New Month, New City

It's almost mid-August and I told Trey I thought I should buy a new bathing suit and his response was "summer is [almost] over". This is the first summer where life has been so jumbled around that the annual happenings I'm accustomed to didn't enter on their cues. I realize that's not a bad thing at all actually. I was crushed that after 14 years of August trips to Wellfleet, Cape Cod I wasn't able to make it this round. When I say crushed I mean I was irrationally angry/upset/disappointed. It's amazing what a place can come to mean to you, as it's become ingrained in who you are. I survived missing the trip, a shock to my June self, and instead have been busy piecing together a new schedule for myself out here in Columbus. It's hard to let go of those traditions we cherish so much, but it's a great feeling to start some new beginnings.

We kicked off August right, spending the first weekend at Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago with old and new friends. It was an incredible couple of days with sore feet and amazing shows.

At this time last year my dear friend Jaimie, who I met while working at a Boston restaurant, was solidifying plans to move across country to San Francisco with her boyfriend. It just so happened that I was also in the midst of making the decision to move to Columbus with my boyfriend. Her story took quite the awesome turn when they made the executive decision to drive back to Chicago after landing in a motel out west for a week, realizing they were drawn to the Windy City instead! I love telling people that story. And it worked out great for me because we had the chance to see each other in her new town. At times, some things really do align perfectly.

I fell in love with Chicago. Maybe it's because the city borders water or maybe it's the expanse of completely unique buildings everywhere you turn. We managed to squeeze in a 90-minute architecture tour via boat cruise down the river that we all LOVED. And we couldn't leave without taking a quick trip through the Art Institute of Chicago.

Although the music festival was obviously a highlight, soaking in a bit of culture on the side really made the trip. Part of that culture: deep dish pizza. Lou Malnati's restaurant was the very first "attraction" we hit upon arrival. At 2pm on a Thursday there was a 45-minute wait, mostly because each pizza takes 30 minutes to cook. I have to say, I'm so glad I tried it but I probably won't be going back for seconds. Sorry Chi Town! Still love you. For the remainder of the weekend we lived off mostly PB & J's, fruit, cheese, and avocados. We may as well have had individual lunch boxes with divided compartments inside and our names labeled on them. We had the backpacks and overalls, just ONE step away from elementary school days.

Summer may be waning but it's not yet over! Still a few more adventures to be had.

'Til next time!
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