Let me tell you—this past week has been an absolute whirlwind {of nothing but food and fun}.
Between movies, plays, restaurants, and an extended weekend in Chicago—I’m all funned out. I’m not sure if that’s possible, but this girl is ready for a little downtime.
Most of this fun was for my younger sister’s sixteenth birthday.
It’s a special birthday—you only turn 16 once. Well, you only turn every age once—but you know what I mean. So, we celebrated it right with 7 teenage girls, my Dad, myself, and a condo in Chicago.
Before the birthday celebrations began, Sam and I dined at a delicious farm to fork restaurant called Valley. We ate there on New Year’s Eve and it was just as amazing as we remembered.
First, I got a little dressed up.
{I love black with a pop of teal!}
Then we ate our hearts out starting with black bean hummus and the best truffle fries in the world.
I have decided that my fries must always be drenched in truffle oil. Who needs ketchup?
For my entrée, I ordered the seasonal vegetables and a bowl of their homemade black bean soup. Black bean overload? Possibly. But oh so worth it.
Oh, and the mason jars for glasses? Love. I may just trade out my glasses for a set of mason jars. It’s such a nice touch.
Stuffed to the brim, we headed to the movie theatre to wait in line for Ted. Adam was still visiting his cousins, so we wanted to get the adult movie out of the way! Unfortunately, it was sold out.
Instead, we went home and promptly fell asleep at 11PM. It’s what the cool parents do while their child is away. I know, I know—we’re party animals.
The next morning, I took the hardest class of my life—hot boot camp. So, I like to talk in extremes. The most amazing fries, the greatest weekend, the hardest class—it’s just how I roll. But really, this was SO hard. Naturally, I can’t wait to go back.
[#PROOF]
Um, yeah. See that sweat? That’s a sign of a good class. It was a 60 minute hot boot camp class—just like hot yoga, only you’re doing squats, jumping jacks, push ups, and more. Jumping jacks in a 100 degree room? Killer.
After I got my butt handed to me, I headed to Chicago to celebrate Courtney’s birthday.
We shopped.
Ate.
And shopped some more.
{I bought my first Toms and I’m in love. Bright orange baby!}
Oh, and then we ate some more.
Strawberries, candied walnuts, and goat cheese? Yes, please.
We also saw Rock of Ages at the Broadway Playhouse.
It was SO much fun. I wasn’t initially interested in seeing the movie, but now I’m all for it!
We spent our last night in Chicago seeing Ted, drinking slushies, and enjoying an amazing vegetarian dinner. Ted was a super cute movie—who knew a drinking, cussing, pot smoking teddy bear could be so endearing?
The next morning we slept in, cleaned up the condo, and then hit up Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods for our favorite foods.
This coffee is a must try!
{I spy cream soda Zevia—the best! Have you seen their new flavors? Cherry cola, strawberry, and lime cola! I must find them!}
After a weekend full of slushies, cookies, cheesecake, frozen yogurt, and fries—I needed a box full of greens. It certainly hit the spot.
Over the course of the weekend, I spent way too much money (hello, parking on Michigan Avenue), ate too much dessert, got lost too many times to count, and stayed up way too late—but it was worth every dime, calorie, and second.
Now if I could just have a compass installed into my brain, things would be fine and dandy. Actually, if this could happen before I start grad school in the Fall, that would be swell.
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P.S. Today is the last day to vote for my creamy avocado caprese pasta salad – click here to like my pin on the Hodgson’s Mill pinterest board. Only the votes on their board count.
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