On A Whim

Before Jeremy and I were blessed with Henry, we were quite known for picking up on a whim and taking off somewhere for a night, a few days or even a week. We've never sat down and actually 'planned' a vacation and aside from going on two cruises, we've rarely even known a little more than our planned destination when we left our home. So when I came home from work an hour late on Sunday, exhausted (I had to help unload a truck) and Jeremy was bored out of his mind, I wasn't planning on doing anything more than kicking up my feet and sending him out to pick up some dinner. Then the words left my mouth...

"Is the Chicago Auto Show still going on?"

An hour later we were all in the car, packed and headed towards the windy city without a second thought. That's just how we work.

I did all the driving. I'm a more cautious driver and Jeremy is pretty much blind when it comes to driving at night. I drove until 3 a.m. our time and then just couldn't do it anymore. We found a place to stay an hour outside of Chicago and crashed for about 4 hours.

Henry and I shared a bed while Daddy got his own. We were too tired to care.

Hello Chicago!

For once we were going somewhere that I had been and Jeremy had not. It scared him to be driving to and through a 'big' city like Chicago, but I reminded him that we'd been through Atlanta and Miami with no issues and I remembered Chicago as being way easier to navigate anyway. Once we got there and got lost downtown trying to find the auto show parking, he was at ease - he has a fantastic driver for a wife.  ;)

We loved the  Kia Hamsters!

We enjoyed the auto show but agreed that Detroit's was better. We did however score half-price tickets which was awesome! Once we left the show, we found Michigan Avenue and drove the magnificent mile, drove past the Navy Pier as well as the bean and Lincoln Park.

Michigan Avenue!

We would have loved to have stayed and explored more, but with Jeremy needing to be at work Tuesday morning, we figured we'd better grab some dinner and make the trip home. We figured when in Chicago, you HAVE to get a Chicago style deep-dish pizza, so we looked up the place with the highest rating on Google and stopped. It was delicious and we brought half of it home. I'm looking forward to leftovers for lunch today.

Lou Malnati's Pizza!

I had promised Jeremy (upon another quick trip up Michigan Avenue) that I could get us home by 11 p.m. so that he could get some sleep before work. We pulled into the driveway at 10:58. Hey Jeremy... told ya so!  ;)

Today I am in recovery mode. I'm exhausted and sore from so much work and driving the past few days but I'm feeling refreshed and happy that we got away for at least a night. It's done nothing but snow today here and it's been just perfect. I'm looking forward to returning to the windy city another time!

How was your weekend? Do you guys ever pick up and go on a whim or do you have to plan every trip out?

P.S. - Thank you all for the prayers and support about the position at work. Upon many long talks and prayer, Jeremy and I decided that one of us being home with Henry full-time is more important to us at this time. With the possibility of a second little one joining us in the future, we'd rather I be working outside of the home on a minimum level. There will always be full-time jobs available in the future and this was what we decided was best for now. Thank you again for your prayers in this decision, I feel completely happy and at peace with what we've decided.