This summer I discovered just how enduring old friendships can be.
For starters, I was able to spend the afternoon with 3 women that I have know since grade school. We all live in different cities and haven't all been together in probably 20 years. We ate lunch at the Chicago Botanic Gardens and then visited a tree planted in memory of Jensen's mom. It was great to catch up on everyone's life - family, friends, jobs, adventures.
Next stop, cocktail hour and light supper with an extended group of high school friends hosted by Nancy Kindig Dankle at her (very gracious) parent's house. That brought back memories! Maybe I am blind to the telltale signs of time, but everyone looked EXACTLY the same - how can that be? We had so much fun laughing and telling stories that we decided we had to regroup the following month at Charlie Trotter's restaurant to celebrate the success of one of our very own.
Charlie (or Chuck as we knew him) was an amazing host and treated us to the most unique culinary experience I have ever known. We were especially happy that he was able to take time out from the kitchen to join us for awhile - it was fun exchanging old stories and learning a bit about what makes Charlie Trotter's such a well-respected restaurant. I think we all know that Charlie was always passionate about life so it makes sense that his passion would translate to excellence.
Another piece of the evening not to be forgotten was the before and after party at Sara's house. Sara is another one of those long lost grade school friends and it was amazing to see her, meet some of her family (including Harold, the beautiful white bird) and tour her fabulous home! I hope we don't go another 20 years before doing this again!
There is wisdom in the saying, "Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold."
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
New York City Revealed
Despite two previous visits to Manhattan, I don't feel like I had a sense of the city until our recent trip to visit Amy.
Of course, I always love to go to the theater and this time was no exception. Mike and I saw Billy Elliott for our anniversary and the whole family went to Hair. Both were very good and I have to say Hair was a bit eye popping - maybe I would have been better suited to Mary Poppins =).
Friday morning Megan arrived after her flight was delayed overnight in Dallas. Amy metall of us for lunch in the plaza outside of 30 Rock and Megan got a quick tour of her office at Fitzpatrick before Amy went back to work and Megan, Mike and I boarded a double-decker bus to get the lay of the land. Although touristy, this really was a quick and easy way to take in the beautiful sunshine, see a lot of Manhattan and learn some of the history of the city and the buildings.
Saturday was action packed. Mike and I started it off early by wandering through Soho, Greenwich Village, Union Square and Gramercy Park. We enjoyed the street fairs, shops and a fabulous brunch at an outdoor cafe before meeting up with the girls for a family bike ride through Central Park and along the Hudson River. Once again, we found the perfect outdoor cafe overlooking the river to eat a late lunch that would tide us over until a 9:30 dinner reservation. To top off this amazing day Amy made reservations at Stanton Social club on the Lower East Side and it was SO MUCH FUN! I loved having the family together and bringing along Katie, Kat and Nicki. We sampled about 9 or 10 interesting dishes and finished off the evening with milkshake shots. This place was trendy and hip - Mike and I were quite possibly the oldest people in the place!
I'm not exactly sure what happened in the wee hours but I have heard stories that there was a trip to Coyote Ugly to dance on the bar and another night that ended with the sunrise. The girls did their sisterly bonding but hopefully most weekends in New York allow for some sleep!
Sunday we walked across the Brookly Bridge before heading to the airport. How did that go by so quickly? I miss the family time already...
Of course, I always love to go to the theater and this time was no exception. Mike and I saw Billy Elliott for our anniversary and the whole family went to Hair. Both were very good and I have to say Hair was a bit eye popping - maybe I would have been better suited to Mary Poppins =).
Friday morning Megan arrived after her flight was delayed overnight in Dallas. Amy metall of us for lunch in the plaza outside of 30 Rock and Megan got a quick tour of her office at Fitzpatrick before Amy went back to work and Megan, Mike and I boarded a double-decker bus to get the lay of the land. Although touristy, this really was a quick and easy way to take in the beautiful sunshine, see a lot of Manhattan and learn some of the history of the city and the buildings.
Saturday was action packed. Mike and I started it off early by wandering through Soho, Greenwich Village, Union Square and Gramercy Park. We enjoyed the street fairs, shops and a fabulous brunch at an outdoor cafe before meeting up with the girls for a family bike ride through Central Park and along the Hudson River. Once again, we found the perfect outdoor cafe overlooking the river to eat a late lunch that would tide us over until a 9:30 dinner reservation. To top off this amazing day Amy made reservations at Stanton Social club on the Lower East Side and it was SO MUCH FUN! I loved having the family together and bringing along Katie, Kat and Nicki. We sampled about 9 or 10 interesting dishes and finished off the evening with milkshake shots. This place was trendy and hip - Mike and I were quite possibly the oldest people in the place!
I'm not exactly sure what happened in the wee hours but I have heard stories that there was a trip to Coyote Ugly to dance on the bar and another night that ended with the sunrise. The girls did their sisterly bonding but hopefully most weekends in New York allow for some sleep!
Sunday we walked across the Brookly Bridge before heading to the airport. How did that go by so quickly? I miss the family time already...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
One Perfect Day
I just have to capture this one perfect day and savor it.
Clearly I love being able to get where I am going on my bicycle on a beautiful day. On this particular day Mike and I woke up early, saw the sun shining and decided to ride our bikes to 'the Pebble Beach of the Midwest' for golf along Lake Michigan.
Given my limited abilities on the golf course, I was thrilled that this full length course was only 9 holes or I just might be there all day. But surprisingly, I started to get a little rhythm going (emphasize the word little). We walked the course and had a fabulous time!
After golf it was back on the bikes for a quick ride to North Avenue beach for lunch on the top deck of the outdoor grill overlooking the beach - fabulous weather, summertime music, great company, spectacular view. It was the perfect perch for people watching!
We spent a few hours in the afternoon catching up with emails and taking care of business before heading off to the Chicago Yacht Club for an evening aboard the Slap Shot! Shout out to Stevie and Scott for inviting us to join them on their beautiful sailboat for an evening spent cruising along the Chicago shoreline complete with happy hour, dinner and even dessert!
What a day...
Clearly I love being able to get where I am going on my bicycle on a beautiful day. On this particular day Mike and I woke up early, saw the sun shining and decided to ride our bikes to 'the Pebble Beach of the Midwest' for golf along Lake Michigan.
Given my limited abilities on the golf course, I was thrilled that this full length course was only 9 holes or I just might be there all day. But surprisingly, I started to get a little rhythm going (emphasize the word little). We walked the course and had a fabulous time!
After golf it was back on the bikes for a quick ride to North Avenue beach for lunch on the top deck of the outdoor grill overlooking the beach - fabulous weather, summertime music, great company, spectacular view. It was the perfect perch for people watching!
We spent a few hours in the afternoon catching up with emails and taking care of business before heading off to the Chicago Yacht Club for an evening aboard the Slap Shot! Shout out to Stevie and Scott for inviting us to join them on their beautiful sailboat for an evening spent cruising along the Chicago shoreline complete with happy hour, dinner and even dessert!
What a day...
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