Brain Dump

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Things that are awesome:
-Of Monsters and Men Spotify station
-watching the snow fall
-heated bathroom floors
-steam showers
-not leaving my bed
-naps
-champagne
-donuts
-fires in the fireplace

Things that are not awesome:
-temperatures below 15 degrees
-getting a cab on NYE
-going back to work after vacation
-venturing out into said sub 15 degree temps because I need to buy ingredients for the peanut butter chocolate tort I am making for a dinner party tonight
-neighbors that scream at each other- dude, gentlemen don’t talk to their wives like that. Ever. Douchebag.
-the word “selfie”

Date Night

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Getting in one last date before the end of the year, I asked for a drink while I got ready…apparently I live with a mixologist. A glass of wine would have been fine but god bless the man that will curl an orange peel for me.

Practice

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Thank goodness I got Ryan a Nespresso for Christmas because we have less than 6 months to practice drinking the strong stuff before we are in Italy!!!! We booked flights for our honeymoon last night and when making a cup of espresso this morning, I couldn’t help but think about how excited I am to start our mornings with pastry and coffee at teeny bars before heading out to explore the Motherland. I better brush up on my Italian…

Home for the Holidays

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Oh there’s no place like home for the holidays,
’cause no matter how far away you roam,
If you want to be happy in a million ways,
For the holidays, you can’t beat home sweet home

Home is wherever the people I love are. As we head to Michigan for a snowy Christmas, it’s my sincere wish that you’re “home” too.

Merry Christmas!

A Few of My Favorite Things

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A surprise early present, dropping off gifts, visiting the church we’re getting married in just 6 months, Christkindlmarket, a cat who is obsessed with staring at the tree, making homemade ravioli and sauce…this weekend was certainly (more than) a few of my favorite things. And given that I am a few hours away from a vacation, I’d say this morning calls for a latte and a little extra pep in my step. Happy Monday!

The time we went to Eataly & never stopped talking about it

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I really hate when new restaurants open and everyone is all “oh em gee, this place is the most amazing of all amazing restaurants to ever open on the planet”. Okay, okay, I get it, said new restaurant is great, calm down. Eataly opened a few weeks ago and subsequently, people have lost their minds over it. I’ve heard it’s packed around the clock, strangers have given me “insider tips” on how to navigate it and so on.

Ryan and I were doing some last minute shopping yesterday when I got super hungry, super fast. I was still in the clothes I went to Flywheel in and needed a quick bite, let’s just shoot into Eataly and grab a slice of pizza and head back out, we decided.

Oh. Em. Gee.

Choosing 2 slices of the most incredible focaccia pizza led to getting directions to the nearest wine barrel (turn right at the coffee bar, we were told), which led to us standing up at a tall bar, raving about the ricotta and dough and toasting to what has already been the best holiday season we’ve had. We watched people having as much fun as we were, strangers talking to each other, incredulous over this grocery store/restaurant/food stand/wine shop/cheese emporium/meat heaven/crudo station. Ryan drinks wine but isn’t usually as enthusiastic as I am; he insisted we get another glass, he was having so much fun, he didn’t want to leave. While waiting at one of the many bars, we met a stranger in from Denver en route to Christmas in Houston, bought his beer and said cheers to safe travels. We met an old man from Brooklyn that couldn’t believe that you could just walk around with wine-we clinked glasses with him on the escalator. We perused wine from the region I studied abroad in Italy, passed cheese wheels bigger than I am and got very, very, very excited about our honeymoon in Italy.

Basically, everyone losing their shit over Eataly is 100% spot on. This place is amazing.

We went for drinks with friends before and after dinner and literally couldn’t stop talking about it. We woke up this morning talking about it. We made tomato sauce and pasta from scratch today because we wanted more of that simple, whole food. Our buddy we were with last night texted today to say he and his fiancée got in a fight over chess- we told him to take her to Eataly to make amends.

We are those people. And I don’t even care. I am going to be thinking of our fun afternoon for weeks to come. And dreaming of that ricotta zucchini pizza…

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Aces High

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Last night was Ryan’s company Christmas party, which always consists of a poker tournament (and scotch, always scotch). Last year, I was really nervous. I had never met anyone from his office before, I didn’t know how to play poker and I was just in this weird, self conscious place. This year, I still didn’t know how to play poker but I had a full skirted party dress on, new heels I love and I did not care. So when I saddled up to the table with my glass of red wine and started winning, I just kept going with it because 1) it wasn’t my money and 2) I really did not care. I took all of Ryan’s money, then the director of his group…I can count but beyond that, it was learn as you go and I was killing it. Aces high and straight flushes, it was absurd. Absurdly awesome… The dealer actually said “You play a lot, huh?” And I am 90% sure he wasn’t being sarcastic.

I eventually went all in on a hand I shouldn’t have but it was a good run . Proof that there’s nothing great shoes, a great outfit and not giving a flying fruit basket can’t do.

Excessive Christmas Cheer

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I refused to tell Ryan where I went shopping tonight because he is the worst with gifts- the second he knows they’re purchased, he wants to open them. “Fine.” he replied. “I’ll just call the stores and ask if you were there. Green hat, green eyes, humming Christmas carols under her breath, glitter and Christmas cheer shooting out from her pores- someone will have recognized you and tell me what you bought.”

So close, baby. So close.

While he is delusional that calling any retailer at any time will yield him a “Oh yes, her” result, he pretty much nailed the description of me tonight. Oak Street, Christmas lights, loaded up with bags, full moon rising over the lake…there is just nothing like Christmas in Chicago. So in love with my city, the holiday and my shopping is done. Falalalala….