Easter Weekending

I need to start off this post saying that it was my daddio's 70th birthday on Thursday! I love him so much. He's taught me everything I know and has always been my greatest mentor. He's the best. #1 Dad right here.

NOW, this Easter weekend kicked off with my Chicago Quarter Marathon race! I was quite nervous since I woke up with a big stomach issue, but I SOMEHOW made it through without stopping, puking all over the course AND getting a PR post having bronchitis!! Can I get an amen?!

My race bud and I met up (not at the crack of dawn this time) at Soldier Field where the race kicked off. Although the wind was definitely chilly, the sun was out and we were ready to rock!

This was one of the smaller races I've done, but it was very well-organized and the medals were awesome! Sometimes I favor smaller races over the ones where thousands participate just because you tend to run into less issues and people not following runner etiquette... (i.e. stopping right in the middle of the trail!) The Easter Bunny was even there at the finish line. I mean seriously, how awesome is that?

My race bud set a record herself and so we celebrated with a million post-race selfies. Because obviously.

We stuck around for quite awhile just hanging around and got to see the last of the participants cross the finish line. I love cheering people on as they cross. Sometimes you can just tell it's their first longer distance run by the look on their face and how big of a goal it was to finish. Love, love. By the time I got home, I couldn't wait to shower and chill. By the look of it, you would think Luigi just ran 6.5 miles....

I'm also currently in Advocare's "Max Phase" and it's definitely rough getting used to taking all of these supplements. Thanks to the plethora of mimosas and ham I consumed over Easter....it definitely threw off my normal weigh-in. So ya know what? I didn't do it bahaha. Prior to the Easter madness, my results were one belt notch down and -5.5lbs. I've noticed though that if I DO eat something "bad" (i.e. chips or something high in fat) my stomach definitely turns on me. I'm not sure if that's just because I've avoided such foods for quite some time or because of the supplements.

Did everyone else have a great Easter weekend?!

You Say It's Your Birthday?!

This birthday weekend turned out to be one of the most epic. So let's start out with Saturday morning shall we? I went out to brunch with my sister despite my extremely low appetite for food at the time. In just a few hours, I would be in the process of getting inked! The anticipation was killing me. I forced myself to eat enough so I wouldn't pass out (big no-no if you don't) and I was pretty much jumping out of my seat in excitement when it was time to head on over to the shop.

He sketched it out and I was speechless. It was perfect. He made some modifications and suggestions to contour the feathers to my body and I'm SO happy he made those comments. I walked in at 1p.m. and walked out at about 3:40p.m. It honestly didn't hurt THAT bad. I was expecting to be screaming obscenities throughout the whole time. Instead, I held steady and listened to "Stairway to Heaven." He finished the first phase which is in the photo on the left and then the second is the piece finished with color!

I couldn't be happier with it! His line work is just beyond amazing and I skipped on out of that shop a happy girl! As you can imagine, I Instagrammed the shit out of it (thanks to my sis for being my moral support and personal photographer). Josh was a good sport, checked in and nodded at it when I showed him. Haha.

Sunday was my official birthday and man oh man was I spoiled with happy birthday wishes and gifts. I got up really early (thanks to not being able to sleep on my back) and started my day out right with some coffee in my new favorite Starbucks mug.

The hubs then gave me the best card and gift...ever. The gift of many books that I can now knock off my list of must-reads! My mother-in-law even came by and personally delivered these gorgeous flowers! How spoiled am I?! 

Josh and I also had our hilarious first trip to Costco. We're now members and to say that we were overwhelmed would be an understatement. We didn't know whether to buy a new lamp or to get a case of wheat thins. One thing I recommend you do before stepping foot inside of a place like this...is EAT. Never go in hungry or else you'll end up getting a year's supply of hummus and steak to feed a small army or Kardashian. I mean seriously, who needs this many pickles?! Again, the Kardashians don't frequent our household.

We managed to escape with things we actually needed despite how much I wanted a Fitbit AND a case of 100 ice cream sandwiches. By the time we got home and binged on some more episodes of Friends on Netflix, it was time to get ready for dinner at Kyoto, the most amazing Hibachi grill place. 

I'm pretty sure I could skip out on eating for the next few days with how much I ate. But it was oh so good. My sister was so sweet and gave me the most gorgeous Anne Klein royal blue peacoat and yes...THIS. My sister knows me so well. 

My mom also made the best lemon cupcakes EVER. I promise you I didn't have two of those...THEY WERE SMALL OKAY?!

Between all the texts, cards, calls and visits, I am so beyond blessed with the best friends and family. I can't wait what to see what 27 has in store for me. 

However it didn't start off TOO well...I had to witness Kanye West perform with legendary Sir Paul McCartney...thanks Grammys...I've never felt such pain before. Now if you'll excuse me I have to wash my ears out with real Beatles music.

Inked

It's been the longest week of my life. Why? Because I can't WAIT for Saturday. Last weekend I finally decided to take the plunge and get my second tattoo that I've been dying to get for years. What stopped me? Who knows. But my birthday weekend is coming up and my scheduled appointment is on Saturday afternoon! The hubs isn't too happy about it since he doesn't understand why someone would want a tattoo to begin with, but he said that if I want it, he won't stop me. All aboard the happy train.

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This is what I'll be getting and on my rib cage. Oh and yes, I'm aware that this is one of the most painful spots to get a tattoo....*queue Sara Bareilles' "Brave."...

I'm planning on adding some dark purple into the feathers or maybe in the center. I wanted to get it in a spot where I can either show it off or cover it up for work. Being all professional is so boring sometimes. While I know it does bother the hubs that I'm getting it, I appreciate how he's still letting me be me. While he doesn't like tattoos, I feel like once I explained what getting this tattoo means to me it helped him understand a little more. (Although he still feels like a framed photo on a wall somewhere would work just fine). I'm taking a risk knowing that he's not sure how he'll feel about seeing it once I get it, but it's a risk I'll take. I'm not one to live my life full of "what ifs." If you want to do something, do it damnit.

Now for the big event on Saturday... I'm ecstatic knowing that I got the artist I wanted who is also the owner of the shop. I need to prep myself with a bottle of wine at my side. Once I met with the artist, he let me know that it would take about three to four hours. I'm sure those three to four hours will be the longest of my life. So what if it'll be 1p.m....this girl will be very unsober.

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In other news, some birthday presents have been happening...like these fur moto boots.

In case you haven't heard, Chicago is under a million feet of snow, so one can't have too many pairs of boots right now. I can't tell you how fun it was shoveling the driveway while a blizzard was still occurring outside (because it wasn't). Due to the snowdrift, half of the driveway was well under 5ft of snow. I'll be side-eyeing you all day long neighbor who has a snowblower and didn't offer to help a girl out...although I'll be taking advantage of every workout opportunity I can up until Saturday. I'll be out of commission for weeks, Pray to whatever God you worship that I make it through without passing out several times. Please God, give me Beyonce strength. Amen.

Friday Favorite: Happy Birthday Time!

How perfect is it that my mom's birthday lands on Friday along with Amanda's Friday Favorites link-up???

My mom is going to be my sole Friday Favorite today. She's definitely a strong woman and one that I look up to EVEN THOUGH we don't see eye-to-eye on everything. I feel like we don't get along sometimes because we're so alike in some ways. (Of course I would never say this out loud, ha).

Last year my fam had a pretty big scare on Christmas Eve when she woke up with heart issues. We spent Christmas in the hospital with a diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation but thank goodness we have that issue under control as of right now. Scares like that really make you realize how important your parents are to you no matter how independent you claim to be. We're going to Mago tonight for her birthday dinner because if you saw my birthday celebration last year, they give you a pretty epic sombrero while they sing happy birthday to you. How amazing is that? Huge win. She seized the moment to have a sombrero of her own.

She's always been there for me during my races even though they're ungodly early at times. She's put up with me through those awkward "I hate you and the world" junior high days, taking care of me when I'm sick (Sprite and chicken and dumplings were staples) and she's always just...been there. She's very selfless and I'm so proud to call her my mom.

She even finished her first 5k race like a rockstar. Mind you she's 60 (don't tell her I told you she'll murder me).

After her diagnosis and this photo, she's continued to lose a lot of weight cutting out salt and eating more of a heart healthy diet per her doctor. I couldn't be more proud of her for accomplishing so much in just one year with her health! Saturday my sister and I are going to take my mom to this craft fair she's always wanted to go to. We'll spoil her all day long and purchase ridiculously expensive homemade crafty things for her and it will be amazingness. So raise your glass, water bottle, coffee cup, etc. to this amazing woman right here whose had to put up with my shenanigans for 26 years.

Once Upon A Birthday Weekend

This weekend was full of birthday fun once again. Josh's birthday is officially today, so we celebrated it over the weekend. I took him out to the iPic Theater to see Pompeii in 3D since he's never been! It's the best going there even though it's a wee bit pricey. It's totally worth every penny. If you get premium plus seating, you get to sit in a comfy recliner with a pillow and blanket and order dinner and drinks right there in the theater. Not going to lie, it kind of makes you feel like a big deal. Thank God I ordered a glass of wine before that movie too because whoever thought it was a good idea to cast Kiefer Sutherland as a Roman Senator should be thrown into that active volcano that destroyed Pompeii. Seriously. Not only that, but I thought I was watching a bad remake of Gladiator half the time.

Josh's expression in this photo could very well be due to my blinding camera flash, the hilarity behind Kiefer Sutherland as part of the Roman Empire or because he was so excited about the Chocolate ice cream brownie sandwich he ordered for dessert...of course I warned him that I would be stealing some of that deliciousness.

But back to the amazing iPic Theater experience, Josh ordered off of the three-course menu and I ordered their firecracker shrimp flatbread for dinner. Amazing.

On Sunday we went out to dinner with his fam at Mongolian Grill (my sweet baby Jesus, I absolutely canNOT miss a workout this week) where you stack your bowl full of items for them to cook into a giant stir fry. It's delicious and probably has enough sodium to resolve Chicago's salt shortage...hell throw in New York City's too. I'm not complaining though...it was delicious and I will punish myself accordingly this week for indulging a bit too much. I saw a Girl Scout skipping around in front of a store this morning and I swear she dangled a box of Thin Mints in the air RIGHT when we locked eyes. What kind of sorcery is this?! Luckily I stayed strong and just stuffed my face full of stir fry for Josh's birthday dinner. My muscles will actually be thanking me for the extra protein later anyway since I did a killer kettlebell workout after my run this morning.

As another part of Josh's birthday present, I made him his favorite pumpkin spice cookies that I make from scratch. I pride myself on making these cookies for him since he's never ranted or raved about ANYTHING else I've made as much as these. The recipe is a secret too. I'll take it to my grave!

The best part is seeing his face when I bring him a plate full of these round pieces of heaven. Makes my day. It also restores the faith I have in myself that I won't starve my future family because I can't cook...at least I can bake cookies? That's one of the major food groups right? Yes? That's what I thought.

 

I can't believe that we've officially celebrated our last birthdays until we are hubby and wife! We're officially at 67 days my friends! Don't mind me..I'll just sit here and FREAK OUT a bit in excitement!!

 

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The Epic Birthday

This year, my birthday was nothing short of epic amazingness. Let's start with the fact that my birthday landed on a fricken Saturday this year. This never happens. I actually got to enjoy and spend my day however the hell I wanted. Although birthday happenings started with the bestie on Friday night. I've missed her terribly since she was on a medical mission in the Philippines as part of her nursing school program. (Yes she's kind of a big deal and I admire her so much for going through SO much while she was there). I was in awe hearing about all of the people she helped and the stories. Also, the second I walked in the door, I was greeted with a birthday card and a heart-shaped brownie. I was already in heaven and I figured that was more than enough. I was so happy to see her back....and then...she whipped out my birthday gift. One word....BURBERRY. I gasped, I screamed...I may have even peed in my pants a little.

 So let's recap. I got chocolate and a Burberry handbag and clutch. Apparently I won an express ticket to birthday heaven. I was speechless and that never happens. What can I say? This girl loves her labels. She also brought back a couple of souvenirs from the Philippines including two seashell bracelets from this village she visited.We caught up for hours and laughed ourselves to tears as usual.

I went to bed ready to wake up in amazing spirits. I got up bright and early to hit the gym. I like to start my days kicking ass. As a birthday present, my gym let me pick out new boxing wraps and at the end of the workout, the trainer had us all do leg lifts and spell out each letter in "happy birthday Emily" in my honor. I felt so special and the class hated me haha...oooh I can still feel the burn in my abs...

After a great workout, I showered up and met up with my older sis at Starbucks where she greeted me with my signature drink and more gifts. I am loved. Seriously, I must be the luckiest girl in the world to have such amazing people in my life. She got me the biggest, most amazing mug ever. I was born in the year of the dragon and I just loved everything about this gift. My sis also spoiled me with a Snoopy sweater (I'm obsessed with Peanuts) and a lefty-friendly calendar (fricken hilarious). I'm telling you, the important people in my life have my personality and likes nailed.

At this point, I'm happier than Kim Kardashian after she peed on a stick and found out that she locked in Kanye for 18 years. I mean come on, I couldn't ask for more. What's next? Is Justin Timberlake going to pop out of a birthday cake in a tie? He can forget the suit. Okay maybe that's a stretch. After we had some quality sister time and sucked down our lattes, we departed so I could pick up my lovely Josh and head out to Mago for my birthday dinner. This place is my absolute favorite. Mago has THE BEST margaritas and what is a birthday without margaritas? Now I had everything. My family and awesome food.

After we stuffed our faces with amazing food and a couple of margaritas later, I was surrounded by the good people of Mago and was crowned with a sombrero as they sang happy birthday to me. Floored.

It's official, this has been the best birthday ever. The sombrero topped it off. Not going to lie, I rock the hell out of that thing too. My parents were beyond generous with their gifts as well. My favorite was the beautiful, Swarovski charm bracelet...and what? What is this??? A fricken PANDA charm to go with it??? This is all too much guys, really. For those of you who don't know, I'm obsessed with pandas. They're the shit. They're the cutest creatures on this earth. I DID have a red panda on my birthday wish list, but since it would most likely upset Apollo and Luigi....this is the next best thing. ;-)

I really don't know what I'd do without my family and friends. They complete my epic birthday. Josh also surprised me with a weekend getaway that will happen in mid-April which is PERFECT since I will most likely be ripping my hair out with final wedding details by then and will need a nice break. How perfect is he? Pretty perfect.

After indulging in some dessert, we headed home in yet another snowstorm. (I don't believe I ordered snow for my birthday.) When I got home I was finally starting to wind down from this fabulous day and watched other 20-somethings in the Olympics win medals in their sport...and there I was...just stuffing my face some more with a birthday cupcake. Can that be an Olympic sport? It should be.

Cheers all!

The Blondie Bride-To-Be

I'm starting off this week with an ice pack on my shin and ailing over the fact that I still have to wear multiple layers if I want to leave the house. You're probably wondering, "why does this chick have an ice pack on her shin?" Well, that's because I bruised a nerve in my shin (owe) by taking off my damn boot. Yes, you read that correctly. My boot slipped as I was trying to take it off with my other foot, and BAM I kicked the front of my shin as hard as I could....which was followed by screams of every kind of obscenity I know in both English and in a few other languages. If I didn't know the heel of my damn boots were made of steel...I know now. Apparently high fashion doesn't only hurt your bank account...*whimper. I suppose I'll have to settle for Netflix marathons and my book hoard to keep me busy...OR I can try to be responsible and just stick to ab and upper body routines until I can go back to my boxing gym...my wedding dress says I should submit to the latter.

But all complaining aside, Josh and I got to visit our venue for the wedding again for our tasting. Thrilled. Any other brides-to-be or those who have gone through the wedding planning experience, know that at some point, you almost want to throw up your hands and elope somewhere to keep your sanity intact. However, visiting the venue again and solidifying so many other details ignited that wedding planning spark again. It's going to be awesome.

However the whole tripping over my dress thing is really worrying me...ya know since I apparently can't even take off my boots these days without injuring myself. We tasted all of our menu options and we were not disappointed in the slightest. Our guests will not go hungry that's for sure. We also sampled items for a sweets table. Everything looked so adorable, I didn't even want to eat it and mess everything up!

I of course sampled everything...because it's not like I'm watching what I'm eating because of my dress and honeymoon in Barbados right? RIGHT? Sigh...I lost this battle...but it was a delicious loss at that. Who can say no to a plate of little mini desserts? Not me. Luckily I also brought my mom and sister along to taste the different entrees or else they'd have to roll me out of the front entrance.

Also, yesterday was my big sister's birthday. Simply put, she's the best. We have five years in between us, yet that age gap means nothing until she starts obsessing over New Kids On The Block and I'm over here screaming about how there needs to be an N'SYNC reunion....

Keep Calm and Family On

This weekend definitely did not start out too swimmingly. I've been battling some kind of sickness so my mornings haven't been that great to deal with let alone finding enough energy to get up and get my workout on. However, when I woke up this morning...I woke up only to realize I was lying in what could be a Law & Order SVU crime scene, had a huge migraine, back cramps, stomach convulsions and stumbled into the bathroom to ever-so-politely toss up my romantic dinner I had with Josh last night. Pardon me while I enter the seventh circle of hell. After I cleaned everything up (all hunched over) I crawled back into bed giving the finger to my motivational workout Pinterest board.

Three hours later, I decided I need to get out of bed to run an errand that didn't require me to get out of my car...SO yes, I snagged my running pants, hoodie sans bra, put my hair up, put on my shades and I actually walked out of the house just like that. I ran my errand, got my sugar-free/skinny vanilla chai latte and booked it back home to watch episodes of The Mindy Project on On Demand.Thank goodness, I started to nurse my way back to health as I laughed myself senseless to Mindy's antics and my Starbucks yummies (good thing too since we'd be having a family event in just a few hours).

Since I haven't seen my cousin in YEARS! I was ecstatic to see him and was so happy that by the time everyone arrived, I was feeling almost 100%. We celebrated my cousin Forrest's 21st birthday (I can't believe he's fricken 21 now) and had loads of fun catching up. Everyone tells me how tall I am, yeah I have nothing on this kid. He makes me feel like a shorty. (He's the one on the far left and my Uncle is on the far right)

He's doing so well in school, has a great girlfriend, and has so many goals he's ready to achieve. He's come so far and I'm SO proud of him. We even shared our first beer together as he rings in his 21st and I don't even drink beer haha.

We also ordered Lou Malnati's and chowed down on that and some delicious cupcakes from a local bakery shop. Skipping my intense workout will NOT be an option tomorrow. If anything cures the sickness out of you, it's the love and laughter that is shared amongst family. Forrest and I walked along the lake to help settle the pizza in our stomachs and soaked up some sun on the dock while we caught up some more. Quite insane how my hellish morning turned into sunshine and awesomeness. Winning.

Happy Bunny Day!!!

Since I've long outgrown the Easter egg hunts, visiting the Easter bunny and waking up to Easter baskets in the morning, I've learned to just enjoy the holiday and family gatherings that go along with it. Soon enough I'll be the one in charge of hosting Easter egg hunts for my own little ones....years upon years from now. Easter weekend began with getting up bright and early to get ready to spend the day with my memom for her birthday. However, I felt like it was MY birthday with the surprise my sister had for me when she arrived. She brought JT.

 We celebrated my memom's birthday at one of our favorite French restaurants, L'Eiffel Bistrot in South Barrington. I will also be having one of my bridal showers here and I am BEYOND excited. They even have an Absinthe bar. Perfect.

We chatted over delicious, French fare and coffee. I ended up getting the veggie sandwich that pretty much looked like a work of art on a croissant. Since it was a wee bit early to indulge in some Absinthe, I stuck with water. Snooze. Boring.

After we finished our lunch the waitress surprised my memom with a happy birthday dessert. I can only hope her birthday did or will come true!

My memom is one strong and beautiful woman. I'm so lucky to have her!

After we ate, we went on a little shopping spree. We were perusing the Ann Taylor Loft store and was bummed to find out that they did not have my usual size in some shorts I was looking at but that's when my sister told me to just try on a size smaller just to see if those fit. And that's when it happened....ladies and gents....I FIT INTO A SIZE 4!!!! After I did an impromptu happy dance in front of the mirror, I screamed a little and jumped up and down in excitement. Mind you I've never been this size in my entire life (not including my toddler days) and just a little over a year ago I was rocking a size 14 dress at my sister's wedding. And it wasn't an "omg they fit but sausaging out in them" kind of fit...they actually fit comfortably!! Goals achieved. Bring it on summer, I will rock the hell out of my new wardrobe.

My mom also surprised me with this gorgeous, sheer butterfly scarf from Soft Surroundings. I have no idea how she got away with buying it without me knowing it either...stealthy...

Easter Sunday was spent boxing it out in the morning and then getting all dressed up to visit with my dad's side of the family for an Easter luncheon. It was great visiting with them and catching up. The only bad part of today was that I had to face the realization that tomorrow is....Monday. Womp, womp! I really can't complain about spending a fantastic weekend with family though AND that spring has finally decided to arrive!!! Suck on that one cold, winter weather!!!