The Day After

No, not hung-over. Not even a head-ache. But I am tired.

We got on the bus at 6:50 and left at 7:00. Our driver, Chuck, has taken this particular group of women safely to and from Chicago annually for the last 14 years. In the 4 years I've gone, we've had only one decent weather trip. The other 3 it snowed, had an ice storm or a combination of the two.

Chicago was cold, but the snow and wind were light. Here in SW Michigan we were hammered by another Winter Storm....about 12 inches total at home. Wonderful.

The group I was with - Donna, Vicki and Steph - usually have our day pretty well planned out. We even made reservations for dinner at Rose Bud on Rush - wonderful, authentic Italian. If you get to Chicago, you really need to try it. Not cheap, but worth the price. More about that in a minute.

When we arrived, we headed for Water Tower first. This was just a cursory stop - Vicki was looking for something specific. Then we got directions for the Red Line (subway) to North Wilson Street. I haven't been on the L in about 30 years! Anyway we went to an Asian market area - knock off Coach handbags, beaded jewelry, cashmere and silk scarves and shawls... That kind of stuff. The girls were looking for Christmas presents. As per my usual routine, I didn't buy anything, just helped them find the deals they were looking for. LOL

After a few hours, we got back on the L and headed downtown. By this time we were hungry and wanted to keep it light. We found a soup shop - 12 kinds of soup (the Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice....OMG was it good!) served with a hunk of crusty bread. I'd forgotten how expensive even a light meal can be...$8 for a small soup and a coke. But it was really good.

Then we headed back to Water Tower - by this time it was crowded and I was overheating - literally! I had dressed for being outside, in blustery cold, for extended periods - I even wore my heavy winter coat. Well, I overdid it! My "energy surges" (ummm hot flashes) were in full force. By the time we dropped off packages at the bus at 3:30 - I needed to divest myself of the turtle neck and then the long underwear top I was wearing. I felt a little better.

Before we knew it it was time for us to go to dinner. We arrived just a little early, and were seated quickly. Last year, we had to wait an hour even with a reservation, but they seemed more 'together' this year.

The ambience is muted lighting, white linens, stem wear and silver. Hot bread with olive oil is brought out first. We decided that no driving meant that drinking was ok and each ordered our favorite drinks. I must say mine went straight to my head but as I do that infrequently, I enjoyed myself.

We had an appetizer of Carpacchio (very thin beef tenderloin with micro greens, balsamic, & lemon oil on crustini). My entree was Ricotta Gnocchi with tomatoes, basil and a creamy garlic sauce. Vicki had the risotto, Donna had the tortellini and Steph had lasagna. After we each sampled a bit of each, we ate with relish. Oh, and of course there was desert! Tiramisu and Italian Wedding Cake....wonderful! The waiter also brought us home made Italian cookies. We all had leftovers to bring home. Yummy!

By the time we got out of there - slightly tipsy I might add - we worked our way over to Crate and Barrel (what a great store!) and then it was soon time to get back to the bus for the ride home.

We had gotten reports all day about the weather at home - it never improved. The roads didn't really get bad until we were in Michigan. By the time we were 20 miles outside of Kalamazoo they were awful. My wonderful friends talked me into spending the night in Kazoo rather than risk the drive home (35 miles). A quick call to Greg and I was set for the night.

So this morning I woke to a very white scene, but the roads were plowed. I headed home without any problems to a hot shower, a little nap and a restful day.

We decided that we need to go over there in nice weather - so will try to get our little group to go in June. Maybe we'll spend the weekend there and really have a ball.

Oh, a little update: I didn't get the Lafayette assignment - yet. There may also be a possibility in Texas or Arizona. I'm still hoping for Indiana - close enough to come home once a week. The other two mean being away for extended periods. So, if anyone would like to send up a prayer - I could sure use it.

Ciao