It seems like I’ve officially become one of “those” pet owners. You know, the ones who dress their dogs in clothing? Well, I have. And I haven’t. I mean, TECHNICALLY I just bought a shirt for my dog. This is the same dog who has a winter coat but to be honest, I’ve only put it on her less than ten times in four years. It’s not even like that counts as clothing. So this shirt. It’s not what you think. Earlier this week, Roxie had surgery to remove some lumps, common in older beagles. She’s fine, thank goodness. Her incisions are on her back and shoulder, two places that…
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Blue Man Group Questions and Answers? Got ‘Em!
Remember how, the last time I saw Blue Man Group Chicago (just a month ago!), I said that I won’t ever get sick of the show? TRUTH. In fact, I just went back last week. I KNOW!! Crazy, right? I was invited to come and see the show and stick around afterwards for a Q&A session with a band member and a Blue Man, and why the heck would I ever pass THAT up? Answer: I would not. Sidenote: Jim wondered how a Blue Man was going to answer questions, since Blue Men don’t talk. Huh. He’s always thinking. Disclosure: we received complimentary tickets to the show as a part…
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Chef’s Tasting at Rural Society: So Decadent!
The last time I visited the new-ish Loews Chicago hotel in the Streeterville neighborhood, I was with Liz and her middle daughter and we were too busy with the sightseeing to enjoy a meal at Rural Society, their Argentinian steakhouse. It was a bummer but I made a promise to myself that I’d get back there as soon as I could, to try it out. As it turned out, it happened even sooner than I thought it would! The kind people at Loews Chicago wanted me to come back too, so they offered to treat Jim and me to a Chef’s Tasting. Naturally I said yes. (You would, too!) I…
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Pretty Happy About The Blues
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time at all, you already know that I’m pretty crazy about my husband. We’ve been married for nearly 28 years (back then it was legal for four-year-olds to marry, ba dum bum!) and we’re still making people sick with our hand-holding and happy togetherness. I often wonder how I got so lucky, but then I correct myself and think about how luck probably had just a little bit to do with it. Good relationships are hard work, and we really do work on our marriage a lot. Whenever I butt in on a conversation about marriages or relationships in person or…
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Homegrown Inspiration at Loews Chicago Hotel
As many of you know, my dad spent more than forty years in the hospitality industry, as a hotel manager. I loved being the daughter of a hotel manager for many reasons, and I know that spending so much time as a hotel kid contributed greatly to who I am today (someone not fond of camping, for one thing! *insert rim shot here*). I even blogged about my childhood hotel history, if you’re interested in reading it. The links are at the bottom of this post. Since I lived in hotels for months at a time when I was a kid, it’s understandable that I feel right at home in…
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Blue Man Group Chicago: Now With Even MORE Awesome!
I’ve written about Blue Man Group Chicago a few times since I started this blog in 2007. That’s partly because it’s one of the local activities that has consistently remained in our family’s top five (or so) for the last I-don’t-know-how-many years. It’s partly because it’s just a freaking good show and I want everyone to know about it. Jim (who is seriously a BMG FANATIC) and I have seen it so many times we’ve lost count. We LOVE taking visitors to see Blue Man Group. In fact, when Jim and I were recently trying to figure out how he and his boss would entertain their co-workers who were visiting…
- Amazing People, Best Thing Ever, Favorite Things, Food, Friends, Fun in Chicago, I've Got Mad Skillz, My Friends Have Mad Skillz, Skydeck Chicago, Travels
Life In The Fast Lane Surely Make You Lose Your Mind
It just hit me on Tuesday evening, right after I dropped Liz and her middle daughter off at the airport (how much I hate goodbyes could be a whole other post, ugh), how much I had done/accomplished/enjoyed in two weeks. It made me dizzy, and perhaps piled on more exhaustion, on top of my exhaustion. It also made me smile. The last two weeks of July just might have been the busiest two weeks of my entire life, but I’m not complaining. It was a blast. First there was the BlogHer conference in NYC. I went into it exhausted; the weeks leading up to conference weekend are crazed for our…
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Delayed Re-entry
What day is it again? *checks calendar* Ah yes, Thursday, July 23. Time flies when you’re having fun! This may be my most epic July ever. In fact, I don’t even have time to write an actual, well-thought-out post because I am about to get in my car and head up to Wisconsin for the day. The last couple of weeks have been crazy and fun, crazyfun. Last weekend was the eleventh annual BlogHer conference, in New York City. I say every year that BlogHer weekends are some of my favorite weekends ever ever ever, and this year was no different. In fact, the fun of it (and being around…
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Get Yourself On A (Shoreline Sightseeing) Boat!
Even though the weather in Chicago has us all shaking our heads at the moment (in the 40s on June 1? NO THANK YOU), summer really is on its way. Know how I know? Because a week ago, I was on a boat on the Chicago River, enjoying the sights and gorgeous Chicago architecture, courtesy of Shoreline Sightseeing. Getting myself onto an Architecture Boat Tour is one of my very favorite things to do it the world (I enjoy river tours about three times each summer!), and this time was no different. (Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets from Shoreline Sightseeing and no other compensation for this post, which was not…
- Amazing People, Best Thing Ever, Blessings, Favorite Things, Fun in Chicago, My Friends Have Mad Skillz, Pretty Pictures, Proud Moments, Something That Could Change Your Life
All Over Again.
It’s all over, again. Every year, the experience of bringing a LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER show to the stage in Chicago seems to fly by with more speed. On Sunday, our fourth show took place at the beautiful Athenaeum Theatre and, while it was about ninety-five minutes long, it seemed more like ten. Add the three actual hours of pre-show stuff (photos, run-through, etc.) and you have…about twenty virtual minutes. Each year I find myself trying to figure out how to freeze time a little bit. Each year I also struggle to write a recap that adequately captures everything about show day, and frankly it’s impossible to do so. Expressing…