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.

off to the races

Hey chickadees!

I’m typing fast, since I spent the morning posting a little something for my sissy’s blog, Garlic, My Soul.

My sister is organized and under control, two things that I’m not.

My post was scheduled to be published this morning, which of course means that despite knowing about it for days, I decided to start and finish it this morning.

Some of us have to keep people on their toes, right?

In any case, the post focused on some delicious steak, chimichurri, and side dishes we made this weekend when JW’s best friend B was in town.

Check it out over here.

Here’s a little sneak peek of what we were up to:

 

And with that, I’m off to finish getting ready and head into the city for another day of meetings and projects.

Let’s keep this one moving, chickens.

I hear it’s about to warm up this weekend.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it.

with a light step

Morning, chickadees.

And welcome to the start of a new week.

Last week was a little bit rough, but after a lovely weekend of visiting with B, taking in the sites of Chicago, hanging with the S family, relaxing on the couch, and hanging out with my family, I’ve got plans for things to go more smoothly.

On Saturday, JW, B and I headed to my all time favorite place, which is the Museum of Science and Industry.

If you haven’t been, take the day off and get there immediately.

It’s my personal favorite because it’s acceptable to touch almost everything, and also, to be as loud as you need to be.

Such a relief, if you ask me.

 

The U-505 is literally the best thing I’ve ever laid my eyes.

Nothing like a little WWII submarine story to make your afternoon better.

And now, with one hundred lovely moments under my belt from the past two days, I’m ready to make another go of a jam-packed (though short-by-one-day) week that’s filled with meetings, yoga, goodbyes, and a trip to MI towards the end of it.

Spring’s a time for new things, chickens.

We’ve just got to remember that’s actually a good thing.

 

and i can’t change, even if i tried/even if i wanted to

Morning, chickadees.

And I apologize, again, for the long pause between posts.

First, I was in New Jersey for work.

I know.

I had a lovely view of the city from my room, found out that I can fly without xanax if only I drink more than I should, and was thankful to cruise back home to JW at the end of it.

“You smell like a bar,” he noted cheerfully when he picked me up.

If only I could report that things got better from there.

Alas, I spent the weekend doing not one thing I should, but several things that I wanted to do, and so I find myself a little scatterbrained (and dehydrated) this morning.

Sometimes, what you need is another drink, a bar stool next to your pal’s, and and permission to laugh until your sides burst.

It was that kind of weekend.

Sometimes you have to roll with what it is you know that you need.

And now, it’s the kind of week where I search out every vegetable I can get my paws on, hit the yoga mat with all the intentions I have, and drink every glass of water I can.

I just ate a half Luna bar and an apple for breakfast- It’s feeling very 2006 in my home today.

I plan on bringing us forward by this time tomorrow.

I hope the sunshine’s hitting you where you are today, chickens. Enjoy the start of this one.

hanging out and resting up

Morning, chickens!

I’m seeing the sun peeking out from behind the clouds today, and that is nearly enough for me to have the energy to tackle this one.

It’s already Thursday you guys.

How did that even happen?

I don’t even care, if we’re going to be honest.

Yesterday, after six long hours at the hospital (JW’s surgery was actually a paltry 45 minutes), we made it back home with prescriptions, liquids, and most importantly, fried scallops in hand.

I thought it was the least I could do for the guy after a morning of being pricked, put under, and stitched up while I hung out in the waiting room.

Which wasn’t even a big deal, since I sort of love hospitals.

Weird but true facts about me. My dad was (is) a nurse, and he’s mostly worked at hospitals since I can remember. Hospitals are super interesting places to me, as long as nothing too traumatic is going on, and I don’t mind hanging in the background of all the lifesaving for a few hours.

Once we got home, JW settled in and then immediately found an iPad app which is just a dinging concierge bell, and I immediately resolved myself to have at least three hours of patience with the patient.

I’m happy to report that I think I lasted through the night.

Unfortunately, I’m headed to work today, so he’s got no one to make demands of-  although I’m sure it works after work hours, too.

In any case, once his knee heals up and he hits his PT regimen, he’ll be back to running, biking, and playing rugby (if maybe, he’s a little more careful).

This is something to be excited about- summer is headed in our direction, chickadees.

At least that’s what I’m telling myself as I stare at the not-quite-melted snow.

Enjoy this one- the weekend’s in sight!

 

 

was it everything that you wanted to find

Oh hi there, chickadees.

And sorry for the way longer than usual jump between posts.

I was soaking up some sunshine in Florida, laughing with my pals, and eating chips.

I think that’s exactly the kind of cure you need for February in Chicago.

After four beautiful days of hanging by the pool and basking in the fact that I have perhaps the most fun and hysterical best friends a girl could be thankful for, the weather got crazy in our home city, and we ended up stuck for one more night.

I cannot say I am sorry about this fact.

You wouldn’t be either- I’ll show you.

 

Other things that happened: laughing in every room of Ky’s uncle’s beautiful, beautiful home (you could tell from looking around he had led a fantastic life), piano concerts that lasted 12 notes, cooking up delicious meals, and drinking tequila poolside.

It was a delight.

But however sad I was to leave the sun, I am glad that yesterday was the last day of longer-than-it-should-be February, and that all we’ve got ahead of us is spring.

Which I’m focusing on despite the fact that I see snow coming down outside of my office window.

I have faith in summer, chickens. It shows up every year.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it!

 

 

accidents leading up to the punch line

Morning, chickens!

If you’re in Chicago, it’s a snowy one out there.

And I’m not one bit surprised that I accidentally left my snow boots at work.

There are worse things than wet feet, I suppose.

I’ll take wet feet today if it means it’s all cleared away tomorrow when we’re supposed to fly to Florida.

A couple of notes on that:

• I haven’t even looked in my closet to see if I own any warm weather clothes. In this case, is it acceptable to simply wear a bathing suit and dock shoes all weekend?
• I have zero books to take with me. This could be a thing.
• I also haven’t called my doctor to get my xanax prescription filled so that I can fly like a (semi) normal human instead of an anxiety-filled mess.

Strangely, I am not concerned about this.

I’m feeling like maybe I can tackle it on self control only.

This is likely a giant mistake.

I’ll let you know how it shakes out.

In any case, I am more than ready to get out of dodge after a weekend that not even a consistent yoga practice could calm down.

And with that, I’m finishing up my breakfast beverage (side note: if you don’t really blend up a smoothie, you’re gonna have to chew spinach leaves, which is about as weird as it sounds), and heading out into the snowy tundra.

Without my snow boots.

It’s about keeping it interesting, chickadees.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it.

 

there is much progress to report

Morning, chickens!

I’m so happy to report that the sun is shining brightly on this February morning.

The sun makes everything a little easier, I think.

Yesterday was a lovely, lovely day. I went out for some Thai food with my work pals, had dinner with JW at Paris Club, where I had gimlets, oysters, duck, and pot de creme, all of which make up one of the most delicious meals I’ve had in a long time, and finished off the night relaxing and watching the State of the Union and drinking tea.

I like to end a day of celebration with a little political rhetoric.

Perhaps because of my advancing age (or my pair of vodka drinks), I fell asleep in the middle of it, but woke up to the sound of Obama calling for a fair deal for Americans by way of a higher minimum wage.

It was all very reminiscent of T. Roosevelt’s square deal concept, which of course means I approved.

Up today: hitting the commute, finally starting Gone Girl, trying to figure out what to do with the contents of my fridge that doesn’t include throwing it all out and ordering out, and returning to kettlebells after a two-week hiatus.

That last part could potentially end badly.

But then, I always like a challenge.

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

 

 

that’s what i thought.

Morning, chickadees.

I’m writing early on this Saturday morning since I’ve got Things to do and Places to be.

And also, I’m currently holed up in a hotel room that’s next to a crazy family who enjoys loud conversation and excited screeching at all hours of the morning.

Maybe I’m just not giving the magic of Disney its proper respect, but you guys, go back to sleep.

Mickey and all those other giant-headed creatures will be waiting, I promise.

Last night, we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner, where I ordered a delicious mahi mahi dish and then was told by both a board member and my boss that I was, in fact, dining on a dolphin.

I landed somewhere between weirded out and horrified, especially when told that I was, in essence, “eating Flipper”.

My pal CJ was even more upset, since dolphins rank high on her favorite animal list.

I’m more of a shark girl myself.

Anyway, after their persistent ribbing, I grew skeptical of their accusations about my menu choice.

Especially since I’m generally on the list of people-to-have-the-wool-pulled-over-their-eyes.

I admit that, chickens.

My suspicions were confirmed this morning when I Google-imaged my dinner in the hopes of proving my coworkers incorrect.

 

Sorry you two, but this guy doesn’t look like the dolphins at the aquarium.

But he is commonly known as a dolphinfish.

I remain a friend to the water-bound mammal.

And with my conscience cleared, I’m off to get this day started.

Enjoy it where you are, chickadees!

 

warming up and melting down.

Good morning, chickadees!

It’s sixty whole degrees here, although, I do think that it would be even more amazing if it would stop being so muddy and the sun would come out.

But I get it.

It’s January.

I’ll just feel good about switching to a lighter coat.

Last night, my hot yoga class was full, so JD and I hit the pavement for a run/walk.

Which we could do, since it was so warm.

Awesome.

Although our actual running was fairly minimal, it felt good to get back out there.

Race season, my friends, is just around the corner.

After our run/walk/catch-up, I spent some time working on a new post for my sister’s blog, which is beautiful and  well-made and in general a lot of things that my blog is not.

If you want to see what kind of recipe shunning/shepherd’s pie madness Ky and I were up to this weekend, just check it out.

There’s an embarrassing video of me having a melt down about mashed potatoes.

You probably don’t want to miss that.

I wasn’t sure if it was funny, but then I received this e-mail from my sister last night:

I watched that video and spit laughing. Ah-ma-zing.

At least someone thinks I’m funny.

And now, I’m off to hit the mud puddle that is Chicago. Enjoy this one, chickadees!