packing and planning

A few shots from last weekend: Mike convinced me to watch soccer AND drink beer. Maybe it was strawberry beer, but it still counts. Also, above is the best bloody mary I've ever had. This thing was a drink and a meal!

I know I've been sparse this week (let's admit it, it always happens when Mike gets back from a big trip) but I'm going to make it up for it next week, promise! I'm working on scheduling posts with our entire wedding recap, from beginning to end. Yes, it took me an entire year to make myself sit down and write it but I've already got two done and it feels amazing. Not to mention I won't have to worry about posting right after our anniversary trip this weekend.

Speaking of our trip! We are so excited and can't wait to be on our way to Chicago! We're taking the overnight megabus on Friday night so we'll be there bright and early Saturday morning until Tuesday. We're hoping the bus will be an adventure and not pure torture. In any case, it's cheap and lets us avoid the whole Mike driving while I nag him game we play. No one ever wins. 

Also, Priceline and I finally came to an agreement! I gave up on downtown after several days of bidding, so we'll be staying at a really nice hotel near the airport for half the price instead. We don't mind taking the L-Train into the city if it means saving that much money! Plus, we kind of love trains. :)

Here's a little list of things we are hoping to do while we're in town. It's pretty ambitious and I'm sure we won't get to do everything but I'm a planner and I like to know my options. I've been doing a lot of research on places with free or discounted admission for military. I can already tell that Chicago is good to their veterans!

Wow, so I just checked the weather, and it's predicting scattered thunderstorms pretty much all weekend. Eek!

Here's the places we're going to try to see:

Lincoln Park Zoo

The Art Institute

Navy Pier

Field Museum

Shedd Aquarium

Signature Lounge in the Willis (Sears) Tower

Magnificent Mile

the bean/Millennium Park

a river tour (maybe the architecture tour?)

bike tour

Chicago dogs

Italian beef sandwiches

deep dish pizza (of course!)

Carnivale (a fun South American restaurant a friend recommended)

a Cubs or White Sox game (preferably Cubs, but White Sox games are free for military!)

And we're watching Ferris Bueler tonight for a little more inspiration.  :)

Thanks again all for your awesome tips and suggestions! I didn't even know where to start before then. I can't wait to tell you all about our trip!