Spousal Mini-Vacation

It was a little last minute, but we decided to head to Chicago for an overnight trip.  Our anniversary is this week, and Eric's parents offered to take the boys, so we said "why not."  Since we started dating, we have always liked spending time in Chicago.  Since we've been there so many times, it's fun to explore new areas and try new restaurants.  Usually our goal is to find places away from tourist spots.  Whenever we travel, no matter if it's our first time or fifth, it's pretty much our goal to look as little like tourists as possible.  In Chicago, it's pretty easy since we're so familiar with the city.

We slept in on Saturday, left mid-morning and stopped for breakfast along the way.  We stopped where we usually do, a little diner called Sophia's.  They have great breakfast, although this time for me it was not the same.  It was actually pretty hard to find something I could eat.  But it was fun nonetheless, and my fruit was delicious.

The hotel we stayed in was very nice, but on the cheap end when we booked.  We don't often make a big deal about hotels since we don't usually spend a lot of time there.  But we definitely know how to appreciate a good one when we see it.  We checked in Saturday afternoon and spent some time planning out our meals.  Eric did most of the investigating and found some great places for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning.

Sadly, it was pretty raining.  Not sadly was the fact that I had remembered an umbrella, so we weren't stuck getting soaked.

We did some shopping, and then headed to dinner.  We ate at the Handlebar, which is a pescetarian eatery, meaning it only served seafood as a meat option.  The food was really good, and it had a great vibe.  We liked it especially because it was off the beaten trail. 

P.S. never use your iPhone 4 in the dark.  The flash doesn't do anything to better your picture, as you can see.

Sunday morning was again rainy and foggy.   The forecast called for sun and warm weather, so we were a little disappointed, but not enough to discourage us from hanging out in the city any longer.

Besides, if we would have left early, we would have missed this amazing cafe/coffee shop.  It had such awesome style.  Plus, it was in a giant old house, which made it even cooler.

And to top it all off, our coffee and breakfast were amazing!  I would recommend this place to anyone needing breakfast in Chicago.

And it was situated in such a quaint neighborhood.  There were trees lining the streets and it was pretty quiet, despite being almost noon.

Before heading home, we stopped in to an Urban Outfitters, only to find that it was an outlet-type store.  Jackpot!  So, we didn't leave as soon as we had thought, but came out with some wicked deals.  After we had had our fill, then it was time to leave.

And it wasn't a moment too soon.  As soon as we started driving, the rain just started pouring.  Apparently, there were some tornado sightings along our route, but we didn't encounter anything too dangerous.

Thankfully, I married a great driver and he was able to navigate us safety back to our kiddos.

It was a fun trip, but it's also so nice to be home.  I missed our little boys.  Although, I am a firm believer that you need to take mini spousal vacations every now and again.  It was wonderful to be able to stay up late talking without the dread of getting up early, as well as doing things without having to worry about a sleeping/eating schedule.

Well, speaking of an eating schedule, I'm off to make the kiddos lunch.