art fair

This weekend I was lucky enough to stumble upon beautiful artwork while shopping in downtown Chicago. The Chicago Tribune sponsored the incredible art fair near their building on Michigan Avenue. I wandered around for what seemed like an hour and I still didn't make it through all of the exhibits. There were beautiful murals, photographs, sculptures, jewelry and pieces of pottery in all colors, shapes, sizes and beautiful designs. I especially fell in love with one artists bubble/ink blot paintings. She created amazing designs that seemed incredibly random but I'm sure were meticulously planned, much like Jackson Pollock's work. They kind of reminded me of a Rorschach test. I wish I had a picture of those to share.

Summerfest

I have a confession to make. I am from Wisconsin but up until last Friday night, I had never been to Summerfest before. I know, it's absolutely ridiculous. Everyone goes to Summerfest, but somehow I guess I got left behind on that one. So when my friends mentioned heading up Friday night for the Jason Aldean concert, I jumped all over that chance.

While I appreciate the good music and party atmosphere, it was a bit too intense {and drunken} for me. Not that I have anxiety about being in a large group of people, but I would rather have something a bit more low-key. With that said, I would most likely go back if a band I want to see is playing. Also, the food was delicious {especially the corn on the cob}, the music was great and the atmosphere very lively. I would definitely recommend attending Summerfest at least once if you haven't before. Make up your own mind about it.

And the Jason Aldean concert? AMAZING! I'm not a big county music fan, I rarely listen to it, but the concert was simply fun. It was high energy, entertaining and good music. By far, one of the best shows I've ever seen. I had to go pick up a few of his CDs after the show. He definitely made a fan out of me.

points.

my little friends for dressing up as uncle sam for our july 4th parade. 2 points {even though they are far too young to really worry about life points yet}

the middle-aged people at the coffee shop learning spanish. 3 points {they are good inspiration to relearn my italian and french.}

my boss for letting me go home early while still suffering from heat stroke symptoms. she’s a life-saver, literally. 10 points.

the writers of ncis for coming up with the best suspense/drama show I’ve watched in many years. I’m still trying to decide if they should receive negative points for the show being so addictive that all my work has been pushed aside for weeks in favor of watching a few episodes. naw, 5 points

the lady at the baseball game still rocking a fanny pack. keep going strong, that look will come back, i'm sure. 2 points

my friends at the tailgate taking a page from the book of MacGyver and constructing a makeshift rack to grill on after they realized they forgot their own. 4 points

Seen in Chicago

I spent most of Saturday wandering around Chicago enjoying the beautiful weather. And the beautiful scenery.

Glee bracket

I’m a Gleek. I admit it. I am simply in love with the show, and Finn for that matter. So when my friend posted a link to a bracket deciding Glee’s all-time best song, I simply had to fill out my own. While I would have ended up with “Don’t Stop Believin’” no matter what, I think a few of the match-ups were unfair. Some were overly tough choices {like "Songbird" & "Blackbird" where I had a ridiculously tough time deciding} and some were no contest at all {like “Don’t Stop Believin’” & "Tik Tok"}.

Overall, I decided that I enjoy their spin on classic rock songs more than their covers of newer songs. When they cover classic rock songs, I think they are able to really make it their own, but there isn’t as much creativity involved in remaking the new songs. I’m pretty sure most classic rock songs would beat out newer ones on my bracket. Also, why weren’t more Rocky Horror Picture Songs Included? I LOVED those.

Fourth of July

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the Fourth of July than tailgating at a Brewers game with friends. It was quite possibly the hottest, sunniest day of the summer yet, but it was a great time. The day was filled with friends, laughter, games {including a Jenga game made out of two-by-fours and a homemade bags game}, baseball and the most-delicious burgers I’ve ever had while tailgating.

a local favorite: the coffee pot

as i’ve said before, i love local shops and restaurants with character and personality. this is the reason why the coffee pot downtown is one of my favorite places to spend on a weekend morning. the design and décor remind me of a 1950s café, especially since the walls are plastered with LIFE magazine covers from the 1950s and 60s and old coffee pots. this past weekend, my sister and i grabbed a bloody mary and late brunch in their garden seating after a round of golf. it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

Annual golf outing

This morning my extended family gathered at our favorite golf course for our annual Fourth of July golf outing. This outing has been going on for as long as I can remember. And for as long as anyone else can remember for that matter. My Dad guessed it's been somewhere around 20 years. I loved listening to my Dad and his cousins reminiscing about the antics on the golf course in years passed. Apparently, my Grandpa used to sit with a cooler on the other side of the fence from the course and would pass beer over to family as they completed that hole. How funny is that? And how cool is my Grandpa?

My golf game wasn't as good as a few days ago, but I did OK. I had fun, especially spending time with family in the beautiful weather.

This was the best shot of the day. We joked that my Dad's imaginary friend Wally would have taken the shot...but my sister kicked the ball out from behind the tree instead.

Summer playlist

My typical summer playlists include things like California pop, surfer bands like the Beach Boys or the Hollies. While Kokomo will no doubt still be played on repeat throughout the summer, my iPod is burning though a few new bands this summer. And California pop is definitely no way to describe these bands. Folksy-rock seems to be my theme for the summer.

My favorite song from a new favorite band:

Other bands that will be on replay all summer long: {Check them all out.}

• Mumford and Sons
• Fleet Foxes
• The Decemberists
• Lykke Li
• Death Cab for Cutie
• Bright Eyes
• My Morning Jacket

july 4th weekend

happy fourth of july weekend!

i can't believe it's actually july already! i feel like the summer is going by so fast, especially since in the midwest we've only had about 5 real "summer" days to enjoy. i'm really excited for the holiday weekend. the fourth of july is one of my favorite days of the year. every year my dad's extended family gets together for a golf outing and cookout. this year i'm going to make a delicious salad to bring along. also, a group of friends and i are going to baseball game on july 4th.

baseball, tailgating, parades, fireworks, cookouts, golf, summer sun... sounds like a fantastic weekend. hope you have a great holiday weekend also!

{image via}