Singin’ in the Rain Sunday

adminblogs, cnn news, Grahamwich, Hunter Boots, lazy Sunday, Luna Bell, purple wellies. NCAA Tournament, Ramshackle Glam, Ryan, sleeping in, The Vie Society, Uncategorized, web logs%s Comments

This rainy Sunday morning has consisted of:

  • Sleeping in- definitely the latest I have in months
  • Staying in bed even longer playing with Luna Bell
  • Pouring a second cup of coffee even though it is past noon
  • Coming up with a plan to save the world as Ryan and I watched the news
  • Getting off our high horse and changing channels to watch basketball instead
  • Catching up on some of my favorite blogs.

Between the lazy morning, the rain and the concept of the first day of Spring, I’m feeling, well, a whole lot better.

My purple wellies are by the door, just begging me to go splash in some puddles.  Perhaps on the way to Grahamwich?

Happy Sunday!

 

A Little Black And White Distraction

adminchores, clothes, drier, gym, laundry, LB, Luna Bell, Uncategorized, washer%s Comments

When doing laundry, I’ve found that it’s best to get it done fast.  Most days, I put in the wash, forget about it for awhile, put it in the drier, forget about it a little while longer and then when it comes time to fold, well, I’m just over it.  So today, I was on a roll.  I put the clothes in, hit the gym, put them in the drier after my workout and was ready to fold shortly after that.  Like pulling off a band-aid, doing laundry in an efficient manner is the best plan.

That is, until I encountered a distraction.

Halfway through folding, LunaBell decided she would see what I was up to.  And apparently, she thought it was awesome and decided to stay awhile.

Maybe we’ll both take a little nap…

XLV

adminchicken wings, Luna Bell, Super Bowl Sunday, Uncategorized%s Comments

Luna Bell, knocking back a few cold ones.

Some people plan weeks in advance for today.   We planned minutes in advance…seriously, 5 minutes before kick-off, Ryan and I decided we wanted to dash to Trader Joe’s as a last minute attempt to put together a little Super Bowl party for 2.

Well, 3 if you include LB’s new found love of chicken wings:

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Finito

adminBlue Skies, Grahamwich, Luna Bell, Ryan, Trader Joe's, Uncategorized, West Elm%s Comment

I’m not usually a complainer but I am so over January.

26 hours to go and this month is finally ovah.

Between the cold, busy (but not with the fun stuff) weekends, the cold and just way more hum-druminess than I prefer, I am more than happy to kick January to the curb.

In the spirit of counting our blessings instead of sheep, here are some things that are making me smile all the way into February.

My man and my cat: (I act like I hate that Luna Bell loves R more than she loves me nowadays but secretly, I kind of love that she is his incessant little shadow).

Blue skies beyond the bare branches:

Delicious meals with equally delicious friends (photo via Tango Sur, circa NYE):

Winter Trees glasses that make salute even sweeter:

Grahamwich: (I may or may not have said there was a marriage of flavors in my mouth after R and I stopped in for a sammy on their opening weekend)

(photo via MetroMix)

…Hot yoga for heating up sub 20 degree days

…Trader Joe’s 99cent whole wheat pizza dough, perfect for making healthy homemades AND breadsticks

…Filiberto, the amazing Italian who led my study abroad program (circa sophomore year of college), finding me on Facebook and thus, reigniting my desire to plan a trip back to the motherland.  Immediately.

Ahh.  Ok, into February we (almost) go.

High Five Thursday

admincold, High-Five, little peanut, Luna Bell, Uncategorized, Winter%s Comments

As winter takes its firm hold on Chicago and I put on at least 3 layers every time I step foot outside, I forget that Luna Bell doesn’t have that option and, while she does not go outside, she gets cold too! 

Exhibit A: My little peanut snuggled under an inside-out sweatshirt that I pulled over her when she was looking cold and trying to burrow into the bedspread. 

So, high-five to LB and her efforts to stay warm… you do the same when you head out for the day!

Happy Birthday: Luna Bell Edition

admincat, Cats in Cabs, city kitty, furry, Happy Birthday, Luna Bell, Uncategorized%s Comments

Dear Luna Bell,

You are 3 years old today and in the 3 years we have been buddies, I can truly say that you are one of the very best decisions I have ever made.

When you were a kitty and it was just you and me in Grand Rapids, you cuddled up every night in the nook between my neck and shoulder.  I bet that’s why you still sleep on the top of our pillow (Ryan’s pillow, if we’re being honest).  You just have to be near us and we like that very much.

You were such a trouper in the U-Haul during the move to Chicago 2 years ago.  Even though you probably knew I didn’t have any business driving a 16foot anything, you crossed your little paws and didn’t even meow.  You were also very good when you took your first cab ride when we moved downtown a few months ago.  If you could talk, I think in your little meow voice you would have informed the cab driver that there was a lady present and to drive safely.

Remember a few weeks ago when we sat in the hallway with a stack of magazines to read while we waiting for the Trick or Treaters?  And how you chased that little Tinker Bell who (in all fairness) looked like a large, fuzzy toy?  That was fun.

You sit on things I’m trying to read (see above picture), you sprint to the rug to roll exactly 3 times when we walk in the front door (see below) and nothing makes me giggle more than coming into the living room at night and seeing you looking out the window, with your head going back and forth, watching the cars on Lakeshore Drive go by.   You are a city kitty and a very important part of my family.

So thank you, Luna Bell, for weaseling your little furry self into my life during a time when I really needed a friend and for spider-jumping your way into our hearts.  Secretly, I’m worried I’m not going to like my kids as much as I like you because you’re really funny and cool.  But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.   And when we do, please don’t bite their little toes (don’t act like you didn’t take a chomp out of Ryan’s the other morning).

Love,

Nina

 

 

 

My SSB

adminCarrie Bradshaw, cohabitation, couch, fashion magazines, GLEE, Gossip Girl, Luna Bell, saltines, secret single behavior, Sex and the City, Uncategorized%s Comments

I love Ryan and I love living with Ryan.  I always feel my most authentic self around him and there is nothing I love more than going for a run together, coming home to make dinner and spending our evening doing whatever we need to get done side by side on our ginormous couch (no, seriously- this couch is massive.  96 inches didn’t feel that big in a showroom but this thing is HUGE).  Moving in together hasn’t really changed any of my habits; he loves Gossip Girl as much as my old roommates did due to his man crush on Chuck Bass’ hair, he laughs when I put on my iPod and bop my head when I am writing and we both fawn over our cat more than most people do their children.

But there are some things you just don’t do when someone else is home.  .

Carrie Bradshaw so wisely called it your “Secret Single Behavior”, the things you do in the privacy of your own home that you would never do in front of your partner.  Her “SSB” was stacking saltines with grape jelly and then eating them while standing up in her kitchen reading the latest issue of Vogue.  I love watching my dvds of Sex and the City as much as the next girl who went to college right after the series ended and therefore, owned every single season so she could watch them hungover on Sundays with her roommates while eating tater tots and veggie buffalo chicken wings.  I mean, for example.

But I never considered what my SSB was until tonight when Ryan was gone for the evening.

Immediately upon walking in my door, I was on SSB auto-pilot.  A scene that has unfolded a million times before commenced once again.

I sat on our ginormous couch, a pile of previously unread fashion magazines on my left (how is Drew Barrymore STILL making covers, someone please tell me), huge fountain Diet Coke on the coffee table, Luna Bell on my right and my laptop on, well, on my lap.  For the next 3 hours, I flipped through said fashion magazines, looked up things I liked on the internet, looked for dresses for a wedding I’m attending this weekend while watching every single episode of GLEE that I have recorded on the DVR.  Fast forwarding to the songs I like, typically old school show tunes.  Possibly Definitely singing along.  Rewinding the ones I thought deserved another go.  Singing louder.  I took a break once for LB and I to go to the window to watch traffic together.   While listening to French pop music on Pandora.  And I may or may not have been pretending I knew French while attempt to hing (that’s hum and sing) songs I have never heard before in my life.

And I didn’t have to talk to anyone about anything.

Mind you, with Ryan here, I can do those things too.  But I’m more focused on spending time with him, us both enjoying what’s on tv, making conversation.  Tonight, I could be all about the show tunes, trendy dresses, celebrity gossip, and bbm’ing my BFF Holly when I needed her opinion on a few (or 11) dresses.

I’m happy to have Ry back home tomorrow but my evening of my SSB was enjoyable too.

Maybe if I set the closed captioning on the tv, Ryan can learn the words to GLEE and sing along too…

Quiet Moment

adminChicago Sunrise, joggers, Lake Michigan, Lakeshore Drive, Luna Bell, quiet moments, Republic of Tea, runners, Uncategorized%s Comments

I woke up before the sun did today.

Which is not really all that impressive since sunrise is around 7am these days but it is Sunday, after all.

With nothing to do and nowhere to go, I curled up with my favorite big, cushy blanket, a cup of my favorite tea and watched the most quiet Lake Michigan and Lakefront path I have ever seen.  Usually, there are tons of sailboats out, runners getting their jog on, bikers getting their pedal on and traffic for Luna Bell to watch on Lakeshore Drive.

This morning: quiet.

Still water, a lone jogger, a ball of fire slowly rising out of the lake.  Quiet in my apartment, quiet in the little world outside my window.

I know the rest of Chicago i s waking up right now too but, for now, I am relishing in my quiet moment.

Chicago Marathon Recap

admin10.10.10, Chicago Marathon, Chicago running, CM10, Fall in Chicago, first marathon, Luna Bell, running, Uncategorized%s Comments

This weekend was sooo my weekend.

First, my Michigan State Spartans beat U of M.  For the third straight time.  This is may also be known as “putting them in their place” or “basing your team on a kid who can’t tie his shoes is a terrible idea/he will never win the Heisman”.

This glorious, 34-17 win gave me a clear conscience to run the 2010 Chicago Marathon and run it, I did.

A record setting 38,131 runners competed in the marathon and 26.2 miles later, I was one of the 36,159 that finished.  Even today, I cannot believe that I ran that far and it’s all over.  It’s almost surreal.

Some highlights:

  • Nearly every inch of the entire course was lined with spectators.   I now know what 1.2 million people look like.
  • Every single one of those spectators were cheering, screaming, sign-holding and smiling.  I now know what being a rock star must feel like.
  • My friends Mike and Lindsay were at miles 6 and 9, Ryan and my Mom were at mile 12, my co-workers were at mile 23, my college roommates saw me cross the finish.  I had people there for me at crucial miles and it made all the difference in the world getting me across that finish line.
  • Every Port-a-Jon I used was relatively clean.  Score.
  • I was served a Dixie Cup of beer at Mile 24.  I dedicated that entire mile to those fine folks.

Here is the method to my madness during the race:  I focused on each individual mile.  Some people told me to break it into sections, some people told me to not look at the mile markers.  But the second my feet hit the start pad, I knew it was going to be a mile by mile race for me.  “Working on 2, working on 2”, “working on 8”, “working on 18”, all the way to “working on 26”.  This really kept me focused on a manageable task (I can run a single mile) and fully present to what I was trying to accomplish.  It worked for me because before I knew it, I was working on 26.

Speaking of Mile 26, this is the only portion of the race with a hill.  The Chicago Marathon is famous for being “fast and flat” but right before you hit 26, there is a decently steep hill.  And I didn’t even mind.  For me, it hammered home that yes, this is a huge deal, yes, even though you’re almost done, you have fought for every step of this run in 80 degree heat.  And yes, once you’re at the top of that hill, .2 miles has never looked so sweet.

When those .2 miles were done, I cried.  Oh boy, did I cry.  I was a marathoner.  I ran 26.2 miles.  Every time I didn’t go out, every beer I didn’t drink, every mile I put in when I just wanted to stay in bed all led to the exact moment I crossed the finish line.  Holy cow.

And then I got to meet up with my cheering section:

And then I got to go home to my cat.  And even though I had to share my bagel with her, I didn’t mind one bit.

Congratulations to all of the 2010 Chicago Marathon runners!  It was long and it was hot but we did it!