If you're like us, you've spent this week with one eye looking out the window, waiting for the long weekend to arrive. Independence Day is a time for reflection on the nation's founding, grilling, relaxing and looking back at how fast the first half of the year has passed. It's also time for big plans, and these local real estate pros are embracing summer in style.

CBRE SVP Sara Spicklemire will be sailing in Catalina with her husband and seven of their friends. A group of them try to go sailing together at least once a year (here's a shot of their boat in Brazil, where they sailed last New Year's Eve). They rent a boat and hire a skipper to sail for them, while they live, sleep and cook on the boat for the duration of the trip. The crew holds two fun competitions with other boats they sail with to see which one can hoist the most flags up the sail and have the widest variety of floaties. Sara chose a black swan and a parrot to bring along this trip.

The Luxury Living Chicago team is taking a well-earned break over the holiday as they reached their sales goal for the first half of the year last week. To celebrate, the brokerage team went to the new iFly in Lincoln Park for a little skydiving action. Each broker took a turn in the wind tunnel to experience what it's like to free fall. On their second turn, the instructor flew them up to the top of the tunnel. What a rush!

After spending a week in our nation's capital and bringing home a 2016 International TOBY award for 564 West Randolph, Sterling Bay senior property manager Martin Huttenlocker is heading to northern Michigan with his wife, Jordan, and son, Harrison, for some much-needed R&R. He’ll be spending the weekend celebrating the Fourth of July with his father-in-law and family at their vacation home in Harbor Springs.

Paula Lullo, Alter Asset Management’s property manager for the fully occupied 111 West Illinois, has a great story for the Fourth of July this year. Paula and her family usually have all their friends and family over to their acre of land to have a huge barbecue, where they play games and smoke all kinds of meat. But this year they will be changing things up and spending Independence Day in Paris. They are excited for the family trip and to see Paris for the first time. Paula, her husband, Joe, daughter Madison and her in-laws will be leaving Sunday night and celebrating the holiday French style.

After spending last Independence Day relaxing in Hawaii, JLL sustainability pro Keara Fanning (pictured last year with her fiancé, Rick) is taking it easy this year with a laid-back schedule of golf and BBQ. At the office, Keara’s been busy growing her green team with the addition of Cara Kennedy from PositivEnergy Practice. In addition to a full plate of LEED certification projects, the duo is on the forefront of WELL Building certification, the latest in sustainability with a focus on tenants’ health and well-being.

JLL tenant rep broker Deanna Becker is a hardcore Dave Matthews Band fan and is spending her third straight Fourth of July weekend seeing the group—this time at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. Here she is last summer with her fiancé, Jordan, at Dave’s show in Saratoga Springs. She says it’s become a fun tradition, though she’s not planning on getting a fire dancer tattoo anytime soon. At the office, the three-year JLL veteran specializes in portfolio and account management for a wide variety of corporate clients.