Halloween... #Gangnam Style

I love a little Halloween fun... so this year I dressed as Korean rap YouTube sensation Psy!  Gangnam Style...

And I voted, too!

Liebster Blog Award @carolinesday

My friend Caroline nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award!  While I don't have 11 other blogs to nominate, I wanted to go ahead and post some facts and answer Caroline's questions.

11 Facts About Aubrey
1.  I was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, home of Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash.
2.  I have lived on three different continents... North America, Asia, and Europe.
3.  I am half Korean.
4.  Taylor Swift and Katy Perry are pretty much my favorite singers.
5.  I have a shopping problem, but mostly surrounding deals at Forever 21 and Target.
6.  I could eat at Moe's/Chipotle or Panera every single day.  And sometimes I eat there a few days in a row.
7.  I spent 5 years Active Duty in the Army, and went to a military college!
8.  I secretly enjoy reading Young Adult fantasy... with a skew toward paranormal romance like Hunger Games, Twilight, etc.
9.  I want to wear costumes.  I am this.close to becoming a cosplay person because I just want to dress like Lady Mary from Downton Abbey or Joan from Mad Men, every day.
10.  I am terrible at riding bikes.  And bowling.
11.  I don't like fireworks.  They are loud, and boring after a few minutes.

Caroline's 11 Questions

1. Who is your celebrity fashion icon?  Kate Middleton, hands down.  I love sleeves, knee-length dresses, and practical wedges and boots.
2.  If you could only eat one specific meal for the next 5 years, what would it be?  Since it's a "meal", I am assuming courses.
3.  Leggings: Still in or back out??  Still in.  I mostly rock these to airports with boots, but I also wear leggings to make shorter summer dresses transition to fall and stay appropriate for work.
4.  Where did you grow up, and what is your favorite thing about your hometown?  Bloomington, Indiana... I love the quirky people.  It's a young and diverse town due to the university influence, and the culture (food, arts, and more) is unparalleled for a Midwestern town.
5.  What is the top item on your Christmas/Hanukkah wish list?  New sheets for my bed, with a high thread count!  I really have everything I want/need, so I have started to ask for very practical holiday/birthday gifts... for one birthday I got an awesome Rowenta stainless steel iron!
6.  Favorite classic read?  Pride & Prejudice.  It is cliche, but I legitimately love it and am not a poser.  I re-read it all the time and it still makes me giddy.
7.  Favorite trashy mag?  People.  It is the most respectable of the trashy mags, and I trust it more for accuracy than I would In Touch or Star.
8.  What random food does your family eat during the holidays that isn't "traditional" holiday fare?  Hmm... my aunt makes a fantastic Red Velvet Cake that we pretty much have at every celebration year-round.  It's not a traditional dessert in the seasons of pumpkin pie and whatnot, but it's my favorite and very festive where it's July or December.
9.  Why did you start blogging and blogging advice?  I've been blogging on and off since high school, in various incarnations.  I love to write almost as much as I love to talk, and this allows me to virtually shout my opinions at the world.  My advice to bloggers is just to be honest.  And if you want to be a financially successful blogger with sponsors and a large following, FOCUS and provide quality content.  You need to fit into a subject niche, and you need beautiful photos and a simple blog layout.  Unless you're like me, and you just don't care about getting a book deal and whatnot... then keep shouting at the world. :)
10.  What is your least favorite Halloween candy?  Twizzlers.  I can't stand licorice at all.
11.  Strangest nickname given to you by someone?  This one was tough... I guess I'd have to say "Frau".  In middle school, my basketball nickname was "Flash" because I was very quick down the court, and my friends' nicknames were "Skittles" and "Mayo".  We evolved them into Fraulein Flash, Senorita Skittles, and Mademoiselle Mayo, and for a while they shortened my name to "Frau".

Eating #Chicago

Yum... I'll regret that later.

Apparently, I don't buy groceries anymore, because I'm always on-the-go!  Work took me to Chicago twice in two weeks, but I wasn't complaining.  I mean, I got to shop at Zara and H&M!  But being the foodie I am, my inner fat kid was in paradise in Chi-town.

For one of the trips, I stayed at the swank W Lakeshore, which was conveniently located to our work functions at Navy Pier.  We definitely had some great wine and cocktails at the hotel bar, and I treated myself to a dessert martini that was the perfect nightcap.  Two other great drink/appetizer spots we hit were The Hubbard Inn (super loud but great for people-watching and match-making with the upwardly mobile) and at the top of the Hancock building at Signature Room at the 95th.  (I drank a Skyscraper; it seemed appropriate.)

View from the Signature Room

I ate a couple of times at Navy Pier, including Harry Caray's Tavern (American pub food) and America's Dog.  The hot dog I had included bacon and macaroni & cheese.  Doesn't that just scream AMERICA!  (And obesity... which is the same thing, right?)

I had fantastic steak dinners on both trips.  We had a feast at Chicago landmark Tavern on Rush, and I loved the dessert at Nick's Fishmarket.  Both had delicious filet mignon, which I ate at the perfect medium pink.  Nick's also served me a creme brulee trio... totally after my francophile heart.

But perhaps one of the best dinners we had was a private tour we scheduled... a Chicago Dine-Around progressive dinner!  We boarded our bus (with engaging tourguide) and explored Chicago at night, plus some fun trivia.  We had Mediterranean appetizers at Reza's, chicken parmigiana and penne pomodoro at Scoozi, and Asian fusion desserts (mochi!) at Ai.  Everyone had a blast, and switching restaurants encouraged people to sit by different folks each time, so we got to know each other a little bit better as we interacted.

Mediterranean at Reza's

Dessert at Ai... mochi!