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Links:

This teen started an anonymous Instagram account to post nice things about all of his classmates. See, high schoolers aren’t all evil.

Zoe Saldana’s husband took her last name. Awesome.

My amazing employer put together this cohesive list of the best outdoor breakfast and brunch locations in the city and I will be taking full advantage of it. Cause mimosas.

What it’s like to get fitted for a bra at six different stores. I’m a bravangelist and will preach about proper fit for forever. This was an interesting read.

This is what the rest of the world thinks about Americans.

I spent five days trying to find an ottoman/ a pouf for an empty corner in my apartment, and right on cue, the Everygirl comes out with a list of fab low profile seating options. I ended up with a taller version of this Etsy find, but the Everygirl picks are still super useful.

Super useful tips for great skin.

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And my highlights this week?

• Lunch at Soho House Chicago with my college friend Perry.
• Receiving several shipments of junk and making some serious progress on my apartment. Hello new rug, pillows and master’s degree frame!
• A visit from my college roommate Kendall!
• A trip to Midsommar Fest in Andersonville for day drinking and street festivals filled with churros, rainbows and cover bands.
• Celebrating my college friend Matt’s birthday with watermelon Jell-O shots and Absolut raspberry consumed through fabulous pink flamingo straws.
• Dim Sum from Pingpong Restaurant – thanks Kendall!
• (Killer) margaritas from Cesars in Lakeview… with a side of free tequila shots.
• Brunch at Kanela Breakfast Club in Lakeview.
• The installation of my gallery wall. I finally got around to finding some new prints and hanging up my frames. I’m not sure if I want to keep my wall how it is, or add to it. Suggestions?
• A new house coffee blend I picked up from Chicago-based Intellegentsia. Can’t wait to try it!

You can keep up with all this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram or on Snapchat at @RandiMShaffer.

This coming week I’m going to get some new original content up on the blog… promise. I feel like I’ve been doing a ton, but not really updating the Internet with my adventures. I’ve got some serious downtime ahead of me on my train ride back to Michigan for next weekend, though, so hopefully I’ll be able to buckle down and #GSD!

What have you been up to lately? Let me know in the comments!

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Links:

Pinterest now lets you buy things right from the app. RIP bank account.

Caitlyn Jenner is gorgeous and I hope I look half as amazing as she does when I hit 65.

If you have to buy coffee at Trader Joe’s for whatever reason — ie: you’re 100 percent out of coffee and all your local roasters are closed — here’s a list of the best coffees to get.

High performance heels sound intriguing.

Caitlin over at And Possibly Dinosaurs has this super easy tutorial for coasters that I’ll have to try, since I don’t have coasters yet.

One of my favorite bloggers is moving (back) to Chicago which makes me super excited, because I’ve been dying to try SoulCycle and – what do you know – she’s an instructor.

Four clear signs you’re never going to hear from him again. I personally haaaaate being “ghosted.” I was on the receiving end of this right before I left Michigan, and it sucks. Just man up and tell me straight forward that you’re no longer interested in talking so I can stop wasting both my time and yours.

Take a day off. It’s good for you.

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And my week highlights include…

• Protein Bar for lunch on the gorgeous new riverwalk trail with a friend.
• Assembling some new shelves for my kitchen!
• Finally ordering a diploma frame for my master’s degree. It’s been floating around and I’m kicking myself for letting it get bent during my recent move, so soon it will have a new home and a place on my wall.
• A full work week at the Tribune. #lovemyjob
• Dinner and craft beer at Wicker Park-based Piece with a friend to watch the Tigers/ White Sox game, and then finally watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. (Apparently now that I live in Chicago, viewing was mandatory. It also happened to coincide with the actual date Ferris took off 30 years ago, so watching the flick was non-negotiable.)
• Picking up this new lipstick (in Chatterbox) and this delicious smelling bath bomb for a whopping total of $2.89 — thank you Macy’s Money!
• A wonderful piece of welcome mail from the aforementioned Caitlin.
• The most productive weekend ever. I’ve only been here for three weeks, but this weekend was the first that I didn’t have out-of-town visitors, so I was finally able to put some work in on my apartment. I installed new chrome shelving in my kitchen, ordered some throw pillows (this, this, this and this), hung up my gallery wall frames, took multiple trips to Target and West Elm, stocked and styled my bar cart and cleaned my entire apartment top-to-bottom.

And this coming week? I’m super excited to have my college roommate Kendall visiting next weekend! I’m also excited to get some more organizing and decorating done, and of course, another week of work at the Trib. It honestly doesn’t feel like work at all though. Loving your job is such a great feeling.

What are you up to lately? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

 

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Links:

I love The Everygirl’s weekend city guide to Chicago. I just moved here and have been completely inundated with visitor requests since arriving, so I’m always looking for fun things to do with those visitors that aren’t too tourist-y.

I (finally) tried Chipotle for the very first time a week ago and I might have already eaten it like four times so I’m really excited to try this recipe for DIY sofritas tacos.

And speaking of DIY food, my friend Angela posted this yummy looking recipe for ricotta stuffed shells.

Elite Daily has a list of reasons why you should take a break from social media. As someone who spends at least 60 hours a week on social media (no exaggeration — I work in social media), several of these really hit home for me, especially no. 5.

Elite Daily also has 25 things you didn’t know you could do with wine this summer. This is my new summer checklist.

Actually no, my summer checklist includes these can’t-miss summer restaurants in Chicago.

And more summer booze. My former roommate sent this Smirnoff-sponsored Buzzfeed post on boozy frozen summer desserts my way, and while I normally ignore any and all sponsored posts on Buzzfeed, 1. I love my former roommate and 2. Smirnoff was my beverage of choice in college. I’ll bite.

Caitlin over at And Possibly Dinosaurs has a list of staycation ideas. She lives in Michigan, but it looks like a lot of her ideas can be easily replicated in other areas.

Melissa McCarthy has a new clothing line. It’s one of those things that seems all inclusive with body-positive messages, but in reality the line only serves women sizes 4 and up, meaning it still excludes a lot of women and their bodies.

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And this past week’s highlights?

• My first encounter with the Michigan Avenue bridge! I work just north of the Chicago River, so sometimes I venture across the river on lunch break to grab a bite to eat. All the bridges that cross over the river draw up for boat crossings, so I was delayed on my way back to the office because of the bridge.
• A visit from out of town friends meant a day of sightseeing for them. We took a walk through Millennium and Grant parks.
• Mag Mile shopping! This adorable piece in navy is finally mine!
• Brunch at Kanela.
• Perfect spring weather spent with an Oberon and a new friend (and a golden retriever puppy!) at Northside in Wicker Park.
• Booze-filled conch shells at Three Dots and a Dash – a tiki bar in River North.
• Some more decorating and unpacking.

You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram or add me on Snapchat at @RandiMShaffer.

I’m finally starting to settle into my apartment, which is such a nice feeling. I’m still waiting on a few more things that had to be ordered for the space, but I already can’t wait to show you guys my storage and decor solutions. On the agenda for this coming week? A few late night shifts at work and hopefully a run to get myself a new Illinois ID.

What’s on your radar lately? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

 

 

Hey all! Happy Memorial Day weekend. It’s the end of my first week in Chicago and honestly, I have never, ever, ever been happier. Here’s a weekly wrap-up/ kickstart for you.

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Links:

How to save money decorating via the Everygirl. (90 percent of what I’ve looked at online this week is home decor, sorry!)

Stop feeling lucky to have him when he’s fucking lucky to have you via Elite Daily. SO. MANY. PRAISING EMOJI HANDS. HERE. This one really hit home with me due to recent life events, so if you’re dating a jerk or know a girl who’s dating a jerk: read and share.

Popsugar has tips for washing dry clean only clothing at home.

The definition of hell for each Myers-Briggs personality type, brought to you by Thought Catalog. Apparently my version of hell is giving terrible advice to my friends. I can see it.

Corporette has your rundown of Memorial Day sales, so if you’re not at a beach I would recommend checking out the list.

Leighton Meester is pregnant! Flashback to this story and laugh. “Hear that, van der Woodsen?”

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And me this week? A whole lot of unpacking! Highlights include…

• Starting my new job! If you missed the memo, I recently (ie: last week) moved to Chicago to start a new job working in social media at the Chicago Tribune. This past week was my first week and I love it so, so much more than I thought would be possible! Everyone I’m working with is completely awesome and I’m really loving the work I’m doing. Plus, check out that view in the Instagram collection below. Tribune Tower itself is incredible, and I’ve been sharing snippets of it on my Snapchat (@RandiMShaffer) if you’d like to check it out.
• Unpacking and furnishing my apartment. I posted a bit of my design inspo earlier this week on my blog, and started making plans to get my new home set up. This neighborhoods poster is one of my favorite finds so far. I know there’s been some interest in a new apartment tour once it’s finished, and I can’t wait to share! But unfortunately, it’ll probably be another few weeks before I’m ready to make that post. Keeping you on your toes, duh.
• A visit from my little sister! Her visit included two brunches – at Kanela Breakfast Club in Lakeview and Broadway Cellars in Edgewater, a trip to the Chicago outlet malls, a trip down Mag Mile, a visit to Ikea, my first ever Chipotle experience, Giordano’s and some much-needed grocery shopping. (Outlet mall purchases include this dress in black and this top, among other things.)
• Dinner at Vapiano in the Loop with my high school friend Megan and her dad, who was in town to run a marathon with her this weekend.
• An actual bath. My old apartment — and the apartment before that, and the apartment before that, and the house before that — all had standing shower stalls. But, ironically, this apartment has a full bathtub, even though it’s the smallest space I’ve ever lived in. I took full advantage of that midway through an intense week of work and moving, thanks to Gossip Girl and some Lush goodies I got from my brother’s girlfriend. Thanks Kayleah!

You can keep up with this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram or add me on Snapchat: @RandiMShaffer.

And this coming week? More work! I always joke about how I wouldn’t have to work again in my life if I had a dollar every time I said the phrase “news doesn’t stop for holidays!” I’ll be working this Memorial Day (Because, yunno, news doesn’t stop for holidays) and spending the rest of the week hopefully finishing up my apartment. I have a few more things I need to pick up to add to it and then finally finish unpacking and putting together furniture. I’m working four 10-hour days this week so I can start a shift to my new Sunday through Thursday schedule next week!

What about you? What’s going on in your life lately? Do you live in Chicago and want to meet up? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

 

Hello from my new Chicago apartment! I’m really sorry I’ve been so absent lately but moving has been a complete pain. Thank goodness this adventure is almost finished!

 

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Links:

New Taylor Swift video.

I love this site that lets you figure out what your name would be based on popularity in another year.

Refinery29 has an interesting article about trying the ancient Egyptian skin care routine.

The Kitchn has cupcake baking tips.

Racked has a quick piece about the most returned items at Sephora.

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And me this week? I had the whole last week off work. And short of packing, I really didn’t do too much at all. I…

• Watched the 90’s version of Total Recall with my parents.
• Unpacked my Mount Pleasant apartment.
• Repacked for my Chicago apartment.
• Bought a new chair off of a Facebook yard sale group.
• Drove four hours to Chicago on Friday just to pick up my apartment key and measure the dimensions of my new apartment, and then drove four hours back.
• Had dinner at Red Lobster with my parents and grandmother.
• Packed up a UHaul, drove four hours to Chicago, and unloaded the UHaul.
• Took my brother and his three fraternity brothers (Shout out Phi Delta Theta!) to Giordano’s for post-moving dinner.
• Spent more time unpacking.

Obviously, my week was totally not eventful at all. But still so busy! I’m looking forward to starting my new job tomorrow, getting Internet installed in my apartment and unpacking/ decorating my small little space. I can’t wait to share it with you!

What’s on your radar lately?