When You See Me Going

Gray silk tank top: Old Navy, remixed * Shorts: J.Crew, thrifted and remixed * Cardigan: Target, remixed * Two-tone brogues: UO, remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed * Purse: vintage Kenneth Cole, remixed * Necklace: Noble Town Vintage, remixed

I wore this last weekend (I just can't seem to keep up with posting things on time) to an art show in Pilsen (Emily posted about it in a much more timely fashion, in a beautiful post). I feel like i haven't had the chance to do all the summer stuff I've wanted to do this year, so this outing was particularly fun. This has been the busiest summer ever. I can hardly believe that it's already August. I feel like it was just yesterday that Joe and I were gearing up for his last summer in Chicago. We had all these plans of what we wanted to do, and all the free time we'd have to relax, go to the beach, and soak it all up. That's not exactly how it's gone, what with the moving and traveling and moving and car-buying (that's right, we bought a car! Yikes and yay!) and moving and working and moving and packing and ... moving. Gah, so much moving. Joe will be moving again this coming weekend. It should be less time-consuming than the last one, but it kind of sucks all the same.

And I kind of can't believe that his time in Chicago is over. We've lived here for almost exactly three years, and though I'm ready for the next step, Chicago will always be our first home together, and the place that we'll think of when we think about the first phase of our relationship. I don't think I would have fallen in love with Chicago in the way that I did if he hadn't been here to share it with me. And in the same way, it won't quite feel like home after he leaves. A part of me is leaving too, and this coming weekend really marks the start of our transition to the next phase. A phase that I am so excited for. But I'm grateful to Chicago for what it has been for us. Our first dates were to the museums, our first summer was spent on the beaches of Lake Michigan, and our first home was traditionally "Chicagoan", with noisy radiators and crazy landlords. I'll miss it, for sure, but always think of it fondly as the place where we got started.

Title song: Joe Williams, "Goin' to Chicago"