Nothing gold can stay...

Come back weekend, you were fun...

This weekend I:

*Enjoyed a lot of cheap but delicious Trader Joe's red wine, TV, and a yummy spiced candle

*Treated my parents to the Chicago culinary experience- Hot Doug's for lunch and Sweet Mandy B's for dinner

*Watched the Notre Dame game at a really fun Notre Dame bar

*Spent Saturday evening with good friends, good drinks, and good conversation

*Finished my Halloween decorating (spiderwebs with little orange spiders in the bushes, check)

*Went for a autumn afternoon walk

My camera and I went for a walk on Sunday afternoon and I held my own Halloween decoration contest around my neighborhood. Here are some of the highlights.

"Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold,

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay."

-Robert Frost

A leafy path.

Oh so mum-my.

Garden with ghouls.

Follow the pumpkins home.

No decorations, but I love this old house. Could be haunted, no?

Lovely ghoul.

A small witch accident.

Enter at your own risk.

And the best for last...

Arachnophobia!

26.2

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the whole year...Chicago Marathon day!! I decided to take a year off from running it this year, so instead I became my boyfriend's (a non-runner) coach. This made me nervous in completely new ways. Though I would never discount all of the hard work he put in (he impressed me beyond what I could have expected), I felt as if I had created this thing, this runner, and if the marathon didn't go well, it would be my failure. It was like watching a baby grow. The day was fantastic though, and I am so proud of him. Despite it being a balmy 33 degrees at start time and now having a massively injured knee, I would do it all over again in a second.

Some of the highlights of the day:

*Catching a 6:20 El train and having it be full of other runners.

*Watching the sun rise over the lake.

*Kissing my boy good luck, then sprinting blocks to get a perfect position to see the start line, and then the swell of 45,000 runners beginning their journey.

*Running all over the course (and city) cheering on all my friends and former teammates who were running.

*My boyfriend and I had agreed that I would do the final 6 miles with him, but he was struggling around the 17.5 mile mark, so I jumped in with him for good. It was an incredible feeling right then- "okay, this is it, this is the end and we're going to do this together."

*Hearing the crowds cheer in all languages and playing music for the runners- almost overwhelming at times.

*Around mile 23, having my boyfriend start repeating "I love you, you know that, I love you." I asked him if he was feeling okay, then if he was dying and felt like these were his last words.

*Even later in the day having him ask in his delirium if I would "be his running partner in the marathon that is life." No, that was not a real proposal.

The next few days will be spent on the couch with some ice, trying to overcome the post-marathon blues.

Happy Friday!

Happy weekend! I will be spending my Saturday doing one of my favorite fall activities- tailgating at the Notre Dame/Purdue game! Here is a Friday roundup of my life:

Can't stop reading

Can't stop watching

Can't stop drinking

Can't stop following

Can't stop wanting

Can't stop using

Can't stop loving

Can't wait to pick

Can't wait to make

Can't wait to bake

Can't wait to snack on

So happy that it's ...!

Have a good weekend

Happy Friday this week is more like, phew, it's Friday. This will be my first weekend since I moved into the new place that I don't have any plans at all and I'm very excited about it. My parents left their car with me for a few days while they vacation in Naples (Florida) so I'm going to try to cram in as much car-only shopping trips as possible. Otherwise it will be me, the boy, and football.

Fun from across the web universe:

Free Ting Tings next weekend in Chicago.

Ride like the wind, with personal style.

Love, love me some paper trees.

Even better than paper, paper towels cutouts.

Learn something new every day.

Where does your garbage go?

I think I'm obsessed.

Anthropologie, my dear, what were you thinking?

Real life Garfield.

{Image from David McEnery}

Happy happy

Wow, what a weekend! I had 8 people in town to celebrate with me and celebrate we did.

Friday night turned into a late night Michael Jackson dance party.

Saturday morning started with some much-needed breakfast and an awesome Bloody Mary bar.

Then I spent some time downtown in Millennium Park with my parents. We had lunch at Terzo Piano, the newly acclaimed restaurant at the Art Institute. It was absolutely fantastic. I had the Nichols' farm heirloom tomato salad and a Bellini.

We walked off the delicious lunch through the Lurie Garden, a gorgeous expanse of prairie and wildflowers.

Then it was on to watch the football games with my friends. Unfortunately Notre Dame gave me the same gift it has nearly every year- another loss to Michigan.

After that game I needed a glass of wine while getting dolled up.

Then it was dinner for 16 in a private room at Adobo Grill. Many, many margaritas, tequila shots, and delicious Mexican food made for a ridiculously fun evening.

Sunday came too quickly, and the day was spent watching football and eating Chicago pizza (for the second time that weekend).

What a fantastic birthday and even more fabulous friends! Now it's time to recover with my sweet boyfriend, who got me a collection of classic old movies for my birthday. Life is good.

Happy Friday!

Or should I say happy birthday weekend! I am truly looking forward to every second of this weekend. It started with a nice 18 mile run this morning. 18 miles! I know. I'm training my boyfriend for the Chicago marathon. I ran cross country in college and did the marathon last year, so it's time for some "time off." But I still enjoy the long runs. My best friends fly into Chicago tonight, we're going to act like tourists tomorrow (even though we all grew up here), and then it's dinner for 16 tomorrow night to celebrate! You never know what is going to happen when we all get together... I will be back on Monday, thoroughly exhausted!

Just a couple fun things from cyberspace.

The greatest idea ever. Ever.

Makes me want to be homeless.

A chic use for Grandma's old wallpaper.

Super fun photographs, especially the food.

Add something quirky to your daily to do list.

Bring the [fake] outdoors in.

An amazing story of life.

People on the walls.

Irish it was the weekend...

It has been such an insane week that I don't have any fun things to share for the weekend, I'm sorry, but I hope everyone has a fabulous long weekend!

Here is a hint as to what I will be up to...

Gooooo Irish!

Happy moving weekend!

Happy moving weekend! Well I hope that everyone else is staying put for your own sake, but I will be changing zip codes (same city) on Sunday. My Internet access might be questionable for a few days, but here are some great parting links from across the Web.

Bring the outdoors inside.

Sweet little notes.

Is it cocktail hour yet?

A love story that is better than Romeo and Juliet.

You say tomato, I say...food fight!

Must have LBD.

A slot machine for home objects.

Some yummy looking jewelry.

I need this woman in my life, asap.

A 28-year-old making the most of living with his parents.

The sweetest save-the-date yet.

Move my house, please.

{Image from www.herohill.com}

Happy weekend.

When I first started this blog I pictured myself blogging blissfully every evening about beautiful things. And then I realized I have a life, so my new goal is blog at least once or twice a week. This is my last weekend of summer- my final (!!!) year of law school starts on Monday. However, I hardly even have plans for the weekend- just attending a 2-year old's birthday party in Lincoln Park with my BFF and a slightly older kid birthday party at Bull and Bear tomorrow night, then getting my hair done all afternoon Sunday. Oh well, happy weekend!

Remember pop up video? How about pop up photograph?

Wish I was in LA to feel the burn.

Try a virtual time capsule.

Sweat pants exception.

Awkward turtle.

Hold on to summer with this pretty bedding.

Fun with paper (and my new favorite artist).

Air and water weekend.

Happy Friday! I hope that if you're in Chicago you can enjoy the air and water show this weekend, it's one of my favorites. On my (13.5 mile!) run this morning I got a sneak peak of the show, as there have been planes flying around all morning. I thought I should get this post in though before I take a nice long nap- long run, long nap!

My current read, which I would highly recommend.

Now on DVD, and currently in my DVD player.

Need some inspiration? Find it in a box.

An umbrella with manners.

Magic carpet ride.

There's an elephant in my yard...

A monthly wine club and, even better, a monthly art club.

Have your [rainbow] cake and eat it too.

It's the weekend kittens

It's Friday woooo! Although actually I only work away from home Monday through Wednesday so really it's like I'm beginning my second weekend. But anyway, I'm planning on being a true Chicago girl this weekend and going to Taste of Lincoln Avenue tomorrow followed by Venetian night! Venetian night is really pretty kitschy and a nightmare for agoraphobics (fear of crowds, fyi), but still tons of fun. When I was little my best friend and I would always come up to Chicago on her dad's boat, though we never could convince him to cover his boat in Christmas lights and palm trees and play loud music to join the fun. Anyway, then on Sunday I have tenth row seats behind home plate at the Cubs game! I'm really bad at spotting balls though so I hope that one doesn't fly our way.

Here is some Friday fun to enjoy!

Did you ever try to spot different shapes in the clouds? Try to skyplay.

Going out to eat this weekend?

I just want to cover my walls with these and live jungle-style.

I think I'll take a trip to LA just for this.

What did you see today?

How many people can you be?

Something pretty.

For Monday morning.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  A few of the things that will be a part of my life this weekend.

Can't stop eating

Can't stop reading 

Can't stop randomly/carefully decorating my apartment with now that it's summer

Can't stop stalking 

Can't stop wanting

Can't stop anticipating

Can't stop respecting

Can't stop supporting

Won't stop watching