January 11-15

January 11, 2012

And this was one of those days where I completely forgot that I needed to take a picture until I was nearly home. There is a hotel next door to my condo and until I moved into this building, I was unaware that this building existed even though I have lived in this neighborhood for 5 years. I regularly see people coming and going from this hotel but it is in an odd place so I have often wondered who stayed there. One night, after a very frustrating date (another story for another time), I stopped over at a local bar for a glass on wine before heading home... I mean, I had to get some time out of my makeup and hair. I was sitting at the bar, watching a hockey game, and started to speak to a very nice British business man. We chatted for a couple hours and when it was time to leave, I found out he was staying at the hotel next to my building. So apparently, business men doing their thing in Lakeview stay at this hotel.

Now that the tangent is over... the picture. 

The Shield above the hotel

January 12, 2012
Usually in Chicago it snows in November, several times in December, and by January we are sick of it. This winter has been quite unusual and we didn't get anything more than a couple dustings until the second week of January.

Watching the snow

Why is it coming down so hard!

January 13, 2012

After a very long, stressful week, what better way to unwind than with a Maker's Mark Manhattan and conversation with good friends

Love the presentation: 676 Bar

Delicious Desserts

January 14, 2012
Tina's baby shower, aka, my first pancake! It was a success. If you do not get the reference, you clearly do not watch Gilmore Girls.

The theme was unintentionally gold

Adorable

The Activity

January 15, 2012

Thanks to Martin, I was able to see Buddy Guy! The concert was pretty amazing. For a man of 75, he has more energy than I do. 

Bahamas

January 7, 2012

It is no surprise I like my job. The work is interesting, challenging, and I have the opportunity to travel. Since we all work remotely, once a year the CEO holds an offsite meeting to give the employees the opportunity to meet, discuss, and brainstorm ideas for the future. This year, the meeting was held in the Bahamas. I flew in a day early to enjoy the sun and beach. We were staying at the Atlantis; it was absolutely gorgeous. 

A waterfall on the property 

The beach

One of the many pools

January 8, 2012

On Sunday we had a lot of time to kill so Erin and I wandered around the beach for awhile. The water was unbelievable. If it had been a bit warmer I would have liked to go snorkeling but alas, I did not. 

Chasing the waves

January 9, 2012
After a successful day of meetings and brain storming, we were treated to an amazing dinner at Nobu. The yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno and black cod with miso were incredible.

January 10, 2012
My final day in the Bahamas started with by watching the sun rise from my balcony... Perhaps if I had made coffee earlier, I would have actually gotten a picture of said sunrise. Instead, we have a picture of my view with the sun fully up.

January 4-6

January 4, 2012
I have many wonderful memories from my time spent at UIUC but one that will always be dear to my heart is time spent at Murphy's pub. It is the type of place that has a familiar smell. Yes, this sounds weird but if you have spent any amount of time at Murphy's in Champaign, you know what I am talking about. Without fail, Wednesday's in college were spent at Murphy's enjoying a burger, a beer from a logo glass, and sharing a basket of fries with great friends. These days, I only go back if I am in Champaign on a Wednesday (a rare event), but when I do, I am always reminded of the wonderful times I had, whether it be taking a study break or escaping from a long day.

January 5, 2012

Short post, last day at home... he was being a daredevil. 

well, I figured out how to get on top of the fridge... how do I get down?

January 6, 2012

Heading back to Chicago... the little man does not enjoy car rides but he was able to find comfort in my lap.

And it begins

People often ask you as the year ends, "what is the one thing you will take with you from the past year?" In 2011 I discovered who I was and what I wanted (at least for now) from my life. I went skydiving, I ate at some amazing restaurants, I rekindled friendships that were stagnant, and I developed new ones. I stopped caring about what other people thought and did what made me happy. I traveled around the country, I took days off (this is huge for me). I discovered how much fun I can have being single and forgave those who needed to be forgiven.

For several years I have wanted to do the "picture a day" thing and seeing how last year was so busy and so fun, 2012 is as good a time as any to start said endeavor. I cannot promise I will post daily but I will honestly try; there will be a picture a day but more likely posted in groups of 3-5 (you know me. And if you don't, you will discover that I am a master procrastinator). I cannot guarantee the posts will be witty and/or humorous but they will be snarky now and then. If you find my picture selections boring, please let me know and depending on the creativity of your post, I may take your suggestions into consideration.

So day 1: January 1, 2012
After Christmas, I went on a road trip with some friends with our end destination being Hilton Head. Along the way we stopped in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. While in Hilton Head, we spent a few days getting to know each other (in my case), catching up (others), and taking part in the groups annual NYE Board Game Decathlon. I was honored to have been asked to join these people in an event they love and take very seriously. On the morning of January 1, sad goodbyes to new friends were made and new adventures began. This post will have a few pictures from 2011 because, well, it is my blog and I can do whatever I want :)

The house, it was absolutely beautiful

Candy Land... This game is dangerous (but my team did win)

The group (new friends and old)

The beer... quite impressive if you ask me

But since none of these were taken ON January 1… 

A beautiful fountain/path in Savannah

January 2, 2012

My favorite movie (and one of my favorite books) is Gone With The Wind. The Stately Oaks Plantation was Margaret Mitchell's inspiration for the Tara plantation so I felt it necessary to visit before heading north. The plantation was a bit lame, not gonna lie. Hollywood definitely overdid the Tara Plantation in the movie but the house was cute enough; however there was no staircase to run down or have Rhett Butler carry me up.

The Klepto in me was tempted to take the cards... this was probably my favorite part of the house. 

January 3, 2012

Our journey home took us through Kentucky. Since the weather was unseasonably warm, we decided to take advantage and explore Mammoth Cave, the worlds largest known cave system. Typically this wouldn't be something I would want to do (dark is, well, scary) but once my eyes acclimated it was pretty awesome. Yankee jokes aside, yes, there were Yankee jokes, it was a fun experience and definitely something I would like to repeat. Spelunking, that's another story. 

Fat mans misery

The were not kidding

It was amazing though

and the light was nice to see!

Thus ends the road trip.. will catch up with the rest of the pictures in an additional post.