ac.

One thing that I forgot to mention about my oh-so-fabulous trip to Chicago... all was fine and dandy and I was so excited to get home and see my boys. I walked through the door of the house, bags in hand, and my very first words, "why the hell is it SO hot in here???" Brian had just got home so he didn't notice anything... I immediately walked over to the thermostat to find it set at 70, but a whopping 81 degrees in the house. The vents were pushing out air, but it wasn't very cool. So I walk out back to find our ac unit doing absolutely nothing. No spinning, no humming, nothing. {Great.} I go downstairs and check the fuse box, nothing out of place, but I shut it off and back on again. Still nothing. Go back outside and fumble with shit that I know nothing about. Not even a good kick will get the sucker going. So I call my dad. He comes. Basically goes through the same routine that I did. Nothing.

Luckily we have had some cooler days lately so having the windows open hasn't been too bad. But poor G-man is what I worry about- he overheats easily. So needless to say I am calling the cooling & heating company today to hopefully get someone out this week to look at it. {Great, again.} I'm sure we will be paying $75 just for them to tell us what's wrong. Just pray for me that we won't need to replace the entire unit. I'd be satisfied with some damaged coils or anything other than having to replace the whole unit! Ack! What a great thing to come home to!

And now here I sit, feeling mad at myself for feeling sorry for myself about a stupid air conditioner when people, families, children, businesses have lost their homes, their lives, minutes away from us in the floods. Stupid conscience.


{photo by alicia bock.}

do you wordle?

These lyrics never looked so good {well except coming out of Ben's mouth.} Wordle is my new favorite friend. :)

speaking of.

Old Navy. I want this so bad.

For sure wasn't in our store yet because I would have noticed it. How adorable is it though?! I wonder if it looks as cute on? Hmmm... which color do I like best??

case of the mondays.

We had a well-deserved rather relaxed weekend, which has been a long time coming. We didn't hesitate to take advantage of this. Friday night we had some friends over and bummed around the house a bit… drinking, playing Wii trivia, and chit chatting. Saturday I spent the day on the couch with G while the hubs went to work. When he got off we ran some errands and made a pit stop at Old Navy to use the gift card that Brian got for his birthday. They were having a huge sale and we scored some amazing stuff for $50.

Brian needed a couple t-shirts, so we found this and one other that we both liked. I had also been eyeing these shorts for him and he loved them! He loved them even more at the register when they rang up for half off! Then of course, my husband being the sweet guy that he is, let me use the rest of the gift card! I found this tee that I had also been eyeing with one left in my size I snatched it up. And then I feel in love with a tank.{Sadly the tank is not online yet, and I can’t find DH’s other shirt either.} And of course grabbed a couple pairs of dollar flops in the only colors that were left in my size, but made me happy.




And have you seen the ads for their new July line. Wow.




Saturday night we had a barbeque at our house for Brian’s dad’s birthday. The whole family came over and it was a great time. {Sadly I must have to forgot to whip out my camera this week and don’t have pictures of anything!} Sunday we spent most of the day lounging around the house. I helped brother-in-law with his resume and then we headed over to Andrew and Stacey’s to watch Grandma’s Boy with the gang. It was pretty hilarious. Definitely worth checking out if you like Adam Sandler- he directed it, but is not in the movie- but his usual cast of characters are at full speed.

DH and I also watched Fool's Gold over the weekend and sadly weren't that impressed. Of course it was nice to watch two gorgeous human beings for two hours, but besides that and the occasional chuckle, the plot was a bit lacking. It kept reminding us of National Treasure basically. Not a complete bust, but I was ready for it to be over while watching. :/

Anywho, it is safe to say that I am a bit devestated that today is Monday. I am missing the weekend already. Thank goodness for short work weeks!


Currently listening to :: One Of These Things First by Nick Drake.

charles shaw.

I also forgot to mention in my previous post about Chicago that I most definitely hit up Trader Joes. I was a bit sad that I could only snag three bottles of my beloved Charles Shaw wine, but we were walking and I knew that whatever I got, I had to carry {this did not stop me from also getting a box of cookies.}



Me and my girls polished off the first bottle last night. Oh, and I also snagged an adorable, reusable, environment-friendly, Trader Joes grocery bag. Saaaweet! :)

burn after reading.

This movie looks amazing.

You know where I'll be September 12th! Thanks for the link Lisa.

play ball.

Don't fret my wonderful readers... I am well and alive. I have spent the past three days soaking up what downtown Chicago has to offer! I had a business trip scheduled for this week for work in Chicago and returned home last night. Little did I know when making the three-hour drive to Chi-town that this would be a fun-filled adventure. My team of 5 other ladies and one lucky male were completely dumbfounded to find out that our boss had actually rigged up a fake agenda for our trip. The real agenda was given to us on the ride into town; consisting of a Chicago Cubs vs. Baltimore Orioles game {rooftop seats!!!!!!!!}; a chartered boat ride on Lake Michigan; shopping Woodfield Mall and Michigan Avenue; amazingly fancy dinners; Navy Pier; 96th floor of the Hancock building; and did I mention nightlife?!

Needless to say, she surprised us with a trip that she felt we deserved for our hard work; do you even need me to tell you that we took it? After the revised agendas were handed out; she also threw some gift bags at us-- each one containing quirky sunglasses and koozies for the boat ride, a piece of Cubs apparel suitable for each person, AND a $50 American Express gift card for shopping purchases. I was in heaven, and we weren't even there yet.

Here is the Cubs apparel I got in my bag!

A little piece of heaven on earth:

Me with my team in Wrigleyville:

Pre-gaming at Murph's complete with red jello shots:

View from our amazing rooftop seats:

Go cubbies!!! Here is a beautiful shot of the skyline from our boat:



My co-worker took this of me on the boat:



And another one of my favorite places on earth, Michigan Avenue:




And looky, looky here. You all know how much I love F21! This place was SO fricken huge, I was overwhelmed.

I walked out with only this in gold because I didn't have enough time to make through the racks. But it is amazing.

But don't worry, I made up for it when we hit up Woodfield on our way out of town with this and this {but mine is in a fab shade of red.}

There are a million other things that I see online that I want. Sadly, it will have to wait. I have a hard time shopping in their actual stores, I think it's the way they are laid out or something. But that $50 gift card sure came in handy!

Here is a shot from the "top of the Cock" aka the top of the Hancock building. So beautiful:

Harry Caray's:

And here's a cool shot from downtown at night. I'm not gonna lie... I partied it up. Nothing like vodka/redbulls all night when you're not paying. But I did make up for it the next day.




And here is one you will love. Too bad you will only ever see this glimpse. Only the persons there will know the full effect of that night:



Lou Mitchell's for breakfast:

All in all, a definite good time was had. I LOVE visiting Chicago, but everything there is expensive so I don't often get the chance. I definitely took advantage of this trip. :) Normal life resuming now.....

Currently listening to :: Cath by Death Cab.

for the love of light.

I adore this new print by Jessica at vol25. I will be snatching it up asap.




And I've been dying to get this book since it came out!! Hopefully soon....

par-tay.

I'm a bit in the dumps today because I'm sad that it's Monday {who isn't right?} I just seem to find myself missing my boys a lot today. :( We had a fabulous weekend though; maybe that's why I miss them so much today? We did go see The Happening on Friday night and had mixed reactions from everyone in our group. I won't talk a lot about this in case you haven't already seen it- but I loved it. I learned a long time ago that you can't expect anything from M. Night Shyamalan- he will also surprise you, and sometimes in ways that you wouldn't even think of. I really enjoyed the movie and the hubby did too. As terrifying as it was {I don't think that's much of a spoiler!} there were so many one-liners and comical conversations that came into play too... breaking up the drama. My favorite storyline was just the relationship between the husband {Mark Wahlberg} and wife {Zooey Deschanel.} They played a recently married couple with normal, married problems- and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. It was much more raw and unkempt than so many love stories anymore. I would definitely recommend checking this one out!! And they're both oh-so nice to look at! {photo from L.A. Times}

We spent Saturday cleaning the house and getting it ready for the party. The party was a blast, complete with bean bags {Guinny wanted to play and after getting scolded for running away with the bags in his mouth, thought it would be fun to lay in the middle of the game}...

.....SingStar! {that's my sis Kirby}......

..... Jello shots....

...and lots of good times....

We tend to get a little carried away when we're with our besties... it was quite a night! I will spare you the more embarrassing photos!

Here is Guinness tuckered out the next morning...



We honestly have the most amazing friends anyone could ask for. Thanks for sharing so many new memories with us.... we love you all!

On Sunday, {when Brian was feeling a bit more productive} he got to "re-open" if you will, his presents. He wasn't quite there when midnight rolled around if you know what I mean. Yet another reason that we have amazing friends... check out their GENEROUS birthday gifts...

{they all knew that I had gotten him a Wii, and they were kind enough to accessorize him up!}



Aaron & Kathy gave him a Best Buy gift card; Andrew & Stacey found Rayman 2 game for Wii {which if you know Andrew you would understand perfectly! This game fits him to a tee!}; his Dad got him and Old Navy gift card; my parents gave him a Vikings flag and flag pole that he wanted & also the Vikings bean bag set that I showed above; his brother Ricki gave him a 6-pack of Guinness and a round of golf; AND his brother CJ gave him 4000 Wii points!!!!

And not only did our friends give him all of this, they also made a birthday cake, jello shots, tons of appetizers for the party, oh and did I mention wipe his mouth after he puked and basically took care of him. Yes, I'm actually serious. They should be awarded with a medal.

Sunday morning after we were a bit recovered, the cleaning began. I don't think I've ever cleaned our house so much as I did over the weekend, but it had to be done. When we through we spent the day on the couch with G, watching movies and setting up the Wii.

Such a nice time. I am already longing for next weekend. I've got a ways to go. Happy Monday.


Currently listening to :: City Middle by The National.

celebrate.

We have a happenin' weekend approaching us. Tonight we are seeing The Happening with the gang. I am scared to see it, but I always love M. Night Shyamalan's films so I'm super excited. The hubs will be there to protect me. ;) Did I mention that I love Zooey Deschanel and Mark Wahlberg isn't too hard on the eyes either.

On Saturday we are having a party at the house to celebrate Brian’s birthday!! His actual birthday is on Sunday and he is turning 24!! I can't wait to give him his presies and celebrate with our closest friends!

Rant ahead: we have planned so much stuff this summer that our checking account is suffering. It is really frustrating me because we did it to ourselves. We have more than enough money to go around, and we just put all of it into “fun” stuff. While it has been great enjoying such a fun-filled summer; it is driving me crazy that we are now having to put other things on hold to have our “fun.” Almost takes the fun out of it, doesn’t it?

Particularly right now it is sparring me from the new Martha Wainwright album. Damn it. {however I did just remember while typing the above rant that I still have some money to redeem on iTunes from my gift card!! Martha.. here I come!}

We can finally see the light at the end of the financial distress tunnel though... June was just a bad month with too many "fun" activities. Hopefully July will spare us and make nice.

And even though I did, yes, just get done complaining of spending too much money on fun stuff- I bought some items at Old Navy on my lunch break today. Before you freak out-- I had some Old Navy Bucks built up and a coupon so it didn't cost me a dime. {and Missy was with me, she keeps me in line.}

The reason I went in the first place was to get this shirt for Brian, but after I grabbed it Missy took it from me and bought it for him for his birthday; she's too sweet to us.




And then I was so thrilled to find just one of these tanks left that I have been eyeing in my size... so that was my little purchase for myself. Along with this amazing necklace {only mine is a gorgeous yellow.} They look so great together.



I spotted these shoes there too... sadly they did not have my size. If they would have I probably would have put everything else back to get them. They are beautiful.

Oh, how I miss shopping.... {lucky for me I have enough clothes so I don't really need anything, but it is always the first thing I want.}

In any event- it is Friday {afternoon} and I am so damn glad! Enjoy your weekend!!


Currently listening to :: Lake Michigan by Rogue Wave.

done.

Today has been a day full of accomplishments. I have had many things on my "list" for quite a while that need to be done... I can be such a procrastinator.

I have had a peice of string stuck wedged in my ring for a few weeks ago. The hubs got out as much as he could, but I somehow managed to really mangle it in there. I have been meaning to stop by the jeweler for what seems like forever now to get it out. Finally made my way there today on my lunch break... and after removing said string, and some steaming, cleaning & polishing my rings are sparkly and shiny as ever. It's amazing how such a little thing like that can bring me such happiness. I think that the feeling that I get whenever walking into our jeweler's store just makes me happy-- that feeling of indescribable awkwardness, excitment, incredible love, and vulnerability from when we first went in to choose our wedding bands. I hope that feeling never goes away.

I also finally made my way to the drugstore to get my passport pictures taken, again! I have not yet updated my passport to my married name, and if I don't have the form sent in {with new photos- stupid!} by July 1st my passport is useless. So I have to make sure to get that sucker out in the mail tomorrow. Yikes.

I also made a few phone calls that I have been putting off, scheduled a few doctor's appointments, picked up prescriptions, and bought a birthday present. Whew! It feels so good to get things crossed off my list though. Now tonight after work I can just go home, slip on PJs and give myself a mani/pedi while watched dvr'd Denise Richards: It's Complicated with Guinness. {she can be a real biotch and full of crap, but I can't resist the raw, dramatic life of hers-- there is something about her that I admire, maybe her blunt honesty?; and her kids are adorable.} {photo via l.a. times.}

Oh Oh Oh, AND I got a presie today! I love presents and this one is pretty spectacular. A co-worker of mine just back from a trip to Paris. I was totally not expecting anything, but she is a sweetie and got a little something for all the ladies on our team. She brought me this gorgeous scarf {and a candle too!} Now let me say, that anything from Paris would be amazing to me, but this scarf is so gorgeous. These pictures no where near do it justice, I can't wait to wear it and tell everyone it's from Pari.

I'm also loving the wallapaper prints from Real Simple that decor8 plugged today. I have always loved the layouts and simplicity of Real Simple, and these are absolutely no exception. I already printed off several and they are hanging proudly in my cube.

Whew! Let me just say that I am so glad it is almost Friday. Sometimes I think that short work weeks seem to last longer than a regular work week. UGH.

Happy almost-Friday!


Currently listening to :: Debaser by Rogue Wave.