{Virtual Coffee}

Monday, December 5, 2011

Good morning.
It took a lot to get out of bed this morning.
It is one of those days when you just want to pull the covers up a little farther and stay there
all day--or for another couple of hours anyway.
It's freezing.
Okay, so it's not actually freezing but it is in the 30's and Winter is officially here.
Blahhhh. I am pretty much never ready for Winter.
Yet here is is. Again.
But anyway--grab a cup of coffee and let's chat.
Pancakes anyone?


So if we were really meeting for coffee today....
I would have to tell you about our shopping trip Saturday.
Saturday we made our annual family trip to Chicago by train.
We have been doing this for....maybe... 9 years or so? I'm not sure but some of
my cousins, several aunts, uncles, my mom, my sister and I all went.
I think there was around 20 of us this year.
We always have so much fun but it is a long, tiring day of shopping and eating.








I love visiting the city and one of my favorite things is to just people watch.
I also love seeing all of the architecture and the the window displays and all that big cities have
going on. I don't think I would ever want to live in a city this big myself, but visiting is fun.
We ate lunch at The Grand Lux again this year...yum. That place is so good.
I got the warm goat cheese salad and we all shared an order of these delicious beignets.
Oh Lord, they are to die for.



1.beignets, 2. my niece w/street performer, 3. niece at lunch (how cute is she?) 4. inside of church



We had to see the huge 26-foot Marilyn Monroe statue before it is gone, I think it is
supposed to be there through the Spring.
You just walk under her and look up immediately, even if you didn't intend to.
Every single person I tell ya.
And this church.
Wow.
They were having a holiday open house so we stepped inside and it is one of the most beautiful
churches I have ever seen in person.
I love churches, I love old churches, it amazes me the work that used to go into churches.


If we were really meeting for coffee this morning, I would have to tell you who I saw
in my little old town on Friday night...and if you knew just where I lived it would be pretty
funny to you.
Ben Affleck was having dinner at a restaurant in town,just a few minutes from my house
and I saw him with my own two eyes.
Too funny.
He was looking pretty shaggy with a full beard and a bit of gray hair, but it was him.
First Matt Damon, then Ben Affleck...wonder who will be next? ; )
So tell me how your weekend was, what have you been up to and are you
in full Christmas mode yet?
We're getting there...now to start making more progress on my shopping!

Thanks for stopping by here today....link up so we can all join you for coffee!








12 comments:

  1. Ooh you're really making me want to visit Chicago! I love old churches too. Same thing with temples. So much intricate work, it just boggles the mind. Your niece is totally adorable...and my mouth is watering at just the mention of beignets! I'm really missing Christmas in the States this year. {sigh} Oh well, I'm doing my best to recreate it over here! xo

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  2. wow! i love all these pictures and the Marilyn Monroe statue is amazing (your comment made me laugh about everyone looking up -- it's a natural reaction).

    Happy Tuesday!

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  3. Looks like y'all had a great time in Chicago! I'm so NOT ready for Christmas this year... oh well... it'll all get done somehow!! p.s. lots of star gazing to be done in your hometown apparently, maybe de Niro will be next and complete the good will hunting theme!

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  4. I totally need coffee to drag me out of bed today so I feel ya there. I'll take some pancakes! I wish I had them for real! What a fun trip to go to Chicago by train--we go there every New Years to visit our friends but we've never taken the train....I want to do that this year sometime! Glad you had a fun time!

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  5. I saw that sewing machine display window when we were in the city a few weeks ago! too funny! I LOVED it too, but never got a picture because we were in the car!
    LOVE the picture of the church!
    gorgeous! that's how I felt when I went to England and saw all the old churches and castles, the workmanship was AMAZING!
    matt damon and ben affleck! how awesome! that's soooooooo COOL!
    xoxo
    tara

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  6. Great photos ; Great atmosphere ! Matt Damon & Ben Affleck , really ?!
    You are lucky !
    Enjoy a warm and gentle season !

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  7. WOW, you are had an exciting weekend. I really want to get into the city this year to see the lights and do a little shopping... it sounds like fun. Our train ride is about an hour in, yet still, we hardly ever go. Ben Affleck?!?! Wow. Did you get a photo???

    (I miss having coffee with you Ladies! I started working again on Tuesday's....booo.... so I have been skipping the coffee chat. I suppose I could take a quick break and type up a coffee post one of these days!!!)

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  8. Oh my gosh, that church. That is exactly what a church should do...raise our eyes to heaven. They don't make them like they used to, do they?

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  9. OMG! I L-O-V-E Ben...he's like so cute. I probably would have run over like a dork and swooned all over him, then asked about his kids and acted like a psycho... :-)

    Anyway...I'm going on my annual Chicago shopping trip this weekend. Your photos have inspired me. I've never taken it with us shopping, but this time I will.

    Thanks for the inspiration. You're photos always rock my socks.

    And I'm not ready for winter either. We had the "s" word today not much, but enough to make people forget how to drive...Awesome.

    Well, gotta run. Hopefully I'll have time to link up later.

    Ciao!

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  10. ooooh wow. def LOVING this post and all the pix

    http://infinitelifefitness.com
    http://mscomposure.blogspot.com

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  11. Most mornings are like that for me. Just want to hunker in. Can't help but wonder what he was doing there? Maybe scouting a new location...its a great blue collar town.

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  12. how cool that you saw ben affleck!! i did not see any celebrities this weekend, but i did get me christmas tree up...so yeah!!

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