He's turning one!!

Well, it’s official.  I’m going on another trip again.  I’ve notified all of my credit cards, changed my international package on my phone, and over the weekend, had ironed out all of my clothes and started packing.  Since I fly out in two days I plan to finish packing and try to sneak in a workout or two.  As usual, my anxiety is all over the place, but what’s not helping is all the bad news I hear.  I feel people close to me are suffering all types of misfortunes.  I’m hearing terrible stories about friends and family, and how they are treating one another.  It’s making me depressed.  The word vacation is defined as “a leave of absence from a regular occupation”, etc.  This is exactly what I’m doing with my life.  I want to leave it, and come back to hopefully better circumstances.  Is that so wrong to wish for?

I’m hoping people figure out how to fix their current situations.  I cannot help but wonder why we are hurting one another.  On top of it all, there’s friends I know that are suffering from the threat of losing loved ones to cancer.  It’s a sad time indeed.  I’m lucky to have a few hours within the day of not hearing something so terrible.

I find myself looking back on life and reflecting the good times.  I know it’s possible to extend this part, but then misery creeps out of nowhere.  I want to be alone from all of this drama.  I miss my friend out there in Europe.  I miss the times we had together.  I want to keep my loved ones close by.  

Sorry to rant like this.  It’s been a tough few weeks.  There are moments when I feel incredibly sad.  It’s hard. 

Back to recapping February.  I went out on Friday to see the deejays Chus & Ceballos.  But I couldn’t stay out too late because I had to be up in the morning.  We had to head out to Glenview for a birthday party and we didn’t want to be late.  We only had a small window to celebrate at the party room at Kohl’s Children Museum.  Off we went!

I got my girlfriend’s son baby Jordans, but it was amazing seeing all the gifts he received!  This little fella had quite an entourage!  He loved being the center of attention.  We took a zillion pictures and had a blast.  All of my friends' kids looked so adorable!  I can see why everyone likes dressing up babies.  They can be very fashionable!

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! 

It's playtime!

Last weekend I was surrounded by babies, kids, and more babies!  It wasn't planned that way originally.  I had received a birthday invitation for Sunday about a week ago, so I knew about that one first.  The rest came up last minute.  I was invited to a party to celebrate a holy communion on Saturday, and then my friend out of no where asked me to come by and hangout with her and her newborn on Friday.  Funny how that all came about!
First up, my visit to see my friend and her baby.  I felt bad because I originally mentioned that I was going to check up on them every week to see if they needed anything.  Not what happened at all!  In my defense, the weather was sometimes crappy on Fridays, so I would go straight home after work.  We had a lot of rain, but it looks like things are finally looking up.  Memorial weekend is right around the corner and I think we're rain-free for the next couple of days.  YAY!
I loved interacting with my friend and the baby.  It makes me see how precious these moments are when they are still little and sleeping a lot.  He's 2 1/2 months old now and is getting so big!  He's very aware of his surroundings and his mother and loves to smile.  She's in love! 
The next day I made my way over to my other friend's house to celebrate her daughter's holy communion.  Here we had a variety of kids, ranging from 1-8 years old.  It was a house party filled with family and friends.  Since it was last minute invitation, I got her a gift card.  I had no idea what to give her!  If anyone is open to suggestions on what to get an 8 year old girl celebrating a milestone like this, please comment!!  I was stuck and felt bad getting her something so impersonal.  I hope she makes use of it regardless, but I know I could have made it more thoughtful.  Oh well.
Then on Sunday I went to my OTHER friend's party.  Her twin babies were celebrating their 1st birthday and that was held at her sister's house.  It was a Hello Kitty theme and it was big!  There were so many kids at that party.  Because of that they had to think of ways to keep them busy.  We played Hello Kitty games, ate Hello Kitty ice cream cake, and even had a Hello Kitty giveaway bucket full of goodies!  It was fun for everyone!  I enjoyed catching up with my friends who are moms.  Their kids keep them busy but at least with parties like these, we can still hangout with one another and see how we're holding up.  As much as it was a surprise that my weekend was filled with kid activities, I had a blast!

During my visit he was sleeping most of the time.  Luckily I got a chance to hold him when he woke up...

The next day celebrating her Holy communion...

What an awesome cake!



I've known these sisters for 15 years!

Wore a simple cardigan and matched up my boots and wristlet.  It was cold that day...



Time for the Hello Kitty birthday bash!!

Personalized water bottles

Check out that dessert table! 

Red velvet cupcakes...

Gathering up the kids to play games...

Time to play pin the bow on Hello Kitty!

The kids put together a puzzle...

Yes there was a Hello Kitty piñata!  lol



Hello Kitty ice cream cake for the twins!  Of course they had to get two for the both of them...

Time to sing Happy Birthday!

They loved it!

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!