This past weekend Jimmy and I went to Chicago for the Fare Thee Well Grateful Dead Tour.  I had a lot of apprehension leading up to the trip.  Oliver has become super attached to me, and he calls out "mama" about a thousand times a day.  The thought of leaving him induced a pretty severe dose of mom guilt.  It's strange to think that just a few years ago my needs were my number one priority.  Maybe that's selfish to say, but my main concern throughout the day was getting where I needed to be, doing what I needed to do, and making myself happy.  In 4 short years, I met Jimmy, got married, and had a baby.  Now it seems like my needs come third, and while I'm so happy where I am in life and wouldn't trade it for anything, I am still struck sometimes by what a major change it is.  Being a good wife and mother are my biggest concerns now. Although they are equally important to me, Jimmy does not cry or demand my time, and so sometimes being a good mom takes priority over being a great wife.  

Jimmy asked me to go to these shows as a favor to him.  I really love music and shows and my friends, but I'm a mom and I'm tired, and getting up the energy for three nights of shows seemed almost impossible.  Because I love my husband, and I agreed we could use some time together away from the baby, I packed my bag, dropped the baby off with my mom, and boarded the plane.  Almost as soon as we were in the air I felt better.  I knew Oliver was well cared for, and I was on my way for 3 days where my biggest priority was being a wife and having fun with my husband.  I even started to get kind of excited. 

Once we were in the air, Jimmy surprised me and told me that he got reservations at a Top Chef restaurant that night!  As you know from this post, Top Chef is my favorite TV show, and I was very excited.  It was nice to know he'd done something so thoughtful for me.  It reminded me that I am a very loved woman, and my interests matter very much to him.

We met his parents that night for dinner, and it was fantastic!  I very much recommend the Little Goat if you are in Chicago.  

The next day we actually slept in until 10!  It was unreal.  Oliver did not wake us up at the crack of dawn!  We did not have to go immediately into parent mode.  We lounged around for a while and then leisurely decided to meet our friend Adam for brunch.  We chatted and laughed and told college stories, and I began to feel more and more like myself.  

After brunch we went to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.  I felt so calm sitting at the stadium and watching the game.  I absolutely adore baseball, and it was nice to be able to focus my full attention on something I love.  I sat next to my father-in-law and watched the game and just soaked up the time.

Welcome to my new blog home!  I made the switch to Squarespace to provide a better user experience for my readers.  The photos are much larger here, which is why I switched in the first place, but then I fell in love with the clean space and the fact that all the posts are categorized now!  You can find anything you want to in the archives or use the search feature.  Use the buttons at the bottom of the page to connect with me on Social Media, or take a look through my portfolio.

Speaking of a new home, Jimmy, Oliver and I DID move into our dream home two weeks after Oliver was born.  It's the most perfect place to hang out and spend time together as a family.  Especially on a lazy Sunday.

We found the house when I was about 8 months pregnant, and I don't know if it was the hormones or just pure lust, but I HAD to have it.  There were tears and fits and many many rounds of "I just can't picture bringing my baby home anywhere else!"  Looking back it was pretty dramatic, but if I had it to do all over I would because I'm currently living the real life version of Bunny Williams' "An Affair with a House."

Merry Christmas from my family :).  I hope you had a wonderful holiday.  We were lucky enough to celebrate with all our immediate and extended family this holiday season, which was awesome.  We just got home from North Carolina, and it's back to life as usual for a few days before we head to Miami for a little Phish New Years celebration.  :)

Before the end of the year, I want to share with you guys my favorite kitchen of 2014.  The kitchen belongs to Cathy and Chip Groome.  Chip is the developer of a new subdivision where this home is located.  Todd Pritchett was the architect.  I fell in love with this kitchen as soon as I walked into it.  It honestly might be my favorite kitchen of all time, finally beating out the kitchen from the movie "It's Complicated."  You can see there are distinct similarities between the two, so apparently I have a style ;)