Oh my gosh, where does the time go? I only have one week to go in school. Every time I check in here, I am so much closer to finishing. Actually, a lot has happened in the past week. 

We had to say goodbye to our dog Buffy. She was 13 years old, and she had a tumor that was taking over her body. We only figured it out last week when her abdomen swelled significantly and she stopped eating. 

The picture below was from about two weeks ago. Her groomer sent it to us. 

It's crazy to think that we got Buffy when she was nine years old (her owners divorced and could no longer keep her). She meshed so well with our family. I forgot at times that we didn't have her when she was a puppy. 

It's great that she's in a better place now, but it's still so sad. Why do dogs have to get cancer? Better yet, why do they live for such a short amount of time?

...And then there were three. 

Now, I just have to wait for my mom to walk in the door in the next few weeks with a new dog. Just wait. I'm not saying a new dog will replace Buffy, but I think my mom just likes having four four-legged friends. 

Well, well, well. What now? I don't have anything in particular to blog about today. I did take a lot of photos of food, though. Did you expect anything less?

Two weekends ago (remember when I blogged every day??), I went to Francesca's Tavola in Arlington Heights with my parents. If you live in Chicago, then you may have been to one of the Francesca restaurants. I've been to the one on Taylor Street in Little Italy before, but I didn't even realize that they were the same chain of restaurants. The best part, however, is that it didn't feel like a chain at all. It was a wonderfully unique dining experience. 

We started with a 2009 Serpaiolo, which was one of the best wines I've ever had. Until recently, you couldn't buy it anywhere in the US except at Francesca's.

My mom ordered an arugula pizza. The crust was crispy and thin, which is my favorite. For some reason, that was the only photo that I took of the food besides dessert. 

For dessert, we all shared a bread pudding. It had chocolate banana gelato. Come on, I know that you wish you could stuff that in your mouth right now!

What do we have next, eh? How about more pictures of food? I stayed with my brother Jon last weekend, and my parents came down to the city on Sunday for dinner. We found the Taste of River North near our restaurant. 

We didn't eat any of the food (they were packing up anyway), but we did enjoy the views of the Chicago River. 

For dinner, we went to Blue 13. It's a new-ish restaurant in the River North area that specializes in contemporary American dining. 

We were (and still are) enduring a heat wave in Chicago, so I really wanted a cold refreshing drink. Our server suggested the Veev's Spa Cooler, which is Veev Acai Liquor, lime, mint and cucumber. It was the ideal drink for a sizzling day. I love almost anything with mint in it. 

For food, we shared a whole bunch of stuff. We got zucchini blossoms, which was tempura goat cheese, tomato, risotto and basil. The red dipping sauce was divine. 

My dad and I split a tomato salad with radishes and goat cheese (the part that looks like a spring roll). It's not on the website, so I can't remember exactly what was on it. It was one of the best salads I have ever had, though! It was so creative. 

We also split a small gnocchi dish (of course). It was mixed with crab meat, jalapeno, cream and manchego. Not the best gnocchi ever, but still pretty darn good. 

Jon got scallops with ravioli. I didn't try the ravioli, but the scallops were perfect. Even my dad agreed, and he has eaten a lot of scallops in his life. 

My dad and I also split tuna rolls with mango, rice, pea shoots and wasabi. 

We also split mussels. There was a few seconds where I thought I had to be taken out of the restaurant in a stretcher. I ate a lot. It was worth it, though. 

I think the goat cheese salad was my favorite of the night. I also loved Jon's scallops. I highly recommend both of these restaurants!

I am going to New Jersey tomorrow to visit my cousins, so hopefully I will recap it sooner than later. Can you believe that I'm so close to finishing my summer classes? I sure can't.....