Lazy night

After working on a complicated estate plan for about 18 hours straight, I rewarded myself with a super lazy movie night last night. Those kind of nights feel so good when I really deserve them. I finally got around to watching Sunshine Cleaning, with the always cute Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, and I would definitely recommend it. Now that I have discovered Netflix instant watch, what should be next...

Love.

I'm currently sitting outside at my tiny bistro patio table, which is struggling to hold my MacBook and a giant pot of flowers, but it is GORGEOUS in the city today! It's one of those days where my entire self is just so content to be outside. While southerners are lucky to have weather like this all the time, I think we are even luckier to really appreciate its gloriousness during limited months. And as if it couldn't get any better, it's supposed to storm tonight.

Last night was spent with my boyfriend having a yummy dinner outside at a cozy local restaurant/bar and then sipping $2 sangria. Tomorrow will be spent with my parents (Cubs game? Zoo? Picnic?) and helping my best friend move (or helping her drink wine at her new apartment). But today is all about soaking up this gorgeousness (and all the pollen I just realized is covering me) and working on finishing up with law school!

Swoon.

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Random love of the day

Today I fell madly in love with a teacup pig, for about 30 seconds. I saw this picture on another blog and immediately decided I needed one (or two, although I can't really tell if this is a Siamese pig or not). Are they not adorable?

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I promptly googled "teacup pig" and found a website called "home of the fine little swine." Even more adorableness! When I started looking at pictures of them though I got a little case of the heebie jeebies. They're so...hairy. And like stiff hairy, not really cuddly hairy. And what if they smell? And snort? And eat my stash of Cinnamon Toast Crunch because thats what pigs do, they eat a ton.

So, no pigs for me thank you. And what is the moral of my story? Putting a sweet little kitty next to anything will make it cute.

Purple satin shoes

Today I walked four miles to buy a pair of purple satin shoes. What? Last night I made three batches of cookies for my boyfriend, not because we wanted lots of delicious cookies but because it took me that long to get it right, and after all that sampling I was in desperate need of some exercise today. And tomorrow night I am going to a ball and I needed some colored shoes to go with my black dress. Makes total sense now, right?

Said shoe. I sort of wish it was a brighter purple...but it's okay because I also purchased three pairs of back-ups. I buy and return like it's my job.

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And this is tomorrow night me. Purple shoes in hand, exhausted from my hike today.

Crushed

If you like salt and oil and crispy goodness, make these crash hot potatoes immediately. That is all.

Image from Pioneer Woman

PS Isn't the name awesome too?

PPS Thanks to the Pioneer Woman.

Heat wave

What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance.

~Jane Austen

My J.Crew light tissue tee is not thin enough and my side braid is looking a bit droopy. 82 in April in Chicago? I hear you Jane.

Summer goal

I am going to make my own jam this summer. This statement immediately elicits images of me in a pioneer style nightgown, barefoot in the kitchen stirring a pot. In actuality, I will probably be wearing workout attire, running around the kitchen like a crazy woman whose jam is currently burning on the stove. But my goal is out there, so I'm doin it.

{Image from the Pioneer Woman}

Actually, it sort of looks like a lot of steps...

No particular day

That was really good work of me writing in my blog every day during Lent, wasn't it?

I feel like I complain about law school an awful lot, not necessarily out loud because I don't want to be branded a complainer, but definitely in my own head. I recently had a really diverse and different day that reminded me how lucky I am sometimes not to be living the nine-to-five.

8:40ish: Wake up. Drink my morning glass of water and check my email/read the news online.

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9:30-10:30: My favorite class at the gym- muscle work.

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Not really related to the gym, but aren't they the hottest couple?

12:00-1:00: Lunch meeting for work. Got to see the debut of a new product and get a free lunch and the best cupcakes ever.

1:00-4:00: Get some work in.

4:00-5:00: Meet with the head of the Loyola University Museum of Art for a private tour and talk about legal issues and the museum.

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5:30: Meet my boyfriend and parents for dinner at Piccolo Sogno. I pretty much want to live at this restaurant, not only to eat their fabulous authentic Northern Italian food and drink the wine, but because the exposed brick walls and glass chandelier decor are something I want to emulate in my apartment. PS Piccolo Sogno- little dream- could not be a more fitting name.

8:00-9:30: Take a trip to Home Goods where I scour for a miniature ornate, antique-looking mirror which I plan on painting with a lacquer paint to match the one in Piccolo Sogno's bathroom (for $7). Head to Target for some Easter candy. After a long day, I'm falling asleep in line, so I justify opening and eating a bag of Starburst jelly beans in the car so that it keeps me awake on the 5 minute drive home.

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10:00: In my pajamas reading in bed.

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Do it now!

Lately I have become a total mantra person. I get this phrase in my head and it's like I march to its beat until a new phrase comes along. Right now:

Do it now Do it now Do it now!

I'm fairly certain that this came off my Lululemon manifesto water bottle (I spend a lot of time staring at all the sayings when I'm bored, although the "Children are the orgasm of life..." one bothers me slightly). I have such a bad tendency to take off my clothes at the end of the day and toss them on the desk or dresser and say, I'm tired I'll get them tomorrow. At the end of the week I literally pick up piles and piles of clothes to put away. This awful habit makes my "cozy" apartment go from cozy to cramped really quickly though. So lately it's "do it now!" Get a mantra, it will make your life good.

{His Master's Choice, Etsy}

Slow down

Do you ever just miss a time and a place so much that it hurts? It happened to me as I was getting on the train today- I had just finished a particularly long and fairly mundane day and I was starving, and with all my might I wanted to be back in college, going home from class to meet my roommate to spend an hour or so at dinner together. That hour was the most relaxing part of my day, when everything else disappeared except for the space we were occupying. That hour felt like one giant exhale and the world wouldn't start again until the next morning. Since leaving, life kind of feels like a never ending inhale.

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