Warming up in May!

One of the best things about summer is when the temperature starts warming up.  You don't understand.  Here in the midwest, it takes a minute before it gets nice and toasty.  While people travel to Mexico in January, or head down to springbreak in Miami, us midwesterners are still in winter mode.  Summer doesn't officially start til the 3rd week in June, and that's unfortunately when we get highs in the low 80s.  The best thing about our resilience to cold temps is the fact that we DO appreciate the warmer days whenever it does come our way. 
The weekend before Memorial Weekend our friend tried to setup a day at the Montrose beach with some friends.  It was slowly warming up to the high 70s, but for me, that's still too cold to wear next to nothing by the lake.  I showed up in a leather jacket.  Although I was the laugh of the crowd, the sun did kick in and eventually I ended up taking it off.  We had some drinks at The Dock and enjoyed the weather.  The street festivals were slowly starting up in Chicago, and we decided to go home and quickly change into party mode.  We figured we still had some time to checkout a fest before heading out downtown.  We ended up at the Belmont Shefield fest in our going out attire.  lol.  It was a little nippy for me in the evening, so luckily I chose a long sleeved wrap dress to stay a little warm.  The Blackhawks were in the playoffs, so we decided to catch the game at Shefield's Beer Garden.  It was awesome watching them win!  At that point everyone was in a pretty good mood.  We made our way downtown and met up with some friends at Mercadito for some cocktails.  We ended the night at Celeste but in the end, we were out for a while!  That's usually how it goes here in Chicago in the summer.  Start off at the beach and end up in a nightclub/ lounge.  lol

The Dock on Montrose Beach was packed!

Let's get this party started!

At the Belmont Shefield street festival...

Goofing around...

Ending it at Celeste.  I was exhausted!!

A very special Mother's Day...

Happy Monday world!!  Sometimes I get the Monday Blues, but I try to fight off the funk with some positive vibes.  Think about it.  It's the start of a new work week.  Try to demolish your goals so you can sit back and praise the work you have done.  Any type of effort will increase your chances on getting stuff accomplished.  Right now for me personally, it's to finish up May's events on my blog.  lol
Back in May, me and my brothers tried to convince my mom to let us take her out for dinner on Mother's Day.  But she wasn't having it.  She really wanted us to come over instead.  My only problem with that is her overly-hyper dog.  I'm asthmatic and me and my brother are both allergic to her dog.  It would have been nice to not to meet at her house for a change so me and my brother could breathe properly.  Not to mention our time is always limited with our mom because we end up leaving early.  What can you do?  Despite us taking some Allegra for our allergies, it still doesn't eliminate the problem completely.  She also hates leaving the dog out in the yard.  He yelps too much, so she always caves and lets him in.
My asthma and allergies have had conflicts in my life through out the years.  Despite what people think, I had pets early in my life, although it would have been wise not to.  I would use my inhaler constantly.  I never "overcame" my asthma.  When I moved out of my mother's house with my first boyfriend, it didn't stop there.  One day he came home and brought home a dog.  A couple of months later, he brought home a cat.  Now I'm in my 20s and I STILL didn't overcome my asthma.  This was becoming a problem in my life and in my relationships.  When we finally broke up, he took our pets and I haven't had a pet since.
The problem with this is people are IN LOVE with their pets and they assume, I do not like animals because I won't get near them.  That is false, of course.  But since people look at their animals as part of the family, they cannot grasp the concept of locking their animals away whenever me and my brother come around.  I look like the bad guy. 
I wish my mom would have done the same for us, but she loves her dog so much and couldn't keep him outside while we were there.  So again, our home cooked meal was limited to an hour and a half before me and my brother's allergies got the best of us.  I think because my mom is still in mourning, she wasn't ready to face a crowded restaurant.  She just wanted to be home.  Come to think about it, she really doesn't go anywhere but her house and work.  I'm hoping we can take her out to dinner in a restaurant when her birthday comes around in September.  Let's pray that she'll let us!  It would be nice for her to get out and about once in a while. 
This mother's day was an emotional one for her, but at least we spent it together as a family.

WE LOVE OUR MOM!!!

She means so much to me.

My younger brother and my mom.  He is the only one who doesn't have a problem with her dog.  LUCKY!!

My "older" brother and my mom.  He is not asthmatic like me but has seasonal allergies as well as being allergic to pets.

 

Cinco de Mayo bar crawl!!!

This definitely was one of my highlights so far this year.  It was completely unexpected and in the end, I had a blast with new people checking out new places.  My friend needed a favor to help volunteer a bar crawl in River North.  I had no plans so off I went.  Luckily the weather warmed up pretty quickly now that we entered May.  But Chicago was busy that day.  The NFL draft was being held in downtown, the Kentucky Derby and the Pacquio vs Mayweather boxing match was being televised, along with our Cinco de Mayo bar crawl.  There was traffic everywhere!  We made our way down to meet the people we were working with.  Everyone had a pretty good vibe we were going to have a successful event.  I've never done this type of thing, so I was excited to help in anyway I could.  We were stationed at Hubbard Inn to check the patrons in. 
First of all, I had no idea what goes on organizing an event like this!  It was an eye-opening experience for me, because I love to go out and have fun.  But there's a lot of hard work behind the scenes.  This is a business based off  making sure everyone is enjoying themselves.  I loved meeting the people who participated in the crawl.  A lot of them where out-of-towners who were visiting Chicago for the first time.  For the most part, my friend and I gave out drink tickets and checked off names; pretty simple stuff.  Yet the smiles we encountered made this worthwhile experience for me.  What a great Saturday I had! 

Hubbard Inn's complimentary tequila sunrise cocktail (with drink ticket).

They even had a mariachi band!

Next stop on the crawl, Municipal Bar!

Shay had a Kentucky Derby party!

Last spot, Epic's rooftop!

Good times with the bar crawl crew!

One last goodbye...

Towards the end of April our friend decided to throw one last house party before she transitioned to California.  It has been years in the making for her, and I'm glad everything was working out.  She had a couple of interviews earlier in the month, and an offer came through.  She also managed to find a great apartment by the beach!  How wonderful!
I've been thinking about relocating myself.  It's just something that pops in mind from time to time.  I've lived in Chicago all of my life.  But with recent changes in my life, I no longer find it my home.  Sometimes I feel so unfamiliar with my surroundings.  People are getting married, having families.  It gets harder and harder for me and my friends to get together.  And even then, I don't feel I have much in common with them anymore. 
My friend has had the same feelings as well, but with her, the weather is a HUGE factor in moving to Cali.  I can totally understand.  I hate the cold too.  But she needs to be near water, and with Cali, I feel she will find her joy once more.  I'm so happy she decided to have this party.  She also had a section of free giveaways for anyone who was interested in grabbing some goods.  I managed to walk away with some cookbooks and a cute picture I hung in my bathroom wall.  It was great seeing everyone again.  Our friend even showed up with her new baby!  SHE IS SO FREAKING CUTE!!  I think she had fun with us, too!  lol

Free giveaways in the kitchen!

Love these two! 

A frigid bbq but we managed...

Trying to stay warm under the covers...

My crew!



Admiring someone's Givenchy Antigona bag.  LOVE the color!


The following week our friend wanted to have one last night out before she departed on her new journey.  We had headed down to Wicker Park to Big Star for some margaritas and then across the street to Violet Hour.  I wore white to get out of the funk of it being frigid still.  I remember how I couldn't wait for summer.  Can't believe it's halfway over. 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







 

Makeup Party!!

I have to admit, I love girly parties!  I know sometimes people roll their eyes when they invited to these things, but I think we all know by now you're not obligated to buy anything.  What makes it fun is the hands-on experience as well as an excuse for everyone to get together and catch up.  I was excited to try some makeup from Laura Mercier.  I've heard good things about their line, but have never had the opportunity to sample their stuff.  I have to admit, I love what I bought!  I have oily skin, so their tinted moisturizer was perfect for those hot, humid days.  It has a light sheer coverage, but it does make your skin glow!  I also bought their lip glace in Bare Blush.  It's a perfect sheer mauve lip color that blends well with my skin tone.
Afterwards, a few of us headed down to Wicker Park to visit an old friend who was in town.  Needless to say, we got a little crazy, but it was fun!  Just like old times...

My beautiful pregnant friend!  We're so excited for her!!

Loved how everyone dressed for the party!

Wicker Park fun before she heads out to Cali...

Good times with the crew...



Wore a blazer with skinny jeans and ankle boots for the night festivities.  It's hard to dress up when you don't know where you're going to end up. 

Easter weekend!

I'm trying my best to catch up on this year's events as fast as I can.  I didn't realize how far behind I slacked off.  Although I'm recapping my mother's struggles on losing her husband, it's important to share how I suffer from depression as well.  I was mourning her loss, and looking back, I didn't realize how wrapped up I was getting in her circumstance.  I was never really fond of my mother's husband.  But seeing him suffer the past few months of his life was an eye opening experience for me.  I felt his pain, and watched him wither to a man who was desperately trying to stay alive for his wife.  It broke my heart.
I know they loved each other so much.  And seeing her try to live a life without him has been hard.  I think mostly my mom feels alienated about her loss.  None of her sisters or brother has yet gone through the process of losing someone.  The fact still remains that EVERYONE AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER WILL LOSE SOMEONE THEY LOVE.  It's a sad fact of life.  There's simply no way around it. 
It's also important to know how my spirituality has strengthened over the years.  I have my issues with the church, but for the most part, I've gained a new restored faith in God and the world around me.  I recognize how short life is, and although we all face our darkest times during our hardships, Life is truly a beautiful thing!  What happened to my mother is not a singled out situation.  They still managed to have a long marriage.  They still have the memories they shared together.  No one can take them away!  Not even God!  It's what we carry in our hearts and how we perceive that love that makes a difference in our lives.  It goes the same for choosing happiness over sorrow.  Because when you really think about it, there's no point in having sorrow in your heart when love fulfills it.
ALWAYS love one another, be kind to one another.  Even people with all the money in the world STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS YOU DO, (just with different factors). 
I think what has helped me out at this point in my life is the moments I share with my friends.  They are my 2nd family, and have been there for me through thick and thin.  I can always count on them no matter what.  I also have to point out that I have weeded out the bad seeds over the years and have a close knit circle of friends that I know have my good intentions at heart.  Sometimes not everyone is going to fit into your ideal definition of what a friend should be.  But that's another story of self discovery...
During Easter weekend I participated on the Bunny Hop 5K run/ walk.  I'm always down for some type of physical activity, and this run is what I desperately needed.  We woke up early and headed down by Lake Shore Drive to get a good start.  Of course we ended up running late, (no pun intended), but we caught up with the rest of the runners and finished in no time.  What I liked about this race was the little party they held afterwards.  There was a petting zoo for kids, as well as an Easter egg hunt!  We headed down to grab brunch afterwards and spent the afternoon together.  I had a blast. 
On Easter Sunday I attended mass, and later on, had dinner with my dad and his wife.  It was a perfect weekend to spend time with my loved ones...

Let's do this!

And we're off!

Words of encouragement on the way to the finish line...

Easter dinner with the family.

My dad won't sit still!  lol

  
 

March Madness Part 5

Looking back on March, I had many ups and downs.  My mom went back to work and was having a hard time adjusting.  Her doctor suggested she go see a therapist which made me feel horrible.  I was hoping she was handling things better.  After all, she did just lose her husband.  How else was she suppose to act?  But her everyday life was becoming a struggle to make it through the day.  She felt she had no purpose.  What was the point in anything now?  As much as it bothered me about her going to therapy, I had to put my thoughts aside and recognize that she did need this.  She needed to talk to someone who was better suited with depression, and they did prescribe her some medication.  I was hesitant about that as well, mostly because she is in her 60s and I did not like how she acted when she was on them.  She was not her normal self.  She was heavily medicated.  I cried every night as if I lost my mother for good.  Luckily they prescribed her medication short term, and eventually she grew tired of going all the way downtown for her sessions.  She quit therapy in a few short weeks.
Do I think she still needs therapy?  I'm not sure.  Yes, things are better now, mostly because time helped with that.  I try to call her every night to make sure she does not feel lonely.  My family has stepped up and tried to make sure they visit her as often as they can.  She keeps herself busy doing work around the house and keeping her dog company. 
Finishing up the month of March, I had yet ANOTHER birthday party to go to in the middle of the week.  I loved the fact that we had a good turn out.  It was nice to catch up to our friend who recently came back from Mexico with his girlfriend.  And then we celebrated my dad's birthday at his place.  His wife cooked a wonderful meal and we all had a good time.  Despite the loss we had with my mom's husband, we still have a father who was turning 70 years old!  We need to celebrate those precious moments with each other.  On Palm Sunday I went to church with my friends and we headed down to Chinatown to have brunch.  I felt blessed to have spent time with my loved ones...

Girl in the purple always arrives at the last minute.  Better late than never!

Happy birthday friend!

 

Happy birthday Pop!

Good times with the family...

Chinatown brunch for Palm Sunday!

I love my friend's family!  They always have a smile on their face!