Mixtape

I've made my fair share of mixtapes through the years. Freshman year of high school, my christmas gifts for my friends were entirely composed of Christmas song mix CDs including NSYNC (don't judge me, you KNOW that is a catchy song) Mariah Carey, Chipmunks, Elvis, etc. When Rock Band first came out, I put together a "ROCK, paper, scissors" CD for my fellow rockers - still one of the most solid playlists, to this day. To tell you the truth, though, the thought of a mix tape has not crosseed my mind in years. If I hear 'mixtape', I think of something totally 90's, like Chandler re-gifting Monica a mixtape because he forgot to make her a homemade gift, only to find out Janice actually made it for him, and her voice is all over the tape. Moving on....

The other day (actually, it was a couple weeks ago, but whatevs), my IDK, BFF Matty left me a message...

It got me thinking about my HORRIBLE taste in music. My iPod has an eclectic mix of 80% - 90s/2000s top 40 (think BBMak and Samantha Mumba) & rap/hip-hop (Hot in Hurr, Jumpin Jumpin) +18% songs of today mixed with 80s rock +2% solid, classic songs, basically. If anything is super catchy, or has a beat that gets my hips moving, its on like Donkey Kong. Without further ado, though - here is my mix - some jams of today plus some all time favs. I like to think I've got one or 2 solids in there...

Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney

Lovefool - Cardigans

5 o'clock - TPain/Lily Allen

It Had to be You - Frank Sinatra

Lucky - Jason Mraz/Colbie Calet

This Guy's In Love with You - Herb Albert

How do you mend a Broken Heart & Let's Stay Together - Al Green

I Want to Hold Your Hand - Across the Universe Version

Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5

Universal Mind Control - Common

It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Dedication to my Ex - Lloyd

Fools Rush In - Elvis

Strawberry Fields & Come Together - Beatles

Rockateer - Far East Movement

Sally is A - Schwayze

Bad - Michael Jackson

Excited to listen to this CD on requiem. Like I said, he probably asked me for it a month & a half ago, just getting it to him now - he comes back to IL from LA tomorrow. Typicalll Annnnnnn. Anyways, basically for my enjoyment, here is some nice Matty & Ann shots through the years :)



Matty's first ASU football game

House Party

We have tshirts with this image superimposed

With my, by my Matty

XOXO

Things that Make me Laugh

I have been fortunate enough, lately, to stumble across a handful of things that make me smile. I often have to try really hard not to LOL at work/on the train. It gives me great pleasure to share....

I started to pick out my favorites, but these are all true - I nodded my head at almost all of them and heard my inner voice screaming "YES!" Props to my "travel companion" Rhea for this one!

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I orginally saw this video on Rob Dyrdek's "Ridiculousness" - could.not.stop.laughing. Even made my mom run into the room to watch it - she didn't find it nearly as funny. Showed my brother in-law the next day - found it mildly funny. I usually watch it on a daily basis - have to stiflle my laughter.

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Accidentally got this blog forwarded to me a few weeks ago from a co-worker. I love when funny people just discuss real life things - this baby really is an asshole, and the picture really makes me laugh. Solidifies why kids are not for the faint of heart. 

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Just found this one yesterday, stumbled across it while facebook creeping. I am obsessed - Suri's Burn Book ROCKS.

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Finally...everyone reading this needs to get the instagram ap - I love it and my feed doesn't update nearly enough, because I don't have enough friends on it. Find me @annveezie

XOXO



Stoping to Smell the Roses

"Success is how you collect your minutes. You spend millions of minutes to reach one triumph, one moment, then you spend maybe a thousand minutes enjoying it. If you are unhappy through those millions of minutes, what good are the thousands of minutes of triumph? It doesn't equate. Life is made up of small pleasures, Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. If you don't have all those zillions of tiny successes, the big ones don't mean anything."

                                   

                                                                                          --Norman Lear

Make sure you stop to smell the roses

Bright Lights, Bigger City

Night view from the Shedd Aquarium

This blog may very well turn into the adventures of a suburbanite trying to make it in a big city.

I recently landed a job in Chicago and I find myself everyday trying to maneuver my way through the urban jungle. I literally learn something new everyday. Often, I learn it as I've made the wrong decision - got on the wrong L, missed my train, forgot my umbrella. etc. I try and fit in, but I am almost positive I often stick out like a sore thumb - but I am getting beter. I try and make mental notes often, so I can blog about my experiences - I think others would get a nice laugh about the level of unfortunate I am.

Living in the suburbs, I am usually doing the city to subs commute at least once a day via public transportation. Office to home usually takes about 2 hours, depending. It goes: walk 3 blocks, brown line, walk 3 blocks to Union Station, BNSF train to Lisle, bus #825, walk home - all of which is pretty obnoxious. I used to be working for the weekend, now I am simply working to move to the city.

Think I can officially call myself a commuter now that I buy 10-ride passes.

Although I've pretty much got my commute situation down these days, it took me FOREVER to conquer the L.

Day 1: I learned what line to take to get to the loop & that I need to go north on Wells because you can't access Union Station from the South without walking an extra few blocks :(

Day 2: Learned the purple & brown line are basically the same thing.

Day 3: Learned the purple & brown line are basically the same thing, except opposite, when you get to the loop. Purple gets me to Lincoln Park from the city faster, but takes me an extra 15 mins. to get downtown from work.

Day 4: After waiting for the purple line to Lincoln Park, I realize it only runs during rush hour-must take the brown mid-day.

Day 5: Brown line doesn't run after 1:30am, get your drunk ass in a cab.

The most ridiculous part is me trying to actually balance on the L, when all the seats are taken and I am forced to stand. I am forced to hold on for dear life, while everyone else seems to not be bothered. This is the way it feels everyday...

Regardless of all the bumps in the road, I absolutely 100% enjoy the city-especially when I find myself 45 mins. early to an event & can shop on the magnificent mile :) I've also enjoyed how much city-goers work Happy Hours into their lifestyle. Got to meet up with some friends at Zed451, which has fast turned into my favorite restaurant in the city. Got to eat there for free for work too - DELICIOUS!!

Some of my favorite Chi Town ladies, old & new - Trisha, Me, Stephanie, Natalie & Katie

Fondue & Sangria - AMAZING

For all things Chi, I've also found Fuck Yeah CHICAGO - it captures everything I love about the city & so much more. (They introduced me to Saturday AM yoga in Millennium Park!)

Hope I didn't loose everyone - had to catch up!

Until next time... XOXO

Weather Runway

Rainy Chi

I am convinced that if I moved to Seattle, I would become a runway model. Anytime it gets a little gloomy out and the umbrellas open up, I cannot help but to stomp my way down Michigan Ave. - it must be the rainboots or something.

I thought I was all alone yesterday on the platform as I waited for my L to come. I had my headphones in and was jammin to "My Humps". Add that to the fact that it was raining, and I clearly couldn't help myself. You would probably think I was practicing my audition for 'Umbrella' with the amount of hip pops and hair flips I was doing.

Awkward? Probably. But what makes it AMAZING is that mid spin, I come to my senses and remember there is a platform directly across from mine, and not only can they see me, but they are basically cheering me on- I don't hear them because my headphones are in.

I thought those moments only happened in movies.

XOXO



Insomnia Baking

Since moving back to Illinois, I have taken on making dinners for me and my roommate (aka Mom) as my daily project. Since I am still on the hunt for a full-time job, I often find myself unable to force my brain to sleep at a decent hour, so I have become a frequenter of stumbleupon, after I can find no new updates on twitter or facebook. More often then not, if I am not ogling over tiny, asian hip-hop dancers or useless facts, I am finding delicious, non-nutritious treats and baking them at all hours of the night. Most recently, my victim was Toasted Marshmallow S'more bars. After being originally turned off after seeing the word 'broil' in the recipe, I was actually pleasantly surprised - they were unexpectedly easy to make. I posted a link to these a while back, and Emily snatched up this recipe, so she can also attest to the easiness of the recipe. Bon Appetite! 

XOXO

Preparing for Unemployment?

My last day at my current job is this Friday. After that, I have just under a week to pack up 6 years worth of my life and ship it all back to Illinois. I've been hitting the job search pretty hard, but tonight, I am meeting with some people from my office after work for a bon voyage happy hour. One of my co-workers sent me an email this afternoon with this picture and subject "Is it happy hour yet?"...HILARIOUS!

Hopefully, I will have some time soon to get back on the blogging horse, as I have been seriously slacking lately and I have lots to share :)

XOXO



 

Bits and Pieces

Not quite sure exactly where I’d like to start today, there are a lot of things I’d like to touch on…Let’s start with the obvious – yesterday was Mother’s Day. Didn’t get to spend it with my mommy, but I got in a nice phone call with her. I know I’ve given her props before, but she really is awesome. The little things she does, really helps me do the big things I want to. Love Love Love!

Not only is my mom awesome for driving me to early AM volleyball games and coaching all of my softball teams, after my dad died when I was in middle school, she played the role of both parents. I think she did a great job with me.  

I really love this picture for so many reasons. It is from my parent’s wedding. I love that they are both laughing and I am IN LOVE with my dad’s suit! A plaid suit for a wedding – so.amazing. Also, my mom is actually blonde in this picture, and although she tells me that she often had blonde hair when she was younger, I had never seen it. Plus, she is doing the wide open-mouthed laugh, that I am pretty notorious for doing.

*****

A few weekends ago, I took a trip down memory lane. When I was down in Tucson visiting my family for Easter, I continued my drive a few miles further down the road to quaint, little Vail, AZ where my childhood best friend, Megan and her family live. They really have been through a lot these past couple years and it was so fulfilling to spend time with Megan and catch up on what her and her siblings are doing. I love them like my own family and I was almost crying I was laughing so hard, re-living old memories. Megan and I became friends in kindergarten on day #1 while doing an activity in which our teacher dumped a bag of mismatched socks on the floor. Mrs. Holbert asked, "My socks come out of the dryer all mixed up, how can I sort these socks into pairs?" Megan raised her little hand and answered, "We can put them together." Brilliant, I know! I marched over to her right after activity time and we were fast friends. According to her parents, I walked up to her dad after the school day was over and asked if Megan could sleep over. Apparently, I never even asked Megan if she wanted to. Whatever - friends forever, you know you wanted to, Megan! She’s one of those friends you know God just meant you to have and I am so thankful to have her.

*****

And finally, my cousin Jason was in town yesterday evening playing at Martini Ranch with his band Telekinesis. I will be rocking my new tshirt every chance I get because they were PHENOMENAL! Don't judge me for being so myspace, I had to take my own pic bc m roomates were asleep. :)

XOXO

Fairytale Ending

“They used to call her Waity Katie, now she waits no longer”  

I've been meaning to start doing a Wedding Wednesday edition, so please ignore that it is technically "Thursday" because if I don't start now, I will forget all my weddings thoughts by next Wednesday. I have to admit it – leading up to the royal wedding; I could not have cared less. Yes, I am a wedding-aholic and since I work in special events, I should be interested in the ultimate special event, right? Wrong. I did not partake in the excitement over what dress Kate Middleton would wear or which carriage her and William would ride in. The most interest I had, was on the day they announced their wedding – purely because I really liked Kate’s navy blue wrap dress and Diana’s sapphire engagement ring. There are always those memories you have that no matter how long it has been, it always feels like it just happened yesterday. For me, it is a. Columbine school shooting (morbid, huh?) b. September 11^th and c. Princess Diana dying – ever since then, I have been particularly interested by all things Diana (I even have the Princess Diana beanie baby). Anyways... as the wedding grew nearer, I acquired the same excitement I would as the day approached for one of my very own friends to tie the knot. Although I couldn't convince myself to stay up until 1am to watch the coverage, I did set the DVR. The thing I really enjoy about weddings is that love is literally filling the air. The couple is joined by the ones that care about them the most and there is no substitute for the look on the groom's face the first time he sees his bride. Never fail, my tears flow every time a bride walks down the aisle, whether it is a wedding I am attending or Kurt & Finn's parents getting married on Glee. The royal wedding was no exception - I'm sure lots of you have seen it, but these were some of my favorite parts...  

I have a weird thing when it comes to men, if there is a red head in the room – I am all about it. As a result, I have always had a little bit of a thing for Prince Harry. My roommate Amy and I have always had a joke that we were going to become famous for catching Osama Bin Laden and then meet the princes as a result and marry them – she William and I Harry. We always say “roomies for life” because we picture ourselves living as fellow princesses. Seeing Prince Harry and William together at the wedding was so darling. I always think really close families are endearing. They are so chummy together and every time the saluted at the same time on the car ride over to the Abbey, I giggled like a school girl .  

I have never been one for church weddings - stuffy, long, boringggg, but OMG - was Westminster Abbey beau-ti-ful! There were organs for days, tall arches and all sorts of awesomeness. WOW. *lub blub lub blub* 

Can we be real? The queen is a BALLER – rockin that canary yellow like nobody’s business. That is all.

After all the hoopla over “Who’s dress will she wear”, all I have to say is THANK GOD! If that dress had been anything less than fabulous, I would have been the first one to crinkle my nose, but the dress was indeed, all that is fabulous and so much more. I know it has been much exclaimed how glamorous and beautiful Kate was, but I must say it once again. Although I want to make it big and become a princess, I could not be happier with this elegant, graceful, charming woman. She really hit the jackpot - talk about best day ever, becoming both a wife and a princess all in one day :) I'm sure this dress will be remembered for years to come.

Something I never knew until the royal wedding, is that “bridemaids” are more like flower girls for them. Although I could never give up my best girlfriends, the idea of just having my sister and nobody else would definitely cut down on some stress. But does anybody else find it weird that Pippa wore white? Wouldn’t that be tacky in America – talk about trying to upstage the bride, haha. I actually heard in the old days, bridesmaids all wore white to act as "distraction brides". When families would trade livestock and goods in exchange for their eldest daughter, for example, brides were a super hot commodity and people would literally try to steal the wives. The bridesmaids would all dress in white to try and confuse the thieves. Interesting, eh? Anyways, thought it was ADORABLE how Pippa walked down with the little 3 years olds – and her dress really was lovely – whiteness and all.

And finally, my main man riding in the carriage with the little flower girls. Can we say darling? He's so charming. I guess I'll just have to wait for my own fairy tale :)

PS - I hope this piture is real, because it is AWESOME.

XOXO

Family is Forever

Today was my grandma's 91st birthday! It took a lot of looking, but I finally found a pic of my grandma that I had with me in AZ - most of my memory/keepsake items are at my mom's house in IL.

My sister Beth, Grandma B and I on mother's day 2004

I am happy that I got to see my grandma a few weeks ago, and will soon be able to see her again on a more regular basis. I have spent the last 6 or so years in Arizona, where I re-located to so I could go to school. In a little over a month, I will be closing out this chapter of my life and packing up my things and moving back to Illinois. I am currently on the job hunt and would like to work for an airline, so I could be constantly traveling - I would love that. Also looking for jobs in event planning because that is what I graduated in and have enjoyed it thus far! This month I am turning 24 and lots of my friends will be coming into town to help me celebrate - more on that later, but I am SO excited. Soon after my birthday, I will pack up my things and my roommate, Jenny and I will take the road trip back from AZ to IL. It will be sad to leave my AZ family, but I hope to be back often to visit the ones I have come to love.

My roomies <3

One of my favorite nights in AZ

Back to business, in honor of Grandma B., I will also share one of her mom - my great grandma (GiGi). The picture below is from a local article that she was featured in many years back, and it all had to do with her famous kolackys. I have to admit, when my family gets together, I am usually not the biggest fan of chowing down on czech food, but I looove 2 things - potato dumplings and kolackys. I'll let you  in on her secret, all in her own words...

GiGi

• 1 package dry yeast & 1/5 cup lukewarm milk - disolve and let stand
• 1 lb. crisco & 4 cups flour - work like for pie crust and then add
• 1 cup cream or canned milk, beaten with 3 eggs yolks, mix well and add yeast mixture and beat. 
• Put in refrigerator over night. 
• Next day roll out dough on sugar and cut out with a glass. With bottom of smaller glass, make impression in center for filling. Let raise about 30 mins., bake in 350 degrees until golden brown. 
• Remove with spatula as soon as you take them from the oven, or else they will stick to cookie sheet.
• You can put dough in freezer and use a piece at a time. Makes about 100 kolacky.

Thanks to my cousin, Mel for the picture and finding me the recipe. I got to see her this past weekend in Tucson, where we both stayed with our family - Aunt Sarah, Hank and cousin, Leeann for easter. It was also Leeann's birthday - Happy 16th! Time to drive :) It was fun visiting and going through old family photos.

Cousin Leeann, Aunt Sarah, Me and Cousin Melissa

XOXO

More blogs to come:

Visit to Vail

Royal wedding