Dining fine

Have I mentioned that my main squeeze is turning 40 this year? Yes, in just a little over a week, Jason will begin a new decade of life. So we're kind of making a big deal about it. Next week we'll celebrate with friends at the Bird's Nest, our favorite dive bar and scene of many, very fun nights in our early dating days. The week after that, we'll head to Zion National Park and Las Vegas for 4 days of much-needed alone time. But the first thing on the list was a super-extravagant 10-course tasting meal at Next -- my birthday gift to Jas.

A little bit about Next:

• It's the brainchild of one of Chicago's most famous chefs, Grant Achatz, who is best known for his innovative food at Alinea and also for beating tongue cancer
• They change the menu every 3 or 4 months. Every menu has a theme and very distinct point of view
• Instead of making a reservation and paying your bill at the end, you buy tickets in advance that include tax and tip. It's expensive, but also kind of nice that by the time you go, you've already paid for everything

So what did we think? This menu was based on the Chicago Steakhouses of the 50s and 60s and it felt both vintage and modern, totally rich and decadent. For me, the standouts were the frog's leg salad and the ribeye. There was really only one thing I didn't like -- a baked Alaska dessert that for some reason isn't shown on the menu. But that didn't even matter. There was so much to love and we were so spoiled by the good vibes and seemingly effortless service, we left feeling very full and happy. If only we would have remembered to bring home our leftovers!!

Here's a pic of the menu:

It was, if you can't tell, a ridiculous amount of food

Dance like nobody's watching

This is an oldie, but a goodie, from October of 2013:

I love Molly's reaction when she learns she's being filmed.

Wheee!

Jason took Molly sledding today -- bunny hills to start. I think she liked it:

As you can see, we still have snow on the ground. It wasn't too cold today -- 30 degrees or so -- but it's dipping back down into the single digits tomorrow. Brrr. Only 2 or 3 more months of winter to go :)

The Negotiator

Molls is a pretty good kid. She doesn't throw temper tantrums (very often) or cry if she doesn't get her way. What she does is negotiate. Every little thing.

If I say, "It's time for a bath," Molly will say, "Bath tomorrow." If I say, "No, it's time for a bath now," she will say "Bath after dinner."

If she tries to leave the dinner table and I say, "You gotta eat more," she'll say, "3 more bites." So I'll counter with "10 bites" or "Finish your plate" and we'll end up meeting in the middle at 5 or 7. Or she'll ask if she can sit on my lap to eat. There's always something more that she wants.

I can't let her watch one show or read one book without getting a request for another. I can't ask her to put down a toy without hearing, "5 more minutes." Oh Molls. I'll fight her on some things. But I'll never say no when she asks, "One more kiss?"


Keeping warm

We made it home. We were 2 days late, but we made it back, and couldn't be happier. I saw on the news today that approximately 3,200 flights have been cancelled due to extreme weather and arctic temperatures, so we can consider ourselves very lucky indeed to be back home in Chicago.

We were greeted with 12 inches of snow and temps of -11 degrees, but our neighbor had shoveled our driveway and sidewalk, and my office gave us a snow day today, so again, I couldn't be happier. I got to hibernate at home with my favorite girl and play for most of the day. It was awesome. We played hide and seek, built Lego castles, pretended to bake cookies, sang more than a few songs, and laughed until our stomachs hurt over a "princess sock" joke that I made up on the fly.

Our house in Evanston stays much warmer than our old Bucktown condo, so that's another reason to be thankful. If we were still in that loft, we'd be shivering under blankets right now and running multiple space heaters. In this house, we're toasty and warm thanks to radiator heat and small rooms.

I haven't been to the office since December 20. Today is Jan 6. I had a couple of calls today, but am not at all prepared to face the pile of work that has surely built up over the last 17 days. I am also not prepared to commute in 7-degree weather, especially after reading about all of the public transportation delays people experienced today. They are expecting more of the same tomorrow. I guess all I can do is bundle up and hope for the best. Thankfully, that's still 10 hours away! Right now, life is good and we're keeping warm.

You say "Goodbye" and I say "Hello"

Well, we thought we were flying back home today and going to work tomorrow (ugh!), but nasty weather in Chicago resulted in a cancelled flight and no way back until Saturday. At least we have a place to stay!

I must admit, I wasn't quite ready to go home. Molly wasn't either, so at least this gives her a little bit more time with her grandparents. And Jason gets to watch the Sugar Bowl.

While we settle back into the Florida lifestyle, check out this cute little video Google+ made out of my 2013 photos. Some are outtakes, but whatever! Enjoy :)

2013 -- looks like it was a pretty good year!

I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty

I know I just wrote a post about taking a break from my phone, but that doesn't mean I am anti-technology. In fact, I recently got two new gadgets I am so excited about, I thought I would share the news with my small, but loyal group of readers.

The first purchase was a lime green Fitbit Flex. Jason got one too, in black. And since each one comes with large and small wristbands, I have Jason's extra black band to swap in for a more subtle look. Anyway, this thing tracks my steps, notes any periods of intense activity, analyzes my sleep, including when I'm restless or awake, and even estimates my calories in vs out.

So far, it has done its job and has pushed me to exercise and get in my steps even when I don't feel like it. I had no problem reaching my goal of 10,000 steps every day in Chicago -- I walk about 20 minutes each way for my commute -- but it's been more difficult in Florida with all of the book reading, TV watching, and knitting I'm doing. One night after dinner, Jason and I even walked up and down my parents' street in the dark to try to meet our goal. Every step counts, right? Here's what the desktop interface looks like (there's also a phone app). You click each section for a more detailed break-down:

As you can see, Jason is winning the weekly steps race. And obviously, I am on vacation if I am getting 8 hours of sleep at night!

My second favorite purchase was a Sonicare electric toothbrush. I did not bring this with me on vacation, even though it comes with a travel case, but I wish I did. I miss it desperately! This wonderful (and expensive) toothbrush gets my teeth so clean, I feel like I've just come from the dentist. I have receding gums, unfortunately, from years of aggressive brushing, so I bought this thing to try and delay or maybe even prevent gum replacement surgery (whatever that is, it does not sound like fun).

The toothbrush does all the work, I just have to move it back and forth until it beeps and I move onto the next section. Easy. Hopefully it does its job and my next visit to the dentist will be filled with good news. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2014!