The first day of Spring is 4 weeks away. We can do it! And in the mean time…fresh flowers. Lots of fresh flowers.
Fickle
From thundersnow to 45 degrees and sunny…please, please, please stay like this, Chicago.
Plan B
And sometimes, you go with Plan B.
Pretty much nothing went accordingly to plan yesterday with either of our respective days. By the time I made it to Whole Foods, that place was entirely wiped out. Not a shrimp or rose in sight, man. After reconvening in our kitchen, making a plan for how we are going to get the massive desk the delivery guys refused to bring up and left in the stairwell actually into our home, it was late, we were less than thrilled and it just did not feel like a champagne and shellfish night. We asked ourselves, looking back, how would we want to say we spent the Valentine’s Day before we were married and there was one answer:
Tots. Beer.
So to the corner bar we went. Tots (cheese sauce included, because it was a holiday and all) were ordered. A beer for him, a cider for me. Solid people watching. The Olympics. Maybe another round.
It turns out that Plan B is actually pretty awesome and because we were together, absolutely Valentine’s Day worthy.
Sprinkle Cheer
My friend Katy (and when I say friend, I mean I met her a few years ago, she is such a shining beacon of positivity, we follow and like the heck out of each other’s posts on social media and we ran into each other on Wabash last year in the exact same outfit. I am talking matching hat even. And we’re both obsessed with Christmas. So basically, this chick is amazefest USA) shared last week an experience she had walking home from work on the LaSalle Street bridge. It was 1 degree out and she offered a homeless man her tea, which was half empty because, well, that 1 degree thing. He accepted it gladly and by the time she got home, she knew she had to get back to that bridge so with her husband, a coat and earmuffs, she returned. And then she posted about it on Instagram.
The point to me telling you this story is that Katy had a gut feeling to bring some good cheer to someone and she acted on it. We’re all nice people but how often do you think you should do something nice and it just passes you by? The action part of Katy’s story really hit me. It prompted me to finally introduce myself to the man who sells Street Wise in front of my neighborhood Starbucks and buy one. It prompted me to make some cookies to bring to girlfriends later today to let them know I heart them on this lovey day. And Ryan and I are working on something that will, hopefully, help some kids in our community.
And all of these conversations started because of Katy, social media sharing and a gut feeling to Sprinkle Cheer.
I dig it.
And I’m gonna do it.
#SprinkeCheer, friends! And Happy ❤️ Day!
Self Care: An Interpretation
Is it bad that when my yoga instructor this morning told us to practice extra self care, I mentally patted myself on the back because I knew I had this mani/pedi appointment? No? I get to do what I want because I’m an adult? Great.
Head Mistress on toes, Shiny Penny on top. Darn right.
Link Love
I love the Humans of New York project…and I super love these guys raising awareness of Joe. So funny.
Valentine’s Day is a good a time as any to discuss that chivalry is still important. Ryan has done #6 since we met and it makes me feel so taken care of.
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, doesn’t this skinny lobster mac sound delicious?
These 4 Questions Everyone Should Ask Themselves kinda blew my mind and make me feel like I have a lot to think about.
I tried Pure Barre a few weeks ago and am hooked- fun, positive and the instructors are so nice!
On Dates
On Saturday night, we went on a for real date. This last decade month of snow and subzero temps has meant lots of cooking at home, fires in the fireplace and sticking close to our neighborhood restaurants, which is fine but saying we felt cooped up would be an epic understatement so snow be damned, reservations were made and to Balena we went.
We had a fantastic meal, a really great bottle of wine and it just felt so good to be out. One of my favorite things about this guy I am marrying is that he is fun. 5 years later and we still have these dates that last for hours where we laugh super hard, share things we love with each other (in the case of Balena, that meant me actually sharing the polenta- so wildly delicious, that dish), plotting out our future, incredulous at the life we love right this very second. It’s my very favorite thing, these dates.
Fast forward to Sunday. More freezing temps and a craving for pancakes. To the local diner we go, for a short stack and some peekaboo with the little nugget wearing Chicago flag footie pajamas in the booth behind us. We are years away from kids but in watching that really nice, normal looking family eat eggs with their little one, in that moment I thought that maybe that would be a good move someday.
Someday being the operative word.
The day progressed with naps and online shopping and plotting out the room that will be an office by end of day Friday. Thai food was delivered that we ate in bed because YOLO and we watched True Detective. Looking down at my pad see eiw, I realized that this was this unintentional day was the best, a date in it’s own right. More time with that fun guy I get to marry.
Like I said, dates are my very favorite.
Sunday Agenda
Sunday morning: catching up on reading, news shows, coffee and nothing on deck except maybe a late morning nap. It’s a good day already.