It's the Great Pumpkin, Liam Albert!

Do you ever feel like you can't get life under control? Like, when do things stop being busy? (When you're dead, I suppose.)

In any case, I do have a few small excuses as to why I haven't been blogging as frequently. For one, I am starting a new job in a couple of weeks, which means things at my current gig have been hectic as I wrap things up. (I have a thing about leaving people in a bad spot). For another, I have been traveling for basically two months. I get home from a trip and spend the week catching up from said trip, then have to leave again. Woe is me, I know. But honestly, it's not always as glamorous as it sounds.

Tomorrow, I am headed to Sausalito, California to see one of my best friends get married! I'm going solo on the trip, so Bryan and Liam will be having a boys weekend here in Chicago! Bryan mentioned he would take Liam to the Pumpkin Patch while I was gone. To which I quickly replied, "Oh no you're not!"

Here's the thing. Literally every fall, I try to get Bryan to go to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard with me. To know me is to know I LOVE fall - everything about it. And he never goes, because he doesn't share my sentiments. So not only is he planing to go on an excursion which he doesn't really care about, he's going to take Liam on his first trip to somewhere I LOVE? Nope. Sorry, it ain't happening.

When we had this discussion, we happened to be home in Iowa visiting my sister and my newest niece: Serena Grace! Isn't she amazing!?

So while we were home, we thought it'd be a great family activity to go see the local pumpkin patch! It had a great play area for kids, a corn maze, and of course, pumpkins. We piled in and headed there with all the grandparents, nieces, nephew and of course, Liam. 

 Everything was a hit, for the most part. Except that it was 80 degrees and Liam was hot. Liam HATES to be hot. So literally, everything we tried to do with him to enjoy this great first time at the pumpkin patch - was met with a screaming child.

Seriously. EVERYTHING. ALL OF THE THINGS.

Lucky for us, there were other children there (my nieces, specifically) who could enjoy all of the offerings of the pumpkin patch, so I spent time with them and handed my fussy child off to the grandparents. :)

In the end, I got my way since I could experience one of my favorite fall activities with my son, and also my parents, in-laws, nieces and nephew. 

Next time though? Because there WILL be a next time. We're going when it's cooler.

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Friday Faves

Happy Friday!

I didn't get to share the news yet, but I got a new job! I actually started the last week of August. Fortunately, I had a few offers on the table at the end of the summer, each one more different than the next. I'm happy to say I chose a position that was completely out of my comfort zone, less than the salary I was seeking and not located downtown.

I'm happy to report I started working at a non-profit adoption agency as a Digital Marketing Manager. The work is right up my alley in terms of what I've done before, but I'm also learning new skills, like SEO. And it's feel-good work. I love knowing that I'm not working for an organization that is driven by money, but by helping families and children. I've been here a few weeks and am happy as a clam.

That said, getting back into the "real world" after a summer off has been an adjustment! It's amazing how much more tired I get with having to commute and use my brain! (Hehe). I wouldn't have it any other way though, and all the stress that came with not having a job at this time in our lives is slowly melting away.

I'm not going to do a bumpdate this week, only because not much has changed from last week. That and I just look hideous in my most recent bump photo (you can see it on Instagram if you really want).

So this Friday, I thought I'd do a non-pregnancy related post, since I feel like that's all I talk about anymore, and share with you some of my favorite things currently (and always):

Fall Faves by rzupek featuring Essie

Gap top
gap.com

Wedge ankle boots
target.com

Burts Bees beauty product
$23 - debenhams.com

Essie nail polish
target.com

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Go Pack Go!

Monday, we meet again.

This was the weekend I've been waiting for for months on end - MY VERY FIRST PACKERS GAME! I've mentioned it before, that my Grandpa Al Zupek played for the Packers, back in '46. Despite my love for the team coursing through my veins, before this weekend, I'd never been to a game, at Lambeau or otherwise.

Leave it to my dad to make dreams come true. He took me, my sisters, brothers and significant others to the game yesterday, and suffice it to say, we had a blast!

We got in late on Friday night, and based on everyone's intoxication levels, it seemed like the husband and I were about 3 hours late to the party, so we called it an early night. 

Saturday morning, we headed into Appleton to catch the Hawkeye game. 

Despite the pouring rain, we hung outside on the covered patio playing bags, darts, and jumbo Jenga. 

That evening, we went to Dick & Joan's Supper Club for some Old Fashioned's (whiskey, sweet, with olives) and fish. Given that we had been boozing it up all day, it was an early night for all...and an even earlier morning.

It was a noon game, and we were staying about 20 minutes away, so to get ahead of traffic, we took off a little before 8 a.m. It was chilly and cloudy, but we held out hope that the rain would stay off and it'd be a great day for football.

Our prayers were answered! It ended up being the most perfect fall day - sunshine, blue skies, a breeze. It doesn't get better. We tailgated for a few hours and headed into the stadium for kickoff.

Whether or not you're a Packers fan, the experience at Lambeau Field is unlike any other. The fans are die hard, the energy is contagious, and it's just fun. We played the Lions and even better...we won! The game was awesome, and I made sure to get some new duds at the Pro Shop!

And just like that, the weekend was over. We decided to head back to Chicago after the game instead of spending the night. With my new job, missing a day of work the second week just didn't seem like an option.

Thanks to my Dad and Denise, and my wonderful family for an amazing weekend! 

\

Poor Dad got cut from the photo and we didn't even realize it :(

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Happy September! AKA Best Month Ever

OMG, HI!



That's the sound of me, exhaling the deepest breath you can imagine. The summer is finally over. Normally I wouldn't rejoice, but this year, I am. After 9 weeks of nonstop activity—traveling, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, weddings, visitors, trips home—I can finally stop. Briefly, anyway.

AND it's September, which means it's my birthday month! In just 25 days, I will enter the next decade of my life, and I plan to embrace it with open arms.

September is the best month, not only because it's my birthday, but because football season starts, fall weather starts to kick in, and so does fall fashion (BOOTS!)

This fall, we have a few things on our agenda. My 30th birthday party, for one. The first weekend in October, my entire family is headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin to attend my first Packers game! Another wedding in November. AND we just booked a trip to Europe—again!

People keep asking why we are going back to Europe (we just went last winter), and I don't really understand the question. Why wouldn't we go? We love traveling, we can afford to do so (thanks to the husband being a frequent traveler for work, the majority of our trips are paid for on points/miles), we don't have kids at this point, we can get the time off work...the list goes on. As we see it, now is the time to take advantage of situations like this. We won't be childless forever (hopefully), so why not do it while we can? As I said a few months ago...YOLO.

So, back to Europe we go, this time over Thanksgiving, and this time to Spain and Portugal. I can't wait. I lived in Santiago de Compostela for 5 months during college and it was the best 5 months of my life. So this time around, I'll be visiting some new places with Bryan that we've never been, and I'll show him some of my favorite cities. As all of our trips tend to be, mostly because we're together, I'm sure it will be fabulous!

Tomorrow, I'll update you on our dear friends' wedding from a couple of weeks ago, and later this week, I'll share some fantastic photos from our Labor Day weekend in Lake Geneva, WI.

I hope you all had a FANTASTIC weekend and first day back at work.

XOXO

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