There is no such thing as a birthday to me… I like to call it a birthweek. Maybe even a birthmonth. Anybody else with me on that?? A couple of people asked me “how it feels.” Well, this Buzzfeed article describes it better than I can: 25 Signs You’re Almost 25.
What makes the perfect birthweek/month for me? Being outside. Being active. Spending time with family and friends. Eating good food. Going new places. And fortunately, I got to do just that! I kicked off the weekend with a beautiful run along the Chicago lake shore, spent a couple sunny hours at the park with Mo and Sid (whose birthday is next weekend!), and had the most delicious dinner at Fig & Olive. I am CRAZY about this place. I would eat there every day if I could. If you are in the Chicago area, you need to go and try their Fig and Olive salad with salmon. And their raspberry mojitos. (psst, here’s a Groupon for it)
Saturday morning, we stopped at one of my favorite cafes (Groundswell) for a quick breakfast and flat white before stopping at a local bike shop to shop for a bike helmet… that’s right, I got a beautiful, classic Trek 330 road bike for my birthday (thank you Mo/Craig’s List)! I am so excited to commute and race with it. I feel like an official city girl now. Who would’ve ever thought??!
We packed up the car and started out on a road trip to the Indiana Dunes. The drive is just over an hour away- I would highly recommend it for a short day trip! The weather was perfect for hiking up the Dunes, and in the summer it would also be great for swimming or camping. We stopped at the Vistor Center first, where we were told to try the “Three Dunes Challenge.” If you know me, you know that I can’t turn down anything with the word “challenge” in it! We hiked up three steep dunes and got to see some amazing views. Sydney absolutely loved it- we could hardly keep up! We worked up an appetite and I got the best shake of my life- PEANUT BUTTER AND HONEY.
The next day was Mother’s Day. I love to joke with my mom about how my birthday always wins over Mother’s Day, but jokes aside, it really is nice being able to celebrate them together! I can honestly say that I have the best mom and mother in law. They the most selfless, beautiful and loving women I know!
Next weekend I am looking forward to going out to celebrate with friends. What did I tell you… it’s a birthMONTH. Thank you to everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday! Love you all!!
Eat, Lift & Be Married 