Halloween Parade

This year Halloween Day fell on a Wednesday.  I started to get stressed out about my upcoming trip to New York and other things.  I used Sunday to do laundry and pack my things slowly on Monday and Tuesday.  I also snuck in my workouts since I was very tense.  I use light weights when I’m in this condition.  I like to do the workout movements so I could unleash my tension.  At this point I wanted Friday to come sooner rather than later.

My friend insisted on celebrating on actual Halloween.  There were parties all over, but most of them were late night.  The one that caught her attention was at the House of Blues.  I still had to come home and change but I had a migraine earlier during work.  I took something for it, and it did go away for a bit.  But once I was getting ready, I felt it coming back again.  I had to run out of the house because it was getting late.  By this time, everyone was meeting up at Boys Town to watch the Halloween Parade.  I made my way over there instead.

Luckily I found my friends because it was pretty chaotic when I got there.  The parade was about to start.  It was short but sweet.  People had to sign up in order to participate for the parade, but I have to say, some of the costumes were hilarious!  We all had a good laugh.

The parade lasted for about 30 minutes.  We walked around and tried to figure out what to do next.  Apparently at Fulton Market Kitchen they were having an event.  We took an uber over there but it was still pretty early.  They were having a whiskey tasting and my friends participated while I sat it out.  By now my migraine was throbbing and I tried my best to enjoy the rest of the evening, but secretly I wanted to go home.  We eventually left Fulton Market Kitchen and found ourselves at Punch Bowl Social.  Again, we walked in and the place was completely dead.  By this time we assumed most of the parties were going to get better late night, but I wanted to go home.  It was 10pm and my phone died out as well.  I said my goodbyes and took the train back home.  So much for that.

Halloween Weekend 2018

On Halloween Saturday, (even though Halloween was technically on Wednesday this year), our friend had a house party at her boyfriend’s place.  I luckily had a costume on time.  I had ordered it two weeks earlier and was relieved when it was delivered.  Talk about cutting it close!

Our friend from California was in town that weekend as well.  She wanted to meet up with us beforehand and we decided brunch was the way to go.  I made my way to Café con Leche and the girls already had a table waiting.  It was fun catching up with everyone.  We laughed a lot.  Our other friend brought her two kids and it was fun seeing them play around.  They’re growing up so fast!

Afterwards, one of the girls still needed some accessories for her costume.  We went to Party City to see what they had.  It was crazy packed in there!  Everyone was doing the same thing!  We waited a bit in line but that’s a reminder to everyone who procrastinates about things like this.

We all hung out at our friend’s place for a bit.  I went home and decided at the last minute that I had time to get my leg workout in.  I rushed to the gym and did my thing.  What I didn’t realize was how much time and preparation took place to get my costume ready.  Since it was in the package I had to iron it out but it was in bad shape.  My friends picked up me at a later time and we made our way over there.  They had on face paint and were also rushing to get their costumes ready.

Once inside, it was a hoot seeing everyone!  I love Halloween for that reason only!  

Holloween

With the sudden death of our colleague, the mood at work has been sad altogether.  Many of us worked or interacted with him on a daily basis.  The thought of not seeing him around has my mind playing tricks on me.  I sometimes think he’s not truly gone forever.  This part of growing older has been the hardest for me.  I am an extremely sensitive person who constantly worries about friends and relatives.  It’s hard for me knowing one of them might be going through something difficult and not mention it.  I’m always praying for their safety.
We did a memorial for our colleague and it was beautiful.  I learned so much about him and his family.  It also gave us some closure as well.
Before you knew it, Halloween weekend was upon us.  I didn’t have any definite plans but had a costume ready just in case.  I woke up with the sniffles that Saturday but me and my brothers promised my mom we would help her move.  Unfortunately the sale of the house has stalled but we figured we should continue on with the move.  My mom found an apartment four houses down from  her place.  She wanted to stay in the neighborhood.
As the move went on, my friends were getting excited about Halloween.  We settled for Apogee; the newly renovated rooftop at the Dana Hotel.  I went home and quickly showered and changed into my costume.  Once there, we got our table together and had a great time.  After a somber week, it was nice seeing my friends.

I’m a Dutch Darling!

BEST costume we’ve seen!

Trick or treat 

Closing it out at Celeste 

Halloween with The Cubs

As we're entering the last month of the year, I think about how tough the holidays are for some people.  I've noticed my mom has been in a funky mood lately, and it dawned on me that she might be going through something.  She was busy getting some bags of clothes together for the Salvation Army to be picked up.  They are mostly her husband's clothes, but she figured it was time to put them away for good.  I know she's hurting, but for me it's important that I monitor her well being since I do not want her to go through a depression again.  I know she's been technically retired for a month and a half, but I want her to stay active and not get stuck all day at home.  It's hard because there's so much coming up the next few weeks with birthdays and holiday parties that I need my brothers to make sure they reach out to her too.
Since we were out in Michigan when the Cubs clenched the National League Championship that Saturday night, we weren't sure who we were playing against.  It wasn't until the Cleveland Indians won the American Division that we knew who we were facing.  Game 1 was played out in Ohio, but I had to attend an event that night at the Loews Hotel.  It got me out of watching the series even though I had promised my brothers.  Our deal was I would start watching the games when the Cubs would made it to the World Series.  The POSSIBILITY that we reached this far and might not win this thing took over me and I happily went to my event.  I enjoyed my night out with other like-minded women.  We take care of ourselves but want to look and feel better.  I try my best to have a well balanced diet and exercise regularly, but sometimes that's not enough.  Regardless, we terribly lost Game 1 so I didn't feel so guilty missing out.
The following day, I rushed home from work to watch Game 2 and surprisingly we won and beat them pretty bad.  Who knew we were so good?  It reassured me that we DID win the National League Championship after all so I had to give them some credit.  lol  As you can tell, I'm terrible following sports, but I enjoyed getting that sense of Chicago pride. Now we are even 1-1.
Game 3 was a nail biter because no one was scoring and it was intense.  At this point, you could see how bad BOTH teams wanted this, and to make matters worse, the game was being played in our turf at Wrigley Field.  I had friends meeting up at bars to watch the game, but I hurried home because I was tired.  And yes, I have to admit, I was still skeptical about the Cubs making it this far.  We lost by one run but it made everyone in Chicago nervous.  WE HAVE TO WIN here in our own city!!
For Game 4 it fell that Halloween weekend on Saturday.  For the most part, I would say a number of participants wore dare to dress in costume usually do it that Saturday, but no one was talking about it.  Everywhere on social media were promoting to watch the Cubs game at their venue.  My brother was taking me up on his promise that I was watching the series and wanted to come pick me up so we could watch the game with our dad, but that didn't work out the way we wanted.  There was a miscommunication between my family and our dad was not available that night.  My younger brother went to a neighborhood bar alone to watch the game.  It seemed the pressure of the series was starting to get to people, and no one predicted the Cubs to lose here at Wrigley their first night back.  My older brother suggested meeting up with him and we did.  We ended up at MCM bar by six corners and watched the Cubs get slaughtered again.  This time, it was an embarrassment and NO ONE was in the mood to celebrate Halloween that night.  I stayed out with my brothers the whole evening, and also looked over my younger brother who was taking this loss personal.  EVERYONE in that bar was in such a horrible mood afterwards. 

Me and Freddy at MCM bar.

Game 5 was still taken place in Chicago.  I was getting frustrated that this series was interfering with Halloween.  I love dressing up, but everyone was focused on the Cubs.  I could see how much this was affecting my brothers.  We all got together again, but this time went over my Dad's place and watched the game with him.



At my Dad's.  I DO NOT OWN A CUBS SHIRT  so I kept wearing the colors instead.

And out of nowhere.  We won.  Here, in our turf.  It surprised me, and it woke up Chicago.  The feelings of "what if?" came back.  Do we have what it takes to win this thing?  My younger brother was back feeling hopeful than ever.  To make matters worse, he was on vacation.  He was under the impression he would be out celebrating every night with a Cubs win.  It didn't quite turn out that way, but he was excited again.  I wasn't aware of his schedule but told him I wanted to go out for Halloween at least.  I had a costume and everything.  Game 6 was going to resume back at Cleveland the following Tuesday, so at least I had one day when it wasn't about the Cubs.  The intensity of the series was exhausting and I wanted to go out and be silly.  My younger brother agreed to be my date and off we went to the Mid.      
I knew once I got back from my summer trip that I wanted to wear something in reference to my vacation, so I found this costume off of Amazon.  I got the leaf headband at Claire's and wore my own Greek lace up sandals to finish the look. 

Mondays at The Mid is a hot spot in Chicago.  Since Halloween fell on a Monday, the club was at full capacity early on.



Me and my toga!

My younger brother escaped prison to attend this party.  lol

It was fun watching everyone in costume.  We had a blast but I can't help but think the Cubs almost ruined my Halloween.  lol

Gearing up for the New Year!

I am currently reading "A Technique for Producing Ideas" by James Webb Young.  It was based off the recommendation of the last book I read, "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to be."  I've been reading self-help/ motivational books to help me stimulate my mind.  Sometimes you get into the funk of a routine, and get lost in trying to achieve the goals you want for yourself.  I feel it jolts my mind to be more creative, thus awakening my potential to try new things.  Since it's an easy read and a very short book, I feel it will help me start off the New Year in the right direction.
I grew into a funk with my life when me and my ex broke up 3 years ago.  It took some time for me to reflect on what happened.  I never worked so hard in trying to something I treasured so much.  But despite my efforts, our relationship ended, and I've been trying to figure out where to begin building my life again.
Everything seemed to slowly move to a new direction of singleton.  I was finally beginning to feel myself again when my mom's husband got diagnosed with a terminal disease.  This time around, I felt the urge to take care of my mom, but as the months went on, I started to get depressed.  Seeing him suffer and watching my mom cry was wearing me down.  I felt I was sinking again.  Yet since I'm on my own now, I had my friends who tried their best to comfort me, and the rest I had to figure out on my own. 
Blogging has been a source of output for me whenever I feel things are bottling up inside.  It gives me the chance to vent, and get things off my chest.  I never imagine how rewarding it could be.  I will try my best to improve the content of my blog, but for now, it's sole purpose is to express my feelings on life.  My life.  I know I lack depth in my writing, and I promise I will try to improve on my skills to tell stories.  But know that my freedom of expression is my right to come here and spill my guts.  And to tell you that everything is going to be alright.  I promise.  There were times I felt so alone, but everyone at some point or another has felt the same way I did.  I'm here to tell you that it will pass, and you will see your worth in a whole new light.  Life is a blessing and it's important you learn to appreciate it's valuable existence.
Back to finishing up October events.  Since we're coming up New Year's eve, I'm going to mention Halloween!  I was super excited to dress up this year.  It's funny looking back on it because I bought my costume when I returned from my trip to Paris and Italy.  I wanted to get a head start.  This year I was a French Maid!  lol.  Last year I was a Roman Empress, so it's only suiting to continue my travel theme.  That Halloween weekend started pretty weak, since not many people were dressed up on Friday.  I assumed because it fell on a Saturday this year, there would have been more people dressed in costumes.  About 20% of the crowd were dressed up that night.  I started out at National 27 for some cocktails then made my way to the Wit to join up with some friends who were visiting from out of town.  We hung out there for a bit before we decided to go to Hub 51.  Although we were disappointed in the low turn out for costumes, we knew Saturday was the day to go all out.
We started out at a house party around 9:30pm.  We figured we could show off our costumes and take some pics.  After a while we grew restless and wanted to head out and get into the action.  There were so many people out!  Lines were forming and it was barely 11pm.  We decided to go to Mercer 113 since it seemed easier to get our group in.  I had so much fun inside!  We danced and joked around so much.  I was having a blast!  Some of our friends started to head home, so our group got smaller.  We made our way to Ybar and it was insane in there!  By this point it was already 1:30am.  We danced some more.  We walked over to Soundbar and that's where I said my goodbyes.  I stayed there for a bit, but since that day was daylight savings time, clocks went back an hour at 2am.  Once it was 3am, technically it just turned 2am.  My feet couldn't handle it.
I loved seeing the goofy costumes that night, and I had so much fun with my friends, too.  It was probably one of the most memorable nights this year.  I'm glad nothing bad happened, (since Halloween can be a crazy night).  I cannot wait to see what the new year has planned for me and my friends.  Let the good times roll!

I'm a French maid!

Having fun at The Wit

I also made my way to Cuvee on Friday night, but again, not many people were in costumes.

Saturday Night for Halloween!  Our first stop at a house party. 

Ran into the Left Shark at Mercer 113...

The incredible Hulk was at y bar...

Who doesn't like a box of wine?  lol

The Hunt for a Calm October Part 3

I CANNOT forget about the best part of October, which is, of course, HALLOWEEN!  I thought long and hard what my costume would be, and without a doubt, I chose a Roman Empress!  I was super excited too!  I ordered it off Amazon and sure enough, it arrived in time for the festivities.  The problem was, the weather was horrible!  Rainy and cold.  I was pretty close to not doing anything, not to mention, I had a sore throat that would not go away.  But in the end, I called up a friend, and headed down to her place where her roommates were throwing a little party.  I loved my accessories, too!  I bought a headpiece from Claire's and won a gold coin bracelet off ebay that went perfectly with my outfit.  I also wore my gold gladiator wedges since my gown was long.  We had a good time, and even headed out to another loft party where we partied it up some more.  They had a costume contest, and there were some pretty clever ones!  I like when people get creative.  The winners were two girls who were dressed as wine boxes (with actual wine coming out of the nozzle).  Pretty impressive ladies!  We had an hour to kill so we headed down the Underground nightclub and danced to Thriller.  lol  Goodtimes...

This devil scared us!  YIKES!