I might be borderline obsessed with delicious and pretty food. Even this, my simple veggie quesadilla from a patio dinner at Moonshine a couple weeks ago was beautiful to me:
Good food coupled by good company is like the best thing ever.
I leave Chicago in 9 days.
Even though I am jumping out of my skin excited for my annual Finger Lakes trip/big Honda Adventure and all the opportunities my next several weeks will bring, I will miss the incredible energy and love this city has offered me these past months until I can come back. Chicago started out as; How fast can you get here to start work? (I assumed/intended on it to be temporary only)- and has turned into; How in the heck have I never lived here before?! I love this place and every last thing about it.
I’ve been a nomad for years, I’ve found and lived in some fabulous places, and had a lot of love for several of these spots. For whatever reason, Chicago has captivated me during this time, wholly- heart and soul, and I have simply never had this overwhelming feeling of overall goodness and clarity. As much as I believe we can all make a “home” anywhere, I think there is something to be said for a place you just feel like yourself, like you belong, like it just works. (I feel like I need a t-shirt that says “I found myself and my mojo in Chicago!”) Whether this feeling only lasts for a few months, a few years, or the rest of my life- I doesn’t matter. For a girl who’s searched, run, explored, and looked, the feeling I have now is one that is a first in almost 33 years and I am relishing in every second of it.
Here’s to plugging away, working, working, working and following what feels right even if it seems like it’s taking forever to find your little spot to nuzzle into in the world. Life really does get better with age.
A few random Downtown Chicago snapshots from the wandering I have done this summer:
I heart The Windy City.
…I pick up the 2012 Hybrid Honda Civic and hit the road to Maine to kick off the Blue Lollipop Road Fall 2011 Adventure! Whoop whoop!
Who out there has some serious scoop on what’s not to be missed in the whoopee pie-lovin’, lobstah-eatin’, costal-filled gorgeous state of the Vacationland?
Please post comments here, send me an email to: diane (@) blue lollipop road.com, visit me on Facebook and drop a note here, or post a tweet to my Twitter account here.
Want to head down the Blue Lollipop Road with me? Stay tuned for some news on the possibility of jumping on the bandwagon!
A Cubs game at Wrigley Field in the Bleacher Seats is one of those bucket list/must-do’s, especially if you’re ever lucky enough to be able to live in Chicago during the summer. I had been to a couple of games almost 10 years ago, but got to go for another round last weekend with a friend who was in town. In no particular order, here’s a montage of the sweaty, sunburned, blast of festivities. (And these are just the photos from the first 3 hours of the full-day marathoning party around Wrigleyville!):
The game begins a bit cloudy:
The blue lollipop gives a major league thumbs up:
Yay, tickets for the Bud Light Bleachers:
…the only place to be at Wrigley. The stadium was packed to my right:
…and my left:
We got some free hats and stocked up on peanuts and beer of course:
…which I enjoyed thoroughly as the sun came out:
Every last person was branded with some kind of Cubs gear or color. I liked these two tees in front of us:
(I made sure to follow their rules.)
We all sang and swayed together:
I had to have a hot dog:
…and laugh at myself at how I have failed painfully at being a vegetarian lately:
We made friends with all the people around us. You somehow become insta-buddies after sweating on each other. I shared one of our double-chocolate delish Sprinkles cupcakes with these friendly fun gals behind us. (I had noticed one of them had a pregnant belly, so naturally it was just the right thing to do.):
As the game wrapped up, the carnage was everywhere:
Before we were booted out, I managed to snap a couple of clear pix of these great signs:
You’ve gotta love before, during and after game razzing and trash talking (which there was plenty of.) These Cubs fans were selling water outside the stadium:
If you can imagine the perfect All-American baseball game time, this was it. It was a total blast and couldn’t have gone more perfectly if we had planned every detail.
…buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back…
As I’ve made the transition to a new computer, I’ve finally done some serious homework in my iPhoto. Perusing through and organizing pictures I’ve taken since starting using a digital camera has been an entertaining walk down memory lane this past week and I still have lots more to go. Surprisingly the most fun part of looking back on my 10,000 collected images from the past 2.5 years has been reflecting on what my intention was taking each photo, and remembering where my head and heart both were at the time of point and click. As I was scrolling through just now, this particular one caught my eye:
Exhausted and filthy after being on the road for lots of days, here I am wind-blown. (I’m still trying to perfect those solo traveler self-portrait skills!) This is my first ferry ride in Alaska last summer and boy was I one happy camper that day. I remember the views took my breath away, my face hurt from smiling, and the sense of accomplishment- reaching that goal I had for so many years was unlike anything I had ever felt before.
Here’s to a picture being worth a thousand words.
This weekend last year I was hanging out in Madison, Wisconsin with old friends who are my besties who never fail to crack me up:
We did things like wandered the biggest farmers market in the country:
…to participate in a classic Wisconsin cheese-fest fun, like trying fresh cheese curds:
(The squeaking totally freaked me out!)
…and fresh-baked spicy cheese bread:
Mmm…
We were essentially on repeat that whole weekend cracking up and eating a ton of cheese. Delish. Lucky me, I get to head to madison next weekend and do it all over again. Yeah! Who knew this girl would love the Midwest so much.
Ian’s Pizza~
Yes, I think I should see you annually too! You had me at Mac n’ cheese pizza…
In 35 days I pick up my 2012 Hybrid Civic in the Garden State and head out for another big adventure! Time sure flies when you’re having fun and then going for more.
Guess where we are going to go to the tippity top of with a couple surprises along the way?
Maine kept popping into my head when I started thinking about a fall 2011 trip. No rhyme or reason, just a gut instinct that I should be there. Wouldn’t you know it, once again that gut feeling never leads me astray, so Honda and I are working on a meeting with quite a character as part of the adventure and he just so happens to be in Maine. September will be the perfect time of year to explore that Northeast landscape I love. You all will be voting on a whole lotta other stuff I do, see, and even what I eat while I am in Maine and other neighboring states. (Side note; Did you know Maine is the place for whoopie pies? I missed this festival already, but you know how I love my chocolate and treats, so a famous Maine whoopie pie stop will be a must. Yeah!)
You all know I am as transparent as saran wrap, so it is hard for me to hold anything back or ever be evasive about anything I am uber excited about, but this is where I will practice being “cool” about giving away too much information for now. I did chat with Honda yesterday, and can share that we’re planning to start the official polling on all Facebook pages next week, so get your Northeast/East Coast thinking caps on for all the things I can’t live without seeing or doing. This is promising to be one heck of a trip!
And who knows- you might be able to be right there with me. (Wink, wink.) More on that to come…
Computer transitioning is not easy, especially when you’ve been on the same laptop creating serious habits for 3 years. I am now the proud owner of a much smaller, lighter version of what I had before and whoa mamma! I think my life has changed forever. This means that my “baby” (computer) fits in my purse and has a battery life that can even outlast my coffee shop time per day. Amazing!
If anyone out there ever wants to hold a pep rally for how incredible Apple products are, let me know. I’ll make a sweet poster and totally be there.
I’m about to hand off my computer to the Apple folks for a full 24-plus hours. I can’t lie, I feel like a mother who’s sending her first born off to the first day of Kindergarten. I might cry and I think I need a cocktail. (Voice in my head; It’s all for the best in the long run Diane, this is just a part of life. Let go, let go, you can do it.)
Crazy- right? Sheesh.
I guess this officially means that Blue Lollipop Road is my baby. But I think we all already knew that…
I’ll be back as soon as I can! 🙂