Give Me a Shot at the Night

Hello friends of #notinmod! As most of you probably know, a lot has changed for Chad and me over the last few weeks. I have had many requests for story details, so I thought I would share with everyone across the World Wide Web. #goviral

To start off, Chad and I have been talking for some time about moving in together and finally seeing each other more than 2 days/week. We have been in a bit of a holding pattern because we both own our condos and selling was going to be difficult. So we have just been doing our usual commute back and forth, hoping we could figure out something out soon. 

Our friends, Katie and Chris, got married last month and they asked Chad if he would be willing to rent his place to them. Chad and Katie had a few conversations about it, and they decided they would move forward with renting, pending a walk-through of the place. Chad had asked me to join the walk-through, which I thought nothing of and agreed to.

That night, I went over to Chad's house and Katie and Chris came over to see the condo. We did a walk-through, and then I suggested we all go downstairs to see his garage (side note: Chad has a 1-car detached garage). Apparently, unknown to me, I wasn't supposed to do that….

So Chad quickly jumped in and said, "I mean, it is a garage…why don't the boys just go look and you girls can stay up here." And since I am lazy, I clearly thought that was a lovely idea. Plus, putting shoes on sounded like a lot of work. So the boys went downstairs, and Katie and I sat upstairs talking bout their wedding, and then suddenly there was a knock at the door…

My first reaction was saying, "ugh, what?!" but then I realized that Chad must have forgotten his keys. I didn't want to look like a brat to Katie and Chris, so I decided to get up and get the door despite the fact that I was quite comfy on the couch. 

When I opened it, Chad was standing there with a sign that read, "SAY IT'S CAROL SINGERS" and that is where the roller coaster of excitement and emotions kicked in. With the Killer's song, "Shot at the Night" playing in the background, Chad reenacted HIS version of my favorite scene from my favorite movie, "Love Actually." One by one, he went through each sign. They read:

SAY IT'S CAROL SINGERS

WITH ANY LUCK BY NEXT YEAR

WE WILL BE LIVING TOGETHER

BUT FOR NOW LET ME SAY

WILL ALL MY HOPE AND ALL MY LOVE

JUST BECAUSE IT’S WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25^TH

(AND ON RANDOM WEDNESDAYS IN JUNE YOU TELL THE TRUTH)

TO ME YOU ARE PERFECT

AND MY WASTED HEART WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU

CARRIE WILL YOU GIVE ME A SHOT AT THE NIGHT

CARRIE WILL YOU GIVE ME A SHOT AT YOUR LIFE

CARRIE WILL YOU

And then he got down on one knee, opened a little blue box, and asked me to marry him!

With every sign that he dropped, I became more and more hysterical. I was laughing, and smiling, and was DEF doing the ugly cry. When he was down on one knee, I just started jumping up and down, crying and screaming YES as many times as I possibly could! As we continued hugging and jumping (me) he looked at me and held up the ring and said, “Did you want to see this??” In the madness of it all, I never even looked at the gorgeous ring he had in his hands!

As he put it on my finger, I honestly couldn’t even really look at it because I was shaking so much. But when I calmed down (awhile later), I realized what an amazing job he did. It is GORGGGG. And even better, he went to Carreen’s uncle (a diamond seller on Jewelers Row) to get the ring, so it is from "family"!

After the proposal, I was in so much shock that I remember hugging Katie and Chris and awkwardly kicking them out (sorry!). I didn’t know what I was doing, all I knew is that my heart was racing and I had never been more excited in all my life. We popped the bubbly, toasted to our future, and of course started all the family calls.

I honestly had NO IDEA this coming – we had just decided to move in together, I didn’t want to overwhelm the guy too much! But apparently he was planning to propose even before the move-in started rolling. I always said I wanted to be surprised, and since I am super nosy, that is hard to do. But of course, Chad found a way! The whole “walk-through” was just a rouse, but obvi we are still moving in together and they are still taking Chad's place. Also, with Katie and Chris there, we have the whole thing on video!

I could not be more excited to get to spend my life with Chad. He has made me laugh and smile every day since we first met. I don’t really believe in soul mates, but I believe in finding the person that you want to be with every day, whether happy or sad, in good and tough times, and that for me is Chad. He makes me feel loved every day, and I just hope I can show him the same in return.

We have not started any wedding planning (although I have been a bit more active on Pinterest) but we are just getting ready for the big move! Look out, Chicago – Lovegren is moving in!

Be prepared for the hysteria you are about to witness: Click HERE for the proposal video

What's My Age Again?

This weekend I celebrated by 30th birthday. That's 3-0. And it was amazing. 

With all the Facebook posts and text messages, I realized how lucky and #blessed I am to have such amazing people in my life. Year after year, I bring in my birthday with some of my favorite people - near and far. Most of us have been friends with for over 10 years, and we somehow made it through our 20's together. 

This video is dedicated to all of you.

I was having issues posting this video (I don't think it will play from phones/tablets) so let me know if it does not work!!

 If you cannot play the video, try clicking HERE from an actual computer.

#dontworry #behappy

Hi friends,

Because it is Friday, and because I have had a few glasses of wine, I am posting about a few things that make me happy. 

This is my #100happydays for the day. 

• A new tube of mascara
• Driving with the windows down
• Bottomless mimosas 
• Booking a flight to see friends or family
• Lettuce when you are hungover
• Learning the real lyrics to a song and realizing you were always singing it wrong
• Napping on a Sunday (see post HERE)
• Looking at old pictures on the Facebook
• Nachos
• The smell of Florida when you first step outside the airport
• Coca-cola in a can
• Watching "Love Actually" in bed on a Saturday morning 
• Binge online shopping 
• Emails from my dad with an oddly professional tone 
• How you feel when a workout is over (not because you worked out, simply because its OVER)
• Pizza Rolls in the microwave 
• #hashtags 
• Getting a big meeting at work with a new client 
• Wine in the afternoon
• Anything Orange and Blue 
• Videos and pictures of my nieces and nephew
• Changing my monthly calendar 
• Unlimited Salad Bars 
• All amazingly embarassing videos of me prior to 2012: the skydive video, my ATL video, SPT internship video, and of course Cancun. 
• A hot toddy when you're sick - sweat it out! 
• All things SYTYCD – obvi. 

Weekends should never be spent in moderation. Go have a good one :) 

Putting the Love in Lovegren

He made this. 

When I posted a few months ago that 2013 was not a very good year, some of my friends found it a little offensive. Chad, however, found it VERY offensive. For some reason he does not feel he gets enough facetime in this blog (which he only reads because I make him) so this Valentine’s Day, I am writing about Chad. And since he is a tad narcissistic like me, I think he will like this.

WARNING: This is a cheesy post, so if you like cheese (wait - everyone likes cheese, but you know what I mean) then read on. If not, then go enjoy your afternoon, and I promise I will post again soon.

As most of you know, Chad and I met online and for some reason he instantly made me happy. His eharms questions were about Saved By The Bell, he went in for the kiss on a first date, and made Dad Jokes that made me smile from ear to ear. He paid attention to everything I said (which I can only imagine is not easy) and still continues to surprise me how well he can listen to even my longest stories. And while Chad is overall good on paper – funny, handsome, creative, thoughtful – it is the little things about him that made me fall in love with him. 

Here are just a few of my favorite Chad moments:

On one of our first dates, Chad and I went to the beach. He was in charge of the cocktails, and I was in charge of the food. That morning, Chad went for a 16-mile run before making some strong cocktails to bring to my house. Being that I was nervous to be seen in a bathing suit for the first time, I completely forgot about the fact that I was in charge of food. He never said anything, so we went to the beach and started casually drinking our cocktails. By the time we finished, Chad was not only drunk, but STARVING. He stayed quiet until we went to the Sox game that night, and he inhaled almost an entire helmet nacho (I helped). People were like, “Woa, I have never seen anyone actually finish one of those.” It took months before he ever told me how hungry he was that day, and reminded me that I was in charge of the food. Whoops. But the fact that he ate the helmet nachos and kept the helmet, well – I knew he was a keeper right then and there.

This year was Chad’s first year at the lake, and it is no surprise that he loved it. But more than Chad loved the lake, I think my dad loved having another man up there to help him and Keith with some labor around the house. Trying to get on Bob Keller’s good side, Chad helped my dad put rocks up and down the shoreline to build a rock wall. The next day, when all the rocks had fallen (Keith’s side), Chad rebuilt the rock wall. The next day, when the rocks fell again (Dad’s side), Chad rebuilt a third time. I know throwing 25 pound rocks isn’t exactly how he planned to spend his weekend, but the fact the he got in the water each day to build something for my family made me love him a little bit more.

Every once in a while I get the chance to work from home, and when I do, I often work from Chad’s house. He and I only see each other about 1 or 2 days a week, so working from home opens up the possibility of a 3^rd day. I usually tell Chad when I am heading to his house (just so he knows) and about 75% of the time he responds to tell me what food is in the house. I can’t tell if it is his way of keeping track of how much I eat when I get there, or just because he knows that I am always hungry, but for some reason it always cracks me up. Sidenote: the food is always the same – Cottage Cheese, Pizza Rolls, Apples, and sometimes leftover chicken. The other 25% of the time he tells me that “if I am cold/hot, I can adjust the temperature” and then gives directions on how to use the thermostat. Pressing the up/down button can be tough, especially when you have you’re busy eating pizza rolls.

I am not going to put you through anymore of my sappy tales, but this is just a snapshot into why I love this guy. While I know these stories don’t mean anything to any of you readers, they mean the world to me.

I feel very lucky to have found you, Chad. Happy Valentine’s Day!

I wanna talk about me

It’s just that there is so much to do and I want to do it all. If there are that many cuisines available for takeout, imagine the number of events: rock concerts, comedy benefits, book launches, TV wrap parties, art openings, restaurant openings, theatre openings, even the opening of the mail is a fete if you add champagne. – I Totally Meant to Do That, Jane Borden

When I read the line above, I thought it was the perfect description of one of my self-diagnosed illnesses. I have mentioned before that I suffer from FOMO, and this summer was a doozy for me. If you ask anyone in the Windy City, they will tell you that Summers in Chicago are the best time of the year. As mentioned in this previous post, there are limited weeks each year where Chicagoans can put on shorts baring their white winter legs, and enjoy beer gardens, festivals and baseball games in the greatest city in the world.

This year, I had 3 weekends from the month of May-September where I did not have plans. And you what I did those weekends? I made plans. There was just so much I wanted to do! Outdoor concerts, Entertaining guests, watching best friends tie the knot, being lazy at the lake, enjoying a street festival, going on a cruise…the options were endless, and I didn’t want to miss a beat! Scratch that – I couldn’t miss a beat, because I suffer from FOMO and it is out of my control. I must do it all.

Let's start by talking about the concerts this summer...

Note: Needed to wear the Ball State tee because the White Old Navy V was too big of a risk in the rain.

Here is a picture of Chad from the Dave concert 14 years ago.
The guy you are afraid of in the back? That's him.

I think all of you know that Carreen (my lifelong bestie) is a huge Dave Matthews Band fan. She receives email alerts about the band, cried the day one of the members passed, and NEVER misses a summer tour. And this year all of the ants marching aligned, and the DMB concert fell on Carreen’s birthday (6/22/13). What could be a better way to ring in 29 than eating, drinking, and being merry with your best friends? So Carreen, Ed, Chad and I hopped in the Rouge (Rogue-Trip!) and headed to Indiana for the ultimate birthday celebration. We drove 3 hours through the sunny Hoosier State, and just as we pulled in…It. Started. Pouring. We didn’t let that stop us (no way!) so we cracked open a few cans, and waited for the monsoon to pass – there was still a celebration to be had, and celebrate we will. In addition to Carreen’s birthday, we were celebrating Chad’s anniversary of his last DMB show at this venue, which happened to be exactly 14 years prior to the day. Overall, the show was amazing, but the best part about it was celebrating the birthday of my best friend in a way that so simply was “Carreen.” Oh, I forgot to mention we ate at TGIFridays the next morning. Now THAT is “Carreen.” 

Don't Need Money, Don't Need Fame.
Do need to go to work the next day.

The next morning, we headed back to Chicago, took a brief nap, and rallied for another great concert. In the car growing up, my parents, always listened to “Oldies 104.3” (it’s more fun if you sing the jingle) and now I listen to it too. Except now the “oldies” is the best of the 70’s and 80’s, but I’ll take it. This year, the station hosted the first ever concert at Montrose Beach, which happens to be a short walk from my house. The show? Huey Lewis and the News…I know. I KNOW! I was just as excited as you are! Beach concert with oldies music? That has FOMO written all over it! So LT, James, Chad and I bought tickets to learn about the power of love. And you know what else we learned? We learned that Vodka Teas go down very smoothly on a walk to Montrose Beach. We learned that you can fit 2 of the skinny cans of Corona Light in each of Chad’s pockets, so buy them 8 at a time. We learned that cutting in line will get you told off by some mean girls. We learned that dancing in the sand is more fun if you are not wearing shoes. We learned that the heart of rock & roll is still beating (from what I see I believe ‘em). But the biggest lesson we learned, is that Sunday night concerts make for a rough Monday morning. That’s why I took off work following my Sunday show – Toby Keith. 

Red Solo Koozie is almost as good as a Red Solo Cup.
Proceed to Party!

5% of the reason I started dating Chad was for easy access to Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park. Ok, that is not true, but it certainly is one of the best perks to TP, besides TP only has 6% sales tax at Old Navy and Target. Looking at my summer, I was getting really nervous about the MWBA concert schedule – it seemed like I had a conflict every time there was a show I wanted to see! Plus Chaddy-poo is not that into country music, which limited the shows he would enjoy. Then it dawned on me…did I want to see Passion Pit? No. Did I go anyways because Chad wanted to? YES! He owed me one, and it was time for Chad to get drunk and be somebody at the Toby Keith concert. I mentioned that I’m not as good as I once was, so I took Monday off work ready to party. In addition to FOMO, I also suffer from a severe case of patriotism, so a Toby Keith concert is like a support group for people like me. This was not my first time seeing Toby, but every time I manage to tear up when he brings the men in uniform on stage as I belt out American Soldier on the top of my lungs….getting teary just thinking about it now. Even Chad said “the man entertained him for 2 hours.” Sounds like a good review to me, and a great way to kick off the 4^th of July week.  

So far I had seen some of my faves – country music and oldies…but something was missing. What music do I love more than any other? 90s music, of course!! (If you didn’t know that, how did you stumble across this blog?) And the BEST band from the 90s is inarguably Matchbox 20, led by the gorgeous and talented Rob Thomas….ah. This was the first time the band had toured together in YEARS, and the last time I saw RT perform, MB20 came out and joined him and I cried. Actual tears (Jen Zei can vouch). So clearly I was online and ready to be the first to buy tickets when they went on sale…and yet somehow both of their shows sold out in minutes! For any of you that are surprised by that, I should tell you that they were touring with the Goo Goo Dolls. If I die and go to Heaven, I imagine I will be greeted by the Dolls assuring me they won’t tell no-one my name, and then MB20 will hand me a raincoat. They’re always worried ‘bout things like that. 

This isn't from the show.

It is when I first fell in love with Rob Thomas.

Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised that the tickets sold out. After a “ticket-liquidator” debacle, I got 3 tickets to the show for the ultimate sisters night a Ravinia, where you bring your own food and wine, and (if you are really fancy) table centerpiece. Kim is also a huge fan and turned me onto MB20, and Pam is a lover of all 90s and anytime she can eat and drink outside. When RT played Bright Lights (Trivia – my #2 fave song of all time) I did not know what to do with myself. I belted it out until people were staring while Sober Pam took a video. Turns out Pam didn’t get to drink outside… That was “Babys’ First Concert,” and the first time Pam would use the pregnancy card to skip the shuttle line. I bet Pam will deliver the babies at 3am. Just a guess.       

I tried to make a pizza. I failed. 

Wrigley Field is one of my favorite places in Chicago. And second to drinking a few too many beers in the bleacher seats, one of my fave things is going to a concert at Wrigley. Being that it is 4 blocks from my house, I host a little get together before and we all walk over together. This year’s show combined 2 of my faves – Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean. Kelly holds a very special place in my heart. The Season 1 American Idol star was the reason I pierced my nose, she helped Pam and I get through the beautiful disaster Summer of 2003, and whenever “stronger” comes on during one of my workouts, I can always run for a few extra minutes (seconds). Her show was incredible and I’ll tell you what, my life would suck without Kelly Clarkson. Jason Aldean also put on a great show, from what I recall…things were a tad hazy at this point. But one of my favorite things about that concert? The attempt to cook a pizza when I got home, which resulted in a burnt and cheesy potholder (what did I do?) and then recapping the night with Kim and Schmelter, who were lucky to be alive based on their tales…per the us.   

My last concert of the Summer was a tribute to the city that contributes to my FOMO – Chicago. As a belated Mother’s Day present, we got my mom tickets to the Chicago concert at Ravinia. We learned from our past experiences and brought more food, more wine, and got there early. Just a Saturday in the Park (it wasn’t the 4^th of July) filled with hours of drinking in the sun with my family – Mom, Kim, Pam, Keith, Autumn, Schmelter and Chad. You probably don’t think you know many Chicago songs – you are wrong. Just YouTube them and I think you’ll be surprised. “You’re the meaning in my life, you’re the inspiration. You bring feeling to my life, you’re the inspiration…” See? You’re singing along! The horns echoed through the park as Keith got "geese" and we sang and danced, especially Autumn. It was that nugget’s first concert and I think she liked it almost as much as the ranch dip.

This little dancer loved the showwwwwwww.

Music, sunshine, and the best company I could ask for…that’s summer in Chicago.

This post was brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue.

I'm driving slow on Sunday morning, and I never want to leave.

Sundays are often a day of rest.  People call it the Sabbath, and by people, I mean my dad. There are several songs about relaxing on Sundays…and even a song about using the day to clip coupons.  It is a great day.

I should probably be embarrassed to say that about 80% of Sundays I am a little hungover.  That statistic is based on the fact that I have been slightly hungover three of the past four Sundays, and I will likely be hungover again this week.  4/5 = 80%.  I am good at math.  NBD.  

Now, anyone who knows me when I am hungover knows that I usually wake up early, hungry and craving lettuce.  After eating, I will go back to bed where I will sleep until at least noon.  Take it or leave it, that’s Carrie Keller at her finest.  This Sunday was no different.  But I guess first I should fill you in on my Saturday that preceded it.

Humidity is not only a friend to Summer,
but also a friend to Carreen.
Check out those amazing curls!! #jeal

Three weeks ago Summer finally decided to stop by Chicago for a visit, and this week her (yes, Summer is a girl) friend humidity came along for the ride.  So what do Chicagoans do when Summer finally arrives?  We go to the beach.  Now, I know that I have at least three Floridians reading this thinking a beach in Chicago is ludacrous, and you know what I say to that?  I say, “No, Ludacris is a talented rapper from Atlanta…a beach in Chicago is GLORIOUS!”  So Saturday, Chad and I headed to the beach with a half a bag of pretzels and three extra-large, extra-strong, lukewarm vodka and green teas.  Yum!  After catching a nice buzz, and a little snooze, we continued our day by meeting up with Carreen and Ed at BurgerFest.  BurgerFest, while known for their burgers, proved not to disappoint due to the cold 312, and most importantly, a performance by Sister Hazel!  The 90s classic “All For You” and the fact they are from G-Ville make them one of my faves.

After BurgerFest, we went to meet up with Chad’s best friend Chris and his girlfriend Bernadette at Galaway Bay, a bar with free popcorn, old-school Nintendo and $2 PBRs.  Not mad.  I heard stories of Chad’s younger years, got to know them better, and we finally got home and to sleep around 3:30am.

It's hard to say what it is I see in you. Wonder if I'll always be with you.
Words can't say, and I can't do enough to prove that it's all for you.

When I popped up at 7:30am, you can guess that Chad didn’t want to wake up.  So I stayed in bed for a bit too…texting with friends about how much I wanted lettuce.  More specifically, how much I wanted BLTs.  I even made the mistake of Google searching BLTs and you should see the yummy images that came up.  So I rolled out of bed, still rocking a small buzz from the night before, and walked to the grocery to start my Sunday.

As we all know, a BLT should really be called a BBLTM: Bread, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo.  That way, when you go to the grocery store to make a BBLTM, you know EVERY ingredient you need to get.  In my case, I was only after the BBLT, because, for those of us who have not yet met, “I am Carrie and I love mayo.”  Never a shortage of it in my house.

So off to the store I go in search of the missing four ingredients.  Along the way, I picked up some fruit, some olives, and some new salad dressing to make a little side salad with all the lettuce I was planning to buy.  Did I mention how I crave lettuce?  Upon checking out, I reviewed my basket, and seeing all 4 necessary ingredients, I checked out salivating.

I started first by cooking the bacon.  Actually, no, I started first by taking a few delicious pictures, and then proceeded with the bacon.  I figured that the bacon could cook while I cut the veggies, plus, I really thought that smell would wake up Chad without me having to go in and jump on him.  Spoiler alert: It didn’t.  I had to jump on him.

D-Lish. And actually the makings for a BBCTM.

While slicing up the veggies, I noticed that something seemed off.  What is with this lettuce?  I never buy iceberg lettuce, but I have eaten enough to know that it is not usually so rubbery.  And then it dawned on me.  I had bought the ingredients for a BBCTM.  CABBAGE.  It looked just like lettuce!  You can see my confusion…its little things like this that historically have made me uneasy around identical twins.  They look the same on the outside, but really, they are different!  Guess this was God’s way of bracing me for the new little twins about to enter my life – more to come on that in future blogs.

Anyways, I returned to the store, picked up some actual lettuce (you almost got me again, cabbage!) and I have to tell you that my BBLTM and side salad were as amazing as I imagined.  So crispy and salty – I want one right now!  I then turned down for my usual 2 hour post-food nap, and started my day around 12:30pm with some QT at the pool with some faves (thanks, Mike and Jen!).

Man, I love Sundays.   

Time to get busy

Hello Friends! It has been months since I have written, and I have gotten some requests to get back online and talk about the things I don’t do in moderation.

I should start by saying that most things have not changed – I still do not drink in moderation, shop in moderation, or eat salty snacks in moderation. In fact, the reason I am even writing now is to stop me from eating the entire bag of Chex Mix I just bought at the airport (not nearly as good as P-Mix, obvi).

But one thing is new…the days of working in moderation for Carrie are now over.



I did not handle my 29th birthday with any moderation

As you may recall, NAM and I broke up about 5 months ago. And let me just say that starting a new job is HARD. You have a new set of programs to learn, new people to work with, and a new company to get accustomed to – is it sad that I don’t even know the name of the president of my company? I’ll answer for you…yes, that’s sad. And as I mentioned before, I am working A LOT.

I am not going to go into all the things that learning a new job has taught me about myself, because frankly I’m not really in the mood to write about that…but I am going to use that as an excuse for why I have not been blogging. And you know what – those days are done! NotInMod is back, and it is going to be better than ever (especially since the benchmark wasn’t set that high – let’s be honest).

Ok so – what is my return going to be about? Well, me, of course!

Since I have last written I have celebrated a birthday. I am now seeing the world through a 29-year-old lens, and let me tell ya, it’s glorious. And just like any real millennial, I am already thinking about what’s next…and the answer is that 30 is right around the corner - sort of. Now, turning 30 doesn’t scare me. I love where I am in life, I am proud of the things I have accomplished, I surround myself with wonderful friends and family, and I have at least one person who reads my blog (that’s Chad – because I make him).

But when the idea of a “30 before 30” list came up at our last IPPL reunion (which you can read about here) I decided to create a list – plus, I LOVE lists. Why you ask? Because 1) They keep you organized, 2) It’s fun to cross things off and 3) Because I grew up watching the David Letterman show with my sister Kim, and I think Top 10 lists are in my blood.



There are 2 different ways to look at this list – 1) Things you would like to do in your life before you turn 30 or 2) Things you would like to do in the next YEAR before you turn 30. Mine is the latter – let’s go.

1.       Run a 5K

2.       Go to the top of the Sears Tower

3.       Help my Mom move to Chicago

4.       Take a comedy class

5.       Increase my savings account by 30%

6.       Go to a Cubs rooftop

7.       Visit a winery – ideally an overnight trip

8.       Wake up and watch the sunrise over Lake Michigan

9.       Take a class about Whiskey/Booze (and not taste test in moderation)

10.   Volunteer on a Saturday

11.   Read at least 4 books – maybe one will be a “smart” book (that’s a relative term, but for example: I am reading a book called “I Totally Meant to Do That” and shockingly, I would not classify that as a “smart” book)

12.   Lose 5 pounds

13.   Pay off my Student Loans

14.   Paddleboard down the river, or at Montrose Beach, or really anywhere.

15.   Take dance lessons

16.   See at least 5 movies I have never seen that everyone else has (for example: Pulp Fiction, Coming to America, Goonies, Back to the Future, Animal House, Caddyshack - I know, "Carrie! How have you never seen ____?!")

17.   Go to Chinatown and eat Dim Sum

18.   Go on vacation somewhere new

19.   Eat at Girl and the Goat, the Publican and GT Oyster (any others Chicagoans?) 

20.   Celebrate my 1 year anniversary with Chad (laaaaaaaaame, but true)

21.   Donate money towards a good cause

22.   Visit at least 1 Chicago museum

23.   Host a downtown Sister’s Weekend….with my sisters.

24.   Pay off my Car Loans

25.   Convince at least one of my friends named Melissa to move to Chicago (come on, girls – pack it up already!)

26.   Play hooky from work and go to the beach

27.   Take Chad to a Gator Game and introduce him to Pita Pit

28.   Earn the respect of my new client and prove myself in my new job

29.   Do 30 random acts of kindness

30.   Stop writing my blog only in moderation

Can’t wait to see what this year has in store for me! It’s good to be back.