First trip Back to IL

I am back to Colorado after spending about 11 days in Illinois!  Originally when we planned the trip, it was for my graduation which was on Saturday, June 23, in Chicago.  But since we had planned it we learned my niece, Kaitlyn, would be born and we would get to meet her! (can you believe the timing on that?!)  Lastly, I decided that I would take part in the PATH Intl. Workshop the weekend after my graduation so I could be one step closer to being certified as a therapeutic horse back riding instructor.  So really this trip was just full of fun things but also had a lot of purpose to it.  Not to mention that the longer I "had" to be there, the more people I could see!

Thursday:
We flew standby in to Midway and got on our planned flight...and even had enough seats so we could sit next to each other! My friend Adam, who is a flight attendant, gave us buddy passes so we could fly back standby. We were soooo thankful for the tickets!  My mom forgot we were landing at Midway and started heading to O'Hare...Oops...but they got there just in time to pick us up. It was so great to see some familiar faces and had lots and lots to talk about!  We hit up Portillos' on the way to the hotel. YUMMM (here starts all my crazy terrible NON-Weight watchers meals!)

Friday:
Jason worked in the morning, so I went to the gym for a good workout which I needed because then we had more Portillo's at my parents while Jason fixed my dad's computer.

Then we went to my brothers and met my adorable niece, Kaitlyn.  After some quality time with Kaitlyn, we took Kaylee to the park for some one-on-one with her. 

Adoring our niece, Kaitlyn

Once we'd spent time with my brother and sister-in-law and thier ohhhh so cute kids we met my parents at Giordano's for a much anticipated dinner. Oh was it soooo mouth-watering good!

Giordanos -- Mmmmmmmmm

Jason and I finished off the night in the hot tub at the hotel. I will post all the pictures for this on a separate post...such a fun and special day it deserves it's own. :)


Saturday:
Graduation Day!! It was a very early rise to get to the city in time.  Pretty boring 2 hour ceremony but it was so worth it!  There was never a doubt in my mind that I'd walk once I'd earned my degree but I am so thankful I did.  It really made all that work feel worth it.  Doing my portfolio to earn this degree was probably the hardest and most tedious part of grad school and that alone earned itself the walk.  A HUGE thank you to both my parents, Jason and brother, Shawn, for coming downtown so early in the morning to support me for my 1.5 second across the stage to get my diploma.  It was so awesome to have my family there to support me.  Another big thanks to my sister-in-law Tiffany for watching both my nieces (Kaitlyn only being a week old that day!) so Shawn could go downtown to see me. I know that couldn't have been easy and I really appreciated it!  We took pictures out along the lake (I heart Chicago) and then went to Antico Posto in Oak Brook for some Italian favorites and wine.  That restaurant has always been a family favorite for many many years so was a lot of fun being back. My grandma and sister-in-law and nieces were able to meet us for the lunch which made it all the more special. 


After dinner Jason and I went to see Jason's uncle and aunt in Naperville.  We were able to spend some time visiting with them which was really nice.  


What a fun (and emotional) day I had celebrating and seeing loved ones! I also plan to post pics on a separate post for this day as well...Again such an amazing day I wanted my own page for it. :)

Thankful that my family and husband could be there with me!

Sunday:

We had to get up around 5:00 to get Jason to the airport so I was an emotional wreck.  I had had my fair share of fun and was super sad to see him leaving so much sooner than I had to but it was what it was.  

On our way to the airport...while I was being dramatic 

in the pic I was crying when we got to the airport...

Once I dropped him and picked up my rental car for the week it was onto the next stop.  I went to church at Willow which was, of course, amazing.  The message really spoke to me and helped me make some decisions I had been praying about the past week or so.  (more on that later). 


Then I went to meet my Uncle Dennis and Aunt Marilyn for lunch.  We celebrated my graduation there and got all caught up on life.  


From lunch I went to see my friend, Jolene, who also cut my hair.  We had a good time catching up while she cut my hair and I also got to see her whole family which is rare.  My godson, Jeremy, wanted to go to GameStop so I took him there which was a nice unexpected treat being able to spend some time with him.  


Then I headed downtown and went for a long run along the lake. The Pride parade had just ended so it was a lot of fun being back in the city.People were everywhere: on boats, at the beach, at bars, on walks, just everything imaginable. Being there really made me miss Chicago in the summertime.  :(

This spot used to be my favorite place to take in the city so I made 

sure to run through it again to remember and enjoy the city.

After my run, my hot sweaty self met Virginia at one of my favorites, Mystic Celt, to sit outside and have some sangria.  We had a nice chat while I cooled off.  


Then I headed to my friend, Andrea's, for the night. She cooked fajitas for me and we spent some time chatting and drinking some wine while I pet and played with her awesome cat, Stella!  Huge thanks Andrea for letting me stay with you and feeding me!  I really appreciated staying with you and for your hospitality!


Monday: 
Monday I woke up early to meet Beth for breakfast at Marmalade.  She was very close to her due date so I was hoping to meet Baby...but no such luck!  Instead we got to talk and enjoy a quiet breakfast on the patio along Montrose.  


I decided to see my chiropractor while there to get some new stretches and an adjustment so I can hopefully continue with my running plan.  I love my chiropractor..if you live in Chicago and are looking for one, let me know!  


After my adjustment I went to my friend, Nikki's who made us lunch. I also got to spend some time with her two adorable kids.  Hannah who is around the same age as Kaylee was shy pretending she didn't know me but made sure to keep a close eye on me the whole time.  Such a cutie!!  

Once we were done chatting I went to Andrew's (who I used to babysit for) to see him and his sister, Katherine, and  meet his newest baby sister, Elizabeth, and chat with his mom.  His littlest sister was born just a day before my niece Kaitlyn!  Had a wonderful time seeing them and meeting their newest baby!  Congrats Michael, Susan, Andrew and Katherine!  

Waiting for Katherine to wake up from her nap...I got to hear a 

story read (and made up) by Andrew while snuggling with Elizabeth

The rest of the night I drove out to Round Lake to see my friend Stacy.  We went out for dinner and then had some wine while I was adoring her sweet dog, Shelby.  (Shelby is technically my parents dog, Sophie s sister...just from a different litter!) Thanks so much Stacy for your hospitality!!


Tuesday:
Tuesday I started early so I could hit up the DMV for a copy of my car title and an attempt to change my name on the car.  They were way more efficient than I'd have ever thought and even took care of what I needed without all the necessary paperwork!  


After that I met my friend, Christy at a super cute cafe in Oakbrook.  We chatted a lot about her sister wedding festivities that have been going on this summer...so excited to hear about the details of the actual wedding once it's here!  


After lunch I took my goddaughter, Katie to Cosley Zoo and for some ice cream.  It was fun spending quality time with her, especially since I missed her birthday just a couple weeks earlier!  

Katie and me <3

After the zoo I went to Naperville to see Carli.  We went to Quigley's which brought back lots of memories of my younger days!  


After dinner I went back to my grandma's for the night where my cousin, Karrie, and her kids and my aunt Shelby visited.  It was good seeing them all and spending some time unwinding outside with some wine. I really love spending time with the kids so was thankful they took the time out to see me!

Wednesday:
Wednesday I went back to my brothers in Aurora to spend some more time with Kaylee. We went for a walk and had fun playing in the sandbox where she would "s-oop" (scoop) the sand into the pail.  Ummmm, LOVE her.  

One our walk...she loves being pushed in here...until the 

last 5 minutes, then she has to push it herself :)

After crying lots of tears saying goodbye to her I went to meet my mom for a day of fun shopping and a delicious lunch at Uncle Julio's. (although no trip to Julio's is complete without a swirl, so I much go back soon!) We shopped and had some coffee at Starbucks.  I was thankful to have pretty much the whole day to spend with my mom...much needed girl time. :)  I'm sad we didn't get a picture together that day!


Then I met my grandma at Olive Garden for our traditional lunch/dinner.  We always get the same thing and I love our tradition!  After dinner my cousin, Joey and Kristi and kids came to visit which was wonderful to see all 6 of them.  Usually one of the kids is missing when I see them so it was a treat that all of them were there. Again super thankful they came to see me!


Thursday:
Thursday morning I had to wake up really early again to be in Poplar Grove, IL for day one three of the PATH Intl. Workshop to be certified as a therapeutic riding instructor.  I had to be there Thursday all day, Friday all day and Saturday until 1:30.  It was so much fun!  I will  write more about that later but for now will say I am so very excited about this journey!  It's going to be way harder than I ever thought but am excited! That night I met my parents for dinner at one of their favorite Italian restaurants then hung out with them at the lake.

More wine at the lake. Oh Weight Watchers...thanks for working 

when I actually try.  I surely will gain many pounds 

while back in IL, but it was worth it!

Friday:
Friday I had to be up really early again for the workshop which was another fun but long day. That night my mom cooked for us, I got a run in along the lake and we caught up with our neighbor friends.  Later in the evening we went for a boat ride where my mom and I talked the entire time. :)

Ahhhh yes, more wine, but I'm still in my running clothes 

which proves I actually did physical activity that night!  :)  

Wish my mom and dad were in this pic with me!

Saturday:
Saturday was the last day of the workshop, so another really early morning followed by an emotional afternoon lunch with my parents saying our goodbyes. 


After lunch I went to church at Willow Creek where Michael W Smith was leading worship.  I was able to meet my friends Beth and Les and my brother and his whole family came which was such a treat!  Kaylee got to see her first Christian concert and loved clapping when everyone else clapped! 

Kaylee's first Christian concert :)

After church I met my cousin, Wade, who I haven't seen in about 8 years.  It was great seeing him and we had a lot to catch up on. 


Finally, I went to my grandma's for our last night of wine. ;-)  We had a little extra fun that night because she accidentally hit her button which calls 911 so we had a visit from the paramedics and firemen, lights and sirens and all.  Because of that my uncle showed up so my aunt, uncle, Grandma and me had a night of giggles.  


Sunday:
Sunday morning I had to be up, once again, really early so I could catch my flight.  I was flying standby on a buddy pass thanks to my super generous friend, Adam so I wanted to get there early enough to hopefully get out early in the day.  I ended up getting out on my original flight and was back to Colorado by 10:40 in the morning which allowed a full day to relax, see Jason and the animals.  


Through this whole trip, I was so thankful for all the friends and family I got to see. I also was so thankful for the buddy passes from Adam.  The Workshop I attended cost us way more than I'd planned so with that and all the eating out and rental car, it got pretty costly!  Seriously a huge thank you to Adam!!!   


I wouldn't have changed a thing but learned just how exhausting a "trip back home" really is.  I wouldn't have ever imagined I would have been that tired but it really was way, way, way too much in that amount of time.  I am not sure what I'll do differently next time as I really loved seeing everyone but maybe my nights will be left open or even my mornings.  I realized I had no time at all to spend with God and without my quiet time with Him, I really don't do well.  Everyone who I saw, I felt like I was only half present because I was so tired.  Like I said, not sure what I'd change but something will have to give so I can really be "in the moment" with everyone.  Thank you to everyone who met me and to all those who let me crash at their house.  It was so wonderful seeing everyone!  I'm already excited for my next trip back and to see everyone I wasn't able to see this time around...and for all of you to visit us here in Colorado!  :)  


*PS...I really wish I had gotten more pictures with everyone!  Next time. :)