Our Magical Weekend In Chicago

To think this weekend was considered "business" makes me grin.....very big! Spending time on an all-expense weekend getaway with your husband and senior in high school in an absolutely beautiful city is more like "magical" to me!!  What irony it was to be asked by Deloitte to host and accompany great friends we knew from Shanghai, who now live in Illinois, and (who are ironically also clients of John's company) to a Chicago Bears Football game.  We were ecstatic at the chance to reunite with these wonderful friends of ours, while at the same time make a great business connection with a client!

 

We love and respect the Hoefling family and their beautiful seven children (three of the children were at college and not able to be with us that day.  One of the girls pictured is a good friend of the Hoefling family). We loved reliving fabulous memories of our years spent in Shanghai together, and catching up on Post-Shanghai life.

 



 

The magic of our weekend in Chicago was only made greater with the opportunity to spend time with family! Annette, Troy and their three absolutely darling kids moved to Chicago just a couple years ago.  We loved having the "locals" show us around their city, and introduce us to their favorite restaurants and shops.

 

 

 

Seriously, walking the streets with adorable Rainy, Grace, and Clayton kept a smile on my face the entire time.....regardless of the chill in the air.

 

Luckily our local Thueson family knew of  a particular excursion in the city they knew we would all enjoy.  With their help, we enjoyed an incredible architectural boat trip through the beautiful city of Chicago.  Of all the cities and countries we have had a chance to visit, this ranks up there with the most beautiful.

Annette, who served as our favorite tour director and driver, was amazing at showing us around their new city of Chi-town.  In her efforts to show us the best of the city, she just might have had a minor fender bender with a pole underneath the "L" (Chicago's elevated subway system.)  Thanks to Annette's fantastic attitude for life, and her determination to not let a minor setback ruin our precious time together, taught us all a lesson that day.  Magic is accomplished and found in any situation, and a person's attitude is key!  So, big thanks to Deloitte, to reuniting with old friends, and to  Annette, Troy, Clayton, Grace, and Rainy for helping to make our time in Chicago so purely MAGICAL!