Weekend Recap: Vol 34

Hellooooo & welcome to another Monday. This past weekend in Chicago was SO good. The weather was beautiful and we had absolutely nowhere to be. That translates to a pretty lazy, but equally great couple days off work.

What I did //

I started my Saturday morning off with a run. And believe it or not, I actually went before coffee or breakfast *gasp.* I’m not particularly fast, nor can I run very far (3-4 miles). But I won’t lie, these weekend runs on the lake have become one of my favorite ways to start the day.

Isn’t nature cool? I got a macro, wide angled, and fish eyed lens clip for my iPhone and I’ve been having so much fun with it! You can get yourself a pack of add on lenses here for a whopping $7.

Saturday was filled with a day of walking. Is anyone else obsessed with tracking their steps? Well on Saturday I tracked 24,161 steps! *pats self on back* We’re in market for a new couch, so most  of our steps were taken while on our way to furniture stores.

While we were waiting for our dinner table, we meandered around Armitage and found ourselves in a Lush store. Cue all the sniffs, smells, and wafts. And for those of you wondering, those are not edible…

By now you know no weekend would be complete without some Luna hangs. This weekend she assumed the identity of a piece of fruit. Yes, that is our fruit bowl.

What I ate //

We cooked most of our meals this weekend, but we did manage to leave the house for some delicious tacos on Saturday! If you are in the Chicago area, I would definitely recommend checking out Taco Joint. Their chihuahua + chorizo appetizer is to die for.

As I mentioned early on, the weather was so great! We decided to take full advantage of the glorious sunshine and ate our lunch outside, picnic-style. Cured meats, cheese, hummus, pretzel chips, and cantaloupe. Pinch me, I’m still dreaming about this perfect snacky lunch.

This is our *YAY SPRING* look. Side note: my face now strikes a shocking resemblance to a tomato.

What I drank //

Fiance and I went out Friday night to a super chill bar in Lakeview. They had board games, silly decor, and reasonably priced drinks. I’d call that a win-win-win.

So this place looked A W E S O M E. And they were advertising $1.75 iced coffee! Call me a sucker (or basic), but I was sold after seeing cleverly placed chalkboard sign. I’m really sorry to say that their iced coffee is not cold brew, and thus tasted watered down and is actually not hot at all. Le sigh. I’m sure their hot drinks are good though, I’d definitely go back try a latte.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Recap Vol. 32

Hello friends! Happy to report Chicago got it’s first real taste of Spring this weekend, and I could not be happier. We were graced with high 60’s, sunshine, and a really nice breeze. I’m also happy to tell you I took full advantage of the idyllic weather and spent most of my weekend outside.

I love to start my Saturday’s with a run by the lakefront. I am SO lucky to live a stone throw of the beautiful Lakeshore Running Path, and when it’s nice out there’s nothing better than a little trot by the water.

After my energy-inducing run I went to check out the farmer’s market. It’s still indoors for the next couple weeks, but it was nice enough to ride my precious bike bae. Among my purchases: 5 mega Honeycrisp apples, and my all-time favorite dehydrated pears. Basically I bought healthy candy.

Fiance and I decided to check out a new sandwich place in our neighborhood called The Panini Republic. I would definitely recommend checking this place out. AND if you check in to yelp you get a free bag of chips or drink. Holla.

We spent the rest of the afternoon with Twin hanging out on her rooftop. We try to take full advantage of this space whenever the weather allows.

Saturday night marked the beginning of patio season. There is no better atmosphere than sippin on a tasty adult beverage while enjoying the crisp outdoors. Am I right, or am I right?

Sunday was filled with workouts, lakefront walks, grocery shopping, kitty cuddles, and fro yo.

How was your weekend? Has spring hit your neck of the woods?

J. Law’s Latest Body Comment: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

For those of you who don’t watch celebrity news like it’s your job, let me catch you up. Jennifer Lawrence recently said:

“Everybody says, ‘We love that there is somebody with a normal body!’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t feel like I have a normal body.’ I do Pilates every day. I eat, but I work out a lot more than a normal person. I think we’ve gotten so used to underweight that when you are a normal weight it’s like, ‘Oh, my God, she’s curvy.’ Which is crazy. “

After I read this statement, I had three emotions. Good, bad, and ugly. 

Good: FINALLY! An actress is speaking out about how her teeny tiny body should not be considered “normal.” While it’s important to talk about this growing concern, it’s more important to DO something about it. You know the saying: “actions speak louder than words” – yeah it’s true. We need more people in the spotlight and in powerful positions (looking at you media, directors, producers, etc.) to say f*** this unrealistic/unhealthy body standard.

Bad: After saying the above comment, J Law continued: “With a laugh, she added, “At least so I don’t feel like the fattest one.” Wait, what? Talk about 1 step forward, 2 steps backward. Her first comment about body image was so moving to me. I was like HELL YES let’s all agree most actresses’ bodies are not normal and unattainable for us average folk, but then she said this. What I take from this comment is that she doesn’t want to change the standards of women’s body type for normal women, she wants to change them so SHE doesn’t “feel like the fattest one.” Not cool. Especially since she’s impossibly thin already.

The Ugly: The body positive movement is nothing new at this point. If anything, it just seems like an easy way to get some positive publicity. Especially since these seemingly profound words are often empty promises. We all know  J Law will continue to go to pilates classes everyday, land leading roles, and have a low BMI. But how does her lack of follow through affect “normal” women? The majority of women do not have the luxury of working out everyday, and having a nutritionist prepare every meal. And when one of the most influential actresses’ of this decade deems her own size 2 body as “fat” what does that make me?

So what can we learn from the latest body positive sentiments spouted from the mouth of a celeb? We can learn to take these statements with a grain of salt. I’ll believe it when I see it.

Weekend Recap

Hello dear friends! Another weekend has come and gone, and here we are, yet again. Stuck with an entire work-filled week. I hope these snap shots can fill your heart with hope that with time another weekend will grace us with it’s presence.

Was that too dramatic? Hahaha, sorry guys I’m just recovering from a rough Monday. This weekend was a special one for us because Logan’s supa cool Aunt and Uncle were in town. I didn’t snap any photos of the 4 of us, but I got some of the places we went, the food we ate, the cool things we saw.

Friday night was spent sipping tasty craft brews at Corridor Brewery & Provisions. If you go I recommend getting the beer flight and at lease 2 giant pretzels. Also the fries are TDF.

Saturday morning started with a cup of Intelligentsia coffee and a giant ass bagel breakfast sammy that kept me full until dinner.

1st stop: Art Institute! Great art, great people, great cookies. Nuff said.

Stop 2: The Cultural Center. This was a new spot for me, and I would recommend any tourist pop in. It’s free and right downtown. The building is a work of art in and of itself, but they also have some cool exhibits.

Stop 4: Museum of Contemporary Art. If you have the time and $10 to spare, I’d recommend it. Definitely has some good talking pieces. Side note: Shannon 4 Prez 2016.

The next morning we strolled around our hood and ate some delicious brunch.

Not pictured:

• Our wonderful guests whom we like and love (a big compliment in my book)
• 4 bottles of wine
• Dinner at Tango Sur (carnivores unite!)
• Watching SNL on our couch
• Uncle falling in love with our lil Luna
• Lots and lots and lots of walking
• Snow in April (WTF Mother Nature)
• Lots of smiles, stories, and catching up

 

Weekend Recap Vol. 28

Hello lovelies & happy Monday. Let’s all go in to the week full of happiness, good vibes, and positivity, ya hear? One reason to be extra happy is because yesterday marked the start of the Spring season woooo-hooo!

I took advantage of the warm(er) weather on Saturday and went for a little fun run along the lake. The water looked extra blue to me, any fellow Chicagoans know why?

Saturday was spent popping in and out of stores with the fiance. Once dinner time rolled around we decided to travel a bit north of our neighborhood to Uptown. Fiance is a total yelp master and found this cute pub, the Bar on Buena, (that also served Mexican food). We enjoyed our cheap cocktails while eavesdropping on the couple seated next to us who was clearly on their first date.

After dinner, we made our way back south and headed to one of our new favorite places, The Annoyance. We’ve only been here a few times, but I’m already in love with it for a few reasons 1.) the drinks are SUPER cheap 2.) it’s semi close to our house 3.) they have a decent FREE open mic stand-up on Saturdays. As you can already tell, I would totally recommend.

I woke up Sunday ready to seize the day. And by that I mean my cat woke me up by loudly meowing/squeaking in my face while simultaneously stomping all over my body. I took the custom cat alarm as a sign to get out of bed.

After lounging around for the better part of the morning, Fiance and I decided to get a little home workout in. I usually go to the gym on Sundays with twin, but she was out of town this weekend. As you can tell from this less-than-amused facial expression I am making, the workout was difficult. But I’m glad I did it.

If there is a better reward for working out other than food, please let me know. Logan desperately wanted to try this place near our house that was advertising their “sushi burrito.” When I say “desperately”, I mean it. I think every 4th topic Fiance brought up this past week was the idea of the “sushi burrito”. The hype was deserving, and the sushi burrito was both inexpensive and delicious. Good call Logan, good call.

After 3 consecutive hours of watching TV/playing on my phone/texting my sister I wanted to stretch my creative legs and bust out my scrapbook project. I’m making a book that chronicles mine and fiance’s year abroad. A self-identified hoarder, I currently possess every european ticket stub, metro ticket, and art museum pamphlet we received over the course of our year as Spanish residents – this makes scrapbooking very easy.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?

Weekly Wears

Another week has come and gone, which means another round-up of outfits! I only have four looks for you this week because I was running super late for work on Wednesday. Life happens, ya know?

Bulls & Blackhawks Basics // On Monday Kayla, my brother, and I went to a Chicago Bulls game! I’m not a huge sports fan, so I didn’t have any Bulls swag to wear. Instead I opted for a team inspired color coordinated outfit.

Jedi Master // Even though I feel like I belong on the set of any Star Wars movies, I can’t help but love this comfy Urban Outfitters poncho. I’m not a huge fan of the neckline, but the other unique aspects of the top outweigh this tiny flaw.

Mix-Master Print-Master // I bought these adorable floral shorts at a Ragstock in Madison for a whopping $10. I don’t own a lot of tight shirts, I opted for an altogether flowy outfit and paired a basic striped tee with them. I think these shorts might look better when styled with a body-hugging top. Maybe I’ll make the investment.

Woodland Wonders // Twin was nice enough to pick this top up for me at Old Navy because 1) she’s the sweetest 2) it was 100% my style and 3) it was on clearance for $5. I know it’s hard to tell, but the print is made up of woodland creatures and decorative trees!

Which outfit is your favorite?!

Weekly Wears

This was kind of a weak week for outfits, I was feeling very blah. Can any of you relate? But hey hey hey it’s Friday! We had a little snow storm over here in Chicago this week. No better way to greet the promise of March than with frozen precipitation (lol jk)!

Which outfit is your favorite?

Weekly Wears

Hello homies, Friday is here! This week has felt SO blah for me, I really feel like I’m in a total rut with my weekdays. I’ve been having to work a little later than usual, and it just sucks getting home and doing nothing but watch TV. I’d love to hear any suggestions you have for some weekday fun! Anyway, I digress, here are some pics of some recent outfits (notice that some are not selfies in my work’s bathroom #progress).

Desperate for Spring // Layering tights and shorts is one of my favorite looks. I would prefer to wear opaque tights, but I’m having some difficulties finding a pair that is truly not see through. Any suggestions? The bottom duo pairs perfectly with my flowy floral H&M while seamlessly making me look like I can’t read a thermometer (it’s 30 degrees out).

 

HIGHWAYsted to Hell // How bad-ass biker chick does this outfit look? These dark gray skinnies work perfectly with most tops, but I especially like how it looks with a classic black tee tucked it.

Winter White-out // Similar to look #1, because I’m definitely in denial that we are still in the heart of winter. I swear this outfit didn’t look as boxy in person; I just need to master my fashion blogger poses. Love the look of the textures skinnies with the textured crop top! I didn’t even feel the need to accessorize.

Denim Doll Face // Black skinnies + flowy white tee + denim vest = one cool outfit. I’ve been really in to lip sticks lately. I think they can add a ton to a simple outfit, and can even act as your essential pop of color. If you’ve been around a little while, then it’s pretty easy to tell that my go-to pop of color is red/coral. This look confirms it.

Weekend Recap Vol. 24

Buenos martes my friends! I hope your weekend was an amazing one. We had a bit of a heat wave here in Chicago.Twin & I took full advantage of the Spring-like weather by going for a morning run along the lake. Let me tell you: no one is more appreciative of unseasonably warm weather than a Chicagoan.

 

It was a pretty low-key weekend. Lots of walking, a little shopping, and a dash of caffeine #latteaddict. Fiance and I went to a new coffee place in our neighborhood. If you live in the area you should check out Bow Truss. The ambiance alone is enough to justify the trip.

It wouldn’t be a Sunday morning without waking up to a Lil Luna perched on my back. She is just the sweetest nug we could ever ask for! Saturdays are for exploring and adventuring, but Sundays are for working out, grocery shopping, and just getting sh*t done, so it’s nice to chill out a little bit before I run all my errands.

*Sigh* It’s only Tuesday and I’m already dreaming of the next sleepy Saturday morning.

Weekend Recap Vol. 23

Hi friends & happy Tuesday! I hope your Monday was so good that you aren’t still sad about it not being the weekend. Speaking of the weekend, I had a really great one.

On Saturday I went to my first ever Soul Cycle class. A big thanks to Target for sponsoring the pop-up shop in the Loop! While I may deemed Soul Cycle a cult-like exercise class, I can totally see why people are addicted to these workouts. Pour me a tall glass of that kool-aid.

With a great workout to start my day, the day only got better with a visit from my future in-laws. We went to this super legit German restaurant, and stuffed our faces with a giant pretzel, cheese curds, and sausage. YUM.

Although I didn’t take any pictures (too busy having fun), on Saturday night fiance, twin, and some of our friends went to an open mic night for stand-up. I was pleasantly surprised by both the talent and the cheap drinks. We’ll definitely going back there.

As per usual, Sunday is for cat hangs, gym time, and grocery shopping. But this was a special weekend because SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.

Am I a huge fan of football? No. Am I a huge fan of funny commercials, epic snacks, and hanging with my posse? YAS. Not sure about all of you, but I felt very underwhelmed with the ads this year. Seemed like every advertiser just decided to book a celebrity and call it a day. Exception: those Hyundai singing sheep. That was great.

How was your weekend?