Yes please!!!

Andi and I are both members of Groupon - they publish daily specials on local restaurants, spas, events,etc - and when we saw half price on admission to the Chicago Gourmet Food Festival, we knew we couldn't miss it!

The fest took place in Millennium Park (by the Bean) and was a way bigger deal that I thought it would be. Tents filled the park - filled with amazing food from local restaurants, wine, and spirits. Plus there were lots of chefs doing cooking demonstrations in the pavilions.
Yum - crab avocado martinis from Hugo's Frog Bar!
Seared scallops in a gorgeous tent.
Robert Mondavi had quite a display which included a tasting pavilion where they hosted mini seminars. We had a great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meritage, and Reisling.
How crazy is this salmon appetizer with beet foam on it - it was quite good!I highly recommend the event for next year - especially with a coupon!

New Bike!

I couldn't resist the allure of road racing any longer, so Paulo and I headed to Spokes to get me a bike. I am now the proud owner of two bikes - my Danish bike and this racing bike - yay!

The morning after I got it, I headed down to Chicago and took it out for 15miles on the lake front- LOVE IT!!!

Race Day!

Paulo had another criterion race today - except he recently moved up a level so the competition was stiffer.

Criterions are where the racers go around a set course for a certain time period (in this case 40min) and then once that time limit is reached there are 2 more laps for the win.
Other types of races are time trials and road races - there are probably more. I've decided I like the criterions best - more exciting, the sound of the peleton approaching, lots of strategy, etc.
I'm getting better at race photography, huh? Maybe I should try and make some money at these races (kidding).

They had each other...

...and that was all they needed! I'm not quite sure how that became the mantra of our weekend in San Diego, but it was and Leslie and I had a wonderful time in her city.

I flew out on Saturday morning and we headed to Coronado Beach to enjoy the gorgeous day. Oh how I love lazy afternoons spent half-sleeping on the beach!

After cleaning up we headed to Sushi Deli 3 with some of Leslie's friend - delicious!! Sunday was a lazy morning followed by a delicious brunch before heading north. We stopped at the outlet malls en route, where we were both very successful!

We got to Long Beach around 5 - perfect timing for Leslie to enjoy the first half of the Cowboys game at my hotel bar!

Thanks for a great weekend Les - hope to be back soon!!!

Oktoberfest

Yes, yes, I know it is only September, but the Berghoff likes to start early. Every year they host Oktoberfest in Federal Plaza (for those who remember the movie The Fugitive, this is the plaza with the big red sculpture that Tommy Lee Jones chases Harrison Ford through).

My coworker Ann was in town for meetings so I took her along for a full Midwestern experience.

Vern and Susan were in town from Tuscon, Todd joined his parents, Dave and Liz headed out, Dan showed up after work, and we met up with an old family friend Jennifer (dang, didn't get a photo of the whole crew!). Kelly works for the Berghoff Catering so she was able to supply beer, brats, pretzels, and corn for all of us - free of charge - thanks Kel!!

Bob and Dave decided that the tables/cups were perfect for a round of flip cup - nice!
Dave, Liz, Ann and I headed back to the train later on. Apparently we looked like we were on a mission because a cab "dropped out of the sky" and pulled over to pick us up. This was like no other cab ride any of us had been on. The man was possessed - whipping through the streets of Chicago, running a red light, etc. When we made it to Ogilvie, I seriously felt like I had just gotten off a roller coaster. But, getting their early gave us plenty of time to buy some Garrett's popcorn for the train ride home - YUM!!

Another Great Weekend

Last weekend was pretty fabulous...but thankfully this weekend didn't disappoint.

Jenny (who I have been friends with since we were 5) and Jannick were in town, so we met up with Anisha and Jeff at Cafe Iberico for amazing tapas.

Saturday morning Paulo had a bike race in Willow Springs and while he raced on to a 3rd place finish (Parabens Paulo!!!), I ran through the gorgeous forest preserve. Then it was off to Clarke'sfor the Wake Forest/Stanford game. The Deacs pulled off a last second victory - GO DEACS!!!!

Afterwards, Jen and I headed to the East Bank Club - one of Chicago's premiere health clubs for some R&R on the rooftop deck. NICE!

After some sun, steam, and sauna (I swear, the EBC has THE BEST steam room...and I have been in a lot!), it was off to Spa Night with the ladies!!! (see separate post for more details)

Sunday morning, after washing and waxing my car, I headed to Jill's baby shower. Jill and I have been friends since 7th grade and it was wonderful to see her family and some old friends from high school.

The hostess's did a fabulous job and we had a gorgeous day! Can't wait to meet baby Fitz!

As if the weekend wasn't good enough already, I was then back down to Chicago to hang out with Jenny on her family's boat in Burnham Harbor (outside of Soldier Field) for a pre-party to the U2 concert. Fun times! (no, sadly I did not go to the U2 concert).

Then it was back home to watch the Bears/Packer's game.

I can't wait for next weekend in San Diego in Leslie!!!

Fighting the Free Radicals

A few months ago some friends of mine who were going on a mission trip to Rwanda had an auction of services (tennis lessons, laundry, car wash, etc). Megan decided to auction off a ladies spa night - who could refuse that!? Definitely not Meredith, Rachel, Lynne, Tiffany, Johanna and I!!! Megan outdid herself - the apartment was filled with candles, sounds of Enya waved through the air, and a table of yumminess awaited.

Megan decided it would be fun to do homemade face masks - oatmeal, blueberry, honey, and almond. Meredith asked a very good question about what anti-oxidants really did for us. I claimed that it had something to do with fighting the free radicals, but that is where my expertise ended. Regardless, we decided it was better to be safe than sorry and decided to fight the good fight!

Lynne and Megan were first to apply the blueberry goodness....

Next up was Rach and me.....

And next, Meredith and Tiffany....

What do you do when you need to let a mask dry for 15min? Slap some cucumbers over your eyes and relax!

What a great night - thanks so much for organizing Megan!!!

Perfect Weekend...

Ingredients for a perfect weekend...

1. Skiing on glass both mornings....

2. Drinking with Mom at Chuck's....

3. Days spent on the pier with good friends and family...

4. Bash on the Bayou with Kel, Mom, and Kacey....

5. 28 mile bike ride through the gorgeous farmland

6. 5 mile run though the woods

7. A freshly washed car

8. Home cooked meals

Yep...not sure I want this one to end!

Best Boss Ever?

Back in June, I got tickets to the Cubs/White Sox cross town rivalry for my team meeting. Unfortunately it got rained out, and rescheduled for a day game yesterday.

My boss (& team) decided not to come in town, so I got to take whoever I wanted. I took my parents and Patrick, who just started working for me this week.

There were so many grounds keepers - crazy!