30 Day/12 Month Challenge - November

30day/12month
It's already November!  How does this keep happening? I suppose that's what working so much can do... makes time fly by.  I see now how people can just get stuck in their busy, daily routine and go day to day without stopping to evaluate what they are working toward or examine the level of fulfillment that life is giving them.  I am trying to keep my goals in line and know that I am saving up to travel and make some changes next year! 

Anyway, that's not what you bargained for when you began reading this post - I'm guessing you're waiting with great anticipation to know what November will hold for me!  But first, let's evaluate October.  

I knocked October out of the park, if I do say so myself, which I do.  I did not eat meat the entire month - this was actually not very hard and I only had a few occasions where this was difficult.  The first was when we were sampling the new food at Starbucks, and I had to explain that I couldn't eat the bacon wrapped dates or chicken skewers (because yes, those are 2 new foods at Starbucks Evenings... State and Ohio... check it out!).  The other times were when I ate at Subway, I had to reevaluate my 'usual' order and when I was buying pizza at the grocery store, I had to make sure I was buying vegetarian.  Pretty simple adjustments.  The last time, and perhaps the most comical, was when my brother and I went to a lovely tapas bar on Halloween... aka October 31st... my last day!  He couldn't believe that I couldn't help him eat meatballs, more bacon wrapped dates (which the place is known for), or chicken paella.  (He overcame this by just ordering and eating all the dates himself :)  

Overall though, this was not very difficult and I really did not find myself missing meat.  I'm going to continue being a vegetarian for the most part, but won't be super strict if a social situation arises where someone made a dish or offers something with meat in it... it don't want to cause extra stress or make a big deal out of not being able to eat it.  I did find that just by having some sort of limitation on what I could eat made me much more conscious about what I was ordering and the food I was putting in my body.  I enjoyed that.  

The other thing was packing my lunch - I am proud to say that I did not buy my lunch out ONCE during the entire month.  I did have to buy salad dressing one day, but seeing as that's not a lunch, I thought that was okay.  And it wasn't because I forgot it from my house... it was because I was legitimately out of dressing, so had to buy it anyway.  I would also like to continue this habit as well.  

All of us at the conference in Bethesda  

My presentation went pretty well at the health conference, so I view that as a success, just by the mere fact that I didn't vomit or cry or run away :)  We had a really great trip and enjoyed exploring DC/Bethesda.  I am still finding balance between jobs and only got to yoga a few times, but think I did okay this last month.  We'll see how it all goes once my research study picks back up... 

SO ... drumroll ... NOVEMBER! Which it is already the third day of! 

1.  I am going to start a little apartment cleanse, especially before the holiday season when I will bring more stuff back IN to my apartment...  For November, I am going to get rid of 100 things.  Things that someone else might want will go to Goodwill or friends, everything else will be recycled or tossed.  I've already started and found about 5 old reusable bags that I am going to get rid of (I have a lot of other ones to still use...).  I also will get rid of some old magazines, sort my clothes, old jewelry, and get rid of little crap things that I've held on to for far too long.  I will keep track of the items and keep you updated! 

2.  I am going to connect/reconnect/stay in touch better with friends and family.  This will include postcards, letters, calls, etc.  If you'd like a postcard, feel free to send me your address!  :) I especially like doing this before all the holiday madness, since that is a time of reconnection as well.  The first few catching ups are tomorrow I am skyping with my lovely friend in England, Hannah, who I haven't spoken to in foreverrrrr.  Then next weekend I get to go to Austin, TX (first time in Texas!) where I get to see lots of people I studied abroad with.  Can't wait to catch up with them all... some of whom I haven't seen since Spain, which was 4.5 years ago!  Yay, reunions! 

3. Goal -  I am going to write in my journal more.  Which really means, I am going to start writing in a journal.  I have a lovely journal that my amazing friend Heidi gave to me, so I am all set.  (It's full of great quotes, like the thought for the day below:)  I actually have written entries the last 2 nights, so so far I'm doing well on that front.  Let's see if I can keep it up! 

I also want to start my Christmas shopping asap... I want to financially be on top of that game, as well as lower the stress and craziness that comes with waiting until the last minute.  

I also need a haircut and need to do laundry... oh, oops... now we're just getting into today's to do list.  Better go get started on all of this!  And again, feel free to share your 30day challenge if you're doing one! 

carpe diem, hakuna matata, no day but today... redhead OUT. 

30 Day/12 Month Challenge - October

30day/12month
Hello there folks!  Happy October!  Hard to believe how quickly this year is flying by, isn't it? October definitely snuck up on me.  

So, how is the challenge going, you might be thinking, right?  Since I never wrote any updates during the month... but like I said, October snuck up!  That sneaky little month.  Well, September went pretty darn well, if I do say so myself.  1. Physical Activity: As promised, to honor Yoga Month, I did a lot of yoga, both in studios and at home, and some with my brother on our vacay in Wisconsin.  He also encouraged me to do things like run stairs, and, well, run.  I did run 3 of the days we were there, and it made me realize that even though I do pretty strenuous yoga classes, I was pretty terrible at cardio.  I believe my brother said that if my life depended on me running away from something, I would definitely die... and, sadly, he's right.  So, I made a mental note that in the future I have to do a combination of the two if I want to be actually fit, and so that I can survive whatever is chasing me :) 

I also am proud to say that I rode my bike everywhere last month.  I only rode the bus 2 times in the whole month and I think took 2 taxis.  That's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.  I did count this as physical activity since, let's be real, it's not always easy.  I got drenched from the rain more than once and they don't call this the windy city for nothing... I had a few times where I almost got blown over/blown into a curb/and nearly blown into a parked car.  Always laughable moments and (knock on wood) I haven't hit anything yet.  This next month is going to get trickier, as it starts getting colder and windier.  We'll see how well I can do! 

I did have about 3 days where my workout was questionable.  I rode my bike about 40 minutes on these days, but then did things like train for 5 hours for my new job, or shopped for 2 hours.  Depending on how strict you want to be, you could say those days I didn't quite fill my hour, but I think they were definitely close.  

2. Mental:  I read some of my book every day except one day. This was poor planning on my part.  I usually read when I go to bed, but on this particular Saturday, I didn't read, then went out, then didn't read when I got home... SO I missed one day.  I am currently on page 286, plus the 28 pages of prologue that I read, which means I read 314 pages in the month of September.  I said I wanted to read 10 pages a day, and since my average is over 10 pages a day (barely), I think that's pretty great!  I did say it would be nice to finish my book... but turns out that was quite ambitious.  I am only halfway through, so will try to finish it this next month.  Reading more also didn't really cut down my Friends time... so maybe I'll have to work on that (as I turn my tv on... :). 

3. Goal:  I succeeded in getting a job!  Two, actually.  The first has been in the works for the last few months, but I actually started this month.  I am doing some freelance graphic design work for my cousin's business, iTextUSA Mobile Marketing.  I started my first project with them and have enjoyed having some creative, design work that is different from what I do at Northwestern.  I am thankful to be doing that! 

I also got hired as a part-time Starbucks Barista about 3 weeks ago.  I started training all last week, which means I've had to cram a bajillion recipes and processes and register entries into my brain in a mere 3 days.  They train you well though, with lots of step-by-step instructions and hands on experience, which is really helpful.  A lot to take in though as a newbie!  I am realizing just how complex some people's orders are and have responded more than once with a complete deer-in-headlights look.  Oh, and yesterday I had my first person make fun of/mimic my voice... lovely old man... whom I wanted to punch in the face... :)  

I am thoroughly enjoying it so far though and think it's really going to be great.  I work tomorrow for the first time at my actual store... so hope everyone is nice!  I will be working at a Starbucks Evening, the third to open in Chicago, where they will serve beer, wine, and some real food, as well as have weekend live music.  All very exciting, and fun to be part of a new thing that such an established company is trying - it's really admirable to me how Starbucks continues to grow and expand, even when they're already so successful.  (I suppose that's WHY they've been so successful... )  They started out just selling whole beans! 

As all my emails do, this post has turned out to be much longer than intended - so, let's get to October!  Since it is already here! 

October:
1.  Physical - This is the month!  I'm going to go veg... or, really, I should say pescatarian.  I don't really eat a lot of fish, but I think it will technically be allowed if it comes up.  I think I will most miss a. cheeseburgers, b. Trader Joe's chicken apple sausage, and c. pepperoni.   

2.  Mental - I am going to attempt to only buy my lunch 1 day per week, and when I do, it has to cost less than $8.  I already pack my breakfast and coffee every day, but have gotten slack about packing lunches.  This challenge will make me think ahead and be prepared to pack my lunch, which means also making sure I have groceries.  

3.  Goal - My goal is quite straightforward this month.  My goal is to find a good balance between my jobs, while maintaining some sort of social life.  I have definitely already had to make adjustments to my daily routine and took an hour nap tonight to catch up from the weekend (which I'm happy to say was a good balance of social and work).  I don't want to run myself too thin and want to make sure I am still focusing on each job, while remaining as cheerful as possible!  I also still want to be able to have fun and do yoga.  Oh, and I'm presenting at a health conference toward the end of the month, so another goal would be to have that be completely successful and not make a fool out of myself :) 

Happy October and sending you the best!

carpe diem, hakuna matata, no day but today... redhead OUT. 

30 Day/12 Month Challenge - September

30day/12month
For the past few months I have been wanting to do one of those trendy, 30-day challenges.  The problem was, though, that I wasn't sure what challenge I wanted to do.  My brother in Seattle is currently doing 30 days of yoga, no coffee, and no alcohol mostly to recover from being ill, but that didn't seem right for me, mainly because I enjoy my coffee IV drip every morning too much.  So, now the summer has gone by, and I've finally found the challenge I want to do.  I kind of like that it's fall - I'm going to call it Fall Focus.

Now, I wish I could say I thought of this idea myself, but I have to admit that I just got it from another blogger this weekend.  But I suppose that's the point of blogging - sharing ideas!  Anyway, this blogger is doing 12 Months of Lent - she picks a challenge to do each month, switching it up every month.  Some examples of her challenges were to pick up every piece of litter she saw, do more yoga, not make any trash, and wear the same 6 pieces of clothing for a month.... anyway, you get the point.  And she's been doing this for 4 years!  Here is a link to the lulu post about her blog - http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/a-30-day-challenge-a-month-challenge/?sli=1

So, first of all, why am I doing this?  I believe in making goals for ourselves, in order to grow and change.  I do NOT believe in making a laundry list of New Year's Resolutions that last about a week and expect you to turn into a completely new person each year.  For this reason, I like to try new things throughout the year and constantly analyze ways to shape my life to become more of the person I envision being.  This is why this particular challenge idea is perfect for me.

This will be a great way to try different lifestyles, different activities, different priorities - knowing that it's only for 30 days.  That makes it completely doable and much more approachable, right?  Instead of saying, I am now a vegetarian forever and ever, I can now say, I'm a vegetarian for a month, and then will see how I feel about it.  Obviously I had this option before, but this makes it easier to wrap my head around and I won't feel like a failure if I eat meat after a month.  Thirty days is long enough to get past the 'honeymoon stage', and to really get in the habit of doing these different challenges (or not doing them).  It also will draw my attention to that certain aspect of my lifestyle, so that even if I miss a day, I will still be focusing on that activity or change, and therefore become more present in making decisions that relate to that.  So even if I try to do 30 days of eating more fruits and vegetables, and I miss a few servings one day, it still brings my focus on learning ways to increase those foods in my diet.  Then, after each one, I can decide how much or how little I want to incorporate that challenge in my every day life.

I will announce each month's goals in my blog, as well as post progress updates throughout the month.  It is said that writing down goals helps to achieve them, and I'm guessing that by announcing to the world that I'm doing this, there will be some social pressure to complete my goals as well.  Since September had already started when I decided to do this, I had to pick challenges for this month that I'd already done September 1-2.    

Now, on to
My Rules:  

Each month I am aiming to do two challenges, picking from the categories mental, physical, or social.  Then I will also set one main goal to accomplish that month.  I can't tell yet if this is overly ambitious or not, but it's what I am doing for September, so we'll try to keep it up.
_________________________________________________

OK, the challenge for
September:
1.  Physical - September is National Yoga Month, so in honor of that, I am going to do 1 hour (or more) of physical activity each day.  It can be anything from yoga, running or cross-training to cycling, volleyball, or swimming, but I am anticipating to do a lot of yoga.  I even just ordered a new mat, since mine is falling apart.

To start the month off, I did a yoga bootcamp at TruHarmony on Saturday and then I did the community yoga class at lululemon yesterday, each an hour long.  Today I biked for 45 minutes and did 15 minutes of pushups and ab work.

2.  Mental - I am going to read at least 10 pages of a novel each day, hopefully finishing my book by the end of the month (although it's 782 pages, so that might take 2 months... but we'll try).  I am currently reading "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt."  I just finished the prologue (about 28 pages) and will read some more before going to bed tonight.  This challenge will also theoretically reduce the time I watch Friends reruns every night, by making me read instead :)

3.  Goal - My goal is to get and start a part-time job by the end of September.  I work full-time, but am looking for some extra hours on weekends and some evenings.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Well, here we go!  I wonder what I will have tried by this time next year!  We shall seeeeee.

Here are some of my ideas for possible future challenges:
- Pick up at least 5 pieces of litter each day (yes, got from the other blog)
- Compliment someone every day
- Write a certain amount of postcards/letters to friends and family
- Be vegetarian or vegan
- Go a month without chocolate milk... AH! That might be the hardest one!
- Perhaps even a month with no chocolate at all...
- Veg/fruit juice every day/a certain amount of fruits and vegetables
- No processed foods
- Sign up for a dating site
- Join a club or choir or dance class... a community group or activity
- Ride my bike to work every day (easy now, but going to do later in the fall or early spring)
- Don't buy anything new/budget finances...
- Get rid of 30 things from my apartment

That's a start, but will add/adapt these as I decide each month's challenges!  If anyone else is interested in doing this, feel free to tell me your own challenge!

All righty, off to read by book, before Friends comes on :)

carpe diem, hakuna matata, no day but today... redhead OUT. 

Woolite - not just for delicates!

This is a little bit of a random post, but I wanted to share something that I have recently discovered.  And yes, I think I am officially an adult if I am blogging about a laundry detergent.  Woolite, which I had previously never used before, actually has a detergent for dark clothing, specifically jeans.  They are marketing it as the ideal detergent to keep your favorite jeans going strong, to help avoid fading, stretching, and shrinking.  "Don't torture your jeans!"  If this lovely explanation isn't enough, check out their little video at https://www.facebook.com/WooliteUS/app_146709745454072

I know that I torture my jeans.  Well, all my clothes, for that matter.   I'm your regular Geneva Convention defier when it comes to laundry.  I certainly am not a laundry buff and typically shove all my clothes in the minimal number of loads as possible, merely to save the $1.25 of doing an additional load.  Sad, I know. Especially since in the long run, I'm probably spending much more than that on new clothes to replace the ones I ruined in the wash.  I do separate darks and lights, but that's about it.  I also don't normally think about what my detergent can do, but am now realizing they can do more than just clean and make your clothes smell good.  Who knew that there were things to make your clothes less wrinkly or to avoid shrinking (I thought that was just in the dryer!)?  My grandma would be so sad if she knew the extent of my ignorance on the subject.

Anyway, I got some samples of Woolite dark and tested them out.  It worked pretty well!  My jeans are definitely more their original color than they have been and feel more like jeans.  They actually also do feel more the size they were before being washed, allowing me to skip the whole pulling and stretching and tugging process to get them on, and then relying on my belt to hold them in place until they stretch out to normal again.  Thank God for belts.

These black jeans are especially thankful that I discovered Woolite.  They were getting pretty faded, but now they can keep going strong!   

So, if you're looking for a new detergent, check Woolite out!  I didn't notice that it had much of a scent to it, but I'm ok with that.  I also did other dark clothes with my jeans, which I'm not sure if I was supposed to do or not... but it all turned out okay... I'm slowly learning! Ha.

Also, if you are interested in the site that gave me the samples, please check out Crowdtap at http://bit.ly/knVGVN  You get rewarded for giving your opinion!

Happy laundering! :)

carpe diem, hakuna matata, no day but today... redhead OUT. 

The day I wanted a peanut butter cookie.

Yesterday all I wanted was a peanut butter cookie.  Not just your average, run-of-the-mill peanut butter cookie - I had a very specific cookie in mind.  The cookie, my friends, is quite easily the best cookie I've ever tasted and, upon discovery, it often crosses my mind.  It is sold near my work, which is both a curse and a blessing, so I am forced to limit myself, since let's be honest, peanut butter cookies are not calorically free or monetarily free.  This cookie is flourless, very dense as it was made with real peanut butter (and a lot of it!), and would crumble as you ate it.  It is incredible and quite life changing.  


Yesterday was a particularly long, stressful day at work, so around 4pm, I thought, you know what? I deserve that peanut butter cookie.  Today is the day!  It had been weeks since I'd gotten it and I could practically taste it as I recruited friends to go on the field trip with me.  I'd like to note that yesterday was about 96°, with a real feel of 106°... so making the trip in the sticky, hot Chicago air was even more epic and deserving of a tasty peanut butter cookie reward.  


We get to the old Water Tower, where the Water Works Visitor Center is, walk in, and turn to where the First Slice Cafe has always been... only to find that it is GONE, with a museum-type display set up in its place.  WHAT?!  How can this be?!  I think, surely this is a temporary display and perhaps the cafe will be back.  We then talk to the dear lady working at the tourist information counter, and she breaks the news to us - the cafe is gone for good.  They apparently, as of July 1, are now funded under the Chicago Tourism Bureau.  We thought this might be a positive change, but this lady said it made her go from full-time to part-time.  That plus the fact that they got rid of my cafe make me not a fan!  She said they also got rid of the cafe in the Chicago Cultural Center, which I was disappointed to hear.    I thought that was a neat spot, too.  I asked the lady (who I'm sorry I didn't catch her name) if she'd ever had the magical peanut butter cookie.  She hadn't, but she was just as torn up over not being able to get her chocolate mousse pie.  I'm glad that I'm at least not alone in my devastation!  (Yes, a truly first world problem :) 


The speculation is that the Tourism Bureau will eventually open up their own cafes in these spaces.  This saddens me deeply, since the First Slice Cafe was a charity cafe that was self-funded and "provided access to wholesome food for those living in poverty."  According to their website (http://www.firstslice.org/), they have (and still have) a community-supported kitchen where they serve hot, high-quality three-course meals to about 100 men, women, and children.  They were successful, as there were always a lot of people there, enjoying the healthy and organic sandwiches, desserts, salads, and hot beverages, and they've even been able to open up more than one cafe (read: I can still potentially find the cookie somewhere!)  Their saying is, "Enjoy a guilty pleasure... with a side of good deed." 


Anyway, it saddens me that Chicago Tourism is creating a monopoly in their tourist spaces and are kicking out small, independent businesses to replace them with their own one big company, hoarding all the money revenue back into the city.  I like to support these unique, small businesses, which in my opinion Chicago doesn't have enough of down near the Mag Mile.  Plus, considering Mayor Rahm Emanuel said just today that Chicago is now trying to become known as a leading city for start-ups and small businesses, it seems a little inconsistent.  And most importantly, I can't get my peanut butter cookie anymore! 


The other lesson I learned from this experience is that you can never take things for granted.  All the times that I restrained from getting a cookie, assuming I would get it another time, now are just missed opportunities.  Yes, perhaps positive missed opportunities (back to the caloric and monetary points...), but now the option isn't there.  You can never be sure that something (or someone) will be there in a week or month or year, so it is crucial to absorb and embrace every day that they are.  Enjoy the small things in life.  Eat those peanut butter cookies and live each day to the fullest, because you never know, on your next walk in the hot, sticky air, if your destination will be waiting for you.  And then be thankful for the peanut butter cookies you did get to enjoy! 


All this because of an afternoon craving for a delicious peanut butter cookie.... and just as an FYI, Freshii's peanut butter cookie did NOT compare in the least.  Now, go out and eat a cookie! :) 

carpe diem, hakuna matata, no day but today... redhead OUT. 

An Afternoon of Painting

Today my work day included painting, wine, mini dessert hotdogs, fun photos, and sunny bicycling... can't beat that for a Friday afternoon!  One of our dear coworkers is moving to Boston, having worked with our group for almost five years, so we wanted to send her off right.  The ladies in charge of planning the farewell party did a fabulous job of planning and made the perfect day for her (and us).  

We started with lunch and a slideshow of photos of her and our group over the years.  Our boss even found some funny old emails from her, which was amusing.  Makes me think twice about what I write him!  Someone also made these PRECIOUS little dessert hot dogs... they were so clever! You take a circus peanut, cut it in half (the hot dog bun), then you place a skinny caramel down the middle (hot dog), and then red and yellow frosting down the middle (ketchup and mustard), and finally little green gummies (relish).  They were tasty and perfect for people who like hot dogs! You can also place them on top of cupcakes. The recipe can be found here: http://thedomesticrebel.com/2011/06/06/bbq-cupcake-toppers/

After lunch, we all went to a unique place called Arts n Spirits in Bucktown, where you get to paint!   You can do group painting sessions, both guided and not, and we had the place pretty much to ourselves.  You get a smock, canvas, and lots of paintings on the wall to use as inspiration (which I really needed!  It has been years since I painted...).  It's also BYOB, which was, of course, fun.  We all set to work and ended up with absolutely beautiful paintings!  I was definitely pleasantly surprised with our masterpieces :) Below are a few of the paintings and us hard at work. 

Our final results! 

This is mine! I love it :) 

The final thing we did was each contribute a square of the photo below to complete a painting of our logo for our departing friend to take with her.  One of our talented artists drew it and then we each painted our own square.  What a lovely idea and neat gift for her to take with her!  It turned out quite well, if I do say so myself.  We will miss her dearly and are sad to see her leave us, but are excited for her new adventures to come!     

Finally, topped off the evening with my first beach volleyball session of the summer.  It was great to be back on the beach and playing again!  The weather and company were perfect, making a lovely end to a lovely day, and a swell kickoff to the weekend.  Happy weekend to you and hope you had an equally fun day today!

carpe diem, hakuna matata, no day but today... redhead OUT. 

SELF Magazine Workout in the Park - Chicago

Two of my friends and I got tickets through Gilt City to go to this Workout in the Park, hosted by SELF Magazine.  The event was four hours on a beautiful Saturday in Grant Park in the heart of Chicago.  We signed up for all the goodies that came with, but really had little idea what to expect from the event. Boy, were we pleasantly surprised!

We got there around 10:45am to already find a huge line had formed.  We waited with hundreds of other people (I think almost, if not all, women) to go in, still not really knowing what was going to happen, but excited to be out on a sunny day, participating in a unique event!   

We're ready! 

Our view from our line

The entrance

Turns out they only have this Workout in the Park in NYC, San Fran, and Chicago... pretty neat!  This is the schedule for the day; there were three stages - the main stage, which had everything from 'sexy stretch' to a West African dance, a CrossFit stage, and a yoga area.  All the sessions were 15-25 minutes long, so you could go back and forth between the stages, participating in however many/whatever classes you wished.  

This was the schedule of the day 

We started by signing up for a CrossFit class at noon, then participated in the sexy stretch... it was so neat to be doing the same movement as a thousand other people! They were funky and funny moves, so we were giggling as we thrusted those hips :) We then went to the CrossFit class, which completely kicked my butt.  We did 5 minutes of 'just' 5 squats, 5 pushups, then 5 airjumps... I thought I was going to die.  The lead guy was kind enough to let us know that, "Good news! You're halfway done!" ... as I'm dying, thinking we're almost done.  Jeesh!  I felt that the next day.  

Group workout! With SUCH a beautiful backdrop! 

We didn't really do his workout, but the trainer from the Biggest Loser, Dolvett Quince was there and led a few workouts.  He was riiiiiiipped and gorgeous and quite intense! He also loved Chicago and asked us if it could be his second city :) Any time! 

This was our absolute favorite exercise of the day - it was called "Masala Bhangra" and was a mix of dance moves of bhangra and Bollywood dances, Indian style! It was soooo much fun to do and the girl who led it absolutely rocked.  She said that she does it for her father, who she sadly lost to cardiac arrest when he was 47 : (  Her dance, though, was high energy and had moves like, 'kick the drum', 'twist the lightbulb', and lots of 'bobbling the head'! It was great.

 

All of our swag! We made out pretty well! 

The rest of our time was spent wandering from booth to booth, checking out what they all had to offer. The event brought the magazine to life, featuring everything from beauty and health to nutrition and fitness.  We got screened for skin cancer, completed a quiz where we got a nice bottle of sunscreen, looked at lucy clothing and Reebok shoes, won a Garnier umbrella, and got lots of free samples.  My favorites were the Calvin Klein 'euphoria' perfume (it smells incredible!), Laughing Cow cheese (tasty!), and the peanut butter cookie and peppermint stick Luna Bars.  The cookie dough one was questionable. 

Our gorgeous city

We then sat for awhile in the sunshine, flipping through our complimentary SELF Magazine.  It's a nice magazine, featuring lots of good recipes, tips, and fun articles.  It was overall a completely successful day and a neat way to participate in a Chicago event.  The event was incredibly well organized and managed and I think it was a great way to get people in the community to try new exercises!  There were people of all ages and all fitness levels, which worked well, because with so many people, no one was really watching anyone else.  The activities were also set up in a way that you could do however little or much as you wanted, and could take breaks as needed.  Everyone was in high spirits and enjoyed being there together, which was refreshing.  It was an inspiring and lovely day!

We then wandered Buckingham Fountain, which was gorgeous.  

Carpe Diem, Hakuna Matata, no day but today... redhead OUT. 

Fashionistas!

Thanks to Suave hair products, a stylist team, and DailyCandy, my friends and I got to attend this fabulous event at the Palomar Hotel and be treated like stars!  We first had our hair done (see above), which took the stylist about 4 minutes to do - impressive! She had lived for years in Paris and NYC doing hair and makeup, styling for Vogue and Marie Claire, to name a few. Pretty fascinating to imagine that life and her working runways and shoots with the top models in the world, frantically finishing model after model, sending them out.  This is, of course, how I imagine her career, which sadly might not have been as glamorous as I'm envisioning. Or maybe it was. I do know that I loved my hair and she did it so swiftly!

This event had light food provided, probably meant as a snack, which I made into dinner by filling my plate with about 6 kinds of cheese, bread, crackers, and fruit. There was a lady doing fashion drawings of people and my friend got an incredible one of herself. There were free gift bags full of Suave products (I love products! And free things! :) and some nice people. There were also two contestants that are currently on the show Fashion Star there... and we even got our photo with the cute guy! (Nzimiro Oputa and Orly Shani).

The event concluded with us all sitting, sporting our lovely new hairdos, and watching Fashion Star with the two contestants. During the commercials, they would tell us some behind-the-scenes stories, including how they got on the show, the process, and some of the gossip/back story that ended up cut from the show. I will just share a few things I thought was interesting. 

     •     I asked how they got on the show, and they both said a friend had emailed about the open call, and after realizing it was a real thing, were interested.  What I think is crazy is that Orly missed the open call, so emailed about it ... and they called her! Out of all the thousands of people that I'm guessing were at the open call, they a) noticed her email and b) instead of knocking her for missing the open call, they instead decided they wanted her to continue the audition process. To me this just shows how crazy life is, that she was meant to be on that show, that luck was on her side, and she got picked. Or her friend was an A- list star :) Nzimiro had a more traditional audition process. 

     •     Orly said that, unlike Project Runway, this show provided contestants with a pattern maker and a sewer. She said she could never do Project Runway, because she can't sew without a pattern, whereas Nzimiro apparently can make something out of anything. Just thought that was interesting - the contestants do the design, then can watch other people make it.

     •     They said that once they made it through the first round, they were flown to LA, where they had about 6 more interviews.  They said they would be escorted in and out of their hotel room, to and from interviews, because the producers didn't want them to accidentally run into another potential contestant.  Out of about 40, they were 2 of 16 chosen.  

     •     Orly is still a bartender in NYC. I'm not sure how either one of them ended up doing on the show... so we'll have to keep watching to find out! 

It was a lovely evening, and a great glimpse into an entirely different industry - an intriguing one of reality shows and fashion, and I felt glamorous to be amongst such stylish fashionistas!