Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

i may or may not have been staring at this screen for the past 90 minutes. creative thoughts have found a secret place somewhere deep, deep inside my brain. they are all huddling together, giggling that they have escaped me today. maybe they're all dressed up in halloween costumes, having punch & apple cider. 

sigh...

D & i make our home in a little Chicago neighborhood called lincoln park. we are just a few blocks south of DePaul University. our neighbors are mostly young professionals or young college students. however, all kinds of adorable kiddos came out to celebrate Halloween today. we saw scooby doo, a lone flip flop, oompa loompas, 4 brett favres and the cutest little chicken you've ever seen. (i also saw Michael Shannon walk by us on the sidewalk!!) we also stumbled across a Halloween party for dogs. ADORABLE! here's a few pics of the sweet pups we saw: 

here's a random tidbit that happened in our life today. i ran across a can of this sponge pudding today in the international food section. what in the world?!?

i stumbled upon this pudding in our search for tahini paste this afternoon. you see, D & i are starting a 'cleanse' tomorrow. november 1 marks our first day of the 'elimination' phase, meaning we start to eliminate those products in our diet that aren't considered 'clean.' this will include sugar, alcohol and caffeine. we'll also be cutting out processed foods & chocolate & cereal & milk. (as a side, i would like to apologize to D now for the major pain in the ass i will become in the next few days. sugar, caffeine & chocolate withdrawal simultaneously will not make me a happy girl!!)

so today, to prepare, we've had hot dogs (veggie for me), french fries, a caramel apple, a frappucino, grilled cheeses & beer. yes, we are going out with a bang. here is what our refrigerator looks like after our shopping trip today: (minus the beer we've consumed since 6p.)

greens, greens, greens & more greens!!  

i am genuinely craving this change. my body & mind & soul need a reset, a refresh. we've been busy busy & going going for so long that our bodies have taken the brunt of our lifestyles. i feel like i need to get back to center, to find balance. i have been setting expectations for my body without giving it the fuel or tools to achieve. so for the next 3 weeks (minus a day or two here & there), we will be seriously changing our eating & drinking habits. i'm sure you'll be hearing more about this in the weeks to come...

happy halloween, lovelies! 

j