Joe's Last Day on Oak & Rush

After nearly seven year's, today is Joe's last day working at B & O on Oak and Rush. It's a bittersweet time, but developers are going to tear the building town in the coming weeks, replacing the modest little one-story building with a new and improved...BARNEYS!? Hmmm...they have a perfectly huge one just across the street, but that's corporate America for you. Anyway, Joe will go out to the B & O headquarters in Arlington Heights for the summer, where he will have weekends off. This will be the first time in our married life that we will enjoy being together on both Saturday AND Sunday, so that's cool.

The store on Oak & Rush has been a place of many happy memories in the short time that I've been in Chicago. We've used it as our downtown meeting spot while connecting with friends for dinner. It was the site of several fun work events that involved high-end design, people from Denmark, chilled (?) red wine, and a legendary barbecue sauce fountain. Joe and I have rendezvoused across the street from the store at our favorite restaurant, Le Colonial. I've parked my car in the garage around the corner on many occassions, reveling in my "free parking spot in the city." Yes, there are many things I will miss, and I'm sure many more than that for Joe.

Anyway, if you think of it, please pray for Joe this week as he transitions into a new phase of his career. We're interested to see what's ahead.

I Love Southern Cooking

I just returned from a food adventure out in the fields of Raleigh. You see, I was assigned the task (which I gladly took on) of finding some good Southern food for a lunchtime feast today. I loaded into a van with my friends from Harvest, Steve, Kathy and Ron, and together we took a short journey on the inner beltway to a vast open space that perpetually houses Raleigh's outdoor Farmers Market. The Farmers Market Restaurant is just adjacent, feeding hungry produce shoppers with food fresh from the farm.

As you can from the picture above, which sadly had to be taken on my phone since the "cocktail camera" is still charging at home, I had my fix of all things Southern. We partook of delicious biscuits and hush puppies, cold unsweet tea with lemon, tangy barbeque chicken with mashed potatos, string beans, fried okra, and warm-from-the-oven banana pudding. Pure bliss.

And the thing that made me the happiest? When I found the mention of the Farmers Market Restaurant on CitySearch, it said: "readers who like this restaurant also like the Colonnade in Atlanta." Of course they do.

Live from Raleigh, North Carolina

I'm currently in Raleigh, North Carolina working at a Harvest event. It's been an incredible weekend so far, with the most favorable media coverage I have perhaps ever seen at any event I've worked (and that would be close to 100 events!). Check it out over the weekend since they are broadcasting and blogging at http://www.harvest.org./ Also, check out the article that ran in the News & Observer on Friday.

Nicky came with me to observe her first event and she loved it. Since we are in the South and all, I made her eat a Chick Fil A sandwich (well, "made" is a bit strong since she seemed to greatly enjoy it). I hope to fit in about three more sandwiches in by Monday. You can take the girl out of the South...

You Gotta Serve Somebody

A friend of mine who recently attended the dedication of the new Billy Graham Library in Charlotte sent me this photo taken by a reporter working on site that day. It's pretty amazing since it crosses denominational and partisan lines. But the real beauty of this photo is the aged heads bowed in prayer.

Farmer's Market Fun

I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday morning and bought some yummy cherries and the last rhubarb of the season. We are growing our own heirloom tomatos this year, so will happily forgo paying $6.99 per pound at the market. But I'm sure we will find plenty of other things to satisfy our fresh produce cravings.

Another Summer Weekend

I don't know if it's because the weather is so cold for so much of the year in Chicago, but summers seem so spectacular here. After being bundled up for six, seven, eight months, it's so liberating to wear tank tops and flip flops and ride around with the sunroof open beginning in June each year. Yes, I did say June. You see, it's still cold in Chicago until about, say, May 31. So, here we are in the middle of June, celebrating summer accompanied by a chirping chorus of cicadas.

So, because it's extremely chilly up here in the Midwest, we take full advantage of every possible moment in the glorious sunshine! This weekend was no exception, and there was plenty 'o hotness to enjoy since it was about 94 degrees. But better too hot, in my opinion (that's the California/Georgia coming out in me...). What did we do to cool off? Well, we ate Monarcha bars for one. If you've never had a Monarcha popsicle, I feel sorry for you! They come in many yummy flavors like Tamarind and Coconut, and are sold primarily by friendly Hispanic men on bicycles. Joe and I have a fun little inside joke about Monarcha with friends Shawn and Karen, so when I spotted them at the Custer Street Fair on Saturday, Karen and I were off like a shot to surrender our bucks to the vendor. Mmmmm...strawberry! Hopefully we didn't irritate anyone else in line with our picture taking and laughter.

After my quick walkthrough at the fair with Karen, Shawn, and their friend Billy, I met up with my fearless "bike to work" husband (yes, he rode his bike to work in the heat on Saturday--22 miles!) and we went to the Ravinia Festival to see "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor. Okay, this may be the point where some of you change the channel on my blog, but how can you not like a radio variety show on NPR? I ran into my neighbor in the hall yesterday before the show and when I told her what I was forcing Joe to see at Ravinia, she said, "Poor Joe. I wish I had known and I would have given him a flask of whiskey to help him forget," or something to that effect. And her husband is a reporter for NPR. Go figure. But Joe actually liked it.

Today we had lunch and a swim in the pool at Joe's parent's home and then visited with my friend, Dan, who is a flight attendant for Comair with a layover in Chicago. He was quite the host in his room at the DoubleTree, serving us the hotel's chocolate chip cookies. Thanks, Dan for the free cookies and all.

Who Really Has the Most Style??

Check out Anni Engstrom. She's the most stylin' baby I know--especially her shoes, which were recently featured in In Style Magazine. It stands to reason since her mommy, Roxanne, is one of my favorite people to discuss bargain fashion with.

Gee, Anni, do you think you could take me shopping sometime soon?

Summer is Here

This weekend I finally felt like summer had arrived. Over the course of two days I did all of the things that usher in the sunniest, sparkliest season of the year.

I went to a blockbuster movie (Ocean's 13...I highly recommend it, ladies!) and enjoyed dinner with friends on a warm evening. I sat on our patio with a group of women for morning coffee and conversation. I went to a yard sale where my friend donated the profits to a worthy cause in Africa, all the while serving up hot dogs and cold drinks to her volunteers.

I went grocery shopping at Trader Joes, where the check-out clerk gave me a running monologue about why my purchase of really hot salsa was a great choice ("Why even bother with mild salsa?" he espoused. "You may as well just eat a tomato.") I read a book on a chaise lounge while my husband staked a tomato plant. Together, we prepared a warm-weather dinner of grilled veggie burgers, chicken sausages, and vegetables.

I got up in time to be on time for church (relatively speaking). I hung out with Joe and a multitude of friends listening to a gospel choir praise on a temporary stage set up on the corner of Berwyn and Clark Streets during Midsommarfest. We bought a delectible lemon/liquor pudding at an Italian bakery called Pasticceria Natalina.

I ate Thai food for lunch, savoring every bite. I went to the beach with my husband, watching him padde away in his purple kayak while I lounged on a soft towel on the warm sand reading the Chicago Tribune.

I love summer.