weekly highlights!

monday: definitely getting breakfast at loveless cafe in nashville before hitting the road back to chicago and then being welcomed back into the city by a giant rainbow over the lake. so nice.

tuesday: checking out the Museum of Contemporary Art after working and cooking homemade chicken nuggets with the bf - i was very proud of them!

wednesday: got to do a food tasting at the drake with my coworkers. very fancy, very delicious. i love my job!

thursday: walked over to a farmers market in the loop and bought some pretty flowers for my desk and some treats for home. another huge highlight was catching up with one of my bffs over tea who i haven't seen in awhile and is going on vaca for a week.

friday: the highlight today will certainly be eating at perennial with my cousin. can't wait to try it out!

i predict that my saturday highlights will be getting my haircut so that i can see again (bangs are way too long) and seeing 16 candles at midnight @ the music box theatre. can't wait!

weekend in nashville!

the bf and i drove down to nashville on friday after work to visit his aunt for the weekend. i had done some research on some spots to visit along the way and brought some car projects to work on. the first stop i wanted to take was for a "giant leg sundial" in indiana. i thought - how roadtrippy and perfect. we get off the expressway and follow the directions only to arrive at a nudist colony. the giant leg was inside there! this is what i get for not reading descriptions. it was pretty freaking funny though. after we finally arrived at his aunt's it was very late and we were wiped. we woke up the next morning to fried green tomatoes, sausages, omelets and fresh fruit. YUM! after breakfast we went downtown to check out Music Row, Hatch Show Print, the river front and tour the Ryman Auditorium. we got some bbq at BB Kings for lunch. later on we had dinner with his cousin, her husband and her adorable 2 year old son at Bosco's in the cute/trendy Hillsborough area. then the bf and i went to a show at the basement. the opening act was fantastic and really different, middle act's singing voice made me want to kill myself and the headliner, clem snide is a nashville gem. we had a good time assessing the nashville indie scene. the next day we went to pick up the 2 year old cousin and went to his grandpa's house for a tour. they live on 7 acres of land in a beautiful old home. they board doggies to make their $. my kind of people! they also have a treehouse (for grownups!), access to a big river and big gardens with tomatoes, watermelons, ochre and parsley. it was really cool to see. after that we went to opryland to see the new opry house and visit the fancy schmancy opryland resort for lunch. there are amazing waterfalls and gardens inside the resort. it was one of the coolest indoor gardens ive ever seen. we had a great time with rob's little 2 year old cuz who entertained us with his songs - my personal favorite was his version of BINGO - he sings BONGO instead. then his aunt made us a delicious dinner before we went to the station for a bluegrass jam session. musicians - amateur and professional - gather to play together all night. this was a huge highlight of the trip! we heard some amazing music and it was a great way to cap off the great weekend. the next morning we went to the loveless cafe for a traditional southern breakfast. rob had bbq pork over eggs with hashbrown casserole and i had bacon, eggs, ham, hashbrown casserole and sausage. OMG. so good but SO full afterwards. OH and they bring you a bunch of amazing bisquits with preserves too. seriously so glad we got to go there! on our journey home we stopped in louisville to take some pics of the world's largest baseball bat and down the street from that there is the world's largest vampire bat at a costume shop. so fun.

all in all - it was a wonderful and memorable weekend. i was so happy to spend time with his aunt and cousin who i get to see so rarely. i want to go back!

smile like you mean it.

my natural expression is a frown. i never notice that i'm frowning because that is my relaxed face. luckily, people often encourage me to smile. not annoying at all! like random people in the street, waiters, a checkout person at whole foods and other complete strangers. for years i have found this incredibly annoying. but lately i have been more aware of my frowny face and i recently heard a nice tip that makes me try to be more smiley. you know the TLC show 18 kids & counting? the super nutty family that limits their kids internet and tv use, forbids premarital kissing and hand holding and is uber religious?? well the mom, michelle duggar, had a few pointers that i read recently on the very serious news source, AOL news. yeah, i know - not someone i would normally turn to for tips but i really like what she had to say about building a strong and positive character.

1. Always use soft words, even when you don't feel well.
2. Always display kind actions, even if you have been mistreated.
3. Show joyful attitudes even when no one is looking.
4. Have sincere motives with no thought of self-gain.
5. Never let the sun go down on your wrath; don't go to bed angry or guilty.

so i really took #3 to heart. and i related it to something i heard her say on their show once - she said always have a smile on your face even when no one is watching. so lately i've been trying to smile as much as humanly possible without looking like a freak. when i'm walking around downtown and realize i've got my classic frown on, i try to muster up a smile. and when i smile like this i swear it sends endorphins all throughout me. i totally feel warm and fuzzy and i have a tendency to scroll through all my happy thoughts which keeps the smile going. i think about what a great city i live in, lately how nice the weather is, something pleasant that happened that day or just how lucky i am in general. i've been doing it especially often on my walk to the bus in the mornings. it helps to start the day with a positive attitude. you should try it!

my life in lists.

i recently purchased "listography" - it's a book that helps you create your own autobiography in list form. being an event planner and uber organizer, i LOVE lists. the book offers structure to help create a book full of memories and personality traits. it has funny pictures for each page and great topics for the lists. it has been so fun to do because it makes you think of so many things you would never consider about yourself. some of my favorite topics and lists are below.

favorite movies:
* clueless
* when harry met sally
* my best friends wedding
* swingers
* almost famous

favorite songs:
* you can't always get what you want - the stones
* tiny dancer - elton john
* wouldn't it be nice - the beach boys
* too busy thinking about my baby - marvin gaye
* the only living boy in new york - simon & garfunkel

the things i'd like to do on my day off:
* sleep in
* get a massage
* go to the fancy cheese shop down the street
* eat all the cheese
* nap
* watch bravo reality tv marathons

pet peeves:
* when people ask me to do things they could do themselves
* nail biting
* liars
* repetitive noises

my biggest character flaws:
* controlling
* moody
* competitive
* overly sensitive/over reactor
* can't deal with change
* i can't have nice things/i don't take care of my things (anything inside my purse gets destroyed, i rip holes in clothes because i'm not careful, i drop ipods, cameras, phones and other expensive items, i'm just not a cautious gal)

my best traits (according to me):
* i like to take care of people and problems
* staying in touch & connected with friends & loved ones
* self-aware
* i say what i mean and mean what i say
* good gift giver
* independent
* i'm loyal

things i'd save from my home if it was on fire
* gerbil hef
* grandma's rosary
* travel scrapbooks
* the first real art print i got from my parents
* favorite clothes: my gray shawl, brown boots, guitar dress, leather vest
* box of cards i've saved
* jewelry from the bf
and i'd throw it all into my favorite betsey johnson luggage!

what would be on your lists?