six years.

Last weekend Hubby and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary with a dinner at Grange Hall Burger Bar. It's our little tradition to celebrate with a nice dinner. Hubby has had his eye {appetite?} set on this little place for a while, so we thought we'd give it a whirl. Pretentious spots aren't really our thing, anyway. This year we went two days early for an early dinner to avoid a long wait. We snagged an outdoor spot in some great weather.

Grange Hall Burger Bar is what happens when small-town-Americans and big-city-Urbanites have a baby. {Did that make any sense?} I adored it. It made me want to transplant myself into an episode of Friday Night Lights. Literally. From the country modern decor complete with mismatched napkins and flatware to the lunch-tray serving style, this place delivered the concept well. It literally feels like a slice of small town USA in the heart of the city.

As a farm-to-table establishment, their seasonal {fried} veggies and pies are a highlight. We shared: the fried veggies, macaroni and cheese, onion rings, burgers, and their homemade peanut butter and jelly ice cream. It was all delicious. We took home a strawberry-rhubarb pie with homemade whipped cream for the rest of the family.







When Hubby and I were first married, I often referred to him as my PFL:  "Partner for Life". After six years of marriage, I can say that this has been an honest description of our life together. Partners growing, loving each other, and enjoying this life we have. Together. As any honest married person will admit - marriage is hard work. And it's absolutely worth the effort.

Part-ner {noun}: a person who shares or is associated with another in some action or endeavor // either of two people who dance together





Cheers to us. And to small-town-Americans making babies with big-city-Urbanites.

xoxo,

PJ

Inspired Tuesday: I carry your heart

One of my favorite poems {printed on our wedding program 5 years ago} is by E.E. Cummings. I found this necklace on Etsy the other day and I've added it to my list of things that I want to purchase. So simple, pretty, and very meaningful to me {and Hubby too, of course}.

i carry your heart with me {i carry it in my heart}

i am never without it {anywhere i go you go, my dear;

and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling}

i fear no fate {for you are my fate, my sweet}

i want no world {for beautiful you are my world, my true}

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

{here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide}

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart {i carry it in my heart}

-e.e. cummings

here's to an inspired memory: an adorable little necklace reminding me of my sweet love.

xoxo,

PJ

Chloe Getting Married

{Candy Bar ... Swedish Fish? Yum! }

{Me, Chloe}

{Cousins: Cyndi, Me, Jill, Chloe, Carolyn, Sophie}

{They had a Bubble Tea Station at the reception!}

{Jasmine leaves instead of birdseed/rice/confetti ... they smelled amazing!}

{Don, Chloe}

This past weekend I road-tripped with my younger sister and parents to Minnesota to celebrate my cousin & her new husband. Car trips are hilarious when you're twenty-eight years old and traveling with your parents. Example: Dad asking if I had enough money to buy myself a Subway sandwich and requesting a 15-minute notice for potty stops. Some of my favorite memories with family were our summer road trips to various places {Corn Palace in South Dakota, anyone?}.

Since my family lives all over the place, it's rare that most of us are together other than for weddings and funerals {unfortunate, but true}. The weekend was spent catching up with family, sharing hilarious stories about our mothers {because there are five sisters}, and making sweet memories.

I was appointed to the Instax guest book photo station, where I had a blast asking people to take photos and attempting to get babies to smile {unsuccessfully}. The last photo is the snapshot of my sister and I.

I'm so happy for my cousin and her new hubby.

xoxo,

PJ

Watches

Hubby and I have celebrated each anniversary differently:
1st Anniversary = Cubs game
2nd Anniversary = Fancy Schmancy Dinner #1
3rd Anniversary = Fancy Schmancy Dinner #2
4th Anniversary = California Vacation

This year we decided to switch it up again and do something a bit more traditional and exchange gifts. To mark our 5th anniversary we decided to exchange watches, and then get them engraved. So, we spent a day trying on and picking out watches. After a significant amount of window shopping online, I ultimately decided on this Michael Kors watch. Hubby is a loyal Nixon fan, and finally decided on this one.

Next up, we have to decide on a quote for our engraving ...

xoxo,

PJ

Five Years

This weekend Hubby and I reached a milestone: we celebrate FIVE years of marriage! Although aren't officially celebrating until Tuesday night with a dinner reservation at a celebrity restaurant we've been dying to try, and later with a gift exchange we decided on earlier this week {more to come on that}.

This weekend we spent most of our time hauling stuff to our storage unit, packing, cleaning, and dropping off piles  to donate at The Salvation Army {naturally}. The weather was awful and I had crazy back spasms all weekend. We were able to spend a little time celebrating with Hubby's parents {who came to help us move and take a trailer full of things we don't need back to Michigan}. We had dinner at a classic Chicago restaurant: Marcello's.

Happy Anniversary, Hubby. Thanks for being my "partner for life".

xo,

PJ

a valentine's list: for hubby

A Valentine's List: For Hubby

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green tea and prisonbreak

my parents bought us these mugs for our 4th anniversary last year. i guess we needed reminders that we love each other(?!). periodically, i make us use them simultaneously for dramatic effect.

xoxo

many the miles

for over a year i have been a stalker of 'fashion/personal style' blogs. what started as a casual interest in personal style and design aesthetic. now this casual interest in fashion and personal style has become a full blown obsession.

i've been so intimidated by all of the very successful bloggers, that i lost my confidence to begin something that contributes to the world of things that i love.

a few things about me:
i'm a social worker by day. i recently finished grad school, and i currently work for a non-profit agency providing counseling services. i grew up in a household dominated by estrogen. i'm the oldest of two sisters, my dad has been sorely outnumbered by women since he married my mother. i secretly think he loves it. i'm married. i found my true partner-for-life in college, we've been married for four years! we have one pet, a dog named lennon after my favorite beatle and artist.

i want this blog to be an outlet for my expression of style, beauty, and feisty attitude towards life.

here's to a new adventure. thanks for coming along for the ride!

xoxo,
pilar