Leopard Skirt (sold out, but this one is super similar, and I also love this, this and this option) // Black Sweater (almost identical here and here!)  // Mules (similar) //Headband

Oh heyyyyyyy, Monday! You’re here again… But. honestly, I can’t complain – a new week is a new, fresh start, and a lot of fun things are on the horizon this week! I’m headed to NYC today for a big shoot for one of the brands I work on, and it’s always fun to get a few days out of the office to work somewhere a little more creatively stimulating than my desk I spend so much of my work life at. Shoot day are always so fun (especially when you’ve been working on a big campaign for months and you finally get to see it come to life!), and it’s nice to completely immerse yourself in a creative project without too many other distractions for a few days. Hopefully it will go smoothly, and I’ll actually be able to fully enjoy it without those distractions taking over 😉

My weekend back home in Chicago was so nice – and I tried to soak in as many moments to relax as possible. The past few weeks have felt like they’ve been moving a mile a minute, so it was nice to finally spend some time at home, recharge, and see a few really amazing friends a long the way. You know those friends who just feel like they’ve known you forever, and you can be 100% yourself (without being judged whatsoever) with? I feel like there are a few people in my life who are my spirit sisters/friends – and I was so lucky I got to see two of my favorites this weekend to catch up with. I get into this destructive mindset where I constantly feel like I’m not doing enough, or constantly catching up on a never-ending to do list, and in the process I usually feel like I’m being a shitty friend.  There’s always more I could be doing for my friends, gestures I could be making, time I should be devoting – you name it, but life tends to be crazy and complicated and then suddenly it’s been months since I’ve seen some of the people I love the most. But luckily I have a few really amazing friends who I feel like just totally get me inside and out, and whenever I see them it’s like no time has passed and you’re immediately back into a groove. I feel so lucky that I got to see three amazing friends this weekend and catch up on their lives, and feel like both so much time, and no time has passed all at the same time. Feeling full, and lucky, and grateful I had a weekend that includes so many lovely people all in a span of 2 days!  

Highlights of my lovely friend-filled weekend included:

• Ate lunch at Fig & Olive with my friend Madalyn and her new husband Ben (who I just met for the first time!). I met Madalyn when she first reached out years ago and asked if I would ever consider having an intern for my blog (which I 1000% said, “YES PLEASE HELP ME!”). Flash forward almost 7 years and she’s turned into the most inspiring fashion designer, paralegal, newlywed gem that I couldn’t be prouder of. She’s like the little sister I never had (and definitely more fashionable and fabulous than I’ll ever be!)
• Went to City Mouse with my old co-worker Tiffany who I called my “work wife” for about a year when we worked at ALDI together (and painfully commuted from the city together almost an hour and a half each way…). She’s the most hilarious, compassionate, and straight up magical person – and it was so nice catching up on life outside of work.
• Hit up the Aire Ancient Baths in Chicago with Kate, one of my high school best friends, and her friend Brittany who came in for the weekend. Aire Baths is this amazingly beautiful and relaxing ancient baths spa where you can pay to experience all these different thermal pools, steam rooms and more – and it was SO relaxing. I would have never gone on my own (because I’m terribly stubborn when it comes to spending money on self care…oops!), but it was an amazingly relaxing experience. When I find myself freezing my butt off in Chicago from January – March, I’m definitely going to come back again so I can thaw myself out from the Midwest deep freeze.
  • We also went to Cira for dinner at the Hoxton (which was delicious, but also waaaaayyyy cooler than what I usually do on a Saturday night) and stopped by Maude’s for late night drinks. It was definitely the most fun I’ve been on a Saturday night, but still basically turned into a pumpkin by midnight 😉
• And on Sunday, I spent dinner with my cute grandpa back at his condo in Highland Park, just outside of Chicago. We made a picnic dinner (aka, mostly cheese, meat, wine and crackers…mmmm) and watched the Packers slay the Panthers while they were getting pummeled with snow. A foreshadowing of the snow we’re about to get today in the rest of the midwest (boo!)

Anyway – hope your was just as relaxing, or action packed, or whatever you needed to feel recharged and ready to tackle this week!

  I haven’t been very into talking about my outfits these days (honestly, it’s been feeling a little boring, TBH. Know I shouldn’t admit to that as a sometimes fashion blogger, but it’s true!), so I’m not going to go into great detail on why you need ALL THESE THINGS IN YOUR LIFE (you don’t – they’re just clothes, but this outfit made me happy the past few weeks :))

Leopard skirts are always the way to go + this black sweater with puff shoulders has been my new favorite combination. Fun fact – I also totally got a hole in the armpit of this sweater after wearing it for just a few weeks (whoops!), and I’m too lazy to fix it/usually forget it’s an issue. There have only been a few times at work where someone’s noticed, but I’m pretending like that’s not a big deal!    Have the most amazing, magical, wonderful week! And good luck surviving your Monday too – I’ll be here in solidarity at my desk with a big ole cup of coffee attempting to make it through! xx