Chance

I know it has been a long time since I've posted, so I hate to come here asking for something. But... our sweet Chance needs your prayers and good thoughts. Almost 4 months ago, we took him in for an emergency spleen removal because of a tumor on his spleen. The tumor came back cancerous, but had not spread to his liver yet. These past few days, he has been acting very lethargic and has lost his appetite. After many tests at the vet, they found out that he has bleeding in his stomach from more tumors. The vet says that it could be a slow bleed, but his days with us are numbered. He could be with us for weeks or even just days. Please pray that our boy can make it through the holidays with us. Brian rescued him as a dirty, starving puppy from a gas station 12 years ago and he's been his best friend ever since. I've only known Chance for almost a year now, but I love this dog like I've known him his whole life. He's my little Chan Man! Chance is a fighter! He's had 5 surgeries in his 12 years of life and he's came through every one like a champ!

Just look at that sweet face! 
Good thoughts and prayers are appreciated. And I promise to try to come back more often not just when I'm asking for something. :)

A Turn for the Best

Blogtember Day 6 (day 1 for me): Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn When I saw that this was the topic for the day, I didn't even have to think about it, I knew the moment (and will cherish this moment forever) immediately.  January 11, 2013... It started out as a terrible day, but that's not what I'm talking about here. It was two weeks until I was supposed to meet him. Two weeks that seemed like they were going to take forever. Two weeks that were cut down to 12 hours. A ride on the airporter to the airport, a long flight delay, a 4 hour flight and there I was coming down the escalator and seeing him for the first time... Almost 8 months ago I met Brian for the first time. I met the man I know God made for me, my best friend, my soulmate, my future, my everything. What started out as a terrible day quickly turned into the best day of my life. I will remember this day for the rest of my life.

Throwback Thursday: First Kiss

I really had no intentions of blogging today. I was just planning on catching up on my blog reading, but then I ran across Bonnie's Throwback Thursday: First Kiss and figured why not. I don't know many people who can say they had a great first kiss. Kissing for the first time is super awkard; does he want to kiss me, do I want to kiss him, do I tilt my head to the left or the right, do I have bad breath, etc. 
My first kiss happened in 7th grade. He was an 8th grader, so I thought I was super cool to be going out with an older boy. My friend, Jill, was going out with one of his friends, so we all decided to hang out at his house one night. Daniel and Jill had been together for awhile, so they had kissed many times and seemed very comfortable having a makeout session. Jill and I had talked about it, and I knew this was going to be the night I had my first kiss. Cory and I were sitting on the couch holding hands when he leaned over and just started attacking my mouth with his mouth and tongue. There was no slow, lets just peck first and see how this goes, he just shoved his tongue down my throat. This went on for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably just a minute or two. I finally pulled away saying I needed to use the restroom. I really didn't think this was how kissing was supposed to feel. I know this was my first kiss, so I had nothing to base it off of, but I really did not think he was a good kisser. I knew I did NOT want to kiss him again, so I avoided his attempts the rest of the night. I broke up with him about a week later. My second kiss was much better... 

7th grade cheerleading picture. I'm on the far right - check out that big hair! 
How old were you when you had your first kiss? 

Friday's Letters

Happy Friday!!! 

Dear Brian... Thank you for being the amazing man that you are. You have turned my life around and I thank you every day for this. It's such a great feeling to look at you and feel so much love in my heart. Dear Amy Schumer... your stand-up is HILARIOUS, however, your show "Inside Amy Schumer" has disappointed us a little. You better be awesome tonight! Dear Taylor Swift... I cannot wait to "dance like I'm 22" at your concert tomorrow. For the most part, I have loved you since "Tim McGraw". You lost me there for a little while, but your newest album "Red" is amazing! Dear Bachelor/Bachelorette... why must you wait until next January to be on again?!? I'm certainly going to miss Monday night wine/Bachelor date nights. Dear weekend... you're gonna be a busy one. Here's hoping I can find some time to relax.  Also, if you have the chance please got here and vote for Tanya. I've known this family most of my life. They are an amazing family and have endured many hardships and losses. Tanya definitely deserves this vacation. It only takes a minute of your time. Thanks! 

Doggie Vacation

Happy Friday!!! 
Brian and I are leaving early tomorrow morning to go to Atlanta. Brian has work meetings there, so I figured I would go along for the ride. More on that next week, this is about Peanut's vacation. 
Anyway, I had been stressing out trying to decide what we were going to do with Peanut. He's a little spoiled and has never been boarded. He usually stays with family or friends when we go out of town. I just can't imagine dropping him off somewhere not knowing if he's going to get much affection and playtime and possibly be in a crate most of the time. This dog has been like my child since I got him 5 years ago, I just couldn't do that to the little guy. Since we didn't really have anywhere else to take him, I reluctantly started looking at boarding places. All of the boarding places that I thought seemed decent were ridiculously expensive. I was getting really upset about the whole boarding thing when I came across a website called DogVacay. You put in your location and the dates you will be leaving your dog and it pulls up a list of dog sitters that will watch your dog in their home during that time. I was a little skeptic of this at first, but the more I thought about it I liked this idea WAY better than boarding. The sitters talk a little about themselves and how your dog will be spending its time there. I searched through quite a few listings and finally found someone who got glowing reviews, was available this weekend and only takes dogs under 25 pounds. We emailed back and forth a few times and I finally felt comfortable enough to go ahead and make the reservation. We drop Peanut off this evening and drop him off Tuesday evening. His sitter has a dog of her own and will be watching two other dogs, so it will be a little puppy party for Peanut. I'm so nervous leaving him with someone I don't know, but I am confident that he will be in good hands. 
His sitter asked for a list of some things about Peanut and this is what I made to give to her. 

Peanut

Chocolate Miniature Dachshund

5 years old

Mommy: Lindsay 

Daddy: Brian 

Brother: Chance (Schipperke mix)

Food: ¼ cup twice per day

Potty breaks: Morning, late afternoon and before bed

1.)   Peanut LOVES to cuddle. He’s definitely a lap dog and is happiest curled up right beside you under a blanket.

2.)   He is very affectionate and LOVES giving kisses!

3.)    His favorite game is fetch. He will chase the ball as long as you keep throwing it to him.

4.)   He might be a little guy, but he will make it his mission to get the squeaker out of a toy in 15 minutes or less.

5.)   He’s very friendly and loves playing with other dogs.

6.)   He is a little explorer. He loves to sniff and mark every tree, flower, piece of grass, etc that you come across.

7.)   He loves mommy and daddy and will probably sit at the door for a little while waiting for them to come back.

8.)   He likes to work on his tan in the morning. He will find any little sliver of sunlight he can to lay in.

9.)   He is protective and gives a little growl and barks when he hears doors open, knocking, doorbells, etc. We tell him “no barking”, so feel free to let him know it’s not ok to bark.

10.) He loves treats and can sit up and roll over if he knows a treat is coming his way. He’s not too good with “sit” though.

11.) One of his favorite things is having his head scratched.

This is our first time ever leaving Peanut with someone we don’t know, but we know he’s going to have a great time with you and the rest of the pups. Thank you so much for opening up your home and taking the time to care for him. We are confident that he will be in good hands and might not even want to come home when we pick him up. Thanks again for letting Peanut join the puppy party!!! We will be back to Tuesday evening to pick him up from his vacation. 

Happy weekend!!! I'll be back next week with a full recap of our (and Peanut's) mini-vacay!

Weekend Update

Is it really Monday again already?! Boooooo!!!! 

This weekend was such a great weekend! I am so sad it had to end!!! 
Friday, we went to Wasabi Cafe with some of our favorite people, Sheyla and Brian. We filled ourselves full of sushi and thai food, drank way too much a little wine and toasted to Maash Boutique having over 300 followers on FB. Speaking of Maash Boutique, if you don't like this boutique on FB you totally should! Such cute stuff and very affordable!  We always have such a great time with Sheyla and Brian and always look forward to the next time we all get to hang out. 

 It's a Bri-mance

Love her!!! 
Saturday, I stopped by Maash to do a little shopping then Brian and I headed to Costco to pick up some things. That night, we made a seafood feast of lobster, shrimp, scallops and veggies. It was soooooo good and less than half the price we would have spent going to a restaurant (thank you Costco). I love date nights at home!!! 

Sunday, we went to Brian's nephews 11th birthday party. It was supposed to be a pool party, but Mother Nature decided it should only be about 65. Of course, the kids still got in the pool and had a blast. I, on the other hand, pretended I was 10 years old again and had too much fun doing back handsprings and tucks on the trampoline. Note to self: You are not 10 years old anymore, you will be VERY sore the next day!!! 

I hope you all had a great weekend too!!! 

Friday... Oh how I love thee

Friday... I seriously love you! Where have you been all my life?! 

For some reason, I have been over this work week since Monday. It's been a busy week and I'm exhausted!!! 
Monday, I went to my first Chicago White Sox game. We lost, but it was still really fun! At least the two runs we scored were home runs, so I got to see some fireworks (and we had great seats). 

Tuesday, we went to Goose Island brewpub for dinner and drinks with Brian's sisters and their significant others. It was a great time! We are quite the rowdy bunch! At one point, Brian threw his sister's sock across the room. Yes, we are those people! 
Wednesday, I had a work happy hour at ZED451. I am pretty much in love with that place now! The ambiance was so cool, the appetizers were amazing and the drinks were delicious! Also, I have the best co-workers, so it was really fun getting to hang out with them outside of the office. 
Thursday, I was very productive after work. I cleaned the apartment, went to a super fun fitness class called WERQ and did laundry. 
Tonight, we have dinner with one of our favorite couples at Wasabi Cafe. It's All You Can Eat sushi for $20.95 and BYOB, what more can you ask for? 
I've been super motivated to workout since getting my Polar FT4 watch, but more on that next week! 
How was your week?  What are your plans for the weekend? 

Motivation....

Guys, I really need some motivation to start working out and eating healthier. I decided last November that I really needed to get back in shape and start eating healthier and man was I doing AWESOME! I was working out every day, counting calories, I went gluten free for awhile, was eating clean and boy was I seeing results. I was really starting to love the way I looked and felt. And then BAM... I don't know what happened, but I just completely fell off the healthier living wagon! 
I think this is something that many women struggle with. We are programmed to believe that we should look a certain way. The question is, how do we deal with it? How do we overcome these struggles? I think one of the main things is we need to learn to love our bodies and stop comparing ourselves to others (I know that's A LOT easier said than done). It's so easy to look at someone and think, "Ugh... I would love to have her legs" or "I would love to be as skinny as she is". What we don't realize is that person is probably looking at you or someone else and thinking the exact same thing. Having a workout buddy, someone that holds you accountable and really pushes you, is a great way to stay motivated. Another thing is meal planning, plan out your weekly meals every Sunday and really try to stick with the menu. Also, get new workout gear. There's something about having a new tank top, sports bra, pair of yoga pants, running shoes, etc that really seems to motivate us (at least for awhile).  
I just got the Polar FT4 heart rate monitor/calorie burner counter from amazon and am really hoping that actually seeing how many calories I've burned helps keep me motivated. I'm really excited to hit the gym and try it out. Brian and I are also going to go through some healthy/clean eating recipes this weekend and make a menu for next week. Now, I just need a motivational buddy or buddies. Who wants to take on this challenge? 

What are some of your favorite healthy recipes? How do you stay motivated? 
Happy Thursday!!! 

Blog Love

Happy Tuesday!!! 
Notice any changes? Thanks to my bloggy bestie, Stephanie, I have a brand new design!!! Didn't she do a great job?! 
Do you follow Stephanie and her adorable dog Walter at Drink On It? If not, you totally should! This girl is HILARIOUS! We've spent many days/nights texting and tweeting and our new thing is snapchatting every single thing that we do. Go follow her and read about her love of adult beverages, how she rocks the single life and Walter even throws in what he's been up to on Thursdays. 

While you're checking out blogs, head on over and check out new blogger, Cam, at Sincerely, Cam. She's a complete sweetheart, totally adorable and has great style. Follow her to read about life with her fiance and her love of fashion. 

  What are some of your favorite blogs to read? 

Things I've learned about this city

I've been in Chicago a little over six months now and I absolutely LOVE it here!!! I feel at home here and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. A couple weeks ago, I was looking for some shoes to wear with a dress and realized that there is TONS of shopping only a few blocks from my work. Score!!! That day, I said to Brian, "I don't see how anyone could come to Chicago and not fall in love with this city!" 

Here are a few things I've learned about Chicago so far: 

1. When walking around downtown, you can definitely tell who is going to work. 

People going to work are in a BIG hurry! They are rushing around the city, usually with a coffee in hand. I'm sad to admit that I'm one of those people. 

2. There's a Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks on EVERY corner. 

I saw this at DD the other day and it made me laugh. Brian is a Dunkin Donuts fan and I'm more of a Starbucks fan. To be honest, I'm pretty much just a fan of coffee in general. 

3. Chicago LOVES it's festivals. Music fests, beer fests, food fests, etc... 

There is at least one festival going on EVERY weekend during the summer. We went to the American Beer Classic in May and tried a lot a few beers. It was a blast!  There's a Burger festival in Roscoe Village this weekend that I'm gonna try to talk Brian into going to. 

4. The food here is AMAZING!!! 

There are so many great restaurants in Chicago. My favorite breakfast place is Little Goat. Fat Elvis Waffles, need I say more?! One of my favorite lunch places downtown is Jason's deli. The food is delicious and you get FREE ice cream!!! So far, my favorite place we've had dinner is Mercadito. Amazing food and yummy margaritas!!! 

5. Chicago LOVES its sports teams! 

The Bulls, the Bears, the Blackhawks, the Cubs, the White Sox.... and you must be a fan! We live about a mile from Wrigley, but Brian HATES the Cubs. He's a big Sox fan and is trying to make me one too. I'm going to my first Sox game in a little over a week and I'm super excited. I went to my first Bulls game last season and had a blast! Hopefully, I will get to go to a Blackhawks game next season. 

These are just a few of the things I've learned about the great city of Chicago so far. I'm sure I'll have many more discoveries to share the longer I live here. 

Do you live in/near Chicago?

Have you been to Chicago?

If so, what are some of your favorite things about the city? 

Happy Friday!!! 

Happy 4th! Bang, bang!!!

I know it's technically the 3rd, but I most likely will not be blogging tomorrow. So, I wanted to wish everyone a very happy Independence Day! I plan on eating my weight in BBQ, having a few cold ones, watching some fireworks and singing "I'm Proud to be an American" at the top of my lungs. 

In other news, have you entered to win a $50 gift card from Shabby Apple? If not, what are you waiting for?! Head on over here to enter. AND... want to better your chances of winning? Hurry on over to Sara Montana Says and enter her giveaway for a $50 gift card to Shabby Apple. Hers is only open for the next 13 hours, so you better hurry! 

What are your plans for the 4th? Any crazy traditions? 

Not Too Shabby Giveaway

Hey all! I have been a terrible, terrible blogger. I started my new job a little over three weeks ago, yay! Since starting my job, I've been working on getting into the swing of things, so blogging has definitely been on the back burner. I'm going to try to be better about balancing everything, including blogging.

Lately, I've been doing A LOT some shopping for new work clothes and summer attire. I am trying to be good and buy things that will work for both every day and work and also stay on a budget. I know most girls are on a budget like me and love a good bargain, but I know EVERY girl loves a free gift card! That being said... I am happy to announce that one lucky winner will receive a $50 gift card to Shabby Apple.

If you haven't heard of Shabby Apple, you are missing out! Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro dresses. Click here to check out some of their amazing dresses.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Gondola

Eye Candy

Joyride

These are just a few of the MANY things I'm loving from Shabby Apple right now.

Have you shopped at Shabby Apple before? If so, what is your favorite item?
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Need... Want... Love

With my new job starting soon, I've been making a list of business casual clothes that I need for work. And with summer almost here, I've been making a list of clothes and shoes that I really need want. And with all this needing and wanting, I've come across some things that I LOVE (but will probably never be able to afford)! 

NEED:

I really need a cute, black blazer for work. 

Lauren Conrad Boyfriend Blazer from Kohl's found here

WANT: 

Sundresses, maxi dresses, maxi skirts, etc... 

Over Analyzed Maxi from Kiki La'Rue found here

LOVE: 

A pair of designer shoes

Manolo Blahnik Hangisi Jewel Satin Pumps found here. I have been in love with these shoes ever since I first laid eyes on them in Carrie's amazing closet in Sex and the City. 

These are just a few of the things on my need, want, love list! What are some of the things on your list?

Maash'd Up!

Last week, Brian and I decided to go have a couple drinks outside. On the walk there, we walked by a boutique, Maash Boutique, that I had been anxious to check out. I asked Brian if we could go in and he said of course. Everything, I mean EVERYTHING, in this store is ADORABLE and so affordable! I'm pretty sure I tried on almost everything in the store, but ended up buying an adorable black & white striped maxi skirt and a blue top to go with it. Brian and I went out for dinner and drinks Friday night to celebrate my new job, so I decided to wear my new outfit.

Seriously, how cute is this outfit?!? 

I see many shopping Maash shopping trips in my future! If you live in the Chicago area, you should definitely check out this adorable boutique. 

https://www.facebook.com/MaashBoutique

http://maashboutique.com/index.html

I'm a big kid now....

For the past few months, I have been searching and searching for a job. I had a few interviews right after moving here and I even got one job offer, but I just didn't feel like it would have been a good fit (plus it was about an hour commute). Let me tell ya, the commute here is RIDICULOUS! I was nannying at a house about nine miles from here and it was taking me 45 minutes to an hour to get there. So after commuting to these interviews and the nanny job, I decided I was only going to look for jobs a couple miles from the apartment or downtown where I could take the train. I'm loving this public transportation stuff! 

Last Friday, I had an interview at a company downtown. The building is right off one of the train stops and also about 1/2 a mile from Brian's work, so I was already pretty excited about the idea of working there. I interviewed with two different people and one of them said twice that they felt like the interview went really well, but they still had some interviews set up. I felt so comfortable in this office and talking to the people that I immediately knew this was the job I wanted. I left the interview and text Brian "I WANT THIS JOB!" We were both glad it seemed to go so well and that I was so excited about it, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. They told me they were hoping to have it narrowed down by the end of next week to the beginning of next. I still applied for jobs every day, just in case. 

Wednesday, I got an email from the company saying I was and strong candidate and asked if I could give them references to call. I immediately responded with two professional references, a personal reference and a reference letter from the owner of the previous company I worked for. A couple of hours later, both my professional references told me they had been called. I was SOOOOOO excited, but still very nervous. Brian kept telling me I got the job and he said he thought they were gonna call after 2 pm the next day with an offer. I wanted to believe him, but also didn't want to be too optimistic. 

Yesterday, I knew it was going to be a LONG day waiting and hoping they would call. At about 2:50 pm, I suddenly had a voicemail (no idea why the phone didn't ring). I checked the voicemail and it was the guy I interviewed with asking me to give him a call. I called back and no answer, so I left a voicemail. I decided I was going to call back at 3:15 if he hadn't called back by then. At about 3:10, he called back! He said they thought the interview went well and they would like to make me an offer!!!! He made the offer, I of course accepted right on the spot!!! I officially accepted and signed the offer this morning. You are looking at the new Administrative Assistant at GreenTarget!!!! I'm so excited and feel like a big kid with a big kid job in a HUGE building downtown. Brian said I'm a city girl now, but I will always be a country girl at heart! You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl, right?!? 

Happy Friday!!!! 

Interview Attire

I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to find a job here. I feel like I keep applying and applying and rarely get an email or call. This week however, I had a phone interview yesterday and am on my way downtown for an interview right now. I also have an interview lined up for Monday! Wish me luck! 

Yesterday, I went out shopping for a black blazer and the only one I found that I really liked was $45 at Kohl's. I really debated getting it, but after much searching through the sale racks I found the whole outfit pictured above (minus shoes) for $45. Score!!! 

Please say a little prayer or cross your fingers that I find something soon! 

Happy Friday!!! 

Cinco de Drinko Weekend!!!

We Americans use any excuse we can find to drink. I'm certainly not complaining though! Especially when the drink of choice is margaritas. 

Instead of going out this weekend and spending WAY too much money, Brian and I decided to stay home and make our own margaritas and tacos. Friday night, I made strawberry and strawberry-banana margaritas and we played canasta and watched Roxanne and Soul Man (we love 80's comedies). Saturday, we took the dogs for a long walk since the weather was so nice. Saturday night, we watched the Bulls game and made tacos and raspberry margaritas. Sunday, we cooked breakfast, went for a walk and then made mixed berry margaritas. We were really on a margarita kick!!! It was a nice, relaxing weekend. 

The Perfect Frozen Margarita Recipe

Fill blender with ice to about the 4-5 cup line
Add about one cup of your favorite frozen or fresh fruit
2 shots of tequila
1 1/2 shots triple sec
1 shot club soda
1 shot sweet n sour mix
1/2 shot simple syrup
juice of half lime
blend 

So easy and sooooo good!


Have a great week!