A lovely friend put together this lovely lunch yesterday and effectively made this cold winter week a whole lot, well, lovelier.

Thank you, Kate.

– Award season is my 3rd favorite of the year, behind Christmas and college football.
– Last night was the best Kate Hudson had ever looked. The hungriest but definitely the best.
– Every time I pledge my allegiance to Bradley Cooper, the camera would zoom in on Leonardo DiCaprio. I just can’t quit him. I just can’t.
– I am okay with the fact that Stacy Kielbler has just given up on these things- whatever, she’s wearing George Clooney, it’s fine.
– Anne Hathaway. Make it stop.
– Taylor Swift was either wearing 1) a shitty bridesmaid’s dress or 2) something I wore to prom in 2002. Make it stop.
– Kerri Washington is flawless.
– Claire Danes makes childbirth look mildly appealing and not the kiss of body-death. I appreciate that.
– I have a black tie event in a few weeks and Amy Poehler’s red carpet, sexy menswear look was amaze. Can I pull off bra-less in a tailored tuxedo jacket?
– Texting with one of my best friends like a crazy person during the show got us both in trouble and our husband/boyfriend are now requiring we watch the rest of award season in the same room. No argument here.
– Ryan not only tolerated my over-enthusiasm last night (so much yelling at the TV, clapping and jazz hands) but was not-so-secretly into Fashion Police Tonight (thank you, Joan Rivers’ snarkiness). Good man.

This week, I’m thankful for:

7. The generosity of strangers. I was in the suburbs for work on Thursday and needed a snack before a meeting. The boy bagging my groceries (which was totally unnecessary, all I bought was a bottle of water and container of fruit) walked around to hand them to me (again, super nice and unnecessary) and produced a long stemmed rose and said “This is for you.” I was so surprised; people are nice! They want to make you smile! Snap out of your shit and notice! What a great reminder. I hope he did that for others because it sure made my day.

8. A healthy body. I ran outside yesterday for the first time in 2 weeks and I was so grateful for legs and lungs that allowed me to get a good sweat in.

9. French Press coffee

10. Home cooked meals and leftovers.

11. Fresh laundry, still warm from the dryer.

12. A Ravens victory. I’m grateful for this because I like seeing Ryan happy and Ryan is happy when his hometown team wins.

13. Business meetings with people I can’t wait to see. I had 3 of those this week and every time, I gave mad thanks that I get to partner with people I enjoy spending time and discussing ideas with.

Click here for Week 1 and why we’re spending Sundays showing some gratitude.

A few Chicago happenings/links for your weekend:

15 new restaurants opening in 2013

Ice skating at The Peninsula? Yes, please!

We ducked into the Boarding House for a glass of wine when it opened in December and now that Ryan found out that Pork Tots are a thing, I think we’ll be going back soon.

Super Bowl Cooking Class for Foodies at Socca– such a great idea.

Dozing with the Dino’s– this makes having kids sound fun.

With a powdered sugar stack on deck for tomorrow, maybe I will finally make it to the Doughnut Vault.

Happy Friday, all!

Americans are drinking 21% more wine and 30% less milk.

I mean, obviously. Wine is amazing and milk is disgusting. This is a statistic I can get behind.

TGIF, folks.

(Image via Ryan’s 2011 birthday dinner at The Gage)

The W Lakeshore has got to be one of my favorite places in Chicago. And a mid-week meeting as an excuse to soak in that gorgeous lakefront view, breathing in that delicious W-specific smell, while being treated incredibly well by their amazing staff? It’s the stuff Hump Day wins are made of!

There’s also a new chef at Wave so I think that should be the excuse for Ryan and I to get over there for date night, ASAP.

Happy Wednesday, all!

Today is National Bubble Bath Day. Plan accordingly.

I will be stopping by Lush for a Bubble Bar in honor of the occasion. Any excuse for a holiday…

(Image via)

Beautiful day, start to finish. Extra points for the sun not setting until after 4:30pm.

I’m not impressed with 2013. Not impressed at all.

In the last 6 days, I’ve been the sickest I’ve been in years, Ryan got sick, my grandma got sick, Luna Bell’s even been sluggish. On our way to get more soup last night, Ry and I experienced how vile people can be. And don’t get me started on the taxes removed from my paycheck or where I want to shove the fiscal cliff.

So, it’s done. I’m calling it. Time of death, 8pm, January 6th. Not only can things only go up from here, they are and it’s happening on my watch. You are what you eat and you are what you think so around these parts, the rest of 2013 is about gratitude. Gratitude for stuff that doesn’t suck.

Kate Gives Thanks was one of my blogs to read because I loved seeing from her perspective what she was giving thanks for on any given day. Every single day, Kate gave thanks…and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that 2012 was quite the banner year for her. Gratitude and positivity breeds more of what we want in our lives and now that her year long project is over, the gratitude train has a new destination: JustaChiTownGirl.com.

Every Sunday, giving thanks. 6 days of the year so far. Let’s go.

This week, I’m grateful for:

1. Cool Touch Kleenex
2. My electric tea kettle (boiling water in 90 seconds is no trivial achievement)
3. Parents who always answer their phones to talk to me.
4. Cold wash cloths in the middle of the night
5. Fist bumps instead of hugs or hand holds to express germless affection
6. A sun-lit apartment