Where to begin?

Where do I even begin?

Bryan and Stephanie just left. And we're not sure what to do with ourselves? But let's go back and review the last couple days.

Friday: We all made it to the hotel with in about 15 minutes of each other, getting into our room at something after 12 midnight.

Saturday: We bundled up and headed out. The first two minutes outside were the worst of the entire weekend. The wind absolutely nailed us with the frigid air. For a moment, I believe we were all thinking... "Oh crap!" But we ventured on to our first Chicago destination, Kitsch'n On Roscoe. I can't say that the mile plus walk was pleasant. We weren't sure where we going and continued to be bullied by the wind. But we made it. Kitsch'n was a restaurant visited by Rachel Ray on $40 a day and we were not disappointed. The food was absolutely delicious, I mean scrumptious! It was definitely worth the bitter walk.

After brunch, we hit Michigan Ave shopping. (Oh but before that we stopped to let Nathan get a haircut which was long overdue) While we passed up Tiffany's and Armani... we did enjoy some time at Crate and Barrel and other more 'reasonable' shops. The boys ended up going their own way stopping at the Mac store and at the Chicago Tribune. Oh and I might mention that this is hands down the most well documented trip. Bryan and Nathan kept the camera's clicking... pretty much none stop.

Let's see... after Michigan Avenue we grabbed a taxi and headed to a restaurant I thought was a good, local seafood place. Not so. It did have some amount of character but the food wasn't great, the service wasn't great, and it was overpriced... then add in the cost of the taxi and it just wasn't a great experience. BUT that's the price you pay for expanding beyond the tourist chains. With that... sometimes you find a 'hidden gem' other times you don't.

After dinner, we took the cab to Millennium Park. Picture this... A crisp (and I mean crisp... it really wasn't frigid by then) January evening in Chicago... Millennium Park with the trees covered in white lights... giant, snow globe like snowflakes, the kind that stick to your hair... and Frank Sinatra's smooth voice playing overhead. And as if that weren't romantic enough... add ice skating. I loved it. I love ice skating anyway, but it was the perfect evening for it. We honestly felt like we were in a movie. It was just wonderful!

Sunday: Sunday we hopped over a block to the John Hancock building where we headed up to the 94th floor to take in the city. It was a great way to take in the city and Lake Michigan which was full of ice sheets. Definitely worth it. After that, we walked to Gino's which is a favorite of Bryan and Stephanie. Another great pick. It was delicious! And not only that, the atmosphere was fun, our server was great, and it was just another great experience. I have to admit, though, that Nathan and I opted for the thin crust instead of the deep dish they are known for.

Let's see... after Gino's, we walked back up Michigan Avenue to the Art Institute of Chicago. There was a nice photography exhibit but it was still a work in progress so it was only a partial exhibit. And while we didn't have time to see everything... we saw many works by Monet, Renoir, van Gogh, O'Kieffe, and so many more incredible pieces. We really should have allowed an entire day for the Art Institute alone.

But we had to leave to make our show at Second City. We finally discovered how great the EL is. Not only is it cheaper than a taxi, its really very easy and will get you anywhere you need to be. So we took the EL to Old Town where we grabbed some dinner and waited for the show to begin.

Second City, which was the source of a Nathan-freak out (I won't get in to that!) was a blast. {Second City is a comedy/theater school and venue where many great comedians have started out} We actually got two shows for the price of one. The first improv group was a recent graduating class, the second was the house improv group. They were both very entertaining. It probably helped having had a couple glasses of wine, but it really was a lot of fun! And while we waited, I really enjoyed a typical Kelly-Bryan conversation where I actually got to use my brain while Bryan and I debated and defended our thoughts. It made me really miss having friends. The whole weekend really made us miss our friends.

After Second City we headed back to the hotel where Bryan taught Stephanie and I how to play poker. I actually understood how to play just fine... the only problem was it was just getting too late. I mistook a spade for a heart and made quite a fool of myself. And I think Nathan won. Did I mention we were betting with peanut butte M&Ms? =)

Monday: And here we are now. Bryan and Stephanie are gone. But it will be nice to have a day with Nathan. It's been a while since we've had time like this where we weren't thinking about a move or a job. So I imagine we'll enjoy the day just being together.

The trip was definitely a great experience and a great time with Bryan and Stephanie. We are grateful for their friendship and their adventurous spirit. We did miss Casey and Jo and thought of them often. But hopefully, as long as we are living away from BG, this can kind of become a tradition. We're thinking maybe next time we'll go west!

We have a million pictures! Nathan and I will work on them later this evening and hopefully have them up by the end of the day. I'll blog again soon!

*And please note... this was just a quick run down. I could write so much more... but I thought I'd spare you all the details!