Week 6, Day 1 & 2 - High School Reunion

Week 6, Day 1 Outfit (not pictured): Ann Taylor Loft green corduroy dress, black leggings, Coach rainboots

Week 6, Day 2 Outfit: Turquoise cowlneck sweater from Forever 21, White House Black Market wool high-waisted trousers, Franco Sarto black ankle boots (another BR free day...imagine that!).

I forgot to take a picture of my outfit yesterday and am too lazy to recreate it. My look from yesterday could be best described as "elf-like" - a short green corduroy dress paired with the Coach rainboots seen in the post from Friday. I had packed and painstakingly wore those boots to Chicago expecting there to be a ton of rain - only to find that there was some annoying drizzle but nothing that my Uggs couldn't have handled. The boots were comfortable enough, but after a 2 mile roundtrip walk to and from the Architectural Society down Michigan Avenue, my feet were naturally feeling the effects of a rubber knee high shoe and it's unforgiving stiffness. I now have a little rash where the shoe chaffed the top of my foot - ouch! Throughout the day, I could have sworn that I was catching whiffs of burnt rubber...perhaps it was actually the smell of singed skin!

The rest of our Chicago weekend getaway was wonderful. We had the most amazing and bizarre meal at Moto (the restaurant I blogged about a few days ago). True to my advisor's description, each course was very unexpected and a play off of normally recognizable foods. For instance, we were served a "cigar" which was actually roasted peppers wrapped in swiss chard leaves presented in an ash tray with black and white sesame seed "ashes." It was not only superbly unique, but also quite delicious. Another noteworthy dish was the "carrot cake" which was actually a white chocolate cylinder filled with carrot puree. We opted for the wine pairing (yes, we went all out) and enjoyed 9 half-pours of wine with each course. This is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity - one I highly recommend to my fellow foodies. Sunday was spent strolling down Michigan Ave and exploring a mini-replica of the city of Chicago. It is so neat to see all the different styles of architecture within a 3 mile radius. I'm definitely doing the architecture tour next time we visit Chicago.

So, I made the 4 hour drive back home with Mike only to unpack and then repack for a short business trip back to Chicago (this time I'm flying)! Though my client meeting is in the suburbs of Chicago, I'll be meeting a high school friend that I have reconnected with through Facebook in downtown for a drink. I just can't get enough of that great city! Given that we haven't seen each other for awhile, I figured I'd go one notch up from jeans and a sweater and wear what could end up being my business attire for tomorrow (photography-happy gurus out there, please don't criticize the faux pas I am commiting by taking a picture in front of a lighted area - I kind of like the "I'm walking through the heavenly gates" look, don't you?). I did pack other stuff but have not tried it on to see if the separates work together to create an outfit (remember, I don't like packing and like even less having to figure out what goes with what - so I just throw different things in together and hope for the best). While I was browsing one of the many artsy "buy stuff in here that you don't need" stores in Chicago - I came across a book that was written for mastering the art of packing. One of the recommendations was to try things on before they go in the suitcase - I guess this is the #1 cardinal sin that I commit...but I seem to manage...it's easy to do when after a 1.5 months of not wearing the same thing (with exceptions, of course) that I still cannot see the wall behind my clothes...I'm thinking maybe at the 3 month mark I'll begin to see open spaces?