National Doughnut Day

Jottings on June.

What I did in Chicago in June.

Where is this year going? Seriously. How is it already July? I kept saying all winter, “this summer I’m going to…” and then I already realized it’s July and it feels like it’s just going to be winter again soon. I know it’s a ways off, but still. I’ve been trying to force myself to do as much as I can. I’ve been trying to say yes to going out more and to hit up as many festivals as I can. But then I just spend too much money and have no time for blogging or anything else. Sigh. We’ll get there.

Tomorrow I take my first vacation, get on my first plane, leave Illinois, for the first time since I got back eight months ago. Eight months? Can you believe it’s been that long? I’m only taking a weekend trip to New York City, but it will be nice to be somewhere else, at least for a few days. Hopefully it will ignite something inside me that’s been missing for a while. Hopefully it will let me start feeling whole again. Hopefully it will lead to some more upcoming adventures.

Anyways.

Here’s what I got up to in June. What did you do?


 

We take our doughnut-related holidays seriously at work. Very seriously.

 

Nando’s recently opened its first Chicago location. If you don’t know what Nando’s is you’re probably from the U.S. It’s a South African chicken chain that’s all over the UK, Australia, and I’m sure other places. But previously if I wanted to get it here I’d have had to go to D.C. I first had Nando’s when I was visiting Edinburgh and randomly craved it ever since. So when it opened here I dragged my friend Alyssa with me to go eat all the peri peri chicken (and drink all the sangria too…)

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Going away party. Saying goodbye to some good friends from a suite at the Kane County Cougars game. #baseball

A photo posted by Val Bromann (@choosingfigs) on

A good friend from college moved away this month. He left us to work for some little company I’m sure you’ve never heard of called Google. I guess I can forgive him, but only if he has one of those offices with a foosball table and treadmill desk. Anyways. We saw him off at a Kane County Cougars game. At least I think there was a game. I kind of forgot to watch.

 

I ended up competing at a ribs eating contest at Ribfest. A few days later some stranger on the train congratulated me. I have arrived.

 

I think I want to like Fish Bar more than I actually do. My Shrimp and crawfish po'boy was good, but there was way too much lettuce. The calamari was more hot peppers than squid. Nothing too special. But it’s still a decent place to stop for dinner after visiting the hospital across the street because…

 

Meet Maggie! My best friend had the cutest baby girl this week. So happy to have them both in my life!

A photo posted by Val Bromann (@choosingfigs) on

My best friend and former roommate had a baby! Meet Maggie. You will be seeing a lot of her from now on.

 

I spent a rainy afternoon at Taste of Randolph, eating tacos and sausages and duck legs, drinking all the sangria (it’s really a running theme in my life), listening to music, and trying to stay dry. We stayed to hear the Dandy Warhols…who got through one song before they had to cancel the set and just as a downpour soaked us all.

 

I hit up Vintage Garage: a summer-monthly vintage sale in Uptown Chicago. It was all fun until one of the vendors asked me how far along my pregnancy was…sigh…maybe the month should have involved more gym time and less festival time…

 

Is the glass half (acre) empty or half (acre) full? #beer #halfacre #dumbjoke

A photo posted by Val Bromann (@choosingfigs) on

I met up with my friend Nadia, who I haven’t seen in forever, for lunch at Fountainhead and drinks at Half Acre. She made me join untappd, so if you’re on there and want to see how little beer I drink, add me.

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What did you do in June?

Hi, I'm Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the kitten. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job, bought a one-way ticket to Europe, and traveled for three years. Now I'm back in Chicago, decorating my apartment in all the teal, petting my cats, and planning my next adventure.

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2 Comments
  • Ali
    August 8, 2015at2:26 pm

    Why do so many people not realize how rude it is to ask someone about their pregnancy? YOU DO NOT LOOK PREGNANT!! Ridiculous.

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