Little Miss Apprehensive...

As I'm typing this post there is a steady rain falling outside the window. I'm sipping steaming hot tea from a giant warm mug and watching the city lights twinkling in through the rain. All day it's been overcast, cloudy, breezy and looking like rain. It's 50 something degrees and the leaves on the trees across the street and all down Hyde Park Boulevard are just beginning to change. People are walking a little faster on the sidewalk. They're clad in boots, leggings, sweaters and scarves.

No doubt about it, fall has arrived in Chicago.

There are so many things about fall that I simply adore. Crock pot recipes, cuddling with my huz and Puss In Boots on the couch under warm blankets, lots of hot tea, trips to the apple orchard, football, comfy fall clothes, holidays, chili and cornbread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie blizzards, pumpkin spice coffee....pumpkin anything, really.

I especially love the trees changing colors, and the way they crunch under my feet as I'm walking; the burnt oranges, yellows, and reds of autumn.

I can't wait until the trees look like this!

Yes indeed, summer fading into fall can be a wonderful thing, but I always get a little apprehensive about the end of summer...because after the lovely fall comes the horrible, bitter winter.

I HATE cold weather. Any by cold I pretty much mean anything below 50 degrees. And hate I mean LOATHE. I hate snow. I hate having to scrape off car windows, warm up car engines, and just use the car more in general because it's too freaking cold out to walk.

I am not joking when I say that I believe I have a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Winter makes me want to hibernate like a big ol' grizzly bear. I truly have to force myself to exercise during the fall and winter months, because if I don't I will be miserable and depressed. And gain unnecessary weight. I am a firm believer that the mind and soul benefit from exercise just as much as the body does. When I am not exercising on a regular basis my entire balance gets thrown off and it's an unhappy, unhealthy place for me to be.

That being said, my husband and I really need to find a gym in the city that is #1. close to our home and #2. affordable. So far my hunt has been unsuccessful, so if anyone out there in cyberspace has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

I will continue to ride my bike and take lots of walks for as long as the weather allows. Here's hoping fall sticks around for a bit this year!

Til next post,
Emme

My baby love :)

Guess who I got to spend some time with this week? The most precious little boy on the planet, my nephew, that's who!

Here are Auntie Emme and Allen at the apple orchard!

Here's Allen playing with Auntie Emme over at Grandma's house!

Big smile for Auntie!

I love my nephew so much and it is just incredible to watch him growing and changing all the time. He's such a little miracle!

John Hancock, Chinatown, Second City, Oh My!

Last weekend my sister and her fiance came in for my post-birthday celebration weekend... that's what I'm calling it anyway. ;) Yes indeed, I turned the big TWO-SEVEN on September 6th. My oh my, where does the time go??!!

First on our agenda was a Friday night trip to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock. My sister and I got all dolled up and she and I and the boys headed out on the town. We got to the Hancock shortly after eleven pm, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttt, the line to get a martini was longer than Bill Clinton's nose when he lied about the Lewinsky scandal....

Needless to say we did not wait. Instead, we took in the *free* view of the city lights at night, which I *never* get sick of. It is SO beautiful. *sigh* And then we waited in a 45 minute line (I shit you not. I told you the lines were long.) to ride the elevator back down 96 floors, and head home. We ate some late night greasy food and turned in at about 2:30am.

I can't tell you the last time I stayed up until 2:30am. Seriously.

We slept in late on Saturday morning and instead of eating breakfast at oh, 11:30am, we drove over to Chinatown where we had lunch for breakfast. My sister's fiance was excited to explore Chinatown and huz and I were happy to oblige. We ate lunch for breakfast at a place called Moon Palace which is one of my favorites, and we had SO MUCH good food. Crab rangoon, wonton soup, fried rice, beef lo mein, sesame chicken, sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls.....

After we were stuffed to max capacity we strolled around the shops where my awesome huz bought me this:

It's a money tree which is a type of Bonsai. It has a twisted trunk and star shaped leaves, and it is said to bring good fortune. Our apartment is starting to look a little bit like a jungle with all of our various house plants. I love it. Not gonna lie.



We also got this cute little Buddha statue.



 I made my husband move it away from our cross because it felt a wee bit sacrilegious. Yeah. I know. I'm weird. It's okay. You don't have to say it. I already know. :)


While in Chinatown, we checked out the Nine Dragon Wall which was AWESOME.

This is a close up shot of one of the dragons on the wall. Really beautiful.

When we were done strolling around Chinatown we headed home to get prettied up for another fun night out.  Later that evening we had dinner at an adorable Italian place in Old Town, right across from Second City. The restaurant was called Dinotto's and we sat out in their little courtyard area which was super charming. It had cobblestone floors, an old fountain, little white lights strung up, and flowers EVERYWHERE. I felt like I was in Italy for sure. Ellie and I shared a lovely bottle of Prosecco and all of our entrees were fantastic. Unfortunately we didn't leave room for dessert, but I will definitely eat there again.

I can't say enough about Second City. The show we saw was called "Who Do We Think We Are?" and it was hysterical. The seating inside the theatre was cramped, but servers were efficient, drinks were flowing, the actors were brilliant, and everyone was having a great time. Both the skits and the improv were hilarious. I can't recommend it highly enough. I look forward to going back soon.

It was such a FUN weekend, and huz and I always enjoy myself when we get to get together with family. We're so blessed to have sisters, brothers, brothers-in-law, and parents that love us so much and happen to be genuinely wonderful people!

We're also so blessed to live in a city that offers us so much beauty, and so many cultural, art and entertainment treasures. I can't believe I was ever afraid to move into the city. At this moment in my life I really can't image being happier anywhere else!

til we meet again,
Emme

La Isla Del Encanto!

La isla del encanto= the island of enchantment! aka Puerto Rico!

The huz and I returned home last night from an incredible first anniversary trip to Puerto Rico!

I loved everything about Puerto Rico from the super friendly locals to the mouth-watering food to the infectious beat of Puerto Rican jazz and salsa to the breathtaking beaches and lush rainforest. I truly can't recommend a visit highly enough! We hope to go back sometime in the future to visit some of the other cities in PR; 5 nights just wasn't enough time!

There were five main points on our agenda for the trip, and I can happily say that we accomplished all five.

1. Visit El Yunque rainforest and hike to La Mina falls. ..............Check.

2. Visit Old San Juan and the forts of El Morro and San Cristobal ..........Check.

3. Eat a lot of legit Puerto Rican food. Also make sure to drink lots of Pina Coladas because Puerto Rico is the birthplace of Pina Coladas! My favorites (aside from the BEST pina colada's I've ever had) were the mofongo which is casserole made from mashed plantains (DELISH!!), and the cafe con leche. I'm not even really a coffee drinker, but I had to try it because the coffee served in the hotels/restaurants is all grown locally in Puerto Rico.

4. Go to the beach. Go to the pool. Go to the beach again. And the pool again. .......Done and done.

5. Celebrate that we have been  happily chugging along together for ten years (WOW! Where does the time go?! 10 YEARS doesn't seem possible. Two of the ten were agonizingly loooooooong long distance during huz's time in med school in Grand Cayman), and celebrate our first wedding anniversary!....done and done!

You guys, it was seriously incredible to be able to spend 5 uninterrupted nights and 6 days with my huz. He is the sweetest, kindest, most gorgeous person I know. I lucked out big time. I clearly got the better end of this marriage deal! :)

Scroll on for some photos from our trip.



 Side note: we took over 200 photos during our trip, and while I'd love to share them ALL, you don't want to sit here for an hour looking at photos---plus our identities would be given away in most of them--- so I will just throw a few out here for ya! Enjoy! :)

This is Luquillo Beach. We spent a wonderfully lazy afternoon here.

This is one of my favorite shots that I took while we were exploring the El Yunque rainforest.

La Mina falls. It was a long SWEATY hike to get here, but it was worth it. The picture doesn't do it justice at ALL. :(

A view of El Yunque from an observation tower.

On Isla Verde beach. Paradise found.

Looking at Old San Juan and El Morro fort from the San Cristobal Fort.

A charming side street in Old San Juan.

A lookout on San Cristobal.

Soooo.... are you planning your trip there yet?! ;)

Until we meet again,
Emme

Dress shopping success!

Guess what?!  My little sister came into the city yesterday and we found her........




wait for it.....




wedding dresses!


Yes, that's dress-ES. Plural.




My sister is getting married in January and I was fortunate enough to get to dress shop with her!

After many stores and MAAAANY dresses, Ellie narrowed it down to two beautiful dresses at one boutique. What is a girl to do when she can't decide between two gorgeous gowns in two totally different styles?!

Buy them both, of course!

Yep, she bought two dresses for an INCREDIBLE price (we're talking two dresses for MUCH LESS than I spent for my ONE wedding dress!), so she's wearing one for her wedding, and one for her reception. This practice is becoming quite common according to the lady who owns the boutique, and I think it's fantastic. Why not wear two dresses on your wedding day? You're the freakin bride! Do what you like!

Plus if you saw how incredibly gorgeous my sister looked in both dresses, you'd tell her to buy them both too!

Unfortunately I can't post any photos right now because her fiance reads this blog, but come January 25, 2013 I'll be photo posting away!!

That's all for now because I have to get started on a paper for my political communications class. I'd rather not do homework during our trip to San Juan, so I am trying to finish everything due in the next week in the next two days. :(

I had better get started...

Til next post,
Emme

The Galleria (and why I love shopping small!)

I recently returned from a trip to the Galleria in the Andersonville neighborhood. If you live in the Chicago/Chicagoland area (or you're visiting) I truly cannot recommend this place strongly enough.

Someone described it on yelp as "etsy.com in but in a real life shop" and she is SO RIGHT. It is four levels of retail space that houses tons of mini shops inside. There's handmade art, clothing, soaps, jewelry, ceramics, furniture, candies, and tons of other goodies for sale.


You can check out the website here: www.andersonvillegalleria.com and there's a photo below that gives you a little idea of some of the things on sale...

I bought a generous bar of the most delicious smelling, organic vegetable fair trade soap for $4.00. I found a beautiful handmade necklace for $9.00. I spent an hour and forty minutes browsing all of the different goods, and I easily could have spent another hour.

I am a big fan of shopping small. Many of the people who sell their art/wares/gourmet goodies at the galleria make their living doing so, and how cool is it that I can help support that? I think it's pretty freaking fantastic that I have the power to help a family make their living by choosing to dine at local family owned restaurants rather than chain diners, or help a talented local jewelry maker pay her rent by purchasing a gorgeous, one of a kind piece from her collection, rather than something I find at a big chain retailer.

I love Target as much as the next girl, but lately I've been trying harder than ever to spend money when I can to support the local family owned businesses/artisans. These people need our dollars and they appreciate our dollars way more than Target ever will. Shopping small helps support people just like you and me; families just like yours and mine, and I'm all for that!

I urge you to shop small next time you have a little cash to spend; you might love it as much as I do! :)


Emme

Decisions, decisions!

I remember being about 8 years old and making my most important decisions using the eenie meenie miney moe song.

I was tempted to implement that old method to come to a decision on where the huz and I will celebrate our first anniversary.

We will celebrate 1 year of marriage on September 2, 2012; that's less than one month from today. Luckily, God has smiled on us and not only granted us a small window of time together, but also a budget of around $1,200 for this trip.

So with that being said; there are 3 places that made the final cut:

1. Traverse City, Michigan.

2. Denver, Colorado.

3. San Juan, Puerto Rico.

I researched the crap out of all three places and priced things out. Believe it or not all of the trips came in under our budget. (our budget does not include spending money or food money, fyi, it's just our budget for hotel and transportation)

I presented my research findings to my husband, and told him whole-heartedly that our destination was his decisison, because guess what? No matter where we go, we're going together to celebrate us, and that is what's most important!

But the huz and I simply couldn't ignore the fact that I found a ridiculously good deal for 4 nights hotel + airfare to this place for $448.00 per person. So can ya guess where we are going?!


....



Well, can ya?


....



...


We're going to......











San Juan! I've shared a few photos below that I found online. I think I am most looking forward to touring Old San Juan, eating Puerto Rican food, and exploring the rainforest! It looks breathtaking.

A stunning photo I found online of Old San Juan.

El Yunque Rainforest

This is a photo of a street in Old San Juan. Love the bright colors!

Flamenco Beach










Until Next Time,
Emme