Sunday, November 6, 2011

Birthday Weekend!

My dear husband and my dear friend Emily have a birthday within a few days of each other, and Emily flew out this year to celebrate her birthday weekend with us here in Chicagoland. So I got to spend a weekend full of great birthday celebrating with the two of them!

I took a day off from work on Friday, and Emily and I spent a great day in Chicago in Wicker Park, strolling the quirky streets, shopping, and dining. We had a great fall day with sunshine to keep us warm amidst the fall chill, and then we spent the evening in Wriggleyville at Improv Olympics. James and I had been there before this summer with some other friends, and had a great time. But we’ve heard rave things about the Shakespeare Improv troupe, and had always wanted to go to one of their shows. Emily happens to love Shakespeare, and Chicago is the capitol of Improv, so it was the perfect opportunity to enjoy Shakespeare Improv. And. It. Was. Hilarious. Seriously, they were so good! Someone in the audience tosses out a theme for the evening, and our night someone called out “The Invention of Soap.” This troupe managed to weave a whole story line, in two acts, that threaded the invention of soap into their Shakespearean dialogue. I cannot wait to go back.

Saturday James, Emily, and I spent some time at Cantigny, which is an amazing park we discovered not far from our house. I can’t believe we lived here a year before I discovered it. I used to think it was just a private golf course, because it was all gated from the outside. And it does have a golf course. But it also has a huge property full of different gardens, statues, little trails, and a beautiful estate you can tour. It has what we’ve been told is an excellent military museum on the property, as well as a main building that people can rent for parties and such. This property was owned by the founder of the Chicago Tribune, and when he died he willed it to the public, in hopes that it would always be enjoyed free of charge. Again, we had fantastic weather to enjoy while strolling amidst pumpkins, mums, cabbage plants, and the last blooms of a late summer.





And Sunday, I threw a triple Birthday Bash for Emily, James, and one of my co-workers (Kristy) whose birthday was also right in the mix. We had an eclectic group of friends over for an evening of chili, fall treats, pumpkin carving, and birthday cake. This was such a perfect weekend, and I’m so glad I got to spend some time with Emily before I enter the world of motherhood—where impromptu gallivanting around the city is harder to come by. :0) Thanks so much for coming, Emily!



Annie, Joy, & Deanna

Kristy & Emily


Working hard carving pumpkins.

Scott gave James moral support throughout the process.

James' Seattle skyline pumpkin.

Marissa

Tamara & Adam

Love this Birthday girl!

And Love this birthday boy!


3 comments:

em said...

thanks for having me! i had such a great time with you! :)

Marianna said...

Nicole! You look so good pregnant! Excited for you guys!!

Janelle said...

looks like fun!