Yeah, I don't know where the month of June went either....can we back it up a bit and recap what's been happening? (That was a rhetorical question) good! here we go...
The month of May ended on a good note because, as I mentioned a couple posts ago, it included that road trip to Iowa to see my family. That trip was good because it included things like seeing my pregnant sister (due in just ONE week!), a memorial day parade, hanging out with a bunch of great friends, and everyone's memorial day staple: a pancake breakfast. When I got back to Chicago things seemed to be pretty normal, besides the usual after-affect of being home: homesickness. The awful feeling of homesickness got worse when, on June 2, I found out that my cousin, Angie, died very suddenly. This news came a little over a month after I received news that another cousin of mine, Kevin, had also died very suddenly. Kevin was 44. Angie, only 34.
It's hard to explain how I felt. devastation is close, but doesn't seem quite right. It really is beyond words when you lose someone so unexpectedly, someone you thought you'd share the next 40+ years of life with on this earth. While I wasn't very close to Kevin, nor did I know Angie really well, I am very close with Angie's family. Her parents and sister are my closest relatives and I hurt for their lost the most, and still do. I was able to make it home for the funeral. A completely different trip home than the trip I took just two weeks prior. Angie was such a beautiful person who surrounded herself with so many beautiful people who loved her. She will be missed, never forgotten.
A couple days after I returned from Iowa, June 12 to be exact, my good friend Sarah came for a visit from Grand rapids. What a blessing it was to have her here especially coming back from a pretty intense trip to Iowa.
The 10 days Sarah spent here in Chicago were filled with some great times. Birthday parties, street festivals, concerts, picnics in the park, game nights, good food, plenty of movies, and many many good conversations. A week after Sarah got here another great friend, Abby came in from Seattle for an architecture educators conference. Another blessing! So many friends! We had a great time hanging out at the Field Museum and going to see one of my favorite bands, Rue Royale play at Martyrs. More good food, good conversations, and plenty of laughs.
If you've been keeping track (or even if you're still reading this...) we're about up to the week of June 22. Which is the start of probably my two busiest weeks this summer....
June 22 (S): Sarah and Abby leave town
June 23 (M): work and then a picnic with friends in the park, followed by a concert (Brendan Losch, Weather Underground, and Cotton Jones Basket Ride) at Schubas. (a little too late for a school night but a good show nonetheless)
June 24 (T): Working late, followed by another AMAZING concert: Eef Barzelay, who is the lead on one of my favorite bands: Clem Snide. The show was amazing. amazing. amazing! :)
June 25 (W): After work I attended an art show by photojournalist, Ryan Spencer Reed (a former Calvin student). He's spent the past 4 years in and out of Sudan, photographing the genocide that's been going on in western Sudan. Very powerful work, very difficult subject. I encourage you to check out his website.
June 26 (Th): I visit Anti-Cruelty Society. I had decided to get a cat about a week before and on this day I found a new friend who I've already introduced you to: Lila (pronounced LEE-la). I didn't get to take her home that night because she had to be spayed, so Thursday night was spent at PetSmart stocking up on things I had no idea if she'd need or want: scratching post (doesn't use), toys (not interested), kitty treats (they make her throw up.) I did do pretty good on the basics though: litter box that she has had no problem using and kitty food that she really enjoys.
June 27 (F): Day 1 with Lila. Kinda weird, but it's gotten so much better since then. It's taken her about a week to come out of her shell and now I'm discovering she has what most cats have: a bit of an attitude. aka: she's a bit of a Diva. About 99% of the time she's the most lovable cat ever and insists on sitting/sleeping as close as possible to me. But the other 1% of the time she has no problem letting me know when I've left her alone too long or when I'm not giving her the attention she wants: she sits in the middle of my apt the floor and intentionally faces the opposite direction from me.
June 28 (Sa): Another picnic with friends in the park (gotta love free concerts downtown!)
June 29 (Su): Brunch with Paul, Joanna, and Laura at Twisted Spoke. Yum!
June 30 (M): White Sox game with 15 friends!
July 1 (Tu): Nothing! stay home...
July 2 (W): Sarah Pegman's birthday dinner at Joy's Noodle. Happy birthday pegster!
July 3 (Th): Work, followed by a shopping extravaganza with Sarah Pegman. We're throwing a 4th of July Party by the lake! Thursday night we also went downtown to the Field Museum Campus to watch the fireworks show.
July 4 (F): Happy fourth! Our all day party in the park. It was a beautiful day and was even more beautiful to spend it with some of my best friends. We played frisbee and 500, and ate lots and lots of delicious food. The perfect day was completed with some more fireworks and then probably one of the most graceful wipe-outs i've ever had. There was a really big crack in the sidewalk....and now i have 11 really intense bruises all up and down my legs. doh!
July 5 (Sa): Relaxing in the morning, then out to Ravinia Park to witness a live taping of Prairie Home Companion with everyone's favorite, Garrison Keillor. More food, more friends, more picnics.....please, can we hold off on the picnics for a while?
And now here we are, Sunday, July 6. If you've made it this far through my post you must really love me, or just be incredibly bored right now. Hey, it's ok, I've gotten really good at distracting myself too... Today I went with Becca to Loop Church because she was ordained as an elder in the church. A very exciting day indeed. Following the service and brunch at The Bongo Room, I came home and immediately took a 4 hour nap (I know it was beautiful day, but have you noticed how many picnics I've been at lately??) I'm a little concerned that Lila is not going to sleep a wink tonight. She's still napping...
I could probably give you a rough draft of what the rest of my July is looking like, but I know you've enjoyed yourself enough already, just by reading the above, so i'll let you wait in anticipation for the next play-by-play. I'll try update more frequently than once every 2 months....
goodnight
PS: I know how much you guys love pictures, so click here for a few more pictures.
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