The Harold Washington Library is amazing. A must-see if you are ever in Chicago!

I was also tagged by my good friend Melissa in a fun meme called the Lucky Number 11 Survey.

Because it’s Melissa, and because she asked such great questions, I decided to try it out.

Here are the rules:

1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions.

My 11 Things:

1. I’ve never had stitches or broken a bone (*knocks several times on wood*). The only time in my life where I should have had stitches (but didn’t) was when I hit my chin on a swing set at daycare as a three-year-old. Unfortunately, the provider did not feel the need to send me to the hospital or call my parents. When they arrived, everything was fine, but I was left with a nice chin scar.

2. That said, I am guilty of giving my brother stitches. Not on purpose, of course. When he was still in diapers I used to crawl into his room and hide between his dresser and the changing table. He would see me in the reflection of the mirror and start giggling, and once my mom or dad put him back on the ground would run to find me. As I’m sure you can guess, one such “run” did not end well – he tripped and bumped his forehead on a sharp corner. The whole drive to the hospital I kept screaming, “I killed my brother!” My parents must have been so proud.

3. I’ve lived in four states, and one of them twice: Illinois (birth through 2.5), North Carolina (2.5 through 6), Minnesota (6 through 18), Illinois (18 through present) – and Arizona for a summer, which totally counts because I had an AZ driver’s license and it doesn’t expire until 2052. Yep.

4. My hair was blonde/dirty blonde until I was four or five years old. Now there is no trace of blonde anywhere, though I did go through a highlights phase in junior high and the beginning of high school. (Aside: I loved that hula swimsuit.)

5. My middle name is Lynn.

6. I have 23 first cousins on my side, 20 of which are in Papa Bender’s family (he’s the oldest of 10)!

7. I used to believe I would be a WNBA star. I was obsessed with basketball – obsessed. Trading cards, jerseys (both WNBA and NBA), memorabilia, you name it. Our family even had season tickets to the Minnesota Lynx for several years, and I would go so far as to paint my face half green, half blue, with white around my eyes.

8. Once my WNBA dreams subsided – sadly – I became an avid golfer. I contemplated walking onto the Northwestern golf team but ultimately decided I wanted to focus on my broadcast journalism degree. Now I’m not a professional golfer or a professional journalist. I don’t regret my decision – though I do think it would have been a lot of fun!

9. My favorite things in the world to do alone are read and write. They’re also pretty high up on my list of favorite things, period. But I’m assuming if you have read this blog for any period of time that you may have known this one already!

10. I was given a teddy bear when I was born and have kept him ever since. He may be a little on the, er, old side, but I’m hoping my future child will love him as much as I have. His name is incredibly original, too: Bear. Oh, and I may have accidentally bit out his eye. I think it gave him character.

11. That’s my brother. Break dancing. At a school dance. When I make a wish at 11:11, on a wishbone or in any other manner, it’s always the same: I wish for my brother to live a long, happy life that is afforded the same opportunities as the rest of us. I’ll stand by that wish forever – and so far, so good.

Melissa’s Questions:

1. If you could be one bird, what would it be?

Source

A hummingbird. It would be amazing to know what it feels like to flap wings 80 times per second.

2. PB or chocolate on a desert island?  You can’t have both.

That’s a tough one! Ultimately, I’d have to go with peanut butter. It’s more versatile, in my opinion.

3. Mountain or ocean?  You still can’t have both.  haha!

Mountain, hands down! I love looking at the ocean, but I am admittedly afraid of going too far in and also am highly seasick. The mountains and I get along much better.

4. If you could live in a different era, which one would it be?

Also a tough question! I love historical fiction, but also realize through reading it that we have it pretty good right now. Would it be lame of me to want to revisit my childhood (the 90s) as an adult? Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind the Roaring 20s.

5. What president, dead or not, would you like to have lunch with?

I think I’d want to go back to our roots and speak with good ol’ George W. Washington, that is.

6. What is your favorite book of all time?

You are full of tough questions, Melissa! If forced to choose, it would definitely be in the Harry Potter series. I switch off between Prisoner of Azkaban and Half-Blood Prince.

7. You win the lotto, who do you call first?

This is ironic because I just wrote a post on the lotto for DreamChamps today. Assuming I was already with Bobby, I would definitely call my parents first.

8. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?  To watch live?

No surprises here – football and football!

9. What was your favorite cartoon to watch growing up?

I was a Nickelodeon child. But if we’re talking specifically about cartoons, I’d say it’s a toss up between Doug and Rugrats.

10. How long have you been best friends with your best friend?

Nine years with Bobby, and nearly six and a half years with my best gal pal, Sam.

11. What is your favorite comic from the Sunday paper?  Come on…I know you still read it!

Aw, I feel so out of the loop because I don’t read them anymore! But I do love Peanuts and Dilbert.

***

Thanks for the great questions, Melissa! As usual, I am going to be lame and extend my “tag” to all of you. But I mean it – I’d love to hear your 11 things, as well as your answers to Melissa’s questions. Let me know if you post about them on your blog, or leave a comment below!

Abrazos,

Source

No, I did not join Cirque du Soleil. But I was, in theory, a temporary cast member at tonight’s performance of Quidam. What started as a continuation of Bobby and my tradition of attending Cirque shows quickly turned into a 10+ minute (at least!) impromptu performance.

Needless to say, I was blushing.

Here’s the story:

The first half of the show was as amazing as always. There was a great opener – a guy doing tricks on a large wheel – and several subsequent talents, which you can check out by previewing the show here. There was also a hilarious clown right before intermission who called a girl from the audience on stage and attempted to woo her in his imaginary car. The ironic part about this is that Bobby and I both thought the girl was an actress. She was just too good, and her cues were just too perfect.

She sat one row ahead of us – we were lucky enough to be on the floor – and I thought she’d likely sneak out during intermission. But when we came back after the break, we noticed she was still there with her boyfriend and chatting animatedly. I told Bobby that perhaps it wasn’t an act after all, and she just went along with the clown extremely well.

Fast forward to the second half of the performance. We’ve seen some true talent, from rope tricks to contortionists and everything in between. Suddenly, the clown is back with a fake old fashioned video camera and a door frame. He mimes to the audience that he needs four people to help him shoot a film.

The first person, he mimes, needs to be a woman (insert hourglass figure gesture here). The spotlight pans around the arena and, wouldn’t you know it, comes to rest on ME. I turn around, hoping it’s someone else, but there is no one there. Resigning myself to get over my natural stage fright, I get up and start walking toward the stairs. It’s cold in the arena, so I still have my coat on.

The clown gestures for me to take it off immediately. The crowd laughs in appreciation.

I approach the stage again, now coat-less, and the clown wraps a boa around my neck. In a whisper that only I can hear, he says, “Beautiful.” It doesn’t sound like much, but I found it comforting. Then he gestures for the audience to applause. Gratefully, they do (I need all the encouragement I can get).

Next the clown finds a young man to join me, a third gentleman who is slightly older than us, and finally, a fourth man that he refers to as needing to be on the “rounder” side (insert rude stomach gesture here). The audience is cracking up when he points to a man in the front row. At first, the man’s wife thinks the clown is talking about her.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” she screams, thinking he has just insulted her. When the clown clarifies that he means her husband, she says, “Oh, him? Well then yes, of course!” She proceeds to push him out of his chair, and he begrudgingly takes the stage.

I am mortified for him. The four of us together must have looked like deer in headlights.

The clown does nothing with the first man – who I assume is going to be interacting with me in some way – and gives the second man a bowler hat and flowers, leading him toward the door frame. He gives the fourth, full-figured man a beret and a clapperboard, instructing him to be the one responsible for marking each scene.

Here’s where the fun begins.

The first man – who we’ll call Charlie – and I are told we are to warm up by doing some rather lewd dance moves that include shaking our butts and, in my case, another set of assets that are a bit higher up. I follow Charlie’s lead and know I look ridiculous.

Next, Charlie and I are told that we are lovers. The clown asks Charlie to sweep me off my feet and onto the stage “floor,” where he must proceed to shower me with kisses. The audience is cracking up at this point, and my head is in my hands. For his part, Charlie is breathing heavy and obviously incredibly nervous – as in, just as nervous as I was. He starts to laugh uncomfortably. The clown must sense his hesitation because he decides that he ought to demonstrate, and in the next minute I am on the stage “floor” being showered with real kisses from the clown.

Did I mention this event was once in a lifetime?

Meanwhile, the second man – who we’ll call Frank – is supposed to knock on the door frame with his flowers, only to walk in on us doing our thing and become so upset that he pulls out a toy “real” gun and shoots Charlie dead. As Charlie dies, I am to become distraught and prance across the stage in agony, ultimately kneeling beside Charlie’s body and drinking poison from a vial. My last move before I die is, supposedly, to flash the crowd.

Let me say that again. Flash the crowd.

At this point I’m thinking, “How did I get up here?!” and I can hear Charlie next to me saying, “I can’t believe we’ve been up here this long.” But the clown will have no one chickening out. He gestures to the third man, who we’ll call Jack, to use his clapperboard and initiate “take one.”

He does. No one moves.

The clown is behind the fake camera at this point, urging Charlie to take his cue. Charlie is laughing uncomfortably, unsure what to do. The audience is giggling, but still he is scared stiff. So am I.

Which is why I have no idea how I ended up saying, “Screw it,” and lying down on the floor myself.

The crowd appreciated my forwardness and thankfully, Charlie also gained a confidence boost. Before long we were both tangled up on the floor. He didn’t go so far as to kiss me, which I believe was for the best. I’m sure both Bobby and Charlie’s girlfriend were very intrigued by the scene before them. (Bobby said he couldn’t stop laughing.)

The clown signaled for Frank to take his cue. I couldn’t tell what was happening from the floor, but Bobby later told me that Frank neglected to knock and proceeded to walk straight through the door frame – a big “no no” for the miming clown, who couldn’t believe he had walked straight through an imaginary “real” door. And so we were forced to start over with “take two.”

And “take three.”

And “take four.”

Charlie said again, “I can’t believe we’ve been up here this long!” You and me both. But by now, I was laughing and having fun. My nerves were gone and I was running on pure adrenaline. The audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I figured we may as well give them a show.

We ended up on the ground one last time. Frank successfully knocked on the door, walked in with flowers and looked painfully shocked at the scene before him. He drew out his gun and shot Charlie, who to his credit did a phenomenal job of playing out his fake death.

The clown turned the fake camera on me for my final moment. I clutched my face in horror and, with a twirl across the stage that surprised everyone – and no one more so than me – ended up at Charlie’s side with the imaginary vial of poison. With a final look at the clown, I downed the vial and, turning toward the audience, gave my best mock flash. It wouldn’t earn me any beads in New Orleans, but I’d take appreciative laughs over plastic necklaces any day.

Whew.

When I was finally dead, the clown pulled me to my feet and whispered, “Let’s bow, shall we?” The five of us had our final shining moment on stage, and then it was over. We were the second to last act in the show, which I still find unbelievable!

The end.

***

It was truly an unforgettable night. I hope you enjoyed my story – I wanted to make sure I wrote down every detail. Although I sadly don’t have a picture or video to show for it, it will definitely be one of those life moments I will look back on and think, “That was pretty damn cool.”

Speaking of fun moments, I was incredibly pleased with today’s #FebPhotoADay: sun! It has been rather cloudy in Chicago lately, but apparently the sun decided it wanted to participate in this month’s photo challenge because it made an appearance near lunchtime, blue sky and all!

Bright day leads to bright night. I wonder what tomorrow will hold? Can’t wait to find out.

What’s one of your favorite “once in a lifetime” experiences?

The craziness of this evening certainly makes my list!

Abrazos,

I thought it was appropriate for today’s #FebPhotoADay post: button. I was originally going to scour my closet for the most creative looking jean fastener or cardigan closer I owned, but then I realized there is another button that is much more important to my everyday life.

This button is one of my favorites because it allows me to share beautiful moments with all of you.

In my nearly four years of blogging – a statistic that I find impossible to believe – I have learned so much about myself. I’ve developed and grown as a student, a working professional, a business owner, a writer, a cook, a baker (mainly that I struggle with this one…), a daughter, a sister, a friend, a girlfriend, a fiancée and now, a wife. But what I often overlook is my title of “photographer,” as well.

I tend to leave that title to the professionals and to those bloggers who have managed to turn a hobby into a true talent. Although I am proud of every picture I post, I don’t consider myself either of those. I’ve still got a lot to learn! That said, I am working on it, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to share pieces of my life with you, both through words and imagery.

As my former photojournalism professor, Candice Cusic, has wisely said:

“I blend. Document. Search for moments. Every day.”

Our lives are full of these moments. And that one little button helps us capture them forever.

“You push the button, we do the rest.”

Abrazos,

I had not been back to St. Louis since the baby shower and could not wait to meet her! Morgan is simply adorable, a bundle of energy and a great reading partner. We read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Peekaboo Farm, among others.

We played with her toy kitchen – a budding foodie in the making – and I also had the chance to feed her.

We had some fun with that. But perhaps one of the funniest memories from the trip was our many attempts at getting the perfect picture of all the women. There are a lot of us! Mama Bender is the middle of three sisters. My Aunt Diane, Aunt Barbara (Morgan’s grandma), Lisa and Morgan were there too, of course – and below is one of my favorite shots of the whole gang save for my Grandma Gige. We were excited to hang out with her this weekend, as well, though – more on why in a minute!

Both Lisa and her husband David (behind the camera) were doing their part to get Morgan camera ready. Please note, however, that their instructions seemingly had the most impact on none other than Mama Bender. Her expression is priceless and makes me smile every time – love you, Mom.

It was so much fun to hang out with Morgan, and we had something else to celebrate, too! Saturday was my Grandma Gige’s 86th birthday. All of us went out for a birthday feast at Longhorn Steakhouse, which included a candlelit hot fudge sundae for this wonderful lady!

On Sunday morning, we also had a delicious brunch at the Original Pancake House. It’s a lot like Walker Bros. in terms of its menu offerings, and in true mother-daughter style Mama Bender and I decided to go all in and split the Dutch Baby…

…and a Greek omelette made with egg whites.

So much food – and so worth it. The feta was oozing everywhere out of that omelette!

Too soon our weekend visit came to a close, but I am truly looking forward to seeing Morgan again soon.

Thanks for a great weekend, ladies (and gent)!

Tonight I bring you the #FebPhotoADay: Dinner Edition. Or shall we say breakfast for dinner?

This scramble was made with three large eggs, one chicken sausage link and spinach. I sprinkled Parmesan cheese and Arizona Dreaming seasoning over it before topping everything off with a dollop of salsa. Served with a side of Diana Gabaldon – I finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and will be posting my review as soon as I’ve chatted about it with my book club.

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful start to the week! Also, congrats to Kath and her husband Matt!

Are you a fan of breakfast for dinner? If so, what is your favorite dish to make?

Abrazos,

Checking in with today’s #FebPhotoADay: 10:00 a.m.

My mom and I were on the road in St. Louis as it approached 10:00 a.m. The sky was a bit on the dreary side and with nothing but highway in front of us, I thought my photo would be on the dreary side, too.

Then I opened the home screen of my cell phone and my solution suddenly became very obvious!

My nieces (and Curious George) are always there to tell me the time and never fail to make me smile! I quickly snapped a screen shot. It was a minute well spent.

Speaking of baby girls who bring smiles to our faces and love to our lives…

More on this little lady tomorrow. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

If you watched the Super Bowl, which ads were your favorite?

The Audi vampires (plus subsequent Twilight references on Twitter) and naked M&M ads made me smile, and I thought the Chevy apocalypse ad with the Twinkies was clever.

More clever, however was this tweet from Anne-Marie Nichols:

“I guess women don’t drive trucks so the human race IS doomed?”

Touché, Anne-Marie.

Abrazos,

I’m currently in St. Louis with my family for the weekend – and I get to meet a certain cutie for the first time today – but had to stop by to share the next installment of #FebPhotoADay: stranger.

This “stranger” is incredible! She performed during the halftime show at the Northwestern basketball game and by the time she was finished, had the whole crowd on their feet. Her talent? Balancing on a unicycle well above the ground, for starters. Balancing one bowl on her head was also enough to amaze me – until she began flipping piles of bowls on top of the first one!

She started with one or two at a time, as in the picture above, but by the end had at least six or seven bowls piled all the way up her shin, which she would then toss with what looked like the greatest of ease into the growing collection of bowls on her head. Amazing.

I don’t know what it takes to develop a skill such as this one, but I can imagine that a lot of practice and strength are involved. I give her a lot of credit for not only tackling the physical requirements, but the mental ones as well. By the time you’ve nailed down the former, all it takes is the latter – in the form of intense concentration and believing in yourself 100% of the time – to be successful.

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend so far! What are you up to on your days off?

Abrazos,

Today’s #FebPhotoADay is hands. I’ve been going on impulse so far with regard to what springs to mind, and the first thing I thought of this time was a picture from our wedding day. It’s one of my favorites and is on the first page of our wedding album.

Speaking of impulse and inspiration, I am thrilled to share a guest post today from Lauren Levine. If you happen to read my other blog, Pursuing Our Passion, you’ll already know how amazing her advice is. The response was so positive that I couldn’t help but share it with all of you, too!

I first “met” Lauren back in November, when she commented on the truth to my business partner Jill’s post on wanting to be treated like an adult at work. Since then, I’ve been an avid reader of her blog, Life with Lauren, which showcases her talent and passion for writing while discussing topics that are interesting to all of us: friendships, relationships and ways to create a new identity for yourself once you’ve graduated from college, among others.

When Lauren offered to write a guest post for us aimed at discussing the ways she finds inspiration every day, it was a no brainer! As someone who understands all too well the frustration of those days where you just can’t put pen to paper, I was eager for her tips.  It’s no surprise she’s right on the mark, and you’re going to love her advice!

10 Easy Ways to Feel More Inspired

There is nothing worse than sitting in front of a blank Word document just waiting for a good idea to come your way. That bright screen is full of possibility, but it’s so hard to get started. Even if you’re not a writer you know that “blank screen” feeling. You want to create something, you know it’s somewhere in there, but you just can’t quite get inspired. The good thing about the “blank screen” feeling is that it usually doesn’t linger for long. You’ll be in a meeting or waiting for the elevator and suddenly a great idea will just come to you. But if you happen to be in need of a little inspiration, here are ten ways you can kickstart your creative urges and banish the blank screen forever.

1.) Jot your thoughts: My friend is a songwriter and he literally never goes anywhere without a mini tape recorder. That way if he comes up with a song lyric or melody he can just speak/sing it into the tape recorder and not run the risk of losing it. You can do the same thing with a notebook or even the “Notepad” section on your phone. Just have someplace where you put all of your ideas so you don’t have to rely on your memory. You never know what thought or phrase will end up becoming important for future projects.

2.) Give your mind a break: When you’ve had inspiration strike in the past, where did it happen? Probably in the shower or while you sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic, right? I had a great idea the other day as I was sitting waiting (and waiting and waiting) for my plane to take off. A traffic jam and your shower may seem unrelated but they actually have something in common: while you’re there your mind is free to wander. Your brain isn’t forced to remember things, (over)analyze something your boss said, or try to be creative in a non-creative mindset. When your brain is on overload it’s hard to get it to pump out something witty. But give yourself a chance to zone out and all of a sudden you’re full of fabulous thoughts. It’s kind of like that (annoying) advice your friends give you about meeting someone, “You’ll meet someone great! You just have to stop looking!” You’ll find inspiration as soon as you stop making your brain work too hard.

3.) Say goodbye to stress: When you’re stressed, you’re just trying to get through the day. It’s like survival mode. There’s no room for any type of thought other than, “This must get done. Now.” That’s why stress management is so important if you want to see an increase in inspiration. Practice yoga or meditation. Stay super-organized. There is nothing worse than having to scramble frantically through dozens of files just to get through your work day. Delegate tasks when possible. It’s also a good idea to write down your “to do” list for the next day before you go to sleep. That way you’re not lying awake thinking, “Okay, I absolutely can’t forget to call Susie tomorrow.” You can free up your mind for more inspired thinking.

4.) Stop judging yourself: As Sylvia Plath once said, “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” If you want to get creativity going, put something out there without worrying about exactly how it looks or sounds. For example, if you’re a writer, write without worrying about punctuation or choice of words. You can go back and review that stuff later. If you’re a singer, just sing! If you’re constantly worried about making each note perfect you’ll feel stifled. It’s easy to be your own worst critic. Let yourself enjoy the process. Don’t worry about perfection right away.

5.) Find inspiration in anything: You don’t need a million dollar idea or a stroke of genius to write a great article, come up with a solid business plan, or sketch a beautiful illustration. Use your everyday life to inspire you. What makes you happy? What makes you mad? What would you like to change about the world? What do you want to know more about? What advice can you offer to other people? What do you hear people talking about? Use these questions to trigger ideas.

6.) Study others: What better way to feel inspired than to study others who are doing what you love? Read a blog about your passion. If you’re an artist, go to an art museum or local art show. If you’re a writer, read a book by a terrific author. If you’re a fashion designer, go to a fashion show. Observe others who are practicing your craft well. If you can connect with other people in your industry, that’s even better. Social media makes it easy to do this. Invite someone you admire out for coffee, send a tweet, connect on LinkedIn, put yourself out there.

7.) Make your space inspiring: Nothing squashes creativity more than a “blah” space. Boring white walls, a cluttered desk – these things don’t lend themselves to ground-breaking ideas. I used to hate spending time at my office at work and I couldn’t really figure out why. Then I realized it was because I’d inherited the space from someone who had left it in bad condition. The paint was peeling and I was left with a huge set of plastic shelves that looked like they should be holding American Girl dolls. The office did not exactly ooze professionalism or creativity. I quickly ordered some posters, printed some pictures, and got rid of the charming shelves. I’ve also created a mini “inspiration board” which is where I put pictures of people I admire and things I’d like to achieve. The board helps motivate me and makes me feel good when I need an extra boost of energy. Think about how your work space is making you feel. If it’s anything other than excited, it’s time to make some changes.

8.) Cut out negativity: Negativity does not lend itself to productivity. When was the last time you met someone who complains all the time but is also determined to make things happen for him/herself? Probably never. Even if you have a terrific attitude, the people around you have a sneaky way of rubbing off on you. Be picky about who you spend time with. Your friend who has a “crisis of the day” every day is probably wonderful but may be zapping your energy and optimism. You don’t need to cut her out of your life, but you also don’t need to spend an hour on the phone with her every time she calls.  Sure, many of the greatest artists of all time were tortured souls, but don’t you just feel like kicking ass and taking names when you’re surrounded by other happy people? No need to dwell on negative thoughts or pessimism.

9.) Make time for your hobby: This sounds easy, but it’s important. When you have a to-do list that’s a mile long it’s easy to put your passion at the bottom, especially if it’s not making you money…right now. But focus less on the money and more on the fact that this thing makes you happy. Everyone needs to do something that creates joy during the day. Even if you can only write for twenty minutes or practice piano for half an hour, make sure you schedule that time in just like you would schedule in a doctor’s appointment or a trip to the store. You’ll feel more inspired and motivated about your passion when you’re actually devoting steady time to practicing it.

10.) Chart your progress: I recently discovered a site called Ohlife.com, and I’m obsessed. It’s basically an online journal and a progress checker. Every day it e-mails you and asks you how your day went. You reply to the e-mail with as much or as little text as you want. This site is perfect for someone who’s trying to achieve a goal or get better a skill because it makes you feel accountable. Every day that little e-mail is sitting there asking you about how things went. You don’t want to let it down by telling it you did nothing related to your passion today. The site also reminds you of past posts and lets you read through everything you’ve written. It’s a great way to see how far you’ve come and also to see where you need to keep focusing your energy. The fact that it’s all done through e-mail is nice because it’s not time-consuming. You can set the prompts to come as often or as infrequently as you’d like, but I like to do them every day.  It’s a free service, so check it out!

Feeling uninspired from time to time is completely normal. Even the best writers, artists, designers, and musicians hit a slump at some point. But if you find inspiration in everyday life, get rid of clutter in your living space and in your mind, and let yourself enjoy the creative process, you’ll be able to shake off that “blank screen” feeling for good.

Check out more from Lauren on her blog, Life with Lauren. You can also follow Lauren on Twitter and like Life with Lauren on Facebook.

Abrazos,

The below is a greeting card I picked up in Milwaukee last September. I display it on top of my desk as a reminder on those less-than-stellar days where my mind is telling me…

You’re crazy to be running two businesses

You’ll never be a successful author and 

You should quit while you’re ahead.

Come to think of it, though, it’s something we should remind ourselves of every day.

“You are unrepeatable. There is a magic about you that is all your own…” -D.M. Dellinger

How are you embracing your unique “magic” this week?

I know it may seem a bit hokey, but I’m truly curious! Think about it. What are you doing that no one else can do the way you can? It can be something as important and amazing as being a mom, or something seemingly unoriginal as making the coffee every morning at work.

Whatever it is, no one does it quite like you. You are unrepeatable. And that’s what keeps life interesting.

Abrazos,

I’m thrilled to share that I will be participating in #FebPhotoADay, a challenge I came across on – did you guess it? – Pinterest the other day, and have been excited for ever since. Here is what I’ll be documenting over the next 29 days.

Today was reserved for my view. Though it’s a bit overcast, I still love looking out during the work day.

I’ll be sharing these photos on Twitter, too. Let me know if you’d like to join in!

This week I’ve been indulging in some rather fantastic food. It all started with a bowl of Cheerios.

Not just any Cheerios. Multi Grain Peanut Butter Cheerios. If you’re a peanut butter lover like me, then these are just as good as they sound and look on the outside of the box.

My lunch of choice for this week comes courtesy of a California quinoa salad that I picked up on sale in the prepared foods section of Whole Foods (click here for coupon while it’s available). This salad is made with red quinoa, edamame, cilantro, coconut, mango, almonds, red bell pepper, raisins and onions. I combine it with chicken sausage for even more protein. YUM.

Dinner has been a variety of different soups and mix-ins, including this lentil with sliced turkey. I topped it with a little Parmesan cheese for good measure. And because everything tastes better with cheese.

But what I’m really excited to share with you today involves strawberries and Greek yogurt.

I am hooked. Another successful Pinterest find. The instructions are simple:

• Remove tops from strawberries.
• Dip strawberries in Greek yogurt.
• Freeze for 3-4 hours.
• Remove from freezer and thaw slightly.
• Love.

I’m no expert in the art of dipping fruit, that’s for sure, but they turned out pretty good!

Once I removed the strawberries from the freezer and allowed them to thaw, I sliced them in half.

What do you think? They don’t quite compare to this original photo, but a good first effort.

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I topped a few of the strawberries with almond butter for an extra treat. Let me know if you give these a try. They aren’t chocolate-covered strawberries by any means, but they are a fun and healthy way to snack on fruit and yogurt!

Are you on Pinterest yet?

If so, what do you think? I’m finding so many incredible ideas that it may easily overtake Google as my search engine of choice for inspiration. I also love what you can learn from it.

Abrazos,

My weekend was filled with a lot of writing (some new thoughts and direction on my book have me very excited). On Saturday, Bobby and I took a break from our to-dos and visited Crofton On Wells.

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We heard about this restaurant through a deal on DailyCandy and further recommendation from Bobby’s co-workers. As the name suggests, it’s located in the city on Wells and Grand. The atmosphere is cozy and intimate, with a varied menu and accommodations for every type of diet.

Including, of course, the specialty cocktail diet. I couldn’t resist starting out with a Crofton Margarita, made with Patrón Silver, agave nectar, Cointreau and fresh lime juice. I’d say this was more like a martini in terms of strength when compared to the margaritas I’m used to, but even without the salt and “rocks,” it hit the spot and was very refreshing.

We started by ordering an appetizer to share. While we waited, the server brought out fresh sourdough.

The wild mushrooms took a bit longer in the kitchen than anticipated, but we joked with the server that it must be because they were so incredible. By the time they arrived, we realized this wasn’t far off the mark. Served with house made bacon, cracked black peppercorn and brioche, we couldn’t get enough of the great flavor these brought out in the mushrooms, especially when paired with a creamy sauce.

For my entrée, I went with the Amish chicken: herb and chile-dusted chicken breast, buttermilk fried chicken thigh, waffle and ancho-honey butter. Bobby’s co-workers had recommended it and wow, I was not disappointed! The chicken was melt-in-your-mouth good, and the fingerling potatoes it was served over were perfectly cooked. I need to try making ancho-honey butter at home now.

Because of our wait with the mushrooms, the server was kind enough to offer us a complimentary dessert. Who were we to say no? After looking over the options, we decided on the banana cream pie, served with fortified chocolate sauce, salted caramel and macadamia nut brittle. From the description alone, I think you can deduce that it did not take very long for us to clean our plate.

Overall, the food and service were excellent. It’s easy to get in the habit of visiting the same restaurants over and over, but we were glad to break out of our “usual” for the evening.

What new restaurants have you tried and/or are hoping to try near you?

I hope you all had wonderful weekends and that your Monday is off to a great start!

Abrazos,