Autumn Grooves

Way-Hey! It's freakin' autumn and I'm stoked about it. The past month I've gloriously eased into cooler temperatures, high boots, short skirts, and light jackets. Oh, the glory! It is absolutely my favorite season when it comes to wardrobe, and while we've had some serious Portland vibes, the weather has been pretty rad. I feel as though fall is naturally a transitional period, a time to re-acclimate. This is my season, I feel secure in it, as if I always realize the most about myself during this time of year. I feel that every one handles seasonal shifts very differently. Let autumn linger forever.

I had a nice little stay-cation about a month ago, which was much needed time off, especially before the holiday haul where 40 work weeks become 50+ hour weeks. While I would have loved to have gone somewhere exciting for a few days and get that true feeling of escape, I figured it'd be nice to stick around and spend my money locally at places I love. I was able to fill the time with fantastic people, sneak in a day of righteous nature, and enjoy some damn good food + booze.

Starved Rock . Sept 22

[ also my half-birthday, folks --very important ]

Cookies;

Cubs cookies. That's all basically anyone cares about. I decorated over 400 of them on Tuesday. They're already sold out (It's Thursday). Although I don't blame people, the whole situation is extremely exciting and I absolutely love decorating them, so it really works itself out.

I am also quite fond of the rocket ships I decorated last week for a custom order.

But let's delve into some music;

The Playlist

1) Clouds Up by Air [The Virgin Suicides soundtrack]

An album that must be listened to every autumn. Multiple times.

This intro song always hits me the hardest.

2) Creator by Santigold

3) Sulk by Radiohead

4) Nara by E.S. Posthumus

The many things that run through my mind each time I hear this song.

Always sets the tone for some sort of scenario for my mind to entertain.

5) Depth Charge by DJ Shadow

[I just saw him play the Metro and could not wait to hear this live.

A total immersion of sound. T'was an incredible show]

6) U R A Fever by The Kills

7) Bittersweet by Big Head Todd + The Monsters

8) Blue Light [Engineers  'Anti Gravity' Remix ] by Bloc Party

9) The Enchanter [Unkle Reconstruction]- Robert Plant 

The amount of mix CD's I've put this on...

10) It's Bad You Know by R.L. Burnside

*BONUS TRACK*

Midnight In A Perfect World by DJ Shadow

Seeing DJ Shadow play live was incredible. He's such a master of his craft and the room held such fantastic energy. Like 'The Enchanter', this has ended up on many mix CD's that I've made in the past. When he threw this down last Friday at Metro, everyone lost their damn minds. We all shared that same excitement of finally hearing it played before us. It was such a great spot to see him, for I've had some rather dashing experiences at that venue, but he could have filled a much bigger space. Intimacy at some shows is vital, and I think this was able to encompass that kind of vibe, even though it happened to be flooded with humans.

I also had the joy of finding out that I missed that Glass Animals show I was so excited about because that's the hand life decided to deal. I guess I can just be glad I've seen them play live (although briefly, Lolla 2015) once before. The new album would have been nice to hear in a live format, but so it goes. I really thought it was in November. Also, why do I always miss October shows? This unfortunately happened with Blockhead last year or the year prior and I still haven't forgiven myself.

I'm looking forward to the tail end of 2016, looking even more forward to it being over. 2016 is being a real bitch, and frankly, I think we've all had enough. For now, AUTUMN! TG

WHAT A YEAR! // 2012 YEARBOOK.

.2012 YEARBOOK.

2012, in a lot of ways was a damn rock star. I have done so many exquisite things in the past 12 months in some of the best company you could ever ask for. This summer was divine; I got to dabble in so many things, whether they were in the city or lingering somewhere around the burbs. Everything seemed to be to the max; the laughs, the concerts, the late nights, great encounters, new friends made, the whole re-connecting with old friends- it honestly has just been a great year. Of course, the new year is the honest time for reflection, the time of year where I actually feel older, the fresh start. I really hope this year kicks off something awesome for me. There are certain years that are harder to see go than others, this is going to be one of those that's hard to let go of. I just had so much fun, it felt GOOD to be 24. I mean, there were some days that were pretty horrendous, but that's pretty typical and isn't confined to a certain age. I just am thankful for the awesome people I got to spend it with. I will try to break this down photographically month-by-month of some of my favourite things I've done, friends, outfits I've worn, things I've captured...you know. There's an onslaught;

JANUARY:

One of my best friends, Meredith, gave me her guest ticket to a
sushi-making course. I had never done it before so it was pretty
rad. I got her into sushi, so she paid it forward. 

loved this pairing together. Everything is thrifted,
minus the boots. [wantedshoes.com]

graveyard goofin' with Rachael 

 FEBRUARY:

Made these legwarmers for the Valentine's day shift at work.
(more crocheted goods)

When I was a cookie decorator, Valentine's Day became your own little personal
hell. The bottom tray of cookies I did at 2:30 in the morning after already working
an 11 hour shift. I got to decorate them how I wanted.
My shift that day was 16 hours       -___-

More v-day cookies and an exceptional outfit I chose for the work weekend.

MARCH:

I knew it was going to be a good sign when I could wear
something like this in March whilst rollerblading. It was
beyond unseasonably warm and absolutely awesome.

This was a great magazine month...The First Lady and The Queen.

Cookies that belonged to March.

MY BIRTHDAY! It was terribly awesome this year; the weather was gorgeous.
In MARCH, in CHICAGO, I wore no coat. This dress was all it took. We went
for drinks at Sepia, where Josh Pearson made our concoctions! I was stoked.
We then headed to dinner at Grand Lux, followed by a little city roaming.
What a rockin' birthday!

French 75 & Sepia Mule

APRIL

This picture and the one below it are from a photo shoot
my girlfriend, Yara, did for me. I love the stuff she captures and
the way she edits up. This shoot was particularly fun and resulted
in some really rad pictures, especially this candid shot below.

Easter cookies I did at work.

FIRST PAIR OF CHUCK TAYLORS! FINALLY. It was it's own occasion and

I've had some of the BEST times in these kicks since I've purchased them.

Ah, the glorious chance to decorate cookie for Florence and her dazzling Machines once again.
This time, since I knew the chances of them receiving them where high, I made sure they were super
personal. Tom sent his thanks via twitter. Made my night.

THE FABULOUS QUEEN!

"RAISED UP" DURING 'RABBIT HEART'!

(read more about my birthday and the concert here)

 MAY:

rocking out my first XRT event! You best believe one of those banners now hangs
in my basement.

DOUGHNUT VAULT! WAHOO!
I had been wanting to go here forever and this summer I finally
had my chance. I have been wanting to make it out to VOODOO
doughnut out in Portland forever now. This will do for the time being.

Bonfiring it up with Dan S.and Brooke this past summer. I miss summer so much!

May kicked off a slew of fun activity for me. I had left my position as a cookie decorator and

had about a month off in between jobs. I was hanging out with a ton of different friends, going

to the city frequently, and spending tons of time outside and on the swings. This was an amazing

summer and compiling these photographs made me miss it more than you can ever know. This

summer was filled with a lot of doubt, a lot of transition, and a healthy amount of fear for the future.

It was truly a remarkable summer and it makes me even more excited for what this year holds.

JUNE:

first date of your dreams.

Spiaggia goodies. I LOVE SPIAGGIA GOODIES.

RADIOHEAD CONCERT! It was my first time seeing them after they've been
one of my favourite bands for years. I really enjoyed this whole experience, which
definitely involved me on the ground in fetal position crying my face off when 'Codex'
was being played. I was with an amazing crowd and just had a perfect Radiohead experience.

What a divine weekend this was... what a guy!

 JULY:

We got a new pup and named him Charlie Brown! He's a good,
yet noisy addition to the house ;)

Celebrating the fourth with one of my bests, Erin! We hit up the ribfest downtown
Naperville and watched the workies with a few people, t'was a hoot.

Celebrating Erin's Birthday at Quigley's, A popular local pub in the area.

AUGUST

LOLLAPALOOZA! MY FIRST TIME! How terribly exciting.
(full recap here)

ah, awesome. I love this picture and I actually just saw it for the first time last
weekend. It was from August 4th, the second night of Lolla. We went to a mini
birthday celebration for Danny.

Me, Kristy, Renee, and Robbie got together for some frisbee
this summer and it was awesome to see them together again! I'm really
thankful that I've kept in touch with so many rad friends from past jobs.

taken in downtown Naperville.

I FINALLY GOT MY FLORENCE TATTOO TO COMMEMORATE DEC. 4TH!

I got "Run Fast" to represent 'Dog Days Are Over' because it was my first & favourite Flo song.

Each letter is outlined in a different color of the rainbow to rep 'Spectrum', one my favourite songs

and the song that she went into using my cookie basket, topped off with the coordinates of The Chicago Theatre,

my favourite Chicago venue where I've seen all of my all time favourite musical artists. It's truly a magical place.

This tattoo needed to happen sooner rather than later. I got it on Florence's birthday- August 28!

dandelion fountain downtown Naperville. 

SEPTEMBER:

YES, YES, AND YES!
(read full re-cap here)

with some of the finest, me and Erin \\ me and Brooke.

Amon Tobin. I knew that this was a show that I couldn't miss. The spectacle
behind it just seemed absolutely mind blowing. And it was. Watch below- 

Professor Kliq! This is one of Dan's best friends, Mike, and he's pretty
damn talented. I highly recommend you check out some of his
tunes. This was my first time seeing him perform, but there's
plenty more of that ahead.

OCTOBER:

as the weather got colder...it wasn't enough to keep this gal inside.

I MET LIN BREHMER! THIS NIGHT OWNED.

(READ FULL RE-CAP HERE)

YES.

 This coat and these leggings = epitome of amazing purchases.

Danny's spectacular Aphrodisiac meal that we had in courses. PHENOMENAL!
(FIND MORE HERE)

stepped onto the ice again, thankfully.

showing attitude on the swings. What else?

 NOVEMBER:

DECORATING FEAT!

My first show at the Metro. We saw Mt. Kimbie and Squarepusher.
Both were pretty damn rad and I'm glad I got to see this show.

s q u a r e p u s h e r

first time on ze Ferris Wheel! I made a good first choice.

 MELISSA ETHERIDGE, BABY!

(READ MORE HERE)

The stage set-up for Death Grips. This show was awesome AND
I got to dance my face off. CHECK A TUNE HERE.

 DECEMBER

Kid Koala. This was awesome because I went to this show without
ever hearing any of his work. Pretty stellar stuff, kids, and a pretty interactive
experience before. Definitely an awesome outing. He's a great turn-tableist

My awesome, awesome room in panoramic style.

the typical line-up at Rootstock. Delicious

KOOL KEITH!
what an awesome night full of dance 'n rap. I love a good hip-hop
breakdown and Reggie's was the place for it that evening.

 GRIME TIME and pullin' off the funked out blazer.

I live for brunchin' in the city with my babe. He calls me the Mimosa Queen
of the West side. Don't you forget it.

 

Three Floyd's or bust.

OMG. I was so excited when this occurred. Where I live, there is
an infamous commercial for this place that has aired for my whole life.
so when I FINALLY went past it for the first time, it called for a celebration shot.
(want to see it? This link, 6:15)

Me and Erin, chillin' at her apartment on Christmas night. A bunch of us got
together for our own little family Christmas. She's wearing the scarf I just made her
and I of course am wearing a springy santa headband.

I AM SO PROUD OF THIS.
I wanted to get Dan something awesome that he'd love and since I was sort of
strapped for cash this holiday season, I had to be crafty about it. He's a big Dr. Who
fan and I know that the scarf the 4th doctor wears is pretty epic. I decided to whip him
up one of his own. I recreated it and gave it to him on Christmas eve. He loved it and I
was over the moon that he looked so awesome in it and was so appreciative for it.

NEW YEAR'S EVE OUTFIT!

We had no real plan for our New Year's and didn't know where the night would end up taking us.

Luckily, we had some options, but our best bet fell with Danny and David that included a dinner

at Las Palmas followed by a New Year's event at Acadia. It was AWESOME. I feel that our

night had this touch of magic and the environment Acadia provided was probably the reason.

What an exciting night and the absolute perfect way to ring in 2013, with

booze, laughter, dancing, and great company. *thankful*

They had a marching band and a whole bunch of cool, ethereal aspects splashed all around.

Danny and I rockin' New Year's Eve to the core!

 HELL YES, 2013! I am actually rather excited for it. I thought that it being an odd numbered year

would have me thrown off to the max, but so many people seem to have this incredible spirit about

this year. People seem to be owning it and it's motivating as ever. I want to accomplish some great

things and be more productive in as many was as I can. I am looking forward to this year and I hope

that everyone that was so awesome on this year's journey, joins me for next's.

It's going to be a good one kids, so UNLEASH AND CONQUER IT!

HERE'S TO 2O13.

and here's to YOU!

x x x x x