Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas & Happy New Year!

Well there goes another Christmas. While the festivities will last for a couple more days around this house, I'm sad that it's officially over. It came and went WAY too fast as usual and I'm pouting about it. I can never really have enough time with my extended fam. The weekend before Christmas my mom managed to convince my sister, my grandmother and me to go to the Walnut Room at Macy's...Macy's the weekend before Christmas. I'm lucky I wasn't trampled along the way. They should have handed out flasks of hard liquor at the door to prep your for the utter chaos inside. We did some shopping and enjoyed our dinner at The Walnut Room later on. That Christmas tree in the center never seems to get old, even when I see it every year.

It was then when I got Christmas present #1 & #2. My Michael Kors Hamilton handbag and Kate Spade Gramercy watch. SWOON. I love them.

I was lucky enough to get Christmas Eve off of work so I could prep for Christmas party #1 for Josh's side of the family. I of course ate and especially drank too much. Because...it's not Christmas until something other than the Christmas tree gets lit. Once we got home, Josh and I also exchanged our gifts. He got me a great bottle of wine for our growing wine rack and a pair of Marc Jacobs heels. LOVE. If I ever have any doubt about my fam knowing me, that is rectified during this time of the year as well. Their gifts were absolutely perfect. Little Mermaid fleece pants? My inner child is screaming in delight and I'm dying to dive into this Stephen King book on writing. I also was lucky enough to score some new workout/running gear, a beautiful Kate Spade Gramercy gold watch and a nifty bluetooth hookup for my car that connects to my phone so I can stop having illegal conversations on my phone while I'm driving. (Only hands-free is allowed these days).

I also managed to paint my own nails without one of my hands looking like a child went at them. Stunned.

On Christmas day, my parents were hosting this year and Swedish meatballs were on the dinner menu. HALLELUJAH MY FAV. This recipe is my grandmother's best I must say and there is NOTHING like it. I ate my weight in them. My cousin's birthday is also on Christmas so it's always a dual celebration!

My grandmother also handed out very old ornaments that she always had on her Christmas tree to each of the grandchildren as her gifts and it will be the most cherished. Both Josh and I got to pick one out. Speaking of ornaments, I can't forget a photo of our ornament recognizing our first Christmas as a Mr. & Mrs.!!! Josh's Aunt always gives us the cutest, personalized ornament each year and this one just might be my favorite next to the one she had made for our engagement.

Once all of the Christmas parties were all said and done, it was time to start prepping for our first party at our house for New Year's Eve! It was originally only supposed to be a few people, but ended up being a huge family gathering of over 20 people. Whoops? The more the merrier!

My sister and I consumed more wine than anyone else of course, but we closed out 2014 in style and with a kiss of course! 2014 served me well, I received so many new writing opportunities, tied the knot and bought our first house.

The party was a success and now our house really does feel like home. I've never been so happy to clean the aftermath of a party before. But now I can officially say that my fest of indulging in all things bad is over, I kicked it into high gear and went for a night run and engaged in an intense weights session in my new workout gear!

I absolutely love the holidays and I'm so sad now that they're over, but I'm ready to kick off 2015 in the best way and I can't wait what this year has to bring. Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Time is Here!

Holy sweet baby Jesus, we're about ONE week away from Christmas and I can finally say that I'm 100% healthy again at least when I'm not running. From the bronchitis to the nasty 103 degree fever I decided to sport last week, I'm DONE with being sick. It was in the 50s this weekend and it's mid-December??? Chicago what's your dealio??? LOVING IT. What I'm not loving is my running game right now. My lungs gave me a big "eff you" when I went out for my first run since I got sick. I got it done, but I definitely overdid it...oops. I steadily recovered in my fleece penguin jammy pants. Obviously the only way to enjoy the holiday season.

You know what else I love? Decorating the house for Christmas! I've been totally on top of my game this year with Christmas shopping too and baking Christmas cookies with the fam. All while listening to NSYNC's Christmas album of course. These traditions are a must every.single.year.

Watching movies like Die Hard, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, Snoopy's Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life are definitely traditions too....while drinking hot chocolate out of penguin mugs.

This is our first Christmas at our house so I couldn't decorate for the holidays fast enough. I also project that everything will stay up well past the New Year....halfway because everything afterward is boring and not sparkly....and because I just might be too lazy.

And let me tell you....that master list of names and addresses from the wedding has come in handy time and time again. It's made my life so much easier when it came to making those Christmas cards...so did eating many Christmas cookies throughout the process...

 Home life aside from the holiday craziness has been great. I haven't accidentally poisoned Josh making dinner and things are steadily getting hung on the walls and boxes are almost all cleared away! I don't know about anyone else, but the clutter was driving me CRAZY and being sick definitely slowed down the process. Photos to come! I can't wait to really decorate my office space. Within the past month I accepted a new feature writing gig for a fitness mag and I'm ecstatic about it. However the only one more happy than I am right now might be Apollo. He loves the holidays because he along with Luigi gets spoiled even more so this time of the year...I mean just look at him...I told him that Christmas was just around the corner and I got this....

Is anyone else this excited for the holidays?! Anyone else have holiday traditions??

Weekend Review: Sister Bonding Time!

It's almost November which means holy #@^%# I'll be moving into the house with the hubs in just four weeks! It sounds like a long time, but we're in the homestretch and we're making a list a mile long of what needs to be done right away/the week we move in. Since the house was a foreclosure, we need ALL of the kitchen appliances. That means we need to go shopping, something I have zero experience in doing. Sorry if you missed the sarcasm that sentenced was heavily laced with. Since it's just about the holiday season, I'm betting on snagging some amazing deals.

What I DID do this weekend was go shopping for Christmas decorations. YEAH YEAH I DID IT. Strike me down! BUT since I'm a fan of all things glittery and shiny AND the fact that this will be our first Christmas in our first home, I'm goin' all out! Pier 1 Imports is my #1 place to go for Christmas decorations. I found the most beautiful ornaments and table pieces.

AND because I'm obsessed with penguins, these happened. Don't you dare judge. I mean come on, what's better than a penguin on a cupcake?

After going to Pier 1, my sister and I finally saw Gone Girl. Now I was DYING to see the movie since it was said that the author rewrote the ending...leading EVERYONE to believe that it was different from the book (which thank God) but....SPOILER ALERT....



NOPE. It was the effing same. And really, if you read this without the spoiler alert, be happy you did. I swear, it was like getting back together with an ex hoping for different results, when NOPE it still sucked something awful and you felt all empty inside. Okay I'm being dramatic...but really. However, the movie and casting was amazing. The author should always write the screenplay for movie adaptations. If they don't something like The Great Gatsby might happen again. This was my hot date for the night....because I'm a five-year-old at heart...or when I'm drunk.

My sister and sucked down some wine and martinis after the movie knowing full well that I had a long distance run ahead of me in the morning. But really, how can I turn down a pumpkin spice martini? It was like basic bitching 2.0.

 

Despite my thirst for pumpkin spice martinis, I was up bright and early for my 10-mile run in the morning...grumble. Thank the lord for Beyonce and Iggy Azalea for helping me pull through. Yeesh. I must say though that this weather Chicagoland is experiencing is AMAZING and it needs to hold out for a couple more weeks until my 15k...just sayin'.

This weekend I have my Panting for Paws race that benefits all of the furry little buddies out there that need a forever home. It's one of my fav races because well...nothing is better than running for furbaby funds right?! Speaking of which, unbeknownst to me, Apollo has his own clothing line...I found this out when I came across this sweater. Naturally, I bought it. He's aiming to be the next Karl Lagerfeld....

 And amidst all of my house moving craziness, my bff also moved into her new condo! We celebrated with margaritas the size of our faces. Cheers!!

And as this week progresses, I'll just be sitting at my desk planning for the move...because is it November 25th yet?!?! And yes, I have a countdown on my phone....

The Grinch Stole My Christmas

I love Christmas, it's my favorite time of year where everyone is cheerful and happy. I had family coming in from out-of-town and I was even ahead with all of my Christmas shopping and wrapping. Score. My mom and I decided to visit my uncle in the hospital on Christmas Eve before all of the festivities began later on...but then...boom...my mom started to mention how her chest hurt and that her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest that morning right before we were supposed to leave. I thought to myself, "this isn't happening...it can't be." Well it was. My dad and I rushed her to the hospital and found out and that she has a tightened heart valve that caused atrial fibrillation and a domino effect of other issues including fluid around her heart, lungs, plural cavity etc. Excuse me while I scream another "EFF YOU!" to 2013...

Once she was moved from the ER and into her own room in the cardiac unit, we found out the following day that she didn't need surgery and could go on medication. Phew. Finally some good news. She stayed in the hospital through Christmas, although my sister and I just decided to bring Christmas to her and decorated her room with a mini pink Christmas tree and a Christmas Snoopy tie blanket that I made the night before. All I wanted for Christmas at that point was for her to feel better.

The nurses that watched over her were great and I couldn't have asked for better people watching over my mom. It was a really scary time in my life that I definitely do not want to relive...but now she's out of the hospital and got to celebrate Christmas last weekend with my mom's side of the family. It's amazing how some quality time with the family can be the perfect kind of medicine and take all of your worries away. I'm not too sure about anyone else, but I am DEFINITELY ready for 2014 to start! I don't think I can handle anymore health scares within the family. I've warned all of my friends and loved ones to just live in a bubble and stay in their houses for the remaining hours of 2013 just as a precaution.

If 2013 taught me anything, it is that life is too short to worry about trivial things. Bring on 2014!!!

Finding The Silver Lining

So here I am...a month later...and my life couldn't seem any crazier or hectic. On the scale of LiLo to Amanda Bynes, I'm about to join whatever nuthouse those two checked into sooner rather than later. I'm working myself to the bone at work, trying to plan a wedding and trying to figure out this whole "getting a house" thing all at once. It's a miracle I haven't turned to some kind of illegal narcotic by now. Luckily, I have an amazing family, fiancee and friends to make sure I pick myself back up and dust off my heels whenever I fall down...either from pure exhaustion or just because life is full of WONDERFUL surprises...I am so very thankful for them. A few weekends ago, I was able to have some quality mom time and took her to go see Wicked. It was one of the best plays I've ever seen! I loved everything about it and I don't blame people for seeing it multiple times! Before the show, we went to The Walnut Room, ate amazing food and drank the best martini creations ever. It was our kickoff to the Christmas season.

Fast forward from that moment a little bit and we bring ourselves to celebrating eight amazing years with my future hubs and Thanksgiving...X3. Yes, I managed to survive three Thanksgiving family gatherings and only rolled away 3lbs heavier (which is a miracle). I knew those cheesy casseroles and stuffing had it out for me and were ready to sabotage Operation Wedding Dress...NOT THIS TIME. I even went to a 90-minute boxing class Thanksgiving morning to prepare for the caloric damage I was sure to partake in later that day. This year, I had a lot to be thankful for despite all of the craziness in my life and without this guy below, I don't know how I would have made it through.

As for other people and/or things that keep me sane right now...I present to you....shaved Apollo. He actually likes his Blackhawks jersey until he grows some warm fluff back.

 And then there is Luigi...he loves his classy, Christmas bow tie. If any of you ladies are looking for a date...he's available.

These two partners in crime were good too as the Christmas decorations and shiny, clinky ornaments were being hung on the tree. So far, I've watched a few movies that MUST be watched before Christmas including "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" and "Elf." I'm also ahead on my Christmas shopping....although I always say that and then I never wrap anything until the night before. The one Christmas wish I have this year is to HOPEFULLY find the perfect starter home before the wedding or soon thereafter...because quite frankly..I no longer enjoy watching House Hunters and any other show on HGTV just gives me anxiety.

A Holly Jolly Christmas

Christmas is practically already here even though it's technically still one day away. Christmas is really a whole week of celebrations and parties....which is just how I like it. Christmas is my favorite holiday ever so one day of celebrating it just doesn't cut it. Saturday night Josh and I had a little mini getaway at a chic spa hotel in the heart of downtown where we had quality "us" time. Since we're still saving up and living at home, moments like these are few and far between....and I enjoyed every single second! Josh booked a room for us and ummm apparently they were aware of our motive of having quality time together...as we were quick to find out that there was only a glass wall separating the shower from the main room! We definitely got a kick out of this honeymoon-type suite. We were on the 22nd floor so we had quite a view from our room!

Once we got settled, we got ready to go to dinner. Josh made reservations for us at the Argent Restaurant. Mind you, Josh is not a raw food/sushi person....yet he knows that I am a sushi-loving fiend so he booked this place. One of the many reasons why I love this man. They had a burger for him on the menu so he was all set. We started off with delicious salads for appetizers followed by our main course. I had the salmon citrus roll and a California roll- holding the avocado of course.

The second I took the first bite...I was in heaven. I also had a glass of this one particular German Riesling that I've never had before. It was absolutely delicious. So lets backtrack. I'm with my one and only...eating top-notch sushi....with Riesling in hand...yep...heaven.

After we stuffed our faces with food, we made our way upstairs to the Vertigo Lounge which is an enclosed rooftop bar on top of the hotel. Josh got us a bottle of Riesling and we chatted over a few glasses of wine until we made our way back to the room.

The following day we decided that room service was ridiculously too pricey so we walked a block down the road to my favorite...STARBUCKS. Now, of course I love Josh so much but he never has Starbucks and when he was ordering a drink...the barista looked at him like he was from another planet when he asked for a MEDIUM chocolate milk or orange juice. Poor kid isn't savvy on all of their odd lingo. He went with a hot chocolate.

Once we had breakfast and relaxed for a little while, we hopped into a taxi to make our way home just in time for the Bears game....and to ultimately see them slaughter the Cardinals. WOOT. Amazing Christmas gift #1. The first of many Christmas parties was later that night with my immediate fam. My mom made a feast with ham, green bean casserole, rolls and mashed potatoes. After that all of us gathered around the tree and handed out all of our gifts to each other.

My favorite part is judging how I did on picking out gifts by seeing each person's reaction as they open them. I just so happened to get my sister's classic "excited" reaction as she opened her first gift from me,  a white sweater dress she's been wanting for quite some time. Win!

Josh also loved his SteelSeries keyboard, Magic cards, Bears touch screen gloves and AE top.

My parents also enjoyed their gifts which is a major win since it's always rough buying for my dad, especially. You can't go wrong with the whole James Bond Blu-Ray collection with special features. As for me, I was one lucky lady last night as well. Josh got  me this gorgeous Rebecca Minkoff crossbody handbag that is what I like to call "rocker chic" with its spiked studs embroidering the bottom of it. It's a beautiful, light pink with a gold chained strap and zipper enclosure. Absolutely IN LOVE.

My parents also got me an abalone shell necklace and matching earrings. They are absolutely beautiful as well. My absolute favorite gift from them though are my Bose SIE2 sport headphones that are specially engineered for exercise/running. They are seriously the most amazing things ever. They feel secure in your ear, yet you barely feel them and the sound quality is unprecedented of course....Bose.

While I went for my first run in weeks since my toe injury AND after getting sick I was finally able to get outside and try these babies out. The only thing that left me disappointed was my damn knee injury that sprung up again since I ran the half marathon. It didn't help that it was below freezing out. Once I get a brace I should be fine but until then...another five-mile morning run will NOT be in my future. I had to hobble home near the end since I just couldn't even jog through the pain. Although, my headphones did not let me down. They stayed in my ears without even budging, sweat resistant and it sounded as though Ellie Goulding and Lana Del Rey were there running alongside me and singing their tunes.

Now something I need to rant about is the Abercrombie & Fitch sizing scale. I am a small/medium in any other brand...yet apparently a medium sherpa-lined sweater from Abercrombie really means an extra small...it seriously looked like something for a toddler. I was so disappointed since my sister really wanted to get this sweater for me and she felt sad that I looked like I was trying on my little cousin's jacket...it was ridiculous. Abercrombie needs to adjust their sizing scale...to ummm normal sizes? We re-ordered another sweater that I absolutely love from there and hopefully sizing up works...I know I have a long torso...but a medium looked like a fucking cropped jacket on me. Get it together, Abercrombie.

My sister also got me a Burberry phone cover that is amazingly cute along with the comfiest set of yoga pants EVER. My bro-in-law generously gave me a Starbucks gift card and a penguin hot/cold beverage cup and an insulated wine holder! Both of them know me so well. ;)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Christmas Time Is Here!

My favorite time of year is finally here! I can't believe it's already December, and what's even more insane is that it was 60 degrees out today while my sister and I did some Christmas shopping downtown! It of course won't last long but we made the best of it. I'm definitely ahead of the game this year in regards to my Christmas shopping and I'm quite proud of myself. I just have a couple of people left to buy presents for and I am FINISHED. I took full advantage of Black Friday deals (online) and Cyber Monday and saved so much on presents that I couldn't help but to snag some things for myself to wear for the holidays.

I am going sequin/glitter crazy from head to toe for the holidays. I was in search for a great sequin top and for a decent price. My first stop was at Bloomingdale's and BAM I found a great sequin, sweater with statement batwing sleeves.

The next stop on my glitzy, holiday frenzy were shoes! I found the most amazing glitter, rose gold ballet flats at Ann Taylor for a fraction of the price.

While my mom and I were shopping we agreed that this fur-lined knit vest from my fav boutique would be the second half of my Christmas present. It is SO warm and cozy.

The first half of my present was my EXTREME phone upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S3. The quality of the camera to the way all of the apps run on it is just absolutely amazing! The screen is huge too and it's so light! (You can tell the comparison between photos. The previous photo is from my phone that's yesterday's news and the photos before that were taken from my new phone.) My phone was the absolute best deal that was cashed in on since the 32GB version of my phone costs an obscene amount at full-price and Best Buy had them for only around $120. I am sooooo very thankful that Best Buy saved the day since T-Mobile lied through their teeth about their Black Friday deals. My phone was not the only thing that came in the mail this week either. My cousin (a master knitter) knitted me some glittens in my wedding colors and I LOVE them. She also threw in a bar of homemade, lavender soap that she personally made.

My one and only got me my birthday present early too while I was out and about shopping with my sister. I found the best sweater dress in hues of purple and grey at one of the clothing boutiques downtown and he got it for me :). I have such a great man!

After receiving so much, I couldn't wait to get home, finish decorating and wrap all of my presents I got for my wonderful friends and family.

There are so many things I love about the Christmas season and one of them include the seasonal Christmas blend at Starbucks. It is SO delicious and I need to stock up on enough to last me even for after the holidays!

Other winter essentials are UGG boots and cozy sweater dresses. The Chicago winter season has finally hit with its frigid temperatures but we have yet to see snow. I'll allow it on Christmas but once it's over with...it can be on its way out asap. My commute to work is long enough without battling a snow storm. Unfortunately, my company isn't one of those who have "winter hours" and give their workers options to work at home although it would be easy for me to do so. *Sigh.

Thankful

Let the holidays begin!! This year my parents hosted Thanksgiving and it was a wonderful affair. I helped my mom prepare the food while watching the Macy's Day parade (it's tradition). There truly is nothing better than reflecting how lucky I am to have such an amazing family and friends over delicious food! However, I was very conscious and aware of the average weight gain a person packs on over this holiday and I vowed that there would be NONE of that going on. Well sure a little, but not 10lbs to 15lbs worth! The turkey my mom prepared was nothing short of delicious.

Along with the turkey, I packed my plate full of my mom's classic broccoli-cheddar casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberries and rolls. Unfortunately the Swedish meatballs just did not make their way to the table this year. There was simply not enough time to make them...so sad. Although more disappointing than the missing meatballs was the absence of my brother-in-law. Because Target decided to open so early on Thanksgiving DAY, he had to rest up so he would be ready to handle the crazy Black Friday people. I think it's so awful that these businesses are opening earlier and earlier to the point where their employees can't even celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. The people who opt out of being with their families on Thanksgiving to cash in on a good deal for a TV is even more sickening. I don't know about anyone else, but spending time with my family is WAY more important than getting THINGS. 

After our tummies full of turkey settled, my cousin who is a pastry chef, brought a pumpkin pie and an apple pie topped with a type of apple crisp and caramel.  Both of them were to die for.

I had to have a little taste of each one...not going to lie. I was banking on going to the gym early in the morning anyway to help reverse the damage that was already done. Bring on the pie.

Once everyone ate, had coffee and engaged in some meaningful conversations they all departed and left. I decided to opt out of the Black Friday madness and stick to online shopping the following day.