Making it in America: July 4th / Week 18 Recap

We had a groovy weekend.

Our 4th was spent boating with friends...

                       

...the bump was huge...

                            ...we went 'Merica inspired, hence the head coverings and neck tat...

...and the skyline was beautiful as always.

On Saturday, we attended a friend's annual BBQ which had a 70's vibe this year. 

Someone joked that if I wanted to dress as a pregnant hippie that they make pillows for that and I didn't actually have to get pregnant. But I politely reminded them that when I commit to a theme, I commit. (*wink*)

By Sunday, 'lil mama was exhausted but spending time in the sun, with friends, celebrating our nation's mid-summer holiday was worth it. Overall, I felt so much better this week. Most of the growing pains were gone, just a few here and there, which made life a lot more bearable. Baby was the size of a sweet potato and I happened to eat one for dinner nearly every night - it just tasted sooo good. I haven't any cravings (as in "I need ice cream and pickles stat!") yet, but I do have kicks where certain foods will be my favorite for a few days in a row, and luckily so far, those items haven't been too unhealthy. The farmer's markets are in full swing so we're enjoying making dinner with fresh produce (and of course, a few sweet treats from an Italian grandmother who makes the best mini cherry pies of your life).

Hope your week and weekend were wonderful!

St. Patty's Shenanigans

Chicago turned green again this weekend! My cousin came in from North Carolina to help us celebrate and can I just say, it's awesome having a family member that gets just as excited for dress up opportunities as I do. (Recognize the wig?) We donned our festive gear (plus coats - unfortunately, the weather wasn't as fabulous as this) but we did have some sunshine so the water looked extra festive and I was able to bust out my Patrick tee again so no complaints here. We started at the river and made our way north over the course of about eleven hours, with loads of green beer, dancing, and photo opps in between. All in all, a success.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

White Gatsby

This year for our annual white party (which happened in early September... I know, forever ago) we chose a Gatsby theme and participation was swell. Even though I'm only featuring a few faces (privacy in action) on the blog, there were nearly 50 people in the usual party spot to celebrate summer's end. The sun was setting, the champagne was flowing, and we danced until the wee hours. I know it's becoming redundant, but theme parties are my favorite.

More white love in 2011, 2012, at dinner, and in winter.

'Merica Party

Over the long weekend we had a 'Merica themed party that was an absolute blast. My friend hosts on her amazing roof deck overlooking the city, and I'm in charge of photo booth backdrops. (This one was constructed from a gingham table cloth and duct tape.) Everyone else brings themed food, drinks and their best party face. Nearly fifty awesome people participated and between a few of us I'd estimate over 2,000 pictures were taken; full of laughs, props, and silly faces. Theme parties are one of my favorite things about life. Memories like this don't happen often and I cherish them with all I've got. 

The rest of the weekend included beach lounging, a BBQ and some quality time with my Kindle. Hope your 4th was fab!

A White Birthday

We celebrated the end of summer and the beginning of a new year for the hubby over Labor Day weekend. The party also doubled as our second annual White Party, a tradition we plan to keep in the rotation for as long as possible!

Dîner en Blanc - Chicago - We Went!

Remember when I told you about Dîner en Blanc last week? I hardly expected that we would end up being part of the Chicago version but how happy we were to join in the fun!

It all happened so fast... after I was un-waitlisted the hunt was on for elegant, white apparel and accessories, sourcing tables and chairs, preparing our dinner, packing our items (real plates, cloth napkins, wine glasses); it felt like a lot of work but the end result was so worth the effort. 

We took the train from our house to one of several meeting spots in the city, 

where we met our group leader and some new 'blanc' friends.

We made our way across city streets to the secret location, the Art Institute...

photos by Ryan Cosens, more here. 

where we quickly set up our tables before nightfall and settled into an elegant picnic under the stars 

(and a few spiders in the trees overhead but we dealt with it)...

and twirled our napkins to signal the start of dinner.

That's us on the right! 

Photo by James Trevenen, more here.

After a scrumptious meal and 2 bottles of wine we took silly pictures like this...

and ended the night doing this:

                                                                      photo by Ryan Cosens, more here. 

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Dîner en Blanc event you won't want to miss out. It was glamorous, friendly, and super fun way to spend an evening in your city. Call me crazy, but I'd be up for making a goal of attending in a few more cities (or countries even!). What a wonderful way to see the town, meet a few locals and make a memory in a new place! 

We thrive on exciting adventures like this but I'm curious what your thoughts are..worth the work or too much trouble?