Yesterday and today. It’s all about balance.
And great news! Even though the weekend just ended, the next one starts in just 4 days! Holiday weekends are the gift that just keeps giving.
Miles and Tea
I arrived home from a work trip to find this note and tea in my mailbox. While I wish my best friend lived next door, sweet deliveries like this make the miles between us feel a lot less.
Oh and let me tell you: this tea is delicious. Like I want to roll and/or bathe in it delicious- I am 2 cups in and can’t wait to wake up tomorrow morning to have it again.
Quotable
“Nearly 800 years ago, the Persian mystic poet Rumi wrote, “You must ask for what you really want.” He saw asking as a sacred duty, and I think he was right—not because your wishes will be granted automatically (they won’t), but because the mere act of saying aloud “This is who I am and what I’ve come for” seems to awaken a powerful force within. By articulating your wish, you’re making an announcement that you’re serious about bringing forth the next great thing in your life.” -Elizabeth Gilbert
Click here to read the rest of her post on “How to Be Happier”. By far the best thing I have read this week- growing up, my parents were huge proponents of how imperative it is to be assertive and I find it’s a constant practice. Gilbert’s post hits the nail on the head.
Wedding Week: Little Touches
You know those dinner parties you go to or when you’re a house guest and your hosts just make you feel so at home and thought of? That’s how I wanted our wedding to feel like, with little touches that were a nod to our city, our relationship and our guests…without going overboard (Like the day I came home and told Ryan I was going to make — on our back porch, mind you — champagne buckets out of ice for our wedding.). Here are some things I did that I think fit the bill and were super easy.
Signage: I am in love with everything Lindsay Letters and her lettering is such a nice touch to wedding decor. It felt tailored to our day but without the finding an artist/deciding what to say hassle/being super expensive aspect. The above print is sold out but I love the “love never fails” print and of course, the vows print would be perfect too. We put the “Toast!” print on the bar and will absolutely be bringing it out for when we host parties at our house!
Place cards: Chicago was obviously a huge part of our wedding aesthetic (the view from the reception was absolutely the star of the show!) and we wanted it to pop up in subtle ways. Etsy can be a rabbit hole of wedding everything but I found place cards with the skyline on them that I loved and were just a little nod to our hometown. They have tons of other city options too- the cable cars would be the cutest for a San Francisco wedding!
Cake: We were going to have cake anyways so we thought incorporating the skyline would be a good way to continue our Chicago-style wedding vibe. Elysia, of Elysia Root Cakes, is a sugar genius and the second I mentioned maybe, could we, would it be possible…she was saying yes and adding the skyline to her sketch of our cake.
Candles: Since we didn’t use a wedding planner, anything we were adding to the reception space needed to be done by us the day-of and I got a little overwhelmed whenever I would look at wedding blogs with so.many.things. decorating a reception. One word for you: candles. There is nothing more romantic or mood setting or easier than candles. Mix and match glass containers, we stuck to clear glass because we were anti-color for our wedding, but just get as many votives, tapers, and pillar candles as you can and light them. Boom. Done.
Flip Flops: For as much thought and money goes into wedding favors, when was the last time you went to a wedding and 1) remembered to take the favor home with you, 2) ever used it? Right. I have, however, been to a million weddings where I have refused to bring a change of shoes because I am determined to dance the night away in my stilettos and then am in massive foot pain by 9pm. So instead of favors, I picked up flip flops for our guests and put them in a basket to be passed out as soon as the dancing began. Old Navy always has online sales so they ended up being super cheap- way less than I would have spent on an ornament or wine stopper with our faces on it.
Mints: Okay, this one is a bit ridiculous but a majority of our guests have mentioned loving them so I have to…Mr & Mrs mints. It was my sole cheesy Amazon wedding purchase but they were oddly good and we set them on the bar and the bowl was empty by the end of the night. Best 8 bucks I have ever spent. Update: FedEx came while I was writing this and my husband ordered more of these mints. We are going to be eating Mr & Mrs mints forever…
Link Love
Illumine Magazine co-hosted a yoga class with The Langham on Saturday morning in the plaza on the river- the class was amazing, the view unreal, the morning spectacular. Illumine is an inspiration and resource for yogis, check them out. (The above photo was taken mid-pose during class- a hand selfie, if you will.)
I don’t know about you but my social media feeds have been inundated with people taking the “Cold Water Bucket Challenge” to raise awareness for ALS. The term “put your money where your mouth is” comes to mind and I am so happy to see that the ALS Foundation is raising a ton more money than usual. 1) Donate (ice water or not), 2) read this Today Show post about my amazing friend Rosemary and her family. Inspiring just doesn’t cut it- these people could move mountains.
In other inspiring news, my friend Megan was featured on “I Love You Pink“- I love her answer to the question of what motivates her. Hint: trust your gut.
I have had #5 and #13 on this list of the 36 Best Things to Eat in Chicago in the past 3 days so I am inclined to say this list is legit. Related: how have I never been to Bang Bang Pie?!?
Since our Italian honeymoon, we have been talking and dreaming about our next trip pretty much nonstop. After meeting to most delightful Irishman at a rooftop BBQ yesterday, we think we landed on Ireland. Pubs and cliffs and roadtrips, oh my!
“When someone passes their knowledge to you, it’s an honor.” I loved this article about yoga in the US vs India.
The world lost a giant this week with the passing of Robin Williams. My mom and I loved The Birdcage and quoted “You do an eclectic celebration of dance! You do…Fosse! Fosse! Fosse! Or…Madonna, Madonna, Madonna!” all the time when we were being silly. But this is my favorite scene, “But I bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel…what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and be truly happy.” Prayers to his family and gratitude for his incredible body of work that is for the ages.
Brown Bag Seafood
Lakeshore East is one of my favorite neighborhoods. Yes, I am biased because we lived there for 2 years but this little hidden gem on Lake Michigan and steps away from Michigan Ave is just the best…and now it has Brown Bag Seafood.
I was starvation city last night after Flywheel but wanted something fresh, healthy, that wasn’t a sit down restaurant but also wasn’t Whole Foods. Brown Bag Seafood fit the bill and then some. I grabbed one of their “brown bags” (piece of paper with all the food options), marked down what kind of fish I wanted and how I wanted it prepared (tacos, salad, sandwich, plain, etc) and obviously checked the box for a glass of wine and a few minutes later…dinner.
After much debate (and the help of the sweet man taking my order), I went for the Power Pack: white fish on top of a red quinoa & wild rice blend atop spinach with lemon and herbs. But with 4 different types of tots, I will be back soon to try those and the fish tacos. And probably a sandwich. Such a fun find, this urban fish shack!
Clever Thank-You
I received this thank you card from a reader whom I had coffee with several weeks back. Personal branding- subtle, authentic, meaningful. Nailed it!
(And congrats on your new job!)
Midway Morning
I have primarily been flying out of O’Hare for work the last few months so while this might be old news, I was thrilled this morning to find that Midway now has mobile boarding passes AND Intelligentsia Coffee (that fake Starbucks Potbelly used to sell was gross). Adding to that? A yoga room is going in! Midway, you flirt.
I boarded next to a mom and little girl who was taking her first flight. She was so excited and dying to get a window seat. My mom always made air travel such a big deal and fun thing and now that it’s a part of my job, seeing that little girl reminded me that it is truly a modern miracle- I am sitting in a chair that is going to be in the sky. I get it, little girl in 6A. I get it.