more dressed up than me :)

Ever wonder how the windows of all those downtown Chicago buildings get washed?  Check out all those men waaaay up top.  No balconies, no platforms, just a bucket, a squeegee, and some rope.  CRAZY!

So even though this picture is the most boring, it's definitely the most exciting part of my weekend.  Because guess what?  I SUBMITTED THE FINAL VERSION OF MY DISSERTATION THIS WEEKEND!  Can you believe it?  All that work, all that energy, all those tears...wrapped up into a paper and emailed off to my committee for them to read before my defense.  Best feeling EVER!

So of course after I hit the "send" button, Matt and I celebrated with a big old ice cream sundae.  And if you're thinking, "Wow, that girl looks slightly delirious..." you would be correct.  Exhausted but totally thrilled, a crazy combination!

So that's it around these parts...what's new with you?

(Free) Weekend Happenings

{we heart it}

Hey lovelies, I hope yall are winding down after a fabulous Labor Day!  The day off from work was much needed as things have been pretty intense since starting my new job.  And of course, the holiday was extra appreciated, because in addition to a day off, it gave me an extra day in Chicago with Matt, hooray!  We enjoyed a pretty restful, low-key weekend, and due to the recent start of The September Spending Freeze, we also enjoyed a free weekend.  Here's a peek into what kept us smiling (and not spending) this weekend...

Curling up with our Kindles and ignoring the pile of work related books on the kitchen counter...
Trying our hands at a homemade peach cobbler...
Cheering on my beloved Sooners in a fabulous first game of the season...
Meeting with the youth pastor at church to see how we can get involved with the high school students...
Overcoming an intense "lets go out to lunch" craving with two made-with-love grilled cheeses...
Sprucing up our patio with a little elbow grease and no money...
Snuggling up during a Saturday rainstorm with no plan or schedule in sight...
Hosting friends for an at home Labor Day BBQ...
Enjoying the insanely wonderful weather (hello 70 degrees!) with two afternoon walks...
Cranking out some serious dissertation work...
Scouting out future houses and talking about our want list like we're buying tomorrow.  (We're at least a year away, but its never too early to dream house hunt right?)...
Watching a few episodes of our beloved American Pickers...
Sitting out on our patio with friends, a bottle of wine, and a few cold beers...
Soaking up the end of summer with this yummy summer salad...

All in all the weekend was lovely and total proof that delightful weekends don't have to cost a thing!

PS: If you haven't had a chance to vote for me in Lucky's Lifestyle Contributor challenge, I would LOVE it if you would read this post and take a few seconds to vote for me.  Pretty please :)  Round 2 voting ends this week, and I'd love a few more votes to help me advance to the next round!

Have a wonderful short week!

Weekend Lovelies

Having Matt come down to my new town Friday night for a staff bbq...
I love showing him off :)
Getting up bright and early Saturday for a little volunteer manual labor at our church...
I now consider myself an expert dirt/grass/rock raker...
Seeing a dear friend from college (see above) and feeling like we were back at our favorite OU hangout...
How is it that so much in our lives has changed, yet with old friends, it seems like nothing has changed...
Rocking my "new" utility vest with a maxi dress and leopard belt...
And ignoring the fact that the guys said I looked like I was going on safari...
Loving that fact that so many of you are participating in The September Spending Freeze...
Determination + accountability = SUCCESS...
Chatting with a friend who've I've been playing phone tag with for eight months...
Seriously the longest game of phone tag ever...
Piling my hair on top of my head for most of Sunday and not caring the slightest what it looked like...
Sundays are my "days off" from hair fixing...
Obsessing over the fact that Sooner football starts 5 days...
My excitement is literally uncontrollable...

What did you do this weekend?

Weekend Happenings

{via pinterest}

Getting to sneak out of work 30 minutes early on Friday, which made my 2 hour drive to see Matt that much better...
Enjoying a pizza-and-movie kind of Friday night...
Snuggling with Matt and appreciating being able to physically be next to each other...
Finding the perfect pair of black crop pants, perfect with silk button ups and sky high heels...
Spending a rainy Saturday morning perusing the grocery store...
Watching the past few episodes of the craziness that is Whale Wars...
Padding around in jeans and an oversized button up, my typical weekend uniform...
Whipping up homemade hummus courtesy of this recipe...
Taking advantage of Michael's 60% off custom framing deal and getting Matt's new Ph.D (and my old Master's) framed...
Having a Saturday night family dinner with our friend Norma and her precious dog, Pepper...
Accepting the fact that I'm an old fart and fall asleep by 10:30 pm on weekends...
Lunching and sangria sipping on the patio in what might have been the perfect Sunday afternoon weather...
Phone chatting with my brother as he experiences his first week of college and fraternity rush...
Snagging this fabulous cuff from Ann Taylor after obsessing over it at the NYC fashion show...
Gabbing with friends on my two hour drive back from Chicago...

I've got lots to post this week, so check back for some fun updates (including a new hair color!)  I hope your weekend was fabulous, and may your week be even better!

Lollapalooza!

So its been over a week since I blogged last.  A week and a half if you're counting.  And though I wish I could say I'm back to blogging because I finally got internet hooked up at my house, sadly that is not the case.  (Oh yeah Comcast, I'm giving you the evil eye.)  But since I'm currently parked at Gate 4 awaiting a flight to Texas, I thought I'd take advantage of some free airport wifi :)

This past weekend was my first weekend back in Chicago after starting my new job two hours away, and I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with both Matt and my little brother.  Ryan was in town for Lollapalooza, and though mega-concerts aren't typically my thing, I couldn't pass up the chance to spend Saturday with him at one of the most legendary concerts around.  So Matt and I snagged tickets, quickly got the run down of the line-up, and attempted to not look like the oldest, most unhip people there lol.  Here are a few of my favorite photos from our day at Lollapalooza, most photos courtesy of my brother's oh-so-fabulous girlfriend, Makenna.  (Thanks Makenna!)

Me and my not-so-little brother, Ryan.  Though Matt and I only went to Lolla on Saturday, Ryan and Makenna braved the fest for all three days.  Dedication!

Listening to Phantogram Saturday afternoon, just after the rain stopped.  I hadn't heard of Phantogram before last weekend, and since Saturday, I've obsessively had them playing in my car, in my office, and in my room.  They are insanely fabulous!

Our lineup for the day consisted of Phantogram, Black Lips, The Drums, Ellie Goulding (love!), Atmosphere, and Eminem.

If the crowd in front of us doesn't clue you in about the craziness of Lollapalooza, check out the crowd on the screen.  And to realize they had 6 stages going at once...it definitely got a little crazy.

Our Lollapalooza crew.  PS: please excuse my totally random and un-hip outfit.  It was humid, hot as hell, and muddy in some places, which for me, translated to no effort left to attempt to look cute.

Pretty city.

Two of my favorite people in the whole wide world.  They keep me loving life and laughing through most of it :)

Eminem might have been my favorite show of the day.  Now, let me preface this by saying, I'm not the biggest Eminem fan in the world.  He's a bit too angry and unfiltered for my taste.   That being said, his show was pretty freaking awesome.  It was one of his first shows back since he pulled off the scene a few years ago, and the energy was insane.  He did new stuff mixed in with old stuff which had the crowd pretty crazy.  This picture was taken right after he brought out Bruno Mars for "Lighters."  Awe-some.

Not even 90,000 people crowded in Grant Park can distract from what a beautiful city Chicago is.  A day spent in my fabulous city, listening to one-of-kind artists, with a few of my favorite people in the world...it doesn't get much better than that!

Weekend Happenings

I'm back!  New York was a whirlwind, and since I got back late Thursday afternoon, I've furiously been playing catch up, which has left this little blog feeling quite neglected.  So I thought I'd post a few of my favorite things going on around these parts since I've been back...

Reading the last page of Harry Potter as my plane touched down at O'Hare on Thursday.  Perfect timing for the midnight premiere...
Grabbing dinner and drinks with friends at our favorite Asian fusion spot...
Catching a quick Saturday afternoon cat nap...
Scoring this fabulous beauty at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  I don't plan to take it off all fall...
Catching my first episode of Extreme Couponing and debating whether I'm obscenely horrified or intensely inspired...
Trying a new gelato flavor (pistachio) and realizing odd can be good...
Getting to spend Sunday afternoon with Melissa, my dear friend from high school...
Replaying every moment from the HP midnight premiere and wishing it wasn't over...
Eating a delicious brunch at Yolk, including an entire half pineapple, cored and stuffed with fruit, yogurt, nuts, and granola.  Yum is the word...
Looking through my pictures from New York and wondering how on Earth I, the picture queen, didn't get more photos...
Soaking up time with Matt before my big move in two weeks...
Taking a walk to the corner ice cream store.  Nothing cures a sore throat like a chocolate malt...

This week, I'm playing more catch up and trying to get things in order for my big move, which is less than two weeks away.  Time has kind of snuck up on me, but I'm determined to sneak in a few more summer treats before I start my new job on August 1st.  And since I've been gone from blogland for a while, fill me on whats new with you and what you were up to this weekend!

Weekend Happenings

Taking an afternoon trip to see the new "Jellies" exhibit at the Aquarium...
Saying goodbye to all Matt's fellow interns at their farewell party...
Staying out entirely too late Friday night but having a blast doing it...
Picnicing with Matt for our anniversary...
Barbequing with friends...
Mixing up the simplest cocktail thanks to Trader Joe's fizzy pink lemonade...
Brunching at Big Jones with out of town friends...
Enjoying my first Starbucks in a MONTH...
Having success with new recipes stored on my Pinterest...
Treasure hunting at RAD Vintage in Andersonville...
Celebrating summer with the girls from "the store" on the most delightful deck I've ever seen...
Furiously catching up on Harry Potter before July 15...

PS: I have some SUPER exciting news to share, but I'm desperately trying to wait until I have a few more details.  I'm hope to share later this week, eek!  Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Snapshots

After what seems like months of back and forth, rainy, cold, and overcast weekends, Chicago had an (almost) full weekend of sunshine.  It may have been hot and humid, but it was sunny, and dang it, we were gonna enjoy it!  So minus today's inside only dissertation workday, the rest of the weekend was spend outside, enjoying some much needed Chicago sunshine!

Fruity drinks on the patio?  Yes please.

My love affair with pina coladas is out of this world.  They are worth every single one of their 9,000 calories.  So much so, I had two :)

We tried a new spot for dinner on Friday (thanks Groupon Now for the push) and we were pleasantly surprised.  A Friday fish fry, a huge outdoor patio, and pina coladas on special.  Does it get any better?

After a slow moving Saturday morning (oh how I love waking up without an alarm), we headed to the Morton Arboretum to enjoy the sun at one of Chicago's best outdoor spots.

As soon as I saw the maze garden, my Harry Potter geek meter went off, playing a million Goblet of Fire scenarios in my mind.  But after thinking back to our previous corn maze experience, we decided to spare ourselves the anxiety/agony and just enjoy the maze from above.

Pretty flowers, happy little bee.

For lunch we packed a picnic and found a great little spot near the lake to unfold our blanket.

The view, looking up, from our picnic blanket.  I'm hardly the "outdoorsy type" but even I can't deny this loveliness.

After lunch, I caught up with Harry and his friends, in preparation for the upcoming movie.  July 15...anyone else counting down?!

The Arboretum has over 1,700 acres of gardens, woods, and lakes, so it truly is impossible to experience everything in a visit, so after our picnic, Matt and I agreed to hike the trail to Big Rock.  I was slightly unprepared for the hike as I thought it would be more of a "stroll through heavily manicured gardens."  Not entirely lol.  So after a little bit of whining, I calmed down and we set off for a solid hour hike.

I can't help but laugh at this picture.  A little lost and a lot hot, we pause for a break, and in true fashion, Matt turns to the map and I turn to the camera.  We make a good pair us two :)

So there you have it, a little sneak peek into our sunshine filled weekend.  What was your weekend like?  PS: Don't forget about my Stella & Dot giveaway!  You've got a few more days to enter to win one of two awesome prizes!  Hope your weekend was lovely and that this week is even better!