• Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  Favorite Things,  Friends,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Spreading the Bloggie Love,  Too Funny To Ignore

    #BlogHer11: Third Time’s A Charm!

    August 11, 2011

    BlogHer ’11 was my third, and there was something magical about it for me (shut up). Okay, the first two times I attended BlogHer were pretty darn good too, but I had the most fun this year, perhaps partly because I didn’t overdo like I did last year. I don’t even know where to start with my recap so I just decided to spew randomness sprinkled with pictures. That’s organized enough, isn’t it? Favorite moments: (so many, and in no particular order!) 1. Lots of quality time with my favorite “really, really, really wish we were neighbors” Jersey girl, Liz. I luv huh. 2. Giggling with my roommates, especially each…

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  • Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago

    Representing Chi-town, Yo!

    July 1, 2011

    Chicago is a beautiful city: you’ve read that here before. Just one of the elements that makes it so is the seemingly countless collection of art that is scattered all over the city (in addition to permanent installations, we often have traveling exhibits too!). You won’t be surprised to know that I have a few favorite sculptures. These three all “represent” Chicago in different ways, to me anyway. First? “Magdaline” by Dessa Kirk. To me, “Magdaline” says “Welcome to Chicago!” She is located at Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway, the latter being the road which stems from I-290 (the Eisenhower Expressway), which comes into the city from the west. When…

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  • Family Fun,  Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago

    Ferris Bueller: Still Looking Good After Twenty-Five Years

    June 19, 2011

    Unbelievable as it is, to me anyway, it’s been twenty-five years since “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” hit theaters for the first time. The film, one of John Hughes’ best (in my opinion), features Matthew Broderick as the high school senior who decides to skip school for the day and enjoy some fun with his best friend and his girlfriend, acting on his belief that “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” One of my Facebook friends asked me how many times I’ve seen the movie, and I replied that I thought I had seen it two or three…

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  • Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  Chicken in the Car,  Favorite Things,  Food,  Friends,  Fun in Chicago,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments,  Shameless Promotion,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Spreading the Bloggie Love

    My Official Book Launch: An Epic Celebration of All Things Chicago

    May 26, 2011

    I don’t even know where to start when it comes to summarizing my book launch event that occurred in the city on Tuesday night. I would love to tell you about everything, but I don’t want this post to be a novel and so I have to skip the fine points on: ~ all of the ideas I tossed around in my head starting about two months ago as this event was conceptualized ~ the great conversations (and epiphanies) I had with the ladies of my “Event Advisory Board” (I made up that name but it’s perfect), made up of friends who have experience with the ins and outs of…

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  • Chicken in the Car,  Family Fun,  Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago,  Travels

    Cruzing Chicagoland: The Hancock Observatory

    May 13, 2011

    When General Motors signed on as my major sponsor for my Chicago book launch event, I thought it would be really fun to take a 2011 Chevy Cruze out on the road to get up close and personal with some of the great attractions that are exclusive to the Chicago area. One of those places is high up in the sky, at the top of the world famous John Hancock Building on North Michigan Avenue. I took my mom with me for a special tour of the Hancock Observatory from Carey Randall (Sales and Marketing Director) and Stephanie Grady (Sales and Education Coordinator), and they totally rolled out the red…

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  • Best Thing Ever,  Favorite Things,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Kids Have Mad Skillz,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    Even *I* Didn’t See The End Of This Post Coming.

    May 9, 2011

    I have been using the same camera since 2005. It’s an Olympus Camedia C-60 Zoom, which I purchased on sale at Office Depot for, I think, approximately $225. If you asked Jim to describe it, he would say, “It’s a brick.” It is indeed chunky (and heavy) for its size, when you compare with what’s available today. I had a little giggle when I googled it a minute ago and found the 2004 review of it on CNET (click here). Oddly, not one user said, “I anticipate this camera to be the best camera I’ve owned in my life so far, and I bet it’ll last me AT LEAST six…

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  • Amazing People,  Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago

    The Rookery: A Chicago Trifecta

    May 5, 2011

    If you enjoyed my pictures of the Chicago Cultural Center, hang on to your hat. (But only if you’re wearing a hat.) The Rookery, a beyond-gorgeous building (inside and out) that is located in the financial district, has had the hands of not one, not two, but THREE masters of American architecture all over it. It was designed by the famous team of Daniel Burnham (yes, that Daniel Burnham: the one who wrote the Plan of Chicago.*) and his partner John Root, who moved their offices into the Rookery in 1888. There they began designing the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition’s White City. (Seriously, this topic makes me all giddy. I…

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  • Best Thing Ever,  Favorite Things

    Going To The Abbey And They’re Gonna Get Married…

    April 29, 2011

    It’s Royal Wedding Day! Woot! I slept on the couch last night so that I wouldn’t be getting out of bed before 3:00 a.m. and waking up Jim, who wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep from the disturbance. Naturally I woke up early, in anticipation no doubt. My eyes sprung open at 2:37 a.m. This day, much like my hair after sleeping on the couch for the last 4.5 hours, will not be pretty. Let the live blogging begin… 3:01 a.m. I’m watching the coverage on NBC. I’m a Today Show junkie. Just learned that the titles bestowed on the newlyweds by the Queen will be the Duke…

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  • Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Favorite Things

    Live Blogging The Royal Wedding: It’s A Dirty Job, But Somebody’s Gotta Do It.

    April 28, 2011

    That’s right, I’m doing it. When the engagement was announced, I giddily recorded a video exposing my terrible “secret” and excitedly spoke about how I would make “big plans” for the wedding. I had intended to have some friends come and spend the night, or get a hotel suite in the city (seriously). Unfortunately but also very fortunately, my life’s bigger plans got in the way of making those big plans, and now here it is, less than twelve hours before Catherine becomes the newest Royal, and I’ve got nada. I had to plan SOMETHING. So I did. Due to the fact that I have a feeling Twitter is going…

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  • Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    Schnitzel and Face Masks and Hookers, Oh My! (Alternate Title: “How I Spent My Christmas Eve”)

    December 26, 2010

    Friday (also known as Christmas Eve) was a lovely day. It was the first time in ages that Jim and I had day-long plans, alone together. To top it off, we were going to one of my favorite places–downtown Chicago–and experiencing a few of my favorite things. We took the train from the station near our house; the hour-long ride was lovely. Seeing the holiday decorations at each station along the way was very cool, even though some of the life-sized snowman decorations made by school children at the Berwyn stop were mega-creepy (sorry kids!). Once we arrived at Union Station we headed upstairs and grabbed a taxi that would…

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