I'm back! Sorry for my absence on Monday but I was out of town this weekend spending time with family I rarely get to see. On Friday D and I took the day off and drove to Chicago to spend the Fourth of July with our family.  The traffic was horrendous, even for Chicago. Technically our family lives across the border in Indiana so we got off the highway a little outside of the city and took back roads all the way to the hotel. Needless to say we were pretty exhausted. We relaxed a bit at the hotel before heading over to see our family and hang out. We called it pretty early on Friday.

Saturday was a really busy day. My younger sister's fiance has never been to Chicago before. She wanted to take him into the city and show him around. Seeing as we lived there for about 2 years we came along and helped them get around.  It was a beautiful day, mid 70s and sunny. Problem was it is a holiday week and SUPER crowded. Getting around took some time. We started off at our favorite pizza place Michael's Pizzeria and Tavern. I promise you this is better than Giordano's, Gino's or Lou Malnati's. This place was in the neighborhood we lived and we were there quite often. So much in fact that they remembered us when we came back both this year and last year. They are amazing. We then hopped the train and saw Wrigley Field, Millenium Park, Grant Park and Navy Pier.  We were on a bit of a time crunch so that is all we had time for but it was fun.







That night there was a surprise party for my cousin's 60th birthday. We are all Italian down there so we went to a restaurant called Cafe Borgia and ate our faces full. We all hung out and laughed before heading to bed.

Sunday was the big day. The reason we were all there. Every year they throw a huge 4th of July bash. It is always complete with more food than you can eat, bean bags and a killer fireworks show. It was oddly cold that day, with it being overcast and windy. We still got it done though. We played in a bean bag tournament and ate more pasta than I could count. This year was different in that we had a band, which was a fun change of pace. The night ended with a massive fireworks show. My other cousin gets really into the fireworks part of the day and they put on quite the show. I got a few snaps of it all.








Overall it was a pretty fantastic weekend and I was very sad to leave my family. We do not see each other as much as I would like so any time together is good.

For my holiday look I kept it simple. Most 4th of July's are boiling hot. I found this shirt at local boutique Apricot Lane and loved it. It is so simple but fun. The only thing I was worried about is the cotton is double lined and thick. I thought I might be too hot. Turns out it was perfect because it was a bit chilly that day. I really loved the faded colors. Just a bit different from your bright red, white and blue ensembles. I paired it with my favorite blue skinnies and sandals from Target. I loved this gold fan necklace to add a bit of sparkle with the star spangles. Lastly I like the handkerchief as a bracelet to mix up the textures.  








Shoes| Target
Necklace| Bay to Baubles (similar / similar
Sunglasses| Windsor

What do you think? Leave me a comment below I would love to hear from you.

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Also linking up with Jersey Girl Texan Heart today!