Night Market at Fullerton Beach

After my trip I jump started with work.  During the weekend I did my usual errands.  My friend wanted to catch up with me so I met up with her in Lincoln Park.  There was a Night Market taking place by the theater at the lake near Fullerton beach.  It was a hot weekend so I wore a strapless dress and flat espadrilles so I wouldn’t be uncomfortable with the heat.  This was the first time I attended Night Market which was sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.  They had food, games and a live dj playing top 40.  There was even a seating area in front of the skyline.  It was nice seeing my friend.  We walked back to her apartment and chilled out before heading to the Happy Camper in Old Town.  Some of her friends were meeting up at for a birthday party.  I’ve never been so I tagged along.  I liked the fact we didn’t stay out too late.  I wasn’t ready to paint the town red…

Surprise Birthday Party Barbecue

My friend decided to throw a birthday party for her boyfriend who was turning 40 this year.  He was really surprised!  Lol.  We all hid behind the garage while they pulled in.  My friend had snuck in her other friend to decorate the backyard while they were out grocery shopping.  We even had pizza delivered in time for the party.  Of course the birthday boy couldn’t help get a barbecue grill  going.  That’s his specialty.  I loved that Sunday.  It was a quick party that came together at the last minute but we all enjoyed ourselves that day.

North Halsted Market Days

I finished Timothy Ferris’ “The 4-hour workweek” a few weeks ago and I’m still going through my notes.  As I’m reading along, I love how he emphasizes on what makes you happy.  “Some criticize a focus on self-love and enjoyment as selfish or hedonistic, but it’s neither.”  “I believe that life exists to be enjoyed and that the most important thing is to feel good about yourself.”

LOVE THIS!  How many times have we STOPPED OURSELVES on feeling good about ourselves?  It’s as if we are constantly reminded that life is hard.  Yes, it can be, but it can also be a wonderful.  I truly believe that.

I once heard an audio CD on happiness.  It was given to me by my ex-boyfriend when we were together.  His ex-wife at the time had given it to him and I’m glad that she did.  It basically explains certain perceptions on happiness.  The sad reality is some people feel they are not allowed to feel joy.  The worst part of it all is that we don’t give permission to ourselves on having happiness in our lives.  I think this is the part that hurts me the most.

I was taught this early on by my family.  I do not know why this was the case, but it wasn’t until I moved out that I got a chance to hang out with other families.  My friends would laugh and joke around with their families.  They would dance with each other and embrace one another.  This was definitely something that I was missing growing up.

Lately the stress about my mom and her sisters have gotten to me.  I do not enjoy being around them for too long.  It’s always a dreary feeling and a lot of times I cannot wait to see my friends because of this.  We love to laugh and have fun.  I missed out growing up so there’s a lot of catching up to do on the happiness department.  Lol

Now that my trip is coming up, I’m getting anxious again.  I’m SUPER NERVOUS about my upcoming flight, plus not all the details have been worked out.  I like to have a plan but so far, we are playing it by ear.  I have to learn how to do this but it will be done.  I have no choice on the matter.

Back to recapping August events!  This weekend is already Labor Day weekend!!  Can you believe it?

The 2^nd weekend of August was one of the best times I had this summer!  It was North Halsted Market Days!  My hair stylist works in Boystown so I made an appointment for a trim and figured we could go to the fest afterwards.  I was his last client.  We walked around the corner and got a bottle of wine in time to celebrate.  We wanted to catch Robin S  and Jody Watley’s performance.  We waited for another friend to meet up with us and even found a parking spot for him.  We were just being silly and I loved it!

Once inside we found the stage where Robin S was and danced the whole time.  She was awesome!  We then headed to Hydrate’s stage for some dance music and then went to see Jody Watley.  My feet were killing me!  I still had to go to a birthday party afterwards and wasn’t sure how long I could hang out.

I got my second wind once I ate a gyro.  Lol  Hey sometimes greasy food helps.  I made my way to Humble Park for Humble Lounge.  My friend had the upstairs sectioned off for her party.  I was beat but I managed to stay til the end.  What a day!   

New Beginnings

I’m FINALLY catching up with August events although this month is almost over!  Unbelievable!  I can’t believe how fast time flies.  It scares me sometimes.

I had an amazing day today.  I went to see the exhibit “The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg” at the MCA.  Takashi Murakami blew my mind!  I think this is what I needed to feel better.  Last night I couldn’t sleep because I started thinking about my trip.  This morning my stomach wasn’t feeling so great.  I’ve barely ate anything because I keep running to the bathroom.  My co-worker was worried I was going to bail out on our art date, but I toughened up.  We’ve been waiting for the perfect Tuesday to do this.  On Tuesdays it’s free at the MCA.

I will speak about our experience later on when I catch up on my blog.  But for now, let’s discuss the first week in August.  I heard about an unexpected death of someone my friends knew the weekend of my mom’s yard sale.  Prior to that, my mom had admitted herself to the hospital from an anxiety attack.  I was feeling overwhelmed.  A friend of mine called me up at work and wanted to have dinner with me.  I didn’t think it would be a good idea at first since I felt I wasn’t going to be good company, but then I thought, why not?

We went to Taylor Street for some Indian food.  Taylor Street is known to be an Italian neighborhood here in Chicago, but over the years, it’s grown to be more of a cultural environment.  Restaurants now serve more of a global cuisine.  My date wanted Indian food and suggested the Taj Mahal.  Lol.  Regardless of the name, we had a good time catching up with one another.  I definitely needed that.

I laid low on Friday once I received a text from my friend.  It looks like she needed some help moving into her brand new place!  I was very excited for her and agreed to help out once I got up.  I did my usual Saturday routine of chores and headed out there once I was done.  I had a going away party to attend to later on but I let her know I could help out for a few hours.

Her place was awesome!  Everything was brand new (which helps out a lot).  It was pretty hot that day, so we definitely worked up a sweat.  I felt bad leaving early but they had a majority of their stuff moved in by then.  Moving sucks!  Lol

I rushed home to get ready and headed to my friend’s place where they were having the surprise party.  Our friend was moving to Miami with her family, and my friends decided to throw a party for her pre-celebrating her birthday as well.  It was nice seeing everyone.  That weekend was also Lollapalooza weekend, but I wasn’t planning on going.  I didn’t have any tickets and figured no one I knew was going to be there anyway.  I found it funny when people were texting me to see if I was there.  Lol.  Next year I guess.

I had fun hanging out with my friends.  I’ve known them for close to 20 years, but they go way back since high school!  I love that they kept in touch for all these years.

The next day, I took a brief trip down to Lollapalooza, but only to hear the music from the outside.  It was still a hot Sunday, and I got a chance to hear Perry’s stage for some EDM.  I don’t know if I could do this fest again, but this Friday I have a one day pass for North Coast Fest.  Let’s see how long I can hang there…

A weekend with my friend..

Back in August, one of my friends came over to hangout.  We talked and caught up with what's going on, but we were having a hard time figuring out what to do.  We could have easily stayed in, especially since it started to rain when she came over.  But after a glass of wine, and when the rain stopped, we decided to head down to Logan Square to check out my friend's restaurant.  It opened last summer, and I felt TERRIBLE I haven't been able to check it out.  Hence, here was my opportunity to see how things were going for him.
Masada is a middle eastern restaurant which features live music and dancing.  I loved the décor when I walked in!  I felt I was in a far away destination!  We found the owner and chatted with him on how things have been.  It was a pretty cool evening.  We smoked hookah and danced the night away.  I love surprise evenings...
The next day my friend invited me to the Cuban Festival in Reis Park.  I've never been before and was excited to see what all the hype was about.  Of course, there was plenty of salsa music, and food galore.  Luckily it didn't rain on us.  I loved seeing people dance!  I'm a terrible salsa dancer, but watching everyone gave me the itch to try to learn.  I ended up taking lessons after softball season was over.  I didn't have the guts to show off my moves, but it definitely made me want to improve on my skills.  Practice makes perfect!
Afterwards we headed back to Masada for more Arabic fun!  My friend wanted to show her boyfriend the new place we discovered, and he loved it as well.  In a weird sense, that weekend felt like a mini getaway.  It's nice to feel "away" sometimes...

With the owner of Masada restaurant...

Having fun with the hookah!

Dancing the night away...

The next day checking out the Cuban Festival in Reis Park,

Hanging out in the cigar section...

I love these two...

Good times

LOVED the live music! 

Back at Masada after the festival...

Lollapalooza 2015!

In the real world, October is almost over.  But in my blogging world, I'm finally entering the month of August.  This was a pretty eventful month for me; probably the most of the whole year.  It's hard to put into words what I have learned in 2015 so far.  So many things have changed in my life yet  somehow nothing really happened to me.  I feel different inside.  But let's get this blogging-party started with Lollapalooza! 
Lollapalooza for me is by far the best music festival in Chicago.  I love the fact they have different music for different genres.  I did not get tickets this year because I knew I wanted to save up for my upcoming trip.  I ended up watching the live streaming online for TheWeeknd and Kaskade on Friday.  It gave me the itch to go down there Saturday and find a spot outside the venue.  I heard Sam Smith's sweet voice, and danced to Alesso and Tove Lov.  The energy from the outside is just as magnifying as being inside!  People have picnics and listen to the music.  There's a lot of people watching, and sometimes it gets pretty entertaining.  I always get a kick out of seeing folks try to weasel their way in. 
I had a friend who purchased the 3 day pass, and he wanted me to go with him on Sunday.  But with no tickets, that was going to be difficult.  We checked online for stub hub and they were still pretty high.  Eventually, as the day went on, the prices started to drop.  We gathered up enough cash and headed our way down there.  In the end, we ran into someone selling their wristband.  Yes it was risky, but for me, it's a risk worth taking to be a part of this party!  We ran inside and danced the night away at Perry's stage.  I had a blast, and although I only had a few hours to experience it, I had so much fun!  Until next year Lolla!

In my happy place!!

Lol.  This did not last long!

Perry's Stage was insane!



This picture sums it up!  I had a blast again at Lollapalooza!