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⭐️ Well, 2022 has brought some exciting change

⭐️ Well, 2022 has brought some exciting changes to the Mannelly family! ⭐️

As many of you know, while we live in Chicago, we also spend a lot of time at our place in Longboat Key, FL.

We really love both places!

After much discussion as a family, we *all* agreed and decided to flip the situation and make Florida our main home while still keeping a place in Chicago for summer visits, work related trips, etc!

Tyler started school this week at Manatee School for the Arts and just loves it! She has already made some friends and has a full social calendar this weekend!

The past couple weeks have been crazy but we are feeling really excited with these changes and know that it is the best move for our family at this time!

Already looking forward to more beach walks, paddleboarding, frizzy hair 😂, and becoming involved in our Florida community.

We will still be back to our place in Chicago (especially in summer), so for our chi friends…sorry, you haven’t gotten rid of us completely!
😂

(And her picture tells me we got to get the kid some good sunglasses now! 😂 😎 🌞)

So proud to be this amazing young woman’s mom.

So proud to be this amazing young woman’s mom. She makes me proud every day and I hope I do the same for her. It’s been a rough year but I hope I have encouraged her to speak out and go against the grain. Can’t wait to see what she does in the future

Did you have a good weekend? We had a blast! Sun

Did you have a good weekend? We had a blast!

Sun was shining. People were out. It felt like a taste of normalcy for Chicago.

The Chicago River was dyed green for St Patrick’s day and since it wasn’t announced ahead of time, there weren’t throngs of people. I have actually never seen this in person so it was a neat experience!

And my aunt Judy @araska61 came to visit and we had fun walking around the city and visiting the Monet exhibit at @artinstitutechi (Chicago friends, check it out before it leaves!)

Looking forward to more fun exploration of this gorgeous city as the weather turns!

Double tap if this is true for you! Only in our h

Double tap if this is true for you!

Only in our home, it’s empty La Croix cans, empty tea mugs, bowls, plates and the occasional empty bag of Takis. 😂

What mess do you find in your kids rooms?

#Repost @playdatesonfridays
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Word

Tap ♥️ if you agree! I keep seeing quot

Tap ♥️ if you agree!

I keep seeing quotes like this around the interwebs and decided to add my own twist...don’t respond at all.

There is so much to respond to right now. And sometimes the best thing is not to engage or respond.

The obvious, of course, is responding to things on social media, especially during these volatile times. Emotions are high right now. And, while I love healthy discussion, too often the ‘healthy’ part is hard to find on the internet.

But to me this quote means more than social media commenting. It means, I don’t have to explain why I do certain things, or believe things to other people.

I don’t have to explain why my answer is no to an invitation.

How many times have you constructed a huge long response to someone and then just delete? For me, all the time!

This quote is a nice reminder to me that sometimes a short and sweet response or no response at all is often best.

If this resonates, click on the little ✈️ icon under the photo and share in your stories! Tag me so I can give you a shout out!

Tap or comment if you can relate! Almost every ni

Tap or comment if you can relate!

Almost every night...my phone is almost dead and I want to finish reading or watching a video.

@mannelly always asks:
-why don’t you get a longer cord?
-where’s your portable charger? (Um...not charged obviously)
-why don’t you charge your phone during the day?

All good questions but I do none of them 😂

Such a good feeling when I can finally unplug and read more comfortably!

Share (press the little airplane icon) if you can relate!

Thanks @coach_fryer for the inspo

📱cred @tyler.mannelly

My first reel 😂

Tap if you are focusing on a *better you* for 2021

Tap if you are focusing on a *better you* for 2021!

Do you choose a word for the year? Or a few particular goals?  
I normally choose a word to be the theme of my year but haven’t quite narrowed it down yet. Words like bold, authentic, freedom, clear vision, live life fully keep coming to mind but I just haven’t settled on the one yet.   Swipe through the images to see some of what is bouncing around my brain!

2020 was a crazy year in many regards. For me, it had some negative times but a lot of positives were found.

I learned a lot about myself, my values, others around me, our country, my beliefs and my politics and where I want to focus my energy (and where I *don’t* want to focus my energy).

It shook up the status quo a bit for me. I realized things I was passionate about 5-10 years ago, may not be the same things I am passionate about today. That where and how we were living could change…and that was exciting!

We shook things up with a big move to downtown Chicago, which invigorated me! I absolutely love it!

We traveled back and forth all year to our condo in Florida, which allowed my family to see what life was like outside Chicago during these crazy times.

I connected with new and old friends both in real life and on social media (hello Twitter!) who are passionate about similar things as me and share similar beliefs and feelings, and who challenge me to think critically about everything.

Early January often brings me ready to tackle the new year. But 2021 has me taking things a bit slower, focusing on what I want to unfold, what I want to manifest.

2020 has given me a lot of clarity as to just how I want to move through my life…what I am inspired by and how I want to inspire others and how I want to continue to speak my truth.

What about you? How did 2020 shape how you are going to move forward in 2021?

@martha.abelson.photography

What are you doing to enjoy the holiday season? 🎄

This year is so upside down and crazy and I am really trying to make the holidays festive! With all that is going on in the world, it is easy to get depressed and stagnant.

Of course there are different options for enjoying the holidays depending where you live, what restrictions you may have, what comfort level you have.

I love the holidays and Here in Chicago, we are making the most of things and feeling festive already!

🧑‍🎄We decorated for Christmas super early and our condo is bright and cheery! Getting ready to string lights on the balcony this weekend!

🧑‍🎄 Tyler and I have enjoyed shopping on Michigan Avenue and seeing all the decorations and lights! I also take gizmo for her nighttime walks there too so I can see the lights.

🧑‍🎄 We went ice skating at @maggie.daley.park last night and it felt magical. Only way it would have been better is if holiday music was playing instead of 90s pop. 😆

🧑‍🎄 we have tickets to Zoo Lights at @lincolnparkzoo

🧑‍🎄 we are going caroling with friends in a couple weeks

And that’s just the start. I can’t wait to fill up our calendar with holiday cheer!

Chicago friends, any other suggestions?

What about you? What are you doing to make the holidays festive?

What is one of your favorite Thanksgiving traditio

What is one of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? I’d love to know!

This box is one Tyler made in pre school. We use it most Thanksgivings. Everyone writes what they are thankful for and puts in the box. Then we read it out loud and try to guess who wrote it.

As a room mom, I was in charge of this craft. I had a lot of fun working on it with her class

A couple times when we travel I forgot to bring the box but this is become one of our favorite traditions!

What about you? Would love to hear one of your favorites!

Isn't so interesting when things come full circle?

Isn't so interesting when things come full circle? A trip down memory lane...
⁪
Recently I checked out the Monet exhibit at @artinstitutechi with @tyler.mannelly
⁪
The exhibit is fantastic and the accompanying audio tour via their app was really well done. It was a great experience...that took me down memory lane.
⁪
It reminded me of a memory I forgot... the last time I went to a Monet exhibit in Chicago...August 1995. I was driving back to Duke for my senior year of college (my family lived in Minneapolis at the time) and I read about the exhibit in their AAA magazine.
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I remember calling ahead to buy tickets, making a reservation at the Intercontinental Hotel on Michigan Ave, planning my route with a TripTik (remember those?).
⁪
I had never driven in a big city nor had I ever stayed at a hotel alone. I had traveled quite a bit going up but was new to the solo experience. I remember checking into the hotel at night and walking up and down Michigan Ave, being too nervous to explore any side streets as I didn't know exactly what I was doing.
⁪
The next morning, I woke up, had room service and walked over to the museum and thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit! Then jumped in my car and continued on to North Carolina.
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It was such a neat experience to share a different Monet exhibit with my daughter 25 years later...walking from our condo downtown, down Michigan Avenue to the museum.
⁪
And it made for great discussion about solo travel, being careful but still adventurous, enjoying art...as we wore our masks in the museum with social distancing protocols in place and as we walked by buildings being boarded up for potential election unrest.
⁪
So much has changed in 25 years...some good and some bad. But I can't wait to see what adventures she goes on as she explores this beautiful world, assuming we still have the freedom to do so.

What experience have you shared with your children that brings you down memory lane?

One benefit of this crazy year for me has been to

One benefit of this crazy year for me has been to reevaluate my priorities, environments, and relationships. With whom and where I choose to put my energy.

And it feels great!

What about you? Have you experienced similar?

#Repost @jennleegoodall with @make_repost
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A little #psa #highvibesonly

Who else is missing international travel? ⁪

Who else is missing international travel?
⁪
We have traveled a bit this year but mainly back and forth to our place in Florida.
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You know I LOVE travel and can't wait to get back out to all the amazing spots our world has to offer.
⁪
I was scrolling through my photos for something and came across an album of a trip to Italy @mannelly and I took 2 years ago. We had such a great time!
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Where do you want to go when you are comfortable (and able, depending on the country) to travel internationally?

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