totally tulip.

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Are you guys sick of seeing snapshots flowers and plants? I sure hope not, cause I’ve got a fresh serving of spring coming right up! Promise, promise, we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled health and wellness programming soon enough. But, to be quite frank, taking time to smell the flowers and enjoy this amazing city is certainly part of my wellness plan. How can I appreciate what I don’t slow down for?

Last Tuesday, in the midst of a seriously stressful work week, I decided to slow my roll and treat myself to a leisurely walk home from work down Michigan Avenue. Each spring, Chicago’s sidewalk gardens and medians explode with a symphony of bright and bold colors: tulips, peonies, daffodils, flowers that I don’t even know the name of! It is nothing short of magical. Magic well spent, if you’re a tax paying citizen such as yours truly.

This year, since it took forever for spring to show up, tulip season arrived nearly a full month and a half later than years prior. I was a kid doing the potty dance over this. Picture me on the bus every morning pressed against the window, on the lookout for some blooms. Along the same lines of Is There A Cubs Game Today, I should probably create a site for people like me (there are others like me, right?) to provide tulip blooming status updates. Cause let me tell you, on the day that I finally did spot one, you better bet there was a squeal received by a superflous of shady side eyes from fellow commuters. I cannot be the only person with this type of reaction.

Nothing short of a spectacular event, all over Chicago people come to see the blooms – to walk through Millennium Park, down State Street, and along Michigan Avenue. The city bustles and hums as it always does and in the middle of it all is a stunning display of nature and spring. Fountains and masterful gardening pop up overnight. It is without a doubt our city’s proclamation of a new season.

You can’t go a block without seeing someone hunched over snapping away on their camera phone. Sometimes it’s a tourist, but more often than not it’s a Chicagoan who just happens to embrace the hell out of tulip season like the rest of us. The tulips are more than just flowers, they are this city coming alive, the announcement that summer is on the way and so are warmer days. Nothing feels better than breathing all of that in.

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P.S. This post title inspired by the incredibly awesome production and branding of this 90s Tulip puff paints video. You seriously need to watch this on your free time. And by that I mean stop doing your job and watch this video.

A Peek Inside: Houseplant Haven

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In effort to A) breakout the big girl camera more than once a year and B) showcase more of our apartment even if it isn’t (what I consider) house tour-ready, I’m starting up a new series titled “A Peek Inside”. Room by room, corner by corner we’ll make our way through this little 1200 square foot spot that A and I share. Our Home. It doesn’t look like the pad of an interior designer with an unlimited budget that you’d spot on F*ck You Noguchi Coffee Table, but it does have a lot of love poured into it.

The impetus for this mind-meld of goals is that for the past six months I’ve had a house tour post open in my drafts containing a mess of photos taken during different times of the year and with a million different Instagram filters. Publishing the post has been sabotaged so many times (by me of course!) because this photo wasn’t right, or that set-up is rearranged and I should update the shot, or the house isn’t clean enough to photograph the kitchen. I keep making excuses of why our home isn’t good enough to share! And too, in reviewing the photos last week, I was surprised by how few were actually taken using my DSLR. Slap on my wrist! I’m quickly learning that the automatic reach for the iPhone is going to be a tough but worthwhile habit to break. Instagram is great for on-the-go snaps, but in order to really master this expensive piece of equipment that I invested in, I’m going to need up close and personal time to get comfortable with manual functions. Kill the automatic, we’re getting back to basics here, folks.

So, you stopped by on the right day (in my book)! Today is the lauch of A Peek Inside and your introduction to Maxwell, my DSLR. Yeah, I named him that. Plus, I chose one of my favorite corners of our home to kick-off this series. Located in the front right corner of the apartment, this area is nearly always in view when we’re hanging at the dining table or playing in the kitchen. It gets incredible northeast sunlight and looks over Lake Michigan and Lincoln Park. It is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite spot in the entire apartment. No matter what time of day or season, the view is stunning; Lake Michigan does not mess around. Be it a blizzard, tress changing color, or the blooms we’re overlooking at the moment, this is my place to take it all in.

Because of the generous direct sunlight, this spot winds up a houseplant haven to our collection of cacti, succulents, herbs, and giant rubber plant. Mind you, this doesn’t mean there aren’t a gazillion more plants scattered around the house. We’ll get to those another day. A hides it well, but I can tell he thinks I’m cray…

Without any more rambling, here’s my favorite corner, shot by shot. And, like any good tour I’ve ever been on, there’s alcohol at the end. You’re welcome.

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{L to R: Mint, Basil, Lavender, Orange Barrel Cactus, Echeveria, Echeveria, Rubber Plant}

If your answer to “How many houseplant photos is too many houseplant photos?” is “NEVER ENOUGH!”, then this post was your jam. For those of you who suffered through 20 shots of cacti, I’ll probably, maybe focus on a non-plant congested area sometime soon.

Next up: The bar cabinet and cocktail creation station. Yup, that’s a thing in our apartment. And yes, there’s plants there, too. Sorry I’m not sorry.

I’m so excited to share more of the place I love being most with all of you! Thanks for stopping by!

weekend edition // linking up.

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Happy weekend, friends! I kicked things off early yesterday (hooray for summer hours at work!) and skipped over to Wrigley Field to take in a Cubs game with A and his friends. The tickets were free which is a good thing since beer definitely is not. After a string of mid-70s and sunshiny weekdays, Friday was overcast and chilly – not summertime ballpark-eqsue temperatures in the least! But, ya make do, right? We shared a hummus platter, guzzled brews, chatted with friends, and watched a close game between the Cubs and NY Mets. Sadly, the Cubs got beat, but that’s just old hat around here.

What are you up to this weekend? After waking up this morning and frantically stress cleaning our apartment, I’ve decided that I need to chill the eff out and take a bike ride along the lake down to Hollywood Beach for frisbee and sunshine soaking. So, that’s what I’m off to do.

In case you’re in the mood for additional reading on this weekend, here’s some bits and pieces that caught my eye during my weekly internet travels. Want more? Check out the Weekend Edition archives.

LINKS!

  • Angelina Jolie’s NY Times op-ed – I’m sure you’ve all seen this, but I’ll post here just in case. Her story gave me strength but also terrified me at the same time. 
  • Gratitude Walks – What a wonderful ritual! I love reading about how others take care of themselves. Her routine reminds me of my morning walk and gratitude journal.
  • Vampire Weekend – LIVE in concert via NPR! If you’re missing out on their summer tour, catch the show here! “Diane Young” is my favorite.
  • Butterflies - A thoughtful essay from Megan of Pink O’Clock in remembrance of her grandmother. How do you honor and remember your loved ones? I often do this through items in my home.

And here’s a few recent posts you may have missed…

scowling at herbs for the Chicago Tribune.

Holy exclamation point. You guys, I’m in the paper today! Scowling at herbs and wearing a symphony of color and pattern, natch.

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While perusing the Daley Plaza Farmers Market yesterday afternoon on its opening day (runs May – October), a lovely man from the Chicago Tribune approached me to ask if he could use photos he stealthily took while I was hunting through herbs at one of the plant stands. Sneaky dude! And YES! YES! Of course you can use my photo!

It’s not every day you’re in the paper wearing smurf pants and giving mint plants the shady side eye. Why yes, those ARE helping hands in a rainbow of colors dotting my shirt. Friends, these are the things I wear to work. Cats out of the bag. I think J.Crew would be proud of me for being so loud bright.

As you can tell, some big life decisions were happening here; choosing the perfect variety of mint for mojito-making is a crucial start to the summer. A says I look like a “discerning chimp”. Touché, sir. I do. No girl should take her cocktail & juice making herb selection lightly! I came home with basil, lavender, and mint. All of which now adorn our window sill and shall be used to infuse the shit out of gin and tequila all the live long summer. Plus, errr…making some healthy stuff, too.

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Low and behold, my coworkers emailed me this morning to alert that the photo made the print version of today’s paper! You can view the snapshot on the Chicago Tribute website via the Photo Gallery section here, or on page 7 (bottom right) in the first section of today’s print version.

All photos courtesy of the Chicago Tribune, Jose M. Osorio. 

youth lagoon + majical cloudz.

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One of my favorite perks of spring and summer is that weeknight dates are back on the table. Rather than racing home and bundling up in the apartment to escape winter’s whipping winds, we’re opening our windows and getting out of the apartment in the evening – frisbee in the park, a run down the lake, maybe even fish tacos + margaritas al fresco. By golly, this girl loves herself a date night. Leave it to me to make a date out of anything. I like to claim that this makes me low maintenance! Last night’s trip to Jewel for salad fixins totally counted as a date in my book. Basically, anytime we agree to go some place together, I’m labeling it “DATE!” and getting giddy. Being my boyfriend largely parallels hanging out with an excited toddler…

This evening A and I are heading to Metro, a mid-size local music venue, to see Majical Cloudz and Youth Lagoon. After missing most of Youth Lagoon’s set last year at Pitchfork (the drama!), I’m SUPER pumped to hear him live. “Cannons” is simply THE BEST. Plus, A’s been singing the praises of Majical Cloudz, as has Pitchfork, so clearly they’re a must hear.

Funny story on Majical Cloudz. While I was vacationing in Antigua with my family earlier this year, A attended the Autre Ne Veut and Majical Cloudz show solo and wound up befriending and lending our monster living room couch to Majical Cloudz to crash on for a few days while they were in Chicago. This whole “you can crash at my place” thing between bands is totally new to me, so when I called home from tropical paradise, I was a littttle surprised to find that we had house-guests. But hey, it’s good to know that the indie music community supports each other so much. Rock on, band buddies.  By the transitive property, I’ve decided that I’m now friends with Majical Cloudz, too. And bonus perk, we’re on “the list” for tonight. Holler back, free date!

Below is a small sampling of some of my favorite songs from Majical Cloudz and Youth Lagoon. Lots of low-fi rock bliss packed with cathartic humming melodies sure to lift your Wednesday spirits.

In Chicago and free tonight? Come on down to Metro to check out the show!

Updated May 16: Below are snaps from the show!

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