Weekend Review: a wedding, our anniversary, and lots of gatorade

Welp, I’m writing this on my couch, watching the Bears vs. Packers game (well, not really… more like its noise in the background because I couldn’t really care less about football).  I have a blue Gatorade with a twisty top to my right (my favorite), and am bundled up in fleece.  No shower. Hair is a mess. Glasses on.

I’m siiiiiiiiiiick.

Breakfast for the sick.  This is just mine... but I did end up sharing. 

I was so looking forward to this weekend.  Our 3^rd wedding anniversary is this Tuesday, so we were celebrating our anniversary this weekend instead.  We usually try to go on a trip for our anniversary, but our track record sucks so far.  Our first anniversary, we went up to Galena and had a ton of fun eating food and relaxing.  Our second anniversary, we had to cancel our big trip to Colorado because of the terrible flood that they had.  So, at the last minute, we went up to Galena again.  I was pregnant with the boys and nauseous the whole time, so Tim watched a lot of football on the couch and while I puked everything I ate. 

This year, everyone and their mom was/is getting married around our anniversary.  We went to a wedding for one of Tim’s best friends on Friday, and he was a groomsman.  Tim was just starting to get over being horribly sick – congestion, sore throat, cloudy head, pounding headache.  He didn’t want to get me sick, so he ended up taking overtime at the FD (where I hope he didn’t get anyone else sick).  Since he was in the bridal party, I didn’t see him that much and figured that was pretty safe.  I rode up to the wedding with two of the other firefighters and had fun talking with everyone, all the while hoping no one would ask me why I was sipping water while they were pregaming in a parking lot.  Success!  If anyone has guessed, they didn’t say a word. I didn’t get to sit with the other firefighters at dinner.  Instead, I was at the table with all the other wives/husbands of the people standing up in the wedding.  The misfit table.  We didn’t know each other.  We were the dateless.  So the firefighters gave me the sad eyes all night. Once dinner was over and Tim was able to join me, he looked good. Not sick.

STUPID BRA

Then again, I’m no diagnostician.  We ended up leaving the reception early to get me to bed.  The groom was the only friend that Tim told about me being pregnant, so he insisted that Tim get me home and was completely understanding.  Still, I’m feeling like a piece of crap for leaving a wedding at 10 pm.

We didn’t go home.  Since we are so busy with looking for houses, school, work, and going to other weddings (we have another one in 6 days), we opted to spend the weekend in downtown Chicago and well, spend a ton of money.  My kind of weekend.  We had already paid for a hotel adjacent to the Hancock Center (I still giggle when I think that word. I am 12 years old), so we drove down Lake Shore Drive and arrived at this cute little boutique hotel (complete with tiny elevators).  We never did make it to the rooftop bar, but our hotel room was classy and huge. Our night consisted of watching an episode of South Park, reading to the boys, and falling asleep, both of us with sore throats and pounding heads.  Who says romance is dead?

Our hotel

SO close to the Hancock!

Our anniversary weekend was supposed to go like this: sleep in, get brunch, go shopping for baby C on Michigan Avenue, get couples massages, and get dinner at the Signature Room on the 95^th floor of the Hancock Building.  But I woke up knowing I would never make it to dinner.  I took my temperature and didn’t have a fever, so I didn’t call the OB.  I downed a ton of fluids and took two regular strength Tylenol every 6 hours.  I knew I could take it every 4 hours and I could take extra strength, but I’m big on not taking more drugs than I need when I’m pregnant.  Luckily, my own immune system is slowly kicking this virus’ ass (which is more than I can say for my husband).

So what did we really do for our anniversary?  For those of you who have ever driven in downtown Chicago, you don’t drive down there and NOT spend the day there.  The drive is horrendous.  Every turn you take, you think you’re going to kill like 20 pedestrians.  Cars are ruthless.  If you have the balls to drive in the heart of Chicago, you get your time and fun out of it.  So, we did get brunch.  Cheesecake Factory, I love you.

Looking up, directly beneath the Hancock

Love Michigan Avenue!

We did try out overpriced furniture.  That chair was over $2,000.

So sick!

My view of baby

We went window shopping down Michigan Avenue. As much as I wanted to shop for the baby, I couldn’t bring myself to do it with this infection.  If I get a negative culture again in a couple weeks, then trust me, it’s on.  SPEND ALL THE MONIES!!!

Since we wouldn’t be making it to the 95^th floor of the Hancock (hahaha) for dinner, we went to the 94^th floor observation deck instead. Good enough, right?  The views were amazing, and it was a beautiful day out.

I couldn't help it. I needed to purchase this picture. It's on our fridge. So cheesy!

What we were really waiting for were our couples’ massages.  We might have gone home earlier, but I was convinced that a massage would make me feel better.  I booked at Tricoci’s, a spa I used to work at (at a different location).  It was my present to Tim…. and yeah, for myself too.  I mean, a pregnant girl can pamper herself, right???

Right before the massage. So awesome.

Ladies, if you are pregnant – get a pregnancy massage!  This was my first, and I left feeling like a new woman.  My headache was even gone!  I wasn’t lightheaded anymore.  It was amazing.  I’m determined to go again in a few weeks. 

Nevertheless, we went back to the parking garage to drive home.  I had already canceled our dinner reservations and Tim wanted to get me home as soon as possible to knock the bug out.  We get to my car, Tim turns the key and… nothing.  Battery worked, we heard the engine clicking… but nothing.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!

A little note on my car: it’s a 2010.  It only has like 65,000 miles on it. It’s been recalled SEVEN times.  We replaced the starter LAST YEAR.  So Tim calls his mechanic (his dad’s best friend, Tim’s “uncle”), and his uncle goes “it’s that starter again!”  Cue me in the passenger seat, eating leftover Cheesecake Factory, watching my man pound on the starter with a tire iron (per uncle’s suggestion). 

Then the battery dies.

OMG.  Tim was hot.  He knew calling a tow truck was almost out of the question – how the hell does it get into the parking garage?  And then paying for a cab home?  Aw HELL NO.  Luckily, someone driving by was kind enough to jump our car and thank God it was enough to start the car. 

We almost went to the dealer yesterday to get me a new car, but seeing as though we are on the market for a new house I decided to ride this car out (literally) for another year or two.  Besides, I love that it’s paid off. 

Our anniversary dinner consisted of leftovers and White Castle.  I went to bed with a Vick’s humidifier next to me.

There’s always next year, right?

Happy 3rd anniversary to my husband, who goes out at any hour to fulfill my pregnancy cravings, rubs my head when I'm sick, and loves me unconditionally (pajamas, snotty nose, messy hair, and all).  To the hardest working man I know, who has given me everything I've ever wanted and more. To the only person who loves Conner and Ben as much as I do and whose favorite part of the day is reading to them at night. To the man who saves lives every time he is at the FD, builds homes for people, and is always on my side. I am forever on yours.