Summer!!

Today may very well be the first day of the summer that I have no plans. I have off today and, although I have plenty I would like to do, there is nothing I really need to do or even have planned to do! What an incredible feeling! I am so blessed to have this day to tend to our home, to myself, and to spend some time in the kitchen. The day started with coffee and cereal with hubby, strumming a bit on the guitar, and putting my feet up to write. Lovely.

I am very thankful not to have had more days like this though! Our summer has been jam-packed with fun – traveling, visiting with friends, and exploring the city - and I wouldn't dream of trading it! I would have loved to write about every fun day we had, but there was simply no time!

This past weekend started out bittersweet. After work we helped my friend Sarah pack up to move back to Wisconsin. It really didn’t strike me that I might not see her again for months until we closed her door and started walking down her stairs. I spent a few minutes sitting outside her apartment crying in hubby’s arms until I could see clearly again. We are certainly looking forward to a life spent traveling and making our home in many parts of the world, but I’m afraid I’ll never be okay with having to say goodbye to friends so often. I have been blessed with truly, inexplicably wonderful friends over the past few years, and I can’t bare the thought of letting any of them slip away from me. On the bright side, we’ll never be without an excuse to travel! Sarah, please call, write, and visit often! Any time you want to spend an entire day knitting in a coffee shop, you know whom to call!

Sunday was a very fun, very long day. Church in the morning, then to work, then a quick dinner and a concert! Hubby got tickets to see Mates of State, a husband-wife band that we just love! They have a very keyboard-heavy sound and great harmonies and pieced-together melodies. Jason (the husband) is always watching his beautiful wife Kori while they play. Very sweet! I had listened to them occasionally before and I liked them, but after seeing them live we have a whole new love for them! Saturday morning I was up by 3:30am and Sunday night we were up until 2am – Monday morning I suppose – and then to work again by 9am! It’s been that kind of summer :) 

I’ll try to recap at least some of our summer in photos, starting at the beginning.

Lelu came to visit after courageously finishing a year of teaching in the Mississippi Delta region. Margerita spent a day with us downtown too!

The perfect lunch on a summer day in Chicago

Margerita gave lessons on how to prepare the perfect Chicago-style hot dog

Aren't they beautiful?!

In June, we escaped to Northern Wisconsin to celebrate Father's Day and our niece's birthday! Heartwood is a family tradition for Christmas, but we were blessed with the opportunity to stay there in the summer! We shared a cozy cabin with my parents-in-law, complete with fireplace, outdoor grill, pier, and rowboat! After quite the fiasco trying to find transportation to get there, the peaceful change of pace was more than welcome. 

I look a lot more relaxed than I was. Fish were nibbling at my hinder!! Eek!

Are we in Venice? Si per favore! 

A yummy birthday cake with homemade pink cherry frosting! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Even Theseus enjoyed the peace and quiet!

More snippets of the summer...

Chicago style pizza!! It's no joke. 

A visit to the Field Museum

The installation "Agora" near the Field Museum with Margerita

Beautiful downtown gardens

Adventures with a squirrel and a cookie

Hungry squirrel...

...found Margerita's cookie...

...and Margerita found a friend :)

Buckingham Fountain

A quiet moment in the city

Hubby and I went to see the Grant Park Music Festival, an ongoing concert series in Millennium Park at Pritzker Pavilion

The Spread

The View 

And of course, we went to see fireworks on a beach downtown for Independence Day. The buses were running late so we ended up seeing fireworks from the bus, but the beach was beautiful even after the fireworks.

We have more friends visiting this weekend and we have a trip planned to Ravinia Park to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra! I have every intention of having pictures and a recap of that, but it all depends on how much fun we have! Have a great weekend my dear friends and family!

XO Natalie