A Whirlwind Visit to the Windy City

Last weekend, we hopped in the car and headed north to get in a quick trip to Chicago. Ari worked overnight on Friday and as soon as he got home we packed up the car and left. Luckily he sleeps pretty well in the car (I call it passenger seat narcolepsy). We only stopped for lunch and a brief potty break but it took a bit longer to get downtown than Google said; it also took some figuring out since the directions weren't quite right. Finally we arrived at the South Loop to see Kristen, Larry, Koby (the dog) and their new condo. They have this cool "loft" style condo in an old building right on Michigan Avenue. I certainly was impressed. We sat around and caught up while Kristen worked at crocheting a baby blanket for our baby and Larry worked diligently at making a new dress for Kristen (he is currently in school for fashion design). With the two of them being so crafty, Ari and I definitely felt unskilled! It was great to see them but soon we were off to Elmhurst to meet Dan and Amber for dinner. They took us to an Italian restaurant known for their pizza and we had a great time catching up with them before they had to get ready for a Halloween party. Not quite the party animals these days, plus Ari getting only a few hours of car sleep made us decide to make our way to the hotel. Google Maps disaster #2: it took 1 1/2 hours, 2 stops, and a phone call to finally getting us up to the Mundelein Crowne Plaza. Needless to say by the time we got there we were both EXHAUSTED.

On Sunday, we woke up refreshed and made our way down to Schaumburg to Richard Walker's Pancake House to meet dad and Lily for breakfast. The line was formidable but time flew and we stuffed ourselves with pancakes, omelets, and other yummy breakfast items. I love not feeling guilty about eating a lot of food and those pumpkin pancakes hit the spot! We hadn't seen dad and Lily since I was barely pregnant so they enjoyed seeing me and my ever growing baby bump. With our tummies full, it was time to part ways and get back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

The main attraction of the weekend was the wedding of Beth and Jared. Beth and Ari have been good friends since college. She met her now husband in AmeriCorps. Unfortunately, their jobs

have kept them living in Florida then North Carolina for the past few years so we don't see them as often as we would like. They were married in a very rustic barn. The decorations were beautiful: lots of soft candlelight and wreaths adorned the inside. The ceremony was short and meaningful (my favorite kind). The reception was in the same location and the drinks were actually served in the silo, how cool! Dinner was delicious and we certainly enjoyed catching up with all of the Wesleyan crew. Unfortunately, the night passed quickly and we had to say our goodbyes because I was due back at work Monday morning at 6:30am. So on the ride back it was my turn to sleep in the car!