I had never been to O'Hare before and it was CRAZY busy. we thought we were late because we got stuck in so much traffic but luckily Amy's flights were behind schedule so she wasn't waiting at the airport for us. I hopped out of the car and honestly bee lined for a bathroom. I thought that I could make it the last few miles without stopping because I didn't know that it was going to take SO LONG. G had to end up parking because they move you along quickly along the departures and so we got the kids a snack and let them run around a bit because they had been in the car all afternoon.
The original plan was go to go the expo after that but with all the traffic and delays we really just wanted to get to the hotel. We made it to the hotel with no problems and the kids were THRILLED to be out of the car. We told them that they could jump on the bed and be crazy and they did just that. They had so much fun at the hotel we figured we would try and take them to one close by just for the fun of it. We had enough time for everybody to potty up and G ran downstairs to get some dinner for the kids. The first time the boys went to Chicago they got burrito beach and LOVED it, and luckily there was one across the street so that's what they had for dinner. Amy and I walked a few blocks to meet her family at the Rain Forest Cafe so we took off while they hung out at the hotel for a little bit longer.
It was an interesting experience at the Rain Forest Cafe. I had been there before in high school, but not again since then. And, I think everybody was tired from traveling and navigating the crowds. The Peterson's were gracious enough to pay for this ENORMOUS hamburger I got. It was delicious though. :) After that Amy and I walked back to the hotel and chatted for awhile and hunkered into bed. It was a nice relaxing way to end the evening.
In the morning Amy went out to breakfast with a friend while I slept in. It was glorious! I didn't sleep as late as I thought I would seeing how I didn't have any kids jumping on my head, but uninterrupted sleep is nothing to sneeze at either. When she got back we decided we should head to the expo and try to get our packets. It was NUTS. Absolutely out of control. It honestly was the most organized chaos I have ever witnessed but the sheer number of people there blew my mind. I was really thankful that we didn't try to take the kids there after being cooped up in the car all day. I was so impressed at how smoothly it went. When we got there we had to show our ID and our check in that they emailed and snail mailed to you. After they checked that in we went to our designated area and they already had our packets waiting for us! It was crazy! That was just to get our bib number. To get our gear check bag that had all the goodies and our even shirt we had to venture somewhere else and then had to scan our bib number to get that stuff! No by passing any steps! They had a lot of vendors and things there but Amy and I just kinda looked at each other like we needed to get out of there. We did, however, get some sweet shirts before we got overwhelmed and left.
After that Amy met up with her family for lunch and walking around and I just went back to the hotel and chilled. It was a lot of just relaxing and enjoying my free time. I know it sounds kinda boring and lame, but it was just what I needed before our run!
I met up with her family to do some more walking around and shopping before they looked like they were going to fall over from being tired, so they took a taxi back to their hotel and Amy and I did what we wanted to do which consisted of getting hot drinks (mine was chai and she got hot chocolate) and trying on the most ridiculous shoes you could imagine! Oh it was fun. And looking at stores and clothing without feeling rushed or keeping half an eye on a small being.
I loved having the girl time. To just be and be silly. I know it may sound silly but I'm glad I still know how. I feel like there are a lot of moms that get so wrapped up in being a mom (because it is so encompassing!) that they forget who they are and how to have fun without the family. I, apparently, did not have that. We loved just walking around the city together because I really enjoy city walking. I don't love city driving, but i love being able to walk everywhere you need to go. We ended up getting Jimmy John's for dinner because we didn't want to try anything too exotic before our run! We did some last minute details at the hotel on what we needed to do and then, we went to bed.
JVG
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