my big birthday weekend

Posted on December 27, 2016 by tandem in love

i was so excited for my birthday weekend!

hc had planned a fun agenda and i couldn’t wait to relax and celebrate. i still can’t believe i have hit the big 4-0. whaaaaaaaa? seriously, wtf? what happened? i still feel eternally 28 but those wrinkles and gray hairs are finally catching up with me. eek!!!!!

i really can’t tell you what i imagined what it would be like turning 40. i never really fretted about it or thought i would have a big hurrah for it. one, we ended up having a baby and two, i am one of those ‘moms’ that really loves to spend time with her family. don’t get me wrong…i love having date nights with hc and spending quality time with him but i have become a moooooooooommy. it doesn’t feel right when the kids are away, especially if we are out locally. i miss them dearly. now, give me a warm, tropical get away with hc…i can be convinced to leave the kids behind. hahaha!

anyhoo, we started out our morning quite chill – coffee, chaos, and cuddling. we packed everything but the kitchen sink to take downtown with us. oh my goodness. we seriously pack everything when we head out the door with the kids. first on our agenda was to meet the fam at macy’s on state for a fun holiday outing! we love looking at all the decor, hearing the christmas music, listening to the jingle of all the bells around us, and just enjoying the crazy chaos of the store. we met up on the 7th floor for lunch, bought toys, headed down to the walnut room to view the tree, and then we were off to the ornament area to pick out our ornaments of the season!

after spending a few hours at macy’s, we headed on over to block 37 to do some more shopping. after eating, shopping, a trip to starbucks, more eating and shopping, we finally retired to our hotel room. hc had booked a lovely room at the james hotel. it was so cute and cool! i loved the decor inside! our room was super cozy and i really enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of the staff.

as soon as we were inside, olive was out. she passed out in the car and actually stayed sleeping while i carried her into the hotel and up the elevator and into the room! olive slept, ellie laid around, and hc and i got ready for dinner! olive woke up a bit later and relaxed in front of the t.v. with ellie. it was too adorable to see them chillin’ together!

we got all jazzed up and went to david burke’s restaurant for dinner. it was sooooo awesome. we loved our server, we loved the food, and we loved how kind everyone was! everything was delicious and we had such a great time with my brother dan, who joined us for dinner. what made the night even prettier was that it had started snowing and it looked so serene and lovely.

after dinner, we retired to our hotel room. olive and ellie got cozy on the bed again and hc had ordered dessert and wine to be sent up for this birthday mama! it was a perfect end to a perfect day! i had such a wonderful time!

the next morning, we headed to southport grocery for brunch! while we waited, we picked out gift baskets for our neighbors {something we do every year}. i love shopping there and gathering fun goodies for the christmas baskets. they have the most yummy, delectable treats to make any recipient happy! we enjoyed a fabulous brunch and spent the next hour shopping along the street. oh how i love chicago during the holidays.

it was a fabulous birthday weekend and i have to thank hc for conjuring up a fun filled agenda! i wouldn’t have celebrated it any other way. i was sooooooo happy to have my hubby and children by my side to bring in the big 4-0! as olive would say, “this is sooo ahhhhhmazing!”. i couldn’t agree more baby girl! cheers to a new decade!

[crazy cousins]

[loving her necklace]

[macy’s on state]

[chestnut room tree]

[we put her down on the couch and her hair became electric!]

[poor thing…i made her stand in front of every christmas tree. hahaha!]

[i love christmastime]

[she was like NO MORE PICTURES! eep]

[so festive and fun]

[so gangsta]

[hotel living]

[chillin’ and relaxin’ in our hotel room]

[fancy kids meal]

[back to the hotel room and ready for bed!]

[dessert and wine delivered to the hotel room]

[she was being so silly…she wanted me to take a picture of her with every.single.one. of her figurines]

xoxo

neidre was in town!

Posted on October 25, 2016 by tandem in love

i was super excited to have received a text from neidre that she was coming into town!

we coordinated a date and the hubs and i were looking forward to seeing her! she is just the sweetest. i love her spunk, her attitude, her outlook on life; i pretty much love everything. you know when you have a person in your life and you only see them once in a blue moon but you have a huge place in your heart for them? that’s neidre. she lives in florida and sometimes we get out there and sometimes she gets out here to chicago but each time, we will make sure we see each other!

we decided upon a sushi restaurant that was a middle point logistically to our locations. we both arrived on time and honestly, i couldn’t wait to see her! hc and i walked in and i saw her hair first…hahaha! big hugs and squealing ensued! we sat down and ordered drinks, apps, and eventually food. i was sooooo hungry and everything was delicious. we have eaten at this restaurant before and i have had a great experience every single time we’ve eaten there.

neidre was staying at her friend kim’s house while in town and kim was a riot! i loved hanging out with these two ladies…they were funny, sweet, and exciting! very gregarious and engaging, so our entire conversation was absolutely compelling throughout dinner.

we shared new stories, old stories, and my husbands crazy teenage angst stories {wow, i never knew he was such a punk}. it was awesome to recount tales down memory lane. after many libations, filling our bellies full of yummy eats, and hours of talking, we needed to get home to our babes to put them down.

it was sooooooo much fun seeing neidre and kim. there is never a dull moment with these gals! we had the best time with them and my heart was so full seeing neidre. she’s so amazing. we said our goodbyes and gave big hugs and parted ways.

i really hope we can meet up with this lady soon! i will have to convince hc on a vacation trip to florida! thanks neidre for being you, we love you and hope to visit you in the sunshine state sometime soon!

[yummy pear martini]

[neidre and kim]

[a delicious surprise inside!]

[love these two]

xoxo

morton arboretum

Posted on October 11, 2016 by tandem in love

it was a perfect day to go to the morton arboretum. there was a slight chill in the air but the sun was shining and there was no rain! it had rained all week and it’s always such a bummer when the temperature isn’t so hot but you can’t get outside to enjoy it! we weren’t sure what we wanted to do at first but i knew i wanted to do something! i never want to waste a good day of lovely weather! so, we packed up the kids and went our merry way to the arboretum!

it was early and we found a great parking spot. we decided to eat breakfast there first. i was super bummed because we got there 10 minutes too late for them to serve us breakfast! whaaaaaa? it, literally, was sitting in front of us and a bunch of the kitchen workers came over and pulled it to the back. huhhhhhh? for reals? i thought, you seriously can’t serve me this food?! what a waste! so instead, i ordered a bacon and sausage quiche. at least i got a brunch item! we sat in their restaurant area and enjoyed our food. their dining area has such a beautiful, scenic view!

once we finished, we immediately walked towards the children’s play area. i love that olive is at an age where she is confident playing on her own and isn’t so afraid to be near other kids. i also love that every play area is pretty much enclosed and you can’t lose your kid! we hit play area after play area and olive was having a blast! it was so adorable to see her so excited, curious, and having so much fun! we explored most of the children’s area and finally made our way out after a few hours.

as we walked towards the exit, they had a fall festival going on where they were selling food, beer, kettle corn, cotton candy, and other goodies! we purchased a bag of kettle corn and sat down at one of the outdoor tables and enjoyed our treat. olive loves, loves popcorn! i was super cautious about her eating it when she was younger. i would either break off the kernels or buy “popcorn” that wasn’t really kernel popped but now she’s a pro! we had so much fun just simply eating our popcorn and being silly. just for the record…ellie slept the entire time!

oh, we had such a marvelous time! it was awesome to have such fun family time and pretty cool to see my baby girl have so much fun! we didn’t get to explore everything there this time so we can’t wait to go back again, hopefully in a few weeks before it gets too cold!

happy fall y’all!

[she thought it was funny that she had water on her finger and it was extra funny she put that said finger into her mouth]

[ellie bear all snuggled up in her stroller]

[she was actually standing in front of glass…you can see the reflection]

[going into the children’s garden]

[she loves tunnels]

[nothing can stop this child from being near any water!]

[peek a boo!]

[she loved every play area]

xoxo

multitasking apple pie

Posted on October 5, 2016 by tandem in love

hc helps out with the apple pies every year. he’s very good at it and now that we have a new baby and a toddler…multiple hands at multitasking is a must! we tried our best to make the apple pies while ellie was sleeping…she is the one we have to hold if she gets fussy, otherwise, olive is easy! she just entertains herself with her iPad or toys.

we got pretty far along before ellie woke up. i had peeled and sliced all the apples, hc made the batches of crust, and he was on to the walnut base. i took care of ellie and then wrapped her up in the carrier to finish making the apple filling.

we have made the same recipe every year but next year, i think i might want to replace the walnut filling with almonds. i think it’ll be a better compliment! every year, we get better and better at it…one year we had too many leftover apple slices but not enough to make another apple pie, one time we were short on the dough to make the top crust but this year we hit the nail on the head! we had the perfect amount of apples {pulled less than what the recipe called for} and we had copious amounts of pie dough to make a hearty and healthy sized crust for both pies {we doubled the recipe}! i even made cute little leaves for the tops of the pies…something i didn’t get to do the years prior because we would never have enough! hahaha!

we assembled our pies, brushed the crust with milk and sprinkled it with sugar, baked them for an hour, and let them cool down on baking racks. later that night, i sliced the pie and served it with ice cream ~ yummmmmm! it was delicious! i must say…it was our best pie yet!

happy fall y’all!

[apples picked from the orchard]

[making apple pies in pj’s! what i do best!]

[peeling and slicing apples]

[my awesome helper]

[walnut base]

[rolling out the dough]

[i love this messy haired babe]

[sweet baby ellie]

[the finished product]

[apple pie a la mode…the only way!]

xoxo

renegade craft fair

Posted on September 21, 2016 by tandem in love

for our 5th anniversary, i wanted to go to new york city. that was our plan. then we got pregnant and had a baby so nyc was out of the question, for now.

we planned a very simple evening out. hc’s parents so kindly offered to watch the kids for our anniversary night. we got ready and headed out the door…so excited for our alone time! i really wanted to hit up the renegade craft fair in wicker park. it was in our old hood and i love how it has sooooo many amazing vendors. plus, i told krissy, from earth cadets, that i would pay her a visit! {check out her shop, it’s local and full of awesomeness}

it was an absolute perfect day, just like our wedding day {our special day had temps in the mid seventies and it was a clear, sunny day}. we found a sweet parking spot, walked our way into the fair, nabbed a drink or three, and started to walk the fair. it was fabulous. we had such a great time drinking and perusing all the handmade goodies.

i know i say it all the time but i loooooooooove chicago. i love the city. i love the culture. i popped into krissy’s shop, found cute matching shirts for the girls and said hello to her! it was great seeing her and chitchatting for a bit before we finished up the fair.

we headed out to the restaurant {coast…where we had our third date} and scored another fab parking spot! we were seated right away {hc had made reservations}, ordered apps, and clinked our wine glasses in celebration of our marriage! as usual the food was amaze. i love coast because it’s exactly how sushi should be done! yummmmm.

we took our time, relaxed, and reveled in our time together with no kids! the funny but awful part of our evening out was that we were spent. oh my goodness. olive and ellie were sick and olive had a horrible night of sleeping, as in she hardly slept and either did we {ironic that it wasn’t our newborn who kept us up but our two year old!}! so when we finished our dinner…we were soooo ready to come home. hahaha! we were going to fall asleep!

nevertheless, it was quite an amazing day. hc made it so special and i am very thankful for his romantic notions. we completely enjoyed the craft fair, our dinner out, and had the most wonderful anniversary date night!

[yesssssss, chicago cubs wine! hc bought this for our byob anniversary dinner]

[our super, duper casual night out]

[our old hood]

[soooooo many awesome vendors]

[two beers for hc and vodka lemonade for moi!]

xoxo

anniversary morning

Posted on September 19, 2016 by tandem in love

we had a very low key start to our anniversary day. it was calm, relaxing, and sweet. my hc is the best. he got up early to grab groceries for breakfast, let us sleep in, made me endless amounts of yummy coffee, and surprised me with beautiful flowers. i love him.

i can’t believe it’s been five years! what a milestone. i can’t believe it’s been five years since we had the best day everrrrrr! it feels like it just happened last week. wow, five years later, we now have two kids, a house, and so much more love around us. i feel so fortunate to be blessed with so much goodness, i feel like i need to pinch myself.

we’ve had our ups and downs like any relationship. we have had some awful fights. we have had high moments and tough ones. we have dealt with sick parents, the birth of our children, and so many obstacles and celebrations that have happened within the five years since we have said our i do’s. i couldn’t imagine another person to live this life with. to ride this wonderful journey of marriage with anyone other than hc. he is my rock. i might be stubborn, hot headed, and sometimes an ass but he is always there for me and i am truly thankful.

he teaches me to be patient, kind, loving, and appreciate the simple moments in life. i am very grateful for that because i sure need that in my life! he definitely balances me out. happy five years my love and cheers to many, many more wonderful happy years to come!

[hc surprised me with flowers…as usual]

[awesome lighting…a serene, quiet morning]

[i love this babe]

[olive chillin’ watching cartoons]

[coffee…yummmm]

[hc always cooking up something good]

[loving her croissant]

[croissant breakfast sandwiches]

xoxo

happy 5th anniversary!

Posted on September 10, 2016 by tandem in love

wow! i can’t believe it’s been five years since we’ve had our BEST day EVER! i say it every year and will always sing the same tune ~ our wedding day was seriously the best day. it’s the day where it all started. we professed our love, our unity, and commitment in front of God and kicked off our journey as husband and wife with a fabulous party!

i loved our wedding weekend. period. from the fun rehearsal dinner, to the most beautiful day ever, to a lovely morning brunch with everyone, and a farewell dinner at my parents before we ran off on our honeymoon.

i remember being so nervous that it was going to rain {darn weather forecast said rain all day for a freakin’ week before the wedding}. i prayed that it wouldn’t because we had planned so much for the outdoor space! i woke up bright and early on saturday and the weather app said bright, sunny, and a high of 73 degrees…holy cow! that started my wedding day out just right!

what ensued after that was nothing but goodness. our day was perfect. we were surrounded by so much love, happiness, friends, family, and fabulous electricity. i am so thankful we were able to celebrate our love the way we did. the wedding was so ‘us’ and the elation that you feel on this day is indescribable.

i am thankful for my husband…he is the love of my life and the most wonderful, patient, forgiving, and loving man. he is a wonderful father and the best partner and friend anyone could ask for. happy anniversary my love! cheers to 50 more years!

[husband and wife!]

[i love christian]

[wedding program]

[the best girls in my life]

[first dance]

and of course…our short, impactful, beautiful, fun wedding clip!!

{photos and 8mm film by kate headley}

xoxo

simple afternoon

Posted on September 1, 2016 by tandem in love

it was a casual afternoon spent at the in laws. we had grace for the weekend and i asked hc if he wanted to visit his folks since we had to drop grace off on sunday. so, we headed on up to dick and jane’s place for an afternoon of fun.

his sister missy, nephew daniel, and aunt wendy were over as well. aunt wendy grilled burgers and hot dogs and we all just chillax’d and hung out. nothing special, nothing over the top, just good ol’ relaxing. we sat around, talked, did nothing, hung out, doted on the baby, and chilled. a perfect, simple sunday afternoon.

olive had a blast hanging out with daniel and his girl rachel. rachel is so sweet to olive and olive felt very comfortable with them. she hung out with them quite a bit downstairs while everyone was watching t.v. it’s always cute to see other people be so sweet to your kid…you always are {obvs} but it is very heartwarming to see people do the same. maybe i am saying this because most people don’t take to kids or other people’s kids and it’s refreshing to see the opposite. especially when it’s genuine, you can definitely tell when someone really likes kids because as a parent, you always think your kid is da bomb and it’s sweet when someone else thinks the same.

of course we had to take a zillion pictures of olive and ellie. how can you not?! i bring my camera everywhere and have become a total mamarazzi! i can’t help it. i have always wanted a fancy camera to capture moments like these. i think it’s been the greatest gift to date…or at least the most used!

i love casual days like these and i feel like we never have enough of them! cheers to many more sunday fundays!

[auntie missy]

[such a cute pic of her!]

[papa with ellie]

xoxo

palm springs

Posted on May 27, 2016 by tandem in love

ok, so this year was the year of canceled trips. we had a trip planned to ocho rios in july…well that was nixed. the baby’s due date was the exact day of the plane tickets we had! ha! we had our annual trip to vegas planned for august with matt and johann…that was a no go. obvs, i wouldn’t want to travel to vegas and leave a 2-3 week old baby! aaaaand our 5 year anniversary trip to new york was nixed because the baby would still be a freshie at only 5-6 weeks old!

i told hc a few months ago that i wanted to get away…go somewhere warm, just us, and relax. it would be the only trip we could squeeze in before the babes. we have way too much to do before she comes! we have remodeling, decorating, a wedding, showers, etc. leading up to this babe being born.

so, i was looking forward to this trip so much! sunshine, getting a tan, and just hanging out with my hubby. we were set with my parents watching miss olive. i packed her cute little suitcase the day before we left and i was getting sad. i was going to miss this little bugger! oh she lights up my life! i was excited to leave but it’s so different now, leaving her. i have left her before…when she was younger, but now that she is older, it really tugs at my heart strings. she’s a little person with a big personality and the fact that she loves me back so much, it melts my heart.

ok, well on to our trip. we had an early flight and for some reason, o’hare was sooooooo incredibly slooooooooooow. our baggage check, our security check, our everything. it took forever to get to our gate. the starbucks line {with one person in front of me} was soooooo slow. it took seven minutes to get a coffee. what?!! plus, buying magazines even took forever! it was like everyone was on slo-mo.

anyhoo, we landed in palm springs and the freakin’ airport is pretty much outside!!! you walk out the terminal and into beautiful, sunny weather outside! how amaze is that?! we got our rental within minutes and headed to the hotel which was 6-7 minutes away. oh, it was glorious. our room wasn’t ready so we dropped off our bags and had a drink outside under a cabana by the pool.

after our drinks, we walked to downtown palm springs, which was only a few blocks away. it was warm, sunny, and perfect. we decided to nab lunch at sherman’s. a recommendation from many people. it was great! we sat on the patio and enjoy down home grub and tasty lemonade. it was fabulous!

we walked back and checked into our hotel. i loved our little room. it was so cute! the decor was so deco modern fun and we were right next to the pool! perfect view! i loved the avalon. it’s so quaint, cute, pretty, and green! it’s such a fun, lovely hotel. a very boutique hotel.

[our typical airport selfie]

[hc is probably thinking, really? you’re taking a pic???]

[cheers to our baby moon! i was obsessed with virgin mojitos!]

[warm weather and lots of green]

[was kind of expecting this pic but was kind of not…tired from our travels]

[so west coast to me]

[something you never see at home]

[the big recommendation from everyone! we loved eating here…perfect patio weather and great eats!]

[hc’s big ol’ sandwich!]

[loving our room]

we had a really chill night the first night. we were a bit tired…gosh, are we old. ugh. we ordered room service and just relaxed. hc and i talked about our plans for the next few days. we were totally ok with being chill, lazy, relaxed, uneventful…whatever you want to call it. it was our get away and we didn’t want any pressure to have to do something. our main was concern was to do much of nothing. so with that agreement, our first night there was fabulous! ha!

we hit the pool the next morning. the one thing about coming from central time to pacific, is that we would wake up so early {i can’t sleep in anymore, now that i have a kid…whaaaaa}! so we just rolled with it. it was really nice to start our day so early! we were ready and at the pool by 8:10! oh my!

after two plus hours in the pool, we headed over to the hotel’s restaurant, chi chi to have breakfast. they have a lovely outdoor seating area by their other pool. it was so comfortable and serene and really beautiful at night with the hanging lanterns! our breakfast was soooooooo good! so fresh, savory, and delicious. after we ate, we headed to another pool within the hotel to chill. it was a great morning/afternoon indeed! we headed back to the hotel and pretty much napped. ahhhhhh. living the life of ‘no kid’. hahaha! we headed out to dinner later and then back to our hotel to wind down {although we went out a little bit later for an ice cream run!}.

[loving the family pool]

[30 weeks pregnant]

[direct sunlight…yessssss]

[having breakfast at the avalon…loved sitting alfresco along the pool]

[more virgin mojitos!]

[check out our photo bomber!]

the next day we decided to drive up a mountain. hc really wanted to do it and i was game. until we started going through winding roads up so high with no guard rail! eep! i am afraid of heights and that was so scary for me!!!! oh, never again. i am glad we did it but i don’t think i would ever want to do that again! it was beautiful, scenic, and overall fun but i was anxious and got motion sickness. oh so not fun! we hit a high of 6500 feet! crazy! we pulled over so many times to let cars pass because we were going at a slower speed. i am sure so many people are used to driving these roads but they were driving so fast! there were some moments i felt like i was in a nightmare, driving off a cliff! yeah, did i mention i am afraid of heights?!

after our mountain escapades, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for the pool. we had the best time! we met so many cool couples while hanging out. everyone was so chill and fun to talk to. we spent a good chunk of our afternoon at the pool but unfortunately, the sun and the heat was getting to me, plus i couldn’t shake the motion sickness that i had from that morning’s trip. hc and i retired mid-late afternoon to our room. we relaxed and got ready to go out to dinner.

we made reservations at a place called melvyn’s. another restaurant recommended by many others. it was swanky, old, and fun. we loved everything about it. it was dated, had history, and everyone who worked there took their jobs so seriously! we had a great time, enjoyed our dinner, and hc was excited to be sitting in sinatra’s corner! haha! i think that was the most exciting part of the evening for him! he kept saying, “do you really think sinatra sat in this corner?!”

overall we had an amazing time in palm springs. we really enjoyed our time together. it was great to have actual conversations with hc! i know, that sounds crazy but we loved all our alone time. it was so nice to just spend time together and be on our schedule. we loved palm springs and we definitely want to go back!

[scenic pit stop]

[30 weeks pregnant]

[mile high cafe]

[yummy!]

[eating at melvyn’s at ingleside inn]

[captain tommy preparing hc’s steak diane]

[yummy place!]

xoxo

a night out

Posted on April 25, 2016 by tandem in love

yay! we had a date night with our lovely couple friends, olivia and aaron!

too much time always passes by before we can see aaron and olivia! we finally made a date and we couldn’t wait to see them! we planned on meeting up at ramen-san in chicago. my sister had suggested it and we were super interested in trying it. who doesn’t love ramen?!

it was a beautiful evening. i am loving this spring weather. it’s so great that it actually feels like spring! the past several years have been great transitions in seasons. we parked the car and walked our way to the restaurant. i love walking and especially when the temps are great and comfortable!

we got there first and were seated right away. aaron and olivia showed up just minutes later and we were so excited to see them! we settled in and right away everyone ordered drinks. i was so oblivious and didn’t even realize that they all had ordered alcoholic beverages but they had also ordered shots! whaaaaa?! our server brought their drinks and then the shots…i was so perplexed! i had no idea they were starting off the evening with shots and i found it so amusing, for some reason. i guess it has been awhile since i have gone out where the party we were with decided to do shots! does that make me old?! ahahaha!

anyhoo, we ordered a multitude delicious apps. after another round of drinks and noshing, we ordered our entrees. i asked for the kimchee ramen. oh my goodness. it was sooooooooooo good! i loved it! olivia ordered the same and she really enjoyed it too. i love spicy and boy, oh boy, it was super spicy! yum!

after eating and drinking even more, we decided to walk over to eataly to have dessert. i am always for gelato! plus, we haven’t been to an eataly since we were in nyc and i was super excited to go, since it reminded me of our trip to nyc on our one year anniversary!

it was crazy packed inside but no matter. we had the evening and we had no restraints. hc and aaron went upstairs to try different beers while olivia and i waited in a very long line to get gelato. we were having a great time catching up while we waited in line. we finally got our order and went upstairs to find the boys. we literally walked in circles and couldn’t find them. we finally found them in a nook of a restaurant and we settled in to eat our gelato, whilst the boys continued to drink.

we sat around for a bit and the question came up on whether we continued the night or called it a night. i felt so guilty because of course i am pregnant and i always, always miss olive. i really do. i was tired and didn’t mind if we headed home. i hated that it all weighed in on me! but no matter, aaron was a good sport about it and olivia didn’t care.

we walked out and walked towards our separate destinations together. once we hit our point of different directions, we said our goodbyes and headed home. it was such a fabulous evening. i had so much fun hanging out with them! they’re a few of my favorite peeps! we love these two cats and i hope not too much time flies by before we see them again!!!