This past Saturday at a big loft in the West Loop, Jenn and I hosted a party.

A Nintendo DS party called Girlfriend’s Guide to Gaming. We invited a bunch of Chicago ladies (and an our of towner!) to game it up. We had yummy food, stocked bar, dessert, video games and great company.

Our lovely guests played Brain Age 2, Crosswords, Guitar Hero, and Mario Kart, collecting charms for our pretty, shiny, Nintendo bracelets at each game station. Guitar Hero seemed to be a huge favorite.

I spent most of my time mingling and talking rather than gaming but trust me, I’m killer at Mario Kart. (such an unflattering photo, I hate pictures!)

At the end of the night if you got all four of your charms, you got to take home a brand new DS and a copy of Brain Age 2.

Sweet deal, isn’t it?

Moral of the story: when Nintendo and Brand About Town email you asking if you want to be a Brand Enthusiast, always say yes.

More photos can be found here on Flickr.

When I joined 20SB on ning, I think it was in October or November of last year. It was quite small compared to what it is now! I was new to blogging and was welcome by this great little community of bloggers, I still remember the first blogs I read from there.

Now it’s close to 3,000 members!

3,000 bloggers just like me.

People who’ve been there, done that and took the time to share their story with me. People who send a ‘hello friend!’ email when it seems like I’ve had a rough day or just to see what’s new. People who’ve made me feel like I’m not so alone. People who have made me laugh day in and day out with their posts and comments. People who I felt sad along with when something bad happened. People who I otherwise wouldn’t have met and be best friends with. People who I traveled to San Francisco to go meet. People who want to hang out when they come to Chicago. People who are some of the best writers I’ve ever read.

People that are now friends.

Yesterday I found out I was featured blogger. I couldn’t hold back my excitement. I’m really happy I found the 20SB community and that’s it’s become what it is today.

Thank you. It means a lot that you take the time out to read my blog. I may just be another blog on your reader or you might stop by occasionally…whatever it maybe, I appreciate it.

You guys rock.

Man, I’ve really been slacking on these award things. Numerous people have given me some in the last few months and I suck at remembering to pass them on. I apologize, I get easily distracted by pretty, shiny things! It’s true, you should have seen me in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s last weekend.

Time to stop slackin’ and pass some of these lovely awards on!

My west coast BFF gave me this Kick Ass Blogger award because duh, she is kick ass as am I. I’m hopping on a plane to LA one of these days, Katelin. We can watch our shows and be on celeb lookout!

I’m giving this to:

Meghan @ Blog Voyeur Turned Blog Whore because I hope she starts blogging again soon!

Hope @ Hope Dies Last

Jessica Maria @ Tried to Live Forever Every Day of the Year

Stealthnerd @ Strict Shenaniganist

Alexa @ Cleveland is a Plum

My favorite Boston gal, Julie Q, gave me the I Heart Your Blog award. As did the ever so lovely Girl Jordyn, my soon to be cupcake date, Erin (seriously, let’s set a date!) and the fabulous Just Lizabelle.

I’m only picking ten because linking 20 blogs would just be crazy!

Jess @ Jess Writes

Bobbie @ Blonde Ambitious

Kyla @ Kyla Bea

Danni @ Oh Hello Friend

Michelle @ Michelle Woo

Ashley D @ Turquoise Ribbons

Matt @ Mr 5280

Ashley Marie @ Our Little Apartment

Meg Kathleen @ Golightly

Marie @ Marie’s Blog Cafe

But seriously, all the bloggers on my blogroll and links page are super great and you should check them out. One of these days, I will update the links page and add my new found friends to it so don’t be upset and complain if you aren’t on it at the moment. I know that’s been happening a bit lately around the blogosphere and well, no one likes a bratty blogger!

So thank you ladies for the awards and pass them on!

I promise I will be back to regularly scheduled posting once this entry is done. I’ve been shoving new blogs at you left and right, asking you all to go take a look so you probably hate my by now.

But seriously, adorable shopping blogs with free stuff?! Blogs about making zombies and human hearts made of Starbursts?! How can you resist that kind of awesomeness?

You can’t.

(Hopefully you don’t remove me from your reader with all this shameless self (and sisterly) promotion.)

Anyway, next order of business: a 20 Something Blogger Meet Up. It will be open to others outside of the 20SB community but it’s just getting planned on the 20SB forums so don’t feel left out okay?

Jenn and I are trying to do this. So head on over to her blog and vote for the lucky city that will hold the first 20SB meet up!

Go vote!

Lastly, please go say congrats to Chris and Ari over at Surviving Myself who just got engaged!

Saturday night was the Macy’s party. It was good in theory, I mean, you’re in Macy’s (still not Marshall Field’s though!) and they gave you coupons! They also stuck you in the handbag section with plenty of champagne. It kind of hurt seeing champagne flutes next to Marc Jacobs bags, bags that could be ruined by champagne and never have the chance to be in my possession!

But yeah, load em up with alcohol, make them spend all of their money but not before they spill red wine all over your furniture department. Oh and give them a hot chocolate shot, which actually when you think about it, sounds amazing but when you taste it – YOU WANT TO DIE.  We did not know it was chocolate liquor and pepper vodka. Seriously, pepper vodka?  WHO THINKS THAT WOULD BE GOOD?! I can’t think of any way that would taste good in any drink unless you like torturing yourself.

Then they cut us off.

Yes, that part was not cool because I put down my wine to go the bathroom that makes you want to break out in song, as Leah said.

This was the crazy mirrored and marble bathroom and yeah, we took pictures inside the bathroom so shut your face!

While in the bathroom, we ran into Amalah. Literally – she ran in screaming.  Then I barely let her finish washing her hands before I ran up to introduce myself. Amy is awesome and didn’t mind, I think she was just happy to find a bathroom.

Macy’s then kicked us out but I don’t care because I had an effin’ cheeseburger party to go to. Y who is my favorite blogger in the world, commented on my blog a few weeks ago and told me I had better introduce myself so I could come. I really took this as “introduce yourself and I’ll be your best friend forever” because seriously, Yvonne is ridiculously awesome and I would have followed her around like a puppy. I may or may not have tried to, which is how I got this picture: (more…)

Do I seriously leave for California in two days? Seriously?

I feel like BlogHer came up out of nowhere. I really can’t believe this weekend I will be hanging out, learning new things and partying it up with some of the most fantastic bloggers I know!

My suitcase is not even close to being packed. My blog cards are still at the printer (ready, just not picked up). I have no idea what to wear. I have emails to send out. Cell numbers to get. Reservations to confirm, well I have them already but I just need to make sure and ask a few questions. I’m paranoid like that! New design to debut tomorrow. Before you start saying, “OMG this is your millionth new design”, shut your face. Those ads over to the right keep my blogging looking pretty and hosted, so there!

Point is, I have much to do. So much to do.

My MacBook is back. It was with the Geniuses for awhile since the plastic was cracking around the top and the hand rest but AppleCare covered it so that’s awesome! Point is: get AppleCare if you don’t have it yet. My replacement Blackberry is in my possesion. I need to call Tmobile and see why my data package isn’t working but I do have it. iPhone hopefully next week as a wrench was kind of thrown in my plans but I’ll work it out.

Okay, now I have to make you all a little bit jealous now. Guess who I’m having dinner with Thursday once we get all settled in our respective hotels and such.

Go on, guess. I’ll wait.

Give up?

Katelin!

I’m super excited to meet her because I’m pretty sure she was one of my first bloggy friends.

These ladies will be there all weekend too and I could NOT be more psyched to meet them.

Katie
Sizzle
Vanessa
Janet
Slynnro
Kristy
Kerri Anne
Y (omg she invited me to a cheeseburger party?!)

And so many more that I know I’m forgetting off the top of my head.

You just know some crazy shit is going to happen when you put that many woman in San Francisco with alcohol and internet access.

I may or may not be promising a video blog sometime during that.

I also may or may not be intoxicated while video blogging.

Stay tuned.

The past few days I have been thinking about this blog. I’m not so anonymous anymore, people I know in real life could find me and read all my thoughts, problems and of course, my extensive Tyra .gif collection. I really don’t tell many people I know about this blog, I think boyfriend sister and a friend Mark are the only ones who know about it. For all I know, people who know me may have already stumbled upon this blog but have just kept their mouth shut. I think I would l like to keep it that way too. So hey, if you know me in real life, shut up, I don’t want to know you read this! I write about some things with much more candor than I talk about in real life. If someone were to tell me they found it, I think I would censor myself more and I don’t want to do that.

I don’t really discuss sex and my relationship too much. I don’t real discuss the extent of my body image issues. I don’t really discuss working as a nanny, mainly for privacy reasons on that one though. I try not to discuss baby poop or womanly issues because I really doubt anyone would like to read that. I could though and some day I might discuss any of those…well not poop. Sorry poop lovers. For now though, I just don’t.

Anonymous bloggers don’t have this issue. No one knows who they are so they can blog whatever they feel like. I chose to show my blog to certain people in my life and put my face out there, so I guess I can’t really complain. I’m not complaining though at all. Just thinking out loud…er…on blog?

So yes, the age old question that everyone touches on at least once: To blog or not to blog?

Is anything off limits? Do you wish you were anonymous? Or anonymous, do you wish you could come out of the blogging closet?

Since our first hang out was a smashing success, Jenn and I have been trying to hanging out again for like the past three weeks. The thing is, I fail at life and manage to get sick all the time or something, so Minnie’s has been on the back burner for awhile. Finally, this past Saturday, we finally got to go. Angela tagged along too, so I invited my friend, Monica.

Mini food, mini drinks, not so mini desserts – it was a fun night. The cuteness had to be documented, so pictures?

my fabulous partner in crime, Jenn, with her mini martini

me, cheesin’ obviously. check out my cute mini food!

the lovely Monica

last, but most definitely not least, Angela enjoying her ridiculously good banana ice cream

It is decidedly obvious that mini stuff is always better. Plus, you have room for dessert!

Day 2 of my birthday was pretty fantastic, minus some upsetting home news, but I’m not going to take about that now. Lunch at TGI Fridays, 21 which makes me want to go back to Las Vegas NOW, and then out! We went to my favorite spot and I took some of your drink suggestions. I was a wee bit tipsy by the end of the night, just a little. I was, in fact, sending silly messages through Blackberry Messenger. Not drunk texting – tipsy texting! I just coined a new phrase. Tipsy Texting copyright Oh! How Lovely! Anyway, it’s awesome when you know the people who run the bar and they cut your tab down to $30, when you had around 8 people drinking for a few hours.

Yesterday, I got an email from BlogHer telling me I was chosen as one of their volunteers for BlogHer 08. This is awesome because it saves me money on the conference, food and getting drunk at the cocktail parties. Yeah, I’m totally don’t get drunk, but I could if I wanted to! Expect some Tipsy Texting! I’ll be working the registration desk for a few hours one of the days which is fabulous, because I will get to register and meet all kinds of amazing bloggers. Jenn also got chosen as a volunteer and she will be live blogging some sessions at BlogHer! Our San Francisco trip is in full swing. Hotels are booked, Flights are booked. We have gigs. We are so set.

Now for some linkage:

Jenn from Free and Flawed has a new geek news ONLY blog now. I urge you to go check it out. Must Love Geek. It is currently under construction while it is getting a face lift from my favorite designer, Jess of Delicious Design Studio. Jess made my design as well as oh…75% of the the blogs on my reader! Go check her out too, while you’re making the rounds.

And of course, Mr. 20 Something Blogger of the Week himself, Ben from No Ordinary Rollercoaster. There is no denying how much I adore Ben and Calvin. Sorry Newf, I might steal them and bring them to Chicago to be my BFFs!

Finally, Happy Birthday to the lovely, Kiraa of Ex Everything!

Bookmark. Google reader. Blog roll.

Do what you do!

It’s all about Cupcake Crawls. Seriously. That is what a bunch of us Chicago bloggy people will be doing April 12th. Well, a bunch, if you all decide to come. If not, more cupcakes for Jenn and I!

Five places of yummy cupcakey goodness with some fabulous company. What more can you ask for?

You in?

Anyway, check out Jenn’s blog for more details!