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Global Entry: Why you should get it, what it does and how long it takes for approval

February 16, 2018 Randi

Guys, I’m kinda freaking out a little bit. My flight to Europe leaves in exactly two weeks, and I feel like I’m not even close to being ready.

OK, that’s a lie. I bought a larger-than-necessary backpack (fight me, Ryanair), dug my outlet converters out from underneath my bed… and was approved for the U.S. Customs and Border Control’s Global Entry program! (Woo!)

I’d never really considered Global Entry before, but after my passport was stolen during a trip in and out of Heathrow a few years ago, a friend suggested I look into it to expedite the customs process. I’m now stuck with a passport marked “-THIS PASSPORT IS A REPLACEMENT FOR A STOLEN PASSPORT-” for the next literal decade, and my friend — who has the same problem — said Global Entry approval made entering the U.S. a lot easier for him since he hasn’t once been pulled aside for “additional questioning” since joining the program.

I’d also been on the fence about TSA PreCheck since I’ve started flying enough over the past few years to consider it, and since PreCheck is $85 and Global Entry is $100, I figured the extra $15 for the peace of mind when traveling with my replacement passport was totally worth it — especially since I’m planning to go overseas more than once during the five-year validity of the program.

Plus, considering I’m only bringing a backpack (gulp) to Europe in two weeks, it’ll be SO nice to not have to unpack my laptop/ liquids/ etc. for security since I don’t have a personal item I can just slide them in and out of.

Anyway, a coworker was asking me about the program, so I figured I’d talk a little bit about my experience with it!

12 great Chicago brunches and breakfasts: North Side edition!

January 7, 2018 Randi2 comments

Hi, my name is Randi, and I have a slight addiction to brunch.

(Cue the support group: “Hi, Randi.”)

Breakfast food is my absolute favorite. It tends to lean slightly more vegetarian-friendly than other meals, and vacillating between “savory” and “sweet” offers two entire entities of practically endless combinations. From yolky bennies and toast piled high with avocado to syrup-drenched waffles and flaky jam-stuffed pastries, breakfast options continue practically forever.

And — when you add spicy bloodies and fruity mimosas to the combination? Heaven.

In the few years I’ve lived in Chicago, I’ve spent quite a few weekend mornings eating my way through the city with friends, trying out restaurant specialties, touted deals and drink after drink. I actually started keeping up with my morning meals on Instagram using a hashtag, but since I’ve received quite a few requests for recommendations, I decided to list ’em out.

I’m starting with a few of my go-to brunch restaurants on Chicago’s North Side, since that’s where I live, and hence, where I dine most frequently. Let’s go!

Good riddance, 2017.

January 1, 2018 Randi2 comments

I know most of you are here for it when I say that — for the most part — 2017 effing sucked.

Don’t get me wrong, there were a few — very few — personal highlights. I visited Nashville, northern Kentucky, Colorado and Montreal. I joined a book club. I had my first byline published in the Tribune. I got to visit the Joe Louis Arena for the last time. I was in my friend Caitlin‘s gorgeous Michigan wedding.

And nationally? There were a few good things that happened.

But for the most part? This year was stressful, taxing and all-around sucky.

Montreal weekend road trip

December 10, 2017 Randi

I’m a little late in getting this post up, but I still wanted to take a minute to share some of the photos from my Thanksgiving weekend road trip to Montreal, Quebec!

I was originally planning on going with my sister. Then, my high school friend was going to join. Then we pitched the idea of my friend’s sister (who is pretty good friends with my sister) coming along. Then my sister had to bail for work, so my friend and I invited two of our other friends from high school. Whew, deep breath.

We all had an extended weekend for Thanksgiving, so everything ended up working out perfectly.

After holiday celebrations with our respective families, we all started the 11-hour drive from our hometown (an hour from the U.S./ Canada border, fun fact) to Montreal.

A (mostly Chicago) holiday bucket list

December 6, 2017 Randi

It’s finally December, which means it’s time for alllll the Christmas and holiday activities!

Here’s just a little snippet of my favorite things to do this time of year in Chicago.

Flannel weather

November 30, 2017 Randi2 comments

It’s so hard to believe that fall is just about over. It doesn’t seem like that long ago I was making my seasonal fall bucket list (which, by the way, went mostly unfulfilled thanks to the Cubs), and now tomorrow is December. Temperatures are down to the ’20s and ’30s, and now it’s finally time to start celebrating the holidays here in Chicago!

I wanted to share one last set of photos from the fall before I hide away under my parka for the next three months.

Designing (and publishing!) my own day planner

November 24, 2017 Randi

You guys know I am a suuuuper organized Type A neat freak, so it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that I have the hardest time finding a daily planner.

I wrote about my struggles a little bit last year, when I picked up the Simplified Planner to use. I really liked the planner’s design at first, but it didn’t take long for the bulkiness — combined with the lack of a weekly view and the overwhelming checklist layout — to start proving its inefficiency.

So, I switched to a Plum Paper planner that had weekly views sectioned out by topic — i.e. “day job,” “freelance,” “blogging,” etc. That worked for a little bit, but lacking the space to write out appointments was really frustrating, and I also found myself overlooking tasks and due dates because the layout made it hard to separate scheduled meetings from tasks from general notes.

After hours of scouring the web looking for a suitable replacement, I gave up and made my own!

Han Solo season

November 21, 2017 Randi

Happy early Thanksgiving ya turkeys.

I’m so excited for this year’s holiday. I briefly mentioned it in my last DIY post, but after Thursday dinner with my immediate family, I’m heading to Montreal for a weekend trip with some of my best friends from high school.

Montreal is about a nine-hour drive from my hometown, so it’ll either be a really fun road trip… or one of us will end up dead at the hands of the rest.

Either way, there’s gonna be a whoooole lot of time to play Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” on the drive. I cannot stop listening, anyone else?

DIY Thanksgiving placemats

November 17, 2017 Randi

Is it just me, or is Thanksgiving the redheaded stepchild of the federal holidays?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. But I think starting the holiday season before Halloween is absolutely insane.

It gets harder and harder every year, but I refuse to start celebrating Christmas until Black Friday. There are a few Christmas-related things I’ll do in November — mostly the planning-focused Type-A things — like picking out holiday cards and confirming mailing addresses, and gift shopping… but holiday decorations, festivities, parties, celebrations? Not happening.

Anyway, I actually really like to decorate my apartment for fall. I put out some garland, wreaths and foliage (which is a good buy at JoAnn Fabrics right now, just a heads up) at the beginning of October, and leave it all out through Thanksgiving.

While the garland, wreaths and foliage stay out throughout the whole season, I do a mini-redecoration between October and November. My Halloween decorations go back in the closet and my Thanksgiving decorations — like my sad woodburning attempt… haha — take over my apartment until just before December.

I made these DIY Thanksgiving placemats a few years ago, and they usually find a home on my little two-person fold-out table when I make that Halloween-to-Thanksgiving switch. I’ve had these photos sitting on my computer for a while now, but I just kept forgetting to share.

But, I finally remembered this year! So, here’s a quick little tutorial for my painted Thanksgiving placemats.

Most worn this fall, 2017

November 13, 2017 Randi1 comment

I know I’m not alone when I say that fall clothes are my favorite. I love playing with textures, and more layers gives more opportunity to do so. I’m really not a fan of summer color palettes, since I look terrible in whites and pastels, so switching to jewel tones and dark colors makes me downright giddy.

Throughout my mid-to-late (shudder) twenties, I’ve been working really hard to curb the fast fashion habit I developed in college. Instead, I’ve been trying more and more to add high-quality staples to my closet. I think it’s safe to say that it’s working. Of the dozen wardrobe pieces I’ve worn the most this fall, only five are pieces I’ve bought this season. The rest are well-loved items I’ve worn dozens — if not hundreds — of times over the past few years.

In fact, some of the items below are in last fall’s list, and even my list from 2015 — both of which feature items that I still continuously wear, even though they aren’t included on this year’s list.

So, without further ado, here are the wardrobe pieces my friends and coworkers have got to be sick of seeing me wear at this point.