Hi everyone!
The warm weather must be coming soon because this week was a little busier than most in a while. This is also my first full week at my new job and I couldn’t love it more. I love getting to use my creativity to help and also loving that I have weekends again (yay!). To start out strong, I caught up with Katie over happy hour at The Hampton Social. I haven’t tried any happy hours since moving back so I’m excited that this is my first one. With glasses of rosé and pizzas both half off from 3-6 during the week – we knew we had to try it! The rosé was a little on the dryer side so it was ok for me, there’s a whole menu to choose from though so I can grab a different one next time. I usually love the rosé I have there (and tend to pick bubbly ones) so I’ll just have to stick to what I like. Something to note too is that they also have $8 craft cocktails included as well so I could try that next – I had a really good gin-based cocktail there once so hopefully it’s available. Let’s get to what you really want to know though: the pizza. All options actually sounded really good and each had a unique twist which I appreciated. We opted for the Spicy BBQ Chicken and the Mushroom pizzas. For the BBQ, I had never seen a pizza like this before with toppings like bacon, goat & mozzarella cheese, and sun-dried tomato pesto for a kick. It was super flavorful and I loved the bacon for a nice crunch. As for the Mushroom, we had to get it because…wait for it…it has truffle in it. Are we surprised? No. Did it actually taste like it had truffle in it? Actually, yes! It wasn’t overwhelming (in a good way so it was real) and the rest of the pizza, mushrooms and all tasted really great. Would definitely order both again but the Spicy BBQ one had a slight edge over the Mushroom with it’s uniqueness.
After that awesome meal, I walked over to goGLOW – a somewhat new woman-owned startup tanning space in the area – to meet my cousin and test it out with Alex and Christine. They greeted me with some fun treats to start: cookies by Sugar Fan Club, a meat & cheese plate by Boars Head, and wine from Crazy Beautiful Wines – yum! Everything tasted good and looked so cute too. I will most definitely be picking up that sauvignon blanc because it was probably one of the best I’ve ever had. These wines are not crazy expensive plus they are a full liter so you get more bang for your buck too!
After taking in the libations and striking up some conversations, my cousin and I went in to get our tan on! I love that they ask you questions before you start to get a feel of what you’re looking for. It is air brush only (so real people!) and the formula itself is all natural – no parabens or sulfates so it won’t harm your skin at all. It also turns you brown and not orange, which I was happy about for it being my first spray tan (minus the gradual stuff). You have to keep it on for 24 hrs before washing it off so know that before booking your appointment. Not a ton came off in the shower and I saw hardly, if any, stains on my sheets the next day so I am super impressed with the results. I also really love that they are smaller scale (only 3 locations – the others are in Minnesota, where they started) and are woman-owned & take pride in that. The service was great and the ladies really knew a lot about the products too – I would definitely book this again. One last tip: book with a friend because it knocks $10 off the price! Look for a giveaway on Instagram soon to test it out yourself!
Look how dark I got! This was pre-shower.
Next up, I got to do my first photo shoot with work at Easy Street with Barritt’s Ginger Beer which was super fun – stay tuned for more pics in the future from that! I got some ginger beer to take home that I’m going to try with some cocktail recipes for an upcoming post too so look out for that as well. For now – here’s a few pics I shot at home for a little preview! Side note: I’m not a big pepperoni fan but this pizza was CRAZY good. I was shocked!
Coming toward the end of the week, I got to help on a fashion show at Macy’s which was super fun. The closest experience I had to fashion shows prior to this was my high school’s so you could say this was a bit of a step up. I got to help dress real models from an agency here in Chicago and assist in quick changes throughout the show – it went so fast! The ladies were all super sweet too – you never know if they’ll be high maintence or not because they do so many shows but happy to report that not all are the same. Afterwards, there was a cute balloon wall courtesy of Luft Balloon (local here) – once you see one of their installations you’ll recognize them everywhere since they do so many other events around the city. There was also a DIY tassel earrings station and flower lollipops from Flowers for Dreams – I loved that Macy’s went out of their way to pick local businesses to support for the event too.
Sweater: Nordstrom, Vest: Old, Jeans: Frame, Shoes: Target, Earrings: Old
For those who saw it, I made a few purchases around the mall afterwards at Lilly Pulitzer and Altar’d State. If you missed it you can catch up on my highlights! I loved the little decorations both stores had – even down to the dressing rooms! I’ll post outfit looks with everything soon so you can see it all!
Last but not least, I got to wish one of my best pals, Maddie, a happy birthday and a farewell from Chicago (tear) at Cafe-Ba-Ba-Reeba – a tapas/small plates style restaurant. I had heard great things about this restaurant and it did not disappoint. The sangria was perfect – we tried their monthly one which was Pear – sounds weird but I liked it better than the peach one. As for the plates – we got almost everything, from stuffed mushrooms, to cheese boards, to scallops, to bacon wrapped dates (don’t skip these). We even opted for some paella too and took some home. Maddie, if you’re reading this, please don’t leave – but also wishing you well on your next adventure!
Local Spots I Checked Out: The Hampton Social, goGLOW, Oakbrook Mall, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
Events I’m Looking Forward To: (didn’t go to Drake Fest), DIY Spring Soiree with Windy City Bloggers Collective, Happy Hour at Petit Margeaux, Windy City Bloggers Lakeview Member Event, Easter with the Fam!
See you in the next post!
Now that you have your ingredients, it’s time to mix them up. Start by beating the egg with the cinnamon and the vanilla together. I used a bowl and quickly realized after the fact that a pie plate or something similar would have been easier to dip the bread into so don’t make my mistake!
Next, add in the milk while stirring the other ingredients along with it. After all the milk is added and the stirring is complete, it should look like the next picture.
Now that the mixture us ready, dip both sides of each slice of bread inside. Can you see the struggle of the bowl now? 🙈 Hey, at least it still worked! 
Once your slices are read, add them (either one by one or at the same time depending on the size of your pan) to a pan and cook until golden brown on each side. After they are ready, add to a clean plate to get ready for the toppings.I started with the ice cream first so it could melt a little into the toast. 
Then, top with your favorite fruits and nuts and any other extras you want to add like chocolate chips or a leaf or two of mint. 
Finish it off with a drizzle of syrup for maximum sweetness and one yummy breakfast! Wash it down with a cold glass of milk and you’re done!
See you in the next post!
A Walk in the Pink Park 