There’s nothing to wine about at 1913 Restaurant and Bar.

I’ve actually been exploring friends in a non-conventional way, but it is in the ‘norm’ throughout our generation. So I met a friend on Bumble BFF and we’ve been keeping up with each other since! I talk about my experience in another post.

But let’s talk about this wine bar. We split a bottle of wine, a charcuterie board and a plate of pasta. The quality of it all was incredible. I also love that the restaurant was made of brick, so it reminded me of a cozy feel. I loved it!

We took date night to a whole other level, but this is the treat we both needed. I also didn’t even know this was a wine bar!!!

Classy and Elegant, Fleming’s did not disappoint!

This restaurant was very classy and a great time! We had the onion soup before the poke appetizer. I had the prime New York strip and he had a ribeye with asparagus. SO good!!!

I also think the atmosphere of how open the restaurant was really made a difference. Fewer people and more space was everything I needed- especially during this time. It was a little pricey, but worth every penny!

You know everything happens for a Riesling when you’re at Sixty-Four Wine Bar.

I absolutely LOVE this Downtown Naperville staple. I had never seen anything like it because it felt like Cocoa-Cola World but with wine. There are multiple dispensers for different kinds of wine bottles around the restaurant. With covid, you have to reserve it quick! Overall, it’s a great place for girls night, a family lunch, and just a friendly spot for all ages over 21 years old. This is one of my favorite spots to come to celebrate close to my school in Illinois.

Rescued some wine because it was trapped in a bottle at R Urban Wine Bar.

A girls night at this cute Wine Bar in Lisle was exactly what we needed. We had a few wine flights from their selection, recommended by the waiter, because they all looked so good! We also ordered a charcuterie board, which has been the most in snack since quarantine. A few cheeses, meats, and all the good stuff in one plate. #MuchNeeded. Cheers!!

Took Girls Night Out to Another Level at Cooper’s Hawk Winery.

The girls met up at the Winery to hang out and just get together. We love wine and good food, so this worked out! It was also a spot that we could all drive halfway. Cooper’s Hawk is known nationwide, so that also helps with the credibility of the restaurant. AND they have a monthly membership for wine bottle!! One day……. I’ll join!

Didn’t want an impasta of our experience with Abrusci’s Fire and Vine.

Funny enough, they had this restaurant when I went to Colorado. It’s such a cute, family-oriented spot. Very covid friendly too! They had so many drink choices and foodie options. I think we definitely just tried a little bit of everything to get some flavor. I loved coming here for sure!

No time to wine because I’ve got some more recommendations for you:

• Tannins Wine Bar and Boutique
• Lynfred Winery
• Cork Wine Bar and Kitchen
• Wild Blossom Meadery and Winery

Wine bars are honestly so much fun to experience in Illinois! I’ve been so excited to explore new places and probably gain a few calories here and there. But we all need some yummy goodness!!!

The post No Time to Wine in a Bar, Especially in Illinois appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

First date

We all get nervous in our first day or the day we give off our first impression… well, at least I do! I like to dress according to what we’re doing and be on my best behavior, aka an extrovert and an introvert depending on the vibe.

I love meeting new people but this date situation felt a little weird at first. What am I supposed to say? How do I react? How do I know if I made a good first impression? Are we going to hang out after this? My mind probably runs through a whole bunch of questions before the date that I always overthink.

Day of, you’re probably either nervous, excited, or both. I’m always both because you don’t know what to expect. Are they a catfish? Are they going to like me? Will we hang out after this if we do hit it off?

A few dates later

I’ve met a few girls since end of 2020, and we’ve hit it off! Here are some date ideas you can do:

• Making tie blankets
• Axe Throwing
• Going to wine bars
• Happy hours
• Wine Night Thursdays
• Ice cream date

Some RANDOM tips I’ve learned:

• Tea is your best friend- every night!
• Game changer: If you’re lazy when washing the blender, add soap and water, blend and rinse out.
• A she-shed is actually a babe cave.
• Never give up on planning to hang out with the girls. There will always be someone ready to adventure with you!

I feel that with all the girls I’ve met, I’ve made some long lasting friendships. It’s so nice to be able to brainstorm on some blog posts with them while I’m at it and that they support my crazy adventures!

Honestly, Bumble really does work, in all aspects. It offers BFF, dating and networking. So you can get the best of all worlds!

Need some more fun in Illinois?

• Top 10 Coffee Shops In The Greater Chicagoland Area
• No Time to Wine in a Bar, Especially in Illinois
• Illinois is a Little Egg-Obsessed, Here’s Why
• A Friend’s Affair in Chicago Before the Pandemic

The post How to go on a First Friend-Date with Bumble BFF appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

After St Louis, we had a pit stop in Memphis, Tennessee. We probably made this trip more about Elvis Presley than anyone else, because we learned a whole lot at Sun Studio!

Sun Studio: The Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll

We got there just in time for the last tour. Because of covid, everything was more limited, but we were able to get the full experience! I absolutely loved everything about Elvis Presley’s story, especially since I’ve been able to visit a few of the main spots that make him who he is.

Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi and later moved with his parents to Memphis, Tennessee to kickstart his dream. Little did he know, he would begin singing with Sun Records Label in 1954 and signed a contract with RCA Records the following year. I actually visited that studio as well! By 1956, he had become an international sensation! What’s not to love?!

Continued our road trip to Oxford, Mississippi

And of course, we had to stay a night (trying to visit all 50 states before I turn 50, but I have to stay at least a night in each). What a cute little town! We first stumbled upon Oxford, because we HAD to see Ole Miss (aka University of Mississippi).

We had dinner at Boure Restaurant, which was actually extremely spacious and right across the street of the court house. What a cute little town!! I also had gumbo soup for the first time. 10/10 recommend!

Woke up early to start our adventure around town.

But first, coffee!

My sister and I are the type of people to look for foodie places or adventure out to areas that we don’t necessarily have at home. So we visited a local shop, Uptown Coffee. They had rearranged furniture to make it easy for us to social distance and sanitize. The shop also didn’t have indoor seating, so if you’re coming during the cold weather times, keep that in mind.

We were warm and cozy, or trying to be, walking around the town. While we could have probably walked to the Ole Miss campus, we definitely drove there. Ole Miss is beautiful!

It’s a huge college campus. By the looks of it, the town came after the fact. Ole Miss, aka University of Mississippi, was started in 1848, currently has 20,000+ students enrolled, and has had a successful football team for more than 120 years. The campus has so much landscape and all-brick buildings- definitely my type of atmosphere!

But our adventure doesn’t end there.

We made our merry way to Tupelo, Mississippi. Or as we all know it- Elvis Presley’s birthplace. It was about a hour drive from the campus.

Welcome to Elvis Presley’s home!

While Google Maps said it was open, covid changes everything. We called when we arrived (our mistake), and they had just started to close that day. We walked around the whole ‘museum’, but couldn’t enter his home. At least we were able to stand by his childhood area and experience it in a different lens.

It was an exciting sister trip nonetheless, but up next- Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama!

The post Pit Stop in Memphis, then Oxford and Tupelo appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

One of the first restaurants I came to in this state just so happened to be during brunch time. It has such a family vibe to it, which was great.

Egg-Cited

Eggs Inc

There’s a spot by my school that has some pretty good breakfast and lunch. Guess what it’s called?

Sunny Side Up

Bringing my egg needs to life in the city. This place is the cutest spot to go on a date or just brunch with the girls. We had so much to eat, but it was all worth it! Especially the bacon.

Yolk

I’ve been to one of these chain restaurants in another state, but this one was just plain beautiful on the outside too. We had a quick breakfast before our day’s adventure and it was much needed!

Egg Harbor Cafe

The mugs they have at this place are the absolute cutest! They have them in different colors and we’ve been trying to purchase them for the longest time. Their seasonal menu was TO DIE FOR too! So just order the pumpkin pecan pancakes when you come for fall, because you won’t regret it!

Benedict’s La Strata

We went to this breakfast spot for a double date and it was super filling. It’s in Crystal Lake in the northwest suburbs area and felt very homey. It’s one of those spots you go to celebrate a birthday every year or just make it a family tradition kind of place. The food was SO good!

Eggs just make everything better… Am I right?! Illinois really has that kind of staple on me, so it stuck. Enjoy some of my favorite breakfast spots while you’re adventuring in the midwest. You’ll thank me later!

The post Illinois is a Little Egg-Obsessed, Here’s Why appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

J A N A U A R Y

One of my birthday gifts was the Chicago Blackhawks vs Florida Panthers game and it was the most exciting night ever. I brought my boyfriend and we wore our favorite jerseys! Although hockey is a new sport to me, since I am from sunny South Florida, it’s an experience I would love to repeat.

F E B R U A R Y

I’ve always said that my view on success is never about the money but about the way you make a difference in other’s lives. With 5,000+ volunteers in two days, North Central College hosted their annual Feed the Need event and packed 1,049,760 meals, which will feed 2,876 kids for ONE WHOLE year! I brought my family to be a part of this experience because they share my passion for giving back and helping others too. It was an amazing event! Peak into my weekend with the short video I created of my experience.

M A R C H

I will never forget the last staycation I had before coming home for the pandemic. My siblings came to visit me with new friends from home and it was the best ‘home away from home’ I had had in a while. It all came to an end when Chicago called it quits on March 17th. So after some hard conversations, I had to go home with my family and quarantine in Miami. 

A P R I L

I started my #FoodieAdventures and making messes in the kitchen when I felt more motivated to do something. I’m so glad I came home, because spending time with family has definitely been missed. We hadn’t lived in the same household since high school. 

M A Y

My little brother graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He got his dream job and I couldn’t be more proud of him! We made his virtual graduation extremely special and had front row seats to everything!

J U N E

My 18-week program started on June 8th for the Chicago Marathon on October 11th. Everything was cancelled July 13th. I couldn’t believe it, so I took a week off and decided to still run my half marathon but virtually. Tune in for July 18th!

J U L Y 

One of the most relaxing months but very covid-deadly for us in Miami, Florida. It is scary living or even thinking that you are basically living in another version of Wuhan. A part from that, I have been training for my marathon. By July 18th, our schedule would say 13 mile-run. So I decided to do a double whammy and just run my half marathon virtually. It had been pouring all night before, leading into all day; so my running buddy and I decided to run the half marathon during the week. Sunday, July 19th, everything changed. I found out I was diagnosed with a condition I never thought possible.

A U G U S T

A whole bunch of emotions because my boyfriend flew just to pick me up and drive up to the Windy City for school. It is also my last year in my graduate school year, so I’m extremely excited for what’s to come! I met the two graduate assistants I will be working with and they are truly amazing. I would not have had such a great semester without them.

S E P T E M B E R

Don’t we all love wearing masks everywhere we go? As our first out-of-state trip (besides Miami, Florida), we visited some of my college friends throughout our road trip to Michigan and Indiana. I had an absolute blast! Shoutout to Victoria, Joey and Patrick!

O C T O B E R

For our one year anniversary, we went to Wisconsin!!! *Give me all the cheese forever* The pandemic has truly taken a toll in life and I’ve enjoyed exploring with my boyfriend. He surprised me in the cutest and romantic way- it’s like I got all gushy again.

N O V E M B E R

Seeing life outside of my four walls and exploring the city has become so rare now, that I cherish every single moment now. Felt more like a staycation, but well worth it. Thank you Ari, for visiting and bringing me pastelitos… Except you forgot the croquetas.

D E C E M B E R

As I turn into my quarter of a life crisis, there is so much wisdom that my younger self wants to offer. This month has been a whirlwind of everything being virtual to driving home with my sister to being home to finally being around my fam and friends. I’m incredibly happy to be home for the holidays and patiently waiting for the new year to start!

I’m sure we’ve all been through it because of the pandemic, but try to think of the good that has happened! There’s so much to look forward to, so 2021 will be my year of… *drum roll please*

G R O W T H

Let’s do this together!!!

The post My 2020 Year in Review appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

18 weeks before 26.2 miles

Before turning a quarter of a century old, I decided to make a list of goals; which I’ll get into later in the year. One of them, was running a half (13.1 miles) and full (26.2 miles) marathon. But because of the Covid-19 pandemic, my half marathon was cancelled, then postponed, then made virtual… by then, I gave up on writing about the journey. So here’s my journey towards my full marathon. 

I was (or will be) running the Chicago Marathon with Autism Speaks. 

Some resources that helped me prior to doing something completely out of anything I ever thought I would do, would probably help you too! I decided to make this year my year of adventure. 

And boy have I done it. Thanks to the pandemic, I’ve learned some new talents I never knew could be as interesting and fun, like cooking. It’s made my eating habits better and I eat everything I want; in moderation of course. Diets don’t work for me. The most I’ve done is my modified diet and even then, it was only a few days of real detox because I feel guilty. I just have the biggest sweet tooth ever.

I started writing and contacting people in my social media asking who had run a marathon. If they had any tips, goals, guides… I was at an information overload but I needed it to calm myself a little. No one in my immediate family had ever done anything like this, so I was going in blind. I’m grateful for all the meetings, calls, texts, resources and everything everyone provided me.

I decided to run with a charity. Mostly because I didn’t know all of my options. I chose to even make the marathon a goal because one of my friends at North Central College wanted to run a full marathon before she turned 30. So of course, I jumped on the band wagon and aimed for it too, but before 25 years old. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Thanks Linh!

There are multiple outlets in which you can run a marathon, but I chose to run with a charity and support Autism Speaks. With it comes perks. You meet people in the same running journey, maybe even in your same pace. You feel more motivated to run for the cause rather than for yourself. I joined the facebook group and it has been a life savor because if you know me at all, I like to ask a bagillion questions to be well prepared. 

A side note though: you have to fundraise a certain amount for whichever charity you choose to run for. Because I signed myself up nearly a year in advance, I started to focus on fundraising before my training. I like to give my all to one aspect before the next goal. I want to educate myself as much as possible and really dedicate the time it deserves. 

“It’s been a wild ride and all worth it!” said no one ever.

The start of training

We were sent an email each week for what training that week should look like. It looked something like: 

• Monday: REST
• Tuesday: # miles
• Wednesday: # miles
• Thursday: # miles
• Friday: REST
• Saturday: long run
• Sunday: cross training

Disclaimer: I’m not going to give you a run down of every day because you probably won’t read it. So I’ll just write about the days that provided more impact on me. 

My FIRST DAY of training was June 8, 2020. Ask me if I ate any type of healthy food? Absolutely not. Just to give you an idea of what I ate: 

• Breakfast: oatmeal
• Lunch: lettuce, tomato, chicken, cheese, black beans with apricots as “dessert”
• Snack: carrots, brie cheese with that good orange-y sauce, a chocolate cookie, handful of white cheeto puffs, two m&m cookies
• Dinner: rice, meatballs, avocado, sweet plantain chips

But at least I drank water for half my body weight. Which is what you’re supposed to drink daily. 

The fact that I knew the next day I had to start my real training, gave me good riddance… if that makes sense?

DAY 2: June 9 @ 4:29PM

• Distance: 2.64 miles
• Time: 29.53 min
• Avg pace: 11’19”
• Weather: 91 degrees
• Location: Miami, FL

It was SO HOT! Major regrets. My biggest goal was to keep a solid pace but also not get into the red zone. I DID IT! It wasn’t easy because I felt like I was dying but it opened my eyes to the type of motivation I want to provide myself. 

I feel very intimated about Saturday’s 8 miles. Where am I going to run? I’m not going to do 3.5 laps around my neighborhood. I’m going to feel dizzy. Where’s the new scenery?!

At least I have some fun socks to keep me going.

DAY 3: June 10 @ 7:13PM

• Distance: 5.01 miles
• Time: 01:02:13 min
• Avg pace: 12’24”
• Weather: 86 degrees
• Location: Miami, FL

I KEPT IT YELLOW THE WHOLE TIME! It felt like I’ve really been practicing, even though the pandemic took two months of unmotivated running from me. It was ROUGH. But I truly feel accomplished that I was able to stay strong the whole way through.

I feel a little excited about Saturday’s run because it’s all a MENTAL thing. My mind plays tricks on me and I have to keep myself motivated the whole time. 

ALSO, I need a running playlist. ASAP.

DAY 7: June 13 @ 6:13AM

• Distance: 8.01 miles
• Time: 1:36:18 min
• Avg pace: 12’01”
• Weather: 82 degrees
• Location: Miami, FL

Coming into this run, I felt SO intimidated. The last time I ran a long run was mid-Feb. But it’s all a mental thing, remember that! 

BUT I DID A RECORD FOR MYSELF!!

I ran with a friend I hadn’t seen IN YEARS! I think we were both nervous but didn’t really talk about it. It just felt natural, I guess? I’m also a huge advocate for running buddies- which is hard to find. Grateful for you, Ashley!

New scenery was also nice. We ran around the 4-mile golf course twice, completing my 8-mile run. She definitely helped keep a solid pace range, which I never thought I could do. I’m not going to lie, my left leg cramped for almost two miles but I stuck with it. Did you know that wearing thick socks for long runs help tremendously. It offers more support for your feet.

My biggest goal in both marathons? Do not walk. 

So a random little fact that also helps me- since I have long, thick hair, I have to use tight ponytails. Which in turn, I usually get headaches from wearing ponytails for too long because my hair weighs a lot. I bet you some relate. I know I’m not alone on this one! So I bought new ponytails to use on my runs. You can also run with braids, but my lil dumb excuse is that ponytails look better in pictures. In a sense, I’m still practicing with my day-of-run look!

Overall, thank you Ashley, for pushing me and my pace range. I iced my left calf when I got home. Had my mom massage my legs and really just relax all day. The pool helps with aerobics too!

I beat my 8-mile goal by like 15-20 minutes. Mission Accomplished!

DAY 27: July 4th

• Distance: 11.00 miles
• Time: 2:29:19 min
• Avg pace: 13’34”
• Weather: MUGGY degrees
• Location: Miami, FL

I have to run 11 miles and have been less motivated to do anything. I’m running on 3 hours on/off sleep and I sike myself out. Which brings in how much I haven’t eaten properly. Sounds like excuses right?

Oh and I would be running by myself. 

I also signed myself up for the 5k for Autism Speaks today. I definitely went a little above and beyond for it, if you know what I mean! Gatorade should sponsor me from all the bottles I drank.

Update: I ran it in the PM! I’m so proud of myself and how I turned my mood upside down. 

And I came up with a running playlist. It’s still a work in progress, but check me out!!

DAY 36: Monday, July 13, 2020 at 2:35PM

We were informed that the Chicago Marathon is going to be cancelled. I’m still waiting on more news and statements from Autism Speaks. I have too many questions, but I’ll remain patient.

I’m still aiming to run the half marathon this Saturday, July 18th. It would have been a double whammy with my marathon training, so I don’t want the run to go to waste.

DAY 41: July 18th

You don’t understand how long I’ve been waiting to finally run my half marathon. It was originally supposed to be in April, but covid-19 got a little more intense than we expected. I was a little intimidated as the date got closer but I knew I really wanted to run this.

It started pouring the night before since 10pm and pouring rain all weekend.

My condition

On Sunday, July 19th, I went to the Emergency Room. Now I definitely couldn’t run the half marathon, because my health comes first. If you’re interested in that story, I spoke a little about it. But if you’re interested in the whole story, feel free to reach out.

Covid-19 hasn’t made this journey easier but I definitely do not regret signing up for the marathons. My 25 goals before 25 years old may be a little ruined, but I’m still looking forward to everything else that lies ahead.

Who’s with me?!

The post Training Before the Chicago Marathon; but first, Covid-19 appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.