I scream, you scream

Today while riding my bike down the street in my hood, I had the sudden realization that I was also hearing the familiar tune of the Ice Cream Truck echoing through the summer air. Though they each have their own unique choice of repetitive song (this one happened to be "Do Your Ears Hang Low," or "Do Your Boobs Hang Low" if you have the sense of humor of a 7th grader, like myself), all Ice Cream Trucks, to me, speak of childhood memories and a feeling of nostalgia for simpler times. It is so rare to see them around these days since I have been living in a big city one way or another for over ten years. Most of the places I have lived didn't even participate in Halloween candy-giving, so the chances of hearing the Ice Cream Truck come around were basically zero.

The neighborhood I am in now is probably one of the most family-friendly areas of Chicago, where people know each other well and have block parties and pick up each other's mail and all the streets are lined with lush green trees. My fiance and I are fortunate enough to rent a cheap place here so we sort of live on the fringe of all the homeowner bonding that happens around us, and that is fine by us. But it is really lovely here. If you can see past all the pug dogs and strollers and bored housewives roaming about, you can really appreciate how quiet and simple and friendly it is. And you can appreciate the fact that there is an Ice Cream Truck, really and truly, coming down the street to tempt the little ones with frosty treats. Of course, it's possible that no parent around here actually lets their child partake of the treats, for fear of strangers or molesters or poison or whatever because let's face it, we are still in the city of Chicago, after all. But the fact that the truck has been around our hood more than a few times this summer tells me that there are at least some people still willing to trust and give in to the summer tradition.

So the reason I bring this up is because today, after many other days of hearing the little song floating around the neighborhood in the afternoon, it finally registered with me how lucky I am to live in a big city and yet still have the cute and campy option to buy a little ice cream from the Ice Cream Man if I so desired. I have not had that option since probably twenty years ago. I feel like the Ice Cream Truck just stopped coming around my old neighborhood in my hometown after a certain point. I remember wondering what happened to him because he seemed to disappear while I was still the age where I would drop everything and run into the street to wait for him at the very hint of his song. Maybe our local guy stopped doing it. Or maybe my neighborhood got bad. Who knows. Whatever the case, I missed the Ice Cream Man once he was gone.

There are still a few more days of summer left. I don't want to miss the Ice Cream Man when he is gone come fall and winter. Next time I come out of the egocentric little haze I get into on my way home from work and I realize the truck is coming our way, I will kick off my shoes and run barefoot into the street to wait for the Ice Cream Truck to bring me a sweet summer memory once again. I promise.

Viva Mexico!

I wish I could show off my Spanish prowess by inserting a little upside down exclamation point in front of the above title, but I don't believe my keyboard has that option, which is a shame. Just know that there is a small exclamation point in front of the title in spirit. That will have to do.

Today I dove into the colorful plethora of activities available for people to do in the area in and around Riviera Maya, Mexico. Why, you may ask, did I decide to do such a thing? Well, I just so happen to be getting married there in 259 days, as that bastard super helpful wedding website called theknot.com so kindly reminds me today. Side note: I swear that site makes me sweat with all the options and advice on wedding planning that they provide. While it is awesome to have such a great resource and to be able to use their many checklists and budget spreadsheets and guest lists and stuff, it can sometimes be overwhelming and freaky that they remind you how little you have done and how much more you have to do and how little time you actually have. Cue panic attack.


So anyway I have about 8.5 months before we are walking down the aisle in Mexico. Plenty of time to figure everything out. Today I decided to focus on researching fun things to do. And boy are there a ton of awesome excursions! It's nuts how many adventures you could have there and not even scratch the surface of all this particular part of Mexico has to offer.

You can do stuff like go snorkeling here:


Or maybe you would rather have company while you swim and do this:



Or maybe you would rather stay dry, so you could check this out instead:



Or maybe try this:



Or it might just be worth a good long rest and relaxation session lazing around over here:



Seriously, the possibilities are endless. It is fun to think about what we might want to do on our wedding vacation. I mean, we plan most of the wedding when we get there, so the first few days are probably going to be a little stressful. But once the party weekend is over, we will have about 5-6 days to hang out together for our honeymoon and maybe try some of these neat adventures. I am leaning toward the snorkel caverns (actually called cenotes) and maybe a zipline tour over a jungle. The swimming with dolphins thing is a longtime dream of mine though, so that might have to be worked in there somehow too. At this rate, we will not have a moment's rest on our honeymoon. It is quite possible that we will end up sleeping till noon every day and do nothing but eat good food and relax and have fun being together instead. But knowing us, adventure will call our name at least a few times during our stay in Riviera Mexico.

Maybe all these fun pictures will inspire you to make a trip to Mexico sometime soon yourself! It really does sound like an affordable paradise. That is why we chose it for our wedding in the first place. Of course, we have not ever actually been there. But we have gotten solid rave reviews from pretty much anyone we meet who has been there and finds out we are going. So that is a great sign of the good things to come for our wedding extravaganza.

Viva Mexico mis amigos!

It is amazing to me that I can have an entire lifetime of dreams in between the first time my alarm clock goes off (6:20am) and the last time I hit snooze (6:50am). Entire dramas are played out in my head in that short 30 minute time span. People I have not seen in years visit me. I go on an adventure to my favorite old bar. I lose my skirt and can't find it again. I dance at a night club with thousands of strangers...all in the amount of time it takes me to go from vague awareness of reality to actually getting out of bed.

I think that is pretty neat.

Helpful Tips For Brides in Search of a Wedding Gown

• Just because the dress model in the picture looks like Rachael Leigh Cook from "She's All That" doesn't mean the dress she is wearing sucks. In fact, it could very well be the one for you!

• Never say a firm "no" to any style or cut. You never know what is going to look amazing on you. Hate lace? You could be missing out on something stunning. Rhinestones make you hurl? Take a deep breath and put on the damn dress. Just try it. Maybe you will like it. 

• The dress you have your heart set on might actually look terrible on you and you have to be ready for that.

• The dresses that are ugliest in the photos apparently look the prettiest in real life. And vice versa with the prettiest ones in the photos looking ugly. It is very odd.

• You will feel fat if you are a normal sized person. Deal with it. 

• Never rule out the weird ones.

• There may not be an amazing moment when you "just know." it is the dress for you. This is also true in love, by the way. Sometimes things (dresses, people) grow on you and are comfortable and make the most sense. And that is just as special and rare and should be celebrated too!

• If you can stick to your budget and feel pretty in the dress, that is all you need to feel successful. 

I don't know why I decided I am a worthy person capable of doling out advice for brides. Perhaps because yesterday I FOUND MY WEDDING DRESS and I am excited to share the things I learned in my short little quest. That makes me qualified, yes?

The Burbs

Last night I met up with my very talented Artist friend and her boyfriend to head out to the Barrington Library, where she had an opening for an exhibit of her carnival-themed pieces called Spectacle. I had no idea what to expect. I had to been to art openings in the city for various friends as well as strangers, and they all seem relatively similar--there is usually a table with some info about the artist, and maybe some cheese and crackers and possibly (hopefully) a few bottles of Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe's or something. Everyone quietly views the pieces and mutters to each other, and the artist stands around awkwardly, making herself available in case people want to talk about her art. I always thought it must be exhausting being the artist in the situation--people come up with the weirdest things to ask you, and you have to just grin and bear it because maybe they will purchase some art or recommend your stuff to someone rich enough to purchase some art. It is a necessary give and take one must do in order to facilitate one's dream to be able to support oneself via one's craft. I get that. But dang that must be tough.

So I go to this thing feeling a bit unsure about what I am in for. Because this is the burbs, people. And not just any burbs. The Illinois burbs. Which I have found to be an extra special kind of weirdness in my few ventures out there.

Well it was definitely different.

First off the Barrington Library rocks! I could not believe how lovely the architecture was! Long wooden reeds reached high into the sky and held up a very tall glass ceiling above the lobby area. There was a cozy fireplace near the magazine area, and a great open space for my friend to display her art exhibit. There was even a very spacious community room where this particular Friday night, a jazz trio was performing for a slew of old timers. The senior citizens munched on free snacks provided by the library, bobbing their heads to the smooth tones of the jazz music. If I was an old lady in Barrington, IL, I think I would take advantage of all the free stuff they offer and hang out there every day. Between my friend's art show and the free jazz music and the tasty hors d'oeuvres, what a classy night a bunch of old timer buddies could have! Also I should mention that I took a moment to peruse the DVD selection near the art exhibit, and was amazed to see they had everything from most recent blockbusters to obscure TV movie disasters like Camp Cucamonga (Jennifer Aniston's finest work, I am sure). If I lived near this library, I would pretty much save tons of money on DVD rentals and never be bored again!

Secondly, my friend's exhibit went swimmingly and she got to be famous with the locals for the night. Everyone loved her pieces (how could you not love this stuff?) and she even sold a few things. So it was a success for sure.

Now for the weird things.

Replacing the wine and cheese were circus peanuts, cookies, and sparkling punch. I realized through this experience that just having a little alcohol available really helps take the awkwardness out of an opening, both for the artist and the art viewers. The missing element was glaringly obvious to me as we all struggled to make small talk with strangers and find the right words to say about the awesome art pieces. Or maybe it was just me, the resident boozer that noticed that.

There were some local weirdos that seemed to have crawled out from under their rocks to join us art lovers for the evening, and their presence made for some interesting moments. One guy fired about seventy questions at my friend while she was clearly in the midst of preparing things for the exhibit, and he barely paused between each one to actually hear an answer from her. After we rescued her from that trap, we watched him move from person to person, cornering them and firing more questions at them in rapid succession. He clearly does not get out much. Then there was the man who just happened to be at the library that night, and wandered over to check out the art, then proceeded to talk at my friend (notice I wrote "at" and not "with") for almost 30 minutes straight with no interruptions allowed. I swear, I read an entire issue of People Magazine while waiting for her to finish nodding while he spoke. She later said she tried to escape to go to the bathroom, and was vocal with him about this need at least twice but he just would not stop. The funny thing is, he was not talking about art or my friend's work or anything related to her show. He was talking about the Bible. The whole freaking time she was there nodding, the guy was spouting about Jesus. Which is fine, you know, when you are not dominating someone's time at the freaking opening of her art exhibit! People are so socially inept sometimes. It shocks me.

So those are some of the highlights of our adventure into the art world in the burbs. The library was truly a treat, the people were slightly off and wacky, and my friend's work was delightful to see on display for all the suburbanites to see. A very fine way to spend a Friday night, indeed. Would have been better with booze, of course. But really, what situation isn't better with booze?

Saying good-bye

Saying it is weird, isn't it? Especially to a loved one who is leaving.

Some people handle it easily, rolling it off the tongue like they are giving directions to a stranger.
Some people linger on the words, repeating them slowly as the realization sinks in for them.
Some people get choked up trying to say it.
Some people get it out, then burst into tears.
Some people whisper it passionately into the loved one's ear as they hug him or her tight.
Some people can't say it at all.
Some people say it and feel the tears welling in their eyes and fight to stop them from pouring over.
Some people never say it and never will.
Some people find another clever way to say it.
Some people just wave.
Some people can only write it down.

I think I have been all these people at one time or another.

I have had the terrible honor of leaving and being left by loved ones so many times in my life I have lost count.

I left for college and said farewell to all I had ever known. My family. My best friends. My then boyfriend who I believed at the time was my true love.
I left San Francisco after two years of getting close to some amazing loved ones.
I was left as one of my favorite buddies I worked with at the Marriott moved back to Utah to go back to school.
I graduated college in Fullerton, CA and a mass exodus of all my peers and myself occurred.
I moved to Chicago and left behind my best friend and a boyfriend I thought I might be with forever.
I was left by one of my favorite Chicago pals as she ventured into the uncharted territory south of the border.
I was left by various old and new friends in the last few years as their incubator times in Chicago finished and they all moved on to the next phases of their exciting lives.

And today, I said good-bye to one of my dearest friends as he ventures on from our tiny corner of Chicago.

It never gets any easier.

Yet remembering that change is inevitable and good for the soul--cleansing even--is so important to do during times like this. All the people you touch during your life will never forget you, and you won't forget them. And they were there for a reason--to pick you up when you fell into a bad situation, to remind you that you are beautiful, to keep you company on those long winter nights, to give you great insight when you needed it most--whatever the case, they came to bring something extra to your life and hopefully to bring great joy to you as well. And as long as you got to relish in that connection for that time, that should be enough to leave you more than pleased when at last the party is over.

Because to have touched a soul like that, and to have been touched by such a soul...well that is truly the most amazing thing. I venture to say that is one of the best parts of this life.

And besides, there is always Skype.com