weekend getaway // chicago

last week, addison and i took a little mini vacation.

i started back at work this week and i start school next week, so i wanted to go somewhere with addison before i got super busy again.

so we headed to chicago last thursday! my friend maria lives up there, so we went and stayed with her.

i've been to chicago once before and loved it. i wasn't really wanting to go up to do anything in particular {besides shop}, but more of just to relax and get away. although a trip with addison isn't really all that relaxing. it was fun and completely worth it though!



we headed out thursday morning. my mom and i took addison to florida a few years ago, but i've never taken her anywhere by myself. so this 8 hour trip was definitely a first for me.

my friend amy was headed up to indianapolis that day, so we met up at a rest area and played a bit.

then, we met up again to do some shopping. maria had to work that day, so we weren't in any hurry to get there. shopping definitely helped us kill some time :)

addison did great on the trip there. she watched some movies, napped, and we jammed. and she ate lots of snacks. the girl likes to snack.

we made it to chicago around dinner time and ended up just staying in for dinner. we were both pretty exhausted.



friday we got up and headed out to get some breakfast. we hit up a bagel place and i had a bagel with some delicious sun dried tomato cream cheese. addison got a blueberry muffin, and we went over to starbucks to get coffee and eat.

after that, we went to millennium park to play in the fountains and see the bean. addison was really excited about it. it was kind of chilly, so i didn't know how long she would last. we took a bathing suit just in case. there were lots of other kids playing, and addison just ran around splashing. she got her clothes pretty soaked, so we whipped out the bathing suit. it's such a grown up looking bathing suit for such a little girl. when we were done with the fountains, we went to see the bean. addison was pretty funny looking at herself. she tried to lick it too. i can't imagine how disgusting that would have been.

we went back to maria's and relaxed for a bit. addison watched beauty and the beast and was apparently a little shocked at one part. after the movie, we played a little and then we headed out to pick haley up at the airport.

addison was apparently a little tired because she passed out on the way to pick up haley. but right when we got to the airport, she woke up and was all smiles.

we headed to dinner at burger bar after that. it was delicious. we had fried pickles {yum!} and maria and i split the veggie burger {amazing!}.

we hit up the grocery store on our way back to maria's. i left haley and maria with addison while i ran to get addison some juice. i heard a lot of laughter coming from their direction, and i found them using addison to get something on one of the top shelves. they were quite resourceful. haley held addison up and addison reached to in and grabbed it. i believe they were getting some quaker rice cake things. who knows.



saturday we woke up and ran to breakfast. i took the jogging stroller in case we wanted to go for a run. i'm glad we did, because i definitely pigged out the whole weekend.

we went to orange, and it was great! we sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather. addison had a good time chatting with maria's dog, james, before lunch. she got quite close to him.

we had some champagne flights with our breakfast. it was 3 mini drinks, with fresh squeezed strawberry, pear, and pineapple juice. they were fabulous.

addison had chocolate chip pancakes, and i definitely stole some. so good.

we walked along the river on the way back to maria's.

we got ready for the day and then headed out to uncle julio's for lunch. um, yum. such good mexican food. delicious chips {thin like chili's. i love their chips}. oh, and the margaritas? amazing. they have skinny margaritas that are "healthier". we gave them a try. and i like being healthier.

after lunch, we started our shopping expedition. i really just wanted to go to h&m, so i didn't do much shopping at other stores. we ended up going back to maria's and then walking down to michigan avenue.

and h&m was packed. so i didn't get myself anything. and i was extremely sad about it. but seriously, there was no way i could have gotten any shopping done. maria was great and walked addison through the store while i tried to shop, but so. many. people. addison got 3 adorable dresses though. lucky girl.

i may plan a weekday trip to atlanta soon and go shopping there. ya, that sounds good.

after we were done shopping, we took a cab back to maria's and addison passed out. when she woke up, we headed out to get maria's dog from doggy daycare. then we hit up target. and i finally did some shopping for myself. at target, which we have at home. but i scored 2 maxi skirts and 2 super cute tank tops.

we ended up just getting panera for dinner because it was getting late. and then we made brownies {my recipe is so yummy}. but really, we just made the batter and ate that. because who really wants to bake brownies?? not us.



sunday, we went and had breakfast at the same bagel place as friday and ate at starbucks again. then we headed home.

i wish we could have stayed longer and hung out more. and done more shopping {when it wasn't so crowded}. but alas, we had to come home.

like the ride there, addison watched a bunch of movies and ate lots of snacks. we both ended up not being hungry for lunch {hint, the snacks}, so when we stopped for a potty break, we went to panera and she got a smoothie and i got some iced coffee {my new favorite thing}.

we had so much fun on our trip! thanks maria for letting us stay with you and putting up with us! and thanks haley for letting us crash on your weekend!!

addison is now gearing up for yet another trip with her daddy. the girl is a traveler!

i'm going to gear up for some serious pool time.

have a good memorial weekend!

my new love for luggage

i don't know when it happened.

but i've developed a love for old luggage.

my mom, maegen, and i went to the flea market in august and saw a lot of old luggage for sale. but, it was kind of pricey. like $20-$40. not really in my price range.

btw, that trip to the flea market was a huge success. maegen and i both got purses {leather, crossbody purses, which i had been on the hunt for}. mine is fossil and is kind of worn, which i like. i don't remember what brand maegen's is. but, we got them for $7.50 each. that's one of the many benefits of having my mom there...bargaining with the sellers. i also got a pair of armani sunglasses {they're from the 90s. kinda vintage. super cute}. and i got a gold chain necklace, a gold and white bracelet, and a pocket watch to put a chain on and make a necklace. score!!

anyway, back to luggage.

so my mom and i went to a huge community garage sale a few weekends ago. we got up super early {like 5:45} so we could get there bright and early.

and i found these beauties. there was a kind of retirement community that was having a yard sale, and these 3, adorable old women had a garage full of stuff {seriously full. packed. i don't know how they had so much stuff}. but i found these 2 among all the stuff.


$7 for both. love them! they do kind of smell like moth balls, but my mom said she knows a way to remove the smell, so we're going to try that.

we also went to yard sales last weekend. i found this super cute suitcase at one, and i really wanted it. but i didn't get my hopes up because i figured it'd be at least $15, which i didn't want to spend.


but, my mom asked the seller how much she wanted for it. and guess what she said....

...$1. that's it. a dollar. ahhhhhhh! she said her husband would probably have wanted more, but he wasn't out there with her and she didn't care. i was so excited!

i haven't exactly decided what i want to do with my luggage yet. i think i want to use them as decorations in my room, but i can also use them for storage. i'd seriously consider using them as luggage when i travel {which isn't very often}. they're pretty small though, and i'm quite the over packer. they're going to get used somehow because i love them!!

my new obsession

i really wanted a pair of TOMS for christmas, but i couldn't make up my mind on which ones i wanted and i didn't know what size i'd be. so i kept putting it off, until i finally went somewhere that sold them and tried on a pair. i figured out the size i needed, but they didn't have the color i wanted. so i ordered them online.

and i'm in love with them.

they are so comfy.

and i think i want 2351332532 more pairs!


i got the olive ones (top) but i'm thinking about getting another pair. these are my favorites!!

and i don't want to leave addison out...


i love all of these for her. she may get a pair too!

all found on the TOMS website.

do you have a pair of TOMS? if so, which ones? do you love them as much as i do??

it's that time of the year!

it's christmas time! what do you think of the new christmas look? i just love christmas!! i was so excited to put my christmas design up :)

i had planned on getting up kind of early and going to gap (i was get there when they opened at 6). but that didn't exactly happen. i hopped out of bed around 8 and headed over there. i was ready for it to be crowded, but it wasn't crowded at all. i got a lot of stuff, and saved a lot of money! everything was really cheap until 10 (most of the things i got were at least 40% off). i even had a coupon for an extra 15% off!

i went to gymboree and children's place after that, but didn't get anything. i've been on the hunt for some black boots and found some i was going to order on macy's website, but when i went to order them they didn't have my size in the pair i wanted. boo. so i went to rack room while i was out and tried on a pair but they wouldn't fit over my cankles. tragic, right? my mom said we could venture to the mall once i got home, so we did. it really wasn't that bad. but it was 10 by the time we got there. i tried on a pair of boots there (the ones i was going to order) and they wouldn't fit over my cankles either. glad i didn't order them!!

so i'm still on the hunt for boots! i think today was pretty successful. i even ordered my mom's christmas present. it was on sale, too.

now off to do some homework and decorate for christmas.

have you started decorating yet?

run daisy

so i'm sure everyone is familiar with groupon. you know, where you get deals on local shops/restaurants.

well, my friends mom started something similar to groupon, but better.



it's called run daisy. she launched it in nashville, but will soon be expanding it to other major cities, like atlanta, chicago, dallas, charlotte, orlando, and more. you can subscribe to your cities deals and get daily coupons!

the thing that sets it apart, in my opinion, is the fact that they give back to a local charity. they have a selection of charities, and when you get the deal, you get to pick a charity to give back to!! you don't pay more to give back to the charity. that is included in the price you pay. how awesome is that?!

yesterday i got my first deal. i paid $5 for $10 worth at sweet cece's!! yummmmmmmm.

so, if you live in the nashville area, you should definitely check it out! and even if you don't live in nashville, check it out and see if there will be deals in your area!!

**i wasn't asked to do this post. i just did it because i love run daisy!**

keep calm and...

my dad's birthday was a few months ago, and i wanted to get him something original, cute, funny, and clever. what can be all of those things?

well, i found something! not really found i guess, but thought of something.

i always saw those cute prints that say "keep calm and..." from the keep calm shop. i think they are so cute and had been wanting one for a while. they had a deal going (and i think they still have that deal) where if you buy 3 you get the 4th free. so i though i'd order one for my dad, one for me, one for addison, and one for my mom!

i wanted one that said "keep calm and scoot on" since my dad has a scooter. they had one with a motorcycle, so i figured they could make one with a scooter. i emailed and asked, and they said they could! i was so excited!

i was sent a preview before i had to pay for it, and it looked so much better than i ever thought it would! i loved it!

i mean, how cute is this?


i got a great deal on frames for them from kohls.

here is mine in my room. it actually matches everything in my room really well!


and this is addison's in her room.


i love them all!

getting organized

since starting school, i've been on the hunt for a good day planner. i had one that i really loved a few years ago, but i haven't been able to find one like it anywhere. another problem i've run in to is that they only have planners for 2011, and none for 2010.

my friend told me about lilly pulitzer planners, so i looked them up online. they are super cute! there's a hallmark store downtown that sells them, so i decided to go look at them and possibly get one. best thing, they start in august 2010 and go through december 2011!




they have 3 different patterns. i got the first one (light blue), and i got the large size. there's a small size too. each month has a theme. i now have a planner that makes me happy :) i seriously, think it's the cutest planner ever!

while i was at the hallmark store, i also picked out a really cute cell phone case. i've been wanting to get the white iphone4, but it hasn't come out yet and i who knows when it's going to. i figured i'd get a cute case for my phone so i'll like it until the white one comes out.

they have it in different patterns too. i got the last one of that pattern. apparently they are very popular!

i've decided to not go to that hallmark store often. i ended up getting more than i went in for! and they have a HUGE vera bradley section. i didn't have time to look through it, which was probably a good thing!

and i promise i'll post the tutorials soon. i've started the post, i just need to finish it. writing tutorials is a little harder than i thought it would be!

atlanta

this past weekend i took a little mini vacation. my mom really wanted to go to a braves game, so we went! i took my friend jenna, and my mom's friend debbie came and brought her daughter and her friend.

we left friday after lunch and were going to be cutting it pretty close getting to the game. we ended up being a little early, so we stopped at the hotel first (we all shared a room. yes, 6 girls in 1 room. it really wasn't bad though).

we left the hotel about 30 minutes before the game started. i took my camera so i could take some pictures along the way and at the game.



we rode marta to the game. it took a little longer than we expected.





we were an hour late to the game. it wasn't a very big deal though because the braves were losing. jenna and i wanted to get t-shirts, but we didn't find any we liked. we wasted a little time looking for those. we grabbed some expensive ballpark food and headed up to our seats.




we had fun hanging out and watching the game. jenna and i even shared some cotton candy :)

it rained a little towards the end of the game, but we were able to move up a little and be covered so we didn't get wet. it stopped by the time the game ended, so we got lucky!

the next day we planned on shopping all day long, and we did just that. we went to 3 malls and to ikea. debbie's daughter and her friend went to six flags for the day, so there were just 4 of us shopping.

the hotel we stayed at is the one my dad and i always stayed at when we went to atlanta for the 4th of july, so i kind of knew were things were. there were 2 malls really close to the hotel, so we went to those first.

jenna and i made a list of a few places we wanted go to that we don't have around us (nordstrom, h&m, and forever21). we also went to urban outfitters and gap. and i got a really cute pair of boots from steve madden (i've been looking for boots for the longest time). h&m was definitely the best stop. i went to one in chicago a while ago, and i was really excited to go back.

we hit up the varsity for dinner and then we headed home.

it was a very successful trip, and we were all worn out when we got home. we didn't get home until 1am. i missed addison a lot while we were gone. i think it was the longest i have been away from her. and i was gone less than 2 days. she had a lot of fun while i was away though. she stayed with my dad friday night and all day saturday. they had fun playing and bonding :)

we may start making a trip to atlanta every year. and addison can start going with us too!

friday fives

i decided to participate in friday fives over at beth's blog, just me and my life. she's a fellow nashville gal, so i have to give her some love! this week is five things on your wishlist. i really don't need any of it, but a girl can dream, right?


1. underwater camera

this just looks cool. it would be really cool when addison gets older and actually does a lot of swimming.

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2. white iphone 4

once it comes out, i'm getting it. although who knows when it's coming out. it was supposed to come out the end of this month, but it has been pushed back again. they haven't said why it's harder to make the white one, but hopefully they get it figured out soon! i love my iphone and can't wait to upgrade to the new one!


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3. aviators

my mom and i went sunglass shopping (for her, not me) and i decided that i really need want a pair of aviators. and i love this pair (they're ray bans).

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4. boots

i know it's still summer, and really hot outside. but i think i'm going to begin my search for a pair of good boots. i really wish i had some last winter, but i could never find any that i liked (and were in my price range). i like this pair, but they are WAY out of my price range. guess i'll keep looking!


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5. louis vuitton

i bought my first louis vuitton for my 18th birthday. i bought the speedy 30. i love it!


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if i had a money tree, i would go out and buy this one. i have a thing for big purses, and this would be great because my laptop would fit in it. and some.


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well, that was fun! go check out everyone else's friday fives at just me and my life.

growing pains

wow! babies grow so fast. it's crazy. addison was teeny tiny when she was born, and now she's HUGE! well not really huge, but she's getting bigger. i feels like it was just yesterday when she was still in my belly.

well anyways, growing babies equals a lot of shopping. and the shopping is usually done with my mom. i'm really lucky i have her, because she loves to spoil addison. once addison got her helmet, we took her shopping for some new clothes to match. and man did she rack up (as she usually does). we always pick out clothes that are the next size up (so the last time we went, we got 12 month clothes since addison was 8 months). our, or should i say addison's, favorite stores are carter's and the children's place. they have the cutest clothes!

addison will be 9 months on friday (and we'll be going to the doctor that day too). when we went last week about her leg, they still weighed her. she's almost 21 lbs!! and now, she's wearing some of her 12 month clothes! she can still fit into her 9 month stuff, but she's moving up! she's almost as big as i was at her age! maybe she'll be able to beat me :)