Labor Day in Chi Town!

I met one of Erika's bridesmaids, Beverly, for the first time at her rehearsal dinner.  We were chit chatting about the summer, and I was lamenting about the cost of traveling to attend so many weddings.  When I mentioned we were heading to Chicago for my cousin's wedding over Labor Day weekend, she said "I am getting married Labor Day weekend here in Colorado- stay at my apartment while you're there!"  I was more than happy to take her up on that offer so we could spend more time in a city we've never been to before (for free!) We coordinated our travel plans with my brothers so we could hang out with them while we were there and it was so worth it!  

Wednesday night: Arrived late, found the apartment and met up with my brothers.  Michael had to go home and go to bed, but we had some drinks with Joe.

Thursday we met up with Joseph and Michael and took the El train downtown to spend time being tourists.  We walked around Millennium Park and went to the top of the Hancock Tower.  For dinner, we had pizza in a breezy beer garden in Lincoln Park. Unfortunately the restaurant was directly next to the El train and it was rush hour, so the train was constantly interrupting our conversation.  Lucky for us, this place had Moscow Mules on the menu so we invented a new drinking game: everytime the train comes by, take a drink.  That game was very efficient in preparing us for the show at the Second City Comedy Club.  I am SO glad we made a point to go to that- the show was amazing! My face and stomach hurt from laughing for 2.5 hours straight. I have no doubt a number of those players will make it big someday.  They were at the same bar we went to after the show so we were able to tell them how much we loved the show.

Friday: My parents arrived. After a late brunch we made our way to the W Hotel to meet up with them. To kill some time before the rehearsal dinner, our crew walked over to Navy Pier and had some beers. The weather was gorgeous!  I know the winters there are brutal, but the summer was pretty spectacular.  We cleaned up and went to the rehearsal dinner. The surf and turf was delicious, and the banter between Joseph and Uncle Pat was very entertaining. For example, he had no idea (or had completely forgotten) that he is Joseph's Godfather.  He also kept saying "Praise the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."  Dad said he had been drinking champagne most of the day so that might explain it.  Once dinner was over, we all met up with Lisa and her fiance Scott at a bar down the street. It was fun reuniting with Lisa and meeting Scott for the first time- he is super nice! Guy needed to go home early- he took the keys and accidentally passed out with his phone in his pocket, so I was locked out of the apartment when I got back at 3:00 a.m. Luckily the stranger I buzzed let me in and Guy forgot to lock the apartment door behind him- that could've been REALLY bad!

Saturday: We met up with my old CU friend (and Thomas's ex-girlfriend) Lisa for brunch. She is a senior stylist for a company called Trunk Club that is a personal shopping service for professional men.  She showed us around her office which is a dream- there's a full bar and an amazing rooftop patio in the middle of the city.  I am so proud of how successful she has been in her fashion career! It was like no time had passed since we last saw each other and I hope I get to visit her again soon.  We had to cut our visit short so we could get ready for the wedding.  Uncle Pat got Lisa down the aisle with no problems. We ate, drank and danced.  As the night went on, Cousin Julie and I really hit the dance floor hard.  She is hilarious and actually has some killer moves!  I love my cousins Sarah and Scott- growing up we rarely saw each other and weren't that close but now they're my favorites.  One of the highlights for Guy was when one of Scott's cousins got really serious about the limbo and took out a groomsman.  The party continued back at the hotel until late and we were all struggling on Sunday.

Sunday Uncle Pat and Aunt Cathy hosted a brunch at their condo, complete with a mimosa bar.  This gave us a chance to catch up and talk more with our cousins before everyone left to head home. Our flight was not until 7 pm so we had some more time to be tourists and did one of the riverboat architectural tours. Since the wedding was Labor Day weekend, we had Monday off to get our lives in order.  I used to think the girls I knew in college who were from Chicago were exaggerating about what an amazing city it is, but they weren't.  It is definitely worth the hype and I can't wait to go back!  

Scott and Lisa have relocated to Austin- we are overdue for a visit!