Chicago

Mr. Pit and I got back yesterday afternoon after a whirlwind adventure in Chicago, and it was a blast.

With Little Pit safely ensconced at my parents house for the weekend, Mr. Pit and I hopped a Southwest flight to get out to Chicago mid-afternoon on Friday. We checked into our suite at the W-City Center, and it was awesome. All of the W's lobbies are cool, but this one was amazing. They had these HUGE 20 foot tall lamps in the middle, and I definitely didn't feel like I was cool enough to be staying in such a swank hotel!

A few hours of rest later, we headed over to The Aviary and again, felt WAY not cool enough to be going into this bar. We actually got to sit downstairs in what they call 'The Office' and we enjoyed super cool cocktails and managed to get a tour of their ice room at the end of our visit. They have one person whose entire job it is to make ice. ALL.NIGHT.LONG. He can make ice spheres, ice coatings on the inside of the glass, ice infused with the liquor inside...I can't even explain. SOOO cool. Check out the website, it is definitely worth a look if you like cool cocktails. One of the drinks even comes with a sling shot that you have to use to break open your cocktail filled ice ball!

Then we were off to Blackbird , which is the first Michelin rated restaurant I've ever eaten in. TOTALLY delicious. The menu was a bit overwhelming at first, but I ordered the duck, and a fun basil infused cocktail and I was totally blown away by how great everything tasted.

I also have to say that the service at both the Aviary and Blackbird were phenomenal. A LOT of Philly restaurants should take note of how they do things in the midwest. They were helpful, friendly and always there without ever hovering.

After dinner we went straight back to the hotel and my friend N and I went up to bed while the boys stayed up WAY too late drinking at the hotel bar. The next morning was an early one though, so I was glad I went to sleep when I did.

The next morning Mr. Pit and I went to breakfast at Lou Mitchell's which we were told was a Chicago breakfast institution. I have to agree with all the feedback we got and the line was definitely worth the wait. The best part is that they give you Milkduds on your way out of the restaurant. A place where I can eat and then they give me my favorite candy as dessert, sign me up!

After breakfast we headed down to the lobby to get in the car for the trip down to South Bend. Having never been to a large college football game (and since my Alma Mater had a whopping 3400 students TOTAL), this was the most amazing part of the weekend. The tailgaiting setups for home games at Notre Dame are just amazing. Everyone has custom made flags that they put on these HUGE flagpoles near their car and they fill up parking lot after parking lot of cars and cars and cars and people eat and drink and hang out ALL day. I know I sound like a complete idiot when I explain it, but seriously, I've never seen anything like it. I know all the girls from the South are probably saying...well DUH, that's how the SEC does it...but you have to understand...outside of the NFL, the largest football game I have been to was Princeton/Penn, and that doesn't get 1/1oth the people that Notre Dame gets at EVERY home game!

Anyways, the tailgating was awesome, walking around campus (even in rival USC gear) was really fun and everyone was incredibly friendly. The game was great (yay Trojans!) and we didn't even get yelled at even though we were flies in the milk (the ONLY two people in our section wearing Red in a sea of Green and Gold).

Then less than 12 hours later we were back at Midway to get on our flight home to see Little Pit. She had a great time at my parents house and though exhausted, my parents said they had a wonderful time watching her.

All in all a GREAT weekend!

Two Things...

Hi there,
just two quick things to talk about today.

1. Forgiveness and 2nd chances. Preppy 50 and Loving Lilly brought up that everyone needs 2nd chances in this life, and in fact, America was founded on this exact principle.

I however, cannot yet give Michael Vick a 2nd chance. Sure, he served his time, which I think wasn't nearly enough (but that's for another day) and yes, he gets to live his life. What I don't think should happen, is that he should be allowed to play football for the NFL again. Playing a professional sport should be a privilege, not a right. He has a right at life outside of prison. I don't think he should be afforded the luxury of a multi-million dollar contract, even if he is a good football player. I think the NFL is being irresponsible by letting him play, and setting a horrible example for children, who know think that they can hurt animals, go to jail, and still play a sport. Where are the NFL's morals? Where is the high ground we are supposed to teach our kids?

2. THIS article in the New York Times is amazing. I love their Modern Love section and read it every week. This article is great and really shows how this wife and mother is WAY ahead of me, but I love her for it. She worked to save her marriage by ignoring her husbands mid-life crisis. Brilliant in it's simplicity, and it actually worked.

That's all I have for today, it's going to be another hot one in Philly today, so stay inside in the AC if you have it!

xoxo Mrs. Pit

Pa-a-a-an-cakes....

So, on this rainy Saturday with nothing planned for this evening, I convinced Mr. Pit to go to the King of Prussia mall with me, with the promise of Cheesecake Factory for dinner as a bribe. It worked and turned out to be one of the most successful shopping trips EVER.

But, first things first. The title of this post is dedicated to my all time favorite comedian, Jim Gaffigan . One of his skits is about IHOP, and how its weird that all the restaurants are shaped like churches. Hence, chanting "pan-a-an-cakes" while walking into the restaurant. Click HERE to see one of his best bits. Too freaking funny. I've seen him live a handful of times and each one is better than the last. I sing "pan-a-a-an-cakes" to Mr. Pit every time I go into a store that is my personal Mecca (Lilly, Polo, Coach) it's an inside joke and only Mr. Pit really gets it since he was with me the first time we saw Jim Gaffigan live...but anyways. I'm babbling.

NOW, onto the shopping.


First, we hit White House/Black Market and got a SUPER cute skirt for work. Looks like half of a Chanel suit, and I plan on wearing it with a crisp white button down and knee high black boots. Woo hoo! I am trying to do that whole "dress for the job you want, not the job you have" thing, and since I sort of gave up in the summer (I wore a LOT of Polo's with a lot of khakis, and even resorted to flip flops one slow week in August) it's time I start dressing the part. Plus, since yearly reviews are coming up in November, now is definitely the time to break out the big guns. Wish me luck.



Second, and the MOST exciting purchase tonight (and possibly of 2008, no joke) are the Lilly Pulitzer flats I got at the Lilly Store...ON SALE...last pair left...IN MY SIZE! I mean really, how often does that happen? I searched for them HIGH AND LOW on eBay and elbowed my way to the front of the shoe section at the warehouse sale earlier this summer, but a 9 1/2 in green with a pink flower was no where to be found. Alas, a random Saturday night at the Lilly store in the mall, was my nirvana. There on a shelf, all by itself, under a great big "SALE" sign, were my green "Color In Bloom" flats. Even better, they were reduced from $258 to $79!! I mean, I would have paid $199 for them and these shoes were less than the skirt I bought above. Too good to be true. Mr. Pit just smiled and waited patiently while I tried them on just to verify that they were in fact my size and not cruelly mis-labeled...and they fit like a gem. I think they might make their appearance on Tuesday if the weather is good. There is NO way I am wearing these babies in the rain.

So, we're home now watching college football (which is perfect for needle pointing by the way. Plus it makes Mr. Pit happy that I am in the same room, as he feels he has someone to make comments to and isn't just yelling at the TV, though he does that too)

I am deliriously happy with my purchases (which also included a gorgeous Tumi wallet for Mr. Pit and some make up for me at Sephora) and can't wait for tomorrow morning since the plan is to go to The Classic Diner for breakfast...honestly the best omelettes in all of PA, yum!