If You Give a Girl a Pancake

If you give a girl a pancake, she’s most likely going to want another one and also ask for some coffee.And if you give her coffee on a day when you’re attending a pub crawl, she’s going to be sure to put some Bailey’s into it.

Even if it’s possibly expired (yes, it’s’ been around THAT long).

But because she has her Bailey’s, she and her roommate, Bailey, will be ready to face all that is TBOX by 10:00 AM.Because the pub crawl theme was “Camp TBOX”, she’ll want to dress accordingly. She’ll also want to pack a peanut butter sandwich to go along with the theme and keep her going strong in the middle of the crawl. She’ll curse herself for not buying some trail mix a few days earlier.

However, even with the pb sandwich, because she’ll also be walking by a McDonald’s, she may just have to stop there, too. Just to be safe.

Because she had McDonalds that afternoon, your group will be able to power through the rest of the crawl. And truly make it “Wire to Wire” by visiting not only 12 Bars (hence the name Twelve Bars Of Xmas), but 15.

Because she goes “Wire to Wire” in 15 bars, she’s bound to meet some interesting people along the way.Did you know Jesus likes Miller Lite?

She didn’t either.

Because she drank Miller Lite all day with Jesus and all the other crazies at the pub crawl (her favorite costumes were those dressed up like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation- that totally needed a mention), she was easily home and in bed by midnight.

She also insists you now call her Cinderella.

Because she was Cinderella with the early bed time, she’ll wake up early.

Because she wakes up early, she’ll decide to lay in semi-comatose on the couch and watch Saved By the Bell College Years, Friends and also two movies before figuring out how productive she’ll want to be during the day.

Because she laid around for the entire morning, she’ll most likely just go ahead and do the same for most of the afternoon and let the crock pot do all the work.Because the crock pot is doing work, she’ll sneak out of the house to slip in a 20-minute stairmill workout and a mile walk. Because that’s all she’s good for at that time.

Because she snuck in a workout, she assumes it’s ok for her to eat that much more when the crock pot is done making her soup of random vegetables found in the freezer/refrigerator/pantry.Because she ate her weight in soup (ahem- and cookies), she’ll roll herself back onto the couch for the rest of the evening to watch the Bears lose yet again.

Because she was a little down after the football game and didn’t have much else to do, she may go to bed early, making it possible to get 8 hours of sleep and still wake up early once again to hit the gym.

Because she hit the gym early, and doesn’t want to waste her breath/time with a half-assed workout, she’ll kick it up a notch and run a solid 4.3 miles like a champ. Like a CHAMP.

Because she’s feeling like a champ, she’ll need a breakfast to refuel herself properly.

Because there’s no better way to refuel herself, she’ll insist on reheating the leftover pancakes from Saturday morning.

And if you give a girl a pancake…

…uh oh…

Thank You For Being a Friend…

Cowabunga, dudes.

Oh… and happy halloween! A bunch of us girls decided to dress up as a group once again. With some turtle power!

And by turtle power, I mean the name of the shots Annie made for us. Along with the vodka-infused gummy bears.The combo of sugar and vodka is a delicious one. And perfect for a night of rocking out with the Golden Girls.

Yeah, you heard me. The Golden Girls.

Rod Tuffcurls took their costumes to amazing new levels at Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville this year.I’m seriously curious how they kept their wigs on while rocking out.

The night was a major success. Our desire to find costumes that incorporated gym shoes was a genius move once again. Because 3 hours of dancing is rough in heels. And is to be avoided if at all possible. It’s important to be nice to your feet, ya know?

It’s also important to properly fuel when incorporating a night of dancing into your routine.

Beforehand with pizza:As the typical teenage mutant ninja turtle would do.

And afterwards with a big pancake and cinnamon roll breakfast. Cooked by yours truly and the roommate for all the peeps who crashed at our place for a giant sleepover. Because who doesn’t love carbs???

After everyone left, I retreated to the couch. The Bears weren’t playing, so I had no choice but to get through 8 more episodes of Daria on DVD. Eventually, to be a more productive member of society, I hit the gym for a stairs workout and a short stroll on the treadmill.

Key word is “short”. Let’s not get too crazy. Lazy Sundays are meant to be lazy (duh). So then I decided to retreat back to the couch with leftover breakfast and a few more episodes of Daria.Just the way as a Sunday was intended to be…

Another successful weekend. Good work, girls!

Some Things Never Change

They just don’t.

My favorite thing to do on Friday nights is to stay in with a few red box movies and my good friend Mon.

Lame? Maybe. Necessary? Very.

Anyway, it’s officially fall up in here and as we start our descent into the doom and gloom of Chicago winter, you know I’m stocking up on one important thing.Argyle socks!

I’m so sexy.

Don’t mind the bra on the floor in the background… perv…

My mild obsession with them is not only fashionable, but functional. Score!

Don’t tell me otherwise.

Even though it’s the weekend and I do what I want, there are still rules to follow. Like how weekend breakfasts should always include pancakes.I missed National Pancake Day this last week. It was tragic and I was devastated. But better late than never, right?

Pancakes are one thing I just use a mix for and add whatever I feel like. This particular batch had pumpkin and chocolate chips. Holla’.

T’was delicious.

Another rule is that, after you have a restful night in, the next night should always be reserved for good times out with friends.

And going to see our favorite Chicagoland band.It never gets old. Neither does staring at their legs…

…what? You’re totally doing it, too.

And neither does staying out on Saturday nights until waaaaaaaay past my bed time. My last text says I was up unti 4:02. No wonder I slept in until 11:00.

Yeah, I KNOW.

Because of the fatigue this produced, I let my crockpot, Cristiano, cook dinner.Aaaahhhhh steak chili. It would have also included onion and whatnot. But that would have required actually getting off my couch. And that, my friends, was not happening.

At one point, a visit to the gym was attempted. I looked at the treadmill and laughed. Retired to the stairmill for 20 minutes and called it a day.

And that was my one shining moment of productivity yesterday. Nevermind the laundry. Or the bathroom that needs to be cleaned.

Oh- at some point, my roommate and I decided on Halloween costumes for this year. So that’s considered productive… right?

Slow Sunday. Some things never change…

Maybe I was saving the little energy I had to cheer on the St. Louis Cardinals while I feasted on chili?

Maybe. Heaven knows I needed it. My Cards have been exhausting to watch. They seem to be a wild card in every sense of the word. My heart can’t take the stress.

But anyway, this weekend proved to be yet another typical weekend in Amyland. I like it that way. Just wish it were a little longer. Because work is not going to be a walk in the park this week. More. Coffee. Please.

Oh and before I leave you, just wanted to say there is still time to sign up for the Blogger Sweet Swap Round 2! If you haven’t yet, let Jess or myself know! It’s Fall-themed and you know you want some comfort food to curl up on the couch with… just sayin’…

The Diamond Dash 5k

I’m always one to give myself plenty of time when trying to go anywhere.

This is Chicago. I mean… you could try to drive down the street and it will take anywhere between 5 minutes to an hour.

Think I’m kidding? Don’t.

The roomie was a volunteer for the Burdeen’s Diamond Dash, so we had to make sure she was there at 7:30. We got there at 7:05. Whoopsie. Way too early.

At least we saw a double rainbow on the way. It was decided to be a good omen. Thanks to YouTube.

And it started to rain. Which KILLED me. Annie worked her ass off and has lived and breathed this event for the last 6 months. The last thing we needed was rain. She smiled the entire time anyway.But the rain came and went. So there was still plenty of time to get ready for the race and stretch…My creeper was back. Oh Mon…

So back to the race…

It was a smaller one. But 140 participant for the first year? Pretty impressive.

My lunchtime running buddy, D, and I, along with my girl Laura ran the 5k. After a long night of watching Mizzou football and listening to the awesome party my neighbors were having, we were all feeling a little ragged. But were determined to run this thing balls to the wall.

The horn went off. My guy friend pushed ahead as soon as he was off. I told him I would stick with him for the first half mile at least. I lied.

The first mile was a rough one. My calves were tight and I was tired.

Excuses. They’re like belly buttons. Everyone has one.

So I sucked it up. And kept truckin’.

My stride finally came at mile 2.

The sound of my breathing may lead you to believe otherwise, but I found a dude and set up my pace behind him. For almost 2 miles. And then I passed him. Which was right at the last .1 miles of the course.

Enough energy to pass one. But not the girl in front of me. It wasn’t happening.

Did this bother me?

Eh. Not really. Because I somehow ended up placing second and getting a sweet medal and gift certificate to Fleet Feet!Perfect timing. Because this chick needs new running shoes!

My final time was 24:25- just under a 7:53 pace. I missed my fastest time by about 18 seconds. Awwwwww shucks!

Final impressions of the race? I won’t lie- there’s a lot of bias on my end. Being as how one of my best friends organized the thing. However, I will say she went above and beyond the call of duty. No small detail was left unattended. And the course was perfect for the size of the race. Even the narrowest part of the trail was saved for the end when everyone had thinned out due to pace.

Plus there was a bouncy house. What more do you need?

I’ll be back next year to try and claim my spot as first place female.

Or at least attempt to keep up again…

How did we celebrate the finish of the race?

With beer, of course!Oh and buffalo chicken. Because my weaknesses are buffalo sauce and mexican food. So clearly one or the other would happen.

This is Sunday Funday, afterall.

And because it was Sunday Funday, and because we were at Goose Island cheering on the Bears (we’re not talking about it), I had to get the flight of Goose Island beers…I have had all the beers but the Honkers Ale, but it was a decent deal, so why not?

The Honkers Ale was delish. However, my heart will always belong to the original 312. Holla’.

We ended the night with a mad dash in the rain and some wine from the liquor store down the street and the Emmy’s.Sorta reminded me of when Laura and I lived together in college.

I’m sad she’s leaving this morning. And she may hate me after being stuck in rush hour on her way home to St. Louis.

Oh well. We had a good weekend. One for the books. Yeah- I’m calling it that.

Happy Monday kids. Don’t mind me- I’m gonna go fill up on caffeine and get a little salad detox in. Laters!

Holiday Weekend Distractions

Labor Day Weekend.

It’s a weekend when friends come together and celebrate with one another.With guacamole. At Piece Brewery and Pizzeria. Even if we had to wait 45 minutes to an hour for a table…

It’s worth it. Maybe not so much for the guac. Pretty sure it came from a bucket. But it totally worth it for the pizza.Oh the pizza…

We went with mushrooms, bacon and goat cheese. It was the perfect combination.

So perfect, that we may have gone a little overboard…It was just so good- we couldn’t stop!

But that’s ok. I needed to be well fed for the next day I had planned with Megan!What’s a better way to celebrate an American holiday than to spend part of it in one of the oldest stadiums in the country to watch America’s favorite pastime?

Megan may be a Cubs fan. And I may be a Cards fan. She may be a Miller Lite girl. And I may be a Bud Light gal.But we can still live in peace and harmony.And break it down on the non-dance floor at a non-dance club bar. It’s the American way.

Especially when it’s a German-themed bar.

But it’s cool. We got some serious beer mugs.They were multi-purpose. We got frosty beverages AND were able to fit in a few curls for fitness.

But, as our parents always taught us, we made sure to clean our plates mugs.It may have also seemed a little strange to celebrate an American holiday in a German bar with tequila shots.

But hey. We do what we want.

Besides, we had buffalo chicken nachos before that.So really, it all ties together. Sorta. Right?

Yes. You’re supposed to say yes.

Either way, that’s all that the stuff that kept me out and about over the weekend and away from my lap top.

And oh yeah, that boy who came to visit me. He distracted me, too.

So we can really just put most of the blame on him. It’s the easier thing to do. And he takes it pretty well.

Anyway, enjoy your Tuesday, friends. Usually, as you know, I hate Tuesdays. But I’ll give this one a break because it’s the beginning of a 4-day work week and I’m in a good mood. Just this once…

Girls and Baseball

Happy Monday, ya’ll!

This weekend I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends fly in to hang out with me and get in on the Cards/Cubs action going down in Wrigleyville!

We didn’t get tickets, but instead opted to watch at a bar outside the game and meet up with some peeps after it was all over.

It was a money-saver. We’re so saavy like that.

We were also so saavy by opting to eat at home for most of our meals. Mary had been traveling the last week and was ridiculously excited when I suggested it as one of the options.Sometimes it’s just refreshing to eat a normal meal. I had also been out more this last week than usual, so I was happy to oblige.

PS- sweet potato tortilla chips are some of the best things I’ve bought at the grocery store as of late. Get some. Today.

PPS- also, as long as I continue to drink Goose Island Summertime, I will refuse to acknowledge fall being just around the corner.

Word.

After getting some food in our systems, we walked our way over to Wrigley and kicked back until it was time to hit up the last Wrigleyville Block Party of the summer with my roommate and Megan.Look at that- Cardinals fans and Cubs fan can hang out together and be civilized. Sort of.

Or at least we were. That doesn’t go for everyone. There was a dance-off during the concert that got pretty intense. I swear people were THIS close to breaking out the worm or something of equal humiliation.

At about this time, Mon came down and joined in on the fun as neutral ground- she’s a Sox fan.Yes, a Sox fan. We were a group of random assortment, indeed.

The Block Party only went through the early evening (lame), so we wandered along and secured a table at Red Ivy.

The table was necessary. I needed to switch out shoes.This new pair of shoes has been waiting to be broken out for month (sad but true). They were fantastically comfy, but after 5 hours, it was time to retire them for the evening.

Tip of the day- wear a big purse. That way, you can sneak a pair of flip flops for emergency usage.

It’s much easier to wander from the table and take random strolls onto the dance floor that way.

Another tip of the day- never forget to eat dinner. Yes, we forgot to eat dinner. Sure, the lil’ power lunch held us over relatively well. But it’s a marathon, and after 8 hours of silliness with nothing of nutritional value being consumed, you’ll have a problem.

We solved ours with a late night visit to a mexican spot by my place. Funny enough, it was one of the multiple spots I attempted just a few nights before.

Second time’s the charm?

I drove Mary back to the airport yesterday, and now another standard week of work is really all I’m looking at right now.

Whomp whomp.

However, before I leave, it should be noted that today is the birthday of a good friend of mine:Excuse our appearance. 8 hours in Wrigleyville can do that to you.

But not to get off subject- today is Megan’s (Braise the Roof) birthday! We’ve known each other for a year now and I’m so glad to have found such a great friend in this city of mine off the interwebz who isn’t creepy… at least most of the time…

Cheap Eats and Necessary Drinks

Well this happened:And no, that’s not a fruity cocktail- it’s actually Goose Island 312. Bar lighting is so silly sometimes.

It and the refill that followed calmed me down from yesterday’s “blahs”. Imagine that.

*As did your comments about how we all have those “crap” days. Thank you.

After our little location mixup on Tuesday (Tuesday! I should have known!), I suggested Houndstooth in Wrigleyville as a place to meet up. It’s a smaller area. There’s only one Wrigley Field. So uh… we shouldn’t have a problem. 

Stephanie and I had ourselves a nice little chatty chat over beers and $1 tacos.

With $1 tacos, you don’t expect much…. and these were nothing overly grand to write home about. But hey… they were decently light, the chicken was good, they came with free guac, and were $1 each. The price alone makes me enjoy them greatly.

This was the first time Stephanie and I have ever met and again, like every other time I’ve met girls from the blogs, the conversation flowed naturally and we swapped stories until I had to be lame and duck out because of a never-ending to-do list waiting for me at home.She also confirmed that I need to act on my desire to get myself to Boston. ASAP.

Le sigh…

The other thing that helped me out, as I knew it would, was my run with my guy friend over lunch. Usually we keep it at a pace where we can talk (although between jagged breath) for the entire 2.5 miles. But as I was ranting about one thing or another, I noticed how out of breath I was- chalking it up to me not running much with him as of late and my pace getting slower.

However, he texted me afterwards and commented on how much faster we ran this time than last.

Whew. It wasn’t just me then…

Like I said earlier, I’m in a much better mood today. My weekend starts tomorrow and everything is starting to fall in place a little more as we go along.

Have a good one, kids! I’ve got about 8 hours standing between me and a mad dash home where I have 15 minutes to get myself looking respectable before a night out in the presence of a male acquaintance.

Let’s all laugh about how me looking respectable is just not in the cards.

He’ll have to deal with it.

What’s Good

Good morning!

Since the government says that you shouldn’t work on the holiday, I also decided to take that as a sign as to not blog on the holiday either. Or the holiday weekend, for that matter…

Not sure when I would have fit in the time, anyway. It was a very busy weekend. In this case, though, busy is definitely good.What with spending all my time lounging on rooftops and all…

That and having a few legendary days of going out with friends for brunch.Ahem…

What? PBR was on special…

I even found time in my busy schedule to meet up with blogging buds…Megan and SIL (from her fab features on Low and Behold) enjoyed a little of the Wrigleyville Block Party with me and my roomie on Sunday!Also, a lot of dancing happened. A LOT.Not sure what’s going to happen when I can’t bust a move at the street fests anymore? I predict lots of sadness.

And maybe a need to sign up for jazzercise. (spirit fingers!)

Most people departed the area after that (silly dinner dates and such), so Megan and I paired up and decided to take in a little of the scenery at Murphy’s Bleachers.

A fine establishment. Where we know people. People who let the drinks flow freely and supply us with endless mozzerella sticks.

It’s good to know people.

It’s also good to have a supply of coffee on hand along with Home Alone on the dvr.

What better way to spend 4th of July morning watching 90′s Christmas flicks?

It’s also good to plan outfits accordingly. Like how I did yesterday afternoon for a BBQ.The strategy is to always wear the loosest summer dress you own when attending BBQ’s.

You maximize your intake of grilled food that way.The BBQ was with Mon’s fam and friends. They’re fun. Hence the napkin.

I’ve also been busy at getting some physical activity in. As an attempt to cancel out some of the adult activity. 3.6 humid miles on Friday evening and 3.7 on Sunday morning. MapMyRun.com has been an awesome discovery. After being a little weary about the new technology I’m getting myself into, I’m now obsessed with mapping out the miles after every run.

Uh oh- is this the new motivation I need?

Hopefully so!

Anyway, I hope you all had a great weekend. I’m gonna go sit and suffer my exhaustion hangover from the weekend. It was a loooooong weekend. Whew…

It also didn’t help that people in the neighborhood were shooting off firecrackers/fireworks until all hours of the night.

Sigh. Sleep is overrated anyway.

Later!

Vacation From Vacation

There’s something to be said about taking a vacation day after vacation is over.

That lil’ extra 24 hours off does wonders. I’m much more rested than I would have been if I came in to work yesterday. Ideal considering the mess that will be my inbox when finally opened up. Not looking forward to that one.

Seriously- is there a way email can be avoided for the rest of the day? That would be fantastic…

Anyway. After crashing and spacing out on the couch for a few hours after getting Sunday night, I slept in all the way to 6:30 yesterday morning.

That’s right- it was my day off and I was up before the roommate even left for work. It’s how I do.

The plan was to get an early run in and relax before the Cubs game.

Instead, it rained. And rained. And I started to wonder if either one of the previously mentioned activities would happen.

But a clearing in the sky happened and Megan gave me crap about being a wus, so off I went.

It was still decently early, so I ran through the remains of the celebration of the Chicago Pride Parade.

It smelled like booze and good times. A little crazier than my Sunday in the car. Which smelled like my friend’s gym bag (his fault), dirty hair (both guilty), and Arby’s (both guilty again) for most of the ride. A disturbing combination indeed.

Anyway, because I’m slightly ADD and still checking out all the streets in my running “area”, I was able to make a 4.65 loop before realizing the time crunch I was working with.

Neighborhood running may soon trump the trails I used to run on. Mostly because I keep entertained with sights and not trying to run people over. My speed may suffer. But it’s all about give and take in such non-gym member circumstances.

But back to the time crunch. I started to rush. Because some things are important to be on time for.This is one of them. Thank goodness the sun decided to stick around for the rest of the day. Imagine my annoyance and frustration had it been rained out when I took an extra vacation day from work.

Oh Wrigley Field… I’m a Cardinals fan, but I will always enjoy the Friendly Confines. This I know.Megan and I didn’t indulge in baseball favorites like last time, but there was still a brew or two to be had.

Monday Funday. It doesn’t happen often, so you’ve got to make sure to celebrate properly. Ya dig?

Ok fine… it’s time to throw myself into work now and hopefully be so busy that I won’t even notice the awfulness that is Tuesday.

Weeeee!

A Block Party for the Books

Can I just say how much I love my new location?

The sights and sounds never cease to amuse me.

Like when I was walking towards Wrigley field to meet up with Kelly:

Beer pong on the sidewalks while blasting N*Sync?  Where was my invite, guys? I could have brought some Goose Island and Aqua to rock out to!

Actually, I couldn’t have- we’re not even going to talk about how upsetting it is that I’m no longer in possession of that cd. 

Anyway- Kelly was in town for work, but luckily she still had some time to come out and play for a bit over the weekend. She’s a Yankees fan (we’re not going to judge), and guess who the Cubs were playing this weekend?

She and her boyfriend met up with me outside the stadium and we started our assault on the strip of bars along Clark Street.

Earlier in the week, as Kelly and I were going back and forth about things to do, I saw an interesting post go through about the Wrigleyville Block Party…I thought to myself, “that looks like fun”.

But THEN… I found out another little tid bit of info about the party. And passed the info along…Kelly got excited. Being as how I talk about this cover band called Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press “all the time”.

Really? All the time? Do I? Crap.Look at those legs. Can ya blame me?Looks like someone’s enjoying the music. And we know what that means…DANCE PARTY!

I totally got showed up by a 3-year-old girl in the bustin’ moves department.

You win some, you lose some. 

Unfortunately, the band only got to play for under an hour because the block party wasn’t allowed to go past 8:00 that night (Boooo!). There are supposed to be a few more over the summer after Cubs games- maybe they’ll break down and extend it next time?

A girl can dream.

The show ended on a good note- they played “All I Want for Christmas” by Mariah Carey- obviously.

After that, it was time to wander the streets once again in search of food. We were creepin’ in the windows of all the bars looking for a place that MIGHT just have a place for us to sit. Turns out Rockwood Place did. And so we feasted.All I saw was “BBQ chicken” and my choice was made. Nevermind the fact that I had white shorts on (seriously- how big of a disaster could that have been???).

Kelly and I chatted like we’ve known each other forever. Darren, after meeting me over St. Patty’s Day Weekend, was finally relaxed enough to know that Kelly’s blogger friend is not a psycho killer. Success!

So yes- I did get a weekend of fun and a little relaxation. Just what I needed. 

Have a good Monday, kids. Totally don’t mean to rub it in, but it’s only a three-day work week for me. Then I’m off to the ‘Lou for the wedding of one of my best friends.

I’m really not kidding when I tell people I have the month of June planned down to the minute. It’s starting to frustrate a lot of my friends.

My apologies.