Pray For Paris...Pray For LOVE!

It's hard for me to watch the news since the terrorism attacks on Paris.  I think about the people I interacted with during my time there.  I pray that they are safe.  I'm also mourning the loss of the victims involved and everyone else affected in this senseless tragedy.  The French are tough.  There's no doubt about it!  I'm saddened by the state of our nation; the state of our world.  So much suffering in all walks of life.  I don't know whose right or wrong anymore.  All I know is that innocent people are trapped in the middle and they are the ones who are dying everyday in a war that we have no control over.  How do we win?  How can we live on this earth when so many people are angry at one another?  My heart breaks.  I can't help but pray for peace over and over again. 
I haven't gotten a chance to talk to my friend in Italy.  To be quite honest, she did not want to meet me in Paris.  She was afraid something was going to happen.  We argued about it for weeks til I finally gave up trying to convince her.  I went alone.  I thought she was over reacting.  Never in a million years did I think the unthinkable.  I felt confident I'll be fine.
I WAS fine in the end.  But I feel I missed a close call.  Living in Chicago all my life, we've had our share of threats.  I feel immune to the news.  Our local crime makes national headlines.  It's a tough city to live in.  I've become jaded to our way of living here.
I am grateful I've had the experience to get to know Paris.  And I will return one day.  Now that we are in high alert, it's something to think about in the future as far as traveling is concerned.  It's time to lay low with friends and family and wait it out.  I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Back to recapping my trip to Italy, me and my friend headed back to town after Monte Sant 'Angelo to get ready for the BIG PARTY.  It's the last party for the winery til next year, so we needed to make an appearance.  I wore the same racerback midi dress I wore for my birthday, except in red.  I loved the fit and wanted to buy another color, especially since it was a steal.  I love forever 21.  Sometimes you can find great pieces SUPER CHEAP!  I take care of my stuff so I can make it last a bit. 
We arrived at the party around 9pm.  People were barely making their way there.  We found our table and decided to start drinking.  I didn't want to get too crazy because I wanted to stay out late.  It's Friday night for pete's sake!
Luckily we got some food as well, as the wine started to make us giggly.  I missed my friend so much.  We laugh about anything.  She was happy for a change.  It's been hard for her to make friends out there.  I completely understand.  Americans and Italians are so different.  She feels they don't understand her.  Not to mention she's been the one adapting to their lifestyle.  It's hard living in a world that's not your own.
The band came on, but unfortunately, they played a lot of slow songs.  I think people were hoping they would liven things up a bit, but that was not the case.  It wasn't what they were expecting.  Me and my friend on the other hand were drinking too much to notice. 
Once the band finished, the party was dwindling down.  Me and my friend tried to mingle but that's when we realized she was pretty drunk.  Some friends were going out to a club, but she passed on the idea.  She did however, encourage me to go along, since she knew she wanted me to have fun out there.  I went and I had a blast.  I danced outside in a club playing house music!  I was so happy!  I felt good and I needed this desperately.  It wasn't the same experience as going out on my own in Paris.  That was more for my curiosity.  But here I was, dancing and mingling with strangers!  I felt alive!
I got home late that night.  I knocked out hard.  Looking back, I can definitely say I had one of the best times of my life that night.  As you get older, you realize it doesn't happen very often.  And now, in this state of terrorism,. I can't help but think if something were to happen, I've lived a great life.  It's sad to have to think in those terms of living everyday to its fullest.  You never know when it might be over. 

Love my dress although it's not forgiving...

Our table with some friends!  They were nice...

I miss her a lot.  She's tough on me but I need it sometimes...

All smiles at the big party!

A night to remember...

HOLIDAY PARTY!!

The funny thing about looking back on your life 6 months ago is comparing what is happening NOW in the present.  I work for a law firm and one of the biggest perks is our parties.  We celebrate EVERYTHING!  lol.  We like to have a good time and it's one of the reasons many employees have sticked around for so long.  In this day in age it's unheard of employees celebrating 15 or 20 year anniversaries, but it's not uncommon here.  I love the fact that we've managed to strive with our company's core values.  Regardless, now in the present, we are looking forward to our summer party coming up in July.  It will be held at the Godfrey Hotel at the rooftop.  I can't wait for that one!
Our last holiday party was at the Redhead Piano Bar.  We've hosted it there before, many years ago.  We started to throw some ideas around and it popped up again, mostly because of how much fun we had the time before.  When throwing a party, you need to keep in mind the size of your party and if the venue accommodates everything.  If you book a venue that is too large, the party will look empty, no matter how many people attend.  We've always had a struggle with this because we want the right type of atmosphere so people would stick around.  Believe it or not, if the venue is too intimidating, that affects our audience as well.  Number one in planning a party is to know your demographics.  I'm a single city girl who loves to have a good time, but the majority of my colleagues come from the suburbs from a completely different environment.  They catch the train at Union Station and usually have limited access to commute.  We plan our parties right after work so people could hang around for a couple of hours before catching the last train out. 
One of the reasons I enjoy the Redhead Piano bar is because it's been around for years.  It's a Chicago staple located on Ontario street, which hosts a string of nightlife clubs and lounges.  Who doesn't love a piano bar??  I loved the fact that the party lasted until 10pm when the regular patrons were allowed to come in.  Some of us hopped in a cab and headed to another bar, this time karaoke.  It was a long day indeed, but we couldn't stop talking about it here at work! 

Our Firm's Christmas tree!

Old Hollywood glamour sets the tone for The Redhead Piano Bar

Sing along with the piano man!

 For our holiday party, we are allowed to wear jeans to work.  I wore my red jeans instead for a more festive look.