Good Mood Monday

The Fourth has passed and memories of a long weekend full of amazing food, perfect weather and the Second City is all we have left on this Monday. And while I will be the first to admit that heading back to work and being in the true “swing of things” again is tiresome and dramatic after four days of leisure, there are still reasons to be in an amazing mood.

1. Pretending to be on Vacation When You are Not, in fact, on Vacation. With knowing that a vacation is in the close future, I decided to pretend like I was on vacation starting last Tuesday. I met an amazing friend for dinner (Christy, if you want to check out her awesomeness) and we had yummy Mexican at El Camion. The margaritas were needed as well. A true pretend vacation on a Tuesday night with a good friend is sometimes all you need.

2. Actually Being on Vacation. And then I actually went on vacation on Wednesday night. So, that was good, too!

3. Skylines. Sometimes seeing a skyline of any city can make me giddy. But seeing Chicago’s skyline for the first time in nearly three years made my heart burst with joy. I absolutely love that city.

4. Baseball Stadiums. There are so many beautiful stadiums that Josh and I visit but for some reason, Wrigley field always feels “home.” The ivy, the Old Style, the people watching, the bleacher bars. There really isn’t anything like that stadium. Hey, Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are going to win today… (they did).

5. Being Proved Wrong. I have to admit: I was wrong about something. I base the entertainment I like on the people who are entertaining me. I most likely will not go see a Tom Cruise movie because I don’t think I like Tom Cruise as a person. (I also, unbeknownst to me, missed all his awesome 80’s movies.) So my brother made me watch Cocktail this weekend. And Risky Business. And from what I could tell, they were good movies. I’ll have to do more research… but maybe I will listen to a little more Kanye in the future.

6. Am I Getting Better at Photography? That thought crossed my mind this week. Maybe, just maybe. And that feels good.

7. Fresh Ingredients. At the Farmers Market this weekend, my brother picked up fresh-baked bread and ripe tomatoes to add to his perfectly cured bacon and lettuce. He bought some Michigan sweet cherries for the side. He was going to make the ultimate BLT all with fresh, local ingredients. I was jealous as we left for the airport so we came home and went to Whole Foods.

8. Ampersands. Love them &…

9. A Singing Nephew. Frey sings “Rain, rain go away” over and over when it rains. He also sings, “Tomorrow” from Annie. That little voice gets me every time.

10. And a fun song for your week.