Graham and I celebrated our fifth anniversary on Sept. 20. I can't believe it's been five years since we got Maui'd at Gannon's restaurant in Hawaii in what I felt was the perfect ceremony for us. Time flies when you're moving 1,700 miles, saying goodbye to our dog Taylor, becoming parents to two girls, celebrating a World Series win and buying a home, with lots of other memories in between. I ... Read more
Christmas at the Flora House
This has been a special Christmas for us: It was the first in our new house, and it was Addi's first! V had some new traditions, too. Our Christmas recap: I love our tree this year despite never finding a tree topper after ours broke. I plan to also purchase a new tree skirt next year. We chose to stay in Chicago for Christmas this year vs. traveling to Arizona or Kentucky. We wanted to ... Read more
A’s 8-Month Update
This has been a major month in terms of milestones for Addi. She has changed so much in a short time, and this phase has become my favorite so far. I love watching her do new things and learn every day. Sleep: After waking 3-5 times a night every night since she turned 4 months old, we decided it was in our family's best interest to attempt to teach her to fall asleep on her own. It's been less ... Read more
How to Find Motivation and Inspiration When You’re in a Rut
Lately I have been feeling off. I happens every year when Chicago's winter hits (unofficially). The darkness at 4:30 p.m., the constant cloudiness, the frequent snow/ice/rain combine to kill my motivation and make me want to hibernate. I don't have the luxury of sitting around and doing nothing, though, so I needed to find my inspiration again. I needed to pull myself out of this rut. I've ... Read more
Adelina’s 7-Month Update
Every baby update I've read starts with disbelief about the child growing so quickly. You can go ahead and insert that statement here about Addi. As of today she is 7 months old! She's so much closer to 1 now and I can't handle it. I haven't posted an update since she was 4 months old, so I wanted to share a bit about how she's doing now. Sleep: Addi is still waking up at least three times a ... Read more
Running a Half-Marathon Without Training | Chicago Half Marathon Recap
Note: Before I share my Chicago Half Marathon story, I want to advise against running a race without training. It is never a good idea. Even if you think you are in great shape, you put yourself at risk for injury. As always, you should consult a physician about what exercise/event is safe for you to do. On Sunday, I awoke at 4:15 a.m. to get ready to run 13.1 miles in south Chicago during ... Read more
Inspiration From “The Year of Less” by Cait Flanders
**This post contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise! My most recent Audible listen was "The Year of Less" by Cait Flanders, who apparently also has a popular personal finance blog I was not familiar with. This book was in my Audible recommendations after listening to "Girl, Wash Your ... Read more
A Date Night to Remember With Johnnyswim
Graham and I don't get many date nights. The last time we spent an entire evening to ourselves was on Valentine's Day. Last weekend's date to the Need to Breathe concert, for which Johnnyswim was opening, was a much needed night out for us and one that we looked forward to since I bought the tickets in March. If you have read this blog for a while, you know that we LOVE Johnnyswim's ... Read more
Flora Family Photo Session
** This post contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise! Graham and I have a tradition of taking photos around the time of our wedding anniversary to document our life together. It's been so fun to capture the changes to our family: Over the past four years we've gone from just the two of us ... Read more
Summer Stroll at the Chicago Botanic Garden
If you're ever going through a stressful time, a walk around the Chicago Botanic Garden might be in order. I was overwhelmed and emotional recently, and I finally asked for help. My mother-in-law drove to Chicago to spend a week with us helping in any way she could. And boy did she help. She worked on our yard. She took the girls to the park so I could get work done or ... Read more