baby boy abramson.

On Saturday my husband and I welcomed a new bundle of joy into our lives.  Meet Sprocket! 

We adopted him from Magnificent Mutts, an amazing non-profit specializing in my favorite breed of dog -- mutts!  If you are in the Chicago-land area I highly recommend you check them out.  They do events at shelters and Petco's in the Chicago suburbs and they are the sweetest group of people you'll ever meet.  I cried TWICE before we even left the shelter because of everyone's kind words and well wishes.  There was pure joy in their faces to see Sprocket going to his forever home.  And a good home at that :)

In case you wanted the nitty girtty, Sprocket is an eight week old Labrador Retriever/German Shepherd mix and, yes, he is named after the inventors dog in Fraggle Rock.

Welcome to our little family, Sprocket!  We love you so much already (even though you keep us up all night and you give little puppy "nibbles).  Now please stay this tiny forever. 

(ct)a train

The weekend before Halloween my dad, step-mother, and little (half-)brother paid a visit to their long-lost daughter/step-daughter/half-sister, in the Midwest.  I was worried it was going to be a frantic weekend, considering my husband and I had moved into our new apartment about 72 hours before their plane landed, but it was the complete opposite.

My dad was in town for a panel on Billy Strayhorn, the topic of his first book, Lush Life.  I get such a pang of daughterly pride when I see my dad talk about one of his books.  I spent a lot of time growing up at his events -- book signings, lectures, readings, panels, you name it -- and I've never stopped loving them.  It's just such a surreal feeling.  There's your dad.  There's this amazing piece of work that has his heart, soul, sweat, and tears in it.  And there's a room full of people that came to see him.  How can you not be proud?

Here are few pictures from their visit, in case you want to see!

 Checking out our reflections in the bean and jellyfish at the Shedd Aquarium

 Herman the pumpkin (my handiwork) and a quick CTA ride with my brother

And finally, my dad, the talented David Hajdu

And yes, my family did make it out of Chicago in time to avoid Hurricane Sandy.

guess what?

WE'RE HOME OWNERS!

buried

In case you've been perplexed by my absence, I have a very simple answer for you.

I have been buried by boxes!  We are t-minus six days until we close on the new apartment (!!!) and my husband and I have been non-stop packing for the last week.  Did you know it took seven large Home Depot boxes to pack my closet?  SEVEN. 

*Andy used four boxes to pack his closet, so I really don't feel too bad.

ho-ho-ho.

I have a very strict rule of not indulging in the Christmas season until the day after Thanksgiving.  Call me old fashioned, but I like when that Macy's Santa brings in the holiday at the end of the parade.  This year, I might need to break my policy and allow myself to make an early decorative purchase for these incredible rocks glasses.

tgif.

This weekend I intend to celebrate by finally having a weekend at home with my husband!  It's been a little while since we've both been in Chicago for a weekend so we fully intend to enjoy our city.  We'll also be packing and finishing thank you notes, but those are minor details.


Fun fact: Sunday will mark the one year anniversary of a very big day in my life.  On October 7, 2011 I walked away from the job that took me to Chicago -- a job that was incredible, stressful, exciting, and generally badass.  It's amazing how fast a year has gone by.  This also means that we're about to mark the one year anniversary of when I was gainfully unemployed, blissfully happy, and very into yoga.  Like I said earlier this week, it's amazing how fast 2012 has gone by.

Happy weekend!

(photo: doughnut vault)

printing press.

Some of my favorite things to pin on my beloved Pinterest are prints.  For a long time I stayed away from prints, finding them a little too boring and generic, instead favoring thick canvases splattered with even thicker paint.  Things have changed and now I can't get enough of them.  Depending on the quality, originality, and artistry, they can be a fun, youthful, delicate way to bring art into your home.

We're lucky enough to have some very large walls, and a very long hallway, in our new apartment and I've been busy mentally decorating them for the last few weeks.  Etsy has been my biggest source, where do you find your prints?  Is there a hidden gem of a resource lurking somewhere else? 

Print by CONCEPCIONSTUDIOS available here

musical interlude.

I have been listening to the new Avett Brothers album, The Carpenter, non-stop the last few weeks.  Have you heard it?  They are an incredibly talented, fun band and it gives me a twinge of pain knowing that I missed them in concert.

If you haven't given them a listen before stop what you're doing and open Spotify right now. Or watch this:

(P.S. - Have you heard of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series?  It's incredible and quite stunning, so check it out if you can! Adele's is one of my favorites, obviously, and I love seeing a horn section in the Beirut set.)

goodbye summer.

To be totally honest, I'm a little happy summer is over.  Before you give me that look, I had an incredible summer!  Did I mention I got married in July?  A summer can't get much better than that in my book.  Still though, I'm happy the days of heat and humidity are behind me and I can break out the cozy sweaters and boots (boots!).

The end of summer treated me very well.  Here are a few photos of how I wrapped up the warm days of 2012.

 

A weekend on the lake with friends in Minnesota

 A quick five hour stop at the State Fair.

 

 Labor day in DC with my best friend and trusty tour guide.

 The Boss in the friendly confines.

 A trip home to New York to visit my family and a wedding in Kansas City last week.

Follow me on Instagram! @toriehajdu 

busy bees.

Will someone please tell me how exactly it's suddenly October?  I probably say this every year, but 2012 has, by far, been the quickest year of my quarter century plus life. 

And what a year it's been.

You can credit my most recent disappearing act to the fact that my husband and I recently bought an apartment!  Yup, we are home owners -- or we will be in three weeks when we close and (finally!) get the keys to the new place.  I don't want to jinx it and talk too much about it, but now that we're t-minus 21 days, I can't possibly contain the news anymore.  It's a very surreal and extremely adult feeling.  This is our first real home together -- the place where soon a puppy will scamper down the hall, the place where future gingers will play, the place where Thanksgiving dinners will be cooked and devoured. 

Like I said, what a year it's been!

rain on my parade.

Ask anyone and they'll tell you that I knew it was going to rain on my wedding day.  Not in a weird sixth sense sort of way, but because it had to.  It's rained on every "significant" day of my life -- proms, graduations, you name it, it rained.

Andy's dad and the downpour outside

I was a shockingly calm bride.  Even I was surprised by how okay I was with everything.  Except when it started to storm.  My bridesmaids put on a good show by telling me, "We just looked at the radar and it's supposed to pass by 3, we're totally fine!"  Liars. 

My favorite people in the world: my bridesmaids

The rain did let up enough for a few pictures outside (stay turned for more pictures soon!) and it provided us with a nice breeze during the ceremony and a welcome relief from the incredibly high July temperatures we had been experiencing.

I wish I could go back and relive every second of that magical day.  These are just a few of my favorite shots from the hotel (thank you Amalfi, for your wonderful hospitality!). 

Husband-to-be

 

 

A hat pin that belonged to my Nana (my something old)

My mom (and grandma) helping me get ready

Fulfilling the "maid" aspect of their duties by getting me in my shoes

(How amazing is our photographer?!  Thank you, Pam!)

home.

I have been incredibly lonely for home recently.  It's not exactly a feeling of being homesick, it's slightly more than that.  I miss living in New York, waking up in New York, knowing that you have nothing to do and you will do nothing in New York.  Visiting is one thing; stops at John's, The Strand, Fishes Eddy, a quick detour through the park, a street vendor pretzel.  All of those things are well and good, but I miss the feeling of calling Manhattan my home.

My decision to move to Chicago was one of the best I've ever made and I will never, ever, look back on it with regret.  And no offense, Chicago!  I love you, you're great!  We have a beach down our block and your food is delicious, but you're just not New York.  We are committed to living in Chicago and one day growing our brood of gingers here, that has to say a lot about this new city of mine.  I guess all I can really hope is that they have my attitude and love visiting the streets their mama grew up on.

Chapter 1.
He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion...no, make that: he - he romanticized it all out of proportion. Yes. To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin.
Er, tsch, no, missed out something.

Chapter 1.
He was too romantic about Manhattan, as he was about everything else. He thrived on the hustle bustle of the crowds and the traffic. To him, New York meant beautiful women and street-smart guys who seemed to know all the angles...
 No, no, corny, too corny for a man of my taste. Can we ... can we try and make it more profound?

Chapter 1.
He adored New York City. To him, it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. The same lack of individual integrity that caused so many people to take the easy way out was rapidly turning the town of his dreams in ...
No, that's a little bit too preachy. I mean, you know, let's face it, I want to sell some books here.

Chapter 1.
He adored New York City, although to him it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. How hard it was to exist in a society desensitized by drugs, loud music, television, crime, garbage...
Too angry, I don't want to be angry.

Chapter 1.
He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved. Behind his black-rimmed glasses was the coiled sexual power of a jungle cat.
I love this.
New York was his town, and it always would be... 

                          - Woody Allen, Manhattan

life lately.

I always love when bloggers do a post simply consisting of a bunch of photos from their lives.  It’s such a nice, quick, glimpse into their world and I feel like it brings the blogger and the reader a little bit closer.

Since we're just getting to know each other, I figured I share a few photos of my life recently (if you care to take a peek).  Enjoy!

 

 Summer weekends spent with my (now) in-laws lounging by the pool

 Weddings that took us to Westchester and Beale Street

 

 Brightly colored outfits (I’ve been very into pinks recently)

 

Lots and lots of time spent gearing up for the big day

Follow me on Instagram! @toriehajdu 

a room with a view.

A few months ago my husband and I decided not to renew our lease.  We have called our little studio home for nearly three years now.  It was our first apartment together, my first apartment in Chicago, the place where we went from boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife.

I'm sad to be leaving our building and neighborhood, but I'm unbelievably excited for the next stage in our lives.  We won't pick our new place for another two months, so for now I'll enjoy this view a little while longer.

falling.

This is always such a difficult time of year for my mind and wallet.  It’s hot and humid outside but upstairs, in my head, all I can think about are coats and boots.  Fall lines are on display in full force and I spend more time than I’d care to admit window shopping the internet and imagining how I’ll wear this year’s newest trends.  

As always, I’ve had no trouble making a wishlist, but this year, more than others before, I’ve found shoes to be at the top.  

Here are a few pairs I’m hoping will be gracing my feet this fall:

 J. Crew Cece flats

 J.Crew Martina wedges

 Call it Spring Belieu boots

Sam Edelmen Salina booties (my number one must-have)

just you know why.

Welcome to True Love Ways!  Two weeks ago I married the ginger of my dreams and I thought now is the perfect time to start a new blog.  Here I'll document my life as a newlywed living in Chicago and things that make my heart for pitter-patter.

Photo courtesy: Pamela Yasuko