Belated Birthday Weekend

Tweet this!

The weekend started with a road trip.

Proof that Oil Swishing is whitening my teeth...

We met up with my parents and headed to Dania to look at some furniture. My husband and I are in search of a couch that will mesh well with our Mid Century Furniture...

No, this was not the winner.

We ended up liking this charcoal couch with a lot of tufting.

Post-Dania, we were ready for a belated birthday dinner. We tried to get into Prairie Grass Cafe and Ruth's Chris, but ended up at Morton's Steak House, and let's just say that was an extremely fortunate thing because dinner was amazing. And so was the wine...

The next morning, my mom and I got ready to head down to U.S. Cellular Field for the NOCC Annual Walk/Run. 

We had a 7am leave time, so we woke up around 6:15 and started with coffee. I have not been much of a coffee drinker lately, so I only had one cup, and made sure to have a banana with it to make sure my stomach wasn't wonky during the run.

We arrived a bit early and walked around to get a sense of the area, then did a warm up run and stretched. It was a pretty good day for a run, in the high 50s/low 60s with some wind. Perfect for a long sleeved run.

Once the run started, everything became a blur of excitement, as usual. We were able to run into and through U.S. Cellular Field as part of the course, which was awesome.

As soon as we entered the field, the excitement level peaked. I am not even a baseball fan, but I got a lot of energy and drive from being here.

The run then led us through the streets and back to its starting point. I had a good run overall, but my phone didn't tell me how close I was to the finish and I couldn't see it coming because it includes a turn around a corner, so I had a lot of steam left at the end because I didn't start sprinting until later. My final time was somewhere in the 25 range, but I haven't been able to confirm it on their web site yet.

After the run, we headed into the bar on site at U.S. Cellular and everyone had a beer. I changed my mind at the last minute for a bloody mary, and was not disappointed.

We left and headed back to my parents' house, where I got ready as fast as I could because my cousin and her boyfriend were coming down from Madison.

They are avid disc golfers (frolfers? discers?), and I am awful at it but always game for an outdoor adventure, so we headed to a nearby course to play. On our way home afterward, we stopped at a grocery store for some steaks and dinner supplies.

When we got home, Mint Juleps were the first order of business. It was Derby Day, after all, so we managed to celebrate it. My cousin is a master cocktail craftswoman, so we put her in charge of the drink making.

As we waited a bit before dinner, we sipped our Mint Juleps and played cards.

We were finally ready for dinner, and my husband hit the grill. We ended up with steaks, carrots, and corn. 

We lit the fire pit in my parents' yard and hung out there for a while before hitting the hay.

Sunday consisted of a lazy morning, egg and smoked salmon breakfast sandwiches, and the drive back to Michigan. 

When we arrived around 3pm, we were starving, so we headed over to a neighborhood bar for some food and...

of course...

another bloody mary.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• How was your weekend?
• Bloody Mary or Mimosa? Pick your poison...

Couch-Like Object Thing? Oh, you mean a futon!

Tweet this!

Perhaps you recall a certain tiny Wicker Park apartment. While the Herman Miller Setu Lounge Chairs were undoubtedly fancy, they were also surprisingly unfit for the space. Here's a word to the wise: when you've got hardly any space, (1) don't pick any furniture that swivels, as moving pieces will magically always be in your way, especially when your apartment is crooked (like this one -- the chairs would randomly end up facing the wrong way!) and (2) don't pick furniture with ottomans, as those seemingly tiny pieces of furniture take up precious square footage in a tiny space... and it's easier to trip over things in a small area, too (ow!).

For now, we've opted for a quick fix. The Setu chairs will take up residence in the studio... because, after all, what room in one's house should be fancier than a freaking studio? (Answer: None!) Without the Setu chairs, we have room for a couch-like object. You know, somewhere where you can sit... or lay... or dump a few bags of groceries. The ability to have a multi-functional space was not there with the Setu chairs, so having a futon in their place is actually proving to be quite perfect.

Things that are awesome about this swap:

• Fancy Setu chairs are in a fancier location... where the dog doesn't roam and the clumsy Carly doesn't lounge, drink-in-hand...
• There's technically now a "bed," in the event that a human (friend, sister, brother) dares to lodge in this tiny space for a night...
• While the Setu chairs only provided a solid chair for two people, the futon can fit at least 4 (but it depends on how big everyone is!).
• Futon = under-couch-storage! There's about a foot of room under the futon, so it would be totally feasible to buy a few low and wide crates or bins to shove things in and stash under the couch. 
• Futon = multi-functional! People can sit there. You can even set your drink on it and it doesn't spill -- we've tried it! We have also grown accustomed to coming in and dropping our bags, coats, or groceries there for a moment, while we get our bearings. 
• Great view of the kitchen and TV!
• Furniture no longer swivels right into your body as you walk by.
• No more ottomans to trip over... (unless Justin wants some leg room... see below!).

I will never speak ill of WalMart again. On second thought, I'm bound to break that vow the moment I begin waiting in line there... so I'll amend it to this: I will never speak ill of online futon shopping with WalMart again. That better? I suppose it would help if I told you that we paid just over $200 for this at WalMart. 

That means that I won't feel as bad when I break it. :-/