My Labor Day Weekend was so fun! My best friend who moved to Texas a year ago came to visit, which was so nice. We saw each other briefly in June when we were both in South Carolina, but it was the first time we've spent solid time together since February (boo Covid). The weekend was the perfect combination of going out with friends and staying in, exercising and pampering. Read all about it below.

The weekend before Independence Day was so busy and the Fourth didn't slow down. I experienced the holiday in the city for the first time, planned an epic girls' night out, and had a boat day on the lake.

It was a weekend full of sunshine, friends, and fireworks.

I made a promise to myself this summer that I'd explore more of Chicago. From eating at new restaurants to trying different activities, I wanted this season to be one for the books. Back in May, a group of girls and I bought tickets to two different events: a sangria fest and rooftop yoga. Thankfully, we were finally blessed with some warm weather, so it turned out to be perfect timing. The other big ticket item that occurred? Chicago's Pride Parade! I brought my friend, Dana, along for the fun and trust me, it was so fun!

These three events made for one epic weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, friends!

Have you ever seen something in photos for years and then finally get the opportunity to see it in person? That was me yesterday with Chicago's green river.

Yesterday, after living in Illinois for three years, I finally experienced the green river. What's even better is that I did it on a boat! I, along with two of my friends, went on a booze cruise to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year. We were on the boat for a total of three hours, which was the perfect amount of time.

December 1st marked the start of the most wonderful time of the year - Christmastime! To kick-off the season, my roommates and I threw a Holiday Housewarming Brunch. It was our official welcome to our new neighborhood, as well as a great start to this festive month.

HOLIDAY BRUNCH

We decorated our house to make it as festive as possible. For food, we served two different types of egg casseroles, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal yogurt cups, and streusel muffins. For dessert, I made white chocolate cake pops and hot chocolate-inspired cookies.

This past weekend, my friends and I hit up the newest Chicago hotspot: Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up.

HOTSPOT: Jack's - A Pumpkin Pop-Up Experience

WHERE: Goose Island

WHAT: A pumpkin wonderland beer garden, complete with a corn maze

Last weekend, my friends and I completed our first Tough Mudder. Back when we signed up in March, we had every intention of training and rocking our race. As it turns out, not one of us trained. That morning, we quickly switched our mentality to "let's go play in the mud." We had a blast! The obstacles were tough, but doable. We did the Half Mudder, which meant 5 miles and 14 obstacles. This is a race that 100% requires teamwork. We were helping pull strangers up, as well as each other.

This past weekend was my move into the city! I've shared why I chose Chicago and today, I'm sharing why I (along with my roommates) chose the neighborhood of Bucktown.

In three weeks, I'm making the move from the suburbs to the city! When I accepted my job offer back in March, I also made the decision to move. I knew that as soon as I had a full time offer, I would move back out of my parents' house, I just wasn't sure where. After much consideration, I decided on Chicago.

This past weekend I went to my first country festival in Chicago - Country LakeShake. A group of us, including my sister and her fiancé, attended all three days. Our weekend was filled with friends, food, and incredible music. Friday, it rained all day, so Northerly Island was quite muddy. It was also supposed to rain that night, so we were decked out in rain jackets. It was definitely a chillier night. Saturday and Sunday were, thankfully, nice and warm. We were able to enjoy the sunshine, play some games, and explore the festival. My favorite day? Sunday! The artists were some of my most played, the company was perfect, and the weather was just right. Below are some photos from the weekend.

Today, I'm starting a new series on the blog featuring different Chicago hotspots. Since I'm moving there this summer, I'll be exploring the city in a whole new way, so thought I'd share my findings. First up is Eataly Chicago where some friends and I went yesterday for their weekend wine party.

This past weekend, three of my best friends from university visited! I hadn't seen them in eight months, but as soon as we were together, it was as if we'd been together minutes before. There is something so comforting to be surrounded by the ones you love most. I experienced so much happiness this weekend with them, constantly laughing and telling stories.

One bummer, however, was the weather. My poor California-living friends. It was ten degrees without wind chill most of the time they were here. The amount of times I heard "How do you live like this?" and "Why do you live here?" was hilarious. Thankfully, on Sunday, it warmed up to 30 degrees. Still not warm, but better.

Enjoy my recap of our weekend below.

FRIDAY
The girls got into Chicago at 6AM, so when we got back to my house, we all went to bed for a couple hours. Once we were awake, it was time for brunch - fresh baked muffins and cinnamon swirl cake. Overall, Friday was a very relaxing day. We stayed in our comfy clothes to watch some Friends and play Yahtzee. We did, however, brave the cold for dinner. We went with my parents and two of their best friends to Board & Barrel in downtown Naperville and then to Le Chocolat for hot chocolate and dessert. We were so unbelievable full!

SATURDAY

After we had eaten breakfast, the four of us headed to my work to have a tour of the plant. My friends and I were able to walk through the different lines, seeing how the alcohol was made, bottled, and packaged. (There are definitely some perks to working with your dad, who happens to run the site!) When we returned home, we got ready for our traditional "fancy-dinner night" so that we could take photos before my parents headed out. Once our photos were taken, we changed into comfies and played Phase 10. Rather than getting back into our skirts and dresses, we threw on jeans and sweaters. Safe to say that fancy-night lasted about 20 minutes. ;) For dinner, we went to The Ivy in downtown Wheaton. It's an old church that's been converted into a restaurant and man, was it tasty! We were all raving about our food! Our plan was to head back home after, but my friends texted me that they were at the bars - and ran into two of my other friends. Talk about my worlds colliding! I had work friends, Bible study friends, and college friends all in one place. I was so glad the girls were able to meet some of my Naperville friends.

SUNDAY
Sunday morning was our crepes day! Every time my friends come to visit, we always have crepes at some point throughout the weekend - a tradition I love. After breakfast, we finally played in the snow! Although it was still in the 20s, it wasn't too painful to be outside. From there, we decided to play a second round of Phase 10, and let me tell you, it was intense! If you've never played before, make sure you have strong friendships - it can get ruthless! Once we finished the game, it was time for the girls to head to the airport.

This weekend was amazing. And for once, when we said goodbye, we knew it wouldn't be too long until we saw each other next. At the end of February, I'm headed to them!

I absolutely love when my friends come to visit! I've been lucky these past few months because my friends' jobs have brought them to Chicago, so I've been able to sneak in some nice visits. This weekend, my best friend of sixteen years, Keiko, came to visit with one of her best friends, Lindsay (whom I love to pieces). They came to tour Northwestern for grad school, but added in an extra two days for Chicago touring and visit time.

This past weekend, one of my best friends from college, Marie, visited Chicago. She had a business trip earlier in the week, so decided to extend her trip so we could spend the weekend together. This is now the second time we've been able to do this - the first was when she was in St. Louis. This weekend, the weather was absolutely perfect - it was in the high 60s the entire weekend with tons of sunshine! We definitely took advantage of the beautiful day in Chicago, riding bikes and exploring with Marie's childhood best friend and her boyfriend (who now live in Chicago). We split our time between Chicago and Naperville (where my parents live), so on Sunday, relaxed, did some Southern Magnolias shopping, and spent some time with my parents. Below is a complete recap of what we did this weekend!