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Thursday, February 26, 2015

8/52 2015

It's Wednesday night and I'm trying to think of what happened this week.

I worked a lot, as usual, putting in an extra half shift's worth of hours spread across a few shifts.

Saturday night was a birthday party for one of my friends, and the boys convinced me to stay out all night, which is what I wanted to do but knew I shouldn't. I did anyway, because I wanted to see the last band play, and I'm glad that I did. I love those guys.

I finished my taxes on Monday morning, and then I cleaned out my closet that afternoon.

I worked on some things at work on Tuesday that I thought were fun.

On Wednesday, I drove down to Appleton for some "treat yo' self" time, in the spirit of the series finale of Parks & Rec, which I watched later that evening. (I am so sad that it's over but the way they ended it was wonderful with the glimpses into the future.) I bought myself some tights (in the correct size for once!) and a book of Edgar Allan Poe's works that I've wanted for a while. I just love getting to spend time driving and listening to music.

And without transition, here are some pictures.


Thursday 19 February // day fifty :: hot chocolate time.


Friday 20 February // day fifty-one :: Florida seashells.


Saturday 21 February // day fifty-two :: side view of the newest skull. I love the blue swallows (?) on the back.


Sunday 22 February // day fifty-three :: I like snow as long as it's on the other side of the window.


Monday 23 February // day fifty-four :: someone saw the light of day.


Tuesday 24 February // day fifty-five :: when it's getting later in the day and I realize I haven't taken a picture yet, I usually take a picture of some food.


Wednesday 25 February // day fifty-six :: my friend Ruby has a little brother named Max, and she and her mom had never heard of Max & Ruby! I had to pick up a couple books for her on her birthday. (: also, I want cupcakes now.

xoxo.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

NatureBox :: February 2015

Oh look, another month of taking pictures on auto with flash at ten o'clock at night. Whoops. This month was a good one though! I just wish I would get these on my day off so that I would take pictures during the day instead of wanting to dive into the box right away after I get off work!

{Descriptions in italics provided by NatureBox. This is not a sponsored post.}


Cranberry Pepita Crisps :: these remind me of pie crust, plus dried cranberries and a cinnamon sugar dusting. they're really good, and there seem to be a lot in the bag, but that's probably because they're broken.

What do you do on a Monday afternoon, when your busy day and snack attack are at their utmost peak? Sneak off to that kitchen cupboard and reach for these crisps. Crunchy, substantial and oh-so-slightly sweet, you'll be amped up to tackle the rest of your day in no time. And that endless to-do list? It's a breeze.


Whole Wheat Lemon Figgy Bars :: I waited a while to try this flavor because I didn't think that I would be too impressed with them. I'm really not impressed, as I don't really think that lemon is the right filling flavor for these. they're not bad though, and the filling tastes like a regular lemon bar.

Sometimes you just want to keep it simple. Nothing too sweet. Nothing too filling. And nothing too light. This whole wheat and lemon taken on a fig-treat classic is perfect for when you want to satiate that hankering for a sweet treat. Top if off with a glass of almond milk and a smile!


Greek Yogurt Pretzels :: I waited to try these until after the blueberry and strawberry ones, thinking that these wouldn't be that special, but I really do like them! my favorite ones are probably the blueberry ones, but I like these better than the strawberry pretzels.

What's in your gym bag for that post-workout treat? It's Greek Yogurt Pretzels, of course! This crunchy snack has the slight tang of classic Greek yogurt but with a slightly sweet twist. Check out our other Greek yogurt pretzel flavors.


Mini Belgian Waffles :: for some reason I thought that these would be harder than they actually are, but I like them this way. they really do have a cookie-like crunch. I had to throw some Nutella on a couple, but they are good without!

Searching for a comforting, breakfast-y snack? These Mini Belgian Waffles are made in the European tradition and offer a cookie-like crunch. Even better, this bite-sized snack offers vanilla-sweet, buttery flavor without the guilt. Enjoy them with a freshly brewed cup of breakfast tea and a smile!


Chocolate Banana Chips :: these are lighter, fluffier banana chips dusted in chocolate. the chocolate flavor is a little too light, in my opinion.

When you're in search of a sweet treat, look no further than these Chocolate Banana Chips! Crispy, chocolaty, with just the right amount of ripe-banana sweetness, you'll love this snack mixed into yogurt for a homemade parfait, or straight out of the bag.

xoxo.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Valentine's Weekend 2015

I've never had a boyfriend, so Valentine's Day has never been about anything romantic for me. For the past few years, I've been able to get together with some great friends for music and a lot of fun, and that's what happened this year too!


some pretty paper hearts.


I had some leftover stickers from one of my classes at the Y, so I used them to dress up some fruit at work. I just love stickers and the Target dollar section.


These aren't my flowers. In fact, I don't even like receiving fresh cut flowers, but these sure are pretty.


I love dressing up, but I don't often have the opportunity to do so. I wore all black on Friday the 13th: a black v-neck tee and cardigan, a black lace skirt, black tights with rhinestones, and black patent pumps.

photo: Ty Helbach Photography

We went to a local theater for a live music performance on Friday night. Here's a picture from the Get Down, which was performed by a horn section-less WIFEE and the HUZz Band. Vee (with the guitar) handed the fake flowers from the stage to Abi, so that's how we ended up with them. haha.


Our Love

Abi, Lisa, and I hung out backstage for a little bit before we went over to a resort with a bar where we knew someone else who was playing. Abi and I only stayed for a little while, before we went to a different bar where the rest of our friends were hanging out.

There was more music at that bar, and we just hung out in our corner and talked for hours before finally leaving at bar close. It was such a wonderful night.


I dressed up again on Valentine's Day, this time in a red dress from Zulily with a yellow daisy from BabesnBlanks on Etsy and some nude patent pumps.

photo: James Larsen

We went back to the theater on Saturday night for more music. I'm pretty sure I have the most talented friends in the world. We talked with some friends backstage again, but they had to work on loading out, so we headed next door to the bar from last night.

photo: Abi Bethke

Back at the bar again, there was more music and friends and great conversations. Oh, and dancing too. I had some whiskey even though I probably shouldn't have. Leaving that night was really hard because I had to say goodbye to some friends that I won't see for another few months.

xoxo.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

7/52 2015

Valentine's week was a wonderful time that I spent with some great friends, and then getting back into the swing of real life right afterwards. It's been really cold but so beautiful here lately!


Thursday 12 February // day forty-three :: my manager was sent some flowers from a friend. I just love taking pictures of fresh flowers like these.


Friday 13 February // day forty-four :: I accept full responsibility for this cuteness. gotta love the dollar section stickers at Target.


Saturday 14 February // day forty-five :: dish washing. I just love Julia's mug.


Sunday 15 February // day forty-six :: perfect pinks.


Monday 16 February // day forty-seven :: messy table + books for the next two weeks.
{The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog // Sparky! // Gaston // Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale // Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity // Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion}


Tuesday 17 February // day forty-eight :: shoes from the day before + currently reading - Yes Please by Amy Poehler


Wednesday 18 February // day forty-nine :: first time out at Kangaroo Lake. no, our climate does not allow there to actually be kangaroos.

xoxo.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Chicago :: February 2015

Oh, what a real adventure. I flew from Tampa to O'Hare (with a layover in Atlanta), and was scheduled to arrive in Chicago at three. I added a mini trip onto my Florida trip so that I could go to IKEA, eat cupcakes, and visit a couple friends.

Do you know what happened on February first (aside from the Super Bowl, apparently)? A blizzard in Chicago.

As soon as we touched ground in Atlanta and I turned the cellular service back on on my phone, there was a text from Delta letting me know that my flight to Chicago was delayed by an hour. Not a big deal to me, since the Atlanta airport is gigantic and that would give me time to get to my next gate and grab something to eat. {I treated myself to my first pinkberry.}

I sat down at the gate to eat my froyo, and I was texting my parents to let them know what was going on with the flight. I received a facebook message from the friend that I was supposed to meet up with the next night to see his wife's band, and he was giving me updates about the weather in Chicago. He was convinced that I wasn't going to get into Chicago until midday Monday.

We boarded the plane for our scheduled (delayed) departure, but then they had to add extra fuel, which took a few minutes longer than it should have, as we had to wait for the fuel truck, and then there was traffic on the tarmac (?) once we left the gate, so we got off the ground about half an hour late, I would guess.

Everything was going just fine on the flight. I finished reading my book and I listened to music, and the person I was sitting next to was quiet.

Around four o'clock, the pilot told us that we were orbiting just southeast of Lake Michigan, waiting for a vehicle to get off the runway so we could land.

Half an hour later, the pilot is talking to us again, telling us that we have to reroute to St. Louis, which is about a forty-five minute flight. Once we land there, it takes a few extra minutes before we are all allowed off the plane to stretch our legs, but we are asked to stay near the gate so that they can let us know what's going on, as they don't yet have a plan.

At the gate, everyone was trying to plug in their phones, which I thought was really funny. See, this is why I like to charge my phone every day so that it's at 100% for a while. I kind of freak out if it gets below half, and I have never let it die. As soon as we touched ground, I was looking to see about flights from St. Louis back to Green Bay, but the last one for the night was just about to leave.

After maybe half an hour of being at the gate (next to a restaurant called Grounded in St. Louis...), we were told that we were refueling and would be boarding the plane again to head back to Chicago. We couldn't board by scanning our boarding passes like last time, so we had to just show them our boarding pass and we were marked off on a list.

It took us a little while to get off the ground in St. Louis, but before long we were on the ground in Chicago, just after eight o'clock. Then the pilot told us it was going to be about half an hour before there was a gate open for us...

It was a whole hour after we landed by the time I was standing in the airport. I hadn't really had much for lunch, as I was planning on grabbing something in Chicago before going to the hotel (around three, when I was supposed to land), so I was starving. There was like nothing open in the airport though, but I managed to get a red velvet drink from Argo Tea, even though they had technically closed.

I got down to baggage claim, and we had to wait a few minutes for the bags to start coming out, as it was so cold on the rolly thing outside that it had barely been moving. Bags start coming out, and finally I grab my suitcase. It was around ten when I went outside and got in line for a taxi.

There were about half a dozen people in front of me. The woman in front of me said that she was probably going to go inside soon and just call a cab, since there were no cabs coming up to the stand, they were all going to prearranged, otherwise there were just hotel shuttles (but not for where I was standing) and limo services. The woman in front of her was a local, and she said that if she got a cab, the three of us could share. The woman who was just in front of me went inside a few minutes later, and then a few minutes after that, the local woman went to see about one of the black cars. I waited a few more minutes and then went inside myself to call a cab.

I was looking through the search results on Google, and I didn't know who to call because they either all had bad ratings or were closed at this time of day. I spotted the local woman again, and I asked her who to call. She had said that she usually uses Uber (which I don't have because we don't have that where I live), and then she said that she was just going to take the train and I could come with her if I wanted.

That's what I ended up doing, and this stranger was just so wonderful. I didn't even get her name, but she helped me figure out how to pay for my ticket and get on the train and made sure I knew where I was going. She got off at the Chicago stop, and we went over again that I would get off at Jackson and then grab a cab from there.

I got off at Jackson, and I went upstairs and had some problems getting through the turnstile with my large suitcase. I ended up talking to one of the workers, and I asked him about getting a cab. He checked and said that there weren't any, so I should take the red line (I was on blue before) to Chicago, and then my hotel was only a few blocks from there.

It was around 11:30 when I got on the red line, as the blue line train took a long time to get where I was going. I actually had to ask someone which train to get on to get back to the Chicago stop. That ride was only about ten minutes, so it was twenty to midnight when I got there. I went upstairs and outside and followed a map on my phone to get to the hotel.

Now, the streets and sidewalks had a bit of snow on them, and my suitcase weighed about twenty-seven pounds. It was almost midnight, but it was pretty light downtown there. I was near the Magnificent Mile and there were hardly any cars or people around.

I followed the map for a few blocks, and then I looked at it again and thought it was looking like I went past my destination, so I turned around and walked a block back. There was a guy outside with his snowblower, so I asked him. He didn't know, so he directed me inside the building (which was an apartment/condo complex or a hotel, not sure), and the guy at the desk in there helped me, telling me that this was 0 Chestnut, so 100 Chestnut was one or maybe two blocks up.

I went back outside, and continued on my walk. It turns out that I had been right there, only yards away, when I turned around.

I finally got checked into the Tremont at midnight. The desk clerk was wonderful and went up to my room with me to make sure that the key was working because their internet was down when I checked in. It was good that he went with me, because the key confused me, as it was just a white card on both sides, which you just hold in front of the sensor.

I got settled in and took a few pictures before crashing and going to bed.


This was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I imagine this is what a cloud feels like.


I just really liked their carpet.


The view from my window on the 14th floor was this Presbyterian church. So gorgeous, but I couldn't quite capture it in a photograph.


On Monday, I took a couple hours to walk around the Magnificent Mile, and I did some window shopping. I actually went to Anthropolgie for the first time, and if I had a lot of money to spend, I would spend it there. Most of the reason that I was coming to Chicago in the first place was for cupcakes and IKEA, so I went to Sprinkles and picked up a red velvet for myself and some mini cupcakes for my cousin. (:

The next day, I took a taxi to O'Hare to pick up my rental car (which ended up being a Fiat, because if you make fun of people driving a certain car, that will be the next car you drive...), and then I drove to IKEA. I didn't end up getting the desk I was planning on buying, but I did buy myself a new tablecloth, a bowl to replace the one I broke, and an LED nightlight, because I dropped the one that I had gotten from the utility company. I also picked up a new pillow for the motel, and then I drove to Green Bay, where my mom picked me up and brought me home.

xoxo.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

6/52 2015

a tiny peek into the week before Valentine's Day (:


Thursday 5 February // day thirty-six :: books for Valentine's Day
{stickers from Target // A Crankenstein Valentine // Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine // There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose! // 10 Valentine Friends}


Friday 6 February // day thirty-seven :: that dog in the middle is mine, and I will cry if someone buys him before I do. {Walter's Dogs}


Saturday 7 February // day thirty-eight :: seashell souvenirs from Florida.


Sunday 8 February // day thirty-nine :: we have a Nutella fairy. and a giant mess.


Monday 9 February // day forty :: I am moving into the kitchen at work, slowly but surely. I don't really get why everyone is in love with BabyLips, but I do like that that one is tinted. the gold stars are a total essential. one of my friends gave me some (new in box) expired disposable cameras, so we're hoping for some fun effects on the photos when I get them developed!


Tuesday 10 February // day forty-one :: yellow roses, from a friend who was unable to join us this week.


Wednesday 11 February // day forty-two :: I was trying to get this shot so that the red of the strawberries matched the streak in Coopy's hair, but because of the wide angle lens I was using, it didn't work as well as I wanted.

xoxo.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

St. Petersburg :: Where I Ate & Drank

Here's a little glimpse at some of the places where I ate and drank while I was in St. Petersburg, Florida!


Lunch at Central Perks, which is apparently Friends-themed, but seeing as I haven't really watched that show, I have no idea if it is or not. There's a cool mural on the wall in there though. The sandwich was delicious, and I loved having it on a croissant (one of four for my vacation...). I also had a strawberry and peach smoothie because you got to pick your fruits! (:


The first time I ever had lobster, at Sloppy Joe's. I don't really like seafood, but I figured I would try it anyway. Plus, it was in macaroni and cheese... I didn't like the lobster, but the mac and cheese was good!


Of course I had to see a Geri X show while I was down in St. Pete, and I was able to see her play on Friday night at Reno Downtown Joint. This was the first time I've seen her since before my birthday, and she knew that I was now of age and made me drink whiskey with her. This picture is one of the many hilarious pictures commemorating my "whiskey cherry popping," as she called it. The Jameson was not my favorite, but the Fireball that I had before that wasn't bad.


Our first stop the next day was Cafe Del Mar for shots of Fireball. It was pretty early in the afternoon at this point and I still hadn't had lunch... Geri enjoys making fun of me for not being able to down the whole shot at once.


We walked and walked and went through the garden at the Dali, and then we finally ended up at the Hangar for lunch. It was so cool getting to watch the little planes land and takeoff while we were eating! The special that day included a chicken quesadilla, chicken and rice soup, and a little salad, and it was really good.


We set off on our walk again and ended up at the Canopy, where we had champagne and hung out with some more friends. The rooftop bar and little bit I saw of the restaurant are gorgeous, and I checked out their hotel rooms online and they are stunning! The view from the rooftop bar was incredible.

I also had to eat at Chick-fil-A while I was down south, since they're aren't any near me, and I ate at the Tap Room at the Hollander Hotel (where I stayed) a few times. I had breakfast there once, along with a salad for dinner, and both were good. I grabbed a latte and a muffin at their coffeeshop a couple times too.

Additionally, when I was with my friends, they grabbed dinner and a drink at Locale Market (so cute) and then a drink at Cassis (also gorgeous). I stopped into the Fresh Market a couple times for some fruit and snacks.

xoxo.

Monday, February 9, 2015

St. Petersburg :: What I Did

I didn't really do a lot of interesting things on my vacation, but here are some pictures anyway!


Basically, I just drove around a lot and looked at stuff. This picture above is from Mirror Lake. I walked a lap around the lake and pissed off some ducks.


I went to the Holocaust Museum (no photos allowed), and then after lunch I headed over to the Salvador Dali Museum. The parking there was $10, but just a couple blocks down you could park for $4, so I did that and walked and saw this nice view. (:


They also had Picasso at the Dali, which was awesome!! My favorite thing to see was the hand-drawn sketches, and their handwritten correspondence.


Of course I had to at least set foot into the Gulf of Mexico while I was there. This is on Treasure Island.


I tend to look at Google Maps to figure out where to go while I'm on vacation, and I found Fort de Soto Fort Park, which is where I ended up on Friday morning. It was so beautiful! The pictures don't even do it justice.


I went back to Treasure Island on Friday night to take some pictures at sunset. (:

Of course I also went to see one of my friends perform at a local bar, but that'll be in the where I ate and drank post. I also went to see the manatees at TECO, but I didn't get any great pictures there.

xoxo.
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