© 2014 sarahfortune.

HELLO
Mom to Iris. Wife to Todd. Our little family lives at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We love it here and I love sharing little bits of our life.

© 2014 sarahfortune.
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Life

Check out my Mom!

My mom was recently featured in the local paper and the article captures her life, as well as her overall giving nature, pretty darn well. Obviously I have watched my mom live her one-of-a-kind life since I was born, so it is all I’ve ever known. But seeing it written out, condensed in print, makes me realize what an amazing life she has led – especially considering where she came from. Read more about her here. Congrats, mom. Not for the article, but for all that you do and all that you have accomplished. I’m so proud of you.

Life

Almost time…

We are getting sooooo close! Christmas is just around the corner and I am about as prepared as I was six months ago. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it sure seems that way currently. My to-do list is long and the days are short, but I’m soaking up the holiday cheer (and drinking it too) whenever I can. Looking at our tree makes me feel a lot better about the State of Christmas over at the Gill household. I mean, just look at that thing – that’s a lot of presents under there! Just like every other year, it appears I’ve gone a little overboard in the gift department for Iris. I guess that’s one of the perks of being an only child. The older Iris gets the more fun it gets to surprise her – I get going and just can’t stop. Iris hasn’t even really asked for anything in particular, but she definitely has a lot of items on her list (and the list keeps changing daily). Just what will Saint Nick bring? We’ll just have to wait and see…

Travel, Videos

Iris – The Honorary Duckmaster!

We just got back from one of my most favorite places in the world – my hometown Memphis, Tennessee. I’ll do a full recap blog post soon, but first I just had to share the video of Iris as the Honorary Duckmaster at The Peabody Hotel in Downtown Memphis. As a little girl, I grew up watching the ducks and their routine. I never would have believed you if you had told me I would get to watch my own little girl lead the ducks one day.

If you haven’t heard about this tradition, the Peabody ducks live in their very own duck-penthouse on the roof of the hotel. Everyday at 11 am they march down to the lobby fountain, taking a ride in the elevator and a walk down a fancy red carpet. And every day at 5 pm, they march back up to the roof for their dinner and a stellar view of downtown. On Friday night (at 5 pm sharp), Iris got to assist the REAL Duckmaster. Seriously – that’s his real job, and funny enough he’s friends with my dad from back in the day. She was so big and brave in front of the crowd, helping the ducks make their way back home. She even got to keep the Duckmaster cane, which is pretty legit. So, if you see Iris walking with a cane… You know why.

Travel

TRAVEL LOVE: Loews Chicago Hotel

You may have noticed that we’ve been traveling quite a bit this year. I haven’t tallied up just how many trips I’ve been on, but between work travel and family exploration, I’d be willing to bet that 2016 is my most adventurous year yet. Things haven’t slowed down now that it’s winter either. This past Thanksgiving weekend we road-tripped all the way to Chicago to simply explore the city.

The Loews Chicago Hotel hosted our stay and was the perfect home base to play tourist. We checked-in on Thanksgiving evening and were happy to see the lobby already decked out for the holidays. We made our way up to our room, where Iris was thrilled to find her very own tent and “campfire” set up to stay warm. As part of the Snowed Inn package, this also came with homemade cookies and hot chocolate delivered to our room for Iris and valet parking for me (in downtown Chicago that’s an amazing score).

We were in the Windy City for three nights and two full days, but the first morning was actually spent driving to Munster, Indiana. Yeah… You read that right – beautiful Munster! Turns out, it’s quite the destination for beer lovers and only about 45 minutes away from the hotel. Home of 3 Floyds Brewing, Todd stocked up on their famous Zombie Dust Pale Ale while we filled up on a surprisingly delicious meal at the restaurant side of the brewery.

After that random detour, we headed back over to the Loews where, thanks to the perfect-o location, we didn’t need to drive again during our stay. With our car safely tucked away in its valet spot, we walked nearly everywhere. We hoofed it to the Magnificent Mile for a little shopping, Navy Pier for a little Ferris Wheel riding, the Chicago Children’s Museum for a little exploring, the famous “Bean” for a little photo taking, and Maggie Daley Park for a little playing.

We also were able to walk to some incredible food and drinks around town: Pasta at Rosebud on Rush, Eataly for a nice little happy hour, and devoured Stan’s Donuts for breakfast. And it didn’t hurt that there was a Starbucks perfectly situated when we got of the hotel elevator every morning. On our last day we wanted to venture a little farther, so we took an Uber over to Willis Tower where we used our CityPasses and braved the SkyDeck. From there we Ubered even further over to the Wicker Park neighborhood where we ate pizza at Piece Pizza and got some treats from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Exploring made us exhausted each day, but coming “home” to the comfort of our hotel room was a treat all in itself. The beds were beyond comfy and the view was incredible. Looking out through the high-rises, we could see Lake Michigan and even the Ferris Wheel back at Navy Pier. We had quite the adventure in Chicago, but I would have been just as thrilled to have stayed in and relaxed all day. Maybe another trip is in order…

Sponsored

#GiveInstantJoy This Christmas

It’s beginning to look a lot(tery) like Christmas! This season I’m excited to partner with the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery and share some fun ways to give scratch-off tickets as gifts for the holidays! Lottery tickets are something I always love to receive, and giving them feels just as good. They add a whole other level of excitement to gift-giving because you never know what the ticket holds. If you are like me, you’re always scrambling to find a few last-minute gifts, so this year I’m sharing a few ways to give lottery tickets as gifts to some of your favorite folks.

Dirty Santa
This is my all-time favorite ways to give lottery tickets. The trick is to add hidden lottery tickets to a gag-gift that will undoubtably be passed on to the next person. Just be sure not to let the secret out until the game is done and then the unluckiest person might just be the luckiest of all!

Gift Tags
This is a super easy way to add a little extra fun to any gift. And look how handy-dandy The Perfect Gift tickets are – they already have spaces to write the names!

Surprise Joy
I’ve always appreciated and admired random acts of kindness, but often struggle with coming up with exactly what to do. But for this idea, just punch holes in the corner of the lottery tickets, use a pipe-cleaner or string to make a hoop, and then keep a few stashed in your purse. As you make your way around to various Christmas parties and your friends’ homes this December, sneak a couple up on their tree. Maybe they’ll find them before Christmas is over, or maybe it won’t be until its time to take down the decorations. Either way, this is a simple way to spread a little holiday cheer to those least expecting it.

Stocking Stuffers
Some people are impossible to shop for (ahem…. TODD). So this year I threw a few lottery tickets into his stocking and already feel better about things. I may have even tossed a few into my own stocking. :)

What makes giving lottery tickets even better? Knowing that they keep giving long after they are scratched. Net proceeds from the Office of the Arkansas Lottery are used to provide scholarships and grants to Arkansas residents enrolled in public and private nonprofit two-year and four-year colleges and universities within the state. Learn more here and then spread a little instant joy of your own.

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.