When you are trying to make up for lost time...

Since I felt I didn’t get a chance to do much the day that I landed, I was glad I had a good night’s rest.  I showered up and headed to the café down the street for my croissant and latte.  I got to the Opera a little after 12pm.  There wasn’t much of a line yet, but there were groups of students everywhere.  I didn’t wait too long to get inside.  This opera house is truly extravagant!  I was amazed at how much detail was put in place.  I took a bunch of photos there and even made it to the gift shop to pick up something for my mom.  

I felt the Pantheon was a good choice for my next stop.  It took me a while to figure out where it was.  I was getting frustrated, but eventually I found the little street that led me up to the building.  Again, tons of students everywhere, but I walked in right away.  Talk about grand!  It was one of the most impressive city buildings I have ever laid eyes on.  I was a bit confused on what the pendulum was about.  Regardless, I left to find some crepes.  I was dying for something sweet.

Towards the metro stop I remembered I saw a man selling crepes and decided to have one with nutella.  By now the sun was beating hard, so I headed to Luxembourg Garden to have a seat and enjoy the view.  People were sunbathing everywhere.

I was excited to find out that it was barely 3pm.  I felt I could still sneak in another museum.  I headed back on the metro and exited at the Notre Dame stop.  I looked at the cathedral at a glance and noticed the long line of tourists waiting to get inside.  Who knew that was the last time I would see the Notre Dame in one piece?

I had to walk along the Seine river to get down to the other side to the musee de l’orangerie.  I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to get inside.  I wasn’t sure how long the wait would be.  I asked a bicycle-cab how much would he charge to take me over there.  His rates were listed at 15 euros.  Unfortunately I did not have enough cash with me and I preceded to walk away.  The man stopped me and asked how much I had.  We came to an agreement at 10 euros.  I was not aware they can negotiate. 

What a ride!  It felt good to be off of my feet.  He got me there in no time.  The line was long (by now it was later in the day and that was to be expected).  I was relieved when they let me in.  It was close to 4pm and the museum closed at 5pm.  I did something that got me in a bit of trouble with security.  I found a wall plug and used it to charge my phone.  I HAD TO!!  I couldn’t be here with a phone that was dying out!  I wanted to take my pictures.  Regardless, I charged it for 15 minutes before security yelled at me.  Off I went!

I found the main room of Monet’s Water Lilies right away.  It was amazing!!  I absolutely loved it!  I walked through the rooms and stared at each of the paintings.  This museum was quick to navigate.  I left shortly before 5pm.

I made my way back to my hotel and quickly changed.  My friend and I had made plans for dinner.  I made it back to his place to pick him up and we headed over to Rue Mabillon to Marcello.  I joked to him that he ended up taking me to an Italian restaurant, but the food was very good.  We talked through the night about the changes that were coming up for him.  I like hearing a different perspectives.  It took me a moment to realize he was pretty concerned about the decisions he was making, but I feel confident that things will be fine.    

Unfortunately, by the time I made it back to my hotel, my other friend was messaging me to come out.  We had made plans for tomorrow, but now she’s out and about and wanted to meet up.  I couldn’t do it.  My feet were killing me.  I turned her down and we settled to meet the next day.

Birthday Dinner Blizzard

And the festivities continue!  This weekend the weather will be warming up into the high 60s, which means we'll finally be able to enjoy the sun for a change and not freeze in the process.  We haven't had good weather in weeks so I'm pretty excited about that.  Maybe I'll go for a run again??  Who knows?  All I can say that compared to last weekend, the weather was BRUTAL. 
After my night out at Studio Paris last Thursday, the next day I came into work for half a day.  I had a birthday dinner to attend too afterwards.  I was glad the restaurant was nearby because it wouldn't stop snowing!  I made my way to La Scarola, but our table wasn't ready so we went across the street to The Dawson for some pre-drinks.  It was nice catching up to everyone.  Of course, due to the weather, rush hour, and the home opening Sox game, some of our friends were running terribly behind.  We made the most of it, and luckily, the rest of our crew walked in altogether. 

I had the linguini with clams but I absolutely LOVED my friend's dish which was the penne all vodka with shrimp and asparagus!  That creamy sauce was to die for!!  Overall, everyone enjoyed their meal.  We even brought our own birthday cake to top it off!  Too bad it started snowing again!  That was pretty frustrating...



Wore a white lace top from Express with my skinny jeans and cognac ankle boots.  I knew it was a neighborhood restaurant, so I didn't dress up.

I love them...

Happiness is being with friends...

The birthday girl! 

She's excited about motherhood!

Linguini with clams

Now that's a cake!

Cozy restaurant!  We squeezed in for our pic! 

Birthday Baby Shower Part 1

I have OFFICIALLY caught up with my events!!!  Yipee!!  lol.  It took a while for me to get to this point.  Looking back on the events in my life has helped me tremendously.  Sometimes you have to realize how far you've come to the point where you are NOW.  Currently, my mom has been expressing to me that she is suffering from some memory loss.  I tried to write it off as something that will pass.  Since her husband's passing, I simply assumed she was going through the hardships.  But now I am fearing it might be more than that.  We had a good talk and I did advise her to see a doctor whenever she gets a chance.  She is looking forward to retiring around her birthday in September.  Even though I'm worried about her well being, it's nice to hear that she is welcoming this next transition in her life.
Around the holidays, I found out that my dad and his wife weren't in good terms.  My other two aunts have been having problems with their husbands too.  I hate seeing them go through this because they are all older.  Yes couples fight but this has been going on for YEARS.  So much friction, yet they put up with it for the sake of the marriage.  It terrifies me.
It bummed me out because I want to see them happy.  I want them to love one another and grow old peacefully.  Hearing some of the fights they're having breaks my heart.  Seeing the sadness in their eyes proves to me there's something terribly wrong.  And then there's my mom.  I may have a problem over thinking but I do appreciate the time I have now being single.  I am drama-free.
Of course, coming home to an empty apartment is an adjustment, but blogging has helped me sort out my thoughts.  I look into the future of my family members and worry about the decisions they've made.  Then I look into the present with all of my friends settling down and hope they're making the right decisions for their future families.  There is simply no way to predict how things will turn out.  You have to take a chance in life and in love and hope for the best. 
My friend had her baby shower this past Saturday.  Leading up to that day was pretty hectic.  I had to catch up on my work since I was pretty wiped out from the weekend before.  I was in charge of some of the games.  I printed up some activities for us to do in case we get a little quiet in there.  I was all set!
I woke up around 9am to do a quick clean up of my apartment since I knew I was going to be out all day.  Then I slowly got ready.  My friend wanted us to be at the restaurant around 11:30am to help set up.  The funny thing about this day was the weather.  It was unseasonably warm.  In the upper 40s.  If I would have known how warm it was going to be, I would have worn a dress, but instead I wore what I had planned all along.  A black sweater with an attached cape and faux leather panel leggings.  I was hot!!  Not to mention, the shower was being held at Quartino's restaurant.  Part of the table arrangements were 5 head candlestick candles and votives  displayed throughout the area.  There was even a fire place on!!  Go figure!
We did our best to setup the tables before the guests started arriving.  We had the upstairs area from 1-4pm.  The mom-to-be had a decorating table so people could paint and decorate baby onesies and wooden blocks for her future son.  That was a pretty fun idea!  Everyone enjoyed decorating.  We also got a chance to play bin-the-baby-in-the-belly with the cutout babies I printed out.  We enjoyed playing it from the last baby shower we attended, and as usual, it was a hit.
Time flew by quickly!  The staff at the restaurant reminded us that we had the room until 4pm and it was a Saturday after all.  They needed to clean up right away, so we didn't have time to linger around.  My friends wanted to grab drinks afterwards, but we opted to meet up later on.  My feet were killing me.  I went home and passed out for over an hour.  Next thing you know, it was time to get back up again.  This cycle needs to stop, I swear!  lol.  I agreed to it because the mom-to-be was celebrating her birthday as well.  It fell earlier that Tuesday.  They were also hosting some friends who flew into Chicago for this shower, so off we went at it again.  Stay tuned for part 2!   

Baby blue cake! 

Decorating table...

 We hung up the onesies as part of the decorations.  People would grab a onesie and make their way to the decorating table..

Quartino provided a buffet for the party.  There was margarita pizza as well...

Wishes for baby on a onesie!

Pin-the-baby-in-the-belly!

Time to measure the belly...





The mommy-to-be wore baby blue!  I wish I wore something more colorful but I assumed it was going to be freezing since it usually is in January.  Regardless, this shower was in River North after all, so I kind of fit in.  LMAO

Where's the snow?

So apparently, parts of the country are experiencing a dry winter so far without any snow.  And according to the weathermen (although I'm not sure how accountable they are), we might have a pretty warm Christmas this year.  They are predicting temperatures to reach around 50 degrees!  We have been getting some gusty rain instead, which in reality should be snow.  But in the meantime, I'll take a snow-less Christmas anytime.  Hey, not to bash a wintery wonderland, but I've lived in Chicago all my life.  It would be nice to take a "break" from the traditional blizzard just for a change.  Regardless, it's not like it's been sunshine city over here.  We still get sun less days, and it's pretty depressing.  Adding snow in the mix sometimes doesn't necessarily put you in the Christmas spirit.   As for me, who doesn't own a car, walking through a blizzard is pretty intense.  I am curious to see if we do get this warm weather.  Let's see how this pans out.
Back to recapping the end of September.  I had just celebrated my friend's birthday at Yuzu sushi.  The next day I was invited to a show to see Diplo perform.  He's part of Jack U which helped put Justin Bieber back in the music map.  I headed off to Concord Music Hall and had a blast.  I love dancing to dance music, especially EDM because the crowd gives off an amazing energy.  Since summer was over, music festivals is one of the things that I miss.  Going to these shows helps with the void in the meantime. 

On the 29th was my mom's birthday.  Me and my brothers decided to surprise her with a birthday dinner.  She had no idea we invited the rest of the family.  She was in shock!  I loved every minute of it!  Her birthday fell on a Tuesday, so it was nice to do something different in the beginning of the week.  We went to a cute Italian restaurant named Trattoria Porretta.  It's located in our neighborhood.  We knew off hand we didn't want to drive all the way downtown for some good food.  Luckily, the restaurant had a parking lot, which helps if you live in the city.  Only in the burbs you get good parking.  Not fair!
Regardless, I caught up with my little cousin, who also went to Italy earlier in the year.  We exchanged traveling stories.  I'm hoping to go back again next year.  I hope she does the same as well.  Traveling DOES expand your horizons.  Plus, Chicago is not for everybody.  I do want to relocate one day, and I feel one day I will find a place elsewhere to live and call "home".  In the meantime, I'm going to have fun looking! 

We all made it!

It was nice seeing everyone together...

My mom looks so happy!  I loved surprising her...

My mom with my brother.  We had a great night that night...