Sometimes when life gets insane it’s good to escape. So that’s just what I did. I took a little mental health holiday to my favorite windy city, Chicago.
Let me back up just a bit, before my mental health holiday my parents visited. They come and I try to make everything appear to be running like a well-oiled machine. It never lasts long, thankfully, because pretending is exhausting. They know my routine. They see the piles in every corner of my house, the out of season clothes I stacked in the den back in August but still haven’t moved to storage, they call my cell and can’t get through because my mailbox is full, they smell the rotting artichokes hiding in the back of my refrigerator, and the boxes by the front door that never made it to Goodwill. Basically they know I’m a nutcase and love me anyway. Which is fantastic. My dad pitched in, he came to the office one afternoon and washed dishes (we have a dishwasher, but he prefers to wash by hand). As he washed he discussed a company picnic with Allison and Lauren and claimed that one day he’s going to be the Director of HR at Urban Grace Interiors.
There’s so much on my mind writing this post is paralyzing me. I’m just going to clean out my camera roll and give you a little glimpse of the goings-on around here.
Let me say this though… do you have favorite people? I do. And most of my favorite people live in Chicago. Chance escaped with me, something we haven’t done since before Sloaney was born. It was a perfect weekend (aside from the fact that I woke up Saturday morning with my left eye swollen shut, which is why I’m wearing sunglasses in some of these pictures).
Oh and I threw in a couple of photos from a baby shower at Marla’s house a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty and I love petit fores.
Alright, maybe a little bit of info would be nice. I had the best dinner ever at Girl & the Goat with my dear friends Annie and Whitney (above). We managed to miss the Bulls/Heat game that we had tickets to that night (oops), but sure did have fun hunting down a karaoke bar. Spent a lot of time at the Merchandise Mart. Had breakfast with Chris and Katie at Frontera. Katie is carrying my godson in her belly and I cannot wait for his arrival!! I spent most of Saturday alone wandering through the Art Institute which was delightful. The miniatures exhibit is still my favorite. While I was there Dad and Chance hit the Museum of Science and Industry. Breakfasted with Andy and Sarah at Southport Grocery. Had dinner at Q and at Piece, and lunched at Joe’s. Dined with Dad and Cousin at Portillos and managed to do so without ordering a piece of chocolate cake! Picked up a cute little something for Sloaney B at Zara.
In a nutshell I recharged my batteries… and now I’m gonna drain them again catching up.
It was totally worth it.
Erika!
Where are your sunglasses from, or who makes them? I’ve been dying to find some that shape!