chicago summer: day 1.

Here's hoping you have more sunshine than we do.  I'm off to my in-laws this weekend for some much needed relaxation time and Sprocket's first experience in the pool (!!!!!).  Have a great weekend!

[Sorry for the glare and my reflection in the photo, I just needed to capture those sad summer drops.]

take me away, tuesday.

Maybe it's because today is a particularly foggy and wet day, or maybe because summer may actually be here for real and I'm getting cabin fever, but this Tuesday I find myself extra anxious to get out of town.

When I think about packing my bags and taking a vacation/weekend/life hiatus (which is a pretty regular thought), my destination is always Yountville, CA.  Why Yountville?  I have only spent five days there: one in the summer of 2011 while Andy and I were driving up the coast of California, and four last July when we spent our honeymoon there.  It's the most beautiful, peaceful, ethereal place I've ever been.  Is that an exaggeration?  No.  Not only does it have THREE Thomas Kellar restaurants, but you can bike to vineyards all day, walk the cozy, flower lined streets, and soak in the California sun.  Also, we ate $.50 oysters before the best meal of my life at Ad Hoc -- can't really beat that.

We've already committed to going back for our five year wedding anniversary, which is a mere 49 months away.  I've also been looking at real estate there, so yeah, I'd like to go back, please.

 Quick detour from our bike ride to pick some grapes (don't worry, he's just pretending)

 We biked six miles and went to ten vineyards in one day on these rented bad boys.

Yountville, I love you.

monday morning question.

This morning while I was paying for my ice coffee at Dunkin' Donuts, the nice gentleman asked me a question.  "Would you like a free donut?" he said.  Why yes, yes I would.

Hope everyone's Monday is off to as good of a start as mine!  And here's to a week just as exciting.

over the weekend.

After having one of those long and eye opening conversations with my significant other, I've committed myself to being productive this weekend.  There have been more than a handful of times where I find myself on the couch all weekend wallowing in Andy's absence instead of doing what I need to do (laundry, dishes, cleaning, scrubbing -- the general joys of house wifery), but this weekend will be different.

And here's why.  Our second bedroom currently looks like this, minus the furniture...

WHY.  I don't know!  I wish I knew why we have a bright Jolly Rancher green bedroom, but this is what the previous owners left us with, so here we are.  This weekend I'll be putting myself to good use by painting the room, or at least starting it.

Here's the tricky thing about this room, which I will share with the two (maybe three?) readers of this blog.  One day, hopefully not too far away, this room will be a nursery.  Right now it's a guest room, but we're not planning on it staying that way for long enough to really make it officially one.  We're not going to buy a queen size bed to put in there, for example.  We're thinking a daybed?  Something that can remain and be functional even after we've added to our brood.  So anyway, I bought home a sample of Behr paint in Natural Grey.  I'm worried it might be a liiiiiiittle too dark, but I think it'll do the trick.  I love the simple lightness of a grey and it's a great canvas to add whatever pops of color we want to.  

So I hope you like grey little future baby Abramson, cause that's what your mama is doing this weekend.

hacking.

I wish beyond wishes that I was a DIY kinda girl.  I've tried to start projects over and over again and even have a Pinterest board devoted to the idea, but I get so frustrated when I realize the finished project won't be what I envisioned and end up just quitting.  This insecurity is a problem with me in general -- something I'm consciously trying to work on -- but it's a roadblock for me every time.

Anyway -- do you ever see those DIY Ikea makeovers that you want to do so badly it sort of hurts?  Andy has a thing against Ikea furniture because he thinks it's cheap, fake, breaks easy, etc.  I on the other hand think it's fun, trendy, and cute.  Plus I love their Swedish meatballs.  I stumbled across this Ikea hack this morning and desperately want to recreate it.  We're looking for a sofa console table to go behind one part of our sectional and I think something like this would be just perfect.

Now I just need to build up the courage to try it.

this face.

This is a face that makes me melt.  I will be the first to admit that I'm completely obsessed with my dog.  But can you blame me??  Look at that face!  That widows peak!  Come on.

With Andy traveling so much and me being generally down in the dumps recently over a plethora of dumb things (work, my weight, etc.), this little face brightens my day.

I complain a lot about having to come home late from work and spend an hour tuckering Sprock out, but it's worth it.  Because when this little mongrel jumps in bed with me and lays on Andy's pillow I know it's most certainly all worth it.

Mama loves you, Sprocket ole boy.

at last.

How dramatic of a title is that for a post about new sandals?  Just wait, it gets more dramatic.

I'll never forget where I was when my last pair of black flat sandals broke.  It was July 19, 2011.  I had just gotten my hair cut (are you riveted yet?) and was walking to Kleinfeld's (now you're riveted) to pick out my wedding dress.  That's nearly TWO years ago.  For two years I have only worn brown or nude color sandals.  Oh the agony!  Woe is me!

But now that I have a new job and can actually afford to buy things, I finally splurged on a new pair -- and by splurged I mean use a gift card I got for my birthday.  Behold, my new beauties!  From what I can tell by walking around my office for 15 seconds in them, we're going to get along just fine this summer.

on growing up.

On Sunday I turned 27. In the rankings of important birthdays, 27 is a pretty low on the list. It's one of those milestones that doesn't really mean much more than the fact that you're a year older.

I happened to have spent my birthday alone this year. Well, I had the company of a certain 62 pound mutt, but I generally celebrated the beginning of this new year of my life on my own. It made me realize a few things: 1) Window shopping is a great way to spend any day, even a birthday 2) Even at 27 you'll still feel like a child when you realize that you just want to feel special on your birthday, but don't 3) You're alone on your birthday? Kraft mac and cheese for dinner!

This isn't to say that I had a bad birthday. I heard from my friends and family, got the random Facebook posts, and generally felt the love. But still, it just didn't really feel like a birthday to me. As I thought this over Sunday night I wondered if this is how birthdays will feel, or at least how the uneventful milestone ones will feel. I know I just missed Andy, there's no denying that I would have been a chipper birthday girl if he was home, but maybe I was down about getting old?

My 26th year alive was incredible. I got married, bought a home, and Sprocket (I mean, Sprocket for crying out loud!). What's in store for this year? I guess anything. Really, anything can happen this year. It's our first summer in the new apartment, we're hoping to host Thanksgiving dinner this year for the first time, and maybe, just maaaaybe welcome a little ginger monster into the world.

So should I be down about my birthday? No. Am I allowed to be down that I spent it alone? Yes.

All this to say that I purchased three pairs of shoes yesterday and I feel a little bit better. Happy birthday, Mrs. Abramson.