Why I Oughta...

I wrote about how we attended Solemn Oath's "Oath Day Three" earlier this month here on the blog , but I had another 'encounter' with the brand this weekend when Nat and I went to the new Whole Foods out on Route 83.  Nat has been there a few times, but it was my first time.  (More on that later) While she was poking around the bakery section, I was drawn to the "Ales and Lagers" section of the beer cooler - as one is naturally - and spotted this sign for Solemn Oath Brewing Company above the cooler.  Have to give Whole Foods credit:  they're really into promoting hyperlocal offerings and they go above and beyond to call some vendors out.  One of those is the guys at Solemn Oath - where they note the brewery is a mere 20 miles away.  Pretty neat to see them get some promotion. If you haven't checked it out already, go back and read the post about Oath Day Three .

Over the weekend, I found myself in the little parking lot behind the businesses on York and Addison Streets in the Elmhurst City Centre.  What is (obviously) most striking about the space now is the towering garage that is being built right in the center of town. I posted about the beginnings of the deck going up in early May here .  There's been some discussion about the impact the garage is having on the 'skyline' but I for one, am just fine with it.  The long-term gain we'll get out of adding the much-needed parking in this huge deck will be a win for the Elmhurst City Centre and hopefully fuel some new additional commercial growth in our downtown.

For Father's Day this year, the girls gave me a few pairs of Bombas socks.  They have adopted the Tom's 'model' where for every pair purchased, they donate a pair of socks.  Turns out that socks are the #1 most requested item in homeless shelters. You can find out more or buy your own pair of Bombas here on their site . I asked for the calf-height version, but Nat veto'd that and gave me these ankle-height ones.  She, did, however, go with the right color:  orange. I've been wearing them for a few days and I do, indeed, think they're 'better' socks.  Just like getting a nice pair of Thorlos, these Bombas have some nice little advancements that make your life a little bit better.  From the blister tab on the back where your heel meets your leg to the honeycomb support on the arches, these socks feel pretty nice. We haven't put them through the wash yet, so I don't know how they'll do hold up, but so far, I'm impressed.

The Annabelle Hydrangea plant that I put in a few years back is really popping this summer.  It has a partially sunny spot on the north side of our backyard landscape beds.  It is sitting right up against the fence and has filled in the spot really nicely.  We have a few 'Incrediball" varieties close to this Annabelle that are doing well this year, too.  I lost one of them two summers ago, but the other two quickly filled in the space.  *Those* blooms, while not as many as this one, are much more spectacular.  They're currently running a little big behind but will catch up by mid-July, I'd think.

I was at one of the Middle Schools for a ballet recital for the Babe this month and when I was wondering around outside (walking the Bambino in his stroller), I came across this exterior walk-in refrigerator with this ICS or CIS seal on the door.  A quick search for both of those + refrigeration + Chicago turns up nothing, so either they've changed their name or I have something wrong.  (Which...totally is the likely case!) I was struck by the seal/logo.  So much so, that I had to document it here on the blog.  Felt like an artifact from a time not too long ago, but something that wouldn't be put on a new product today.  And that's too bad.  I'm no designer, but this evokes a timeless feel.   Something that has been around a long time and something that will stand the test-of-time. Anyone familiar with the logo?  What's the company behind it?

Back in May, I posted with glee about Reddit having a Disney gift exchange and charged right into the process by getting matched with a fellow Disney Redditor.  We dutifully filled out our preferences/answered the 3 Disney-related questions and awaited both being matched and who our 'match' was going to be. We ended up with a woman from the East Coast who loved all things Wendy Darling from Peter Pan.  Working with Nat and the girls, we packaged up and shipped a "Think of the happiest things" shirt from Etsy (Nat picked it out), a letter explaining things (from me!) and some pins and a MagicBandit from the girls collections that featured her favorite characters.  She posted the photos and description I screenshot above.   You can view it here in the gallery on the site . We haven't received our box yet, but based on the intel from the RedditGifts site, ours is on the way and has been verified as shipping.  I'll try to capture some video of the girls op

Back in April of this year, The Runner's Soul closed on York Street in the Elmhurst City Centre  and consolidated their operations to their LaGrange store.  Now, just two and a half months later, it looks like we're getting a new tenant in the spot called The Pilates Room. They bill the store as "The Best in Classical Pilates and Movement Apparel" on the sign, but a little snooping around on the web shows that this is a current Elmhurst pilates place that is relocating and rebranding. From the Lifestyle Pilates site : A new space & a new name with same great pilates instruction...   The Pilates Room - Elmhurst!   A full-service pilates studio located in Elmhurst, IL. The studio offers private, semi-private and always small group instruction for mat & apparatus-based pilates. Looks like they were on the 3rd floor in the bank building on Schiller/York before and now they're moving down to street level.  Great to see a local small business