Me & my honey visit Chicago

This trip was so not planned and so last minute ... aren't we just so ... spontaneous?!  Brandon found out with less than a week notice, that he needed to take someone's place and conduct interviews at University of Chicago and Northwestern for his firm.  I desperately wanted to go with him (of course!) so I spent the day figuring out how to get there and get a babysitter for our kids, etc.

We decided to make a weekend out of it and flew out of Mesa Gateway Airport to Rockford, IL ($120 each way) on Allegiant Airlines and we left first thing Saturday morning.  We rented a car to get from Rockford to Chicago, which takes about an hour and a half depending on traffic.  We flew down Grandma Nancy to watch the kids (each of us paid for one way); she is so wonderful - I have to be careful about asking her for for things since she'll drop any and everything to help out.  I flew home on Tuesday and Brandon came home on Wednesday.

It was such an amazing trip for us both!  I wanted to take lots of pictures, but soon realized that the picture couldn't capture the way it made me feel to be back in Chicago.  My eyes were just taking it all in and my heart was so happy (cheesy, but true!).  Being there brought back a flood of memories - like running to the metra so I didn't miss my train (happened countless mornings), looking out my window (21 stories up) at the beautiful scenery of Lake Michigan and Hyde Park, making the walk to the lake from Regents, greeting the doormen, finding a great parking spot (huge accomplishment!), reminiscing about our close Chicago friends and our restaurant "tour around the world", and remembering when Brandon pretended to steal my purse my first time in the Co-Op.  These are just a few memories that come to mind; it was fun to remember so many fun times with Brandon.

I was so grateful for the opportunity to go back and visit Chicago.  Brandon says that the way I describe and feel about Chicago is similar to how returned missionaries feel about their missions.  I can definitely see that, and now I feel a little bad about how I always diss Brandon's mission, McAllen, Texas.

Food Log (I must have gained 10 pounds, seriously):
In Hyde Park
- Pizza Capri (I had forgotten how good their complimentary bread and dip is)
- The Original Pancake House (never disappoints)
- Harold's Chicken Shack (still so ghetto, and yet so good)
In Downtown
- Garrett's Popcorn TWICE! (I like the caramel and Brandon likes the cheese, so the Chicago mix is perfect for us)
- Bongo Room (their breakfast tastes more like dessert)
- Pinkberry (this was my first time at pinkberry, and I really liked it)
- Chicago Dog at Wrigley Field (a must)
- Harry Carray's (this was my first time, and Brandon was so happy they had Goose Island root beer)

Highlights:
- Brandon realized he forgot his laptop when we arrived at the airport, so he had to speed home and get it; good thing we got there two hours early
- We stayed at the Hyatt at McCormick place the first night and then at The James in downtown (thank you, Osborn Maledon)
- I recognized the Metro train conductors and the waiters at Pizza Capri and Pancake House (all Hyde Park), so I guess two years away hasn't been all that long
- Searching for Goose Island Root beer (Brandon's all time favorite) ALL over the city and finally found it at Jewel Osco on Grand & State
- Surprising Brian, our favorite doorman at Regents Park and he said, "Y'all are gonna make cry!"  I knew it!  It was so fun to see him.
- Visiting with friends on Sunday at church - the Shurtliff's, Cannon's, Parker's (although I missed seeing Tilah and Iman, the little stinkers didn't come to church), Woodson's, Swarray's, and Patricia even came with her daughter, Melaine, who is now 18 months old and such a cutie.  Patricia coming to meet us there, really meant the world to me.
- Brandon met one of "The Five Brown's" who is now in the ward ... between him and Jabari Parker, they have quite the group of Mormon celebrities!  (And I should mention the soon-to-be-famous author, Liesl Shurtliff, who just found out that she's getting her book published! Go, Liesl!)
- Parking downtown = $36 for 24 hrs and I forgot how bad that hurts!
- Loved the diversity the city has to offer - it's so refreshing!
- Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier (a first for me)
- Skydeck at Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower, also a first for me) - it's the tallest building in North America and has the most amazing views and now offers "the ledge" which allows you to step out onto glass to see straight down 103 stories
- Glad to see the boys playing the drums on buckets - I just love the street entertainment!
- Cubs v. Braves game ... Brandon goes for the love of the sport, I go for the hot dog and people watching, enough said
- Lake Michigan (only regret of the trip was not getting their early enough so that Brandon could play ultimate frisbee at the Point with all the guys on Saturday morning)
- Watched "Soul Surfer" on the plane and lots of "Friday Night Lights" (Netflix) on Brandon's laptop
- We saw the most hilarious photo shoots this weekend - there was the group of people on State Street standing on red carpet, causing quite the scene and I didn't recognize anyone; then there was the girl with booty shorts and old school roller skates, rolling around downtown having someone take her picture - she looked ridiculous; then there was a whole group of ladies in bikini's at Ohio Street Beach getting their photo taken by someone who didn't look like he knew what he was doing, and he'd call out the next girl by using the color of her bathing suit - "Pink, you're up!" - this "photo shoot" was also being filmed and one girl looked at us and said, "We're having a photo shoot today!" Yeah, we could tell - I wonder if they actually thought they should aspire to be models ... then again, maybe I don't have an eye for that sort of stuff.

Gotta love Chicago!