Happy hour chat

Heyyyy. It’s been a while. So much has happened since the last time I checked in for a happy hour chat: an election season, Twitter on the brink of collapse, Taylor Swift breaking Ticketmaster, my own blog disabled behind the scenes (there was a backend issue), an entire holiday season for which I shut down the laptop and said “hasta luego”—but I’m back now, baby.

Thanks for joining me for another round of faux drink clinking, where I fill you in on life’s adventures because it’s been a little too long since I last checked in. I guess I’ve got a lot of ground to cover!

Here’s what life has looked like lately in my corner of the world.

For the holidays

Chad and I had a wonderful holiday season spent at home on our own. We managed to find so many fun activities to fill our cups. Here’s the gist:

• Chad and I went to the Nutcracker with our friend Haley! It was the right amount of nostalgic and entertaining.
• The Christmas in the Ward tree lighting ceremony was great—we loved the giant tree, reindeer, and spiked cocoa for sale.
• On a Sheboygan trip, Chad and I enjoyed an incredible holiday display with over half a million lights.
• We ate at the posh Italian restaurant Dorsia on Christmas Eve, dressing up and ordering delicious pasta flights. So fun!
• On Christmas, Haley joined us at our house for a Mexican-themed meal, plus drinks, movies, and lots of wonderful conversation.
• We also went to the Bay View bar Lost Whale, which transformed into an Elf-themed pop-up. I ordered the “cotton-headed ninny muggins” cocktail, while Haley and Chad both got the “world’s best cup of coffee.” This was one of my favorite things!
• On NYE, Chad and I stayed in—he made us old fashioneds, we played games, and watched the White Lotus.
• On New Years day, Chad and I went to Third Space Brewing for a bit, but mostly kept it mostly low-key.

Getting social

Since we moved here, one of my goals has been to put myself out there more and make the most of a fresh start with new friends. It’s been successful! I think I’ve made more friends in the past ten months than I had in five years of living in New Castle. Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:

• Haley has invited Chad and I (and whoever else) to explore new breweries one day a week. So far, so good. It’s a fantastic new tradition to look forward to.
• We were invited to join a shuffleboard league this winter! So far, we are not great, but we’re loving it.
• Some new friends threw an epic pajama-Hallmark-and BYO dip party at their home in Bay View and we had such a fantastic time meeting so many new people.
• I got to meet up for dinner with a group of new blogger friends local to Milwaukee. It was fun and I hope to do it again soon.
• I was also lucky enough to go to a girl’s night out at a craft bar! I made a hand-knitted scarf and loved the experience.
• Several months ago, our college buddy Mitchell was in town and we had a late night catching up in the Deer District. He’s always been a kindred spirit of sorts and it felt like no time passed at all. I’m unbelievably grateful for college friendships that last.
• Chad and I had a delicious Friendsgiving meal hosted by some of our new friends in Waukesha, which was a ton of fun and yummy to boot.
• In October, Chad and I threw a get-together at our house. It was small, but we had margaritas and loved hosting for the first time at our home. Shout out to my childhood friend Annie for coming from Chicago.
• Recently, I got to reconnect with one of my middle school teachers over coffee in MKE! It was so great to chat and catch up, plus I gained a new client.

Girl’s trip

My mom and I took a girl’s trip to Minneapolis recently and we had a blast. She had a cool opportunity to do a makeover and asked if I wanted to come along for a few days. It was a really neat experience and I loved our location on the Nicolette Island and the close walk to great restaurants and coffee shops. We had a lot of fun and my mom was absolutely radiant from the inside out (as always).

Soon: vacation!!!!

I am SO excited about this: Chad and I are going on vacation! This winter we’ll be going on a two-part vacation. First, we’ll head to Vegas for a few days of crazy fun with our besties Alexis and Jessica!! (Our first time.) Then, we’ll head to Miami for a few days, meeting up with Haley for a few days of relaxing beach time. I very literally cannot wait, and am counting down every single second.

Therapy, baby

In one of my previous posts, I shared that I have extreme seasonal depression. I’m really thankful to share that I’ve started therapy! I believe it’s important to normalize mental health struggles and to talk about what goes on behind the scenes: for me, I’m really proud of myself for getting help after feeling really overwhelmed. And, as a reminder, you can too, if you need it! There is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself with professional support.

We’re residents

It’s officially official: Chad and I are residents of Wisconsin. Not only did we make a trek to the DMV, but we also got library cards (finally!). Fun fact: the Milwaukee Public Library is gorgeous, and also has gone viral on TikTok several times for their brilliant content.

I’ve been making a wonderful use of my new library card, Libby membership, and the Kindle I got for Christmas. (Thanks, mom and dad!) 🙂

Anniversary day

While we originally wanted to spend a day in Madison but were rerouted because of shitty weather, Chad and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary by having fun around town. We kicked off the day with coffee at the Goddess and the Baker, then played at Luxe Golf, grabbed lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Oak Creek, then went out to Dave and Busters to end the evening. It was a super fun day!

Doctor’s visit

I’ll save you the entire spiel until it’s totally resolved, but I decided to go to the doctor after some mysterious choking on air episodes. Plus, I figured that 27 was time enough to step into the chapter of adulthood where I go to a doctor regularly to make sure everything is running as it should be.

Walking away from the office, I’m on a few medications. I feel hopeful and nervous, and also a little excited to step into a new chapter of unprecedented health.

Cover stories

I mentioned this in a previous post, but it’s worth a second moment to shine! I wrote some articles, they landed on the cover of Glenwood Springs Magazine. And…I feel good about it. 🙂

P.S. – I recently updated my writing portfolio to reflect some of these stories! I’m excited about that, too.

Basement refresh

For the first time in many years, Chad and I grabbed some brushes, taped some walls, stirred some paint, and got to work on our basement. We painted our basement, transforming it from a light and dirty pink to a dark green-black. We also ordered wall paper for a statement wall and bought a new couch! We are really excited to have a usable, cozy space down there.

More on the couch

The couch deserves a moment. It’s the couch of my dreams (actually no…the West Elm cloud couch would be buuuuuut who can afford a $10k sectional? Not me!) and I am loving the Kova Pit from Albany Park. It’s honestly a cozy modular sectional and I’m psyched about it. We have already spent entirely too much time laid up on it.

Chad got an iphone

Some of you might remember Chad’s Dark Ages: the period of time in high school and college when his model of cell phone was a TracFone—where we could only communicate through limited use of his pre-paid minutes or if he could connect his ipod touch to wifi.

When Chad got his first smartphone in 2017, I nearly cried tears of happiness. It was an android, but it was life changing and still affordable if he got older models that shut down randomly or had limited storage space.

A few months ago, Chad finally upgraded and joined the iPhone universe (and the family plan, mind you). I’m so happy to be rid of his green messages, but most glad for him to have a device that he enjoys and can rely on. It’s been big news in our household, lol.

Apple Watch

Another tech update is that I got an Apple Watch! I’ve had my eye on it for quite some time after years with my simple Fitbit and I have been loving all of the data that comes with it. If anyone wants to share data…let me know. I love that kind of thing.

Barre Code

About once a week or so, I’ve been getting into some new classes at a fitness studio in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward neighborhood! I wrote this post about the Barre Code: I’ve loved every single class so far.

Food (and drink) adventures

If I’m being honest, I’ve dropped the ball a little with keeping track. Based on our credit card bill, there have been quite a few more than this so far this summer. (Oops, lol.) (Might I add: going out to eat is indeed my favorite activity in the world? :))

What we’ve been watching