Back in the Saddle

I love how my last post said I would blog daily, and now here I am four months later, finally finding time to provide you with a summer recap. I wasn’t totally neglectful of blogging while in Chicago, as I did post the occasional picture on Tumblr.

So, my summer. Ahhhhh, my sweet, sweet summer. My endless love for Chicago only grew deeper during the 3.5 months I lived and worked there. Technically, I lived in Evanston, a cutesy suburb just north of the city that is the home to Northwestern University, lovely historic houses, an abundant Saturday morning farmer’s market, and the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife. Fortunately, my roommates and I became great friends and I lived a block from the Metra train station and my commute to work was less than thirty minutes each way. Oh, and I met my true love, Chipotle, in Evanston…can’t forget Chipotle. (I love you, veggie burrito bol! Please never leave me.)

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society–Illinois Chapter office is located in the West Loop in downtown Chicago. As I previously stated, my commute was thirty minutes by train, which I didn’t mind at all, because I was able to admire the skyline of my favorite city every morning and think to myself, “I can’t believe I live here. I am THE luckiest girl in the world.” As the only special events intern, I was able to work on three different fundraising campaigns, Man & Woman of the Year, School & Youth programs, and the Leukemia Cup Regatta. My favorite part of my internship (besides the amazing people I worked with), was the ability to reach out and build relationships with participants. Everyone has a story and it’s interesting to hear how they got involved with LLS and what motivates them to fundraise. Working at a non-profit health organization is so rewarding. When you are working with a dynamic team of individuals that are all focused on a mission of saving lives, it makes going to work each morning much more meaningful.

I could go on and on and bore you with details about my summer, but I’ll spare the headache and leave you with pictures. They’re worth a thousand words anyways, right?

Reason #346 to love special events! 80′s night with the roomies!Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup!Everyone loves the bean.The markets in the midwest are incredible.And this is probably why.The family gathered in Rockford, Illinois for the 4th of July.Sangria was my cocktail of choice…all summer long!More fun with the roommates, this time with sushi!The view from Navy PierProud to be here.It’s the new Eyeball sculpture! Creepy…Transformers 3 is filming in Chicago. Pretty cool!Cubs games are always more fun in the bleachers!And with your auntie…And when they WIN!!!Lake MichiganOh, how I miss it…The Leukemia Cup Regatta was a success!The awesome LLS Special Events team!!!Oh yeah, I also ran that marathon with Team in Training in San Diego in June. 26.2 miles cleared and $4,000 raised for LLS! Woop!

The end. I’ll see you soon!

winding down…

The semester is winding down and I am slowly but surely finding time to catch my breath. Spring 2010 is now in the rear view mirror (with the exception of three finals). At the beginning of the year, I vowed to myself to become more involved at school and to focus my energy on helping people instead of thinking of myself first. I’m proud to say I accomplished both. Granted, several days I found myself overwhelmed and exhausted mentally and physically, I am still grateful for all the opportunities I seized over the past four months.

Now, here I sit, less than a week away from packing up Black Beauty for another summer roadtrip, calm and thankful. Other than succeeding at my internship, I have one main goal for this summer: to surround myself with everything I love and enjoy the little things. Easier said than done, but moving to Chicago has been a goal since I can remember. Each summer growing up, the family and the dogs piled in the van and headed North to Illinois to my aunt’s home. From the cool summer breezes to the vast skyscrapers, Chicago’s brilliant features capture my heart with each visit. I remember sitting in a computer class in high school at age fifteen, pricing apartments for my future career with the Chicago Tribune.

This summer, I aim to make my blog posts less sporadic. During the summer, I will not be spread so thin, and I plan to provide you with pictures and tales of all the little things that I am soaking in during my journey to the Windy City practically every day. So stay tuned people, the best is yet to come.