Brussels!

Our second and final stop of our little getaway was to Brussels, Belgium. We only stayed a few nights here because there isn't a ton to see in Brussels. To tell you the truth, we mainly went for the beer which OF COURSE was phenomenal. We spent our three days just wandering the streets, drinking, eating, and people watching. It was a fabulous time spent with my fabulous husband!

This is a view of Brussel's "restaurant row" or Rue des Bouchers. We had mussels at this meal, and the mussels I make at home are way better ;)

This is me (and Johnny in the reflection) at a bar (or cafe as they are called there) named La Fleur en Papier Doré. We saw this in a write on Brussels that appeared in Bon Appetit magazine and we just had to try it. The cafe dates back to 1846 and I had the most delicious lambic I have ever tasted!

Speaking of delicous beer, here is a tasting we did of 5 beers at another cafe. I couldn't tell you what each of these were, but I can tell you that one was a Kriek that blew my mind. I can also tell you that I did not have one crappy beer in Brussels.


Surprisingly, this is one of Brussels' biggest tourist attractions, The Manneken Pis. It is exactly how you see it, a statue of a little boy pissing into a fountain. It has a weird and strange history that you can read about here.

This is a view of the Grand Place, the main city square in Brussels. Some say it is the most beautiful in all of Europe. It is certainly up there with some of the most magnificent things I have ever seen.


This European adventure was an absolutely fabulous experience for us, and we can't wait to get there again soon. In fact, we are already planning and dreaming of Spain in two years. :) I think during the course of our adventure we both discovered how much we love to travel and will make this a priority in our marriage for years to come.

London!

Johnny and I have just recently returned from a much needed escape. Our destinations included London, UK and Brussels, Belgium. This was John's first trip overseas and my second. We had an absolutely amazing time!

While I could blab blab blab about all the fun stuff we did, I will keep it to some of my most favorite memories. Here's a London recap:

Pubs: We conquered many a pub during our stay in London. One of my favorite memories was our first night there, when we befriended two Irishmen who proceeded to get us totally sloshed. They keep buying us drinks because they reasoned, "it's not every day you run into a couple of yanks at a pub, our treat!" We had a fabulous time with them, despite the fact I could only catch about 10% of what they said and drank about five too many beers. What a great way to start the trip!

While most people agree that the food in the UK sucks, I assure you, it does not if you just know what to order. We stuck to mostly pub food, and most everything was delish! Take this proper English lunch we had in Shepard's Market, Mayfair, London:

(Front: Steak and Ale Pie, Mash, Peas. Back: Fish and Chips.)

Fifteen: Our major "splurge"dinner out while we were in London was at Fifteen, Jamie Oliver's (swoooon) London restaurant. This is a truly unique dining expirience that I would highly recommend for anyone traveling to London. This restaurant offers young people, who often could use a break in life and may not have many options when it comes to their future, apprenticeships to learn how to be chefs. They then go off to work at top restaurants all over the world. A fabulous cause, and a seriously delicious dinner.

Site-seeing: We seriously pounded the pavement sightseeing in London. We saw Westminster Abbey, National Gallery, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Tate Modern...just to name a few! We learned the underground system very well and were able to travel everywhere with no problem. In fact, we had a laugh when a couple of Brits asked us for directions in the Underground, I guess we looked like we knew what we were doing!

(Westminster Abbey)

(Guard, Tower of London)

(Me, in the Buckingham Palace gardens)

Buckingham Palace was a definite highlight for me as they only open the palace up for tours for a short time in the summer. I had seen most of the other sites on a school trip when I was young. It was so amazing to see a working palace...Johnny and I had a chuckle because there was a glass ring stain on one of the priceless tables...most likely from a party held at the palace.

London was amazing, and after five nights we moved on to Brussels, Belgium. More on that to come!

This Summer I Have...

• Survived 30 days without drinking, and actually managed to enjoy it.
  
• Spent a lot of quality time with friends...sittin' outside, shootin' the bull. :)
• Been dreaming of my upcoming European vacation with my husband. swoooon.
  
• Attended many Cubs games. Despite their terrible record this season, sitting in the sun at Wrigley is still glorious.
  
• Faced my fears and started riding my bike in the city. With a very sturdy helmet.
• Tried to enjoy every second.

30 Days Sober

Sometime last week, my husband was complaining about his (non-existent) belly flab. (seriously, he has none). He says he just can't seem to run it off, so he thought he would try not drinking alcohol for 30 days to see if that helped. So I agreed to do it with him, because I need MORE than a little help in the belly flab department and I was also curious as to what this would do to our wallets.

It's not that we were out partying every night by any means, but we are twenty somethings, and that means many of the social activities that we take part in revolve around alcohol. We are also people who like to have a few drinks after work to relax, and pretty soon you are drinking 4 nights a week. I thought a break from that lifestyle would do us both some good, wallet and body.

Yesterday was the one week mark. I have to say, totally not as bad as I thought it was going to be. We even survived a backyard BBQ on a hot summer afternoon drink free. And let me tell you, nothing calls to me more than the hot sun, a lawn chair, hot dogs on the grill, and COLD BEER. So we went for a few hours, left early, got some work done on the house, watched a movie, and called it an early night. This also made for a productive Sunday as we weren't hung over and were able to get up early and head to Ikea to spend all of the money we are saving by not drinking. :)

Overall, I think this little experiment will not only encourage us to be a bit more healthy, but will also curb the amount we drink overall, after the 30 days. And honestly, not waking up with a headache this weekend was glorious.

Rockin the Squeeze Box

Let me start this post by laying it all out on the table. My husband John plays the accordion. Feel free to laugh, because it's a little hilarious. Let me say, also, that the kid has played the piano for 20 years so this was a natural progression. When he asked for an accordion last year for his 25th birthday, I just couldn't say no. Nonetheless, it is kind of hilarious.

He has been taking lessons at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, which is a pretty bad ass venue in Chicago that offers all kinds of unique music and dance lessons. Last weekend, the "Accordion II Group" had their recital. It was a "surfs up" themed recital complete with psychedelic go-go dancers (also students at the Old Town School), at one of Chicago's most loved live music venues, The Empty Bottle.

Let's break this down: 6 accordion players---playing 50's and 60's surf tunes---at a bar---with live go-go dancers...at 2pm on a Sunday.

Needless to say, it was the strangest and most fun afternoon I have had in awhile. All I have are crappy phone pictures, but enjoy!

My Husband is the one sitting on the end in the white pants. Surfs Up!

The guy in the orange shirt is DEFINITELY a go-go dancing DUDE. I give him props for that.

The Energizer Bunny

Modern Medicine is truly amazing. This week my ailing father, after a quadrupole by-pass and years of heart failure, received a pace maker. He said he hasn't felt this good since the 90's. And that was post-op. The fact that we can keep someone's heart beating with just a little battery powered device inserted into the chest is something I can't even wrap my brain around.

(my Dad giving me away)

Having a sick parent is hard, I am sure some of you can relate to this. As much as we worry about him, I think this will be a step in the right direction to getting him feeling better and with more energy. I have missed the man my Dad was before the heart problems, and am looking forward to getting a little piece of him back, now that he has a little "jump start."

Hello Orlando!

Tomorrow morning, I will be taking off to Orlando on...I can't even believe it...a BUSINESS TRIP. That's right, my first big girl business trip. I am excited & nervous, I can't decide what to wear and what to pack...it's like the first day of school you guys!

It's apparently 90 something degrees in Orlando right now, so I wonder what working women wear when it gets that hot. Certainly not a suit...perhaps a sleeveless dress would be appropriate? I have no idea. Working women of Florida, if you're out there, help a sister out!

The actual event is Saturday through Wednesday, but I will be staying through the weekend with family in Naples. Bonus: Johnny is flying down on Wednesday. I am seriously looking forward to this as we could both use a little R&R.

I splurged on an adorable swimsuit from Modcloth.com for this summer and I am actually excited to wear a swimsuit for the first time in a LONG time:I am thinking I should rock this with some red framed shades and a floppy hat. Meow! And if you are not familiar with Modcloth, it is seriously beyond adorable. Great dresses.

PS--Chicago, if you could magically switch over to summer by the time I come back, I would really appreciate it. Thanks love you bye!