Chicago!

Weekend Recap: AMAZING.

I got into Chicago Thursday evening and Brianna quickly whisked us away to happy hour at Tavernita!! It was great to meet Bri's co-workers, and funny to read their "banker" faces when I said I make my living from Parades & Fireworks :) After a few hours of college stories and too many glasses of Chardonnay & Booty Collins (green tea- infused absolut vodka, passionfruit, lemon, cayenne, yohimbre) we desperately needed some food! We headed to Portillo's and consumed the craziest smorgasbord of food ever, I won't even touch on what we ordered to save our dignity :)

Friday morning, I headed out to meet my former co-worker Elizabeth & Steve for the CWS Opening Day vs. the Tigers! I must say I am completely proud of myself for taking the Red Line alone for the first time, even though it was only a couple block walk from Bri's high rise and only 3 stops to our pre-game meet up, Cavanaughs!

We made it to our seats in right center field just in time for the first few pitches; after, of course, some good natured heckling from White Sox nation (which sadly, needs some extensive lessons in fashion). I actually feel bad for Sox fans in general, having your stadium in the middle of nowhere really puts a damper on the full scale tailgating, bar hopping Opening Day that Detroiters (and probably even Cubs fans) are accustomed to. Sadly, the Tigers lost (CWS 5, Tigers 2).

Post game, Brianna and I met up for dinner at Uncle Julio's; which was so yummy, margarita's & steak enchiladas (I literally just drooled writing that). Feeling beyond full, we made our way to Duffy's to catch the end of the Red Wings game with her bf & friends! Duffy's was totally a hot mess, if it's even possible, it had better people watching than the Sox game!! From there the night gets a little blurry, but I know we made it to a bar in Old Town, and someones apartment, and finally home :)


Bri & I at Duffy's


Somehow, Saturday morning, we pulled ourselves together to go to WERQ, a fitness class based on hip-hop dance. I swear it was like we were 19 years old again, dancing in Canada :) I definitely recommend checking it out, if you like to break a sweat while dancing!

After class, Bri & I discovered what could possibly be the best breakfast restaurant in Chicago, Meli Cafe! It has now become our "spot" and we even went back on Sunday!! I totally recommend the fresh squeezed grapefruit juice & feta-spinach-tomato breakfast sandwich on wheat!! (Again, with drooling).

In the afternoon, we headed out to run some errands & shop! We hit up my fav Francesca's, where I purchased the greatest clutch known to women!! Black Satin. Gold Trim. Glitz Peacock Closure. AMAZE.

Saturday night we met up with our friend Melina (who we've been friends with since Jr. High) for dinner at Quartino's! Another fabulous restaurant! And since it is a small plate style & there were three of us, I have no problem sharing what we ordered :) A liter of Sangria, Romaine Heart Salad, Gnocchi, Sea Scallops, Margherita Pizza and a rib pasta dish I couldn't find on the menu. (Still drooling). It was all delicious and much needed for our night out of drinking & dancing!!


Quartino's

The night took us to my next (new) fav place, The Pump Room at Public Chicago. The moment we walked in, I felt like I was at the Chateau Marmont on Sunset, I actually expected to walk outside after and see palm trees, or my brother :) We each decided to order something new to our taste buds, Melina = Old English Gentlemen (Dewar's White Label, Tobacco Syrup, Fresh Lemon Sour, Sweet Vermouth & Egg Wash), Brianna = Raspberry Lychee Bellini (Prosecco, Raspberry & Lychee Syrup) and I had the Pump & Circumstance (Bombay Sapphire Gin, Earl Grey Tea & Lavender Syrup, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup & Egg Wash). Truthfully, my drink tasted like I was drinking from a Bath & Body Works Wallflower, which was a little hard to get past. Our second round we all switched it up, but Melina was still the dare devil, ordering a Passion Whiskey Fizz with Chili... it had a kick. I tried to order Hpnotiq (classy I know) which they did not have but luckily the bartender drinks it as well and tried his best to recreate it using tequila and vodka, he came pretty close!!

Shots from the very sweet bartenders at The Pump Room

When the urge to dance took over, we relocated (in the pouring rain) to a hole in the wall bar, that I don't even remember the name of (yes, the drinks were that good). All I do remember is that Bri somewhere found a beer case to use as an umbrella, we cut in line (yes, we were those girls) and their bathrooms were in the basement, which was flooded. It was a hot mess. But we came to dance, and dance we did, until 3 AM! The walk home was memorable, as was our late night shopping spree at 7-11.

Trendiest Umbrella Ever :)

Sunday came entirely too quickly. I literally had to fight back tears when I hugged Brianna good-bye. It was seriously one of the best weekends I've had in a long time, like I am ready to plan a trip back tomorrow :)

xoxo

I am my father's daughter :)

xoxox

Life as I know it...

This is so very MySpace of me, but will fun to read down the road :)

Age: 28

Bedsize: Queen

Chore I Hate: Moving the grass clippings from the mower to the bags

Dog(s): Valentina Milania, (almost) 3 year old Austrian Shepherd | Golden Retriever monster :)

Essential Start To My Day: Sunshine... & bronzer.

Fav Color: Yellow

Gold or Silver: Gold, always.

Height: 5'3 ish (?)

Instruments Played: Only my vocal chords baby!

Job Title: Event Specialist, so official.

Kids: Can I find a husband first, gosh!! :)

Live: In The Mitten

Mother's Name: Margaret Phyllis & Andrea Carmella

Nicknames: CarolAnna Banana (Boat) & CAB

Overnight Hospital Stay: When I was a babe

Pet Peeves: Negativity.

Quote From A Movie: "The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize" Steal Magnolias

Right or Left: R

Siblings: Hollywood (baby) Brotherrr

Time You Wake Up: As last as possible, 7:40 or sometimes 8... whoops :)

Uncanny Resemblance: Snooki, it's the hair & tan.

Vegetable You Hate: Pickles, are pickles a vegetable?!

What Makes You Run Late: Outfit selection.

X-Rays You've Had: MRI to discover the inside of my knees are flat & that my hips rotate opposite of normal, whatever that means!!

Yummy: Colin Egglesfield, or did you mean food :)

Zoo Animal: Elephant

xoxox

Happy Easter!



Happy Easter 1988

Phil & I were definitely blessed, to have parents that every year, dressed up & hopped down the street with Easter baskets just for us :) Although I don't think this photo captures the real joy :) I love the Pee Wee doll in my basket & the Ghostbusters Stay Puft Marshmellow Man in brotherrrr's!!

xoxox

Opening Day Kicks... The Tutorial :)

I always feel pretty crafty when I go up north to visit my parents... maybe it's because Andrea is so creative & crafty, or because she has her very own craft room & an abundance of supplies or just because I have loads of free time.

So even though I was only visiting for a day, I decided it was time to accomplish one of my very first Pinterest projects! You can find my inspiration here, unfortunately I have googled and can't find the artist to give proper credit... but they did an excellent job on their finished product! 

First I started with a pair of canvas Roxy's which I found on sale (SCORE) at DSW!! 

Once I had decided on my two designs, I printed each from the computer in a size that fit on the front of each shoe. I chose the Old English D and a Detroit Tiger's logo. 

Andrea recommended that I use tracing paper, which required me to transfer the Tiger's logo onto transparent paper by tracing the printed logo. Once I had transferred the logo (see below); I then secured the tracing paper (dark side down) onto the shoe with the transparent logo face up with a few pins.

NOTE: I did not find the tracing paper to be helpful at all. In the future, I will trace the outline of the computer print out straight to the shoe, like I did for the Old English D (photo below). I ended up free handing the inside of the Tiger's logo because I could not see the tracing marks. 

Computer logo transferred to transparent paper for tracing onto the shoe

I found this way to be much easier; printed logo pinned straight to shoe

Traced Old English D ready for paint

Once my shoes were ready, I used acrylic paints to color in the logos. I did researched and found that some people choose to outline with paint markers first, but I decided to drive right in with a small bristle paint brush & acrylic paint! 

The shoes only required one coat of paint

Here you can see how the tracing paper worked on the baseball shape

The paint took only a few minutes to dry between color blocks. Once most of the color was complete, I decided to outline each logo in black. I definitely think outlining them was a plus and adds to the color pop.

I still need to spray them with a treatment

I also hand painted baseball laces on the back of the heels

I painted on a large piece of parchment paper for easy clean up

LOVE!

I am happy that I decided to give this project a try! It took about two hours, from tracing to finish. It was super relaxing and fun! I showed our Director of Costuming (who taught me how to sew my Halloween costume) and she thought they were a little plain for me :) but once I explained my whole outfit, she then agreed that they didn't need any bling... although I'm thinking of adding a few quarter size baseballs on the sides, we'll see though  :)

xoxox

PS My co-worker Jas really wants me to start a separate blog about my DIY projects & fashion statements. However since I have a hard enough time updating here, I told her in this case, two is not better than one :) She did though, come up with some awesome names for blog #2; so from here forward, I will tag any & all of my creative projects with "The Pink Apron" :) Thanks Jazzy Jas!! :)

Puppy Girl

Valentina is having a great time at her gamma & gampa's house :) She is running free on 10 acres for 2 weeks!! I am sure she won't remember who I am when I go to pick her up!! :)

I miss my ma ma ma monster girls!! 

xoxox

Shamrockin!

This year I celebrated St. Patrick's Day two weekends in a row... I know right, Party CarolAnn!! :) Woo Woo!

The weekend before the actual holiday, was the Corktown 5k & Parade! Of course since I have fallen off the workout wagon (other than Zumba & a cardio class here & there), it was in deed my worst timing ever!! But I did stop on Mile 3 to enjoy a cocktail with the Bender family... so factoring in that on my timing, I guess doesn't make it horrible :)

I ran, jogged, walked alone most of the time but started the race with Patrick & Tequila!

No our best self taken photo :)

But at least my outfit was legit, right?! :)

After the race, we enjoyed the Parade nonsense for awhile. It was a beautiful day out & Corktown was packed! It was great to see so many Detroiters out having a blast!! It got Tequila & I so excited for Opening Day (but when are we not)!!

The next weekend we headed to Chicago for Amelia's Bachelorette Party!

10 ladies made the trip and Patrick :) or as he liked to introduce himself that day, Patricia!

Majority of the group @ D4

Tequila, I & Rachel @ D4

Reunited!!

This is when it started to get fuzzy!!

YAY! Happy we ran into Brianna!!

OMGosh and how could I forget... Monica starting the day w Starbucks (beer) and her whole life (money & ID) in a sandwich baggie... I swear only my frinds :)

It was a great two weekends of celebration!! Happy St. Patrick's Day 2012!!

xoxox

Happy Spring!!

It's been a heat wave in the Midwest this March! We hit 85 degrees yesterday, breaking any previous records! Insane!!

My neighbors tree is already starting to bloom! :)

I'm so excited for the spring & summer! Yesterday we received our 2012 festival guides at work!! How can this not get you excited for sunshine, tan lines & messy, driving with the windows down hair!! :)

xoxox

#Truth

Teach Me How To DZ

One of my fav things about the holidays?!! Aside from the reason for the season & spending time with family... are the HOMECOMINGS!!

I have so many girlfriends that live out of state nowadays, that we rarely get to SEE each other in person. So every homecoming, we look forward to squeezing in time for a reunion, and this year it worked out perfectly!! A few days after Christmas, our Alma Mater was playing in The Little Caesar Bowl at Ford Field!

So Sarah purchased the tickets, I had the t-shirts made (because it's not a true Pink & Green reunion without matching shirts) & Feldman planned the pre-party!

Fight On, Fight On!

Amelia, Me & Sam

Me, Sarah & Amelia

I think we both belong in the South :)

Yay! Patrick supported the Broncos even though he's a Spartan!!

Me, Sarah, Sam & Feldman

You can't wear the shirt without the dance :
"Ta ta ta teach me how to DZ"

Go Broncos!!

Unfortunately, Western did not get the win, and it took me almost booing the first TD to realize I was cheering for the wrong team (whoops, maybe a few too many pre cocktail party cocktails?!), but it was such a great reunion with such fabulous sisters!! Love you girls!

In the Flame.

xoxox

Happy Birthday Jesus

Ready. Set. Short & Sweet version of Christmas 2011. Go!

I spent Christmas Eve at my cousin's with a big portion of the Spag family. The evening was filled with good food (hello, Italians, would you think any different), good music (the younger cousins sing a mean Here Comes Santa Claus), good gifts (make-up & money, yes please) and laughing children (my fav part)!

Me & My Dad!!

Cousins!

The younger cousins singing Happy Birthday to Jesus!

It is tradition in the family that all the children gather to sing Christmas carol's so Santa will know where we are and bring us each a gift to open... like I mentioned above, my younger cousins sing their little hearts out :)

Yay! He found us!

The greatest moment of the holiday was my dad opening his gift from Andrea. Her first painting ever, which is beautiful. She is so talented!! I was able to capture the reaction live!! I love my dad's face when he realizes what it is; he cried, Andrea cried, I cried, I am sure if Phil & Hay were there, they would of cried.

My Parents!!

xoxox

#DeadbeatBlogger

Wow!

I can't believe it's almost been two months since my last post. I have so much to update that writing these next few posts feel really, REALLY overwhelming.

MANTRA: Organize. Focus. Write. Share.

REPEAT.

Here goes :)

xoxox

Birthday Weekend

Yayay! Happy 28th Birthday to ME!!... wait what?!!

How did I get here... 28?! Just yesterday I was 18... 21... 25... 27...

I mean 28 is TEN years after high school, it is FOUR years from my mothers age when she had me, it is TWO years away from 30!!

The journey to 28 has been a whirlwind of ups, downs, twirls & ....curls?! The ups are amazing, the downs are great lessons, the twirls are unforgettable and the curls, well let's just leave the perms out of this one! :) So many great memories, friends, experiences... I am so excited for 28 & beyond because it can only mean more, more memories, more love in my heart and more happiness :)

This weekend (although one of my more low key birthday celebrations) was one of the best!

Friday afternoon I received a text from my BFF LoBakes (formerly LC) that she had snagged a last minute flight in from NYC and to get the bottles of wine ready for an all night gossip sess! Hooray! I hadn't seen LoB since her July nuptials... this was a much needed reunion!

We like to keep our reunions very classy :)

BK Lounge style w a little wine on Christmas plates... ummm YAY!

Saturday morning came entirely too quickly, especially since we stayed up until 4am chatting & drinking! I believe my Facebook status was a pretty good indication of my feeling both mentally & physically that day... "Is it never good to drink an entire bottle of wine the night before your birthday dance party... Trying to pull it together in 5...4... 3..." :)

Thankfully, Tequila Monica called late afternoon to go get dinner before we hit the town! It was a very much needed filet that I indulged in... unfortunately there are no photos of this classy meal because I was already embarrassed enough by the way I looked that I didn't need to be "that person" photographing their meal.

But Tequila didn't mind... her NY Strip.

I was home just in time to dye my hair, shower & secure my fake eyelashes before heading downtown to meet up with friends at MGM! We made the center bar "U + ME Drink" our home until the need to dance took over :)

Jerseylicious earrings :) a must!

Jessica & I @ U + ME Drink

All the girls!

BFFs

Taking a break from dancing @ V

Typical :)

Post dance party USA... us girls were hungry! So after explaining to LoB, who "really wanted to go to Comerica Park for a hot dog" that it wasn't baseball season... we decided on American Coney Island.

I can honestly say, there is no better way to spend a birthday... than sitting with your BFFs in a coney island, with a dozen Santa's on a bar crawl, hot wing sauce all over your face, laughing while they make fun of your taste in men... all while knowing, there is no other place you would rather be at that moment :)

Before the wing sauce face.



On Sunday, my actual real life birthday :) I woke up to wishes from all my friends & family, a rendition of happy birthday from my parents & puppy kisses from Valentina!

Later that day, Tequila and I got margarita's cantaritos & enchilada's to celebrate the day!

A perfect ending to a wonderful weekend, so now all I can say is bring on 2012 and a fabulous 28th year!

xoxox