Monday, October 21, 2013

Chicago Recap.

Good grief, the time has sure gotten away from me.  I apologize.  We got back late last Monday and then I honestly don't know where the week went.  I couldn't get myself motivated to get this post up and I sure didn't have the motivation to craft (lazy).  So here it is a whole week later and I'm posting.

We had an absolutely amazing time in Chicago.  Not only because it was just the two of us and we had never been to Chicago TOGETHER, but because this was Mike's first marathon and it was pretty emotional for both of us.  Something really cool that we got to share together.


We got into town Friday afternoon/evening and didn't do much so I'm starting with pics from Saturday morning (and just giving you the highlights because I don't want to bore you.  Haha!)  We picked up Mike's race packet Saturday morning and walked around the Expo for awhile.  Nike had this really cool wall set up with these giant letters that said #ownchicago and everyone was signing their name.


This was the view from our hotel room.  It was awesome.  I could have sat there all day long and stared at the water.

And what trip wouldn't be complete without a lame selfie?  I know, Mike looks constipated, but in his defense, he always has to press the button, because his arms are longer and he has issues with that :)

We walked FOREVER on Saturday.  The one thing I wanted to see while we were there was The Bean.  When I told Mike that, he said, "what's the The Bean?"  Let me tell you, if you haven't seen it in person, it's MUCH smaller than you think.  At least it was smaller than I thought.  I can mark it off my list though.


We had dinner with his co-workers Saturday night and on our way back to the hotel, we took a detour from the group and hung out on one of the bridges that crosses the river.  I could have stayed there all night :)  But we had to get up SUPER early on Sunday so back to the hotel we went.


We were up at 4:45 AM on Sunday and made our way down to the south side of Grant Park.  It was kind of exciting to see all the racers getting ready.  I gave Mike a kiss and left him at the entrance to Charity Village, he was running for Ronald McDonald House, and we weren't allowed inside until 9AM.  One of the other wives and I headed to get some coffee and hopped on the train to follow the guys around the course for the next couple of hours.  I kept missing Mike and we were headed to mile number 20 to see him when we calculated his time and realized by the time we took the train there and then back to the finish line, I would miss him!  So I hopped off the train and ran over to Charity Village where I was able to find Mike!  I was yelling for him, he couldn't hear me he had his headphones in, and was on the other side of the street, but it was great to see him!  (he's the one in the white shirt, black shorts and orange shoes!)


After, what seemed like a lifetime, Mike made his way from the finish line to Charity Village and that's where I got to see him :)  I don't think I'll ever forget that moment for the rest of my life.  He had a beer in his hand and just looked so relaxed.  Seriously, after running 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 20 minutes.  So awesome :)


After hanging out and waiting for the rest of his team to arrive, for a couple of more hours, we finally walked back to the hotel.  I snapped this picture of the Adventure's in Babysitting building :)  Isn't it weird that it's white?  We hung out at the hotel for a few hours and then around 5:30 PM headed out to dinner.  We walked and walked again :)  I don't think either of us wanted the night to end, since it was our last.


Monday morning we headed over to Lou Mitchell's for breakfast.  See where it says they serve the world's finest coffee?  Guess what?  They serve Mike's coffee, the company he works for.  How funny is that?  We had a delicious breakfast here and were sad to go back to the hotel and check out.  We still had a long drive home ahead of us.

I couldn't help but think about KATIE over and over again while we were in Chicago.  What an awesome city to live in :)  

We were so grateful for my parents staying at the house with the girls and Dirk, he was a handful.  It really put our mind at ease knowing they were here.  The next couple of weeks are really busy here.  Volleyball, school conferences, school programs, Halloween, etc.  I know my posting will be hit and miss and I apologize for that.  I have kept up on my Project Life, but it looks the same as it always does and I think it's kind of boring :)  So other than that, I don't have much to post until I make something. 

I'm hoping to get some things made in the next few days and have a post later in the week!  I really appreciate the visit and I'll see you as soon as I can!!  Have an awesome Monday :)

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like a fabulous weekend! And congratulations to Mike on his marathon!

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  2. oh i LOVE chicago!!! such an awesome city! looks like you had a blast

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  3. Wow! I've never been. It sounds like you had a fantastic time!

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  4. I am so glad you had a great trip!
    I think it's great to have getaways without kids every once in a while at least. :)
    And I am not a runner, but that seems like an amazing time to me! I know I couldn't do it (lol)

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  5. Congrats to Mike, what an awesome accomplishment! Glad you had a great trip!

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  6. Awww...it looks like you guys had a great time and seeing all those pictures, makes me want to go back now!!!!!

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  7. That looks like such a great getaway for you guys!! I would love to see Chicago and I'm sure I'd always think of Katie while I was there too!! You guys packed a lot in and it sounded like a special trip for you guys! I'm shocked that the Bean is so small! I'm glad you gave the heads up!

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  8. Awesome experience! I admire runners....and will continue to admire from the sidelines. LOL. I have no desire to put my body through that. But for those who do, it's an amazing accomplishment. Thanks for the awesome photos. I love Chicago too. :)

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  9. Wow, what a time you too had.
    Congrats to Mike for running this marathon, wow. So exciting.
    So nice that just the two of you were able to get away and enjoy his accomplishment.
    I also thought of Katie when you shared The Bean :)
    Beautiful photos of the city...love the one on the bridge you took

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  10. wow--what a great trip..so cool to see The Bean.. i didn't get to see this when i was there few years ago with my ex-boyfriend at time.. it is a beautiful city..

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  11. Congratulations to Mike on running the marathon! What an impressive feat!

    Thank you for sharing all of your photos. I loved seeing the pictures! This makes me want to go back to Chicago right this second! Thank you for the shout out :) I really did love living there.

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  12. Yay for Mike! So fun, so glad you guys got away.
    You know, I've probably been to Chicago like 6 times between business trips and personal stuff and I've never seen the bean! :)

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