The First of November

It's been so long since I posted anything here. Simply speaking, I needed a break. I was starting to take blogging way too seriously, and it was beginning to mess with my head. In addition, my life picked up quite a bit and I found it pretty much impossible to keep up with the blogging world.

So now, the second time around, I'm going to truly do this for me. Not try to make it into a business, or go crazy with SEO and page views, and all the convoluted goals that come with trying to keep up with the Joneses (and there are a lot of them out there). I originally started this as a creative outlet during a stressful time in life. Today, my life is so vastly different from what it was then. Without getting too personal, my life has gone through many battles in the past year; some things my family and friends aren't even aware of. This past summer was a particularly difficult time for Luis and I, and I am more than happy to say that the storm has past. For the first time in several years, I feel truly at peace and extremely thankful and blessed. For whatever reason, things seem to be falling perfectly into place in both my life and my husband's life (and subsequently, our lives together) and it has been amazing to see. Anyway, now I feel like I am in a place where I want to blog again. I had lost my joy in it and, well, I do believe it's back.

Here are a few snapshots of my life lately:

 

Having tea with some of my co-workers! 

 

Only my best friend, Kelsey, knows how much I love the "Amelia's Notebook" children's book series. 

I made some Thai-inspired lettuce wraps with almond sauce today. Uh, I WILL be sharing the recipe. They were incredible and perfect for days when you don't feel like cooking but want something nutritious. 

Happy first day of November!

Birthday Tea at Infinitea

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday! My mother-in-law took me to one of our favorite spots: Infinitea. It's a gourmet food and tea restaurant in Antioch, Illinois. They serve everything from gluten-free cakes to the most amazing teas and everything in between. 

We got their "Royal Treatment" tea sampler which featured four courses of tea and tea-foods. The first course included a rooibos tea called Sweet Sin. It was perfect! The tea was accompanied with gluten free Orange Currant scones, clotted cream and jams. The second course included a green tea called Cranberry Rose green. As you can see, there were baby rosebuds in the tea leaves! It was served with a cup of garden vegetable soup. 

The third course was my favorite! They served an oolong formosa tea (which apparently is the "champagne of teas") with tea sandwiches. The gluten-free bread they served was incredible! It's a brand called Goodbye Gluten. Luckily, they sell it at a grocery store in Vernon Hills. My favorite sandwich was the cucumber dill spread. 

 The fourth course was the dessert course. I wasn't expecting to be given any cake or bread-based desserts, but we were pleasantly surprised when they plopped down a beautiful piece of raspberry vanilla cake!

My mom-in-law gave me a book that I've been craving for a very long time. I am so excited to get my hands dirty in soft almond flour and pop out some beautiful macarons. Haha. I am so nerdy. 

So, we left filled to the brim with wonderful flavors and great tea. We bought a few of the flavors that we sampled and I'm currently drinking a rooibos called Old Love. If you are ever in the area, stop by Infinitea! I promise you will leave very satisfied!