Lagunitas Beer Circus is the kick-off to a summer of lovin’ (drinking) All I do is win! On social media. Seriously, over the past few years, I have been so lucky and winning on Twitter and Facebook. My most recent … Continue reading
Ahhhh, that moment when one of your dreams (personal or professional) comes true! I’ve had a LOT of great things happen in my life (and yes, I’ve also had a lot of really really really crappy things happen). This week, add another great thing to my list!
Back-story: for the last 3 or 4 years, I have to admit…I watch The Bachelor/The Bachelorette on Monday nights. For a few reasons:
1) It’s cheaper than therapy. Just when I get down on myself or sad, I watch the show and think ‘nah, I’m good. REALLY good,”
2) I would meet up with a dear friend and we would swap stories, eat yummy food and drink a few bottles of wine.
3) Particularly, over the last year, I came to know that @HuffPostWomen would do a recap on Tuesdays featuring various tweets about the show.
Enter my goal – to have one of my tweets about The Bachelor/The Bachelorette included in that roundup.
Ladies and gents, Tuesday 1/14/14, the day one of my tweets was featured! Not only that, but my twitter handle was included in the first 5. MAJOR.
You can read it here 🙂 Or for your viewing pleasure…
Now, on to my next dream (get one of the celeb crushes I follow on Twitter to notice me….oh wait, that may be in progress). Stay tuned!
Tuesdays are…blah. It’s the day after Monday blues yet still have 3 more days until the weekend. Sigh. I’m going to force myself to post every Tuesday – of my random thoughts. Without further ado….
And with that, my friends, are my Tuesday Thoughts
First – I apologize for my major delays in blog posts. Hard to believe that I am actually busy these days!
Let me back-track to the weekend of September 27th. I hopped a flight on American Airlines to Minneapolis. Instead of going directly to the hotel in the ‘burbs (the remainder of my immediate family were driving) I met up with a dear college friend/sorority sister Sara. Some drinks and food downtown.
A lesson in regional drinking delicacies….
I ordered a Bloody Mary. As the waiter brings it out to me, there’s this small side glass with what looks like beer. Strange – that doesn’t happen in Chicago! I thought, “oh THAT’S awesome, a free lil sidekick drink here”. Annnnndd I was wrong. I ended up pouring it directly into the BM, because I am all about efficiency folks. Sara then informs me it is a typical thing, called a ‘snit’ (insert mental image of me whipping out my iPhone to google that). Go figure, those Minnesoooootans serve this ‘snit’ along side with a BM.
Laura in Minneapolis – 1
Laura in Chicago – 0
And a few hours later – I get picked up from my family. Drive to the hotel in the ‘burbs and proceeded to the hotel bar (obviously). Arriving at 9:20 and supposedly being told the bar closes at 10, I made great use of those 40 minutes. I walked to the bar with determination, ordered my Whiskey Sour and I don’t think the bartender knew how to handle me. Didn’t get carded, didn’t ask any questions. After downing the first and returning for the 2nd within 19 minutes, he remembered my drinks. Finally after 3 quick refills, the bartender asked me why I was so determined and quick. I said it closes at 10!
He said it does not. Thus…we became friends.
I closed out my tab – and thought it was about 1/3 of what it should be but hey, I’m not complaining.
Time for beauty sleep and prepare for my cousin Michelle’s wedding.
It was supposed to be an outside wedding, but inclement weather moved it inside. It was a beautiful ceremony and wish Michelle and her new hubby Eric a lifetime of happiness.
Eating, drinking, dancing, mingling with my relatives = a good time!
After the wedding, I proceeded to the hotel bar to meet up with my bartender friend the who makes me my whiskey sours. I was THAT girl at the bar – making friends, drinking drinks.
I close out that tab andddd $5 mixed drinks.
New plan: wedding crash to go to hotel bars for cheap drinks.
Thank you Michelle and Eric for an excellent weekend. Until the next nuptials…
I make friends easily. Quick backstory on this post, last year I volunteered for an episode of Restaurant Impossible (RI) on Food Network. It. Was. Amazing. Needless to say, I became friends with 2 of the crew guys (Gabe and Angelo – they are brothers). Awesome dudes.
Here is a photo of me with the talented, fabulous, hilarious, nice, etc…dudes from the shoot last year:
That’s Gabe on the left, me in the middle and Angelo on the right.
Flash-forward over a year later and RI is shooting just over an hour away in Indiana. Unfortunately, I was unable to volunteer again. The next shoot was scheduled in Wisconsin just a few days after. The guys then planned on driving through the great city of Chicago. Over the course of a few Facebook messages and texts…what I thought was going to be a quick dinner on Friday turned into a 24 hour adventure!
First up: Dinner at Rockit Bar and Grill. If you haven’t been there, I’m telling you to go now. And get the truffle tots. Trust me. You can also follow Amanda on Twitter. She’s the executive chef/partner/Truffle tot master. My friend (made on the set – she was another volunteer!) Lisa and her sister Bernadette met up with us for dinner – before they head off to the theater.
While Lisa and Bernadette were at the theater, I took the boys to Sears (yes, it will ALWAYS bee Sears tower. None of this Willis stuff). Granted I am a life-long native of Illinois and have been to Chicago plenty of times whether for fun, visiting friends or family or other. This, this was only my second time going up the tower. Please take a moment and enjoy the views…
After that, we met back up with Lisa and Bernadette, hit up a few bars in River North and returned to my condo for an exhilarating night of games. That’s right, I’m talking Jenga, Operation, Taboo. Drinks, food, games…welcome to a Friday night with me!
Everyone left then and had decided to meet up for brunch. Apparently the boys couldn’t handle it, so that 10am brunch turned into a 12pm lunch/brunch at Grand Lux Cafe.
Next up: a river tour! The Chicago Architecture Foundation tour was all booked up so we took the Wendella River Architecture Tour. It was awesome! 75 minutes of some Chicago history mixed with architecture, a trip out onto Lake Michigan and some of the cheapest drinks 🙂 Highly recommend it. Enjoy the photos below (yes, yes Chicago is an amazing city!)
After the boat tour, we stopped by Chuck’s Manufacturing bar attached to the Hard Rock Hotel. Enjoyed a few drinks there and then…
…headed off to the bean! Or formally known as the Cloud Gate. Perfect weather for some photo ops
We then walked to Navy Pier to finish out the night. Had to ride the Ferris Wheel. And riding it right after sunset…awesome.
And that’s all folks! Until next time
Last weekend, a dear friend of mine got married at a local state park/lodge outside of Chicago. Being that it was Labor Day weekend – you can imagine there were all sorts of folks around. Wedding guests, vacationers, campers, hikers, bikers (as in motorcyles…not a cyclist). Obviously, I was one of the wedding guests. Sporting my cute black strappy shoes, brand new flowing one-strap Vince Camuto dress, perfectly curled hair, red lips and sunglasses on. I thought I was rockin’ it…as did a ‘gentleman’. Let me just transcribe the scene which took place as I was walking from my car in the parking lot (carrying a wedding gift) to the lodge.
Me: walking hastily through the parking lot to avoid the heat/sweating I hear someone in the background, which I determine is directed at me.
Dude: “dddddddddaaaaayyyyyyymmmmmmm girl. You need a date to that wedding?!”
Me: (stops. turns around to see its a biker – leather chaps, leather vest, bandana…muy authentico) “ha, um no.”
Dude: “oh well, can’t blame a guy for trying!” (as 2 of the 5 companions in the biker group are ladies who are now laughing hysterically)
Me: “yah, A for effort”
Dude: “have fun”
Me…walking even faster, cursing under my breath as I breeze past a mother and child.
And that, my fellow dude readers….is NOT how you pick up a lady. ACCESS DENIED.
-people don’t know how to chew gum properly. No smacking or popping allowed!
-my skirt has major static cling.
-people walking on the sidewalk swerve for no apparent reason.
-there is that awkward moment of turning the corner and the elevator door is just about to close but I get freaked out so pretend to stop and wait for someone (i.e. wait for another elevator). Does anyone else do that?
-the train car is so packed that I have to stand next to a woman, that has sopping wet hair.
-I can’t get over that one ex
-I forget to put in a new pack of Diet Coke in the fridge (warm Diet Coke is no bueno!).
What annoys you?
…I’m sitting on the train and there’s a lady standing in front of me…and I’m about to offer her my seat, but I can’t tell if she is pregnant or not.
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