We needed flowers for Eleanor’s photoshoot, so she and I took a walk to the local florist.
If there’s an upside to Chicago’s six months of cold temperatures and dead-looking landscapes, it’s that when spring’s warmth and lush greenery arrive, we really appreciate it.
Something kind of amazing starts to happen when you make a life list; You start start doing the things you’ve always wanted to. Some people attribute it to the Law of Attraction (and the like), but that’s a little too woowoo for me.
I think it’s more about making yourself think about what’s important to you, and in taking that step, you’re more likely to work toward your goals. You’re also more likely to say yes to things. I had assumed that Brandon would be the one I’d go sightseeing with (and I still want to go with him), but the opportunity came up last weekend, I was available, and I went for it.
Jules and I arrived at the Ace Hotel for Camp Mighty, and noticed the cute red scooters out front. That’s a life list item of mine, to go sightseeing on a Vespa. (I know that technically the scooters weren’t Vespas, but I’m using the name as one would say Kleenex instead of tissue.) ‘Maybe I’ll do that one while I’m here,’ I thought. I also thought that it probably wouldn’t actually happen.
The next day, we had a bit of a break from all of the mightiness in the afternoon. I mentioned that I was still thinking about the scooters to Keryn, whom I had not known before Camp Mighty, and she was in. We were trying to figure out when the best time to go would be. I could feel myself slipping away from spontaneity and trying to plan it. “There’s another break tomorrow, but it’s supposed to rain. My flight doesn’t leave until 3 on Sunday…” Then in an uncharacteristic move (for me, at least), we decided to just go do it. Right then and there. We called the scooter rental company, and 20 minutes later, we were on our way.
It was amazing! (And now we each want one.) Thank you, Keryn, for helping me check off something super fun from my life list. Thank you, Jules and Andrea for being so supportive. Thank you, Maggie, for the mighty life list inspiration, and thank you also to Laura, for being an instrumental part of making Camp Mighty happen. Thank you, Brandon, for watching the kids so that I could go to this fantastic event in the first place.
Have you made your list yet? Get on that.
I love this town of mine. There are so many distinct areas, and a few weeks ago I walked around downtown Oak Park with the kids and took photographs. It’s a pretty charming place.
Number 18 on my 30 Before Thirty list: done. Visit The Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe.
It was beautiful, but SO impractical. There was a lot of client/architect drama between Edith Farnsworth and Mies van der Rohe. Ms. Farnsworth claimed that the house was unlivable (it had almost no storage), and the price skyrocketed as work progressed. Mies took the stance that it was a getaway house and you should have little more with you than a change of clothes, therefore it doesn’t need to be practical.
Still, The Farnsworth House was amazing. It’s constantly under threat of flooding, so go see it sooner than later if you’re able.
Last weekend was filled with flowers. The Oak Park Garden Walk took place last Saturday, and I went by myself (very quickly) to six of the nine gardens included. Then on Sunday, I took Eleanor along to the Park Ridge Garden Walk where we met up with my mom and her two youngest, Ross and Francesca. We also saw six (out of seven) gardens on Sunday, but it took a little longer with three children under five along. ;) Here are a few highlights…
This was easily the star of the Oak Park Garden Walk. There were 50′ arborvitae surrounding the property.
When you entered the garden you felt like you had been transported to a different place.
There were glass spheres in the garden, tucked amongst the flowers. This photo doesn’t capture how beautiful they were — they looked like bubbles.
There was also a lovely potting bench and bicycle. I’m sure it looks like this all the time, right?
Moving on to some of the other gardens, here’s an awesome bamboo fence…
A fun bird topiary…
A striking white hosta…
(I want some of these in my garden too.)
An old bicycle as a planter…
And a tooth-shaped toy box that was turned into a planter for the garden of a dentist.
It all just makes me want to do more work to our little garden! Not so easy with a newborn, but at least the planning is almost as much fun as the doing.
p.s. If you want to see more photos of the Park Ridge Garden Walk, my mom has been posting them on her blog.