Randi with an i

I joined a book club!

September 23, 2017 Randi1 comment

I’ve talked about it before, but one of my goals this year has been to read more. I’ve been so busy with my full-time job and freelance projects that I just kind of stopped reading, which probably hasn’t been the best for my mental health. Books are one of my favorite ways to relax. There are few feelings I love as much as that of finishing a book, when you flip the final page and can be left alone with your thoughts. Especially if the ending is really good!

Anyway, I knew I wanted to prioritize reading this year and I knew a little push might be what I needed, so I joined a book club!

Fall wardrobe staples and a wish list

September 20, 2017 Randi

We were teased with some serious fall-like weather over the past few weeks, which is a huge bummer because temperatures will be creeping up to 90 this week, and I really just want to break out my fall wardrobe!

I guess I can settle for happy hour iced cocktails and afternoon oysters while I wait, but still, I’m ready to trade those oysters for apple pie!

You know what else I’m ready to trade? Sundresses for sweaters.

I put serious effort into cultivating my wardrobe last fall, and I’m really glad that I did. I’m planning on putting every single purchase from last fall back into my rotation again this season. And — like true staples — so many of them are still available to purchase this year, and will wear well into the coming decade, even.

So, let’s look forward to fall fashion!

A bucket list for fall

September 18, 2017 Randi

I’ve been in a complete fall mode since Labor Day thanks to the early chilly temperatures (which have sadly already skyrocketed back up to the 80-plus degrees), but the first *official* day of Autumn is this week, so I’ve started seriously thinking about how I’m going to make the most of this season this year. I always grew up looking forward to everything that fall would bring: leaf piles and Halloween candy as a kid, and then tailgates and spiked cider in college.

This part of the calendar always feels like a fresh start. I think that’s something that’s been ingrained in my mind after years and years of a “back-to-school” mentality, but F. Scott Fitzerald was right when he said “life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

My AncestryDNA experience… and results!

September 16, 2017 Randi

Big news, you guys. Are you ready for this?

…

I’M WHITE.

OK, jokes aside. I recently took an AncestryDNA test after reading a mindblowing Washington Post story about a woman who had her entire life flipped upside down and her family history rewritten after she sent a vial of spit in for genetic testing.

I’m already a little bit of a hobby genealogist, so when I discovered the story it piqued a curiosity I already had. I started formulating question after question.

Could I possibly have a huge family secret? Do I have long-lost relatives that were switched at birth? Is there any possible way I have a a faint trail of lineage that can be traced back to somewhere really cool… like Africa or Asia or South America?! (A giant HAH! to the last question.)

Curiosity got the better of me, so I ordered my kit, spit profusely into a little plastic tube and shipped it away to the Ancestry headquarters for analysis.

Coastal Michigan: A Labor Day wedding weekend in Holland and Saugatuck

September 9, 2017 Randi

I’m totally biased, but Michigan is probably the most underrated state in the union.

I could wax poetic about the mitten state for hours on end, I truly love it that much. There are an endless number of cities available for weekend trips, whether you’re looking for sporting events, casinos and urban culture (Detroit), winery tours (Traverse City), brewery tours (Grand Rapids), hiking and kayaking (Pictured Rocks), skiing (Boyne Mountain), dune buggying (Silver Lake), beach lounging (Grand Haven), Christmas celebrations (Frankenmuth), an old-fashioned resort weekend (Mackinac Island) … my list could go on, and on, and on.

I swear, the Pure Michigan campaign isn’t paying me to say any of this, either.

If you hadn’t heard, my college friend Caitlin got married (yay!) this past Labor Day weekend back in Michigan, where we both grew up.

Her wedding was held at the gorgeous Felt estate, located about halfway between Holland and Saugatuck, and since it was scheduled during Labor Day weekend, Mando and I ended up turning the entire affair into a mini-vacation of sorts by exploring as much of both towns as we could after celebrating Caitlin and Sean‘s nuptials.

Life lately

August 31, 2017 Randi1 comment

I cannot believe summer is almost over! There’s still a ton of warm weather left this year — and you better believe I’ll keep wearing white long after this holiday weekend — but school supplies are on store shelves, nightly temperatures are dropping down to the ’50s and pumpkin products are starting to make their appearances. Fall is coming, and the basic bitch in me loves it.

The Chicago Air and Water Show

August 26, 2017 Randi

You would think that after several years of living in Chicago, I’d be used to Air and Water Show weekend when it comes around… but, nope. I still always end up getting caught completely off guard at the end of the week when the pilots start their practice rounds for the weekend shows.

This year, I was running south along the Lakefront Trail when a single F/A-18 suddenly rocketed past me from behind and scared the absolute shit out of me. I literally put my arms over my head and ducked. I felt like an idiot… and as if that wasn’t enough, I did it two more times during my run before I just gave up (my pace was shot at that point) and wrapped up early.

I think I’ve spent a little too much time reading tweets about the impending World War III/ Civil War II/ North Korea War.

Anyway, this past weekend was Air Show weekend! I’ve always loved watching the practice rounds leading up to the Saturday and Sunday shows (once I get over the initial terror of hearing that F-22 Raptor engine), but I’ve always been out of town/ working/ busy during the actual shows and have never gotten to go.

That finally changed this year! The event itself is free (kinda hard to charge admission when the show is visible from literally everywhere with a view of the sky), but Mando and I scored some tickets (thanks Tribune!) to the fenced-in area along North Avenue Beach where the announcers sit and the parachutists land.

Mando let me borrow some of his camera gear, which was pretty cool of him. I used the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens to take a few shots of the show, and while I wish I’d had a bigger lens, we still had a pretty good view and I ended up getting a couple good frames.

You could say it was just plane awesome!

(Sorry.)

Weekend bachelorette celebrations in Northern Kentucky

August 20, 2017 Randi

It seems like all my college roommates are getting married lately and I’m so unbelievably excited for them!

I celebrated Amanda’s bachelorette party in Nashville last month, and this past weekend was spent in northern Kentucky/ Cincinnati celebrating Caitlin‘s upcoming wedding!

(I’m actually going to be in Caitlin’s wedding this Labor Day weekend, which makes the whole thing even more exciting!)

Last weekend, I took the bus down to Cincinnati to spend a super low key weekend celebrating with Caitlin and some of her closest friends. It was an absolute blast!

A tequila and espresso cocktail perfect for brunch

August 6, 2017 Randi

It’s not really a secret that I’m an absolute coffee fiend.

I start every single morning — regardless of how much/ what quality of sleep I had — with a cup of coffee.

Cold brew, french press, auto-drip, a trip through the Starbucks drivethru: It doesn’t matter. I absolutely have to have a cup of joe in order to get my day started.

So, when my love of coffee mixes with my affinity for brunch, it can get kind of awkward. I usually end up with a small collection of mugs and glasses filled with water, coffee, mimosas or a.m. cocktails just piled up in front of my plate of french toast.

So, when Blue Nectar Tequila reached out and asked if I’d like to try my hand at making tequila and coffee cocktails with American Cocktail Club, I knew I’d definitely be down, because hey — combining the booze and the coffee means one less awkward glass at brunch!