Happy Memorial Day!

I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who has served our country--past, present, or future!

We're having a chilly and grey Memorial Day here in Chicago but I'm trying to enjoy these last few days of cool weather before summer officially hits us. It's been nice to relax and enjoy a long weekend!

This morning I took Ben to the zoo to show him around for the first time (in his adult life). It was a lot of fun since I've gotten to know the animals a bit, and the crowds weren't too bad because of the cooler weather.

This afternoon our plans include grocery shopping and checking out the new Arrested Development season on Netflix. I've seen mixed/disappointing reviews...are you an AD fan? What do you think about the new episodes? 

I hope you're having a great weekend! I for one am ready for summer :)

my favorite time of year

Late May into early June has always been my favorite time of year. October is beautiful, December has the holidays, April is my birthday month, but there's something about the late spring that fills me with this unparalleled sense of inspiration and gratitude for just being alive. For most of my life it signaled the end of another school year, the transition into a new phase or internship or program, and saying goodbye to another group of friends or classmates, but two years out of my last graduation I can now enjoy the spring without that sense of loss or change. I love the first few days of 70 and 80 degree weather, the flowering trees, and the way that all the trees and plants blast into lush greenness that gets more and more impossibly intense with each new day. 

We're still playing teeter-totter with the weather gods here in Chicago and are back in the chilly 50's and 60's for the weekend after a brief teaser of heat and humidity, but it's only a matter of time before summer officially hits. The whole city is beginning to wake up and emerge from its winter cocoon. One of my favorite signs of spring in the city is how the restaurants throw open their windows and set up their sidewalk seating.

I'm kind of letting this spring wash over me and pass by without too much deep reflection, since I've been busy with my new job and Ben has been preoccupied with finishing up the school year, but I think in June I will go back to setting some mini-goals for myself and my shop.

I did list some new scarves today, so be sure to check them out! I like this lavender and black lace one.

Ben and I don't have any big plans for Memorial Day weekend, but that's ok since next month we're going to be travelling a lot. I actually have to work tomorrow because we're in the process of hiring a group of high school interns for the summer!

I hope you have an amazing and relaxing long weekend! Do you have any fun plans??

zoo cuteness: the sand cat

Meet my favorite animal at the zoo, the sand cat. Yup, cutest thing ever. It's the size of a small house cat and  easily makes you forget it's a wild animal.

(Warning: Don't Google Image search sand cat unless you want to waste two hours of your day crying from cuteness overload.)

The sand cat is the only feline that lives in the desert, and is found throughout northern Africa and Asia. It's a nocturnal species so it's usually sleeping in the hole in the fake tree trunk you can see in the photos, but on this particular day it was awake and running around its enclosure! It's the cat version of the fennec fox, and I want to take them both home with me.

May update

 

I really really really wish I could be one of those bloggers who writes a post every day (or at least several times a week), shares funny/interesting anecdotes about their lives, makes up weekly themes, and cultivates a community on their site. But blogging on a regular basis is just something I really struggle with!

Despite all my spurts of inspiration and good intentions, whenever life gets intense or busy I tend to ignore this space, probably because I'm an introvert and when I'm expending all my energy into the real world, I end up with nothing left to share with the internet.

Plus, blogging takes time and WORK! And thanks to my awesome new full time job, I'm still trying to work out a daily routine and figure out how to be most productive in the few hours of free time I get.

In the meantime, the days keep flying by! So far in May I have:

• Taken a quick trip home to visit my family and attend my best friend's Med School graduation open house
• Cooked lots of new recipes (just made this steak salad for dinner)
• Tried really hard to keep the Etsy shop alive
• Been pretty good with working out first thing in the morning
• Watched Gatsby (so good!!)
• Finished reading The Interestings for book club (kind of disappointing with annoying characters)
• Joined the rest of the Millennial generation by finally getting my first smartphone!!! (And instantly becoming obsessed with Instagram--I'm @annikalikes)
• Aaaand I don't even know what else. Is anyone else really bad at remembering things like what you did last weekend, or what you ate last night?

This was the view from Lincoln Park today. Gorgeous! We're finally starting to get some warmer weather, and the flowering trees are in full bloom. This is the time of year I'm super grateful that I don't have allergies!! 

And here are a few of the scarves I've added to my shop this month! My fabric stash is getting out of control (Ben calls it the pile of shame...yeah...) so I'm really trying to keep listing new styles as often as I can!

Time to relax. I hope you're having a great week so far!