Families Belong Together

Bonjour tout le monde!  I’m still working out the details on my upcoming trip.  I can’t believe I fly out next week!  And just like clockwork, my nerves have been getting the best of me.  I’ve been having vivid dreams as well.  Nothing bad, thank god.  But it shows you how much stress I’m bringing on myself with my non-stop anxiety.  Unfortunately, I have come to realize that this will always be the process with me whenever I travel.  I thought by now it would get easier, but it hasn’t.  The only positive thing I can say is that my nerves have started to bother me as the dates get closer to fly out.

Back to recapping my summer!  My friend asked me if I would be interested in the Families Belong Together March back in June.  I was very bothered with what was going on and felt the only way to let out my frustration was to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who were just as upset as I was.  By this time, not much was happening since there was denial coming from our president, so people took it out to the streets by protesting varies cities.  Me and my friends drove downtown and met at a building nearby so we could have a good group going.  It was a very hot day, and we all wore white to show our solidarity for immigrants. 

I have to say some people got very creative with their posters!  It was nice to voice my freedom of speech and march along with my friends.  Afterwards, we grew very hungry and headed to Big Star for some tacos.  Lol.  I headed home because I was exhausted, but later met up with some friends in Wrigelyville.  That’s what happens in a summer day in Chicago.  You can end up all over the place…

Beats on the beach!

One of the most surprising things about this summer is the yo-yo weather we’ve been having.  There would be 4 consecutive days of monsoon showers, followed by temperatures in the 60s!  Very fall-like and not warm at all.  Then out of nowhere it would creep up to the 90s with the humidity nearing 100 degrees!  My mom, along with my friends developed bad colds so far.  I have been battling migraines as well.  We’re thinking it’s because of the drop (or rise) in pressure.  It would get too extreme and it affects  people differently.  

The week of my birthday it was in the high 70s.  Considering the weekend before we were sweating like crazy for Pride Fest and Taste of Randolph now the temperatures consisted of wearing a light sweater to work.  I had bought tickets to see Guy Gerber dj at Castaways on North Ave Beach for Friday after work.  It had stormed earlier but luckily they were passing showers.  My brother was going to come with me but expressed his concern about the rain.  By the time he got off in the evening, we decided it was safe enough to go to the beach.  

I wore a sweater (lol) along with my thin bomber jacket to layer up.  Even though it wasn’t THAT COLD, I knew how the winds would be at the beach, especially since this event was happening around sunset.  My brother braved the cold wearing a sweater himself but opted to leave a jacket behind.  I think he knew he had made a mistake once we got there.  People were wearing leather jackets and boots.  It looked like a day out of October, not June.  We took some Jamo shots to warm up and eventually Guy Gerber came on and performed.  I’ve been wanting to see him for years but never made it out to his residency in Ibiza.  I’m sure he missed that warm weather himself! 

This, to me, was my birthday present to myself.  I got excited to see he was coming to Chicago and bought my tickets right away.  I’m glad my brother came with me and luckily he enjoyed the show.  That was some good house music!  I always love a good set…

Taste of Randolph Fest 2018

Well it’s official.  I booked my next trip.  Unfortunately it won’t be a new destination.  I’ll reveal it in later posts.  For now, I have to catch up on the blog!

Following Pride Fest Saturday, it was another hot day in Chicago.  My friends wanted to meet up for Taste of Randolph Fest that Sunday but we opted to go later in the afternoon.  I waited patiently at a nearby restaurant and ordered a margarita until everyone showed up.  I figured it would be more comfortable waiting in there than to wait outside in the scorching sun.  The humidity was unreal!

Once we gathered up all of the troops we headed to the fest.  It was fun catching up with everyone.  It was too hot to eat at the fest, so we mostly drank sangria and micheladas and had some light bites.  A friend of ours was celebrating his birthday at Bottled Blonde and we ended our night in there.  My birthday was right around the corner during that time, and Bottled Blonde made me feel worse about it.  Lol.  That place was too young for me, but at least I did learn that some places are not for me anymore.  Lesson learned…

Pride Fest Saturday

I didn’t realize I was pretty backed up on my blog.  I haven’t even gotten to my birthday yet!  Lol.  Well let’s get back on track so I can catch up.  My memory isn’t so great anymore.

Following up my Thirsty Thursday happy hour session at Masada, I had no plans whatsoever so I decided to give myself an at-home pedi.  My girlfriend from Providence called me up and we were chatting away when my other line kept ringing.  I saw that my other friend was calling but decided to text her instead to see what was up.  No response.  I continued my conversation with my Providence friend when again, my other friend was calling.  At this point I was worried something was wrong since she never responded to my text, so I told my friend to hold on while I switched over. 

-Are you home??

-Yes!  What’s wrong??

-Oh nothing.  Get ready!  We’re coming to pick you up.  We’ll be there in 15 minutes!

WHAT THE??  I switched over to my other friend from Providence and told her what was going on.  She got excited for me!  According to my horoscope, she said I was going to have a great weekend.  Oh my goodness.  I really wanted to stay in, but I had no choice.  My friends were downstairs in no time flat.  Off we went.

We had a little trouble trying to find where all the action was.  It was the weekend of Taste Of Randolph, but we knew we didn’t want to go around that area.  We first hopped around a bit and finally settled on Underground.  Luckily we got in right away and even found a table.  We danced so much that nice that my feet were killing me the next day.

Even though this was an unexpected thing we pulled together at the last minute, we definitely made some memories that night!

After my long night out the night before, I took some time to rest up at home.  I made plans with my friend to meet him in Lakeview so we could walk together to the Pride Fest.  This is something new that started in Chicago about 2 years ago.  They decided to make Pride month a little longer by having two events.  The first is a neighborhood festival which occurs the weekend before the parade.  The parade has always brought a large crowd regardless, and with the new addition of the fest, it helps accommodate everyone trying to join in on the fun.  Me and my friend had a blast!  I knew offhand that I wasn’t going to come to the parade so this fest was perfect.  We went out afterwards to the neighborhood clubs and called it a night.  I loved that weekend…

Happy Hour at Masada

Following up Spring Awakening, I had drinks with a friend later in the week on a Thursday at Masada.  It was nice catching up.  I rarely do things during the week since I try to catch up with my workouts as well as shopping for groceries.  I have limited access to a supermarket in my neighborhood and not having a car does not help.  Plus as I’ve gotten older I hate doing chores on the weekends.  Lol.  Regardless, Masada was a nice treat.  We sat outside in their beautiful patio and had some light bites.

Surprise Birthday Party

Lately I’ve been living for the weekend.  Summer in Chicago is pretty amazing and I’m fortunate to live in a diverse city that has so much to offer to everyone.  Following up the weekend after Memorial Day was a surprise birthday party my friend was throwing for her husband.  I should have known better that it was going to be an all-day thing.  We were told to be at their place by 3pm since she had a plan to divert him out of the house all afternoon.  In the past they’ve had parties with a build-your-own-taco-bar and it’s been a hit ever since.  Of course we had to wait until the birthday boy arrived, but we were ready for those tacos!  Lol.  Needless to say he was indeed shocked that so many people showed up for him but I think he enjoyed his party very much.  As for me, I ended up staying until 11pm!  It’s times like these that I need to make sure I get a chance to do the housework throughout the week instead of waiting on my precious Saturday mornings.  Like I said, there’s ALWAYS something happening on the weekends in the summer.

Happy Hump Day! I'm back!!

Well as you can guess, I've been on hiatus blogging since I went away on vacation.  It's been two weeks of adjusting back to my normal life, but believe me, it has not been easy.  I usually get pretty bummed out once I come home.  It's a selfish reminder that I would rather be somewhere else.  I'm not sure if anyone else goes through this, but I usually burst into tears once I walk into my apartment.  I need to figure out what I'm going to do with my life since living here on my own has been troublesome for me.  Maybe I'm more lonely than I thought. 
Regardless, blogging HAS helped me appreciate my life more and the friends I DO have here.  There are lots of changes going on in my social circle, and I've been having a hard time fitting in.  People are having babies, planning weddings, and I'm still here trying to relate to the new person my friends are becoming.  No more singletons for them!  It's time for their new roles as mother or wife.
Although I've never been "officially" married, I was in a long relationship that lasted 7 years.  It was a huge part of my 30s.  It's been over now for 3 years, but I still have a hard time adjusting that I'm back in the market.  Do I want to get married and have a family?  Of course I do.  But as the years go by, I find that maybe not everyone gets that opportunity in life.  Is that a bad thing?  I've been questioning that myself lately.
As you can see by my train of thought, something came light of my vacation, and I'll explain that later.  I am still trying to catch up to my June events.  The funny thing is today is the 1st day of Fall.  lol.  It's going to be interesting recapping my summer activities entering a new season.  But if I've learned anything by catching up, is that sometimes you never realize how much has happened to be where you are NOW.  It gives us a chance to slow down a bit and smell the roses. 
Back in the beginning of June I was invited to a concert in Portage Theater.  My neighborhood is changing and this theater has been renovated to host new venues that come into the city.  The Portage Theater has been around since 1920 and is one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago.  I was excited that I did not have to travel far from home to have a night out.  I wore my jeans and a striped top since I wasn't heading downtown for a change.  Regardless I met my friends and we ended up at a private reception where they had the band come out.  Los Amigos Invisibles are from Venezuela and have been gaining popularity since they performed at Lollapalooza a few years back.  I had a great time!  What a nice surprise to the neighborhood for some great entertainment!     

Private reception area for the band!  They did a meet-and-greet as well...

Los Amigos Invisibles!

Me and my friends having some fun with the photo props..

Feeling like a movie star!  lol