... And Off She Goes!

  

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Today one of my dear friends, Molly, who I've known since college, is setting off for a month long European get-away. She will be stopping in four dream locations: Paris, Switzerland, Austria, and London. Talk about jealous! Oh, and did I mention she is making the trip all by her lonesome? Can you believe that? I mean what an adventure! She recently started a blog of her very own and I can't wait to make sure she is safe stalk her travels.

Have so much fun Molly + can't wait to see you once you're back!

xo

Vegas Vacation

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Fabulous I hope.

I'm back with more pictures from the Vegas trip.

Between being with my best friends and celebrating a wedding my first trip to Las Vegas was amazing.

And I can honestly say that being completely exhausted + sick after getting home was worth it!

The  groomsmen before revealing their outfits to the groom.

The Groomsmen + groom after the reveal.

The Groom with his Aunt[my boss] & Uncle

Ceremony.

The Kiss

Mr & Mrs Hudson

 'Tattoos' by Joslyn

With The Girlfriends: Joslyn, me, Katie

On a side note I discovered two things:

 I wish I had taken more photos 

 My camera is terrible and I must buy a nice one pronto 

Any suggestions?

Hope you all have a lovely day.

xo

And I'm Off ...

To Vegas!

That is after an early A.M. drive to Columbus then a three hour layover in Chicago.

It's all worth it to have a long weekend.

But most of all to see one of my best guy friends get married.

 [and celebrate two birthdays]

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I'll be back Monday with lots of pictures to share!

See you all then!

xo

Destination: Las Vegas

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This Wednesday I'll be jumping on a plane and heading off to Las Vegas to see one of my best guy friends, who I've known since kindergarten, marry the girl of his dreams. Now I must admit, this will be my first time in Vegas. Besides neon lights and heat, I'm not sure what to expect. 

I'm there Wednesday to Saturday, and I mean late Saturday, like red-eye late! 

So I'd love your help! What should I pack? Any must sees while I'm there? Restaurants to try? Shows to check out?

I'd love any advice, tips, and suggestions!

Monday,Monday

Well, I made it back from Chicago and let me tell you, the weekend ... amazing.

It was so good to see old friends, meet new friends, and especially celebrate the bride to be in a super fun city.

Can't wait for my next trip back!

The shots above are from on top of The Hancock Building.

{via Instagram - find me @amanda_pattison}

A Guide To Chicago

I'm off to Chicago for a fun filled Bachelorette party weekend with a few of my college girlfriends.

In my place today we have Liz from Sequins & Stripes {a Chicago native + my college roommate} sharing her "Guide To Chicago"!

Enjoy!

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Hello ES readers, it's Liz from the fashion + style blog, Sequins & Stripes, and I am thrilled to be covering for Amanda today while she is en-route to Chicago! Woo hoo! For those of you who didn't know, Amanda and I went to college together, were in the same sorority, and were roommates for two years. This weekend our sorority sister is celebrating her bachelorette in lovely Chicago so Amanda thought what better way to ring in the weekend than with a little Chicago guide of a few of my favorite things to do in the windy city!

I live in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, which is just one mile north of The Magnificent Mile, city shopping, the Chicago River, and the loop. I love LP for its residential neighborhoods, hole in the wall bars, dog parks, cozy restaurants, boutique shopping and quaint cafes. 

I have lived in Chicago my entire life {aside from my college years at Ohio State :)}. I grew up in the western suburbs and moved downtown the summer after I graduated. My field trips in grade school consisted of architectural boat rides along the Chicago River so I have always had a fond appreciation of our beautiful architecture and skyline.

Ask anyone you know from Chicago and I can promise that they will tell you that nothing beats a Chicago summer. My weekends typically consist of brunch here, shopping at the Green City Market, hitting the beach with friends, and dining al fresco at night.  I am already dreaming of a few summer soiree's in the making.

I highly recommend all of you making a trip to Chicago, especially if you never have, and stop by a few of my favorites:

I hope you enjoyed a few of my Chicago favorites! Don't forget to stop by Sequins & Stripes to find daily inspiration for a styled life {and a peak into my life in Chicago!}. Amanda, can't wait to see you in a few short hours! xo

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After this I sure am excited to be in Chicago!

A HUGE thank you to Liz for stopping by today.

See you soon! xoxo

Family Reunion Weekend Part 1

This past weekend my entire family was in Loudonville Ohio for the Conrad family reunion 

{my grandpa's side of the family}.

The house my mom and uncle grew up in is the house my grandpa built after him and grandma were married. 

My grandma is 89 years young and still lives in the same house.

Summers growing up my brothers and I would each spend a week alone up at grandma and grandpas and it was usually the best week of the summer.

What's better than being spoiled by grandma and grandpa?

Some things haven't changed in my 25 years of going up to grandma's.

The huge tree my brothers and I would climb is still standing and grandma still makes her way to the 3rd floor to do her sewing.

If you couldn't find grandpa growing up he was sure to be in 1 of 3 places:

1. his workshop

2. the hobby room building his boats

or

3. out in the yard on his wheel horse tractor {yes it still works!}

The weather was PERFECT and I did a lot of roaming around.

More pictures to come tomorrow!

Until then pop over to A {Little} Dash of Ash where I've linked up for another round of Monday's Instagram Link up.

Hope you're weekend was as amazing as mine!

Happy Monday!