Stay-cation week!

This week is my spring break, so I treated myself to a REAL break! I used some vacation time this week to recharge. I did cover some work related tasks on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, but it didn’t require going into the office. This is how my week began:

Monday was my 25th birthday, and Shane surprised me last week by telling me he’d be taking the day off AND had an adventure planned for us! Here’s what we did:

Cycled over to a local food pantry to help with produce distribution
 

Look at those HUGE carrots!

Between the bike ride and heavy lifting we had an excellent workout!

Before the surprise adventure began, we made a stop at Chicago Bagel Authority for some delish bagel sandwiches: egg, cheese, and avocado - yum!
 

Then we hopped on the brown line and headed into the loop, and as soon as we got off the train I just KNEW this must be where we were headed, and I was right: The Art Institute of Chicago

Shane succeeded in making this a budget day: we used our work IDs to get a student discount PLUS we got Chicago resident discounts. Total savings of $16!!


Afterward, we made our way to a nearby starbucks so that I could redeem my free birthday drink: Venti Cinnamon Dolce Latte!


Then we headed to dinner... since Shane had told me that my birthday adventure had a “theme” to it, I had my guesses where we might go, and as we headed in the right direction, I knew I was right: Yu Shan Yu Choy Restaurant (we ate here the first time we visited Chicago together, after a visit to the Art Institute! And it apparently changed its name)
 

It was a gorgeous day, the first time I can remember wearing shorts on March 19th! To take advantage of the last bit of sunlight, we decided to head to Hackneys for some outdoor seating ½ priced wine bottles (their Monday & Tuesday night specials)!
 

Then it was off to our last spot, dessert! When Shane told me we’d be heading north for this stop, I had a feeling I knew exactly where. But the real surprise was WHAT we’d get: Oreo Ice Cream Pie!!! OH. MY. YUM.



It was a great day. I am truly surprised at how much we were able to squeeze into one day! If only the rest of my week could have been so productive ;) And thanks so much for all of the birthday wishes via facebook, text, email, phone call, and cards. They made my day that much better!

On Tuesday morning, I made this to-do wishlist:

• Recipes: hummus, peanut/almond butter, salsa, shampoo, deoderant
• DIY Projects: Spray paint picture frames, order some photos to fill said frames, super-size our Christmas card image to 8 x 10 (for a new welcome sign!)
• Thrift Shopping
• House Keeping

Making that to-do wishlist was my biggest accomplishment on Tuesday, haha. I fully intended to write this post that day, too. Clearly, this task was put off!

Stay tuned for an update on which tasks I actually accomplished.

We want to hear what you're up to! Do you make to-do lists? If you had a week (or day) off, what tasks would you like to tackle?