It’s an extra foggy, extra-hard-to-get-out-of-bed Monday morning but here’s my bright side:
This Chicago winter weather! It was in the 60’s over the weekend, and we’ve barely had any snowfall so far this year. I’m constantly reminding myself that it could be worse and appreciating every moment of this mild winter. It’s so easy to love living here with December weather like this.
Weekends are for sleeping in, catching up on blogs, and doing laundry. We stayed in and watched The Prestige last night and found a decent dim sum place in the suburbs earlier today! Two thumbs up for this low-key weekend so far 🙂
Here are some of my favorite links I found this week:
And finally, my prayers are with everyone affected by the San Bernadino shooting on Wednesday. I’m terrified of what the world has become. This just needs to stop.
Day 1 of our Trader Joe’s Advent calendar! Mmm chocolate bear
Whoa, I can’t believe December is already here! Which means Advent is here, which means Christmas is almost here! I know this does not make me unique, but this is most definitely my favorite time of year. Time for 24/7 Christmas music, hot cocoa every day, and Elf and Love Actually on repeat. Perrrrfecctionn.
Since it is the first of the month, it’s time for me to set some goals. I set goals often — yearly, monthly, daily…hourly if I’m feeling ambitious — and it really helps me to see what’s important and find purpose in everything I do. I have always generally set three main goals at a time, and I recently learned that the Rule of Three is an actual productivity tool! I was being productive all this time, and didn’t even know it 🙂 Anyways, more to come on that in a future post but here are my three goals for this month:
1. Finish wedding thank you cards
It’s been a long time coming. Is there such thing as saying thanks too late? As long as I get these out in the same calendar year we got married, I think it should be okay…right?
2. Focus on giving
Tis the season for giving. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the chaos of the holidays, but I want to make a point to really take time to recognize acts of giving and to give in everything I do. Less me, more everyone and everything else.
3. Start a new tradition
I love traditions. No, actually, I LOVE traditions. My husband and I already have a few (probably more than he thought we ever would), but since this is our first holiday season as a married couple, I think it’s the perfect time to add one more to the pile. Time to brainstorm!
Mondays are rough. Mondays after a long a weekend are extra rough. So here’s my bright side on this extra rough Cyber Monday:
Christmas decorations are up! Everywhere I go — my apartment, the park I drive past on my way to work, the office — I am surrounded by the holiday spirit. Can’t help but smile with all the good cheer!
DIY banner made with my beloved Silhouette Portrait
Last night we hosted a Friendsgiving with our close group of friends and it was the perfect way to round out this very thankful weekend. We rented out the conference room in our building and combined three tables to seat 20 guests. I tried to keep the planning process relatively stress free with quick and cute decorations and simple recipes as our potluck contribution. While the day-of got a little hectic with a scramble for chairs and an inevitably messy kitchen, in the end, everything turned out well. We spent the night sipping spiked cider and laughing uncontrollably during games of “Thumper” and “Cheers to the Governor,” all with good company.
Fell in love with these turkey napkins from Target. Also, a quick peek of the mini fall centerpieces I put together
The meat and cheese platter and veggie tray stayed out all night for people to snack on
Our little bar — complete with sparkling cranberry punch and spiced cider (rum optional)
Party details:
Decor
Food and Drinks
It was potluck style, but here is what I contributed and the recipes I used:
Extras
Apologize for the horrible quality pictures — lighting was not the best in there.
What are you doing when you get lost in what you’re doing?
I’ve been trying to be more aware of the things I do that make time fly. I’m sure there are a million ways to ask this, but you know how sometimes you just get so wrapped up in something that one minute turns into hours like nothing? I love when that happens. And I’m starting to make note of it because that means I love what I’m doing in that moment, and that’s what I should be doing more of.
So here’s my short, growing list of things I’ve noticed I get lost in so far. I’m learning to do what I love and never let time be a factor.
Husband and I hitching a ride on the bride’s inflatable swan
While everyone else was fighting crowds at the mall, I took today to relax from all of the Thanksgiving hoopla, plan for the friendsgiving we are hosting tomorrow, and spend a little more time reflecting on how grateful I am for all the good in my life.
Something I am extra grateful for is all of the opportunities I had to travel this year. Most recently, we took a trip to beautiful Montego Bay, Jamaica for my new cousin-in-law’s destination wedding in the beginning of November. It was a quick four day adventure full of sun, family, and unbelievable scenery. Here’s my recap:
How we got there:
We took an early morning 5 am (ugh) flight from Chicago to Montego Bay with a quick layover in Houston via Southwest Airlines. I’m a big fan of flying Southwest because a) snacks, b) tv (using your own device), and c) they have the best staff, so it was a safe and happy voyage despite a couple delays. Once in Montego Bay, the customs process was surprisingly quick with the automated systems and our hotel had it’s own lounge to wait in. We got super lucky as the shuttle was ready to pick us up soon after we landed and we were whisked away to the resort.
Where we stayed:
Since we were there for the wedding, we didn’t have to do much planning since the bride and groom had a resort picked out. We stayed at the gorgeous all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, which was a short drive from the airport. The hotel is the family-friendly side of an expansive property that also includes the adults-only Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, where many of the other wedding guests were staying. The main noticeable difference between the two was that staying on the family side had a few limitations when it came to dining options, while the Zilara guests had full access to all of the restaurants. Luckily it wasn’t a huge deal since we were only there for a few short days.
The hotel is huge, but didn’t feel overcrowded. Outside, there is a large main pool, a couple of hot tubs, and a quaint beach area surrounded by rocks. We spent days lounging on the beach swings and playing water basketball . At night we watched live performances in cozy lounge chairs surrounded by fire pits, had a couple of drinks at the rooftop Moroccan bar Fez and sports pub Union Jack’z, and played pool.
Main pool area as seen from the lobby
I love the beach.
What we ate:
Since I’m not a big drinker, the food is definitely one of my favorite things about all-inclusive resorts. We spent most meals at Choicez, the resort’s buffet, for a variety of foods and a seaside view. Breakfast included mimosas, fresh fruit, delicious pastries, and other typical breakfast fare. I made sure to eat a little ackee and saltfish each morning, which is the national dish of Jamaica. It was super salty but paired nicely with rice and actually tasted like some breakfast my dad has put together.
And of course, since we were in Jamaica, we had plenty of jerk chicken. The first day we had some on the beach at this little shack on the resort called Barefoot Jerkz. The food was fresh from the grill and the perfect filler since we were starving from our travels. The best jerk chicken we had though was during our excursion when we went to Scotchies. It’s a super cute outdoor spot with flavorful chicken, pumpkin rice, the beeeesstt fried bread called festival, and Red Stripe (hooray beer!). Yummm.
The last night we ate at Brazil, which is the Hyatt’s specialty Brazilian restaurant. It’s similar to other Brazilian steakhouses I’ve been to where they have a salad bar and servers come around to the tables to give you meats based on the little card you have that lets them know “Yes, MORE MEAT” or “No, I can’t possibly eat another bite”. The meats were good and the salad bar was decent, but the highlight of the meal was definitely the plantains.
And a few extras: we had fresh coconut juice at breakfast the first day from our awesome server. Typically they need a day notice, but we were able to get a couple of nuts that morning. Nothing like sipping straight out of a fruit to make you feel like you’re on vacation. And we took frequent coffee and dessert breaks at the cute and cozy Grindz cafe. A latte was perfect for a midday pick-me-up. OH and 24-hour room service – yes please!
What we did:
Besides a whole lot of laying out and appreciating every single moment of sunshine before heading home to the Windy City, we had a wedding to go to, of course! The wedding took place right outside of the historic Rose Hall, which was a short 5 minute or so drive from the hotel. The plantation is incredibly beautiful, and the wedding was perfect, complete with a short and sweet ceremony, the best live band I have ever witnessed, and a cigar bar.
Rose Hall Great House – the beautiful ceremony took place right on that bottom set of steps
Father-daughter dance to “My Girl” under the lighted tent
We also decided to venture outside of the hotel for a little excursion. The husband planned a day trip for us and a couple of his cousins to Blue Hole through Liberty Tours Jamaica. Blue hole is this amazing little hidden gem in Ocho Rios, about two hours from Montego Bay. We took a van from our hotel and the super-knowledgeable driver filled us with info about Jamaican history and culture, pointing out sites like the Rose Hall and Usain Bolt’s high school. Once at Blue Hole, it was definitely an adventure. We climbed up a river, swam under and jumped off of a waterfall, swung from a rope into the bluest water, and the husband and I even took the plunge from a 30-foot-cliff! This was all done in one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I have ever seen in person. A must-do for anyone who goes to Jamaica!
Photo op stop at the place where Christopher Columbus landed
Husband and I hanging out in front of the cascading waterfall at Blue Hole
Four days went by in a flash but it was an amazing trip, nonetheless. Till next time, Montego Bay!
Update:
Check out the video my husband put together of our trip 🙂
This morning’s OOTD at our extra muddy annual family football game
A few months ago I wrote this post about what I really wanted out of this blog and how much I wanted to stick with it. And while I still want all of those things — honesty, authenticity, reality — you can tell that the sticking part didn’t work out so well.
Fast forward to this past weekend when I sat myself down for the billionth time and really thought about my intentions and why it’s so important to me to become a consistent, if not serious, blogger. I knew I wanted to write and I knew I wanted to document my life, but big picture, what was I really looking for? I realized all roads lead to one path: I want to live a happy and fulfilling life.
This has been the basis of everything I’ve ever done, and while I’m sure almost everyone can say the same, it is also something I have thought about tirelessly and researched constantly. This is the purpose I was looking for, and the answer to the big (with a) “why” I am blogging: to share my own experience finding happiness (and hope that it helps others in return).
So…how am I going to do this? I decided I am going to focus on a few key things:
All of my posts from now on will fall into one, two, or all of these categories. This is a fresh start for me and I am really excited for what’s to come. So with that I say…
hello again.
Photo from our awesome engagement session last fall with David Lai Photography
Fall is here! Fall is here!
Ok, enough false excitement. To be perfectly honest, I am not a fan of fall. I can’t stand cold weather, sweaters aren’t always comfy, and not everything is meant to be pumpkin-flavored. This list from PureWow actually sums up my feelings for fall pretty accurately and gave me a good laugh. BUT, in an effort to fall in love with this season, I’ve decided to put together my first ever fall list. So here we go! Disclaimer: no PSL will be involved in any way.
Okay, fall. Let’s be friends.