Obscure and Outstanding things from my week

Things have actually been fairly normal recently...I'm very surprised.

Obscure

- That I have an automatic urge to sing whenever I enter into a bathroom of any kind.  Public.  Private.  Port-a-potty.  Doesn't matter...I feel like belting it.

- This waitress at the restaurant I was at this weekend.  It was seriously the most awkward interaction I have ever experienced (It was in Madison, WI.  Packer fans.  Could be a good explanation).  And I am not being dramatic!  She whispered and smiled awkwardly and it was all just very strange.  This is the worst description, sorry...

- The dog I am watching this week.  I have never seen a dog beg the way she does.  I usually can't resist begging dogs...the eyes, the drool, the head on your knee...it just kills me.  But her, this dog?  She can't stop moving when she is begging and she keeps making strange noises, "here!  here!  here is piece of chicken, just stop it and go away!"  Ugh, that's why they always come to me...

Outstanding

- Dinner Saturday night.  The local Japanese steak house fed us oh so well.  Dinner and entertainment and sushi.  Mmmm. Mmm.

-  My swirly straw.

- That I get a house all to myself for 5 days.  House sitting and dog sitting have so many perks.
- Musicals.  Saw one this week and I felt like I was a junior in highschool again.  "Mamma mia..."
- My new Kiehl's face products.  My skin feels softer and cleaner and sun protected.  The lady at the store was so pleased to hear I wanted my lotion with spf.
- That there is a high likely hood of being stranded indoors for a day this week.  I am going to be very very strategic as to where I end up.  I will also show up there with good food, games, movies, and wine and hot tea to keep warm.  Yay Chicago blizzard of 2011!!!

My weekend mishap

Sometimes I am in a hurry.  

Sometimes I like to eat 'Baked Cheetos' at 9am.  

Sometimes I am so anxious for the weekend to start I just want to go to class and get out as soon as I can. 

Sometimes I am crazy about the pens I use.  1 kind of  pen for 1 notebook.

Sometimes I am careless about my key placement.  

So don't do this:

And then get out and lock your car...

Cuz then you'll come back and see this:

(Sour Patch Kids...I walked into the gas station after a fill up and saw them and my mouth jumped with joy.  It was an actual need.)

And then you'll have to explain your careless ways to this man who has the tools to undo your mistakes:

And then you'll have to wait.  And watch.  And your mouth will water for your sour patch kids.

And then you'll see this.  And you'll feel hope!:

Woohoo!  He did it!  Security man at your school did it!

Let the weekend BEGIN!

Now what is the lesson here?  Always put your keys in your bag.  And never overlook a sour patch kid craving.  

It's too cold to do anything

It's way too cold to think of anything clever or worthwhile or interesting or fun to write about.  

I just need a fire and 5 layers and hot chocolate and a nap.  

I need to come up with some way to get me and all my friends, all my family, my school and my work to follow me to the golden state for some sunshine.  Forever.

I need this burberry coat.  Like bad.  (well I'll take anything Burberry).

Wedding Shenanigans...not mine.

Yesterday was all about this girl:

Isn't she cute?  Her wedding day is just over four months away and she is still without a dress, so Jocy (the bride), myself and two other friends braced the cold Chicago winds in search of the perfect dress last night.  Now I would post her best and most beautiful choices here, but I don't want to give anything away, so take me at my word when I say she was GORGEOUS.

Naturally.

We stopped at the sweetest little shop in Lincoln Park called Weddings826 and got the full treatment.  Lots of attention for Jocy, flutes of champagne, tiny little chocolates, and extra amounts of us gushing over her beauty in a white gown.  We had a truly lovely time being girly and felt absolutely no guilt while getting excited over sparkly things.  

Trying on dresses and critiquing each one was hard work and us ladies needed some grub.  So we wandered for about a block (January. Chicago.  Enough said) and ended the day in a cutie little pasta shop where we sank our teeth into goat cheese, tomato and pine nut smothered farfalle, and gorgonzola cream covered shells.  It was all quite delicious, but I nearly sent my plate of food back in exchange for a whole loaf of bread and a dinner sized plate full of olive oil, parm, and pepper.

Ladies, friends, you are lovely.  There are still two single ladies in this group and I am quite excited for our next wedding dress search.  Ya know, whenever that day comes.

This is good stuff

This is what I love.  This is more important to me than anything.  Read on under my "I believe" page!


Soon all of my pages will be filled with good things.  I just need a weekend without any traveling, major football games, parties, and just plain exhaustion!  Maybe tomorrow I will start.  Check back:)


But anyway, last night was so good.  I had a much needed girl's evening with my friend Jill.  We went out for Chinese and made our way back to her place for lots of chatting and some scrabble playing.  This was my fortune, "Your mind is filled with new ideas, explore them."  Don't mind if I do...

Shout out!

I gotta give a shout out to an amazing photographer that I worked with back in October.  He is a Miami photographer of many trades and I had the honor of shooting with him and another photographer (another shout out to come!).  It was really an amazing experience.  We filled an empty Chicago loft with hours of picture taking and somehow found a break to energize over pizza.  Pizza.  I'm not sure you're supposed to eat pizza while you're modeling, but I totally did.  And it was delicious and completely did the trick.  Carlos pushed me past my comfort zone and it paid off.  We captured some amazing stuff.  Here is just a tiny taste because we are both so happy with the results.

 

Go check out his site.

Thanks, Carlos!  See you in Miami soon!

A promise

I promise these are about to get really cool. Like art and fashion and crazy photos and more of my favorite things. But life is cool too, right?  Well, I think so:) But today...it's just not one of those days. 12 hours at the hospital and about 5 hours of studying left has left my creative brain on the side of the road and quite possibly my logical and learning side there too. Another day. Promise.

School.  Work.  Exhaustion.  Bed.  Covers.  Me.  

A lost cause.  I'm totally in for it.

...any any anyone?

Perhaps more bitter than sweet

Have you ever done something or said farewell to something that resulted in you thinking of anything and everything good in your life in the present and past?  Or am I just a girl who is slightly too emotional these days?  Either way, I said goodbye to Starbucks last night, and hello to new endeavors this morning.  The new is going to be very good, but it was slightly too bittersweet for me last evening.  Driving thirty minutes home from work listening to country left me in few tears (maybe a little more than a few) as I thought of all the good people and fun times I have had there.  Maybe it was the sad country songs, but whatever it was, I was surprisingly more emotional about it all than I had thought.  Of course I will be around the store seeing as I have a whole other year of nursing school to stay awake for and I don't think I'll be able to kick the addiction, but things will be different.  The kids there are crazy fun and I have made friends that I will miss spending so many hours with...even on days when I nearly pulled my hair out and customers made my head spin.

God has blessed me with so much and I am not nearly thankful enough.  Here is what I am thankful for today at this moment...

-  The warm fire that I am sitting next to.  The snow outside and the fact that I have to go out and shovel in a moment is a whole lot less annoying knowing I get to come back in and cozy up right here.
-  The new family I am nannying for.  The kids are adorable, the mom is already my friend and their fridge is always stocked with diet coke and berries that she has given me freedom to enjoy.
-  Mexican and margaritas with five of my favorite people tonight.  These people love me and are constantly pointing me to Christ.  And they are hysterical.
-  The cutest little sister on the planet.  My china gurl is the sweetest.
-  Jeffery Campbell shoes.  He makes my feet look amazing.
-  For the last 2 years and 7 months at Starbucks.  Thanks for all the laughs, the free coffee, and making sure to order my favorite Kind bars:)

I'm trying to take Dr. Seuss' advice..."Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."  

Does anyone have a tissue?

Ice cream you scream

It is freezing in this house!  That's why I decided to eat my ice cream by the fire. Yup.  The weekend called for a mint-chip indulgence.

Sophisticated Saturday

Thank goodness for the weekend.  I'm really in need of it right now seeing as my weeks just get busier and busier and my immune system gets weaker and weaker.  Fighting a fever and throbbing aches for 3 days was enough to make me want to sit around all day and watch movies and drink tea (of course with my books and notes in hand, blah).  But I did have to do one thing this morning.  I shot with a guy named John Troxel who is editor-in-chief of INK magazine.  It is a quarterly fashion magazine (but is going monthly as of March!) and it is beautiful.  Seriously, LOOK.  I was amazed the first time I flipped through one.  The INK Winter edition just came out a couple weeks ago and you should most definitely check it out.  Look, be inspired and enjoy the beautiful clothes and the even lovelier photography.  I may or may not be in it (if you find me, the photography was done by Christopher Wilocki...check out his blog HERE)

All the photos above and to the right are by Chris and this little photo is by John from some time ago.  Like before there was snow on the ground.  Do you remember when we considered 50 degrees cold? At least we get nice coats and boots to keep us warm and stylish.

 Photo by John Troxel

Coat by Spanish Moss

Happy Saturday!

Winter preparedness...or not

        When it rains, I never have an umbrella.  When it is hot, the only appealing thing in my closet is jeans and a blazer.  When it snows, boots feel stifling.  And today was no different.  When I woke up it was snowing, and eight and a half hours later it is still snowing!  And what did I choose to wear?  Sometimes I make bad decisions, but I always know how to remedy them!  Latte, please!

Obscure and Outstanding!

Wasn't it just Monday last week?  Yes, yes it was.  But here we are!  And with another list of my most obscure and outstanding things from the past few days.  It is good do some laughing (at least I am laughing) to start the week off.

Obscure:

--  Being slightly too competitive while playing Candyland...I want the Princess Frostine card!
--  "Pineapple tongue"...the way your tongue feels after you've eaten too much pineapple.  Like the way mine feels now.  Ouch. It's bruised.
--  As I drive around town, I always think of the streets that I would like to live on one day.  What's in a name?  A lot is in a name (lol).
--  I have been in nursing school for a while now and I think I got amnesia over Christmas break.  I keep forgetting I am in school and need to do things. Ah!
--  Bridal Plasty.  I...I don't even have words.  I'd say watch and you will understand, but don't.  It's these girls fighting for plastic surgeries for their wedding days, and when elimination comes the host says, "I'm sorry, 'girl who needs more self confidence,' your wedding will go on, but it won't be perfect."  WHAT?!?  Seeeeeriously.
--  Saying "be safe out there!"...I said it to a man this morning and it was incredibly awkward.  I don't know why.

(at work.  last monday)

Outstanding:

--  Lou Malnati's.  Chicago deep dish is by far the greatest, but last night I nearly had a love affair with it.
--  That this is my last week at Starbucks.  Bittersweet for sure.
--  Little kids clinging to you like monkeys.  Toes digging into your back and everything.  Little monkeys.
--  Greek yogurt.  It's like healthy ice cream!!!
--  Italics.  They do sooo much for me.
--  Bright red tomato nail polish.  It always is fitting.

I hope you are all having an outstanding Monday!  

On the open road

I realize this is a new blog and I am getting used to posting, but I really want to do better with this posting stuff.  Like everyday or twice a day...OK not twice a day, but at least the majority of days.   It's hard when you haven't been at a computer since Wednesday.  Anyway, thanks for checking in with me!

Yesterday I woke up, grabbed coffee, filled up my gas tank and hit the open road....to Madison, Wisconsin.  Nothing too exciting or epic, but it was fun.  I love driving and road trips and anything of the like.  Even when I am by myself driving solo, it is rejuvenating.  Putting on top 40 on the radio and dancing unashamedly, drinking coffee, eating beef jerky (a road trip staple of mine) and making way too many bathroom breaks just delights me.

Yesterday consisted of 5 hours, 4 bathroom breaks, 3 listen throughs of a new album, 2 diet cokes, and 1 lovely baby shower for a lovely friend.  Oh, and an amazing sunset to watch on my way home.

 

I can't wait to get on the road again...where shall I go?

p.s. After I dealt with the crabby lady at the BCBG store, I exchanged my dress for the same exact dress (risky!) and I decided to wear it again.  I went to Walgreens, got dolled up in the bathroom and went to the shower hole free (for now!).  OK...I am done with the dress....it will no longer be mentioned in future posts.

Trial and...

Today was the start of an exciting thing in my life...you see, I am in nursing school and have been for a bit of time now...see?

ta da!

...and today was my first day in OB!  I am completely enthralled.  And utterly amazed with the way that God brings us into this world and how perfectly intricate and beautiful he has created us.  Who else could have come up with this stuff?!  I love the way God does things just to impress us.  I am soooo impressed that I want to do it for a living.  

After I came home exhausted after a 12 hour day (how will I ever survive!) I whipped up a salad that tasted a little too healthy (I am working on it).  I enjoy cooking but am not much of a cook.  I do what I can and it usually tastes pretty good, but I would love to master the art...or at least master something in the kitchen...like chopping, sauces or cookies.  Probably cookies.  My sister is the chef in my family, so I will do the cookies.  And cakes.