Tag: journey

All That Jazz Bachelorette-ing in Chicago

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Finally catching up after this past whirlwind of bachelorette activities for one of my lovely besties. And – when I say whirlwind… I mean WHIRLWIND. They weren’t kidding when they nicknamed Chicago “the windy city.” Let’s be honest – I immediately gave up hope of having anywhere near picture perfect hair for the weekend and quickly welcomed my female blowout – literally.

// these blenders alumni queen shades are only $25 !!! //

Kicking off the festivities with a bright and shiny 8AM flight, we hit the town upon arrival. First stop – FOOD. Courtesy of our concierge, we were directed to a quaint little spot – Mercadito! Locals raved about their award winning tacos, signature guacamole, killer margaritas and cozy, ethnic atmosphere. Not to mention their expansive mezcal list!! The food was to DIE for and reasonably priced for the mega-Mexican portions you receive!

Psst – my entire outfit is from Amazon! Scroll down for deets & links!

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Afterwards, like any typical tourists, we raced to Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate, or as most may more popularly know it – The Bean. This 110-ton egg-shaped sculpture is forged of a continuous smooth surface of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect Chicago’s famous skyline and the clouds above. After endless selfies and groups shots, we ventured home to clean up for dinner at 312 Chicago.

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// white scoopneck crop top // pin stripe highwaisted tie shorts // free people faded denim jacket //

312 Chicago was… incredible! Priding itself on its house made pastas and fresh seafood, they also had an extensive wine list with highlighted Rose options (my favorite!) and extraordinarily welcoming staff and atmosphere. I opted for their Ippoglosso, or Roasted Halibut, that came beautifully decorated with cauliflower puree, watercress, red onion, fava beans, roasted cauliflower, pancetta, and olive oil. YUM!! The portions were perfect and left each of us ladies with pleasantly filled tummies.

Fast forward  – I can’t even tell you the last time I went clubbing, but we had A BALL at ROOF atop The Wit hotel, where we stayed. Pop the bubbly, cause this beautiful lady is getting married in t-minus 36 days !!! There was dancing, cheersing, dancing and even more cheersing the night away. The staff made it a truly incredible and amazing night for all of us and our bride-to be!

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// navy blue embroidered dress //

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P.S. The theme of the night was navy dresses (as that’s our bride-to-be’s favorite color). I literally panicked because I own nothing navy!! BUT – found this adorbs little satiny number on Amazon – even came with Prime delivery!

Saturday morning! Rise and… shine?! I dressed in my Saturday pool party best, only to look out the window and see… rain. Rain, rain and more rain. But, that didn’t stop our positive outlook and high expectations for fun. This was a bachelorette party, after all! We ventured off to Shore Club Chicago for cabana brunch! While the rain hindered the cabana festivities slightly, this place made us feel like true celebs! Not to mention, there’s definitellyyyy something in the shrimp in Chicago – they. were. GIANORMOUS!!

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P.S. my best kept secret of awesome monogrammed items! I received this lovely little number in my monthly Monobox subscription with i love jewelry! It’s only $21.95/month and you get one personalized, monogrammed item + TWO fabulous surprise items! Check it out here!

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Saturday day was the first time we actually got to go out and explore – with NO jackets and NO umbrellas! It was a beautiful day exploring the Chicago Riverwalk, visiting City Winery, having dinner at The Hampton Social, and subsequent bar hopping all around The Chicago Loop to end the trip.

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Alright y’all… this post has been long enough (serious props to you if you made it this far !!) … thanks for checking it out 😉
Keep on keepin it real, Chicago. I know us girls had a blast !!!

Talk soon!
xoxo
Brittany

SHOP THE POST:
// white scoopneck crop top // pin stripe highwaisted tie shorts // free people faded denim jacket // navy blue embroidered dress //

Impromptu Date Night

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Nothing makes my day more than a text for an impromptu date night! Nothing to stress about or plan ahead for, but something to perk me up, give me a little extra pep in my step and sometime to look forward to after work. But… I’m terrrrribbllleeeee at finding something quickly to wear. Call me the most indecisive lady on the planet. I mean… if someone asked me what I wanted my final meal to be, I’d be the one like… “lasagna… no, filet… no, lobster… no, spaghetti… no, tacos…. no, pizza…. no, ramen…” and on and on and on. Not to mention the weather here in Baltimore has been less than ideal – I think we’re on the 6th straight day of rain. Throw some hail in there too…

If you follow my instagram (@brittanyleighxo), you’ll notice one of my new favs I’ve been wearing a TON recently is this super cute (AND super soft) free peoplefaded denim jacket. Paired with a comfy, gray jersey knit dress and some cute, pink Steve Madden slip-ons, this was definitely one of my coziest and most favorite fast date night outfits!

What’s your favorite thing to throw on for a quick date night or social event? 🙂

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// free peoplefaded denim jacket // steve madden slip-ons // michael kors white ceramic watch // large open circle necklace //Minnow

oh… and here’s a few yummy pics from date night dinner at Minnow 😉 (my favorites – 🥃 old fashioned & 🦐 ceviché)

If you’re ever in Baltimore, this is an AWESOME gem! Always amazing, always fresh, always incredible & friendly service. They even have an indescribable bottomless tapas brunch on the weekends!! 🙌🏼🥂😎💯

Talk soon!
xoxox
Brittany

Spring Is Here!! Wait… Is It?       

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My favorite thing I look forward to living in downtown Baltimore, Federal Hill area is when the weather warms, the flowers bloom, the spring street festivals begin and everyone officially comes out of hibernation from the winter. While we had a beautiful, 80 degree weather day prior to this, you’d never guess we would be bundled in jeans, jackets and scarves just one day later. It’s hard to believe the drastic weather swings we get here in Maryland.

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BUT – a little chilly weather sure didn’t stop us having a good Sunday Funday for the 2018 Federal hill Spring Block Party!! Beginning at our usual spot, Don’t Know Tavern (P.S. they have BOTTOMLESS mimosas and bloodies every Saturday & Sunday for just $12 til 2!!), then migrating to Blue Agave for brunch, we indulged in BYO Avocado Toast. YES. You heard right … I said BUILD YOUR OWN AVOCADO TOAST and it was AH-MAZING!!! Little crispy thick Texas toast squares are served to you, with a huge personal bowl of guac, along with an array of fresh toppings: cilantro, onions, diced tomatoes (OH MY!) and whatever else your little heart desires!! You’ve gotta check it out (and their margaritas, of course 😉 )

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// blue agave //

At the street festival, we kicked off with bevvies at Social Pub & Pie and enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon filled with great food, drinks, live local music and some of Baltimore’s best arts and crafts vendors before we wrapped up with a little bubbly at the beautiful new spot, The Charles (it’s the old Mad River if you’re a seasoned Federal Hill-er). I even got a new pair of Fed Thrills (not that I need another pair…). BUT, they will be the perfect accessory for Ravens season! 🙂

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// fed thrill //

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// essential shoulder bag in visetos original // converse chuck taylor all star low top // ray-ban aviators // 620 mid-rise super skinny in belladonna // fed thrill purple aviators // michael kors kelsey large nylon crossbody // pink striped keds // bb dakota black leather jacket // lyon distilling co signature hat //

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// the charles //

Cheers to fun days, good friends and more sunny days! !
Xoxo
Brittany

Welcoming Four New Paws and One Wet Nose to the Fam!

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WHEW! We experienced a little radio silence for a while there. That’s because… we grew our little family byyyy… no, not what you’re thinking… not what you’re thinking AT ALL. We grew by four little paws and one wet puppy nose! Welcome Lizzy to the Cheery & Charming blog!

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With the wedding and planning over, the New Year coasting along and Samson coming up on 2 ½ years old, we knew we needed to re-introduce a little craziness to our lives. That’s how we function best! Lizzy comes to us from Saving Grace Animal Rescue and we couldn’t be happier with her! She’s a brindle Mountain Cur Lab Mix (that looks dangerously close to Samson!). She’s a quirky, quick, smart learner, and as ornery little brat at times, but it’s all forgiven because shes’s a total lovebug!!!  Coming to us, she barely even knew how to give kisses – and now that’s her favorite thing! Although she does squeeze in an accidental nibble here and there… she’s getting better!

Everyday, she blends in more and more with our family and is gradually learning the do’s and don’ts of city living. The best part? Samson and Lizzy absolutely LOVE each other. It melts my heart how quickly he took to her. They do everything together.

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It’s as if she’s been here since the very beginning! Although… we do have a few lessons we need to learn first…

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Eeeekkkk!!! Stay tuned for more regular posting and all the things I need to catch up on!! With spring upon us and warm, sunny weather ahead, it’s time to turn on the cute outfits and turn up the shopping!!

Cheers!

xoxo
Brittany

The Journey Begins

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As excited as I was (and am) to be starting my own little blog, I’m feeling the stress and pressure I’m sure anyone else would – “Where the heck do I start?!” Well… after painlessly pulling through article after article on how to start your blog, I’m going to take my favorite advice I read, and that’s just to jump right in!

Well, happy Thursday, everyone! Today, my heart is so full. I’m celebrating an official 2-months newlywed to my hubby, John. I get it… get over myself… it’s only been two months… you have a lifetime (quite literally) to go, but to us that’s huge! I get asked all the time, “How’s married life? Different??” Well, married life hasn’t been much different than dating and engagement life before hand, but it’s significantly more special. Everything we do, everything we save for, everything we plan, now has a different meaning, a different intention. There’s an almost even more of an importance and emphasis given to being the best we can be to one another and enhancing our lives to come as a new union.

I’m grateful for everything we have and everything we share. Especially, for moments captured like the one pictured below. This snaps a moment during our ceremony while reading our personally written vows to one another. After John completed his, he leaned in for a very standard, normal, routine and habitual, but HIGHLY WAY TO EARLY IN THE CEREMONY quick kiss, to which I somewhat accidentally violently shoved him away and our friends and family burst into laughter. #almostepicfail

I’m especially grateful for the love and support he’s given me to start and pursue my long adored hobby of writing, never-ending photo taking and documenting it through blogging. My posts may not be for everyone (and that’s totally okay!) but I’m excited to share my life and experiences through the view of my rose colored glasses. Enjoying food, fitness, fashion, moments with girlfriends, events, new challenges, healthy living and more!
The simple things that make life simply awesome.

I hope you continue to follow and (and chime in!) on my little Cheery & Charming journey. Cheers!

xoxo, Brittany