Weekend Recap

Happy Monday, all! I think we're headed into our last COLD week here in Chicago. It was in the single digits this morning but should climb in temperature by Saturday which is supposed to be 41 and raining PRAISE. And I think we're in the 40s all of next week which should be amazing after daylight savings gives us more light in the evenings after this Sunday. Fingers crossed we're out of the cold-dead-ass winter phase and into the only-slightly-warmer "spring" phase Chicago loves to do. I'll take it though! 

FRIDAY

Sammy worked an earlier shift on Friday (to read Dr. Seuss to some classrooms, okay cutest ever) so he was home earlier than normal. We decided to make pizza together for dinner to hangout before he inevitably retreated to the basement for the rest of the night to play video games ;)

It turned out real janky in shape because this Italian couldn't get her dough skills together which put her in a real sour mood which turned this "date night" bonding experience into a bickering session. Luckily he went down to play video games hahaha. It was actually really fine and the pizza tasted awesome (we love the dough from Jewel!). I can't complain about him going down to play video games either because it's a time he can "hang out" with his friends which he doesn't get to do often with his schedule. And I get time to read or watch crap TV. Win, win.

SATURDAY
I got up on Saturday with no plans on the agenda and it was total bliss. I read for a while in the morning.

Did some cleaning later on. I did the bathroom and ceiling fan in our bedroom and tidied up around the rest of the house in the form of dishes and laundry.

I made our spring cleaning list and our spring bucket list. And updated our calendar on the fridge.

Henry and I went for a walk (which is becoming more and more of a struggle as he's getting bigger—he's so strong!) and then I made dinner when we got back. I used the leftover sausage from our pizza making the night before and threw it over pasta with a diced fresh tomato, seasonings, butter, garlic, a splash of leftover pizza sauce and milk. Delicious.

Henry and I took our showers later in the evening ;) yes, people, I take him in with me. Some people think this is weird. I get soaked when I give him a bath, so I may as well just shower at the same time and hit two birds with one stone, OKAY?

Since Sammy was working, I decided to have a date night with myself. So I poured some cranberry wine, made popcorn, and watched rom coms until he came home. I watched Somethings Gotta Give because I want to BE Diane Keaton's character in this film more than anything in life. And then SATC 2 because I haven't watched it in forever. Yes I know it's not good but this SATC fanatic thinks anything SATC is good, so BYE.

I had moved upstairs to finish SATC 2 in bed by the time Sammy came home, so after it was over we hung out in bed for a while before falling asleep. My favorite memories from this house is going to be the time we spend talking in bed. I just love it so much. And it's such a lovely reminder knowing we can do that wherever, no matter what house we're in, that it will continue throughout our lives.

SUNDAY
Sammy ended up taking a sick day on Sunday which started him on a four day weekend. We spent the morning together before going our separate ways for the day.

I went downtown with my girlfriends to see a Disney Acapella show because we're five years old ;) We had an early dinner at Broken English before the show for some tacos/nachos and a pitcher of margaritas.

The group was really good! And it was a fun outing for these Disney lovers. Plus I always love an excuse to hang out with my ladies (even though we were missing one!).

Looking at a slow week and weekend with nothing on the agenda. I'm not usually left with a wide open weekend schedule, so I'm trying to see if there's something I want to do! I've been wanting to get a library card at our library since we've moved, so I may have to pop over there. We're really wanting to see Captain Marvel, so I'm wondering if we can sneak that somewhere in there. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! xo

*linking up with Biana!

Friday Favorites

Well it wouldn't be a Friday Favorites if I didn't recap all my wedding favorites from last Friday and Saturday!

Chelsie and Dan's wedding couldn't have been more beautiful. Seriously just wouldn't have been possible. People haven't stopped telling me how gorgeous the venue's grounds were and how lovely everyone and everything looked. It's been so fun to look back on it even though it's only been a week!

How stunning was she?!

Last Friday, Chelsie and I met one of our girlfriends (another bridesmaid) to get mani/pedis in the morning which was fun girl time and much needed.

Chelsie and I ran errands throughout the day and then I surprised her with massages for the two of us which she deemed "the best thing ever" afterward ;) If you're local, I highly recommend the Wellness Center in Libertyville. Incredible service and the massages were SO good. Can't speak more highly about the women that work there. 

Afterward, we headed back to the hotel with Chinese take-out which we ate out of the cartons on the bed :)

A few months ago when Chelsie asked me if I would spend the night before her wedding with her, I was thrilled. Sleepovers have always kind of been "our thing" and I was so honored she'd want to spend the night before her wedding with me. We were super goofy and ate bad-good food together which is basically the foundation of our friendship. It has been so fun to see how our relationship has remained the same even though our lives have changed. 

The next morning we took a "classic ugly" photo (aka I took an ugly photo cause look at her...nothing ugly about that face) and I celebrated her wedding morning by posting an evolution of our friendship in ugly ass photos on Instagram (we're probably 16 in that black and white photo). 

After that, we got our robes on, packed up the room, and hit the road!

We spent the morning sipping champagne, sitting out on the balcony of the bridal suite, and getting ready together. 

Chelsie and Dan did their first look and then we all took bridal party pictures. 

Full and total photography credit to Lindsey Kay Photography. She's absolutely incredible and just as lovely as she appears to be. 

They had the loveliest ceremony during golden hour. Everyone kept complimenting their music choices. The bridal party walked down to "In My Life" by The Beatles (which I can no longer listen to without getting goosebumps), Chelsie walked down to "Can't Help Falling in Love With You," and at the end, they walked down the aisle together to "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root. Like come on. 

Best music ever. 

They took some golden hour pictures during cocktail hour before they lost this gorgeous light. Are we dead from these pictures? I can't even stand it. 

  

Chelsie and Dan got married the Armour House in Lake Forest and their attention to detail is pretty impeccable. They worked with each vendor perfectly, had zero issues, and everything turned out so nice.

Sammy and I snuck in a photo during cocktail hour before heading in for dinner. 

I wish I had taken more photos of the room where we ate dinner because it was absolutely stunning. The flowers and the set up was done to perfection.

Chelsie and Dan had their first dance to "Fly Me to the Moon," the Sinatra version, of course ;)

And we spent the rest of the night dancing, drinking, and eating Lou Malnati's after 11 pm. It was a fabulous celebration for two people who couldn't be more suited for one another. 

These two are currently finishing up their mini-moon in Door County, WI (where they got engaged) and are doing things like riding bikes together, taking naps, sitting on docks by the lake, and just generally being grossly cute. 

And exactly one year from today, THIS girl will be married! Can't wait to see this wedding planning process begin! Especially when it's for literally the sweetest couple I know. 

*

And to continue with the wedding theme... next weekend these two gross humans get married:

(photo credit: Tim Tab Studios)

I mean, really? Yes, Eli will be in the wedding. Yes, Eli is the dog. 

Sammy and I are both standing up and I couldn't be more excited for another cousin wedding in Chicago!

*

Another very important favorite... my cousin had her baby this week!

- Vincenza Rose -

  

My favorite cousins have two of the loveliest girls ever now. I'm hoping we get to meet her this weekend!

 *

And now some non-family/wedding favorites: 

Sammy and I got pre-approved for a mortgage this week and that's definitely the most adult thing I've ever done to date. 

We've been looking at houses for a while now, mostly for fun, and as it turns out, very unrealistically. So we're trying to slow it down and take a slight break from looking so often in an attempt to keep this process fun (as my father, the realtor, keeps telling us to do). Hopefully we'll have something by spring of next year!

Where do I sign up for this shit? #UltimateGoals

I've been wanting to watch Felicity ever since I finished Dawson's Creek (SO happy with the ending btw), so I started this week when I saw it was on Hulu. I'm liking it so far! Anyone who has watched, can we all agree Ben kind of sucks? #TeamNoel (so far at least) 

Another favorite: having no official plans for the weekend. 

The last few weeks have been so crazy trying to balance Sammy's work schedule with mine, family and friend obligations, wedding stuff, kickboxing, while also trying to make some time for myself. 

It hasn't been easy, but the outcome has been worth it, and the rest of the summer should flow a little slower. 

Sammy is working this weekend, so my days are completely free to do whatever. I'm hoping to get some baby snuggles in, maybe make a run to Costco, but otherwise I plan on catching up on sleep and binge watching Felicity in bed. Next week we have wedding festivities starting again, so I'm taking the slow weekends when I can get them! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!

I'm already looking forward to that Tuesday off ;)

Five on Friday

Friday, Friday! This week has felt longer than usual with our bosses over in Italy for a book fair (and me, here, trying to prove I can hold down a fort), so I'm happy we've made it to the weekend.

I got some rando thoughts and opinions below (what else is new?), so, fair warning. 

-One-

This Sunday is my and Sammy's sister-in-law's first baby shower! Her momma is throwing her one and has kept everything (except the date, of course) a surprise for her. And since she's been in the dark, that means I have too, so I'm excited to see how all the little details come together. 

Since Sammy's mom is throwing her another shower next month, Sammy and I will give them our gift then, but I didn't want to go to this shower empty handed. Sammy's brother had mentioned adding a few Chicago Bears items to the registry, which is wife promptly removed haha. So I took it upon myself to make up a little sports themed gift to give them. 

  

I ended up finding a few cute things on Amazon (of course) that I've been hoarding for a few months now. I went with this cute board book, a Bears outfit, and little Bears "tennis shoes".

And while I'm not particularly fond of football, there is a sport I'm very fond of...

And since we're champions, this was necessary ;)

Sammy's family are all Sox fans (just my luck, right?), but his SIL and I are Cubs fans, so we made a promise to one another that when we each had kids, we'd make sure to buy them Cubs gear. 

Naturally the World Series onesie was the first purchase.

I also went with this book because it was one the baby can definitely grow into as it's more text heavy than some other "baby" books. I can't wait to read this to him or her so they can hear about the greatest place on earth.

I thought I was done, but the gift still felt a little incomplete (even though I swear Sammy and I have a plethora of stuff we're giving this baby at the next shower). I ended up finding this toy on Amazon for $20! And that one-click buy button makes it too damn easy. 

Can't wait to celebrate this baby and their parents this weekend!

-Two-

I mentioned in my last post that I've started to feel differently about weddings. Or rather, my personal opinions about my own wedding (when, where, how) as I've watched friends start to (and finish) planning their own. 

I always thought I would want this huge, glamorous event and I'd have all these binders and checklists to keep me organizing while planning. But after going to a planning session with my best friend and seeing the nitty gritty of wedding planning, I've decided to kind of go away from that. Not that I don't want a glamorous wedding, definitely do, I think it will just be a different kind of glamorous. I basically want to get married in a field, under a willow tree, and have our favorite neighborhood Italian place cater it, and we'll all eat and dance under a white tent. 

  

Despite having reservations about marriage and a wedding (even though I've been in a long term relationship for a decade), I've always had about 37 wedding boards. Like seriously, one for everything you could think of. Flowers, dresses, decor, random advice, rings, photography, shoes, vows, etc., (I know, crazy right?) About a month or so ago, I got kind of weird about it and made almost all of them "secret". All of a sudden there was something special to me about keeping them private with just myself, not that I think people are holding their breath to see my psychotic number of wedding boards. I only have a few left public, one being my ring board just in case a certain someone wants to take a look ;) I went through it last week and deleted every ring pin except for like two. That look exactly the same. Not subtle, at all. 

I guess all of this is to say that I feel like I'm getting way closer to being ready. Like feeling pretty "normal" about the whole thing which is a huge jump from where I used to be. And it feels really, really good. 

-Three-

Well I start therapy next Saturday. Nice segue, huh? If you couldn't tell from my number two, I have a few things I could probably work through ;) 

I'm actually really excited about it and feel like it's a smart connection to make. I'm hoping to meet with her on an as-needed basis whenever things come up that I'd like to talk through. Especially with Sammy officially in the world of law enforcement, having a neutral party to reach out to if my concerns/worries start to feel overwhelming will be awesome. 

For me, therapy is an act of self-care which is so important for our well being. Plus being open about mental health is something I feel strongly about which is why I have no issue mentioning it here. 

I was excited to read in her bio that while she focuses on traditional cognitive therapy, she also incorporates solution-focused therapy and meditation into her sessions which was a huge draw for me. Also, I accidentally on purpose found her on Pinterest and I'd like to be bffs with her which is obviously a really healthy reaction ;)

Anyone have any awesome experiences going to therapy?

-Four-

Books, man. I love them so much and I'm unapologetically dramatic about it. But I haven't been reading nearly as much I should/want to. Last week I started See Me by Nicholas Sparks because I thought it would be a quick read and because I'm an idiot. It was so bad. I think people are constantly confusing the appeal of the movie adaptations with his actual writing talent. I know that sounds super mean, but it's just not good. So I decided I had to get back to being a little more filtered in my reading choices...

 This month I've made a goal to read at least four books and work back up from there. I've also made a goal to stop reading shitty books for the sole reason of finishing them.

On the middle grade/YA front:

Because (from left to right):

-This is a middle grade that came out in March and has been receiving a lot of lovely reviews. The young boy who is the protagonist is recording messages on his iPod to send up to space in his rocket, like Carl Sagan did with the Voyager Record, in hopes of connecting with extraterrestrial life. Heavier topics like an absent father and distant mother are woven subtly throughout. I haven't finished, but so far it's lovely and so funny in the most effortless way. Plus, look at that cover. I mean, come on.

-I think I'm last to jump on the Nicola Yoon train, who seems so charming. I recently heard they're making Everything, Everything into a movie so I knew I wanted to read before it came out. Her second book that came out last year has been consistently getting rave reviews, so I think it's time I check her out. 

-There's no explanation needed for this, but of course, I have one. They're also making this into a movie (Hugh Jackman signed on!) and as if I wasn't already embarrassed enough for having not read this yet, the movie announcement definitely pushed me to move this to the top of my to-read pile. I think Sherman Alexie is a literary genius, especially for a younger audience and I'm so glad they're making this into a movie because the more adaptations of his work out in the world the better. 

On the adult front: 

  

Because (from left to right):

-I actually received this ARC yesterday and finished it last night. I'll talk more about it in my review I'd like to do at the end of this month. The author began writing it as vignettes, so the "chapters" aren't really chapters as they're typically around 2-3 pages each. At first I kept reading because it seemed to be good research from a writing technique standpoint, but then the story sucked me in. It's pitched as Me Before You meets One Day, which I guess I agree with, but I didn't like either of those stories haha but I definitely enjoyed this. It also made me want to read Bridges of Madison County because it has a similar vibe and I remember the movie haunting me the first time I saw it. 

-I ordered this on Amazon because it seems like every other blog post I read mentions this author! And it seems pretty unanimous that this is her best book, so I grabbed it because I felt like I needed more adult (non-overly-literary) fiction in my life. 

Has anyone read any of these? What did you think?

-Five-

I got back on the Rent the Runway wagon. I've rented two dresses from there before and while I liked my experience renting from them, the dresses didn't end up looking like I wanted to. That's primarily because I chose dresses that weren't the most flattering option for my body type #classic but I think I nailed it this time around. 

I reserved two fancy skirts for two bridal showers I have at the end of this month: 

  

And a chiffon maxi dress for my SIL's baby shower in May:

I'm anxious to get them and try them on!

Has anyone had experience with their Unlimited Membership? The price tag seems a little heavy at first, but I became more intrigued as I kept thinking about it. If anyone has tried it, let me know!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

xo