Gentlemen of the Road

On Friday, K and I packed up our bags and headed to Dixon, IL for the Gentlemen of the Road Tour.

A few highlights of the trip:

The town of Dixon greeted GOTR with open arms. 

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We camped in a small closet, tent.

We enjoyed the sweet music of some pretty amazing bands. 

Gogol Bordello

Gogol Bordello

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 AND, we snagged free wristbands to an after-show. I guess that's what happens when you are nice to the producer of the show. = )

 A few personal pics...

The people of Dixon were so friendly and the concert attendees were happy to see a small town get a boost of tourism for a weekend. Good feelings all around. 

What a great weekend!
 

Summer wrap-up {part 1}

It's here...the Gentlemen of the Road Tour.

Camping, Food, Beer, Friends, Music - does it get any better?

Hitting the open road and sharing a tent (with lows in the 40s) with this lady all weekend:

What are your weekend plans?

Weekend Recap

This weekend was quite a whirlwind of being busy. I took off Friday so I could relax and prep some dishes for a baby shower I was co-hosting on Saturday morning. The shower was for my sister-in-law who is due to have a baby girl at the end of October.

Hand-made banner by moi

Yummy desserts { fruit pizzas, blueberry coffee cake and thumbprint cookies }

Drink bar { iced tea, make your own mimosa, and pretty girl punch }

On Sunday, the hubster and I went to see one of his favorite bands play at Ravinia. If you live near the North Shore, you need to check out this crown jewel. What's better than having a picnic with BYOB as you listen to your fav bands perform live? Though we bought tickets to see Train, I was pumped to find out that Andy Grammer AND Mat Kearney were the openers. 3 amazing bands for only $33 per ticket? Yes, please.

Finding ways to pass the time waiting for the bands...Uno, anyone? 

 

My love and I

How did you spend your weekend?

Styles I'm Loving

With the start of a new school year comes a breath of fresh air in terms of wardrobe. I can't even put into words how much I love autumn (trust me, a post is coming). Thanks to Pinterest, I've been able to curate an ideal work wardrobe that a 27 year old woman should own. I can't believe I still wear some clothes from college. What a crime. 

I present, the lovelies...

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What is your go-to work style for fall/winter? 

Reunited and it feels so good!

I think it happens to every blogger. There comes a time when the ideas stop flowing, you get tired of writing and you lose motivation. This happened to me. Twice. I'm so done with the blogger block.

Over the past few months, I discovered some new and exciting blogs. They're the kind of blogs that I sink into my office chair with a cup of coffee in hand,  excited to see what's in store. It's a new kind of love. 

Because I'm not one to torture, here is a list of the oh-so-lovely blogs I speak of: 

The EveryGirl - A total must read. Bonus points for being a Chicago startup. Also, I get giddy when I know we frequent the same places. Julius Meinl, anyone? 

It's tough to say I love The EveryGirl, without saying I absolutely adore the co-founder's blogs, Breakfast at Toast and Live Creating Yourself. The three blogs are seriously a trifecta of fabulous. 

Kendi Everyday - One word: fashion. She's inspired me to rethink how I curate my wardrobe. Yes, curate. Fancy word (see: talk so pretty). I even bought a tunic from her Texas boutique, Bloom. 

Things That Sparkle - A perfect blend of design and personal blogging at its finest. Adore. 

The Small Things Blog - Come on. Everyone (and I do mean everyone) has seen her 'bouncy curled under bob. Look no further for hair tutorials! 

These are just a few of my favorite blogs. I'm back and it feels so, so good. 

Back!

Well, it's been a while but I'm back at Midwest Sass. Since March is the start of so many wonderful things (mostly spring-like weather), I'm going to participate in the March Photo-a-Day Challenge that spotted I on elefanitas alegres.

Day 1: Up

My view walking into Chicago Union Station last night for the free Sara Bareilles and Maroon 5 Concert thanks to #plotyourescape.

...and because I simply cannot resist, here are photos from the concert last night!

The co-hosts for the evening...G&B Rancic. Love, love, love them. They are the cutest couple on the earth and are quite affectionate with each other in real life.

Slightly blurry, but Maroon 5 front runner himself...Adam Levine.

One more...

 

I've never been to a Maroon 5 concert before, but I plan to go to another one after last night's performance. Song after song, they didn't quit. Plus, Adam has some pretty good dance moves. = )

The 100 Workout

Happy 2k12 ladies and gents!

This morning I tried out a new workout at the zoo, I mean gym. It's called the 100 Workout. I learned about this from the blog Swim, Bike, Running on Empty. The 100 workout program is designed as a reverse pyramid of repetitions.

The program has its own website - The 100 Workout. Here's what you do:

I thought the crunches and squats were going to be a total killer, but I actually completed the whole thing and felt great in the end. I did incorporate different kinds of crunches and leg lifts in order to infuse a bit of variety. For  me, the whole workout took about 30 minutes to complete.

If you're looking for something new and different (read: NOT the treadmill or elliptical), give the 100 workout a try!

What other fitness programs do you like?