Chicago: Day 2

Our second day on Chicago was certainly the highlight of our trip, we had concert tickets, so it was off to wrigley field to see the amazing Brad Paisley, along with Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, the Band Perry, and Jerrod Niemann. We had a blast and were absolutely blown away by the show and the ridiculous size of the crowd. You haven't experienced a country music concert until you've seen one with 38,000 screaming fans!

Here are some pictures from our day!

Chicago travel tips

As a total newbie to the city of Chicago, here are some do's and dont's for visiting the city:

Do check out the Palmer House Hilton Hotel. Even if you don't stay here, it's worth it just to stop in and check it out, especially if you are into historical architecture. We booked our room on hotels.com and got a great deal!

Do purchase a transit pass, they are available at any CVS Pharmacy on the city, we got three-day passes for $14, and it was completely worth it - your feet will thank you!

Don't go out of your way to see "the Bean" in Millennium Park. If it is on your way, by all means, take a look, but if you have to make a special trip them don't bother. There are so many amazing things to see in the city, I was not impressed by this giant mirror.

Do venture into stores that you aren't familiar with, you may find a new favorite place to shop! Our favorite was A'Gaci on State street.

Don't forget your sunscreen and comfy shoes, both are complete necessities!

Do have an idea of what you want to do each day. We thought we would decide what to do once we got to the city, this was a bad idea on our part because we were completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of options.

Do ask if your hotel will hold your luggage before you check in or after you check out. Thankfully ours did, so we were able to continue to enjoy the city even after we had checked out of the hotel room, without having to lug everything around with us.

Hope these tips are helpful (many would apply to other popular destinations!) if I think of anything else I will certainly add to the list!

Chicago: Day 1

We finally made it to Chicago! Despite a 2 and a half our delay on our bus trip, we got off to a good start, slightly exhausted, but psyched to be in the city. I am loving the amount of things to do and all of the shopping, but there are certain things that remind me why I love living in a rural area.

I miss my car, being able to drive to where I want to go, I am completely overwhelmed by the amount if people everywhere, and while I fully realize that farms smell, the city smells too.

Here are some pictures from our first day!

Chicago countdown: 2 days!

Ahhhhh! It's almost here! I have to get through 1 more afternoon at work, 1 jewelry show tonight, an a day of errands and full to-do list tomorrow and then I will be city bound with the girls. I am so not ready :)

I have a jewelry show tonight that I am so looking forward to, but I haven't let myself think about Chicago because I want to do this show do much! So tomorrow is my day off to get ready for the trip and I can't wait.

I love love love to pack, and I fully intend to spend the rest of the day in a frenzy of laundry and errands and possibly a little treating myself!

Another bag

I have a problem. I am addicted to handbags. For those of you who know me well, this statement comes as no surprise.

Anyway, I am constantly searching for the perfect bag, and the one that I have at the moment is never quite right for what I NEED at the moment. As you can probably guess, this could very easily become an expensive obsession, so when I'm feeling especially broke, I turn to my trusty sewing machine to make my dream bag a reality.

My latest creation is for my upcoming trip to Chicago (woohoo! 9 days!). I have been in search of a bag that is stylish, simple, not too big, but big enough to carry around the city all day and stash whatever I may need (or may buy...), and lightweight.

This is what I came up with. It is modeled after a purse that I have that actually gets bigger when you undo, the bottom buckles to go from a hobo to a tote. I used snaps for mine.

I really should've done a tutorial, because I know I won't remember how to make it, but when I make a bag I am in the zone, so there was no stopping for pictures. Plus, the way I sew, there's a very real possibility that my instructions would have made no sense at all.