Susan's Birthday Weekend - The Extended Version

Apparently, some people are curious about what happened this past weekend and my previous entry "Susan's Birthday Weekend" was a bit lacking in details. So, to satisfy my readers' appetite, here is a more detailed account of painting the town red...

The weekend, as also previously noted in a posting, actually started on a Friday for me. As soon as I was out of work, it was all about Susan! By the time the activities ended late Sunday night, we were all tired, sore, and quite satisfied with ourselves. The weekend originally was to take place in Nashville, but due to Michelle's innate desire to be helpful and responsible (despite the situation, this is not a flaw in Michelle but an appreciated quality), we had to "reinvent" Susan's birthday a little closer to home to accomodate. As Susan so aptly put it, "we don't have to go to fun---the fun comes to us!"

Friday night Susan and I went to see "the band," Paradigm Shift, in Grayslake, IL. It was great to see everyone in the band and the rest of the "groupies!" It's been a long time since we hung out with all of them. Another nice touch was how I never let Susan go without a drink in her hands! She didn't care for the Whiskey Sours, so we switched to Long Island Iced Teas. Needless to say, the night did include a bit of drunk dialing while I drove us home (sorry Christine, she wanted to call my Regional Manager and his boss too). I also want to thank Paradigm Shift for recognizing Susan's birthday by having Jason sing that lovely Puddle of Mudd song!

Saturday started off with Starbucks coffee. We would have preferred Caribou, but MJ's offer to buy using her discount persuaded the birthday girl and I. Then, we went to the outlet stores in Huntley where we properly disposed of any and all money possible. I believe between the three of us it was a successful venture; we left with leather coats, shirts, pants, a wallet, a 5 qt saucepan, a purse, flasks, a baby outfit for Isabella, and more! Then, it was time to rush MJ home so she could get to work and make money to pay the bills we had disregarded for 3 or 4 hours!

Part Two of Saturday now included Michelle. We chilled until she was able to meet up with us at the house, and we were off to Susan's favorite place...Olive Garden! We downed a pitcher of Sangria and a bottle of Chateau Ste Michelle's Riesling. Oh! And, three dinners with soup, salad, and breadsticks. The night wrapped up with us clinging to our childhood by shoving all of the furniture in the livingroom to the sides, gathering and piling all of the blankets and pillows in the house on the floor, and a movie playing until we all fell asleep.

Sunday was when we moved from painting the suburbs to painting the city. It started with our morning caffeine deposit (Starbucks again, because Michelle is a putz). We drove into the city and started with a casual walk through Grant Park to the museums and then back up along the lakeshore to almost Navy Pier. After enjoying the INCREDIBLE weather, we decided to move it indoors. We cabbed it to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. We had hoped to see one of the two special exhibits, but we had taken to long strolling through the parks on Lake Michigan. We did enjoy viewing exhibits on robots, imagery, sound, trains, ships, the Whispering Gallery, and an amazing presentation of the submarine, U-505, and it's capture by the US Navy in WWII.

Next, we hit Michigan and State St for a bit more shopping. Although Susan rightly deserves a Coach purse, we talked her out of it until she finds one she really loves. We decided that if this trip was going to count towards "Susan's Birthday Weekend" it needed a bit of alcohol with class. So, we found our way to the Signature Room inside the Hancock building. We each had amazing drinks with a gorgeous view! Susan enjoyed another Long Island Iced Tea, which again kicked her butt, Michelle had a rasberry drink with champagne, and I sipped on a conconction involving Kahlua, Amerretto, Frangelico, and cream.

As icing on the Chicago cake, we went to Morton's Steakhouse. Although it was very nice and tasty, I can't say I'd ever go back. The service was mediocre and the food wasn't exactly special considering what we paid. BUT, it was fun and exactly what we were looking for to end the night with class.

We walked back to the car, whining about our aching backs, feet, and legs the whole way, and then headed home. We met up with MJ at home, but we were all too tired to do anything but collapse. It was then that we decided the weekend had to end if we were going to live to see Susan's next birthday. Everyone crashed!

Monday greeted Michelle and Susan with a slap in the face as they were both out the door by 7:15. Michelle didn't have to work, but she did have to get home. MJ and I slept in and recovered a bit more than the other two had been able.

Overall, I think it was quite successful as we all were a bit lighter in the bank account and heavier in the eyelids! Susan was pleased, and in the end, that's all any of us really wanted.

Happy Birthday one more time, Susan!