Gender revealing party

Today the worst US mass shooting took place in Las Vegas.  Everything, down to the way the shooter planned this massacre, was sinister. 

I woke up to the news this morning thinking I had overslept.  I normally watch the local news before The Today Show comes on, but when I turned on the tv I was confused.  Still barely awake from my alarm going off, I watched coverage of people running all over the place in Vegas.  It took me a minute to realize this was current news, and that it happened late last night.  I was stunned.

I immediately messaged my friend in Italy.  She is my best friend and we message each other constantly, but this was too horrific.  I can’t even imagine what goes on in the mind of a killer to hurt so many people.  My heart hurts.  Never in a million years did I imagine living in a world where this is a common thing in our own soil.  I mean it when I say this:  All I want out of life is for my friends and family to be safe!

Recapping the weekend before I left on my trip, a gender reveal party came out of nowhere.  As usual, this was unexpected for me, but I knew I had to show support for our friend who is pregnant.  Me and the girls stopped by Old Orchard mall to grab some last minute gifts and made our way to the party.  I have to admit, even though I had plans to do laundry and get my things together for my upcoming trip, it did help with my nerves.  There was so much commotion at the party that it kept my mind off things.  

In the end, our friend found out she is having a boy!  How exciting!  Looking back, it was nice to witness this moment for her.

Labor Day Madness

I’m recapping Labor Day Weekend before I went on my big trip.

Since I only purchased one day for North Coast Festival that Friday, I figured I would do my chores and usual leg day routine at the gym the next.  One of our friends was in town from Michigan but she wanted to meet at Brookfield Zoo around 1pm.  I wasn’t sure which of my other friends were going so I could bum a ride.  I do not own a car, but lately, it’s become harder to meet up with my friends.  Some of them have kids and have moved out of the city.  I was thinking maybe in the distant future I should consider getting one, but who knows.

I didn’t have any plans until the evening when our other friend invited us to her place in Skokie.  We headed over there and hung out all night.  It was fun catching up.

The next day, our other friend was planning a Labor Day bbq in her new home.  She bought a house not far from where I live in the city, which is nice because I can actually see her from time to time.  Lol

Once at the bbq it was food galore.  I was having a good time until another friend was messaging me.  She wanted to go out.  It was nearing 7pm but she insisted Estate was the place to be right now.  I had to go home and change.  I ordered an uber and off I went.

I messaged my friend that I was on my way once I was dressed.  We got to Estate around 9pm and she was right!  Apparently they had a block party happening along with djs on stage.  People were dancing all over the place.  I was enjoying myself.

Because of the noise ordinance, the crowd came into Estate after 10pm.  I didn’t realize how packed it could get on a Sunday night, but then again, it was Labor Day weekend.  I saw some familiar faces, too!  Once it got close to midnight, we decided to go to another spot.  

A few of us headed to Tunnel in River North.  Again, it was nice seeing more familiar faces and catching up.  I wasn’t paying attention to the time at all.  Next thing you know, Tunnel was announcing last call.  We still didn’t have enough.  We wanted to head to a later spot.  

People started heading to different spots but now me and our new group decided to go to Underground.  It still tops as one of the number one venues in River North.  Luckily we got in but the vibe inside was amazing!  I forgot how much fun I have in this place.

I felt a little guilty the next day on Labor Day on all of the spots I went to that night.  I haven’t gone out like that in a while.  I can’t help but think how much more of this I have left in me.  What can you do when you live in the city?

Do you remember back in September?

The countdown is on!!  2015 is almost gone, and I'm still trying to recap my events of the year.  Blogging on a regular basis will definitely be a resolution of mine.  But let's face it.  Sometimes life gets in the way.  My mom's husband was getting really sick around this time last year.  She's been emotional again knowing that Christmas is around the corner.  I wish I knew how to make her feel better.  Me and my brothers are keeping an eye on her.  We try to get together whenever we can to keep her busy.  Right now, work is slowing down for her.  She's not getting enough hours in, so she's home more.  I don't want her to get lonely. 
I've been trying to fix up my apartment as well.  I moved into a cute condo 4 years ago with my boyfriend at the time.  We were slowly getting everything we needed.  Then we broke up.  That was 3 years ago.  It wasn't until last Christmas when I realized that my mom's husband was going to pass soon.  I stayed in most of the time.  I hardly went out.  I tried to keep myself busy when my ex moved out that I never stopped running from one thing to another.  I never wanted to stay home.  I hung out with friends, traveled a bit.  But I hardly stayed home.  Once it started to get chilly I remembered how lonely I felt in the winter.  I figured it's because I never got a chance to get my place nice and cozy.  It felt empty.  I've been slowly getting some personal pieces in.  I can't wait to show you my before and after pics!  Trust me, it's not a big deal.  But to me it is and I'm glad I'm getting my place the way I want it. 
Back to recapping September.  I have a couple of friends who have birthdays back to back.  I call it the Virgo/ Libra transition!  Towards the end of the month, we decided to take out one of our good friends out for sushi.  She wanted to keep her birthday low key.  It was nice because I got a chance to see my other friend who just had a baby back in July.  After dinner she went to get her son from the babysitter and we all headed back to our friend's place for some cocktails.  It was a perfect end to a wonderful night.  It's going to get harder and harder for us to all get together.  That's why it's important we keep in touch for moments like this. 

The 2nd dress I bought out in Italy for 5 euros!  I decided to wear it to the dinner since it was nice out.

LOVE my friend's hat!  I wish I can rock one, but they never look good on me. 

The birthday girl is the one with the black scarf.  She had a good time...

Good times at Yuzu sushi!

It's baby season!

Happy Monday!  I can't believe the Holidays are almost here.  Technically I am done with my Christmas shopping, but sometimes, the unexpected happens.  It's always a good idea to stock up on items just in case you forgot someone.  I suggest getting a unisex gift, such as a bottle of wine, or a Christmas ornament/ decoration and having it handy so you're prepared.  That's my little tidbit for the day!  lol
I want to finish getting my events up to date, so let's continue with September.  This year in general, I've had 5 girlfriends who gave birth to their babies!  That's a lot of baby showers!  Back in April, we had a baby shower for one of my oldest friends who end up having twin girls in May.  They held their baptism at St. Alphonsus church.  It was seasonally warm that day, but instead of wearing a dress to this formal occasion, I wore my black skinny jeans with my studded ankle boots and a kimono jacket.  I knew I was going to be running around and my ankle boots have a low heel.  Sometimes it pays to be practical.  Regardless, the service was cute.  I love seeing how other kids are dressed in church.  Some of the outfits are simply adorable!
We went back to her sister's house where they were going to be serving the food and refreshments.  I loved how they set their dessert table.  A beautiful picture of the twins were displayed.  They are gorgeous!  I'm so glad I got a chance to meet them! 
It was a perfect Sunday where I got a chance to see my friends again.  Since most of them have families themselves, it's hard catching up to everyone.  These gatherings are the perfect opportunity to share what's going on with everyone.  I definitely look forward to these events.  It makes you realize how blessed you are...

The godparents holding the twins!  I've known this family for over 15 years!  They are wonderful people...

Check out the dessert table!  So cute!

Most of the girls pictured went to high school together.  I met them in my early twenties and am lucky to have them in my life!

The proud mother holding one of the twins!  I can't tell them apart!