This year’s Valentine-Gift-to-Myself

As I mentioned earlier, I am going back to Europe soon.  This trip in particular came out of nowhere.  I have a chance to see my friend for a few days, and I have a voucher I need to use by the end of the year.  I saw a good flight and booked it.

But on Valentine’s Day, I booked another trip to Italy to see my friend again.  This trip is more exciting because others will join us in Rome.  It will be our little group of former Chicagoans (since everyone moved out of the city except me).  For the past few trips I did some solo traveling, but this time I will be in the company of good friends.  I’m very excited!!  I can’t wait to see everyone!

Since I’ve started this tradition for myself, I have learned that being selfish is not always a bad thing.  I am pretty modest for the most part, but because I choose not to fuss over myself, I forget that I DO need to take care of me from time to time.  Pure joy is what makes us feel alive, and sometimes we get caught up with our responsibilities that we neglect ourselves.  It’s important to wake up and connect with what makes us happy, or else all we would be doing is working and paying bills.    

Happy Galentine’s Day

I’m still recapping the month of January.  Despite its frigid weather, I had to step out for my step brother’s birthday.  My mom wanted to have dinner at her place to celebrate.  That same day my friends wanted to get together to catch up.  They needed some girl time.  I told them I would head over once dinner was over.

In lieu of Galentine’s Day, I wanted to mention how incredibly important my friends are to me.  I can honestly say I have been blessed with an amazing support group.  These girls have seen me at my worse and still wanted to stick around.  I love them very much.  I don’t know what I would do if they weren’t in my life.  Even my friends who live afar are my secret treasures.  I don’t think distance can tear apart the bond and memories we have shared over the years.  I am a lucky woman.

With that in mind, I am also very protective of them, and who I include in my circle.  It’s not easy to share your deepest secrets.  As I have gotten older I pride myself with the girls that I have.  I absolutely HATE drama of any kind, and unfortunately, in an age of self-absorbed personalities, it’s easy to mistaken a foe as a friend.  Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve made the wrong assumptions on people.  It’s all a part of growing into your true self.  Honesty is the best policy, and knowing when to spot the fakes is a process itself.  Just like any other relationship, some friendships grow apart.

My mom made an amazing dinner.  I know she loves her husband’s son very much.  Me and my brothers were goofing off as usual.  It felt like we were little kids again.

Once dinner was over, my brother dropped me off at my friend’s place, and we stayed up all night talking about everything.  Girl time was a blast…    

Clueless vibes 

Le table

Banana bread birthday cake 

I DON'T NEED A VALENTINE. I NEED VALENTINO

Let's be honest.  It's hard to keep a positive attitude with the weather we've been having here lately.    Last weekend, it was cold!  I stayed in both Friday and Saturday because the temperature was too frigid plus there was gusty winds!  Sunday was the only day this week that was going to be sunny and in the 60s.  I caught up with my friends after church and we made our way to the mall like we use to do.  It's getting harder to catch up with everyone now that some of them have babies.  I know I have to find a way to keep busy and make some new friends, (which will be hard for me because I'm pretty shy).  Regardless, I am going to be busy this weekend, and will make an effort to enjoy myself out despite how yucky the weather will be. 
Since nothing much else has been going on with me, I have a funny story to mention.  Since I've been single these past few years, I've found a way not to feel so bad about my status.  I've bought special gifts-to-myself for my birthday, Christmas, and Valentine's Day in the meantime.  This past Valentine, I was eyeing a Versace ring I secretly wanted.  I never owned anything from them, and was worried about the ring sizing because it was in Italian.  I looked into the conversion, but low and behold, when it arrived, it was too loose.  I could have kept it and made the most of it, but my co-workers insisted I return the ring.  "What if you lose it?  It's not worth it if it doesn't fit right", they said.  Sadly, I knew they were right, and sent the ring back the same day I received it.  So much for my Valentine's-gift-to-myself this year, I murmured. 
Of course I couldn't let go of the fact that I didn't get something for myself.  I even started looking around for my up coming birthday in 3 months.  Then one day, I was on the outnet's website, and saw some Valentino earrings.  They were a steal!  I clicked on it and right away was notified that there were the last pair.  I couldn't resist.  I purchased it without even thinking about it!  I got them the other day and can't wait to wear them out.  Yes, I did get Valentino for Valentines, and I'm in love!  It's little splurges like these that can bring you some joy out of the blue.  I am a true believer that I can't get whatever I want, it just might take me a while.  lol.  Not to mention, it didn't compromise with my savings plan.  Now if I can only figure out how to get those rockstud heels... 

My gifts-to-myself over the years.  The vintage Chanel earrings I splurged for my 30th birthday, and the YSL arty ring I got on my 40th.  The Alexander McQueen bracelet was my Christmas present-to-myself 2 years ago.  The watch and cuff bracelet is BCBG. 

LOVE the red box!

THANKS TheOutnet!  I'm officially hooked on your website and love my earrings!

Van Gogh's Bedrooms!

What a crazy weather week it's been!  On Valentine's Day Sunday it was snowing, and today the temperature reached up to 60 degrees!  You can't make this stuff up.  I truly believe if you live in Chicago, you can live anywhere else in the world.  We go through extreme conditions constantly. 
Last Sunday I decided to treat myself to a trip to the Art Institute.  For the 1st time ever Van Gogh's bedroom series was being showcased in the U.S!  I desperately tried to get the After Dark tickets for this exhibit, but they sold out in no time.  I figured this would be my Valentine's gift-to-myself this year, and off I went to the museum.
Valentine Sunday was the official 1st day of this reveal.  I was surprised to find the line down the street and luckily had purchased tickets online a week prior.  Since I haven't been to the Art Institute in over 15 years, I took my time to get familiar with the museum again.  I forget how beautiful it is inside.  Eventually I made my way over to the exhibit, only to find another line with a set time of 90 minutes.  YIKES!  Luckily I did not waste that much time earlier and took my place and waited. 
Leading up to that Sunday, I did brush up on my Van Gogh knowledge with an art book I had at home.  I wanted to come prepared.  It was amazing finally seeing his work right in front of my eyes!  I enjoyed the time line display leading up to the Bedroom paintings.  As troubled as he was, he did produce beautiful pieces of work.  Sometimes there's no other way to express your haunting thoughts except through canvas. 

Sunday in the Park

All of my pictures were taken from my new i phone 6s...

Considering I came right after church that morning, I loved seeing biblical art...

Here Jupitor is getting scolded by Venus while Cupid holds her back...

Monet's Water Lily Pond...

Missing Paris...

Check out that line!  Over a 90 minute wait to see Van Gogh's Bedrooms...

Van Gogh used a perspective frame which allows artists to compare the proportions of close objects to those that are far away as a means to translate three dimensional perspective onto a canvas...

Van Gogh's "A Poet's Garden"

Van Gogh's "View of the Asylum with a Pine Tree"

Gauguin's Chair- chair series

Van Gogh's chair series

Van Gogh's "Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle"

Theo is his beloved brother who was his benefactor until his death.  Van Gogh constantly wrote to him...

1st bedroom...

2nd version

3rd version

Van Gogh's "Hospital at Saint Remy"

Had to see "Nighthawk"; a Chicago classic!

Selfie time!  I truly enjoyed Van Gogh's Bedrooms!  Need to see the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam!

Lunch meeting at Cafe Iberico!

Hello everyone!  Long time no blog.  A lot has happened since Fat Tuesday.  lol.  I figured I would pick up from last week where I left off.  Leading up to that Friday, my mom was trying to see if me and my brothers could come by for dinner.  I was hesitant because I had seen her the week before, but since my brother's birthday DID fall on Fat Tuesday, my mom wanted to make him a special dinner.  Unfortunately, I had a lunch meeting with my new boss as well.  I told my mom that I probably won't be eating much since our meeting was being held at Café Iberico.  I love that place!!  She understood, so we settled to have dinner after all.
First up, Café Iberico!!  It's one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago.  I've been coming here close to 20 years.  The good news is, not everyone in our meeting has had their food.  It was nice ordering a bunch of stuff for them.  They have a pretty big menu, and since some of us were observing Lent, we ordered a seafood salad with grilled octopus and garlic shrimp to start off.  I LOVE their spicy potatoes!!!  Super delish!!  We also tried a Spanish potato dish as well to compare the difference.  At one point, things got out of hand and we kept ordering and ordering.  There were beef skewers with caramelized onions, salmon with asparagus, and a Spanish tamale which were devoured.  I can't believe we ended up getting dessert!  The ice-cream with banana has been a favorite among patrons for years. 
We had to rush back to work because we were also giving away some pre-Valentine treats for everyone!  We ordered enough individualized Cheryl's cookies for people to take back to their desks that day.  I love bringing cheer at work!  Sometimes you need a late afternoon snack to keep you going.
By the time I got home, I had to get ready for my mom's dinner.  After all of that, there was more food to come!  My brother enjoyed every minute of it.  I love seeing my family happy.  My mom is discussing some up coming changes.  I didn't realize she had so much on her mind.  Hopefully, things will all work out and we can look into the future together as a family.  She's been through a lot and I want her to get the clarity she needs to move into the next stage of her life:  retirement.

I usually order the Pincho de Solomillo, but since I'm observing Lent, I ordered instead...

the Salmon a La Pimienta!  Very tasty!

Had to order café con leche after our big lunch...

Back at work for some pre-Valentine treats!  Cheryl's cookies are individually wrapped for extra freshness!

Someone got a huge teddy bear for Valentine's Day!  We couldn't help but goof around...

At my mom's for my brother's birthday dinner

My mom cooked up a storm...

My mom baked banana bread as his birthday cake!

I love these guys...