Happy Birthday, John!

Today is John's 30th birthday! I can't believe that he's 30! (Meaning I will be 30 in 2 short months -- eek!) We haven't finalized any big birthday plans yet, but we are going to celebrate tomorrow night at Topolobompo, Rick Bayless' restaurant here in Chicago.

Historical Couture

Today my friend Sarah and I went to the Chic Chicago exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. The exhibit featured couture gowns owned by notable Chicago ladies, mostly socialites who I have never heard of. The exhibit was really nicely done -- lots of gorgeous clothing! Some of the dresses were as old as the teens or early 1920s, and there was also some newer pieces worn by Oprah and other current Chicago women. The exhibit closes at the end of the month, so I recommend seeing it soon if you're interested! Below are some pics of a few of the dresses on display:

A 1978 Halston dress. Who knew that Halston was from Iowa of all places, or
that he attended the Art Institute of Chicago?

The "Butterfly Gown" by Charles James. It apparently weighs 17 pounds!

Probably my favorite dress there. It's circa 1928 by Callot Soeurs.

July update

John and I have been so busy these days that it's been hard to do any "blog-worthy" activities. In fact, it's 3:00 on a Saturday, and I'm blogging from my office. No fun! I've actually had quite a productive day so far -- ran 11 miles, billed 3.5 hours of work -- but it seems like I will never see the surface of my desk again! John is playing golf with his friend, Jared, in Wilmette today, using the new driver that his dad and I got him as an early birthday present. I can't believe that John will be 30 in two days! That means my 30th is just around the corner -- eek! Hopefully we will get to squeeze in some fun during the weekend, because the rest of the summer is looking like it will be just as crazy busy!

Happy Birthday Nannie!

Wish we could be there to celebrate with you! Love you!

Earmuffs

Simon is tired of the non-stop Michael Jackson music playing at our house these days.

Best. Doughnuts. Ever.

We love us some doughnuts! We went to this amazing doughnut shop in Seattle called Top Pot. Our Starb's in Chicago actually carries a few of Top Pot's flavors, but they were sooo much better at the real location. We loved this place so much that we went two days in a row -- it definitely ranks among our favorite Seattle experiences.

Seattle: Day 3

We made a little day trip from Seattle on our third day there. We headed (read: hobbled) down to the pier and caught a ferry to Bainbridge Island. Bainbridge Island was super cute -- lots of neat shops and restaurants. Very peaceful and, as my mom puts it, "quaint". We also headed back to Pike Place Market during actual open hours to see some of the stalls. Of course we saw the famous fish throwers, but the best part was the gorgeous flowers! Although our trip to the island took up a big chunk of the day, we weren't very productive on Day 3 because of all the stiffness and soreness from the race.

The main drag on Bainbridge Island

Mom and me on a dock on Bainbridge Island

The ferry

View of downtown from the ferry.

Us on the ferry - very windy!