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…
