Oh hey there, amigos! It’s been a little while since I’ve stopped in to fill you in on my life as of late! In a lot of ways it’s been more of the same {work, sleep, repeat, etc.}, but I’ve had some pretty lovely highlights over the last few months that I’ve been dying to share. Here’s a little highlights reel for your entertainment before I share some exciting things in the coming weeks on CS! It’s finally feeling a little more like summer here in Chicago, which means patio and festival season are officially in full gear! To kick things off, I swung by Grant Park last week for the Tennessee Tourism live music stream with a few of my favorite ladies. I loved that Tennessee Tourism surprised Chicagoans with 3 days of free concerts, streaming from some of the most iconic music venues and cities in Tennessee – and that they gave away a free trip every day to one lucky viewer.

I was lucky enough to go on the first night to catch an awesome Citizen Cope show live in Memphis. It was so cool that we got to see the show live through a streaming video and giant screen in downtown Chicago, and it really made it feel like we were live at the show {and in the front row!}. As a total advertising nerd, I totally geeked out – especially since Citizen Cope could see us back in Chicago, rocking out a little too hard 😉As someone who has never been to Tennessee, I definitely am planning to add it to my itinerary ASAP after the show {and hearing more about the state from those who worked for Tennessee Tourism and shared their favorite things to do in Memphis!} As a state known for incredible views, BBQ, and the birthplace of Rock & Roll, there’s definitely some amazing places to explore and things to see. I’m hoping to make it out to Nashville by the end of the summer, so if you happen to have any suggestions on what to eat, drink, see and hear – please let me know!  Other highlights from the month included my friend Jen and her husband Pat visiting Chicago a few weeks back! I fist met Jen when I started blogging years ago, and we instantly bonded over our love of J.Crew, photography and traveling. After visiting her in Vancouver a few years ago, it was so nice to welcome them to the US by doing as many Chicago tourist things we could squeeze in during their 5 day visit. From going to all my favorite coffee shops to exploring the river walk, it was so nice to have an excuse to play tourist in my favorite city. And how beautiful is downtown Chicago on a gorgeous summer day? It’s days like this that make up for the cruddy winter we have the pleasure of dealing with for 6+ months. Maybe I should be spending the winter down in sunny Tennessee next year instead… 😉 And speaking of trips, if you’re following along on Instagram you probably saw that I spent last weekend in Austin, Texas with my dear friend Evalyn! It was a little bit of a last minute trip, but we had a total blast exploring and eating our way through the city. More to come on that trip on Monday, but catch some of my favorite snaps on Instagram to see some of the trip highlights! This post was sponsored by Tennessee Tourism, but all opinions are my own! Thanks for supporting the brands that make Charmingly Styled possible.