I know you've seen this place before; things and images you have seen a hundred times already, and the moments that I'm terrified that I'm going to forget.

thursday morning

If you know me well, you would know that when I opened my curtains to find this little guy... I was not a happy camper.

the basement of 1919 n clybourn

5:53am

This blurry little number comes to you from 5 in the morning. It's obvious that my stress level is at a high when I naturally wake up at 5:39 with 18 things on my mind. Thankfully, it was a beautiful sunrise outside.

under the el

packing up

i'll fly away

Working on a little banjo project to keep my mind off of things. 

#402

It is absolutely ridiculous/crazypants/bananas how much of a hard time I'm having with leaving my apartment. I pack up boxes and start crying. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to be living with Stacy and I think we'll have a fun summer, but... My apartment was always my constant. Jobs and friends come and go, but I always had #402. When I was happy, I drunkenly danced around to the Black Keys. When I was upset, it was always comforting to come home to my little cave. It is my very first apartment- I found it on my own, I paid for it on my own, it was my own home for the first time in my life. The next ten days will be rough (and filled with pictures, so be prepared for that).

Bathroom self-portrait

don't stop til you know you're gone.

I woke up with a sinking feeling; I had a weird dream. Has anyone seen the series finale of Six Feet Under? Basically Claire moves away from home (LA) for a career in New York City, and during Sia's "Breathe Me" she slowly watches her family, her home shrink in the rear view mirror. It was kind of like that. My new apartment was actually in Austin, TX, so I packed up my stuff and drove to Texas. I watched as the city disappeared in my mirror. When I got to Texas, I figured I should have probably told Mike, and then I realized that I wouldn't see Mike again. And I had forgotten to cancel my banjo lesson, and my teacher didn't know. And then I realized I wouldn't see David again. I woke up and had a fleeting moment of happiness that it was just a dream, but it was short lived because it will happen. In a few short months, I'll be leaving here, and I know I'll watch the beautiful skyline of Chicago disappear, leaving behind the architecture, the lake, and the people and the experiences that have made me the person that I am.

I know I'll be going to a city that is most likely far more interesting than Chicago, and I'm sure I'll do my fair share of emotional growth (because I'm a cathartic artist, that's why!), but I can't help but feel a little sentimental about my first home. But the two weeks between Chicago and London that will be spent in Ohio will be excruciating.

36 broadway

banjo night

summer music festival

I am far too lazy to put back everything on my walls after they painted the apartment, but there's no way I'm having blank walls, so I put up a few little ditties. I realized afterwards they were all music related, so in a way, I kind of had a theme. I'll probably continue it when I move into the new apartment...

rosehill

Like I said before, they were painting my apartment, so I had to be out of my house all day. Luckily, I'm very convincing with my text messages and a simple "You should come to Chicago tomorrow" to Rob and he was here. My adventure buddy. We spent time at Rosehill Cemetery, lunched on tacos on an outdoor patio, shopped downtown, and visited the zoo. A perfect day to be forced out of my apartment.

my life defined by the closet

They're painting my apartment, so I had to take down everything and put it in the closet. My whole life and personality based in a 6x10 room.

a night out with the wolf pack