It’s a bit crazy that the beginning of October feels like the middle of summer. But I’ll take it. I love fall weather but I’m not ready for winter so I’m welcoming these warmer than usual days.

Although it still feels like summer, the Summer of Leyla is officially over. Back in June, I decided that the summer of 2017 was going to be the Summer of Leyla!

The idea all started after I went out for after work drinks with my friends at Blue Door Kitchen and Garden (which has an awesome strawberry mezcal cocktail, by the way). I wanted to make this summer a summer to remember. You can read more about it here.

So how was the Summer of Leyla you ask?

It was more great! It was relaxing. It was fun. I got to do a lot of things that I wanted to do. Calling it the Summer of Leyla just gave me reason to make this past summer fun and gave me more freedom to just be me, without fear of judgement. And I got to enjoy a lot of sparkling rose!

I listed below the top 10 things I did this summer. You can read through them and think that that’s what any ordinary person would do during the summer. But for me, it was different. This is the first summer I didn’t think as much about trying to have another child and I was less sad about not being able to have another one. I tried to enjoy each moment and I’m learning to move on.

1 – Coffee at 3 Arts Club Cafe At Restoration Hardware

I’ve never been to 3 Arts Club Cafe. I’ve seen so many pictures of it so one day, I decided to work from home  one day and texted my friend Jen to come meet me there for coffee on a whim. We were the first ones there and got take some good pictures, enjoyed our coffee and had a great short conversation.

2 – Radio Flyer’s 100th Anniversary

Back in July, Radio Flyer invited us to their 100th Anniversary Celebration at Pioneer Court. We had such a fun time at the celebration as Luke got to blow out the candles with the Chief Wagon Officer and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. We were even on the noon news by NBC 5 (I got interviewed by Leann Trotter – love her!). The one take away from this event was that the company was founded by an Italian immigrant with a dream to bring smiles to kids. As an immigrant myself, I couldn’t have been happier to attend this event and support Radio Flyer.

3 – Drinking and Eating Outside

I made it a point to do more happy hours with friends, brunches, lunches and dinner outdoors. I’m glad we finally had the chance to enjoy the patio and lunch at Parson’s Chicken & Fish. I had brunch at NoMi’s terrace for the first time and needed to document that!

4 – Finding Ernest Hemingway’s Apartment

I’ve always wanted to look for Ernest Hemingway’s apartment and glad I finally did! I shared a blog post about the street the apartment is on here. It was also way to see the beautiful homes in the Gold Coast.

5 – Seeing The Killers at Lollapalooza 

Lollapolooza is one of our favorite festivals to go to in Chicago but what made this year’s Lollapalooza memorable was that I got to see the band The Killers on Friday night! If you didn’t know, they’re one of my favorite bands.

6 – Sunflowers at Pope Farm Conservancy

A major highlight of the Summer of Leyla is driving over two hours to see nine acres of sunflowers. I’m so glad Charlie agreed. I loved every moment of being at Pope Farm Conservancy!

7 – Date Night with Charlie

In July, Luke had a sleepover at his Grandma’s house for a weekend. Charlie and I took advantage of the kid-free weekend and went to all these restaurant and bars that were not kid-friendly – Hopleaf, The Green Mill and Sparrow. We even got to hang out at the Public Hotel’s private rooftop all by ourselves!

8 – Moms Nights Out

I’m thankful for the friends I made at Luke’s daycare, especially with the other moms. We try to get together once a month for a fun night out, which often includes a lot of laughs and lots of bubblies. I’m normally a bit hung over the next day. I really think moms nights out should be weekly.

9 – Lady Gaga Concert 

I got to attend the Lady Gaga concert at Wrigley Field this summer. While I was not in Wrigley Field (we were on a rooftop) for the concert, it was a lot of fun with my group of mom friends from daycare to sit and sing to her music. It was the perfect night to enjoy a concert outside!

10 – Celebrating My Birthday!

My summer is never complete without celebrating my birthday….the advantage of having an August birthday. I did book a family trip to New York City for my birthday weekend but then realized we were going to Lollapolooza that same weekend. So we ended canceling the NYC trip. I guess not all my Summer of Leyla plans worked out but overall, it was a pretty awesome summer!

Now on to fall. I guess I can’t call it the Fall of Leyla (hahaha). I’m still trying to think of a good name for this season.