Chi-Town!

So, as a CPA, I need to earn 40 CPE (Continuing Professional Education) hours per year in order to maintain my license.  Because of this, my company has agreed to let me attend 2 conferences per year (at the Company's expense because, damn!  These puppies are expensive).  In the past, I have gone to NYC for both conferences because, A) it is close and B) it gave me an opportunity to meet up with Christine and Colleen.  So, this year - I did one conference in NYC and hung out with Colleen (and missed Christine, as she is now in AMS :( ) but then had the brilliant idea of looking into a conference that is closer to WI with the hopes of meeting up with the HS girls and my parents.  As it turns out, there was a conference in Chicago!  AND - it was even less expensive for me to fly out there than it was for me to take the train to NYC, so a win/win overall.

Not only was it a win/win from a cost perspective - it was also a win/win from a social perspective (did you really think that I would plan a trip that wasn't?).  Anne lives in a suburb of Chicago, so we made plans for me to fly into Chicago (really freaking early - like, ARRIVED at 7:30 AM early) on Saturday morning and then Melissa and Sara (unfortunately, Becky was in the Dells and couldn't join them :() drove from MKE that morning to meet us at Anne's house.  It was great because I had never seen Anne's house and had never really gotten a chance to hang out with her kids.  Granted, I was only there for about an hour, but it was nice seeing a little bit of how they live.  However, as adorable as her kids are, Anne (who stays at home with all three - bless her soul!) was more than ready for a day and night away and that is exactly what we did!

First, we stopped off at the fire station to see Anne's brother who we all hadn't seen in years and who has really grown up to be quite the hot successful paramedic/fire fighter! 

Then, we were on our way to the big city! 


We managed to find a restaurant with outdoor seating AND wine (aka, my idea of heaven), so we ate there and just enjoyed catching up with no kids pulling at us or needing to go to the bathroom or having a meltdown - it was rather enjoyable, if I do say so myself. 

The rest of the day, we just walked around and did the tourist thing.

Then....that night.  Oh goodness.  Let's just say that the WI Mama's know how to take advantage of kid-free time!  We had a great night.  Started out with tapas at a Spanish restaurant and ended with lots of dancing and random conversations with a group of kids smoking something they shouldn't have on the streets of Chicago that night (er....the next morning, technically). 

The only downside to the entire time?  Well, besides the fact that my hair was clearly a bit out of control that night (can someone please tell me this next time??? )  The morning after - as it became VERY clear to all of us that it had been way too long since a night TRULY out has happened.  But, after the girls left that morning (and after a nice greasy breakfast)?  Oh, I rallied my friends.  I rallied...

I took about an hour long walk along the Chicago River and then down to Navy Pier

 and got back to the hotel just in time to get ready for....Mom and Dad's arrival!  Yep!  They drove down from the house to MKE and got on the train to Chicago from there.  Once they arrived, we went back and repeated the walk that I had just done (trust me - after the amount that I ate and drank the day before?  My butt and thighs were thanking me for the repeated exercise) and ended up at Navy Pier where we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting next to the lake, enjoying a beer (told you I rallied!) and watching the ridiculously expensive boats go by.  It was prefect.  That night, we found a great little Italian restaurant near our hotel and had dinner there.  And, the next day?  Well, I actually did have to attend the conference that was the reason this trip was funded.  So, I did that while Mom and Dad did the touristy thing around the city and then we all met up for dinner again that night. 

Overall, a great trip! It worked out perfectly being able to see both family and friends and will definitely be something I hope to repeat in the future.  All that said, I really did miss Josh and the kids and was thrilled to return home to them...and was even more thrilled when on Wednesday morning when Alex woke up and called for Daddy?  I got to surprise him by going in there myself and entered the room to a HUGE smile and hug accompanied by "I love you SOOOO much!"  Girls and Mom and Dad?  Don't get me wrong - I had a great time.  But, that right there may have been the highlight of the trip...