Millenium Park Concert

Chicago in the summer is something I will miss with fall peaking it's head around the corner. With that said, I've been spending as much time outside as possible. Having been a tourist in Chicago before moving here, I always thought it would be cool to go to a concert at this amphitheater in Millenium Park. So, the other weekend we headed to the park with some snacks and a blanket and camped out listening to music. It was a perfect evening, and I highly recommend it if you're in the area! Did I mention that the concert was free?! How cool is that?

Birthday Pancakes a day late...

What's better than birthday pancakes on your birthday? Birthday pancakes the day after your birthday; it's like celebrating your birthday two days in a row! Well, that's how I justified the fact that I was a day late surprising Michael with his birthday pancakes.We'll also forget the fact that some of them were a little burnt. In the past 3 years, I've always made Michael a birthday cake on his birthday, but this year, thanks to Pinterest, I decided to switch things up and make him birthday pancakes. :) 

Maybe it's the little girl in me, but I never want birthdays to become "another day" as you get older. Because of this, I love making my friends and families birthdays a special day. I mean, a person's birthday only happens once a year! I was so excited to celebrate Michael's birthday in Chicago. We went out to the most amazing, romantic place for dinner, called Geja's Cafe in Lincoln Park. It's a fondue place, with not only an amazing menu but a great atmosphere. It was a little pricey, but if you have a special occasion, I highly recommend this place! 

Until next year :) Happy Birthday Michael! 

Hanging out on the rooftop before taking off for dinner.

In front of our apartment.

I'm a sucker for flowers, so we made a pit stop at the Lincoln Park Conservatory before dinner :)

The birthday boy :)

The most amazing food!

Isn't this the cutest place ever?

20 miles later...

Last Saturday afternoon Michael and I grabbed our bikes and hit the Lake Shore Drive trails. This happens to be another hobby of Michael's that has rubbed off on me. Exploring the pedway along Lake Shore Drive is beautiful and one of the best things to do during the summer in Chicago. It runs parallel to Lake Michigan and runs past several of Chicago's best sites and views of the lake. We're fortunate enough to live steps away from the lake and pedway, so this has been something we've taken full advantage of.

Before we knew it we were 10 miles out at the Aquarium. We found the perfect, most serene spot for a picnic that we plan to go back to before summer ends. We also had brunch at Yolk, which I have to say is one of the best breakfast spots around. 20 miles later we were able to bike through 4 neighborhoods and Grant Park where we walked among Giants (see photo below). 

This place deserves a blog post of its own, because I know we'll be back!

106 giants by the name of Agora.

Views of the city 10 miles from home.

Missing Family & Friends

With my family (missing my sister) at Miletta Vista Winery for my birthday.

I've been in Chicago for nearly 2 months and it's been nothing but great; but I can't deny I'm missing my family and friends. One of the reasons I chose to move to Chicago was because it was a quick trip home. Luckily I'll be traveling home mid August to graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with my Master's! But what I'm really anxious for, is to see and spend time with my loved ones. 

(Sadly, Miletta Vista had a tragedy and was burned to the ground by lightning shortly after we visited. Please send prayers to all who were affected.) 

And of course, after my family I'm missing my dear friends. I have to say I'm a pretty lucky girl to have the friends I do. Luckily for Skype, phone calls and Facebook, my friends don't seem near as far away as they are; that is my friends in Nebraska anyway. Below are some photos from my birthday/going away party at James Arthur Vineyard. Funny, I'm beginning to see a theme here with my love of winery's and parties.

My long time best friend!

Taste of Chicago

 

The Taste of Chicago was the perfect chance for Michael and I to get some "tastes" of different restaurants across the city. We were happy to attend the festival with Michael's sister, brother-in-law and nephew. 

And boy oh boy was this quite the experience. To give you a little background info, Chicago has had an unusually hot and dry summer. We've been here for a month and a half and it has yet to rain! Well, of course it would decide to not just sprinkle, but down pour while we were at the Taste. The Taste is held in the middle of the streets with no cover. And for some reason, I decided to leave my mini umbrella, that I usually always have in my purse, at home.

In the end we were all laughing at the situation. Everyone was completely soaked and a little cold, but we couldn't help but laugh at the fact that none of us looked at the forecast before we left. Isn't it funny how the best memories happen when things seem to go wrong? In the end, we tried a delicious Brazilian steakhouse  called Texas de Brazil, some chocolate covered bananas from a mom and pop chocolate factory called the Fudge Pot and some not so good gelato from Franco's Ristorante (I'm on a serious mission to find gelato in Chicago that can compare to Rome's tasty ice cream). 

In front of the Buckingham Fountain.

These were delicious! I may try to make my own at home!
(Note: This was after we got down poured on!)

Despite the rain, there was a good crowd!

The not-so-good gelato :(

Michael's nephew seemed to sleep through a lot of the excitement! haha