sun, brunch, and ice cream

Posted on June 9, 2015 by tandem in love

i was hoping to see my friend andrea again, while she is on her maternity leave, and we were able to make it happen. i’m so glad we did because this lady {who is a traveling fool} was jetting out {again} and wasn’t going to be home for the rest of her leave!

olive and i started the day with her wellness check up. it’s so cute, just so cute. everything about her. i love her. she is the most precious thing on earth. my heart just melts looking at her. she gets so scared by strangers and clings to me…and i just melt over her cuteness. i love being her momma and i love protecting her.

she did just fine this time…every visit gets better and better as she becomes more aware, wiser, and knowledgeable. she got the thumbs up from her wonderful doctor and we went on our merry way to andrea’s house.

[my sweet baby girl]

[my heart melts for her]

it was such a beautiful, perfect day. i was super excited to hang out with andrea and annabelle. after we arrived at andrea’s, we set out to walk the neighborhood and find a place to eat. i love wicker park…it’s such an eclectic, artsy area.

we decided to eat at milk and honey on division. we nabbed a seat outside and enjoyed our delicious meal. the avocado and smoked gouda sandwich was ah-maze. after we finished eating, olive wanted to be out of her highchair, so i let her roam around the table. she is always so good about staying close, it amazes me that she does that {so far…}.

after brunch, we did some more walking. we headed towards the actual wicker park to hang out. as we cruised there on this beautiful sunny day, i soaked in all the city goodness. i love the craziness, the people, the scenery, the energy of it.

[olive checking out miss annabelle]

[the beautiful baby girl]

[mmmmm….juice]

[such a sassy lady, ootd: shirt by shop childish, shoes by target]

[no selfie shtick]

[this avocado and smoke gouda sandwich was deeeeeeelicious]

[her interest in annabelle peaked and waned]

when we arrived at the park, we found a spot where i could nurse olive. i figured she would be so distracted that she wouldn’t nurse that long and i was right. she ate for a bit but then she wanted to explore her unfamiliar surroundings.

as we walked towards the playground, olive was tagging behind us {and the park was not crowded}. she was, maybe, 15-20 feet away from me {with my eyes on her the entire time, constantly calling for her} when this women on a bench yelled out “she’s too far away from you!”. ummmmm, ‘scuse me?!!! i proceeded to yell back at the women. she said it again and i said, “too far away?! too far away for you. i’m her mom and you have no right to tell me what to do or how to watch my child! how ’bout you MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS?!!!!”. well, i was seeing red and i’m sure what i said came out something like that! as i retorted to this nosey women, another passerby chuckled at our exchange of words. by that time, olive was standing by my side and we moseyed along to the park without a flinch. hahahaha.

[she looooooves the swing]

[and the slide]

[and the tunnel]

[and the stairs]

as we were leaving the park, andrea suggested that we stop for ice cream. yay! hooray for ice cream! duh…i can never say no to ice cream! they had just opened up a jeni’s on milwaukee, so it was the perfect pit stop. olive was too stinkin’ cute drinking her root beer float. i ordered myself some sorbets and we were happy campers noshing on our afternoon treats.

[at jeni’s splendid ice creams]

[intense root beer float drinking]

after delicious brunch, a play in the park, and a sweet stop for ice cream, i’d say it was the most perfect, sunny afternoon! i had such a great time with andrea and annabelle. it was so gorgeous out {great weather is the best!} and we had the most wonderful time walking around. we love you andrea and annabelle! muwah!

xoxo

memorial day fun

Posted on June 1, 2015 by tandem in love

i am, obvs, a bit behind on my blog posts and a bit out of order…oh well! life can get so busy, hectic, and time is so darn precious! but nevertheless, it’s always better late than never!

so, we were double booked on this beautiful, glorious day. we could’t have asked for better weather…it was sunshiny, warm, and the most perfect temperature. hc was chomping at the bit to drive the jeep. how could i say no? everything was in alignment to do so.
we were headed to marina and corey’s house for their going away party. yes, sad but true, they’re moving to boston. i’m so excited for their new adventure but super bummed they won’t be around town anymore.

we were the first guests to arrive. we wanted to get there as soon as we could because we had plans with hc’s parents as well! as soon as we pulled up, the boys were in awe over hc’s jeep! i told them that they could jump inside and they were all so excited!

we walked up and said our hello’s to marina, corey, and her parents – muma and poopie. i love them. i’ve known marina since 7/8th grade and pretty much have known her parents since then too. they are such good, sweet people. i could hang out with them all day!

[i love how i caught hc in the reflection of my sunglasses!]

[ready to party!]

[the kids were soooo excited to see hc’s jeep pulled up…they all jumped inside!]

[such a cute picture with tilly, that is dana in the background…she was so sweet with olive]

[me with the mrs. that is moving away…wahhhhh]

[i love these two…they are the sweetest]

slowly but surely, more guests started to arrive. we mingled, nibbled on random apps, and imbibed refreshing beverages. i couldn’t wait to meet miss amelie! i had not had the chance to meet the little beauty. oh, she’s sooooo sweet. such a little princess, just beautiful! of course i only had her in my arms for just a few minutes…miss olive found me and started to throw a little fit. she does not like babies in my arms! boo…i only had a few minutes with the babe but it definitely was wonderful for the few short moments!

[me and the beautiful amelie…she’s soooo precious]

[rich loving ben]

[the two cutest peeps]

after a few hours of hanging out, we had to go. we were super bummed…let me tell ya, we could have hung out there for the whole day. it was so great seeing everyone {love them all!} but alas, we had to get to our next engagement!

***

we cruised back home, switched out our cars, and jetted on up north to hc’s parent’s house {right off the river} to continue our memorial weekend fun. when we arrived, his parent’s were out on the boat so we put olive in the swing and she was a happy camper. that girl just loves the swing!

as soon as they came back, aunt wendy started grilling. we all hung out on the patio while the food was being cooked. olive was definitely having a fabulous time {she was super giddy to see her sister grace!}, she was at gramma and papa’s house, they love to spoil her by letting her do whatever she wants and feeding her lots of sugar!

[olive loving the swing]

[red white and blue]

[the fox river]

[pretzel sticks and yoohoo…so healthy!]

[missy, aunt wendy, and hc]

after we ate and had our desserts, we all just kind of chilled. olive was a hot mess. she was sweaty, sticky, and dirty…yuck! we gave her a quick bath there before we went home. baby girl was not going home like that!

it was such a fantastic day with everyone. we had the best time hanging out with our friends earlier and had so much fun hanging out with the fam later on in the evening. it was a perfect day…weather, people, and fun all rolled into one lovely time.

xoxo

well needed brunch time

Posted on May 30, 2015 by tandem in love

it was a cloudy morning with scattered showers. but the forecast was promising after 10am until mid afternoon {before the rain was suppose to hit again}. we were looking forward to hosting a brunch for our friends aaron and olivia.

i was hoping that we would go into the city to meet up with them but after a rigorous week of traveling every day with miss olive, i just didn’t have the energy to haul her around in the car anymore. we were on the road every.single.day that week and i didn’t want to put her in the car, what would have been the 8th day in a row. i was super thankful aaron and olivia didn’t mind coming on out to us! for sure, the next outing together will be on their turf!

as they arrived, we were ready with brunch! hc whipped up waffles with fresh fruit, maple syrup, crispy bacon, and seasoned potatoes. deeeeelish! we sat down for our feast and had a jolly ol’ time catching up. i love these two…i loved seeing their relationship grow over the years and it continues to grow. where they are now and where they were years ago is so different. we love hanging out with them…aaron and hc get along so well {total bromance} and obvs olivia is my girl!

[brunch and old fashioned’s]

[intense bacon eating]

[smorgasbord of food // fruit, potatoes, bacon, and waffles]

after brunch, we just hung out. it was great. the boys did their thing, we did our thing, and then sometimes we hung out together. i love that it’s so casual and relaxing when we are together. olive went down for a early afternoon nap so olivia and i were able to have some one on one time.

[olivia and moi]

[that’s aaron’s rad jeep in the background]

[warming up to olivia…again.]

hours just flew by! olive woke up from her nap and it took playing some videos for her to warm back up to olivia! next thing we knew, it was almost mid afternoon and olivia and aaron had to jet {they were hosting some peeps at their place that evening!}.

it was a total blast having them over {always}. we love them and can’t wait until our next couples date in the city!

xoxo

bang bang

Posted on May 29, 2015 by tandem in love

it had been awhile since karen and i had met up for brunch. i love this girl. she’s someone who has been in and out of my life for quite some time and when it’s been on the out, it’s always on the in when we see each other. ya know what i mean?!

it was a very chilly morning that turned into a beautiful morning within two hours! it’s amazing that it can go from super cold to warm and sunshiny within minutes…that’s chicago for you.

i asked kar if there was place she was interested in eating at. i typically lead in this department but i am always, always open for suggestions. kar actually suggested bang bang pie. i was sold. well, first off, with a name like bang bang pie – that was a winner in it’s self but i have never been to this restaurant and i absolutely love trying new places! fer shizzle.

so, here we were. kar and i pretty much arrived at the same time and walked in together. it’s an order then sit kind of place, so we ordered. then we sat. well, let me tell ya about the ordering process first.

the women behind the counter was unpleasant. she wasn’t mean, she wasn’t nice, she seemed to not care. she didn’t care if you cared or not. she didn’t care if you liked her menu or not. she didn’t care if she came off boorish. she didn’t care to be a customer servicey kind of gal. on that note, i asked if they had fruit. she said no. i said, “you have no fruit?” {obvs i wanted fruit for olive}. she said no. okaaaayyyyy. um, you make fruit pies and you don’t have fruit. yeah, sure. then i asked what kind of juice they had…she proceeded to point to the little fridge on top of their counter and said whatever she had in there. i said, “i’ll have an orange juice.” she then said, “you can grab it yourself”. wow…would it really break your arm if you reached three inches over and grabbed it for me since it was three feet away from me. thanks beotch. then i asked if they had decaf coffee {hello…i’m still nursing olive but honestly, after this long of a period of not having regular coffee…i just don’t need it}, she looked at me like i was the devil trying to steal her soul. i’m sorry miss hipster bitch, did i just say something blasphemous?!! the audacity of me to ask if they had decaf! ok, i’m done with my rant. end of that story.

[love the little wooden sign in the front]

[the delicious menu]

anyhoozle, kar and i walked outside where they had glorious amounts of seating and found a cozy nook for the three of us. it was so dang gorgeous out. the sun was shining and the temperature was absolutely perfect. we sat outside and soaked in the sun. it was awesome catching up with karen. she soooo loves olive. it was such a relaxing morning/afternoon just chilling outside, sharing fun stories, and watching miss olive run around being a happy little girl. she loved playing around in the dirt, she loved the little adirondack chair they had there, she loved running around and being free to roam the area while karen and i sat on the bench and talked.

[my savory sausage and biscuit with a side of hash]

[olive getting cozy in her high chair]

[olive loving the mini adirondack chair]

[selfies in the sun]

[these two are tooooo cute!]

[perfect duo]

[checking out the scenery]

[such a cute little place]

after a few hours of hanging out {yes…thank goodness it wasn’t so busy and we had the luxury to just lounge around casually at the restaurant}, we decided to part ways. of course i didn’t leave without bringing home some pie! banana cream for moi and chocolate pecan for the hubs.

i truly had a great time hanging out with karen and i know she had a fabulous time seeing miss olive!

xoxo

newly engaged

Posted on May 28, 2015 by tandem in love

dana and i had planned on getting together on this day but the fact that she just got engaged was an even better reason for us to meet up! i was soooo excited when she gave me call on a saturday afternoon and dropped the best news i’ve heard in awhile!

the other great part about this day was that hc was off of work and was able to go with us gals to meet dana for brunch. we met up at our usual spot, southport grocery and as soon as i walked in, i hugged the gal and ogled the ring. it’s beautiful!

we immediately got down to business. it was mainly wedding talk, peppered in with some random subjects but everything eventually led back to more wedding talk. dana had been engaged for, oh, maybe 5 days and she already had her guest list down, looked at two venues, had a wedding dress appointment, and asked her friends to be her bridesmaids! whoa! i must attribute that most of what was already accomplished was courtesy of her mom. ha! my head was spinning from all that she had already done…you go girl!

well, we gave her the engagement gift i had whipped up. she was super excited over everything…i must say, it’s was a fun little basket! as she perused over the items inside the basket, i was probably just as giddy!

we ordered our food, olive became a bit more comfortable with her surroundings, and finally let go of me to explore. she is always so cautious and clingy in new places or unfamiliar faces. it takes her a solid thirty minutes or so to relax and loosen up when she is in a new environment. she finally wanted to color, sit by her daddy, and walk around on her own. phew.

[with the newly engaged lady]

[showing off the basket and the bling]

[i looooove this pic of us]

[opening up her awesome gift…if i do say so myself]

[coloring time]

[my favorite: the southern]

[bling, bling she got the ring and a pretty manicure!]

after brunch, we headed on home. it was pretty awesome to have met up with miss dana and to have heard all the details of the engagement. we are soooo excited for her and scott and can’t wait for all the fun festivities to begin!

xoxo

br is for brooklyn

Posted on May 26, 2015 by tandem in love

well, it’s really the first two letters that spell out the name brooklyn. seriously, we can’t wait to meet the little babe! well, we have some time before that happens so in the meantime, we love visiting kim and brady!

we finally arrived at their house and we walked in to mr. brady bear sleeping! he was so tired. poor little dude. but that was alright, we got right down to business and just hung out while the cutie slept on the couch.

i was so excited to see kim! she was 29 weeks preggo with her baby girl. how sweet and fun! we caught up with what was new and different in our lives, i totally miss this girl. we always have the best time hanging out and we always have so much to say and catch up on.

a little bit into us hanging out, mr. brady awoke! yay! olive and brady were so cautious of each other at first. it was too cute to see. they were curious and intrigued but yet, didn’t trust one another quite yet. olive definitely wanted to share all of brady’s toys with him. it was sooo cute to see olive hand over brady’s stuff to him, as if it was so novel and new. brady gladly accepted but he was still warming up to olive.

there were some cute moments of them together and there were so rough moments of them together. kids will definitely be kids. i was glad that they were able to spend a little bit of time playing together.

[brady bear fast asleep]

[olive and kim]

[olive giving brady his toy remote]

[i die over this pic…toooooo sweet!]

[me and my babes]

after an hour or so, we ordered in lunch and kim opened up her little gift i brought for miss brooklyn. i figured that miss b would be 3-6 months old and it would be winter…i needed to buy her something she could wear. everything right now is super light and summery…natch, but i needed something heavier for her to use later on. i found the cutest sweatshirt made by peek! it had the cutest saying on the front, “summer please” with a rainbow colored heart on the sleeve. on the back, it says “take me to the beach”, i thought this would be just right in the dead of winter. i added in a set of fruit socks by tucker and tate, a handmade unicorn bracelet, and sunglasses. little brooklyn will be all set!

[i must admit…i love the gift i gave kim’s little girl! peek sweatshirt, tucker + tate socks, sunglasses, and a little unicorn beaded bracelet from shoplovejune]

[hi bruster…]

[mmmmm lunch]

[i loooove this pic. as i snapped it, both babes looked up at us!]

after lunch, we hung out a bit longer but then it came time for us to leave. i was a bit bummed. i had to get back because i had an appointment with my mom, if i didn’t have that, i know we would have stayed a few more hours! we love just hanging out with them and soon there will be a new addition too! yay!

xoxo

hey matt

Posted on May 25, 2015 by tandem in love

matt and i run into each other once in awhile but it had been a month or two since we had gotten together for a brunch. so, we finally hashed out our schedules and decided to meet up at cafe salmerie in lincoln square…i’ve never been there before and it was super yummy!

we were cruising along the street in the cute little neighborhood of lincoln square. it’s a quaint, unique area tucked way up north of chicago. as we strolled down the street, i was delighted by all the cute shops around. of all the years i have lived in chicago, i never frequented this area. i think i have been up there once or twice ever. so, it was refreshing to visit this area again…or it felt like for the first time since it had beens so long since my last visit!

we walked right into a pastry counter so i knew this place was going to be great! i met up with matt at a corner table and we got down and dirty with our conversations. we laughed, we gasped, we were in awe over our life’s happenings.

we had ordered our food {which took a very long time to get}, i had selected their bacon and boursin sandwich, which was sooooo good! olive had buttered pasta and fruit and plenty of libations to fill her cute little belly.

[my kind of place…first thing you walk into is a pastry case!]

[we had just gotten to the restaurant and she was soooo clingy! p.s. don’t mind the crazy hair…since the pregnancy, i can’t tell my bangs from the baby hair that has been growing in!]

[glug, glug, glug]

[this bacon and boursin sandwich was sooo delish!]

[dearest matt]

[her thing of late…sitting on the floor of the restaurant]

after spending quite a bit of time inside the restaurant, we finally paid our bill {of course i picked up some pastries on the way out} and walked the street to do a little shopping. we stopped at starbucks {natch…that’s a no brainer with me and matt!} and got ourselves some coffee. i am loving the fact that starbucks came out with a mini version of the frappuccino cup. sooooo stinkin’ cute for miss olive! she had her first starbucks drink that day! a mini vanilla bean frappe!

[shopping around in lincoln square]

[olive’s first starbucks drink! i love their mini frap cup!!! so cute!]

[merz’s apothecary]

after perusing a few mores stores around the street {it’s such a perfect area for holiday shopping, so many gift ideas!}, we parted ways. miss olive needed her nap!

it was fantastic seeing matt. i love him! he’s such a great guy and a wonderful friend. until next time!

xoxo

flashback friday

Posted on May 8, 2015 by tandem in love

today takes us back to 2013.

i am about 7 months preggo in this pic. ahhhh, i just remember being big, tired, and that belly being h e a v y. and i was only seven months pregnant! ha! that 3rd trimester was just starting! little did i know how heavy that belly was really going to get!

here we are at d.o.c wine bar, just having a girl’s night out. i definitely don’t get to see these girls enough and now it will be even less because miss marina is moving away! yes, she and the fam are heading to boston {jelly…i hear boston is fabulous!}. i think it’s pretty awesome that they are making such a huge transition, but of course these situations are always bittersweet. it’ll just be another fantastic reason to visit beautiful boston {we have never been, soooo….}!

i love these ladies! can you believe we have known each other for such a long time?! miss carol is our connection but i love that we have remained in touch since carol moved to seattle. every so often, we will get together {dinners, parties, pregnancies} and catch up on life’s happenings. i’m sad that this will no longer happen so easily! oh life, the loops and curve balls you always throw at us will always keep us on our toes!

anyhoo, i hope you create some great memories with some dear friends this weekend. life is too short to not love the little things. life is too short to not revel in the simple, loving moments. life is too short to not tell someone that you love them.

simple phrases that are sometimes forgotten and sometimes hard to always follow. i hope that i succeed in living out the above phrases and i hope you do too! happy friday y’all!

xoxo

new bebe

Posted on May 4, 2015 by tandem in love

my friend andrea just had her baby girl, annabelle grace! we couldn’t wait to meet her! we had texted back and forth and finally agreed on a good time to meet {i was so excited to meet the precious bundle}. hc got off of work early that day and we made the trip on over to their place in chicago.

we walked in and there she was…so itty bitty on her play mat, on the floor. she was soooooo tiny. you totally forget how small newborns are! well, at least i did. she was so precious and small, so amazingly delicate! i was in love.

olive was interested but not as interested as i thought she would be. wherever we go, she always points out babies and seems to get excited about it. when she laid her eyes on annabelle, she was curious but still very cautious.

[annabelle grace]

[so precious!]

[semi-interested in the baby]

andrea’s mom has been staying over and she was making dinner for us all. i was so excited and grateful! we totally had plans on bringing dinner over for the new parents but andrea told me that her mom was cooking bi bim bop and i couldn’t have been more delighted! i love korean food. it’s sooooooo delicious. next to my mom’s cooking, andrea’s mom is a winner!

besides that, i love her mom. she is such a sweet lady. i love talking with her and she is so loving towards little miss olive. such a wonderful, lovely woman. i love hanging out with her!

[eating bi bim bop…seriously, mad good]

[this picture does this dish no justice…total tastebud explosion]

[i couldn’t get enough of this little one]

after dinner, we hung out, relaxed, and conversed about life’s plans. i had andrea open up a little gift for miss annabelle {clothes, naturally!} and i finally washed up my hands and asked to hold the little bebe. oh, she was so light, small, and adorable. i totally had forgotten how tiny, tiny and almost weightless newborns are. she is so precious and sweet.

as i stood there holding little miss annabelle, olive was not happy. she did not like it one bit. she started to freak out. first she was whimpering and tugging at me but then she had a full on freak out. she started screaming and crying and was just not having it with me and another baby in my arms! i tried to calm her down by picking her up {it worked!} but i can only hold a 1 1/2 year old and a newborn for so long!

it was too cute when ollie jumped off his chair and ran over to help me. he was so worried that i would drop his baby sister. the whole situation was nutty, funny, and bananas with olive having a fit. haha!

[little gifts for baby girl!]

[olive entertaining herself with annabelle’s play mat]

[holding his baby sister]

[this was seconds before olive’s meltdown. she was.not.happy. that i was holding another baby girl besides her. not happy]

[olive was ok with me holding her and the baby…she was having a fit. as you can see, ollie was worried i would drop his baby sister. don’t worry ollie, i was a pro]

[the fab couple]

soon after olive had her freak out moment, it was all downhill from there! olive was just not happy and her mood had totally changed. we stayed just a little bit longer but decided to say our goodbyes and head on home. i was super happy to have had a chance to hold their precious little baby girl. it was a perfect evening with a perfect little babe.

xoxo

a quick soirée

Posted on April 28, 2015 by tandem in love

my friend jaime invited me to a cocktail party in celebration of her new venture. i was totally in debate on whether i could or should go. honestly, i always have such mother’s guilt and i had a hard time motivating myself to get out and just enjoy a little girl time with the ladies! as usual, i talked myself into it. i really do hate missing out on any events or outings. it’s so my thing to try to make it to everything!

it makes me think back to that one time i didn’t, i couldn’t make it out for a friend’s birthday because i was {i think} 36 weeks pregnant?? and tired, exhausted, and just beat from running around all day. i was more upset that i was missing out on his birthday celebration than my well being! hc forced me to stay home to rest…thank goodness for a husband that can talk some sense into me. yes, i’m nutso.

anyhoo, i arrived at jaime’s dad’s house right on time and i thought i was going to be super early! i walked in and was greeted right away by jaime and started mingling with her other guests. i met some of her friends in the same business and chitchatted with the lovely ladies for quite a bit.

i made my rounds around the group of women and was able to connect with a few folks i already knew. amber and megan arrived a little bit after me and i was able to catch up with these lovely ladies! i also had a chance to catch up with jaime’s sister in law, lauren…she’s such a sweetie!

there were drinks and apps for everyone {of course i took advantage of that! i nibbled on some tasty morsels and sipped some red wine} and after a little bit of noshing, we all gathered around in the living room for the presentation.

[me, jaime, meg, and amber]

[some yummy apps and desserts]

[lauren, j, meg, and amber]

[hanging out before the intro]

[party eats]

there were four speakers, including jaime, and each one talked about their journey and how they discovered rodan + fields. of course all their stories were inspirational and unique. i enjoyed listening to it all. after they explained their products and personal testimony around the skincare lines, the presentation was over and we were able to talk to the ladies around our personal skincare needs.

[speaking about rodan + fields]

it was already late and i had to jet. i felt bad leaving but i needed to get home to miss olive to nurse her and put her down for the night! i’m excited to try some of the products and can’t wait to reconnect with jaime so i can purchase some goodies.

thanks for having me j, it was fun!

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Tag Archives: friends

sun, brunch, and ice cream

memorial day fun

well needed brunch time

bang bang

newly engaged

br is for brooklyn

hey matt

flashback friday

new bebe

a quick soirée