old friends.

last night I got together with an old friend of mine. she was the first friend I made after moving to a new city before entering second grade, and is someone I very much enjoy. there is something so special about people who knew you when you were just a kid. people who remember when you were late picking them up that you were always that way and it's just who you are. ;) I love that!

the end.

the end of summer is here and I am excited for what's ahead. I am definitely looking forward to trading hot and humid days for warm and cozy clothes. these past few months flew by and if that is any indication as to how the rest of the year is going to go it will be the new year before we know it. i'm working hard to appreciate and enjoy each and everyday no matter how crazy or busy it seems to be.

photos are from a few fun summer days that I very much enjoyed.

wings.

I've always been a bit envious of birds. I watch them and think to myself, how great it must be to be able to just soar. how exciting would life be if you had the freedom to go wherever you wanted. explore places you've never been. meet people you've never met. I've always had the feeling of being "trapped" or "tied down" even though I've never been either of the two. deep down inside I always knew that I was just as free as a bird, I think for whatever reason I've always been scared to take advantage of it. I'm working on building the confidence, strength, and desire to spread my wings and fly.

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 ;)