5 Friday Favorites: June 27, 2025

It's time for my Friday link up with A Little Bit of Everything and Momfessionals. 

On Fridays I share things that made me happy from the week - a photo, a song, a quote, a beauty product, a recipe, a pair of cute shoes, etc. If it's a product, sometimes it's something I actually own and sometimes something I just saw online that gave me a smile. Sometimes it's serious and sometimes it's silly. I suppose I believe that God is in the simple details of life and yes, I can even find Him in a tube of lipstick.

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Ok, enough of the awkward self-promotion. For now.

This week's favorites is the Chicago Edition. Steve, Drew and I flew to Chicago on Thursday early in the morning and met up with our friends, Andy and Regena, and some of their family members to tour the city, eat at all the fabulous restaurants, and drink all the fun drinks. Joe met up with four of his college buddies to do the same, so we hung out with them some as well.

Oh, and also, we went to watch Andy and Regena's son, Ben, who I have known since he was 7 years old and who plays for the Seattle Mariners, play at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. Amazing seats in the family section. Got to go out on the field after the game. Sammy Sosa was on the field, too. No big deal.

Oh, have I mentioned this little bit of trivia about Ben before? Did I write paragraphs and paragraphs about his MLB debut back in April? 

Anyway, we had the best time and even though it was 752 degrees, I had chills every time I looked out at the field and saw our buddy out there. I'm not sure I'll ever get over it.

Here are this week's favorites.

1. Kedzie Roundtrip Convertible Crossbody Bag

My sister gave me this crossbody bag for my birthday and it was perfect to carry around Chicago all weekend. It even passed the test for Wrigley Field's bag policy. It held so much more than I expected it would. It was super easy to keep clean and that's saying something since I put it under my seat at Wrigley and it still looks great. I have the polar gray color which is a great neutral, but it comes in some other colors as well. 

2. Automet Romper

Ok. Listen. My mother would be horrified if she saw me wearing this. She would tell me that it looks like a pair of pajamas that a two-year-old would wear and I would not be able to argue with her. All I know is that when we were in Chicago it was 97 degrees and this week in Virginia, I thought I was going to burst into flames every time I opened the front door. This romper is the Amazon version of the Free People one that probably should not be worn by anyone over the age of 25 but hear me when I say: I DO NOT CARE. In this kind of heat, I need to wear clothes that make me feel like I'm not wearing clothes. I already have one in burnt orange because HOOK ‘EM HORNS and now I have one in dark blue because GO MARINERS. It was so comfortable, and I walked all over the city of Chicago wearing it (whilst not caring).

3. 47 Brand MLB Hat

I really have trouble finding baseball hats that fit me and don't make me look like I'm wearing a giant bucket on my  head. The 47 brand of hats is my favorite because the cotton fabric is flexible and cool. Usually "one size fits all" is a big fat lie when it comes to baseball caps, but this one adjusted easily. All the teams are available, but the best one is the Mariners hat, obvs.

4. On Cloud Cloudrunner 2 Running Shoes

I've been a fan of Hoka running shoes for the past few years, but I decided to try the On Cloud shoes because I kept hearing great things about them. I wore the Cloudrunner 2 shoes all over Chicago and they are so comfortable. They are pricey, but not anymore than most good running shoes and my old feet can't afford to bargain hunt these days. I love the white/horizon color, but there are lots of other color options.

5. A Trip to Chicago

I've never been to Chicago and really had no idea what to expect, but this is what I found out: It is a delightful, beautiful city full of kind, friendly people. Also, they aren't lying about the windy thing.

The food was amazing. The river walk was beautiful - the river itself, clear and green and gorgeous. Wrigley Field is everything a baseball fan hopes it will be. I don't think there is a bad seat in the place. The ushers at the game were so generous and kind even though we were decked out in Mariners gear. The Cranberry Lime Margarita in a plastic baseball cup was the drink of my life.  The Uber drivers seemed to really enjoy laying on the horn (yikes), but we got everywhere safely. 

On Thursday we got our nerd on and took an Architecture River Boat Tour. 

The best place we ate was Mercadito where we not only had great tacos and margaritas, but also three kinds of guacamole including mango and pineapple. Well done, Chicago. This Texas girl tips her hat to you. 

We also played some Bocce ball and ate some crazy good Italian food sitting outside right on the river at Pinstripes. We hit Sluggers and Smoke Daddy's in Wrigleyville, Island Party Hut on the River and of course, had some hot dogs and the aforementioned Cranberry Lime margarita at Wrigley. 

Watching Ben out on the field was emotional, surreal and a gift none of us will ever forget. We were so blessed to be there, and Ben was so kind to get us such great seats and then on to the field after the game. I thought all of our faces would break from the smiling. 

After his first MLB game a reporter asked Ben about his nerves and he replied that he just kept reminding himself that this was the same game he has always played. And what I thought as I spent time with him and watched him play is that what is also true is that Ben is the same boy his family and friends have always known. Kind, respectful, faithful, disciplined and humble . . . with just a little more facial hair. 

I also thought of all of the kiddos who grew up with mine and are now out in the world, each honoring the gifts God has given them with their lives and their work. It made me remember this verse from Colossians 3:23:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

It is such a gift to witness our children do this very thing.

Y'all have the best weekend and again please sign up for my email list below and click the Instagram icon in the above right corner to help a gal out. Thank you!!!

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