I'm back! 

It's been a year since my last post and in that time, my life has changed completely. This time last year, I was working at Office Depot in Pensacola. In January, I decided I wanted something better. I moved back to Chicago in February and stayed with my aunt and uncle in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago, for a few months while I looked for a job. Office Depot had transferred me to a store down the street from my uncle's house where I continued to work until I found something better. In May, I interviewed for a position at the Art Institute of Chicago and so began my new life.

The difference between suburb and city life is tremendous. I found an apartment about a mile north of Wrigley Field. I would have liked to be closer to downtown but time was a factor so I chose a studio in the Buena Park neighborhood. I sold my car and now use public transportation to get around. The "El" is my new best friend. I hop on the red line and I'm downtown in minutes. It takes a fraction of the time to get to work now than it did when I lived in the burbs.

Working at the AIC, I've met some of the most amazing, creative, hip people I've ever known. Everyone is an artist, from painters to actors to designers. I was a little nervous about finding people to hang out with when I first moved back. It seems to get harder to make friends as you get older. Everyone I knew before I left has either moved away or lost touch. As it turns out, my fears were unfounded. I've made many new friends and though I haven't known them long, I already feel close to them. Because they've lived in Chicago for years, they seem to know all the city's secrets. They've turned me on to the best unknown restaurants and bars. I've been to art galleries I didn't know existed and some of the cutest boutiques and cafes I've ever seen.

There's never a dull moment in the city, especially in the summer. Every time I turn around, there's a new gallery, restaurant, bar, filming, festival, or sporting event happening. It's impossible to be bored around here. Also, the Cubs are doing well which is making this Northside girl very happy.

Life is pretty good these days. I have to say I've never been this happy with my work or where I live. I miss everyone back home but I'm doing well here. I'm finally living the life I've always wanted: living and working in the big city. And it just keeps getting better.

So now I'm back. Not just back in Chicago but back in the blogging world. I've revamped my site, Thoughts of Chic into Hey Jen!, a lifestyle blog. Stay tuned for posts on city life and discoveries. I learn something new everyday and I can't wait to share it with you!

xoxo,

One month ago this past Saturday, I lost a friend to liver disease. Her name was Wiebke (Jokschies) Harvey. We called her "V". 

V was a German citizen who moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago. About three years after she moved here, she married a man named Travis Harvey (above), who works as a contractor for my parents. I met V when I move back to Florida from Chicago three years ago. We became friends pretty quickly. We went to movies together and went shopping ... a lot. We even went on a ghost-hunt together with another friend of mine. (Say what you will about ghost-hunting, it was a fun night!) One of our most memorable adventures was a trip to New Orleans with my mom and two of my other friends for my birthday. That was a really fun day!

V first found out she was sick about a year and half to two years ago. She went to see a doctor when she noticed her skin and eyes had turned a yellow color. She was jaundiced. Her doctor told her she would only have a couple years to live if she didn't get a liver transplant. Long story short, she didn't qualify for a transplant. She fought this disease with everything she had. Even when the pain became more and more intense, I never heard her complain. In fact, the day she died was a bit of a shock due to the fact that she seemed to be doing so well beforehand. 

For the last month and a half of her life she was on an in-home hospice program. I was there a few times when a nurse visited her house and checked that she was taking all of her medications. One of the last times I saw her was at Sacred Heart Hospital. She was suffering from some sort of internal bleeding. She didn't tell me much about it. But when the hospital released her, she said they gave her some blood and stopped the bleeding. This was the first and only time I ever came close to seeing her cry. She got a little teary-eyed but quickly wiped it away and stopped herself. I think it was at this point that she accepted that her life would end soon. She had been so optimistic about her illness for so long. I think she was getting to a point where she'd had enough. This was roughly two weeks before she died.

Less than a week before her death, she was transferred to a hospice facility. We kept in constant contact with Travis to make sure she was doing ok. I called her on Monday but didn't get an answer. I sent her a text message instead of a voicemail as I often do. I figured she was resting and would call me back later. My mom and I planned on going to visit her that upcoming weekend but she died on the afternoon of July 23rd, a Wednesday.

When I got the call, I was in a movie theater parking lot, our favorite theater on Bayou Blvd. I haven't been back there. Every time I pass by the theater, I think of that night and how I spent hours in the parking lot on the phone with friends, crying, and replaying the last time I saw V over and over in my head. I worried that I didn't do enough for her. I regretted not visiting her in hospice sooner. I just didn't know. I didn't know she was declining that fast. I thought I had time. But the reality is that I didn't. She's gone and there's nothing I can do about it. I can only hope that she knew that I loved her, that she'll always be missed and never forgotten.

On August 23rd, one month after her death, her friends and family gathered at our house for her memorial. She had been cremated and her wish was to be scattered in the ocean. Her husband honored that wish. In our neighborhood, we have a common area right on the water. As the sun set, all of us (about 25 people) walked down to the water together. Travis went out into the ocean and scattered her ashes with all her loved ones watching. It was beautiful and absolutely perfect. She would have loved it.

In the end, I'm thankful for the time I had with her. She was a wonderful person. She was so easy to like, a sweet and gentle woman with a big heart. She was my friend and I miss her terribly. Rest in peace, V. We love you.

A final toast to our Wiebke

The world has forever lost a sweet, gentle soul. You will be missed, Wiebke.

For those who need a little inspiration on this lovely Monday morning.

The Weekly 8 is back and this week we have super-patriotic eyewear, an HGTV obsession, and Parisienne scarf tying.

These last two months have been crazy busy. I had some of the most difficult final exams/projects in school that I've ever had so a lot of my time was spent taking care of those. But the good news is (drumroll, please) I graduated! I am now a two-time college graduate, this time with my Bachelor of Science degree in Economics! To celebrate, my parents threw a Cookout party for me. Everyone who attended was in some way instrumental in my earning this degree. Everything from spending late nights in study groups before an exam to just keeping me sane in the last two years, they all played an important part. I wouldn't have wanted to celebrate any other way.

I'm so glad school is over! It's such a weight lifted off my shoulders and I finally feel like I can move on with my life and get the things I want which of course means that now comes the fun part: finding a job. I've been spending a lot of time applying to every company I can think of. I'm looking to move back to a big city. Pensacola is nice but I'm a city girl. Always have been, always will be. So I've applied to jobs in Chicago, New York, L.A., Atlanta, D.C., and Boston. I'm determined to leave Pensacola and I would like to get as far North as I can. Not only do I need to be in a bigger city, I need weather. This "Florida life" just isn't for me. I miss snow and changing leaves. Chicago would be ideal. I know Chicago since I spent five years there before going back to school but honestly, any of these cities would be better than where I am now.

So that's what I'm working on, getting out of Pensacola. Nothing yet but my job search has only just begun. I'm confident that I'll find something soon!

Of course, that's not all that's been going on:

We saved Nika!

I toured the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra with the UWF College of Business.

Pensacola recently suffered a devastating flood. Luckily, my friends and family pulled out ok. But many families lost cars, homes, everything.

But Pensacola Tough is pulling through!

I've volunteered to help out my friend Jayer Williamson's campaign through this summer. Click here for more information!

We also worked on the pergola area at my parents' house.

Travis does incredible work!

I received my first Love with Food box and I love it! Click here if you'd like to try it out!

My dad picked up a Starbucks espresso machine. I've been saving a ton by making my own iced lattes! (Psst! Don't tell the barista but I think mine are better.)

Don't forget to like Thoughts of Chic on Facebook!