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i'm so relieved that the weekend is here! no interesting plans this weekend for me, even though i am sure that my fiance will want to take me out somewhere tonight or tomorrow... but... i think this picture sums up my feelings right now:

as much as i love to go out and spend time with friends, sometimes a girl needs a night in. a netflix sort of night in.  :)

wedding venue? check!

i finally signed the contract today. the one that guarantees a beautiful ballroom at a luxurious hotel in downtown chicago for our wedding on december 11th. and i'm e-c-s-t-a-t-i-c. securing a wedding venue is a pretty big deal, and i'm so glad it all worked out.

it's a block away from the willis tower (formerly the sears tower), and the place where we'll exchange our vows. yup, we're having our ceremony here too. it's really the perfect spot for an interfaith and multicultural wedding. very neutral.

i'm counting the days.

lovely oils

one of the many reasons i started blogging is because i felt like i needed another creative outlet. at work, my creative outlet is my newsletter. outside of work? other than dining at some of the top rated restaurants in the city and checking out cool live music from time to time, nothing immediately comes to mind. i love to paint, but the cold weather makes it tough since i cannot open any windows to air out the paint fumes. and painting without proper ventilation gives me headaches, so it's really not an option this time of the year. 

even though blogging is delightful, i sure do miss my oils. 

one type of oil that i use year round is of the olive variety.  :) ever since i can remember, i've heard all about the health and beauty benefits of olive oil. most of us know that it's a tasty, healthy fat that helps prevent heart disease, and it makes your hair look really shiny and soft (after a single hair conditioning!). but there are other really interesting benefits too...

got an earache or excess wax? apply warm olive oil to your ear. cat developing a hairball? put some olive oil in his food to help it clear easily. hubby's snoring out of control? have him drink a tiny bit of olive oil-- it will soothe the throat muscles and prevent the snoring. wild, huh?

i heart my mommy

my mom had heart surgery yesterday, and everything went incredibly well. for months she'd been telling me about her heart beating irregularly any time she would workout or feel stressed. she finally went to a cardiologist for a diagnosis after a scary trip to the ER, and here we are a few weeks later. my mom and i are really close, and i feel like our relationship is even stronger after spending the day at the hospital with her. she means the world to me. 

i'm so thankful that she seems to be recovering quickly.

bloggers and their bags

i have no idea who started this trend, but it's interesting enough, so i've hopped on the blogging bandwagon (really, i can't wait to see what i would carry around ten years from now). all you do is dump everything out of your purse, take a photo of its contents, briefly describe everything you've got in it, and into the blogosphere it goes! 

the contents of my bag haven't changed very much since i graduated college. anywho, here they are:

1. pocket mirror - i rarely use this, but it comes in handy from time to time. and this is my newest pocket mirror-- from paris, and tres cute, if i may say so.

2. business cards - when i first started working in the real world, i would go back and forth about keeping these in my purse (cons: they will get all over my bag, it seems a tad presumptuous, etc). but, since people will randomly ask me for them, i keep them-- mainly because it saves me time and effort-- it's just much easier for me to pull one out of my purse versus scrawling my information on a piece of scrap paper.

3. hand sanitizer - always. always.

4. burt's bees lip balm - it's rosy and silky. smells great, too.

5. eye drops - i wear contact lenses and blinking isn't my thing so much.

6. blackberry curve - my favorite berry.

7. wallet - found this in a boutique shop in rogers park, and i get lots of compliments on it.

8. iTouch - soon i will upgrade its boring skin.

9. notebook - for anything. but mainly foreign language notes. :)

10. the economist - i'm a closet geek. if this isn't in my bag, then a good book is in there for sure.

a couple of other things you might find in my purse depend on my health (tissues/meds) and the weather (sunglasses/gloves).

poppity pop pop

the first time i read about pop-up shops, it was in reference to their growing popularity in Asian countries, where (especially luxury) consumerism is arguably more ubiquitous than in the US. for those unfamiliar with pop-up retail, you've probably seen them in the form of Halloween costume shops or any other seasonal storefront or kiosk. but there are much cooler sorts of pop-up stores: antique shops, jewelry shops, clothing shops, shoe shops, art shops, music shops-- you name it, and it's probably been out there, promoting it's no-name self somewhere in the states. sometimes they pop-up for a day, sometimes a few weeks.

there are also pop-up shops that really surprise you. vitamin water, anybody?

or, the one that recently surprised me the most:

i guess now that sex and the city isn't advertising for them, they are taking matters into their own hands. :)

chicago needs to be hit with some fun pop-up shops, and with so many empty storefronts, i'm sure most landlords would be happy to rent out their space. so, chicago? get to work. creative and unique small businesses only (nothing mainstream, please). k. thx. bye.

a post about a post

don't you just hate it when you lose a glove? even if you've got other pairs sitting in your closet, it still stings a little to lose one. and it especially stings to lose your absolute favorite pair of bright yellow, convertible glove mitts that have a. prevented frostbite, b. given you such easy access to texting your little fingers away on your blackberry, and c. matched your bright yellow knit hat so well. two mornings ago, i was certain i had lost my favorite yellow glove-- the one without a missing button. but, as always, i was hopeful that i'd find it either on my way home or in my apartment. sure enough, my yellow glove was cheerfully sitting on a silver platter stair post in my building corridor, waiting to be reunited with its owner.

now, this isn't a first. i happen to believe that there is a lost-and-found fairy in our apartment who places missing items on this very stair post. in the past year, i've been reunited with my missing lip balm, an earring, and even a rent check! my conscious would be delighted if this do-gooder revealed herself because i would really like to thank her. i've decided the fairy is a woman-- most men wouldn't notice a missing anything if it hit them in the head. :)

anywho, since i can't send her my appreciation directly, i'm going to put it out there in the web world: thank you so much, dear lost-and-found fairy!

on second thought, i think i'll thank her via post-it instead.

let me eat cake

i have no problem owning up to the fact that i would much rather spend time browsing through photos of voguish wedding cakes versus checking out wedding dresses. it's not that i don't appreciate fashion (i totally do), but pretty cakes make me happy! at this point, i've looked at so many pictures of decadent wedding cakes that my head spins whenever i think about them, so i've shifted gears just a tad... my latest cake obsession? 

the wedding cake topper.

who knew that there were so many different kinds of toppers? the humorous ones are my favorite, but i just don't think it fits our wedding theme or style (we're still trying to figure this out, by the way). so, since it's not likely that you will see one of these babies on top of our cake, i wanted to at least add a few of them to my blog for fun's sake.

may i introduce you to...?

the picture perfect couple

the power couple

the PDA* couple

(they just can't get enough of each other!)

the sweet couple

 

the shower-me-with-kisses** couple

*PDA = Public Display of Affection, of which i am not a fan.

**more PDA, but it's just so darn cute. and it's under an umbrella, so it's not too public. plus those rain boots she's wearing? love.

plumbers' paradise

we have no running water. this never happens. i realized this almost immediately after stepping into my apartment today. you see, after hastily dropping my purse, hat, scarf, and gloves on my hallway chair, then hanging up my winter coat in the coat closet, i routinely walk over to the kitchen to wash my hands. some call it OCD. i call it CTA (that’s Chicago Transit Authority for you non-Chicagoans). riding on public transit during rush hour traffic in downtown Chicago makes me feel uneasy. from germ-infested poles and railings to sardine-packed passengers coughing in your face. oof, it can be stressful enough to make you feel that you need to shower immediately. but my feelings of uneasiness are quickly wiped from my memory after a solid hand washing.

so, what to do without any running water? hand sanitizer. twice applied. still not enough to feel satisfyingly clean. feeling dirty and hungry, i head over to my favorite coffee shop, where i am sitting now, to wash my hands and treat myself to a hot meal. much better, but i have to admit that a beautiful, warm bath would be the icing on the cake.

this one would do the trick. maybe my luck will turn tomorrow.

my favorite salad

now that holiday binging has come to an end, most of us are feeling more conscious about what we are eating these days, so i thought i would share a healthy favorite of mine. one of the salads i often crave is Cosi's Signature Salad. it's just so well balanced! below is a modified version of a recipe i found on Google a while back-- if i don't have time to make the dressing, i use a couple of tablespoons of this Litehouse Garlic and Olive Oil vinaigrette i buy at my local grocery store.

signature salad
4 ounces mixed greens
1 cup red grapes, sliced in half
1 pear, peeled, cored, and diced
1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1 ounce feta or gorgonzola cheese

sherry shallot vinaigrette
1/2 medium shallot, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/16 cup sherry vinegar (if you can’t find sherry vinegar, substitute red wine vinegar)
1/8 cup olive oil (2 tablespoons)

to prepare the salad, combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.

combine all dressing ingredients through the vinegar in a small bowl and whisk to combine. whisking constantly, slowly pour olive oil into the vinegar mixture in a steady stream. pour over salad and toss to combine.

serve immediately, and voila! a wonderfully tasty and healthy salad for two.

"i like to postpone that kind of thing" -johnny depp

he's referring to trips to the dentist. and, years ago, i would have agreed with the lovely mr. depp if it were not for two reasons:

1. i realized that my oral hygiene regimen is subpar,
which means no more sticky, sugary candy (my archenemy) and more frequent brushing after every meal. last month my dentist brought much-needed attention to my sugar abuse problem when she said, "look, you're young, and you're pretty, but you've got to take better care of your teeth... do you eat really sticky candy?" guilty as charged. mortified by the number of cavities i had (they've been filled since), i haven't touched candy in weeks, but there's no harm in looking at it, right?

2. i love going to the dentist!
let me explain. i know it sounds a bit unorthodox, but i really get a kick out of my dentist and her assistants. they are so fun and charismatic that you sometimes forget about the cavity filling process and enjoy their laugh-out-loud stories. feeling generous and full of holiday spirit last month, i decided to surprise them with cupcakes during one of my dentist appointments. i thought it might be a faux pas to bring sweets to their office, but everyone craves a little sugar once in a while! and, man, did they enjoy the cupcakes.

today was my last visit to the dentist (for gum scaling, in case you were wondering), and i'm actually relieved. as entertained as i felt during my visits, my teeth and gums need at least a six month break from the dentist. oh, and, laughing at jokes when somebody is drilling inside your mouth? so challenging and almost not worth it. almost.

farewell, 2010! well, hello there, 2011!

2010. the most fabulous year of my life so far. i got engaged to my best friend, had very cool opportunities in my workplace, traveled to dozens of foreign cities, expanded my social circle, learned some português and français, sampled a bounty of exotic foods (and never once got sick!), felt more humbled and inspired than ever, wrote a lot about all kinds of things, took too many artsy photos, purchased my first Mac laptop and got engaged to my best friend.  : )

while new year’s resolutions aren’t really my thing, i think that the beginning of a new year is as good a time as any to reflect on the past year(s) and consider ways to either improve or completely transform yourself for coming years. for me, a new year is also a good reminder that the clock is ticking. life is short, so i’ve got to get a move on my “must-do-before-i-retire” list. it's really a long list.

so, what’s in store for 2-0-1-1?

a wedding to plan and carry out. an incredible honeymoon to organize. more exciting work ahead of me. continued language learning. a brand new blog. 

i have every reason to hope that this will be another great year. and, if all doesn’t go according to plan, that’s okay too. there's always next year.