Cape Cod, MA

           

My best friend's father and I flew out to Cape Cod on Saturday to help her drive 16 hours home from the internship she had this summer. We didn't get to spend very much time in the Cape, but I got a glimpse of how beautiful it is out there. I just can't get enough of those little seaside towns with yummy restaurants, unique shops, and outdoor bars. Oh, to live in a place where one could dine al fresco before a trip to the beach for a nap on a blanket in the sand, to soak up sunshine and the sounds of the ocean...what a dream.

We also stopped at Niagara Falls on our way home. It was a grand sight to see, but far too commercialized for my taste. All in all, I wouldn't be heartbroken if I never saw it again.

I hope to see you again soon, MA. You were beautiful, and I've got much left of you to explore.

Chicago!

Hello, friends! I am so sorry for the silence lately! My roommates and I just moved, and we haven't had internet and we've been so busy and excuse excuses excuses. Anyway, I've had this post written for two weeks now, so I think it's finally time to share it!  (Better late than never, right?)

I took a day off work a couple of weeks ago and spent a long, four day weekend with my best friend up in Chicago! Sophie is the one I mentioned many months ago who landed that amazing internship with Red Frog Events.  She was super generous and let me crash on her couch + go out with all of her awesome new friends at Red Frog! We had an absolute blast. Highlights of the weekend included:

a jarty (jean party/denim on denim) themed bar crawl (not cute...or cute..however you wanna look at it)

several trips to Dunkin' Donuts

a late night visit to Wicker Park + too sour whiskey sours

the best popcorn ever from Garrett's

a luxurious lounge by the water to admire the harbor's sailboats

dinner on a sky deck + the yummiest strawberry margaritas ever

a girls night in Wrigleyville

my first trip to Potbelly's

long strolls through the city streets, admiring the beauty that is Chicago

many, many laughs

I seriously had so much fun...it felt great to just let loose and enjoy life! This mini-vacation was exactly what I needed. It cleared my head and I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. This is a summer for new beginnings, and thanks to friends, family, and Chicago, I've been able to welcome it with open arms. So thank you, Sophie and everyone else, for helping me have a whole lot of fun and for being down-right awesome :)

Editor's note: I just couldn't get enough Chi in one trip, so I'm headed back in a little less than two weeks! The relationship I'm building with this beautiful city is getting dangerous...I don't think my family would appreciate it much if I set up permanent residence there ;)

Goodbye.

"It was really nice to meet you, goodbye. It's high time I quit wondering why,

because I have lost all that I can from my side. And when you think of me

again, know I tried. I tried. Goodbye."

Greg Laswell

independence and freedom and happiness

via

Today, on a day when almost all seems lost, I'm reminded of the beautiful fact that I was born free. I am free to make my own decisions and believe in what I choose.  Today, I'm comforted by my rights as a citizen of the United States of America, rights to safety and rights to happiness. Today, I recognize the sacrifices made by the fifty-six Americans who bravely risked their well-being so that I could be happy, so that I could be free. It is not today, or any other day, that I am subject to Heartbreak or any of his friends. I am subject only to my freedom and what I choose do with it.

It is with independence that we have gained freedom, and with freedom we have been given the choice to be happy.
Today, I choose to be happy, because I am free.