To stay on the Chicago theme just a little longer…

These pix are our table and my plate last week at the always de-lish and totally slam-packed famous Giordano’s. Admittedly, it’s tourist haven (I try to avoid  tourist only crowds in my travels) and yes it is hard to get locals (like one friend of mine I was with) to go there. Yes, you have to fight the crowds at almost midnight on a Thursday night when there’s still an hour wait, but it is so worth it. If you are a pizza lover and have never had Chicago-style? Run- don’t walk when you have the chance, to one of these spots if you want to feel fat and happy. This pizza was so good it was smack-yo-mamma twice good and I would’ve waited 3 hours for it. I don’t think I need to say much more. The pix tell you all you need to know with all those layers of goodness.

I’d like to think that at some point I am going to stop eating so much or that I’ll shut up about food but I am starting to think that might never happen. 

Rachel Ray’s tasty travels? Ha! How about mine!

I Can’t believe it’s been 15 years today since we were belting out the tunes on the radio and mooning those cars after soccer practice. Thanks for continuing to inspire me to find all the adventure and joy life has to offer. I know it would make you smile to know I still find plenty of ways to laugh too loud and act like a fool like we always did together. Oh the fun times. Hope I’m making you proud.

A friend from our group has recently started a company and is in the process of printing some tees for it. (Researching companies who are easy to work with, pricing, fabrics, etc.) When this friend and I started chatting up Mr. Tim, he was more than happy to share some industry secrets and info. What a great guy and good way to get people like me to buy stuff from him and write about his company. Check it out the website when you have a minute. Next time you’re in the market for a new shirt to add to your collection, consider buying from a company and someone like Tim. 

“You and I have had a lot in common this year…” and “That is what I love about you, you are so GD real, so don’t go changing.” 

I know I’ve written before that sometimes during regular days when I am running the rat race to do all the life “stuff”/make ends meet/work-whatever- I get frustrated and wonder why the heck I’ve spent countless hours here and what it will ever amount to. The above part of this email I just got is so much of the reason why I spend those countless hours on Blue Lollipop Road. It has been therapeutic for me to have a place such as this to babble my thoughts, hopes, dreams, heartaches and adventures. I am no different than anyone else, I am just choosing to try and be brave to put it all out there. 

The kind of feedback I’ve gotten from the most random of people thanking me and telling me they relate has been incredible. My countless hours here are worth it a million times over because I’m constantly reminded we all go through the same crap in life and there are people like me everywhere. I love that words about my ordinary life can be relatable and make someone feel human and normal. I love what happens when you take a deep breath, break it all down and get real. I’m just trying to be brave and put it all out there now after a lot of years of being a total chicken. Its not easy to write what I do sometimes. When I have days and feedback like this, it’s worth every ounce of fighting through my insecurity to continue to air my “dirty laundry” and give people something to relate to.

I will close with a quote this nice gent put in his email to me just now:

Thanks for finally reading S.L. I will keep writing for sure and promise to always keep it real.