Labor Day Weekend Monday

I did not go out in the end.  I went home after my mom’s dinner.  My friend went out and had fun with her new friend.  I’m glad.  I bummed out in the morning until I received a text from my other friend who lives down the street from me.  She wanted to throw a mini BBQ at her place.  Nothing big.  I loved that idea!  Grilling on Labor Day!

I got ready since she mentioned to get to her place by 12:30pm.  But once I was ready, I heard something outside.  Yup.  You guessed it.  It started storming again.  These sneaky scattered storms have been playing tricks on us all weekend.  I texted her to let her know I will be over once the storm passes through.  Once it did, I walked over to 7-11 to grab some prosecco for the BBQ. 

She had a friend over who also has kids.  Her twins were playing with my friend’s daughter.  It was fun watching them interact with one another.  My friend would run outside to check on the grill, but at one point she came back drenched.  It was pouring again, and this time it was heavy.  Unfortunately her husband came home from work and found flooding in the basement.  We felt bad because we had no idea something was happening downstairs.  Once the rain passed by me and her friend decided to leave.  We knew they had more important issues to deal with and we didn’t want to be in the way.  This rain was something else!  Regardless, I loved my chicken sandwich!  Lol

Back In Time For A Race!

One of the things that have worked out for me in planning my annual vacation is that I get to participate in Race Judicata, a 5k run with other law firms.  It normally lands in September, and depending on the dates, I've managed to get involved in some of the races, (two years ago I was still in Italy and did not run).  This year I was lucky enough to slowly get in my exercise routine for a week before hitting the pavement.  What is helpful about most 5k runs is that you can walk also.  Just stay behind and let the runners move up front!  lol.  I truly enjoy my short runs, because this year, my allergies are terrible.  It's good to know I won't be putting myself in too much danger of an asthma attack.  I still had my inhaler in my fanny pack, just in case.  Luckily the temperature that day was almost 70 degrees.  If it was any more warmer it would have been too hot.  Unfortunately, my time wasn't so great, but I'm still glad I did this.  I did not train at all this year and I could have done much better if I had incorporated running in my regular workout routines.  Of course the best part is socializing afterwards!  Who doesn't like to be rewarded with wine?? 

The Grand Prize!  lol

Most 5k runs have entertainment as well as food and beverages.  I think it's a great place to socialize and meet new people...

It's Taurus Season...

Looks like this weekend might turn out better than last weekend.  We had non stop rain!  At first I didn't mind because I got a chance to do laundry and clean up the apartment.  But then anxiety kicked in.  I was invited to a birthday party at Drumbar that Saturday, but wasn't sure if I would make it out or not.  Normally I would pass on crappy weather, but since I was cooped up in the house all day, I gave a second thought.  Eventually it DID stop raining after 10pm, so I quickly got ready and ordered my uber. 
That turned out to a huge ordeal.  First off, my friend had received some bad news and started a chain text.  I felt bad for her, and sent out my prayers.  Then my uber never showed up and wouldn't pick up my calls or text me back.  I cancelled after 15 minutes then ordered another one.  Luckily, this one showed up and off we went.  He jumped on the expressway, and the next thing you know, all traffic came to a complete stop.  We looked around to see what had happened and that's when we heard the sirens coming towards us.  It was a two car accident, and the fire trucks ended up parking their trucks right in front of us!  We were blocked.  After a few minutes, a fire fighter started to direct traffic and we continued towards downtown.  At this point my anxiety was working overtime.  I felt I made a huge mistake and the universe was telling me I should have stayed home.  Regardless, we made it to Drumbar safely, but I vowed not to stay out late.
Once inside, I found the party and ordered my drink right away.  I needed to calm down.  I found some friends and the birthday boy, so that made things a little better.  I didn't get to enjoy the party till much later.  At least the birthday boy had fun.  As for me, I might have to pay attention to the universe a little more closely next time.

What I wore to the party.  I haven't really shopped for clothes in a while.  Had to try on a bunch of stuff before I settled on this Zara dress.  I've had it for over 10 years! 

Despite the non stop rain, people made it out...

The birthday boy and friend.  It's Taurus Season!

I've known them for over 10 years!

Fancy cocktail but it was delish!

A long summer's day...

TGIF peeps!  I don't know about you, but this week in particular felt super long.  To make matters worse, it's getting dark pretty early.  Yet another reminder that fall is officially here.  Luckily the weather has been sweet so far, so it hasn't hit me yet that it's time to dust off the sweaters.  I'm hoping we'll have a warm Halloween for a change.  Last year the weather was cold and rainy!  YIKES!
Back in June, one of the most anticipated neighborhood festivals fell on a warm Saturday.  The Old Town Art Fest started off cloudy with the chance of showers, and if you know Chicago weather, it usually means storms.  Luckily it seemed the clouds were passing, (as so you thought).  I made my way down to join my friends for some afternoon action.  Artists showcase their work in a trendy locale ready for anyone whose interested in finding unique pieces.  There's even live music for entertainment.  I wore a white linen button down and my rag & bone jeggings with flat sandals.  Since I'm transitioning to summer weather, wearing breathable fabrics is a must.  Me and my friends had a good time before we all headed to other places we needed to be.  I had to head out to a family bbq while my other friends had a graduation dinner to attend.  We all agreed to meet up later on.
I hurried to my uncle's place to for the bbq.  A family friend had hired a Brazilian band for some music, but guess what came creeping up on us??  That's right, a storm.  It started to get very dark.  I think we were all hoping they were some passing clouds, but no such luck.  It started to pour on us.  We all scrambled to move the food inside and the poor band quickly covered up their equipment.  My uncle had a tarp so he grabbed a couple of guys to help him put it up.  I guess he could have done this beforehand, but these rain clouds came out of nowhere!  Once he got the tarp on, the party continued.  We danced the night away until the storm passed us by.  I loved the fact that we made the most of the night, despite our weather malfunction.  What else can you do?
We left around 11pm, where I quickly went home and changed to go back out.  Looks like the graduation party was heading out on the town and I wanted to catch up to them.  We met at Hubbard Inn for some drinks and then decided to go to another spot when we got a rude awakening.  Yup, you guessed it.  It was storming again.  We took refuge at Epic restaurant next door and stayed there the whole night.  The rain would not go away this time.  It did not stop raining hard til the next day.  I was pretty much done with the weather and headed home while my friends cabbed it to another spot.  They were determined to have some fun.  I on the other hand knew better.  No matter where they ended up, the weather was going to put a damper on attendance.  I knew I wasn't going to miss much.  lol.  Lesson learned from all the years I've lived here.  Sometimes it's better to quit while you're ahead...

Old Town Art Fest fun!

Look the sun's out!

Family bbq fun

Enjoying the music despite the weather..

My mom is still a little quiet around the family.  I think she's really missing her husband here.

Later on at Hubbard Inn for the graduation party.  We had a blast as usual...