Late Spring in Chicago

I think it was inevitable upon moving here that I would meet a whole new group of creative, fun, and interesting people. I'm quickly approaching my six month mark in the Windy City — the timeline seems as though it has gone by so quickly and all the while it seems as though I've been here all along.

More photos after the jump.


Back in January, I shared some photos of my best pal, Kelley B, during her stay with me. Last weekend was a double bonus — not only did Kelley return, but she also brought along one of our favorite guys (and incredible tattoo artist), Scott Santee.

So, yes. I've met a multitude of amazing people while exploring my new home. With that being said, I was giddy with excitement when my new friends showed up. And so was Kelley:


The major bonus of her and Scott driving rather than taking the MegaBus was that they were able to bring their bikes (yay!). And so it began...


I got the weekend off of work and we immediately kicked off the weekend by attending a little cookout over at Scott's friends' home. The food was killer AND they had an archery setup! I'd never shot a bow and arrow before and we were nowhere near hesitant about giving it a try.





We all had our go at it multiple times. How very Hunger Games of us, right? But yes. Yes. YES. It was fun!


Aside from the archery, I had a delicious Boca taco concoction and made friends with a neighborhood cat who goes by the name Reptar.


The night evened out nicely as we sat around Scott's DIY campfire and had some good laughs. What a great cookout intro to summer!


The next day started off with some metal music and tasty burgers at Kuma's Corner. This time around I opted for the Goat Snake — vegetarian burger with buttermilk battered red onions, a corn poblano sauce, and goat cheese on a pretzel bun. It. Was. DELICIOUS.


Afterwards, Scott had a tattoo appointment. I took the girl time opportunity to introduce Kelley to my hands-down favorite coffee shop: The Wormhole. Why is it my favorite? For starters, the decor. The place is packed with movie memorabilia and collectibles from some of the known suspects from my childhood — Back to the Future, Star Wars, E.T. and more. Heck, there's even a Delorean and a Nintendo NES. Secondly, the coffee. That's an important factor, right? This time I tried the Peanut Butter Koopa Troopa. Yeah... about that...


It was delish. Oh, and the third reason I go there? The scenery. Every time I'm in the darn place, I fall in love about four and a half times. It's pretty dangerous.


On the same day, we had some rainy bike rides...


... and even met Jennie's bull terrier (!!!) ...


... and showed off our Jeffreys!


In the evening, I introduced them to Boiler Room. First I stretched (obviously), then we ordered some pizza and whiskey-infused ice cream.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this city?


And I can't wait for a summer to kick off and be filled with visits from my friends across the country!

Instagram images courtesy of @Chaplinnn and @kelley_b