Our 6th Anniversary

Eric and I celebrated our 6th anniversary this past weekend!  Our parents took the kids, and we spent two days in downtown Chicago.  We had such a great time.  I really missed the kids at first, but quickly got used to hanging out with Eric minus our munchkins.  Eric and I joked that the first day we kept thinking that we had to rush or get back for something, so we had to keep reminding ourselves that there were no kids to get back for naps or bedtimes.  It was so wonderful just to take our time and do what we wanted to do!

Chicago is an easy pick for us to go for an anniversary celebration.  First, it is symbolic of our dating days when Eric lived downtown and we spent lots of time there.  Even our first date was at the Art Institute.  We spent many weekends walking around the city and enjoying all that there is to see and do there.  Second, Eric knows the city which makes it very easy to get around.  He has a parking pass at his building (so we don't have to pay an arm and a leg for parking), and we can use his Hilton points to stay at a hotel-it all works!  Third, it is not too far from home.  We aren't super comfortable going very far away from the kids at this stage, so Chicago is the perfect balance of distance, variety, and feeling like you are doing something special.  Fourth, as many times as we have been to Chicago, it is always a different trip for us.  There are such a variety of things to do and see, we never feel like we are doing the "same old thing". 

This year, we stayed at a super fun hotel, which is new(er).  We walked all around the city and saw "the sights" including Millenium Park, the flower gardens, and Buckingham Fountain.  We ate at some really fun places, took the architectural boat tour, visited Eric's work (which I had never seen before), went to the Art Institute, and we even got a (drum roll, please)...couples massage!  My feet may be sore, but I had a fantastic and fun time celebrating our 6th anniversary! 

Oh, and bonus (for me) that Chicago is never lacking in great photo opportunities.  Here are some pictures of our first day.  I will have to break up my pictures in a couple different blog posts, so stay tuned for more. :)

The hotel lobby

Our room

Bathroom overlooking the city

View from our room at night

     

Millenium Park

Buckingham Fountain

This was waiting for us when we got back to our room!