Ashley’s week in Chicago played out like the kind of romcom montage that blends ambition, friendship, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. Monday started with daycare/cowork, where she dove into the mountain of blog work and emails that had stacked up over the weekend. On Tuesday, she hopped on a Zoom call with an author whose September launch she’ll be covering, squeezed in physical therapy, and capped the day with the Friend of a Mom Book Club featuring the brilliant Sonali Dev—complete with laughter, great conversation, and maybe a glass of wine. Wednesday was back to the grind, chipping away at her ever-growing to-do list, while Thursday sparkled with a little glamour: physical therapy, a meeting with a photographer to talk about the Chicago Literary Salon, and dinner out with some of her oldest Chicago friends at Oliver’s, where the nostalgia flowed as freely as the cocktails. Friday tied it all together with a meeting at Three Avenues Bookshop to brainstorm authors for the Salon, a sweet school social at Miles’ daycare, and the perfect ending—a date night at Moody Tongue with Eric, a chance to reconnect and linger over a long-overdue dinner, reminding her that even in the busiest weeks, there’s always room for romance. LTKWorkwear LTKStyleTip LTKShoeCrush