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we're baaack {our mexico trip}


It's been one week since The Man and I got back from Mexico and I'm (finally) ready to tell you all about it! 
Get ready for a photo heavy post!

We went to Mexico because my life long family friend Nicole and her now hubby Mike decided to have a destination wedding in Playa Del Carmen.  It was such a wonderful trip and I am so thankful to Nicole and Mike for giving me a reason to go on a week-long vacation.
Our first day there we went straight from the check-in desk to a pontoon! The Bride and Groom were really awesome and organized a few excursions for anyone who wanted to join.  It made it so much easier to see things outside of the resort.

So, with barely any sleep and almost no food in our stomachs we went out into the Caribbean Sea to go snorkeling.  Besides the sea-sickness it was fantastic!!!  I've never been snorkeling before, and at first it was a little uncomfortable but once I got used to it I didn't want to get out.
We saw so many schools of fish and a giant stingray and a big adorable turtle!!
The next day we all went to Tulum and Coba.
Tulum was beautiful...and scorching hot.  Most of our party wore swimsuits under their clothes and jumped in the ocean as soon as we got there.  My parents and I weren't that prepared and decided to find a shady spot to sit and enjoy our surroundings.
My favorite part of that day was when we were all let off the bus to go find something for lunch. The Man, my parents, and I all decided to break away from the crowd and wander down the road a bit.  We stopped at La Bisteca where my parents ordered steak tacos and The Man and I had choripan (an Argentinian sausage sandwich). It. Was. Delicious.  So amazingly delicious!!
The resort we stayed at was "all-inclusive" so the all-you-can-eat buffets and restaurants weren't really trying that hard, if you know what I mean.  All we wanted all week long was authentic Mexican food and we got it at La Bisteca.
After lunch was Coba.  The great thing about Coba is they're not as determined to preserve the ruins so you can climb all over them! Unlike Tulum, Coba is surrounded by jungle so it was really nice and cool while we were walking around.  However, Coba is large, and very spread out, and, like most places in Mexico, there are no maps. So when The Man and I got back to the bus we soon found out what we had missed.

Apparently the reason to go to Coba is the giant ruin that towers over the trees, which you can climb all the way to the top of.  Most people in our group took bicycle taxis around the ruins so they could see all of it, but The Man and I lost the group and my parents (holding all the money) within the first 5 minutes of entering the park.  It was kind of a bummer once we saw how beautiful everyone's pictures were, but maybe now we have a reason to go back one day :)!
The fam and I aren't really resort people so we tried to get out a little bit everyday.  Friday there was nothing pre-planned so we took a taxi into town.  It was pretty and fun to see more of Mexico, but we got tired of being attacked by all the store owners trying to sell us tchotchkes and decided we'd have more fun in the pool.
For the most part we all hung out and ate together, but that night The Man and I decided to have a little date night.  We went to the Japanese restaurant at the resort and sat at the grill, like you would at a Benihana.  I’ve never been to a place like that so it was really fun.
Saturday was the wedding.  It was beautiful.
Surprise, surprise, I was a blubbering mess.  Nicole was beyond gorgeous in her wedding dress and the hotel did a beautiful job with the flowers.  The ceremony was on the beach and the reception was held in the Italian restaurant (which was the best restaurant at the resort).  The food was delicious and everyone had a blast dancing the night away.
The last day was my Mom's birthday.  She got a sneak attack saxophone serenade for breakfast, complete with a napkin hat.
And in the afternoon we decided to go to Cozumel for lunch... that's when I realized I don't like big boats! I got super sea-sick, like shaky, sweaty, up-chucky, about to pass-out sea-sick!
Apart from the dock workers recognizing me as that sick crying girl on the way back, Cozumel was beautiful and I wish we could have stayed longer.  We went to our friend's hotel restaurant for lunch and I'm glad we did!  It was the second delicious Mexican meal we had in Mexico, with juicy steak, seafood, and enchiladas!  The ferry back to Playa Del Carmen was at 5, so we headed to the resort for one last dinner together.
Mom got her birthday full moon and in the morning we said our goodbyes.

It really was a wonderful trip, I'm so happy we went!



p.s....I caught the Bouquet!!


mani monday

Happy Monday Everybody.  I hope you had a wonder-filled weekend. 

We've had a lot of goodbye's the last two days.  Many of the friends we've become closest to over the past few years are moving out of Chicago, so it's been a bittersweet weekend.

I've been in Chicago for almost 8 years now, and since graduation the moves have come in waves.  It's like the rule of 3's in celebrity deaths, they always go all at once.  Right now we're are saying goodbye to our friends Patty, Matt and Lisa, who are moving anywhere from the East Coast to the Netherlands! I am so happy for all of them and excited for the next phase of their lives, but I will miss them dearly.

So, no matter where you are in space and time, I love you all...
 Galaxy Nails!!




mexico mani

Hello All!
We're back from sunny Mexico, and trying to get back on track after a whole 4 days off work.  I have so many things to show you but it's going to continue to be slow goings while I play catch up with the rest of my life.

I know I could wait until Monday to post my Mexico nails but I'm just too excited!
Palm trees are very common for tropical vacation nails so I wanted to add a little something extra... 
Enter a little surfing guy and a mini landscape!
 It was so much fun to paint these, and bit by bit I'm getting more comfortable using the tiny brushes.
We had a fantastic time in Mexico and I have many pictures to show you once I get them all loaded onto my computer, but for now you can just bask in this beachy sunset panorama.


mani monday

Crazy Crazy Crazyness!!

Hello Everybody,
Sorry for the lack of posting, but it's just going to continue, because come Wednesday The Man and I will be in Mexico!!!!  Yes, Mexico!

What with holidays, birthdays, extra work, and our quickly approaching vacation, I haven't had a second to sit down and tell you guys about anything.  I promise when we get back I'll tell you all about our fun in the sun, but for now it will have to be a bit quiet here on Ol' Ms. Lazybones.

I haven't finished my nails for Mexico yet (I'll post those next week) so here are some random designs from before mani mondays started...
Have a great week!!

(if I find some time in the next two days I'll tell you about going Kayaking yesterday.  So fun!)


doodle day

Whenever I have a free moment I try to doodle, whether it's using a pen, pencil, paint or pixlr.  So I thought I'd start a new weekly post called "doodle day" where I post one of my drawings, cute, funny, strange or otherwise.



Today's doodle was drawn with pen:
flower cat is purrrrrty

mani mondays {on a tuesday}

I'm sorry I was away so long but I was busy having the best 4th of July weekend of all time!!!! I 'll tell you all about it later but for now here is the mani I forgot to post on Monday...
Manly argyle nails.  It's really fun to paint things now that I have lots of little brushes.  I really want to start doing other peoples' nails so I can practice more detailed designs... Any takers?!



summer!

It's finally here! Or at least it was on Sunday.
Last Sunday was beautiful, sunny, breezy, and full of impromptu fun.  The Man had to work at a  Festool Road School event so we didn't end up going out to Ravinia, buuut, we ran into our friends Caroline and Matt and had a fabulous day! First the three of us headed over to Gene's Sausage Shop while The Man was still working.

Gene's has a great rooftop beer garden above their grocery store.  It's the perfect spot to grab a drink, a German sausage, and a huge pretzel.
We had some beers and I discovered a new favorite summer time libation.  Radlers are made with beer and soda.  These Stiegl Radlers are Stiegl and Grapefruit soda, it's so refreshing!! We also had one on tap called Schofferhofer which is a Grapefruit Hefeweizen.  It was really delicious but Steigl was half the price so we went with those.
 When the rooftop closed we had a short nap in the park and then split up to start preparing for dinner.
Caroline made an amazing kale and mint salad with peanut dressing (it was so good that The Man stood up and gave her a hug) and The Man grilled some veggie kabobs marinated in chimichurri.  It was delicious, healthy, and completely unexpected.  I'm so excited for more BBQ's and rooftop drinking.  This is going to be a great summer!!!!
(hasgtag rawr)


mani mondays {4th of July!}

It's almost Independence Day!

Over the past few years The 4th of July has become one of my favorite holidays. Friends, BBQs, sparklers, and everyone wearing the same color scheme, it's always fun!

It's also me favorite holiday to do nails for.  I've done flags, fireworks and even eagles, so this year I had to kick it up a notch....
 That's right, a good old fashion American BBQ.  Hot Dogs, Cherry Pie, and Cheap Cans of Beer!
Do you have any exciting plans for the 4th?
We have a friend coming in from out of town and I'm super excited to see her! And to top it all off I get a four day weekend (which is practically unheard-of in my office).
Whooo-Hoooo!!






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