A Very Chicago Reunion

I bought myself two things when I got my job: a pair of Tory Burches, which I had been lusting after for four years, and a plane ticket to Chicago to visit my friends. We all know that I have issues with separation anxiety, so, rather than spend my money on things I don't need, I decided to spend it on something that would lead to the creation of lifelong memories (pause for awwwwwing). This trip really had been a long time coming: I had seen Kate twice since the wedding (once when I traveled down to Columbus in July and once just before Christmas), Kristin once (over Christmas break) and Allie not at all since the wedding, so a reunion was definitely necessary. Not to mention the fact that both Kristin and Allie were on spring break, both happened to live in Chicago (Kristin lives and goes to school there, and Allie's parents live there in a GORGEOUS apartment), and Kate and I were badly in need of some time with our girlfriends. Put all of that together and you have an all-out lovefest!

We all remarked that, while we saw and did a lot (including a 5 1/2-mile walk on Tuesday as we traipsed all around the city, up and down the Magnificent Mile, to the Navy Pier and back- it's a good thing, too, because it helped offset the Cake Shake from Portillo's, gourmet hot chocolate from the Ghirardelli store, and all of the other decadent food we consumed on the trip (I also thanked God for the fact that both A & K's apartments had gyms)), the pace was not overly frenetic. We really listened to ourselves; if we were tired, we ducked inside a coffee shop or a restaurant, out of the cold late February cold, and chatted up a storm. We regaled one of Allie's law school friends with our debaucherous tales from the wedding, and spent a lot of time in general rehashing our last few months all together.

All in all, I really loved Chicago. Don't get me wrong, I could never live there because of the weather (I rarely took off my down coat all weekend, even when indoors- I guess that's what you get when you have bad circulation!), but boy, was it a cool city. It definitely had a bigger-city feel than DC does, but the neighborhoods, at the same time, were really distinct. I loved the architecture throughout the city, which was really showcased nicely for us when we went up to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the Hancock Building. As we sat there sipping our overpriced (but tasty) cocktails (really, you're paying for the experience, so it was fine), we were just in awe of how beautiful and expansive the city looked from up there. It was the perfect activity for our last night, and naturally the conversation turned reflective and sappy- it really was an all-out lovefest during which we all spoke to how blessed we felt to have such incredible friends and the means to be able to see each other like this, halfway across the country for Kate and I. Of course, there were tears (mostly on my end, claro), but it all comes down to the fact that I feel so incredibly lucky to have this group of friends in my life. I told all of them that, having grown up around Georgetown people thanks to my Dad's continued involvement there and already-strong network of friends, I had high hopes for the friendships I would hopefully make while on the Hilltop. The friends I made completely exceeded my highest expectations, and I have no doubt that, even if we are not in each other's physical presence every day, as we had become so accustomed to as undergrads, we still love and care about each other so much that we WANT to stay dialed in to each other's lives, and we WANT to go visit each other in our respective cities (I'm super-psyched to visit Kate when she moves to Austin!!!!!). So I think "blessed" is the most appropriate word to describe how I came out of the weekend feeling.

I can't WAIT to see all of the girls in exactly three weeks for BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!!!!!!