completely smitten with chicago

there is just something about summer in the city that i can't get over. around this time every year i start feeling fall coming on. maybe it's all the back to school sales going on. whatever it is i want it to stop. i am loving chicago right now. the weather is perfect. everybody is outside. we have street fairs and side walk sales. seriously...amazing. 

on sunday after church the mr. and i decided to go on a bike ride. we pulled out good ol' howie and off we went. i do just fine on the lakeshore trail but getting there scares me to death. we finally ordered me a sweet new helmet that is supposed to get here today (yay). in the mean time we took the back alleys to the lake. to be honest i loved going down the back alley ways. they may have smelled (a little too much in some places) but they were so cool....neat backyards and garages lined cleaned pathways overgrown with ivy. if i couldn't smell it would have been perfect. 

we spent the next hour or so just riding along the lake. enjoying the most perfect weather. i loved watching all the families out enjoying the day together. i got a few compliments on howie (who doesn't love howie the bike) and even more on the fact that i was matching with my bike, and my nails. i think i have a slight obsession with this color....sorry not sorry?

for those of you who are confused...howie is my bike. i bought him while i was in college. we've since replaced his seat to a beautiful leather one and added a basket. but he is still the same ol' howie. he has now lived in provo, holladay, st george, bountiful and now chicago. he's a trouper. he was rattling a bit on sunday but still cruisin'  along at his one beautiful speed. you can read more about him here, here and he even joined us for our engagements here.

we really had such a blast just relaxing, enjoying the lake and riding together. it was the perfect sunday activity. i can't wait to make this our new weekly tradition. it was the perfect way to end our weekend.

we finished off the night eating a yummy dinner together. i tried this recipe and we both fell in love. so simple and fresh for summer. after dinner we headed over to our good friends who now live just a couple of blocks from us...so happy...and chatted the night away. they even let us join them in their weekly tradition of putting their feet in lake michigan. i think i'll let them do it alone come december, but on sunday it was the perfect ending to the perfect day. 

like i said, i am completely smitten with chicago in the summer. i just wish it could stay like this for the next 6 months. then life would be perfect.