I Used To Think I Was Adopted

Tis true. I knew that I favored my dad, but I NEVER thought I looked like my mom. Plus, she's what you might call a "spitfire" and "hard to handle", which were not the type of qualities I thought highly of for myself. So there I was going through my FB newsfeed, and BAM, this picture showed up and I finally saw it. What do you think?

I guess I am my mother's daughter after all.

Next, I saw this fun little link up, and at first I was like, wow, this seems easy...
But then, I was all like, dang, how do I narrow these down?!



Helene is right, and music really does define our lives with its undeniable hold on us all.
I rocked out in the 90's to Ace of Base and songs like Tears In Heaven or Wonderwall, but I also remember songs from my childhood like dancing in the kitchen with my mom to Time Of My Life from Dirty Dancing and In The Air Tonight was always cranked in the 'Stang with my dad. Ooh, and Bonnie Rait...Oh how I love me some Bonnie.

So here is my attempt at defining myself through song

My go-to Karaoke song:

Journey Don't Stop Believin' {I totally sound like this...}

Favorite Disney Song:

Sarah Mclachlan When Somebody Loved Me {Toy Story 2}

The song that always makes me happy:

Bobby McFerrin Don't Worry Be Happy {one man sick acapella}

The song that never gets old:

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody

The song I dedicate to Will:

Brad Paisley Then {narrating The Notebook}

The songs that got me through last years deployment:

Lennon and Maisy I Won't Give Up {sung by the best child duo}

Christina Perri A Thousand Years

And last but not least, a song that was once long forgotten, but I recently rediscovered:

Eagle Eye Cherry Falling In Love Again

Bonus points if any of you actually remember Eagle Eye Cherry. Although, that song may not count because it doesn't actually define me...I just love singing it with someone playing an acoustic guitar.

After all these, you might wonder about my eclectic taste, but you would never get bored listening to my iPod. Especially if you go to my favorite playlist that is comprised of Mashups like this. They are what I live for in the gym.

Do you relate to any of these? Or do you just think I'm crazy?

I like crazy. Helene brings it out in me.

Goin' To The Chapel And We're Gonna Get MaAaAarried

Not me, silly.

P!NKY from P!nk Pers!stence!

You can find me blogging over on her fabulous blog today while she's on her honeymoon.

I'm so happy for all the bloggers getting married, and am so thankful that P!NKY and Tabitha asked me to guest post while they are enjoying their newly wedded bliss. {Just to be clear...they did not marry each other} So proud of you both, and cheers to many, many years!

Tractor Pulls, Thievery, Breast Cancer Awareness, And More!

Welp, the recaps are done, so I guess I can catch you up on everything else that has gone on. I'm surprised that so much has happened in a week that it's not all going to fit in today, but summer has been interesting this year. Although any summer following a Deployment is going to be better!

+We tried a new restaurant. They may have tried to steal from us.
The place is called Colorado Mountain Brewery. The beers are good, food is decent, but the bartender may be a thief. Check your bank statements people, because I was surprised that our first tab at the bar {for two drinks} was $34 dollars, and come to find out, the bartender gave himself an $18 tip. Nice try buddy. At least I got to rock my maxi skirt...

+Labor Day was a fun day at a neighborhood festival, and we can now say we have been to our first Tractor Pull. It's not uber exciting, but we were quite enthralled for about an hour.

I went for a Southwestern look, and wanted to try out my high-wasted jean shorts.

I think I actually like them, and will like them even more now that I'm slowly working off those Deep Dish calories. I distressed them myself, so if anyone is interested in a tutorial I may post one.

+ This week, my baby brother has become an adult.
My sweet baby brother that I changed diapers for and treated like my come-to-life-baby-doll, has fnally turned 18! As such, I got him a risque card that my mom probably rolled her eyes at. I don't think it was that bad...

+We had one of our semi-annual crabfests, and by that I mean we gorge ourselves on crab for no other reason that we both had a hankerin' for seafood. We also picked up our favorite pumpkin beer, and finally found Redd's Strawberry Ale. It did NOT disappoint, and it may even be my new favorite.

+Last, but not least, I would like to give you a great reason to online shop today.
Last month, I won a credit to Altar'd State from the amazingly wonderful Shanna. I fell in love with their site, and now that they are raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness, I am even more smitten. This month, they will be donating 10% of their net proceeds from every Monday, and that's enough incentive for me!


Check out the cute tops that I already got:

Time to go shopping. BuhBye!

From The Congress Plaza To The W...We Fancy

When I was young I traveled with family and school, when I was in college I would travel alone or with friends even on a whim, and now with my husband, I am learning a new form of travel. As anyone that is in a long-term relationship knows, traveling with a partner must be a compromise. He doesn't want to do trivial sightseeing, she wants to take too many pictures, and everyone has a different idea of what is 'must do'.

For example, Will hates trying on clothes. Compromise: I didn't need anything so we only went shopping for him, which cut the shopping time by at least a third, and I only asked him to try on things that he liked. Well...other than the green pants. Surprisingly, he didn't pick those. Wonder why?

He's got skills, I tell ya. Just look at that ass...

I am happy to say that this trip was the first time that we were on the same page. We have learned to compromise, focus on each other, and most importantly- not stress ourselves out by over-planning. Very important on a ten day road trip, I must say.

I was very thankful for all the suggestions we got from friends, family, and bloggers as to what we should do in Chicago, and I'm happy to share what worked for us. I want everyone to have access to the secrets the city holds, and most importantly- I don't want anyone to be scared to go to Chicago! I can't tell you how many people tried to dissuade us from visiting, and I want to make sure that others can feel confident visiting this amazing city.

~To Do List Prior To A Trip To Chicago~

#1 Check the weather.

Chicago has extremes, and each season can bring problems. I knew that Spring and Summer were the best options, but we had to gamble on August due to our vacation schedule. I heard that there can be bad thunderstorms in August, but we had great weather up until the last day. However, if you do have bad weather, just embrace it. We went to Flattop Grill for the second time, Will offered to take me shopping again, and we visited Garrett Popcorn to get fresh made Chicago Style popcorn to feed my popcorn addiction.

#2 Check out local events.

Sites like Choose Chicago and MetroMix could give you insight that the average tourist won't have. For example, in the summertime they have fireworks at the Navy Pier every Wednesday, and Millennium Park has FREE concerts in a state of the art amphitheater.

#3 Purchase Discount Packages for the Main Attractions!

Sightseeing can get expensive, so don't pass up these deals. Through Smart Destinations you can buy a full pass or create your own pass to see the city at a discount. As I mentioned, we didn't want to over-plan, so we purchased the Skydeck, Navy Pier, and an Architectural Cruise for $55 a person. Not only did we save money, we also had instant access to tickets through our phones, and had flexibility to fit the attractions into our schedule with zero constraints. *If you are Military, check with the USO before you purchase because some things are already free! You can also visit the USO on the Navy Pier.

#4 Book Hotels in The Loop.

I kept hearing that it was such a "Big City" and hard to maneuver, so I took out the middle man and decided to stay in The Loop. It was more expensive than staying outside the city, but if you figure in the drive time and stress, then I think it's totally worth it.

We booked a deal through a travel site for The Congress Plaza Hotel, which was the cheapest and also had the cheapest parking rate at $39/night. I never thought I would be okay with $39 dollars a night for parking, but it was still better than the $100 that others charged. The Congress was an older hotel, but had loads of charm and was well maintained. It is directly across from the Buckingham Fountain, so it was the perfect location and had a great view. I actually couldn't believe that we could see the lake from our room.
Pretty badass. 

As sad as we were to leave that view, I had also looked into staying at the W Chicago. It is one of my favorite hotel chains, and since I usually stay there with work, Will had yet to experience it. At $300/night and $60 for parking it is pricey, but sometimes the splurge is totally worth it...But guess what? If you are Military or a member of a Travel Club, then you should definitely check for discounts. We were able to get HALF OFF for our last night in Chicago! That is simply unheard of, but I'll take it.

Just so you know, those lamps are taller than the first floor of the hotel. I realize that they could look like I just used a strange camera angle, but nope, they are that big!

Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself.

So yes, it is expensive, but the Holiday Inn Express doesn't open every door for you, there are no granny smith apples and cocktails in the lobby, and there definitely isn't a full gym with touch screen tv's on every treadmill.

Let me tell ya, when you know you are about to eat Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, an extra workout in the gym seems like the best idea EVER. Then we were prepped and ready to round out our trip with a visit to Giordano's, which is arguably the best Deep Dish in town.

The one thing you need to know is that the pizza takes 45 minutes to cook. If you go in there starving you will not be a happy camper. Your best bet is to Pre-order online or Pre-order while you wait for a table. You could also order an appetizer to tide you over, but all I wanted was pizza, so there was no room in my stomach for anything but. All I can say, is that it is DEFINITELY worth the wait. So much so, that I ate myself into a food coma, and I would do it all over again.

To be honest, I could do Chicago all over again. There is so much more that the city has to offer, and I'd even be willing to knock this checklist out aaaaaall over again.

I think it's safe to say that we dominated Chicago and can officially cross it off the bucket list. With that being said, it also means that the vacation recaps have come to an end. I hope you found them enjoyable because I sure did, and thank you for following along.

Everyone have a Tiggerific weekend.

For more reading pleasure, read about our first day at the Skydeck, the second day seeing the city from a different persepective , and don't forget about our Reunion or our time in Ohio. Personally, I think they are enthralling ;)