Hi friends! It sure feels good to be back in the blogging world this week! I’ve missed you all! Even though Mondays mean having to go back to work, I love catching up with all of you and hearing about your fun weekends! This weekend had the perfect weather here in Chicago and made coming back from Hawaii a little less painful. We had sunshine and 80+ degree days so I spent as much time outdoors as possible. I love that summer is FINALLY here! Here’s a look at what I was up to this weekend:
{friday}
After work I met up with Kevin at Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar for a little happy hour action before heading home. Union is one of our favorite sushi spots in the city and they have some great happy hours specials including $1 oysters!
We ate some delicious sushi while in Maui (check out Wednesday’s post to see what we ate on vacation) and were craving it so knew we had to get some for dinner. At Union you can order 4 or 8 piece rolls which is nice because it allows you to try more varieties. We decided to order four different kinds of sushi. They were all great but the fried oyster + black rice one stole the show!
{saturday}
I’m becoming more of a morning person as I get older and love waking up early to start the day. Our local Farmer’s Market opened last weekend and I was so excited to pick up some fresh produce for the week. Farmer’s Markets are my absolute favorite thing about summer!
The early weeks are a little sparse as far as what is in season and the options are mainly asparagus, lettuce, and rhubarb, but my favorite flowers are in season and I always pick up some bright pink peonies every single week. How gorgeous are these?
Our Farmer’s Market is also famous for their homemade donuts. Each week a different community group makes and sells the donuts. They offer three different flavors: plain, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. They line is always super long and they sell out fast so you have to go early. These donuts are a must!
After my trip to the Farmer’s Market, we headed to our dentist appointments we had that morning. We go to the dentist that Kevin has been going to since he was a kid and without knowing it ran into his parents in the waiting room who also happened to have appointments that day! How funny is that? There is a sandwich place called Peppo’s that we always stop at for lunch after we go to the dentist. Our dentist isn’t super convenient to get to (about a 45 minute drive) so Peppo’s is a twice a year treat for us. They are famous for their “guts” which is what they top all of their sandwiches with. It is a combination of tomatoes, pickles, and onions marinated with seasonings and a homemade Italian like dressing that absolutely makes the sandwiches!
We then headed downtown and did a little shopping on Michigan Ave. We spent some time just walking around and enjoying the sunshine. Chicago is such a beautiful city in the summer. I love seeing all of the flowers in full bloom!
Later that afternoon, we headed to a neighborhood called Wicker Park for a blogger event I had that evening. There is a new restaurant called Craft Pizza that opens tomorrow and the owner invited a bunch of Chicago Food Bloggers to come in for a preview before the place officially opens. Be sure to read tomorrow’s post for a full recap of the event!
With full stomachs after consuming so much pizza, we spent the rest of the evening walking around and exploring the Wicker Park area checking out different restaurants and shops. Their light posts even offer positive messages 🙂
When we got home we decided to watch The Wolf of Wall Street which was our Netflix movie we got. I love Leo, but this one had WAY too many f-bombs and nudity/sex scenes for my liking – no thanks!
{sunday}
Sunday we went to church and heard a great message about applying the Gospel inward and outwardly in the way we live our lives. After church, we hit up brunch at Nightwood which has been on our list to try for while. I couldn’t resist and ordered the Cheddar Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and it did not disappoint! Kevin had the Corned Beef Hash with a side of bacon…diet starts tomorrow people 🙂
The rest of the day was spent running errands, grocery shopping, and blogging! I didn’t want to be inside so I set up shop outside at Panera using their free wi-fi. I love our low key Sundays!
Linking up with Meghan and Biana for their Weekending Series.
Myla says
Pink peonies are my favorite!! I have three bushes in my yard and they FINALLY bloomed. And it’s only 9:30, but all those food pics are making me hungry!!
Paige says
Mine too!! I can’t believe you have three peony bushes in your yard – how awesome!! I would love that someday! 🙂
xo Paige
Meghan says
I love peonies and farmer’s markets too! Also, I am drooling over all of the food pictures you posted. I am on my 1 month wedding diet and I am DYING. Thank you so much for linking up! xo
Paige says
One month – so close!! Can’t wait to read all about your wedding soon! 🙂
xo Paige
Biana Perez says
All the food is making my mouth water!! I love love love sushi!! Such beautiful flowers!! So happy to have found your blog!!
Paige says
Thanks for stopping by!! Glad to have found your blog as well 🙂
xo Paige
Lesa Walker says
Hello! Stopping by from the Weekend LInk Up! I loved your pictures of the Farmer’s Market and all the food pictures looked delicious. yum!! Have a great rest of the week.
Paige says
Thanks for stopping by!! You’ll be seeing a lot of farmer’s market pics from me this summer! 🙂 Hope you are having a great week as well!
xo Paige