This was one of those weekends.

The kind that you arrive at the end of and think, “I am happier and luckier than one person deserves.”

I think happiness is relative and not always matter of “deserving” but man-oh-man…this was one weekend I couldn’t get enough of and I felt so happy at its close.

Irish Bagpipers and an impromptu Irish jig by my friend Molly (who can apparently do that- well!) at Stanley’s was the perfect end to a perfect St. Patrick’s Day. Ryan and I started the day with drinks and pastries on our porch, sunning ourselves in the 80 degree weather. Being able to be in the middle of the action but in the comfort of your own home, sans crazy crowds/people made it hard to leave but I am glad we did- our little bf/gf bar crawl north had us dropping in on friends all over town and it was so, so great seeing so many people I really love.

Being a bridesmaid means you get the invite to bridal-y things at The Trump. I am still not sure what the point to those shenanigans are (way too many over-zealous women for me) but I got to have drinks and macarons with my lovely bride-to-be chum while looking at this view. Pretty gorgeous, hmm?

We have owned a grill for 24 hours and have cooked 3 meals on it. I think it’s time to buy one of those “How To Grill Everything and Cereal” books.

The thing is, I am so grateful for this season I am in and it goes far beyond this weekend. I very much recall seasons that were bone-grueling hard, not so long ago, and I know those will come again. But for it to be March and 80 degrees and flipping veggies on the grill in the Chicago sunshine…well, my little heart just might burst.

75 degrees in March? I’d say it’s got to be the luck of the Irish.

Hope everyone had a great St. Patrick’s Day!

On the way to my last meeting of this work trip and one of my favorite songs from RENT comes on the On Broadway Sirius radio channel. Followed by some Idina Menzel AND THEN Patti LuPone.

AND it’s Friday?!

High fives and jazz hands all around!

I hate driving and rental cars but I must say, listening to uninterrupted Broadway showtunes makes the deal a little sweeter. Dont worry, Dad- all jazz hands are in the wheel.

60 degree temps today meant 2012’s first walk along the lake.

I could wax on all philosophical but what I said to Ryan as we crossed the bridge over Lake Shore Drive pretty much sums it up…

“I just love Chicagoso much…I want to hug it. Hard.”

Yep. That…

It’s a good thing I like planes and love hotel rooms because new job has me 4 for 4 right now- 4 planes, 4 hotels rooms, in the last 4 weeks. It won’t always be like this but in the meantime, I am having a blast exploring new cities and taking care of business.

There is also something to be said for focus when you’re outside of your usual environment. When I am on the road for work, I am in the zone. No distractions, I can be 100% invested in the task at hand…and because my eye is on the prize, I arrive at my weekends ready to be 100% invested in those as well. I must say, this new schedule is allowing me to be more present in both my personal and professional life. And I like it.

Now, if I could only implement a no technology day at our house…a no technology 5 hours, maybe? That would really take being present up a notch.

I spent a majority of this weekend curled up with tea and my iPad researching travel destinations. Ryan and I have debated between a trip up the coast from Rome, a British Isles tour, Cabo, Brazil, Puerto Rico, back to Europe…and it’s now at the point where the websites are blurring together and Disney World is looking appealing (that’s not true but you get my point).

I am torn between a “trip” and a “vacation”. There’s definitely a difference- do we want to strap on our backpacks and explore, learn, and be constantly on the go? Or do we want to launch ourselves onto a beach with adventures consisting of sailing, golfing and drinks with umbrellas?

I need some help. Where have you been that you have adored and think we should look into? Traveling mid-June, not extravagant but not too meager of a budget either…any suggestions you have would be oh-so-appreciated.

(images via)

I am in Vancouver for work this week. In my downtime, I have practiced a ton of yoga, eaten a ton of sushi, drank a whole lot of kombucha and taken in what a non-flat city looks like (Chicago is soooo flat that the sight of mountains out of the office window made me audibly gasp. Kind of embarrassing, really.).

And then, there was pie.

A heart and pie. Raspberry Rhubarb to be exact.

Organic, local, you know- the buzz words that make a sometimes-occasional-hippie-wannabe like me feel good.

And it was delicious. So incredibly delicious.

While this trip has been really beneficial professionally, I am afraid that it will go down in history as the time I went to Canada and ate pie.

(disclaimer: I usually always reserve dessert for chocolate so saying this pie was unreal is really saying something. Pie love, c/o Aphrodite’s in Vancouver, BC.)