Where are you from and how long have you lived in town? What brought you to the area?
I don’t live in Libertyville but have known Sarah for almost 20 years and she is nice enough to highlight our new business venture. Sarah and I met at our first job out of college in downtown Chicago and have remained close ever since. I do live near by in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago and love to visit Sarah and her family in Libertyville!
Do you have child(ren)? Age(s)
I have three children ages 9, 8 and 6.
What are your favorite things to do in the area with and without your kids? Family friendly restaurant? Date night
Lincoln Park has so much to offer, we love going to the Zoo, riding bikes on the lakefront path, running around at the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pools and visiting all of the great parks. Ricardo’s, Summer House and Green Tea Sushi are some of our favorite restaurants. When in Libertyville, we love to visit Mickey Finn’s and LifeTime Fitness with the Paddack’s.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor or in the corporate world? Please share!
My husband is a builder and real estate developer. We own a few apartment buildings in Chicago, an event space and recently completed a luxury villa in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.
Our event space is located in the heart of Lincoln Park, next to Chicago BLUES and across from Kingston Mines. It is a great space for seated chef dinners, birthday and holiday parties and bridal and baby showers. The unique 2600 square foot two-story space with outdoor options. It is located in the heart of Lincoln Park, next to Chicago’s B.L.U.E.S. bar and across from Kingston Mines. It is a professionally styled space comes fully equipped with a chef’s kitchen, open concept entertaining space, full bar, a live wall, flatscreen TV, wife and Sonos sound system. The added outdoor space provides a stunning outdoor experience for any event. For more information, contact Blackall Events.
Our new luxury Villa in Costa Rica is walkable to the beach and has stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. It has 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. It is centrally located in the heart of Manuel Antonio, a place that has so much to offer for adventure and nature lovers.
Tell me more about Costa Rica.
Our family moved to Costa Rica in December 2018 and lived there for a year and a half. During that time our kids attended a local school and we built the Villa. It was a really great experience for our family, we got to spend a lot of time unplugged in nature, learned a new culture and tried to learn the language, although that was not as successful as we hoped.
Photo Credit: Kevin Heslin Photography
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
When I was younger my husband and I went on a backpacking trip for 8 months and visited over 30 countries. We hope that our kids will love to travel as much as we do.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from another Mom?
Once in awhile you need to have a yes day with the kids…. When they ask, can I have candy, sure, ipad, of course, pizza for dinner, no problem. It is hard to always keep the kids eating healthy, active and off their screens. We all deserve a break without feeling bad about it.
What are your favorite places to travel near and far and why?
Costa Rica of course! The warm weather, beautiful beaches, friendly people and “pura vida” (pure life) attitude keeps us going back there!
What is next for you?
I am working to build this business in Costa Rica which with COVID is a challenge that so many business owners are struggling with. With Costa Rica recently opening their borders guests can now travel there. In the short term I would like to focus on yoga retreats and women’s getaway trips and longer -term family travel.