lifestyle // October

The desire to write on a multitude of topics is overwhelming as I've seemed to have stumble into some great topics to lay out in writing form. However, I have a massive amount of pictures that are worthy of uploading and giving a bit of back story about. This might be fun for you and it's definitely chocked full of random. I didn't realize there was so much that had gone on and sometimes it feels damn good to compile these pictures, go back, and remember the good times. I'm grateful when I capture the smallest things because they piece together the whole so much better. Splitting up my time between the city and the burbs is also pretty reflective in this series of shots. It's definitely a great mix up and I love becoming more and more familiar with it each time I go. This is as up to date as it gets. The last few pictures I took up until a few hours ago and the start...I can't remember when I thrifted this jacket, so I'd say about a month or so ago. Buckle in, you might get something out of this one;

And what a marvelous thrift it was. I actually went to Buffalo to try to snag this jacket
and pair of shoes I had seen in the previous week, however, both were gone and I walked
out with this bad boy. I can never pass up a funky blazer or jacket because it's just the perfect
thing to add over something boring. That and I never fail to scope out something Fresh Prince-y...

[ ]

OBVIOUSLY!

These were taken in the park/forest preserve by my house // Knock Knolls Park

autumn outfit. I LOVE AUTUMN FASHION, OKAY? and layering tights.
Don't let anyone tell you different.

 I was shopping on Target and got a little "TRY ON!" happy with glasses and a hat.

And it's Autumn. If you don't have a few of these lollipops lingering in your purse

or pockets, then I suggest you make some linger in there real fast.

 

CHERRY PIE CUPCAKES! MY FAVORITE!
I took this picture for the pure humor of it. This was me at
5:45 am heading to the bakery. Early mornings don't mean you
neglect the cat-eye.

 What a day overall. Hung out with a group where during the daytime we were all just kind of kicked-back

and hangin' out, and then we all parted ways, did what we needed to do, got ready, and came back together

for an evening party. I was introduced to THIS vodka that tastes remarkably like Swedish Fish candy.

When I checked out the site, I found that they had a slew of other amazing flavors. Things like Cookie Dough

Cake, Chocolate Whip, Cotton Candy that sort of make you wonder if the testing for this was them pouring

Vodka over these food items and going "...YEAH! TASTES GREAT! BOTTLE IT!"

 Me + Brooke and Me + Erin at a shindig over at Erin's place.

I love these girls, where a hangout is never a bad time. 

So, this coat. That first blazer picture, I said I went back to get a coat instead,
well, the coat I had gone back for was a leopard print one. A basic trench, but rad in print.
It was gone when I went for it, however, I came back to the burbs and THE NEXT DAY
I was walking Downtown Naperville, going past Serendipity, and this leopard coat was in
the window SCREAMING MY NAME. I SNAGGED THIS BAD BOY FOR A HOT HOT HOT DEAL
and I did it in a very loud and excited manner. I am over the moon that I scored something like this.
It still had the tags on it too, making it that much more of a solid steal. It was
almost too funny that I was able to find an even better coat the next day and
STILL acquire a bad ass blazer. That my friends, was a good day.

 

 The outfit pairing [LAYERED TIGHTS, KIDS!] and my smokes of choice. Love the colour of this box, love American Spirits.

me and Dan exhibiting awesome, MAJ

So let's define rad here for a hot second; Our friend (meaning Dan and I) have
a friend named Danny who's a chef that happens to also be in a billion social
different circles. Her friend proposed the idea of whipping up an Aphrodisiac
Menu that would consist of 7 courses, each one using an element of turn on.
We dined together in a group of six; three couples. We also did a write up on
our experiences that might get published somewhere down the line later, so I
don't want to reveal too much here, except that I got to experience it and loved it.

First paired up was the Carrot + Cinnamon + Saffron soup. Which I could roll in
before I consume it, it's just that good. 

2. here we had the Avacado bowl + Mango + Tomato+ Basil +Arugula, and balsamic truffle vinaigrette salad with

3. Crispy crimini mushrooms + Sage + Brown butter sauce, which can also be described as OVER THE MOON.

4. Lambchop with Kabocha squash + Cayenne + Fenugreek. Let's talk about how I wolfed down

this squash with the greatest ease, it was spicy and made you feel WARM. Outstanding.

5. Oysters + crispy apple ginger relish - first time oysting, and they were exquisite! The apple

relish was exactly what it needed to make it burst with flavor and ease down the oyster.

6. this groovy drink wasn't the last thing to be served, but it was the last thing

I snapped of this meal. It's Watermelon + Ginseng + Maca Root + Tequila.

It was a drink/shot, but it had the most unusual flavor that we all ended up

really enjoying. It was the mix of all the healthy components that made you

feel like you were getting an extra little boost.

Overall, the aphrodisiac experience was pretty stellar. As I said, there will be a write up

later on being published. I'll be sure to post an update when it is of where to find it.

 

Ah, two divine pleasures, yet very different ones. We featured a Candy Bar Cupcake a few weeks ago

that consists of a vanilla base with M&M's, topped with a PB Ganache, and coated in;

Twix + Butterfingers + Reese's + Rolo's +M&M's. The glory is all behind the Portillo's

meal featured there so perfectly; my beloved Beef + Cheese Croissant with Cheese Fries.

Three of my favourite things; layered + colored tights, a fabulous long coat, and a piping hot bowl of liver dumpling soup. Dan came into town one day and we went to Bohemian Crystal which is a staple in our family.

Numerous family events have been held there, along with handfuls of Sunday meals with extended relatives. It was extremely odd going there on a lunchy date because my family had been the only people I had gone there with and likewise with him. We were both familiar with it-as you should be. Anyone who knows anyone around this area, about anything, knows that the Crystal is going to be loading you up with the best bohemian food. It was a nice variation to add this place to the list of options.

DAN'S BIRTHDAY! 

We kept it pretty low key with a dinner at Old Oak Tap, drinks, and a little

hangout afterwards. I crocheted him this hat and scarf combo. First ones

of the season! We ended the night with a little gelato from Black Dog. It

was absolutely delicious and OF COURSE I find myself craving it weeks later.

I got a righteous little combo that consisted of Pumpkin & Espresso. WINNER.

The look that night:

Layered Tights! Mini skirt! Fur! Boots! SCORE!

 Then Steve had an Arrested Development party! Oh, you've never seen that show? I'm sorry,

I almost feel bad for you. Oh, you have? YOU'RE AWESOME!

 Such a prime show and I'm so glad people are still getting into it all the time.

I decided to go as Lucille, because, she's fucking awesome. The party didn't have a huge turnout,

but those who came, rocked it out. Here's some snapshots

of me with some of the guests rocking out the Lucille look.

Brooke and I after we took the hair down and undid the costumes a bit.
It's almost like we went to a whole different party.

Dan and I sometimes bop in here if we're looking for a quick coffee fix and we're
out and about in the neighborhood; Star Lounge. They also have a pretty nifty tea assortment.
 I absolutely love their menu, as well as the way it's displayed.
I'm a fan of Cortez the Thriller, because...well, OBVIOUSLY
(No, but really, I DO love 'Cortez The Killer' though, too)

Sunbeams + crisp air.

 life in s n i p s.

 suburbia.

 I came back from the city earlier than usual a few Monday's ago, allowing me the chance to skate.

I had neglected skating for so long and I was sort of sick of that happening because it's such a specific movement that releases so much. So after 6 months I took back to the ice and found my edge. I found I hadn't really faltered too much;

my spins were decent, I landed my jumps, my edges and turns were sharp, endurance was there, and artistry was a go.

I always get nervous to go back after such long breaks, but this one was good for me.

Now I try to make it happen every Monday, that's the only day my schedule allocates skating with my work schedule.

Obviously Erin and I had our 2012 couch mixer to celebrate finding her awesome couches
that are the perfect addition to her apartment. She just got her own place and had to basically
fill it from scratch. We found these suckers at a garage sale, with no real reason of sale except
they wanted new ones. We won and now I have an awesome place to sit when I hit up her place.

and then I dyed my hair a little bit more red...

AH! This was quite the night. Got ready in a hot hurry [hence me using my rollers for a hot plate], scampered

down to the city, and attended Dan's company party at the Tribune Tower. It turned out to be a real solid time,

I met a lot of his co-workers, a few invited guests that weren't part of the company, as well as some other cool cats.

Definitely glad I made it down there to celebrate with them. What a groovy kick-off to the weekend.

I took this from the train and loved that it oozed many eerie vibes.

 OBVIOUSLY! NUMERO UNO AT THE 'TILL!

Sometimes when you leave the house, you just have to step out in something fabulous, whether the day warrants it
or not.  So last Saturday I decided to rock this gown I thrifted some time last year. So far it had only been worn to
my fourth Florence show in Milwaukee, so wearing it 6 months later just felt right. Whilst wearing this on Saturday,
I found myself among different groups of friends throughout the night, both in the burbs and the city.
I just love everything about this dress and hope to keep rocking it for awhile now.

Brookie + I at a little shindig that went down at her house this weekend.
I love little get-togethers like this, wish I could have stayed longer, but the city beckoned.

dreamy/arsty shots taken of me in the dress...or something.

my rad Zed Head zebra ring looking at magazine zebras.
He loved it, but mostly, I loved it.

 city adventuring captured in three snaps.

 OH, BUT THE ICE SKATING! Seriously, it feels so good to be

back out there. I went with my lil sis Julie the other day, which is

great to skate along side someone that has a sharper skill set than you.

It was a good motivator and produced good pictures. I love the artistry

in skating. I'm not so much into the technical aspect anymore, but I love

choreography and the dance-y flow that skating allows. Really delicate,

but extremely powerful.

I snagged this shot on the drive home the other day after the rink. I really dig how it turned out.

Dan and I killed the dessert game over at The Palm last night.

Located in the Swissotel, this is a pretty decent little dessert destination.

Key Lime Pie, Cheesecake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, 7 layer cake, Carrot cake...

It's right on the river which is really nice and it's located in a central area to

dozens of restaurants making it an easy walk-to. Featured above is the 

Cheesecake & the 7 layer chocolate beast of a cake.

Chicago is ROCKIN' out the pink right now for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

It was pretty fabulous, and gives a cute little effect for the city. How about purple for

the other 11 month

 YES, YES, AND YES.  These are on my legs AS I TYPE.

You know how I love funky prints right?! Oh...so...you don't...?

THESE WERE A FIND! I found 3 pairs of OFF THE CHAIN leggings in Japan from UniQlo.

I'm talking, like, thick, funky, and top notch rad kind of leggings. So in the states, I see awesome pairs,

but they have some outrageous price tag attached them, unless you get crafty about

where you're digging for leg adornment. I found these at Ragstock. Most of these locations

are urban, aka finding them in an upscale suburban mall was pretty...sttrrannngeee to say the least.

I walked in, looked at the guy behind the counter and said "So...this is pretty weird for you too, right?"

I've only been to city locations, but it's cool/unusual to see that style hit that particular mall.

Anywho, that worked out nicely for me where I scooped these suckers up for $10.

They're perfect for right now because they are thick enough where you don't need to double them up,

but you can just throw them under a pair of shorts or a micro mini skirt. Today I rocked them with the former.

I also feel like promoting this small tidbit of information because I really feel like it'd help some of you ladies out. So, as a skater, former and present, I've learned to LOVE Mondor products. Mostly just the leggings that I grew up wearing to prevent the freeze and still find myself running to them when I'm rink bound. However, about two years ago, I started throwing them under my jeans and my thinner pair of leggings. They are flesh colored and extremely thick; made of bamboo and other bullshit that locks in the heat. This way, you don't have to worry about your leggings getting that see-through effect and you can have that extra layer of warmth buzzing about under your pants. They save me in the winter time, fit skin tight, yet comfortably, 

and I thought that you might dig that idea too. ORDER THEM HERE. 3303 are your friends!

AH! IT IS 

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND!

I AM STOKED!

 ENJOY YOURS.

you're rad as ever.

-T