My Aunt Nancy majored in photography at Columbia in Chicago several years ago - my brother and I modeled for a photo project one wintery afternoon (how cute are we?!).  I saw my aunt last week for an impromptu Christmas lunch at Prairie Grass. While I was savoring each spoonful of my butternut squash soup,  I learned that her academic plunge into photography didn't exactly leave her with an idealistic craving to pursue photography as a career.  Apparently, her teachers were judgmental - they didn't like her "contrasty" style.  Which is sad - because I love this photo! I was so happy when Kate stumbled on this old class project in the attic the other day...  just trying to decide which one to frame.

Note... this photo is a hipstamatic translation of the original.

Summer sun sneaks through the lattice on Jen and Ben's back porch. Jenny tells me not to worry about the gigantic wood eating bee and jokes that she doesn't share my appreciation for the sunshine sneaking through the little squares. Jenny goes through desperate measures to protect her porcelain skin, which explains why she was walking around the Evanston Art Fair hidden beneath Pat's fleece on a warm blue sky Sunday afternoon. We sat on the porch for a few minutes while drinking a simple glass of water surrounded by potted plants and an overall anthropologiesh cuteness before taking a longer-than-I-could-handle motorcycle ride up Sheridan road.

When a recording of Lance Armstrong came through my Nike+ app congratulating me for a new personal best for my mile time, I felt a sense of urgency to make sure that I could look back on that moment in a few weeks and laugh laugh laugh. Heartily. To my credit, the Couch to 5K program makes you walk an awful lot, but, still. Uhm. Yeah.

Anyway, here's a picture of some clouds reflecting off St. Lambert's windows.

Generally speaking, I am pretty easily influenced- if I think you're relatively cool I will trust your recommendations. If you tell me a book or a movie, or a restaurant are phenomenal, I will likely see the movie, check out the book from the library and make a point of eating at the place with the incredible duck fat fries. I also am a chameleon, if I like the way you talk, a joke you make, a phrase you use, or a particular word that you say that I probably wouldn't have said if I hadn't heard you say it first, I will likely adapt and adopt. This is why Emily makes fun of me for sounding like our friend Katie, who sounds a little like Chelsea Handler in her inflection and delivery. And if you tell me you started the Couch to 5K program, I might just take that as enough motivation to download the iphone app and start it myself. Yes, I am easily influenced. There's really no use in denying it.  So, here I am, Week 1, Day 2 of  the Couch to 5K program. My goal-November 6th Hot Chocolate Race in Grant Park. I've never signed up for a race before, but I'm super excited and what better first race than one that's hosted by Ghirardelli? Oh, yes and of course it's for a good cause too- the Ronald Mcdonald House charities. So as I'm running and sweating and aching and slowly working my way up to a respectable time, I will remember the children... and the chocolate.

At the end of each run, I will take a picture of something that I liked, that made me happy and post it here. Today after my run at the forest preserve I saw this tree and the underside of the leaves  looked like silver shining against the perfect blue sky.

Why are there so many Vespas parked around here? "Because we're going to a hipster arts festival" says Pat. We stopped to watch some Indonesian dancers and I ooooed and ahhhed at Michael Bryant's holga camera photography. Summer is still here.