goodbye June vibes

this month:

daily dates galore

including our last jamming session in the Chicago Blues Fest

& last Gold Coast Art Fair

miles & miles of walking by the lake shore

watching hundreds of bikers take over Michigan Ave

right after the news anchors we watch every day waved to us from their desks! 

acting like tourists museum visiting

& taking photos in all the places we love

a serendipitous search for hidden cash on a p.m. walk thanks to @HiddenCash (twitter)

farmers market eats

with lots of blurry, fun-time timercam cooking at home

getting caught in a thunderstorm on the first day of Summer (and the Saturday after that)

night time walking by the water again & again

so. much. fun. with my "darling" little lady (can you guess who bought this outfit for her?)

gorgeous sunsets outside our door

celebrating being his wifey for three years!

with a picnic

& fun bumming at Oak St. Beach

also, we can't forget every anxious moment watching Brasil play in the World Cup!

Looking back through these memories on the last day of June make my heart so full. This is why I like to capture the moments we have together; the everyday moments. The ones you tend to forget over time. I do not want to forget them, but also I do not want to deceive myself or others who think life is "picture perfect". Our life is no where perfection. And our marriage is hard work like everyone else's. In fact, there were some tears & unhappy days in between these photos. But we celebrate life because it is a gift we have been given from Jesus. He gives us the love and strength to smile & live fully every day (although not every day feels this way). And I do not want to neglect this truth: with God as our refuge there is peace, hope, love and joy like no other. Learning this lesson this month has been life changing. I am so thankful for June.

weekend snaps

Thanks for the most fun-filled weekends June. You're our favorite. 

having & holding: year 3

I feel so lucky & blessed to be tying knots with G another year. 

He loves me in the rain, shine, snow, clouds & dark skies. In every season, every one. 

I love you babe.

The joy of the Lord is our strength

"A cord of three strands is not easily broken." Ecc. 4:12b 

Gold Coast Art Fair

If there's one thing I love about living in downtown Chicago in the summer time, it's all the free events & concerts they give every week, without fail. This weekend it was all about the Art Fair in Grant Park, featuring over 100 different artists selling handmade jewelry, paintings, photos, hats, clothing & so much more! It was a blast going even though G would not let me buy him this awesome leather hat that looked so good on him! Yes, it was expensive - but yes, it is our 3 year leather wedding anniversary coming up in three days! So, I thought it was the perfect gift with perfect timing. But, alas - it stayed behind & we bought some paella instead; good for the body & wallet. Yes! The last few photos are from our walk home from the fair. For some reason walking over those same bridges we've walked on hundreds of times (probably literally accurate) have been making me so emotional & even more thankful that we got to begin our lives here. I feel like we're living in the most beautiful dream that's beyond what we've ever imagined for our lives. God never ceases to amaze me.

these flowers are made our of clay! so pretty!

I liked this blurry one

loved so many of these pieces

paella time!

please pause & take a look at my nails that were painted 8 days before! brand: Wet & Wild (wild shine). Paid: $.75. Your're welcome ladies!

Cheers to the first weekend of Summer!