Happy Galentine’s Day

I’m still recapping the month of January.  Despite its frigid weather, I had to step out for my step brother’s birthday.  My mom wanted to have dinner at her place to celebrate.  That same day my friends wanted to get together to catch up.  They needed some girl time.  I told them I would head over once dinner was over.

In lieu of Galentine’s Day, I wanted to mention how incredibly important my friends are to me.  I can honestly say I have been blessed with an amazing support group.  These girls have seen me at my worse and still wanted to stick around.  I love them very much.  I don’t know what I would do if they weren’t in my life.  Even my friends who live afar are my secret treasures.  I don’t think distance can tear apart the bond and memories we have shared over the years.  I am a lucky woman.

With that in mind, I am also very protective of them, and who I include in my circle.  It’s not easy to share your deepest secrets.  As I have gotten older I pride myself with the girls that I have.  I absolutely HATE drama of any kind, and unfortunately, in an age of self-absorbed personalities, it’s easy to mistaken a foe as a friend.  Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve made the wrong assumptions on people.  It’s all a part of growing into your true self.  Honesty is the best policy, and knowing when to spot the fakes is a process itself.  Just like any other relationship, some friendships grow apart.

My mom made an amazing dinner.  I know she loves her husband’s son very much.  Me and my brothers were goofing off as usual.  It felt like we were little kids again.

Once dinner was over, my brother dropped me off at my friend’s place, and we stayed up all night talking about everything.  Girl time was a blast…    

Clueless vibes 

Le table

Banana bread birthday cake 

Happy Hour at Sunda

In January we had temperatures go up and down.  One particular Thursday the temps touched 60 degrees but then fell back into the 30s the next day.  My friends wanted to take advantage of this warm weather to ge together for happy hour.  A friend of theirs was in town and wanted to meet up.  I brought a pair of jeans to change into after work and made my down to Sunda.  I was in the mood for sushi, but everyone else ordered a bit of everything.  It felt weird being out and about.  I cannot remember the last time I hung out with this set of friends.  I usually hibernate in the winter because I loathe the cold weather but this was a nice break from the norm.  Of course now that I’m recapping this day, Chicago is experiencing a blizzard.  It will snow for 12 hours straight!  I guess winter isn’t done with us yet!

I can’t believe I wore a simple tee and jeans in January!

Cocktails 

And sushi 

Birthday Baby Shower Part 2

The funny thing about the later part of the evening is that it lasted as long as the afternoon part.  Socializing can go past the wee hours of the night.  Which is why I'm glad I took a power nap when I got home from the shower.  I knocked out hard.  The mommy-to-be rested up as well, and we all decided to meet up around 10pm.  I didn't have time to find something else to wear, so I ended up wearing the same thing again.  It was a hit at the shower.  Everyone liked my sweater and leggings combo.  I felt it looked clubby in the afternoon but now it looks perfect for the evening.  lol. 
I didn't even bring out my coat this time.  It was useless earlier and I figured I'll be jumping in an out of cabs anyway.  We met up at the Hampton Social and had a nice crowd there.  I rode with my friends who are parents to their adorable one year old.  They haven't officially been out since the birth of their daughter, and they figured they can test it out to see if she'll be ok with the sitter.  I was glad they came out.  They needed some nightlife action. 
My mommy-to-be friend seemed fine and she was enjoying herself.  The due date is next month, and it's probably one of the last times she'll be able to be out in a long time.  She's very excited to meet her baby.  Yet tonight we were out to celebrate her birthday.  Let the party continue...
We wanted to jump to another location after a while and settled for the speakeasy downstairs of Hampton, called the Bassment.  It was super cozy inside.  Although the Hampton Social resembles a beach house with white walls and décor, the Bassment was the complete opposite.  It was dark with gold accents.  If it wasn't for the flash of my camera, I would not have known how it truly looked in there.  lol.
Everyone took a sip off a gin rubber ducky drink that came in a bathtub.  It was too cute!  The rest of the night was mostly conversation and jazz music.  I opted out of the late night dining part and headed to bed.  I was too pooped to do anything anymore.  The next day my friends wanted to meet up for brunch but I was sound asleep.  I didn't meet up later on for dinner either.  I miss my bumday Sundays plus I would have been wiped out for work again.  This will soon come to an end come Ash Wednesday... 

Checking out the Hampton Social with the birthday girl.  Her dress hides her bump perfectly!

 The Bassment is downstairs.  Love the décor!



 Rubber- ducky gin cocktail served in a mini bathtub!

Passing the ducky around...

It's Groundhog Day!

I can't believe January flew by!  Now that we're in February, I'm worried that's going to fly by too.  What's important for me is to acknowledge that I did pay off that huge debt and to move onto other things I want to accomplish.  I had another eventful weekend and that led me to decide what I'm giving up for Lent this year.  Let's see if I can make this happen!
Last weekend literally wore me out.  I did too much on Friday, and it crossed over onto Saturday.  I had such a sluggish week at work because I never caught up on sleep.  I was more upset of myself on handling too much.  For the record, I knew of the birthday celebration I had to go to that Saturday.  I should have rested up on Friday and not went out.  I took a hardcore nap that day, and when I woke up, I had to get ready again for dinner plans we made at Roka Akor.  I really did it this time!  I showered up and slicked my hair on a bun and off I went. 
I was late to dinner but luckily they sat the rest of the party down at our table.  I hate having people wait on me.  I had a million things running in my head but I knew it was time to relax and have some fun (AGAIN).  My nerves were getting the best of me but I did some reading beforehand to calm down a bit.  I hate getting nervous, especially when I have to be "on" around people.  At the end I realized I am a grown woman and can take care of myself, no matter what someone thinks of me.  I did take control of my nerves and worked the crowd.  I was there for the birthday boy and I wanted him to have fun.  Roka was having restaurant week and I decided on the pri fixe menu.  $44 set price included a cocktail drink; appetizer; main course and dessert.  Not bad!
After dinner we made our way to Fremont.  I've been to that location when it was American Junkie so it was nice seeing the new changes they made to the venue.  We made our way to the second floor where we had table service reserved for the birthday boy.  What started out slowly turned into an exciting night out!  We were dancing in no time!  I had so much fun there.  The crowd was getting smaller once we left Fremont, but the party didn't want to stop there.  We caught a limo on the way out and made our way to Shay.  I stayed out as late as I could but I was pretty beat.  At least the birthday boy enjoyed himself! 

Complimentary Cocktail!

Yellowtail sashimi for appetizers!





Black Cod for main dish.  Very buttery!

Table service at Fremont!

The birthday boy and me

 I had a blast!

Taking as many selfies as we can before we get to Shay...

Front door service...

 I can't believe I lasted this long!  I was super tired!!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT...



One Year Already!!

The following week in January, things slowed down a bit.  I stayed in and the Golden Globes helped me get through Sunday.  I knew I had a one year old birthday party coming up the following weekend.  Not to mention, I was near the finish line to knock off my huge debt.  I wanted to stay on track with my budget.   I quickly finished up a short book I bought off ebay called "A Technique for Producing Ideas".  I like reading self-help and entrepreneurial books.  Sometimes you need an author to psyche you up!  Plus, I always feel the end results get your brain juices flowing with creativity.  If there's one thing I would take away from this book, is to "not make the mistake of holding your ideas" close to you. " Submit it to the criticism of the judicious."  Even if it's your passion, you NEED to express your ideals to other people and see what they think of them.  Don't take it as someone having the opportunity to be judgmental.  With a new set of eyes, they may see something you could have overlooked.  And if they do find something wrong, go back and fix it!  Trial and error are crucial in making ideas come to life. 
On the 15th my friend held her daughter's 1st birthday at Wonder Works Children's Museum in Oak Park.  I can't believe she had her little daughter one year ago this day!  It's unbelievable how time flies.  She is absolutely precious!!  It sometimes got a little chaotic with all the kids running around, so it helped that my friend rented out the whole place for her little girl.  I also got a chance to catch up with my other friends who became moms last year.  It's getting harder and harder for all of us to get together.  I told myself I will try my best to attend any celebrations I could so I could see how everyone's doing.  My social situation is changing now that they have all settled down.  Whether they know it or not, I still need them in my life but I am understanding how their lifestyles have changed. 
I was invited later on to catch a dj at Paris nightclub afterwards.  Me and my friend who lives downtown (and who is also about to have a baby herself) made our way towards the city.  We both stopped by the Hampton Social to catch up with another friend who was having dinner and drinks there.  We figured it will probably be the last time she could be out in general before she has her baby.  She only stayed out for 15 minutes, but at least she got her chance mingle.  I finished up there and made my way to Paris nightclub.  Luckily we didn't stay out that long.  I was exhausted since I did work that Friday.  It was pretty low key the rest of the weekend.  I thanked the frigid temperatures for that!  It helps make the decision to stay in worth it, plus be on top of your financial goals.

Wonder Work Children's Museum!

Check out that dessert table!

Add caption

This little one's birthday will be in May

The birthday girl herself!  She loves pizza!

She made a mess but she's happy!!

  

Do what works for YOU!

During the first Saturday of the year, my friends wanted to catch up for a bit.  The holidays were officially over, and getting together seemed like the ideal thing to do.  The past 2 weeks were all about family.  I agreed to meet up because I always felt that your friends are your second family, (and sometimes they just "get" you).  Of course it fell apart quickly, and not everyone made it out as they promised to.  We originally met up at Old Town at Benchmark, a upscale sports bar.  College football was on tv and the crowd seemed pretty excited.  It's not my thing, but sometimes you have to go with the flow if you want to get out of the house. 
Once we realized our group was going to stay small, we made the most of it and caught up with one another.  At one point we decided to break up and head our own way.  I figured since I made the trip out in the first place, I would quickly checkout Y bar.   It's a pretty known fact that the weekend after the holidays it's dead EVERYWHERE from retail shops to the nightlife industry.  I saw some friends and then we all decided to head next door to Shay.  I was beat, but did make a promise to myself not to step out again unless we're celebrating something.  Going out for the sake of drinking and spending money is not on my list of things to do for 2016.
The following day was Sunday and the friends that did not make it out before wanted to hang out now.  I made my way over to Wicker Park for some Sunday Funday action, but again, the scene was dead.  I felt we kept "looking" for some action.  This did not appeal to me at all since I was on the verge of paying off my huge debt.  I realized I had to make a decision on what I was trying to accomplish for myself.  Unfortunately, I've reached the point where I'm bored of the scene and rather be at home drinking a glass of wine and reading my Italian work book.  It's all fun and games but when you have different financial goals than everyone else, you have to figure out what works for you.  Yes we did "catch up" but it seemed that we could have saved this for another time.  I knew right away that I wanted to do things differently this year. 
At the end of the day, you need to take care of yourself FIRST.  It may not be easy.  You can catch up with friends over the phone.  It's cheaper.  Me and my co-worker friends decided to follow up a savings plan to help us reach our goals for 2016.  I'm excited I have a little team going with this.  I think it will push us to strive as a group.

Unfortunately, not too many people out and about.  Check out the background!  lol

   
 

Monday Motivation!

Well here it is.  The last week of 2015.  Hope everyone had a great holiday!  I was off the past couple of days, so it's nice to go back to my regular routine.  A winter storm has arrived for us Chicagoans.  I'm glad I got a chance to spend my time off running errands before the slush came in.  It makes my world a lot easier since I don't own a car.  Regardless, I'm almost done recapping October events, but I am hopeful I will be up-to-date with my blogging by mid January.  Not a bad resolution to start off 2016!
Back in late October, my friend had some friends visiting in town from Rockford Illinois.  We decided to show them a night out in town by hitting a couple of spots.  It was fun because seeing their faces get excited about our nightlife is magnetic.  You start to appreciate the city even more on what it has to offer.
Up first, The Drop in Lincoln Park.  A friend was throwing a party there and we stopped by for a few.  I loved it because it felt like a nightclub in downtown.  If you want to go dancing in the Lincoln Park area, I highly recommend it.  They played top 40/ pop/ dance so everyone was up and moving.  It definitely got us geeked up for our evening.
Next stop, The Godfrey Hotel for some cocktails and people watching.  We got a chance to talk too since The Drop was jamming.  We lucked out on a beautiful night.  The rooftop was opened and we enjoyed the city view.
We walked over to the Lite nightclub and stayed there for a bit before heading across the street to Shay nightclub.  We heard Nelly was performing there so we were pretty excited.  It was a bit chaotic to get in, but luckily we made it in on time before the show started.  It was a packed house in there!  Nelly had the crowd going CRAZY!  That was pretty amazing for us to be a part of. 
Our friends really wanted to dance to some edm/house music after that, so we walked over to Spybar since it was right down the alley.  I loved the fact we got a chance to show our friends different venues in Chicago.  Too bad we didn't have more time to show them Hubbard Street as well. 
The following day was Sunday, so we all met up again in Wicker Park for some Sunday funday.  We hopped around some bars and had some quick bites before we ended up in The Southern for cocktails.  I think her friends had a good time because I sure did! 

Bathroom selfie at The Drop.  Since I didn't know what our plans were, I wore black and white to be safe.

Check out that view from the Godfrey Hotel's rooftop! 

Good times at The Godfrey!

Nelly taking a sip before his show!

Can you find us?  We're in here somewhere!  lol

Sunday Funday at the Southern.  We had some friends watching the Black Hawks there and we crashed their party.  lol

End of month closing

I can't believe July is coming to a close.  I swear time travels quicker than before.  I'm always amazed at the change of events that happen in such a short amount of time.  I can't imagine what my mom must feel like.
Back in January, it was apparent that time was ticking against us with my mom's husband.  He was sleeping longer.  He was barely awake at times.  His tumor was peeping out of his nose.  He was getting very thin.  At times my mom would break down and tell us how hard it was to see him like this.  It made everyone feel helpless.
Since I started the new year with some new resolutions, some of them stayed the same as past years.  Stay healthy.  Continue to workout.  Be a better daughter to my mom and spend more time with my family.  But I also included to treat myself to at least something new and exciting, once a month.  I was already getting the winter blues.  I needed to spice things up for a minute, and that's when Sam Smith came into town.  Best thing I've done so far in 2015! 
But as the month of January was closing, one of my good friends wanted to have a big birthday bash to also spice things up.  We joke that her birthday is in the dead of winter, but I like her spirit in planning a birthday party.  She decided to have it at Drumbar which is located at the Rafaello Hotel. 
I wore a purple lace dress with black tights and heels to the party.  I have the dress in black (which I wore on New Year's Eve) and loved it so much I got it in purple.  I'm not big on dresses.  I have to REALLY like a dress in order to buy one.  I've definitely rotated my dresses over the years, and have always taken great care of them because they've lasted so long.  I take care of my things.
Anyway, the birthday girl treated herself to a bright green BCBG dress and was the belle of the ball.  I loved seeing all of my friends.  It was fun.  It was also freezing that night, but it was nice to have such a great turn out for a January party.  We drank well and danced around and had a blast.  I've made some wonderful memories that night, trust me.  lol

 

Flashback Friday to my evening with Sam Smith!

It's funny blogging about what happened 6 months ago in the dead of winter when it's 90 degrees outside.  So far Chicago has had a crappy summer this year.  Who would have predicted thunderstorms and highs reaching the 70s?  Despite people complaining about our heat wave today, I welcome it!  I'm a summer baby and absolutely LOVE the heat!  I complain when it's too cold.  And with Chicago being bipolar, you learn to live with the constant changes and go out and about. 
Back in January, Sam Smith was coming to the UIC Pavillion.  I had no one to go with, so I bought a ticket for myself.  Since I've been single for a few years, I'm still learning to do things on my own.  It's an adjustment especially coming from a 7 year relationship.  I always had my man by my side, and luckily we enjoyed the same things.  He was my best friend.
But now it's me, myself and I.  I never realized how people might have a problem being SINGLE.  It's not the same as being alone, but for some people they're synonyms.  I have a good set of friends that like to get together and do stuff, so I was fine at first.  But of course, as time went on, they all paired up and I'm left trying to figure out how to amuse myself.
Sam's tickets were pretty steep, too.  I felt bad asking someone to pay so much for an artist they may not be crazy about.  But I was crazy about him.  I knew he was nominated for multiple Grammys and  was at the start of his career.  Plus I needed to do something to get my mind off what was happening with my family.  I needed a break from life.  I bought my ticket and off I went!
I made my way down there and even had time to purchase a t-shirt from the vendors.  I was excited.  I got a glass of wine and went to find my seat.  I loved the diversity of the concert goers too!  All different ethnicities, ages, just to see this man with the "voice".  I had watched him earlier last year from the Today show, and SNL.  He was quiet shy on stage and didn't say much.
Once the curtain dropped and we heard the first note, we knew we were about to encounter something special.  His voice is truly angelic!  The crowd would not stop screaming for him!  I felt overwhelmed with joy.  To think I was going to pass this up because I had no one to go with.  HA!
Never again.  Never again will I let my fear of being "alone" rob me from a beautiful experience.  I truly had a wonderful evening by myself, with no distractions but me and Sam.  I felt blessed!
Towards the end of this summer I will be traveling again.  This time I might end up alone, for my friend won't be able to join me til later on.  I'm petrified, but also excited to see how I would spend this time by myself.  I think I'll be just fine...

Got nosebleed seats, but the UIC Pavillion is not a huge venue.

Sam is smiling.  He is getting confident with his fame. 

PACKED HOUSE!



His multi Grammy wins are justified!  He sounds better live!