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Remember our trips to NYC? It was filled with tequila, fancy dinners and drunken photo ops. 

Once they arrived we hit up a lunch spot where I devoured the greatest chopped salad I have ever sunk my teeth into.  Follow that up with mini golf, margaritas, Mexican food and tipsy games of Scategories and you have a #Winning first night of fun!

The next day involved brunch, an architectural tour, Navy Pier Ferris wheel, bowling, drinking beers at the famed Billy Goat Tavern where Saturday Night Live got its “Cheezborger, Cheezeborger, Pepsi no Coke, Chips No Fries” skit from. 

We had a fabulous Italiano dinner full of bread, olive oil, salads, pasta and pizza.  My dad and I followed dinner with a few games of darts, beers and interesting conversations with random people. I can only give you a feeling for how much fun we all had through the pictures I took. I love my parents so much and my mom has been so strong through her chemotherapy and treatment.  I can only hope that one day I can be as strong, loving and compassionate as she is. I can’t wait until I get to see my parents again back in Kansas City, which will be sooner than you think!

Do you prefer vacations or staycations?  When on a staycation what are your favorite things to do in your city?

xoxo, 

Lo 

I love getting visitors.  When people visit someone’s city and stay in their home, apartment or cardboard box for more than a few days, some hosts can feel annoyed or crowded. Not me. I LOVE visitors.  In fact I love them so much that right after my best friend from back home in Kansas City visited me with her friend for 4 days, I was joyous to have my parents arrive the day after they left.  Call me crazy, but I love entertaining.  For it gives me excuses to take a staycation and become a tourist.  

When Katie (Bff) and her friend Pat arrived at my doorstep on Thursday night I was elated.  I was excited, joyous but also a tad tired.  Lets just say that day was one LONG day of cleaning and yoga.  I know I shouldn’t complain, but cleaning is a serious workout.  Sore doesn’t describe the pain my muscles were in.  But, no soreness can keep me away from going out with my two favorite people and showing them my NEW neighborhood.  A night of beers and darts led to a very sound sleep.  Lets just say we all awoke ready for Day 2 and that included a lot of activities. 

Activity 1:  Cubs rooftop game.  Rooftop=all one can eat and drink while watching a Cubs game and enjoying the weather.  We arrived at 12 because the game started at 1 pm.  Once I walked into the clubhouse, I got to work on my lunch because it was already lunchtime in my mind.  One hotdog, bag of Fritos and pasta salad later, I was ready for my brews and baseball.  However, all four of us are talkers.  For the first 5 innings we stayed inside drinking and talking.  i actually forgot we went for the Cubs game. #Fail  When Peter suggested we at least head to the “roof” and watch the game, we all broke out in laughter from the fact we didn’t think of that earlier!   However at this point in the game, we were all just ready to be silly, take pics, and forgot about the game.  I think the Cubs won (if you were wondering).

Moving on from the Cubs game we headed out to Wrigleyville bars to just dance and have fun! I wish I had as many pictures as Katie, but unfortunately she has them all.  I promise to post them in a separate post because the pics are classic.  I think the whole weekend allotted 150 photos. Around 5 or 6 we headed back to my apartment to change and get ready for part 2 of the day.  So we walked to dinner, where I met an adorable dog and talked to the owners for a good 20 minutes.  I won’t say what inspired this little pow wow but maybe a Vegas bomb had something to do with it….hey, as they say, “When on a staycation, do as those on vacation do!” Am I right?

We sat in a wonderful beer garden with awesome food and company.  I think I inhaled my dinner, which is why I don’t remember the taste of it. If you were wondering it was a turkey rueben of sorts.  

Now this is where our night really begins.  Yes we were awake for 12 hours already, but once Peter started DJing and the house music flowed, I could feel the blood pumping into my tired legs.  I started dancing. And oh did we dance.  I think I danced for almost 2 hours straight.  When I was done my hair looked like this.  Back to my roots as I like to say. 

Side question: Curly haired friends, what do you do in a situation where no straighteners are present?  For me personally, I like to run my hair under that Xlerator hand dryer It is our secret.

When the night ended we joyfully jumped into a cab and paid the $6 rather than walk 2 miles.  That was the best 6 dollars spent I believe.  

Lets fast forward to Saturday, or as I like to say, Hurtday.  This was the day I was hurting the most.  I didn’t feel normal or even hungover.  Rather I felt strange.  Whats the cure for this?  Why how about eating the worst nachos that I have ever ordered in a bar and racking up a bill of $180?  Sitting in a bar for 6.5 hours can be fun.  Whats not fun is how it takes 3 hours, bad food, bombs and Bloody Marys to help you go from  feeling like a corpse to a person who can form sentences.  Did I mention it took us all an hour to “wake up” and start talking to each other?  Our server, Sinead, must have loved us.  

Who else loved us?  Probably my wonderful friends Dave, Tim and Emily when we crashed their dinner party   Obviously we weren’t party crashers.  We met up with my Chicagoan besties to eat, drink, and watch old men awkwardly stare at all the gals.  Sadly, I fell right back into that old feeling in limbo (it is somewhere between hungover, drunk, and comatose).  It wasn’t until we hit up Mary’s Attic, an awesome gay bar, for some dancing which once again lasted hours. I am positive I danced on a stage, took photos on a bed, and also got picked up by Peter in a little Swing dance number we awkwardly accomplished.  

We left the dancing and opted for a 5AM bar where I barely did anything except chat up my wonderful best friend and force her to take the worst shot known to man (Malort is a wormwood liquor that remains on your taste buds for hours). Don’t believe me?  Look up on “malort face” on You Tube.  

Side note: I know what you are thinking. Is this weekend EVER going to end?  Well no.  Because we have Sunday and Monday.  I am going to give you all a nice spoiler alert…..the next recap will be short because we actually took it easy.

Sunday we all got about 4 hours of sleep.  That is what happens when you get home around 4AM, watch Wilfred until your eyes can’t hold themselves up anymore, and pass out. 

But the glorious thing about Sundays is even with 4 hours of shuteye, you can go to the movie theater, inhale popcorn and nachos and laugh your ass off.  Or at least that is what the four of us did with “Horrible Bosses.”  

What else is another great thing about Hangover Sundays?  Walking home from the theater (2 miles) and getting caught in a torrential downpour.  I swear the rain cured us all.  It took us an hour to get home because white clothes + rain + girls = embarrassing. 

Once back to my apt. we crashed, watched “Millionaire Matchmaker” ate lots of deep dish pizza and just vegged out.  It couldn’t have been a better Sunday if I tried. No beer. No shots.  No dancing. No giving a shit.  That is my kinda Sunday. 

Monday was the last day of Katie and Pat’s visit and I couldn’t have been sadder.  We walked all around the lakefront, ate some delicious food, and just enjoyed our last moments together.  

Phew. Now that was a story! 

Please stay tuned for the next part of “Visitors and Staycations!” because my parents are the next guests in my wonderful city of Chicago! Oh man did we pack in a ton of activities in 2 days! 

love and Hershey kisses, 

Lo

Let the 4 day weekend begin!!!!  

I know what your thinking….its not a four day weekend.  But for me it is! My best friend since I was 5 is arriving at my apt. in about 2 hours!!! I cannot wait until we are reunited once again.

so young and so silly.  Yikes this was like 3 years ago!

So what do we have planned?

We are planning lots of this:

Maybe some of this:

What else do we have planned?

CUBS!!!

A concert on Friday night.

A street festival on Saturday.

Sunday will either involve stalking Lollapalooza and trying to buy tickets/wristbands off of people so I can see Deadmaus OR a show a Second City and a trip to the beach.

So much to do. So much to eat and drink.

I will be back to give you all the deets!

Xoxo,

Lo.

Summertime to me essentially means margaritas and tortilla chips.  Now, don’t get me wrong I love a good BBQ for the food and ambiance. But for some reason margaritas, patio seating outside and chips and salsa equals summertime in my giant eyes.  Last Thursday, instead of going out and spending lots of money on dinner at a Mexican restaurant, I decided to take the fiesta to my own home.

Ole’!!

After a quick run to Trader Joe’s I came home and opened up a Joerona–aka a Trader Joe’s Corona.  Peter got to work on the tacos and the guacamole as I got to work on the photographs.  Simple tradeoff of duties, no?

On the menu?

Carne asada soft tacos topped with lettuce, cheese, salsa, pico de gallo and bacomole. 

What is bacomole you ask?  Well, simply put: bacon guacamole.  

I know what you’re thinking.  Bacon in guacamole?  How is this possible?  Well, a simple idea from the boy turned into what is quite possibly the best culinary invention (*note I do not know if anyone has made this yet, so I am not taking any cred, but this was a pretty genius idea.)  

Make your guacamole as your recipe calls for or if your like us, wing it. 

Mash an avocado with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeno (we forgot ours sadly), lime juice, pinch of salt, and 2 slices of crispy chopped bacon.  

Once, the carne asada is all grilled up and sliced, your crazy fiesta can get started.  In our case, no craziness was had.  However we did throw on a recorded episode of Rocco’s Dinner Party and enjoy dos tacos, unlimited chips and bacomole (or guacamacon–the boy prefers this name) and a Joerona or three. Let me you that Rocco’s Dinner Party is a pretty crazy show, so this night was indeed wild!

For dessert?  Why not a few spoonfuls of Teddie’s crunchy peanut butter out of the jar?  Oh yeah I may have forgotten to mention that I bought 6 jars online.  I may need a help group soon.

Peace!

xoxo

Lo

Sometimes, I am in need of a break.  When I am in school, I usually tell myself a break from reading/writing/studying/designing.  When I am working a lot, its a break from my uniform and my uncomfortable work shoes.  When I haven’t gone out of town in forever, its sad to say it, but I’ll want a break from Chicago, its weather and public transportation.

Lately, without much thought I have been giving myself a lot of breaks.  I bought my tickets to go to St. Louis at the end of August to see my brother and go to Loufest (a summer music festival).

a nice cooking break…no dishes to wash after this meal!

lunch break

I gave myself a break with the gym and physical activity this weekend in order to just spend time with people I love hanging out with.

I gave myself a break from work on Saturday night in order to hang out with three fun women who happen to blog, who I drank with, danced with, played flippy cup with, and ate sushi with.

We also visited my workplace where I asked my boss for a ride on his motorcycle (geeze).  All in the same night I met an awesome blog reader (hey, BETSY!!!) at a 3AM diner where I had 3 plates of un-photographed food in front of me because I have am indecisive when it comes to ordering anything. I would say that Saturday night, for me, was a break from making any kind of good decision at all.

Surprisingly, even making some irresponsible decisions (fries for breakfast/McGriddle shots just to name a few) made the night one of my favorites in a very long time…even if I somehow managed to punch a hole in my foot–don’t ask, I have no clue.

weekend injury and my fug work shoes.

Blogger girls night. Thanks Amy for the pic!

I gave myself another break and stayed up until 5AM Sunday night so I could dance and have fun with friends all while raising money for the brother of a friend I know who just had a stroke at 35.

Tuesday and Wednesday I took a mini-vacation from the city life and went to my boyfriend’s house in the suburbs so we could eat homemade Polish food and watch Rango–>rent this now. It is incredibly funny, charming, and heart-warming.

pork with a fried egg on top.  Fried eggs on anything make me swoon.

Latte for breakfast before leaving the burbs.

Jalapeno bagel sandwich filled with turkey, eggs, avocado, cream cheese, tomato. On the side potatoes, salad, and a few bites of the boy’s biscuits and gravy.

In my last post, I discussed feeling old.  I think I have found the cure for that quarter-life crisis though….give ourselves a break.  Enjoy a kit kat once in awhile.  Be spontaneous and go on a trip somewhere.  Take a pole dancing class so if your like me, you can laugh at yourself.  Eat Mcdonalds for breakfast.  Mix your liquors and enjoy a night on the town. Or simply stay at home on a Friday night, with a Say Yes to Dress marathon and take a break from the world.

So yes, this past weekend was definitely a crazy one.  But I needed that break to just let go.  Now, I think I need a break from booze, crowded bars, and my dancing shoes…just for a little while.  Being a homebody is just as fun as being a party monster. 

XoXo,

Lo

It is so hard to believe that at 24 (and a half) years old, I am actually feeling a lot older than I should.  No, I don’t think I have Benjamin Button disease, however, being a 24 year old is certainly a lot different than being an 18 or even 21 year old.  

Rather than taking free Pitchfork tickets on a Sunday night to see two of my favorite bands, I would rather attend a showing of Harry Potter 7 (part 2) in theaters with a tub of popcorn and a huge diet coke.  Maybe this is because a heat wave came to Chicago and the thought of standing in a crowded, grassy, park with thousands of people in 100 degree heat wasn’t as appealing to me as sitting in a chilled theater watching the surprisingly cute Neville Longbottom.  

I feel old when rather than going out on a weekend night, I instead would rather eat a meal at home, and watch a Say Yes to the Dress marathon while falling asleep on my couch. 

I def felt older on Saturday night when I attended a cocktail birthday party full of classy people and a Grey Goose open bar, as opposed to the birthday parties of my youth that featured jello shots, vodka water bottles and the music of Lil John.  

I feel old when I go “clubbin” and have to take off my 3.5 inch heels after only 4 hours because my old joints can’t handle the mixture of dancing, standing and walking on the balls of my feet.

I feel old when I choose to ride my bike like a 7 year old at night instead of participate in Sunday Fundays.

I feel old when I go online to Facebook and see a lot of high school acquaintances getting married or having kiddos.  

Am I old when I the idea of a perfect “date night” is playing Scattegories after eating a turkey burger on pretzel bun –>pretzel buns are so nostalgic for me. Oh and for dessert? Cookies and cream cake.

Age is just a number right?  Maybe I am not as young and wild as I used to be.  But I guess being older and wiser isn’t so bad after all…as long as I can still act like a kid sometimes.

I will take my fuzzy slippers, hot cocoa, and game of Scattegories any day over high heels and crowded clubs.

xoxo,

Lo

note: I m posting this on Friday because I ran out of time yesterday as I rushed out the door for work….

10 Things Thursday is a series I haven’t written about in a looooooooong time.  This is going to change, along with a lot of things on this blog.  I feel a transition is necessary- and with that there will be more series, topical posts and also a lot more post frequency.  I am ready to jump back into blogging because writing is one of my passions, and when I skip out on blogging I feel incomplete.  Sure things get in the way, but just like everything else in life I need to make a schedule and stick to it.  For me, SCHEDULES are how I get stuff done. I am as my mother would say, a procrastinator through and through.  So without further adeu…..

Ten Things Thursdays: 

Topic for the 10 things?  Catching up on my life.  Broad? yes.  But we all need a little catch up in Honey Nut’s life, am I right?

1.  I have officially named my bike Thompson.  Its distinguished sounding and reminds me of a favorite writer of mine, Hunter S. Thompson.   Thompson and I have a strong relationship and we go everywhere together!  So far this week I have taken him about 46 miles.  I am feeling very hippie dippy on my bicycle. I haven’t even sat on a train or bus in over a month. Kudos.

2. For my sanity’s sake every Tuesday (since I don’t work) is date night.  No matter whats going on, I must go on a date, whether its with Peter, or my best girl friends. I need Tuesdays to be about fun, adventure and trying new things.  Last Tuesday I went to sushi dinner and then a bar where I played board games like Candyland and Guess Who!  The Tuesday before that I went to the movies for $5 and ate grilled cheese.  Tuesdays are the best.

3.  I bought “Goldfish” sandwich thins for the sole purpose that the goldfish character was on the front of the bread bag.  I know, I am an advertisers dream.

4.  I saw a car theft going on as I rode my bike home from work Thursday night.  Feeling very “Mariska Hargitay” I pulled over and called the police, where 2 police SUVS came to the scene. I hope that red car was saved because I had the courage to do something about it.

5.  I am registering to attend yoga teacher training this Fall!  I am debating on which school I want to go to, but I am narrowing it down to two locations. I am very excited for this new journey to begin and for my yoga practice to grow.

6.  Going back to bikes, I really hate drivers.  Drivers don’t know that bikers have a lane most of the time, and don’t even get me started on SUV moms.  One word: oblivious.

7.  I think I am on a sweets and scrambled eggs kick…not at the same time though.  I have been wanting a sweet every day, like a cookie or cupcake, and it may be  because of all that bike riding I am doing.  Also, because Dr. Oz said it was okay, I am eating eggs like crazy. I love eggs…can’t even get back to the thought of oatmeal or cereal right now.

8.  I bought 6 jars of Teddie‘s peanut butter online.  I think there is a support group for this?

9.  I am going to dye my hair red in the next week or two.  Would I look good as a ginger? Input please.

10. I am enjoying exploring new streets of Chicago.  This week, I found this eclectic store in between two homes (odd) but the kicker was it was a leaning building! The store was like Tower of Pisa and it looked really odd/cool/interesting..kinda like my new favorite beer, which is Delerium Tremmons and which I have had an addiction to this week. Find this beer and drink it…but not too fast: one bottle is 8.5% (Holla!)

your turn! Give me a few things and catch me up on your life!

xoxo
Lo

Living in Chicago in the summer is like living in California.  Honestly, during the 4 months of perfect sunshine and heat, locals are out and about swimming, running, tanning, eating al fresco, walking their puppies, enjoying ice cream cones, etc.  Its during the winter months that we tend to hibernate, drink our coffee, our beer, watching football games under blankets praying for the summer to return.  Part of the reason I love Chicago so much, and part of the reason I don’t have the urge to move is because of the wonderful summers and the moral that goes with them.  

So in honor of summer FINALLY reaching the Windy City (and for the locals who are reading- you know what I mean by this) here is a list of why I love Chicago in the summer.

1. Riding my bike EVERYWHERE.  I ride to both of my jobs, the movies, friends houses, grocery stores, beach, or for fun. 

2.  Summer festivals and concerts. 

3. outside dining

4. long walks

5. exploring the city

 

6. playing tennis, running 5ks, being more active

7. Flowers, flowers and um flowers!! Nature in the summer is absolutely gorgeous.

8. rooftop parties

9.  Seeing my family more 

10.  Baseball games

Question: Name one thing that you will absolutely miss about summer when its over. 

xoxo,

Lo

Now, I know when it comes to describing my personality, clumsy is one of the first adjectives that pops up in my mind.  I tend to bump into people, things, stationary objects, trip, drop things and I can not eat anything without spilling it on me, or my surroundings.  I don’t think this means I have bad luck at all, but rather a lack of Grace Kelly.  But this weekend sure tested that whole luck vs. clumsy argument.

Saturday was like any normal day. I woke up and got my bag packed for work.  I threw on my gym clothes and biked to work super fast thinking I would be late.  Now, after locking my new baby bike up, and heading into Starbucks for a nice latte, I headed into my job so I could prepare for the day.  I changed into my work dress and realized something was missing.  Something so obvious that I turned red and ran out of the bathroom to a co-worker explaining my “what do I do” panicked look.  It turns out that because my gym shorts have underwear built into them, I forgot to pack an extra pair for work.  Now, to most it is fine to go all natural.  But in my case, 85 degree heat and a tight dress caused me to freak.  With the help of my friend at work, she went with me to Walgreens to purchase some amazing $6 Hanes underwear that saved my day.  Lets not get into the embarrassment of buying mentioned under garments at 9:30AM. 

Now, if this wasn’t bad enough, another misfortune happened about 20 minutes later.  Another trip to Starbucks to grab some coffee for my co-workers should have been an easy trip.  Not in my case.  As I walked out of the coffee shop, a warm substance landed on my arm. A quick look and squeal later I realized a bird had decided I was the spot to drop off a nice present.  To some this may be good luck I guess.  In that moment, I had no idea what the hell was going on with my day! 

Now my whole weekend wasn’t a total misfortune.  In fact, there were some major highlights!  

Friday night a blog reader (holla!! Molly and her friend-I wanna say Bertie/Birdie–I didn’t catch the spelling) approached me at my work and introduced herself.  She was visiting from O’Lando, Florida and recognized me. Seriously, she made my night! Not to mention had the cutest outfit on! And, shoes. I would die for those shoes like Rachel Zoe.

moving onto Sat.—->

Saturday night was a very fun filled night that included margaritas, chips and salsa, and nachos with my ladies Steph and Melissa. After our feast, we hit up 5 bars so we could dance, mingle, drink us some Grey Goose sodas and be absolutely ridiculous.  I loved every single minute.  I haven’t had a fun and crazy night in forever, so Saturday was long overdue…not to mention a boy who was wearing the same glasses I own asked me on a bike ride to the planetarium.

Note: some of these pics came from other Mexican dinner fiestas I have had this week. I used them in order to stir your mental visuals.  (They are still pretty accurate because when I am at a Mexi restaurant, I  just get margs, chips, and quesadillas/and or tacos.)

Sunday, after eating way too much food (i.e. Enter a Rueben sammie for breakfast), I got to see Pride parade in all of its 3 hour glory.  There was so much love in the air that day.  After the parade and a strawberry shake, I went on a 4 mile walk and managed to go into an animal shelter where I met the dog love of my life.  His name was Murphy- and he is a 2 year old feisty terrier mix with the cutest and most awkward looking big head on his small body.  Here is to hoping Murphy’s Law won’t strike me a third time, and I will be able to adopt a dog/Murphy/or another dog in need of a home, soon!

Despite Murphy’s Law coming at me this week, here are some things that did turn out right:

panera’s broccoli cheddar soup and BBQ chicken salad.

grilling.

very yummy deep dish pizza with a butter crust.

BBQ chicken salad from work because I can’t get enough of BBQ these days.

this silly boy making a photogenic face at the right time.

Potbelly lunches outside before rainstorms.

perfectly cooked egg sandwiches on onion bagels— even though I had to use a microwave to cook the egg.

Name 3 things this weekend that happened to you either really good or just plain bad luck. Sharing is caring! 

Also, do you have a dog?  I grew up with 4 dogs, but having one on my own seems so scary.  However, I know rescuing is the most wonderful thing to do so I know it is right. 

xoxo,

Do you guys ever create bucket lists for yourself? Mini lists or long-term lists that allow you to dream about your future beyond its current state?  When I was a lot younger, I used to (and still do) make lists when I am feeling bored or unenthusiastic about something, particularly while in school.  I would make lists of things I wanted to do, places I wanted to go, people I wanted to meet, jobs I wanted to get, etc.  At the time I had no clue I was creating bucket lists for myself but rather scribbling down thoughts!  So I thought it’d be fun to share some of my longer term bucket list with you all! Some are small and some are bigger, but they all are important to me!

There are 30 things I want to do before I am 30 (This gives me 6 years, so I think I can pull it off).

But for today I will give you just 10 of the things on my bucket list.  I gotta keep you on the edge of your seats so you come back over here and read the rest, duh!

 

1. I want to adopt and rescue a puppy

2. I want to walk or run a marathon and raise money for breast cancer

3.  I want to travel to at least 3 continents (preferably hit up Brazil, Morocco, Italy, Poland, and Vietnam)

4. I want to become a certified nutritionist.

5. I want to cook dinner with my best friends on a regular basis rather than “once in a blue moon.”

6. I want to live in California for a year or two.

7. I want to develop my photography skills

8. I want to be able to make pasta from scratch that I can enjoy with mass amounts of bread and oil.

9.  I want to learn how to make my own sushi

10.  I want bowl a perfect score.

  What is one thing on your bucket list?

Oh and just because this isn’t that much of a food post, here is a few dinners I had prepared for me by a special boy in our new special apartment.

filet mignon salad

pork chops and sprouts

our new living room!

new entry way and bookshelf!

Tip: head to target and pick up this dressing. Soooo damn good.