Sweet Peeps

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Seeing Green in Chicago

What can I say but Wow. I love Chicago. I really would love to live there. I am so drawn to the hustle and bustle of a big city. There is always something going on. There was always something to see no matter which way I looked and I had so much fun with the girls. My dear friend Amy, totally hooked us up with air fare and made it impossible to say no.
We embarked on the windy city the during its famous St. Patty's Celebration. Lots of Liquor, a green river, and Leprechauns everywhere = More fun than I can write about. But here are the highlights:
Shopping Mecca i.e. Crate and Barrel, Sephora, and Tiffany's & Co.
The best and most expensive pizza of all time at Gino's...Note to self, don't drink the "punch" its STRONG. Walking almost everywhere. My Tiffany's ring. Taking people out in the drugstore with my new polka dot umbrella, much to the chagrin of Amy and Gab. Sweetwater Sports bar. Our Boutique sized amazing hotel room overlooking the river, right on Michigan Ave. The river being dyed green. Our lunch at La Scarolla, no doubt run by the mob. Benny's Booze Emporium....I could have spend so much more time and money there. Jameson and Ginger. Our drunk cab driver's ride of laughs. Wrigleyville. Fog. Cold. Rain and more rain. 3 Green Tutu's...we created quite a stir wherever we went. Fado and more Jameson and Ginger. Inviting a Sailor and a Leprechaun into our already squished cab was the best thing I ever did. Hours of shenanigans at Shenanigans. Strategically placed Shamrocks. The Corner Bakery. Lunch at the hotel restaurant, my Jameson and Ginger that wasn't "a drink...its a Johnson & Johnson product...no more tears!" Getting all dolled up. Doing each others make up. Getting back to the hotel at 3am and catching a flight at 6am. The crazy cab driver's serenade of Sexual Healing. Hours at the Denver airport. And Home.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Blacksheep or Bust

The Black Sheep Family Christmas party is by far my favorite Christmas tradition. I love the food, booze and most importantly the people. My black sheep family consists of the majority of my cousins on my dads side. We started celebrating together about 5 years ago. We all believed that family should be there to support and accept each other. None of us are perfect at this. I'm certainly not perfect. But some things are just easier to accept. Its easy for me to accept people and their life choices, when they are based in love like Jill and Tammy. But not so easy to accept the one's who are prejudice, selfish, thoughtless, bigoted, cruel, or vicious. I am still working on how to love people like that. Hopefully, someday I will find the secret.

Now, back to the food, booze, and people. I added a few new things to my Mexican Chocolate Fondue tradition; Banana bread, pumpkin bread, black berries, raspberries,and my new favorite, salt & pepper kettle chips. Dipped in chocolate, they were AMAZING!!! I loved the Lemon Drop Shots, which is a where you take a shot of Vodka then bite down on a lemon wedge rolled in sugar. So GOOD!

It was great getting to know a few new additions to our flock of sheep and I loved giving everyone a "Family of Blacksheep" family fold for X-mas. It turned out so cute!!

To Andrew

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Pink Tutu

Halloween, how I love thee! I love the costumes, the decorations, the parties, not to mention the yummy treats. But most of all, I love the excuse to dress up anyway I want, with very little judgment. This year I took advantage, I rocked the pink tutu at work, at a party with April, and for trick or treating! I have no doubts in the "Power of the Pink Tutu!" Wearing it was an automatic mood booster. I was ridiculously chipper, despite the extremely early morning and the snow flurries on my way to work!!!
I was also extremely happy because I remember where I was last year. I remember how dark those days were. How everything was a struggle. This year was quite the juxtaposition. I felt true joy in the little things.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Go Shorty...Its your birthday..

My 28th birthday was by far the best ever!!! ...or should I say my Birthday Week?! It was pretty ridiculous, but thats how it turned out and of course I loved every second of it. Dinner with Jana at the Oasis, birthday surprises at work, dinner at Happy Sumo with my Twinnie a.k.a Nissa, Jimmy surprised me with a Office inspired birthday party complete with shriveled brown balloons...Dwight would be so proud, a date with my Gramgram in her living room since she couldn't leave the house to go shopping, an amazing birthday party with people that I absolutely love. I felt so blessed, so loved! oh and the best part....my birthday jeans.

Earlier this year a friend of mine posed the question to me "when do we stop thinking of ourselves as boys and girls and start thinking of ourselves as men and women?" At the time I said "Im 60% girl, 40% women." But what a difference 6 months can make.

At 28, I feel comfortable in my own skin, Im still aware of my flaws, but they just don't seem to matter as much. I love the women I am. I am proud of my talents and have a sense of humor about my idiosyncrasies. So now I'm gonna say I'm 80% women, 20% girl. A women who knows what she wants, who works hard, and lives life with a cheery disposition. And a girl who loves all things frilly, polka dots, and most of all, being silly.

I'm a pro with chopsticks....Nissa and I split Coconut Crusted Halibut and Edimame....It is one of my absolute favorite dinners and a Twinnie tradition. Nissa was so incredibly thoughtful. She told me happy birthday atleast 100 times that day, not to mention flowers! On a side note...take a look at my long hair...I cut it the very next day!

Jimmy loves me so much that he through me a surprise! He remembered all the little things; shriveled, limp balloons, flowers, a hunormous (=huge+ enormous) birthday card, and a little fruit tart with the all too important giant 5 candle. Jimmy really wanted to get me a giant white cake that said Happy Birthday Shara. He also promised me a nap. Gotta love The Office.