I just got back from one of the most incredible trips in my entire life. You know its like when you go somewhere and you feel like a different person when you get back- yah- it was like that. Not in a bad way- oh no. but in a totally refreshing and exciting way... For the past four or five years I have always had direction. First it was graduating from college, then planning a wedding, babies one and two followed shorty there after not to mention my fathers young impending death- it really messed me up. not to say I wasn't messed up before (hahahaha) but I along the last few years lost my direction and my "flame" was burning dimly. However, I am proud to announce that in the last few months and especially after this weekend- I have found my inner rock star and am pumped to live life again to the fullest. (although I have rethought the midlife crisis tattoo I seriously considered... time is still on my side though so really it could go either way.)
I drove down to Chicago to visit my very nearest and dearest friend Jackie. She and I have been buds for 25 years give or take and not only is she my "pseudo sister" but she is Via's godmother and Kyra's constant style inspiration I think. So get this=== I have never been to Chicago. I know. Never. Weird. Well now was as good a time as any especially seeing Tim and I are in a really good place in our marriage right now. We have found that there is give and take and that every once in a while you just need to be alone and to have a good time with other adults. This being the case I made the drive in just over four hours forgetting that there were not only tollbooths along the way but that there would be traffic coming into the city (I guess Green Bay is a little smaller than Chicago hahahaha) I got lost a few times namely because I was too impatient to listen to my GPS and turned too early onto the wrong streets. But Jackie came to my rescue and got my safe and sound to their place. They live in an area within the city called which is right by the train. It was awesome how convenient the public transit is there... I felt so "green" not driving my car everywhere. Which was lucky for me because people drive like lunatics there- no fear I swear. So our first night was the ghost tour that Jackie had gotten me for my birthday--- and it was awesome. We went downtown, had some supper (a Chicago style hot dog for me... and a huge cupcake) and then waited for the group. It was cool to see who was on a haunted Chicago tour and the pair of us totally fit right in with the rest of the tourists. Maybe a little too well because we were so good at answering their serial killer trivia that they jokingly offered us a job- heck yes! Where do we sign??? (the above pic is of a theater that was "unburnable" that caught fire and had no sprinklers or fire escapes. People either burned or jumped out of the windows to their death... it was a very eerie feeling)
Saturday was a pretty big day in Chicago as it was pride fest. I was just glad to be part of something so powerful. There was much liberation of body parts and the overall feeling of camaraderie was electric. I was so happy to support my bestie in such a movement. We hit the beach before the march and scoped out all the pretty people and dip our toes in the water. We had come from the farmers market earlier in the day where we had some amazing danishes and three year old cheese... yum yum yummy. After we cooled off at the beach we picked up our signs of protest and liberation (theoretically) and marched with some pretty angry lesbians--- it was awesome.
We only made it a few blocks before we had to scoot back to Jackie's apartment to get ready for the evening festivities. It was fun though to be marching down the streets of Chicago and have people cheering for you and your cause--- I felt like a total celebrity hahahaha. That night we went dancing and I have never been so hot in my entire life (mainly referring to temperature but it seems like a great time to mention that I looked pretty good as well). We danced the night away, only after the police came to kick everyone out for being over the max occupancy... always keeping the man down (or woman in this case). Which was super cool to see because I don't really get to have much police interaction let along with a hundred angry women surrounding me... epic I tell you. I really didn't want to leave but Sunday came and went and I was on my merry way home to Green Bay. I feel like I belong in that city. Chicago is my home away from home. (thanks Jackie for sharing it with me--- love you!)
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