thanksgiving

this year for thanksgiving, p came out to california with me and we played in the sun for a whole week. 

things we did:

beach

ducks v blackhawks game

thanksgiving feast

nd v usc game

sup around the lake

taco tuesday

kickball

i always take patrick to a different eatery whenever we go home so he can appreciate good food (especially mexican and sushi!) this trip i took him to la sirena grill in laguna beach because they have the best food on the planet. 

i also took super cool videos and pictures with my dads go pro, but being a child in this fast-growing, technologically-advanced society, i have no idea how to transfer them from the usb drive to my computer. daaaaaaaaaad!!!! 

 first stop was DOBVIOUSLY in-n-out

 about to nom on the best carne asada torta he will ever nom

 view from the top of the montage

 i love california in november

 this midwesterner deep fried us a damn good turkey

 ducks v blackhawks tradition shall live on, forever.

 tried to bring the tailgate goonery to usc

i love my fam bam

my studly friends and i after thanksgiving kickball

what a great trip this was and even though we had to cut it short due to work circumstances, we had the best time. thanks mom and dad! and thanks california sunshine! im really missing my vitamin d out here...

an official illinoisian

i am officially a resident of chicago, illinois! what an emotional feeling. i never thought i would feel sad relinquishing my californian id, but it hit me like a wave when i was handed my new one. my californian id was one of the last things i had to prove my roots and now i only have my vans collection and the use of saying "dude, totally" a lot. and soon my license plate will change, and im getting my own health insurance and car insurance and and and. i dont know. its a weird feeling being an official big kid and being on your own and having a full time job (!) and a life that is brand new and having new favorite restaurants and different tv channels and different weather and not having my family close by and and and and and im far from home, on my own, and right now i want nothing more than to be sitting on the floor of my kitchen, talking with my mom, and petting my pup. and eating in n out. 

BUT i am grateful to be here, with my new friends who are turning into family, with p, in my tiny apartment, with a tiny kitchen, and drafty windows, and having new favorite restaurants, and seasons that i can get excited about, and having the job of my dreams, and being in a city with heart and pride. i guess im in a weird transition right now between wanting my own adventure and not being able to let go of my old one. i just know i cant wait to be home again. and i cant wait to make chicago my new one. 

giving thanks

things i am thankful for:

my parents for their constant support and love no matter what 

my family for always being there for me

my friends for being more like family to me

my patrick for being the most amazing human 

my health and the health of all those i love

my cousins always having new babies to play with

my pupperoni, luna, for being a puppy 

my small, cozy apartment in chicago that is a stones throw away from patrick

my roommate for being so easy going and funny

my best restaurant homeslice for the amazing gf pizza

and finally getting the job of my dreams in the NICU at Loyola

what a blessed life to have so many things to be thankful for.

date day: the west loop

so, one of my part time jobs is in a part of town called the west loop and i have been dying to explore that area with p for a very long time. i planned a really nice day with window shopping, showing him the areas i work in, and eating at this sandwich place that had a 5 star rating on yelp (and only one dollar sign). im a huge yelper these days if ya didnt know. still on my search for the best gf pizza in the city. 

so we started off the day with, of course, dunkin, and a nice, cold wait at the train. its freezing here, by the way. 

 p + coffee = heaven 

look at the pigeons huddling under the heat lamps for warmth! i cried from laughing! haha! 

 totes. 

west loop streets with downtown background. so hip. so chic. 

we boutique shopped for a bit and p suggested we grab a drink at his favorite blackhawks bar which was right down the street from the restaurant. was it to just grab an innocent drink or watch part of the nd game, the world may never know. but we ended up staying there a quarter and half in the game when, the ultimate planner that i am, decided to just then look at what time this sandwich place closed, which had been 30 minutes before. i was bummed but i guess that just means we will have to come back again, right p!?

 THIS ISNT OKAY YET, WEST END! 

NONONONO CHRISTMAS YET! GIMME TURKEY FIRST!

since my dinner plan was out the door (ugh!), we yelped some more and decided on little goat diner which had great reviews and gluten free options to boot. so we ventured back into the cold, a little upset about the game and a little excited for the new restaurant option. we got there at the perfect time and was seated right away. the food was to die for. p had this interesting asian breakfast scramble thing and i got this amazing sandwich with meat and avocado and peppers and i cant even tell you what else. i was in food heaven and i wasnt even eating pizza. i must go back. soon. 

 side note: i have about 743829 picture of p in this exact pose but with a different background. i wonder if he knows....

hey, a window!

he likes me i swear. 

what a great date. except next time we go back, were doing the photobooth i dont care what you say patrick. 

this post is a little late but p & i just celebrated our 1 year anniversary in september. 

since were in the business of saving money, we played it low key and made pizzas together for dinner and went to a fancy bar downtown for drinks. i didnt get any pictures of the pizza because i cant control myself around pizza and dont think of anything else when its in front of me. 

delicious cocktails


here are some snaps of us throughout the year.

thanks for the adventure, p. cant wait for many many more. 

halloweenie 2014

i am already doing horribly at keeping this up but im taking a vow to do better. so i thought it was fitting to write a post about halloween, which is one of my top fave holidays, and because it just happened. i just love the idea of dressing up as something fun and seeing what others have dressed up as. plus its the perfect reason to throw an awesome party. when i was little my mom used to always make my costumes by hand which i would love to do with my future kids. it just makes it that much more special. plus costumes in the stores are insanely expensive. and usually pretty lame. 

 megs & me!

back in september i had this amazing idea that p and i should be johnny cash and june carter. cute right? so i ordered a dress off rent the runway, borrowed my friend megans microphone, and patrick bought a black button down. i was so excited for this costume and i told everyone. well just my luck, my dress never got delivered. i was SO upset because there was really nothing i could do about it. it was out of my control. and i hate when things are out of my control. luckily, i kept my unicorn costume from last year so i just threw that together and called it a night. but did p and i look funny together; johnny cash and a unicorn. oh well, theres always next year!

we had a little pre game party at my place that was a ton of fun. we had drinks, snacks, music, etc. we sang, we dance, we drank. we ended our night at a bar down the street where we danced some more. im so glad everyone could come out and have fun! 

costume of the night/costume of my life ^^

chicago state of mind

so here i am, day 26 of officially living in the windy city. well, i guess its not "official" official... i havent landed a job yet & i cant move into my apartment until october. so im staying with my boyfriend & his college roommate in this beautiful 1800's apartment in lincoln park. the space is huge for two people (three for the time being!) & open with hardwood floors & a fireplace that doesnt work. theres a dishwasher (which is CLUTCH), one bathroom with a shower faucet that i cannot figure out how to change, & in house washer and dryer! the only bad part is walking through the what seems like the basement set of "the conjuring" to get to the laundry. the area is fabulous as well. its in the de paul neighborhood so were surrounding by college kids & young professionals & even young families. some of the town homes around here must be at least a million dollars, i mean they are beautiful. one of these days i would like to own one. 

i havent been up to too much. during the day when no one is home i finished watching the sex & the city series, read "wild" by cheryl strayed which i highly recommend, and started the harry potter series again. i explored the area a bit and found a beach to go to. ive been very lazy with working out. when people get home we go to trivia at least once a week, cook dinner, and watch some netflix. right now were on orange is the new black season 2. i keep checking the illinois website about my license but nothing has shown up yet... ugh. 

even though things are not really working out the way i want them to, i am so happy here. i love this city, i love the people, i love the food, i love the nightlife, i love everything. and it makes it even better that i get to share this experience with patrick. i cant wait to explore more of it. 

heres to you, chicago.