Week in Review

Disclosure: These are all personal, quick-snap photos from my cell phone! It's been a gloomy week in Chicago and I'm so ready for spring & sunshine. I spent the weekend photographing some birthday parties & Valentine mini sessions. The theme for one of the birthday parties was Frozen! The ironic thing is that it was 50 degrees that day - hah!

I spent the week searching for apartments and walking for endless miles. Parking is such a nightmare around here that I just walk from place to place. Get my exercise in AND save on gas & sanity! This is one of the cutest apartments I saw and I'm in LOVE with all of the sun rooms in Chicago. I hope my future apartment has one...

When I wasn't searching north of the city, high & low for a home, I was snuggling on the couch or hanging out with Miss Nora. We went on adventure walks, made fresh-squeezed juice & read lots of books!

I found this on a bus stop yesterday and it stopped me & pulled me back to the present. I was all up in my head, worrying about apartment searching, that I almost missed this. I love the quote & the sun flare. (The sun did shine for at least one day!) Plus, Big Magic is on my list of books to read next. I just love Elizabeth Gilbert & her message about living a creative life, authentically, even in the face of fear.

I was in Lincoln Square, waiting to look at an apartment nearby, when I found this adorable little book/coffee shop. I found this body butter and I'm hooked. Thinking of starting a Product of the Week segment with the unique goods I find here in the city. This is by Bicycle Soap Co and the Lavender & Grapefruit scent is springy, refreshing & invigorating. I'm in love! I highly recommend The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square.

Great coffee & a blue sunset topped the week off as I headed down to the city for a Happy Hour Meetup Group. It's so much fun meeting new people and going to places I've never been. Plus, riding the train is an adventure in itself. I can't wait until my nieces visit so we can ride the train & go exploring.

I've got a full weekend of photo shoots ahead but tonight I'm meeting my mom, sister & niece in Milwaukee for a Disney on Ice night! I can't wait to see Avianna's face and give her big hugs. On Sunday, I'm heading back to Wisconsin for a photo shoot and to regroup for a few days. I'm missing my pooch like crazy - it's been two weeks since we've snuggled! Actually, I miss everyone like crazy & the transition is taking a lot of getting used to. Hopefully once this apartment stuff is taken care of, and I'm settled in, life will have some balance and a sense of normalcy again.

Much love to everyone!

Personal - I'm an Aunt again!!

My sister welcomed her third little lady into the world the day after Christmas this past year. My niece almost shared a birthday with our youngest sister, Hilary, who is a Christmas baby! We weren't able to have our Christmas morning celebration this year so we all gathered the weekend after. Right after gift opening was finished, little Ansleigh decided to get the ball rolling after we'd all been thinking she would have been celebrating her first Christmas with us. Her mom and dad took off for the hospital (an hour drive), and she arrived less than an hour after arriving at the hospital. She may have shown up late, but she was in a hurry to get here when she decided to make the party! Her sisters (and the rest of us!) were smitten with her immediately upon meeting her the following afternoon. She was the stubborn baby of the bunch, after following her two older sisters who both came earlier than their due date. She makes the cutest little grunting noises when she sleeps, she is so alert when she's up (in the middle of the night!) and she's adored by all of us. We love you to pieces, Miss Ansleigh Moon and we're so happy to welcome you to the family.