Disappointed, Fearless and Cultured in Chicago

I'm sorry for the LONG delay in writing this post. I'd been procrastinating it for two reasons: 1. I needed time to sift through the bad and the ugly of the week in order to bring you guys a fair post 2. I was going through some things in my personal life which I'll share another time.

Chi-town; most commonly known in our generation as the city origin of Yeezy (Kanye West) and let me tell you the city is just as unwelcoming as his persona. Thinking we were saving ourselves some money we booked a hotel in the suburbs- a bad idea if you don't have a rental car and all the rental places are closed until Monday morning. So for breakfast we walked down construction streets to a hole-in-the-wall Mexican spot and through shady Bosnian plazas before catching a Lyft back. To kick off our Chicago experience we decided to order in and go for a deep-dish Chicago pizza. I'm glad we had the experience but wouldn't be trying this particular place again.

We were in town for the Xotics Barber Battle Hair Expo, which was hyped to be one of the largest expos in the nation. We were so excited for all the new skills and information we had been waiting months to acquire. I'll be nice and call the event nothing short of a disappointment. I was so proud of my handsome Hubs was a star because of his fashion cut (which he did himself!) Putting aside the bad customer service and unorganized event I'll focus on the one good day of our 5 day trip- attraction day!

The Art Institute of Chicago was our first stop in the city. With three floors of everything from Japanese, Indian and American art. I would recommend the museum as it has something for everyone and is a great way to kill a few hours if you've got something planned for later in the afternoon. While I could stay in the textiles floor for hours Zombie couldn't get enough of the mini houses.

Willis Tower (Now named Sears Tower) was the highlight of my trip! 180 stories and four feet out in a transparent box of death- what's not to love?! After reading the reviews online I prepared myself for a 30 minute wait followed by an hour and a half line to get to the box. As I walked backwards into the booth I tried to remain calm as Zombie jumped from one end to another, looking down and putting her face against the glass- how could she be so fearless?!

We hung out at the top of the world for an hour or two before catching an Uber back. Here are some tips for those of you traveling to Chicago in the near or distant future:

1- pack in layers ... Chicago is "The Windy City" so be prepared to layer your outfits and pack light to moderate sweaters

2- Stay in the CITY.... while initially we thought we were saving ourselves $200- we in fact ended up spending it all on transportation. Save yourself the hassle and just stay in the city where all the tourist attractions are anyway.

3- buy tickets online!... you save so much more. If you are traveling to the Art Institute and are a student you receive a discount! so be sure to bring your school i.d.

4- BE AWARE- I won't go too into this one- just use basic safety precautions. We live in dangerous times and Chicago has its reputation.

5- JUST HAVE FUN

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When You Cross Borders Like an Amateur

In my short life I have made several moves up and down the East coast- moving with a family is a lot more complex than packing a suitcase and leaving upstate with nothing more than $300 in my back pocket. This past weekend was complicated beyond belief beginning with working an hour an a half before abruptly leaving work- and all its baggage- due to Hub's moving mates bailing out.

Not only did he have no one to help him pack everything into the truck- but he booked the rental hours before we were to move! The following day we got our first peek at our new apartment- needless to say it was everything I had been praying it would be. Stainless steel appliances, wooden flooring, huge bedrooms- okay, okay, I'm done bragging! I happily signed our new contract and quickly began putting things inside.

That night was to be our last dinner together for a few weeks- while waiting for our appetizer I decided to start Hub's check-in process. My heart dropped as I read the email... Check in for Friday April 15th... NOT Saturday the 16th! With deep steady breaths I made my call to Delta and immediately turned to work mode. An hour and a half and a VERY PISSED OFF Delta supervisor later I got off the call with an account credit and heavy disappointment which I thought could be fixed by some retail therapy. I was even more vexed when 3 minutes into the target entry aisle a cashier announces the store was closed and the lights shut off. What Target closes at 10:00pm on a Friday?! REALLY?!

Lazily we awoke Sunday to open boxes and arrange our new home. A good friend told me to decorate a new house room by room- if you look at the place as a whole your imagination (and bank account) get carried away. So we started with the living room as we currently have no furniture and knew it would be easy and the fulfillment of mini accomplishments were much needed.

In the hours since returning to Florida I've had to cringe every time Zombie asks what time her father is getting home and whether or not he's sleeping with us tonight.I found myself under prepared with the multiple questions Zombie has asked regarding her father and why he's not around- i do not believe she understands the magnitude of the distance between her new house and Mama's house and I'm searching for creative and honest ways to explain it to her which pretty much wrapped up any energy left from the weekend.

Stay posted for a list of amateur mistakes we've made on this trip that cost us serious cash and could save you a buck or two!

And if you don't already, add me on SnapChat: Sloanofthemoon

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New York State of Mind

If you follow me on INSTAGRAM you'll know Hubs, Zombie and myself are packing our things and moving to Atlanta. And you know Big Moves call for BIGGER PLANS, so in the last few weeks hubs and I have been busy getting our ducks in a row in transitioning our life out of Florida. Our most recent adventure took us to New York City for the annual International Beauty Show!

Our trip started with a 2 1/2 hour delay leaving from Florida and a 45 minute Uber wait in 30 degree weather once at La Guardia Airport. It was well past 1:00 am by the time we got into my aunt's house and needless to day we spent day 1 catching up on some much needed rest.

During the two day convention and through the educational seminars I watched hubs begin to glow from within with motivation, drive and most importantly self-discovery within his art. It was beautiful. It's eye-opening to hear that many of the same struggles Hubs had expressed other hairstylists and business owners were experiencing as well! And their vulnerability and instructor responses on how to get out of that rut confirmed everything I'd known all along. Hubs is a different breed of Barber-Crazy. Our days were early and the nights long but the networking and invaluable information was well worth it- Plus since we didn't bring Zombie along we got to sneak in some much needed sleep!

When we had finally freed up some time we hit the station and made our rounds around the city. Taking up Washington Heights for some mofongo on a double date with my uncle, sleepily traveling to Bronx where Edward gave his estranged grandfather a haircut and waiting two hours in line in Williamsburg to try The Bagel Store Who is infamous for rainbow bagels! Believe me, telling my 90 year old great-grandmother that we took the L train into Manhattan was NOT a conversation I was ready for

The Bagel Store was certainly worth all the hype! Their cookies and cream- cream cheese is all that and a bag-of bagels! And can we just take a second to acknowledge their AMAZING customer service and song choices?! I would definitely recommend you take a trip if you ever get the chance. But bring deep pockets as the prices are pretty steep.

What a fun and inspiring way to beginning our traveling adventures this year! Ta-ta New York! Thank you for your hospitality!

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A Messy Way to Reconnect

As apart of my 2016 master weight-loss plan I decided to plann one 5k a month for the ENTIRE year for myself and my husband! Since we haven't seen much of her lately we decided to bring Zombie on the color run with us. I'd been hyping her for the mounds of chalkish neon paint that would cover her tiny body for days prior.

Hubs and myself had gone to a color run last month and absolutely loved the pre and post party, we loved the random color stations and the energy of the hypeman and volunteers. This one was a little bit different.

We got to the race an hour and a half early as their registration website didn't allow me to use my Groupon code and I, of course, had to make sure we were still good to race. We walked up to the podium, turned in our waivers and were given our packets.

After downing a bourbon pizza pie and running around looking for paper toilet after the (1) women's bathroom stall ran out it was finally time for the race to start! I wish they would have had a disclaimer that said "please bring swords- will be chopping down branches during your run" The first 1/2 mile was spent avoiding splintering tree branches and raising tree trunks.

I'd go on about how unorganized this team was but it doesn't compare to how much fun we had as a family. Zombie ran for awhile and then abruptly stopped. She whined saying she couldn't go on and her toes hurt and we needed to be carried. Well you can't expect a 3 year old walk 3 miles so on daddy's shoulder she went until we saw the finish line. For days after the event it's all she wanted to talk to anyone about. She even kept her sticker tattoo on for 2 days! Hopefully this is a tradition we're able to keep even in our new city (details on that to come!)

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Totoro!

My sister's due date is on the day of my niece's 5th birthday so we decided to celebrate a few weeks early. She chose a far-stretch theme- Totoro! For those of you who haven't seen this animated film (like myself) here's a very bief synopsis:

It’s about two sisters being raised by their father for the time being Their mother is in the hospital Satsuki is the big sister and is trying to run things in her mom’s stead She makes breakfast, takes care of her little sister Mei Basically a coming of age story Totoro is the spirit of the forest who helps remind Satsuki that she is still a child Gives the children hope that their mother will be alright

For the last 2 weeks my sisters have been in and out of Viet-town searching for the perfect party favors like these cute sticker and chocolate "colored pencil" set, decorations, cake toppers and other party details. They DIY'd the heck out of this party including handmade sticker Totoro cupcake toppers and a "thumb print" canvas.

The results were incredible- and the turn out a lot more than my mom's 3 bedroom apartment could bear. Isa drew a lifesize Totoro poster as a photo op backdrop. Then they taped oragami cranes to the wall and hung a Happy Birthday banner from left over party invitations which were handmade Totoro silhouettes.

We kept it simple with pizza, chips, asian salad and cupcakes and one of our very generous guests even brought a dozen assorted donuts! We put the movie on for the kids while they ate- a great way to keep multiple children busy when having a birthday party at a small location. And by the time they were done it was time take pictures and sing happy birthday! It was a great turn out for a much-deserved 5 year old. And the best presents of all? Why the Totoro snuggie and Totoro bed of course!

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