Chicago Food Scene

In the past I've been really eager to try the best new restaurants in Chicago. When we started saving for the wedding and focusing on getting in shape, I became more interested in cooking at home and eating well. Lately I've been getting excited about restaurants to try again and it's mostly because I've been seeing new trends in places around the city including using local ingredients, organic and natural ingredients, vegetarian options galore and places that benefit the community. Here are some places I'm excited to try. Sandwich Me In

This place uses local ingredients and is TRASH FREE! They go through great lengths to produce no trash. Pretty impressive! http://sandwichmeinchicago.com/

Inspiration Kitchens

One of our favorite places to go that gives job training to at risk members of the community. Oh and the food is DELIC! http://www.inspirationkitchens.org/

Milt's BBQ for the Perplexed

Rob and I have been dying to try this kosher BBQ spot in our old hood. 100% of their profits go to charity. AWESOME! http://www.miltsbbq.com/our-story/

Mista Pizza

Rob and I only had it once or twice but it's a great, super crisp pizza with organic ingredients. We need to go back! http://www.mistapizza.com/

LYFE Kitchen

I've been eager to try this new casual dining spot in River North that uses sustainable ingredients and has lots of organic and vegetarian options. They also include calories and sodium for each item on the menu. http://www.lyfekitchen.com/

Blue Door Farm Stand

I'm pumped to try this for lunch tomorrow. They only use ingredients that are in season and I believe local. Can't wait! http://www.bluedoorfarmstand.com/

Blue Sky Bakery

Similar to Inspiration, they provide job training for at risk teens. I'm excited to try this place for my friend Leah's shower soon! http://blue-sky-bakery.org/

West Coast Trip

I planned an Alumni Reception in San Francisco this March and had the opportunity to fly out to staff it and extend my visit to enjoy the west coast and have Rob join me! The event took place at the Omni which was beautiful! The event went very smoothly and it was a relief when it was over because it had not been easy to plan. Rob arrived later that night and in the morning we drove to Monterey for a little getaway. It was the most gorgeous day! We checked into our hotel and walked around in the sun before grabbing a hearty and delicious lunch at a vegan Mexican restaurant. It was so, so good! It's awesome to find spots that make it easy for me to eat healthy when we're traveling! After lunch we walked along the water and went to the Coast Guard Pier to see all the sunbathing and super noisy sea lions! It was UNBELIEVABLE! There were just so many of them. I had no idea how loud and aggressive they would be. It was so fun to watch them. We also saw a sea otter swimming and that made my whole trip! We walked further down the coast and found where all the seals sunbathed. They're much nicer. After our walk we got Giardellis - so good - and then took short naps. Then we went to an early dinner at this foodie hotspot in this incredible old mansion in the historic part of town. It was the most interesting restaurant I think I've ever seen! We enjoyed cheddar bacon biscuits for an appetizer and I think I had some sort of chicken. No clue on Rob's dish. We just really enjoyed our fancy little date! Then we went back to the hotel, turned on the fireplace and watched March Madness. Heaven! The next day it was expected to rain so we visited the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. We got there right when it opened and went all the way to the corner before the crowd could meet us. We saw Jellyfish, sharks, tuna, sea otters, penguins and so much more. We also spent some time on their patios looking through the telescopes. It didn't really rain much at all. We loved our time there but got burnt out quickly by the crowds. We grabbed sandwiches at this awesome deli, Compagno's Deli, that Ame and Tom recommended. It was SO good and so filling! Then we drove to Foster City to start our fun with the Liebls! It was so fun seeing the kiddos and spending quality time with Amy and Tom! We got In & Out for dinner that night which is always good! The next day we enjoyed playing outside and even a little babysitting. The kids are such a riot and we love seeing them! We were sad to head back to Chicago after such a fun visit! We can't wait to see them at Hunky Dory this summer! This was the getaway I had been needing after a rough winter. I came back feeling refreshed and relaxed!

Horrors on Hoyne

Moving is never fun or easy. This time around it's been extra difficult and extra unfun. In late November Rob and I became very uncomfortable with our living situation at the apartment we had been living in for about 3 years when our landlord asked to borrow money from us and we learned of other unusual behavior of hers including ghost sightings. We decided it was time to get the hell out of there. So we started looking for a new place and found this cool 2 story coach house. We decided to go for it. Oh, how I wish we hadn't! It's been nothing but trouble since we signed the lease. First the heat broke and a pipe froze before we moved in which delayed our move in date. The broken heat prevented the floor sealant to work so it was like an ice skating rink. Then they fixed it by putting a terrible coat of laminate on it which looks absolutely awful. Once we finally moved in every few days there was a different problem. Mostly with the water - some days pipes would freeze and we'd have no shower and then our hot water heater broke. The landlord definitely takes care of every problem that has come up as quickly as he can but at times he's been downright mean to Rob about all the issues that have come up. Then came the squirrels. Every since we moved in we could hear squirrels scurrying around in the ceiling above the office. Once we noticed some holes in the hallway that we assumed were the squirrels making their way inside, we insisted the landlord call the pest control company. They came and set up traps and I think we've caught 8 so far including one that did in fact make it in the house. The pest company said the gutter line of the house looks like swiss cheese and he thinks there's a raccoon living in the main house in front of ours - thank god not ours! It's been traumatizing! We still love that there's an office I can use for crafting and that Rob can play his drums inside, but basically it's the apartment from hell and I can't wait to move! I'm actually scared to imagine what disasters might be next for us...but I had to document the true horrors we've experienced on Hoyne so far!

2013 Overview

2013 was a really good year! Some highlights below:

*Lots and lots of trips! We did a lot of travel this year as usual. Rob and I went to San Francisco to spend time with the Liebls, Nashville, In. for my birthday, Hunky Dory, Greenville & Asheville for our anniversary, Germany & Italy, quickie to St. Louis for the Hawks with Cait, a few brief visits to Michigan, New York for work, and I got to go to Boston with mom. So many great memories shared and wonderful sites seen!

*Babies! We welcomed so many babes this year! My friends Jamie & Kyle had Allie, Megan and Andrew had Oliver, Steph and Jeff had Taylor and Lydia and Roger had Nina. It's been pretty awesome to see these little ones grow over the last few months and I can't wait for more memories to come!

*Weddings! We also had a few lovely wedding celebrations this year. Lovelyn & Mike's, Ness & Tobi's, Mary & Mike's and Casey and Matt's. I love love!

*Service! I got to spend lots of time with my Best Buddy, Connie this year. It's been such an amazing experience to be part of the Best Buddy program. Connie is so special in so many ways. I love her sense of humor, creativity and warm heart. My favorite day was going to the Garfield Park Conservatory with her. She loved it! I've been doing the usual Monday night Bingo projects and my love continues to grow for my boys there. I got really into Cardz for Kidz which is a non profit that collects handmade cards for kids in hospitals. It's been really fun to do and to get others involved. Rob and I tried out a few cooking projects this year including on Thanksgiving, managed a clothing drive and donated goods to different organizations throughout the year together. I just joined the Chicago Cares Auxiliary Board which I'm really excited about! Service has become such an enormous part of my life and I'm so grateful to be involved with so many different opportunities to give back.

*CSA - the CSA was short but really had a big impact on us, our cooking and our diets. I'm so glad we did it and I'm so excited to try new recipes and things I learned from doing the CSA.

*New car! We bought a new car and I am so glad we did - especially with the snowy weather! It's made life so much easier - moving, groceries, driving in the snow! Loving it! *Nature fun! Rob and I discovered our love for the great outdoors recently and we created a nature to do list. We did some hiking on my bday trip and our anniversary trip and took a cool walk through the Redwoods in the Bay area, found a cool nature preserve in Michigan and visited a local nature center in the south burbs. We have a lot more to see in years to come, but I love that we discovered this new interest together.

*Fall bucket list! Autumn is my favorite time of year and so I made a bucket list to make sure we did everything FALL before it was too late! We did so much fun stuff - it was awesome! Apple picking, pumpkin patch, haunted houses, fright fest, carved pumpkins, see a scary movie and more. It was one of the best falls ever! So glad we got to do so much stuff.

*There were many more wonderful and lovely memories this year. I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store!