Home Sweet Home, Chicago Sunrise.
February is always a challenge for me. I am so energized by the sun and light that the short days and lack of it can impact me like a wrecking ball if for days on end. January 2020 (this year) the sun shone maybe 9 days of the entire month. It was brutal. Mind you, not cold or miserable by Chicago standards just drudgingly gray. I turned 40 February 1st this year. February is always the end of my slow season. So that time that no matter how hard you budget the money is just not coming in and you planned good but never good enough. So not an ideal time for birthday celebrations. I had entertained the idea to visit a close high school friend of mine who was "snowbirding" in Melbourne, Florida. It's undeniable you are getting old when your friends are "snowbirding". Like.. they so old, they are justifying needing a different climate so their joints function properly. I hear that, it would definitely be west for me...lol. But, back to the story. I told Jeni I couldn't come out because funding wasn't great. She accepted more easily than I had anticipated. Then a week before my birthday a get a 9pm call from Jeni. I was getting ready for bed and doing a 20 minute meditation I figured it was her calling to give me a hard time and try and talk me into coming to Florida so I continued my meditation and decided I would respond after. I did my meditation, thankfully and delightfully there was a voicemail. The voice on the recoding was not Jeni however it was my first friend from Kindergarten Andrea. Her and Jeni had clearly had a few and were talking about how they planned my party and all I needed to do was show up. I thought to myself. Fu*k it, I don't have kids or a spouse. I've been saving Southwest miles for over 10 years for such an occasion. I looked into it and could make the flight for just over $15 tax. I decided to gift myself 4 days of hopeful sunshine and friendship. The weather turned out to be amazing, and it ended up being a 4 friend reunion that was spectacular and I hope only leads to more Space Coast Adventures with those badass babes. My buddy Jeni got up early almost every morning to take me to my requested Sunrise locations. It was awesome to spend those early morning hours with her. I got some beautiful time lapses. When I came back home though, In Chicago on February 11th and 12th I saw some of the most beautiful sunrises. That "looks" wise blew away my gorgeous warm Florida mornings. It helped me accept that it may be cold here but the sun still rises over the water every morning and sometimes that cold creates colors unimaginable in those beautiful warm temperatures. Home sweet home. Nothing will ever compare to Chicago and thinking of this great place as home. Here are those two time lapses.
February 11th 2020
February 12th 2020
