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.

faith.

ah. to be a kid again. I remember the carefree days of childhood and because of that I long for them. I find myself longing for the days when I didn't have to make hard decisions. kids don't have to worry about big, life changing, hard to reverse decisions...adults do. I'm at a point in my life where I need to make hard decisions and it's not always fun. somedays I wish I could just jump back into childhood and leave the decisions up to someone else. don't get me wrong, I love being in control, I want to choose my own path, it can just be scary sometimes. the thing that gets me through these times of uncertainties is faith. I have faith in myself and my future. I have faith that everything's gonna be alright.

"faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase" MLK jr.

a day downtown.

two of my three siblings are still living in other cities for college and this past week they were both here in Chicago! very exciting. we spent a day downtown last week and had fun exploring the city we love best.

sunny skies.

this has been a week of adventures. one being taking my new bike to the lakefront for a ride. it has been the most beautiful week in Chicago and everywhere you look you see people soaking up the sun and making the most of these gorgeous days. I dont know if there is any other city that celebrates, appreciates and takes advantage of the warm weather as well as Chicago does. the energy in this city is infectious and I love it.

5K.

this past Saturday my ten year old niece Kiara and I ran a 5k together at Soldier Field. the race was through an organization called girls on the run and we were just two of 12,000 (record high!) runners. it was SUCH a fun morning. this was Kiaras first time running in a race, and I was especially proud of her because she ran the entire thing without stopping even once! so proud :)