My kind of town...

We had the most amazing trip to Chicago. The lovely folks at Dr. Smith's had an event that I was working for the Baby Bump Club and since it coincided with Ryan's birthday AND vacation, I talked him into tagging along. (Thanks Gigi and Pops for watching the kiddos!)

This was my first trip to Chi-town and it did not disappoint! We got tons of awesome tips from friends that had been before and we narrowed it down to a manageable list. It may shock you, but I am NOT a "task girl" on vacation. I have a few select things that I want to do but nothing that I have to do and it works out well for us. No stress that way. 

BUT, basically everyone said that we had to eat some Garrett Popcorn, and lucky for us it was literally around the corner from our hotel, so it was our first stop on day one. 

We walked down Michigan Avenue inhaling our Chicago Mix like good tourists do with no where to go or be and nothing real on our agenda. Basically, those 2 hours alone were worth the trip. :) We finished our bag of popcorn right as we hit the John Hancock building, so we decided to take a ride up to the 95th floor and enjoy the view of this beautiful day. 

We got the added bonus of experiencing "The Tilt"  which was not at all as scary as I needed it to be, but was fun and worth the $5. 

We made our way back downtown and decided to grab a bite at Andy's, a jazz club. We walked in with no reservation but somehow managed to talk the hostess into a "reservation only" table if we promised to be done by 9pm. Done! We lucked out with front row joe seats to the 2 hour set and enjoyed a delightful dinner...

and yummy drinks! :)

The next day I worked the Dr. Smith's booth at the Baby Bump Club event and had the lovely pleasure of meeting and hanging out with the one and only Nina of According to Nina. (Check her out - she's super fun!) It was sometime during this event that I realized there are a TON of baby products out there that just didn't exist 6 years ago. Even 2 years ago. So be on the lookout for my 2 cents on what you do and don't need in the form of a blog post soon!

After our morning of working and playing we were ready for some food. So off to Giordano's it was for some amazing, traditional, Chicago stuffed pizza. And I will admit, I was skeptical. I'm a thin crust girl, but holy taste buds was this amazing. And now I am sitting here starving wishing I had those last two pieces that we were in no way able to even consider finishing. 

Then it was off to Second City for Game Night... and it should be noted that I made one of the best jokes of my life during this set. So funny, in fact, that our "team" got an extra point that may or may not have won the game. 

The game was karaoke and Team B was slated to perform Thriller and Like a Virgin... to which I quipped, "Thrill her - like a virgin."

Yes. Inappropriate. But, funny.

We were seated next to this FABULOUS group of women on a weekend away. They were having the time of their lives and taking "selfies" and laughing and joking and just such a joy. I had to take a picture of them and send it to my friends because this is who I want to be when I grow up.

Girlfriends are the best.

The next day was Ryan's birthday, so we woke up ready to conquer the day. We hopped on some Divvy bikes and took on the city, stopping first for a bite to eat. 

And then for his birthday, I bought him a bag of money.

Y'all. This is crazy. And I totally bought one. And I am praying that we actually get it and don't lose our identity.

Then we hopped back on our bikes and we were off. Ryan made the unfortunate choice to wear that purple and gold shirt and got 100s of comments all day long, but since it was his birthday, I decided to give him a break. ;)

We really had the best day biking around the city and if we visit another place that has a similar bike system, we would do it again. Highly recommend it as a fun activity!

We of course saw the Bean...

And took about 10380 pictures until we got it right.

And then I made him kiss me. 

We were walking around and I looked up and saw Ryan next to this sign and thought about how perfect it was - we had indeed been able to get away for a few days to share.relax.laugh.

(Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

We then ran into a few fellow tourists...

but they weren't much of the talking type.

We hopped back on the bikes and made our way across town the the Navy Pier where we grabbed yet another bag of popcorn and walked around catching all the sites and sounds of this fun spot. 

It is perfect for little kids, and we started plotting our trip back with kiddos in tow!

I was so happy to spend all day celebrating his birthday. Ryan doesn't like to make a big fuss over anything so I was so happy that he got to spend the day exploring this city, being outside, eating tons of yummy food all while hanging out with me! :) Perfect, right?!?

We seriously could not have picked a more perfect day. It was simply gorgeous.

Meanwhile, these kiddos were being rightly spoiled by Gigi - so no feeling sorry for them, ok?

We ended the trip with a night at Gibson's. And I wish I had more to show for it than this empty plate, but y'all. Mouth water/amazing/pee in yo pants good food doesn't even do it justice. You'll just have to fly to Chicago and find out for yourselves!

Just remember to invite us!