we were committed to go out for johann’s birthday on a saturday night but being 39 weeks pregnant and working 5 days straight, i was beat. seriously dunzo. my feet ached so bad and i was having major cramps, amongst other ailments. so, unlike me {i am not known to cancel plans}, we cancelled out on his birthday party 🙁
i was super bummed and really wanted to get together with them to celebrate his birthday {i might have missed out on saturday night but i was going to celebrate his birthday gosh darn it!}. so we were able to work it out and get together on a tuesday night, after the weekend! yay!
we decided on folklore {a yummy argentinian restaurant right by us}. it’s so good! they kindly picked us up from our abode {although i was ready to walk to the place, it’s only a few blocks from us} and dropped my preggo butt off at the restaurant {muchas gracias}.
during dinner, we exchanged gifts. i had johann’s birthday gift but they had gotten little baby olive a gift too! so thoughtful! it was so sweet of them and very kind!
[dinner by candlelight]
[love this restaurant!]
[the adorable couple]
[the hubs and me]
[opening his birthday gift]
[loving his gift!]
[so…we didn’t expect a gift in exchange!]
[love the pretty card]
[jonathan adler nightlight // how sweet and thoughtful!!! so perfect for the baby’s room!!!]
[happy birthday johann!!]
we absolutely love the jonathan adler night light {huge fan of his products}!!! it’s perfectly matched with the decor and definitely useful! i love things that are pretty and functional! thank you matt and johann.
after imbibing and noshing on some delicious eats {along with non-stop fun convos – i love matt’s interpretations of everything…especially his most recent trip to taiwan}, we were done and merrily we went home!
it was long overdue, an outing with dear dana. i am happy to get in some dana time right before the baby comes and right before the holiday craziness begins for her!
we quickly set a date to meet up and we did our usual routine. i was on my merry way to pick her up when my baby brain kicked into full gear. i drove right past her place. listening intently to the music in my car, relaxed, and ready to eat some yummy food, i just plain passed up her place! it was only until i drove up to a familiar street that i knew i was way past the street she lives on! ha! i called her and laughed about my story, as i was turning back around to pick her up.
off to southport grocery we went. i ordered the southern {house made sausage, red onion & PQM’s pimento cheese, and a jam-filled buttermilk biscuit} and dana ordered the hash {shredded potatoes, red onion, mushroom, peppers, white cheddar topped with scrambled eggs & chive-sour cream}…so delish and filling! we just absolutely love that place! after brunch, we walked to anthro – we always must make a pit stop there! we oohed and awed over the glittery holiday dresses in their store. we then stopped by cvs for some essentials and then trekked our way to jenis for some delicious ice cream. we sat there for a bit, deep in conversation. it was so calm and relaxing. i love hanging out with her! she is such a good friend. we can talk about anything and that is very comforting. just a really great, fun day with a silly friend.
i was beyond excited for this shower at doc wine bar! it was our last one and i was going to see a lot of peeps that are special to me.
it was definitely a group effort to pull this one off. the main masters were carol, dana, and andrea. carol absolutely outdid herself! she coordinated all the decor and concocted the entire theme all the way from seattle! she, unfortunately, could not make the shower due to an amazing trip to london, she had long planned, during the same time frame!
i loved where it was held. i only had dinner there once {with pam and marina] and never once looked at the private event space. i only went off of what pam said that night we were at dinner, that it was a lovely space and they were very accommodating and reasonable.
i walked up to the restaurant and walked straight inside to the private room {so easy to find! it’s right by the front entrance}. i was greeted by friendly faces {the delightful dana was right there to say hello!} and by the cutest welcome table! so freakin’ adorbs.
how cute is this?! the bunting was handmade by carol. she also purchased the mad about madeline collection book by ludwig bemelmans, added additional pages in the back for guests to write a lovely note to the baby! how thoughtful! when little heintz grows up, she can see who attended her baby shower and read all their little notes!
the welcome table had a cute little saying, by carol herself. i love the creature figurine and the adorable alphabet print {i come to find out carol stole it from my pinterest board, sneaky!}!
table centerpieces by crafty carol! a deer terrarium, twine wrapped mason jars, and perty flowers handpicked by dana and andrea! so perfect!
[love ann // jodi’s mom // she is the sweetest lady! and jodi – she’s not so bad herself!]
my lovely peeps // left to right clockwise // leslie, dawn, karen, ann, jodi, kristen, and colleen! chit chatting and enjoying their cocktails…i wish i could swig a mimosa!
i loved this…animal cookie cutters as favors! there were snails, moose, porcupines, squirrels, deers, etc.! and not one favor left behind after the party!
family! from left to right clockwise // lan, kim, thuy, mom, jane, grace, lynne, and barbara // we are just missing linh in this photo! but she was there, just dodging all the photos!
hostesses with the mostess – dana and andrea!!!!! somehow we all coordinated our outfits! but it was a given that dana and i would…we always end up in color coordinated clothes. we have a long history of showing up and looking like we planned our outfits together!
my favorite little figurine!
[famille]
from left to right clockwise // jaime, carol z, elva, laurie, marina, pam, and hc // he came later on, just in time for gifts!
[the goodies for baby h]
this was some of the yummy, yummy food! a variety of flatbreads to devour, fresh sweet fruit, amazing applewood bacon potato cakes, a savory wrightwood salad, hearty roasted chicken paninis, and delicious desserts!!
the delicious cake! topper made by carol…a perfect match to the decorative bunting within the room!
how adorable are these? thank you to marina and pam for concocting these fabulous mushroom cupcakes for the shower!
the desserts were served and we were ready to open gifts! notice the cute bunting in the background and the lovely fireplace! it was so cozy!
as you can see, i’m having a great time opening all these lovely gifts. we received our boons bathtub from lan, bookends from dawn, a beautiful hand crocheted blanket from kristin, and the lamb rocker from tanya!
colleen, as part of her gift, made us a cubs build a bear! as you can see, hc loved it so! we received, from jane, the baby’s first christmas ornament and an adorable purple knit cap with chicest feather fascinator! everyone loved it!
grace made baby h a blankie, jane made baby h a pretty quilt {i know, bad photo…the only one i had!}, andrea gave us a fashionable onsie, and dana, as part of her gift, gave us a starbucks sippy cup! she envisioned me holding the baby with the sippy cup and a real starbucks in my other hand. how accurate and true. 🙂
dana knows me so well! she also gave us le petit prince book! i soooo wanted this book for baby h! it’s a beautiful pop up book to further enhance the beautiful story. i loved, loved the cute little outfits kim and thuy gave us…the cat themed outfits are so fun! last but not least…love the jacket ann and jodi gave us {amongst other thoughtful, useful, and cute gifts inside their packed gift basket!}.
i wish i could show all the gifts everyone gave! everyone was so thoughtful, generous, and kind with every item they gave to baby h!
apologies for the blurry photo but i had to get a one of jaime in! i’m so glad she was able to make it.
[love these gals! jaime, marina, and pam]
[the moms]
[waiting for our new addition]
thank you so much to carol for executing such a perfect shower! i am so grateful for everything that you did to help pull this shower together for baby h and how perfectly ‘me’ it was! i loved the theme…so cute! a big thank you to dana and andrea for pulling all the strings from seattle to chicago to make this shower happen! it was a beautiful celebration for our baby and we are so appreciative for the amazing friends and family that we have!
it was long overdue for a night out with my fellow friends. it can be especially hard trying to coordinate mine and pam’s schedule to find a time to hang out! well, miraculously it worked out so easy this time! yay!
we were able to quickly set up a date and time to get together for dinner. uncle julio’s it was on a thursday night. i had a doctor’s appointment earlier in the day, which was draining, so i was a bit lackadaisical in getting out the door. i was the last to arrive {marina said she would be late but she beat me!} and found them sitting in the corner of the restaurant.
i settled in and apologized for my tardiness! we went straight into chit chatting. pam and jaime bombed me with some seriously awesome news {sorry folks, i don’t mean to tease but it’s not my biznazz to share}!!!! i almost flipped out and cried {blame my hormones, i’ve been so teary eyed these past 9 months}. that really set the tone for the evening and the conversations were beyond fantastic the rest of the night!
the downside about uncle julio’s?? the endless amounts of chips and salsa {so stinkin’ delish!}. i definitely ate too much! we ordered so much food! we had them bring more chips and dip. we ordered blended drinks. we ordered a large plate of guacamole. we ordered a big plate of chile con queso. by the time our meals came, i could hardly down anything. i had to do the lean back pregnant pose. well, i got it wrapped up and it was my lunch the next day, score!
[heeyyy, it’s the ladies // marinam pam, and jaime //…don’t mind my bloated look, i’m just pregnant 😉 hehe]
we talked and talked and talked. so much to discuss! it was an absolute delight to be able to catch up with them. much love to these dear friends! they are such good ladies!
i met up with ande, matt, and johann on a cool, weekday evening. it started out so easy until my goose chase for a restaurant ensued! i drove my way to lincoln park and easily found a parking spot by our restaurant of choice, sai cafe. as i walked towards the restaurant, i noticed that the windows were all papered up like it was closed {in the end, it wasn’t closed, their sign is oddly located above a space that is closed, if you walk a little more down the block, you can see the restaurant and the entrance!}! i thought, omg…ande had recommended this place, did she not realized it had closed down? so, i text everyone to let them know that we needed to find another place to eat at. we then decided to stick with the sushi theme, they suggested kamehachi in old town.
so, i drove my way there. found another fab parking spot and started walking my way towards the restaurant. as i approached the space, oh em gee! it was closed down…wtf? i text them that the other restaurant of choice had closed down. oy, and i was tired! this pregger, hungry lady was tired of getting back fired upon! i just wanted to sit down and eat! well, i looked more closely at the window and saw that they had a sign up that the restaurant had relocated! phew!!! so, there i go again, i backtracked the way i came.
[waiting]
i was seated by the hostess and waited patiently for my party to arrive! i ordered a mocktail of a tasty lychee beverage, yum! it was so delicious! i love lychee!
[johann]
first, ande arrived, then matt and johann and the fun began! i love hanging out with them, it’s always so entertaining, lively, and hilarious! they are such good people and such good, sweet friends. the world is a better place because of people like them.
[ande and matt]
[some delicious desserts]
we demolished some yummy food {udon noodles for moi}, got caught up in our daily lives, and did a lot of baby talk. they are so excited for baby h! as usual, we practically closed down the place. we can talk and talk and talk; we always lose track of time when we are all together.
it was time to say our goodbyes and we all scurried on our merry ways. it was so great to be able to catch up with them and spend some quality time together! it was a happy date night with some good buddies!
it was that time of year to get our eyes checked. i’ve been going to custom eyes since it has opened…10 years ago! located in the heart of wrigleyville, on southport avenue. i use to live down the street from them for five years, after getting my eyes checked by them year after year, i couldn’t find another place! they are so accommodating, honest, professional, nice, and sincere. they house an amazing showcase of eyewear and sunglasses that are unique, fashionable, and chic.
so, we trekked our way to the old ‘hood. it was a beautiful day out. after our appointments, we chit chatted a bit with the receptionists and order our contacts. one of the girls at the desk mentioned the new ice cream store down the street. i had walked by it a few weeks ago but didn’t get a chance to stop in. she told us that there was a really long line at the shop! i thought “really?!”…of course now i was intrigued.
we walked out and decided to shop around. we hit a few stores nearby and i had decided that i needed to try the ice cream shop as well!!! so, we walked down the street…there was a line but not as obnoxious as before. we waited patiently, as we were given the glorious time to debate on the flavors, accruements, and accents of choice!
i settled on the pistachio and honey with the buckeye, accented with the house made whipped cream and salty graham! it was so good! a perfect combo of sweet and salty! definitely worth the wait! we gleefully got our ice cream and sat outside, on this gorgeous day, and devoured our little treats!
so worth the wait and we will for sure be back! it was so decadent and divine! a must eat!
little reagan is growing up!! i can’t believe he’s six, already! i’m such a proud auntie, he is such a smart little man! he’s always so entertaining & funny!
i headed to rainforest cafe right after work. there was a little bit of traffic but not so bad. hc was already there and i got there right after him. we had a drink and a snack at stir crazy before we met everyone at rainforest. we figured no one would be on time {hey, it’s a doan outing…we never seem to gather together on time ever :)}.
kim and famille arrived early, so we skedaddled on over to the restaurant. i got cute little hugs from the nephews. kids just love places like the rainforest…it’s so entertaining for them! we browsed around the retail shop for a bit and then we were called to be seated. we sat ourselves down and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. we ordered drinks and apps and perused the menu to figure out what we were going to feed our empty bellies.
[froggie fun]
[aren’t they adorbs?]
[food and fun]
slowly but surely, everyone found their way to the table and greeted reagan with lots of happy birthday wishes! the conversation flowed and the food came readily. it was a very enjoyable time with everyone! reagan was really looking forward to the volcano dessert! there were plenty of birthdays being celebrated there that night, so we saw many, many volcano desserts go by!
[goodies]
[reagan’s most favorite gift!]
after dinner, r opened up his presents! he got a lot of goodies from everyone…i think his most favorite gift of all was from aunt thuy! a very large power ranger!
[i love b’s face in the background]
well, reagan received double the volcano dessert! we sang happy birthday and dug in. it was super yummy, decadent, and delicious. after demolishing a lot of food, we were stuffed and ready to go home. it was a very happy birthday for r!
thanks kim and terry for hosting! happy birthday reagan…we love you lots!!!!
i had a lunch date with a cute boy! his name is brady and he was so adorable!
i was excited to have plans with kim! she went out earlier than expected {pregnancy can be so unpredictable!}, so i was totally missing her! we talked practically everyday and so it’s been different not having her around all the time! although, on the flip side, she is totally enjoying being a mommy! i’m so happy for her & mikey…little brady is so cute! he does look so much like his dad!
we met up in schaumvegas for lunch. it was so much fun! it was great catching up and seeing cute little brady sleep. i still can’t believe she’s a mommy! being able to be by her side throughout her pregnancy, it’s amazing to see lil’ brady as a little person. oh, there was so much to talk about! time was just flying by! before we knew it, we had to part ways {bummer}!
it was our two year anniversary! my how time flies and how things change {aka having a baby!}.
we started our day with a delicious brunch at bite cafe. very yummy. i just wanted some good old fashioned breakfast goodies. we had a very relaxing morning…chill & calm.
[anniversary breakfast]
we headed back to our place {it’s just around the corner from bite} and rested for the afternoon. we logged onto the computer, we watched some t.v., we chillaxed our time away. before we knew it, it was time to get ready and i couldn’t get off the computer! ya know, pinning can be addictive! hc kept nudging me to get ready but i had a plan…i knew i could whip myself together in 15 minutes {noooo problem!}. so there ya go, i jumped off the computer, freshened up the face, threw on the dress, and voila! i was ready! hc was doubtful of me, he really thought i wasn’t going to put in any effort for our anniversary night out! ha!
we headed to boka, a michelin star restaurant, for a lovely evening of noshing and imbibing. it was calm and serene inside. we were greeted with a “happy anniversary” welcome by the hostess. we were seated at the corner table {a favorite of mine in any resutarant}. who doesn’t love the best seat in the house?!
[at boka!]
[menu]
we ordered drinks {my mocktail was concocted by the bartender through my request of having something fruity!} and perused the menu to determine what were we going to eat at this fabulous place! once our orders were placed, we dived deep into our conversations and really enjoyed ourselves on our special night.
[cheers!]
[ready to order]
[complimentary sweets]
it was a perfect day and a perfect end to our two year anniversary celebration. we can’t wait to celebrate next year with our little one in our lives!
it was that milestone! happy birthday to my dear sister, kim! we celebrated at acadia. terry surprised kim with a small, intimate dinner at the lovely restaurant.
i rushed over there after work {thank goodness there wasn’t any traffic! and i found parking in a snap!}. once i was settled in, they starting the whole process, and when i say process, it was. it’s quite fascinating to watch. all the servers that support during the whole dining experience. how attentive and in tune they all are. i just love places like that! the service was impeccable, the food was beyond delish, and the company was fantastic!
[personalized menu]
[kim + lan]
[my bro in law + moi]
[present time!]
[oxfords]
[my non-alcoholic beverage concocted by the bartender]
[my tasty halibut]
we wined {well everyone else} and dined, enjoyed our eclectic conversations, laughed a lot, ate a lot, and drank a lot. after almost 4 hours of noshing and imbibing, we were dunzo.
but of course, it’s not a birthday without a cake! it only completes the celebration! so, there is was…thuy’s homemade cake. it was such a sight. you truly, truly had to be there. from my pov, i saw it coming. it was a glorious, blazing ball of fire heading our way. our server walked from the kitchen, across the whole dining area, all the the way to our table in the corner with the fire hazard. every diner’s head turned, cranked, and gawked at the well lit cake. it was so hilarious. kim didn’t know what was coming her way! oh em gee, we could not stop laughing! it was, seriously, the best part of the evening…it was splendid to see such a fancy restaurant serve this beauty of a cake {made with love from thuy}. despite it’s wilting nature…it was damn good! so yummy!
[the blazing cake!]
[happy birthday kim! // i love how the two dudes in the background are mesmerized!]
[make a wish!]
[birthday partiers]
thank you to terry and thuy for coordinating such a fabulous fete for our lovely sister kim. happy birthday ma seour!
