Weekend Wrap Up

What a fun weekend!! After such miserable weather all week it was great to kick back, relax and have some fun!

Friday night Neil and I met his parents for dinner in the West Loop at Carmichael's. It was delicious and the best meal I've had in ages (cheat meal)! I love meeting up with the Berman's, they are so nice and laid back and very excited for the wedding! We spent the majority of the night chatting about wedding details and plans! I am so lucky to be marrying into such a great family.

Saturday my friend and I were slated to do yoga, but the poor thing came down with the flu, so Megan and I went to take a class instead. Well, I guess we weren't the only people with this idea because I think everyone under the age of 35 in the city of Chicago was in that particular class. They kept reminding people to do mat to mat, but it just got too crowded for us... so we went to brunch. After an amazing meal at Kingsbury Cafe (highly recommend), I came home and got to cleaning and cooking. Neil worked most of the day so when he came home he began cooking, too. We had our friends Mary Kate and Kirk and Caitlin and Hunter over for apps/drinks/games/etc. It was great catching up with them. As usual, the men had to sit through college stories. Even if we started to tell a story and they, oh so smoothly, pointed out they had already heard the story, we finished it anyway for them :) I'm so lucky to have these girls in my life and love spending time with them and their husbands!

Sunday was definitely a lazy day! Neil has been coming down with something so we just bummed around and watched TV and movies. Thankfully it was very ugly outside so I made a quick run to the store and we hunkered down for the day!

This morning started off pretty ugly, but I'm excited for this week!! I need to really get focused on this weight loss thing, too! Neil's kicking my butt!

Happy Friday!!!

Waking up to snow this morning made me dance!! It was Clark's first snow, too! Even though it stopped about 4 seconds after I woke up, it was still amazing to see! 

Side note, I think Clark needs boots! I always laughed at people who did that to their dogs, but the salt is ridic and keeps getting in his paws and making him cry! Also, I think he needs a coat :( I really hate to this to any dog, but he was shaking playing in the snow (although that didn't stop him from playing). I'm fearful of making him 1.) look ridiculous and 2.) becoming a wuss. However, I may not have a choice much longer. Truthfully, it just gets annoying to stop every block to get salt out of his paws!

Have a great weekend!! 

Winter Blues

Since it's miserable and freezing here right now I can't help but focus on going some place warm. Mainly because I'm so pasty it's making me sad. Each morning when I look in the mirror I want to cry because I'm so white. That being said, I will not fall off the wagon and go back to tanning (it got bad for awhile there). But wouldn't life be better if we were all tan all the time?

Cooking Time

Lately, I've been cooking a ton of different dinners to try and make this diet thing less painful (it is working through!! Neil and I are both down some pounds and feeling great)!

A few things we have done lately, are:

A Mexican Shrimp Salad (Got this recipe online: http://advosphere.com/cleanse-recipes.html). Basically you use a million vegetables and put them all together. The recipe also makes an amazing dressing. It contains cilantro, tomatoes, olive oil, oregano and garlic. So good and so fresh tasting!

This was reallllly good and definitely something we'll have again.

Last night I made sweet and sour chicken (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/sweet-and-sour-chicken-recipe2/index.html).

This also was really good! It had some heat to it and was super easy to make. I would certainly make this again!

We've also been eating a good bit of fish and have really gotten into brussel sprouts! Just heat them up for 5 minutes on the stove top and they are good to go!

I don't have pictures, but I also made a chicken and vegetable lo mein (http://beta.primal-palate.com/recipe/chicken-and-vegetable-lo-mein/).

It was super good because you just need to use a lot of cabbage and by the time it all cooks together the cabbage tastes like noodles and your stomach thinks you've just eaten a bunch of carbs :) Silly, stomach.

One other GREAT one was Mexican Quinoa. It had so much flavor and was amazing! Naturally I was nervous that wouldn't fill me up enough so I added salmon to the meal as well (recepie: http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/11/05/mexican-quinoa/)

We've also done a few favorites such as lettuce wraps and stuffed peppers with ground turkey. It's been so fun to try new things and everything so far has not disappointed us! Sometimes it feels as though I spend most of the evening cutting up food, but I'm beginning to like chopping, it's very therapeutic!

My cooking partner is always close by, too.

Weekend Wrap Up

What a fun, cold weekend! For Christmas Neil got me tickets to see Brian Regan, my favorite comedian ever, at the Chicago Theater. It was AWESOME! We first met for dinner near Neil's office at a place called Maison. It is a super cute restaurant and I had some amazing scallops (side note: I've been pasta free since January 7 and still holding strong). We then went over to the theater to see the show. Brian was so funny. He did mostly new stuff, but his encore was some of the classic Brian Regan jokes. My face literally hurt from laughing so hard! Thanks, Neil! Best present ever!!

Saturday Neil and I just bummed around and ran some errands during the day and then met Neil's friend Bill and his girlfriend for dinner. Our goal was to go to Tango Sur, but the wait was forever! After having a few drinks across the street we decided to go someplace else around 9:30 or so. It ended up being a great dinner and so nice to catch up with Bill and meet Emily!

Yesterday Neil and I ventured up north to an old favorite place of ours, Brownstone, which has the best tater tots in town (it was our cheat meal). I then met up with my sister and friend Nick at a bar in boystown called Sidetracks. On Sunday nights they play show tunes. It's amazing! They end show tunes by playing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and everyone throws napkins in the end. It was unreal. While I don't feel my best today, it was worth it and so much fun!

Neil officially kicks off his busy season this week and it's bitter cold here. I'm feeling the need to plan a trip somewhere warm very soon!

Proud Graduate

Well it took us a little while to get here, but Clark has officially graduated from Level 1 puppy school! After two sessions with a million other puppies we ended up getting private lessons with Robin, the best dog trainer ever! She loved Clark so much and always commented on how Neil and I had done our homework (which we most certainly did not do enough). But Clark passed with flying colors. We are trying to figure out next steps, but we think another level will be necessary in  the near future.

Congrats, grad!

                                                                       Proud Parents.

He was exhausted from all the hard work (and treats). I love that Clark appreciates a nice prop outfit, makes my job a lot easier! 

Do you ever get days where you are in a funk? I'm not grumpy, mad, sad, or bothered by anything.  Maybe it's because my mouth is on fire, but I feel like I have a short fuse today. It's probably best I stear clear of people or this may happen...

What a Pain in the...

Mouth. Ever since I can remember I've always gotten canker sores in my mouth. They are so painful and drive me INSANE. My brother and I used to get them all the time and we've try out every sort of treatment for them (usually some sort of vitamin). Over time I've tried to figure out what brings them on. Is it food? Is it time of the year? Is it me constantly biting at my nails (obvi)? I've come to pinpoint (what I think to be) the two major factors to me getting canker sores: 1. Lack of sleep and 2. Stress.

But what can I do with that knowledge? If I'm not sleeping for a few days, there really is no way around that besides the obvious of get more sleep and if I'm stressed, there is little to do about that as well. Instead of screaming at people, or, even worse, going for a run, I get cankers.

Right now I have some that bring tears to my eyes they hurt so much and I'm so annoyed! But I got to thinking this morning, what if it's going to be like this for the next ten months!?! What if, the day I go wedding dress shopping I can't even smile because it hurts so much? What about my wedding days?! So basically I've come to the conclusion that I need to learn how to manage stress better and get on some type of meds that can help minimize the sores!

Bye Bye, cankers, (hopefully) see you never!

Innocent dog

Just hanging out by the shoe... Definitely not eating it....

Chicken Noodle Soup

In an effort to eat better Neil and I have spent the last two Sunday's cooking, cutting, shopping and preparing food for the weekend! Yesterday I made chicken noodle soup to have for lunch during the week. I bought a whole chicken and baked it in the oven:

     Thanks go to Santa for the meat thermometer! We cooked it based on temperature, not by time! It was super moist! 

I then took all the meat off the bones and put the "rest" in a pot with water to make a chicken stock and I have to say, it was super good! I've never made a stock before from scratch, but recently my future mother in-law made some soup that was amazing and the extra touch was definitely the broth!

I let that simmer most of the night and then this morning I cut up the celery, onion and green onions and put it all back in the pot together with some whole grain rice, parsley and oregano.

Bon appetite!

Weekend Wrap Up

What a lovely weekend. Friday after work my sister and I met for a Friday-kick-start-to-the-weekend pedicure! Megan's really gotten me into getting pedi's on a Friday, it's such a great, relaxing way to get the weekend started!

Afterwards we went to Megan's to get ready, then headed over to dinner at City Tavern with Neil. The place is super cute, but my review was mixed. Over all it was a good dinner with great company!

Saturday we got up and headed out for a fun filled wedding day! Thank goodness Megan was available to look at locations with us, I'm so indecisive and need to hear people's opinions! We went to two venues which were quickly ruled out (price and staff...) and then Megan and I dropped off Neil and drove around to look at another location. We then stopped for lunch (and champagne) at the newly opened Little Goat, which was awesome! Such a cute location and great food. We then hopped around for a bit and ended up looking at one more venue.  After a very long, wedding centric day, Megan and I ended up hanging at her house with some wine and Real Housewives.

I am so happy that my sister Megan lives here! It's so fun to finally be able to hang out with her and she's been so amazing and helpful with all things wedding!

Though we're not twins, we sometimes think we are! 

Happy Friday!!

                                                       Have a great weekend!!

Day 1

I swear I will not blog about and post pictures of every healthy meal I eat. That being said, today was the jump start to eating well and healthy living!

I started off with a breakfast of oatmeal and berries:

This surprisingly filled me up until lunch!

I then ate soup (not pictured) and a plate of hot veggies (I'm not the biggest fan of steamed veg's so I just put them in a pan and heated them all up, I like my vegetables hard!)

For dinner, Neil cooked this amazing sun dried tomato chicken from Mariano's, accompanied with green beans and couscous.

Am I hungry right now? Sure I am. Would I love a bowl of pasta right now? Absolutely. But I just have to focus on wedding pictures!

Wedding Weight Loss Challenge

Since Neil and I are working on setting a date for the wedding, we have also decided to get our butts in shape. We officially started today (wanted to start on a Monday after New years). It's so good that we are doing this together! In the past we've both tried to be healthy at different times, and that never worked! Now we are in this together to push each other to lose the extra lbs.

We went grocery shopping yesterday and planned out our meals for the week. Yesterday was spent cooking and prepping meals and snacks so we won't be tempted to break!

God speed, fellow dieters!

What a Weekend...

Some days just don't turn out how you expect them to, and that was certainly the theme for the weekend.

After Friday mornings debacle with Clark I was super angry with him, in fact he was being punished so much that he couldn't even stop and play with Sebastian who works at the front desk! Around lunch time I went to take Clark outside and I noticed he wasn't putting any weight on his back left paw. It was weird, but I wasn't too worried about it. My old dog Dublin had a flair for the dramatics and about once a quarter she wouldn't put weight on one of her paws, so I thought it was something that would run its coarse. As the day went on, Clark barely moved from the couch (not even for a treat! Gasp!) and he just kept moaning and crying. So then I freaked out. I tried to get Neil to come home early, I called the vet and I just felt sad for the pup because he couldn't tell me what's wrong! Naturally I cancelled any plans I had so I could sit next to Clark and try to make him feel better. We couldn't get into the Vet that we love, so Neil took Clark the next day while I was at my cousin's house for brunch (more on that later). Turns out small Clark sprained a ligament in his leg and he's on pain killers for a week. He started walking better right after the first pill. It's going to be a long week for the dog since he is not allowed to exercise or play with other dogs (I wish a doctor would say the same to me). So all in all, Clark is well and our first "scare" with him is officially in the books.

As previously mentioned, I was at my cousin Sydney's  house on Saturday for her annual holiday brunch. I started going to this brunch about 4 years ago when I was working at Caremark. Syd invites friends of hers who she has worked with over the years. Some women are still at Caremark, others have since left. This year my sister Megan came as well. It always is so fun and Syd does a beautiful job with the house. After leaving Syd's I'm always reflective on how many amazing women there are out there! Most of the women who attend Syd's brunch have high stress, hectic full time jobs and almost all of them are mothers as well. It's amazing to see how they all balance their lives. It's a great day!

One the way home it started snowing and I lost any steam I had to do anything for the rest of the night. So I came home to Clark sprawled out on the bed, tail wagging, ready to hang out for the night, and that's what we did!

Sunday was the weirdest day of my life (well not actually, but super high up there).We got up bright and early to head out to the Western Suburbs to speak with Neil's high school priest, Father Joe, about our wedding. Neil and I have decided that we want to be married by a priest but not in a church. So we attended mass (which was an hour and 45 minutes) and that alone was interesting! It was about 14 degrees inside the church and there was like 30 people there. Half way through the mass an elderly women either passed out or had a seizure and the EMT's came in and took her out on stretcher. I think the weirdest thing about it was that no one skipped a beat! The choir director was singing and during one refrain he simply said
"if there is a nurse here, please come see me." But because the acoustics were so bad in the church I couldn't even really understand him! Just odd. But Father Joe was a true professional and kept the show going.

After mass we met with Father Joe. Incidentally, Fr. Joe had a friend named Joe who came down to attend mass from Lake Zurich, and Joe joined us in our conversation. Let me first say, Father Joe is awesome. He's from Nigeria and has a super cute accent, he's sweet and very passionate about pretty much everything! He made us coffee with cream from Nigeria and we ate cookies in the back room with Joe and Father Joe. After some small talk I got down to business and was explaining our situation and what we want to do. Well, that was pretty much the last thing either Neil or I said for the next two hours. We listened as Father Joe talked about how God brought me into Neil's life (to convert him?), how Neil was a good student at Fenwick (even though he gambled in the back of the room the whole time) and how he was going to help us through this journey. Then things got weird. Joe (the friend) was also talking quite a bit about how, at the core, we are all Jewish and there really is no difference between Catholicism and Judaism. They acted like Neil, who is not Jewish, just came here from Israel and it was their job to educate him on all things Catholic (even though he went to a Catholic high school). Then Joe (the friend) told us his daughter married someone who was secular and he was JUST LIKE NEIL! In fact, he even called his son in law Neil as one point when telling a story. Joe (the friend) then told us that he is recently divorced after 35 years of marriage, which was terribly sad to hear. Then Joe (the friend) started crying and wouldn't stop. It was so sad, but terribly uncomfortable. Father Joe jumped in and said he thinks the reason their marriage failed is because Joe (friend) proposed the night they went on their first date and they were married two months later.

I really wish a camera was there to capture the looks on our faces while Father Joe said Neil needed more guidance in his life as a child, when Joe, the man we just met, wept openly to us and when 95% of what both men said was to try to convert Neil. At about 2 hours and 2 minutes into our meeting Neil asked, "have you ever married anyone outside the church" and we got a flat out "NO." So we scurried out and we tentatively schedule our next 6-7 meetings with Father Joe to discuss Neil's faith and our future church wedding....

When we got into the car Neil and I were speechless. While I agreed with many comments made from both Joe's about our faith, love and marriage, I was just shocked in the direction our meeting took. Frankly, I was frustrated and annoyed that they took this opportunity of two people in love, who want the church to be involved in our union, to try to convert Neil.

We then went to look at a wedding venue that looked very nice online. Well, pictures are deceiving. The place was in an odd area, smelled a retirement home and looks like the last time it was updated was in 1908. We met with the owner, who was sick (why do I know this? Because she told us all about her ailment and continued a hacking cough through our whole conversation). We didn't even take off our jackets while she talked about the venue and tried to bail as quick as possible.

So far: Wedding - 2, Katie and Neil - 0.

After the disaster of a morning we went to lunch and decompressed. We then went grocery shopping to start our wedding diets and came home to decompress and watch Downton Abbey. What a weekend.

                       Clark's really gotten into Downton and can't wait to see what's going to happen next! 

It's Friday!!

So happy it's Friday!! Even though it was a short week, it seemed kind of long. I hate when that happens! This morning started off with a bang. I woke up to find that Clark had fertilized his cage last night, which was extra special. Then I took him to the dog park and he escaped, off leash for a good half hour while I sprinted after him like an idiot yelling "TREAT" and "COME, PLEASE COME!!!!" When I finally tackled him and started to walk him home he stopped in the middle of Clark St. (very busy street) to poop. At that, a Chicago police office stopped his car, and traffic, to watch Clark relieve himself. He shook his head at me, as though to say "what kind of owner are you." When I started to pick the poop up he honked his horn and waved me on, judging me the whole way. I hung my head and walked into our building. What a way to start the morning. Is it too early for a drink?

That being said, I'm VERY excited for this weekend! Neil and I are looking at our first wedding venue tonight after work and then I'm meeting with my friend Annie for drinks! I haven't seen her since her wedding and I can't wait to catch up. Tomorrow, my cousin Sydney is hosting a brunch at her house with some Caremark people (and others) I have not seen in a long time. She hosts' this every year and it's always a great time! Sunday Neil and I are meeting with a priest and checking out another venue, it's a very wedding filled weekend!

Wedding Bonanza

So after 4 months of being engaged Neil and I finally made a decision to get married in Chicago!! So my multi-tab spread sheet of California venues can officially be retired and now a new Chicago spreadsheet has been created. While "watching" the Rose Bowl last night I looked up a bunch of venues and tried to gather information so we can start visiting some sites!

Neil's busy season starts in a few weeks and I would love to have a venue booked by then so I can get a date set (mainly so I know when I need to drop 50 lbs by) and start planning!

                                                                         This will be us soon enough!! 

Tot's Spot

So I was having a heck of a time thinking of a new name for my blog and I reached out to some friends for suggestions. I received some hilarious/awesome suggestions but I had to go with Tot's Spot, provided by my friend Caitlin. Tot is my childhood nickname in my family (along with about 30 other nicknames). The best part about this name is that in a year I don't have to go through the agony of renaming it again!!

Thanks, Caitlin, you really saved me some serious anguish!!

                                                                My reaction when I first read "Tot's Spot" 

Christmas and New Years

On December 23rd Meg, Neil and I met at O'Hare and headed to Doylestown for Christmas! We arrived late and pretty much went right to bed when we got home. Christmas Eve we continued the tradition of  taking our picture with Santa. This is our 13th year of doing it and each year has a fun theme. This year, Santa proposed to me!

                                                                                       Santa's such a ham.

We did our traditional Christmas Eve routine where we go to mass then come home to wide array of apps! It started snowing right as we were leaving church, too! It was beautiful!

                                          Neil and I in front of the tree. Don't mind the drunk angel on the tree. 
Christmas day was spent lounging and playing with new presents while the turkey cooked! Megan and I worked on a ginger bread house over the course of the day.

                                                                                               Work of art! 
We also used my new favorite Christmas present: bow ties for wine glasses. It was a very fancy occasion, after all!

                                                                                                          Classy. 
The day after Christmas we had planned on going to New York, but the weather was rainy and very ugly, so we stayed around Doylestown and went to see This is 40, which was HILARIOUS!

The next day we did some stuff around the house, then went to lunch in town and headed to the airport. It was a quick trip, but filled with fun! As always, my mom does an amazing job decorating the house and making everything look beautiful!

New Years Eve was SO MUCH FUN! Over the last few weeks we had been going back and forth on what we were going to do and no plans were set in stone until two nights before. We made dinner reservations at Three Aces in Little Italy for me, Neil, Megan, Kevin, Mary Kate, Kirk, and Bill. Before hand, Megan, Kevin and Bill came over for some drinks and apps.

                                                                                           Cheese spread. 

                                                                                                    Veggies. 

Dinner was fun and yummy! And, vacation Mary came to dinner! She was ordering the Veuve like she was back in Vegas!

                                                                     Group Shot. 

                                                Attempt at a New Years pic. What I wouldn't do to be photogenic!! 

After dinner Meg, Kev, Neil and I came back to our place to dance and toast to the New Year. It was a super fun new years! Clark was so excited to celebrate he even pooped in the bathroom!

New Blog Name, New Year, New Experiences...

Well since 2012 is officially over, I can no longer blog from www.2012theyearofdoing.blogspot.com. Sad face. BUT I will take a moment and look back at the most amazing year of my life!

I truly was not prepared for how amazing 2012 was going to be. I said my goal was to be more active, get involved, try new things, and have some great experiences, and all of those and more happened plus so much more!

January, though slower, was a fun month. I had a goal of working out everyday for a month, which I did (yet only lost like 5 lbs, so lame) and I also go actively involved with Willow House and PAWS. Both were awesome, and eventually brought me Clark. I am making it my 2013 goal to get more involved with Willow House. In January, we celebrated Neil's birthday by going to Alinea, the coolest place I have ever been to (and the most expensive). It was so fun to see Neil so happy and excited, too!

February was a month of hibernating, counting down the days to Europe, and ring shopping for the first time! It was also the time I started interviewing for my new job. We lost Whitney Houston that month, which still affects me on a regular basis (Neil still contends she was a one hit wonder with "I will always love you").

In March I was very active with Willow House and PAWS and spent most of my weekends volunteering and playing with puppies! We also had the nicest St. Patty's day I've ever recalled, it was gorgeous and fun! I also got really into 50 Shades of Grey. March 31 marked the three year anniversary of my brother passing. This year was particularly hard but also very special because I was able to spend the day in Arizona visiting where Colin lived, worked and played. It's hard to put into words what I felt when I was there, but it was really special to feel that connection to him again.

April is when s**t got real! After a fun trip to Arizona I came home sun kissed with a week to prepare for our trip to London and Rome, which was, hands down, the greatest trip I've ever taken before. Neil did an amazing job planning and prepping the trip and everything was so unreal. We saw my good friend in London and experienced Rome. I will most certainly never forget a moment of that trip and can't wait to travel with Neil again very soon!

In May I started my new job and Neil and I did some serious apartment hunting, finally landing on our current place! I also went home to Philly to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary! It was a lovely weekend and I feel so blessed to have them as role models in my life. Sadly, the month ended with some bad news that our sweet dog Dublin passed away. I still miss that fluffy little face!

June, Neil and I moved into our apartment together and two of my great friends and college roommates got married! The weddings were so beautiful and it was so special to see the girls so happy!

July, I spent most of the month (and August) in Southern California! When I was here, Neil and I tried to explore our new South Loop neighborhood as much as possible, and we enjoyed many meals on the balcony! We did spend a long weekend at the Jersey Shore celebrating my brother birthday. I love going to the shore for that weekend and we always have a great time. When we got home my sister also found out that she would be moving to Chicago!! AMAZING!!

August, Neil and I got really into the Olympics and pretty much watched that during any free time we had. Caitlin also had her bachlorette party in Michigan, which was a ton of fun! We also went to the Coldplay concert. It was such a cool show and they played all my faves. Oh, I also got really into Pho.

September certainly started off with a bang by Neil and I spending a beautiful weekend in California that ended with him proposing on the beach! It was the happiest moment of my life and an amazing surprise! I cannot wait until we get married!!! Shortly after that Megan moved here from New York and about two weeks after that we got Clark! Best.Month.Ever!

In October, the weather turned to fall, we spent time playing with Clark and training him. We had some fun college football Saturdays and Megan and Mary Kate threw Neil and I the best engagement party ever!! It was such a special night and we were both so happy and grateful! Caitlin and Hunter also got married in Michigan! It was such a fun wedding and Caitlin was glowing all day long!

November started off in Key West for Annie and Ben's wedding and an awesome vacation! Loved Key West and the wedding was beautiful! We visited Lizzie in Indiana and then Mary, Laura and I went to Las Vegas to visit Krista! AWESOME weekend!! Then we hopped over to Philly to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family!

December slowed down quite a bit and we were able to enjoy Christmas time in the city, take tons of pictures of Clark, and have dinners and celebrations with friends.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people everyday! This year was truly remarkable. So many huge life events in my life and the lives of so many friends and family.  I get butterflies in my stomach when I think about what 2013 and all the happy events that are going to take place!!

Now to wedding planning....