I had a good trip to Chicago, spent a lot of the weekend walking and shopping and came home with a slew of IKEA wares that I don't have room for. Good, not great, because CHICK-FIL-A IS CLOSED ON SUNDAYS. My bestie talked me into a Chick-Fil-A road trip on the way home, and just as I was deciding the rabbit trail to get there was probably worth it, we were reminded that they are closed on Sunday. CLOSED! And it was Sunday. The reminder came in just in time (thanks, B!), and we were able to hop back on the highway before we reached an empty Chick-Fil-A parking lot where we surely would have been swallowed in despair.
After my WORLD CLASS navigator managed to talk me out of a panic attack driving through downtown Chicago, and after we subjected ourselves to a germaphobe's worst nightmare that is the subway system, we sucessfully hit up the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. BLT salad and a plate full of "I'm about to start the Biggest Loser Challenge...but not 'til Monday"? Yes, please!
Then we hit the Magnificent Mile for some shopping. Six hours and eighteen hip replacements later we learned that a GPS is made for driving, not walking. You live and learn. You walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and hurt really bad. But you live and learn. I would have had pictures to show for it, but, well, depression.
Then the day was redeemed when we met up with my uncle for dinner at Italian Village and dessert at a spot where we experienced the autumn wonder that is: Snapple Lantern Ice Cream....pumpkin spice ice cream with gingersnaps- yes, that happened.
We crashed at my uncle's apartment, where earlier that day my WORLD CLASS navigator had talked me out of a panic attack while PARALLEL PARKING in a 3 foot by 2 foot spot just outside of my uncle's place. We should have won a medal for that parking job. Here we are on Day 2 bright-eyed and bushy tailed. We were semi-well rested, considering all the hip replacements of Saturday, and we were ready to hit up IKEA.
Chicago Starbucks' Vanilla Latte and Perfect Oatmeal. Yes, please.
Road trip buddies =) At least, I hope we can still be buddies after this trip. Something about letting someone see all of your crazy by allowing them to witness your reaction to driving through downtown Chicago at 60 miles per hour makes you question whether or not they will ever want to talk to you again.
Forgive me, L. Please, forgive me. =)
A big fat THANK YOU to my uncle who let us crash at his Halloween pad while we were in town and who paid for a taxi cab so we didn't have to haul our battered hips and feet onto the germ-infested subway after a day trekking through the concrete jungle. You. are. the. best!
Then it was off to IKEA. I had my WORLD CLASS navigator and Richard, our GPS, to lead us. Except Richard must have been a little hopped up on something or rebelling from the insanity of our expectation that he lead us down sidewalks and not roads on Saturday because his directions were, at times, less than mediocre. But we made it. By George, 34 minutes after pulling out of our 3 by 2 foot parking spot in Chicago, we made it. Here is our first view of that sweet and incredibly large warehouse full of home decor....Have mercy.
Then we embarked on our trip home. A trip involving Richard in all his wrong-directions glory and a Chick-Fil-A that was closed. I was beat to a pulp by the time I finally pulled into my driveway, where I was greeted by the Hubs who was running a 99.4 degree temperature and a sweet roly poly little boy who was all "why do I have to come home to mama when I could just hang out with G-Mama and G-Daddy some more? I like it there. They let me do what I want."
Ahh, it's good to be back.
And now my living room looks like this.
Worth it.
Hope you all have a day full of food. Good food that doesn't taste like a store brand version of Frosted Flakes or something you would find at a movie theatre.
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