I Am Officially a 26-year-old. Woah.

So sorry for the delayed blog post! Things have been busy (and so hot!) here in Chicago! I've been meaning to write, but haven't had a chance to sit down and do it. So here you go!

First, I want to thank all of the absolutely wonderful people that I have in my life who reached out to me on my birthday last week. I had so many facebook posts, texts and calls that just made my day. To be honest, I had been boo-hooing a little bit and feeling sorry for myself because I was beginning to realize how hard it is to be in a new city and not know very many people. I kept thinking about my last birthday and all of the fun things I did with my friends and I was starting to get a little down because this birthday was going to be different. It was different, but it also made me realize that even though I may not be in the same city as some of my favorite people, thanks to the Internet and social media, they'll always be close by! A huge thank you to everyone who made my day!

Courtney and I enjoyed a yummy lunch at Julius Meinl. I had a slice of quiche which was tasty, but she had Spätzle and hers was SO delicious!! And we got dessert treats, of course. Check out our lunch spread below!

I had to get the lemon tart again. I hate getting the same thing twice in a row when there are so many goodies to choose from, but I couldn't resist! A perfect summer treat! 

Courtney had to work that evening, so Audrey and her law school buddies Erin, Sean and Dan (side note: Erin and Sean are Mabel's owners) celebrated my birthday with me at a Thai place I had been wanting to try. The food was tasty and the company was great, so while my birthday was a little more low-key than it has been in years past, it was still a good one!


Courtney also threw a little party earlier in the week as a sort of birthday/Memorial day celebration. We had a TON of delicious food, so I've included a couple of photos that I took of the spread. It was fun hanging out and having a good time with a big group of people.

Easiest party dessert ever. And people go bananas for them!

Nice, little cheese spread.

Chips, guac, hummus, veggie tray - what more does a party need?

Andrew's homemade bruschetta. Yum!

On a Walter update, it's been pretty toasty warm here and he's been slightly miserable in the heat. But he loves playing outside, so it's a bit of a Catch22 for him. I've begun to notice that he goes directly to the shaded part of the dog park every morning and evening that we go there. Here are a few videos and a photo to illustrate how much he loves his shade!

I'll stay over here, thank you very much.

Walter will now crawl under the fence to go get a ball. I have to lift it up for him though... he's not daring enough to go alone yet. 

Waiting patiently at the door for our walk!

A rare moment at our house! Ciaran and Walter on the couch together! This was big news!

Again, thanks to everyone for the kind words on my birthday. I felt so special! Twenty-six will be a big year for me - new city, new job (let's hope!), new beginnings! It's exciting!

Stay cool! 

H&W