What I'm Loving this Month // June

by Lavender Elizabeth, June 29, 2018
This month has been a blast! The weather's finally been warm, I've experienced new things with friends, and have been able to see my sister multiple times.

Below is everything I've loved during the month of June.


Shooter & New Girl
I've been watching two very different shows on Netflix this month. I decided to give New Girl another try - so funny. I still find it a little stupid, but it's just so easy to watch. The other show is one I've been watching my parents - Shooter. It's a marine-centric show with Ryan Phillipe; lots of conspiracy and crime. We just started season two and I'm loving it!

The Lake
I spent the weekend at one of my friend's lake houses and was reminded of how much I love being on the lake. When I was younger, a group of us would go every year, so this was a perfect getaway. There's nothing better than floating in the water, riding jet skies, and blasting country music on a pontoon boat.

Blazers
I've started wearing blazers to work to dress up my jeans now that we can wear them everyday. It's something so simple that can take my look from casual to work-appropriate. My current favorite is a pink and purple tweed jacket I inherited from my mom.

My Naperville Friends
I've spent a lot of time with this group this month and I couldn't be happier. I've been reminded countless times just how lucky I am to have met them. It's been four months since I first went skiing with them and am still so blessed they walked into my life.

Bantam Bagels
I've been snacking on Starbuck's new classic bantam bagels a lot in the morning. I mean, can you really go wrong with bagel bites filled with cream cheese?

What have you been loving this month?
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Weekend Recap // Country LakeShake

in , by Lavender Elizabeth, June 27, 2018
This past weekend I went to my first country festival in Chicago - Country LakeShake. A group of us, including my sister and her fiancé, attended all three days. Our weekend was filled with friends, food, and incredible music. Friday, it rained all day, so Northerly Island was quite muddy. It was also supposed to rain that night, so we were decked out in rain jackets. It was definitely a chillier night. Saturday and Sunday were, thankfully, nice and warm. We were able to enjoy the sunshine, play some games, and explore the festival. My favorite day? Sunday! The artists were some of my most played, the company was perfect, and the weather was just right. Below are some photos from the weekend.
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Our Weekend at the Lake

in , by Lavender Elizabeth, June 19, 2018
This past weekend, a group of friends and I went up to the lake. Between bonfires, card games, and hours in the lake, we had the perfect mini getaway. This weekend reminded me of just how lucky I am to have met this group. Back in February, I never would have guessed that they'd turn into my own little Illinois family. Below is our lake weekend recap.
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Fun Activities to do with Dad this Father's Day

in , , by Lavender Elizabeth, June 13, 2018

Last month for Mother's Day, I shared my top nine activities to do with your mom. This month, I'm sharing the Father's Day edition. My plan for Father's Day - take my dad high speed go-kart racing! Not only do we get to spend time together, but we also get to experience something new. Spending time with my dad is always one of my favorite things to do. We love adventuring, as well as just relaxing and talking. I can't wait to race him around the track during the day, and somehow I just know, end our evening with a bonfire. Below are other ideas to celebrate the amazing dad in your life.
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Trip Recap // Cancun

in , by Lavender Elizabeth, June 10, 2018

Last weekend, I headed to Cancun for a fun girls' weekend away with two of my childhood best friends, Keiko and Shannon, and some of Keiko's high school friends. I love that I'm still so close with girls I've known for 18 years! We were there for only four days, so made the most of being in paradise. From countless hours on the beach to cooling off in the turquoise ocean; pina coladas throughout the day to dressing up for dinner; we had a blast. Our group stayed at the Riu Caribe, which is where we spent most of our time. When Shannon and I booked our rooms, the hotel was sold out, so we ended up staying at their sister resort next door, the Riu Palace Peninsula. Both resorts were all-inclusive, which in my option, is the way to go!
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Weekend Recap // Memorial Day

by Lavender Elizabeth, June 08, 2018
For the past eight years, my friends from college have spent Memorial Day weekend at my parents' house. It started our freshmen year and has continued post-grad, even with me living in Illinois. It's a weekend that we always look forward to - it's our mini-reunion and I always have a blast. This year, I wanted to experience some new things together, so planned a fun itinerary for us. Below is all the exciting things we did.

SATURDAY
The girls arrived in Chicago around lunch. Once home, we dressed up and headed to Mesón Sabika for tapas and sangria.

SUNDAY
We headed to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin! It was one of the hottest days, but we still had a blast. The day started with a champagne brunch cruise on the lake, complete with a mansion tour. We then went to the beach and relaxed in the lake - it was perfect. For dinner, my parents had two of their best friends over, so we all had dinner together. Afterwards, we played shuffleboard and then Phase 10.
 
 

MONDAY
My friends had wanted to try Pure Barre, so we went to a morning class. They were surprised at just how difficult it was. For a nice little pick-me-up afterwards, we went to Starbucks and then shopped around downtown Naperville. For dinner, we had a typical Memorial Day BBQ with hamburgers, corn on the cob, and caesar salad. And for dessert - ice cream from Oberweis.
 

TUESDAY
Emma was accepted into medical school, so to celebrate, my mom decorated the kitchen for her at breakfast. For lunch, I made reservations for us to go to the Emerson Creek Tearoom - it was amazing. The food was delicious, the grounds were rustic and adorable, and the store had some great finds. We also stopped to swing on their swings, which was surprisingly fun. The girls flew home that evening, so we decided to relax before their flight.
 

I'm already looking forward to next year's Memorial Day weekend with the girls!
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Currently // May to June

by Lavender Elizabeth, June 07, 2018
MAY RECAP

This month was a whirlwind! Three weeks in a row I was traveling, which meant a lot of time spent in the air. I was in Norwalk at my company's headquarters two separate weeks, first to help run a meeting for our graduate program, and second to attend an all HR meeting. The following week I jetted off to Cancun for a fun and relaxing vacation. In between that, I also had three of my best friends from college come to visit for Memorial Day weekend - an eight year tradition. Other highlights from the month include watching my sister's fiancé graduate from university, celebrating my amazing Mom on Mother's Day, and spending a day at the lake.

CATCHING UP ON LAVENDER ELIZABETH'S MAY
  1. Currently // April to May A recap of last month and the one to come
  2. My Prayer for this Season of Life A prayer about changes coming up in my life
  3. Recipe // Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes A tasty treat perfect for summer
  4. Fun Activities to do with Mom this Mother's Day Activities to do with Mom
  5. Recipe // Chocolate Chip Espresso Bars A simple, but delicious, dessert
  6. What to Pack for a Tropical Vacation Everything you need on a tropical trip

COMING UP THIS MONTH


May 31-June 4: head to Cancun for Adult Spring Break
June 7: go to a Cougar's game with friends
June 9: celebrate Dana's birthday in the city
June 10: take my dad go-karting for an early Father's Day
June 15-17: lake weekend with friends
June 22-24: spend the weekend at Country Lake Shake

Along with the above, I have a couple of items on my to-do list:
  1. Start the three-month training plan for August's Tough Mudder.
  2. Go through my clothes and donate unworn items.

Have a wonderful June!
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What I Loved last Month // May

by Lavender Elizabeth, June 06, 2018
I'm playing a little blog catch-up this week since I've been traveling. Usually my "What I'm Loving" series will occur at the end of the month, but for May, I'm sharing it a little late.

Without further ado - below is what I loved during the month of May!


Blogilates
This past month, as I continued my workout journey, I returned to one of my favorites: Blogilates. Blogilates is a YouTube channel full of pilates-type videos. Each month, a new workout calendar is posted, along with different videos to do on each day. Last month, I did her Beginner 2.0 calendar.

13 Reasons Why
The weekend that season two came out, I not only finished it, but also re-watched season one. It was a mega 13 Reasons Why binge weekend. And, today, they announced it's coming back for season three in 2019!

Francesca's
I did almost all of my shopping for Mexico at Francesca's. I ended up going to three different locations, the final stop being the big winner. I bought four dresses, two shirts, two pairs of shorts, a statement necklace, and simple earrings. I scored!

Traveling
I was barely at home in May due to traveling. I went to my company's headquarters two weeks in a row, came home, and then left for Mexico. I love traveling, both for work and for fun. There's something so exciting about going to a new place.

Phase 10
This has always been one of my favorite games, but I rediscovered my love for it in May. I introduced Phase 10 to some of my friends here and then played again when my college friends visited for Memorial Day. If you haven't played before, I highly recommend it! But beware - it can be ruthless. 

Tell me: what were you loving last month?
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