and the sun keeps shining down.

Chickens, it’s a day off for me over here.

I’ve already run five miles, practiced some yoga, and eaten an egg & cheese sandwich.

Things are looking up.

And since it’s a holiday weekend, I’m headed out to MI with JW for the next couple of days.

Since I wouldn’t be with my mom and dad this weekend, I headed over there on Tuesday to get to one of our Italian Easter traditions.

Guess what?

It has to do with food.

It’s called pizzagaina, which is actually pronounced pizza-gain.

And it’s amazing.

The recipe I linked you to is not exactly how we did it, because honestly, no two Italian cooks do anything the same way, but it gives you the delicious gist of it.

The first thing to do, when making this, is cut up pretty much 18 kinds of meats and cheese.

And throw them all into a large bowl.

After that, you mix in about a dozen eggs, and nestle it into already waiting pie crusts.

The pie crusts are pretty standard as far as recipes go, but the difference is that you grind pepper into the crust.

Don’t skip this step if you do it.

Next, you realize you’ve cut up far more meat and cheese than you need, so you hustle to make another pie crust.

Once you’ve finally found a home for all the filling, you tuck the pies into the oven at 350 degrees for about 1.5 hours.

After that, you let it cool, and then you dig in.

It’s a breakfast, lunch, or dinner approved food.

We made four with that giant bowl of meat & cheese, and my husband’s already taken down the first one by himself.

He’s proud of it.

Luckily for me, my mom gave me an extra to take to Michigan, so I’ll be enjoying it all Easter weekend.

There’s no holiday that can’t be made better with food, chickens.

And now I’m off to run errands, say Happy Easter to the teens, and get to the country. Have a wonderful Easter, chickadees!

crackerjack.

Morning, chickens.

And welcome to opening day, one of the best days of the year in sports.

Especially when you live less than a mile down the street from this:

While I accept that this might be yet another “rebuilding” year (i.e. I will pay good money to drink bad beer and watch my beloved team bite it), opening day is still an exciting and hopeful day in the life of a baseball team.

Everyone’s got a shot on opening day, chickadees.

Plus it means the party’s about to start in my neighborhood and last until September.

I’ll be sick of this by June, but for the moment, I’m ready to get to it.

Go Cubs!

Also up today, I’ve got some cross training on my plate. This week got thrown off a little bit by my sojourn to the suburbs and then the weekend trip I’m taking to Michigan, so I’ve got to get at least another two workouts in before I hop in the car and speed off to the country for the weekend.

I’m not looking forward to going back to an indoor workout this evening, but I see no other way.

Stairmaster, I’m coming for you.

You’ll probably take me down.

I’m cool with that.

It’s all in the name of progress.

And with that, I’m headed into work early to continue with the week’s catch up. Enjoy the sunshine, chickens!

retreat is a treat.

JW and I just returned from a lovely week with his parents in MI, where we ate a delicious dinner, (including these awesome potatoes), drank wine, opened gifts, played pinochle, had brunch at Chelsea, MI’s finest restaurant, ran into an old friend, watched football, and took a walk around the lake.

The weather was sunny and warm-ish, which is bizarre (but I’ll take it) and the NY Giants won, so I’d say it was pretty much an all around lovely weekend. There’s nothing like a two day retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city (Chicago, I still love you best).

And here we are at Monday again, I suppose.

That felt like it happened fast, didn’t it?

Today I’m settling into the idea of a five day work week and also wondering when winter’s going to show up for more than just a tease.

Not that I’m complaining, but I’m beginning to think we may be hurtling towards an ice age warm up at this point.

Or it might just snow until June.

You never know in Chicago.

And now I suppose it’s time to get back at it- have a great start to your week chickens, and enjoy the warmer weather if you’ve got it!

 

among the trees and other things.

Yesterday was a lovely day for a wedding. It was unseasonably warm, and JW and I hugged our friends B+A and spent the evening mingling and dancing.

Also, I got my hands on some delicious wedding cake.

A good way to spend a Saturday night, I think.

I will also admit to you, chickens, that the night may have ended with a run to Taco Bell.

That hasn’t happened in awhile, but seemed appropriate at the time.

I nearly regretted it in the morning when I woke up to the discarded chalupa wrappers, but I stand by my initial decision.

This morning was equally beautiful, and we headed back to Chicago on some tree-lined highways.

We listened to bad radio and hustled home before the Bears’ game.

Then we watched them (bear-ly) win, thank God.

You guys almost gave me a heart attack.

Please just win by more points next time.

Now we’re spending the evening watching football, making pesto and homemade pizza, and enjoying what’s left of this too-fast weekend.

I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did these past two days.

A ride in the Mitten

Happy Saturday, chickadees!

JW and I hit the mitten yesterday afternoon, and spent the evening enjoying pre-wedding festivities with our friends, who are heading down the aisle later today.

I’ll be spending the early part of the day watching cable, getting in a run (hopefully), and lamenting that I didn’t bring my bathing suit.

Then maybe remembering that I’m 27 and not the intended audience for the hotel pool.

Bummer.

This morning JW and I enjoyed delicious, giant egg dishes at breakfast, at a place aptly named “The Omelette Shop.”

One pepper and sausage scramble later, I’m pretty confident that I will need that run this afternoon.

The drive down I-94 yesterday was actually delightful, since it was lined with trees at the peak of their color changing.

There is nothing like an orange tree against a cloudy sky- I apologize for not being quick enough with my camera to grab a couple shots.

If I don’t enjoy too much wine tonight, I’ll take care of the visuals on the way home to Chicago tomorrow morning.

I’ll probably enjoy too much wine.

And with that, I am off to get this day started. Have a lovely Saturday chickens!

road trippin’

Another early morning for me, chickens.

And although I am pleased that the sun has decided to make its way out today, the temperature is dropping at an alarming rate.

I might have to think about investing in some long workout pants for my walk to the gym.

My outfit this morning just wasn’t cutting it.

When I got home I decided quite firmly that it is in fact time to pull out my boots, and that I simply don’t care if this is not the appropriate time.

I’ve never cared much for the appropriate anything.

I allowed myself an abbreviated biking/treadmill jaunt this morning, since I was out last night gabbing/cheese eating/drinking wine with my friends, and also since I have decided that I will force myself to work out tomorrow at the hotel.

I know, I know.

But JW is in the wedding, so I have some hours to kill.

What better to do than spend some time on a rickety old hotel treadmill?

That’s what I thought.

Today’s a quick day for me, since JW and I are embarking on a road trip to Grand Rapids for the wedding.

I cannot complain about a quick day.

And a road trip that will hopefully involve snacks and really bad radio stations.

But it probably means I should make my way to the workplace with some sense of urgency this morning.

Even though it’s Friday, and furthermore, it’s cold out there.

I hope everyone else has a full weekend ahead of them and a drawer crammed with sweaters.

It’s getting to be that time, chickens.

 

sigh of gratitude

Friday.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I’m feeling lots of gratitude for a quick day, a fun weekend, and a couple of days of getting.down.to.business in Michigan.

There is so much business to get down to- as we’re at a grand total of fifteen days until JW and I get hitched.

Get hitched is weird, but I’m trying out some phrases, so bear with me.

The list of random items that need to make it home to Michigan keeps growing longer, and more random.

I have fears of leaving essentials in Chicago, like shoes.

The shoeless bride. I could go with that, if push came to shove, I guess.

This morning I did not rise early and go for a swim, which was my plan.

I slept in my own bed and felt I needed to spend as much time in it as possible.

I can gym it up in the morning.

Tonight JW and I have an exciting evening planned, going to Costco, grabbing a bunch of potted plants, and then running around the house, gathering aforementioned random items to take to Michigan.

We lead an exciting life, chickadees.

And now, I’m off to serve out my hours in the cube.

Get out there and enjoy your weekends!

 

 

going places.

All right chickens, it’s Tuesday, which means we’re getting somewhere.

Which means that unlike last night, I will not spend the evening watching horrible reality television on the couch.

That’s not good for your brain, JW tells me.

I think he’s probably right.

I woke up this morning and headed to the Y, where I pounded out 4 miles, which were, regrettably, not my best effort.

Not my worst either though, so I’ll take what I can get before seven in the morning.

Not even Sheryl Crow could save me this morning, which means I was doomed from the beginning.

Up tonight post cubicle is (hopefully my last) wedding dress fitting.

Which means that I will act like a spaz, sweat all over the dressing room, and nod at what the seamstress says to me as I try to get into the eighteen layers of organza, even though I can’t understand one single thing she’s saying.

Being a bride is so elegant, let me tell you.

In any case, I’m excited for it to be packed up and shipped off to Michigan- that dress is going places.

And so am I- public transportation calls to me- catch you chicks later!

 

5gt: It’s a brand new week edition

Chickens!

I’ve had such a busy, lovely weekend that I didn’t get a chance to check in.

And now, in the spirit of continuing the feel-good mood the weekend brought on, I bring to you, five good things.

1. Today I’m hitting the lake for a swim for the first time in 2011. I’ve got my wetsuit packed up, and I’m ready to remember how much harder lake swimming is than lap swimming.

I have high hopes for this swim. As long as I don’t drown, anyway.
2. This weekend, my friends and I hit up the Old St. Pat’s festival, which was so fun.

Also, apparently it’s a place to meet a man. The memo definitely went out, since I saw the ladies of Chicago dressed in their finest, despite the fact that it was one million degrees.

God Bless Them. I was sporting flip flops.

Anyway, we also caught both Mat Nathanson and the Barenaked Ladies in concert.

And drank giant cups full of white wine.

All around awesome.

3. I’ve got a new book in my paws, and after reading yet another weirdo John Irving book last week, I’m ready for something new (although oddly, I think I love John Irving novels, despite the bears and strange sexual relationships).

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union: A Novel

I literally know nothing about this, but the author was recommended to me by a friend, and I’m willing to try anything once, so I’ll keep you posted.

 

4. JW came back from Michigan with his high school collection of CDs. Which means that the 90s tunes downloads will continue on our computer. And we all know I love nothing more than jams from the 90s.
5. I have 3 more episodes of Weeds to check out on this disc of Netflix. During a week when it’s supposed to be unbearably hot pretty much every day, what could be better than curling up in the AC and watching Nancy Botwin try to get out of her latest drug dealing gone wrong escapade? Nothing my friends, nothing.

 

Have a good one, chickens, and enjoy your Monday!

into the great wide open

Ahh, a Friday.

I have high hopes for this day, chickens.

I’m headed to work, and then hitting the road with JW and Ky to get to Michigan, grab some sleep, and start up with my bridal-y appointments tomorrow morning, bright and early.

My concerns are mainly around the flower selection portion of the day, which I suspect will end with me in a sweaty mess, backing away slowly and saying “Whatever you think.”

I’m a bride without a vision.

Hopefully these guys can do something with that.

My plan is to reward myself with a float in my parents’ pool and maybe a mason jar of some kind of delicious beverage.

Although that may be ill advised, as my cold still appears to be in the throes of death.

Give it up runny nose, I’m over you.

I promise to be back with pictures of the country, a better attitude, and maybe, if I’m lucky, a little bit of GD vision.

I hope for the best my friends.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!