Leave it to Gossip Girl to Brighten My Day

“Springtime on the Upper East Side, where the winter chill is supposed to be so last season - but when mittens and scarves are still all the rage, the best thing you can do is to button and hope for warmer days!" - Gossip Girl

At least when I heard that on my DVR'd GG, I felt a little better about what was happening outside:

P.S. i've been getting some great comments over the past week or two. the little brother has been all over the comments. one had me laughing aloud, but i can't find it now. it was in response to something that steph wrote. speaking of stephanie, i love how she's been dropping historical significance courtesy of wikipedia all over the place. quite the resourceful one!

P.P.S. oh and in response to comments on my hair. yes, it is getting long. but i hate it right now! i added highlights (which you can't really see b/c i have a hat on in most recent pics) and wish i had kept it winter-dark (as in last months pictures of girls' night out). i am dreading the humidity of summer, which turns me into a total frizzball. and i have no idea whether to keep it long to tie back, or short, to make it somewhat more manageable on days when i might actually have the time. meh. whatever. what should i do with the color?

Signs of Spring, Chicago Style

inspired by lo & holly's posts:

what a nasty, nasty day in the land of chicago. the lakefront path was treacherous this morning ... treacherous enough that i went back to snap a few while i was out running errands later in the day. i did cold and snow through the winter. but this was cold and WINDY.



ok, fine. so last weekend was gorgeous and sunny and 65. the week before that, we had an amazing tuesday at 70 degrees. and this weekend, snow is in the forecast.

oops, one more. i swear.

i found these pictures when i was downloading some pictures i took at the lakefront today. so, gotta post.

the writing on the cake is an inside joke. this cake was complimentary from our bakery.

then also, here is the piece of cake that we saved. it was wrapped up in saran wrap, and then in foil, and then in a container. so it is a little smooshed. it was surprisingly ... good. it wasn't stale or dry. so, hmph, surprised!

final piece of anniversary: photo shoot and dinner at boka

like i said, you'd have to suffer through more
anniversary pictures AND rambling.

***

the following weekend we went to dinner at
boka (omg, omg, omg) for a romantic dinner:

dinner at boka - easily one of my top 3 favorite dinners in chicago and the
#1 place i would recommend to anyone looking for a really stellar dining experience.
simply creative cuisine, hip but not trendy,
with extemely welcoming service.
wonderful.

for those of you who'll want to know, we had:

japanese hamachi, young coconut-buddha hand vinaigrette,
kombu, cilantro sauce
and they gave to us all compliments of the chef style:
marinatedbig eye tuna, wasabi-edamame puree, dashi gelee,
grapefruit, spicy quail egg

cauliflower & gruyere gratin (me)

"mac and cheese" with edamame (patrick)

seafood bouillabasse in a lobster saffron broth (me)

bison tenderloin (patrick)

sourdough crepe cake, cider creme fraiche ice cream, honey crisp apples

***

from the chicago tribune:

"Giuseppe Tentori, the new chef at three-year-old Boka, is modest to a fault when describing his Mediterranean-influenced, contemporary American cuisine. "Simple food," he says in response to compliments.I suppose that, when your previous job was chef de cuisine at Charlie Trotter's and your next-door neighbor is Alinea, your food probably does seem simple. So I'll grant Tentori his premise: Compared to the two most world-renowned restaurants in Chicago, Boka's food is numbingly simple. By any normal measure, however, it is dazzling.Giuseppe Tentori, the new chef at three-year-old Boka, is modest to a fault when describing his Mediterranean-influenced, contemporary American cuisine.

"Simple food," he says in response to compliments.I suppose that, when your previous job was chef de cuisine at Charlie Trotter's and your next-door neighbor is Alinea, your food probably does seem simple. So I'll grant Tentori his premise: Compared to the two most world-renowned restaurants in Chicago, Boka's food is numbingly simple.

By any normal measure, however, it is dazzling. "

***

in some sort of conclusion -- i wish i could say that we just breezed through our first year of marriage. i hear other people say that! but truth be told, we've had our moments. through those moments, i am thankful for patrick, what he brings to my life, and i couldn't imagine a world without him.

brief explanation

{photography by ryan e. nunes}

so before i return to the topic of our anniversary, i should maybe explain that i have never celebrated a relationship-related anniversary before. not even with patrick! that's right, not patrick, not other boyfriends, not even the whole 'three month-iversary' thing that people do when they're younger (mostly because i didn't even 'go out' with boys when i was younger, but that's a different story altogether!). i'm not really sure why this is. stereotypically, i suppose it's the girl's job to push the celebration of these things, but i never really found it that important. i guess until now, when i definitely wanted to mark the milestone. so it was a brand-new experience identifying a single day as one to recognize in celebration and accomplishment.

with that said, here's a picture of us on our anni, and you can expect close ups of the flowers and the rambling to continue, as 1) we're going out for part two of the anniversary tonight and 2) i don't have a whole lot else going on to blog about.

welcome, declan reed daly!

was thrilled to hear that jo & chris met their son, declan reed, wednesday night just before midnight!! wishing the new family all the best and a sweet homecoming!

declan, by the way, has the most stylish nursery ever:

our anniversary (the flower story...continued)

continued from the beginning of the flower story.

we went inside larkspur and while i went one way, of course patrick went another. great, he's not even going to help me pick out the stupid flower i've been after all morning!!

then he says to the lady, "i'm early."

if you know patrick, you know full well that he often says things that don't make sense. and he often screws around with people. so now i'm thinking, dude, leave the lady alone and let's pick a little flower out. but then the lady hands over a honkin' bouquet to patrick. for me!

haaaaa, i almost made patrick buy me a flower at TWO other places, which he totally went along with! crack me up. what if i made him buy me a flower back at olivia's? how ridiculous would that have been? jeez, greedy devon! how in the world did i happen to suggest a brunch spot in exactly the perfect location?

upon explanation, patrick said he was supposed to pick it up after brunch, hence the 'i'm early.' he had no idea we'd end up eating right by the flower shop.

our anniversary (the flower story)

while out walking we went to olivia's market, because i thought maybe patrick would want to buy me a flower (i didn't even try to hide the reason). but there weren't any good single stems, so i said we'd keep walking.

once we had decided where to have brunch, we approached a place called daffodil's. from across the street i got excited, 'ohh, maybe that place is a florist, and we can go in and buy a flower!' kind of teasing, but totally intent now on a single stem.

i would have been content with plucking a bud along our walk, but nothing has bloomed at all yet. there were a few tulips peeping their greens out of the soil, but not a flower to be found along our walk. apparently not even at daffodil's, which is CLOSED on sundays.

'oh my gosh, we're going to walk right past larkspur,' the place where patrick claims they know him. 'do you think it's closed on sundays, too?' it was kind of becoming a little game. larkspur was just shy of the brunch spot we had decided upon, so it wasn't out of the way or at all. and the door said open sundays! so we went in!

i kind of liked these droopy pink guys, but thought that would be a weird flower to pick.


to be continued (again) ....

our anniversary

we had agreed that with the shenanigans of st. patrick's day on saturday, as well as a houseguest in town, that instead of squeezing in a calendar celebration on sunday, we would celebrate NEXT weekend instead with dinner and cake. but in the end, i couldn't have asked for a better anniversary with patrick. plus, thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate, with cards, emails, comments, photography and phone calls! so fun!

so if we're facebook friends, you already saw that we kicked off the day with a morning walk. it was a GORGEOUS sunday morning. it felt so good to just meander aimlessly. birds were chirping, i swear for the first time since last year. at the dog park we watched a huge dog named 'blue' scare all the little puppies, playfully of course. along damen, we observed car after car narrowly avoid one of the more gigantic springtime potholes - patrick called and reported the dangerous pothole. and in front of st. mary's we crossed paths with churchgoers hungry for pastries and coffeee. the neighborhood was awake with the hint of a season changing. which is a big deal in this city. hallelujah spring teasers.

to be continued ...

friday fun posts!

yes it's friday again, friday the 13th! happy friday, friends!
it snowed a little yesterday and we're off to another chilly start.
this morning:




highlight of the week!
after feeling suffocated by the bromance blooming before my eyes, i came home to spectacular treats in my mailbox. perfect timing on behalf of chef amanda. pistacio nougaty goodness and hazelnutty chocolate are clear of my lent restrictions. could not have been more perfect. i nibbled away my cares, completely in awe of the delicacies that amanda crafted. how does she do it?

(the candy is on our kitchen counter,
which is covered with a game the boys are really into called agrilcola.)

pure heaven!

have you spent the entire week wondering how our poker tourny was?
it was a great event. even though it was 'sold out' we were able to swing a tic for the lil' bro. neither patrick nor ryan won the entire poker tournament. ok, neither even made it to any of the final tables. but they did play some good hands.

• the event was held at the cultural center, which is beautiful


• open bar with some delicious wine made both me and the boys happy
  (though i had to wake up early the next a.m.)


• scrumptious little passed hors d'oeuvres and yummy food buffet; how did it all taste delish and healthy at the same time?
  

this event was my idea, as an early anniversary present for patrick. but with my little brother in town (he's looking at law schools that he got into/was waitlisted at) , we invited him along. after we were home from the event, the boys stayed up til all hours playing poker online!!!

via phone camera

or maybe you've been wondering where the bonkoviches have been?
oh don't you worry, they're around. we met up with them last sunday for a "girls have coffee, boys go watch some sports" afternoon. this is christine's coffee:

via phone camera

it looks like a fake coffee to me! it was a snickerdoodle latte and i made her put the glass of water in the photo for scale. it was HUGE!

more friday fun - st. patrick's day weekend kick off

my coworker took this photo at work today: they brought in a keg at 3:30

LET THE WEEKEND BEGIN

to complain, or not to complain?

let me tell you all what it is like to have a husband and brother who get along and think boy stuff is cool:

friday night = poker tournament
saturday night = ufc (ultimate fight club) on pay-per-view
sunday night = sci-fi night
monday night = video games and chicken wings


i need a manicure and a glass of wine, pronto.
but it looks like it's going to be sugar free jello and a diet coke instead.

evan arthur comstock

emily & lance's son, evan arthur comstock, arrived on february 25!!
read on for the note that lance posted to facebook:

"Some of you may already be aware and some may not. My son, Evan Arthur Comstock was just born on Feb. 25 at 7lbs and 9oz!!!

Unfortunately, several hours after the delivery it was discovered that he was born with a rare abnormality wherein this esophogas did not fully develop and he required surgery. So, less than 24 hours after he was born he went into surgery to correct the problem.

I am happy to report that the surgery went well and that now he is on the road to recovery. We are so blessed and happy that things are progressing as we hoped. This caught us totally by surprise, especially after such an easy, nearly stress free delivery. Please, keep us and Evan in your prayers. I will post more pictures when he is finally able to come home."

and i just received an email from emily that says he's coming home tomorrow and gets to meet his big sis maddie for the first time!! a big "welcome home" to evan! he's precious!

rainy day

rainy day with the little brother in town.

Friday Fun Post Topics

March

March is here. It's not a bad month.

March = March Madness
March = St. Patrick's Day
March = Ides of March
March = Lent
March = Trish's Bday
March = Our 1st Wedding Anniversary!!
March = Filing taxes for the first time as a married couple. Well, I guess that's kind of an April thing. But I swear, we're going to file earlier than April this year. That's my march goal! And to post soime wedding pics to FB. Go March.

Icing
It figures that the year I actually observe lent and give up cupcakes*, is the year that More Cupcakes gives them away for free!!!!

Happy Hour at More Cupcakes

The Gold Coast pastry mavens are handing out gratis mini cupcakes after work on Friday, with alcohol-teasing flavors like the Cuba Libre. You'll also be the first to inspect their latest masterstroke, the Foie Gras Cupcake, a sour-cherry-filled chiffon cake iced with rich foie gras mousse.

411:Free samples Fridays, 5-7-pm, 1 E. Delaware Pl (near State), 312-951-0001

*full disclosure. gave up cupcakes = no baked treats nor frozen desserts, but ALL BECAUSE of my problem with cupcakes and cookies and an office that always seems to have cake in the kitchen. also no tortilla chips because i love nachos.

Cute Email Bday Invite
my old co-worker's fiance put together a cute little flyer for miss emily's birthday. he requested that all guests dress as their favorite literary character. i feel bad posting an address on my blog, but i am pretty sure it will be ok. if my blog readers crashed their party. i am sure they'd welcome you with open arms.

Texas Hold 'Em
we won't be able to make it to emily's birthday bash because a while ago we bought tickets to the meals on wheels texas hold 'em poker tournament. patrick is participating, but i'm just a spectator. that's tonight & we're looking forward to it!

I Did It!

I made it to the antigravity class and it was SO FUN! and HARD!

There were two guys teaching it, and they were amazingly nice. One was named AJ and the other was Matt or something. I am assuming they were both gay, but this is based on their stereotypically appropriate characteristics. they were both super fit, but also in that dancer way, also helpful and adorable. AJ winked at me during class, and i swear, he's a heartbreaker. He totally melted mine!

• those cloth things are called hammocks.
• we did this pose (left) and it was one of my favorites.
• i really liked swooshing (swinging), but it wasn't very hard.
• and it was very relaxing to "cocoon" in the hammock.

I don't think I'll be able to make it again for awhile, because it's so hard to make it in time to get a spot. So sad.




PS Good luck to Katherine and Alice who are in Orlando for the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

welcome march ... as i dream of june

this is the bleary walk that awaited me today as i headed over to hot chocolate to meet andi for brunch:

friggin' march

one ricotta, roasted tomato and fried egg sandwich later, i arrived home to an email from scripps with the subject line "scripps in sonoma." oh, how i dream to be there:

the fairmont sonoma mission inn

"For hundreds of years, ancient thermal mineral waters have graced this site. Today, our resort is proud to be one of the only luxury spa resorts in the country with its own source of thermal mineral water. The Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa hotel pays homage to ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, which believed in the axiom 'Sanitas Per Aquas'..."

you all didn't know that's what my silhouette looks like, huh?

The Bathing Ritual Experience starts with:
Exfoliating Shower - Use the supplied thermal mineral kur shower gel to exfoliate and cleanse your skin.
Warm Bath (Tepiderium) - Ease into the 96-98 degree warm mineral bath.
Hot Bath (Caldarium) - Relax in the 102 degree hot mineral bath with jets.
Re-hydrating Drink - Enjoy a tall glass of water, which is vital for re-hydration.
Cool Shower - Cool your body with a brief shower.
Herbal Steam - Rest in the herbal steam room.
Sauna - Enjoy a few moments in the dry heat of the sauna.
Re-hydrating Drink - Enjoy a tall glass of water, which is vital for re-hydration.
Cool Shower - Cool your body with a brief shower.
Rest - Recline in the serenity of the relaxation lounge as your body renews and restores.

i am picturing yoga and wine tasting with friends.

sigh scrippsies, how wonderful does that trip sound? what could be better - i SO want to shout out "girls trip!" but i just don't know how wonderful $650 + airfare sounds. in a recession. hmph. hmph. hummmppph. is anyone going?