Monday: Question of the Week

This afternoon my parents and I arrived home from an awesome weekend spent in Northern Wisconsin (Phelps/Eagle River area) with my amazing Auntie Kim and Uncle Dave and their future daughter-in-law, Natale. Though it was a busy weekend (spent doing an estate sale at my grandparent's home in Conover), it was also a lot of fun. I am truly blessed with some amazingly kind and genuine relatives whom I don't see often enough, but I digress.

Lo and behold, none of this chatter has anything to do with my lovely hometown of Rockford, the focus of this here blog. So... the question of the week bring's my focus back down from the Northwoods to good ol' Illinois:

What is the best concert/show you have ever seen in the Rockford area?


I am super excited for the summer season and am hoping to hear as much live music as possible this summer... so if you know about any upcoming shows, please do share.

Hope your Memorial Weekend was peaceful, meaningful and that you were able to spend time with those you love and remember those who have served us and those whom we have lost.

Tuesday: Discovery of the Week: Magnolia Festival

This past weekend was great. My amazing friend Lindsay visited me for the weekend before she leaves on her 5-week trip to Africa to volunteer at an orphanage. GO LINDS!!! Our weekend was jam-packed with fun activities. And one of those activities, I am proud to announce, will be my very first "Rockford Discovery."



This week's discovery was: Magnolia Festival. Magnolia Festival, which took place in the North End Commons neighborhood in Rockford, was sponsored by local restaurants and had food, music, and fun stuff for kids. Though it took place on Saturday & Sunday, we went Sunday in order to hear Starlite Radio play.



Their show was great (with particular help from a certain dancing man).



I probably hadn't heard Starlite live since I was in high school, and it was great to hear some songs off their most recent album (22 Blackbirds) as well as some newer stuff they've been working on and older songs as well.


Sadly, it was a bit cold for Linds and me, so we headed out before partaking in any of the yummy-looking/smelling foods offered at the festival. All in all, Magnolia Festival was pretty small, but people seemed to be enjoying themselves (despite the unseasonably cool weather). Well, that is all for today.

Monday: Question of the Week

Today is my big ol' birthday, so fittingly, today's question shall be: What is your favorite birthday tradition?


Is there a favorite restaurant where you love to go or something fun you do with friends or family? When my sisters and I were kids, we always got breakfast in bed on our birthdays and the whole family would pile into our rooms and sing us "Happy Birthday" as we blew out our candles which were stuck into our pancakes or biscuits. This morning my friend Lindsay and I went with my mom to Stockholm for breakfast (Swedish pancakes of course)! I suppose it was the adult version of breakfast in bed. So... what about you?

Wednesday: Mid-Week Inspiration

Sheesh... so my plan was to do a post yesterday about a little shop I have recently discovered in Rockford, but it was rainy and I was lazy and it just didn't happen. Boo hoo. Don't you worry though... I have something fun in store for next week's discovery. I may even drop a hint about what it will be...tomorrow. So check back!

For today, I have decided to do a new installment... a little mid-week inspiration. Wednesdays are a tough day and with the rain today it was particularly gloomy... but we are halfway through the week!

Here is some eye candy I thought might brighten your week.

Enjoy!


Gorgeous origami inspired table setting from designer Lo Bjurulf for IKEA Sweden.

Monday: Question of the Week

Hello out there. So, as I am sure many other first-time bloggers feel when they start a new blog, I am feeling foolishly ambitious. So here's the plan: in addition to a weekly "Rockford Discovery," I am also planning on doing some other fairly regular weekly installments.

Now that I have you all waiting with bated breath, I will reveal the first weekly installment of... drum roll please... The Question of the Week!
This will be a weekly question posted on most Mondays that goes out to all you folks. Please type your answers in the comments section.

This week's question is: "Where is your favorite place to go in Rockford?"


Okay.... go!

A New Journey in a Familiar Town

For those of you born and raised in Rockford, you undoubtedly grew up saying, "There's nothing to do in Rockford," and I can totally empathize because I said the same thing. While in high school, I dreamed of moving away, and I did as soon as I graduated. Nevertheless, since college (which was spent in both the Greater Boston area & Chicago Suburbs) I have returned to Rockford to live with my parents (aka: I am broke). Since returning a little over a year ago, I have begun to discover that this city, which I couldn't wait to leave, might not be so bad after all.

Today, I graduated from grad school and as my parents and I drove home from my graduation rather than feeling elated... I felt bored.

Soooo... though I may not stay in Rockford for the rest of my life, I want to make the best of it while I am here. I have created this blog with the intention of using my newly found free time to explore Rockford and share what I find with those of you who might be interested. I love to eat & drink, see live music, shop, explore, learn new things, enjoy art & design, read, spend time enjoying nature, meet new people, laugh, and experience new things. Throughout this journey, my hope is to share these experiences with you... and I hope you enjoy!

My mission? To prove the "high school" me wrong (and to get myself out of my bed on Saturdays when I might prefer to watch 8 episodes of LOST on my laptop).

**More specifically, my mission, from here on out, is to post weekly about somewhere or something I experience in the Greater Rockford, IL area. So, if you have any suggestions for me, I would truly appreciate it!**