Happy Halloween!

Halloween came and went like a whirlwind! I was lucky enough to go out on October 30th (Saturday night)! I didn't go out on actual Halloween because it happened to fall on  Sunday night and I had class today, so I didn't want to be tired for class.

I was invited to a party at the Michelle's Ballroom that was fantastic! First of all, the venue was great! Lots of dance space, lots of tables, lots of food and beverages, and plenty of fun for $30! I dressed up with my friends as Planeteers from the cartoon show, Captain Planet.

Captain Planet was a cartoon show on PBS in the early 1990's. The show advocated being friendly to the planet and "taking pollution down to zero!"  Each of the planeteers had a special ring that they wore representing: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Heart". Each of the planeteers had a special powers associated with their ring as well. For example, Wind controlled the wind, water controlled water, etc. The theme song went something like this: "Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Heart! Captain Planet! He's our hero, going to take pollution down to zero."

Here's my friends and my version of the Planeteers:

 From Left to Right: Laura, Captain Planet, Me, Tom

 Captain Planet and Me Smooching

 Close Up of our Rings!

 Another Shot! Gooooo Planet!

Action Shot! JUMP!

Finding a New Place to Call Home

I love Chicago. It's a great city. However, I'm tired of the endless winters. I moved away from Austin, Texas to escape the heat and now I've been bombarded with the iciest winters ever imaginable in Chicago, Illinois. How did I go from one extreme to the other?

Needless to say, I want to move. I have seriously been considering a few cities: Washington D.C., Denver, CO, Raleigh, NC, Portland, OR. Now, I don't think Portland is going to do much for my angst for winter weather, but quite a few friends of mine have told me Portland is awesome. I am willing to live there a while to see if their statements are correct.

So needless to say, if you could move anywhere - where would you go? I have already ruled out California because of the bag legal job market. However, I like the idea of living somewhere that has a distinct winter and summer, but isn't Antarctica 24/7 or the Sahara Desert 24/7.

As you consider possible cities for me to live in, try to remember the following requirements: (1) Must have a Nordstrom; (2) Must have an Apple Store; (3) Must have a good legal job market; (4) Must be open to people of all races, colors, ethnicities, sexual orientations, etc.

Why these requirements? Well, I cannot live without Nordstrom's shoe department and they carry Mac Cosmetics, so that's a win-win. I love Apple and refuse to live anywhere where I cannot get their latest and greatest products whenever I want them. I need a job in the legal field or else this whole 3 years of law school was a big waste of time. And finally, I love diverse cities that are accepting of large quantities of people from every background, religion, ethnicity, etc.

So here is the true question: Which skyline do you prefer? hahaha.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Portland, Oregon

Washington, D.C.

Denver, Colorado

 Chicago, Illinois --- hahaha, my current city!

Orange Lips - New Trend!

Despite the cooler weather and the old trends of the past, bright makeup is really in. I have been reading a lot of magazines and even came across an awesome video tutorial on YouTube that inspired me to create my own "orange-y" warm weather look. I have found, like the video says, that tanned or bronzed skin looks really great with bright orange lips. I used Mac's So Chaud and Mac's Redd lip pencil to create these lips. Let me know what you think.

Orange lips with Mac's Redd lip pencil and Mac's So Chaud Lipstick

Celebrities in Orange Lipstick: (Chloe Sevigny, Rhianna, Selena Gomez)

 Tanya Burr's Orange Lip using Mac's Morange

Below is the video I found my inspiration from. Tanya Burr is the makeup artist who created the look. To see how she did it check out the video. Enjoy!

A Fashion Event

Tuesday night my friend, Jessica, and I went to a Style Chicago Fashion Event at a local restaurant in Chicago. We were awarded with unlimited Champagne, unlimited hors d'oeuvres, and free photos in front of the Style Chicago logo. We were also given a goodie bag filled with amazing products, including shampoos, conditioners, face creams, night creams, gift certificates for champagne, movie tickets, free botox and free facials! It was pretty amazing.

I just wanted to share some photos with you all of the event! Enjoy!

 Jessica and me in front of the Style Chicago logo

Jessica and me shipping champagne

Jessica and I with our goodie bags!

A "Runner's" Mindset

I decided on Saturday, September 4, 2010 I was going to start "running". What this really meant is...I was going to get in shape so that I could eventually meet my first goal of running a 5k. I've been consistently working out the past three weeks and I've seen dramatic changes in my body, mind and soul. It's been a weird transformation.

I started getting in shape by walking around Grant and Millennium Park in Chicago. These are two well known parks in Chicago. Grant Park is famous because President Obama made his election win speech in Grant Park. Millennium Park is famous for the Pritzker Pavilion and the Bean art sculpture. The entirety of the two parks together is probably more than a 5k, but I cut through the middle of Grant Park and walk north through Millennium Park fora total distance of 3 miles, just under a 5k (3.1 miles).

One morning I woke up ready to walk my way around the parks when I realized it was raining. I quickly called my local gym and signed up for a membership. Fifteen minutes after walking in to the gym, I was on the elliptical machine.

Since starting my training, I have significantly increased my stamina and endurance. When I first started on the elliptical, I was barely moving. Now, five times a week, I spend 28 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the treadmill, burning roughly 530 calories a session.

I've also been enjoying some of the classes at my gym which include dancing-aerobics, water-aerobics and cycling. I purchased a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor to monitor my heart rate. I used a clever website to calculate my minimum and maximum heart rates and my target heart zones. I also have been watching what I've been eating. Even though I have yet to actually start running, I am confident if I continue on my current path, I will be in enough shape to run consistently soon.

Overall, I feel like I've made a significant change in my life. I've altered the way I approach exercise and food in a way that I think can only improve my health. I am not always the most disciplined person in the world, but I do believe in exercise and eating healthy. I will admit, I love a good margarita, a greasy slice of pizza, watching tv on my sofa and sleeping in late. But there is no reason I can't have all the those things I love every once in a while and still be healthy. 

Night in the City

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Random Photos from the Thompson Center

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