Things I Love Thursday-New Music

I LOVE discovering new music. Although I have to be honest and say that most of the music that I discover is mostly music that Josh has discovered first and either a) recommended to me or b) left lying around for me to get my greedy little paws on. And that my friends, is what marriage is all about.

Most recently, I've incorporated the Avett Brothers into my music library. They'll be in Des Moines in June, so excited to see them live!

I-Cubs game + Margaritas = Fun for Everyone

Annie had tickets to the I-Cubs game so we all headed out to Principal Park on Friday. Given the title of this post, you can gather that our Memorial Day weekend definitely started with a bang.

The boys

Look who enjoyed his very first I-Cubs game...JT Ruden!

Did you know that El Bait Shop has margaritas? We didn't either, it was definitely a pleasant discovery though.

Things I Love Thursday-I've got Shoes, they're Multiplying

I LOVE flats. It wasn't until this past winter that I really embraced the shoe that is the flat. Generally, I've opted for the pointy toe heel but after buying a pair at Kohl's for only $4, I am definitely a flat convert and enthusiast. I picked up these two pairs at DSW on clearance, not for $4, but I love them just the same.

Des Moines Honeymoon

Josh and I spent a lot of quality time together with just each other, no other friends, no other couples, over the weekend. So from now on, we will lovingly refer to this time as our "Des Moines Honeymoon".

Here are the differences between our real honeymoon and our Des Moines honeymoon:

Chicago-dining at the same restaurant as Lou Pinella, coach of the Cubs.
Des Moines-dining at Chick-Fil-A.

Chicago-taking in a Cubs playoff game with hundreds of other Cubs fans.
Des Moines-taking in Star Trek at Jordan Creek Theater and wading through the sea of tweens.

Chicago-shop 'til we drop on Michigan Ave.
Des Moines-shop 'til we drop in East Village.

Smash

Chicago-soaking up history at the Field Museum
Des Moines-soaking up pop, folksy music of Meiko at Peoples.

I can't decide which was my favorite honeymoon.

Holy Belated Gift, Batman!

We got married last September...


And this was a gift we received this week...


Did I mention how much I like weddings?

Things I Love Thursday-Library Books

A good read and it's free!

I LOVE library books. I forgot how much I liked them but fortunately I was in the neighborhood last week and ended up stopping by the West Des Moines one, thus rekindling my love. I was discouraged at first because they didn't have the books that I was looking for but luckily, I was able to get Jennifer on the phone and she had a few other suggestions for me. And now, I think I've been pulled out of my Twilight reverie and am officially ready to re-enter the world of Chick Lit.

Eat, Drink and be Merry

Bill and Jonna came to town over the weekend and we decided the best way to celebrate was to gorge ourselves on brisket and ribs from Flying Mango, beer from Front Row and El Bait Shop and wine from Sbrocco...and that was just Friday. Needless to say we hit up the Farmers Market on Saturday morning, (although I didn't get to enjoy my breakfast burrito as much as I would have liked because of the aforementioned beer and wine), and continued on to Carefree Patisserie, home of our wedding cupcakes. It truly was a delicious weekend.

Things I Love Thursday-Open Sesame

I LOVE sesame chicken. It's been my most favorite Chinese food dish ever since I discovered Chinese food. However, it wasn't until last year that I stumbled upon the BEST sesame chicken ever in the history of ever. It's crispy, has the perfect amount of breading, sesame seeds and sauce. In one word, delightful. And you can find it here...

For your convenience, here's a map to the sesame chicken that will forever change your life.

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