Weekend Recap

Another busy weekend in the books, people. 

I ended up having to work on Friday (to make up for a sick day I took on Wednesday) which meant I was really close to Sammy's grandmother's house because my office is only a few minutes from her, so Sammy picked me up from work and we had dinner with her and some relatives that ended up stopping by. It's never a dull meal when we're by Nana Tina so I was thrilled to have some last minute plans to go spend some time with her. 

*this is where I would insert the crappy photo I took via snapchat if my snapchat app would stop being a shit and just work properly but it didn't save so I have nothing. Thanks snapchat, thanks*

On Saturday, I spent the day running errands and setting up with my momma and grandma for the 50th birthday party we were throwing for my uncle. It turned out to be such a nice evening. He had so many family members and friends (even his high school friends came) show up to celebrate him which is something I think he really needed. My other uncle cooked almost the entire meal and we had jambalaya, pulled pork, chicken legs over a corn and tomato succotash, linguine with clams, and my cousin made an orzo salad and a panzanella salad. I drank alcoholic rootbeer and had pasta so my night was freakin' set. 

Plus I die over these two. 

This is my cousin's youngest and she makes my entire life. She's the fiercest. She was teaching him a coin trick here while I obsessively snapped 843 pictures to document this moment. 

On Sunday, I participated in the MG walk with my family in Naperville. The MG walk is to raise awareness for Myasthenia Gravis which is an autoimmune disease "which is characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body". My grandmother suffered from this disease, as well as my aunt who currently has a slightly less severe variation of it. 

It was a really nice morning and awesome to get to spend time with some of my dad's family we don't see often enough. I got to talk my cousin's ear off walk with my cousin the whole time and got to see her precious baby boy again. 

After the walk, I went home and got ready for the Cubs game I was going to with Sammy and a few of our friends. We had such an awesome time watching them bring in another win which was double exciting since they recently made it to the post season. We've been waiting a long, long time for this kind of action so I hope we can keep it going. Keeping my fingers crossed for the game tomorrow night! 

For those that don't know (and why would you since only my mother reads this) Sammy is a Sox fan so we're naturally destined to fight against one another in all aspects of life ;) but he put his dislike for the Cubs aside and I think he really enjoyed the game. At some point, it's all about being a Chicago fan. Except for me because I don't take the high road very often and will not root for the White Sox ever ;)

He was super into his soft serve in the little hat and I was very into my nachos and beer. There is something so magical about Wrigley Field that I can never quite put into words but I always feel like I'm home when I'm there. It is seriously one of the happiest places on earth, for me at least. 

Luckily I have my Mondays off so even though we got home late I was able to sleep in a bit and get a bunch of stuff done during the day while all those other suckers had to go to work ;)

Hope everyone's weekends were just as fun! 

{a bachelorette} weekend recap

It's Friday and I'm just now getting around to posting this recap. #sorrynotsorry. This past weekend was so wonderful that I knew there would be more than five great things within this post to participate in Five on Fridays with some of my favorite bloggers! 

I'll be linking up with April & friends today!

*

I've been waiting for this weekend for several months now and it finally came... bachelorette weekend! I was so thrilled to be able to celebrate Christina before her big day with so many other wonderful women. 

I left Friday afternoon with  my sister-in-law (who technically is Sammy's SIL, and not mine yet, but I love her so I claim her as my own SIL because it's easier and because this is my blog and I do what I want) and we hit the road for Michigan! The plan was to stay in a house with the women in the bridal party and some close friends of the bride's and do a winery tour on Saturday. 

We got there before most of the guests and were able to help Sarah (the Maid of Honor and the bride's sister) and the mother of the bride finish decorating/prepping dinner for night. And when I say I helped prep dinner I mean I sat on a bar stool and ate peanut M&M's out of the bowl (HEY AGAIN, WEIGHT WATCHERS, HEY). I did help blow up balloons though. Clearly I was instrumental in the execution of this weekend. Aka not at all since the women in charge of this weekend are flawless and everything I hope to be in life (which is not a dramatic, nor creepy, statement at all). 

Sarah picked a champagne theme with black and gold as accent colors. Everything came together so beautifully. 

We all got a bottle of prosecco and a champagne flute as a favor which was so cute.

We showered the bride with more gifts than this, FYI, I just took these pictures before most of the guest got there. I got her a black lace, cotton nightgown, some pretty lace thongs, flip flops that say "bride" on them she can wear while getting ready, massage oil from Bath and Body Works, a bottle of champagne, and two monogrammed champagne flutes. 

Wouldn't be me if I didn't document all the snacks...

Like pumpkin Reeses? Yes, honey, yas. 

Impressively enough this was not made at a bakery but by the Maid of Honor and her boyfriend. Like get out of here. Realism people. Realism. (or Surrealism? I joke, I joke. Because honestly I don't even know the proper definition of Surrealism I just felt like there was a joke there). 

The Chrstina's mom made pesto pasta for everyone and we all got to know one another while we ate (if we didn't already). It was a really fun, low-key night to hang out with the girls before a long day of winery hopping the next day.

Our winery tour was hosted by Fruitful Vine which provided an awesome service and experience for us. A shuttle picked us up from our house at 10 am and took us to our first winery where our wagon was waiting to take us on the rest of the tour. They provided all the transportation, paid our tasting fees, and were genuinely nice people (our driver was so funny and even carried our complimentary glasses and purchases to the wagon after every winery!). I was very impressed with their services. I will most likely be using them when I plan my girlfriend's bachelorette party! 

We started off our day of vino at Lemon Creek Winery. It had such beautiful scenery (my favorite of all four wineries we stopped at) and I wished we could have spent more time outside here before we were whisked away to the next one. We moved on to Domaine Winery (cute but not a favorite), Round Barn (a favorite among us girls...I also bought the most here), and finished at Gravity (we really liked the scenery and being so close to the grapes but the service wasn't our favorite).  The Wine-O-Wagon tour was such a fun way to spend the day. I would recommend it to any bride (or for any celebration! we saw a 30th birthday group doing a tour while we were out) who isn't as into the traditional go-out-get-trashed type bachelorette party/weekend. Not that there's anything wrong with that ;)

This was during one the wagon rides in between wineries. I really got a glimpse at just how beautiful the Midwest can be. It gets a lot of flack, sometimes most often by those who live here, but I think it's beautiful and I'm never leaving. :)

After the tour, we all went back to the house and calmed down a bit. I am a light weight so I ended up falling asleep on the FIVE MINUTE shuttle ride back to the house... so clearly I needed to decompress. We showered, got ready, and headed out for dinner at a restaurant in town. The town looked so cute (at this point I think we had crossed over into New Buffalo, MI) and I wish we would have time to explore it a little during the day. We'll just have to come back! 

After dinner, we came back to the house, full and exhausted, so after hanging out together downstairs we called it a night a little before 1 am (while all the groomsmen were just getting started in New Orleans ;) ). 

We had to be out of the house by 10 am the next morning so after a quick breakfast, and we cleaned up, we headed out. On our way home from Michigan we stopped at County Line Orchard in Indiana and I got to cross apple picking off my Fall Bucket List! 

At first it seemed like a lot had been picked over but with a little persistence we found a golden row and got a big bag full. I regret to mention that I actually said, "snapchat it or it didn't happen" as I took this picture. I feel like that's the saying all the kids say? I don't know, but I said it, and regretted it immediately. 

Grabbed one too many purchases from the huge store next to the orchard but I regret none of this. It was a fun, Autumn-y, way to finish off our little trip!

I ended up getting home much earlier than I thought I would have so I was able to join my grandma and mom and go with them to the Cary Main Street Fest in Cary, IL. My Mom and Uncles grew up with the Mayor of Cary and another friend of my Mom's had a photography booth at the fest we had to check out. 

How adorable are all the little touches she had in her booth? I had to take pictures for future decorating inspiration. Her photography is stunning (and further solidified my longing for a new camera) and so were all the unique pieces she hand makes as well. 

I grabbed letter pressed gift tags, a St. Theresa prayer card, and this quote hanging. My mother told me it reminded her of me and Sammy so I promptly told her friend Linda to wrap it up ;) (I also ordered the book immediately). Check out her photography page if you're interested: Linda Barrett Productions. & her Etsy page as well for all the cuteness: Soulful Handmade

Since I have Mondays off, which was much needed after this weekend, I finished off my "weekend" by having brunch Monday morning with my grandma and dad. 

We stopped over to Grove Kitchen in Palatine which had a new, modern interior. All the food seemed to be fresh and they serve Intelligentsia Coffee which means I'm an instant fan. I ended up getting the Salmon Benedict with a side of hash browns which was rich and filling. I think I liked it more than my Dad did (he's kind of a tough critic, although he thoroughly appreciated the Intelligentsia) and I'd go back just to see their dinner menu. 

It was packed weekend but it was so much fun. I was thrilled to be a part of Christina's bachelorette weekend and get to spend so much time with her, her family, and friends as well as some much needed time with my SIL & Sammy's cousin's girlfriend (love her and it was so awesome to bond with her even more). 

With my work and school schedule during the week, I don't get a lot of quality time with my family or friends (since I get home after 11pm), so it was great to spend an afternoon and evening with my grandma and momma AND getting to see my dad, and grandma again, the very next day. A weekend filled with blessings, that's for sure. 

This has taken me a week to write which is totally ridiculous but I ended up getting a little sick smack in the middle of the week which threw my work/graduate school/blogging schedule for a bit of a loop. But I knew I wanted to remember everything so it must.be.written. 

Blog it or it didn't happen, am I right?! Am I? I'll stop.

Happy Friday, people!

Feeling Good

Wednesdays are my rougher days. They're smack in the middle of my hectic work/graduate school life and although so, so many people have it much worse, I find the arrogance to sigh and complain. After my second train ride of the day, I found myself sitting in the Whole Foods on campus eating overpriced, minuscule portions (my own doing…HEY, Weight Watchers, HEY) of mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, and crunchy spaetzle (I also ate fish and vegetables but those aren't as fun) while frantically reading some articles for class. 

During class I took a lot of notes, writing down everything that was said in an attempt to keep busy, not fall asleep, and not make eye contact with the professor who I was convinced wanted nothing more than to call on me and embarrass me in front of the whole class for not being able to properly articulate masculinity in the 1670's as exemplified in the play we were supposed to have read (he's actually one of the kindest professors I've ever had and none of this is factual). 

It wasn't until after class, when I was on my computer trying to waste a little time before I could leave to catch my last train, that I started to feel less edgy and tired. I was trying to finish one of my assignments I'm turning in tonight which was to write a magazine "sketch". I still have no clear definition about what that is, but the assignment was to write for a page about a place in our childhood that meant a lot to us. This assignment was simply to "introduce your voice as a writer". I wrote about my elementary school which is one of my favorite places to write about. It's where I met my boyfriend and some of my closest friends (even to this day) and it's what my heart sees when I'm reminded of all the wonderful we know as nostalgia. 

On the walk home I had a thought. Shit. I'm in a good mood. And it probably shouldn't have been that shocking to me. But it was. I went through my head and eliminated all the things that couldn't have been the cause. The mac & cheese wasn't thaaaat good. I only understood about five words during class tonight. I still haven't watched The Mindy Project season premiere. And then it dawned on me. I was happy because I had written. I had written. How simple is that and yet it made such a difference in my level of happy that night. 

I have gotten to such a place with my writing, through horribly negative workshops and a seemingly debilitating fear of having nothing unique to say, that I just stopped. After my class last Spring I needed a break and didn't write all summer. I didn't realize how much I missed it and how much a part of my soul it is until last night. It was exactly the kick in the ass (and in the heart) that I needed to get going again. 

I thought maybe I'd share what I wrote. It's probably nothing overtly special to anyone other than me. It features one of my favorite people to write about. It may never be read by more than three people. It's short, fragmented, most likely riddled with grammatical errors, and perhaps very simple, but this is how it is representative of the writer: short, often fragmented, and often riddled with grammatical error. 

It isn't wildly exciting or intellectually interesting, but it is a glimpse of my life. A glimpse of who I am. Just like writing is. Luckily, we stumbled upon one another again last night. 

*

"It's surprising that the paint is still pretty pigmented. It should probably be faded from the weather or from kids throwing water balloons at the wooden frame during those especially warm, early summer days. Somehow the school's motto is still painted proudly even if the wooden edges of each letter are starting to splint.

On the first day of each new school year I didn’t even notice that sign. My mind was always too flooded with anxiety of the important kind: were other girls going to have puppies on their notebooks still? Does my box of crayons have the right amount? The sharpener on the back of the box is already broken. What is someone sees? What if I need to use it? Will people like my glasses? Who will be sitting next to me?

I would often walk into my classroom with a friend, any friend, even if I wasn’t that close with them just so I wouldn’t have to walk in alone. The halls smelled the same and the linoleum always had a dull shine. There were two animal stickers on the light switch: a tiger and an ape. The switch poked through the ape’s arm. I always looked at it when I walked through the door. No one even noticed my crayon sharpener. He always sat next to me.

I’d fidget with my pencils that sat within the divots in the metal of my desk. I’d slide them up and down and wait for someone to say something I could laugh at so I would seem approachable. Relatable. Eventually, I might ask how his summer was. Usually I’d wait.

There were days where I wouldn’t raise my hand for fear of getting the math problem wrong and days where I’d count the minutes until we could get up to go to Art class. But mostly I remember days where the air was clean on my skin when I was on the swings, when there were brownie meetings after school and sleepovers on the weekends, or the times when we’d both walk up to the reading corner together to pick out books for Silent Reading. It was hard to see a future beyond construction paper and no running in the halls, where there were bigger things to face than getting the math problem wrong.  I’m glad I couldn't see it. I’m glad he still sits next to me. Sometimes I still don’t raise my hand."

Weekend Recap

Lots of odds and ends to take care of today (this includes a Target run which makes me psychotically happy) in preparation for the rest of the week. Before I dive into my meal planning and reading about sexuality and masquerade in eighteenth-century England (SO FUN RIGHT?!) let's do a little weekend recap-ing, shall we?

I spent Friday night watching chick flicks (aka sobbing during The Longest Ride and Message in a Bottle.. I'm over you Nicholas Sparks. I'm so over you, man) until Sammy stopped by and spent a little time with me, my brother, and my mom. So grateful for a low key day and night. Definitely needed it. 

On Saturday I went to Sammy's little league game with my parents, brother, and one of my girlfriends. We stopped at Quonset's in Waukegan for pizza before heading to the game. The poor littles lost but they played a strong game. Finally getting this football thing. Until I asked Sammy to explain strategy to me and realized I first needed to learn what a linebacker does... Progress is progress people. 

Spent the evening at Sammy's house relaxing and watching Rocky II, III, and IV. He's obsessed and I now have an appreciation for Sylvester Stallone (feminism aside, mostly his face and bod) so I deal. Plus I think he and Talia Shire are some of the cutest. & I confess to crying during every speech he gives at the end of every film. 

#goals

It was actually a great night of just chilling out and laughing. He even indulged me showing him 87 pins I, for some reason, thought he'd be interested in. He mostly said things like "oh yeah, cool a Christmas tree made from a tomato cage. You're right, that is genius". 

On Sunday, Sammy and I went to Conte di Savoia for lunch before heading to the United Center for Marvel Universe Live. Conte di Savoia is an old-school Italian deli and grocer. I absolutely love it there. We ordered Italian subs and an olive cheese salad and ate outside. We talked about how much we'd love to live near Taylor St. (which is Chicago's Little Italy) and how we'd go there to do shopping for the week or if we had our family over for Sunday dinner. It was a really nice afternoon.

       

The most handsome guy

And here we are as the only adults at this show without a child. We like to indulge each other's nostalgic side so this is an example of that. Another example of that is when I saw an advertisement for "Disney Celebrates 100 Years of Magic on Ice"! while waiting for the show to start and promptly looked up tickets. $20 for the win! He insists he's not going but I'm pretty sure he owes me ;) Ya gotta counteract all the adult shit with some fun stuff too, right?! 

A relaxing, but fun filled weekend. Hope everyone's was filled with less adult shit and more fun stuff. 

Five on Friday

Eeee, Friday! 

I feel like I can finally breathe by Friday. During the week, I go to night class on the same days I go to work (since I work part-time) so my days are extra long, but the train ride home Thursday night is so relieving because I know I can sleep in and spend my Friday exactly how I want (since I'm lucky enough to have it off). 

Linking up with April & friends for Five on Friday today!

1 // Haircut

Got me a pretty drastic haircut yesterday! I have to guess on how many inches my stylist cut off because when I asked him he said, "oh babe, I don't even know" haha but I'm thinking around 6-7 inches which is pretty significant for a self-proclaimed long hair girl. I'm really in love with it though. Good changes, people. 

2 // Started Weight Watchers

Another change in my life! After starting and failing so many other programs/diets I decided to join the one program I've consistently heard positive feedback (and results!) about. I'm looking to ultimately lose about 30 pounds and I've never felt as positive and inspired as I have since I joined WW. I realize it's only the first week but I'm clinging to anything I can haha. I've struggled with my weight and body image since high school and this is something I would really like to tackle and see progress on. It's definitely been a journey, that's for sure. Anyone have any experience with WW? My Aunt did it and loved it so much she now works for them!

3 // Bath & Body Works Candles 

/

I realize this is like one of the most cliche products in the blogger world but I NEED THEM ALL. Okay, not all of them 'cause like all the marshmallow, sugary ones make me sick but like all the flannel, apple, muskiness... give me. 

4 // Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Creamer

This probably shouldn't even be blog worthy but, like, what. Amazing. How have I not tried this before now?! Someone at work buys it and I tried it once and am now obsessed. I can't wait to try all of the seasonal flavors! This is my life, people. I get excited about coffee creamers. I'm 73.

5 // Marvel Universe Live

Yes, this is something I'm attending. (Dare I say excited to attend?) How did this happen? Oh, right I've been forced to watch 82 Marvel/DC superhero movies over the past few years because someone I make out with is a lover of all things comic and action packed. In an attempt to not hate my life during this movies I somehow developed an affection for them. Shit. Anyway, I bought Sammy tickets as a surprise and we're going on Sunday! I even have a shirt... We are nerds. 

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend (finally)! What's everyone else up to?

Monthly Favorites {Trader Joe's Edition}

Hi, all! 
I wanted to start a new series on here that's not really new at all but for my little space it is. I'd like to do a Monthly Favorites post at the beginning (or near the beginning…) of each month varying in topic from food, beauty, fashion, pop culture, etc,. I watch a lot of beauty gurus on YouTube and love when they do monthly favorite videos that include products or items that aren't entirely beauty specific since it breaks up some of the sameness (even though I love me some beauty products, obviously). 
This month I'd love to start with one of my favorite things in life: food. From one of my favorite places in life: Trader Joe's. I can't begin to explain my obsession with Trader Joe's. I just started going within this past year and have no idea what took me so long to get on the bandwagon. 
I love reading what everyone's favorite food items are because I'm nosy and also love recommendations  especially from T-Joe's. I really try to stay away from meat as much as possible for moral reasons so I love how many alternative options they have there so all of my picks for this month (some I discovered this month and some were repeat purchases this month because they're.just.so.good) are meat less. Sorry you carnivores. I feel you though, I miss my corn dogs real bad. 
Some of my favorites below if you'd like to see:

Sweet Corn Tamales

//

Holy shit, yes. Yes. These are so good I can't stand it. Finally I have an alternative option for when my family has Mexican food I can pull out and heat up really quickly. I'm always afraid when things seem to be primarily only cheese that they're going to be too cheesy, because they're overcompensating for a lack of meat, but these are not like that at all. The flavors are perfect and you don't feel like you're eating something "veggie" or something is missing. I would recommend these to anyone. 

Fat Free Cottage Cheese

//
I realize this is like a stupid one perhaps, but this is the first fat free cottage cheese I've ever really liked. I bought this once, loved it, and now buy several at a time and am going to buy one to keep in the fridge at work to add to my lunch easily. The taste is there without the fat and since fat is one of my favorite things I appreciate having at least one food in my life I don't have to worry about. 

Chickenless Crispy Tenders

//
This could be my favorite product at T-Joe's which is a pretty big statement for me. I've tried a lot of meat alternative products, and I mean a lot, and I will admit there are some that are just bad. Most are good, or really good even, but some are bad. These are on the really, really good list. To me, they taste just like chicken tenders which is a food I really missed when I gave up meat (for the most part…). I actually made them last night and have them packed up in my thermos for dinner during my graduate class tonight! Love, love, love. 

Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burgers

//

Probably the most tried meatless product I've purchased have been alternative burgers. Personally, I am an avid fan of almost all Morning Star products so I don't ever really feel the need to find new burgers but I picked these up during one of my last trips to T-Joe's and recently repurchased them. They're filling and I never feel like I'm unaware of the ingredients in them. I eat them plain with other sides and have found that they're so flavorful on their own they don't often need many condiments or other add-ons. Definitely give them a try if you're into alternative burgers. Also, they come individually packaged which makes them really easy to pack in my lunch bag.

Baked Cheese Curls 

These are my kryptonite. I finish the entire bag in one sitting and don't feel guilty about it even though I definitely should because although it says 35% less fat… that means shit when you're eating the entire thing during an episode of Parks & Rec. One. Episode. They're that good. 

I will admit, I kind of remember feeling like they were an acquired taste during my first bag but clearly I acquired that taste real quick. And the price tag being under $2 doesn't help when I have to put three of the five bags I've furiously grabbed back on the shelf. Okay, two bags go back… 

*

Please, please, please let me know if you have any favorites from Trader Joe's! I'm always looking to blow more money in that place if that's even possible.

Have a great Thursday, all. We're almost to the weekend!

{Labor Day} Weekend Recap

Well, this weekend was definitely something. Packed to the brim with plans which I simultaneously love and hate all at the same time. I'm constantly at war with myself over loving a filled calendar and wanting to lay on the couch all day eating Trader Joe's cheese curls and crying during every episode of Girl Meets World (that was entirely too specific, I know). 

It was exhausting but a good kind of exhausting that makes you so very grateful for all the blessings you have. Eggplant parmesan sandwiches, concerts in the park, tilt-a-whirl rides, family dinners, little league games, and cuddling up with one of my favorite people are all my kind of blessings. 

Here's how this past weekend went down…

Friday after work, Sammy and I packed up the car with our chairs, blanket, and empty picnic basket before heading to Trader Joe's to grab a few snacks and then head over to Ravinia (which is an outdoor concert park near our houses) to see Frank Sinatra Jr. perform. I've been an avid, beyond obsessive Frank Sinatra fan since I was a toddler when my Grandma began forcing me to listen to him and I'm so glad she did. He is my favorite sound and I was thrilled to be able to see someone in his bloodline in real life. 

We kept it pretty simple and did some baguettes, salami, provolone and bocconcini, chips and guacamole, fresh fruit, and a bottle of Lambrusco which is my favorite wine from TJ's. Can't beat a $4.99 bottle of wine! ;)

Neither of us could get a good picture but we had really good seats on the lawn and were able to pretty easily view the screens when they showed photographs, video clips, and newspaper headlines of Sinatra throughout the show. 

The weather was perfect (it didn't even rain which always happens when I go to Ravinia), our little picnic was great, and the music was clearly perfection. I may have even teared up a few times ;)

On Saturday, I went to Sammy's little league football game where they won again! The kids were so cute and I feel like I'm starting to learn how the game works which makes it more fun to watch. I'm learning with the best of the 7-year-olds. Swear to God, I have to have downs explained to me every time. I'm more of a baseball girl. 

One of my best girlfriends is dating one of Sammy's best friends, who also happens to be a coach with Sammy, so we get to go to the games together and spend the hour catching up which I love. 

It was so hot on Saturday that we sweat through our clothes entirely, so we immediately went home, showered and changed, and then met up with Sammy's family to watch his cousins' soccer game. It was a lot of sports this weekend, folks. A lot of sports for this girl. ;) Luckily, we got to spend some quality time with them at dinner for sushi.

                                        

For any sushi lovers in the suburban area of Chicago, I definitely recommend Wild Fish in downtown Arlington Heights for fresh sushi. A little pricy, but so good. 

On Sunday, I went with my Dad, brother, and Sammy to the Taste of Melrose which is primarily Italian food. Yes, it was another Italian fest but this is the one I wait all year for. If you're in the Chicagoland area, do yourself a favor and get over to Melrose Park over Labor Day weekend. The food can't be beat. 

Traditional tilt-a-whirl ride. One of my favorite things in life.

Afterward, we had a family dinner with Sammy's brother, sister-in-law, and her family. It was nice to be together, chill out with some cocktails, and plays bags all night.

On Monday I was able to get a lot done at home aka cleaning my room, doing several loads of laundry,  and getting myself ready for school to start this week. Last first quarter of school EVER. Bittersweet but I think I'm finally ready for school to be over. Still have a few things left to do meaning I have to go on a Target run and buy far more than I actually need.

Later on in the afternoon I went over to Sammy's house to chill out and have dinner with his brother and sister-in-law with his parents this time. I went home early and got to spend some time with my family before heading to bed.

It was definitely a packed weekend, and I'm looking forward to next weekend being a little calmer, but a feel good weekend nonetheless.

Hope everyone's long weekend was filled with all of life's good stuff. 

20 while 20's

I've had this post in my drafts folder forever. For some reason I felt like it was a daunting task to write twenty things I want to do and accomplish during my 20's but when I actually sat down to write it… it took me five minutes. Get it together, girl. 

I love, love, love the idea of these kinds of lists. I'm sure over the years my list will change/vary and that's okay. This is what is important to me now, and even though it may change from year to year, I hope to still accomplish these things by my 29th year. It was so fun dreaming about all the adventures to come and look forward to. Definitely made my day a little brighter. 

Here's my list if you'd like to see...

- Go to three new countries

This is the town my grandfather's family is from in Sicily and I would love to get there soon

- Write my first novel

*sigh*

- Buy a home

preferably this one ;) #thathomealonelife

- Host a large holiday in my own home 

Basically I want this to look like those Pillsbury crescent roll commercials they air during the holidays

#goals 

- Get married

Just so I can register at Crate & Barrel ;) But seriously, I'm going ham at Crate & Barrel

- Start a family

If only to have people to watch Disney with ;) just kidding… this tops my "most excited for" list. Already can't wait to meet my sweet chickens

- Rescue a dog and/or cat

I'm using the singular form here but really I mean rescue like seven

- Own a pair of Manolo Blahniks

Again, using the singular but really I mean like seven

- Visit {at least} 20 unique restaurants across the country

"At least" is crucial here

- Buy my own car & drive cross country

This will be huge for me… hopefully I write a post about my struggle with driving and anxiety someday 

- Visit 10 new states

This is also up there on the "excited for" list. I can't wait to see more of our beautiful country

-  Pay off my student loans

Right after I buy those Manolos ;)

- Finish my Master's degree

So soon!

- Stay at a luxurious resort for an entire week

This is something I could never afford as an "early twenty-something" so it would be an accomplishment to be able to reward some hard work by getting to do this

This is the Westin resort in Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs, California and I've actually been here (only because when you're 13 your Mom typically foots the bill) and it's one of the loveliest places, ever

- Volunteer/donate to charity regularly 

I typically like to choose a charity or cause each season to donate to or volunteer for, which I intend on continuing throughout my life and not just my twenties

- Learn a new skill and get certified {or at least practice often}

Make up artistry, meditation, cooking, etc., 

- Read at least 100 books

The thought of this makes my heart beam

- Develop my relationship with God

Continue praying and thinking about Him

- Get back to Disney {world and/or land}

Ideally, I would go back every year…reality is a different story so going back at least two more times within my twenties would be awesome. Hopefully toward the end of these twenties I'll have a little one to go with ;) ahh!

I will lose my mind someday if I get to do something like this 

- Learn to be comfortable in my own body

This would be pretty huge and pretty awesome

So there it is! I love when I find other bloggers who have written the same list. I love seeing what everyone's dreams and goals are. What are some things you want to do in your 20's, 30's, 40's? Even 80's!

Here's to always looking forward.