Emphasis Added!

A coworker just mocked me for my outfit matrix.

Does anyone else create some sort of list prior to packing where you write down exactly what you are wearing on each day and for each event and include all accessory/shoe/handbag details?

Tomorrow, my work peeps and I are heading out for 3 days in Los Angeles.

In addition to the hundreds (ok, dozens) of meetings that we have with local schools and universities- I am absolutely certain we will find the time to get a little bit of sun, wear a few new dresses and perhaps even see a celebrity or two!

While this is totally a business trip, my team always makes a point to enjoy wonderful dinners out…which means, I have a great excuse to dress-up every night!  I am kind of proud of the outfits I constructed for the (non-work portions) of this little trip and am excited to bring you several head-to-toes over the next few days.

Happy travels to me!

The following stores are located ON MY BLOCK:

• More Cupcakes (This cupcake cafe is actually located IN my building.  Great!  I know I said that “Macroons are the new cupcake” but that won’t stop me from eating the hell out of some Carmel stuffed cupcakes).
• Intermix!
• Goddess & Grocer Cafe
• Potash Grocer
• Dry Cleaners
• Frenchie’s Adult Store (woohoo)
• Penguin Store
• Ugg Store
• Diesel

And if we widen the range to include the 2 block radius, the list gets downright obnoxious (obnoxious good, that is)!  A few of my favorite’s include:

• Barneys
• Bloomingdales
• Equinox
• Gibsons Steakhouse
• Prada
• Calypso
• Hermes
• Todds
• Sur La Table
• Agent Provocateur

So for any of you tumblrs looking for a Chi-Town shopping adventure…I now have a second bedroom in which you are welcome to crash!

Things I WILL DO this weekend:

• Find an apartment…maybe
• Run a lot of miles
• Spend some quality time with the fam up at our lakehouse
• Style my outfits for my upcoming business trip (I love how the right piece of flair can make even the most conservative work attire seem a little more lively)
• Spend some quality time with UV rays
• Mani/Pedi
• Cheer my heart out for the Hawks!

Things I will desperately try NOT to do:

• Eat too much
• Panic about my future
• Earn any new bruises

Calling all tumblrs….I need your help.

This weekend is memorial day…meaning the kick-off of beach season!

I am in hot pursuit for a smoking hot bikini that will work at my rooftop pool in Chicago and the laidback scene in Michigan yet still spicy enough to sport in Miami!  I am in the market for a suit with a wow-factor…perhaps something embellished and definitely a bikini that doesn’t cover too much of my bum.  I am partial to brazillian-cut bottoms and a top that doesn’t overwhelm my barely-there chest.

I have been looking for the past week and have had absolutely no luck, so now I turn to you, my omniscient blogging friends to send me pics/links/suggestions that will get me right for another season of swimwear!

Bummer News:

Simon and I are on a month to month lease.  We had a handshake agreement with our landlord that we could stay in the place until Sept 1, after the bar exam.  Both parties agreed on this arrangement and promised that neither one would leave the other high and dry.

((Guess where this is going…))

Yup, my shit-landlord called last week and said she had re-rented our place and that we have to be out by mid June.   Obviously, there is no way we can find and purchase a home in the next  3.5 weeks…meaning Simon and I are back on the market as renters.

Since I am desperately trying to quell my disappointment and keep my apt-hunting karma as good as possible, I am choosing to focus on the following silver-linings:

• If a pipe explodes inside of the shower and leaks water into the hallway, we will not be responsible for fixing it.*
• If the bar holding 70% of our clothes snaps in half in the middle of the night leaving us with a tangled mess of trousers, bouses and jackets (and nowhere to put them), we will not be responsible for fixing it.*
• If the dishwasher coil melts, filling our home with the stench of molten-hot plastic, we will not be responsible for fixing it.*
• If our neighbor demands a sound test and our floors are deemed faulty, we will not be responsible for fixing it.*
• If our refrigerator ice cube dispenser plays games of Chinese water torture with the floor, we will not be responsible for fixing it.*
• If the window pane falls out of a corner unit window and all of the building owners are forced to pay special assessment to rectify that death trap, we will not be responsible for fixing it.*

See, I feel better about my lot in life already!

*This actually happened.

If you could pack your bags and jet off ANYWHERE in the world for the memorial day weekend, where would you go?

hautelikecouture:

thoseareturkeys:

murdermachine:

(via blogsecret)

While I am certainly no expert shopper, I like to think that I am pretty in the know when it comes to cute stores in my ‘hood.

I monitor the inventory at Intermix, Scoop, Barneys, Jake and Samantha with impressive regularity…so when it comes time to find the perfect ensemble for a special event, I usually know right where to go.

This weekend, however, I struck out miserably at all of my faithful standbys.  There were a few cute dresses I had been eyeing, but once off the hanger and on the Emily…they were a hot mess!  I am never an easy fit, but there was not a single dress at any of the above mentioned stores that came anywhere near fitting.  After hours in the dressing room exposing my chest to one too many sales girls (after one to many strapless dress slide right down my torso) , I got desperate.  I decided to visit the tourist mecca of Chicago, Water Tower Place.

Trying desperately to dodge the out-of-towners swinging their oversized “American Girls” bags while munching on “Aunt Annie’s Butter Pretzels”….I ran into the first store I saw: CUSP.  Gasp!  Squeal!

Do you guys know this store?  Am I the only one who has never so much as heard of/web browsed/stepped foot in this Neiman Marcus outpost?  It was filled with great designers at prices that are slightly painful, but not total deal-breakers. 

I ended up finding a couple of perfect dresses for some upcoming events!  After walking out with my shopping bags brimming, I couldn’t help but feel that Cusp and I were new bff’s…I look forward to all of the outfits we get to build together!

Today my husband graduates from law school and I am so proud of him.

Over the past three years, I have watched him read through stacks of cases taller than me, write essays longer than the bible and work harder than I knew any human could work.

Simon, congratualtions on your remarkable accomplishment.

I love you.

betweenthestars:

blissfulself:

The benefits and nutrients in certain foods are fascinating to me - all part of my “eat to live” attitude. The following ingredients were included in my juices this week:

• Carrot – Rich in carotenoids reducing the risk of heart disease.  Contains Vitamin A which protects the lungs from second hand smoke.
• Apple – Contains two types of fiber that lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of hardening of the arteries, heart attack and stroke.
• Celery – Helps support free radical damage commonly associated with inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and arthritis.
• Cashew – Contains zinc which rebuilds the body’s collagen supply and prevents wrinkling, stretch marks and other potential “body road maps.”  Also aids lymphatic system in waste elimination.
• Pineapple – Aids digestion, anti-inflammatory, offers antioxidant protection and promotes immune system.
• Cinnamon – Stimulates circulation, digestion and stabilized blood sugar.  Reduces bile salts, lowering the risk of heart disease and colon cancer.
• Romaine – Excellent source of Vitamin A, which helps support immunity and free radical damage commonly associated with inflammatory conditions such as asthma, and arthritis.
• Parsley – Strong diuretic and blood purifier, protects the liver and spleen, and nourishes the kidneys, bladder and optic system.  Helps neutralize certain types of carcinogens found in cigarette smoke and charcoal smoke.
• Lemon – Contains unique flavanoid compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.  High in Vitamin C, promotes a healthy immune system.
• Spinach – Diuretic.  Improves oxygenation of the blood, nerves and brain cells.
• Cayenne – Promotes respiratory health.  Contains Caspaicin, which opens and drains congested nasal passages.  Helps reduce the risk of ulcers. Increases circulation.
• Cucumber – Helps to wash kidneys and bladder of debris, stones and bile salts, lowering the risks of heart disease and colon cancer.

Thanks for this!

Despite my desperate attempts to be chic while at Casa Casuarina (Versace’s Mansion), The moment I saw the grand balconies, I couldn’t help but entertain the following two thoughts:

• If only I could scrounge up some willing participants to play the roles of the VonTrap children, we could totally reenact the “So Long, Farewell” scene from the Sound of Music!
• Can I please, please run up to the second floor and deliver Juliet’s balcony scene (despite the fact my Romeo is all the way in Chicago, I think the people here would totally have appreciated my commitment to Elizabethan Drama).

Needless to say, I kept my flair for the dramatic to myself…but I have a sneaking suspicion that my stirring balcony performance would be far from the “weirdest” thing those walls have ever seen!

I was just going to “like” this post, but given the fact Lindsay’s song has been stuck in my head for the past half an hour, it definitely deserves a reblog.

Yee-haw!

lindsayneedscoffee:

Here is the song that has been in my head all morning. I wrote it myself.

(to the tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain)

I am going to throw this stapler at your face
I am going to throw this stapler at your face (yee-haw!)
I am going to throw this stapler
I am going to throw this stapler
I am going to throw this stapler at your face.

[follow with a stream of expletives of your choice]

When you grow tired of running, when you’re exhausted, when you consider walking home or hailing a cab, picture yourself at the 25th mile marker. Picture your friends on the sideline, holding bedazzled “You go girl!” signs. Picture the cameras. Picture the long line to the free bagels and strangers reaching out for high fives. Picture yourself four hours in and four months of training over. Picture yourself crying while running as you near the chute. Picture blood and sweat and ice packs. Picture yourself sprinting, somehow, across the finish line. Then try - just TRY - to give up and walk.

(via caryrandolph)