Night Market at Fullerton Beach

After my trip I jump started with work.  During the weekend I did my usual errands.  My friend wanted to catch up with me so I met up with her in Lincoln Park.  There was a Night Market taking place by the theater at the lake near Fullerton beach.  It was a hot weekend so I wore a strapless dress and flat espadrilles so I wouldn’t be uncomfortable with the heat.  This was the first time I attended Night Market which was sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.  They had food, games and a live dj playing top 40.  There was even a seating area in front of the skyline.  It was nice seeing my friend.  We walked back to her apartment and chilled out before heading to the Happy Camper in Old Town.  Some of her friends were meeting up at for a birthday party.  I’ve never been so I tagged along.  I liked the fact we didn’t stay out too late.  I wasn’t ready to paint the town red…

Surprise Birthday Party Barbecue

My friend decided to throw a birthday party for her boyfriend who was turning 40 this year.  He was really surprised!  Lol.  We all hid behind the garage while they pulled in.  My friend had snuck in her other friend to decorate the backyard while they were out grocery shopping.  We even had pizza delivered in time for the party.  Of course the birthday boy couldn’t help get a barbecue grill  going.  That’s his specialty.  I loved that Sunday.  It was a quick party that came together at the last minute but we all enjoyed ourselves that day.

Friday the 13th at Taste of Chicago

This summer Friday the 13^th fell during the Taste of Chicago.  I decided to take a walk down to Grant Park after work to check it out.  I knew that I was I was going to be busy the following day.  I obtained tickets for the Def Leppard & Journey concert at Wrigley Field and wanted to be low key that evening, (I never go out on Friday the 13th btw).  It was another hot weekend in Chicago.  I was sweating up a storm once I got there.  I was craving a jibarito sandwich.  I figured I would walk in and walk straight out to enjoy my meal when I heard some house music playing.  I found the Chicago Summerdance stage and people were slowly gathering around.  I stayed for a bit and watched people dance.  I did not want to stick around when it closed because of the rush, so I left early.  Regardless, I’m glad I treated myself to my sandwich.  Quick fact:  the jibarito was invented here in Chicago!

West Fest 2018

This year I went with my friends on a Sunday for West Fest.  Normally this festival runs all weekend, but over the years, we noticed the crowd was usually significantly better on Sundays.  Again, Chicago was battling hot temperatures.  I laid low the rest of the weekend and was ready for my friends to pick me up after church that day.  We luckily found parking and decided to have a late lunch at the infamous Tecalitlan Restaurant right by the corner of Wood street.  Believe it or not we also lucked out getting a table.  Again, we had a great time catching up with everyone as little by little more people joined in our group.  We spent a good amount a time at the restaurant and decided to join in on the fun by finding a spot not too far from the stage.  There we listened to some good old house music before heading home early.  We didn’t want to stay out once the festival was over since it would be hectic to get an uber.

Back at the Exploritorium!

I FINALLY made it to recapping July’s events!  Lol.  I am so behind it’s not even funny.  The countdown is on for my big trip.  I want to be able to unload my memory bank to make room for some new ones.  Lol.

My friend decided to host her son’s birthday party again at Skokie’s Exploritorium.  She has expressed that it made things easier if a venue hosts a birthday party than to do a big production at her house.  Since she is also pregnant with her 2^nd child, I can understand how this would be an easier choice for her and her family.  And let’s face it; kids love the place!  There is an open area for games and activities, followed by a reception room that is allowed for catering.  It was nice catching up with all of the kids and their mommies.  Again, this was a very hot day in Chicago.  I wore a shift dress for the party, but I definitely need some sleeveless dresses for summer.  Lol

Families Belong Together

Bonjour tout le monde!  I’m still working out the details on my upcoming trip.  I can’t believe I fly out next week!  And just like clockwork, my nerves have been getting the best of me.  I’ve been having vivid dreams as well.  Nothing bad, thank god.  But it shows you how much stress I’m bringing on myself with my non-stop anxiety.  Unfortunately, I have come to realize that this will always be the process with me whenever I travel.  I thought by now it would get easier, but it hasn’t.  The only positive thing I can say is that my nerves have started to bother me as the dates get closer to fly out.

Back to recapping my summer!  My friend asked me if I would be interested in the Families Belong Together March back in June.  I was very bothered with what was going on and felt the only way to let out my frustration was to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who were just as upset as I was.  By this time, not much was happening since there was denial coming from our president, so people took it out to the streets by protesting varies cities.  Me and my friends drove downtown and met at a building nearby so we could have a good group going.  It was a very hot day, and we all wore white to show our solidarity for immigrants. 

I have to say some people got very creative with their posters!  It was nice to voice my freedom of speech and march along with my friends.  Afterwards, we grew very hungry and headed to Big Star for some tacos.  Lol.  I headed home because I was exhausted, but later met up with some friends in Wrigelyville.  That’s what happens in a summer day in Chicago.  You can end up all over the place…

Taste of Randolph Fest 2018

Well it’s official.  I booked my next trip.  Unfortunately it won’t be a new destination.  I’ll reveal it in later posts.  For now, I have to catch up on the blog!

Following Pride Fest Saturday, it was another hot day in Chicago.  My friends wanted to meet up for Taste of Randolph Fest that Sunday but we opted to go later in the afternoon.  I waited patiently at a nearby restaurant and ordered a margarita until everyone showed up.  I figured it would be more comfortable waiting in there than to wait outside in the scorching sun.  The humidity was unreal!

Once we gathered up all of the troops we headed to the fest.  It was fun catching up with everyone.  It was too hot to eat at the fest, so we mostly drank sangria and micheladas and had some light bites.  A friend of ours was celebrating his birthday at Bottled Blonde and we ended our night in there.  My birthday was right around the corner during that time, and Bottled Blonde made me feel worse about it.  Lol.  That place was too young for me, but at least I did learn that some places are not for me anymore.  Lesson learned…

Pride Fest Saturday

I didn’t realize I was pretty backed up on my blog.  I haven’t even gotten to my birthday yet!  Lol.  Well let’s get back on track so I can catch up.  My memory isn’t so great anymore.

Following up my Thirsty Thursday happy hour session at Masada, I had no plans whatsoever so I decided to give myself an at-home pedi.  My girlfriend from Providence called me up and we were chatting away when my other line kept ringing.  I saw that my other friend was calling but decided to text her instead to see what was up.  No response.  I continued my conversation with my Providence friend when again, my other friend was calling.  At this point I was worried something was wrong since she never responded to my text, so I told my friend to hold on while I switched over. 

-Are you home??

-Yes!  What’s wrong??

-Oh nothing.  Get ready!  We’re coming to pick you up.  We’ll be there in 15 minutes!

WHAT THE??  I switched over to my other friend from Providence and told her what was going on.  She got excited for me!  According to my horoscope, she said I was going to have a great weekend.  Oh my goodness.  I really wanted to stay in, but I had no choice.  My friends were downstairs in no time flat.  Off we went.

We had a little trouble trying to find where all the action was.  It was the weekend of Taste Of Randolph, but we knew we didn’t want to go around that area.  We first hopped around a bit and finally settled on Underground.  Luckily we got in right away and even found a table.  We danced so much that nice that my feet were killing me the next day.

Even though this was an unexpected thing we pulled together at the last minute, we definitely made some memories that night!

After my long night out the night before, I took some time to rest up at home.  I made plans with my friend to meet him in Lakeview so we could walk together to the Pride Fest.  This is something new that started in Chicago about 2 years ago.  They decided to make Pride month a little longer by having two events.  The first is a neighborhood festival which occurs the weekend before the parade.  The parade has always brought a large crowd regardless, and with the new addition of the fest, it helps accommodate everyone trying to join in on the fun.  Me and my friend had a blast!  I knew offhand that I wasn’t going to come to the parade so this fest was perfect.  We went out afterwards to the neighborhood clubs and called it a night.  I loved that weekend…

Surprise Birthday Party

Lately I’ve been living for the weekend.  Summer in Chicago is pretty amazing and I’m fortunate to live in a diverse city that has so much to offer to everyone.  Following up the weekend after Memorial Day was a surprise birthday party my friend was throwing for her husband.  I should have known better that it was going to be an all-day thing.  We were told to be at their place by 3pm since she had a plan to divert him out of the house all afternoon.  In the past they’ve had parties with a build-your-own-taco-bar and it’s been a hit ever since.  Of course we had to wait until the birthday boy arrived, but we were ready for those tacos!  Lol.  Needless to say he was indeed shocked that so many people showed up for him but I think he enjoyed his party very much.  As for me, I ended up staying until 11pm!  It’s times like these that I need to make sure I get a chance to do the housework throughout the week instead of waiting on my precious Saturday mornings.  Like I said, there’s ALWAYS something happening on the weekends in the summer.