We’re going to Cedar Point this weekend!!

Land of the tallest, scariest and ridiculously fun roller coasters in the world (not to mention some AMAZING people watching, elephant ears and water rides to boot). I’m giddy with excitement!

Hope you all have an exhilarating weekend too. :)

One way Luke and I are different is in our desire to socialize.

Luke would be perfectly happy to stay home all weekend and relax, while I feel the urge to go out and spend time with friends. Luke has a small group of friends he’s really close to, while I have a larger network of people I try to keep up with.

The problem is, living in a city like Chicago (where half of my hometown migrated to after college) means I have A LOT of friends to hang out with (I know, tough problem, huh!). Most times I love having so many options of things to do and people to see, but occasionally I start feeling stretched too thin.

With busy jobs, relationships, vacations ect its becoming nearly impossible to get all my friends together in one place, which makes it hard to maintain meaningful relationships with EVERYONE.

I’m starting to feel like I’m foregoing  strong relationships with my closest friends to be “sort of” friends with a lot of people.

What do you think, is it better to be friends with a lot of people or have a close-knit group of core friends?

How do you keep up with the network of people who are important to you?

This weekend Luke had to work, so I had a lot of time to spend with my friends and witness the many awkward ways men in Chicago hit on them. I can appreciate how hard it can be for a guy to approach a pretty girl, but some of their tactics were just downright rude.

For example, on Friday night a guy was clearly checking out my tall, blonde friend. However, instead of talking to her, he hit on another girl in our group and did everything possible to make sure the one he was really interested in saw.

The little game he was playing was SO OBVIOUS it was sad…and incredibly rude to the girl who he ultimately ended up using for attention.

On the totally opposite scale, on Saturday while at the pool, my friend spotted a cute guy. They clearly were attracted to each other by the smiles and eye contact that ensued.

Instead of beating around the bush, the guy confidently came over to our group, approached my friend and said “Sorry if this is a little awkward, but I wanted to come introduce myself to you.”

A++!!

They exchanged numbers and the guy got two big thumbs up from our group of girls.

So guys, what’s the lesson here? You’ll likely get much farther with that pretty girl if you act normal, confident and NICE. There’s a time and place for game playing, but in general we see right through it.

Ladies- what’s the worst way you’ve ever been hit on? How would you like to be approached by a guy?

While my poor husband is stuck working all weekend, I’m planning to hit up the pool a lot, watch some fireworks and of course make some delicious grub. I just love all the red, white and blue themed recipes I’ve come across…

I found these adorable red, white and blue cupcakes over at Tidy Mom blog.

These “pretzel sparklers” would be a bit hit with kids, I’d bet.

For the adults? I’m digging this fourth of July cocktail.

I love this american fruit-flag! It would be delish with some fresh farmer’s market berries.

Photo credit: http://www.rd.com

Of course, it doesn’t get much more all-american than a good old hot dog!

I’m planning on baking my second-ever cheesecake since my last one turned out so yummy. This time it will be a classic New York cheesecake decorated with some patriotic berries.

Photo credit: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com

Photo credit http://www.bonappetit.com

How are you guys planning to celebrate? What foods are you most looking forward to eating?

The concept of selling my dress seemed like a no-brainer to me since the darn thing was EXPENSIVE and I will never wear it again, but I was taken aback at the responses my friends/family had to the idea.

Them: What do you MEAN you may sell your dress!?!?

Me: I mean, I may sell my dress.

Them: Doesn’t it have sentimental value to you?

Me: It DID but now, taking up room in my minimal closet space, it’s more an annoyance.

Them: What if your daughter wants to wear it?”

Me: A) By the time I have daughters getting married, wedding dresses will probably be in black with a 60 ft train.

or

Me: B) Based on Luke and mys massive heights, our daughters will be 6’4 and would never fit into my dress.

:)

In all honesty though, selling wedding dresses has become a hot trend. It’s a great way for former-brides to recoup some $$ from that dress they wore for 12 hours and it lets other brides, who may not have budget for an expensive dress, feel beautiful on their day for less.

I’m still not 100% going to sell it though, as many people have told me that a wedding dress can end up having a lot of sentimental value to the bride, her family and eventually her daughters. I think I’m going to wait and see if I get any nibbles and then go from there.

About My Dress

So if you’re in the market, or know someone who is, my dress is a gorgeous french, alencon lace gown. It’s by the french designer Cymbeline and is called “Agadir,” and has been professionally cleaned with no flaws. (better photos coming)

It’s a street size 6 to 4 and I was just at 6′  with heels when I wore it. I’ll even throw in a matching floor-length veil. Asking price is $1,800 (44% discount off store price).

Email my at abattylife@gmail.com if you’re interested!

Let me explain.

My friends and family at home are married, own homes and are on the cusp of having children. My friends here in Chicago are independent, single and get totally freaked out by the idea of settling down….especially in the dreaded SUBURBS!

I feel somewhere in the middle.

My whole life I’ve always said I wanted to live a fast-paced, city life with no obligations except to travel, have fun and push myself to open as many doors as possible. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the past four years.

Since meeting Luke though, I can feel my priorities shifting. I no longer have a desire to be “go, go, go” all the time. Instead I’d love to have more of a settled lifestyle that involved family cookouts, dinner with other couples, and a home-base larger than 900 sq. ft.

In some ways I still feel really young & free and in others I am ready for a slower-paced, settled lifestyle.

When do you know when it’s the right time to “grow up” and tackle the next phase in life?

During this time, when we’d be out, Luke would often get approached by strangers telling him he looked like Christian Bale (keep in mind these are strangers who don’t know his last name). The conversation would proceed as such:

“You look JUST LIKE Batman!”

“Thanks. I AM Batman.”

“Huh?”

*I’d fish his ID out of his pocket to show the confused stranger*

“NO WAY!!!! Dude, this guy’s name is BATMAN….and he LOOKS like Batman!”

LOL I loved it when that happened- and not just because someone compared my boyfriend to a movie star :)

Recently Luke started a new job and the company is playing some employee contests over the summer. One is to submit an image of yourself next to a celebrity you look like. The person who most resembles their celeb wins money.

Here’s what he submitted:

HAHA! Think he’s going to win?

I’m not sure what caused it – there was no specific incident – but I’ve been laying in bed most of the weekend trying not to move my head, which makes the room spin. I’ve been trying not to let my hypochondria get the best of me, including steering clear of Web MD’s symptoms checker.

All joking aside, I  think it might be an inner-ear infection. I’ve had one before and the I was dizzy then too. Hopefully I can get into my doctor and get it cleared up quickly, because right now I can hardly stand up-right without feeling nauseous!

Luke’s been taking care of me, which makes it a little better, and I’ve watched lots of movies (Couples Retreat = C-, It’s Complicated = B+). It still makes me sad that I missed pool parties, live band karaoke and shopping with my friends, but I guess everyone has to miss out sometimes!

Does anyone out there know of a way to get rid of vertigo? I’d really like to be able to get OFF the couch and cook supper for Luke!

PS- Thank you to all our troops, present and past, for serving our country! Your sacrifice is very much appreciated.

I asked Luke to think of some ideas and here’s what he came up with:

For the coffee drinker:

a nice french press

For the Trendy Techie:

Shoulder MacBook Sleeve

Pocket Ipad Case

Leather phone case

For the Day Tripper:

5–Day Duffle

Leather passport holder

For the City-Man:

Vintage Field Army Watch

Aviator Shades

Galoshes

For the Outdoorsy-Type:

18-Tool Knife (a little scary, but Luke insists any guy would love one)

Light Down Jacket

For the Man-Foodie:

Interesting Whiskey (bottle can be engraved too)

Good Grilling Rubs

A Bottle of Scotch

I am also a big fan of DOING something together to celebrate an occasion. That could be a steak dinner, comedy show or weekend getaway…just something that give you some uninterrupted QT together.

What do you think? Any ideas you’d add? I’m interested to hear from the men – would you like to receive something on this list for a present?

I remember one friend in particular sent me a little congratulations gift, which I LOVED and use every single day. It was a tiny, silver elephant whose trunk was used as a ring holder. I remember it meant a lot to me that she had gone out of her way to help me feel special.

I was on Etsy the other day and came across these adorable personalized ring holders, that I had to share with you.

How cute are these? Any newly-engaged girl would probably just love this little, personalized home for her new bling, right?

Now will one of my friends PLEASE get engaged so I can buy this for them??