Birthday Weekend!

This has been a busy week to say the least!  I can officially say as of now I'm done planning my 2 day trip to Athens.  Just booked the hotel and now I'm looking into where to stay when I arrive at the islands.  Since I knew what my points of interests were in Athens, I booked the hotel near the center of attractions within walking distance.  I am not sure yet when my friend in Italy will arrive to meet me so I opted for a hotel for safety concerns.  In trip planning, you have to keep in mind that you will get lost.  I don't think people schedule enough time for that part.  I understand that there are people who just show up and go with the flow.  I am NOT one of those people.  I look into everything!  Transportation; points of interests; reviews from various sites.  I need to know if it's worth the effort to visit certain places.  You could be disappointed so it's good to read reviews.  At the same time, you know yourself more than anyone.  People do complain a lot and you need to read between the lines.  What may be bothersome for one may not be a  big deal to you, so pay attention to what people are saying.  That's my travel tip for the day!


Last weekend, my birthday came upon me with no planning whatsoever on how to celebrate.  I didn't think too much about it since it fell on Father's Day Sunday this year.  Saturday I deep cleaned my apartment because I had a spider wandering around.  He bit me 4x during the week!  I knew I had to wait till the weekend to thoroughly vacuum.  I also had to visit my brother briefly because he had surgery and I wanted to check up on him.  My mother has been worried sick about him and I had to see for myself on how he was handling his recovery.  Luckily he's doing a lot better and was up and about when I came over.  I felt good about his health, so I left his place late in the afternoon to see what was happening in the city.


I was making my way over to Diversy harbor to visit a friend who recently purchased a small boat.  I am terrified of boating in general, but I knew they were still doing maintenance work on it.  I felt I wouldn't be put on a compromised position if they were to set sail.  We sat around with his partners and enjoyed the rest of the day catching up.  I had a great time plus there's so much action going on at the dock.  I saw an eyeful...

Chilling at Diversy Harbor...

Loud music blasting away.  I can't believe each boat were playing their own music out loud.  It sounded terrible!!

The next day was Father's Day and I kept it low key for the first half of the day.  I went to church, then later on to the gym, when my friend texted me to see what's up.  We wondered if we could have a birthday cocktail somewhere.  I called my dad once he got off work and we chatted for a bit.  I knew he was going to watch the basketball championship game with my brother so I didn't feel too bad not passing by to visit him.  I am not into sports so I opted to pass on this important game and join my friends instead.
We settled for Cindy's Rooftop at the Chicago Athletic Club and I absolutely LOVED the view!!  It's beautiful!!  We just talked and had some margaritas up there but I was blown away!

Good times at Cindy's

We decided to check out their game room downstairs and munch on some snacks before we headed  to another spot.  We went back towards Randolph area at Beer Bistro and ended up watching the rest of the game there.  Again, not my thing, but at least we did chat up a storm.

So much for the game.  I was not rooting for Lebron btw...

We walked around the corner afterwards and found Federals.  The roof was open, so it was nice to sit at a restaurant and look up to the sky.  Despite everything that is happening in the world, it's a wonderful thing when you get a chance to make some memories with friends.  It's important to hold on to them tight... 

Athens booked!! Happy birthday to me

I just booked my trip to Greece earlier this week.  I'm excited because it was a decision I made to myself a few months ago.  I knew I wanted to visit my friend in Italy.  The question was what other country could I visit as well.  When she was in town, we discussed our plans for the summer.  I mentioned how Greece was on my mind, and she agreed to meet me there.  I can't wait!!
I feel I'm a little late on the travel game.  Some of my friends have been to wonderful places all over the world, and it always sparked my curiosity.  But as the saying goes- Life just happens.  The truth is, when I was younger, it was never the right time to travel overseas.  It takes time and money to plan accordingly, and I didn't have the discipline to budget myself for such a trip.  Now that I'm older and have paid off some debt, it's gotten financially easier for me to go away.  I have made numerous weekend getaways to Miami, New York and Vegas in my 30s.  Traveling overseas, on the other hand, is a bit more tricky...
One of the things I remembered from listening to my friends discuss a recent trip to South America, is how they didn't "expect" it to be the way the way it turned out.  I remember discussing that conversation with my uncle who has traveled all over the world.  He asked me, "Well what did they expect?"  I replied that I didn't know.  He then followed with another question.  "Well what do they like?"  I was thrown off.  He continued, "If they are into beaches and laying out, then they should have went somewhere else.  Didn't they know ___________ is not known for that?"  I told him apparently not.  "The thing about traveling--you should ask yourself what do you like." 
Traveling to unknown places and locations, no matter where it is, depends on your taste.  Some people enjoy the outdoors, nature hikes, canoeing or camping, so they obviously book their trips to national parks, Alaska, the Grand Canyon or other out door locales.  If you go on vacation specifically to lay out and catch some rays, a majority of people book places in the Caribbean, or Mexico's Playa del Carmen, etc.  If you are a city girl, then cities from around the world would excite you.
That's the category I fit in.  I am a city girl who loves skylines, the nightlife, museums and fashion.  I enjoy people watching instead of bird watching.  I know what excites me and it sometimes doesn't fit in with what other people like.  That's the beauty of traveling.  You customize your trip to whatever interests you!  Since my friend in Italy has the same interests as me, I enjoy our adventures together because we feed off one another.  We have a good time and I know she's not bored with what's going on.  The only downfall with her is that she's not into museums like I am, so I know for Athens we might have to arrange for her to come meet me at a later date.  I am particularly interested in visiting the Acropolis in general, and do not want to miss my opportunity to visit such a historic site. 
The other factors I am considering is how long will I stay in Athens in general; if I have enough time to visit a nearby city, and trying to make my way out to the islands.  I chose Santorini and Mykonos as my 2 top choices because they have more of a party atmosphere.  There are over 200 islands in Greece, all which have distinctive personalities to choose from.  If I wanted something low key to relax, I would have picked another island.
I am relying on sites such as Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, as well as top travel bloggers such as The Blonde Abroad, and The Sweetest Way for information on planning my vacation.  This trip will be a little different to plan because it will depend a lot on the weather conditions to reach out to the islands.  I have seen low flights one way to reach either Santorini or Mykonos, but the majority do travel out there on a ferry boat.  There's a lot to consider!
Regardless, I'm glad I got a chance to share my traveling news and be on the lookout for more tips I'll be encountering as I continue to plan my Greek adventure! 

Hot Mix 5 house party!

With softball during the week, I've noticed how time flies so quickly!  My birthday is coming up this weekend and I don't have any plans!  It falls on Father's Day Sunday, so I wasn't planning on doing anything special but spending it with family.  The past couple of years, my birthday was surrounded by so much sadness.  It wasn't by choice, trust me!  Sometimes I felt guilty to celebrate because of the things that were happening around me. 
But that's life.  You can't help what goes on.  Now more than ever, with the incidents involving Orlando in general (shooting of The Voice's singer Christina Grimmie; the mass shooting of Pulse Nightclub; 2 year old toddler at Walt Disney Resort), it's difficult to celebrate again.  I rather be with my friends and family who I love dearly and reflect on the fact I made it to another year of life.
If there's anything that these incidents have proven to me is tomorrow is never guaranteed.
With that in mind, I would like to reflect on last weekend.  I was going to celebrate a friend's birthday at the Hot Mix 5 house party at Mc Cormick Place.  I knew it was an all day event, so I figured I'll get some chores done first.  It was a very HOT Saturday, which is why I chose to preserve my energy for the evening.  I snuck in a workout, showered up, when one of my friends suggested to meet up at the Wells Street Art Festival in Old Town.  She initially said to meet around 4pm.  Seemed doable to me.  Off I went to Old Town!



My kind of cats!  lol

The Wells Street Art Festival is located on Wells between North Avenue and Division.  It's one of the most popular neighborhood festivals Chicago has to offer.  With over 200 artists displaying their work of eclectic art, you'll be sure to find some eye-catching handiwork.  I always have a good time, so I didn't want to miss this opportunity to go with my friends.  But once I arrived, the time changed to meeting up around 5pm.  I still had some time to kill before heading to the birthday celebration, so I was fine with the time change.  But then it changed again.  I knew this was too good to be true.  I walked around and checked out the band at O'Brien's while sipping on white wine.  BIG MISTAKE.
It was brutally HOT, and the sun would not give.  The temperature reached 95 degrees that day.  I had another glass of wine and that's when it hit me.  I felt dizzy.  I knew I had to eat something before I headed to the birthday party.  The first food vendor I could find had a big hot pretzel.  I quickly bought it and found a spot to eat when I noticed a woman drop her drink.  She fainted while sitting down against a wall.  Her boyfriend yelled out, "Someone call 911!"  It was terrifying.  Lucky she came too right away and didn't know what had happened to her.  It scared a lot of people around us, but it also reminded us how not to take the heat unlikely.  Once my friends arrived I had to go.  Go figure.  I took the time to talk to them for a bit before I saw how late it was getting.  I couldn't stay any longer.
I cabbed it to Mc Cormick Place and found my friends.  This was a massive event.  Over 60 different djs/ singers on 6 stages.  It had started from 12pm and was going to end at midnight!  I'm glad I arrived late because I was worn out with the heat already.  Me and my friends danced the rest of the night non stop!  Chicago's history with house music stems back to the late 70s.  In the early 1980s, Chicago radio jocks The Hot Mix 5, and club DJs Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles played various styles of dance music, including older disco records.  I've always loved dance music growing up so it was refreshing to be around a crowd that appreciated this influential sound.  It brought back so many memories for me and my friends.  

Me and the birthday girl!  She's a Gemini too...

Julian Jumpin Perez of B96

Imagine my horror the next day when I woke up to the news of the Orlando shootings of Pulse nightclub.  These people were doing the same thing as me and my friends the night before, just enjoying themselves.  I cannot understand the darkness that surrounds a person like this.  My heart breaks for so many senseless terrorism acts surrounding our daily lives.  It's not a world I recognize anymore.  Peace within each other; as well as other nations should be enforced constantly.  We have only one planet to care for.  We need to take care of everyone in it.

Branka's Baptism!

Since I have some upcoming events that include baptisms, a baby shower and a work party, I took the opportunity to go shopping downtown on Memorial Day Monday.  In the retail world, there's a ton of sales and I figured I might get lucky and find something in the process.  Yeah right.  Unfortunately, no such luck, but it did give me a satisfied feeling I didn't spend money I something I didn't like.  When my friend was visiting in town from Italy, I lucked out finding two dresses I might use for my birthday or a vacation.  Too bad they weren't what I was originally looking for.  Back to the drawing board I guess!  lol

Leading up to the weeked, I stepped out Saturday night for a bit to help a friend celebrate his birthday.  It was pretty low key, but I knew I had a full day ahead on Sunday, so it was ok.  I had no idea what I was walking into for this baptism.  It was for my friend who had a baby last July, and it was time to baptize her son.  Since his father is Serbian, they decided to hold the service at Saint Steven of Decani church in Albany Park.  She was being baptized as well, so it was a special occasion for the both of them.  I had no idea what to expect.  I knew something was up once I walked up to my friend's car when she picked me up.  She was wearing a cocktail dress.  I was wearing a striped silk tunic with beige dress pants and wedges.  We both said at the same time, "What are you wearing??"  lol.  She asked me if I wanted to go upstairs to change but we were running late.  I didn't think I was under dressed until I got to the church.  Almost every woman there was wearing a cocktail dress!  Almost every man there was wearing either a suit or a dress shirt and tie.  I felt embarrassed but I still think I wasn't in the wrong since we were going to a church service.  What do you think?
The service was about an hour and a half and most of it we had to stand up for it.  I clearly had asked my friend about the dress code last week at the Memorial BBQ, and she told me point blank, "Wear whatever.  And wear comfortable shoes."  No biggie.  For the most part, most baptisms I've went to I've seen women wear a range of things for the church service.  I guess it depends on the people and the church altogether. 
After the service, food and refreshments were being held at the Evanston Country Club where my friend originally had her baby shower.  My girlfriend flat out told me more people will be there and they will be all dressed up.  I guess that was a hint for me to go home and change.  I wasn't prepared for this.  I understand it's better to be overdressed than under dressed, but this was ridiculous.  I knew I couldn't pull off my look at the country club, so I agreed to go home and look through my closet.  I pulled out a silk dress I wore back in Italy two years ago.  The other dresses I own are either too clubby, too formal, or too casual.  It was frustrating but in the end, everyone loved my dress.  lol.  I got lucky finding it on ebay but I'm glad it came in handy. 
Back at the country club, there was a deejay, and a singer along with a person playing the keyboard.  This was a big thing!  We slowly found a table and were ready for the festivities.  A special hot buffet was waiting for us.  It was pretty intense dancing to Serbian music on board daylight!  We had a great time and took a ton of pictures with a professional photographer.  I can't wait to see them!



What a wonderful ceremony!

Time for the festivities!

It difficult to get babies to look at the camera!  lol

What an amazing story to share once he gets older!

Memorial Day BBQ!

Sunday on Memorial Day weekend my friends decided to throw a BBQ.  Who could pass up an invitation like that??  Me and my friends made our way to Skokie for some backyard fun.  The weather was HOT and the food was delish!  It was nice catching up with everyone.  So many things are coming up for the summer; it's getting harder to figure out how to plan for some of it.
Number one for me has always been:  what to wear.  I am NOT a dress person.  Yes, I've worked in retail over the years, and I know how important it is for women to find a flattering dress for these summer occasions.  And it's not easy.  I've been shopping online for the past 4 years and have completely ruled out shopping at the mall.  I've been the same dress size for years so trying something on has never been a problem for me.  It's more of scrambling through tons of dresses that drive me crazy.  Not to mention, I'm pretty much always on a budget.  If the sky was the limit, then yes, life would be much easier.  But I'm not wealthy so I have learned how to shop for myself over the years.
What I have learned:
Let's face it.  You're not a little girl anymore.  You pretty much know what looks good on you by now.  When it comes to certain occasions, look for what has worked for you in the past.  You know your silhouette.  If  you have a great pair of legs, then don't wear a maxi dress.  Show them off!  If you have a tiny waist, don't wear an empire dress.  Stick to dresses that accentuate your body and not hide them because of whatever trends are happening this season.  For the most part, up to this point in your life, it's been trial and error.  But you'll never forget those times when people have come up to you to tell you how great you look!  Those are unforgettable moments!
What's your color??  I have a friend that always wears black because she feels it looks best on her.  She feels more confident because it slims her down and she doesn't feel so exposed.  I have another friend that wears rich colors like magenta and royal blue well.  It looks great on her skin tone.  Everyone has a color! 
Do you have a favorite brand or shop that has always been your go-to for shopping?  I have 5 brands; shops that have worked for me in the past.  I usually luck out when I shop there.  I usually start there before branching out to other stores. 
Now that you're "aware" of what has worked for you in the past, it's time to know what occasion you are shopping for.  I have a couple of baby showers and baptisms coming up, as well as a work function.  For the most part I know I will be looking at day dresses and work dresses.  It narrows down your search tremendously when you know what you're looking for.
I have yet to find my dresses.  Over the years, I have managed to look for good deals online and out and about.  There have been times when I've bought a dress because of how well it fits, despite knowing where I would wear it to.  My rule of thumb has always been to get the dress.  You never know when something pops up.   

House Party at the Bean!

I'm still recapping Memorial Weekend!  lol.  Hope everyone's enjoying their summer so far.  This month there's a lot of stuff going on, from baby showers to baptisms.  I love every minute of it because it shows me how much me and my friends still manage to keep in touch.  Sharing these milestones with one another creates a lifetime of memories!  I love looking back and seeing how much we've grown. 
That Memorial Weekend Saturday, I got a chance to see my friend from Italy before she flew back home.  We had a quick brunch before we said our goodbyes.  I am currently trying to plan something with her, but we'll see if it pans out.  It's hard when you get older and have more priorities to consider.  Oh well.
I got home and did my usual Saturday workout routine.  For those who don't know, I try to workout at least 4x a week.  I've been following a healthy lifestyle for some time now.  It's basically become a natural thing for me to do at this point in my life.  It was something I started with back in my 20s when I got a gym membership for me and my first boyfriend (that I lived with).  I was never involved in any sports growing up, besides the usual Physical Ed we had in grammar and high school.  Once I graduated I gained the freshman 15 and was very unhappy with my new physique.  I was discouraged and my boyfriend at the time would buy me workout tapes so I could do at home.  Eventually, we figured I needed more motivation and we got a membership together.  I've been hooked ever since.  Saturdays for me are usually Leg Day.  If I have too much going on, I'll skip the gym and workout the following Sunday after church.  It's a no brainer at this point.
Once I was done working out, I rushed home and quickly got ready to meet up with my friend.  We wanted to checkout the House Party going on at Millenium Park.  This was a free event being held at the Bean.  I didn't know what to expect.  Because of that, we were not very prepared.  We didn't bring anything to set up a picnic with, but luckily we saw some friends and stayed with them at their spot.  They had a range of live performances with a couple of Djs to get everyone grooving.  Me and my friend had a blast.  We even made our way to Mariano's to grab some more wine and snacks to share with everyone.  I met up with my brother and his girlfriend and they came and joined us.  After the show, I went with them and we checked out Bar Louie before we called it a night.  I was too pooped to go out.  All of that dancing finally caught up with me!

Good times with this girl...

 So many people checking out the live house music!

Hopefully got some vitamin D.  I feel I'm always at work whenever the sun's out.

My brother and his girl...

Spicy margarita at Bar Louie!  

Rooftop Action Part 2!

The next day, me and my friend decided to run some errands before she headed back to the suburbs.  She was going to fly out the next day and wanted to spend one more night with family.  My friend insists that American skin and makeup products cost 3x more in Italy, so she wanted to stock up.  We drove and shopped in Wicker Park before we settled back in downtown.  We visited Saks 5th avenue and did some shopping there.  I suggested we have lunch at the Godfrey Hotel's rooftop since she's never been.  She really enjoyed it!  The sun was beating hard but we didn't mind.  I was sad when our night had to end, but we made plans when she got back from her short trip.  Time surely flies when you're having fun!

Goodies at the Godfrey!

Good times!

Rooftop Action!

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Weekend!!  I've been M.I.A posting because I've been a little busy.  Plus, it's summertime in the city so you know how that goes.  Time to have some fun in the sun!  lol.  Let's recap:
After my weekend with my friend's holy communion for her daughter and the twins'  Hello Kitty birthday party, softball season officially started.  We finally had no rain!  We made our way out to Grant Park for our first game.  We lost, but by 2 runs.  It was a good time to see how well we played with one another now that there's some new faces.  We will resume playing next week for the rest of the month with a couple of double headers to make up for the two games that got cancelled out.  Can't wait to play ball!
The following weekend I stayed in and did some spring cleaning.  My friend from Italy was making her way to Chicago, so I wanted to run some errands before she got in.  I missed her so much!  We made plans to meet up on Monday after she spent time with some family.  I had no idea we were going to experience a mini heat wave that was coming for us right after!  My friend asked me why didn't I warn her about the heat but I had no idea.  That's the problem with Chicago weather.  Summer hits you out of no where. 
We met up in downtown late afternoon and decided to hit up some roof top bars before the rush hour sets in.  We figured we could get a head start.  The last time my friend was in Chicago was two years ago and a lot has changed since then.  Rooftops were not a thing for us back in the day.  With more opening this summer, it's definitely an added bonus for people to enjoy the outdoors.  We made our way to Loews hotel but unfortunately, the rooftop was set to open Memorial Weekend.  We missed it by a few days.  Oh well.  A worker there suggested we hit up the Sky Terrace at the Ivy boutique hotel by Streeterville.  We made our way up to the 16th floor and checked it out.  We had paid for two hours of parking at a meter, so we wanted to squeeze out as many places as we could before we met up with a friend for dinner.

Catching some rays at the Sky Terrace...

Our next stop was Cerise at the Virgin Hotel.  We walked all the way over there by the river walk and settled in there for a bit.  At that time, a rush of people walked in since it was close to 5pm.  It was nice catching up with my friend.  So much has happened since I last saw her in Italy last summer.  We obviously lost track of time and had to run out of there to get the car.
By now we were hungry and found our friends on State Street once they got off of work.  We decided to eat at Bar Takito in West Loop for dinner for a change of scenery.  It is patio season after all.  Our friends are getting married and it was interesting to hear how the wedding was coming along.  They are going to be super busy since it's a few months away.  Me and my friend finished up and headed back north to my place.

I ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon at Cerise on top of the Virgin Hotel...

Bar Takito's coconut shrimp and octopus ceviche...

 

Fish tacos!!

Pork belly tacos...

Bar Takito is located in the West Loop off  the Morgan stop on the Green Line...

Good times with the lucky couple!!  I wish them well on their upcoming wedding nuptials...

We freshened up and decided to head out since I requested the following day off.  I wanted to spend more time with my friend.  We headed towards Logan to Masada.  They had a rooftop as well.  It was a beautiful night and we had so much fun.  I miss her right now.  I hope to see her again soon...



Masada's rooftop is so pretty!!!