The big 2-9
So....today is my birthday. I am 29. That means next year I'll be 30. And in December I'll have been married for 7 years. And I have a 5 and a half and a 3 and a half year old. I'd be lying if I didn't say I am proud of those facts. It's a lot to have done in my twenties. Some would say I was a child bride and a ridiculously young mom who missed her young years of discovery. But I think it's been for the best. It's been hard sometimes, but for the best. And good. Man, I wouldn't trade anything I have for having had a more "wild and free" twenties. Now, I'm not going to lie; there are days that Matt and I want to grab our passports and leave the world behind with all of our responsibilities. There are days we wish we didn't have to worry about life insurance or retirement or mortgages or any of that. But we have each other, and Sammy the knight, and Claire the flower fairy, and I don't wish I'd done it any different. But sometimes you need a "grown up night" and my birthday was just one of those....
My husband booked a room at Hotel 71. I think that's what it was called. We took the kids up to his parent's house in the northwest suburbs and then drove back down to the city for a late lunch on Saturday. Keep in mind that this was the day after Halloween, so our kids had been up late the night before and were still coming down from their sugar highs. Poor grandma. But the hotel was very fancy. It also had a rain shower in the bathroom, which is just a very big shower head that makes the water come down like a big waterfall all over you. I love that! I wanted to get one once, but then we realized that with how much water you'd use with those, we'd be out of hot water in about 3 minutes at our house.
Then we walked down Michigan Avenue for a while before going to lunch. We spotted these cuties getting their picture taken after their wedding in the middle of the street! You can't tell from the picture but a big Saks Fifth Avenue sign is over the building behind them, which just makes it even cuter. They were very cute. And seeing a wedding when you are out with your husband does make you reminisce about being a young bride a little, which is always a good thing.
But despite all my good intentions to make it a "grown up" night, I had to duck into American Girl (which has relocated to the Water Tower Plaza for anyone in Chicago who cares) to see what I could get for Claire for Christmas. She has a Josefina doll thanks to her Aunt Rebecca who handed her down, and now I really like collecting the little outfits for her. We're even having tea there around Christmas time with Annabel and her mom. Anyway, there were so many people in the store that I had to leave. I felt completely claustrophobic.
That is one thing that has majorly changed about me, I've realized. I used to LOVE the hustle and bustle of city life, and I still do, but in my "old age" I've realized that I HATE crowds. Even in the stores I like to go to like Charlotte Russe and Forever 21 (nicknamed by my baby sister "The 10 slutty shirts for $10" store) I couldn't handle the crowds. Matt was laughing because all I ever used to love was having time to myself to shop, but now I am like this old lady who doesn't want to bother! I did, however, duck into Marshalls (the cheap TJMaxx like store) and pick up a pair of jeans and a shirt for $30. Happy Birthday to me! But there were no crowds there. I can see myself becoming one of those old ladies who will only order from catalogs. I'll be 75 and I'll be saying to Matt "Honey, have you seen my Lands End catalog? I need to order my yearly corduroy skirt! Honey?"
And then I made Matt take pictures with me in the hotel bed because I found a place to prop my camera tripod-like. He was very annoyed and trying to watch a football game at the time, so if one of his eyes seems to be going suspiciously to the right, it's because he's watching the game. There were about 100 outtakes and he looks the same in every one of them, but all my smiles look STUPID! Why do men get to look the same in every picture? If blogger would allow me more than five photos, I'd show you the outtakes because I look so different in every one. It's ridiculous.
My husband booked a room at Hotel 71. I think that's what it was called. We took the kids up to his parent's house in the northwest suburbs and then drove back down to the city for a late lunch on Saturday. Keep in mind that this was the day after Halloween, so our kids had been up late the night before and were still coming down from their sugar highs. Poor grandma. But the hotel was very fancy. It also had a rain shower in the bathroom, which is just a very big shower head that makes the water come down like a big waterfall all over you. I love that! I wanted to get one once, but then we realized that with how much water you'd use with those, we'd be out of hot water in about 3 minutes at our house.
Then we walked down Michigan Avenue for a while before going to lunch. We spotted these cuties getting their picture taken after their wedding in the middle of the street! You can't tell from the picture but a big Saks Fifth Avenue sign is over the building behind them, which just makes it even cuter. They were very cute. And seeing a wedding when you are out with your husband does make you reminisce about being a young bride a little, which is always a good thing.
But despite all my good intentions to make it a "grown up" night, I had to duck into American Girl (which has relocated to the Water Tower Plaza for anyone in Chicago who cares) to see what I could get for Claire for Christmas. She has a Josefina doll thanks to her Aunt Rebecca who handed her down, and now I really like collecting the little outfits for her. We're even having tea there around Christmas time with Annabel and her mom. Anyway, there were so many people in the store that I had to leave. I felt completely claustrophobic.
That is one thing that has majorly changed about me, I've realized. I used to LOVE the hustle and bustle of city life, and I still do, but in my "old age" I've realized that I HATE crowds. Even in the stores I like to go to like Charlotte Russe and Forever 21 (nicknamed by my baby sister "The 10 slutty shirts for $10" store) I couldn't handle the crowds. Matt was laughing because all I ever used to love was having time to myself to shop, but now I am like this old lady who doesn't want to bother! I did, however, duck into Marshalls (the cheap TJMaxx like store) and pick up a pair of jeans and a shirt for $30. Happy Birthday to me! But there were no crowds there. I can see myself becoming one of those old ladies who will only order from catalogs. I'll be 75 and I'll be saying to Matt "Honey, have you seen my Lands End catalog? I need to order my yearly corduroy skirt! Honey?"
And then I made Matt take pictures with me in the hotel bed because I found a place to prop my camera tripod-like. He was very annoyed and trying to watch a football game at the time, so if one of his eyes seems to be going suspiciously to the right, it's because he's watching the game. There were about 100 outtakes and he looks the same in every one of them, but all my smiles look STUPID! Why do men get to look the same in every picture? If blogger would allow me more than five photos, I'd show you the outtakes because I look so different in every one. It's ridiculous.Anyway, the next morning, we woke up, went to Uncle Mike's for breakfast (in Bucktown on the way to church) and then strode into church all bushy-tailed and childless. I felt weird and people kept asking where my kids were. Then I had to teach my kids' Sunday School class which made me miss them (they were at Grandma's church).
So, after that, we went to grandma's.
She gave me a very nice birthday dinner and everyone gave me gifts. It was a sweet day, and now I get to top it off by watching Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. Yay!
Goodnight all.
Comments
i turned 29 on the third of october. didn't get quite the royal treatment though. i went to michaels bought myself some materials, and then got to be crafty while my mom entertained lydia and rick and my dad watched the cubs lose their third playoff game to end the season.
but lydia got a few homemade fairies out of the deal. :)