A Slava Thanksgiving...

As we're approaching the holidays, I'm finally recapping Thanksgiving week in November!  Hey at least I'm making an effort!  This is what started it all.  The constant birthday/holiday bonanza goes from here onto New Year's Eve.  January is pretty slow everywhere you look so I'm hoping I will catch up with my blog then. 
I actually like Thanksgiving more than Christmas.  Who doesn't love good food?  Well in my case, that week was pretty busy.  My friend hosted his Slava that Monday so me and my friends headed up to Skokie after work.  It was nice seeing my friends and their little ones.  If it weren't for events like this one, we wouldn't be able to catch up with one another.  I loved their stuffed cabbage!!  Perfect for fall!

Blessed for the guests!  Everyone takes a spoonful...

Absolutely LOVE stuffed cabbage!!

That Thanksgiving Thursday me and my brothers headed over to my mom's.  I can tell she's been more sensitive than usual, so it was nice having a dinner at her place.  Sometimes she misses having all three of us at once, but it's hard now that we're older.  We're not kids anymore.  It was also nice that she finally put the dog in the next room.  This has been a struggle for me and my brother.  I have asthma and he has allergies.  My little brother is fine, but for us, it's horrible.  My mom's husband got the dog on a whim and they never properly trained him to be alone.  He has been known to bark up a storm when he's by himself.  Luckily, now that my mom is home most of the time, she would put up the dog fence in the kitchen and let him stay there when she is in another room of the house.  That helped him get use to it and it worked out perfectly for us.  The dog stayed in the kitchen while we had our feast.  He would whimper from time to time, but because my mom would come and go to grab more food, he stayed silent the rest of the evening.

Checkout that bird!

We ate like kings...

Me and my mom

Me and my brother are the only ones who have problems with the dog...

My younger brother does not.  He does not suffer from allergies or asthma...

Pies galore...

In the dog house.  I'm pretty sure now he hates us.

On Black Friday I opted not to shop.  I did not want to be a part of that madness, so I cleaned up my apartment and made my way to the gym.  It was a pretty chill day for me until the evening.  My friend had signed up a bunch of us to go to Whirly Ball for an event.  I haven't been there in years and was pleasantly surprised they had done some renovations.  We had a blast considering we did terrible at the carts.  Afterwards, we watched our team play bowling ball.  This was a fun idea and I'm glad we did it.

It's always a good time to play!

Goofing around with the crew...



We had the lanes to ourselves...

The next day on Saturday I went to my friend's party.  Her family was celebrating her brother's and father's birthday, so it was a double treat for them.  Again, there was a ton of food, but we laughed alot.  I always thought my friend's family is a blast.  Everyone always loves going to their parties.  I felt so fortunate to have spent my Thanksgiving week with friends and family and am looking forward to seeing everyone again this weekend.  I hope everyone has a great holiday!!!  Remember the gift of giving joy to one another!  The world needs this now.  Sometimes it's better than receiving presents...

Double birthday parties

Father and son

More food galore!

The happy couple!



Our friend's son had a blast!

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival!

The holidays are almost here and of course, I'm not done with my Christmas shopping.  Not to mention, I've been to a couple of holiday/ birthday parties that are catching up to me.  I definitely want to take it easy after this weekend.  I feel bad turning down stuff, but I'm getting too old for this!  Sometimes having fun takes hours away from me and I'm beginning to value my time more.  There is no way I can do everything.  From my last post, I attended a wedding on a Friday.  The next day was the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival on Michigan Avenue.  I had promised my mom we were going to go and check it out.  I need to make some time for her during her retirement.  Her well being is what matters to me.  Although I was exhausted from the night before, we met up and made our way downtown that day. 
I haven't gone to this parade ever.  I was working in retail downtown when they first started to do this many years ago.  Michigan Avenue would get packed from people coming into the city.  Over the years, it has grown to a must-see event for tourists.  I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first, especially because of how cold it was, but in the end, me and my mom had a blast!  lol.  I figured if we did something different once in a while, she wouldn't feel the time pass by so slow.  Her retirement transition is definitely challenging because she was use to working a lot for so many years.  To slow down is hard for some people.  Luckily, if we all pull through as a family, we can make sure she continues to enjoy time out whenever she can.  This city has so much to offer and it's up to us to take advantage of it!    

The openers of the Lights Festival! 

Brought to you by, Harris Bank!

Of course we had to have a Cubs trolley!

Yes it's a giant mitten.  LOL!!

We got a chipmunk here!

Santa on the horizon...

Fallen nutcracker

November Wedding

I can't believe Christmas is almost here!  I have been mostly looking for stuff to decorate my apartment, but have had no such luck.  I want to be able to LOVE the items, not just fill up some space.  Unfortunately, this season nothing really stands out for me.  Oh well.
Recapping November was difficult, mostly because of the outcome of the election.  I am not afraid to say I voted for HER, but now that things have been moving along, I'm still saddened by the truth of who is our newly elected president is.  I am in disbelief that people actually voted for him in general, and wonder how the opposing party's vision truly stands with my values.  To be honest, my values have always been to live in a world that peacefully resides with one another; where we can be welcomed to visit and learn different customs and cultures.  Never in a million years would I be compelled to feel that people do not matter to me because they think, look, act differently than me.
Is it wrong for me to think that way?
After the election, I felt sick to my stomach and did not do much the following weekend.  I was in a state of shock.  Talking to my mom made me snap back in reality, mostly because I heard how my mother was handling the news of our current situation.  People have developed fear because of this, but I couldn't accept that anymore.  Yes, he may have won this election, but time will truly tell if our country made the right decision or not to appoint him.  In the meantime, all we can do is live our lives and love our friends and family and continue to contribute to society in this country of ours. 
Luckily I had to attend a wedding for a friend of mine the weekend after that.  It was nice to remember what's important to me, which is to celebrate happiness whenever it's around!  I won this dress off ebay early in the year and I finally got a chance to wear it out.  Since this wedding was in the middle of November, it was perfect to wear something heavier and pair it with black opaque tights instead of bare legs.  Everyone had a wonderful time and we stayed out afterwards too!  I am grateful to have been invited and wish my friends the best in their marriage!




Pretty church!

Proud parents...

Loved my dress from BCBG!

Up close...

Everyone LOVED the mariachi band!

The dessert table.  A friend of theirs baked the wedding cake!  Perfect gift to the bride and groom!

Who doesn't love tacos from Big Star?? 

The lovely couple!

Selfie time!

Look how tired I look!  I can't believe I went out after this!  lol