Cubbies

I’m recapping events that happened since I’ve been back from my trip.  Needless to say, I’ve been thinking about my time there a lot.  Part of it is because that was probably the last time I was truly happy in a long time.  Sometimes life knocks you down a bit and you get lost in your thoughts.  I try my best to keep a positive attitude but these past events have broken my faith.  It is times like these that makes you want to be surrounded by loved ones.  I just want them to be safe. 

Our friend that has moved to California came back for a visit that following weekend.  I have to admit, I was glad to get together with friends.  My friend was constantly telling me news about Puerto Rico and the lack of communication with the towers being down.  She was falling apart and all I could do was try to keep her spirits up.  I had faith that people in Puerto Rico were coming together, even if we couldn’t see it for ourselves.  I was mesmerized by the images of people pulling out survivors in the Mexico earthquake.  I reassured her, too, that the same thing was happening there.  Our coworker had finally left out of Florida on a flight to San Juan but we knew we would probably not hear from her until she got back to work.  All I did was pray that week and tried not to get too anxious.  I had to be strong for my friend.

Our friend from California had an itinerary for us.  Since her only day to socialize with us fell that Friday, she understood how it might be difficult for some to get through rush hour traffic.  I met up with her and her friends after work at her favorite bar in Lakeview called Schubbas.  She wanted to go to Wrigelyville to see the marquee and then make her way over to Andersonville to a brewery.  We walked over to Wrigely Field and took a bunch of pictures before we had a drink at Murphy’s Bleachers.  The Cubs were on fire and Chicago couldn’t be more proud.  Obviously they are not going to the World Series but they did get close.  Some of her other friends had shown up but couldn’t find parking to join us.  We finished up our tab and jumped in their car to head over to the next spot.

At Half Acre Balmoral we grabbed a table and that’s where more people showed up.  We had some laughs and caught up with one another.  Our friend has a bubbly personality.  I forgot how much fun she is to be around.  I miss her a lot.

Once we finished up the tab, our other friend suggested Estero bar in Logan Square for those who wanted to continue the party.  Unfortunately our group got smaller, but other friends of hers met up over there instead.  There the silliness continued and we had a blast.  I realized how blessed I was to be around my girls, mostly Latinas who suffered from the news like I did.  Some had family in Mexico, others were waiting to hear from loved ones in Puerto Rico.  But tonight we were here to see our friend who misses us tremendously in California.  I need to book a trip soon over there…

Halloween with The Cubs

As we're entering the last month of the year, I think about how tough the holidays are for some people.  I've noticed my mom has been in a funky mood lately, and it dawned on me that she might be going through something.  She was busy getting some bags of clothes together for the Salvation Army to be picked up.  They are mostly her husband's clothes, but she figured it was time to put them away for good.  I know she's hurting, but for me it's important that I monitor her well being since I do not want her to go through a depression again.  I know she's been technically retired for a month and a half, but I want her to stay active and not get stuck all day at home.  It's hard because there's so much coming up the next few weeks with birthdays and holiday parties that I need my brothers to make sure they reach out to her too.
Since we were out in Michigan when the Cubs clenched the National League Championship that Saturday night, we weren't sure who we were playing against.  It wasn't until the Cleveland Indians won the American Division that we knew who we were facing.  Game 1 was played out in Ohio, but I had to attend an event that night at the Loews Hotel.  It got me out of watching the series even though I had promised my brothers.  Our deal was I would start watching the games when the Cubs would made it to the World Series.  The POSSIBILITY that we reached this far and might not win this thing took over me and I happily went to my event.  I enjoyed my night out with other like-minded women.  We take care of ourselves but want to look and feel better.  I try my best to have a well balanced diet and exercise regularly, but sometimes that's not enough.  Regardless, we terribly lost Game 1 so I didn't feel so guilty missing out.
The following day, I rushed home from work to watch Game 2 and surprisingly we won and beat them pretty bad.  Who knew we were so good?  It reassured me that we DID win the National League Championship after all so I had to give them some credit.  lol  As you can tell, I'm terrible following sports, but I enjoyed getting that sense of Chicago pride. Now we are even 1-1.
Game 3 was a nail biter because no one was scoring and it was intense.  At this point, you could see how bad BOTH teams wanted this, and to make matters worse, the game was being played in our turf at Wrigley Field.  I had friends meeting up at bars to watch the game, but I hurried home because I was tired.  And yes, I have to admit, I was still skeptical about the Cubs making it this far.  We lost by one run but it made everyone in Chicago nervous.  WE HAVE TO WIN here in our own city!!
For Game 4 it fell that Halloween weekend on Saturday.  For the most part, I would say a number of participants wore dare to dress in costume usually do it that Saturday, but no one was talking about it.  Everywhere on social media were promoting to watch the Cubs game at their venue.  My brother was taking me up on his promise that I was watching the series and wanted to come pick me up so we could watch the game with our dad, but that didn't work out the way we wanted.  There was a miscommunication between my family and our dad was not available that night.  My younger brother went to a neighborhood bar alone to watch the game.  It seemed the pressure of the series was starting to get to people, and no one predicted the Cubs to lose here at Wrigley their first night back.  My older brother suggested meeting up with him and we did.  We ended up at MCM bar by six corners and watched the Cubs get slaughtered again.  This time, it was an embarrassment and NO ONE was in the mood to celebrate Halloween that night.  I stayed out with my brothers the whole evening, and also looked over my younger brother who was taking this loss personal.  EVERYONE in that bar was in such a horrible mood afterwards. 

Me and Freddy at MCM bar.

Game 5 was still taken place in Chicago.  I was getting frustrated that this series was interfering with Halloween.  I love dressing up, but everyone was focused on the Cubs.  I could see how much this was affecting my brothers.  We all got together again, but this time went over my Dad's place and watched the game with him.



At my Dad's.  I DO NOT OWN A CUBS SHIRT  so I kept wearing the colors instead.

And out of nowhere.  We won.  Here, in our turf.  It surprised me, and it woke up Chicago.  The feelings of "what if?" came back.  Do we have what it takes to win this thing?  My younger brother was back feeling hopeful than ever.  To make matters worse, he was on vacation.  He was under the impression he would be out celebrating every night with a Cubs win.  It didn't quite turn out that way, but he was excited again.  I wasn't aware of his schedule but told him I wanted to go out for Halloween at least.  I had a costume and everything.  Game 6 was going to resume back at Cleveland the following Tuesday, so at least I had one day when it wasn't about the Cubs.  The intensity of the series was exhausting and I wanted to go out and be silly.  My younger brother agreed to be my date and off we went to the Mid.      
I knew once I got back from my summer trip that I wanted to wear something in reference to my vacation, so I found this costume off of Amazon.  I got the leaf headband at Claire's and wore my own Greek lace up sandals to finish the look. 

Mondays at The Mid is a hot spot in Chicago.  Since Halloween fell on a Monday, the club was at full capacity early on.



Me and my toga!

My younger brother escaped prison to attend this party.  lol

It was fun watching everyone in costume.  We had a blast but I can't help but think the Cubs almost ruined my Halloween.  lol

Bridal Shower Brunch

I can't believe it's officially November!!  I swear time flies quickly than I remember.  I'm still trying to catch up on September events.  My bad!  The Cubs being in the World Series has got our attention like you won't believe.  Tonight's the night!  Chicago is excited for Game 7.  I'm so proud of our team.  A sweet elderly man gave me a huge smile this morning on my way to work.  After last night's win, we're walking on cloud 9.  Regardless, let me recap the last Sunday in September.
I had a bridal shower to attend.  I had went out the night before for the 312 block party.  I knew I had to be at the brunch by 11am so I stayed out til the fest closed and for tacos afterwards.  I wasn't out too long.  None of us imagined the temperature reaching up to 90 degrees that day!  I thought it was a glitch at first on my phone.  I wore a maxi dress I bought from Greece along with a denim jacket.  lol.  Needless to say, I ditched the jacket once it started to really warm up.  Considering I woke up to temperatures in the 60s, it was a surprise for everyone.  The brunch took place at Fennel & Iris Café.  It's a party café which hosts private events.  Everyone loved the cozy décor inside.  It was a perfect intimate brunch with good friends.  Instead of the usual party games for bridal showers such as how-well-do-you-know-the-bride, they opted for games solely on the couple to play.  It gave us the opportunity to get to know them better plus people seem to enjoy watching their interactions with one another.  I loved every minute of it and can't wait for their wedding coming up soon!

The 312 block party the night before the brunch...

Unfortunately not my type of fest considering it was a beer fest.  Regardless I was glad I was out and about...



Ready for brunch!  We all had our own customized bottle of rose. 

Cute photos of the couple were part of the décor.

Their proposal in Germany! 

The salmon burgers were da bomb! 

Let the games begin!

Along with our bottle we received churros! 

We finally got it right!  lol

Raining AGAIN...

We don't seem to get a break over here.  Everywhere else it's nice and sunny and we continue to get rain.  Not to mention, my hair is super curly and I barely put anything in it.  I don't even fight the humidity anymore.  If we get lucky, we get one or two days of no rain, but then it's back to showers again.  Maybe there's truth to be said when it comes down to the weather.  It DOES affect your mood...
Since I stepped out last Thursday for Cinco de Mayo, I was hesitant about doing it again the next day.  But low and behold, that was one of our nicer days we've encountered here in Chicago.  I couldn't help but get the itch to go out again.  I made my way home after work and took a nap before I started all over again.  This time we met up at The Hidden Shamrock by the DePaul neighborhood.  We didn't do much but goof around, which was fine by me.  We laughed a lot that night.

Goofing around at The Hidden Shamrock

They flew from Charlotte, North Carolina 

The following day the gang had a Cubs game to go to.  I wanted to rest.  I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and wanted to relax.  It was nice cleaning up the apartment and watching the Kentucky Derby.  I was not in the mood to rush anywhere that day.  My friends made plans to have dinner at Sunda after the game and go out afterwards.  I told them I would meet them later on for cocktails.
The weather was very windy that day, but luckily in the evening there was no rain.  My friends were finishing up dinner when I got there.  We had some cocktails there and made our way over to Hampton Social.  There wasn't much action going on so we walked all the way to Sienna Tavern to meet up with more friends.  Luckily the music was good and we decided to stay.  I was surprised that my friends were still up for more action despite having a long day already.  We closed up Sienna and made our way to Joy district, a new spot that opened up on Hubbard Street.  We goofed around some more and then made our way across the street to Celeste.  I was fine till out of no where I grew very tired.  I was done.  I was proud of myself for staying out as late as I could, but I knew I wanted my bed again.  My insomnia is getting the best of me, and I want to sleep as much as I could.  Who knows if tonight's the night I'll be up all night?  I don't want to take any chances.  I went home.
I know my feelings about going out and having fun has changed significantly over the years.  Right now all that matters is my mom and her well being.  Sometimes it's nice to go out and not think about anything serious and goof around with friends, but the nightlife has other factors that can be unsettling.  I am constantly aware of my surroundings and who I'm with at all times.  There's too many scary stories I've seen and heard over the years that put things in perspective.  Sometimes, it's just not worth the trouble.  But when you DO enjoy yourself, it's nice to know you'll remember these times.  I hope our friends from out of town had a blast on their visit to Chicago!  We lived it up!

I passed on this dessert treat from Sunda but my friends absolutely loved it!  

I couldn't resist having a bite of fried ice cream!  

Wore a top that's over 12 years old!  I can't believe it's still fits!  

The calm before the storm...part 2

After that crazy long Friday night, I relaxed a bit on Saturday.  Towards the evening my friends were meeting up in Wicker Park to watch the Cubs game again.  I made my way down there later on, since I'm not a crazy sports fan anyway.  Regardless, I knew I was going to have a chilled out night because I had a baptism to attend to in the morning.  We lost the game, which was a bummer for our city, but we still were in the running to head to the World Series.  Gotta love Chicagoans!  We're hopeful even when the odds are against us. 
Some of my friends headed home after the game, but I stuck around a bit longer.  Our next stop was Northside Bar & Grill where things got a little silly between us.  Since some of our friends ARE sports fanatics, I can understand people drowning their sorrows due to the loss.  I headed home after midnight since I knew I had a long day ahead of me.
Sunday morning I rode with my friend to the service.  I was glad we were a few minutes late, but my other friends by the way....tsk tsk.  I understand stuff happens but there should have been no reason more than one of us being SUPER late.  It just looks bad on ALL of us.  Regardless, everyone had an excuse.  Luckily it wasn't such a big deal in the end.  That's another resolution I will be incorporating for the upcoming year.  Not to be tardy!!
We headed downstairs for some light bites.  Our friend decorated the area beautifully!  I loved the soft shades of lavender she used.  So pretty!  Her daughter was adorable, too!  We took a zillion pictures with her.  I love that we got a chance to share this moment with one another.  A baptism truly is a special occasion and the fact that we were there together for this melts my heart.  I cherish my friends dearly.  Watching us move forward towards different stages in our lives means so much to me.  They are my rock...

Pretty dessert table!!



Everyone got a card which contained seeds to plant in your yard! 



The girl of the moment!  Zoe!!  She looked adorable in her white dress with lavender accessories!  Most of my friends wore dresses, but I showed up in pants and a cami.  I wore a cardi warp to cover up my arms.  I need more day dresses in my life.  Regardless, I love this pic!