Hey!  Guess what?  It's the tenth of the month!  You know what that means, right?  Yep.... ten photos in ten hours!  

Then the repair guys showed up .. both within 10 minutes of each other.  And thank goodness the toilet guy had a quick fix.  The dryer guy was here for a while and had the whole thing torn apart.  I thought about photographing that mess, but I don't think the repair guy would have appreciated that much. 

Finally wrote up a little card for Mom for Mother's Day.  Had to pop it in the mail in order for it to get there by Saturday!  Hope you enjoy what's inside mom!

Phoebe was in rare form today.  She was all over me, super lovey dovey.  Too much travel I suppose.  She misses her mommy.  

Still working from the home office - bookended by kitties. 

Finally made it into the office just after lunchtime.  The cute little desk ornament I ordered on fab.com arrived.  I'm starting a little "shit" desk collection.  I took a little break from photos for the next couple of hours .. spent in a chair on conference calls.  There is nothing to photograph there.  Nope.  Boring!

After work I headed to a new tanning salon. (for spray tanning!) I have been so fed up with the problems at my salon, and their super old equipment, that I decided it was time for a change.  I googled the VersaSpa and found there was a salon not too far!  I have to say, it's a much more pleasant experience.  The girls were super nice and happy to be helping me.  The salon was big and bright and clean!  The VersaSpa machine is super cool - love that it's a light mist and not dripping down my body when I'm done.  Heck, the machine even dries me off!  Will have to see how the color works out, but so far I think I may be onto something! 

Stopped at a RedBox on the way home to pick up a couple of movies.  I have completely switched from Netflix to RedBox.  I didn't think I would like having to pick up and drop off, but the boxes are everywhere making it totally convenient.  

Just a quick photo of my new "gratitude" bracelet from Bali. I picked it up at a cute little shop/yoga studio in Charleston.  The woman who owned the place was fabulous and had such good energy... I had to see if I could get a little bit of that to rub off on me!  

Now I'm off to watch my movies.  Night! 

Spent St. Patty's Day on Southport. Had brunch with the girls at the new Deleece and took in the atmosphere of the holiday as we shopped and everyone else drank themselves into leprechaun stupor. I even sported green - I never wear this much color - and was the only one! Selika in orange, Simone in yellow and Crister in black! Sadly I did not get photos of Simone and Crister, but will be sure to do that next time we get together!!  I love Chicago on St. Patty's day - I love that most everyone is sporting some shade of green.  Doesn't matter if they are decked out to party it up or if they are just out walking the dog.  

Here are Selika's fashion pics for the day ... anytime we get together I have to take her photo for her fashion blog. She's the fashionista of the group for sure!!!

It's ten photos on the tenth day of March!  I love this challenge that Rebekah put together and love seeing how everyone interprets their day.  I decided to do an additional "from where I stand" to go with the main photo.  I started out good and then petered out toward the end of the day ... oh well. So here's my tenth day. 

Oh what a day!  It's 10 on 10 challenge day { on the weekend, yeah! } and day 27 of my 30 days of gratitude challenge and the first time I get to see my bf/sister's new baby girl!!  So let's jump right into the fun!!  

day 27 of 30 :: daily routine :: I start every day with a cup of tea.  I love the little leaf stem on the forte triangular tea bags! 

Then I hit the new market at the Evanston Ecology center - was hoping for a couple of vendors to be there, but sadly they were not ... maybe next week. We saw some good stuff tho! 

Then it was time to hit the road ... it was a beautiful day, the sun was shining bright ... if only it wasn't so cold! 

I arrived in Chesterton just a couple of hours after momma and baby came home from the hospital.  Little Sloane was all snug as a bug... she is super cute and so stinkin' tiny she doesn't even fit into premie clothes!  Look at her tiny little bracelet! 

I spent a little time snuggling with her before we decided to start the photoshoot.  I gotta give huge props to baby photographers!!!  I do not have any idea how the pose these little munchkins.  They just don't cooperate.  I'm thinking maybe she was a little too young at only five days old, but I did get a couple of cuties! Holly purchased this crazy long santa hat off etsy and she wanted to try to recreate the shot from the website - impossible!!

After Sloane was done with her first photoshoot, Holly's friend Nikki came over to bring them dinner { so nice } and hung around for a little bit.  Her adorable little boy was so excited to hold the baby.  

Meanwhile, Bella was busy taking photos with her camera.  I caught her snapping a self portrait and asked her to show me.  She's such a ham... 

Oh and I had to snap a photo of Xavier's sign.  He made this adorable little sign to hang on the hospital room door - they said the nurses were gaga over it.  Apparently this was a first.

Couldn't officially leave till I got one more snap of Sloane and her big sister Bella B!  We were cracking up because it looks like Sloan is throwing the peace sign... 

Back on the road home... 

What a great day!  And then I arrived home to this adorable Christmas Card from my friend Kathryn.  Happy Everything!!! 

It was a whirlwind of parties last night ... first a baby shower and then a 40th birthday celebration! We gathered at one sixty blue for a private dinner to celebrate my lovely friend, Kendra's Birthday ... and closed the place down! I've had the pleasure of knowing Jay and Kendra for almost 20 years and consider them family at this point. We have shared many a meal in celebration of weddings, babies, birthdays, holidays and everything in between. I look forward to continuing the journey. Happy Birthday to my smart, beautiful, talented, stylish, and caring friend Kendra!

Drove to Chesterton for Holly's baby shower yesterday ... She's got some incredibly talented friends that whipped up paintings, owl pins, prints, yummy sweet treats and etc. We began the evening with coffee and cocktails and a little chit chat. It was nice to meet all of her new friends - I'm kind of the odd man out, coming from out of town, but everyone was very nice and so welcoming. There's just something about a small town isn't there? Anyway, then we made cards - one for each of the baby's upcoming birthdays while dining on bread bowls filled with lintel or squash soup and salads. Followed that up with presents and sweet treats. They also had a really cute game - make a baby out of play dough and have the mom judge which is the best. The interpretation and execution from each woman was so different... so cute and so hard to choose! Baby Sloane will be here sometime in the next thee weeks and I cannot wait to meet her!

Bella Barclay turned seven today - 11.11.11. We celebrated at the American Girl Doll store and had lunch with the ladies (and Jeff and Xavier!). It was an explosion of pink and Bella could not have been happier. Maybe a bit overwhelmed by the merchandise surrounding her. See, she's been saving her money and stocking up on Birthday cash to buy a new American Girl Doll and all sorts of accessories. But, what to buy? There's so much! And what girl wouldn't want it all?

The whole experience was pretty seamless. They rang to signal lunch time, we lined up to be seated and stocked up on chairs for all of the dolls and were taken to our table - all set up with crowns and etc. They have a menu of the kid basics plus some adult fare and began bringing beverages and appetizers right away. They took each girl's order and left us with a little box of questions to ask the girls while we waited. The brought out a cake with candles lit and sang happy birthday, passed out little goodie bags and then came back with little slices of cake and flower pots full of ice cream. So cute. Happy Birthday Bella!

So, Hickam beach was great - two lifeguards on duty (most beaches have none), kayak and sup board rentals for super cheap, bathroom facilities and shaded picnic benches. It's a small beach, but pretty and not crowded - well not on a Thursday morning anyway. The only problem is that the end of a runway is right along the water and while normal jets are loud, F-22 fighters are insane! They were taking off in pairs and the sound literally vibrated inside my chest it was so loud. Pretty cool to see and like a free air show as they flew overhead, but not the best for sitting and chatting with friends. But Bethany finally got to SUP (stand up paddle) and popped up the first try. She didn't actually fall off the board till she tried to move her feet inline rather than wide. She paddled a little way out and back and practiced some footwork and totally rocked it. They tried to get me out there, but I don't think there is any way in hell I could pop up with my bad knees.

Picked up G and headed back over to Paradise cove where I almost tripped over a green sea turtle - he crept up on me when I was wading about, I turned around and he was right there. Scared me and I hear if they hit you it really hurts because they are heavy!! I sat it in the beach chair along the shore with the waves lapping up over my feet. The sun was getting low in the sky and the people at Paradise Cove were preparing for the luau. At one point I heard a Dave Matthews Band song (One Sweet World) in Hawaiian - or at least I think it was. Had the exact same tune.

Since I had been sitting but the water I was starting to pink up… so banished myself to a shady spot under a tree while B & G continued to play for a bit. Fortunately I saved myself, only a tiny bit burnt on my forehead and scalp and chest is a little pink, but should be good by tomorrow. G was so cute, he ran up to me and said "um, Miss Yvette are you OK up here? I just wanted to check on you." I said I was all good and he ran back to the water. He's such a beach bum.

We left just before sunset - I'm sure it was stunning, but the beach closes at sunset and we needed to clean up to get dinner. It was the perfect beach day! Ahhhhh.

We started the day with a HUGE breakfast at KOA Pancake House (yum!) and then headed to Ko'Olina beach (lagoon 4) to catch some sun… it was stunning and beautiful for the first hour we were there and then this giant gray cloud moved in *frown."  We met our friend Mark and just sat on the beach chatting, hoping that damn cloud would leave… but it didn't.

So we packed it up and headed to pick G up from school.  We tossed some sandwiches into a cooler and headed for the North Shore.  Stopping at the Dole Plantation to pick up some goodies along the way.  

We had shave ice at the Aloha General Store and I picked up a couple of touristy gifts for people. Oh how I love shave ice - I get blue hawaii flavor.  Sooooooo good! 

We wanted to catch the sunset along the beach and since we made so many pit stops along the way (totally my fault) we didn't make it to Waimea Bay, but stopped just out of town at Hale'iwa Beach.  It's simply lovely.  I mean just look at these photos… 

How could you not be completely moved by this landscape?  And just when I thought the guys paddling on the surf boards were amazing … along comes one of those boats with multiple people paddling.  I could not have paid to have the scene set any better.  Seriously.  This happened.  

So while I snapped iconic photos of the Hawaiian sunset, B & G explored the tide pools finding all sorts of wildlife.  B found an eel, and fortunately this time from afar.  No medical attention needed unlike my last trip.  Wheew!  

And then the magic started to happen… fire in the sky.  Seriously stunning.  

Don't you just love it when the edge of the clouds light up like this?  And then voila… the perfect sunset moment.  

I have about twenty shots in various angles and such of this beautiful spot and honestly they barely do the real thing justice.  The light.  The surfers paddling along the still water.  Palm trees make the most beautiful sound with a little wind blowing through the branches.  And then there were these assholes - mucking it up!   

Then kept climbing on top of that stump talking about how the other person(s) should take their photo.  Laughing.  Being loud.  "Now take a video of us down here and pretend we're mermaids."  Really?  Come on people.  Let the rest of us enjoy this stunning sight in peace.  It not only annoys me when people disrespect this type of moment, but makes me sad that it's completely lost to some… Look around you.  Take it in.  This is nature at it's purest and most magnificent.  Aloha! 

Hello!  Hello!  Happy 10 on 10 on a weekend!!  I'm always so excited when the 10th falls on a day that I am not in my office - there is only so much to photograph there ... So much easier to find beauty in my city and my travels!!

9 AM :: leaving Chicago and heading to Indiana to spend the day with the Pittman's - I never tire of the Chicago skyline... it's even more dreamy with a little fog

10 AM :: Still on the road to Chesterton ... it was raining and the sun was shining at the same time. Can anyone explain this? Just seems wrong to me! Oh and I love the old Skyway signage!

11 AM :: Bella B shows her cheer spirit at the Trojans game! Now, we didn't have these mini football games complete with cheerleaders when I was a kid, but they are darn cute!

12 PM :: Second half of the game ... Bella's still got the spirit. Sadly neither team scored any points on the field.

1 PM :: Hit the European market to pick up those rosemary flatbreads I love so much! No trip to Chesterton is complete without bringing these home with me!! I love their little market - even picked up some French macarons that were very good. And how delicious do these cupcakes look??

2 PM :: Arrived at the annual Popcorn fest!! Had to get kettle corn and found some adorable little pet toys and holiday decor at a couple of the booths. We buzzed through super quick because there were some sort of flying ant and bees EVERYWHERE. Holly and I were both pulling bugs out of our hair, it was the most disgusting thing!

3 PM :: Finally got Holly's elephant ear - tried on our way in, but they had run out of sugar! Oops! It was super good - worth the wait for sure.

4 PM :: Linus, one of their three dogs, the most adorable great dane. She truly is a gentle giant ...

5 PM :: Slip n' Slide

6 PM :: Still at it ... Don't you sometimes miss being a kid?

7 PM :: Decided to stop off by the museum campus to watch the sun go down behind the city. This is one of my favorite views of the skyline and you can just sit along the lake, people watch, snap a photo or two, enjoy the breeze and watch the lights come on as the sun sets. Lovely.

Hope you had a wonderful day filled with sun, fun, family and friends! So long Summer...