So, Crissy has been wanting to surprise me with a weekend away for quite some time. She still has some location as a getaway spot for some time in the future, but for our limited budget and time - she selected an alternate location. Crissy didn't divulge the location until it slipped Thursday night - before we left Friday morning. I had given Crissy a hard time before that....joking that we were taking a big gay weekend getaway....except that's exactly what we ended up with. Unbeknownst to Crissy, Andersonville is a diverse neighborhood in Chicago - and known for its lesbian community. So, a big gay weekend is exactly what we ended up with - much to Crissy's surprise.
Crissy booked a room for us at Nina's Bed and Breakfast. This place was wonderful - cozy, cute and on a great tree lined street. It's possibly the first time I've stayed in Chicago and not felt like I was in Chicago. I loved it. As far as bed and breakfasts go, I'd totally recommend it. First, check out how cute it is:
Friday evening was also a surprise for me - as Crissy had made reservations for dinner for us at Geja's. Crissy gave me few details beyond the fact that I needed to be hungry and to dress up. So, we put on our pretty dresses, heels and made a trip for dinner. Geja's is a wonderful fondue restaurant on Armitage - with a fantastic ambiance, candles, live but subtle music, and amazing food. Crissy and I were pretty excited - fondue was an adventure for both of us. Neither one of us had experienced the fun of fondue before and looked forward to the several courses that awaited us. I hate to sound like all I'm doing is reviewing things, but we loved this place. Here are a few pics of us all dressed up for our date:
We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and enjoying the area. We walked up and down Clark Street, in and out of shops - and perused lots of things we can't afford. Crissy and I found the Women and Children First bookstore - and found a slew of books we'd love to buy. So, since we're relatively poor for the time being - we took pictures of the titles to hang onto until we can afford them. I found a couch I'd like to buy, wine bottle pendant lamps, soy candles in wine bottle bases, a wall hanging I'd like for my office at work with a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh, and about a million other things. I came up with some gift ideas for others for Christmas.....but purchased nothing more than coffee. Crissy, on the other hand, must have channeled me for the weekend - and bought herself a hat and a few things for her office.
We rounded out the day with a trip to the Crate and Barrel outlet, a ridiculous search for a Quizno's, and me apparently having OCD while on a search for Dunkin Donuts Mocha Mint coffee for us to make at home. Crissy loves peppermint mochas from Starbucks - I mean LOVES them. So, when I saw that Dunkin Donuts was offering their 1lb bags of mocha mint for the holiday season, I thought "great, I'll get some for Crissy." However, it ended up being this huge search. For a week or two, I've checked every grocery store in Blo-No, the Dunkin Donuts shop (which just looks at me like I'm crazy), and ultimate a Jewel in Andersonville. Finally, after driving out of Bolingbrook and a stop at their Dunkin Donuts, I spotted a Target across the street and suggested to Crissy that we check there. Crissy claimed she was totally over the idea of the coffee at that point, but seriously - I was on a mission here, people. We needed to find that stinking coffee. And, we did - and bought 3 bags, so we won't run out for at least 3 weeks. haha. But, really - maybe.
Here's a pic of us from today - just before leaving Andersonville and our big gay weekend. We may not identify as well, anything, really - but the weekend was great. I only wish it didn't have to end...
