Week by Week: 31st

We had a mediocre Sunday brunch back in Seattle. 

We were stood up by friends who were too hungover to get out of bed, but we didn't get the texts until we were already at the restaurant.

Then we headed out to the largest dog park in Seattle proper with Sarah Lyman.

Dogs on a log. 

I breathed a sigh of relief that the Oklahoma tornado missed our friends, but was struck by the footage of devastation that this natural disaster took out on the area so close to them. It seems awful to cal it a "natural" disaster. Doesn't seem like anything natural about it. Thoughts and prayers go out to those families.

The rest of week 31 was filled with unpacking from Oregon, packing for Chicago, flying to Chicago, and enjoying the heck out of Chicago. One of our Tuckie friends and her Tuckie boyfriend had planned an epic weekend for her  30th birthday and because they are recent Chicago transplants, instead of just inviting their local friends, decided to extend it to loads of others who would have to fly in to help her celebrate. 

Well, you don't have to ask me twice to make the trip out to one of my fave cities to see some of my fave people so once I verified that the Larkins were going to be in town for Memorial Day Weekend, we got to booking tickets, etc. While I typically impose myself on our friends (shout-out to Katherine and the Bonkos) for a place to stay while in town, this time around, feeling like I was going to be 31 weeks HUGE, I felt the need to be in a gigantic bed with endless amounts of pillows (hello there, hotel housekeeping), a thermostat within fingers' reach, and easy multiple-times-in-the-middle-of-the-night access to the restroom. So downtown hotel it was. This ended up working out fantastically for access to all of the train lines we used for the weekend (green, orange, blue, brown, red!).

Facetiming with Piper in HER town!

We dropped Hudson off with Sarah, threw things into suitcases, and tried to get to bed as early as possible before our 3am wake-up call on Thursday. Our flights departed Seattle around the same time, but we were on two different airlines (a refundable one for me and another that used Jamie's leftover airline dollars from a previously cancelled flight) which had us arriving at different Chicago airports, but worked out fantastically timing-wise.

As soon as we got into town, checked in, and grabbed a quick bite to eat, we met up with Devon and the kids downtown. The plan was for Jamie to hang with Patrick and Graham while Dev took me and Piper to swim lessons. That's right; I bravely jumped in the pool with Piper for her lesson. I say bravely because it's been very many years since I've taught swim lessons and because I was waltzing around in a tankini.

It was amazing! I want to take Piper to swim lessons everyday!

She must have said something hilarious.
I loved every second of it.

I think that the boys went to a sports bar to "eat salads" and have lots of "quality conversation" aka get burgers/fries/beer and watch the hockey playoffs. With a baby. In a bar. You know, the norm. 

watching hockey with P again and & playing youtube videos for p.
"i want to watch awesome!"

Piper tries on my ring:

Oddly enough, Dev independently asked to try it on a few days later.
In the same way Piper did. Like almost the same verbiage.
Should have taken a photo to splice with these.

This must have been Friday morning?
Met up at a market for coffee, crepes, and a photo op with a stranger who was also wearing green.

Friday night, we went to a kitschy chicken place with the Larkins (can't remember what it was called) and Piper won the grand prize:

Doesn't her face say it all?
"I won the coveted golden egg and all I get is six bucks off my next meal??
You have GOT to be kidding me."

Saturday, Jamie and our Tuck friends ran a "Run or Dye 5K" in a gravel parking lot:

Avni, Swags, Tom, Jamie, Alex, hmm...don't know those two, Rebecca, Geoff, Kellie

Birthday girl.

Meanwhile, I got to spend some quality time with Dev:

just being silly.

Sat night we had a fantastic group dinner at an Argentinian steak house withand a great atmosphere complete with an ice cream cake that Geoff brought in earlier that day:

Then we headed to a random karaoke place with private karaoke rooms and I felt like I was in an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, but we had a blast. Jamie did not practice good vocal hygiene and his throat hurt for days afterward; too much Neil Diamond will do that to ya.

Swags who lives in Nashville & Rebecca.

We wish Kellie were still living with us, but she's back on the east coast.
This was a nice reunion weekend with her. 

Sunday, we went to Becca and Geoff's place with a spectacular view of Lake Michigan and had a lazy brunch with people. Then I got together with one of my fave Tuck Partners (lives in Boston) who just happened to be in Chicago overnight for a wedding that she decided to last-minute attend. She saw an Instagram photo, figured out I was in town at the same time and we were luckily able to spend about an hour together before I sent her off to get to that wedding. She was basically the only one who was also from Orange County while we were living in Hanover so we felt an automatic bond:

I miss Chandra!
Also, my head is like 3x hers.

Jamie and Kellie were able to get together with Brian Kang who was also in their fall study group. He lives in Chicago with his wife and little girl, but travels a lot so it was great timing to be able to see him:

I think we ended up back at the Larkins that afternoon:

Running around with Jamie in the rain.

The giggles from this kid, I want to bottle them:

High kicks to the face. 

This girl has my heart:

I was painting her nails and she took a break to sweetly brush my hair out of my face.
Ugh. My heart could have exploded.

Back in Seattle:

Hudson was having a fantastic long holiday weekend with Oliver and Sarah.

Monday was darling Graham's first birthday party:

The spread with fantastic s'mores brownies (with graham crackers), breakfast cupcakes, trail mix, and a cereal bar.

Complete with golden GRAHAMS.
Get it?

I think I ate 15 of these.

Not the best, but the only family photo I got of them.

Buddy!

I must be getting these moving photos from Jamie's Windows8 phone.

I don't know what to do with them.

My pretty bf cutting into a huge s'mores cake.

These Chicago ladies gave the belly some love.
I worked with Christine everyday at camp, but it wasn't until Devon moved to Chicago that we reconnected and I've gotten to know some of Christine's lovely friends by visiting so often.
xo to you ladies!

Fun party peeps!

Hi, Elaine!

We stayed at the loft for most of the afternoon before racing back downtown to pick up our suitcases, get in a quick visit with Monique and Abdullah (more friends from Tuck - no photo), and run off to our respective airports to fly back to Seattle. Both flights went smoothly for me (with the small exception of leaving my phone plugged in at the gate, realizing it just before the doors closed, and running off the plane to go grab it), but I was happy that this would be the last of the long travels for me - it's getting a little uncomfortable in those coach seats. We got home well after midnight on Memorial Day and it took a couple of days for me to recover from what was such a fun weekend. Turned out to be fantastic strategy to rest up, for not a couple of days after that, this happened!

taken in the front of  devon's chicago loft building.

Coping techniques:

Mass amounts of pillows

Lots of tums

Quality time with some lovely friends