penny lane.

a few months ago I went on a road trip to visit my siblings at school and this coffee shop was one of the places I visited along the way. I have hundreds of pictures from my week on the road, but the ones I took at penny lane always jump out at me. it may have something to do with how I felt when I was there. immediately after arriving I felt "at home". this place was a source of inspiration for me. I left feeling energized, hopeful, and excited about life. to some people "eclectic, lived in, unfinished" spaces are undesirable or frowned upon. to me, they're perfect.

penny lane is a quintessential local coffee shop and I enjoyed every second of my time there.

wednesday, the fourth.

surprise! said all of the little black seeds when I cut this watermelon open :) I honestly can't remember the last time I ate a watermelon with seeds. they made eating it more of a task which in some weird way was fun for me :) anyway, happy Independence Day! I hope you all have the best day ever.

a colorful city.

chicago is beautiful year round, but in the summer I think it is especially spectacular. one of the things I love to do the most is to walk around any given place with out an agenda. no time constraints, nowhere to be. with comfortable shoes on my feet and a camera in my hands, I could explore the smallest town or biggest city for an entire day and never grow tired. I guess you could say I'm easy that way. I am so fascinated by places and the people that fill them that I just can't seem to get enough. I am a people watcher. an observer. an analyst. I notice things. chicago is a beautiful city and I love to explore it...especially in the summertime.

frapp.

chilled (STRONG) coffee + ice + blender = a homemade coffee Frappuccino! yum! ...it has been extremely hot lately and I've been craving ice cold drinks practically every day (I'm normally a warm water drinker, so this is kind of a big deal ;). since coffee is my drink of choice I decided to try my hand at a homemade frappucino. wow, am I glad I did. so good! I brewed a fresh pot of coffee, put it in the fridge for a bit to let it chill, poured it into my blender, added ice and blended it together! not sure why I never thought to do this before. I didn't add any extra ingredients this time, but I will definitely treat myself in the very near future. caramel syrup is currently on my list of things to buy :)

lucky for me I even had a fancy green straw to drink it out of.

my happy place.

my bedroom is definitely what I would call "my happy place". when I am in it I feel a certain sense of calm. I am at peace. I am comfortable. I am OK.

I am a firm believer in the phrase ' love people, use things '. nonetheless, there are certain things in my life (room to be exact) that I do, very much love. I love my thrifted bookshelf which I purchased earlier this year for $12. I love the fabric (from an old dress) that is framed and hanging on my wall. I love the oversized painting that I created one evening when I was bored at home. I love my collection of books, little thrifted treasures, photographs of special people, my $5 tufted back accent chair, and the fact that this space is truly a reflection of myself. simple yet unique.

yes, it is true. my bedroom is one of my favorite things ;)