A Deeper Life: Kanakuk Reunion in Chicago

Last weekend I got together with a couple girlfriends from Kanakuk in the great city of Chicago. We've been trying to set a reunion date for a couple years now, and we FINALLY committed to a weekend! Sadly, several of the girls couldn't make it. But thankfully, four of us could!

Amanda and Susan live in Chicago which is one of the reasons we chose to go there. Becca flew in from Dallas and I flew in from Houston actually. I spent the night with my sister in Houston and she took me to the airport. Houston=substantially cheaper flights than Lafayette.

Let's move on to the weekend...

Becca and I met at Susan's condo in Chicago on Friday morning. Unfortunately, Susan and Amanda had to work that morning, so Becca and I hung out in a Dunkin' Donuts until Amanda could come to our rescue and pick us up.

Here's Becca at our Dunkin' Donuts:

I had to get a muffin there to feed me and the little monster growing inside of me or I was going to combust! Must. Be. Fed!!!!

Amanda picked us up and we headed to lunch. I don't remember where we ate, but it was delicious and that's all that matters! I got a delicious salad with oranges and goat cheese. I was happy.

Then we headed to Millennium Park to see the oh-so-famous "Bean":

We did the typical touristy pictures, of course:

What a gorgeous city:

Me with Becca and Amanda at The Bean:

Hey, look at our reflection!:

Me and Becca:

This fountain was really pretty:

I was really impressed with how clean the city is. Amanda said that a hefty bunch of their tax dollars go towards keeping the city clean. Well worth it in my eyes.

We asked these guys to take our picture and they said, "Only if we can be in it with you." Okay... They were way too old to be flirting and wearing Affliction shirts. But oh well. We got a picture with them and we are now on their photo stream on their iPhones...lovely.

They were gracious enough to step out of the picture so the three of us could pose together:

And here are some wild street performers:

They did a mix of hip hop and aerobics and tricks...but mostly a lot of talking. They talked a lot. They put on an entertaining little show and made us laugh, so they earned my $1 fair and square. :)

Becca and Amanda posing in the middle of downtown:

Love this lady:

Now, I'm doing a little more normal pose:

I think Amanda suggested we take that second picture because I was butchering the "skinny arm".

Later in the afternoon, we stopped at Garrett's for some gourmet popcorn, and it was unbelievably delicious! I didn't know I liked popcorn that much until I tried their popcorny goodness! You could literally smell it as we walked down the block. Mmmm :) We got a mixture of caramel and cheese popcorn and my tummy was happy. We enjoyed it sitting outside near a little fountain area by the John Hancock Center. It was a gorgeous day with sweet friends and a yummy snack. What a perfect afternoon!!!

*Rumor has it that you can order the popcorn online and they'll ship it to you...so very tempting...*

I love this city:

Friday evening, we met up with Susan when she got off of work and we headed to dinner. Mine and Becca's only request that we get some real Chicago style pizza. I forgot what the restaurant was called but they swore it was the best in town and was legit Chicago style pizza. We split a large family style House Italian salad and a deep dish cheese pizza. Did we finish it all? Absolutely? Could I have stuffed another piece down my gullet? Perhaps. It was so good! This chubby preggo has craved pizza throughout my whole pregnancy, so this pizza hit the spot! Yum! thanks ladies!

After dinner, Amanda went to her apartment and we headed to Susan's. Sadly, we were all super tired from long weeks at work and school, so we wen to bed around 11:30 ish to get ready for a long Saturday.

Saturday morning, we "slept in" until about 7:30, which was glorious, and we slowly made our way out and about. We were hungry for some breakfast, so we walked to the nearest Starbucks for some grub and then took a walk to the Navy Pier.

On our way, we saw some window washers:

I think I'd rather clean snake cages at the zoo than be a window washer. I loathe heights, so that would be a terrible job for me. Someone's got to do it...and it provides a fun picture as well.

Becca and I headed to the navy Pier. Don't we look lovely?:

The view of Downtown from the lake:

So stinkin' pretty:

Becca, me and Susan:

I love these ladies so very much:

We kept badgering people to take our pictures, so that we could all be in it together...thanks, tourists!:

Cute little lighthouse:

It was getting warmish outside, so we had to drop the sweatshirts:

But it was an unbelievably gorgeous morning with precious friends:

Becca and Susan:

Me and Susan:

We walked for a good long while that morning, and then headed back to Susan's condo to start getting ready for the day. We were in absolutely no rush to get anywhere, so it was so nice to mosey along and not feel rushed.

When we finally got ready, we drove out to Lincoln Park for lunch. Yet again, I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was quaint and DELICIOUS! I think it was in an old home, because it just looked like someone's house that was made into a restaurant. So fun. So tasty. We walked around that area for a while and did some boutique shopping. Becca bought this gorgeous beaded and pearl necklace that we all lusted over! I think it's her new love :)

We then headed on over to Annette's for some ice cream. I think that's what the place was called...but Susan swore it was some of the best ice cream she's ever had! Boy, was she right! I got pistachio almond and it was smooth and delicious and perfect.

Here we are, enjoying our frozen treats:

My ice cream matched my shirt!!:

Schoenthaler family, when we visit y'all in Chicago one of these days, we MUST make a special stop to this ice cream shop! Worth every bite!

Later on, we had every intention of going to the zoo, but after driving around for an hour, there was not a single parking spot! Not a one! Sad day.

So we headed back to the city and went shopping a little bit. Of course I found a few things at TJ Maxx and a purse at Nordstrom Rack. I had never been there before. What a great store!

Me in front of the Chicago sign:

I wonder how many movies that sign has been in?

Before dinner, we all got ready and freshened up a bit at the condo. Then we headed out to a yummy place that Susan said was pretty good. Yet again, another winner!

I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was very good!

Me and sweet Becca at dinner:

The three of us at dinner:

Love you girls to bits and pieces!

After dinner, we headed back to the condo and Susan and I stayed up talking until about 2:00 in the morning. I have so missed having intentional girl talk. We covered all the bases and solved all of life's problems. It was so nice to catch up with her. What's crazy is I hadn't seen or talked to Amanda or Susan in probably 7 ish years, but there is just something so wildly special about Kamp friendships that we all just picked right back up from where we left off. I loved every second of it.

Sunday morning, I headed to the airport and we had our sad goodbyes. Miss those sweet ladies already.

The rest of you kamp girls, we will ALL be at the next reunion! I'm think we rent a beach house somewhere and have some fabulous R&R :) How does that sound? We'l make it happen!!! Love you girls!

I flew into Houston, had lunch with Angela and Jon, loved on my nephews, and headed home.

Monster and Big Bird, my nephews: