Packing for the big trip

Okay.   I'm not going to lie.  Packing was stressful.  I spent all of last night trying on outfits and then an hour this morning actually putting things into my suitcase.

So here is what I am bringing.

5 pairs of pants:

2 Skirts, 1 Dress:

Shirts:

7 Blouses:

4 Sweaters:

3 Jackets:

2 shorts, 1 bathing suit, 5 scarves:

Not Pictured: 5 Pairs of shoes - two tennis shoes, one black flats, silver pumps and tan booties (the booties I am wearing to travel)

So there it is... minus toiletries.

Here is what it looked like in my first layer of packing (shoes included):

And then with everything in it.

The only things NOT in there are the blue jacket (because I'm carrying it on) and my tan booties that I will be wearing.

With my toiletries, I should still have space should I buy anything.  I also am bringing a small duffle bag as my carry on so I can not wrestle with a bunch of things during my flight.

So..... I am 98% ready to go.  After getting ready tomorrow morning, I should be all set. :)

TWO Days!

I don't even have the attention span to write a legit post.  Seriously.  I go to the Michael Buble concert in two days and then head to vacation the next morning....

Obviously my mind is not focused on anything else - including work. :)

Tomorrow, we have a staff event at work so I will really only be "working" for a few hours in the morning.  So today is technically my last day of work until September 23rd - excited much???

I probably won't post in the morning tomorrow since I will be working on packing that evening and I promised posts about packing.

Two days people, TWO DAYS!!!

Hump Day!

I got really crappy sleep last night.  I went to bed at a reasonable hour, but then was wide awake and restless at 2:45am.  It didn't help that while lying there I could hear my upstairs neighbor moving around.  Why was he up at 3am????  Also, I have seen him and he is smaller than I am, yet manages to sound like an 800 lb man.  Plus, every morning his alarm/phone goes off shortly after mine does and I can hear it vibrating so loud that I think it's my phone.

Needless to say, I eventually fell back asleep and then my alarm went off at what felt like 15 minutes later.  I'm going to need a lot of coffee today.  And I have a committee meeting downtown, so I needed to look a little more put together than I have recently (Admittedly, I've been really lazy getting ready for work).

Not sure why this photo has some weird "glow" to it.  Weird lighting in my bedroom this morning.

*Dress - JCrew (old), sweater - Jcrew (also old), shoes - Target

The most epic month of 2013

I'm not kidding when I say that I have been actively looking forward to September since.... May... April even?!

As I am sure you have gleamed from this blog over time, I LOVE Michael Buble!  After seeing him in concert with Melissa in 2010, I have been actively stalking his website (and getting email notifications) for when he would be returning to the US on tour.

Like any great internet stalker, I was able to find out in late April that his US tour dates would be announced soon.  PLUS, as a Citibank card holder, I could get early access to purchase tickets.  Lucky for me, Chicago was his FIRST stop on his new tour!!!!!

As soon as I heard the dates announced, I sent a group text message to my mom and sisters telling them the day he was coming and asking them to commit ASAP if they wanted to go.  I was planning on buying the tickets as soon as they became available so I needed everyone's response and commitment.  Unfortunately, at the time, my mom had planned to already be in Barcelona with my dad.  So it was just going to be Melissa, Lauren and I.  (Of course, now plans have changed and she will be in town.)

So, I set a calendar reminder for the time and day that tickets would be on sale and waited patiently.  Just like my tickets to Brian Regan, I was able to score some pretty great seats for a reasonable price.  In fact, all three tickets were cheaper than the two tickets in DC three years ago.  And I think these seats might technically be a bit better.

Anyways, after months of random texts and facebook posts, that concert is finally THIS Saturday.  I'm super excited because Melissa and I had a great time last time.  He put on an amazing show and I know this time won't disappoint.  I'm also excited to spend the night with both of my sisters since I missed the Maroon 5 concert earlier this year.  Plus, last time Melissa was pregnant with Kayla and now Lauren is pregnant with baby #2.  Hopefully, this baby will become an early Buble fan like Kayla. :)

In preparation for the concert, I will be spending Friday night and all morning Saturday doing laundry and packing for the MOST EPIC VACATION EVER!!!

I know I've mentioned it a few times but that next morning, I will be heading out for my 11 day vacation to Barcelona and Paris!!!!!!!!  I can't even clearly convey how excited I am about the next two weeks of activities, so we'll just leave it at that....  lots and lots of exclamation points!

And then when I get back, we celebrate Brody's birthday.  Before I can blink it's going to be October, so I want to enjoy every second that September has to offer.

I know Leslie keeps bugging me and I am working on a packing post for my trip.  It probably won't be until Friday or Saturday though because I am only in the beginning - list making - point of packing.  :)

Goals Update: August

I'm not going to lie... this summer has been fun.  And it's been going by really quickly.  I feel like I say that every month, but it's really true.  And I know the month of September is not going to be any slower.  Slower because I have a lot of fun stuff going on in September that I really want to enjoy.

1. Complete at least 2 items from my 101 IN 1,001 LIST each month - Just one this month.  Also, I noticed that I have not been posting as much this year as I have in previous years (side note).  I'm going to try to be better at that.  In any case, I will be completing several things on my list in the month of September.  I'm really looking forward to it.

2. GET IN SHAPE - Based on my letter to myself from earlier this month, this is not happening.  No excuses (because I have been making several for myself).  This needs to happen.

3. EAT BETTER -  This is about the same as usual.  Lots of veggies.  A little better portion control.  I need to make a better effort to pre-plan and prepare meals in advance - especially for lunch.  Also, I need to be better at curbing my cravings, specifically my sweet tooth.

Happy birthday Liam Wiley House!

One year ago today, Lauren and Kevin became parents and I became the aunt of a nephew.

Liam is a smiley guy who laughs at everything and makes the most hilarious faces.  Definitely takes after his parents!!

Happy birthday little dude - I don't get to see you as often as I want, but I love the time I get to spend with you.  :)

First "non work" event

Last night was the first event I organized that was not directly related to my job.  Well, excluding birthday parties or showers or my own personal events I may have done.

As I mentioned, I have been talking and working on some things with the pinup studio.  It has been really exciting conversations and I was looking forward to the first event we were going to put on.  We got it together a little late, so we really only sent out invites a week before.  Within 3 hours of sending out the invite, we had filled out 25 guest limit and had started a waiting list.  Of course with last minute cancellations, my guest list was a crap shoot - okay since I knew we wouldn't be pressed for space.

I manned the door - as any event professional would - and welcomed everyone and made sure they put their name in for the raffles.  We had good turn out of 40 ladies!

It was really fun to just have a casual cocktail party.  They revealed their new deal that is coming up in the fall and gave away some deals and wine.  I think the ladies left feeling excited about what the studio has planned for the future and looking forward to future events.

Me?  I got home after 10pm and wanted to crash.  I am pretty tired today, so it will be an early bedtime to make up for it. :)