A friend just sent me this pic as a reminder that my birthday is coming up. This year has been one heck of a send-off to my mid-twenties and it’s ending with quite the hectic bang so 27, you couldn’t possibly phase me.
(In other news, I was telling a coworker a story last week that ended with “We were going to go out but it was 11 o’clock!” so it’s quite possible that I don’t deserve my mid-20s anymore.)
In any case, I love this cat and I love birthday hats. The end.
It’s late October and we ate brunch outside today. That sheer awesome’ness of this weather is not lost on me so dining al fresco, we did.
Chicago q in the Gold Coast with it’s cozy outside seating was just the spot.
My pick? A pulled chicken sandwich served with 4 sauces and cornbread. Ryan devoured brisket and fries, dipped in ketchup that he was convinced was homemade (our server looked at us like we were idiots when we asked). Add a mimosa and a ginger bourbon fizz into the mix and we were hooked.
Eating anywhere outside today would be amazing but I seriously cannot wait to tuck back into q, next time for the mac and cheese, maybe when it’s more scarf and earmuff season- cozy inside AND outside can’t be beat.
If you live in Chicago, you have got to take a walk down Dearborn, starting at Schiller.
Ryan and I found these Halloween loving town-houses while on a little stroll this morning and these people went all out. The town-houses themselves are just insanely gorgeous so to add some holiday garb cements its status as one of my very favorite neighborhoods in the city.
I mean, look at this guy- is he doing the Thriller dance?!?
True Story: I was Scarlett O’Hara for Halloween in the 5th grade.
Complete with a huge hoop skirt, floppy hat and lots and lots of pin curls.
However, it turns out that 10 year olds don’t typically watch “Gone With The Wind” and my costume was met with more “wha?!?” stares than high-fives. I also got stuck in a lot of doorways.
But boy, did I feel pretty.
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
– Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Chick-ago.
Speaking of, VIPink is this Thursday and I for one can hardly wait to hit the pink carpet. In light of Giuliana Rancic’s announcement today, I can’t think of a better thing to do on Thursday night than support an organization that focuses on early detection and making proactive decisions about your health. Here’s to you, Bright Pink!
(image via)
Hi there, deadbeat blogger here. An update on what’s been going on.
DUELLING PIANOS! Best idea in the history of weddings, right?!? I mean, don’t threaten a girl with dancing AND a sing-a-long– I will step up to the plate.
Hope you all had stunning fall weekends- it really has been October at its finest, hasn’t it?
“Is there truly such a thing as selfless good deed? And if so, can your run a selfless marathon? Even if you are raising money for a charity or running for a “cause” most people set some type of personal goal for themselves. Selfless – [self-lis] adjective: having little or no concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish.”
Click here to read the rest of this post about the Chicago Marathon as seen by a coach pacing an athlete with a goal to qualify for Boston. Did I mention that the athlete is blind and the coach not only paced but lead him through the 26.2? Yeah. You’re probably going to cry, the story is so moving.
Kim Shah is a tri-athlete coach, marathoner, Ironwoman, founder of Njoy Racing and all around bad-ass that I’ve had the privilege of getting to know in the last year. An elite athlete and a really nice person- what a combo.
Saturday night: bubbly and bff’s, toasting the engagement of our dear friends Jon and Linda.
This is the real deal, folks- they really could not be any more perfect for each other. He loves her so well, so thoughtfully and to see my friend of 15 years engaged to her best friend, well…that just takes the (wedding) cake! The proposal happened in Italy but for as in love as they are, I think they could have gotten engaged in a cardboard box and still been just as beside themselves with excitement. Such good stuff.
This is just one of those time where “congratulations” isn’t enough, ya know? So, so happy for them!
