you’re in all my best stories.

Happy Thursday, chickadees!

We’re almost to the end of this long week, and I’ve got more plans for hitting the yoga mat.

It makes things almost tolerable.

This isn’t a day to talk about me, though.

Today, you guys, is my bff’s birthday.

J(D)C and I have been friends since we were 18, and I was annoying and needy in a college dorm, and she came to my rescue.

I had no Halloween costume, and no friends, really, and she was nice enough to help me with both of those problems.

She’s been coming to my rescue ever since, chickens.

JC and I have been roommates, travel companions, partners in crime, and generally soul sisters for over a decade.

She’s in every story I have that’s even worth telling.

 

This is maybe one of my all time favorite photos of us.

It looks like maybe I’m helping her for once.

So on this beautiful day, I’m planning on celebrating the universe for throwing us together. JC, thanks for making me laugh, letting me stick to you like glue, and keeping me out of traffic all these years.

There’s no one better than you, bestie.

Here’s to so many more decades of questionable decisions and exciting adventures.

Enjoy this one, chickens!

 

 

pulling into the light

Welcome to what promises to be a beautiful day, chickadees.

NPR has promised me blue skies and 80 degrees, which is more than I could ever ask for at this juncture.

Thanks for showing up when I needed you, Chicago.

Yesterday was a little rough, as all Mondays tend to be, but today’s a new one, and I’m ready for it.

Today I’m light on the meetings, and I’ve only got 10 hours between me and an outing to check out Bub City with my pals after work.

Which pretty much guarantees it’s going to turn out to be a pretty good night around here.

I feel like BBQ pretty much cures everything that ails you.

Right?

Also of note: I might be 300 pages into Divergent, after pulling it out on the train yesterday morning.

If you’re looking for something a little bit Hunger Games-esque, you should probably pick this one up.

I’m not even apologizing for being heavy on the young adult literature lately.

It’s a step up from my binge watching Gypsy Sisters on TLC and watching people upturn their trailer houses in a blind rage.

Although I admit, it does keep me entertained.

It’s all about balance around here, chickens.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it.

i just want you to know who i am

Good morning chickadees!

And welcome to the beginning of another full week.

I’m not complaining: after a weekend of visiting with family, celebrating birthdays, doing yoga, playing soccer, and putting more of my apt in boxes, I’m feeling rested and accomplished.

I’ve also seen the forecast for this week, and it looks beautiful.

We’re moving in the right direction.

Also amazing this weekend:

The Farmers’ Market has re-opened, which essentially gives me a reason to live.

Or at least a reason to stop eating so many frozen vegetables.

Since it’s only mid-May, the offerings were limited to flowers, asparagus, cheese, and eggs, but man, I’m not complaining one bit about that.

 

I ended up with two big bundles of asparagus, a dozen eggs, and some bison jerky, up-sold to me by the delightful farmer who always manages to make me spend more money than I was anticipating.

I’m a sucker for a man who teaches the population about the importance of locally sourced meats, chickadees.

And yes, I know that sounds a little bizarre.

And with that, I’m off to start a new week with a new book (it seems I’m loving teen novels only, these days)- this is gonna be the kind of Monday that’s fully bearable, chicks.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it.

making it simple

Chickens, it is Friday.

And rainy.

And colder than it was yesterday.

But still, Friday is progress.

So we’ll take it.

And smile about it.

This has been a crazy week of running around, getting things done, and not going to yoga quite as much as I’d like to.

Also: Gene the kettlebell instructor has taken to his mother Russia for three weeks, leaving me with no swinging and lifting outlet.

When I whined to him that three weeks was a long time, he told me he had to inspire us to travel by traveling himself, and then cheerfully suggested that we simply eat less in his absence.

It’s a good thing I like him so much.

Up this weekend: JW’s parents are in, which means lots of eating and hanging, celebrating Mother’s Day, and maybe trying to pack a couple more things into boxes.

Our apartment was rented this week, so now we’ve got an end date: June 27, there’s a lot between now and you.

And because I likely won’t get myself to post this weekend among all of the goings-on, here is a lovely picture of my mom to celebrate her nearly 30 years of hanging out with me.

 

Enjoy this one chickadees, we’ve earned this weekend!

this pretty little scene

Morning, chickies!

And welcome to the middle of the week.

That happened fast, didn’t it?

So far, I’m enjoying warmer temperatures, sunny skies, and a new haircut.

A new haircut pretty much solves the world’s problems.

This could be because the man who cuts my hair is one of my favorite people on the planet (and also maybe because they serve me wine while I hang), but the why doesn’t matter so much.

Also: yesterday morning, right after promising to turn my attitude around, I ran into this pretty little scene:

 

That’s enough to cheer up anyone, chickadees.

Up today: one day at work, and one confirmation service for tiny baby little KD, who’s apparently getting older every second.

I wanted to get her a new cross bracelet I’ve been admiring, but it turned out it was sold out online.

I asked JW if he’d stop by Nordstrom after work to see if he could find it, and he agreed.

An hour later, I got to work, and had several IMs from my husband.

He had done extensive research on the bracelet, calling several stores, including one in the suburbs that would have taken him an hour to get to by train.

I would have done it, he let me know.

I think KD’s his favorite, you guys.

In any case, he was able to find a suitable replacement, which he picked up by noon.

I can’t really blame him, KD’s my favorite too.

Enjoy the sunshine, chickens!

 

hold me up/wrap me up

Morning, chickadees.

And sorry for soaring right past Monday.

Yesterday was one of those days that I just couldn’t get into.

The fact that it was Monday meant it was already working against me.

Added to it, I was having one of Those Days.

You guys, I don’t know if I talk about my RA too much or too little.

Sometimes I’d rather not bring it up, and sometimes I want to talk about it for an excruciatingly long time, because I think maybe I can just talk it right out of me.

Or make it a joke: check out Nikki, stumbling around like an old person. Just give me a second, I’ll catch up.

It’s manageable, I tell everyone.

And it is. I can still go to yoga and play soccer and lift Tobin and tell jokes and laugh until my sides hurt.

Those are my current priorities.

But sometimes, after a lot of annoying small things (never, chickens, is it just one thing), I get frustrated.

I’ve never been patient, chicks.

RA teaches me I don’t always have a choice.

Sometimes after not being able to wear the shoes I want because my ankles won’t cooperate (you never liked those boots anyway, I lie to myself), or struggling to open a container (and chuckling just a little bit because it’s a prescription pain medication I’m trying to get at) or just moving slow in the morning trying to get dressed, I have one of Those Days, where I decide to feel sorry for myself because I can’t do exactly what I used to be able to do.

And I don’t always feel like sharing that with the world, chickadees, because here’s the thing:

I’m really lucky. I have a husband who can open anything I can’t (I loosened it for you, you know), friends who listen to me babble on about all of my harebrained schemes to cure myself (and hand me Vitamin Shoppe coupons so it doesn’t cost me too much) while I find the right medication, a mom who makes me anything I want gluten free, and joints that still manage to take me where I need to go, even though my immune system insists on attacking them for no real reason.

And so I go to yoga, and I tell someone (all of you) that I’m mad, and I remember all of the above.

And I feel much better about the whole thing.

So today’s not gonna be one of Those Days, chickadees.

In yoga last night, I set an intention to be positive, and so despite the fact that I was sweating so much at the time that I could be counted as delirious, I’m sticking with it.

Enjoy this one, chickens. It’s a beautiful day out there.

 

 

 

telling the story

Morning chickens.

Despite the fact that the weather has cooled off and it looks like rain out there, it’s a Friday, and that’s the story I’m sticking to this morning.

It’s the right story to tell.

Yesterday I was busy running late for an early meeting (early meetings, you guys, are the worst) and blogging for my little sister over here, so I couldn’t make an appearance on my own landing page.

Sorry about that.

In any case, after a long week of adult appointments, meetings and other office-y woes, I’m ready to put my head down, get through this day, and then head to a little Friday evening yoga.

I’ll take 60 minutes of calm any way I can take it, chicks.

Bonus when there’s a good playlist and a head stand involved.

Also tonight: a Cinco de Mayo-esque mini-celebration with my pals involving both Mexican food and tequila.

I can think of nothing else I’d rather be doing to start off the weekend.

The next two days are the last ones before mid-June that aren’t full-to-the-brim with activities, plans, and traveling.

That means a combination of packing, relaxing, and laughing as much as I can.

I’m enjoying every last second of it, chickadees.

Enjoy this one- we’ve hit the weekend!

getting to the best part.

Happy May, chickens.

I saw this splashed all over the internet yesterday, and I believe it’s a good pulse on how happy we are all to head into this not-quite-summer month.

 

Why, yes, JT, it is.

May’s a month of leaves-on-trees, warmer weather, and a sort of remembering place for why we all love living in the beautiful second city.

It doesn’t feel as beautiful when it’s snowing in April.

In any case, here’s to a whole slew of gorgeous, outside-worthy months stretched ahead of us.

I promise not to complain about how hot it is in July.

In the meantime, I’m planning on getting myself outside to enjoy some of this rumored to be 80 degree weather.

It’s not as hard to get yourself where you need to go when it looks like this in the neighborhood.

 

And with that, I’m off for a train ride where I won’t even complain once about slow tracks and bridge construction.

The sun is shining and we’ve made it out of the winter months safely, chickens.

It’s pretty hard to think about something more amazing than those two things this morning.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it, everyone.

ready to get ready

Morning, chickens.

And welcome to another warm day.

It seems that we’ve finally hit our stride.

Now let’s see if we can keep it this way.

I spent yesterday riding slow trains, trying to concentrate, and hitting up hot yoga.

It was the kind of day I never quite got a handle on.

This became particularly clear when I managed to kick myself during yoga simply stepping forward.

You can’t win ‘em all, chickadees.

However, after a (clumsy) yoga practice, listening to some Pandora, ditching television for the night, and getting eight hours of sleep, I’m ready for this one.

We’re about to hit the month of May, which means 31 days until I hit the road for 14 days of work travel, pack up my apartment, and come back to a new address.

Luckily, I’ve got a quick, fun trip to Vegas in the middle of all of that- there’s nothing like breaking it up with some reckless abandon.

I’m ready for a month of getting ready, pals.

And now I’m off to (patiently, I hope) deal with the construction that’s slowing down my ride into the city.

Enjoy this one, chickens, I know I will!

 

please shine down on me.

I’m making this one quick, chickadees.

I may have had too much fun yesterday, resulting in lots of laughs and an early bedtime.

I don’t regret that it’s got me moving a little bit slower than usual this morning.

Also a delight: the sun finally made an appearance this weekend, along with seasonal temperatures, clearing the way for soccer game watching, bonfire having, and deck sitting.

All things I’ve been waiting (im)patiently for during the past few months.

So in the absence of well-placed words this morning, here’s what the weekend brought to me.

 

 

That’s how you enjoy two days off, chickens.

Next up, a day at work, a hot yoga studio, and trying to make my home look a little bit less like a crack den.

Things get weird when you’re in the midst of something new, chicks.

It’s time to get things organized over here.

Enjoy this beautiful start to the week, everyone!