My Chicago Weekend! (the book version)

I had the most fabulous weekend. I have been a member of a cross stitch board for a long time (at least 1998). It started on ivillage and moved to yuku. In the early 2000s I lurked for a while and really didn't post. I was having a lot of "issues" and kind of checked out of life. In the past couple of years, I started getting involved again. I picked up the needle and wondered why I ever quit. My love affair began again. Dh was thrilled since this meant I was back to adding to my stash and spending money. Well this weekend, I got to do something I have always wanted to do. This past weekend I was able to meet some of the wonderful ladies and their families in Chicago for a cross stitch gathering.

We left Friday afternoon. Dd was in camp and we had to wait till that was over. They had a program and then I grabbed Dd and all of her camp essentials and raced back home. I had to unpack her and repack her in record time. I ended up doing a load of laundry since Dd's bag was disgusting. We left about an hour and a half later than I wanted to. Dd protested getting back into the car. She just wanted to sit in front of the air conditioning and play on the computer. I think she was going through withdrawal. The drive to Chicago was uneventful, but long. We got to the hotel about 10.

Saturday morning we went and had breakfast. I was just jumping with excitement from the time we got up until I went to bed that night. After breakfast, as we were heading back to our room, I ran into Velda. Her two youngest children were just as adorable as the pictures I have seen of them. She was just as charming as I imagined:) I wish we were neighbors!

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activity. I quickly met lots of other members of the board and exchanged gifts from our state. I got a mug from Boston, Wild Maine Blueberry Jam (confession time ~ I ate half of the jam on a bagel this morning and then hid it in the fridge so I could have the rest) and Vermont Maple Syrup (also hidden so I can use it in a recipe that calls for it). I took wine from James Arthur Vineyards. It was called Heartland White and is considered one of the best in the state. We also brought stash to trade. While I did manage to get rid of some stash, I also got more. After that we went to the mall where I found a whole store devoted to my favorite brand of shoes, Clarks. I was so tempted to buy another pair, but I have bought four pairs this summer. I am going to buy a new pair for school.

Then we came back to the hotel and found out that the local LNS closed early. So off to Hobby Lobby we went. This did not deter me from buying though. I bought 3 yards of linen, a couple of charts that really needed a new home, and some really cool googly eyes that I am sure I will use in a project for school with Dd. When we finally made it back, we ordered dinner from a chinese restaurant. I loved my entree, but the eggrolls were the grossest. They had nutmeg in them ~ a very gross combination. We stayed up late gabbing and laughing and I had the greatest time. Tina blessed us with her singing and boy was it awesome. It sent shivers down my spine. After that we cleaned up and went to bed. Only I had a hard time going to sleep. I was sooooo stimulated from meeting all the people and everything.

Sunday morning we packed up and left to get cold pills from Target (darn allergies) and I thought we were going back to the hotel. Dh thought we were going to downtown Chicago. So I never got to really say goodbye. We communicated well to each other:( I was sad. Dh wanted to get to the science museum when it opened. He thought it was 9 AM. It turned out not to open until 11 on Sundays. We sat around, and I pouted a little. Then we toured the museum. WoW! I could spend a week in that place. We thought DD was a little too young for the CSI exhibit and so we skipped that. We had an overpriced lunch and then set off for the John Hancock building. We parked about 8 blocks away and hiked over there. Stood in line for 40 minutes and went to the top. What a view! Lake Michigan was sooo impressive. Then we hiked to Navy Pier and walked around. By now it is about 6:00 and my feet are dying. We got in the car and headed towards Iowa. We ate dinner at Cracker Barrel and even had dessert. I was soooo hungry from all that exercise. We spent the night in the quad cities. I slept until 8:15 Monday morning. Dh was very shocked since I am such a morning bird.

Monday morning, we drove to the Amana Colonies. When we lived in Iowa in the early 90s, we used to go there. I discovered a cross stitch shop and bought a few things (yes, it was patterns and linen to go with the patterns). Then we drove home. We got home about 6:00, but I was worn out from everything so we ordered Papa John's Barbecue chicken pizza.