After 23 blissful years together, 19 of which we’ve been (mostly) happily married… it was time to finally take our long awaited honeymoon.
Why did it take us so long to do that?
Well, I’d say we’re slightly practical.
There were other more important things that had to be taken care of at the time.
Josh and I were engaged within our first year together. We postponed getting married and bankrolled what would have been used for a wedding into a down payment for our first house. Less than a year after buying our home, I was pregnant. BIG SURPRISE. I didn’t think I could get pregnant (medical complications) and yet there I was, nearly 4 months along and past the first trimester! All wedding plans and ideas ceased, we simply exchanged vows, sent in the notarized paperwork and that was it. Realizing we had new expenses coming up we decided to funnel that money into our soon to arrive daughter. Very long story shortened, we always had other responsibilities that took precedence over planning a honeymoon.
Now that our kiddo is an adult, it was time to plan a trip for just the two of us.
Talking to friends, everyone was surprised we never had the opportunity to take a vacation without the kiddo. So our honeymoon was definitely well overdue.
Most people might think that a honeymoon equals a tropical vacation. And well, that would have been nice, however our anniversary is in March and well, March doesn’t lend itself to typical tropical weather in the northern hemisphere. So we decided on doing what we love… walking around a big city, eating, shopping and looking at the architecture.
Josh had been to Chicago on a work trip years ago, and knew I’d love it there… so that seemed like our best option. Chicago, in March, weather be damned! Yes, Chicago weather in March is completely unpredictable. And so we packed for nearly every possible weather situation in a carry-on each. Bathing suits to puffer coats. I still don’t know how we managed that!
Our Chicago trip was so much fun. We stayed at the Peninsula Hotel Chicago and had the best anniversary/honeymoon trip. We also experienced nearly every season during our short stay. Weather ranged from sunny and slightly breezy 68 degrees, to below freezing and snowing. We had sunshine and rain clouds in between. All within the 4 days of our stay.
Chicago did not disappoint.
There’s so many things about Chicago that I loved.
The architecture, really stood out. The shopping district kept us busy. OH and the food scene, was top notch. I took so many photos of all our meals. I actually gained 5 pounds just from all the food… now there’s just a little more of me to love after this trip. I really love walkable cities and so we walked EVERYWHERE!
Honestly, I knew 4 days wasn’t near enough time to really explore, but it gives us a good reason to make our way back, hopefully sometime soon.
All that being said, I’m glad we waited to take this trip. Although it’s been a long time coming it was well worth the wait.
It was fun to explore the city together. We walked in the rain over a mile, because I wanted to step foot in Lincoln Park, even if thought the weather wasn’t cooperating. We went on a poorly mapped hunt for the world famous Palmer House Brownie at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel. WE FOUND THE BEAN… We took a boat tour down the Chicago River and viewed all the different buildings, reflecting upon one another. We shopped the Magnificent Mile while it was snowing. We braved the wind together, getting locked out of the Navy Pier and walking back to a spot to get picked up out of the cold…. And we dined at some really amazing restaurants that I wish were just a bit closer to home.
There’s still so much more we’d like to explore and experience in Chicago. Hopefully we’ll find our way back. Thankfully my vacation companion is always up for whatever I might throw his way. Josh made sure I was able to do all the things I wanted to on this trip… knowing of course there’s much more to return for! He was right, I loved Chicago. LOL
Yep, he’s my companion for life… always & forever.
