:: workin' for the weekend ::

friends and fam -- it was a LONG week. i swear, every monday i'm looking forward to friday. i know that's nothing out of the ordinary, but i'm going to *try* to find something to look forward to during each week. perhaps an after-work outing, walk with a friend or specially-made dinner. but, since that doesn't start until tomorrow i'll show you this weekend's happenings... nothing too crazy. fairly relaxed actually:)

friday night ::
we went to a party for a friend's 30th birthday. it was filled with great friends, good drinks and even better music. oh, and no party seems to be complete without some mustaches:)

saturday ::
lazy, lazy day. border-line obscene. we watched a million episodes of house hunters international, cooked a roast and caught up on laziness.

sunday ::
went to brunch with my lady friends for rigi's 30th birthday. hearty boys was as delicious for brunch as it was for dinner. i had a mimosa with "tang" cubes {fun and fizzy} and stuffed french toast with a chocolate-covered banana... it looked kind of dirty, but tasted delish! after brunch, i stopped by whole foods to get fresh flowers and some unfiltered apple cider vinegar... going to start drinking water with a few teaspoons twice a day. supposed to be super good for you... let's see if i can keep up with it! eric left tonight for san antonio for training this week - bachelor abbey ensues... first stop, homemade chocolate chip cookies. new recipe that has to stay in the fridge for 36 hours... my hopes are high!

:: easter in 'brasky ::

eric was swamped with work, so i went back to nebraska for easter to spend some time with mom, dad and thommy! while i was bummed he couldn't join, i absolutely LOVE being at "home".

because our kitchen in chicago is a bit on the small side, i like to bring my "recipes to-try" when i head to my parents'. this trip, i told my mom i wanted to make homemade marshmallows and in turn received a blank stare:) a friend from work made homemade marshmallows and let me try them. seriously, they are a treat. they're fairly easy to whip-up and can be flavored with any desired extract... i chose almond. yummo.

we spent friday hanging out and relaxing, saturday we went to lincoln to shop, then headed to pk's in benedict to eat and to the late showing of hunger games {i.am.obsessed}. sunday we picked up grandma joan and headed to hastings to spend time and brunch with grammy sherrill. such a whirlwind trip, but lots & lots of fun with the fam. miss them already!!

:: meat-packing neighborhood ::

i remember interviewing at trisect {current place of employment} and thinking to myself, "this is a super random area." our office is nestled in the meat-packing district - it's a mix of artsy and gritty {with a little more grit, dirt and stench than art}. but, i've come to love our location and the amazing restaurants popping up everywhere. it's obviously a big change from being right off michigan avenue... but thought i'd share some of my fave things about our hood:

1.  the fat truck {yes, a truck that comes to fetch pig fat from the meat packing plants along fulton market street}
   

2. pallet man {usually homeless men fetch leftover pallets from meat packing plants, load them onto shopping carts and push them down the middle of the street to re-sell them for some cash}

3. publican quality meats {a delicious new deli from the folks at publican - dangerously close to our office. the lamb meatball sammy is unreal.}

:: chicago restaurant week ::

so, i *may* have gone a little crazy with chicago restaurant week this year... but, seriously, there are so many amazing places to eat. and, anyone that knows me, knows that i like to rationalize about "deals" - three courses for $25? it's like they're paying me to eat there:)

before you judge me, know that i don't *normally* eat this much. this was a bit of a special occasion... now, onto the run down of where i went, what i ordered and with whom i dined:

• saturday, 2/18: dinner with miguel/lauren at cere's table in ravenswood {i had a bucatini carbonara}
• monday, 2/21: lunch with laura at blackbird in the west loop {baby octopus and pekin duck confit}
• tuesday, 2/22: lunch with work friends at grange hall burger bar in the west loop {grass-fed beef burger with bacon, mushrooms and sharp white cheddar & hand-cut fries, oh and some homemade ice cream}
• tuesday, 2/22: dinner with jenae and annie at hearty in boys town {homemade pimento cheese app, fried chicken and dumplins' and pbj wonder bread pudding... gluttonous}
• wednesday, 2/23: lunch with cass & jenae at porkchop in the west loop {pulled pork sammy!}
• wednesday, 2/23: dinner with erin and laura at perennial virant in lincoln park {pan-roasted whitefish and lots of specialty cocktails!}

was the description disgusting enough? well, here are some pics. get ready to get your mouth a-waterin'!
blackbird

grange hall burger

hearty

perennial virant

:: mile high city escape ::

after an extra busy "busy season", eric & i planned a getaway to denver to spend some time with thommy! our visit centered around eating, drinking and shopping... three of my favorite past-times:) we pondered spending a few days in the mountains, but it was eric's first real trip to denver, so we wanted to explore the city. in addition to thom coming in from alliance, we were able to hang out with some of our faves from york that now live in denver. and, one of eric's friends from summer training works for kpmg in denver, so dinner & drinks were had with her. we miss you, thom! such a fun-filled getaway!! here's a quick run-down our our time:  

thursday:
* breakfast at Lucile's {amazing creole food}
* stroll through LoDo and Larimer Square
* beer tastings early in the day with Jeff
* dinner with kylee, doug & ty for 5280 Restaurant Week
* after dinner drinks at a speak easy, vodka bar and chic "club" chloe:)  

friday:
* shopping in the highlands
* thom's old timey haircut
* lunch at cherry cricket with thom's pal
* shopping at cherry creek
* dinner/drinks with eric's kpmg friend
 * out with the landenberger's at the gigglin' grizzly {it's a nebraska bar!}  

saturday:
* breakfast at denver biscuit company {what the heck?!}
* brewery tour at new belgium in ft. collins
* pizza at beaujois's
* hiking horsetooth in ft. collins
* drop by u of colorado campus in boulder
* stoll down pearl street
* dinner at a nice little sushi joint in denver

 breakfast @ lucile's!

my boys before heading to the great divide brewery:

thom & i:

thom pre-haircut:

mid-cut:

post-cut:

thom & e:

on the hike {more difficult post brewery tour}: