high school

Whoops I almost missed Monday

So….apparently it’s Monday. I definitely knew that I just couldn’t get it together to write last night. I was up way past my bedtime thanks to the SNL40 Special, which was everything I hoped it would be and more. Did anyone else watch? What’s your favorite SNL skit of all time? I say anything with Kristin Wiig or Stefon. Or whenever Jimmy Fallon was in a sketch and he breaks out laughing (in other words, every skit he’s ever been in). Or when Justin Timberlake, the most talented man on the globe, makes an appearance. Or The Californians. Too many great moments to choose from!

It was such a full weekend — I spent almost every minute with friends.

Friday night I went home for my high school’s annual fundraiser. Every year they shut down for about a week and turn the place into a “town.” The hallways are completely decorated, the gym is turned into a casino, and each classroom is booked by local bands or comedy groups (usually parents and alumni). I’d been in the past when I was in high school (the under 21 crowd goes on Thursday nights every year) but this was my first year going on the weekend. Nothing like seeing your Catholic high school dean drunk in the hallways where she once yelled at you for not having your shirt tucked in. Good times.

You can’t tell but this picture was taken in front of my Freshman/Senior year locker. It was so funny to be there with a drink in my hand (let’s not even get started on the fact that there was a margarita machine in my old AP Government classroom).

Saturday was about as stereotypical as it gets — no shame.

Red Robin lunch date with Kari + the above movie. If you need me to explain then you’ve obviously been living on a rock so we can just move past that. All I’ll say is, if you read the books, it was a really good adaptation to the big screen. If you didn’t read them, you probably thought the world is going to hell in a hand basket.

I rushed back home to the city that night just in time for a romantic roommate dinner at Portillo’s, aka the one place that didn’t require a reservation.

I dove headfirst into the chopped salad because I truly believe it is made of sparkles and rainbows. I almost went for the famous cheese fries but knew I needed room for the real star of the show:

Love Is: CAKE SHAKE. For any non-Chicagoans out there, it is a chocolate shake with a piece of chocolate cake blended into it. And it is fabulous.

I made grand plans to go out on Saturday night but the windchill was below zero so I spent the night in front of a space heater, eating chocolate from my freezer and watching shitty Netflix movies.

I had to work on Sunday but once I was off I stopped by Trader Joe’s, got the fixins for make-your-own pizzas and headed to Spencer’s for the SNL special. It was a fun group of people and I ate my body weight in pizza, Ranch Wheat Thins (revolutionary!) and red velvet bundt cake.

My face hurt from laughing so hard during the three and a half hour-long show. I was a little sad that the “confirmed” N*SYNC reunion didn’t happen haha but there was way too much good stuff to even notice.

So all in all, it was the best kind of weekend. Minus the fact that I didn’t work out once…yikes. Back on that train today, I guess!

Other highlights from the weekend:

I tried Jimmy John’s for the first time and didn’t hate it
Taylor Swift finally put out the “Style” music video
I helped Whitney from this season of “The Bachelor” pick out yoga pants at lululemon. Don’t say I never did my part to change the world.

Questions:

Pizza: homemade or delivery?
Did you watch the SNL special? What’s your favorite sketch of all time?
How was your Valentine’s Day?

newsflash: I’m not 21 anymore

I haven’t talked to you all since Wednesday and I still feel like I don’t have anything to say. I’m kind of tired of the “sound” of my own voice, if you catch my drift. I do have two recipes to share with you this week so get excited for that!

The past few days can be summed up in one word: beer.

You know what that means. It’s Sunday night and I feel like I’m typing with a preggers belly. All i can say is: thank god for fall layering. Those vests and cardigans really came in handy after day three of being slightly buzzed by Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Woof.

It wasn’t my most shining moment as a proponent of health/fitness. And yeah, I had fun, and no, I don’t regret it. But it never fails that after weekends like this I find myself sitting on the couch Sunday night feeling like a lump on a log and wondering why I couldn’t get it together all weekend.

Thursday night I met up with old friends from my favorite PR internship last year for happy hour at Randolph Tavern in the Loop. We’ve only been able to make it happen every few months but every time we remember why we’re still friends – we’re a freakin’ hilarious foursome. We split a bunch of pork nachos and tacos. So maybe it wasn’t just the beer’s fault (whoops). The restaurant was pretty phenomenal considering we picked it at the last minute.

Friday night was my five-year high school reunion! First of all, is that normal? I showed up to the bar and basically saw the same people I went to high school with except some of the guys actually had facial hair instead of hopeless shadows creeping all over their faces. And even though I will say, without shame, that I was pretty pumped for the reunion, it totally exceeded my expectations. I had a BALL.

I’ve also been wearing the crap out of those booties I shared with you a few weeks ago. If you want a pair, head to Nordstrom NOW. Best purchase I’ve made in years. I was comfortable in them for hours and they only slightly made me resemble a WNBA player.

Saturday was a little rough after reunion night (read: more beer) but I managed to get through work and meet Megan up at a local Oktoberfest celebration. My favorite part was a jousting “arena” that everyone from toddlers to sixty-year-old men was taking part in. I have to say, whenever I go to celebrations like this I kind of wish I had more culture in my life. Minus my quick stint visiting Prague, I haven’t done much to celebratte my Czech roots throughout my life. You Germans and Irish know how to party!

We left Oktoberfest to get some real food at the Mystic Celt and ended up with an incredible view. The only thing better than sitting on a patio in the summer is sitting in the restaurant during Indian Summer when they have the front walls down so you’re basically outside while still sitting indoors. It made for some nice views of the street.

So all in all, I ate and drank and didn’t do NEARLY enough activity to balance it all out. But I have a plan for this upcoming week to get more in control of myself when all I want to do is eat drink sleep repeat. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, fitness-loving Lauren wakes up Monday morning wanting to punch herself in the face. And we all know that when you make a plan and have high hopes for yourself, nothing can possibly go wrong or get in your way. Right? ………………….Right?

No, Lauren, it isn’t fair, but you’re also not 21 anymore. Proper nutrition, water and sleep are a wee bit more important than back in your heyday.

So that’s that. How was your weekend?

throwback friday

Today was a throwback! Why? I’ll get to that in a minute.

I woke up and went on a slow, scenic 5 mile run. The last mile of the run I did “that thing” where I sprinted during the refrain and walked during the verses of the song I was listening to. Does anyone else do that? It really pumps me up at the end of a run!

Nevertheless, it was a beautiful run.

Post-run breakfast was peach oatmeal:

Peach cobbler in a bowl. Yum.

Back to the throwback!

Megan and I went back to visit our high school today! It was a crazy bittersweet experience. It’s funny how you can go back to high school and your teachers seem so much more like your peers. Especially since some of our friends are going back and teaching there this year. It’s pretty bizarre!