Still the one.

Jenna Lyons talking about lots of things, including social media.

Vacartion.

We're taking a road trip! I haven't been in a car for longer than it takes to get to Cedar Point since we moved to Chicago in 2008. At first this sounded like a really romantic idea—drive the Bourbon Trail, spend a few nights in the French Quarter, lay face down in the white sugar sand of the Redneck Riviera—but now I have severe anxiety-related acid reflux, which isn't romantic at all.

However, nothing relieves stress like a few hours list making, so my I present: OUR ITINERARY!

Day 1: Monday, July 23
Chicago ➞ Bourbon Trail
☛Visit Heaven Hill Distillery and help Paul pick out a barrel by saying things like, I don't really like whiskey straight; dusty bottle hunting; a round of Seelbach Cocktails at the Seelbach Hotel; dinner at St Charles Exchange; more drinks at The Silver Dollar.


Day 2: Tuesday, July 24
Bourbon Trail ➞ Nashville
☛ Visit Four Roses Distillery and warehouse for barrel-picking; hightail it over to Buffalo Trace Distillery for more barrel-picking; hit the road for Nashville; check into Hutton Hotel, where we'll meet Timmy (!) for dinner at Catbird Seat (hopefully) and drinks at Patterson House. Somewhere in there we'll also fit in a round at Holland House Bar & Refuge.


Day 3: Wednesday, July 25
Nashville ➞ New Orleans
☛ Breakfast at the Jack Daniels Distillery; road dog it down to New Orleans and check into The Roosevelt Hotel before diving head first into a frozen Irish Coffee at the Erin Rose. 


Day 4: Thursday, July 26
New Orleans
☛ Watch out: Cure, August, Dominica, Bellocq, Bar Tonique, Soda Shop, Arnaud's French 75, Cochon, The Swizzle Stick Bar at Cafe Adelaide. We're gonna eat/drink everything in your bar/restaurant. 


Day 5: Friday, July 27
New Orleans
☛ John flies down and meets us for a night of fun (but not too much fun) in the French Quarter. I've never met a person who loves to eat boiled underwater creatures as much as my brother, so I'm sure dinner at restaurant that requires eating off of a red and white laminated picnic tablecloth will be in order.

Day 6: Saturday, July 28 - Day 7: Sunday, July 29
New Orleans ➞ Navarre, Florida

☛ Drive my two favorite boys to the beach, as they will surely be hanging their still-drunk (John) and terminally hung-over (Paul, age 41) heads out the window. The main purpose of this visit is to wish my grandma a happy 80th birthday (!!!), but I am also intent on recreating this photo:




Day 8: Monday, July 30
Navarre, Florida ➞ Chicago
☛ It's a long one (916 miles!) but between the three of us, we'll force those 16 hours to fly by with a We're making memories! mantra.

Teen Idol

I'm hella positive for real that I love this song so so much. And if I had to move back into my eighth grade-bedroom, that would be totally fine because the walls would be covered in magazine cutouts of Gwen and it's pretty much all I can do not to decorate my room like that RIGHT NOW.

 Why do I suddenly want to buy L'Oreal Infallible Lipgloss 8 Hour in Red Fatale?

Tiki Pins

I started a Pinterest board to visually define a new wave of tiki, which is basically a collection of palm tree prints and flamingos and electric coral lipstick.

So, if you're into mid-century meets Miami meets mermaids, I'll happily to add you as a pinner and we can swap tropical inspiration photos while I make us banana daiquiris. 

Life is a series of difficult choices.

Which Baskin Robbins should I choose?

Two Songs:

Style Spirit Guide

WHEN MY FRIEND SWINGS BY WITHOUT TELLING ME, 

AND MY APARTMENT IS A MESS. 

Via #whatshouldwecallme.

This is not my life anymore, because I kept my house clean for an entire month for the first time in my entire life and I'm never looking back. Come on over, all you previously-ignored unannounced visitors! I'll never pretend my doorbell is broken again.

Spring cleaning: my closet.

I've been holding on to a lot of clothes for a lot of years. Most of the items in this bag have been moved from Las Vegas to Ukrainian Village to Logan Square. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of everything—some things I'm afraid I'll always wish hadn't gone to charity (sorry, charity!), so I put them in bins and they go to live in our basement storage unit.  

I used to take up three of the four closets in our apartment, and I'm now down to one. Using the question 'Would I rather have something cuter?', I successfully purged: two bins of nostalgic save-ables, two garbage bags of shoes (I'm down to just 21 pairs!), and three shopping bags of sell-ables.

I took the shoes to the nearest clothing donation dumpster-thing and then endured horrible feelings of judgement and rejection at Buffalo Exchange and turned those bags of impulse-buys and one-time-wears into this:

...which I hope to turn into something nice I will wear all summer. Like maybe a haircut?

Spring cleaning: my body.

I convinced Paul to do a twenty-eight day cleanse with me by promising not to smoke for the entire month. Strangely, three days in I am missing coffee one million times more than cigarettes.

Last night we made Grilled Napa Cabbage with Chinese Mustard Glaze and Scallions for dinner. So good, but sooo spicy! I am notoriously stringent with my recipe-following, so it was not confident improvisation that lead to my usage of ramps instead of scallions—it was my inability to correctly identify most produce.

The surprisingly hearty cabbage was accompanied by Crispy Roasted Cauliflower. I've always been in awe of the deliciousness that was the roasted cauliflower dish on Longman & Eagle's dinner menu, but after roasting my own I realized that it's not very hard to make this vegetable taste amazing.

In the process of researching recipes for the detox, I accidentally started using an app called ZipList. Seriously, everyone should download this thing immediately. You can create a virtual recipe box, create a meal plan, and organize a grocery shopping list. I stuck to the list and spent so much less money at Whole Foods than I ever have before—plus now when I open the fridge I don't just stand there and stare blankly at its contents wondering why the fuck I bought beets. Now I know! I bought them for this salad! And we're eating it on Friday for lunch.


Also, I should probably ask MCC if he minds that I'm borrowing this mantra:

Guest blogger!

As promised, here is Ally's 30 Before 30 list! And yes, Ally, this is what blogging always feels like ("weird and embarrassing"). 

Well holy shit, after a night of truly mortifying karaoke and a meat-filled meal at Nightwood, here I am: 29 years old. Though I'm not totally spooked about turning 30, there are about 100 things I feel like I should accomplish before I start saying things like, 'at this age…' or 'when you're in your 30s…' .So alas, I'm joining the ranks of Molly, Dean, and my truest bluest gurl Shelby with my 30 before 30 list. 

1/ Find teachers. This is the equivalent of finding religion for new age chumps like me. I want to read books and attend lectures by people who are more compassionate, joyful, and whole-er than I am. And I would like to integrate that knowledge into my life without dropping quotes at parties and losing all of my friends. 

2/ Run a half marathon. I have run FOR YEARS, but it has never become a habit, and it has certainly never gone beyond 4 miles. This is my year. 

3/ Get strong. I want to be able to do push ups and maybe, MAYBE, a pull up. 

4/ Develop a mindfulness practice. 

5/ Learn technology. The key here would be to not rely on my boyfriend to help me scan a document, every time I need to scan a document. Same is true for designing a flyer, backing up my computer, installing updates, etc. 

6/ Start a private practice & increase my clinical skills. I would like to take on 4-5 therapy clients, and then do really good work with them. 

7/ Go to Buenos Aires. Drink wine, walk around, hold hands with Zach. 

8/ Go to Palm Springs OR Big Sur. I spend a lot of time in California. Time for an adventure. 

9/ Take a girls' vacation. Preferably somewhere with a beach AND a pool. 

10/ Buy 3-4 NICE things that I'll have forever. Staple pieces. Not from Zara. 

11/ Start a 401K. I already did this, but listing it is helping me feel accomplished/motivated. 

12/ Visit a financial planner. Something tells me that completing #12 isn't going to help me with #10, but it still needs to happen. 

13/ Get a raise/promotion. I work HARD, and I don't have the title or salary to prove it. 

14/ Kick my soda habit. No more Diet Cokes. 

15/ Can this one be private? I think this one is private. 

16/ Learn to mix. At least a little. 

17/ Take more pictures. Like with a camera. 

18/ Redo bathroom. Oops, I did this one already too. Just 28 left girl!

19/ Redecorate bedroom. 

20/ Cook more/ have 3-4 signature dishes. 'Ohhh Ally is coming over? I hope she brings her __________." 

21/ Have more dinner parties. 

22/ Learn to make pizza from scratch. I'm scared of any recipe that calls for yeast. But I am more scared of my Papa John's addiction. 

23/ Train Milkshake to be the best dog ever (not just the handsomest).  

24/ Give gifts to friends and family. Send cards on people's birthdays. Show more love.

25/ Try new restaurants with my man. 

26/ Do a 21-day cleanse. 

27/ Read. More. Books. Maybe 2-3/month. 

28/ Donate more time & money to places like: NPR, Chicago Public Libraries, Chicago Dyke March, Rape Victim Advocates, Greyhounds Only

29/ Grow a big vegetable garden. And then eat from it. 

30/ Keep a cleaner home. Less dishes in the sink. Less clothes on the floor. Less closets filled to the brim. 

Watercolors by Mark Aguhar.

Feeling really sad for my friends who lost their friend, for the world, and for every dance floor from now on.

Ursher.

Oh my god, I cannot stop listening to this song. CAN. NOT. And then the VIDEO??? I dare you to watch it without clenching your fists the entire time. It kind of makes me want to cry hysterically/do standing abdominal-isolation exercises, but mostly it gets me really, REALLY excited for the rest of this album.

P.S. Usher: yes. Yes, please.
UPDATE: The director, Sam Pilling, also takes lots of photographs of adorable kittens. No wonder.

Marni Sleepover!

Molly and I are gonna sleep on a sidewalk in the rain and have a long conversation about 'WANT VS. NEED'.

Here is my shopping list:

Real Real Talk

Stay tuned for Ally's guest-blog-column on this topic, plus why your therapist shouldn't go to parties with you (à la Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), and her 30 Before 30 list.

#Trendsetting

Tiger Eyes:


Also known as Bebop Eyes:


Via WhoWhatWear. @Morganagrom.

RPM!

Paul created the cocktail menu for a fancy new restaurant as part of his fancy new job, and I got to go to the fancy preview party.

< 3

Happy Valentine's Day!


Happy EVERY Day.

Free time.

Mouth à la Molly:

MAC Vegas Volt, Lanvin for H&M Hot Pink.

My spin on a glitter-less oceanic mani:

Revlon Midnight Affair, Color Club Bizerk Turq, Revlon Minted, Sinful Colors Mint Apple.

The best hair trick I've learned in a long time: Curl the hair away from your face. Also, don't be so afraid of hairspray.

P.S. I really miss The Hills.

30 Before 30.

Yesterday was my twenty-ninth birthday! Inspired by Dean's and Molly's '30 Before 30' lists, here are the thirty things I'd like to do before my next birthday, in no particular order:

1. Visit a financial planner.

Learn how to save for retirement and a rainy day, and improve my credit score.

2. Save money.

I have a specific number in mind that I'd like to see in my savings account by my thirtieth birthday.

3. Get fit and strong.

I'll measure my progress by using a timed 40-30-20-10 workout as a baseline test (40-30-20-10 rep sets of sit ups, push ups, and air squats).

4. Take vitamins.

A daily multivitamin for women, plus maybe one for hair and nails. Is this actually an important thing to do? It seems like taking vitamins is, like, an 'adult thing' I should be doing.

5. Go to the doctor.

I have to go to so many doctors: the gynecologist, the dentist, the dermatologist, the knee doctor. I should probably also get a physical from a regular doctor.

6. Start an anti-aging skin care regimen.

You know--eye cream, nighttime moisturizer, less cigarettes.

7. Get a Brazilian wax.

I've never had one, and I think I'm ready to face the fear.

8. Floss.

When the reason for not flossing is because it hurts too bad and makes your teeth bleed, you know you need to be flossing more than anyone.

9. See our apartment on Apartment Therapy.

I don't know that this would do anything to improve my life at all, it's just something that would make me really happy. I also think it would be nice to have professional documentation of our home as a snapshot of this particular moment in our lives.

10. Have a family portrait taken.

I'd like a beautiful photo of Paul, Maggie, Helen and I, for the same reasons as the above. This year just feels like it's going to bring a sea change with it, and capturing life just the way it is right now feels important.

11. Set foot on the Appalachian Trail.

This is the first, tiny-baby-step towards the only thing I definitely want to do before I die. Maybe I'll drive out to see Andy and Tron in West Virginia come springtime and see if they'll take an afternoon hike with me? There is a spot on the trail about 135 miles from Huntington that has free-ranging ponies (!).

12. Do my taxes.

I haven't done them in three years.

13. Learn to play the guitar.

I'm going to take lessons, and I'd like to be able to play a handful of easy songs by the end of my twenty-ninth year.

14. Send birthday cards, thank you notes and postcards.

I always really appreciate getting mail, and I've long wished I was one of those really thoughtful people that promptly sent a thank you note, or remembered birthdays in time to send a card.

15. Back up my computer.

This seems like another one of those things a 'responsible adult' does, so maybe this item should be next to 'take vitamins'. But honestly, I would be legitimately up a creek if my computer died right now.

16. Eat a bagel in Montreal.

First of all, I love bagels more than just about any other food item available. Second, I love saying French words. Third, I love traveling and I've never been to Canada. Fourth, I love a good rivalry. Four reasons seems like enough to add this to my list.

17. Get properly insured: life insurance, renter's insurance, jewelry insurance.

I'm embarrassed to say I don't currently have a single one of those insurance policies.

18. Keep a journal.

I've only kept a journal for one year in my life (tenth grade), and it's the most hilarious and insightful information I have about myself. I'd like to keep a journal this year, pack it away, and read it on my 40th birthday. It'll be like an internal 'before' and 'after' picture.

19. Order prints of my photos and make albums of the last few years.

This is actually a pretty important one to me, and something I'm really excited to do. My Grandma Mellor has an album for every year, and I love looking through them whenever I visit her. I have albums from high school and my freshman year of college, but every photograph I have taken since 2003 is living on the internet, mostly in my Flickr account, which feels less permanent than an album on my bookshelf.

Bonus points: Figure out how to hack into my old Photobucket account. There are some really good photos in there, but I don't remember the password or the exact username. Is it possible?

20. Get our wedding photos and video.

I never ordered copies of our formal portraits or the video from our ceremony from the hotel where we got married. I wonder if they still have it somewhere? I really, really hope so.

21. Complete a thirty day Bikram yoga challenge.

Recently, I took a month-long break from alcohol and it made me feel so good. I think this would make me feel the same way, only even better.

22. Wash my face before bed every night.

I'm a much happier person when I make myself do this, even on the nights when I just want to flop face first into my pillow.

23. Decorate our bedroom.

It's the one room in every house/apartment that we've lived that I never get around to decorating.

Bonus points: Get our landlords to put some new molding in there.

24. Finish the Michelin list.

Paul and I helped Molly and Timmy cross some Michelin-starred restaurants off their list. Plus, this past weekend I got it on very good authority that contrary to what one may think, the food at L2O is just as good (if not better) than before Laurent Gras left.

25. Get my diploma.

I finished all of my classes at UNLV the day before we moved to Chicago, and I never applied for graduation or got my diploma. Time to remedy that!

26. Get better at 'small talk'.

I'm so bad at making conversation with strangers, and I have the feeling that it's a skill I'll need to use a lot in the coming year.

Bonus points: Remember everyone's name.

27. Read my mysteriously free subscription to The New Yorker every week.

Katie generously got us a one-year subscription to The New Yorker as a house warming gift when we first moved to Chicago three years and a half ago, but it just kept coming! I'd like to be more diligent about reading it every week.

Bonus points: Subscribe to (and read) TimeOut Chicago and Chicago Magazine.

28. De-clutter my house.

The closet in our entry way is full of clothes that need to be donated, arts n' crafts supplies that need to be organized, tools that need to a toolbox, shoes that need new heels, and about one million other things that need to be purged.

29. Write more.

Write this blog, write letters, write Paul's blog, write a cocktail book, write press releases, write lists, write diaries, write, write, write.

30. Draw more.

Doodles, markers, pencils, water colors, portraits, logos, menus, et cetera, et cetera.

New Year's Eve in two parts.

The decorations part: a couple rolls of mylar, a few pounds of tissue paper, Martha Stewart fringe scissors, a rotary cutter and two boxes of glue dots (GLUE DOTS!!!) all came together to make about a hundred feet of DIY-Confetti System tassel garland. The cleanup was intense.

The fun part: there was crowd surfing to Rihanna, dancing on John's shoulders, and New Year's Eve kisses from pretty much every single one of my favorite people in Chicago.