|{ First Time In The Windy City }|

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be able to go with Jon to the American Medical Association (AMA) Conference in Chicago! Someone else had dropped out so I was able to sneak a space and we ended up being able to go FOR FREE!

So on Thursday evening we drove to Chicago, which actually isn't even that far, it barely even felt like a road trip since it only took about 4 hours.  We also carpooled with 2 of Jon's classmates and it was fun to get to know them/get to know them better.  As soon as we got to the hotel we had to hurry and get changed to go to a cocktail party thing.  It didn't really feel like a 'cocktail' party as some people were not dressed up at all and others just wore business suits...and they only served beer and soda, no cocktails, go figure. :)  But they had a few little finger foods.  It would have been less cool except when we first walked in Jon turned to me and said something about everyone there being future doctors, and that was a neat thing to think about.

Pardon my weird angle

After the party we went to a bar with everyone and hung out for a bit.  It's fun to be around friends but it's also a weird feeling to be in a bar and be the one of the very few people who weren't drinking. Haha.  It's definitely something we are getting used to though and we have good time with Jon's classmates.  As we left to go back to the hotel we got stopped by 3 people asking for money, 2 were definitely drunk and kind of scary, but that's a big city for you, and MAN did I miss big cities! 

The next day was mostly REALLY boring, for me anyway.  I went to the conference with Jon. We told them I was taking the place of the person who had dropped out and I got a pass to go in. :) I turned to Jon and told him "Wow, getting into med school was easy." I probably would have found the conference more interesting had I actually understood what anyone was talking about, but it all just went over my head.  I was glad to be able to be there with Jon though.

At the end of the day we met up with everyone for Chicago style deep dish pizza and then all but the other girls in our U of M group went to see a comedy show!  It was called Second City and it is the place where A LOT of famous comedians got their start, including Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mike Myers, and Stephen Colbert.  It was really funny, we had a great time!!

Left to right: Brian, Me, Jon, Adnan, Johannes

The next day was much more eventful.  We didn't go to the conference at all that day and we spent the day walking around Chicago.  I had not thought we would have the chance to do that, so the only shoes I brought that didn't have heels were flats...very flat flats.  My feet were killing me by the end of the day! BUT, we had a fabulous day!!! We went to Millennium Park where they have this cool kidney bean looking art piece which is super popular!! They also have a cool looking stage and we stopped there to listen to an afternoon concert.  We also found this funky fountain that they project images onto, it was fun to see the kids playing in it.

I liked all of the different styles of buildings in this shot.

Our reflection in it.

Underneath it, looking up.

After that we started to make our way to the Planetarium! On the way there we ran into a Puerto Rican parade!! It was so fun to watch, we even got bead necklaces just walking by it, it was great fun!! We then stopped to get some italian ice treats, which was super delicious and refreshing.  We made it to the Aquarium, which is close to the Planetarium, and were walking to go and look at the skyline when a bird suddenly flew down and swooped right into the back of Jon's head! It was crazy.  We turned to find out that it was protecting it's baby's nest (which was almost not even a baby anymore).  Silly Mama Bird had built her nest in a bush right next to a busy sidewalk! So I took a few pictures.  She was pretty, even if she was angry.

So we kept walking and finally made it to the Planetarium.  We had already decided that we would take a taxi back because our feet were sore.  The Planetarium was great, we just strolled around and played with all the interactive things, it was great! We also had lunch there.  As we were getting ready to leave we saw 5 Quinceanera parties and 8 wedding parties!!! It was crazy, but totally made sense since it was the middle of June at the place where you can probably see the best skyline view, it was so fun to see!

So we started to walk back to find a taxi and got back to the Aquarium.  We decided to walk back over the where the bird was and I made sure I had my camera ready.  Boy, am I glad I did! Just as we were walking by the nest Mama Bird comes swooping down and started attacking Jon, swooping around his head and chasing him away, and I caught the whole things in a short series of pictures (which are all at least partially blurry)!  I was laughing hysterically by the time the bird stopped and so was Jon (not to mention the other people who saw it happen)! It was hilarious!

We decided to start walking along the shore of the lake. which is surrounded by docks, until we got too tired to go on and then we would grab a taxi.  But it was such a nice and relaxing stroll that we ended up walking the whole way back.  We stopped close to Buckingham Fountain and I got a snow cone! We sat down and just relaxed for a while.  It was a dreamy day, I loved every second of it that I got to spend with my darling husband.

We made it back to the hotel and went to the hot tub with the only person who hadn't gone home yet, Jon's friend and classmate, Leah.  Poor girl had a terrible blister on her foot and could barely walk.  We went with her to go get dinner at Navy Pier and then watched the fireworks show.

That was pretty much the end of our trip.  The next morning we drove home with Leah, stopping by a random place we found, Egg on your Face, which was delicious breakfast place.

It was a really fun trip and I can't wait to go back! Chicago was amazing, it was a such a beautiful big city and it was surprisingly clean! It was so much fun!!