The lady I miss.

Yesterday I began writing my post about all the fun I had over the weekend. But I didn't finish it. I had to run to the bank to deposit a check and close out an account. This made me sad. It was an account that my brother and I had opened to help collect donations to pay for my grandmother's funeral. So when I got back home I didn't feel like finishing writing about fun times. But I didn't cry too much either. I just looked at some recent pictures of my grandma and shed a few tears. I know that she is on her journey. She is pain free. She is in a better place.

This was taken back in November 2011. At that time we thought Grandma might have lung cancer. My hubs and I drove down to see her to bring her some cheer. This picture is just before we were going to drive back home, so we had been saying our good byes and crying a bit. We later found out it wasn't cancer.

I love you, Grandma. I do miss you. But I know that you are with me always in my heart.

A tiny seed.

Not every day on the road to happiness is easy. Choosing to be happy isn't as easy as it sounds. Yes, I wake up and say to myself, "Self, today I choose to be happy." And maybe I start the day out happy. Maybe I am happy the whole morning. I do yoga, I make my banana smoothie, I water my plants. I am happy. But then I get a phone call from a recruiter about a potential project. But, no, I am not a good fit for this client since I have my own practice. Ok, thank you very much. Disappointment.

That tiny seed of disappointment can grow into something that eventually leads to me and hubby arguing yesterday afternoon and once again, my happiness is brought into question.

The answer, yes, I am happy. I am happy in my marriage. I am happy in my life, in general. Am I happy with my current employment situation? A resounding "no." But the thing is, I have never believed my work makes up who I am. Who I am will determine what kind of attorney I will be, but not the other way around.

Yesterday had its ups and downs. But today is a new day. Guess what? Today I choose to be happy.  xoxo

Sum-sum-summer time!

Summer is here and we like to hang out at our beach on the weekends. I love to people watch and am intrigued by all of the vendors.

I think the cotton candy is absolutely perfect. Fluffy, colorful and each one is perfectly sized.

The guys and girls that sell the beach toys amaze me, too. They wear their wares as they walk amongst the beach-goers. It's gotta be so hot underneath all that plastic!

Chicago in the summer time is the best time of the year, just ask any native Chicagoan.  There is so much to do with all of the street festivals, music festivals and awesome events. I think today we might get out into one of the street fests. One of our favorites is Taste of Randolph. What are you getting into this weekend?? Have fun! xoxo

P.S. this was my first attempt at making some collages. I think I did ok. . .

doc review down time

Document review? Trying to explain to my non-lawyer friends and family what exactly is doc review has proven difficult, BUT I finally found a pop-culture example to help me out. You know that scene in Clueless where Cher and Josh are helping her Dad (i.e. flirting) and Cher is still looking for the September 3rd phone call, but the young lawyer associate gets pissed because they're supposed to be looking for the August 28th phone call? That's kinda like doc review. Except not.

Anyway, I'm in between doc review projects which means I'm currently unemployed. I've chosen to get caught up on some of my own work in my down time. Today, I knocked a couple of things of my ever-growing "to-do" list and decided to do one of the longer yoga videos I don't normally have time for in the morning. I immediately felt famished after I was done and made myself one of my fave smoothies. I gulped it down so I don't have a pic, but looks don't matter with this yummy pick-me-up.

"Elvis" smoothie

-pour enough soy milk in blender so it covers the blades* (about 4 or 5 ounces)
-one whole ripe banana (this is a great way to use up browning bananas)
-2 big scoops of peanut butter
-2 ice cubes
-just a tiny squeeze of simple syrup (recipe in my previous post)

pulse and blend and enjoy!!!

*a note about my smoothies, since I don't provide measurements. I use this blender which is the perfect size for a single smoothie. Feel free to adapt my "recipes" to your size blender. Mine comes with a lid, and I've made smoothies the night before and had it ready to go on mornings I knew I'd be rushed. Perfect!

Later, I'm meeting up with some very lovely ladies for a GNO.  Happy hump day! xoxo

Healthy = Happy

Lately I've been focusing on eating more healthy and trying to squeeze in some exercise. I was concerned that returning to running wouldn't help my weight loss problem, so instead I returned to yoga. I took yoga classes years ago but since then found plenty of excuses not to have time to practice yoga. Until now. Someone told me once that you'll never have time for anything unless you make time for it. So true. I MADE time. I found free videos online and I practice every other day during the week and both days on the weekends. This has really helped me get my stress level under control and I feel so much happier already.

As far as eating healthy, I've always tried to eat healthy. I don't eat red meat and rarely eat pork, fish or chicken. So I guess that kinda means I'm a vegetarian. But I put the emphasis on try to eat healthy, because like anyone else, I love junk food.

Lately I've been on a smoothie kick. I buy whatever fruit is fresh and that's what I use to make smoothies for breakfast.

I don't really follow a recipe to make my smoothies, but here's how I make 'em:

Pour enough soy milk in the blender to cover the blades and just a bit more.
2 heaping spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt. (I've tried them all and my favorite is Fage!)
a handful of fresh fruits (the smoothie pictured was made with raspberries and a small peach)
a hearty squirt of honey

Pulse and blend until well mixed!

I find this a healthy way to start out the day, as opposed to the lonely cup of coffee I used to call breakfast.

Have I mentioned that my hubby is a trained chef? Well, he is. And he does most of the cooking. But check out the gourmet baked potatoes I made for dinner last week.

I followed this recipe from America's Test Kitchen after watching the show. They turned out super creamy! I love to eat the skins too, and these skins were crispy and flavorful.

And finally, last week there was a full moon. If you've read my earlier posts, you know that I like to check out the fun and free things to do in this great city. One of the coolest monthly events we've found right in our neighborhood is the Full Moon Fire Jam. It's a super hippie gathering where there are fire dancers and a drum circle and plenty of people watching.  Here are a few shots I took of the full moon on our walk home.

Hope you all have a fabulous week. Start it off right with a healthy breakfast! xoxo

me time!

Hubby's having a late night band practice so that means . . . me time! He hates it when I paint my nails because of the smell, so I took full advantage of him being outta the house.

Inspired by what I hope to be a fun and fab summer, I painted my nails in watermelon shades: Essie's Bachelorette Bash and Navigate Her. I love the trends in manicures with accent nails and nail art. Any favorite trends you are trying?? Have a great weekend! xoxo