Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Ladies night at Cafe Iberico

am an introvert at heart and although I love a great party; I get worn out with too many social settings.  Sometimes I need to lounge around in my apartment and think.  When the holidays were happening, I felt overwhelmed at times, especially since I was still processing the loss of loved ones.  I took every opportunity to rest and take care of myself when I was alone, in order to switch back “on” and deal with people.
Our good friend was in town during the holidays, and we finally caught up with her after Christmas.  It was a FREEZING that Wednesday after work.  I made my way down to Café Iberio with my other friend who picked me up.  It was definitely one of those days you could not be outside no more than 5 minutes.  In the end, the rest of the girls showed up, and we had a blast with sangria and tapas.  I just want my friends to be happy.  At this point, all of us are dealing with things on our own.  It’s nice to get together one in a while and just laugh… 





Thursday, January 25, 2018

Natale Con La Famiglia

I can’t believe I am recapping Christmas Eve on my blog.  I apologize for not keeping up.  The holidays along with other personal issues kept me away for a bit.  I needed a break in remembering how the year ended.  For the most part, I have yet to make any resolutions for 2018.  It’s not that I am slacking on myself.  These recent events took me by surprise, and I am slowly nursing myself back to normal.  This weekend I am planning on visiting my friend in Michigan.  We will be celebrating her birthday.  For the most part, she is bummed out about some things not working out for her and I decided on the last minute to visit her.  I know how it feels when things take you by surprise.
I want everyone to know, it’s ok to take some time off for yourself to regroup.  Life can be hard (I just never imagined how hard it can be when you lose someone).  Last year, I knew 5 people that passed away suddenly.  It is a growing reminder for me that I am getting older, but also that Life can be incredibly unfair.  I never in a million years want anyone to go through the hardships I’ve witnessed.  Seeing friends and family hurt broke my heart.
As a result, I felt incredibly guilty around Thanksgiving.  I knew I needed to get away (for myself mostly) and I did in early December.  But then the holidays were creeping up again, and I felt the sudden urge of sadness.  I can now see how the holidays can trigger strong emotions when someone passes away.  
Luckily, my friends and family knew of my struggles and were very helpful once more.  I didn’t realize that even recapping these sad moments could take me back to that time, but now that weeks have passed, I’m am getting excited for things to come.  The next few months will be filled with lots of planning, and hopefully I will share the news soon of what’s to come.
Back to recapping Christmas Eve!
I was out the night before with my friend who came into town for the holidays.  As a result of us getting a little crazy, we woke up to the sight of a blanket of snow.  This snowfall came out of nowhere.  We grabbed brunch and then we went home to rest up.  It was Christmas Eve and we knew it was going to be a full night ahead of us once more.
My brothers picked me up and we headed to my aunt’s place.  This was her first time hosting this year, and we enjoyed our night there.  My step brother also showed up which was a nice surprise. 
I got a bunch of gift cards which I can’t wait to use.  I am looking forward to this weekend in Michigan.  I am thinking this is the year I might visit my friends who have moved away from Chicago.  That could be a possible New Year’s Resolution…   









Thursday, January 18, 2018

The Sixth

I am an introvert at heart and although I love a great party; I get worn out with too many social settings.  Sometimes I need to lounge around in my apartment and think.  I would advise any introvert out there to listen to your thoughts and feelings.  Try to schedule a day to yourself and do not allow anyone else to pull you out of the house.  I cannot stress how many times people have tried to convince me to come out and join them when all I really wanted was the comfort of my apartment.  Back to recapping the holidays!  
Since Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday this year, I went out the night before with one of my friends who was in town.  We had a blast catching up at The Sixth by Lincoln Square.  Our cocktails were superb.  She ended up staying over my place and we had brunch in the morning.  It was our first snowfall here in Chicago.  I guess we lucked out in having a White Christmas after all.



I forgot to mention that once I got back from Paris and Iceland I had to take care of some business.  I had a doctor’s annual checkup and my mom’s closing all in one day!  I was actually proud of myself for pulling this off.  Regardless, I was happy we ended the ordeal on my mom’s house.  She was dipping into her retirement fund to take care of the mortgage and rent in her new apartment.  I’m hoping that she will be stress-free of money problems for a while.  It’s all about being responsible at this point.  We did celebrate with dinner afterwards.  It was nice.








Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Game Night

Sorry I’ve been MIA.  As you can see, catching up on the blog was NOT one of my New Year’s Resolutions!  Lol.  I got a little depressed as the year ended.  I knew a total of 5 people that have passed away in 2017 and it was hard to look back at all the memories that I made with them.  I did not want to reflect too much and decided to keep busy with friends and family.  I am feeling much better and am excited for future plans again.  Sometimes it takes a minute to go through the emotions, but I’m blessed being surrounded with people who care. 
I actually won some tickets for a Bulls game during the holidays.  I decided to surprise my brother.  He’s never been to the skybox lounge at the United Center, and was very excited to go.  We had a great time.  I’m not big on sports, but we stayed until the very end to get the full experience.  Needless to say, I reminded him that was his Christmas present.  Lol.  Gotta love that brother-sister bond!





Thursday, January 4, 2018

A New Chapter for Mom

Once I got back from Paris and Iceland I had to take care of some business.  I had a doctor’s annual checkup and my mom’s closing all in one day!  I was actually proud of myself for pulling this off.  Regardless, I was happy we ended the ordeal on my mom’s house.  She was dipping into her retirement fund to take care of the mortgage and rent in her new apartment.  I’m hoping that she will be stress-free of money problems for a while.  It’s all about being responsible at this point.
 We did celebrate with dinner afterwards.  It was nice.

I always order crab cakes if I see it on the menu.



Legno’s cannoli is fantastic!

I had to come back to my mom’s the following Monday because I need to sign some more papers.  I was hesitant at first but needed to do this for my mom so she could take care of business.  I came over for dinner and my brother showed up as well.  My mom made some Italian pasta that I had brought for her as a gift from my friend.  The pasta was delish!  I got a chance to see my mom’s Christmas tree with the ornament I got her from Paris.  It was from Notre Dame.  I’m glad she enjoyed her gift.



Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Mastro’s birthday dinner

Well the holidays are officially over.  I’m finally getting my rhythm back.  It’s been brutally cold here in Chicago, but I’ve managed to still make it to the gym.  I also managed to get through these past two weeks.
As usual, it was one event after the other.  I had friends that came into town.  The best part is I managed to see them all while they were here.  I’ve missed them so much.  It’s hard knowing even if they lived here we probably would have the same problem of trying to get together.  Keep in mind you also have to make time to see your family.  It’s all about balance and hoping people understand that you can’t make every gathering.
Once I got back from Paris I immediately had to go to a birthday dinner.  I am a pure breed Chicagoan, but am not a fan of steakhouses.  As you know, Chicago is a steakhouse city.  My friends absolutely LOVE Mastro’s and that’s what where we decided to go to celebrate.
With my anxiety on traveling, on top of other personal losses I endured over the past 2 months, I probably lost 5-7 lbs.  That’s a lot for my small frame.  Hence, I took this opportunity to wear a little black dress for the party.  Lol.  I knew I would not be able to wear it well any other time.
It was nice catching up with the girls.  We rarely get together to share stories and I had a lot to share.  We decided to end our Friday night there since it started to snow out of nowhere.  It was late and we didn’t want to take our chances driving home in these conditions.
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years!  I will try my best to catch up on my events.  One of my resolutions is to have my blog current (of course).  It’s a therapeutic thing for me and I hope you enjoy reading some of my silliness…