Memorial Day Weekend

  My boyfriend Geoff and I aren't exactly what you would call "outdoorsy" and have not once gone camping together. So when memorial day weekend rolled around we weren't itching to get out our tents and sleeping bags. We instead opted for the comforts of the windy city. We both really needed a break from our busy schedules and were excited for this mini getaway. We loaded up the car and took off for Chicago that friday night after work. We got in too late that night to do anything but were ready the next morning to enjoy the beautiful weather. It was in the mid 70s and sunny which made it perfect weather to explore the city. We started off walking down the magnificent mile drinking our morning dunkin donuts. Then we acted like tourists and did some shopping and walked down Michigan Ave toward the river for our first photo opp. Then off to Millenium park for some quality people watching and lunch at Pret a manger.

After lunch we strolled down to the lake and watched the sailboats and yachts pass by. We found ourselves dreaming about what life might be like in Chi-town. I really don't consider myself a big city person but still somehow desire to conquer this crazy and vibrant city. I have lived in Minnesota for all of my 24 years of life and thought that I would finish out my days as a Minnesotan but recently have begun to explore the possibility of expanding my horizons and breaking away from the ordinary and comfortable. If you know me at all you know that I really do not like change. Yet I find myself longing for change and becoming curious about what a future might hold for me outside of Minnesota.
I attribute this newfound flexibility to a few different things

1. LOVE
2. My family's impending move to Scottsdale, AZ.

I think my mover and shaker boyfriend has had a huge influence on me in this area. He has always had big dreams and inspired me to expand my horizons. Not just because I want to be more like him, but because I want to be apart of the crazy dreams he has for his life. This trip especially reaffirmed my love and desire to spend my life with this amazing man. Enough sappy stuff for now though.

After more walking around we regrouped and grabbed some italian for dinner and changed for our nighttime activity. Geoff discovered that every Saturday night from Memorial Day to Labor Day they have fireworks on Navy Pier. So we grabbed some overpriced but delicious gelato and headed down to the pier. The fireworks brought families and couples and crazy drunk college students and it was absolutely packed. The show was spectacular of course especially since the skyline was sparkling in the background.

The next morning we found a delicious brunch spot and I devoured the most amazing egg, bacon, and spinach sandwich  on a honey biscuit. It was a sort of rainy day so we laid low for a bit and did some work at a Starbucks to pass the time before our next chance to stuff our faces! We went the cheap route for dinner and had Shake Shack which is officially my favorite fast food burger place.

Our next chance to appease our stomachs came in the form of drinks and dessert. We dressed up and went over to Pops for Champagne. I of course had a glass of champagne and we split some chocolate panna cotta with raspberries which was of course to die for. We thought about checking out some other rooftop places to get some views of the city but by that point my feet were killing me from wearing flip flops and sandals with no support all over the city. I will not be making that mistake again because 5 days later my feet still hurt!

Monday morning came too soon and our fairytale in Chicago ended. We had a long drive ahead of us but it was worth it. I cannot wait for our next trip!