The Search for Halloween Costumes

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I am on the hunt for the perfect Halloween costume.  And by perfect, I mean something I didn’t come up with 3 days before October 31st.  Last year, I celebrated my 2nd favorite holiday with a ride on Trolley with 35 of my closest friends.

4 hours riding Trolley all over Chicago, with strategically located bathroom stops (Mickey D’s in River North was the best–super clean, super big, and there were even escalators).  It was a blasty but Ryan and I need to up the ante with our costumes this year.  My friends are really creative and we got our butts kicked in the costume department last year:

Yeah, those are t-shirts depicting us at Lucy and Charlie Brown.  Not a terrible idea but lamesauce execution.

The Halloween Countdown app on my iTouch tells me that there are 33 days until Halloween.  We’ve got to go big this year.  To say Ryan is a competitive guy is an understatement so I have been given an assignment: 8 costume ideas for us by end of day today.  No small task considering that the only thing I can come up with is painting ourselves blue and being Avatars.

Ohh, I long for the days in college when all I had to do was sluttify a Disney character to have a totally stellar and praised Halloween costume.  When they say adult life is so much more complicated, I had no idea it applied to Halloween costumes as well.

My buddy Corey does Daily Booth and posted this question the other day:

Among the responses were Fruit, Lady Gaga, Mario and Luigi, Lady Gaga and more Lady Gaga.  I highly doubt Ryan will rock Lady Gaga, even if I told him she wore meat to the VMA’s.  Some friends of mine did Mario and Luigi a few years ago so that’s out.  So I’m at ground zero.

Help!  Please give me great, creative, funny and not-too-hard-to-put-together costume ideas!

Marathon Update Part 2

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I did another long run yesterday and it was a success.  Chicago lived up to its name with the wind off the lake forcing me to cut up through Lincoln Park.  I think the site-seeing is what got me through.  Ran through the recently re-opened pond area of the Park, up on Inner Lakeshore, Cubs game just starting at Wrigley, down through the brunch crowds on Armitage…I was just so happy to be out and about on such a beautiful morning, experiencing so many of my favorite parts of the city within a short time frame.  Running is so good for that.

And did I mention that Ryan hits the pavement with me through all of my long runs?  Weeks have been busier than usual lately and it is so nice, even though we do live together, to be able to spend several hours together talking about all the stuff that just doesn’t make it into week night conversation.  News headlines, conversations we’ve had with friends/family, work anecdotes, “did you see what Luna Bell did?” stories…all while getting in mileage.  I am exponentially grateful for Ryan just in general but his support has made this marathon business so much more fun.

I wasn’t even sore today, at all!  I was shocked, I put in quite a few miles.  I think I’m really going to be able to run this marathon.

2 weeks. 2 weeks.

Here.

adminFall in Chicago, Harvest Moon, Uncategorized, yoga, Yoga House Chicago%s Comments

Shortly after 10:09pm last night, the Super Harvest Moon was visible in Chicago.  I read and re-read the technical descriptions of what and why that is and here’s my understanding: it was super big, super orange and marked the transition to fall without asking; this Super Harvest Moon was telling us it was here and it is now Autumn.  Period.

I went to the Sunrise Yoga class at YogaHouse Chicago this morning and the instructor, Annika (who was fantastic, btw), said some sweet words as she set the intention for the class.  She said that as we experience this Harvest Moon, to reflect with gratitude on that which we have harvested in the past  but to also look forward to what we are harvesting right now, what we are creating right now for future harvests.  I have never harvested anything in a figurative sense (we all know how growing a basil plant went) but her words touched me in that I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the goodness in my life; however, I know that what went into “harvesting” that may or may not be what gets me to the “harvest” of what I’m working on now.  Humble gratitude for the past but absolutely focused on the here and now and learning new ways to get to my next Super Harvest Moon.  Both figuratively and literally.

Namaste and Happy Autumnal Equinox.

Things I Am Loving: Fall Edition

adminAffy Tapple, Apple Cider, College Football, Comfort Food, Fall Cooking, Fall in Chicago, Republic of Tea, Uncategorized%s Comments

Walking home from coffee with a good friend today,  I got to thinking about why I love this season so much.  In honor of the first official day of fall, I have comprised a list of Things I am Loving.  Happy Autumnal Equinox!

1. Republic of Tea’s Apple Cider Herbal Tea.  Ryan and I picked this up while waiting out a downpour at Crate and Barrel last Saturday.  I am loving waking up every morning and basically having Fall in a steaming hot mug.

2.  Affy Tapples.

Picked one of these bad boys up on the way home from work last night.  Reminds me so much of being a kid- you knew it was fall when Mama G. started buying these for treats.

3. Gossip Girl and Glee.

I pretty much Gleeked out as the season premiere of Glee began last night and Gossip Girl’s premiere last week was came just as Ryan and I had watched our last Season 3 dvd (Ryan loves him some Chuck Bass).  CANNOT wait for 1) Glee’s Britney episode and 2) for the creepy Juliet girl Nate is dating to go away.  So annoying.

4. College Football.  I sleep in a Michigan State t-shirt every night for good luck during football season.  We’re 3-0.  I like to think it helps.

5. Scarf and sweatshirt season.  This is that perfect, fleeting, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it time of year when you can wear scarves or a sweatshirt by itself and you’ll be perfectly snuggly and warm.  Fast forward 5 seconds and you’ll be craming said scarf and said sweatshirt underneath a parka due to frigid wind and snow.  Enjoy it while it lasts.

6. Soup making and bread baking.  Fall comfort food.  Heading to the Green City market this weekend to inspire some Saturday cooking.  Probably while wearing a scarf and/or sweatshirt.  See #5.

Check out Trib writer Mary Schmich’s article for fun fall facts.  Interesting stuff.

What are YOU loving about Fall this year?

Dance, Sing, Floss and Travel

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Friday was major.  Major, major, major.

I was invited to have coffee with Chip Wilson, entrepreneur extraordinaire, lululemon athletica founder and chairman.  (insert silent scream here) .  This man has absolutely changed my life with the incredible company he created and to have the opportunity to break bread with this person and his beautiful wife was incredible.

We didn’t actually break bread.  It was more like breaking caffeine, if you will.  Buzz: Killer Espresso is a fav:

Definitely the best coffee I’ve ever had…and  with all due respect to the coffee shoppe, it had absolutely nothing to do with my beverage of choice, as delicious as it was.  I learned so much, I was so inspired, and had so much to food for though to chew on that I think I’m still full.

It was a great day.

Ital-yoga

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I want to go on a yoga retreat.  And I want to do it in Italy.

After some light Google-ing, I came across Adventure Yoga Retreats.  They combine “the serenity of yoga with the excitement of adventure sports” by coordinating adventure trips!  Good one, guys.  I love yoga, I love adventure (I think) and wouldn’t ya know, they have a trip this spring that is heading to TUSCANY!  Yoga in the morning, exercise classes taught by Tony Horton, creator of P90x, afternoons  spent checking out Monteriggioni, Siena, Florence, San Gimignano and then getting my yoga on again in the evening.  Oh and the villa has a cook.  An Italian one.  Who would be preparing me vegetarian, Italian meals every day.

Done- totally in my goals.

Back.

adminChicago, Home, InStyle, projects, RealSimple, Ryan, The Island, Uncategorized, vacation, vince camuto boots%s Comments

This cabana is where Ryan and I spent the last 4 days.  We filled our time with really important things like reading magazines, swimming in the ocean, playing some ball game thingy I bought at Publix, swimming in the ocean, eating seafood and making cocktails.  Tough weekend, ya know?  It was fabulous and exactly what we needed.

Speaking of eating, Ryan taught me how to attack one of these guys during our dinner at a place known on the Island as “The Tiki Bar”:

I’ve had lobster before, I love lobster, but have traditionally been more of a tail girl so this was a first for me.  Dating a Marylander, a land where people are apparently obsessed with cracking open crabs, I can’t get away with pre-prepared shell animals anymore.

Having extended summer just one more weekend and relaxed more than I thought possible, I am back in Chicago and ready to take on fall.  I feel like I’m on project mode after having so much time to devour magazines and write and bounce ideas off Ryan all weekend.  I have all of these bare walls in our bedroom and I’m thinking of taking over one of them with this:

I love the idea of gathering my favorite photos and paintings, putting them in plain frames, throwing in a silhouette or two and creating a border of sorts.

I’m also loving on this ring (I do love a monogram), the InStyle Look of the Day app and I’m pretty sure these boots will eliminate any question of if I can wear black and brown together.

Like I said, way too many magazines were read this weekend…

Whether it’s back to school, back to work, back to whatever- I’m happy to be back in action in Chicago.

5 Mistakes Everyone Should Make

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This month’s issue of Real Simple has a column titled “Life Lessons: 5 Mistakes Everyone Should Make” that really caught my eye. If anyone can appreciate learning more from their mistakes, it’s this girl right here. I agree with some of the 5 mistakes; some of the others I’m a little more hesitant to dive headfirst into. So, I’ve comprised a JustAChiTownGirl list of Mistakes Everyone Should Make.

1. Totally embarrass yourself.

About 2 years ago, I got to the gym one evening to find it the most packed I had ever seen it. I was living in a rather dismal town at the time, definitely pre-JustAChiTownGirl life, and thought the crowded gym could be a great opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and meet some new people. Lucky for me, there was just one treadmill left. As I hurried to snatch it up, and was mid-step on to the machine, I notice an iPhone on the treadmill dashboard. “Weird-someone must have forgotten their phone”. Instantaneously, I realize that no one forgot anything- the treadmill was still on; Its user had gone to get a drink of water. Knees hit the rotating tread, hands went down next, shoulder, left ear, until it had entirely spit me off. The whoooole gym saw me fly off the back of the treadmill. Horrified, I pulled myself to my feet in time to see this tiny blonde girl walking toward me, accusing me of trying to steal her treadmill. Yeah, I thought I’d physically and emotionally harm myself to get your treadmill, lady. I won’t even get into how negligent it was to leave a motorized device running unattended or how the entire incident felt like it lasted an hour but in real time, I was back up in my apartment in under a minute. In the end, after icing my shoulder (that seriously had rubber SKIDMARKS on it) and my pride, I came to understand that the more embarrassing the story, the more you know what you can truly get over when push comes to shove, that not much is really that big of a deal and the more ace-in-the-hole stories you have to humor your friends, the better.

2. Believe strongly, passionately in something or someone…even if you totally change your mind later.

I can name a handful of causes, beliefs and people who I have believed in with every ounce of my being. Some still hold that “Wow, this is absolutely right, this absolutely makes me feel alive and good” conviction to them; others I was flat out, face in the mud wrong about. But be it a presidential candidate or a relationship flame that died out (or was a trainwreck- insert your own bad judgement call here), I’ve found that both teach valuable lessons that can’t be found elsewhere. The ones I have been wrong about force me to examine, in a way I ordinarily would not, the why’s that went into both the belief and the “failure”, if you will, so I always learn something. As for the things, people and places I still believe in, well, it’s great to have those in your pocket as well, if only to remind you what it feels like to truly, in your belly, down to your toes BELIEVE.

3. Be totally wrong about big, major stuff and start over.

I know- coming from a 25 year old, this statement may have little weight. But I’ve been 60 since I was, like, 7, I’ve been collecting Fiestaware since I was 18 and I have been notoriously, epically afraid of failure/being wrong since the beginning of time so this goes down as one of my mistakes to make.

Be wrong. Change your mind. Change your path. Most likely, the only person who will notice or give a damn is you. And probably your parents.

I was halfway through law school when my profound unhappiness became unbearable. I was at a school I hated, in a city that despite my best efforts just never felt like home, surrounded by people who were not my people, not my tribe. I was physically sick, my therapist was practically my best friend and my lack of self-confidence was palpable. So I packed up my car and my cat. I moved to Chicago, a city I loved, a place where i had a community. I took a stand for my happiness, for my life, even though I had no idea yet where that stand was leading me. Yes, I was terrified by how leaving law school, how leaving my perfectly planned life looked to others. In the end though, my worst critic was me, the person most afraid was me. And maybe my parents were nervous for me too. But they held it together and between their support and recognizing that my perfectly planned life was not God’s Perfect Plan, well, it was the best change I’ve ever created and I could have never gotten to the life I love now without it.

4. That’s kinda of all I’ve got right this second. I’ve made mistakes in the last 25 years, learned a lot and definitely know I’m not done.

So you tell me- what mistakes should everyone make?

Rise and Shine

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I saw this little gem of a sign while waiting in line at King Cafe for my morning hit of caffeine.  Any other time of the day, I would have a hard time believing that coffee is the most widely used product in the world after oil.  But before 8am, I totally agree, 100%.  And judging from the looks of the people I pass on my morning commute, they do too.

Happy Hump Day!