Happy Wednesday!
Back here with a Life Lately post! I feel like I always have so much to update you guys on–today’s is kind of a long one, but it’s full of some pretty hilarious photos ? I hope you enjoy!
We made a quick trip to Scottsdale:
A few weeks back we spent the weekend in Scottsdale visiting my high school best friend, Andrew! If you’re a new reader, you probably don’t know that I spent part of my childhood in Scottsdale–going to middle school and high school there. When I graduated and went to college, my parents moved back to Oregon, so I really haven’t spent much time there as an adult. It was so fun to go back and spent time with Andrew and my other high school bestie, Christina!
One of the things we did while there was climb Camelback Mountain which to be honest, is not traditionally my idea of a good time while on vacation, but Neal loves outdoorsy things and it’s one of the coolest ways to see Phoenix. I had climbed it as a kid and don’t remember it being ANYTHING like it was when we climbed it as adults. It’s HARD and to be honest, really scary in many parts. You’re literally scaling up and down giant rocks. (And we did the EASY trail!) But it was really fun and totally worth it for the view at the top!
Tip: Bring a backpack or something to carry water because you REALLY need both hands the entire time. You cannot do this one handed. Also, go as early as possible to avoid the crowds as well as the heat!
We went to Diego Pops for lunch our first day and it was so good and so much fun. The margaritas are delicious and so are the tacos! Definitely worth a trip if you’re staying in the area!
Andrew’s parents were so nice to let us use their tickets for the Suns x Thunder game–the four of us–Neal, Christina, Andrew and I went together and it was so fun! Andrew works with the Suns so he of course knew everyone there ?
Also, small world, Neal’s Papa and his lovely leading lady, Jo, always vacation in Mesa for the winter–it was only about a 20 minute drive from Andrew’s house, so we popped over to say hello, along with Neal’s cousin Tess, who was in town for spring training! Such a fun Foley (Neal’s mom’s side of the family!) reunion in AZ! ?
Otto Loftus Graduates from Doggy Obedience School
You guys remember Otto, right? The newest member of the Loftus clan (Neal’s parents dog) He was just a tiny puppy this past summer but is now a grown-up big boy who just graduated from obedience school. We think there was a pretty steep grading curve because he’s still very naughty ?
Repeat Wardrobe Offenders:
I’ve been living in my Everlane sweaters lately, especially this poppy red one and this striped one. They’re lighter-weight and give off much springier vibes than my other sweaters so they still make me feel like I’m wearing something semi springy even though it’s still cold, haha! Also, my Everlane Kick Crop pants (I keep calling them my “kickee pants” ?) are so cute and comfy and make a lot more of a statement than typical white skinnies! They go perfectly with my loafers (budget-friendly version here!)
These $10 Amazon earrings–I wear them almost every weekend! I knew they were a great staple when I met Sarah, one of my awesome readers, at Frontier a few weeks back and she was wearing the same ones she found on my blog! HUZZAH! She loves them too! Love you, Sarah!!
Speaking of Frontier, we’ve been back quite a bit recently and it never gets old! We were just there celebrating our friend Matt’s 30th birthday! It’s the BEST place for a guys dinner–you can do a whole pig roast with tons of sides and everything was so good. Their even coordinator, Jen, is awesome to work with and makes planning so easy! Big shocker, I wore my Levi’s Wedgie jeans there on Saturday, which I’ve been LIVING in lately. (You can see when I last wore them here!)
So many babies to play with!
I would like to start out this section by saying EMMA PHOTOS ARE MISSING FROM THIS SECTION because Mitch and Kelly have been traveling like crazy and we miss them so much!! ? STAY IN CHICAGO FOR MORE THAN A DAY PLEASE GUYS, THANK YOU! I think this may or may not be my first Life Lately without any Emma photos, hahaha!
Shaheen and I were both trying to shoot something in my house the other day with Zain there who was screaming his head off because he was bored and wanted Shaheen to entertain him. I should’ve filmed it. Us running around trying to shoot as fast as possible with grumpy Zain screaming at us. It was pretty hilarious but also reinforced my idea that we aren’t having kids ANYYYTIME soon. ?
Then Blair and Owen came over afterwords and we all hung out and I got to play with Owen! Since Shaheen lives down the street I get to see Zain a lot, but Blair lives in Lakeview so I don’t get to see Owen as much! He is SO SWEET and I can’t take his cheeks. He also looks really thrilled to be in my arms here ?
AHHHH I can’t take Zainy. This boy. I love him so much. Fun fact: He loves me–I was the first person he ever played peek-a-boo with–but he is the only baby in history who doesn’t like Neal, which of course, Neal takes very personally ?
PROOF BELOW: Zain looking at Neal so horrified ?
Shop my outfit in this post
Also that same day–when you try to take a cute friend pic but it just really doesn’t work out. ?
We also visited Cincinnati a few weeks back (okay, a bit more than a few weeks, but it seems like yesterday!) to meet the newest member of her family, Jax! He is precious and we snapped some newborn photos while I was there (and obviously had to put him in a basket.)
Uncle Neal obviously could not have been happier! Jax’s older sister Harper, and I also had lot’s of fun playing dress up, house, coloring, and basically living the dream life.
Home Improvement
If you read this post you’ll recall that I recently did a big kitchen re-organization. This was the before. Let’s all agree that this is terrifying. But please reference the “after” photos so you judge me slightly less ?
If you aren’t following me on Instagram stories but you are into these “life lately” posts–you should REALLY follow along on Instagram stories because there is far more documentation there on the absurdity of my life.
Like the time I broke the garbage disposal, had to buy a new garbage disposal, and then 6 months later dropped a whiskey glass down the disposal unknowingly and then turned it on, only to call the same repairman back and ask him if he could help me get the glass out of the disposal before my husband got home and wanted to divorce me for being a disposal serial killer.
(He couldn’t get there in time so I had to reveal my dark secret to Neal, who laughed and said something along the lines of, “you can’t make this sh*t up.”)
The good news: He fixed it and it did not require yet another brand new garbage disposal installation.
Date nights:
Late night at Easy Bar–a total dive in Bucktown that sometimes smells of sewage but like, in a charming way, mostly.
What I wore to date night at Bellemore–which I would HIGHLY recommend. It’s one of the latest newcomers to the West Loop–everything we had was phenomenal and the decor was unreal. SO beautiful in there. Can’t say enough good things, we’ll definitely be going back soon! Shop my outfit: shirt, jeans, and yes, the $10 Amazon earrings again.
TERRIBLE quality photo but I love it anyway. Last week Neal and I did an Instagram Live while making dinner and it was so fun! We had so much fun that we actually didn’t do much cooking while talking to you guys for an hour and didn’t end up eating dinner until 11 ? We want to do another one again soon! Stay tuned! And yep, Levi’s Wedgie jeans AGAIN. Also the striped shirt I’m wearing here is reversible, it’s v-neck on one side, boat neck on the other. I loveee it! I wore it in this post! Also my red slides are sold out but these are super similar and honestly I like them better ?
What have YOU been up to lately!? Anything exciting!? Would love to know!
