A New England Romp

Fun fact- Boston was on my top 5 list of cities to visit for YEARS.

Probably even top 3. For some reason, this place intrigued me.

It just seemed like a cool place. And people have neat accents there (always a plus). It was clearly THE place I needed to visit.

Not that it’s any surprise, but I was right.

It was awesome.

Then again, part of that may have been the crowd I was with. Stephanie, Kacy, Jess, and Kelly are just like an extension of my personality.

All smiles while waiting for our names to be called for brunch. By the end of our wait, I was ready to eat my arm off.

We’re a force of crazy. With a little sass on the side.

It’s probably quite scary. We apologize.

Because many of you have already been to Boston, or maybe even live there, let’s keep this brief when it comes to discussing my weekend…

1. Steph hosted us and found a few good spots to keep us entertained. One being Top of the Hub- a restaurant on the top of one of the tallest buildings in Boston.

An open-faced salmon sandwich. By far one of the classiest meals I’ve had in a while. Not really sure how I was allowed in.

It was quite fancy and required our best behavior. Which was like a mean challenge for 5 girls with no filters who haven’t seen each other in 5 months.

Well. It was a classy affair until Kelly took to making sure Kacy didn’t miss a bite of her lobster deliciousness in a bowl. Apparently it was tasty. We almost had to restrain her from licking the bowl.

2. One guilty pleasure of mine in new cities is finding a few super cheesy tourist things to do. This came in the form of visiting Government Center. Which was full of street performers and stands for tourists to waste their money at.

The dudes were just taking turns flipping over lines of people. Blew my mind.

We totally ate it up. The people of Boston were most likely rolling their eyes at us.

3. The weekend was unseasonably warm. Which was disastrous for what I had packed, but perfect for a Saturday of walking around in the park.

The Public Garden in Boston. The beauty was remarkable. The name a bit unoriginal.

Just some cool chicks I met on the interwebz.

It looked like we strolled straight into a romantic comedy. Personally, I was waiting for Ben Affleck to save the day when I misstepped off of a curb or something. He’d say something witty and we’d fall in love at first sight.

Matt Damon would have been fine, too. I’m not picky.

4. Not all inflatable mattresses automatically come with a pump to air them up. We found this out around 12:30 on Friday night.

Kelly and I remedied the situation by asking for extra blankets for padding on the hardwood floor. And a super stiff night cap of the vodka variety. There were a few worrisome cracks when standing up, but we learned we’re still young chickens who can rock out the floor if need be. Success.

5. Toys in bars are fun. This could come in the form of a jukebox where Kacy pumped way too much money into it for some solid jams. Or it could be in the form of actually toys in the corner of the bar.

It’s like they knew I was coming.

6. The only clam chowder I had in Boston, with the exception of a few spoonfuls of Kacy’s one night, was at the airport.

Fine. So it was at the airport. However, it still beat Campbell’s in a can. Win.

Does that count? Probably not. But don’t tell me otherwise.

Don’t also warn me the book I’m reading in the above pic is supposed to be done for book club tonight. I know. And I work somewhat well under pressure. So we’ve got this.

7. As for what happens when I get home from another long weekend away?

Green things. Not seen in my diet for at least 48 hours of the 3-day weekend.

It could go without saying.

Anyway….

It was a wonderful weekend with good friends. Not sure what exactly I was expecting out of the city- but it’s a beautiful town. Smaller than I assumed it would be. But that’s also possibly because I was pretty ignorant of such demographic information.

Now that my travels are over for at least another week and a half or so, it’s time to get back into a normal routine. Whatever that may be. I can’t really remember…

400 Words on Indy

Good morning!

So I last left you on Friday discussing how I was done with my massive project at work.

Fast forward a few hours when my bud Mon and I were traveling towards Indianapolis for our friend D’s big wedding weekend. Every other sentence coming out of my mouth was complete and utter nonsense.

Mon let it go. She reasoned it was mostly my mind finally relaxing after two weeks and it just  had no idea what to do with itself. I accepted this logic and continued to observe our surroundings (ie corn fields) as we drove south.

“Do you smell milk?”

“What?” This time, it was I who looked at Mon like she was completely nuts.

“No seriously, it smells like yogurt or something…. OMG LOOK!”
BAM. Dairy farm. A cheese factory, adventureland, lunch cafe, gift shop and birthing barn. I’m sure you can guess what happens next:
Only the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had in my life. It may have been the fresh havariti. It may have been the bacon. I’m really not quite sure. But I would totally drive an hour out of Chicago to get another one.

Plus, you get the opportunity to see birthings.
Like woah.

It was at about this point when we realized the time zone crossover was not working on our favor and we would be late if we didn’t get back on the road.

But we made it with plenty of time to spare. And D’s wedding was beautiful.

It was held in a courtyard. Just up the street from an awesome wine bar- where they had a small reception.

A reception that involved shallots wrapped in bacon and every other kind of cheese and bread and dessert imaginable.

Oh… and a cupcake decorating table.

It may or may not have been for the kids. Minor details.

After a fabulous wedding, a full day touring Indy, a few good drinks…

… some fabulous comfort food…

… I was exhausted.

And also lacking anything other than meat, cheese, and bread in my system.

Our trip home on Sunday was much less energetic (too much cheese and carbs?). Still good conversation and a few good renditions of some sweet power ballads, but tiredness was apparent.

Thank goodness for hole in the wall diners along the interstate.

The massive pitcher of syrup… glorious.

No really… it’s good stuff. Even if it was just more carb overload.

And that, my friends, is a quick summary of the jam-packed weekend.

Excuse me while I go get a salad… for breakfast…

Question of the day:

Favorite power ballad?

I’m a fan of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Love of a Lifetime”. Beware if either come on the radio when I’m around. Like my friend Mon was this weekend. Poor thing.

Relaxing Thoughts?

As a consistent runner, I work hard during training. Exhaustion. Aching muscles. Sweat on top of sweat on top of sweat. 

So, as a treat to myself after long races, I decided to start gifting myself massages. Thanks to Groupon, of course. Budgeting is still very much a priority up in here.

The last half marathon? April. It is now June.

My roommate and I actually bought the Groupons for the massage sometime in March. We tried to get in near the end of April with no luck. First available appointment? June 7th. Seriously?

Nothing like delayed gratification.

So after work, the roomie and I put our fancy pants on and made our way down to the Gold Coast for a lil’ discounted pampering at Channing’s Day Spa on a Thursday night.I love massages.

I do.

But it is really REALLY hard for me to relax. Find my zen. Chill. Mellow out. Find peace.

After thinking about it, this is probably why I don’t like yoga.

Anyway…

I can’t 100% relax because thoughts just keep sneaking in.

“Is that her stomach or mine?”
“This time it was definitely mine.”
“I wonder if she gets super tired doing this? I mean- is it like a workout to do this all day?”
“Oh God… is she going for the feet? Oh God… I forgot to tell her not to… Oh nooooo…”
“I wonder if she just saw the goosebumps go across my entire back.”
“Goosebumps… that was such a weird book series…”

So yeah. Maybe I don’t get as much out of a spa night as some. But that doesn’t mean I don’t walk out feeling pretty on top of the world. 

And I learned something new! I learned my right foot is about 10x more ticklish than my left. My massuese is probably not as excited as I am to have learned this information.

Also, as she got ready to exit, she said, “Ok Amy, I’m going to let you get dressed now. Have a wonderful rest of the night and please take care of that neck, ok?”

Here I thought the knots in my back would be the most embarrassing part. Followed closely by my ticklish feet. Now I have my neck to worry about, too? This is how a complex develops, people! Gah!

Physically, though, I still feel pretty fantastic. We’ll call it a success. Thanks, Groupon! 

Afterwards, the roomie and I meandered in search of food. We naturally gravitated towards a bar sign that claimed there were $2 bottles inside.

$2 you say? Sold!

Rarely do I get food at a bar that isn’t fried. But during an official “spa night”, you feel the need to order something sort of light (aka “grilled chicken”). And dare I say the California Wrap at McFadden’s is quite delicious? I could actually taste the avocado (they didn’t skimp) and the ranch wasn’t overwhelming.

But I’ll let you in on a secret… it was totally the bacon that put it over the edge. So maybe I failed on the “light” in that sense, but the salad on the side makes up for it. Totally.

I’ll let you in on another secret- don’t wear shorts after getting a massage. You’ll be slipping and sliding in your bar chair.

People raised their eyebrows at me, but I only had one beer. Promise!

All in all, a nice way to break up the end of the week. Now just 8 hours of work stand between me and the weekend. And THAT is a relaxing thought.

Happy Friday, kids!

JEEPERS CREEPERS! Now THAT was the name of the scary (ridiculous?) movie Justin Long was in. Another thought while on the massage table that I just couldn’t come up with the answer for…

Sigh… Don’t ask.

Reunited At Last

Something has been missing for the last month or two.

Sure, I’ve been living my life. Doing my thing. Keeping busy. Staying social.

But something has been missing.

Oh yeah… it’s THIS girl:

Mon decided fish tacos where the way to go. And a side of lobster bisque. She had a whole nautical theme going on…

Oh heeeey, Mon! I found you!

That’s right, it’s been far too long since this girl and I had a night out on the town. We’ve both been busy doing this, that, or the other, and it’s been over a month since we’ve had a proper “hang out”.

So after Mon accepted a new job this week, we decided to put an end to this nonsense and go out for a proper celebration!

For future reference, when I say “proper celebration”, I mean consumption of food and drinks.

Not sure if it was the bacon or the pretzel roll that swayed my final decision to go with their chicken sandwich?

We checked out Emmett’s Brewing Company- a brewery and restaurant near my old stomping grounds.

Ironically, we split a bottle of wine versus check out the beer selection. Brewery visit fail.

And when I say “old stomping grounds”, I mean in the vicinity of where I lived for two years and right across the street from one of my favorite bars-

Durty Nellie’s! Our celebration coincided nicely with the Rod Tuffcurls and The Benchpress show going on.

Our favorite cover band. So convenient.

What’s not convenient is how uncomfortable my heels got after 3 hours of dancing. At the end, I questioned which would be worse- continuing to stay in the platform heels or having my feet touch the floor of the bar.

I stayed in those heels. But I wasn’t happy about it.

The dancing easily counted as my physical activity on Friday. The rest from the gym was necessary. And so was the rocking out to their version of my happy song, “500 Miles”.

It made the late night drive thru that much more satisfying.

And the sleeping in that much more great.

My most comfortable way to lay on a couch. I like to prop my feet up over the top. Weird. And not very ladylike….

It has been decided Mon and I should probably never spend that much time apart again. It’s probably not overwhelming for us, but we’re just looking out for everyone else around us.

You’re welcome.

Excuse me while I go pour more coffee and properly sprawl out on the couch again for a while.

Just don’t tell my mom you caught me with my feet on the furniture. It IS Mother’s Day, afterall…

The Lakefront Experience

Yesterday’s weather was so gorgeous. It’s as if the stars aligned. Perfection. Seriously.

Chicago weather is volatile. So I expect that to not happen again for at least another 3 or 4… months?

Anyway, with temps in the mid-80′s, blue skies, and low humidity levels, I just HAD to take advantage of it in every way possible. Starting with a lakefront run.

The lake is a bit of a hike from my place. But I’ve been dying to try it out and a friend lives pretty close to it, so we decided to meet up and give it a go. He’s been looking for a running partner and I said why not? When in training, I prefer solo running. It’s easier. But when I’m just running to run? I don’t care how fast or far. Let’s just go…

Not knowing how long he’d want to run, I chose to walk the 2 miles to our meeting spot instead of run it. I realized the error of my ways after the first mile- it’s too hot to consider a 2-mile walk as “nothing”.

By our meeting time, I was a little heated, but at least I didn’t have to worry about warming up. We started immediately on a decent pace that kept us a little winded, but still able to hold a conversation the entire time.

We had to stop to walk a few times. But that was his fault. Two coke and whiskeys does not a dinner make. And gatorade is not a sufficient breakfast. Silly boys.

Yet I was still impressed we pulled a solid 3.7-mile run.

Maybe I need whiskey in my diet?

Anyway, after we parted, I ran another .7 miles for good measure and ended up with 4.4 miles ran for the day. Apparently that’s the magic number of the week.

However, I’m pretty sure after the rest of the day, there was more walking done than running.

Mon and I decided to trek back towards the lakefront and hit up North Avenue Beach to people watch get a little sunshine.What can I say? I’m addicted to the lakefront.

I’m also addicted to street fests these days. When I heard about Roscoe Village’s Burgerfest, I said SIGN ME UP.Nothing says class like popping a squat on the sidewalk to enjoy my Miller Lite and Guac Burger.Tasty.Clearly we were just way too excited to get some food and drink in our systems.

A solid run. A little tan. A lot of good food. All done with good friends.

Now THAT is a perfect day.

Kicked to the Couch

I’m beginning to think maybe that I’m just not supposed to get more than four or five hours of sleep on the weekend.

Even when I go to bed at an acceptable time.

Fact: I do not allow the cell phone into the room during the week. I also don’t have a television in my room. Or a radio. Yes- that makes me one of those weirdos that believes in keeping minimal electronics in the bedroom. It’s my “rest” area and that’s all it’s used for. 

Only on the weekends is the cell phone allowed on the night stand. Yes, I get texts at all hours of the night on any typical Friday or Saturday. You’d think it would bother me. But it doesn’t. I’m glad my friends are cooler than I am- staying out way later and wondering where I am (thanks for making me feel special). Texts of the funniest thing of the night.  Sending me pics of their 3:00 AM fast food purchases (I play the “guess which drive-thru he’s going to” game with one of my guy friends).

Over the last few weeks, these texts haven’t woken me up. They’ve just been a reminder that I am yet to fall asleep once and it’s 3:00 in the morning.

At about 3:30, I said screw it and moved to my couch.

Slept like a baby. The couch didn’t judge me for my low key weekend. The couch understands me and my needs. Screw you, bed!

It was only four hours of uninterrupted sleep. But still. 7:30 is considered sleeping in around these parts.

The couch may quite possibly become my weekend bed.  Nothing wrong with that.

That has been the only unpleasant part of my weekend. Yesterday afternoon, Mon and I went to meet up with some of her fam to check out a winery in the western Chicago suburbs.

Yes, the weather was less than desirable. But I don’t require sunshine to drink wine.

Acquaviva Winery is located in Maple Park, Illinois, and according to the bartender who took care of our tasting, yesterday was the official one-year anniversary of their doors being open to the public.

When we started, she said the tasting would be of 6 wines (3 white, 3 red) and equal to about the same as one glass.

I promise you, it was more.The reds were very bold, but I ended up sticking with the more mellow whites to go with my meal. I will always be a chard girl at heart. Plus- when eating out, I tend to go towards seafood/fish/chicken. They just pair up much better.Whitefish with sautéed spinach and roasted potatoes. Mon and I both ordered this. It made us happy.Happy tummies. Even if we’re wearing long sleeves and sweaters. In the middle of May.

I’m still not over it. Stupid weather.

Steve and Angie, our partners in crime for the evening, also gave their food the “thumbs up”.After sufficiently stuffing ourselves, we made our way back to Angie and Steve’s for dessert (I’ll tell you about it later) and a little coffee to keep the food coma from taking over.

Their 5-year-old son had left his bucket of crayons out on the table. Angie tried to put it away, but I quickly stopped her.Their son came back downstairs and surveyed my work. The flower was nice, but I could still use a little work.

Five-year-olds don’t settle for anything but the best. Noted.

Now that I’ve gotten my four(ish) hours of sleep, I’m off to get a few things done. Starting with the gym. As soon as my iPod is finished charging. 

Gotta have my Florence and the Machine to get my run on.

Happy Sunday!

Four Hours

Four hours. That’s a lot of time when doing some things.

For example, I will probably never run four hours. Two hours for a half marathon is good enough for me.

I will never drive for four hours without a potty break. That’s a long span of time to be on the road without stopping. My bladder is too small for such things.

I will probably never clean for four hours straight. Classified as a “spot cleaner”, I am the girl who will focus on one or two things each night and use a span of days to actually “clean my apartment”.  So if you come to visit, please give me at least three days warning- thanks.

One thing to do for four hours that makes it seem like not a lot of time?

Sleep. Sleeping for four hours in one night is simply not right.

I need at least five. Six to display some intelligence. Six-and-a-half to not be hateful.

If you remember, I had a late night on Saturday night and didn’t realize until after I had gotten up how much rest I actually (didn’t) have.

But it was fine. Luckily I didn’t have a busy day planned or anything.

Oh wait…

First on the ticket was Jaime’s shower.

There was punch and alcohol offered. I stuck with water. I think all the guests should take this as a moment to publicly apologize to Jaime. We played the game “guess the size of her belly” and all overshot- by at least six inches. Um…. sorry…. :p

After games, cake (!), and presents, I left her house with a sugar buzz and confidence that I was up on the latest summer fashions for newborn girls. Ruffles on the butt are VERY “in” this year.

And the sugar buzz seemed to kick-start my “second wind”.  Or, if we’re being honest, it may have been a “first wind”.

It was time to meet up with a few more of my favorite suburb gals for dinner at Grande Jake’s in Buffalo Grove. Mon and I hadn’t done our regular Sundays of Mexican food in quite some time and I had a Groupon. So she, Annie, and I took some time and enjoyed my favorite part of the restaurant- chips and their large selection of salsa.The one in the right corner was my favorite (obviously). It was also one of the spiciest- tastebuds were lost. Typical.

Annie enjoyed a margarita and Mon enjoyed a Mexican beer. I enjoyed another water.

Besides, I was patiently waiting for this:Yeah- the cheese on my enchiladas verdes was intense. And I am a big fan of the melty deliciousness, but this time around, most of it was scraped to the side. By the end, the only thing left was the discarded cheese and tomato slice (I don’t like them- it’s a texture thing).

Randomly, I’ve had this food as carryout before with a friend who was in town last year. We had the burritos and I was semi-obsessed because that burrito lasted for three meals. THREE meals!

It really is delicious, but I think they do better work with the burritos. Either that, or I’m still remembering how amazing my enchiladas verdes were from Salsa 17. Still dreaming about those…

After we had taken up our table for probably way too long (it was super busy!), we headed back home where Annie and I decided to stroll the neighborhood for a while. Gotta help along the digestion process, right?

We walked a few miles and chatted. And since it was right as the sun was setting/had set, we even managed to snag some bug bites. Another sign spring is here?

Now if only the temps would get in line…

Turns out I can function a little better on four hours than I thought?

We won’t test that theory again anytime soon. Hopefully.

Running Around Madison

As we were sitting in a little coffee shop yesterday morning, I was discussing the winter doldrums with two really awesome chicks.

Sure, there’s been a massive blizzard. Some chilly days where the snot instantly freezes inside your nose when you walk outdoors.  The endless bundling and unbundling of multiple layers. Cursing under your breath as you shudder and wait for the car to warm up.

Over the last few years, I’ve found myself disappear from the social scene in January. Only to reappear at some point in February.

Not this year. I’ve been all over the place. And this last weekend was no different.Megan and I visited Holly in Madison. Clearly, us three girls took over the city (and Lake Mendota in this case) for 24 hours. And clearly these pictures are not all from my camera- Holly takes wonderful shots and was kind enough to share them with the rest of us.  So if you think “wow, this picture is really nice”, it’s probably Holly’s.

Yes, we are standing on top of the lake. Yes, this freaked me out. Yes, Holly made us do it.

But yes, I’m sort of glad we did it. Because it was awesome. I wasn’t kidding when I said we were all over the place.  I can’t believe people were just hanging out… fishing… enjoying the weather… what?

We also did quite a few other noteworthy things. Holly was a fantastic tour guide and made sure we got a feel of the entire town.Megan and I were even able to throw in our opinion on some serious legislation…We were obviously skeptical, but willing to listen to both sides. As any good politician would do.

After the capital, we walked around part of campus and Holly took us to the student union to show us how cool the people of the University of Wisconsin are.  I mean… really… drinking on campus?PBR. Because cheap beer is what you drink in college. (although I was more of a Keystone gal)

The student union is also where we accidentally found the theme of the weekend. It was the perfect toast for each round of drinks we would share from then on…Balls 4 Life. Holla’.

I’m going to open up the comment boards here to the best graffiti you’ve ever seen in a public place?

It’s probably important to mention I support observation and finding amusement in it. Please do not deface a restroom stall because I told you to. Because I didn’t.

Moving on.

For me, the excitement really escalated at dinner. Wisconsin is known for its cheese. (Duh)

To Holly and Megan’s surprise, I had never tried cheese curds.And The Old Fashioned fries them.  Crazy, right? Holly even captured “my first time”.Words cannot express how happy I was. Mozzarella sticks have got NOTHING on these things. Sure, the word “curd” sounds gross and rhymes with things that make me giggle. But I don’t let such things bother me. We cleaned the basket of them in no time. Holly could not have picked better eats for us during our visit.

Here’s the funny thing about bloggers.  We sort of “know” each other.  And sort of “know” the same people. And read a lot of the same things.  So we have a lot to talk about. Imagine 24 hours of straight conversation.

Well… not quite 24 hours. We had to sleep for 7-8 of those hours. Which reminds me, thank you SO MUCH Holly for letting Megan and I crash on the futon.  Yes, we both fit on it quite comfortably. I’m pretty sure there was no spooning.

The next day, Holly took us to one of her favorite coffee shops.I never thought I’d go “aawwww” when seeing a building for the first time. But come on, isn’t that just freaking adorable? And yes, it’s snowing… again… how many days until Spring???

Luckily, I didn’t spazz about the weather because I had coffee and carbs to keep me sedated.Holly was right- the peanut butter and chocolate chip scone did not disappoint.

Now I just want to make scones… like everyday.

We got home with enough down time before the Superbowl.

I watched it with my neighbor Bailey. Who happens to be a Green Bay fan. I sat quietly with my bottle of beer as she jumped and cheered a little too often for my liking.

And was it just me- or were the commercials really not that great?  Seriously… I can only think of a few that caused a reaction from me at all….

Bowling for Christmas

So you liked the peppermint bark, huh?

Me too.    Although I will say- I only had one piece of it before sending it all off and bringing some to work.  This week, my heart was mainly with the samoas…

Last night my work’s Holiday Party.

Come along for the ride…

We got out of work a little early to go get ready at Jaime’s house because she was sober driving (helloooooo baby bump) and I also wanted to say hello to two of my favorite ladies:I’ve most likely stated it before, but I’m not really a pet person right now.  I’m still learning how to keep plants alive, and don’t really have the time or money right now.  For the time being, I’ll settle for being a runner-up “mom” for Princess and Hazel.  If you remember, I took care of these two little things last April for two weeks and we had a blast.Hazel and I are best buds.  Jaime still gives me a hard time when Hazel flips out as soon as I walk into the door.

What can I say?  I’m like the crazy aunt who spoils the kids.

After getting ready (aka changing into jeans), we went to Lucky Strike downtown to celebrate with two of our other offices.  Food, more food, wine and beer, more food…

I don’t care what anyone says, fried mac and cheese takes any party to the next level.

Oh… and there was bowling.  Which means my right thumb nail was torn to shit right away.  I haven’t been bowling since last February, so my excuse is that I was VERY out of practice.Obviously, my form needs work. Or maybe I’m just setting people up for the next time when I kick ass at bowling?

I’m a hustler, baby…It was a lot of fun (HUGE sigh of relief since I’ve spent a lot of work hours planning). The night ended decently early (hi- it’s Thursday and I still have to be at work at 9:00 this morning), so I didn’t wake up too tired or hungover. 

Sometimes I’m a good girl like that. And I had plans to get up and do my last day of trying to fit in a workout before work to round off my “workout every morning this week”.

Um…

Well…

My bed was just so comfy.

Crap.

But 4 out of 5 isn’t bad.

Vince raised an eyebrow.You’re so judgemental, Vince!  Stop it! I’ll skip a workout when I want to.  Deal with it, buddy.

I’ll also have coffee instead of green tea if I want.  Usually I don’t drink coffee until I get to the office.  So there’s no one to blame but myself when I hit that “wired” feeling by about 11:00.

Do you have work-related holiday parties?  Our company parties used to be MUCH different (think black cocktail dress and 4-course dinners).  But the last few years (stupid economy) have been pretty rough.  We’re lucky to be having a party of any sort.  And that is fine- I think last year’s potluck and this year’s bowling outting make for a fun, laid-back atmosphere that allows for easier conversation.

Anyhoo… it’s FRIDAY! 

Time for my happy dance.  Oh crap… the caffeine overload is already kicking in…

Fork, Wine & Style… kinda like a G6

Good afternoon, everyone!  Oh man I’m late at posting this…

Sorry.  Sometimes I have to wait a little longer on some days for the brain activity to kick in.

This is one of those days.  You’ll see why.

Yesterday started out pretty early.  I wasn’t sure how far my long run would be, but I went 7 miles before calling it a day- all at about 8:45 pace.  The legs ache today, but some of that may have to do with the fact that I was running around in one pair of heels to another all day after that.  We shall wait and see.

After the run, I hustled to be ready in time to meet Mon for Fork, Cork & Style- a food and wine festival being held at the Arlington Park  Race Track.  The Groupon had gone through a couple weeks ago and Mon was on top of it.  Emeril was there at some point.  But I sadly did not hear him “BAM” his way through a meal- Mon and I hit up the wine tents as soon as we got there.There were 6 tents- each tent has about 6 or 7 different vendors.  Each vendor had 6 or 7 different wines to try.

Do the math. One of my favorites to taste was a red wine called Quintessa.  Part of it could have been the taste, but I was quite fascinated that it was $110 a bottle.  A case of that stuff could pay for a couple months rent… I don’t know if that excited or depressed me.

After we had our fill (and got tired of the crowd that was building), we decided it may be a good idea to eat a little somethin’ to keep ourselves in check.  With our Groupon ticket, we got not only admission to the wine tasting tents, but also 5 tickets for food. 

One of the favorites was the ribs from Fresh 1800 out of Schaumburg.I also really loved the beer cheese and pretzel bread.  And the Memphis-style BBQ.  But I don’t remember what vendor they came from… sorry.Ted Drewes frozen custard (from St. Louis) was also there.  I had to go get some as a shout out to my peeps in Missouri- holla’!  However, I was a bit disappointed.The ice cream was quite delicious.  But um… I got pretty much two spoonfuls of it.  Yes, I get the everything in moderation rule.  But there’s a difference in moderation and stingy, people.  Compare it to the pulled pork slider.  Both of those cost 1 ticket.  That’s not right.

Do you go to wine/food tastings?  I’ve never been to the huge one here- Taste of Chicago.  I’m not one for drinking and eating with the masses.  Seems like more of a hassle than anything.  But this one was a relatively decent size.  Will I go again next year?  Eh.  Maybe if Paula Deen is there. 

Anyways, it was a breezy afternoon, but not bad.  The wine also helped with keeping me from being cold.  Lovely.  After a few hours of lounging around at Arlington Park, I went home to get ready for outting #2.  I was going downtown to meet up with my friend Nicole- who I haven’t seen since July.  Which is crazy since she’s a good friend from Mizzou and lives so close.  So a little crowd of us went out and hit a bar in Wrigleyville for a bit.  That happened until my friend let me know of an interesting occurence that was about to go down.

Nicole and I made our way downtown because my friend had put us on the guest list at Enclave to see these kids perform:

You may not recognize them (I sure wouldn’t have), but that’s Far East Movement.  They stopped by Enclave and performed “Like a G6″ for the crowd.  We happened to be in a really good spot when they were about to come on.  Nothing beats front and center.

I’m normally a “rock” kind of girl, but “Like a G6″ has happened to be my daily theme song as of late being as how I can’t seem to get the damn song out of my head…

Jason Derulo was also supposed to show up at some point, but it was getting to be that time and we were a wee bit tired.  So we bailed.  Sorry JD- maybe next time.  We were both chatty the whole way home and Nicole may or may not have had the best idea of the night when she decided we should do this:I couldn’t even remember the last time I had late night pizza.  All she  had to do was mention it and I was already on the phone ordering.

You would not believe the damage two slender girls did to this thing. 

But I am quite sure you would believe that because of this pizza, I woke up feeling pretty decent.  Considering the late night and beverages consumed. 

Like I said- sometimes pizza is the best idea ever.  In more ways than one. 

Not to say I wasn’t tired.  I drove home  pretty early (even Sunday morning traffic on the interstate in the city is disgusting) and crashed for a few more hours in the comfort of my own bed.  Because, let’s face it- your own bed trumps a friend’s couch every single time.

And that, my friends, was my long Saturday.  Excuse me while I go lounge some more…