#brandonbirthdayextravaganza - The Unveiling!

Sorry, friends (all five of you.) I got busy and sidetracked, but I know you are DYING to find out the gift. The unveiling is here!

As you know, I made sure that this weekend was amazing. However, I couldn't let him even guess (nor could I have this much hype) and hand him a tiny gift (which is kind of what it was.) So I did a few things. 1) I put it in this HUGE box (the box is taller than I am. I'm 5'1") and 2) I kept telling him "it's large. It's HUGE, honey.

My boss, Erin, is super creative (she'll tell you she isn't, but look at the cover of our new Student Org Handbook and you'll know otherwise,) so she decorated the outside. It said HAPPY BIRTHDAY Brandon!!!!! To get it home from work, however, we had to stick it out the window. We drove on Lakeshore that way.

He just WENT for it. Then he found out that the marker had seeped through - super funny! Also, the "box" was actually 6 small boxes taped together.

It's...a hockey stick?

Yep - it's a hockey stick. HOWEVER, it also signifies that we are now Red Wings Season Ticket Holders. Our games:

9/25 vs. Chicago Blackhawks

10/7 vs. Ottawa Senators

10/28 vs. San Jose Sharks

11/11 vs. Edmonton Oilers

12/10 vs. Winnipeg Jets

1/23 vs. St. Louis Blues

2/12 vs. Philadelphia Flyers

2/25 vs. Colorado Avalanche

3/2 vs. Minnesota Wild

3/19 vs. Washington Capitals

We both are super excited - and Brandon spent the rest of the evening being excited. (Hey Detroit friends...get ready to see us a TON over the next year!) We followed up the unveiling with dinner at a cute little Tapas restaurant in Wrigleyville called Twist. If you haven't been there, GO (or come visit and we'll take you.) It's a twist on the typical tapas you will order, but we loved it. My favorites are the Bacon Wrapped Dates, the Tilapia, and the Italian Sausage - but they ALL were DELICIOUS!

#brandonbirthdayextravaganza - Actual Birthday Dinner

Short post for a short day -

Brandon's actual birthday is August 4; on Thursday, we went to dinner at a restaurant that we probably would not have found were it not for eRewards and Restaurant.com...(a background...)

Brandon and I both participate in eRewards surveys. He gets awesome prizes (like Gamestop gift cards and Restaurant.com gift certificates) while I stopped doing surveys because my prizes were so dreadful (a girl can only have so many magazine subscriptions.) He decided to cash one in for Restaurant.com to help us learn more about Chicago. We received a $25 coupon (have to spent $35) to the Blue Elephant. We walked right past it, and would have kept walking had I not known the street address.

It was SUPER tiny inside, but we dove right in. We started with the appetizer platter...

We loved everything except the Tofu. That was a little weird. 

I went basic with Pad Thai (you can never go wrong, AND my chiropractor recommended it.) 

Brandon was a little more out of his element and daring with the Spicy Udon Noodles with Crunchy Chicken. Super good!

We're HUGE desert people, so we couldn't pass up trying what we thought was a new desert. Little did we know...

If you remember the first time we dined out with Ziena and Ryan Miller, Ziena had a weird Marshmallow type ice cream... It's known as "Mochi" and that's what we (accidentally) ordered.  Brandon had the Mango,

But I was adventurous with the Green Tea. They were good - but they do have a texture issue.

We then walked home and had to get ready for his parents (and the unveiling...!) Check back tomorrow for the unveiling!

#brandonbirthdayextravaganza - KICK OFF

So, for those of you who don't know, I hyped up my partner's birthday this year. For us, birthday's are not a big deal; this could be due to the fact that we have a joint bank account, so Brandon would know what I'm getting him, or just because a birthday is a birthday, and HOORAY we're a year older.

I decided to change that this year. I planned a 5-day event, featuring what could possibly be the BEST gift (ever? yes. Ever.) See a future post for the unveiling.

We kicked the Extravaganza off with dinner at Chick-Fil-A; our friends Ryan, Ziena, Erin and Tricia RAVE about "the Chick," but Brandon had never gone. Ziena joined us but Ryan was sick, so he missed out on the Extravaganza. We then walked from the Chick to a surprise location - DAVE & BUSTER'S! We played lots of games, won lots of fun prizes, but spent the most time attached to this game...

[FRUIT NINJA]

We were able to play against each other - so much fun.

 Brandon tried really hard, but was only successful once.

Ziena had perfected the two-handed approach.

Of course, we played other games, as well. (How else would we have won a Stewie doll and 5 angry birds?)

I'm REAL serious about those shooter games. 

Ziena and I attempted this jump-rope type game, however, Brandon was definitely the star of the evening.

Dave & Buster's was a success - check back tomorrow to hear about the actual birthday dinner (Thursday, August 4, 2011.)

Positivity and Fit

I'm horrible with new years resolutions. I have tried to quit caffeine, get in shape, read all the books on the banned books list, and many other things - to no avail. My new year's resolutions (along with Brandon's) was to get in shape, and we did a pretty good job. I lost the weight that I needed to in order to feel more comfortable, but then the summer hit and I went back into my old ways. What I was really lacking was positivity.

I have motivation. My mom is an amazing woman, and in the last year has achieved so much. (I'm not just bragging - check her out here. She doesn't blog a lot, but enough to motivate you.) Brandon runs three miles at least once a week, and his family is crazy in shape. (They run marathons together.) So I wasn't lacking the motivation.

I don't always have a lot of positivity around me. One of the books I read as part of my #52in52 project (I'm reading 37 and 38 right now) was about How full your bucket is. Honestly - my bucket stays pretty empty on a regular basis, and I don't do anything to make sure it is full. (If you are not aware of the bucket idea, go read the book. It's a quick read and is really helpful.) I don't have many people filling my bucket, but I also don't spend a lot of time filling other's buckets - which doesn't help anyone else in my world.

After spending much of my weekend with some great friends, I realized that it really is my responsibility to enjoy what I do, and make the best of it. My new-academic-year resolution is to do just that by reclaiming me. I'm reclaiming the positivity by being more positive to those around me and to the situations around me. I'm reclaiming me by seeing through this goal of being FIT in 2011 (and onward.) I'd love to run a 5k, a half, and a marathon - but I've got a lot to work on in order to get there.

Today - I walked/ran for 39 minutes, stayed under my calorie count, and made my evening all about me - filling my bucket myself.

What's your new-academic-year resolution? What have you done today to make it a reality?

Great FIT news!

My mother bought me this skirt at least two Christmases ago. I loved it SO SO much that I just kept it at the back of my closet. I slipped right in this morning - how exciting! <3

Why are we here?

I just had the most glorious 3-and-a-half-day weekend with my partner and our good friends, R & Z. I took half the day off on Friday in order to head up to Pure Michigan. We spent the time in B's family cabin on Clam Lake, going out to the sandbar on Torch Lake EVERY day we were there. Last night, we went out on the lake around 9:30 p.m. and saw fireworks everywhere we turned. It was beautiful, and such a great weekend.

B and I returned to Chicago to (almost) no traffic, and a super happy cat. We decided to walk across the street to Loyola Beach to see if we could catch any of the Navy Pier fireworks. Unfortunately, we couldn't, but EVERYONE from Rogers Park was there lighting off their fireworks. (I'm assuming that fireworks are legal in Illinois. Add that to the list of things B and I MUST get used to now that we are here. They aren't legal in MI.) We sat for about 20 minutes until the smells, sights and sounds overloaded our senses. Such a unique ability to be able to experience this.

The greatest part about my time off was that today is a recognized holiday that I do not have to take a vacation, sick or personal day for. I recognize the importance of today (on two levels: it is also the birthday of my uncle!), but I don't think the people who are (still) out there blowing off fireworks, spending a lot of money, and abusing the vacation day thought about it. Why are we here, celebrating and honoring today?

This is our country's NATIONAL day. The day we celebrate adopting the Declaration of Independence. (Side note: Some historians thought that July 2 would be THE date for us, instead of July 4th, the day of the Declaration.) I think the fireworks began the following year, with 13 shells being shot off. It's not something that I see today's children being educated on - easier said than done (I don't have children,) but I'll add it to my list of things (and holidays) to focus on in MY future.

I know a lot of people who go around saying how PROUD they are to be an American. In my personal reflections, I don't always agree with this statement (there are some things that I just cannot stand behind,) but I love living in a country where I can have my own opinion, where I can be who I am, and where I don't have to be afraid to be public with any of this.

What were you celebrating this 4th of July?

Sick Day...

What I learned on my sick day:
- No matter how strong the love, the last thing your partner wants to do at 6:30 in the morning is shine a flashlight down your throat.
- Everyone in the house has a routine. They do NOT want to be bothered, and you will get the look from the furry ones if you try to mess up their routine.
- How to properly throw a frisbee so that the dog will jump.
- #sachat is SUPER confusing when you have a cat on your lap and a partner trying to talk to you. Best participate in the quiet of your office.
- The doctor was nicer to you when you were a child. Now a sore throat gets prescribed horse pills.
- There is such a thing as "too much lemon."
- I am not a good sick person. I'm bored, and agitated and I get testy very quickly.

Dear body - please get better tonight. I do not want to do another day like this, (and neither does my family, even though they won't admit it.)