And so it begins...

On my last post I went on a rant about what's happening in my country.  It was uncomfortable for me to comprehend how someone could vote for someone like HIM into office.  Then I witnessed the smiles and grand gestures of triumph around me.  Funny how the world I lived in is now turned upside down.  As much as I've tried to understand how this could have happened, what's just as hurtful are the people that don't get what the big deal is anyways.
For me, this new presidency will affect my friends and family, as well as myself.  My mom just retired.  She is on Obamacare but once that is revoked, she will be considered "high risk" and will have trouble finding an insurance agency that will cover her.  My friend's marriage to his partner will be no longer valid.  My girlfriend expressed her fear for her sister who lives in Kentucky and wears a hijab.  And two weeks ago, my friend was disgusted when a co-worker accidentally called another worker a monkey after he got upset about an order she didn't process.  My liberal friends who are white have already witnessed other people comfortably express their thoughts on this victorious win for them.  They have heard racist remarks that have made them sick to their stomach. 
I treasure the people who are in my life.  Even those with opposing views.  Make no mistake, I truly believe we need both parties in order to run this country.    But this election has brought out the worst in people.  They are only reacting to a leader who is now in office that has had "no filter" in expressing what he thinks of minorities, women and the disabled.  The worst part is he is not sorry about the remarks; claims he is telling it like it is, and has moved on to the white house.  How will he be able to work with other foreign leaders when he's too busy insulting them to their face??  I am stumped whenever I come across someone whose supported him.  What happens now?
I decided to take a break from social media which has now become a forum for his supporters to say what they've been feeling all along.  Hey, freedom of speech, right?  I have yet to hear anything that will unify our differences to live in this country of ours.  All of those unnerving moments where I just couldn't put my finger on it have been justified by this election.  My country, the United States of America have now become the Divided States of America.  It's sickens my stomach.  I've heard you loud and clear.  We are not valid.  We are not worth mentioning.  We are not wanted nor welcomed.
In the meantime, I pray that I will find solitude away from social media to focus on strengthening my relationship with love and peace.  My goal is to create a beautiful world to live in!  That is my dream!
I am trying to recap my events back in October.  It's hard to go back into time since I know how things look bleak in my future.  I remember that weekend when the Cubs were in the running in the playoffs.  During sweetest day Saturday I went and got my quarterly haircut by the lakefront.  For me, it's out of the way because of the route I have to take.  Remember, I do not have a car, so taking public transportation going towards the lake is pretty time consuming because of the traffic.  It's easier for me to head to downtown than it is to head to the lakefront.  But after my haircut, I took my time to do some window shopping since I'm rarely in the area.  Since the weather was nice I got a chance to look for some costume ideas for Halloween.
I decided to call up a friend to let him know where he could find some good costumes when he mentioned he was already in the neighborhood.  The big news that day was the Cubs playing the Dodgers for a shot at the World Series.  He picked me up and we caught up with one another since we haven't spoken in a while.  The last time I caught up with him I had just gotten back from Greece.  It's easy to lose track of people when there's so much going on.  We decided to watch the game at Finch Beer Co & Kitchen which is a new spot in my neighborhood.  Unfortunately, I am not a beer girl so I watched the Cubs win with my glass of rosè and munched on a hot pretzel with mustard.  lol

Finch Beer Co & Kitchen and a Cubs game!

The next day I got a chance to cleanup my apartment since I didn't get a chance the day before.  I did my leg workout late in the day for the same reason.  Little did I know, something was going on with my friends.  I could see the group messages going on but I was finishing up having dinner at home.  It seemed that my friends wanted to get together at the last minute to celebrate my friend's birthday.  I was under the impression she was going to have dinner with her fiancé that night, but apparently, it fell through.  I jumped in the shower and threw on whatever I could find because I had 10 minutes to get ready!  Off we went to Mastro's Steakhouse in downtown. 
It was nice seeing my friends at the last minute.  I couldn't pin point if everything was ok, but at least we got a chance to step out and laugh about silliness.  Sometimes that's all need to get through things. 

I promise this will be my last post concerning the state of my country.  I know I cannot let my anxieties get the best of me for the rest of the remaining year.  I want to focus on strengthening my relationships in a loving manner and also being there for my diverse friends and family whom I care about deeply.  In the meantime, I hope everyone looks into why there's so much hostility going on, and try to understand why this is upsetting to so many people. 


 

London House!

After the devastating news that surrounded us last week, I was grateful my friends wanted to meet up for drinks.  I've been very sensitive lately, and I knew in my heart I wanted to see familiar faces.  My friends are definitely the close family I wish I had.  They know how to make me feel better.  I'm nervous about my upcoming trip, and getting together was just what I needed.
I made my way down there before anyone else.  I noticed there was a pretty intense line.  I figured I would wait it out until my friends arrived.  If the line wouldn't move up much, I would assume we would go somewhere else.  Don't get me wrong, people did leave.  I understand not wanting to wait 45 minutes to get inside a venue.  But the host insisted it would be worth the wait, and she was right!
I finally walked in and I fell in love!  What a beautiful view!  People couldn't help themselves with their selfie posts.  My friends were finally on their way and I gave them a heads up.  I made some new friends myself waiting in line and we all walked over to the bar.  This place gave us a rush.  We were living for the moment!
I had a wonderful night with everyone.  It made me love my friends even more.  I wish I can keep everyone close to me, but I know deep down that's impossible.  No matter where our paths lead us, they will always be in my heart.  I wish things would get better in our world.  I've never felt an uncertainty about where things are going in this lifetime than I do now.  I will never give up on wanting a better life for ourselves, free of hate and violence.  It's moments like these that make it feel possible for peace...

London House!

It's gorgeous at night!

Couldn't help myself for a selfie...

Seafood platter...

My new friends.  They're from Guatemala!

What I wore to London House.  My shoes are new from Stuart Weitzman...

They made it!  lol

Baby Shower In the Burbs!

I can't believe July 4th weekend is here already!  We had our last softball game for the season this week.  We came close to having some wins this year, but it was a tough situation trying to get people to participate.  Our firm kept a lot of attorneys busy in May which made it difficult getting a solid team going.  Regardless, there's talks it might be our last season.  I made a lot of wonderful memories with my co-workers.  I'm hoping it's not so but it's out of my control.  All good things must come to an end.

That goes to say the same for traveling.  I am growing afraid of the times we live in now.  What happened in Istanbul is unfortunately our new reality and it's occurring too frequently.  It makes me feel uneasy because I will be overseas soon, but part of me knows I have to overcome this fear.  Feeling afraid, or skeptical of people in general is not the way to live your life.  Everyone has differences, but in the end, what we have in common is the same general needs we all want for ourselves:  love, health, the safety of our friends and family.  I feel the world needs to reintroduce themselves to each other again and discover how wonderful we all truly are.  I want to meet new people, make new friends, take the opportunity to discover new places.  It's what brings us closer to one another; to love.  I pray that the violence will stop.  I know we can live peacefully within each other.  We need to do this!

Last Friday my friends wanted to come over to celebrate my birthday.  I told them it was over already and that it wasn't a big deal, but they insisted.  They came by with a ton of wine and sushi and of course, their babies!!  We had a great time catching up with one another.  There are so many changes coming up in the near future.  We are trying our best to make some time for each other.  I'm excited for their plans but it does bring a certain sadness knowing we won't be able to do this all the time.  Hopefully we'll be able to continue our group textes.  Sometimes those are enough to bring a smile to your face.

Birthday sushi!

The next day I had dinner and drinks at Cantina Laredo.  I've always passed up the place, but I must say, I enjoyed my night there.  It was SUPER hot that weekend, and there were a ton of people in the city.  I realized I haven't had the chance to walk around River North in months.  I had a nice time.

The next day I had to get up early for a baby shower out in Morton Grove.  It was at the Arboretum.  These are the kind of occasions I dread because I never have something to wear.  Luckily I found a dress on ebay and everyone loved it.  I know I have to step up on my wardrobe, but I have a big trip coming up and I have to save up for that.  I cannot spend my money foolishly.

It was a great time of fun and games, plus, lots of pictures!  I cannot wait to see how they came out.  They had a photographer walking around and we happily posed.  Since it was 90 degrees that day, we didn't have a chance to walk around and checkout the Arboretum, which is a shame because it did look very pretty out there.  Hopefully one day I can make my way out to Morton Grove again.

I love this picture!  We had so much fun that day!

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend.  Due to the terrorism acts in Istanbul, America is in high alert.  Remember if you see anything fishy, call the police and get help!  We have to stick together and help one another.  The violence in Istanbul could have had more casualties if the police didn't intervene.  Be safe and love one another! 

Hot Mix 5 house party!

With softball during the week, I've noticed how time flies so quickly!  My birthday is coming up this weekend and I don't have any plans!  It falls on Father's Day Sunday, so I wasn't planning on doing anything special but spending it with family.  The past couple of years, my birthday was surrounded by so much sadness.  It wasn't by choice, trust me!  Sometimes I felt guilty to celebrate because of the things that were happening around me. 
But that's life.  You can't help what goes on.  Now more than ever, with the incidents involving Orlando in general (shooting of The Voice's singer Christina Grimmie; the mass shooting of Pulse Nightclub; 2 year old toddler at Walt Disney Resort), it's difficult to celebrate again.  I rather be with my friends and family who I love dearly and reflect on the fact I made it to another year of life.
If there's anything that these incidents have proven to me is tomorrow is never guaranteed.
With that in mind, I would like to reflect on last weekend.  I was going to celebrate a friend's birthday at the Hot Mix 5 house party at Mc Cormick Place.  I knew it was an all day event, so I figured I'll get some chores done first.  It was a very HOT Saturday, which is why I chose to preserve my energy for the evening.  I snuck in a workout, showered up, when one of my friends suggested to meet up at the Wells Street Art Festival in Old Town.  She initially said to meet around 4pm.  Seemed doable to me.  Off I went to Old Town!



My kind of cats!  lol

The Wells Street Art Festival is located on Wells between North Avenue and Division.  It's one of the most popular neighborhood festivals Chicago has to offer.  With over 200 artists displaying their work of eclectic art, you'll be sure to find some eye-catching handiwork.  I always have a good time, so I didn't want to miss this opportunity to go with my friends.  But once I arrived, the time changed to meeting up around 5pm.  I still had some time to kill before heading to the birthday celebration, so I was fine with the time change.  But then it changed again.  I knew this was too good to be true.  I walked around and checked out the band at O'Brien's while sipping on white wine.  BIG MISTAKE.
It was brutally HOT, and the sun would not give.  The temperature reached 95 degrees that day.  I had another glass of wine and that's when it hit me.  I felt dizzy.  I knew I had to eat something before I headed to the birthday party.  The first food vendor I could find had a big hot pretzel.  I quickly bought it and found a spot to eat when I noticed a woman drop her drink.  She fainted while sitting down against a wall.  Her boyfriend yelled out, "Someone call 911!"  It was terrifying.  Lucky she came too right away and didn't know what had happened to her.  It scared a lot of people around us, but it also reminded us how not to take the heat unlikely.  Once my friends arrived I had to go.  Go figure.  I took the time to talk to them for a bit before I saw how late it was getting.  I couldn't stay any longer.
I cabbed it to Mc Cormick Place and found my friends.  This was a massive event.  Over 60 different djs/ singers on 6 stages.  It had started from 12pm and was going to end at midnight!  I'm glad I arrived late because I was worn out with the heat already.  Me and my friends danced the rest of the night non stop!  Chicago's history with house music stems back to the late 70s.  In the early 1980s, Chicago radio jocks The Hot Mix 5, and club DJs Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles played various styles of dance music, including older disco records.  I've always loved dance music growing up so it was refreshing to be around a crowd that appreciated this influential sound.  It brought back so many memories for me and my friends.  

Me and the birthday girl!  She's a Gemini too...

Julian Jumpin Perez of B96

Imagine my horror the next day when I woke up to the news of the Orlando shootings of Pulse nightclub.  These people were doing the same thing as me and my friends the night before, just enjoying themselves.  I cannot understand the darkness that surrounds a person like this.  My heart breaks for so many senseless terrorism acts surrounding our daily lives.  It's not a world I recognize anymore.  Peace within each other; as well as other nations should be enforced constantly.  We have only one planet to care for.  We need to take care of everyone in it.