Miami day 2

After our night out with Curtis, we woke up to a gorgeous 80 degree beach day.  Life is good.

We enjoyed the beach then headed to the spa for massages. In all honesty, they weren't quite relaxing. Those ladies were there to work out our kinks! After 90 minutes of prodding elbows and knot releasing, Anj and I needed a cocktail! So we headed over to the the Mondrian Hotel for drinks and a sunset. This place is magical.

We zipped back to our hotel to get ready for our next event, a Ceviche and Cocktail party at the Botanical Gardens hosted by Emerill. The ambiance was breathtaking. It felt like a whimsical party in the forest.

They served hand crafted cocktails at every turn. We only needed more food!

Ceviche arrived! But you had to be quick to grab it. Everyone was starving.

My favorite was the octopus ceviche. So much flavor, kudos to the chef!

Another successfull night. I love South Beach.

Welcome to Miami

Come February every year, I desperately need a break from winter. My first Chicago winter meant I needed it more than ever. I'm a very lucky lady and was able to head off to the tropical beaches of South Beach with my best friend. 

We popped into a little Cuba restaurant as soon as we arrived.This burrata and guava paste dish was phenomenal.

They blend mint into their mojitos. Pure Genius. I must remember this for summer.

The South Beach Food and Wine Festival was in full swing when we arrived.  First up was The Q after Dark hosted by Moet and Hennessey...

And the lovely Curtis Stone. His dish was the best of the night, tasty shrimp tacos!

I clearly enjoyed every last bite. Thanks, Curtis!

So gorgeous!

 

Not even 10 hours into our trip and I had fully adjusted to sandals and no coats. Ahh. Stay tuned for day two; a ceviche and garden party hosted by Emerill.

Colors and Bottles

Chicago is SLOWLY starting to warm up. And by warm up I mean upper 30s, mayyybe 40s. I'll take it!

This past week I headed with a friend to an Art Institute hosted Picasso painting class at Colors and Bottles in Lincoln park. We brought some snacks and they treated us to wine. We may not be Art Institute worthy, but it was a ton of fun!

Training Club

image from Pinterest

Spring is right around the corner.... right? I sure hope so. With spring comes the promise of summer and the inevitable bathing suit season. If you're like me then you might need a little extra help getting motivated for the gym in 20 degree weather.

Enter the Nike Training Club app. Have any of you heard of this before? My roommate introduced me to it and I love it. It's a free app that acts as your personal trainer. You can focus on specific body areas or overall body workouts. If you have a set of weights you could even do most of these workouts at home. The best part is that your music plays over the audio instructions. Genius.

Happy Feet

I don't know about you, but I am always on the hunt for the perfect pair of flats. Ones that don't tear my ankles/heels apart and can handle rough wear and tear all over the city. I've heard rave reviews about Tieks  and am very tempted to try them out.

 

 

Tieks are designed to fit in your purse so they can go with you anywhere. They are made of 100% leather, custom made in Italy and have a signature blue rubber sole padded for comfort. I appreciate that they are well made and compact because I am certainly a girl on the go. Although on the pricier end (they start at $165), when I think about how much of spent on other shoes, these puppies might just be worth the investment.  

 

 

 

 

Images from Google/Tieks. Last image from here.

Weekend shopping

It was warm enough to venture out this weekend sans head to toe coverage. Who knew 35 degrees could feel so good. Knowing that the 20s are around the corner, I tried to take advantage of the day and headed to the new Bucktown Parisian fragrance and candle shop, Diptyque.

I've heard about these candles countless times before but never actually smelled one. So I popped inside and had the store all to myself. The manager behind the counter was really great. She walked me through the different scents, answers my novice question and never pressured me (these bad boys aren't cheap). I decided on their top seller; Bais in a mini version ($28). It's a floral scent with a hint of sweetness (at least it is to me). The manager even threw in some free sample fragrances for me to enjoy. It was a fun little treat and the store is adorable.