A Belated Spring Break Recap

The view from my second floor apartment this past week oddly varied from snowy and bleak to sunny and perfect. If you're a true Chicagoan, you know that this is nothing new when it comes to our springs (summer usually makes up for it... usually). March was an extremely busy month for me, since I moved apartments thanks to the help of my wonderful friends! I didn't manage to do much writing, and my days were spent unboxing items and buying/building necessities for the new apartment. But even with my packed schedule and the completely erratic weather we've faced, I managed to have a lively and lovely spring break.

I first checked out a special event for media and bloggers that introduced Hoppy Hour at 360 CHICAGO (formerly known as the John Hancock), which was hosted by Revolution Brewing and KOVAL Distillery. I walked in stunned at the seriously gorgeous view all around me, yet it didn't take long until I experienced my first TILT, which was amazing! If you've never been--or if you've only checked out the Willis Tower Skydeck--I highly recommend getting your TILT on: basically, it's an extended part of moving glass that you stand inside, with bars that you hold onto while you safely lean out over the Magnificent Mile and Chicago's beautiful skyline. Those who have kids (or those with babysitting blues that need an activity idea) will also love that kids TILT for free on Sundays from 1-3pm!

The newly opened Bar 94 adds an even classier touch while you and your friends, family or date sip drinks and gaze 1,000 feet above Michigan Ave. Revolution Brewing was kind enough to provide some of their most popular beers, and KOVAL also shared some delicious gin and bourbon cocktails. The event even included delicious dinner and dessert bites from Blue Apron and a dope DJ. I was so happy to have bumped into my fellow Windy City Bloggers, Destiny and Lily!

Everyone from the 360 CHICAGO, Revolution and KOVAL teams were very sweet and accommodating, so I'm genuinely excited to see their collaborations flourish. Hoppy Hour is every Thursday from 6-9pm, and trust me when I say you don't want to miss it!

Sipping my KOVAL cocktail over the best view of the city.

GM of Revolution Brewing.

KOVAL sent one of their best to represent them--Wilson was awesome!

360 CHICAGO also has other fantastic events to choose from on any day, including trivia on Fridays, yoga on Saturdays, and a once-per-month art night with Bottle and Bottega on specific Wednesdays. Bottle and Bottega was also present at the event and Ines, the general manager of Bottle and Bottega, was super helpful while I pitifully painted a blue building on the canvas she brought for us to add our ideas to.

Mine is the blue building. I think I should stick to writing...

A week later, I was graciously invited to attend a spring soiree hosted by award-winning event planner, author, and chief eventeur Debi Lilly. Debi has hosted numerous events for clients like Oprah Winfrey, Dom Perignon, Bentley, Cartier, Harry Winston, Lamborghini, Moet Hennessy and Bulgari. You really wouldn't think it though, because in person Debi is endearingly kind, silly, and modest.  

Upon entering the DL Loft, I was greeted with the choice of a rosé fizz or carrot bellini (I always say yes to rosé) and I was able chat, mingle and meet some very sweet and creative bloggers like Haley and Kadeeja! 

The beautiful Debi Lilly!

Rosé fizz. 

We could not stop eating these!

Created my own bouquet after a brief lesson from Debi herself.

When there's a flower wall, you pose.

We got to leave with the bouquets that Debi helped us create during a fun lesson, a bag of candies, cookies, and some beautifully-scented Debi Lilly candles. I'm so glad I attended and got to be creative with flowers for a night, and I cannot wait to keep creating my own bouquets. Be sure to stop by the floral department at your local Jewel to check out arrangements, bouquets, vases, and candles by Debi Lilly, and browse her online store here!

I was absolutely thrilled when KOVAL invited me on one of their distillery tours at their Ravenswood store shortly after the 360 event. After an introduction to the story behind KOVAL's origination (ex: they are Chicago's first distillery since the mid-1800s!), our cordial guide provided us with sample glasses as we prepared to try many of their spirits. As a vodka and tequila lover I was open to the tasting of their bourbon, rye, and gin, but my favorite was definitely the ginger liqueur!

Pic credit goes to Mike for this one!

Surrounded by empty, single barrels, we sipped and listened to the rich history behind KOVAL and its founders. It was clear that while KOVAL upholds its traditions, it is still a growing and thriving company that is proud of its Chicago roots.

Huge shout out to Emily from KOVAL for letting me check out the fun and informative tour--I definitely left with a bottle of the ginger liqueur and a new palette for whiskey! You can find info on their Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday tours here.

I also attended a fun shop-and-drink event in Lincoln Park hosted by Zapwater for the Windy City Bloggers. After checking out the beautiful jewelry by Kendra Scott and the amazing deals at Loft, my friend Gaby and I grabbed some drinks at Tuco and Blondie. The mezcal cocktails I tried were phenomenal, and Gaby loved her elotes!

The rest of my week was spent at the gym, resting, or catching up with friends and family. My nephew Kason was in town for his spring break, and I loved being a tia once again. It is so crazy how time flies; it's as if I blinked and now he's almost a preteen who will soon be way taller than me! During our time together we ran errands, went to Barnes and Noble to get the book he so desperately wanted, "Gravity Falls: Journal 3," and laughed until our bellies hurt. Easter was so much fun, as we ended our vacation with a family dinner and saw the very interesting sci-fi thriller "Ready Player One." It's safe to say I had the best spring break yet, getting back into my groove and remembering who and what is truly important in my life.

His idea of "helping" me build my bookshelf!

He was amazed at the "small" sized Icee. 

Even if it isn't the ideal spring right now, I hope you guys are enjoying the time spent inside with your loved ones. (And if you get cabin fever, at least you have this post for date night/activity ideas when you venture into the unpredictable abyss outside.)

xo

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Life Lessons Learned From Fairytales

I've always been fascinated by myths and stories of princesses, knights, evil queens and magical creatures. Granted, I've become absolutely obsessed with ABC's "Once Upon a Time" that it's become my newest Netflix binge (how can you not fawn over the gorgeous Josh Dallas??). But besides the beautiful actors, perfectly played roles and fantastically witty dialogue, there's actually a very relatable story line to be found.

Obviously, reality is nothing like the stories found in fairytale books; we can't wake people up from comas with a kiss, and we certainly can't ever expect having knights and princesses come whisk us away. But "Once" surprisingly goes deeper than this fantasy. Each character has his or her own "real world" persona that is far from fairytale perfect. Season one shows us that in our world, Cinderella got her prince with a price: she's poor, works odd jobs to make ends meet, and has to keep his disapproving family out of their business of raising their baby. The Evil Queen--after casting a curse to extract revenge against Snow White--is lonelier than ever, and has an adopted son who finds her colder than ice. Not to mention Prince Charming as the town's golden boy, albeit an adulterer.

To be able to see the storybook characters that I grew up reading about depicted with human "flaws" is honestly fascinating. It's a reminder that if fantasy magic existed, it would come with caveats and consequences. Seriously, anytime someone uses curses and potions and enchanted edibles in the show, their problems become even more convoluted. And isn't real life hard enough without having to add the favor you'll one day owe the warlock in exchange for a potion?

The premise of "Once" points out that you don't need knights or sorceresses to defeat your dragons/problems. You can always find courage, love, and happiness in yourself. As a recovering hopeless romantic, I once believed you needed a particular person to have happiness. While I still love love and all the trimmings that romance brings, I know that growing up means growing out of the idea that you can't be happy on your own. You can be entirely open to love and find the person who is your equal, but it's crucial to remember that nobody is put on this earth to complete you. You must be fully ready to face your dragons alone before you invite anyone else to accompany you on your adventures through life and its perfect complications. Consequently, the only person you need to save you from your insecurities and fears is you. The only hero you need is the person looking back at you in the mirror.

Despite what we may have read in fairytales, a real hero is someone who uses his/her word impeccably to speak only the truth and has so much self-love and acceptance--not arrogance--that they can accept the existence/opinion of others completely different from them. True heroes and warriors allow life to occur without taking things personally, always do their best in what that they do, and don't judge themselves if their best changes based on their health or other unforeseen factors. They look within for wisdom and make the choice to be kind and supportive towards themselves so that they may help others do the same. Make no mistake--it takes a lot of discipline and strength to be your own hero in a world full of lies and illusions. Yet, if you show yourself patience and forgiveness, this really is possible to achieve.

The best part about living in this world is that anyone can be a hero/warrior. And with the right people by our side, it helps to live courageously and be open to pure love and light for ourselves and for others. However, we must remember that we cannot save others. We can only love them. If the people we choose to love falter in loving us back or leave, we need not blame anyone. Some people are programmed to choose misery and self-pity, or to control and manipulate others so that they can feel more powerful than those who are self-aware and wish to progress in life. What those suffering beings fail to realize is that the only control worth having is control over ourselves--specifically, our emotions and insecurities. That is key to happiness, and that is where real magic and power lies. Fear is the poison that plagues us, and when some people allow themselves to be surrounded by sorrow, hatred or violence, it is very difficult for them to rise above it and be committed to their own growth.

There is so much life to be found in this perfectly imperfect world that it makes no sense to focus on failure. I know many of us are hurting because of the continous loss of beautiful lives across the country, and there is anger and blame being thrown all around. To combat this fear, we must celebrate the lives of our lost loved ones, be grateful that they blessed us with their presence, and use our strength and wisdom to focus on the gifts that life has given us. When you are centered around your peace of mind, you can think clearly, communicate honestly, and make the best choices to reach truth and justice. Perhaps living a life true to ourselves can be enough, and may end up being the happily ever after we didn't know we needed.

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A Short Guide to Giving Yourself Grace

There is much to be said about being able to know how things will turn out. For me, there's a sort of thrill I secretly get in knowing what to anticipate. This is probably why I love watching my favorite movies over and over again until I can practically recite every single line, or why I choose the same Italian restaurant to dine at after hours of contemplating which popular new place to check out. I even try to organize my daily agenda for my students at the beginning of class, fully knowing there might be some hiccup or last minute change that forces me to be flexible. But being flexible in the midst of wanting things to go your way goes beyond the workplace.

Having everything I want when I want it wouldn't exactly be conducive to growth. Although there are wretched days that make me wish for life to just go my way, I've also learned that things will never, ever remain the same. Feelings, after all, are always changing; one minute you can be madly pining over someone, and the next minute you want to strangle that same person for buying the wrong milk. Feelings are not to be depended on, because emotions change every day depending on your mood and physical or mental state of mind.

For many of us, it's difficult sometimes to be open to unforeseen changes when we feel like we're finally in a flow of things. I'll admit that I still get scared every once in a while if I let my anxiety get the best of me. But from the daily, little things that I know I shouldn't sweat, to the major life changes, I usually need something creative or calming to ignore any shaky feeling. Sometimes I need to binge-watch a favorite show or hear an album that settles my mind; other times, I might need to disconnect for a while and exercise, write, or just be in nature to feel the day's breeze. Keep in mind that whatever helps you in the moment to process what you face will always be different, because no two days are ever the same. Even if it feels like your life is so miserable and nothing will get better, you still have the power to change your perspective on a situation and improve your energy. But this can only happen if you truly commit to yourself and your happiness.

This is still very much a challenge for me to successfully do every day, because sometimes it feels better to feed your fear the anger or emotional obscurity it craves. I only call this post a "guide" in order to reach anyone out there who's been a victim to their own fears, and to let them know that they are not alone. Life will never be perfectly written out for you like a tour guide's itinerary, but you do have the option to say yes or no to every opportunity given to you. The hardest part (for me, at least), is realizing that even the toughest moments are still opportunities for growth in self-love and acceptance--two vital parts to achieving happiness.

What makes those tough moments worth living through is showing yourself all the grace and kindness you need to get through each moment until one day, you are wise and powerful enough to recognize that every waking second is truly a gift. If it sounds impossible right now to do this, know that your time will come as long as you set mindful goals for yourself each day. They can start out small (like practicing gratitude for the shelter and food you have, or taking care of your body), but eventually those small acts of kindness towards yourself build up your courage to see the beauty in everything and to truly fear nothing.

xo

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